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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials


The San Pedro Sun

Wolfe's Woofer: Tourist Economics
Dennis-Wolfe-Wolfes-Woofers"This town is nice and quiet," I said to the hotel keeper, who also worked as the bartender. "Si," he said. "It is quiet because we have no tourists. Because we have no tourists, we have no money. Everyone is poor." Looking around the bar he said, "Since the cruise ships quit stopping here we have no money coming into the town. The two men sitting in the bar have businesses but no customers. The man in the corner is Juan, the butcher. Sitting next to him is Pablo. Pablo has a finca, a little ranch where he raises cattle. Yes, we are very poor. We need some tourist economics." "What are tourist economics?" I asked. "When money moves," he said, "everyone benefits. It works like this. First . . "

Police Report
Wounding *On Sunday, November 16th at around 11AM, 23-year-old Kendis Gongora of DFC Area visited the San Pedro Police Station and reported that while at a nightclub located on Barrier Drive, San Pedro Town he was stabbed. Gongora reported that he was with some friends on Saturday, November 15th sometime around before mid-night. He got into an altercation with Rene Cumul and Alex Espat. Shooting *On Sunday, November 16th at about 7:43PM a team of San Pedro Police visited the San Pedro Polyclinic where 20-year-old Marcos Ramirez was found suffering from apparent gunshot wounds to his left and right thighs. Initial investigation revealed that on the same date at about 7:00PM he was at a friend's apartment located at in the San Pablo Area when he heard four gunshots coming from the street side in front of the apartment. Found Property *On Friday, November 14th at 7:30PM, acting on information received, the San Pedro Quick Response Team personnel searched an abandoned lot located near a well-known drug dealer's residence in the DFC Area. The search led to the discovery of a black plastic bag which was found under an old plastic fan containing a green leafy substance suspected to be cannabis.

Christmas for the Children of Belize
childrens home no edit2Dear Editor: Amidst the sounds of Howler Monkeys and the tranquil beauty of Mayan ruins therein lies in the Central American jungle a small orphanage in Ladyville where 37 abused and neglected children reside. With a pittance of external money to operate, house, clothe and educate the beautiful children, Miss Agatha Valentine the Director of this tiny community works tirelessly night and day to bring each child a sense of HOPE, LOVE and PEACE. It is again my desire this year to bring the spirit of Christmas to each of the children who call this place home, so that they may enjoy and experience a day filled with love, laughter and gifts of their own. Your contribution of new or gently worn clothing or shoes, new Children's Toys, and/or Funding for these precious little ones is greatly appreciated and urgently needed. At this time ages range from 1 month to 17 years. Deadline for donations/contributions is 5 Dec 2014.

Doctor Love
Dear Doctor Love, My very best friend is the nosiest person I have ever met. I love her to death but she wants to know every detail of my life and says it is all part of the honesty between us. I make it a point to know only about her life that she tells me. The problem is that she tells me everything and expects me to do the same. Usually she is discreet about it and keeps the information to herself. Twice though, she has accidentally said something to someone that came back to me and hurt me. The older we get the nosier she gets. Now I am starting to act angrily when she asks about anything? I don't want to hurt her. What can I do? /s/ No Secrets

Misc Belizean Sourcesmzz

University of Belize Marketing Expo in ‪Belize‬ City on November 18th, 2014
Lotsa photos!

Melodyman Escobar and his live Reggae Band
will perform every Thursday at Legends Burger House . Premiere is on Thanksgiving. Enjoy your smoked Turkey together with family and friends at this peaceful Reggaematic evening. One love, one heart ! Jah Bless.

Alberto "Beto" Gonzalez passes away
Mayor Daniel Guerrero, the San Pedro Town Council and Staff would like to extend its deepest condolences to the Gonzalez family on the passing of Alberto "Beto" Gonzalez. May his soul rest in peace. Funeral services were November 23rd, at the S.D.A. Church at 3:00 p.m.

Patrick JonesPJ

Body of a man found in Belmopan
There is a disturbing report coming out of Belmopan about the apparent murder of a man believed to be a member of the Diplomatic Corps. Police have declined a request for information until Monday morning; but multiple sources have confirmed that the victim, believed to be in his early 50's was found dead late this evening in Belmopan. Reports we have received say there appears to have been a a cut to his throat.

Concerns raised over bad roads to archaeological site and reserves
The Belize Tourism Industry Association, Cayo Branch, has called on relevant authorities to address the poor state of repair of roads leading to nature reserves and archaeological sites in western Belize. Those relevant authorities are the Belize Tourism Board and the National Institute of Archaeology and History. In a statement issued on Friday, BTIA (Cayo) said that recent rains have further deteriorated road conditions on the eve of the tourism high season. With bad roads leading to many of the highly sought after tourism sites in the Cayo District, BTIA is concerned that the it could deter visitors and result in huge financial loss for tourism stakeholders.

