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The San Pedro Sun

Doctor Love: Rumors
Readers, please send your letters. They can be emails, formal letters or handwritten notes. They are edited solely for grammar and spelling. Also, they are sometimes edited for length. Dear Doctor Love, This very good friend of mine has a problem with his wife. They had been married for five years and the marriage was [�]

Saga Humane Society say Thanks
Dear Editor, Saga Humane Society would like to give our sincere Thanks to all of our supporters in the San Pedro Town community for helping to make our 10th Annual Halloween Party a fantastic success. Thank you to our gracious hostess Charlene Woods and the amazing staff at BC's Beach Bar for their hospitality. The beach was alive with the dynamic sounds of Valentino, aroma of delicious food and the sounds of giggling children. It was a great day, despite the downpour and hurricane winds that blew the tents down. Eventually the rain stopped, the sun came out and everyone had a howling good time. Our honored judges this year were Tamara Sniffin, Jan Brown, and Allen Soto. They had a hard time deciding on the winners of the various Costume Contests. After much discussion the winners were announced. There was a tie for Cutest! 1st Cutest - Yankee as Pupcake - Tula; 1st Cutest - Bella as a Witch - David and Benjamin, 2nd Cutest - Pumpkin Princess - Elsa, Scariest - Voshi as Zombie Dog - Siomarie, Best Team - Monsterish Dogs - Monster High.

Wolfe's Woofers: The Complete Physical Exam
At the clinic I had to endure all kinds of humiliation while the doctor poked at me and prodded me. Finally, he said, "All right, the only thing left is the physical exam." "What psychiatric test? Why do I need a psychiatric test?" "Mr. Wolfe, you are recovering from a very serious illness. That is [�]

Misc Belizean Sources

Fishing Report, Week of November 9 - 16th, 2013
Wow. Montana showed up in a big way, as Montana people do. Anderson and Platt brought 38 of their angling buddies - actually not all of them from Montana, but it felt like it, which is a good thing. We all were so happy to see our repeat friends and excited to know new friends. Kevin and Kelly - the brothers from Colorado, are always so much fun. Jon and Brad are some of the best trip leaders in the business. Thank you boys! Tammy and Eric we hope to see you back soon. Thank you to Ed and also Tammy for letting us celebrate your birthdays with you this week. And most importantly, thank you to all of our guests this week. You all deserve the "Best Sport" award. You had some real live tropical weather this week and you kept smiling and laughing. All the time reporting how thankful you were to be in such a great place. Well, we were darn lucky to have such a great group of friends. Thank you and come back soon!

The Belize Volleyball Association General Congress 2013 Notice
The Belize Volleyball Association (BVA) announces, invites and gives notice to its members of its 2013 General Congress to be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday, November 30th, 2013, at the Caracol Room, Radisson Fort George Hotel. In addition to the reports of activities of the past two years and opportunities for the future, elections will be held for the members of the Board of Administration. As per constitution, "Any person desirous of seeking elected office at the General Congress must be an affiliated member; must be a Belizean; and, must submit their name in writing [nominated by at least three (3) other affiliated members] to the Secretary General seventy-two (72) hours prior to the holding of such General Congress." "In the event there are no nominations received by the Secretary General the floor shall be opened for nominations from those members present at the General Congress." The Secretary General, Mrs. Sherylee Young-Thurton, can be reached at Santiago Castillo Ltd., San Cas Plaza, Belize City.

Maya First Donates Computers
Feelgood news of the day. The Maya First Organization donated computers to the primary schools in San Antonio. "Maya First Organization donates #DELL computers to both schools of the village of San Antonio Village, Cayo Dist, Belize."

