National Perspective August 21, 2011

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Negligence at KHMH Morgue !

Read on Page 11

Not For Sale !

Edition 156 Vol.3 week 51

The true voice of the silent majority

Sunday, August 21st , 2011

C.C.J. Rules: Stop Sale of BTL Shares Immediately!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

BELIZE CITY – The continuing imbroglio over the Barrow administration twice expropriating the majority shareholding in Belize Telemedia Limited, as well as that of Belize Electricity Limited, has cast a pall over the September Celebrations and may be contributing to stagnation on the nation’s economic front.

This week the Caribbean Court of Justice ruled that it can and will hear applications brought by the former owners of the nation’s most lucrative company, and even in the face of forcible passage by a proposed amendment by the Barrow administration that seek to limit the applicants access to the courts, that not only will it rule on the merits of the applications, but that it expects the Barrow administration to respect the authority of the court’s traditional jurisdiction.

On Tuesday of this week, the CCJ ordered that the Government de-

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Ruckus at 40 BNTU to Consult it’s Members on the 9th Amendment Fabers Road again!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

File Picture: George Frazier

BELIZE CITY – The Belize National Teachers’ Union, arguably the nation’s most militant union, has quietly begun national consultations on the proposed Ninth Belize (Constitution) Amendment Bill 2011. Yesterday it was reported on LOVE News that the Orange Walk branch of the BNTU had met and listened to a presentation by attorney Dickie Bradley on the proposed bill.

BNTU’s General Secretary George Frazier told the National Perspective that the union intends

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(L)Fiona Mitchell (R) Mark Lewis

Read Story on page 3

SAY NO!...9th.Amendment!

Page 2 I have always had the utmost respect for and held the Honorable Prime Minister in the highest regard. He is undoubtedly one of the best lawyers in the country and a very skilled orator and politician. In spite of allegations made against the Prime Minister for nepotism for hiring friends and family members and taking action for indirect financial gain, I have held to the belief that our Prime Minister is not a corrupt man. I highly doubt any attorney or jurist in Belize will disagree with the view that Lois Young, S.C. and Denys Barrow are most eminently qualified attorneys and truly formidable advocates.

The actions of our Government led by the Prime Minister since the decision of our Court of Appeal on the 24th of June, 2011 raise grave concerns however as these actions have shaken the very foundations upon which our nation is built.

Over the past couple of weeks, many of us have heard different attorneys including the Prime Minister speaking in public about the implications of the decision and the actions of the Government in connection therewith.

This discussion has transformed into a broader discussion over Government’s adherence or lack thereof to the rule of law. However, because of suspicions of political tribalism infecting attorneys and their legal interpretation, many individuals seem unsure as to whom to believe and confused as to what is the correct legal position.

For the avoidance of doubt, let it be clear. Not only was the law passed for the compulsory acquisition of BTL declared by the Court of Appeal unconstitutional, null and void, but also all the actions taken by the Prime Minister and the Government inconsistent with and in contravention of the Court of Appeal’s declarations since the 24th of June, 2011 up to the enactment of the new re-nationalization law and the Minister’s order in pursuance thereof were illegal. The Government and the Prime Minister were plain and simple breaking the law. This was a plain vanilla case of might over right.

Quoting from Lord Woolf in the decision of the United Kingdom House of Lords in the case of In Re M (1994) 1 .A.C. 377: “. . . The Crown [that is, the executive arm of Government, including the Prime Minister] has a duty to obey the law as declared by the courts. . . If a minister acted in disregard of the law as declared by the courts, or otherwise was engaged in wrong doing, he would be acting outside his authority as a minister and so would expose himself to a personal liability for his wrong doing. . .

In ordinary circumstance’s ministers of the Crown and government departments invariably scrupulously observe decisions of the courts. Because of this, it is normally unnecessary for the courts to make an executory order against a minister or a government department since they will comply with any declaratory judgment made by the courts and pending the decision of the courts will not take any precipitous action.”

Such is a statement of law of the highest authority and was cited with approval in our own Supreme Court by our former Chief Justice, Abdulai Conteh. As an eminent attorney and advised by some of the very attorneys that referred to such cases in their re-

Sunday, August 21st , 2011

GUEST

To The People of Belize spective advocacies before the court, the Prime Minister must know that this is the law.

If this is the law, then it raises the question, whether certain members of the Government, including the Prime Minister and others, by their actions in disregard of the laws as declared by the courts, exposed themselves to personal liability. Did it then become a necessity for the re-nationalization law to be passed not so much for a public purpose or for those reasons stated by the Minister In His Order made in pursuance of the re-nationalization law or even to break the grip of the “Ashcroft alliance” over BTL, but did it become a necessity more so because, by its express retrospective effect, it protects or seeks to protect those individuals who did expose themselves to personal liability, including the Prime Minister?

Has the legislature simply become an instrument of the executive, a tool to trample over the judiciary and its statements of the law? Does the principle of separation of powers exist any more in Belize?

When one peruses the re-nationalization law, one notices how it speaks of compensation. Two years have gone by since the first nationalization and the prospect of compensation still remains in the horizon. This law with retrospective effect provided for five years as the ultimate time horizon for the payment of reasonable compensation. Does it now mean that because of its retrospective effect that compensation is now to be paid within three years? At Government’s valuation of approximately BZ$300mn, how will this be paid within three years or even five years? What about the compensation to Fortis? The book value for BEL was BZ$286mn as at the end of 2010. From all accounts, this was not a balance sheet insolvent company but a cash insolvent entity.

Notwithstanding, even if the fair value is severely discounted as a result of its liquidity constraints, 40% of the book value is still over $100mn.

As of the end of 2010, according to the Central Bank of Belize’s Statistical Digest, Central Government domestic debt was BZ$187mn. Will the Government now triple its domestic debt to pay compensation to “the Ashcroft alliance” and Fortis? Can we afford this? Through Government, each man woman and child already owe around $7000 per person. Do we really wants to add another $1,000 or more to that overnight? Our average income is less than BZ$8,000 per person.

Whenever compensation is to be paid, assuming that it will be paid, the re-nationalization law provides that payment can be made via treasury notes, among other things. If Government issues Treasury notes as payment, this is tantamount to printing money. An increase in Central Government’s domestic debt immediately translates into an increase in

the money supply. As of the end of December, 2010, the M1 money supply was BZ$708mn 708mn, and M2 (inclusive of M1) money supply was BZ$2.091bn. Adding BZ$400mn to domestic debt translates to a 56% increase in M1 money supply or an almost 20% increase in the M2 money supply in as little as three years and no more than five years as a result of these two transactions alone. What will this mean for us individually?

Not only will we be saddled with such additional debt but what are the implications for inflation? Will it accelerate erosion of the purchasing power of our money? And, if so, by how much? If the Government wishes to offset or unload that debt, the Government can unload that investment. At this point in time, it seems that the Government is interested in only partially doing so.

Over the past few weeks alone, even without a downgrade by international rating agencies like S&P or Moody’s, the value of our Government bonds on the international capital markets has fallen more than 20% while volatility has increased thereby increasing the yield on such bonds to over 14%. With “risk-free” bonds for similar terms being between 3 and 4%, this yield largely represents the level of risk that the international capital markets give to make an investment in Belize. In other words, the international capital markets have determined that it has become at least 20% riskier to do business in Belize. Whereas an international investor needs to earn a mere 4% rate of return on a long-term investment in a mature market in the US because of the minimal risk of loss of this investment, an international investor is saying that he needs to earn a further premium of 10% in addition to that risk-free rate of 4% if he is to invest in Belize to offset the added risk of investing in Belize. This risk premium was only 6.5% three weeks ago. These numbers suggest that the

international investor is less likely to invest in these businesses or in Belize as a whole.

This may present an opportunity for the local investor. However, in spite of the reduction in lending rates across the banking sector, excess liquidity in the banking system is peaking at over 9.5% on top of the required minimum liquidity of 23%. Banks are not lending at their cost and/or investors are not borrowing. Why? What do you think is the answer?

While all this time and energy is being expended on these nationalizations, and in so doing, tampering with the rule of law and the principle of separation of powers at enormous cost to the public, 79 of our sons and daughters have been murdered over the past six months, 44 in the last three months.

Of these 44, 41 were male and 3 were female. 34 were killed in Belize City alone. 30 were short of which 28 were in Belize City. Not including the 5 killed over 50, the average ages of those murdered were 28. 8 were between the ages of 15 and 20, 13 between the ages of 20 and 30 and 11 between the ages of 30 and 40.

The policy implications become easily apparent. We need to get guns off the streets and out of our community.

Belize City needs special attention.

We need to get our kids off the streets and into schools and after-school programs. They all need a good education. We need to get our working-age population to work. They need jobs.

What is the more important role, the true role of our government - taking away investments from Ashcroft and other foreigners, protecting persons from exposure to personal liability for their own wrongdoing, or protecting our children, our brothers and sisters from these senseless murders and, instead, offering them an opportunity for a better way of life through education, hard work and discipline?

As the Constitution expressly provides, let us make laws for the peace, order and good government of our country and let us all obey those laws for our own good and the common good of our beloved country. However, let us not stop at just making laws.

Let us also have the vision to implement policies and take steps that really matter and that truly promote the common good while respecting the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual.

Sunday, August 21st , 2011

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BNTU to Consult it’s Members on the 9th Amendment

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to gather in conference at the University of Belize Belmopan campus gymnasium next week Wednesday to listen to a 4 member panel make presentations on the bill.

50 members from each of the 10 branches will be bused in to hear the presentations by Belize Bar Association president Jacqueline Marshalleck, attorney Audrey MaturaSheppard, Senator Henry Gordon and political activist Patrick Rogers.

Following that conference, the union’s executive will poll the membership to determine a collective position in regards to the Bill, for submission to the House Foreign Affairs and Constitution Committee, which is currently conducting country-wide consultations.

Frazier notes that on that same night of Wednesday, August 24th, the House Committee will be holding a consultation in Corozal and the union executive will be urging its members to attend or to listen in. He said that they had not invited any of the major parties to present on the Bill in the hope of avoiding the tensions from the inevitable polarization their presence more often than not produces.

In a press release yesterday the Barrow administration announced that it would be “meeting with various organizations and groups even outside of the official public consultation process” in an effort to “produce a kind of consensus” it hopes that is not the perceived prevailing one that the Bill is defective and needs to be withdrawn.

According to a report on Channel 7 News broadcast this Tuesday, August 16th: “The schedule for those meetings to be held by the Constitution and Foreign Affairs Committee was released today. The first meeting will be held a week from tomorrow in Corozal Town at the Corozal Civic Center. A week after the Committee will travel to Orange Walk Town where the meeting will be held at the sports complex. Then on September 7th, they go south to Dangriga at the Father Marin Parish Hall. A week after, they’ll be in San Pedro at the Angel Nunez auditorium. They take a week off for the 21st. September holiday and return on the 28th September at the Independence Primary School Auditorium. On fifth October, they go to Punta Gorda where the meeting will be held at the Sports Complex.

After that, they go to San Ignacio where the meeting will be held at the ITVET building. From there, they take it to rural Belize at the Maskall Community Center and finally it wraps up on the second November at the UB auditorium in Belmopan.

“Those wishing to make presentations can do so at the public consultations or in writing to clerk of the national assembly. We note that the remaining schedule spans a total of 70 days - added to the 30 plus days since it was introduced on July 22nd - which brings the total to 103 days - 14 more than the minimum 90 required for consultation on a constitutional amendment.”

There has been no official release to the media of the schedule.

U S New Non-Immigrant Visa Services Hours

The US Embassy in Belmopan just recently sent out a press release indicating that as of September 1, 2011, changes will go into effect for U.S. Embassy Belmopan’s Consular Section public hours and telephone inquiries. Please take a note of these changes and share this information with friends and family.

Ruckus at 40 Fabers Road again!

By Rhenae Nunez

Wednesday, August 17, 2011 BELIZE CITY - The address where eight year old Marquis Mahler was coldly gunned down in July of last year has become notorious since there has been no shortage of events at the address. With regular visits by the Belize Police Department and occasional confrontations by rivals with persons who live at the address, there is never a shortage of headline grabbing stories emanating from 40 Fabers Road.

Residents there say that they are constantly hounded by police.

Belize City Police say that the address is a nest for illicit activity. On Tuesday police along with the Gang Suppression Unit went to search the address for guns, ammunition

and drugs. As usual, it was a scene as confrontations erupted between police and residents at the address and apparently even members of the media.

“Everybody was just hanging in the yard when the police - the two truck just drove in the yard about 3pm and they started to search the yard and two of the houses. They say that have warrant for guns and ammunition and drugs but they didn’t find anything in any of the houses and the yard. They took two gentleman from out of the yard,” Fiona Mitchell a resident at the address told the media.

