AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Belize Life News Daily news prior to today Today's Belize News: February 8, 2015

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Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
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The San Pedro Sun

Congratulations the the 2015 Reina del Carnaval Silvia Patricia Lopez!
Well deserved crown for a hard working woman!

Letter to the Editor: Derek Petersen
This letter is in response to Mr. Sam Trucco's February 2nd, 2015 Letter to the Editor regarding beachfront rights in San Pedro, and in fact all of Belize. I am compelled to write this response since, with all due respect to Mr. Trucco, unfortunately almost nothing stated is correct with respect to the laws of Belize or in the laws of England by which Belize is still bound by in cases with no Belizean precedent such as this. Prior to 1939, there was no rule requiring any reservation of coastal Crown Land, but in 1939 a rule was put in place in the Crown Lands Act for a reservation of a strip of land not exceeding 66 feet in width measured from the high water mark along all water frontages for Government for public purposes. When the Crown Lands Act was repealed and replaced by the National Lands Act, this rule was preserved. A related rule was also added which states that a 66 foot wide strip must be left along any leased land outside a city or town and adjoining any stream, river or open water unless otherwise allowed by the responsible Minister. The question is, what kind of activity is allowed in this reservation?

Coon Valley Lions from USA donate to San Pedro Lions
Coon Valley Lions Club from Wisconsin, USA made a generous donation to the San Pedro Lions Club on January 2015. During his latest visit to Ambergris Caye, Coon Valley Lion, Loran Nordgren presented a check of $1,000US to San Pedro Lion, Melanie Paz. This is the second donation that the San Pedro Lions have received from the Coon Valley Lions. In January of 2013 Nordgren presented the San Pedro Lions with a donation of $3,541US. "The first donation was used to provide vision testing and glasses to over 30 school children. We are always grateful for these donations as they go towards the betterment of the community," said Paz. Paz explained that this recent donation will be put towards the purchase of a vision screener that will help better address vision problems within the San Pedro community. "We feel that this visual screener is needed in the community and that's why we will strive to get it. The club will be planning several fundraising events to collect the remainder of the monies needed," said Paz. The screener, which can test people six months and older, is estimated to cost $7,300US, so any donation towards it is highly appreciated.

Editorial: Playing the Blame Game
On Sunday, January 18th island residents were shocked by the news of a vicious murder. 22 year-old Honduran mother of three, Silvia Benitez, who had been reported missing days before, was found three and a half miles north of San Pedro Town in an advanced state of decomposition. Because of the state of her body, a postmortem was conducted on site, and she was buried immediately at the same location. On Thursday, January 22nd The San Pedro Sun printed the story about the murder. In the same issue our editorial begged the question, how on earth could this poor woman, who had died at the hands of a killer, be pitilessly lay to rest at the very site her damaged body was disposed of?

Vessel lodged on the reef near Caye Caulker raises concern
There has been a sailboat lodged on the reef off the coast of Caye Caulker since December 2014 but no one in authority seems to know what is happening. After several requests by residents of Caye Caulker to get the vessel off the reef, Oceana Belize has been asked to intervene. Having the issue addressed is important to environmentalists as well as residents who believe that if the vessel is not removed quickly, it can cause further damages to the reef and eco-system. There are several unanswered questions about the boat since there has been no official report from the Department of Environment or the Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development who are tasked with protecting Belize's eco-system. Neither have there been any word from the Belize Port Authority, who is the regulatory body that deals with investigating accidents at sea.

PlusTV

Be The One Ministries focusing on business ethics
Men's Missions Belize is a program under the "Be the one Ministries" an international organization that teaches discipleship. Men's Missions Belize aims to teach, train, and mentor young men on the topic of business ethics. On Friday the Men's Missions Belize team is in Belmopan and will be hosting a dynamic one on one conference with the young men of Belmopan. Richard Smith, the local coordinator for Men's Mission Belize, told us more about the conference that is to be held at My Refuge Christian Ministries Campus in Roaring Creek Village. Richard Smith "We have 15 Christian men, nine of them are businessmen who own their own businesses, and they are here wanting to do one-on-one with our young men, to train them in business ethics, and what it requires for us to be men of integrity in our dealings.

Search of Ladyville camp yields guns, ammo, and drugs
On Thursday February 5, Police conducted an operation alongside Muscle Creek between Grace Bank, Burrell Boom and Flowers Bank Villages, which led to the discovery of a camp. Present at the time was 33-year-old Evan Lincoln Moody of Ladyville Village. A search of the camp led to the discovery of (1) black .22 bold action rifle, fifteen live rounds, (1) black 16 gauge shotgun with 7 cartridges, a black plastic bag containing 16.2grams of cannabis, and a baking powder container containing 64.7grams of cannabis seeds.

