AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Belize Life News Daily news prior to today Today's Belize News: July 24, 2014

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The San Pedro Sun

Costa Maya Festival tickets
Here is everything you need to know to buy your Costa Maya Festival tickets. See you at the festival.

Belizean Student Takes Second Place in Regional FCCA Competition
The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) is pleased to announce that two Belizean students were awarded prizes in the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Foundation Children's Environmental Poster Competition. Belize's Junior Division representative, Amber McKoy of Grace Primary School, placed second at the regional level. For her entry, Amber was awarded $1,500USD. As the second place school, Grace Primary also won $1,500USD. Belize's representative in the Senior Division, Dengry Hernandez of Ladyville Technical High School, didn't place but his quality submission was recognized with a consolation prize of $200USD.

Belizeans Unite Against Italian "Mega-luxury" Project on Remote Coral Reef
Belize's largest conservation and tourism organizations, as well as members of the public, have joined forces in opposition to a proposed seven star mega-resort on Belize's most remote coral reefs. The project, named Puerto Azul, would transform two private islands on the northern side of the Lighthouse Reef atoll. The brainchild of Italian promoter Domenico Giannini, Puerto Azul was launched during the 2014 Cannes Film Festival at a lavish celebrity-studded party. Belizean ministers of government were also flown in for the occasion. Opposition to the project is based on its massive scale in an undeveloped area that is over 50 miles from the nearest mainland supply depot. Lighthouse Reef, part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, is one of only four atolls in the Caribbean and is home to the world renowned Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye Natural Monuments; both are protected areas and World Heritage Sites. The developers want to build what they describe as a "citadel of luxury" inclusive of underwater suites, a golf course, amusement park, submarine base, hospital, super-yacht marina and Formula 1 race track, all serviced by a two mile long international airport to be dredged from the sands and productive sea grass beds of the Lighthouse Reef atoll. The resort's proposed one thousand guests would be served by a small city of two thousand employees.

Ambergris Caye Camp Starfish caters for children with special needs
There are several summer camps taking place across the island and the newest offering is the extra-special Ambergris Caye Camp Starfish! Dalia Alamilla and Dianela Hancock have organized this camp primarily for children with special needs. Camp Starfish commenced on Tuesday, July 22nd at the Lions Den and is the first summer program for children with mental or physical disorders that may impair their development. Alamilla spoke of the reason for the camp. "San Pedro doesn't have any agencies or organizations that work with special needs children. So many parents are unaware of the assistance and opportunities that are available for the development of our children. The camp was designed to offer support for these children and to assess the population of children with special needs on the island." The camp is being held every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday of the week from 9AM to 11AM until Saturday, August 9th.

Island boy in Scotland: Following triatlethe Kent Gabourel
While many Belizeans travel abroad for vacations and leisure, it's not every day one gets the opportunity to enter new borders as an ambassador for their country. For island and national triathlete Kent "Bob" Gabourel the opportunity to represent Belize at the 2014 Glasgow Common Wealth Games is an honor. Kent will be proudly competing amongst such world-class athletes like England's Brownlee brothers, and Jamaica's Olympic gold medalists Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. But he has also been immersing himself in the experience, making new friends from across the world and enjoying every bit of the land and culture. The San Pedro Sun has been following the island's star athlete for years, and we can't help but to do the same now that he's at the historic games. We've been enjoying his infectious Facebook posts showing him wholly immersed in every bit of his time abroad. Kent fits the bill of sports ambassador perfectly.

Domestic dispute leaves one man dead
San Pedro Police is investigating the circumstances surrounding a domestic dispute that left an islander of Ambergris Caye dead. The victim has been identified as 28-year old Felix Eduardo Alamilla, a caretaker of a Mosquito Coast Area of San Pedro Town. Preliminary police information indicates that sometime before 6AM today Wednesday July 23rd, Alamilla and his common-law wife were involved in a domestic dispute in which the woman inflicted stab wounds to his head, chest area and leg. The wounded Alamilla was rushed to the San Carlos Medical Clinic where Dr. Giovanni Solorzano pronounced him dead on arrival.

San Pedro Public Library educates children on the importance of water
The San Pedro Public Library is hosting a summer program to educate children on the importance of water conservation. The program started on Monday, July 21st with a group of 25 children participating. The program will run through Friday, August 1st. Throughout the program, children will learn about the importance of saving water, the availability of water, the water cycle and the necessity of water to living organisms. They will also enjoy watching fun videos, do arts and crafts, and play educational games. At the end of each week's lessons, the children will be questioned on what they have learned and receive prizes for answering correctly. According to head librarian Iracela Acosta the program aims to educate children and promote the conservation of our Belizean waters while providing in a fun summer activity. "Children will understand how important water really is, especially to us in San Pedro as we do live on an island and are surrounded by water. We want to encourage the children to take care of the water by not polluting it and saving as much potable water as they can," said Acosta.

Ambergris Today

San Pedro Community Shocked at Sudden Death of Sanpedrano After Domestic Dispute
Island residents are still trying to grasp the fact that a son-of-the-soil is dead today after an early morning domestic dispute. San Pedro Police is today investigating the circumstances around the death of 28-year-old Felix Eduardo Alamilla, a local Sanpedrano. According to preliminary information received by the San Pedro Police Department, a domestic dispute took place around 6a.m. on Wednesday, July 23, 2014, between Felix and his common-law wife where she inflicted deadly stab wounds to his head, leg and chest. Felix was rushed to the San Carlos Medical Clinic where Dr. Giovanni Solorzano pronounced him dead on arrival.

SAGA Board Directors Train with Leading Dog Experts Abroad
Humane animal captures, proper handling and caring of pets and the overall welfare of animals on the island are the top priorities for the San Pedro SAGA Humane Society. For this reason and many others, Katia Marin, Board Director of SAGA HS, traveled to United States to train with leading dog experts. Katia Marin, owner of Pampered Paws, one of Belize's leading pet grooming centers, is an animal lover and board director of SAGA HS. She received her certificate as a professional groomer and veterinary assistant in Houston, Texas. At first Pampered Paws only offered grooming services and pet supplies but in 2003 Katia received her Master Degree in Dog Training in New York and began to offer overnight boarding, pet "day care" and dog training.

Jesse Cope of San Pedro Daily Passes Away
Ambergris Today, along with the community of Ambergris Caye, is saddened to share the news of the passing of Jesse Cope, who ran the San Pedro Daily website. Posts on message boards indicate that he fell ill earlier this week and was admitted to Belize Healthcare Partners in the city where he succumbed to his illness yesterday evening, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. Friends and family indicate that Jesse was well cared for during his last days and passed away peacefully without any pain. His family has been notified and is in touch with Dr. Lerida Rodriguez and will be making arrangements with her as to the final preparations.