Blogs

In prep mode for San Pedro and Belize City
Although it may seem like it, I have not gone MIA (missing in action). I have been super busy with Red Cross stuff in preparation for our community meeting tonight (see details below) and planning for a 3-day volunteer forum in Belize City at Princess Hotel & Casino which is now owned by Ramada. Each branch was invited to send 3 people and Shirlee Frank and I made the cut for San Pedro. I just booked my Tropic Air flight this morning and am super excited. I can't wait to come together as a countrywide group to learn from each other, brainstorm and make plans. Our San Pedro Branch is looking forward to strengthening bonds with other branches through this experience. Some of the topics/areas we will be contributing to and learning about are:

International Sourcesizz

GAIA Riverlodge named by the Smith Hotel Awards as Top 10 Eco Resort
GA�A Riverlodge, a celebrated ecotourist destination in Belize, has unveiled its recent recognition as a Top Eco Hotel by the Smith Hotel Awards. After careful review of nearly 25,000 votes globally, a panel of expert judges named GA�A Riverlodge to its short list of top ten Eco Hotels in the World. Tucked away in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve and surrounded by the Five Sisters waterfalls, travelers seek out this hydro-powered destination for adventure and to enjoy the natural beauty and tranquility of Belize's culturally rich landscape. In a recent series of environmental initiatives, GA�A Riverlodge is also one of the only five properties in Belize to be Green Globe Certified. The hotel prides itself in upholding the highest standard of sustainability and recently developed a fresh vegetable garden on-site, where guests can now enjoy hyper-local cuisine at GA�A's acclaimed restaurant.

BELIZE FEEDING THE ABC AGENDA
Here's how the ABC's Mark Colvin introduced a piece last week on the World Parks Congress, held recently in Sydney: "There's also been criticism of the host nation from at least one visiting minister for not moving further on climate change. "The minister for forestry and fisheries from Belize called on Australia to step up on its commitment to negotiations." Yes. The fishing minister from Belize. Population just 340,000 or so - although that is subject to unexpected declines due to the tiny Central American nation's gigantic murder rate, ranked third in the world, by some measures. Belize obviously has more immediate problems than future weather patterns, but fishing minister Lisel Alamilla knows how to throw a perfect distraction the ABC's way.

Guardian ad Litem volunteer helps the helpless
Getting laid off from a job is not something that many people can say led them to make a positive difference in someone else's life. For Olenka Morelli, that's exactly what happened. In 2011, Morelli's husband died from throat cancer. When she was informed that she would be losing her job just a short while later, Morelli said that she didn't know what to do with herself anymore. Now she is a volunteer in the Guardian ad Litem program that provides advocates for children. She also is a regular volunteer with the Friends of the Florence Little Theatre and the Florence County Museum, where she is working as a docent. All of this started o ne day when she visited her doctor. He was the same doctor who had helped care for her husband while he was in hospice care. The doctor was going on a mission trip to Belize with his church to provide medical care to the locals, and he invited Morelli to come along. "I decided that I could afford it, and I went, mostly with doctors and nurses for one week," Morelli said. "That was my first volunteer experience, and it was phenomenal. It was amazing." During her trip, Morelli realized just how much of a difference she and the others on her team were making. "I worked in the pharmacy, cutting up pills and putting doses together," Morelli said. "Most of the pills I gave out were for worms; everybody had worms. The pills lasted for six months. The most remarkable thing I found out about this church was that they go every six months, so these people see them again and again and again. It's like going to the doctor over here."

Videos

Video: Belize, 11min.

Video: Marines Teach Infantry Tactics to Belize Soldiers, 3min.

Video: Nurse Sharks, Hol Chan Reef, Belize, 2min.
Nurse Sharks basking Hol Chan Marine Park, Ambergris Caye.

Video: Belize 2014 Manatee, 10min.
Just a few GoPro video clips from our Belize trip. Our time on the water wouldn't have been the same without THE one AND ONLY Caveman. If planning a trip to Caye Caulker Belize, I would highly recommend looking up Caveman to take you our for your reef adventures.

Video: Loggerhead Turtle, Silk Caye, Placencia, Belize, 2min.
Loggerhead turtle and other marine life, Silk Caye

Video:St. Georges Caye, Belize Nov 2014 , 11min.

Video: Belize Cave Tubing Tour - St. Herman's Cave, 3min.
St. Herman's Cave tubing adventure in Belize. Belize Inland Tours. Blue Hole National Park