The search lasted almost two hours with police retrieving only a single .38 bullet which they claimed that they found in a little girl’s bag. Four

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Sunday, August 21st , 2011

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CEO of British Caribbean Bank may face charges following road traffic accident

Lyndon Guiseppi, CEO British Caribbean Bank

By Rhenae Nunez Monday, August 15, 2011

BELIZE CITY – Lyndon Guiseppi, CEO of the British Caribbean Bank, formerly Belize Bank is likely to face charges following an accident that he was involved in which claimed the life of well known Krem Radio dj and tour operator, Marvin Deras.

The accident occurred about 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 7th between miles and 5 and 6 on the Northern Highway. Deras was driving a 2010 Gold in color, Toyota Four Runner; Guiseppi was driving a 2008 white Toyota Land Cruiser. The men were travelling in opposite direction when they collided. Although their vehicles were extensively damaged, their injuries were not classified as non-life threatening. Deras, police

Marvin Deras, tour guide and Krem Dj said at the time of the accident suffered only a broken leg.

It was later divulged that Deras had slipped into a coma and passed away around 11:00 a.m. on Monday August 15, while undergoing treatment at the Belize Medical Associates Hospital.

Guiseppi has been served with notice of intended prosecution by police. The investigation file has been forwarded to the DPP for persusal.

Reports are that the file was returned to police for completion with instructions that the investigation be returned to her once the investigation is completed.

Guiseppi, a Trinidadian was appointed CEO of British Caribbean Bank in February of 2009. He was the former Managing Director of Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago.

For Sale

By Order of the Mortgagee

Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., a Company duly registered under the Companies Act, Chapter 250 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition, 2000, and having its registered office at Cor. Albert and Bishop Streets, Belize City, Belize, hereby gives notice of its intention to exercise its power of sale as Mortgagee under a Deed of Assignment and Transfer of Mortgage made the 26th day of June, 2007, recorded in Deeds Book Vol. 26 of 2007 at Folios 191 - 218, between Development Finance Corporation ( the Assignor), SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LTD., and LESLY YESENIA MIRANDA ( the Mortgagor), which said property was mortgaged by the said LESLY YESENIA MIRANDA to the said Development Finance Corporation on the 16th day of March, 2004, and recorded in Deeds Book Volume 9 of 2004 at folios 823 –886; and the said SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LTD. will at the expiration of two months from the date of the first publication of this notice sell the property described in the Schedule hereto.

All offers to purchase the said property must be made in writing and full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained from the said SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LTD. THE SCHEDULE ABOVE REFERRED TO ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being Lot 345 in the subdivision known as LOS LAGOS situated in the mile 13 areaNorthern Highway, Ladyville Village, Belize District, Belize as surveyed by Kenneth A. Gillett, Licensed Surveyor and recorded at the office of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys, Belmopan at Register 16 Entry 4460 TOGETHER with all buildings, erections and developments standing and being thereon. The said 2.391 acres is shown in plan 396 of 1993 dated 13th September, 1993 TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon.

DATED this 7th day of July, 2011.

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

Sunday, August 21st , 2011

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For Sale

By Order of the Mortgagee Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., a Company duly registered under the Companies Act, Chapter 250 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition, 2000, and having its registered office at Cor. Albert and Bishop Streets, Belize City, Belize, hereby gives notice of its intention to exercise its power of sale as Mortgagee under a Deed of Mortgage made the 27th day of November, 1995, between PHILLIP WAIGHT, of the one part, and the said SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LTD. of the other part , and recorded at the Land Titles Unit in Deeds Book Volume 27 of 1995 at folios 433 –452,the said SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LTD. will at the expiration of two months from the date of the first publication of this notice sell the property described in the Schedules hereto.

All offers to purchase the said property must be made in writing and full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained from the said SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LTD. THE SCHEDULE ABOVE REFERRED TO

For Sale

By Order of the Mortgagee Scotiabank (Belize) Ltd., a Company duly registered under the Companies Act, Chapter 250 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition, 2000, and having its registered office at Cor. Albert and Bishop Streets, Belize City, Belize, hereby gives notice of its intention to exercise its power of sale as Mortgagee under a Deed of Mortgage made the 28th day of July, 2008, between Javier Castellanos, of the one part, and the said SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LTD. of the other part , and recorded at the Land Titles Unit in Deeds Book Volume 27 of 2008 at folios 329 –396,the said SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LTD. will at the expiration of two months from the date of the first publication of this notice sell the property described in the Schedule hereto.

All offers to purchase the said property must be made in writing and full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained from the said SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LTD. THE SCHEDULE ABOVE REFERRED TO

ALL THAT piece or parcel of land containing approximately one-half (1/2) of an acre, situated near Biscayne Village on the Northern Highway, being a portion of lands now or formerly known as Point of Comfort Works (Block No. 1087) AND being Lot No. 5 on a plan of survey dated May 25th 1990

by Henry D. Flowers, Chartered Surveyor and recorded at the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys, Belmopan, Cayo District.

ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being a portion of Grant Lot No. 396 of 1993 and containing approximately 2.391 acres of land, situate in the Arenal Agricultural Layout, Cayo District, Belize. The said 2.391 acres is shown in plan 396 of 1993 dated 13th September, 1993 TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon.

DATED this 18th day of Aug 2011.

DATED this 7th day of July, 2011.

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

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

KREMANDALA $ELLOUT He has been bought and paid for...

Silent on issues affecting black South-side Belizeans while pretending to be their guardian

Can’t be TRUSTED!!!

Wilfully ignores the Corrupt Practices of Barrow and the UDP

“X” CAN’T CRITICIZE BARROW & THE UDP

A PAID AD

Sunday, August 21st , 2011

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I mpartialView By: Marshal Nunez

The Barrow Administration has no mandate to amendment the constitution

The first consultation for the 9th constitutional amendment that was held last Wednesday at the Holy Redeemer Parish Hall in Belize City, turned out to be exactly what I expected it to be.

Many of the supporters of the government occupied the hall but it also showed that many of the ordinary people who were there have absolutely no idea of the substantive issue. Few of the organizations who oppose the 9th amendment presented their official position at the consultation. If you should judge by the number of people

Two Security personnel shot!

industry is not majority controlled by Belizeans? If he so big on nationalization why do we have a foreign solicitor general, a foreign chief justice, a foreign chief magistrate and expect to get a foreign commissioner of police?

If we are so nationalistic why aren’t Belizeans holding these keys positions?

Enquiring minds want to know.

The arrogance of the Barrow administration is motivated by the claim that they are representing the will of the people and that the mandate given to them in February 2008 represents

The people are wondering why if Mr. Barrow is so big on nationalization, why is it that the oil is not nationalized? Why is it that the sugar industry is not majority controlled by Belizeans? If he so big on nationalization why do we have a foreign solicitor general, a foreign chief justice, a foreign chief magistrate and expect to get a foreign commissioner of police? If we are so nationalistic why aren’t Belizeans holding these keys positions? Enquiring minds want to know.

who made presentations, it is obvious that most of the folks did not support the amendment.

I must state though, that it was far more controlled or contained than I thought it would have been. The acting chairman of the constitution committee, Minister John Saldivar, did all he could to control the audience but it was virtually impossible for him to contain his partisan views. There were a couple of times when I think his reactions were more political than they were objective.

Even after the first consultation it is still exquisitely clear that many of the Belizean people still do not understand the magnitude of the repercussion that will come from the amendment if it is allowed to pass. Still, to me it seems as if though the wind has been blown out of the sail of the government. In the initial stages the government made it appear as if though this amendment was all about nationalizing the water, electricity and telephone companies and that they would do so because they had the overwhelming support of the Belizean people. But as time continues more and more Belizeans are realizing that there is already provision within the Belizean constitution for the nationalizing or public acquisition of private property. Therefore, if there is already that provision, why is it so important for the government to make this constitutional amendment?

The people are now beginning to realize that there is in fact something other than the nationalization of the public utilities involved with this amendment. The fact of the matter is the Belizean people now recognize that Mr. Barrow does not shoot as straight as he talks. The people are wondering why if Mr. Barrow is so big on nationalization, why is it that the oil is not nationalized? Why is it that the sugar

Attempted Armed Robbery at Atlantic Bank

overwhelming support of the people.

They claim that with that overwhelming support in the national assembly that they have been given the mighty reign to do as they please, especially as it relates to the constitution. Of a nation with over 300,000 people, how is it that the 56,000 people that elected the UDP can translate to the overwhelming support of the barrow administration and that is equal to the will of the people?

Well, let us examine the will of the people a little further. So far many organizations that have hundreds, and in some cases thousands, and even tens of thousands of members and supporters, have declared their positions and are not supporting the 9th amendment.

These organizations include the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize, the Belize Bar Association, the Belize Council of Churches, the Opposition Peoples United Party, and most recently an acclaimed law professor from the University of the West Indies faculty of law. This could easily be taken to mean that even students of law do not support this 9th amendment but we are not talking about organization, we are talking about numbers and the will of the people.

The Belize Chambers of Commerce has a membership of over 3000 businesses, if we multiply each business by let’s say 10 workers we are looking at 30,000 people. The Bar Association has 120 members and each member has family members by extension. The National Trade Union Congress of Belize has 9 affiliate members which include the teachers union, the public service union, the communication workers union, the energy workers union, the Christian Workers Union, among others. If you just imagine the number of

A brazen attempted armed robbery occurred just before 2:00 pm on Monday afternoon at the Atlantic Bank branch in Ladyville which resulted with gun-shot injuries to two Security Personnel. The National Perspective understands that three armed bandits entered the bank’s branch in Ladyville while five persons were in the bank, the manager, a teller, a customer and the two security officers.

We understand that at the time the gunmen entered, the manager was in the bank’s bathroom purportedly brushing his teeth, while a customer was with the teller and the two security personnel, Ion Mc Bean and Dalton Watler were at their positions.

According to investigation reports, one of the would be robbers described as a heavy-built, the biggest of the three then pulled out a short arm and demanded money but this drew the attention of the bank’s security guards and engaged the trio into a struggle during which time the first shot fired by the assailants shattered the front glass exit. While the struggle continued, the teller found refuge in the bathroom where he informed the manager of what was occurring in the banking area. Moments later, two more shots rang out, one of the bullets found its mark penetrating the right upper leg of Ion McLean while the third bullet grazed Watler to the right side of the head.

Moments later, a passing Belize De-

fense Force Patrol vehicle arrived on the scene but by this time the three desperados had already disappeared without a scratch and the security guard’s service revolvers even though it is yet uncertain whether they made off with any of the bank’s money since the police almost never give full details of events.

McBean and Watler were transported initially to BDF’s Medical Centre at Price Barracks for immediate observation but were subsequently taken to the KHMH where they are being treated for their injuries which are classified as not life threatening.

The trio ran out of the bank having only gotten the 9 millimeter weapon. Both guards were taken to Belize Medical Associates hospital and their injuries have been classified as none life threatening.

The entire incident was captured by security cameras. The men escaped in a blue Toyota Corolla. The car was found abandoned about an hour later in Vista Del Mar. People in the area told police that the men hopped into a boat and made good their escape.

Police say they know who they are looking for and will make arrests. Ladyville police claim that they intercepted the trio about a month ago. It was believed that they were on a criminal mission however no crime had been committed therefore the men were let go.

Police continue their investigation.

members of this congress we are looking at 10,000 of people. The Peoples United Party in the last general election got over 44,000 votes which can simply mean that those 44,000 people are not supporting the 9th amendment. Therefore when you tally the number of people affiliated with these organization it is extremely clear that that is a far greater number than the 56,000 that represent the UDP. So when the prime minister and his government are boasting that they have the will of the people it is a gross misrepresentation of what is truly the will of the Belizean people.

The prime minister had said that during the period of the consultation if it is clear that the people are not supporting the amendment then the government will have to listen to the people.

Well Mr. Prime Minister the evidence is clear that the people are definitely not in support of the 9th constitutional amendment. So if you are truly a man of your word then it means you should withdraw this propose amendment.

That, Mr. Prime Minister, is what you have said to the Belizean people.

Mr. Prime Minister, the people of this country have lost some trust in your government. You have asked us to imagine the possibilities and so far all we have had are some real harsh realities. Come clean with us and please don’t let us imagine other possibilities. The people are saying “No!” to the 9th amendment. If you care about the Belizean people and this nation do the right thing - withdraw the amendment.

Just my impartial view.

Sunday, August 21st , 2011 The RESTORE Belize plan is just as boring to read now as it was when I first saw it on June 2nd, 2010, the day it was presented by PM Barrow at the Belize Biltmore Plaza. This was supposed to be the panacea that would cure all where crime, especially in Belize City’s south side, was concerned.

According to PM Barrow the, the RESTORE Belize program is a “crime prevention initiative that will operate directly out of the office of the Prime Minister.” What it really was – was a jacking of Mayor Moya’s initiative to address crime in the City which was launched in May of last year.

I was skeptical then and my skepticism is well rooted now that one year has passed and so many more have died and we are yet to see some evidence of the impact of RESTORE Belize. “The Programme will function primarily as a coordinating agency that will pull together all government agency (sic) to address the complex array of institutional social and economic issues that have conspired to create the current crisis of violent crime in Belize, the most dramatic of which have been experienced in the south side of Belize City.”

