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Amandala
"TIT FOR TAT?"
The gang violence that has been in low intensity for the last several months throughout Belize City appears to be escalating among rival gangs, as stepped-up shootings in various Southside gang turfs have begun to register casualties again.
On Wednesday morning around 9:30 the life of a young man was snuffed out for no sensible reason, other than his bad sense of timing and his apparent exercise of poor judgment, according to his sister, who said she was warned by the elders in her Supal Street neighborhood that her brother would be killed if he went into the George Street neighborhood, where he has friends.
Tarique Keylon Cadle, 25, took his last breath as bullets mowed him down to the ground in a yard on Plues Street. His corpse was transported to the morgue at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, after his sister identified it to police.
An area resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, said she heard about five or six shots in rapid succession.
TWO GEORGE STREET "SOLDIERS" SHOT
Two men from the George Street area are being treated at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) after being shot multiple times by a man reportedly from the Supal Street Gang at about 11:30 Tuesday night at the corner of West Canal and King Street.
The two injured men are Tarique Tzul, 25, of West Street, and Andrew Tate, 27, of George Street. Tate was shot twice in his right arm, once in the left arm, once in the left side of the abdomen, once below the stomach, once in the right upper leg, and once in the left upper leg.
He has been declared to be in a critical condition and is in the Intensive Care Unit of the KHMH.
Tzul was shot in his left upper leg and has been declared to be in a stable condition.
Police announced that fifteen 9mm expended shells were retrieved from the scene of the shooting.
JASON "SOUP" WILLIAMS CHARGED FOR SHOOTING AT POLICE
Jason "Soup" Williams, 35, an associate of the Supal Street Gang, is facing two counts of aggravated assault charges, as well as a charge for discharging a firearm in public. Williams was remanded to the Belize Central Prison after he was arraigned in the Magistrate's Court Thursday morning.
Williams pleaded not guilty to the three charges.
Before he was arraigned, Williams took advantage of the presence of reporters in court to express his innocence, saying, "The police dem di try set me up."
He claimed that police saw a man with dreadlocks running and arrested him for the crime.
The shooting incident occurred on Tuesday night in the vicinity of West and Bishop Streets. According to Police Constables #1308 Elvin Nah and #124 Jason Augustine, they responded to shots being fired in the area, and they saw a man with dreadlocks whom they identified as Williams, running.
WOMAN CRASH-PARKS IN SKY CITY SUPERMARKET
It looked like a scene out of a movie - an SUV smashed through the glass wall of a supermarket in Ladyville, leaving half of the vehicle in the store and the other half outside on the pavement. The accident occurred at about 3:30 yesterday afternoon.
Luckily, no one was injured, but the vehicle slammed some goods off a shelf in Sky City Superstore, knocked down a 5-gallon water rack containing about twenty bottles, bursting some of them, among other damages.
The vehicle, a Nissan Pathfinder with L/P- CY- 31479, which carried a Belize Wild Life and Referral Clinic logo on the right back glass, ended up parked on top of the water rack.
The woman who was driving the SUV was detained by police, pending charges.
"TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, AND MY BIRTH PAPER �I'M GOING TO DIE!"
The worst nightmare of a mother, who was praying for the safe return of her son after he had been missing for 13 days, became a cold reality today.
The decomposed body of Luis Enrique Moreno, 22, of Santa Familia Street, Orange Walk Town, was recovered this morning at about 7:30 at the area of the Richman Hill Farm in Shipyard, Orange Walk, after he was reported missing by his mother, Marcela Moreno, since the morning of Wednesday, February 5.
Moreno's skeletal remains were found under a cohune tree on a farm called Rancho Lalo, about 400 meters inward, from Mile 2 � on the Guinea Grass Road.
Marcela Moreno went to the site and identified the body as that of her son. Moreno told Amandala that she recognized her son from the boxers and sweater he was wearing when he left home on the morning of Wednesday, February 5.
IMMIGRATION INVESTIGATORS REFUSE TO QUESTION PENNER
Three immigration officers and their attorneys appeared before the Public Services Commission on Wednesday, February 19, to present arguments for why they should not be terminated from the public service for their role in the issuance of a Belize passport to South Korean Won Hong Kim.
But the man who appears to be the principal architect behind the passport scandal, the disgraced former Immigration Minister of State, Elvin Penner, was not questioned during the Immigration Ministry's internal investigation, carried out by its chairman, Hon. Godwin Hulse, Minister of Immigration; the CEO in the Ministry of Immigration, Candelaria Saldivar; and Director of Immigration, Maria Marin.
The findings of the investigation, a three-page document signed by Immigration Minister Godwin Hulse and dated November 11, 2013, appear to be raising more public eyebrows than providing answers the public needs because of the investigators' refusal to question Penner, who signed the passport "for a business associate I knew before I entered politics."
INVASIVE LAWS FOR PEPS - POLITICALLY EXPOSED PERSONS
At a Special Sitting of the House of Representatives held in early February, Johnny Brice�o, Orange Walk Central member for the Opposition People's United Party, cautioned Parliament that "there needs to be some education" on the bills that had gone to the House for rapid approval, so that Belize could comply with foreign pressure to put into place revisions to its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism legislation.
Belize is a small nation of about 350,000 people and many people are connected by relation or association, so the legislation would not just cover the 40-odd persons in Parliament.