Misc Belizean Sources

Government of Belize Compensates Public Officers and Teachers for the 1995-1997 Increments Freeze
The Ministry of Finance is pleased to announce that it has today authorised the Accountant General to transfer the balance of some $3.06 million held in a Government Savings Account to the Trustees of the Public Sector Workers' Trust, which has been established to hold funds in trust for all public officers and teachers whose annual increments were frozen during the period 1st April 1995 to 31st March 1997. It may be recalled that in 1995, the Government of Belize had agreed to give the Public Service Union and the Belize National Teachers Union some 794,732 shares in Belize Telecommunications Limited (now Belize Telemedia Limited) as compensation for the suspension of annual increments of public officers and teachers during the fiscal period 1995 to 1997.

"CANE FARMERS DAY" to be celebrated in Corozal
The end of an awesome Sugar Cane season calls for celebration, even in the advent of an embattled closed season. The Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association Corozal Division celebrates 55 years. This years motto "Celebrating 55 years in the sugar cane industry, strenghtening the development of our small farmers" will bring together every farmer and his family in Corozal to celebrate his labour of love. The BSCFACD invites the general public to bring your family out and extend that handshake of gratitude and apprciation to our to our norte�o brothers and sisters. The venue will be between Rotary Park and the Corozal House of Culture. Days events and activities will include the following: Date: FRIDAY, July 25th

African Descendants
One hundred African descendants are now returning from Guatemala After attending a conference with ONECA In attendance were Creoles, Ketchi, Maya from Guatemala Other indigenous peoples and the Garifuna Celebrating their origin from Africa This was a historic event sanctioned by ONECA and AFROSA In collaboration with the Guatemalan youth minister It saw the participation of the youths from different countries in Central America We discussed their participation in making the Garvey/Chatoyer initiative a realization Twenty years ago ONECA was formed in Dangriga To bring African descendants together To empower them to set up a parallel system Two years later they held their first conference in Panama

AFSOUTH facilitates Global ALSO Instructor Course
Three international health specialists and three non-governmental organization personnel supporting 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) provided a Global Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics Instructor Course to eight Belizean health care providers. Global ALSO is a training program designed to improve the skills and knowledge of maternal health care providers in regards to managing obstetric emergencies. "The Global ALSO program is one more step, one more piece of the puzzle to decrease the maternal and neonatal mortality/morbidity rates throughout Belize," said Dr. Lesley Atwood, former ALSO Board chair and family medicine provider at Allina Health. "The team-based, hands-on sessions are designed to complement the existing evidence-based protocols from the Ministry of Health."

Expression of Interest Notice - Dominicana Moda 2014
The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) will be collaborating in the organization of Dominicana Moda 2014 (DM2014) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Caribbean Export is highly committed to the development of the Fashion sector in the Region and seeks to enable opportunities such as these to engage relevant stakeholders and foster sector-wide integration. This collaborative effort will provide a great opportunity for emerging and established fashion designers in the Caribbean to expose their vision at a regional and international stage, thus positioning the Caribbean as an international go-to location for Fashion design and ingenuity.

Benefits of Joining | International Exchange Alumni
Have you participated in a U.S. Embassy Exchange Program? Were you a Belizean Fulbright Scholar, Humphrey Fellow, Youth Ambassador, International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alum, U Grad Participant, or any of the many other U.S. Department of State exchange programs faciliated by the U.S. Embassy in Belmopan? If so, WE NEED YOU! Stand up and take pride in your glowing achievements. As the best of Belize, we want you to join the Belizean Alumni Association! The Belizean Alumni Association will allow you to network and build projects in Belize with fellow Belizeans who have participated in U.S. State Department exchange programs. You will join an elite community dedicated to the enrichment and sustainability of Belize.

Channel 7

Love Kills: In San Pedro Woman Stabs Common Law Sleeping In Another House
Tonight, a 37 year old Mexican woman is detained pending a murder charge after she allegedly stabbed her Belizean common law, 28 year old Felix Alamilla to death in his sleep. His crime? He hadn't come home for two nights and had apparently taken up with another woman - that is according to reports. So, at dawn, she went to find him at the far south of the island in the Boca Del Ciera area and stabbed him to death. After that she tried to flee San Pedro. Tonight she is detained and has confessed to police. Monica Bodden went to San Pedro to find out more: Monica Bodden Reporting This golf cart parked inside the compound of the San Pedro Police Station was what transported Felix Alamilla to a private clinic early this morning.

Will CEO Alexis Be Ambassador To Guatemala?
Last night you saw Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington avoid answering the question about who Belize's new ambassador to Guatemala will be: he said that is the prerogative of the Prime Minister who will reveal it shortly. But, tonight, 7News has learned who will take up this senior and sensitive diplomatic posting: we have been reliably informed that the current CEO in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexis Rosado will be appointed Ambassador to Guatemala. He is a very senior official with more than a decade in the Ministry - moreover, in Central America the CEO is considered Vice-Minister so his appointment would denote the level of import Belize places on this key diplomatic posting. We contacted Rosado who would not confirm. He only said, quote, "whoever he chooses to appoint, I'm sure the PM will announce in due course." End quote. He added that any proposed appointment to another country must receive the approval from the receiving state - in this case, Guatemala - before the accreditation can be effected.

Government Vehicle Stolen In Broad Daylight
Belmopan Police have confirmed that a government vehicle assigned to the Department of the Environment was stolen from its parking space in the market square this morning. It's the second government vehicle to have been stolen from in front of its office in 8 days. The market square is one of busiest places in Belmopan, but that didn't stop the thief who also struck in broad daylight. The vehicle, a brown 2008 Toyota Hilux pickup, was used by DOE personnel a half hour before its theft. The last authorized driver parked the vehicle in front of the office, and when DOE employees checked back on the vehicle, they found out that it was gone! The license plate number is BMP B-0108, and anyone who has information on it whereabouts is asked to contacted the nearest police. Belmopan police are still looking for Mayor Simeon Lopez's municipal government vehicle, which was stolen last week Tuesday.

Verden Blease Charged Again For Abuse
In January, we told you about former Gwen Liz High School Teacher, Verden Blease. He was charged with 2 counts of carnal knowledge and 5 counts of incident assault. Well, he's back behind bars because of new charges of the same nature. 12 year-old girl has reported to police that Blease has been sexually assaulting her from the time she was 7 years-old. Because of her report, Belize was charged with 3 additional counts of unlawful carnal knowledge. He was on bail when he showed up to court today, but that was confiscated, Magistrate Ann Marie Smith remanded him to prison until August 7.