This is yet another issue that PM Barrow has failed at. RESTORE Belize was launched under very perturbing circumstances since the PM’s law partner Rodwell Williams was doing battle for his life after he had been shot outside their offices on Albert Street for reasons unknown. Barrow looked pensive and contrite. I somewhat bought the act and in a way hoped that the programme would work.

Defenders would say that it has worked because the hundreds have been employed under the South Side Poverty Alleviation Project. It begs the question - how much of alleviation has the Poverty Alleviation program brought and to what extent if any has RESTORE Belize restored?

The script told a great story but fell woefully short on fulfilling its promise. Since the beginning of this year 86 persons killed in the ongoing gun violence, most of whom have been killed in Belize City’s south side. A safe zone (whatever that means) was declared but that safe zone has become more like a hot bed for violence.

Fatigue must have overcome our people who have gone silent on crime, no more demonstrations calling on our young black men to put down their weapons. All we do is pause for a moment as news breaks of another young black man’s life being snuffed out as the massacre persists in Belize City’s south side streets.

The news last week that the Police Department dropped off a young man in unfriendly territory which sparked shooting in the area in which a young man was injured is disturbing and I can only hope that the investigation into the matter is a sincere one, and if it is determined that such a reckless and malicious act was committed for the sick thrill of some sicko in the Police Department, then that person or persons should be brought to justice. I shudder at the thought of some of the atrocities I have heard reported committed by police officers. To know that there are those in the Department who play with lives as a sport is just blood curdling. They need to be committed to some institution and jail might not be the appropriate place.

Social experts hold that crime is symptomatic of other social condi-

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RESTORE Belize’- – ...a failed initiative ‘Re-establish Security Through Outreach Rehabilitation and Education’ Typical of PM Barrow’s grandstanding. The measly allotment for food assistance to the poor and the shameful $4 million for Conditional Cash Transfer does not reflect a sincere effort by GOB to address the basic but very dire needs of the people. All together Barrow only set aside $6.5 million dollars to address the needs of over half of the population. It is hypocritical and mean when you consider that he took $50 million out Social Security to dump in BTL which supposedly is for the benefit of the people of Belize! Just when will the people of Belize derive those benefits? tions and unless those issues are cured crime will always be. Two major issues are poverty and unemployment which government is yet to make a meaningful effort to address. These two maladies have consumed 66% of our population which is unsustainable in terms of services and resources that must be doled out to help those who cannot help themselves.

In his 2011-2012 Budget presentation, the Prime Minister claimed that the government’s “social protection initiatives, our pro-poor policies, got off to a good start; we continued with infrastructure improvement and its concomitant job-creation; access to credit for small and medium enterprises was expanded via the DFC; and I believe we are beginning to see now a slight containment of the murderous Belize City gang violence.” Almost half way through the financial year an evaluation of the performance of the 2011-2012 budget is also warranted.

What social protection initiatives?

And how have they served? Faith in the Belize Police Department has eroded. Barrow further poetically stated “the trick is never to surrender to constrictions. Rather we must create new space, find daylight, and wall round the high ground on which our key priorities of social protection and poverty alleviation are encamped.”

The Government of Belize is not in the business of openness where the people are informed of basic information like the standard of living. The 2010 census exposed that 23% of our people who want to work cannot do so because they cannot find work.

Earlier Belize’s poverty level was assessed to be at 43%. For 66% of our population those high grounds have been hard to find let alone find space on.

This is the part I love best: “Accordingly we will continue to make impregnable the ramparts guarding the

poor and the marginalized. The government repeats, with no apology and indeed with much pride, that our propoor programmes are the centrepiece of our social campaign, our mandate of egalitarianism. We are therefore replenishing our funding for the food support programme that we started on Southside Belize City. But we are going further now. We are expanding it to the Northside of the old capital; and rolling it out to the Cayo District where it will serve, principally, the disadvantaged residents of the twin towns. Altogether then, we will provide 2.5 million dollars over the coming year to help with food cost of living. The Conditional Cash Transfer initiative is of countrywide application, and there is 4 million for that.

We are also starting a brand new intervention this year, under which we will give child care subsidies to working families nationwide.”

Former Governor of New York State, Mario Cuomo’s words which were echoed by Senator Eamon Courtney in last year’s senate meeting on the budget resonates. Cuomo spoke of “campaigns in poetry and governing in prose” - typical of PM Barrow’s grandstanding. The measly allotment for food assistance to the poor and the shameful $4 million for Conditional Cash Transfer do not reflect a sincere effort by GOB to address the basic but very dire needs of the people. All together Barrow only set aside $6.5 million dollars to address the needs of over half of the population. It is hypocritical and mean when you consider that he took $50 million out Social Security to dump in BTL which supposedly is for the benefit of the people of Belize! Just when will the people of Belize derive those benefits?

Bear with me and read further on the PM’s budget presentation: “We will provide more resources for community action and participation in citizen

security. RESTORE Belize is being fully funded, and it will continue to coordinate activities of government agencies as well as work with the private sector in providing opportunities for young adults and youth at risk. The first safe zone will soon be fully operational and will be an area in which we begin an enforcement of quality of life laws. Government will also provide more support to the street patrols and crime prevention activities of our security services, while holding the Police Department to the need for internal reform. Some traction has already been gained in the fight against violent, gang-related crime. But I expect our efforts to be greatly aided by a new programme that starts this coming Monday. Fifteen of the most high energy gang members and affiliates from one of the most challenging areas of the City have been taken on by the Ministry of Works. They will be dispatched to jobs in the rural areas of 15 three different Districts.

We believe this will result in an immediate lessening of tensions and a de- escalation of old capital shooting incidents. The fact is this has come about because of an approach made to me by perhaps the most feared of the so-called gang leaders. I greatly welcome this signal of a willingness to change; and we hope to build on the initiative by finding more district work soon for another fifteen young men from a completely different turf.”

Earlier in his budget Barrow boasted of “savings” from “delays until later in the fiscal year in recruitment of new Police and BDF intake.” Figuring Barrow’s direction is like trying to draw a road map to the moon.

The Sunday broad daylight killing of Charles Woodeye inside the Dolphin Street fire station, which is in Barrow’s Queen’s Square constituency, marks another serious failure of Barrow’s initiative and more so, a failure to protect the lives that he undertook to do. It is not the first time that someone has been shot inside that fire station. According to Channel 7 News, Woodeye was one of the fifteen high energy gang members and affiliates” who were dispatched to different parts of the country in the aforementioned Ministry of Works program.

There are still people running around talking about restoring Belize. Only last week I was treated to a copy of Channel 5’s Open Your Eyes morning show which was hosted by youths and featured officials from various youth organizations or youth advocacy agencies. My good friend Claudius Cardinez and his co-host remind me of myself when I was impressionable.

Sadly nothing has changed and the same rhetoric that was being fed to us back in the eighties is the same our young people are getting today.

According to one of the guests, their effort resulted in government increasing the allotment for young people.

We are yet to be told on what that increased allotment will be spent on.

For this government this is strictly politics but for those with hungry bellies, bills to pay and nothing to pay them with, and for those who have to bury bodies, this is no laughing matter nor is it subject for the usual UDP shenanigans. The promise of RESTORE Belize has been broken and so too are the many made in 2011-2012 budget.

Barrow and the UDP have cost us too much and it is time the games being played at the expense of the masses stop!

Sunday, August 21st , 2011

Page 8

Caribbean News

Trinidad police take industrial action Aruba Judge orders US man held in disappearance

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Monday August 15, 2011 – As police officers embark on a day of “rest and reflection” today to press for higher salaries, the government has assured that contingency plans are in place to ensure that law and order is maintained. Soldiers are expected to take up the slack of the striking officers.

“On the eve of the threat by a small number of police officers to withhold their services, the citizenry can rest assured that every measure possible has been put in place to ensure the safety of our nation,” said a statement issued by the government.

“Most members of the Police Service understand the tremendous responsibility they hold for the maintenance of law and order. They understand what the dereliction of the duty they are sworn to perform means and the nation is proud of their commitment,” it added, noting that tribute must also be paid to the many volunteers and joint army-police personnel deployed across the nation in defence of residents of the twin-island republic. “The nation owes them all a deep sense of gratitude for ensuring we are not all held to ransom.”

Police officers, like other public sector groups, are insisting on more than the five percent increase government has put on the table.

But the government statement said the compensation package offered to members of the Police Service would see some officers receive an

almost 30 percent increase.

“The Government has put together a safe and sound offer that sees our police officers receiving a 17 to 26 per cent increase in their compensation package over 2007, plus a three-year back pay,” it said. “Yet this is deemed insufficient to engage further talks and prompts a reckless encouragement of Police Service withdrawal.”

Meantime, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan has said that the planned industrial action is illegal.

“I intend to review the situation and advise Cabinet on the legal options available in the event the strike action materialises and is on a scale that causes disruption and chaos in society,” he told the Trinidad Express newspaper, adding that the government’s main priority is the security and safety of residents.

Ramlogan has dismissed the idea that the officers can hide behind sick leave provisions to escape the legal repercussions of their actions.

“It is a well orchestrated and publicly organised form of industrial action that leaves society exposed. It would be disingenuous and absurd for anyone to say that the utilisation of sick or casual leave can give legal protection to this strike,” he said.

“The idea that thousands of police officers by sheer coincidence, simultaneously fall ill or decide to go to the beaches is preposterous.”

Ramlogan also advised medical doctors who issue fraudulent medical certificates to police officers that they could face possible criminal and disciplinary action.

T & T’s prime minister diagnosed with dengue

Prime Minister the Honourable Kamla Persad Bissessar has been recently diagnosed with Dengue fever (Classical type). It is the less severe strain.

The Prime Minister is now resting comfortably and would like to assure citizens that she is receiving medical care and supervision. The Prime Minister in her statement on the situation remarked, “While I was consulting with the Minister of Health on how to enhance and intensify the education drive Government has embarked on to sensitise the population on dengue fever, I became a victim of it myself.

“This indicates that no one is immune from this dangerous disease, and it reinforces that the entire population MUST be extremely vigilant and take the necessary precautions to prevent contracting dengue, especially

ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) — A judge ruled Monday that Aruban prosecutors have enough evidence against an American tourist to continue holding him while they investigate the disappearance of his travel companion.

Police led Gary V. Giordano, a 50-year-old businessman, into a van to be taken to jail after the closed hearing inside the police station where he has been held since he was arrested while trying to leave the Dutch Caribbean island.

The officers covered Giordano’s head with a blue and white towel in an attempt to shield him from reporters and photographers waiting outside the station, where the closed court hearing was held.

Prosecutors had submitted two requests to extend his detention for eight days each. The judge took the unusual step of approving both simultaneously, rather than waiting for the first to expire, “because of the seriousness of the case and of the importance of the investigation,” Solicitor General Taco Stein said.

Giordano, who is from Gaithersburg, Maryland, has told police that his travel companion, 35-year-old , disappeared while they were snorkeling Aug. 2 off the southern tip of Aruba. Authorities said they detained him as he tried to leave the island three days later because of questions about his account of what happened.

The prosecutor’s office said in a statement that Giordano is “suspected of involvement in the possible drowning” of Gardner, whose body has not been found. Authorities have appealed to the public for assistance, hoping witnesses who saw them on the island can help investigators determine what happened to her.

“We keep on the investigation and we hope that our appeal to the public will yield information,” Stein said. with children. “Let me also emphasise the need to immediately seek professional medical attention if you have any symptoms of dengue (which include fever, body pains and headaches) since treating the disease as an ordinary flu can cause more medical problems.

Outside the court, Giordano’s defense lawyer, Michael Lopez, would say little about the decision. “There are too many unanswered questions,” he told reporters, declining further comment.

Earlier Monday, Lopez told The Associated Press that his client should be released.

“Based on the evidence I have seen, my conclusion is that the prosecution does not have enough evidence to hold my client in detention,” he said.

Gardner’s mother, Andrea Colson, praised the handling of the case by Aruban authorities and echoed the call for witnesses to come forward with information that might help the investigation.

“We are confident in the decision made by the Aruban authorities to keep Gary Giordano in custody,” Colson said in a written statement after the detention ruling. “... We just want to find our daughter, and we continue to ask the public for any tips they may have in helping our Robyn come home.”

Steven Kupferberg, a Maryland lawyer who once represented Giordano in a case in which a woman sought a restraining order against him, expressed concern about his former client and said he has offered to assist with his defense in Aruba.

“I’ve never known him to be prone to anger,” Kupferberg said. “Everything that I’ve represented him on has resulted in findings in his favor.”

Aruban law, which is based on the Dutch legal system, requires prosecutors to seek authority to detain suspects for specific amounts of time to allow for an investigation.

After this 16-day period of detention ends, prosecutors can ask that Giordano be held for 60 days while they prepare a case, but that would require more substantial evidence.

Charges would be filed at the end of the 60 days if prosecutors took the case to court.