Belize's Money Laundering and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2008 has been amended twice - in 2013 and again in 2014, and the scope of persons explicitly regarded as PEPs has substantially expanded.
PUP FILE FOR JUDICIAL REVIEW AGAINST COMPOL WHYLIE
Belize Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie, having failed to respond to the Monday deadline in a letter sent to him by attorney Edwin Flowers, S.C. on behalf of Hon. Francis Fonseca, the Leader of the Opposition, People's United Party, will now have to answer in a Supreme Court judicial review.
On Wednesday, the PUP, through its legal advisor, attorney Anthony Sylvestre, filed for the judicial review at the Supreme Court Registry. The PUP hopes that the court sets an early date for the hearing.
The PUP Leader is seeking a writ of mandamus - for a Supreme Court judge to instruct Commissioner Whylie to investigate and bring criminal charges against the disgraced former Immigration Minister of State, Elvin Penner, for his role in the granting of Belize nationality to the imprisoned South Korean, Won Hong Kim.
Editorial: MAGIC AND MANIA
The capitalists speak of the "magic of the market place" as an explanation for the energy which fuels their system. That energy is considered the reason for the success of the capitalist system. That energy appears to be derived from the instinct which propels man to seek sustenance for himself at the individual level. So then, the capitalist system is basically a selfish system.
The capitalists and neoliberals do not really dispute such a characterization of their system. They argue that man is a selfish being, and that there is really no way forward other than to have man compete against man in a fight for survival, to the death if that becomes necessary.
In our third millennial capitalism, the medium of exchange is money. Those who make a lot of money are those who are considered successful, and those who don't have money, suffer and die. There is great enjoyment amongst the successful ones, and there is crushing misery amongst those who are doomed to die. This is one of the contradictions of capitalism. A few accumulate excessively, while the masses suffer. Proponents of capitalism say this is how it has to be, because the competition is the thing. It's all about the market place.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
We can see now that Barack Obama has served the interests of the American power structure quite well indeed, and for this reason the intensity of domestic hostility to him, such as that of the Tea Party movement, appears unjustified, or misplaced. For sure some of the hostility to Obama has flared up because of moral and religious opposition to his positions in favor of abortion and homosexual rights. But the United States is a nation with a racist, white supremacist history, so that some of the hostility to Barack is also derived from a serious discomfort with the notion of a black man leading the most powerful nation on earth.
In Belize, our abiding concern has to do with how we survive and grow as the only black, English-speaking nation in Central America, and one whose territory is claimed by the most powerful Central American republic - Guatemala.
"Negligent discharge" of weapon injures three
Three persons were injured at the entrance of the Brown Sugar Water Taxi Terminal on North Front Street at about 10:00 this morning after a licensed gun owner discharged his firearm, causing bullet fragments to hit the victims after the bullet ricocheted off the concrete floor.
As a result, a girl, 12, was grazed on her leg; her mother suffered abrasions on her chest, and a man who was standing near the gun owner suffered a wound on his foot. They were all treated by technicians of the BERT ambulance who went to the scene of the incident, after which they were all released.
A witness who was standing near the entrance of the terminal told Amandala that the man had just come off a boat at the dock and was standing in front of the entrance talking to another man when he pulled up his pants, which were starting to fall, and his finger made contact with the trigger. The gun he was carrying in his pants then discharged, releasing a fragmented bullet that hit the victims about 15 feet away.
Belize avoids G-7 sanctions - but review of money laundering measures pending
When the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), established by the G-7, met in France earlier this month, they decided that Belize should not face financial sanctions, because it had taken action to implement new laws, mostly designed to address compliance with international guidelines to counter money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
While the cautionary note against Belize, issued last November by the regional body - the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), remains in force, Gian C. Gandhi, Director General - Deputy Chairman of the International Financial Services Commission in Belize, told Amandala today that Belize will be subject to a review by the CFATF plenary in May. A country representative would be attending on Belize's behalf.
Sanctions against our sister Caribbean country, Guyana, which faced a political gridlock which stopped them from passing their version of the anti-money laundering legislation ahead of the France meeting, have also been deferred, Gandhi indicated.
Celebrating the recovering legends - Paul Nabor and The Mighty Sparrow
Belizeans countrywide were recently much relieved and happy to learn that the ailing musical legend Paul Nabor was released from the hospital and was at home recovering his strength in time to join in his already planned birthday celebration in Punta Gorda.
Another musical legend, a veteran musical giant of the Caribbean and the world, the Mighty Sparrow, is reportedly also much stronger, and in fact is visiting his hometown in Trinidad during the upcoming Carnival season. Sparrow was reportedly in a diabetic coma a few months ago in Brooklyn, New York, where he has resided for years.
Sparrow is no stranger to Belize, where he has a strong and loyal following among Belizeans of the '60's and 70's and later generations. Though he first visited Belize City in 1969 at the height of his career, and again in 1995, as well as on a couple other occasions, Belize remains one of the few countries where the universally acclaimed "King of Calypso" has not yet been officially honored with the "keys" to our city.
Call me� I will deal with Penner forthwith!