Granny Marion Explains How She Got Charged For Drug Trafficking
Last night we told you how 8 persons who were in a yard at 3150 Supal Street were charged for drug trafficking after police say they found three bags of crack cocaine in the yard. All eight were detained and arraigned late yesterday - including the 71 year old matriarch Marion Plunkett. Now, a 71 year old charged for crack possession with an intent to supply? That's a first! So today Monica Bodden went to the yard on Supal Street to talk to Marion Plunkett about the charge: Monica Bodden "You are charged with possession of a controlled drug with the intent to supply to another. I'm guessing this is your first charge, how old are you ma'am?" Marion Plunkett - Claims Police Harrassment "72." Monica Boden "First time?" Marion Plunkett - Claims Police Harrassment "First time in life, my son that is younger he stood up in court and said, well first time mom, first time they searched the house through and through. All my speakers, like they wanted to buss the speakers. I told them no, I just bring these from America."

Hon. Elrington: The Gun Law's Unintended Consequences
And while that alleged joint enterprise for drug trafficking swept up eight persons, another similar law that has garnered much criticism for its use and misuse by police is the gun law. The last controversial case we reported on was predicament of the Smith family from Giles Street. Right after the funeral for their teenaged brother and son, the entire family was arrested and charged with firearm offences earlier this month, even after they tried their best to explain to the police officers that the gun did not belong to any of the residents. They were released last week Tuesday, after a week on remand, and at the end, it was proven in court that they didn't have to endure that ordeal for that unlicensed weapon because one of the persons charged accepted guilt for it. Yesterday, our colleagues from KREM News spoke with Attorney General Wilfred Elrington about cases like the Smith's, and he said that the Government did not foresee the unintended and painful consequence the application of this amended law would create:

Acting DPP Post Will Be Shared
And at the end of our newscast last night, we told you about the study leave that Director Public Prosecutions Cheryl-Lynn Vidal went on. She has actually been out of the office since last week Tuesday, and holding over as the acting DPP is Senior Crown Counsel Cecil Ramirez. Elrington, explained yesterday that she applied for the study leave a few weeks ago, and it was approved earlier this month: Hon. Wilfred Elrington - Attorney General "My information was that she wants to be given study leave for a period of 3 months. That application has been duly made and approved of by the prime minister." Alindy Marisol Amaya, News Director KREM News "For when?" Hon. Wilfred Elrington "I think she is going be going from the 15th of July, I think she started already, and for 3 months. If my recollection is right, and during the course of the 3 months that she will be away, 2 of the crown councils will act in her place. One will act for the first 6 weeks and that person I have been told is Mr. Cecil Ramirez and for the remaining 6 weeks Ms. Willis will act, Linbert Willis, he is going to act for the remaining 6 weeks so that is going to completing the 3 months period.

Jail For Barrow Burglar
54 year-old Anthony Mortis is jail tonight, and he's serving the first day of a 7 year sentence after he was convicted of burglary today in Magistrate's Court. The incident happened just before 8 a.m. on May 22 of last year at the Belize City home of 51 year-old Frank Barrow on Crown Cone Avenue in Coral Grove. Police constable Roy Eck testified in the trial against Mortis that that he and other police officers responded to a report of a burglary in progress and when they arrived at the scene he saw Mortis peeping through a crack at the back door of the upper flat. Eck said when he searched Mortis he found 2 gold earrings and another piece of jewellery in his pocket. In his defence, Mortis testified and denied committing the offence. He said that it was the police who took him to the house where the burglary was committed.

CCJ Contending With Cluster Of Ashcroft Alliance Appeals
In May of this year, the Court of Appeal delivered its decision on the Governments Acquisition of BEL, and the reacquisition of BTL. At that time, the attorneys for the former owners, the Ashcroft Alliance and Fortis Energy, promised that a vigorous appeal would be brought before the Caribbean Court of Justice. That appeal officially began today via teleconference where the court held the first case management session. Eamon Courtenay, attorney for British Caribbean Bank and Fortis; and Godfrey Smith, attorney for Dean Boyce and the Trustees of the Employees Trust were both present, along with Nigel Hawk, the Acting Solicitor General of Belize. There are 5 different appeals of the same case, and so the court decided to consolidate them into one big appeal matter. After the session we spoke with Godfrey Smith outside of court about the beginning of the final appeal on this case: Godfrey Smith - Attorney for Dean Boyce/Employees Trust "I'm sure that you aware this is the continuation of the long outstanding nationalization cases against Telemedia, the nationalization of Telemedia and Fortis. We represent Dean Boyce and the trustees of the BTL trust as you are aware. The last judgement did not go in our favor except for one portion that dealt with retro activity and the exercise here this morning was merely to obtain leave from the CCJ and to do a timetabling exercise to schedule the matter for hearing."

Government "Waiting And Seeing" On Puerto Azul
Last night we told you about the renewed drive by the conservation and tourism organizations, including OCEANA, the BTIA, the Belize Audubon Society, APAMO and others to block the Puerto Azul project. Today, the media asked Tourism Minister Junior Heredia about it - and he said that government cannot dismiss the project out of hand because it could create jobs: Hon. Manuel Herredia Jr. - Minister of Tourism "At this point it is premature or to be making second guesses to what will happen and what not. As a fisherman, 30 years fisherman, I use to fish that area; I think I know that area better than any other NGO and loving the reef which was my life. Anything that would destroy my reef will destroy the tourism industry; I will not be for that and for that reason I must wait for everything to be completed They will analyse if it is possible or not. What I cannot accept that once you have a project before it even starts there is this negativity, let us stand up as Belizeans, look at what we have, and see how best we can use it and then move ahead."

Operation Clearwater Cleaning Up San Pedro
So, the headline tonight was that San Pedro had racked up another murder - in what has been a particularly violent year for the island. But this one was a crime of passion, not preventable by event the best policing. And heightened police activity is what the island has been seeing since the first week in July. The sustained operation has targeted petty criminals on the island and drug peddlers. The cops believe those small acts of lawlessness are driving bigger ones - and pushing up the island's violent crime. And operation Clearwater has driven a reduction in both major and minor crime. We got a review of it today: Sergeant Lenancio Bol - Investigator, San Pedro Police "The operation clear water is still ongoing in San Pedro Town and it is very successful at this time. If you notice, all the news, or statistics you have, it definitely shows that there is a major reduction in terms of crime across the board, whether it is major crime or minor. We do have, we definitely have a lot of changes in regards to it. The operation targets mainly includes the drug peddlers and especially we had a number of thefts in terms of golf carts and things like those. So it is definitely at a minimum based on the operation we have ongoing."

3 Months For Less Than An Ounce
3 grams of weed is hardly an ounce but a Belize City man will spend 3 months for it. 33 year-old Theodore Swazo, a resident of Vernon Street, was sentenced 3 months in prison today after he was found guilty of drug possession in the Magistrate Court. 2 members of the Gang Suppression Unit testified in his trial before the Chief Magistrate that on February 17, they saw him come out of a yard on Iguana Street. When he saw the officers, he tried to throw away a small amount of weed, which they retrieved. It was only 3 grams, and so they charged him with drug possession. After hearing all the evidence, Chief Magistrate Smith found him guilty and sentenced him to 3 months in jail.