Juried Photographic Exhibition Winners
Congratulations to the winners of the Juried Photographic Exhibition! It must've been difficult for the judges to decide, although the Chiquibul Sunrise from Roni Martinez is very impressive. Color 1st Place: Chiquibul Sunrise by Ronaldi Martinez Color 2nd Place: Girls on a bicycle by Miriam Ochaeta-Serrut Color 3rd Place: The eyes of color by Jenny Guerra Ruiz Black/White 1st Place: A time to reflect by Fernando Cruz Black/White 2nd Place: Hummingbird at Sunset by Sandrina Svetlana DePaz Black/White 3rd Place: El Chichlero by Elvis Avila

The Garifuna Legacy
The SISE House of Culture is having Joshua Arana play tomorrow, Monday, November 18th, to celebrate Garifuna Settlement Day. The festivities start at 9:30am. "Join us in the celebration of the living culture and Garifuna Legacy in Belize.. Live drum's by one of our greatest drummers in Belize, Joshua Arana... Live the momentum with us at SISE HOC"

Rotary 'Educate Our Youth' Fundraiser
Pictures of Rotary's 'Educate Our Youth' fundraiser that was catered by SHJC's Food and Beverage students, Shabla Event Planning and Catering, and CET. "The Rotary Club of San Ignacio had their 'Educate Our Youth' fundraiser at CET. It was a lot of fun, and the Sacred Heart Junior College Food and Beverage students did a great job. They raised money to send 25 students to school. Thanks, Rotary Club of San Ignacio!"

CTV3

Things Between BSCFA And BSI Get Nasty
Yesterday we told you about the BSCFA's rejection to meet with officials of the Belize Sugar Industries Limited in Belize City on November 19th to resume renegotiations on the new agreement if the payment per ton of Bagasse to cane famers does not form part of the discussion. Since BSI stated that the issue can be dealt with at unspecified date, the BSCFA continues with its threat not to commence the 2013/2014 crops on November 25th. And tonight the back and forth continues with BSI responding not too keen on the threats made by the BSCFA's top brass on delaying the start of the new crop season. What we can tell you is that the situation is getting nasty because BSI made public a letter sent to Chairman of the BSCFA Committee of Management, Leonardo Cano.

So Does Corozal
In the Corozal District residents living in Potzal Area, Chula Vista, and other flood prone areas have been experiencing localize flooding. But while they remain at home, the same cannot be said for two families who had to evacuate their home and are presently housed at the San Andres Community Center. "We have some flood prone areas in Corozal Town and everybody knows, Potzal Areas is one of the flood areas apart from the Chula Vista, we haven't had any flood treats from Chula Vista area as yet but the other area Potzal we have two families that have already reported, they have been flooded into their homes, at this point I have already made arrangements to relocate them to one of our shelters and that is the San Andres community shelter and they will be relocated to that area until the water recedes."

O/W Records Localize Flooding
Several families in the Lousiana Area here in Orange Walk have fallen victim to flooding due to the incessant rains. Water is threatening to enter their homes as their yard is already saturated. This makes it difficult for the affected families to lead normal lives as children are falling ill and missing out on classes. Our newsteam was dispatched to the area and here's what we found out. The torrential rains have been relentless over the past few weeks and for several families in the Louisiana Area this spells problems as the flooded waters are threatening to enter their homes. We spoke to a few residents who are pleading for assistance. Aaron Miller - Resident "We got a problem with the street, if we had this street we wouldn't have had this amount of flood, because when I was working with Mr. Burns he gave me a little access with the material, so we were filling up here and so if you notice all the water just cut all the way into my land and we are filling up but so much truck has come here with Mr. Burns gave me a little hand and thank to him we get a little opportunity now if the government would only help us on the street then we got access out but right now we have no access, we got this neighbor back here and that one there, the people who sell and so and then the kids cannot go to school and if it get higher it will be a problem. Back ya da four families and Mr. Popper here, and this next gentleman back here we get flood out and then over the next street flood out too, like the people over there they flood out too, it is a problem and I will have to evacuate if it continues but where we will go, rent expensive we cannot afford that, we have one job and the kids go to school and we cannot afford that, that is the only problem we have right now."