The Ministries of Health, Communications, Local Government and Education have embarked on a multi-media education and sensitisation programme across Trinidad and Tobago to combat the dengue outbreak on several fronts.

Sunday, August 21st , 2011

Page 9

11 people dead after clash Venezuelan Opposition over land in Honduras picks presidential contender

August 16, 2011 TEGUCIGALPA — Violent clashes over farmland in Honduras have left 11 people dead, authorities said, as tensions mounted between peasants and landowners in the Central American nation.

Five traders were shot dead Monday as they drove along a road in the troubled northeast Aguan region, and deputy police chief Roberto Benitez said the victims may have been killed by people who mistook them for rivals in a conflict which has left some 50 people dead in recent months.

Police spokesman Julio Benitez says two peasants and four guards at the Paso del Aguan ranch died Sunday when 300 peasants armed with machetes and automatic rifles tried to take over the ranch.

It was not clear whether the gunmen were peasants, or guards of landowners, he told reporters.

The two groups have been locked in

a land dispute for several years, and on Sunday a violent clash left four security guards and two peasants dead and 14 injured.

About 200 peasants, some heavily armed, tried to take over the Paso Aguan ranch, and police said two peasants and four guards were killed in the incident.

Peasant organizations have occupied seven palm plantations in the Aguan Valley in Colon state, which has some of the most productive land in Honduras. While President Porfirio Lobo’s government has agreed to provide interest-free loans for peasants to buy land, the parties involved been unable to settle on purchase prices.

Lobo sent a task force of some 600 police and 1000 soldiers to the area late Monday in an effort to restore order.

At least 35 peasants and ranch guards have been killed over the last two years.

4 Mexican navy personnel kidnapped by drug gangs

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Three marines and one naval academy cadet have apparently been kidnapped by drug cartels in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, the Mexican navy said Monday, the first time in recent memory that such abductions have occurred.

Marines and other navy personnel have taken on an increasing role in Mexico’s ongoing battle against drug traffickers.

Drug gangs have captured Mexican military personnel previously, but the victims have usually quickly turned up dead.

No bodies have been found in the latest abductions, however. The naval cadet has been missing since Aug. 8 and the marines since Aug. 1, possibly indicating that they are being held as prisoners — a highly unusual practice even for Mexico’s bloody drug war.

Drug cartels in northern Mexico sometimes hide bodies in clandestine graves, but that practice is less common in Veracruz.

The three marine officers were snatched from a private car while undergoing training in the port city of Veracruz on Aug. 1, the navy said in a statement.

The city and surrounding area is one

of the largest centers of operation for Mexico’s navy, which said it has stepped up efforts to find the missing men and their abductors.

In one of the most violent abductions of military personnel, seven soldiers were kidnapped and left decapitated in 2008 in southern Guerrero state. Their bodies were accompanied by a written message that warned: “For every one of mine that you kill, I will kill 10.”

Also Monday, the army reported it has captured Ricardo Benitez Servin, a lieutenant for the failing Beltran Leyva drug cartel who allegedly oversaw the group’s operations in Guerrero. It said he was captured Saturday in the Caribbean coast resort of Cancun.

Benitez Servin was paraded before the news media in Mexico City on Monday, but lived up to his nickname, “The Mute,” and said nothing.

The Beltran Leyva gang has splintered and declined since marines killed leader Arturo Beltran Leyva in December 2009.

Benitez Servin had fled to Cancun in July in the face of attacks by the rival La Familia cartel, following a dispute over turf in the Pacific coast resort of Zihuatanejo, the navy said.

www.nationalperspectivebz.org

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — One of Venezuela’s main opposition parties announced its candidate Wednesday to compete in a February primary that will choose a single presidential candidate to face President Hugo Chavez in next year’s election.

The party Un Nuevo Tiempo said it will be backing Pablo Perez, the governor of western Zulia state and a longtime ally of the party’s leader, former presidential candidate Manuel Rosales.

Rosales announced the choice in a televised speech from an undisclosed location. Rosales, also a former governor of Zulia state, lost to Chavez in the last election in 2006 and has been in exile in Peru for two

years after being accused of corruption. Rosales insists he is innocent.

Rosales said he decided not to return to compete in the primary because he fears he could be jailed.

He said if he were to come back, he would become a “factor of distraction.”

A survey by the polling firm Datanalisis last month said that Perez, 42, had the third highest support among opposition politicians, after Miranda state Gov. Henrique Capriles and former Caracas district mayor Leopoldo Lopez.

At least five opposition politicians have confirmed plans to compete in a primary Feb. 12. The presidential vote is expected in late 2012, but a date has not yet been set.

5 Colombian police killed in ambush

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian authorities say FARC rebels are believed responsible for an ambush that killed five police officers and wounded two in the southwestern coastal town of Tumaco.

Gen. Orlando Pineda is the region’s top police official. He tells The Associated Press the officers were part of a 10-man patrol that was on its way to set up a road

checkpoint when it was attacked Wednesday morning.

Hospital officials say the slain police had multiple bullet wounds.

Southwestern Colombia has seen a recent uptick in attacks by the FARC, a leftist insurgency fighting the state for a half century.

Colombia’s Defense Ministry says at least 115 security force members have been killed in action so far this year.

1 dead, 8 missing inVenezuela helicopter crash CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan officials say a military helicopter carrying 10 soldiers has crashed into the sea off the South American nation’s Caribbean coast.

Information Minister Andres Izarra says searchers have rescued one soldier and found the body of one of the helicopter’s pilots.

Leopoldo Guaicara of Venezuela’s emergency agency says the aircraft was carrying 10 soldiers in all, leaving eight missing.

It is not immediately clear what caused the Bell 412 helicopter to go down.

Izarra initially announced the crash through the Twitter social networking site Wednesday.

Sunday, August 21st , 2011

Page 10

Oil sheen spotted in Gulf of Cameron: Riot-hit UK must Mexico, source unknown reverse ‘moral collapse

LONDON (AP) — A new oil sheen has been spotted in the Gulf of Mexico, although energy company BP said Thursday the discovery had nothing to do with its operations and was far from the site of its disaster-hit Macondo well.

A spokesman for another company involved in investigating the sheen said he believed it had already dissipated since being first spotted last week.

BP spokesman Daren Beaudo said his company had sent several remotely controlled mini-submersibles into the water over the weekend to investigate the source of the sheen — a shiny coating that floats on the surface of the water which generally comes from leaked or spilled oil — but had concluded “that it couldn’t have been from anything of ours.”

A statement from BP PLC placed the site of the sheen near two abandoned exploration well sites in the Green Canyon Block in the Gulf of Mexico, although its size and exact location wasn’t disclosed.

According to an online map published by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Green Canyon Block — a huge squareshaped area of water south of Louisiana — is south and west of the Mississippi Canyon Block where the Macondo well blew up.

There were about 80 active leases on drilling sites at the end of June in the Green Canyon area, according to a quarterly bulletin published in from the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. BP holds 10 of those leaser. Other holders include Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Chevron Corp., Anadarko Petroleum Co., and numerous other smaller companies.

A U.S. government official also said the area around Macondo was clear.

“They are not investing any sheens in the vicinity of the BP well,” Paul Barnard, Operations Controller for the New Orleans sector of the Coast Guard, told the AP on Thursday.

Beaudo, asked to estimate the distance between the sheen and the Macondo

well, said he believed it was far away.

“We’re talking 10s of miles (kilometers) if not further,” he said.

A catastrophic April 2010 explosion at the Macondo well killed 11 men and led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. The stricken well spewed more than 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf before it was capped some three months later.

BP’s operations in the Gulf of Mexico have seen particular scrutiny following the disaster and it remains the area’s largest leaseholder, but other energy companies have operations in the Gulf as well.

Among them is Shell, which is still investigating the cause of a recent oil spill in the North Sea — the area’s worst in a decade. The Dutch company counts several projects in the Gulf’s Green Canyon Block.

Shell did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday.

Rick Rainey, a spokesman for the energy services firm Enterprise Products Partners L.P., said the U.S. Coast Guard had asked his company to check one of its pipelines in the Green Canyon area over the weekend because of the sheen.

“We spent the last few days inspecting our lines. Everything’s fine with the line,” he said. “What I understand from our guys who have heard from the Coast Guard is that the sheen has since dissipated.”

A spokesman with Exxon Mobil Corp. said they were looking into the matter.

Chevron and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement did not immediately respond to AP calls for comment.

Some oil naturally seeps from the floor of the Gulf and the AP has reported that at least 27,000 abandoned oil and gas wells in the Gulf are not routinely inspected when plugged or subsequently monitored for leaks.

In an email, London-based BP spokeswoman Sheila Williams noted that “there is a lot of sheen in the Gulf of Mexico area.”

LONDON (AP) — Britain must confront a culture of laziness, irresponsibility and selfishness that fueled four days of riots which left five people dead, thousands facing criminal charges and hundreds of millions in damages, Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged Monday.

As rival political leaders staked out their response to England’s unrest, Cameron pledged to deliver a raft of new policies by October aimed at reversing the “slow-motion moral

collapse” which he blames for fostering the disorder.

“This has been a wake-up call for our country. Social problems that have been festering for decades have exploded in our face,” Cameron told an audience at a youth center in Witney, his Parliamentary district in southern England. “Just as people last week wanted criminals robustly confronted on our street, so they want to see these social problems taken on and defeated.”

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said Monday he was checking whether those involved in the riots should have their welfare payments cut, while London mayor Boris Johnson said young people convicted in the disorder would lose their right to use public transportation for free.

Cameron pledged to end a culture of timidity in discussing family breakdown or poor parenting, or in criticizing those who fail to set a good example to their children or community.

“We have been too unwilling for too long to talk about what is right and what is wrong,” Cameron said. “We have too often avoided saying what needs to be said, about everything from marriage to welfare to common courtesy.”

Violence in Pakistani city kills 39 in 2 days

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Suspected gang members killed 39 people in two days in Pakistan’s largest city, with many of the victims tortured, shot and stuffed in sacks that were dumped on the streets, officials said Thursday.

The gangs are allegedly affiliated with the city’s main political parties and have been blamed for a surge in killings in recent months. The government has been unable to stop the violence, as it also grapples with a faltering economy and a raging Islamist insurgency.

The unrest illustrates the precarious state of Pakistan’s stability at a time when the U.S. wants the nuclear-armed country to step up its fight against Taliban militants

who stage cross-border attacks against foreign troops in Afghanistan.

Seventeen people were killed in Karachi on Wednesday and another 22 on Thursday, said Saud Mirza, police chief in the teeming metropolis of some 18 million people. Many of the victims were tortured, shot in the head and stuffed in burlap sacks, he said.

A resident in one of the neighborhoods that has experienced much of the violence said people were afraid to leave their homes. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared being targeted.

The latest round of violence seemed to be driven by a mix of political and criminal motivations, said Sharfuddin Memon, the security adviser to the government in Sindh province, where Karachi is the capital. A senior leader of the most powerful political party in Karachi, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, blamed some members of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party for the recent violence.

Raza Haroon claimed the killings were being carried out by a committee set up by the Pakistan People’s Party to control violence in Lyari Town, a poor area and ruling party stronghold. There were at least 490 political, ethnic and sectarian killings in Karachi during the first half of the year, among more than 1,100 killings overall in that time period, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

Page 11

Sunday, August 21st , 2011

Negligence at KHMH MORGUE !

Ruckus at 40 Fabers Road again! ... exacerbates family’s grief

Continues from page 1

persons were taken into custody including Fiona Mitchell, Theodore Mahler (father of Marquis Mahler), Mark Lewis and one other person only known as Lincoln.

On Wednesday Fiona Mitchell and Mark Lewis were charged for keeping ammunition without a gun license. Mitchell was additionally charged for aggravated assault and harm allegedly committed on Officer Sharifa Young. Lewis was additionally charged for obstruction.

One thousand, six hundred, ninety dollars was also found of which Income Tax, i.e. the GOB promptly took its bite of eight hundred, fortynine dollars from it.

Mitchell and Lewis were remanded to prison until September 19th, since there is no bail on weapons and ammunition charges. Up to press time there was no word on the fates of Theodore Mahler or Lincoln.

Mitchell and Lewis live across from 40 Fabers Road. Their door was kicked down when police

went to search their home. “They (police) says they were knocking on the door, but they were kicking and stomping and until finally they broke down the front door. They were all around the house cranking up guns and thing and they were pushing their hands through the windows. One of the back windows - they point the gun inside the house and they tried to bend one of the louvers. After that they eventually just kick down the front door,” Mitchell told the media.

Anna McKay, the grandmother of two of Fiona Mitchell’s children was allegedly assaulted by a female police officer when she came to the rescue of her two grandchildren.

Head of GSU Marco Vidal accused News 7’s Monica Boden of trying to interview persons who had already been taken into custody – a charge which News 7 has denied.

Bodden, they say was in their truck at the time when the GSU demanded that they turn off their cameras and stop reporting on the confrontation.