Hattieville Chairman Still Missing
Hattieville Chairman Kevin Carcamo has now been missing for 3 days, and so, his family is still in the grips of anxious worry. This evening, one of his bosses, Marvin Manzanero, the Assistant Project Director, for Discover-seis Geophysical Services, told us that the company still has its employees fully activated in an attempt to find him. Manzanero added that they've increased the area of their search, along with the civilian and military authorities, but no sign has been found of Carcamo. As we told you, Carcamo is known to be an experienced hunter, and he's considered a capable bushman.

Alleged Land Swindler Charged
30 year-old Meredith Bregal, a Ladyville resident, is out on bail tonight after she allegedly defrauded a landowner of money from the sale of their land. The incident occurred June 18th. 68 year-old Everith Sedacy reported to police that Bregal told her that she knew someone who was interested in buying her piece of land in Gardenia Village. Bregal says that Sedacy introduced her to the person. The deal was struck, and Sedacy was to collect $8,000 for the land. The trouble is that when she went to collect her money, the person says that Bregal had already showed up, and a cheque was written out to her on behalf of Sedacy. When she contacted Bregal to collect her money, Bregal told her she indeed cashed the cheque, but someone stole the money from her. They agreed on a repayment schedule, but to date, Bregal hasn't paid her any money.

Relief For Fire Victims
On Monday we told you about a fire on Prince Street that left 3 families homeless and without possessions. Well, today NEMO made donations to the affected families to help them in the wake of this tragedy. Councillor Phillip Willoughby told us more: Donations include mattresses, cleaning supplies, clothing and other care packages. 4 families are being aided.

Teaching Lions To Swim
The Belize Lion Man competition takes places in September, but every year, the greatest challenge for the Belizean triathletes is swimming. Well, Denise Diaz, an experienced swim instructor, is hoping to change this by hosting a swimming competition along with a group named "Knead Belize" on Sunday, July 27th. The longest lap of the competition is 750 meters which is about half a mile, and about half of the lion man swim. We caught up with Diaz at the competition site on Marine Parade where she told more about the meet: The competition will begin at 9 am to give time to competitors from other districts time to arrive. Another pre Lionman competition will be held on August 10th.

A Barn Owl In Collet!
When you think of spectacular and mysterious birds like the barn owl you'd probably think they would be most at home in the wild, but this evening we found that barn owls like the concrete jungle just fine. Why is that? Well, it is because this owl's favourite meal is rats and small rodents - and this city has no shortage of those. But things went wrong for one of these barn owls a month and half ago who was found snagged on a pipe clamp. Caretaker Allison Jenkins found the injured bird and called the Belize Audubon Society whch then contacted the Bird Sanctuary & Rehabilitation Center. When we spoke to Allison today, he told us how he became attached to the owl: Allison Jenkins - Caretaker "First, it wasn't much my concern but the second day the longer you look into the face of the owl, you see a sympathy that he has and that is what really got to me the second day. I received a call about 3 weeks after, surprisingly, telling me the bird that I had called him about is in good health and is doing well in recovery and they started keeping me in touch with it and there we are."

B'zean Diplomat Going For Senior OAS Post
At the top of the news, we told you how CEO Alexis Rosado is poised to become the next Belizean Ambassador to Guatemala. Well, currently, there is a move by the Organization of American States to get Belizean Ambassador to the US Nestor Mendez elected as the Assistant Secretary General of the OAS. That was the decision that Belize took at the last SICA meeting in the Dominican Republic. He reportedly has the support of the other member states, but it may play out that his boss at the OAS could be a Former Vice President of Guatemala. Yesterday, Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington briefed the media on the SICA agenda item in which Former Guatemalan Vice President Eduardo Stein was officially announced as a candidate for the office of the Secretary General: Hon. Wilfred Elrington - Minister of Foreign Affairs "The prime minister specifically pointed out that we had committed to another country before the announcement of this times candidacy, so he could not join in that decision by the rest of the SICA members. The prime minister was specifically clear on that, we also have a candidate for the deputy secretary general position. That is our own Ambassador Nestor Mendez in Washington and that time the prime minister put forward his name and it was my impression that we also got the commitment of the countries, the SICA countries that they would support Ambassador Mendez; But in relation to the Guatemalan candidacy the prime minister pointed out very clearly that in fact we had already committed to another candidate before we were aware of the Guatemalan candidacy, he was not in a position to join the consensus."

The Big BTL Payback For Unions
Way back in 1995 - in the bad old days of retrenchment - the then Esquivel administration froze increments for public officers for two years - and gave them 800 thousand BTL shares instead. Well, today, almost 20 years later, it was payback time - and Government authorised the Accountant General to transfer the balance of $3.06 million dollars held in a Government Savings Account to the Trustees of the Public Sector Workers' Trust. The fund has been established to hold funds in trust for all public officers and teachers whose annual increments were frozen between 1st April 1995 to 31st March 1997. In 2007, the share certificates were transferred to the PSU and the BNTU, and now the three million dollars is the proceeds of dividends accumulated from the shares between 1997 and 2007. The trustees are Ray Davis, Nadia Caliz, Philip Castillo and Enrique Iglesias representing the PSU, BNTU,Nurses Association of Belize, the BDF and the Belize Police Association.

Channel 5

A Tour Guide Stabbed To Death On La Isla Bonita By His Common-Law Wife
A domestic dispute ended in murder early this morning in the north end of San Pedro. A tour guide, Felix Alamilla who is also a caretaker of a luxury rental, [...]

Day 3: Still No Signs of Missing Hattieville Chairman
It has been a little over seventy-two hours since the unexplained disappearance of forty-three-year-old Kevin Carcamo, who disappeared on Sunday while returning through a densely forested area behind Freetown Sibun.� [...]

$3 Million in B.T.L. Dividends to be Managed by Associated Union Trustees
More than three million dollars has been placed into an account which will be administered by four union trustees. The funds represent dividends for shares which were offered to public [...]

B.T.L. and B.E.L. Nationalizations Heard at CCJ
The seemingly unending litigation involving the government's acquisition of the country's telecommunications and electric utilities became complicated long ago. But it may all be approaching an end, one way or [...]

Alexis Rosado Appointed New Ambassador to Guatemala
  The speculation about who will be named as Belize’s Ambassador to Guatemala in the wake of the death of former Ambassador Fred Martinez is over. It is known that [...]

Minister of Tourism Says N.G.O.s Are Too Pessimistic About Tourism Development
The Puerto Azul Project has been mired in controversy since it came to light that Italian developers were preparing to invest in the development. On Tuesday, the environmental community reacted [...]

Guess Who Else Was In Cannes For Puerto Azul Launch!
When government ministers Manuel Heredia Junior and Erwin Contreras attended the Cannes Film Festival in May, where they hobnobbed with the rich and famous on the French Riviera. The occasion [...]