Sartenja Road Remains Impassable
As we speak more than half a mile of the road between Chunox and Sarteneja is under water. Last night we reported three feet but due to the constant rains the water has risen making it more difficult for residents of Sarteneja to make it in and out of the village. In order to reach the village residents, including children have to walk more than a mile in murky waters thus putting their health at risk. Yesterday, Secretary of the Sarteneja Village Council Darnell Cruz pleaded for assistance. When we spoke to NEMO Coordinator for Corozal Willard Levy he told us that engineers would travel to the area to access the situation and while the assessment is carried out personnel of the Belize Defense Force would be deployed to the area to assist villagers in moving from one to the other. We understand that early this morning a BDF truck was sent to the location but the vehicle was unable to make it across the flooded waters.

Man Shot In Sarteneja Corozal
While Ramirez, Habet and Tzul wait to be prosecuted in the Mexican Courts, here in Belize one from the Village of Sarteneja has been charged for dangerous harm and deadly means of harm. Forty two year old Romaldo Catzim was arrested and charged after he shot 29 year old Belizean Fisherman of Sarteneja Village Darwin Ortega. Reports are that yesterday at about 1:00am Catzim and one Darwin Ortega became engaged in a fist fight. Fifty year old Indalicio Ortega, Darwin's father arrived at the scene and separated the fight. As he pushed his son away he heard Catzim mention that he will go and get his shotgun to shoot both of them.

Names Of Belizeans Charged For Drug Trafficking In Mexico Released
Last night we told you about the three Belizeans and Mexican National that were detained by Mexican Authorities in Subteniente Lopez, located near the Belize Mexico Border, for drug trafficking. Since investigations were fresh the three Belizeans were only identified as El Michel, El Ardelfo and Orlando while the Mexican was identified only as Freddy. Tonight we have the complete name of all individuals. They are Michael Ashton Ramirez, Orlando Habet and Ruperto Adolphus Tzul of Belizean Nationality and Mexican National Freddy Andr�s Lagos Vargas. As mentioned last night the four men were detained on Wednesday after the vehicle they were traveling in, bearing license plate C-45188, was in intercepted on Cuauht�moc Street in Subteniente Lopez.

U.S Embassy Denies Listening In On Phone Conversations
Whistleblower Alverine Burgess surprised the nation when she made it on the Dickie Bradley Show aired on Channel Five on Monday and went into details on the visa facilitated procedure which according to her saw Belize Rural North Representative Edmund Castro collecting thousands of dollars. Burgess also revealed that when she when she was interrogated by the US Embassy, an employee played back conversations that she'd had with Castro and another person on the sale of visa. It's a story that has raised many eyebrows and one that questioned the credibility of Burgess. It also brought to light that there may be a possibility that the US is engage in electronic surveillance or wire tapping activities in Belize. Well, today Belize City media spoke with a spokesperson at the US Embassy who said that while they are deeply concerned about allegations about VISA or Passport fraud, they categorically denied recording anyone in connection to this matter. "We are of course very concern about the allegations of visa or passport fraud really anywhere in the world but because it concerns us when something like this is happening so we are following this matter very closely, what I can say is that person you mention as the informant came into the embassy for a visa interview at her own, I am not at liberty to talk about what was discussed during that interview because U.S law does not allows us to do that but I can say that her statements has been inaccurate and that I can assure you that the U.S embassy has no recorded anyone included any government officials in connection with this matter with what is going on here, that is not correct."

Caye Caulker Chronicles

NEW COUNCIL HOSTS MEETING - RABBLE TURN OUT
This was a disorganized disrespectful rabble of a meeting, the first of what we all hope will be regular meetings from this Village Council, and was attended by approximately 50 people and as the meeting went on, many more people outside. There was a certain faction that were inebriated, and impolite. Mr Miller opened the meeting only a few mins after 7pm, which was a great start. He told us what he thought the accomplishments were over the short time period since middle of July and brought us up to date on the sorry state of the finances. When questioned directly later in the meeting he did tell us that there is almost $500,000.00 in tax arrears, and that although 90% of the foreign population was up to date with taxes, only 28% of the local population was. He said that in order for this village council to succeed, taxes needed to be paid and reminded us all that paying taxes was an obligation, not a choice. Some member of the community commented that nobody in Belize pays taxes, at which point another member pointed out that that person did not have a say in the meeting if he chose not to pay tax.