In an ironic twist of faith, three immigration officers are facing a Service Commission Tribunal to fight to clear their name and keep their job. Sharon Neal, Omar Phillips and Erwin Robinson appeared before the tribunal this week, and while they still wait to hear the verdict, the public has already issued their verdict against the one man who is yet to face the public, a tribunal, a commission of inquiry, a police investigation and a court. Elvin Penner seems to have become untouchable, despite his being at the centre of this most distasteful and embarrassing episode in our country's history.
Penner on the prowl
What the bits and pieces coming out of the reports are showing is that EVERYONE in CABINET knew Penner was a dangerous man to officers at the immigration department, and there was reason for concern. I say this because of the following statement made by his Minister, Godwin Hulse, on February 17, 2014:
6 years after Yeshua went missing, family continues to seek closure
Earlier this week, police reported that some human remains had been found on the island of Ambergris Caye, and Agnes Nunez wondered if perhaps those could be the remains of her beloved son, Atony Yeshua Roches, who disappeared exactly six years ago today from St. Martin De Porres in Belize City.
"Not one day goes by without the family thinking about him and not knowing where he is, is what hurts the family the most," Joseph Nunez, Yeshua's brother, told Amandala.
Joseph said that on Wednesday, February 20, 2008, Yeshua and Kenrick, his other brother, were hanging out together, and Kenrick left him to go take a bath. When he returned, Yeshua was nowhere around. The brother was told that Yeshua had gone through the "PIV" area in St. Martin De Porres, and he searched for him - to no avail.
CCJ bids farewell to first female judge
The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is the highest appellate court for only three Caribbean countries, but at farewell ceremonies held today for retiring justice, Madam Desiree Bernard-an inaugural judge of the CCJ and its first and only female member thus far-Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ambassador Irwin LaRocque urged other Caribbean countries to establish the CCJ as their final appellate court.
Among those attending the session in Guyana was the Chief Justice of Belize Kenneth Benjamin.
The CCJ was established in 2001 and inaugurated in 2005. The court serves two functions for member states of CARICOM: In its original jurisdiction, it deals with matters such as the right of CARICOM nationals to move freely between countries and to, likewise, face no hassle in moving their money and business to another CARICOM country. Secondly, the court is empowered to hear appeals from the three acceding countries.
Conrad Jones still missing - his family want him found and brought home
Retired Police Inspector Conrad Jones, 64, of West Street, Belize City, disappeared on September 12, 2012, in Hattieville, and his family wants him or his body found, to complete closure for the family, his relatives say.
Jones has been missing for two years now. A Customs guard at the time he disappeared, Jones was returning home after concluding duties in Benque Viejo for Customs on Thursday, September 11, 2012. The driver of the vehicle he was in, left him at the Hattieville roundabout around 11:30 p.m.
A security guard for the Golden Haven Home for the elderly near the roundabout said that afterwards, around 2:00 that Friday morning, September 12, he saw Jones still in the area trying to get a passage to go home. He said that he went to make his security rounds on the compound, but when he came back around 2:30 a.m., Jones was nowhere to be seen.
Man knocked down in San Joaquin
Two weeks after a man was knocked down and killed in the Louisville area of the Corozal District on the Philip Goldson Highway, after he reportedly threw himself into the path of oncoming vehicle, a San Joaquin man is lucky to be alive after he was knocked down by a vehicle when he suddenly walked in front of oncoming traffic.
The incident occurred about 9:30 Saturday night in San Joaquin between Miles 79 and 80.
Marciano Tun, 43, of San Andres, was rushed to the Corozal Town Hospital by the vehicle that knocked him down, where he was treated for his injuries and released shortly after.
Primitivo Torres, 53, an employee of the Border Management Security of the northern border, told police that he was driving his vehicle from Corozal towards Orange Walk when in front of Everyday Super Market, between Miles 79 and 80, in San Joaquin, a man who was walking on the left side of the road suddenly ran across the highway to the right side, causing him to knock down the man.
Collision on Philip Goldson Highway
Two vehicles collided in the Mile 20 area of the Philip Goldson Highway and four people travelling in the vehicles suffered minor injuries.
An Isuzu Rodeo collided with a GEO Tracker. Police said that one of the vehicles drove onto the highway, colliding with the other vehicle in the oncoming traffic. The incident occurred about 5:30 Sunday evening.
Police investigation revealed that the Rodeo was traveling from Grace Bank to Sandhill and upon reaching the junction of Philip Goldson Highway and the Hattieville-Boom Road, made a left turn onto the Philip Goldson Highway and collided into the Geo Tracker which was travelling from Sandhill to Belize City. Both vehicles suffered damage to their front portions, and windshields.
Former CitCo security officers' issues still not resolved
Although 19 of the 26 security workers whose jobs were made redundant by the Belize City Council (CitCo) have already transitioned into employment with the new, privately-owned security firm, Rangers Security, Amandala understands that none of those workers have yet gotten new offer letters with their new terms of employment, and neither have all of the 26 workers received the full range of benefits that they have been promised.
This morning, two of those workers, accompanied by the president of the Christian Workers Union (CWU), Audrey Matura-Shepherd, told Amandala that they have not gotten any indication from the Council as to when the formal arrangements will be finalized by their new employer, and to add to that, they are still not sure when they will be paid the rest of their severance and compassionate packages from their former employer.