Superman Comes to the Aid of Fire Victims On Prince Street
A late night blaze on Prince Street in Belize City Friday night completely destroyed the upper flat of a wooden home. It was allegedly started by a child playing with [...]

Verden Blease, Former Gwen Liz Lecturer, Charged for Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
  Today, a former Gwen Liz teacher was slapped with additional charges of three counts of carnal knowledge for allegedly having sexual intercourse with a minor who was seven years [...]

Belize Bank Awards Thirteen Scholarships Countrywide
Eight high school and five sixth form students will continue studies with scholarships from the Belize Bank. Accompanied by their proud parents, the deserving students were presented today with the [...]

Belizeans Shine In Regional Environmental Poster Competition
A pair of young Belizean artists has placed highly in a regional tourism and environmental poster competition hosted by the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association.� While they did not win the [...]

What's Going On At San Pedro Clinic?
Earlier, we reported on the murder of San Pedrano, Felix Alamilla. His death has brought to light a serious problem on the main tourism island of San Pedro. For years, [...]

Belize At Commonwealth Games 2014
The Commonwealth Games opened earlier today in Glasgow, Scotland. This station is airing the games daily at two o'clock in the afternoons beginning today through August third with two-hour highlights.� [...]

CTV3

Taxi Driver Charged With Drug Trafficking
Tonight, 30 year old Armando Vasquez, Belizean electrician of Diego Street, Corozal Town, is under police custody waiting to be charged for drug trafficking. On Monday, officers of the Border Patrol Team were on official duty at the Northern Border check point when they searched a taxi car driven at the time by Vasquez and found 505 grams of suspected cannabis. Today Officer Commanding the Corozal Police Formation, Andrew Ramirez, released the details of the incident.

Cane Farmers Are Not Permitted To Realease The Names Of Those Involved In Fruad
A few days ago the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association received the bad news that they were suspended by FLOCERT after receiving 8 non-compliances following an audit conducted a few weeks ago by the organization. Four of those non-compliances are considered major and include child labor at the cane fields and the fraud of $78,000. As previously mentioned the audit revealed that during the period of 16th March 2012 to 15th May 2014 some employees of the association paid themselves increased salaries. The audit also showed that payment for loans obtained by some employees had been entered in the registry when the reality was that monies for the loan had not been deducted from the employee's salary.

New Assistant Commissioner Of Police Meets With Officers Of The North
Curbing crime is no easy feat and for members of the police department who endure copious amounts of scrutiny and criticism it can be a daunting daily process. While we are aware that crimes can happen at any moment, authorities are then tasked to work as diligently as they are required by standards that govern them. This morning in Corozal, the top brass of the north including Corporals, inspectors and commanding officers met with the newly promoted Assistant Commissioner of Police Joseph Myvett in a re-strategizing meeting. ACP Myvett says under his command, they are revisiting their crime strategy for the next 5 months in a proactive effort to fight crime in the northern part of the country. Screen_Shot_2014-07-22_at_7.44.06_PMJoseph Myvett - ACP. Belize Police Force. "This achievement is certainly going to assist the north in that it is a high requisition and therefore the decisions that are made will certainly have more impact both in receiving in receiving cooperation from Belmopan as well as in our crime fighting efforts, today we are just about to meet in revisiting our crime strategies in order to continue to plan for a further reduction in crime over the next five months and as I said before I really, really want to recognize both formation commanders superintendent Ramirez from Corozal and Superintendent Arnold in charge of Orange Walk for their dedication and effort who have brought us to this point and I am looking forward for their continuous cooperation in order for us to reach our set goal for this year."

BSI/ASR Represented At Cane Farmers AGM
On Sunday the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association held their Annual General Meeting where the association's Board of Directors discussed a number of issues with its membership. High on the agenda was the proposal of the Belize Sugar Industries Limited to pay cane farmers 51 cents per ton of bagasse. Proposal which cane farmers rejected resoundingly. BSI is of the mind that cane farmers are not receiving the right information hence their rejection for the 51 cents payment. In order to disseminate their information to cane farmers, BSI met with members of six branches and even requested that they have representation in Sunday's AGM. Sources told us that the company wrote a letter to the BSCFA requesting that they form part of the meeting's agenda thus having an opportunity to address cane farmers. To date we are unaware if BSCF responded to BSI's letter. What we do know though, is that BSI had representation at the AGM, not as a company but as a cane farmer. As you may well be aware the company is a registered cane farmer under Research and C.G.P. So that gave them all rights to participate in Sunday's meeting and opened a window to set the record straight.

O/W Town Council Addresses Abandoned Overgrown Lots In Town
The Orange Walk Town Council has embarked on a project that will see several over grown lots cleared. According to Mayor Kevin Bernard, the issue has been a major concern for residents and has been voiced repeatedly at neighborhood meetings. In sight that is a huge concern for residents the council decided to take action and with the assistance of Councilor Ladrick Sheppard the work began this week. Ladrick Shepard "This over grown lots has been a hazard to everybody, in these overgrown lot there are roaches, rats, snakes and all different types of rodents that sometimes goes inside the house and we have been in the council going for the third year now that these over grown lot that no one have any knowledge of who are the owners of these overgrown lots and nobody really wants to chop it so it was an initiative that we took from the council by the Mayor that has decided to take advantage of the dry moment right now and see if we can chop these overgrown lots."

Banquitas House Of Culture Holds Summer Program, Music and Production
Summer programs are abounding in Orange Walk but the next one we are about to hear of is perhaps the first of its kind for youth in Orange Walk. We are talking about music and production, a summer class being facilitated at the Banquitas House of Culture. Here is a look at what the participants are learning. Dalila Ical - Reporting Normando Esquilliano - Facilitator "I came here and I am going to teach them the recording procedure to song writing and you know how to have a final production at the end of the day." Normando Esquiliano is facilitating a week of music and production lessons to at least ten interested teenagers from Orange Walk Town. While the number of participants seems low, their interest is genuine and serious as stated by Lucreshia Keyz.

Pregnant Woman And Common Law Husband Nearly Beaten To Death
Tonight there is disturbing news coming out from the village of Chunox in the Corozal District as reports indicate that a woman who is with-child was pushed to the ground and beaten by two men from the same village. The incident played out on Sunday at around 10:00pm. According to 20 year old Mariacel Tun she was at home when she heard a loud noise coming from outside her residence. As Tun, her mother and some friends stepped outside to see what was the matter, she noticed that four male person were beating her common law husband, 19 year old Jose Danilo Monzon, with what appeared to be a shotgun.