2011 National Song Contest takes center stage

By Glenn Tillett

Thursday, August 18, 2011 BELIZE CITY – The buzz has returned to the annual national September Celebrations song contest following the controversy that ensued when Tanya Carter edged out Ernestine Carballo last year.

Full fields of 10 entries each have been selected for the Carnival Song and Patriotic Song contests, and there are 4 entries in the Junior category. 9 other entries did not make it past the preliminary judging phase of the competition.

The selected entries will be performed and judged this Saturday evening, starting at 7:00 p.m. at the Memorial Park, weather permitting, if not the event will be moved indoors to the Bliss Institute for the Performing Arts Center.

The competition is being hosted under the auspices of the National September Celebrations Commission by the National Institute for Culture and History (NICH).

All 43 entries have been posted on the September Celebrations web site at http://www.mynationalsong.bz and the voting in the three categories has been fierce.

The internet voting component is worth 5 points or 9% of the total vote.

Entries could receive a possible maximum total of 55 points.

Under the rules of the contest each entry will be judged in 5 categories by a panel of judges following the live performance on Saturday night. Each category is worth a maximum of 10 points for a maximum possible total of 50 points from the judging panel.

In the Carnival Song competition, contestants will be judged on audience appeal, (how well the audience responds to contest-

ants’ sound and appearance, and how well they connect emotionally with the audience), musical arrangement, (how well the music piece has been prepared and written for presentation. It should be between 125 to 165 beats per minute), vocal quality, (vocal performance, consistency of quality and clarity of voice, how aware the performer is about tone and pitch), lyrical content, (the lyrics of the song should express the overall theme of the song competition), and stage presence, which focuses on creativity and style as well as the performer’s attire, body movement and facial expressions. Performers are encouraged to include dramatizations and choreography to enhance their performance.

In the Patriotic Song Competition, contestants are judged similarly on audience appeal, vocal quality, and stage presence, but in the musical arrangement category, their patriotic composition is determined by how well the music piece has been prepared, and written for presentation and should be between 80 to 124 beats per minute. And in the lyrical content category the judges will measure how well their lyrics express the overall theme of the song competition, particularly how well they express love and devotion for country and Belize’s history. This part of the competition is weighted very heavily.

The quality of the entries in this year’s competition in all three contests is very high. In the Soca competition, Ernestine Carballo appears to be the early favorite with “Carnival Is Here,” a spirited up tempo song that is already playing well with the Carnival groups preparing for this year’s road march.

By Rhenae Nunez Monday, August 15, 2011 BELIZE CITY – The Kuylen’s family grief was exacerbated on Monday when they discovered that their the body of their loved one was left to decompose by KHMH Morgue personnel.

Adam Kuylen, 38, former Belize City Council employee died at his home on sometime on Friday, August 12, of unknown cause. The cause, family members say will never be known because an autopsy could not be performed on the body due to advanced state of decomposition. That is what they were told by hospital authorities.

The body was delivered to the morgue on Friday night however KHMH authorities claim in a release that the morgue was full to capacity therefore the body was taken to a secondary facility on the compound after a few hours of

delay. The body radpidly decomposed making an autopsy impractical.

Family members claim that when they visited on Saturday morning they discovered that the body was left outside in the heat and humidity which rapidly advanced decomposition. Someone notified the family that the body had not been refrigerated and upon their visit the body was hurriedly stuffed into a storage unit with body parts for disposal.

A proper church funeral could not be organized for kulyen since hospital authorities advised that the family hurry up and burry him.

In their greif they had to expedite burial of kuylen. He was laid to rest at Homeland Memorial.

His coworkers of the Belize City Council were in attendance.

The KHMH apologized for the latest botch up which another in a series of mishaps that have tarnished the hospital’s image. The hospital assured that there efforts afoot to upgrade the facility to prevent such an incident from ever reoccuring. No comfort the the family who call for responsible persons to be fired for their recklessness.

No word on whether legal action will be taken against the hospital.

Adam Kuylen worked in the Sanitation and Works Department of the Belize City council for twelve years.

A pile of bull!

Man apparently killed by a bull

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

BELIZE DISTRICT – Police need help to identify a man who was found dead on a farm in the Western Paradise area at Mile 8 on the Western Highway.

The corpse was discovered by Terence Casasola Chairman of Western Pines on Wednesday morning.

“He was all torn up…I noticed some holes on him. What the holes are, I don’t know. What happened, his guts were hanging out, in a sense that he was laying down, and the guts were out of his body,” Cassasola said.

A gruesome sight; that investigators are saying that the culprit may

be bull on the farm. The man reportedly was living on the farm.

His body was found about twentyfive feet away from the house that he occupied.

When investigators arrived on the scene the animal was sniffing around the corpse and made menacing moves toward the investigators.

The body bore injuries to rib cage, left upper thigh and the stomach.

As has become a common refrain these days, Dr. Mario Estradabran’s post mortem was inconclusive due to advanced decomposition. Up to press time, no one has come forward to claim the body or identify him.

Page 12 Continues from page 1 sist from selling anymore of BTL’s shares until the outstanding issues stemming from the acquisition and ensuing litigation/legislation are settled before the courts. The ruling followed a special session of the court conducted via teleconference from the court in Trinidad.

The panel of CCJ Judges was led

by Justice Rolston Nelson, with Justices David Hayton and Desiree Bernard. Attorneys Godfrey Smith and Eamon Courtenay represented the applicants the British Caribbean Bank and Dean Boyce/BTL employees Trust, while newly appointed Solicitor General Cheryl Krusen and attorney Lois Young represented the Barrow administration.

The applicants had applied for special leave to appeal several issues to the CCJ. At the time of their application the Barrow administration had accused them of “leapfrogging” the Belize court. The CCJ granted them special leave ruling that it was “… a situation which permits the court in its inherent jurisdiction to hear a matter which the court of appeal has not heard….in the interest of justice.”

They had also asked for an injunction restraining any sale or disposal of BTL shares and that too was granted.

Their application for an injunction to stop the passage of the Ninth Belize (Constitution) Amendment Bill 2011 was denied, however, because in the court’s view the proposed legislation banning access to the court was absurd and untenable.

The applicants have to file their suits challenging the re-expropriation of BTL and the Ninth Amendment to the constitution in the Supreme Court of Belize by September Fifth.

Following the session both sides claimed victory.

Godfrey Smith told the media: “We asked for three things - special leave to appeal this matter to the CCJ. That was granted. We asked for an injunction restraining any sale or disposal of the shares that was granted. We also had in the application an injunction to stop the passage of the 9th Amendment Bill.

You will recall however that though the court did not grant it - one of the Justices in particular, Mr. Justice Hayden said words to the effect that it doesn’t matter whether you get that injunction or not because if the act is unconstitutional - you can come to the court and challenge it and he gave an example that if parliament, for instance, attempted to make legal slavery - obviously that is not something that could stand and so it was our view that he was making the point that even though the government was attempting to bar the court from inquiring into the constitutionality and validity of the acquisition, that as he saw it, the court would still be able to do that.”

Lois Young claimed: “Actually what the court has done is to verify what the Prime Minister has been saying from the start that you can challenge constitutional amendments. That’s what the court has said, the CCJ has said that and so all the naysayers who say no we can’t, that is not true - you can challenge it.”

And that the Ninth Amendment can be challenged because “… the

Not For Sale !

C.C.J. Rules: Stop Sale of BTL Shares Immediately!

CCJ has said so, that’s the first thing.

The second thing is that they have refused to stop the process of passage of the constitutional amendment. They refused that injunction.

They will not interfere with the legislative process. So all in all, it’s not a bad result.”

The CCJ also seemed to uphold the June 24th ruling by the Belize Court of Appeals declaring the August 2009 acquisition of BTL unconstitutional and therefore “null and void”, but stopped short of giving the applicants an enforcement order ruling that: “… one does not make coercive orders against the state or the crown.”

Eamon Courtenay, British Caribbean Bank’s attorney said: “The basis on which the court granted relief to us was that we satisfied them that they ought to exercise their discretion because they saw that there was an arguable case and that relief from the court of the Caribbean was necessary to protect the interests of the parties.

“Indeed as you saw this afternoon the court of its own motion decided that it was going to restrain the sale of shares of Belize Telemedia. Indeed the objections by my learned friends for the government - and it was two of them going one after the other whilst we sat quietly hearing them parry with the judges of the Caribbean Court of Justice - The Caribbean Court of Justice found that the sale of these sales should stop. It is signaling once again that perhaps the court believes that the way in which this is being done is unconstitutional, null and void.

Very simply, you cannot in a democracy behave like a dictator and expect that respectful courts are going to a probate what you do - that is the message from the CCJ to the government of Belize and I am predicting that it is going to be message from the Supreme Court of Belize when we challenge the 2011 act and the 9th amendment.”

Channel 7 News opined “That injunction throws a serious wrench in the works for GOB because they have been in negotiation with an Argentinean Company to buy a substantial chunk of the company’s shares” in its newscast last Tuesday night but there has been no evidence that the offer is/was serious.

What is apparent is that Belize’s business community continues to be very perturbed by the continuing litigation and legislation that

the Barrow administration’s actions have spawned.

The economic doldrums continue to worsen with historic numbers of foreclosures, bankruptcies, business closings, unemployment, and low investment.

The Barrow administration has proposed the enactment of a constitutional amendment that has sent jitters through all sectors of the Belizean society, and their response to the outcry of concerns and even alarm has been contentious and combative. Indeed in response to the Council of Churches public objection to the Ninth Amendment Bill Prime Minister Dean Barrow personally wrote to chastise the religious leader for taking a position opposed to his own.

Even in the face of widespread opposition the Barrow administration seeks to continue to “sell” the Ninth Amendment as their policy for economic salvation since it continues to allege by inference that it is the

Sunday, August 21st , 2011 depredations of the so-called “Ashcroft Alliance” that is responsible for the current economic malaise.

The Barrow administration reacted to the CCJ’s rulings yesterday in a release that said that in their “… view what was most important about yesterday’s developments is the confirmation it provided of the Ashcroft Alliance’s implacable determination to defeat the will and sovereignty of the Belizean people. It must be just as clear, though, that Government will never let that happen. But the greatest weapon to safeguard the now nationally owned Telemedia from Ashcroft’s continuing billionaire power plays, is the Ninth Amendment.”

Belize’s highest court in a ruling now re-affirmed by our highest appeal court, declared the original amendment to the legislation to permit the forcible acquisition of BTL shares unconstitutional. The Barrow administration hastily passed more legislative amendments that they boasted had “fixed” the defects, and “trumped” the former owners’ attempts to be expeditiously compensated or have their property returned.

Apparently unsure of their new grounds, they are now seeking to amend the constitution hoping that will prevent further legal challenges from the former owners and any other interested party who may wish seek redress for damages as a result of the administration “acquisition” policies.

It may be the “acquisition policies” of the Barrow administration, however, that is the greatest challenge to the peace, good order and potential economic betterment of the nation. So far the reaction from the political and economic sectors have not been favorable – could a very adverse social reaction be on the horizon?

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Page 13

Sunday, August 21st , 2011

2011 National Song Contest takes center stage

Continues from page 11

Another day in the evolution of our Belizean democracy In fact the evidence so far is that the amendment does NOT seem to “enjoy” the support of any other sector of our society other than the UDP, and Louis Wade, Jr., on Plus TV, and a scattering of people in the Diaspora.

Every one of the so-called social partners – the Chamber of Commerce, the National Trade Union Congress, the Council of Churches, have come out in opposition to the proposed amendment in its present “A democracy is always temporary form. They are joined by the Opposiin nature; it simply cannot exist as tion PUP, and it appears the VIP, the a permanent form of government. A PNP, as well as the social/political acdemocracy will continue to exist up tivist organizations, COLA, and Beuntil the time that voters discover that lizeans for Justice. And just recently they can vote themselves generous the Belize Land Owners Association gifts from the public treasury. From has officially weighed in as opposed that moment on, the majority always to the passage and enactment of the votes for the candidates who prom- Bill. ise the most benefits from the public The singular fact is that the Bill cantreasury, with the result that every not be deemed to have the majority democracy will finally collapse over support of the electorate at this time loose fiscal policy, (which is) always if only the United Democratic Party, followed by a dictatorship.” a single non-partisan talk show host, “The average age of the world’s and a scattering of persons who live greatest civilizations from the begin- abroad have offered public support

In fact the evidence so far is that the amendment does NOT seem to “enjoy” the support of any other sector of our society other than the UDP, and Louis Wade, Jr., on Plus TV, and a scattering of people in the Diaspora.

Every one of the so-called social partners – the Chamber of Commerce, the National Trade Union Congress, the Council of Churches, have come out in opposition to the proposed amendment in its present form. ning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to complacency; From complacency to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.”

In a perverse way, such as in the context of the paradox that makes this life possible, I owe Prime Minister Dean Barrow a vote of thanks for provoking one of the farthest reaching discussions/debates on Belize Constitution that I have ever experienced.