According to Matura-Shepherd, the workers are at a loss as to when they will be able to get the appropriate monies that they rightly toiled for. She said, "I wish I could have reported that everything has gone smoothly, but it hasn't. We [CWU and CitCo] agreed to several points, and some of them are being implemented, but the biggest concern at this time is that the workers still have not gotten all their money. Maybe it has not been calculated as yet, but we should have gotten some correspondence to that effect. At the end of the day, these people want their money and we as the union need to provide them with a reasonable explanation as to why this thing has not been settled.
Skeletal remains found in San Pedro Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve
The skeletal remains of a person found in the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye yesterday morning have been taken to the National Forensic Unit for identification by way of DNA procedures.
The bones were found by the Marine Reserve ranger, who discovered them in the mangroves while conducting routine checks in the area.
Police reports are that at about 2:00 Monday afternoon, they went to the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve where a park ranger reported that while conducting routine checks to ensure that all was in order in the reserve, she found human remains in some mangroves, on the western side of the reserve.
Police found the human bones partially embedded in the mangrove. The bones retrieved from the area were parts of the fibula, pelvis, ribs, sternum and the cranium. The bones were then placed in a bag and taken to the San Pedro Police Station, after which they were sent to the Forensic Laboratory.
North Carolina woman nabbed in San Pedro on charges of fraud for adoption scheme
A North Carolina woman was apprehended on San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, and taken to the US by foreign authorities, after Belize police arrested her in an apartment on the island. This was confirmed this week by local law enforcement authorities, which did not inform the public of Mooney's detention here on charges of fraud in relation to an adoption scheme.
On Tuesday, February 11, the US Department of Justice said that four employees of International Adoption Guides Inc. (IAG), an adoption services provider, would face charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States in connection with its Ethiopia operations after having been indicted by a grand jury in South Carolina.
"The company's executive director, Mary Mooney, 53, of Belmont, N.C., was apprehended in Belize by Belizean authorities and transported to the United States. Haile Mekonnen, age unknown, an Ethiopian national who ran IAG's operations on the ground in Ethiopia, was also charged in the indictment," said the US State Department statement.
US CALLS OUT GAMBIA PREZ FOR CLASSIFYING LGBT AS "VERMIN"
The US has called out Gambia's president, Dr. Yahya Jammeh, after statements he made on the occasion of the country's 49th anniversary of its independence from Britain this week and broadcast on national television.
Jammeh said that, "We will fight these vermins called homosexuals or gays the same way we are fighting malaria-causing mosquitoes, if not more aggressively."
The Islamic leader said that the world powers are promoting a "satanic" agenda which threatens peace and stability in Gambia. He said this agenda will never be accepted in Gambia, and accepting it would one day lead to brothers marrying their biological sisters, fathers marrying their own daughters and mothers marrying their own sons.
Jammeh said they would not accept any friendship, aid or any other gesture that is conditional on accepting homosexuals or LGBT, which, he said, stands for Leprosy, Gonorrhoea, Bacteria and Tuberculosis.
MEXICAN FLEES COURT HEARING FOR GUNS, AMMO CACHE
After spending 15 months in the Belize Central Prison, since Corozal Police charged him in November 2012 with firearm and drug offenses, Mexican national Zurisaday Villasenor Mendez, 22, secured a $75,000 cash bail from the Supreme Court on February 10, and appears to have fled the jurisdiction of Belize's Magistracy since then.
Mendez's case was called up on Tuesday at the Belize City Magistrate's Court, to which it had been transferred from the Corozal Magistrate's Court due to security concerns. But neither Mendez nor any of his three attorneys showed up at court.
The conditions that Supreme Court Justice John Gonzalez had imposed on Mendez's bail was that he was to surrender all his travel documents; he was supposed to report to the Corozal Police Station, and he was to appear at all adjournments of his case. Mendez, however, had reportedly failed to report to the police station.
GUATEMALAN WOMAN FINED FOR EMPLOYING UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS
A Guatemalan businesswoman who was busted with 1,800 pounds of sea cucumbers (a discovery which prompted an investigation by the Fisheries Department) was fined in the Belize City Magistrate's Court, where she pleaded guilty for employing undocumented workers.
Georgina Maribel Mendez Aldana, 49, a resident of Mango Creek, Stann Creek District, was assessed by Immigration officers with two counts of employing two Guatemalan workers, who did not have the necessary temporary work permits.
She pleaded guilty to the two charges, when she appeared before Magistrate Dale Cayetano, who charged her $1,000 for each of her two undocumented workers. Cayetano ordered Aldana to pay the fine forthwith, in default of which she would serve six months in prison. She was able to pay the court fine, but remained in police custody pending investigation into the sea cucumbers.
Demand education
Dear Editor,
As scandals explode, we are reminded of previous scandals that have come and gone. "De lee breeze" has repeatedly blown over, as Said Musa infamously declared. Media houses report scandals but do not allow for political analysis or welcome commentators to their broadcasts. Follow-ups are done the night after and then the matter is forgotten. The citizenry continues to struggle while our Ministers exploit us and worse, exploit the future of Belizean children.
In this letter, I do not want to merely complain. I want to make a proposal to the people of Belize. Demand education. Demand it for yourself. Demand it for your children. Demand it for your grandchildren.