Blogs

Lisa's life changing first trip to Ambergris Caye
Today's post was sent in by Lisa Still who made her first trip to Belize this past summer. While here, she felt like she had found her new home. She felt at peace a feeling she had have never experienced before and something she wanted to share with you. I know her words will ring true for many of you as far as first visits past or future and the island capturing your hearts. Hi, my name is Lisa. I came to Ambergris Caye in Aug of this year, for the first time. The trip was life changing! Like many of you, I have dreamed of living on the ocean, in a small town, where the way of life is laid back like in the 1960′s and 1970′s. Where you go to town to shop and you know your grocery store owner personally. You know the owner of the vegetable stand and you stop and talk about whats going on in your lives and the community. A place where going to town is not just to take care of your business, you know you will run into old friends or possibly make a new one. I started my quest in 2006, looking for my country and city. I also started praying about my dream to move. I looked at different places to see what they had to offer, countries with tropical weather and blue Caribbean waters. I went on many message boards and asked lots of questions. Every waking hour that I wasn't working, I was on the internet searching. I had even briefly looked at Belize.

Why Expats Are Living in Belize
Once the decision to move down to a gorgeous tropical destination to live out your retirement years has been made, the real work can begin. And of course, this work begins with one major question, where should I move? Consider living in Belize. With a plethora of unbelievable choices out there, what is it about the little country of Belize that has so many expats packing their bags and heading down to its sandy shores? Positioned between Mexico, Guatemala and the clear blue Caribbean Sea, living in Belize will provide you with things that you could only dream of back in the States, and above all, it will offer you the chance to truly slow down. Tropical beauty As is the case with most Central American countries, many expats are lured down to Belize simply due to its stunning natural beauty, and because of this unspoiled beauty, Belize has been dubbed by some as "mother nature's best kept secret."

International Sources

Old X-ray equipment donated to a wildlife clinic in Belize
The Belize Wildlife and Referral Clinic was until recently in desperate need of an X-ray machine. Diagnosing animals can be difficult at the best of times due to their inability to provide veterinarians with insight into how they feel and what their symptoms are, but without the ability to examine an animal's internal anatomy it becomes nearly impossible. We were able to donate our old equipment to the Belize clinic, and we hope the wildlife of Belize will now be better off. X-ray machines are used to show the insides of an animal in terms of relative density. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation like visible light, but unlike visible light they have enough energy to pass through most materials found in an animal's body. They are still absorbed to some degree however, and the more dense the material they are hitting the more they will be absorbed by it.

The Caribbean's Fastest and Slowest-Growing Populations
We continue our series on the World Bank's Caribbean data by looking at another statistic: population growth. We've already looked at the Caribbean's richest countries by GDP per capita, by population density, by life expectancy and by age of population. So what are the Caribbean's fastest-growing populations? According to the World Bank, the fastest-growing population in the region is one of the tiniest: the Turks and Caicos Islands, which has seen an average annual growth of 4.5 percent from 2000 to 2012. Second was the Cayman Islands, which saw an average annual growth rate of 2.7 percent from 2000 to 2012.