Sure I know that was hardly his intention if only because he appears nonplussed at times by the continued erupting reaction, and if he is more Dean the Democrat, rather than Dean the Despot, he must have accepted by now that the proposed Ninth Belize (Constitution) Amendment Bill does not have the support of the majority of the electorate who have spoken up or offered an opinion, and is certainly not “overwhelmingly popular”.

when every other organization that have offered a public position are opposed.

It has been “reported” on social media that Prime Minister Dean Barrow has rejected the proposal that the matter be put to a plebiscite. I do not know this to be true. I had heard Acting Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs and Constitution Committee John Saldivar reject the recommendation during the first consultation saying that his government had been given a mandate at the last election. I was dismayed but not surprised that his is at best a very broad definition of the term “mandate.” I also know that if the political status quo were in the reverse, perversely his definition would be much narrower and he would be leading the chorus calling for a referendum.

In the context of this essay I take the textbook definition that a “mandate” is “A command or an authorization given by a political electorate to its representative” and is not so ambiguous as to suggest that even though you have been given a mandate to govern as you see fit for the greatest good of the greatest number, you can act without due consideration at any

Carballo is also a sentimental favorite since many of her fans believe that her entry last year should have topped the competition.

Belizean superstar entertainer Supa G has also weighed in with “Jump. Jump” while Berne has been hyping “Bad” (Believing And Dreaming). All three entries had attracted the most votes in the internet poll as of news time.

“Boss Lady” Shaunna William‘s spirited and sweet entry “Move It Up” is a sentimental favorite of some voters.

“Carnival” (Positive Vibes); “Party” (McKoy); “Carnival Time Again” (Floyd Locayo); “Our Anniversary” (Leslie “Bastic” Jenkins & Ivan “TR” Burgess); “Jump Up In The Caribbean Breeze” (Empress Dinah); and “Belize” Raquel Requena round out the field.

In the Patriotic competition, there is a close race in the internet voting between accomplished singers Denise Castillo and Nello Player. At press time today their tallies had outstripped all others by triple digits, but were only separated from each other by a few votes.

Castillo’s entry “My Sweet Belize” and Player’s “How Can I Leave” both have devoted fans and are both deserv-

ing of the praise and even hype. It is newcomer Shannelly Sutherland’s uptempo “Proud Of My Belize,” however, that has been generating the most comment on the streets and in the studios.

Jaime Humes’ “Dis Da Fu We” done in a modern style has also attracted some attention and generated some buzz.

The other entries are “Welcome to Belize” (Captain Roby); “No Where Is This World So Free” (Silas Sabal); “I Love Mi Country” (Dennis Requena); “Fu We Country” (Austin Waight); “Creator’s Gift (Joe Lawrence); and “Shoulder To Shoulder” (Jim and Jenny Duncan).

In the Junior category some had already handed young sensation Shawn Saldano the trophy and cheque for “Belize My Home” but Anika Perez’ “21st Of September,” done in traditional Belize Kriol Brukdong style with a surprisingly full backing orchestration, and Tara Gill’s “Sweet Belize” (backed by a full complement of Garifuna drummers) are proving to be strong challengers.

The choral-like traditional arrangement “We Are Belize” (Destiny Youth Singers) is the only other entry in this category.

Poverty Alleviation as a Business Strategy

How can the private sector serve the unmet needs of the world’s poor while, at the same time, attracting new business opportunities and advancing the standard of living of those living in poverty? One approach to this, known as the base-of the-pyramid, is for the private sector to develop towards including the poor as both producers and consumers. In this thesis we focus on some critical questions in base-of-thepyramid research. In cooperation with NGOs, development organizations and micro finance institutions, we collected a unique dataset of 143 firms operating in base-of-thepyramid markets in a total of 105 countries. Their focal group of customers, employees, suppliers, and/ or distributors have an average daily purchasing power of $2 or less.

Building upon this dataset, we develop an empirically derived clas-

sification of business challenges for firms at the base-of-the-pyramid, and examine differences with highincome markets. We also extend and test the central postulate that embedding social and environmental value in a firm’s business model drives a firm’s financial performance at the base-of-the-pyramid.

Lastly, we build a management support model, which can be used to develop profitable pro-poor business models. We provide managers and entrepreneurs with the questions to ask, the framework to help formulate answers to these questions, and the qualities to search for in the answers. To this end, we clarify and conceptually advance the strategic business model concept, which provides the multi-theoretical approach necessary for disruptive innovation and augments our understanding of competitive advantage.

and all times.

My dad aIways insisted to me that “those who expect nothing can never be disappointed.” I hardly expected Chairman John to be impartial and even fair, but I was still disappointed by his blatant partisanship, arrogance, ignorance, and intolerant attitude towards those whose views he disagreed with.

The conduct of this public discussion/debate is making wonder if there is anything at all, that the partisans can ever agree on. I regard the recommendation that a constitutional commission be implemented as perhaps the best way forward. I agree that our constitution should evolve, as the nation evolves, but we have a duty to try and ensure as best as possible that it reflects as accurately as is humanly possible, the will of the Belizean people.

I have come to resent the “dog whistle” politics we practice seemingly as a cultural reflex in Belize where we line up along the partisan divide on almost every issue. Some of my wiser friends and acquaintances appear convinced that this is a “necessary evil” of the Westminster Parliamentary system, but the stark polarization that results cannot be good for our nation-state. We have to find a middle ground where there can be compromise and there must be attempts at consensus on national issues, rather than reflexive rejection of others position due solely to partisanship.

It is time for a new discussion/debate on the relative merits and demerits of the Westminster Parliamentary system versus Republicanism and yes Colin bh, proportional representation.

Page 14

Sunday, August 21st , 2011

HEAlTHY LIVING

Guess how much protein is in a juicy, 8-ounce cheeseburger washed down with a milkshake?

This single meal contains two to three times as much as most people need per day.

It’s no great surprise that Americans chow down on a lot of protein. We love beef and consume about 67 pounds per capita annually (that’s four times the international average). The popularity of low-carb regimes such as Atkins has also made meat the go-to food for dieters.

In fact, the average person eats about double the amount of protein that their body requires, according to the results of 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

How to fulfill your daily protein requirement The human body uses protein to repair damaged cells and to build new ones. Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at NYU and author of What to Eat, estimates that the average adult man needs about 65 grams of protein a day and the average adult female needs about 55 grams. Some sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization say you can maintain a healthy diet with even less.

What does this actually mean in terms of food choices? The National Institutes of Health explains that most people can meet their daily protein requirement by eating two to three small servings of a protein-rich food a day.

Examples of a single serving of protein include: 1 egg 2 tablespoons of peanut butter 2-3 ounces of red meat, poultry, or fish (about the size of a deck of cards) ½ cup of cooked dried beans such as black beans or chickpeas Whole grains, seeds, and some vegetables also contain protein, so consuming enough is not difficult even if you don’t eat meat. Vegetarians and vegans can easily get what they need by balancing complimentary proteins such as corn and beans or rice and tofu. Nutritionists used to recommend combining foods at the same meal, but research now shows that is unnecessary.

Are there drawbacks to eating more protein?

Eating large amounts of red and processed meats is associated with higher rates of heart disease and cancer, and most nutritionists such as Marion Nestle recommend cutting back on meat, especially on fatty cuts.

However, it’s less well known that your protein choices can have a substantial impact on the environment. Meat and dairy production requires tremendous amounts of

How much protein do you really need?

fuel, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers, and generates greenhouse gases. The Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) recently published Meat Eater’s Guide points out that if you ate once less burger a week it would be the environmentally-positive equivalent of taking your car off the road for 320 miles.

Meat is also expensive. Not all proteins are created equal -- neither at the doctor’s office, nor the cash register. Here’s a comparison

worst Cost: 3 dollars Fat: 10 grams Saturated fat: 2 grams Lentils Serving size: 1 cup Protein: 17.9 grams EWG carbon footprint rating: best Cost: 20 cents Fat: zero Saturated fat: zero Many people find meat to be a delicious and satisfying component of their diet that they don’t want to sacrifice. But if you want to save money, eat a nutritionally sound diet, and are concerned about the impact meat and dairy production has on the planet, consider reducing your consumption.

Here are some tips from the EWG’s Meat Eater’s Guide: Reduce portion sizes by eating one less burger or steak each week, or participate in Meatless Mondays by skipping meat (and cheese if you can swing it) just one day a week.

Choose the healthiest protein sources when you can. Beans, low-fat yogurt, and nuts are all high in protein and low-impact.

When you do eat meat and cheese, eat the highest quality that you can of three typical proteins: afford. (One way to save money Porterhouse steak is to eat less, but better quality Serving size: 4 ounces meat and dairy products.) Here’s Protein: 22 grams a guide decoding the labels, from EWG carbon footprint rating: 2 nd cage-free to grass-fed. worst out of 20 analyzed Don’t waste meat. Uneaten meat Cost: 4 dollars accounts for about 20 percent of Fat: 22 grams meat’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Saturated fat: 9 grams You don’t have to become a vegFarm-raised salmon etarian or go to other extremes.

Serving size: 4 ounces These small changes will help reProtein: 22 grams duce your impact, while providing EWG carbon footprint rating: 5th plenty of protein in your diet

Where is the ACB They were all about themselves Association of Concerned Belizeans its all about their selfish greed.

Tax payers pay him $250,000 per annum plus $150,000.00 GMC Acadia

Defacto Attorney General raking in $Millions of dollars from Government’s Litigation

Where is the ACB with the ninth Amendment They are silent with the $Millions of dollars being paid.

Its all about them and not about you!

See the faces of Deception!

Sunday, August 21st , 2011

Page 15

World Bank warns, Global food prices near record high

Belize Launches Cattle Sanitary Program

17th August 2011 August 16, 2011 Global food prices are nearing a record high while ongoing volatility is putting the world’s poorest at risk, the World Bank said in a report published Monday.

The famine in the Horn of Africa, triggered by prolonged droughts in areas struggling with armed conflict and displacement, has been exacerbated by food prices which are approaching the all-time highs of 2008, the World Bank Group’s Food Price Watch warned.

According to the report, global food prices in July were an average of 33 per cent higher than a year before.

Climbs in commodities such as maize, up 84 per cent; sugar, up 62 per cent; and wheat, up 55 per cent, all contributed to the increase.

A 45 per cent rise in crude oil prices since July 2010 has also affected production and transport costs, as well as the price of fertilisers, the latter soaring 67 per cent over the same period.

Prices from April through July settled around 5 per cent below the recent spike in February due to modest declines in grains, fats and oil, and meat, fruits, and sugar. But prices of other commodities remained volatile during this period, with maize and wheat prices declining in June before climbing in the first half of July.

“Persistently high food prices and low food stocks indicate that we’re still in the danger zone, with the most vulnerable people the least able to cope,” World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick said.

“Vigilance is vital given the uncertainties and volatility that exists today. There is no cushion.”

Global stocks remain alarmingly low, according to the report, which claims the stocks-to-use ratio for maize — to give one example — stands at 13 per cent, its lowest level since the early 1970s. Wheat and

milled rice are also well below their late 1990s ratios.

“The low stock environment has created a situation in which even small shortfalls in yields can have amplified effects on prices,” says the report, warning that harvest forecasts themselves depend on benign weather conditions.

Food importers — including Egypt – had a nasty shock last summer, when Russia’s worst drought in over a century devastated the country’s crops, sending wheat prices rocketing 30 per cent.

Volatility in the prices of key commodities like sugar, rice, and petroleum products could also have unexpected effects in the months ahead, the World Bank warned.

Continuing unrest in the Middle East and North Africa spurred steady climbs in crude oil prices — with the resultant effect on transportation costs — until early August when global economic worries began to stifle demand.

Meanwhile, concerns over Brazil’s lower than expected sugarcane yields caused world sugar prices to rise by 29 per cent between May and June. Taken together, sugar and vegetable oils account for roughly 50 per cent of the World Bank’s Food Price Index.

The report also notes wild fluctuations in domestic food prices, with the influence of international prices dependent on multiple factors, from market integration to transport conditions and tax rates.

Annual price changes in maize in the 12 months up to June 2011 ranged from increases of 100 per cent or more in Kampala and Mogadishu, to reductions of 19 per cent in Port-au-Prince and Mexico City.

Domestic prices of sorghum saw annual increases of up to 180 per cent in Somalia and reductions of 37 per cent in Khartoum during the last year.

Belmopan: The Government of Belize in collaboration with the European Union has launched its National Cattle Sanitary plan project. The implementation of the National Cattle Sanitary Plan is to test all cattle in the country for Brucellosis, Tuberculosis and the surveillance plan for BSE or Mad Cow Disease.In addition, a national livestock registry will be developed for the exportation of cattle to Mexico and other countries. The project aims to promote diversification of Belize’s export base through compliance with the (OIE) World Organization for Animal Health requirements for bovine, animal health and the requirements established by Mexico, for the export of live cattle under formal agreement between the two countries.This project has

been in the works for over two years since the initial discussions in 2008. Officials who provided technical assistance in developing the project document for this particular project to be a success are IICA, Belize Agriculture Health Authority, Belize Livestock Producers Association, Ministry of Agriculture, OIRSA and SAGARPA Mexico.The three-year project will give an opportunity for cattle farmers to export live cattle to Mexico throughout the year starting in 2012. The testing of the cattle will take approximately 8 months to complete, however, follow up work continues until 2014.