Locals affected by illegal Barton Creek dam
The Barton Creek is a popular tourist destination, and while the rise in water levels near the Barton Creek outpost is not directly affecting tourists, it does affect the locals who live down the river. The locals of 7 miles have used the water from the creek their entire lives, using it for washing, fishing, swimming and doing other recreational activities. Emanuel Pech - Plus News "How familiar are you with that river, and how often do you visit it?" Edwin Neal - Resident of 7 miles "We've been visiting that river all the weekends when we were living in 7 miles. While we were down there living, we fish at night. We paddled on canoes. This time all of that has come to an end, 'cause they're changing everything. Now today, there is a dam that wasn't there. . Emanuel Pech "How long ago did you notice the changes, and how long ago did you notice that the dam had been built?"

Department of Environment continues to investigate illegal dam
In the December of last year, we reported about a dam that was built on the Barton Creek less than a mile downstream from the entrance of the Barton Creek Cave, an archaeological site protected by NICH. The Department of the Environment confirmed that they had not authorized the construction of the dam, and have since launched an investigation to determine the person responsible for the construction of the dam. The Dam sits on a section of the river that runs adjacent to a property leased by one Ian Anderson. But according to Mr Anderson, the dam structure was already there before he leased the property, and he only made minor modifications to the powerhouse. However, according to Karina Tyler, the neighbour of Ian Anderson, that is not the case.

Government must pay more for false imprisonment of three men
Three men, who were accused of murder back in 2010 and remanded for 11 months before being acquitted, successfully sued the Government of Belize for false imprisonment. The men were awarded damages of $25,000 each. Those men, believed associates of the George Street Gang, are Sheldon "Pinky" Tillett, (now deceased), Charles Woodeye (also deceased) and Micah Thompson. The three were accused of the murder of John Paul Saldivar, but police had no concrete evidence and the case was finally thrown out. After the trio won the case against GOB, GOB appealed the case, arguing that they should not have to pay for any damages. At that same appeal hearing, the lawyer for the three men argued that the award monies should in fact be increased from the $25,000 each.

The Reporter

Fire guts house in Belize City
A fire, reportedly started by a lit candle, burned down a two-storey wooden and concrete house in Belize City on Friday night. The blaze at #3 Allenby Street, started at around 6:30 p.m. when one of the two occupants, a 13-year-old, left the house with the candle burning inside, to go to a shop. At the time of the blaze, the other occupant of the house, the girl's mother, was at work. The house and its contents were not insured and pplice say the cost of the damages is still uncertain.

PUP unveils manifesto for CitCo elections
The People's United Party unveiled it's City Council Manifesto on Saturday at the Institute of Technical Vocational and Training (ITVET) compound in Belize City. The manifesto summary entitled, "Change Begins Now" highlights areas where the candidates have pledged to put emphasis, if elected to office. The PUP targeted areas such as job creation, crime-fighting, and tax review. The party pledged to enhance investor confidence and champion a new era of partnership between the council and the private sector, to increase the number of jobs available to Belizeans. They promised to develop an action plan to address the crime situation and conduct a tax review, removing several taxes levied by the current council.

Banker is now chief of Petrobras
Aldemir Bendine, a leading banker, is the new chief executive of Brazil's scandal-hit oil giant, Petrobras. He was not among the names touted for the job and will be seen as a safe choice for President Dilma Rousseff. She is worried about the impact the corruption case is having on both the country's economy and on her government. Speculation ahead of the announcement sent Petrobras shares down 8 percent in Sao Paulo on Friday. Bendine replaces Maria das Gracas Foster, who resigned as Petrobras chief executive on Wednesday, along with five of the company's executives amid the fallout from a major corruption scandal.

Still too early to be making hurricane season predictions says Chief Met. Officer
Chief Meteorological Officer, Dennis Gonguez, said on Saturday that weathers experts are having conflicting opinions over the 2015 hurricane season predictions because the forecast period is too long. Gonguez was referring to the conflicting scenarios presented by Klotzbach and Gray from Colorado State University's Department of Atmospheric Science, which has released some four scenarios which they say could be expected for the season. "It's still a little premature" Gonguez said, "the longer the forecast period, the more uncertainties the forecast will have; you will see those forecasts converge in April or May when they forecast again." The Colorado forecasters' estimate for the hurricane season, opening on June 1, are:180 NTC - 14-17 named storms, 9-11 hurricanes, 4-5 major hurricanes 140 NTC - 12-15 named storms, 7-9 hurricanes, 3-4 major hurricanes 75 NTC - 8-11 named storms, 3-5 hurricanes, 1-2 major hurricanes 40 NTC - 5-7 named storms, 2-3 hurricanes, 0-1 major hurricane