EU joins US in Effort to Strengthen Shark Finning Ban Atlantic Tuna Body
The Shark Trust and Shark Advocates International are heralding news that the EU will join an effort spearheaded by the US and Brazil to strengthen the International Commission for Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) ban on shark finning (slicing off a shark's fins and discarding the body at sea). Officials from dozens of countries will discuss this and other high seas fishing measures at the annual ICCAT meeting next week in Cape Town, South Africa. "We are pleased and excited that the European Union has embraced the best practice for preventing the wasteful practice of shark finning, and is now placing its considerable influence behind the growing effort to make fins-attached the rule around the globe," said Ali Hood, Director of Conservation for the Shark Trust. Shark fins are used in a celebratory Asian soup. High demand for fins is a key driver in many shark fisheries and provides the incentive for finning. ICCAT was the first international fisheries body to ban shark finning (in 2004), but implementation is based on a complicated fin-to-body weight ratio that is difficult to enforce and hinders the collection of accurate information on shark catches. Scientists recommend that sharks be landed with their fins still naturally attached, as this is the most reliable method for ensuring that finning did not occur while also facilitating species-specific data collection. The US, Brazil, and the EU have offered a proposal for next week's meeting that would require that shark fins remain naturally attached to shark bodies until after they are landed on shore. The US and Brazil - along with Belize - proposed the beneficial change at the last four ICCAT meetings. In past years, Japan and China have led the effort to defeat the measure.

Artisan chocolates pair with sparklers, whites, and reds
When pairing a beverage with chocolate treats, many brew a French press of coffee rather than uncork a bottle. But if the folks at Taza Chocolate have their way, we might be trading in our favorite mugs for glasses of sparklers, whites, or reds. Taza, whose artisan chocolates are made in a stone-ground style, offers a two-hour evening tasting with wines supplied by the North End's Taranta Restaurant. Joshua Mamaclay, Taza store and tour manager, explains to the 14 attendees how the company, founded in 2006, has a direct trade relationship with each of its producers, who farm organically in the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, and Belize and supply the cacao beans. The $50 tasting includes six wines and six confections.

After Biden's trade talks with Caricom: US and Caribbean forge stronger relationship
The United States and the Caribbean Community (Caricom) are forging a stronger relationship, the US Trade Representative (USTR) office said in a statement issued after the first US-Caricom meeting since May when US Vice President Joe Biden signed into existence a US-Caricom Council on Trade and Investment. Together with then Caricom Chairman, Haitian President Michel Martelly, Biden signed a revised Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), which gave life to the council, the mandate of which is to deal with what the USTR described in its statement as "important trade and investment issues". The USTR said: "Bilateral trade, intellectual property, e-commerce, (and) regulatory cooperation (were) discussed at the first meeting under the US-Caricom TIFA." The leading categories of Caricom exports to the US in 2012 were mineral fuel, chemicals, and iron and steel, the largest producer of which, in the Caribbean, is T&T. Caricom is comprised of 15 Caribbean nations and dependencies: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Barely half of Commonwealth heads attended summit
Of the 50 countries that attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that took place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 15 to 17 November 2013, on the theme Growth with Equity: Inclusive Development, just 27 were represented by their heads of state or government. The leaders of India and Canada boycotted the summit over alleged human rights abuse of Tamils by the Sri Lankan government. The territorial disputes between Belize and Guatemala, and Guyana and Venezuela were addressed by the heads of government. In relation to Belize, heads expressed disappointment that the simultaneous referendums scheduled for 6 October 2013 were not held, due to Guatemala's decision to postpone. Heads emphasised the importance of preserving the 2008 Special Agreement between Belize and Guatemala, which commits both parties to holding simultaneous referendums on submitting Guatemala's territorial, insular and maritime claim to the International Court of Justice. Heads urged both parties to agree on a new date for the simultaneous referendums to take place within the shortest possible time.

Best Places In Belize To Chill Out
Lying along the southern coast of the Caribbean Sea in Central America, Belize has many places where one can relax with a fruity alcohol-spiked beverage and chill out under the blazing tropical sun. Despite this countries' small size though, it can be hard to pick a beach resort that meets ones needs. Where should you go in Belize for your winter getaway? That depends a great deal on who you are, and the activities that you enjoy. Below, we detail three different resort areas that appeal to different segments of the population. This way, you can spend your time in Belize on the island that best resonates with the person that you are!