In Belize, we are not offered courses in political science, development, and gender studies. When we graduate primary school and high school, we are knowledgeable in academic subjects like math and science. But we graduate socially inept. Many of us do not know how our system works. We do not know our basic rights. We do not know where Belize stands relative to the rest of the world. We do not know how to participate in our democracy and we do not know how to make our country better. The education system is spitting out people who are unable to participate in the development of their country, not because they do not want to participate, but because they do not know how.
The least of these, my brothers and sisters
Dear Editor,
In last weekend's edition of the Amandala,in the Features section, an Editorial (I don't know what else to call it) was posted under the above mentioned lead in. Full of outrage, as it is, over more examples of the pervasive and fundamental venality of GOB, I view (and hope) that this posting will help bring about the spark needed to effect and correct the current "in-your-face" culture of "Don't be shy when feeding at the public trough; get all you can, however you can!" A country being run by a group of politicians no better than gangsters - that's Belize.
For those who have lost hope that it will ever be different, I have this to say: history is full of examples of the actions of ordinary people who decided they were tired of waiting for justice and respect; who were tired of being economically bullied; who were tired of being bought at election time for a piece of chicken and a T-shirt, a ball-cap and a free beer.
DANGRIGA SPORTS STATS
Coming up this Saturday, February 22, will be the first ever Gary Francisco Rep Your Wood 3 on 3 Basketball Marathon, sponsored by Frank Pawpa Mena. Rep Your Wood means represent your area. This Marathon will take place at Ghans Basketball Court at 9:30 a.m. Registration is free. There is only one prize, which is $200.00, the winner takes it all.
There will be special cash prizes for the best free throw and 3-point shooter.
This Gary Francisco 3 on 3 Basketball Marathon will take place every last Saturday in every month at different basketball courts in Dangriga.
Mr. T. Birthday Classic
Also coming up this Sunday, February 23, will be the 5th Annual Mr. T. Birthday Classic. This race will start (and finish) in front of Wadani Shed at 10:30 a.m. and head all the way on the Southern Highway to Kendal Bridge and back. First place gets $300.00; 2nd $200.00; 3rd $100.00. Registration is only $5.00. Station prizes will also be provided going and coming.
PLB announces
The Premier League of Belize late yesterday released the long awaited decision of its Disciplinary Committee on sanctions to be imposed on "Verdes Football Club due to the infractions that occurred on 26th January, 2014 between Verdes FC and FC Belize at the Marshalleck Stadium in Benque Viejo Town." And a number of Verdes stars have been effectively suspended from the upcoming Closing Season, which should last about 3 months.
Five Verdes players were given lengthy suspensions: Norman ("Tilliman" Nunez) Pipersburgh, Orland Lyons, Gilroy "Bredda" Thurton and Julian Maldonado were suspended for 6 months; and Jacinto "Fowl" Bermudez was suspended for 2 years.
In addition, the PLB stated that "Marshalleck Stadium should not be used until improvements are made, initially for the second part of the PLB tournament." And "Verdes will incur the cost of repairs to the referee vehicle pending the Police Report." The release notes a damage cost list totaling $1,395.00.
A star is born
This morning, a young man from San Ignacio, originally from the village of San Antonio in the Cayo District, shook up the cycling world with a daring move in the home stretch of the 19th Annual DigiCell Valentine Cycling Classic here in Belize City.
The Elite/Masters/Masters 4/5 race started (at 8:00 a.m.) and finished (just before noon) at Leslie's Imports on the outskirts of Belize City, after making the journey on the George Price (Western) Highway to Mile 46 and returned. And nowhere along the hectic route, with prominent team names and renowned past champions being oft repeated by Krem Radio announcers, was a certain rider's name even mentioned. But as the race neared its climax toward the end, the name of Angel Tzib rang out loudly, as the unattached rider made a strong early move, while prominent teams/riders were sizing up each other; and before they could gather themselves, Angel was too far ahead for them to catch him. It caught the announcers, Mose Hyde and Matthew Smiling, as well as the fans gathered at the finish line, completely by surprise. Aside from enough strength in the legs after the 90-mile journey, it also took daring and bravado to make that first bold move, and Mr. Tzib proved he had no shortage of either in the post- race interview.
DELILLE ACADEMY GIRLS
The results of the National Secondary Schools Sports Association's (NSSSA) national high school football tournament, held on Friday and Saturday, February 14-15, at the Carl Ramos Stadium in Dangriga, appear to strengthen the theory held by some observers that the team that wins in a tough battle in game 1 on Friday usually falls in the finals on Saturday. Both female winners on Friday had convincing victories; but the last male match-up had to go to overtime and then penalties.
Four male and four female teams represented the four country regions - North, Central, West and South in the high school football Nationals, which follow a simple knockout format, with Friday's losers playing for 3rd place on Saturday, and the winners on Friday meeting for the championship on Saturday.
Man who attempted to steal a BDF M-14 rifle arraigned
A Belize City man accused of attempting to steal an M-4 carbine rifle from a Belize Defence Force corporal in January was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith on a single charge of attempted theft on Tuesday.
Patrick Bevans, 22, a resident of the Jane Usher Boulevard area, who was released from the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital into police custody, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Bevans can barely walk on his own, because of injuries he alleges police inflicted on him, on January 12, the date when the incident occurred.
When asked by the Chief Magistrate what happened to him, Bevans replied that he was beaten by police and BDF soldiers.
Smith granted him bail of $1,500, $300 of which had to be paid as cash, and $1,200 as bail plus one surety.