Customs Officers Accused Of Using Excessive Force
Oftentimes we hear of incidences involving custom officers and their random check points near the Rio Hondo, Santa Cruz and San Antonio Villages as they are an authorized governing body that monitors illicit contraband activities from Mexico into Belize. While we know of rampant 'contrabandistas' making away with hundreds of dollars' worth of uncustomed goods, this next story will make you think if the authorities who are tasked to defend our borders used excessive force. According to the complainant, who choose to remain anonymous, around 9:30 last night whilst accompanied by his wife and another person to pick up relatives at a church in San Lorenzo Housing Site, he saw a vehicle hidden in the bushes and could not at the time make out who it was.

Harvest For Kids Conducts Belize Camping Experience
Viewers may recall the stories we have aired on the Harvest for Kids project. The initiative is a fund raiser for Belize Camping Experience, a program in which summer camps are designed and held for children primarily in underprivileged circumstances and at risk children in Belize City. The program has been a success in the city and after much success with their fund raisers, this year organizers extended the program into Orange Walk Town. Here is a look at what that experience has been like.

LOVE FM

DFC Gets Ten Million Dollar Boost From Caribbean Bank
The Caribbean Development Bank, CDB, has given Belize's Development Finance Corporation, DFC, a US10 million boost. The loan will allow DFC to provide finances for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises as well as student loans, credit for low-income housing and also for energy efficiency/renewable energy projects. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises are crucial to Belize's economy and are estimated to account for a significant share of economic activity and employment generation. However, these enterprises are usually faced with a number of obstacles including access to financing. With the loan DFC will be able to carry its objective which is to improvement of home ownership, human development and the development of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.

PlusTV

San Pedro Man killed during dispute with common law wife
28 year old Felix Eduardo Alamilla is dead after he and his common law wife got into an argument. Early this morning, Wednesday, Mr Alamilla was stabbed to his head, chest and leg, allegedly by his common-law wife. We spoke to the Officer in charge of the investigation, Sergeant...

CCJ to hear utilities nationalization cases
On Wednesday morning via video conference, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) granted special leave for the final hearing of the nationalizations of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) and Belize Electricity Limited (BEL). Citing precedence for direct application to the court for special leave, the CCJ struck out the sole...

GOB compensates teachers and public officers for 1995 to 1997 increment freeze
All public officers, teachers and open vote workers whose increments were frozen during the period 1995 to 1997 may now be entitled to benefits payable to them, even those who have since retired. That is because the Ministry of Finance announced that it has authorized the Accountant General to...

Minister Vega addresses fight over bagasse
The fight for a cut in bagasse continues with the ever looming possibility of the 2009 sugar crisis repeating. In the last meeting of farmers which took place in San Roman Village, Corozal on Sunday July 20th, the Farmers unanimously decided to reject BSI/ASR’s proposal of 51 cents per...

Brawl in Chunox leaves man critical at KHMH
A brawl in Chunox village has left one man critically injured at the KHMH. 20 year old Mariacel Tun of Chunox Village, Corozal District, reported that on� Sunday 20th of July 2014 about 10:00pm, she was at home along with her mother and some friends when she heard a...

180 lots distributed in Yo Creek
180 lots were distributed in Yo Creek Village, Orange Walk District, a project headed by Juan De Dios, UDP Standard Bearer for Orange Walk South. We caught up with the Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources, who was in the Village of� Yo Creek on...

Coalition of organizations say no to Puerto Azul
Puerto Azul is no where off the ground as yet; there is no government approval, and the developers have not even closed on the property as yet. However, opposition to the development of the mega resort on Northern and Sandbore Cayes has prompted loud opposition....

Plane crashes in Spanish Lookout
A plane crashed in Spanish lookout over the weekend but miraculously the pilot was able to walk from the wreck without major injury. �The plane, a yellow crop duster, used in the agriculture industry to do spraying and inspections was piloted at the time by Johnny Braun. Photos of...

All Gay men should take antiretroviral says WHO
Men who have sex with men, whether they consider themselves healthy or not, are now being advised by the World Health Organization to take antiretroviral drugs.That is because HIV infection rates among gay men are exploding around the world, even in those places considered as more "open minded"� and...

Nasley Somerville did not appear before PSC Hearing
It was scheduled that Nasley Sommerville was to appear before the Public Service Commission on Tuesday morning, to answer to allegations of misappropriation of hospital funds.� At least Tuesday was the date that all media houses had written down for the Commission’s meeting with Ms Sommerville.� But while the...

Belize welcomes Taiwanese youth volunteers
Members of a Taiwanese Rotary youth group are spending their summer vacation in Belize helping out with various projects in the country. They were welcomed on Tuesday by newly-arrived Ambassador Benjamin Ho.     Benjamin Ho – Ambassador, Republic of China (Taiwan) “I welcome you here.� I hope you...

U-20 footballers lose two games so far
It has been a long and dreary week for the Belize Under 20 selection which has suffered defeat after defeat at the U-20 UNCAF Qualifiers which is being held in Cuscantlan Stadium in San Salvador. As we told you on Monday night, since�Friday the Belize team has played two...

FFB train coaches to work with young players
The FFB is doing more than training young players, they are also working on equipping coaches with necessary training and experience to work with young players and harvest their skills to a professional level. We saw the grassroots program, which aims to train coaches to work with kids six...

Minister of Agriculture comments on Harmonyville buffer zone
When we spoke to the Minister of Agriculture Hon. Gaspar Vega on Tuesday, we asked him to wade in on the controversial size of the buffer zone at Harmonyville. The story was that in the early stages, Harmonyville had been drafted by BGYEA representatives with a buffer zone not...

Caye Caulker Chronicles

Back To School Drive
Help us to Build a Backpack for needy children!

Patrick Jones

Accused shooter of Stephen Buckley waits for trial
In April of 2010, Belize City resident and construction worker Stephen Buckley was shot in the face while he and his companions were stopped by police on Kraal Road. The resulting injuries put an end to his work career and led to a meager existence until Prime Minister [�]

CCJ scheduled to hear utilities nationalization cases
The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has granted special leave for the final hearing of the nationalizations of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) and Belize Electricity Limited (BEL). Citing precedence for direct application to the court for special leave, the CCJ struck down the sole objection of the Government, [�]

Tourism Minister calls attacks on Puerto Azul premature
A joint statement from several of Belize's environmental organizations espoused opposition to the Puerto Azul project, variously described as a proposed "citadel of luxury" by its developers, and a "Disneyesque city" by at least one of its opponents. With plans for underwater suites, golf course, amusement park, submarine [�]

Emory Felix and Maurice Felix murder charges dropped
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions on Tuesday formally and quietly filed a notice of nolle prosequi against brothers Maurice and Emory Felix. Officially, it means the case is being dropped for lack of evidence but can be brought back at a later date if that [�]

Eight, including a grandmother, charged for crack cocaine
A 72 year old woman and 7 other persons were charged with drug trafficking for 6.5 grams of crack cocaine when they appeared on Tuesday before Magistrate Herbert Panton. They are 72 year old Marion Plunkett, 25 year old Michael Plunkett, 24 year old Kathlee Reyes, 34 year [�]