The project, launched yesterday in official ceremonies at the ITVET Center in Corozal, is estimated at 4.4 million Euros or $12.2 million BZD of which the European Union is contributing 2.2 million Euros or $6.1 million Belize dollars.

www.nationalperspectivebz.org

For Sale by Owner Large track of Residential / Commercial Land, off George Price Boulevard in Belmopan. Price fix to sell by owners.

For serious Enquiries: Call: 601- 8100 or 650-5222

635-3805

Page 16

Sunday, August 21st , 2011

Barrow quarrels with Another minor vanishes in Punta Gorda Council of Churches

(L) PM Dean Bean Barrow Thursday, August 18, 2011 BELIZE CITY – In what may have been one of his first official acts immediately after returning from a week long family vacation in the United States, Prime Minister Dean Barrow took issue with the Council of Churches opposition to the Ninth Belize (constitution) Amendment Bill 2011 by way of a publicly released letter addressed to its President, Canon Leroy Flowers.

Barrow wrote last Monday that he was publicizing his response since the Council had publicized theirs. He then goes on to accuse the religious leaders of having been mis-guided by the Belize Bar Association because, as he wrote: “… that the Council has been led into grave error by the Executive of the Bar. That Executive has called for the courts to be given the power of judicial review over the merits of Constitutional amendments. And it argues that Section 68 of the Constitution, which gives the National Assembly the right to make laws for the peace, order and good government of Belize, is a limitation on the power of Parliament to alter the Constitution.”

He had presaged the accusation by stating that: “The Council of Churches says it supports enshrining the nationalization of the utility companies in the Belize Constitution. But it does not support the changes to Sections 2 and 69 that the 9th Constitutional Amendment Bill proposes.

“I have looked carefully at the arguments the Council advances for the latter position, but am sorry to say that I cannot agree with them. Indeed, it is hard to see how the insertion of public control of the utilities into the Constitution could be properly protected without the proposed new Sections 2 and 69. But I know that the Council met with the Executive of the Belize Bar Association prior to making its statement. And it is a pity that the Council did not also seek to hear directly from Government.”

After making what he considers to be a technical argument that the offending sections only “The 9th Amendment Bill merely underlines …” the “fact … that power of judicial review over Constitutional amendments, which the Bar Executive seeks, is one the courts do not now have,” he returns to attacking the Bar and by inference the Council of Churches.

Barrow adamantly accuses “the Council of Churches and other Belizeans” of being mis-led by his colleagues in the Bar by saying we “…

(R) Canon Leroy Flowers

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

should know as well, is that in taking its stance the Bar Executive acted contrary to the position of several of its members, including two of the most distinguished of the country’s Senior Counsel. The Bar position, unfortunately mirrored now by the Council, is also wrong in the extreme.”

Prime Minister Dean Barrow then resorts to his favorite defense - attacking those who object or are opposed to his proposals and policies as playing politics.

In this letter he bluntly tells the Council of Churches that: “Of course, there are members of the Bar that are highly politically motivated. And they have not scrupled to distort the facts and misrepresent the precedents in Belize and similar jurisdictions. As one example, it is not possible, except on the basis of complete dishonesty, to mangle the Privy Council decision in the Belize case of Vellos: Belize’s then highest court was clear that no ordinary law, or court, could impose a referendum (or any other) requirement so as to fetter the Section 69 power of the Legislature to amend the Constitution.”

The Senior Counsel, to whom he refers by innuendo, has riposted that it is the Prime Minister who is being dishonest by ascribing an argument that has never been made.

Having rejected any possibility of a call for a referendum, the Prime Minister then argues that the legislature has the power and the authority solely through its three-fourth parliamentary majority to enact any amend its wishes to the constitution, including an amendment that says that the “constitutionality” of its amendments cannot be challenged.

And he concludes his demand for support for his amendment with the now familiar excuse that this is being done to safeguard the enshrinement of the ownership of the utilities in the people of Belize, and that the dreaded Lord Ashcroft is seeking to subvert the will of the Belizean people. The clear inference is that to oppose his amendment is to have joined the so-called “Ashcroft Alliance”.

It is comic-tragedy when the nation’s leading politician, and a lawyer to boot, accuses the churches of not standing on principle, of being misled, and of a lack of ethics.

Is it any wonder that the discord, division and disenchantment now not only intrinsically characteristic of the Belizean nation seems to widen, deepen and grow with each passing day?

PUNTA GORDA - Eerie reminders resurface as the southernmost town of Punta Gorda is once again plunged into anxiety over the disappearance of twelve year old Ashley Janixta Perez. About one year ago Mayan children Benjamin and Onelia Rash disappeared while they were out selling pro-

duce in the Cattle Landing area of PG. After much outrage by the Mayan community in Punta Gorda that reached the international press, the whereabouts of the Rash children is still a mystery.

Ashley’s foster mother, Veronica Grant told police that her daughter rode off on a small pink beach cruiser bicycle from their farm in Emery Grove Village on the Machaca Road between 11:30 and 12 midday on Thursday and has not been seen or heard from since.

Ashley who also answers to the name Jackie is about five feet tall, petite and of brown complexion. She has short black hair and weighs about eighty pounds. She was last seen wearing a green tshirt and a dark color three quarter pants. Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Ashley is asked to contact the nearest police station of call hotline number 0-800-922TIPS.

Weather update, Stay Vigilant!

The Belize Meteorological Department has just sent out a press release with an update for Invest 93-L (tropical wave disturbance) currently in the eastern Caribbean. On its projected track, Invest 93-L will be near northern Belize or southern Yucatan by Saturday morning, August 20, 2011.

Regardless if it develops into a tropical storm or not, Invest 93-L will bring an end to the August dry spell or maga season or “caniculas” and could produce rainfall and runoff conducive to flashfloods and inundations. Remain Vigilant!

Ramon Frutos, Chief Meteorologist of Belize, comments that model tracks for Invest 93-L (presently in the eastern Caribbean near 14N 67W) project the disturbance to move on a general westerly direction through the central and western Caribbean. Environmental conditions in the eastern and central Caribbean are not expected to be conducive for rapid development, but will become more favorable as the disturbance moves west of 80W on Thursday and Friday.

Once Invest 93-L reaches the western Caribbean later Thursday into Friday,

the chances of development will increase as it encounters a more favorable environment; in fact, the latest European model guidance forecasts 93L to become a tropical cyclone by Thursday evening over the western Caribbean. The GFS model does not favor strengthening to a TC in the western Caribbean. Please keep vigilant of this storm through daily updates from the Belize Met Service. -The low level circulation associated with a tropical wave over the western Caribbean Sea is becoming better defined and a surface low could be forming about 100mls east-northeast of Cape Gracias a Dios, Nicaragua. Conditions remain conducive for a tropical depression to form as long as the disturbance remains offshore as it moves generally westward at 10 to 15mph.

-A large tropical wave is located about 1200mls east of the Lesser Antilles and conditions are forecast to become increasingly favorable for development during the next couple of days as the system moves westward at 15mph.

-Elsewhere, tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours.

SESNECIL ROUQIL RO61FegSaPNOITACILPPA

Sunday, August 21st , 2011

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Crocodile Refuge Proposal on Ambergris Caye Marriages Leon Staine to Arlien Lopez both of Belize City Bruce David Sanchez to Rachel Ruhini Richards both of Ladyville, Belize Andrew Hacker to Claudia Dreifus both of New York City, USA Ferron Oliver Hartshorn to Coretha Dionne Hyde both of Belize City Belizario Eugenio Sanchez to Martina Maricruz Baeza both of Carmelita, Orange Walk Ian Earson Young of Hattieville, Belize to Abigail Maxine Smith of USA Adimael Catzim to Karla Iris Teck both of San Narciso, Corozal Kevin Berry Cowo to Pascuala Naira Hoy both of Xaibe, Corozal Edward Sealey to Nelly Judith Tun both of Fireburn, Orange Walk Luis Alberto Cardena of Ranchito, Corozal to Miriam Areni Quan of Corozal Town, Corozal Luis Angel Alcoser to Dianira Damari Marin both of Caledonia, Corozal Alejandro Chan of Libertad, Corozal to Alva Maria Bol of Caledonia, Corozal Amir Rigoberto Mai to Vilma Dorlin Mena both of San Antonio, Cayo Eric Craig Terpstra to Laura Shelton Boger of San Jose Succotz, Cayo Rocael Cabrejo to Elvira de Jesus Torres Mejia both of San Ignacio, Cayo Omar Sullivan John Garcia to Christine Esfandiari both of San Ignacio, Cayo Roy McLaren to Barbara Buckley both of San Ignacio, Cayo Querubin Margarito Segura to Narcisa Josefina Avalos both of San Ignacio, Cayo Harriot Egya Topsey to Lissany Vanessa Hernandez both of San Ignacio, Cayo Henry Osbert Flowers of Burrell Boom, Belize to Alyson Amanda Jones of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Eduardo Anthony Requena to Ana Candelaria Jaime both of Benque Viejo Del Carmen, Cayo Rafael Ramirez Perez to Keidi Yesenia Cano Zapata both of San Juan, Stann Creek Rajah Kamal Cuevas to Esther Miriam Cal both of Belmopan City, Cayo Keysy Reynerio Andrade to Sandra Isabel Gutierrez both of Belize City Edwin Escalante to Zenaida Abigail Cruz both of San Jose, orange Walk Carl Calvin Moro to Kimberly Inez Carcamo both of Teakettle, Cayo Jose Luis Gonzalez to Virginia Seferina Carrillo both of Belize City Juan Jose Cortez Duran to Ilsy Manuela Lopez both of Lord’s Bank, Belize Roberto Shack to Anna Rutilia Choc both of Belmopan City, Cayo Eluterio Pop to Orelia Miriam Cal both of Maya Centre, Stann Creek John Milton Arana of Belmopan City, to Thyra Leonora Trapp of Belize City

Births Nathalia Brianna to Brandon Andrew and Fern Tivolie Barnett nee Francis Annette Bernice to Cesar Augusto and Maria Concepcion Martinez nee Flores Tyrie Deanisha to Maxwell Dean and Barbara Florence Ventura nee Estrada Deiveer Drizden to Eric and Norma Griselda Acosta nee Ek Fermin Isaias to Freddie Isaias and Edith del Carmen Sancehz nee Menjivar Gianne Celise to Russell Ivan and Marcia Celisa Manzanero nee Aguilar

Deaths Sherley Louise Miguel, 74 Albertha Buckley, 74 Elsie Delphenia Ferguson, 94 Christopher Emmanuel Bowman, 24 Marcella Cawich, 44 Maurice Fidel Usher, 21 Patricia Gamacho, 61 Wilmer Joel Giron, 16

San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, crocodiles for educational purposes only. Each habitat is designed to Belize ACES is a non-profit organization permitted by the Belize Forest Department and dedicated to conserving Belize critical wetland habitats and protected species, specifically crocodilians, through scientific research and education in order to preserve wildlife for future generations. There is dire need of a crocodile refuge in Ambergris Caye for ill, injured and problematic American crocodiles, Crocodylus acutus.

The estimate total costs of the completion of this proposed crocodile holding facility is $42,509 BZD. The facility would provide care and treatment for large crocodiles prior to their relocation to the main croc sanctuary in Ladyville, and would house small crocodiles that are ill, injured, or in high development areas. They would be reared without direct human contact and rehabilitated for re-release into undeveloped areas in Ambergris Caye.

Currently, there are at least ten crocodiles on the island ranging in size from 10 inches, hatchlings, to over 11-feet that need care. The most severely injured croc in need of a safe habitat in captivity is “Jaws,” who was recently captured from under a DFC resident’s front stairs.

This proposed crocodile refuge will not only create employment for local tour guides, but would be a family oriented educational eco-tourist attraction for the island. The environmentally friendly facility will enhance the public’s safety by accommodating problematic crocodiles; supply professional care for ill and injured crocodiles; reduce human-croc conflicts by educating the public about crocodiles and how to safely coexist with them; increase additional professional employment opportunities for locals; and will stimulate the local economy by generating additional revenues. A small visitors’ entrance fee will provide self-sustainability. Any proceeds will be utilized for crocodile rescues, care, conservation efforts and education here on Ambergris Caye.

Already presented and approved by Belize’s Minister of Tourism, Manuel Heredia, Jr., in 2010, the facility would humanely display rescued

minimize stress on the animals by limited viewing and giving the crocs ample space to conceal themselves.

All habitats are designed in accordance with the Global Federation of Animal Shelters and the Belize Forest Department.