Loot from burglary of Fruta Bomba discovered
Items stolen from the warehouse of Fruta Bomba/Belize Fruit Packers located in San Andres Corozal were found by police in a lot in San Andres about 1:30 Sunday morning.
According to Que Pasa, Corozal, police found (2) picnic tables (4) vehicle tires and (1) wooden door. No one was in the area and no one has yet been arrested
Police said that they were on patrol about 1:30 Sunday morning in San Andres Village area when they were alerted about the burglary of the warehouse, and went to the area, where they found the stolen items.
Que Pasa reported that the manager of Fruta Bomba, Martin Aguilar, was contacted who confirmed that the warehouse had been burglarized. He was taken to the Corozal Police Station, where he positively identified the items as belonging to the company
Third suspect in Brian Townsend murder caught
Exactly one day after another of his alleged accomplices was found slaughtered in the village of Arenal, on the Belize-Guatemala border, Benque Viejo police came across a third suspect whom they were seeking in connection with the murder of Brian Townsend, 68, a Canadian missionary who was abducted last Christmas Eve and subsequently found dead in Arenal.
Last Wednesday, February 12, while in the Valley of Peace attempting to identify the body of Raulito Balona - who had been found shot to death the day before in Arenal for reasons that have not yet been ascertained by authorities - via a photograph of his body, the investigators ran into the third suspect in the Townsend murder - a 19-year-old Hispanic male resident of Benque Viejo Town.
Although police could not release his name due to the nature of the investigations, today the Officer Commanding the Belmopan Police, ASP Sinquest Martinez, confirmed to Amandala that the suspect was taken into custody and is presently behind bars at the Belize Central Prison.
4 thieves pardoned by their victim, who dropped charges in court
A group of 4 robbers walked out of the Corozal Magistrate Court as free men yesterday after the robbery victim, Brandon Cobo, told Magistrate Hurl Hamilton that he did not want to proceed with court action against the men.
Cobo, 20, a mason of Skeleton Town area, Corozal Town, and his cousin, Isair Monima, told police that they were walking home on Santa Rita Road about 1:30 Sunday morning, February 16, and upon their arrival in front of Maga�a's Pharmacy, a brown Trooper with license plate CZL C-11374, stopped in front of them and four men got out of the vehicle.
One of the men grabbed Cobo around his neck, from behind, and told him, "you Spanish, what do you have for me?"
Cobo told police that the culprit then pushed his hand inside the right pocket of his pants and took out his pink Motorola cell phone, valued at $150, and $50 cash. The thief also snatched Cobo's thin-link gold chain with a small cross medal, which was valued at $250. The total value of what was taken from him is about $450.
Fined and confined for 53 pounds of compressed "hydro" weed
A Belize City man pleaded guilty to one count of drug trafficking when he was arraigned before Magistrate Leslie Hamilton, who fined him $10,000 and sentenced him to three years in prison. The court prosecutor, however, did not withdraw the charge against a woman, Clarissa Vasquez, who was charged in connection with the drug bust; instead, she was offered bail and her case adjourned.
After entering his guilty plea, Magistrate Hamilton told Reynard Grinage, 40, a mechanic and resident of Faber's Road, "it's mitigation time, now beg for mercy."
Grinage told the court, "I want to say that everything that was in the house, this young lady (referring to Vasquez, 31, a resident of 51 Kelly Street and temporary employee of BEL, who was charged with him) has nothing to do with."
Apartment broken into and gun stolen
An apartment in San Pedro was burglarized at about 8:30 Tuesday night, and thieves stole a 9mm pistol loaded with 26 live 9mm rounds. The owner of the gun, along with police, is trying hard to recover the firearm before it can be used by criminals.
Eric Andrews, 35, a tour operator of Barrier Reef Drive, San Pedro Town told the San Pedro police that about 8:30 Monday night he went to his apartment, located on Barrier Reef Drive, to retrieve his licensed 9mm Ruger pistol, valued at $2,200, from a safety box in the bedroom of his apartment.
When he got to his bedroom, he found that his room had been broken into. He checked the safety box in his bedroom, but it was damaged and open, and his firearm had been stolen, along with 2 magazines containing 26 live rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Man 49, sentenced to 3 years for indecently assaulting girl, 12
A Belize City man, 49, was found guilty of aggravated assault of an indecent nature upon a 12-year-old girl today and was sentenced to three years in prison by Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith.
George Dakers, a construction worker and resident of Freedom Street, was accused of indecently assaulting the girl in May, 2013.
Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith heard an in camera testimony from the victim, who is still12.
According to the child, on May 11, 2013, her mother sent her to the house of a neighbor to borrow an iron. It was while at the home of her mother's friend that the child met Dakers, who was also visiting the house.
The Reporter
Why PUP took Compol to court!
Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow has said that the Peoples United Party should launch private prosecution proceedings against ex-Minister of State Elvin Penner. But PUP legal advisor, Anthony Sylvester, said that under the law, that's not possible. "Under the Summary Jurisdiction Procedure Act, we can't [�]
CWU and BCC keep swinging
Mayor Darrell Bradley claims that all security workers have been paid exactly what they were due, while Christian Workers Union President Audrey Matura-Shepherd claims that the mayor is mistaken. Bradley explained that the ex gratia payments for four people are the only payments outstanding, [�]
Skeletal remains found in OW
Orange Walk Police have launched a full investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of twenty-three-year old Luis Enrique Moreno. Moreno's skeletal remains were found on Tuesday morning, approximately half a mile on Richman Hill Farm located along the Guinea Grass/Shipyard Road in the Orange Walk District. The [�]
Man freed by Judge after conviction recalled to Appeals Court
Wilbert Cuellar, who was found guilty by a jury in December of 2011 and upon his appearance for sentencing, was freed by the trial judge, is scheduled to appear before the Court of Appeal in the February/March session on Monday, February 24th. The office [�]
Escuela Mexico boys win National Football Championship
William Ysaguirre Freelance Reporter The boys of Escuela Secundaria T�cnica Mexico of San Roman, Corozal, will represent Belize at the upcoming Central American Junior Scholastic Games (CODICADER) in Guatemala in September,. They have won the National Football Championships organized by the National Secondary Schools Sports Association (NSSSA). Delille Academy in [�]
Delille Academy girls win National Football Championship
William Ysaguirre Freelance Reporter The girls of Delille Academy will represent Belize at the upcoming Central American Junior Scholastic Games (CODICADER) in Guatemala in September, after winning the National Football Championship organized by the National Secondary Schools Sports Association (NSSSA). Delille Academy hosted the tournament sponsored by Bowen & Bowen [�]
Moderate exercise may cut women's stroke risk
Brisk walking, tennis and other types of moderate exercise may lower a woman's stroke risk by one-fifth, a new study says. Being more active also offset the increased stroke risk linked with using hormone replacement therapy to treat the symptoms of menopause, the study found. The researchers looked at the [�]
STD education must start long before kids engage in sex
Having a stable home life as a child, nice friends and success at school reduces the odds of getting sexually transmitted diseases as a young adult, according to a new study. The University of Washington researchers said the findings show that efforts to prevent STD infections should begin years before [�]
Sea cucumber fishing season opens but fishermen getting short-changed
The fishing season for sea cucumbers opened on Saturday, February 15, but local fishermen harvesting this valuable marine resource are not getting a fair share of the profits from their hard work. According to statistics provided by Fisheries Officer Adriel Castaneda, the 69 fishermen issued licenses last year harvested a [�]
Sea cucumber kingpin busted
A woman suspected of being a Guatemalan sea-cucumber black market vendor was busted with $65,000 worth of illegally harvested sea cucumber. The woman, 49-year-old Georgina Maribel Mendez Aldana, was stopped at the mile 4 checkpoint on the Phillip Goldson Highway. The pickup truck she [�]
Man shot to death on Plues Street
Man shot to death on Plues Street
A Supaul Street resident, 25-year old Tarique "Pauly" Cadle, was shot several times and died on Wednesday morning in a yard on Plues Street. Cadle, who would frequently hang out on Plues Street and had several friends in the area, was at a friend's [�]
PACT issues over $350,000 in grants
The Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) accompanied by Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable development Lisel Alamilla awarded over $350,000 in project grants on Monday. The first grant, totalling $199,998.75, was given to the Belize Audubon Society for a project titled Enhancing St. Herman's [�]
Mechanic's keys unlock drugs
A set of keys led the Gang Suppression Unit to a stash of more than 50 pounds of marijuana this week. Following a fruitless Monday-morning search of a four-door Ford Taurus car, the unit found the keys in the possession of the car's alleged [�]
Minister of Immigration Senator Godwin Hulse
Attorneys say immigration officers have no case to answer. But Minister says "Not so!"
The attorney for two Ministry of Immigration officers named in the ongoing "Citizen Kim" scandal says his clients have no case to answer to, but Immigration Minister Godwin Hulse said Monday that that's not the case. Hulse told [�]
Is OSH Safe For You?
Occupational safety and health in the workplace is unquestionably important. For many businesses, particularly large industrial ones, the recently tabled OSH Bill should merely formalize already existing safety programs. For others, unsafe practices should be eliminated through the introduction of reasonable safety requirements. Regrettably this is not what this Bill [�]
Reality of Opportunity Cost
Opportunity Cost: "A benefit, profit, or value of something that must be given up in order to acquire or achieve something else. Given the fact that every resource, that is land, money, time, capital, etc, can always be put to some alternative use(s), every decision to use resources has an [�]
Obama warns Uganda over anti-gay bill
President Barack Obama has warned Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni that enacting an anti-gay law would complicate relations with the US. Under the proposed legislation, those convicted of homosexual acts could face life imprisonment. The law would also make it a crime not to report gay people. Museveni last month refused [�]
North American leaders meet to discuss trade and immigration
The leaders of the three major North American countries have met in Mexico to discuss trade, immigration, energy and other issues. On Wednesday, US President Obama, Mexico's Enrique Pe�a Nieto and Canada's PM Stephen Harper held a hemispheric summit. Mr Obama faces stiff opposition from his own Congress on parts [�]
PM: Too busy for Integrity Commisssion
"I have been too busy really to have conducted any search for replacements of the Integrity Commission," Prime Minister Dean Barrow said this week. Barrow told the media that he has been having difficulties trying to construct the Integrity Commission and that he had [�]
Integrity Commission or Integrity Omission?