12 months for pawning stolen jewelry
Thirty-one year old Wilfred Stanley, a laborer of 173 B Neal Pen Road charged with 6 counts of handling stolen goods, was sentenced to 1 year for each count today by Magistrate Herbert Panton after he pleaded guilty to the charges. But Stanley will only serve 1 year [�]

90 days for "dropped" drugs
Watchman Theodore Swazo was convicted of possession of controlled drugs today before Chief Magistrate Ann-Marie Smith and sentenced to three months in prison. On February 17 of this year around 10:00 a.m., two officers of the Gang Suppression Unit (GSU) were on mobile patrol on Iguana Street when [�]

Teacher further accused of carnal knowledge
In January of this year, 51 year old teacher Verden Blease was accused of carnal knowledge and aggravated assault of an indecent nature against a 12 year old student of Belize City. The minor says she was assaulted by Blease on a regular basis beginning from when she [�]

Woman charged for theft of land payment
30 year old Meredith Bregal has been charged with theft in relation to a land sale dispute. She appeared before Magistrate Hettie Mae Stuart and pleaded not guilty, going free on bail of $3,000. Bregal is not to contact the complainant, Everith Sedacy, or any other witnesses; she [�]

Man caught red-handed in burglary jailed
54 year old Anthony "Campa" Mortis will spend the next seven years in jail after being convicted of burglary. On May 22, 2013, an officer on mobile patrol responded to a call of a burglary in progress at the Crown Cone Avenue, Coral Grove, Belize City home of [�]

Blogs

Rumble in the Jungle - The Eco Kids Are Here!
The Eco Kids summer educational adventure camp is now underway in the lush jungles of Belize, with Chaa Creek once again hosting twenty four budding environmentalists in a week long learning adventure that combines fun with hands-on education. And, midway through the camp, fun is definitely the name of the game here, with the camp councillors and kids all enthusiastically reporting that a good time is being had by all. The adventure kicked off last Sunday (20 July) at the Macal River Camp with lots of merriment and activity as everyone went over the rules, sorted out sleeping arrangement in the lovely rustic casitas (the camp's pole house style bungalows) and settled into camp life with their first learning adventure - Chaa Creek's popular Creatures of the Night guided nature tour. After checking out porcupines, wolf spiders and other nocturnal flora and fauna around their new home, the happy campers returned to enjoy their first night in the forest. As one of the guides remarked, "It's amazing how quickly the kids bonded with one another and friendships are born."

The Fairy Princess Barefoot Bride - Belize Wedding
If you read our blog regularly, you'll know that we love shoes. The reason - well, not many people wear them here in Belize, the home of the barefoot bride. But along comes a dress, every so often, that takes our breath away - and this is one of them. We've never had one quite like it and we loved it! It flounced, it flew and it was fabulous. In fact, it made our bride look just like a fairy princess. Therefore, this blog deserves a proper beginning. Once upon a time there was a very beautiful bride.

A commentary on Stasis in Belize
During my study of Belizean history at the University of Belize, we often talked about "why are things the way they are? And how can we make a change? In our history sessions, Professor Iyo would often make reference to "stasis" as a way of understanding the Belizean status quo (i.e. the existing state of affairs). As his students, he would recommend that we read his co-authored paper with Michael Rosberg entitled: "Theoretical Perspectives on the Stasis of Class Relations in the Caribbean: the Belize Case Study". I recall that Prof. Iyo would employ two analogies to introduce us to the concept of stasis. He once drew a spiral on the board. A spiral he would remark is a gradually progressing curve which emanates from a central point. For the spiral to take shape, it encircles the path of its previous inscription. Therefore, the spiral has a directional flow but it is non-linear, gradual and apparently redundant. The second analogy, he often used, was comparing stasis to the movement of the earth. The earth sits on an axis. It gradually spins, completing its axial rotation and revolution, only to do so again and again. Like the earth and the spiral, the Belizean society has been moving (changing) but has been constrained by an axial positioning which is theorized as the economic mode/relations of production (e.g. slavery; relationship between 'master and slave' or capitalism; relationship between employer and employees).

Media, Politics, and Hegemony in Belize
In recent news, the People's United Party (PUP) held a press conference in which they critiqued what has been called the 'Mother's Day Cheer' program. The 'cheer' involves the distribution of about $800,000 to $1,000,000 to United Democratic Party (UDP) representatives for redistribution to mothers in their respective constituencies. No funds were given to the fourteen PUP representatives in parliament. The PUP referred to the program as an act of "blatant political corruption". In this reflection, I focus on the media's coverage of the press conference. I analyze what is included and excluded in the various media reports. I also examine the comments of politicians in the media. I contend that the media as well as politicians are explicitly and implicitly contributing to the 'normalization of party politics' in Belize. By way of this reflection, I am also attempting to improvise and develop a theoretical framework towards understanding and challenging the current political regimes in Belize. I hope to elaborate on this framework in future posts.

SALAD BAR - MEXICAN SALAD
1.In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and drain excess fat. Stir in the taco seasoning, chili beans and French-style dressing. Fill the dressing bottle 2/3 full of water and add to the skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. 2.Crush the bag of chips, open the bag, and toss the broken chips into a large bowl with the lettuce, cheese and tomatoes. When the meat mixture is done, combine it with the lettuce, tomatoes, chips and mix well. Then, add salsa and sour cream.

Paint Party
"Splash Paint Party" is Thursday at 3:00 at Crazy Canucks! Going to be a good one! Hope to see lots of smiling faces and beautiful art!

International Sources

Sixth Grader's Science Fair Lionfish Project Rattles Ecologists
By showing that lionfish can live in fresh water, 12 year-old Lauren Arrington has alerted ecologists to the potential for these fish to migrate upstream in rivers where they would pose a threat to the ecosystem. The invasive species, which can be found along the Florida coast, has only been studied in saline, ocean-like conditions. Arrington's project was unique in that it asked the question: What is the lowest salinity lionfish can tolerate? The results blew away professional ecologists. NPR explains how she did it: "It was just a small, sixth-grade project, and I really didn't have all the tools necessary," she says. Her dad, who has a Ph.D. in fish ecology, suggested that she put the fish in tanks instead. Lauren then put six different lionfish in six different tanks where she could watch her subjects closely. Lauren was given a strict set of rules by the science fair organizers. The most important one: Her fish could not die.