The proposed location of the facility is approximately three miles north of the Boca Del Rio Bridge on the east side of the road. Owner and Manager of the Green Iguana, Mario Cervoni, is currently building a local fresh produce center, Garden Foods, and has generously offered his lot on the east side for the crocodile refuge. upport from several private donors from the island has already fully funded two large habitats on the mainland to relocate the crocs from ACES’ arsoned facility. The facility will also permanently house larger problematic crocs from Ambergris Caye. We do intend to approach the private sector for funding and plan on holding more fund raising events to complete this proposal.

The croc issues here are ongoing, and it should be everyone’s responsibility. The majority of the crochuman conflicts occur in low income areas such as DFC, so ACES does not charge for relocating problematic crocodiles. This year alone we have rescued and relocated over 24 crocs here on the island; but relocation is not a solution. Over five of these crocs have had to be relocated several times because they do return, or turn up as someone else’s problem. The San Pedro Town Council supports ACES free community service by waiving ACES bridge fees for crocodile rescues, relocations, research and education.

No donation is too small. All donations are greatly appreciated and will be utilized 100% towards this proposal. In-kind donations are most welcome and USA taxdeductible donations can be made through ACES 501(c)(3) partner at BEEDFund.com. For more information about ACES please visit our website at www.americancrocodilesanctuary.org. Remember, the crocs’ future, and the safety of others, depend on you.

SAY NO! to.9!

Sunday,August 21st, 2011

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Interoffice basketball semifinals go to Game 3 Belize City, August 12, 2011 Godsden Ferguson and Augustine Both Conscious Youth Develop- each added 5 pts for Ports to lead ment Programme and the Belize 47-41 by the end of the 3rd quarter.

Bank Bulldogs succeeded in taking CYDP’s Calvin Tench, Darwin the Belize City interoffice basket- “Dawgy” Elijio and Leon “Bigs” ball semifinals series to a Game 3. Williams each scored 4pts, but After falling 51-57 to Ports Belize Ports took Ltd in Game 1, last Wednesday, it away 57CYDP drowned Ports 60-46 in Fri51 at the fiday’s nightcap, while the Bulldogs nal buzzer. bounced back from a a 79-83 loss to MOE/AlaMOE/Alamilla’s last Wednesday to milla’s had crunch down on the up-to-then unto go to defeated Ministry of Education/Alaovertime milla’s Furniture 73-56 on Friday. to edge Neil Nicholson had hit 2 treys to past the lead Ports with 14 pts in a 57-51 Bulldogs upset of the undefeated CYDP 83-79 last last Wednesday. Lennox BowWe d n e s man had 10pts, 5 boards as Ports day. The led 15-14 in the 1st quarter.

Bulldogs CYDP’s Andrew “Head” Staine led 20-18 scored 12 pts, Ervin Orosco in the first added 8 pts, and Earl Johnson, quarter, Ed Baptist and Ernest Broaster led by DarCYDP to lead 31-29 at the half. win “PupPorts’ Angus Cherrington scored py” Les9pts and Marlon Myers 8 pts, while

lie who shot a game high of 31pts. MOE’s Greg Rudon hit 3 long treys to lead MOE/Alamilla’s with 26pts, 7 rebounds, and MOE led 34-30 at the half.

MOE’s John Rudon drained in 3 long treys for 11pts, Kevin Lorenzo added 2 treys for 16 pts, and Wes Mckenzie had 14pts, 5 boards for Alamilla’s to lead 5143 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

The Bulldogs Kachief Thomas also drained in 2 long treys to add 20pts, while Roscoe Rhys scored 6 pts, Macario Augustine chipped in 4 pts and the Bulldogs opened up a 6-pt spread in 4th quarter.

Only Greg Rudon ‘s layup in the final 17 seconds averted a loss to take the game into overtime. Brandon Rogers and Kevin Domingo scored 6pts each for the 83-79 win.

On Friday, Darwin “Puppy” Leslie drained in 2 long treys for 16 pts to lead the Belize Bank Bulldogs to a 7356 win over MOE/Alamilla’s. The Bulldogs led 12-10 in the 1st quar-

Costa Rica men win softball friendlies 5-1

Belize City, August 13, 2011

6th to score the visitors’ first run.

Costa Rica’s Club Deportivo Ala- Rommel Amador juela softball men won a friendly and Silvio Guaseries of the 6 games 5-1 against damez also came the Belize all star selection and home as Costa the 2 top teams of the Belize City Rica trailed 3-6. men’s competition at the home The Belize lead of softball at the Roger’s Sta- grew to 9-3 when dium last week, August 11-13. Rayan Rowland Belize’s all-star selection won came off the Game 6 against Costa Rica 9-4 last bench to subSaturday night. Belize’s Densmore stitute for ShaEdwards walloped Charles Solis’ quille Moody pitch and came homer in the bot- and rounded the tom of the 1st, and Shane Williams bases in the botbunted to get on base and came tom of the 6th inhome on a hit by Patrick Rowland. ning, and DensSolis struck out 9 batters to shut more Edwards out thte Belize hitters in the 2nd and Middleton and 3rd innings, but pitcher Garth also came home Godoy soon scored Belize’s 3rd It was the first run in the 4th inning and Team win for Team Belize led 6-0 when Michael Belize as only “Shilling” Middleton, Patrick Costa rica’s RoRowland and Keith Madrill came berto Chang home in the bottom of the 5th. came home in The Belize all stars gave no runs the top of the 7th. in the first 5 innings, even though Costa Rica’s the Costa Ricans got 12 hits off star pitcher CarGodoy’s pitching. Pedro Montiel los Chavez had came off the bench to substitute for completely shut Carlos Chavez in the top of the

out the BH Strikers for a 7-0 win in the Game 5 on Saturday. Strikers’ pitcher Brandon Bood allowed no runs in the 1st inning, but Costa Rica soon led 3-0 when Jose Alfredo Jimenez, Juan Pablo Chinchilla and Pedro Montiel came home in the top of the 2nd.

Montiel came home again 5th inning as Costa Rica extended its lead to 6-0.

Montiel scored 3rd run in the top of the 6th for the 7-0 win.

Costa Rica walloped the all-stars 5-1 in Game 4 on Friday won Game 3 by mercy rule 16-3 against Team 313.

They also won 2 slow-pitch games against a selection of interoffice players soon after they arrived on Thursday.

ter and with Rupert Brown’s 13pts and Macario Augustine’s 12 pts, 8 boards, they led 33-19 at the half.

Roscoe Rhys also drained in 3 long treys for 13 pts, and Kachief Thomas drained in a long trey as he added 14pts, 6 rebounds for a 57-38 lead at the end of the 3rd quarter. Greg Rudon led MOE/Alamilla’s with 14 pts, 10 rebounds while Kevin Lorenzo added nine points and Kevin Domingo - eight while Robert Ferguson chipped in six, and John Rudon and Wes Mckenzie each had five points.

In Friday’s nightcap, Marcel Orosco drained in 4 long treys for 14pts and CYDP led 14-11 in the 1st quarter.

Andrew “Head” Staine added 11pts as CYDP led 27-18 at the half. Ernest Broaster had 9 pts, 7 boards, while Earl Johnson and Jacob “Snake” Leslie each 7 pts to lead 45-32 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

Ports’ Ian “AC” Augustine had 11 pts, 16 boards and Lennox Bowman had 8 pts, while Leroy Forbes chipped in 7 pts and Godsden Ferguson’s – 6pts Angus Cherrington had 11 boards, 2 pts.

CYDP’s Juustin Wade drained in a long trey to add 4 pts, 7 rebounds and Leon Williams also had 4 pts, 9 rebounds in the 60-46 win.

Sunday,August 21st, 2011

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UB Jaguars win Belize Rural women’s softball champs Lord’s Bank Village,August 14, 2011 The University of Belize Jaguars softball girls won the 2011 Belize rural softball championship by a 13-2 win against Easy Does It of Flowers Bank village in the championship final at the Lord Bank field on Sunday, August 14.

The playoffs were held under the Paige system and the No. 1 ranked UB Jaguars won Game 1 5-2 against the No. 2 seeded Burrell Boom Survivors in the. Mertell Bailey got a hit off a pitch from Burrell Boom’s Iceany Baptist to score UB’s 1st run in the 1st inning.

The Burrell Boom women took over the lead 2-1 when Sherrie Mcfadzean and Karina August came home in the top of the 2nd inning, but UB soon regained the lead 4-2 when Bailey, Bradley and Martinez came in the bottom of the 3rd and UB led 5-2 when Bailey rounded the bases again in the 4th.

In Game 2, the No. 3 seeded Flowers Bank women eliminated the No. 4 seed, Oceana Wildcats of Sand Hill: 8-6. The Wildcats’ Francine Robinson scored their 1st run in the top of the 2nd, but the score was soon tied 1-1 when Shanna Robinson came home in the bottom of the 2nd.

The Oceana Wildcats lead grew to 6-1 when Francine Milligan, Catherina Cob, Danalee Burns, Kimberly Wade and Desiree Moralez got hits off the pitching of pitcher Margaret Hendy to come home in the top of the 4th, while Easy Does It tried to catch up when Kathleen, Samantha Reyes and Ana Gillett came home in the bottom of the 4th to trail 4-6.

Amber Wade came home in the bottom of the 5th and the Flowers Bank women took over the lead 8-6 when Ana Gillett, Sharra Robinson and Kelsey Robinson came home in the bottom of the 6th.

In Game 3, the Flowers Bank women now challenge the No. 2 seed, Survivors and eliminated them 1211. The Flowrs Bank girls whopped Iceany Baptist’s pitching all over

the park as Dian Baldwin, Amber Wade, Kathlene Rhaburn, Shanna Robinson, Samantha Reyes, and Ana Gillett came home in the top of the 1st���������������������������� to������������������������ lead 6-0. Kathlene Rhaburn and Shanna Robinson came home again in the top of the 2nd to lead 8-0, and they pushed the envelope to 11-0 when Dian Baldwin, Amber Wade and Kathlene came home in the top of the 3rd.

Survivors’ catcher Rebecca Nicholson took over on the mound from Baptist and stopped the hemorrhage of runs while they began to catch up as Rebecca Nicholson, Ismae Flowers and Karina August came home in the bottom of the 3rd.

Judy Soberanis, Rebecca Nicholson, Ismae and Sheri Macfadzean added 4 more runs in the bottom of the 4th to trail 7-11, until Amber Wade came home again in the top of the 5th to give Easy does it a 12-7 lead.

Joyce Flowers and Mandy Nicholson came home in the 6th and Rebecca and Sherri Mcfadzean rounded in the bottom of the seventh, but they failed to tie the score and the Flowers Bank women advanced to the championship final.

In Game 4, the UB Jaguars led 1-0 when Mertell Bailey came home in the bottom of the 1st inning. The Flowers Bank women soon led 2-1 when Anna Gillett and Carol Leslie came home in the top of the 2nd inning.

UB’s pitcher Shandi Orellano shut out the Easy Does It girls after that while Aneckia Brown, Vanessa Dawson, Jahna Trapp, Mertell Bailey, Jamela Bradley, and Tamira Martinez hammered Dian Rhaburn’s pitches to lead 7-2 in the bottom of the 2nd.

The UB lead grew to 8-2 when Vanessa Dawson came home again in the bottom of the 3rd, and the game was called and the mercy rule applied when the Easy Does It girls failed to score in the top of the 5th.

Tthe champions, and second and third place winners received individual and team trophies and awards in an award ceremony after the game.

Ladyville FC & Millennium girls win in Belize district football

Ladyville, August 14, 2011 The Ladyville FC girls and Belize City’s Millennium girls both posted big wins when the Belize District women’s football competition kicked off at the Ladyville football field on Sunday.

In Game 1, Caye Caulker and Hattieville battled to a scoreless draw.

In Game 2, Millennium crushed the Ladyville Orchids 6-0 with Sheriann “Baby” Tracy scoring the 1st winning goal in the 7th minute.

Kara Kisling added a second goal in the 23rd minute, and Sheriann Tracy scored her 2nd goal

in the 32nd minute. Sara Arzu scored a 4th goal in the 34th minute, and Gianne Cayetano drilled in a 5th goal in the 45th minute to lead 5-0 at the half-time break.

The Millennium defenders frustrated every attempt by the Ladyville Orchids to get on the scoreboard in the 2nd half, while Sara Arzu scored a 6th goal in the 68th minute to complete the 6-0 victory.

In Game 3, the Ladyville FC girls also posted a 6-0 win againt Sand Hill, with Marcelina May scoring the 1st winning goal and the 2nd early in the 1st half, and Tasha Young

scored a 3rd goal to lead 3-0 at the half time break.

In the 2nd half, Georgette Young added a 4th and a 5th goal, and Michelle Andrews blasted in a 6th goal for the 6-0 win.

The competition continues in Sand Hill on Sunday, August 21, in Hattieville on Sunday, August 28, in Caye Caulker on Sunday, September 4, and in Belize City on Sunday, September 11.

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Sunday, August 21st , 2011