By Louis Wade The Belize Integrity Commission is on pause again. The limbo was created this time when two of the three names, submitted by the Prime Minister, backed down after New legislation was tabled in the National Assembly. The previous excuse for the absence of this most important commission [�]
Petro Caribe: are Caribbean countries prepared for the worst?
Caribbean governments that are members of the Petro Caribe Agreement with Venezuela would be prudent by beginning to adjust their budgets to take account of the loss of benefits now derived from the oil arrangement. This is especially important for the countries of the Eastern Caribbean that [�]
GOB Rescues CPBL with intricate new structure
The first set of funds made possible through a new configuration designed to rescue the Citrus Products of Belize Limited, CPBL, and by extension, the citrus industry, is expected to be released by Friday to assist the company to meet urgent debts and to [�]
Last Night's DELICIOUS Tasting Menu at Casa Picasso in San Pedro
Casa Picasso is one of my favorite restaurants in San Pedro. They do delicious tapas, have a seriously comfortable cocktail bar and outside loungy area�really good people and good food.
It is definitely on the list (along with Blue Water Grill and Elvi's Kitchen and others) of my "MUST DINES" for dinner in San Pedro. Casa Picasso has been doing a Thursday Tasting menu for the past few months and I haven't tried it.
US Embassy Belmopan Woman of the Year 2014 Award
Call for nominations...
"Ball of Confusion (That's What the World is Today)" in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
Now where was I? I've become so indisciplined of late in producing editions of the blog that I sometimes struggle to remember - increasing age/reducing grey cells- what I last told you about. That description of my mental condition (deteriorating memory capacity) and the consequences of it (one being I cannot recall what the last edition contained) probably doesn't mean a great deal to you because you probably (understandably by the way) feel that most of what I write is repetitive anyway. So apologies in advance if you feel that what follows is something that you have read or seen before. Just make allowances for me. Sometimes I'm just a ball of confusion!
When I last sat down and produced an edition (and it seems so long ago now) I told you that I had dug up six coconut trees from our adjacent lot to swap for a banana plant. What I didn't mention was that the swap was with Carlo of Carlo & Ernie's Runway Bar & Grill. Fascinating information isn't it! "Who cares" you are probably thinking. Exactly, I'm thinking.
I 'left' you with a photo of our cart loaded with the coconut trees but I left you in limbo. Would the swap be made? Answer - yes it was. And Carlo increased his side of the deal. We got the banana plant AND a plantain plant. Now you know what's coming next. Yes, photos of the plants and me planting them (still awake?).
International Sources
7 Caribbean beaches you need to try
When going to a new destination, many of us stick to the beaten path; we'll go where the other tourists are going for the first time around. But once you've been to Cancun, or Montego Bay, or any other well-touristed beach spot, you may be more interested in heading somewhere a tad more under-the-radar on your next visit to the area. Or perhaps you're the type who opts to skip the crowds the first time around. Either way, we love these seven underrated beach destinations; they're rarely a traveler's first choice, but perhaps they should be. Most travelers headed to Belize head to Ambergris Caye, which offers easy access to Belize's best snorkeling and diving. But its beaches can't compare to the beaches found on the Placencia peninsula. Travelers to this area can also experience Belize's rainforests and Mayan ruins - neither of which can be found on the cays. It is still possible to snorkel and dive from this area; the reef is a 45-minute boat ride away.
Les secrets du Belize
Nich� au c�ur de l'Am�rique centrale, le Belize est r�put� pour ses plages et son climat. Et pourtant, s'enfoncer un peu dans les terres suffit � d�voiler son caractère exceptionnel. Pris en tenaille entre le Mexique et le Guatemala, le Belize, ce petit pays d'Am�rique latine, n'est pas que soleil et plages. Vue sur l'Oc�an Pacifique � l'est, plong�e dans la culture maya � l'ouest. Et pourquoi pas un cours de poterie dispens� par une communaut� de femmes yukatanes ? Ou encore une chasse au jaguar en compagnie d'un expert ? Ou, enfin, une longue baignade au milieu d'une crique cach�e ? Trois exp�riences exclusives qui confèrent un nouveau visage � cette destination trop souvent r�duite � son potentiel baln�aire. On part du plus urbain au plus sauvage ; de San Antonio, le plus grand village du district de Toledo, le seul muni d'�lectricit�. C'est pourtant l� que s�vit le plus grand respect pour l'environnement. Devant une s�rie de maisons � toits de chaume, un groupe de villageois en costumes traditionnels bigarr�s agitent bras et jambes sur des rythmes effr�n�s. Voil� la danse du cerf sacr�, le trait d'union entre l'homme et la nature. Travers� par divers cours d'eau, cette charmante bourgade jouit d'une atmosphère extr�mement chaleureuse.
Wish you were here? The most amazing island in the world - in pictures
Boasting virgin tropical rainforests and hundreds of beautiful limestone caves, Ambergris Caye in Belize has been voted the number one island in the world.
With swaying palm trees and pristine beaches, it's not impossible to see why this idyllic 36-mile strip in Central America scooped the top spot of the TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Island awards based on the reviews of millions of people. Surrounded by the azure Caribbean, the far north tip of Ambergris Caye is almost within touching distance of the stunning 190-mile-long Belize Barrier Reef, which is teeming with underwater life, including Caribbean dolphin, yellowtail damselfish, nurse sharks and parrot fish.
AmbergrisCaye.com 