Searching for Cynk: The $6 Billion Penny-Stock Debacle, From Belize to Las Vegas
The Matalon, a six-story glass building in Belize City, Belize, towers over a lot littered with old refrigerators and washing machines. Jagged rebar sticks out of unfinished cinderblock structures nearby, and the view, across Haulover Creek, is of a cluster of corrugated metal shacks. This is the listed address for Cynk Technology (CYNK), a company with no assets, no revenue, and one employee, that for one hour in July had a market value of more than $6 billion. Until that inconceivable run, no one had ever heard of Cynk or the social network it claimed to operate-no one, that is, outside the murky, volatile market for penny stocks, where fraud is rampant and regulation scant. Cynk had begun trading in 2013, for a few cents a share. The price stayed there, hugging the bottom, until June 17, 2014, when shares that had last changed hands at 6� spiked to $2.25, a gain of 3,650 percent. The stock kept surging, drawing the attention first of penny stock gossips, then the sharper finance blogs, and finally-as Cynk's gain topped 36,000 percent, giving it a greater worth on paper than companies such as Urban Outfitters (URBN)-all of Wall Street. On CNBC, in the New York Times, and all over Twitter (TWTR), the strangest story of the summer was the mystery listing from Belize. Calls to Cynk go unreturned. In filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Cynk lists its offices as the Matalon's Suite 400. There is no Suite 400. The building manager says the company has never had an office there. There are no $6 billion companies in all of Belize, a country where workers earn as little as $80 a week. What Belize does have is a reputation as a haven for offshore businesses with difficult-to-trace records and little oversight.

From Tikal to Belize
Tikal was a spectacular adventure into the jungles of northeast Guatemala. We woke to Howler Monkeys growling high in the trees above. After breakfast we met our driver and loaded the van. Within a few hours we would be in Belize. Belize is just south of Mexico and east of Guatemala on the Caribbean. We wound our way through the Belizean jungle gently decreasing our elevation as we came into Belize City. The four hour ride went quickly and our driver easily found the pier in which we would grab a boat to one of the Cayes. A Caye is a low-elevation, small sandy island formed on the surface of a coral reef. Because traveling to Belize was not part of my original itinerary I wasn't quite sure where we would actually be going. The next boat leaving Belize City was heading to Ambergris Caye and to the town of San Pedro. Within minutes of arriving in the big city, our bags were thrown on the boat and we were zipping through the gentle Caribbean Sea. Upon arriving in San Pedro, we grabbed our luggage and began heading to the tiny town. A woman asked if she could point us in the direction of our hotel. I explained that we had no reservations and would be looking for a hotel. She was beside herself as she exclaimed "you mean you came to San Pedro without reservations - you're kidding, right." I assured her we were not. A few short steps later I met Eric.

Caribbean 2014 Tourist Arrivals by Country of Origin
Following is a summary table of Caribbean tourist arrivals from the Caribbean Tourism Organization:

Glasgow 2014: Five names to inspire and follow at the Games
Kent Gabourel: "I hate to see young guys throwing away their lives" Country: Belize Sport: Triathlon Competition date: 24 July Competition venue: Strathclyde Country Park In the sixth most violent country in the world, there are plenty of opportunities to step on to the wrong side of the tracks. Kent Gabourel, Belize's former football captain, hopes that becoming the first triathlete from the Central American country to compete at a Commonwealth Games can create a legacy that will help persuade youngsters in his homeland to ditch the gangs and the streets for a world of sport. But this 34-year-old is already a sporting social worker. "When I get back, I want to carry on racing triathlon, into our neighbours Guatemala and Mexico, and drag some kids along with me," he says. "Drugs and gangs are the main things I worry about. They deeply affect our community. "I hate to see young guys throwing away their lives in such a manner, so I try and get them to come over onto the sports side."

Videos

Video: WE BELIZE IT, 6min.

Video: Sun & Clouds ~ Belize, 1min.

Video: CSM Missions To Belize 2014 Highlite Video, 9min.
WakyMC Youth Missions Trip To Belize Through Thirst Missions...Absolutely A Fantastic Trip...Can't Wait To Go Back :)

Video: Waterfall Rappelling in Belize, 1.5min.
Waterfall Rappelling (abseiling Adventure) in Belize - These guy at Belize Jungle Masters do waterfall rappelling as a hobby, and also do guided rappelling for those visiting Belize.

Video: Bannister Island Belize City, 4min.

Video: Sailing to Belize, 16min.

Video: Venezia del Caribe Resort and Spa Interior Fly-Through, 3min.

Video: Anderson Vacation in Belize June 2014, 45min.
Vacation at Hamanasi in Belize 2014

Video: Exploring Mysterious Bottom of Belize Blue Hole by Ramon Llaneza, 7min.

Video: Belize - Iguana Conservation Project, 3min.
Visiting the crazy iguana kids at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel in San Ignacio, Belize. Big thanks to our guide Humberto for a great time! This tour was arranged by Belize Nature Travel. Thanks to Patrick for accompanying us on this adventure. The Iguana Conservation Project is dedicated to education and conservation of the endangered green iguana species in Belize. They breed and release these wonderful animals to help replenish the local population. Their efforts will hopefully prevent future overhunting and keep this species thriving for years to come.

Video: Belize, 6min.
Just Clarissa Falls.

Video: The Hospitality Tour : Ka Ana Belize, 3min.
Florie voyage du Mexique � l'Argentine avec un projet: partager ses comp�tences en gestion h�telière pour un lit et cela en collectant les meilleures pratiques des h�tels en matière de d�veloppement durable pour Hopineo.org.

Video: Diamante Beachfront Suites, Belize - Construction Update - July 2014, 1.5min.
Hello from beautiful Ambergris Caye, Belize! At 5-6 weeks per level of both buildings, final preparations are underway for casting of our final levels (Penthouse levels) in Buildings A and B of Diamante Beachfront Suites. We're still ahead of schedule, even considering that we are constructing two buildings at the same, with the help of our amazing Developer, Lisa McCorkle Guerrero, and our site Foreman, Oscar Flores.

Video: Lucky - First Week at Wildtracks, 1min.
Lucky was stranded on an isolated beach near Belize City, and rescued by Jamal Galves, the manatee coordinator of the Belize Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute. Brought to Wildtracks for rehabilitation and eventual release back into the waters of Belize, Lucky is the second calf to arrive at the Centre in the last two weeks - a sad indication of the increasing toll boat traffic is having on the manatee population in front of Belize City.

Video: Belize Cultural Foundation September Celebration 2014 - BCF, 3min.
Biggest Belizean 2 Day September Celebration on Saturday, Sept. 20th and Sunday, Sept. 21st 2014. In June 2000, a few Belizean Americans organized a meeting intended to introduce the concept of a new charitable organization that was soon after formed as Belize Cultural Foundation ("BCF"). Presently, the primary source of raising funds for the organization has been through the success of the "Belize Independence Day Celebration Dance" and "Fiesta At The Park" events. These annual events, as of date have been the largest "turn out" of Belizeans in Los Angeles, throughout the years. BCF's immediate goal is to extend the Youth Soccer League programs throughout the entire country of Belize and to incorporate a "girls" soccer league.