The Belize Times

Santi vs. Mayor Bradley - Mayor spent $40 million in 3 years, says Santi
Mayor Darrel Bradley is slowly realising that even members of his own Party have gotten tired of his immaturity and self-glorified leadership at City Hall. This week Mayor Bradley was clobbered by his political rival in Caribbean Shores, Santino "Santi" Castillo, who said that while the Mayor has some achievements to show for his time at City Hall the reality is that he has had it way too easy. Santi was responding to questions about Bradley's not-so-secret desires to challenge his candidacy in Caribbean Shores. While Santi said he is not afraid of a contest, he also advised Bradley to stay in the municipal race and face the fire as a Mayor who has had his cake and eaten it. "�nobody will question the work he has done. Take into to consideration that he got a 20 million dollar bond and he also got another 20 million dollars from government and as a businessman I can tell you it's very easy to spend money, it's very hard to pay it back," he said as he took a swipe at Mayor Bradley. The spending of this $40 million has not been properly accounted for.

Senior Citizen Slaughtered in Belmopan - Victim was chopped on the head; armed was severed
Belmopan Police continue to investigate the horrific murder of senior citizen, 60 year old Feliciano Richard Norales, a.k.a Mr. Mac, which occurred in the wee hours of Tuesday February 3rd 2015. Norales, who was employed as a security guard at Anchor Security, was on duty at the company's two-storey office located on Entrepreneur Drive, when he was ambushed by his attacker who was armed with a machete. His work supervisor, Mark Munnings, who was also on duty that morning, had left the building around 2a.m. to inspect other sites when the attack occurred. When Munnings returned he found Norales lying in a pool of blood. Police authorities say that Norales suffered chopping injuries to his face and head. One of his arms had been completely chopped off.

UDP Witch Hunt!!!
The United Democratic Party has demonstrated how desperate they have become in the face of growing discontent at their failing governance of the country. Their representatives in the north in particular have recognized that they been sentenced to total political demise after the Prime Minister and UDP Leader Dean Barrow did the most evil and treacherous thing of siding with the rich multi-national company, American Sugar Refinery (ASR), instead of supporting and protecting the hardworking Belizeans cane farmers in ASR's campaign to gain more control of the sugar industry. Facing this gloom, the UDP has decided to distract Belizeans by launching a witch-hunt against dissenters and opponents of their government. This much has become clear after the UDP used the Police Department to charge two PUP representatives in Orange Walk where the political dons wield tremendous influence over Police officials.

GOB leaves stranded sailboat near Barrier Reef
There are mounting concerns and calls for immediate action over a sailboat that has been lodged extremely close to the Barrier Reef since December 31st 2014. The sailboat, according to reports, missed the proper channel and ran aground in shallow water approximately 5 feet in height. It sits on coral rubble, but local marine experts including Oceana Belize's Marine Scientist, Dr. Isani Chan, believe that increased wave action could slowly push the sailboat onto living coral and cause tremendous damage. It is shocking that the Government has not done anything to remove the sailboat before it does more damage to the Barrier Reef. The Barrier Reef is among Belize's most attractive visual marketing point utilised in the tourism industry to attract millions of dollars in revenue for the country annually. The large coral bed forms part of the Meso-American Barrier Reef System, an area that is protected and cherished by other Governments. Globally, it is recognised as the world's largest living Barrier Reef and second-largest Barrier Reef, second only to Australia's. UNESCO has named it a World Heritage Site.

The Magna Carta
Over the past couple of weeks, legal experts from the Caribbean along with a few local pundits have been busy making the media rounds in an effort to stir interest in an age old document called the Magna Carta. Of course, it is obvious that whoever decided to include Belize in this type of exercise would have been quite aware of our current situation. If ever a country needed to be educated on the contents of the Magna Carta, it is Belize. Considered to be the chief building block for many Constitutions including our own, the Magna Carta is an agreement that was signed on June 15th of 1215 by King John who ruled England from 1199 until the time of his death in 1216. This is the same King John who is portrayed as the petty, spiteful and vindictive ruler in the ageless saga of Robin Hood. Again, if ever a modern day ruler fit the profile of that despot it would have to be our very own Dean Oliver Barrow. It is important to understand that King John did not sign the Magna Carta on his own volition but was forced to do so by his Barons. The people of Belize need to mindful of this.

Editorial: A SICKENING SCANDAL
In an effort to dupe the citizens of Belize and specifically the voters of Belize City, the Mayor has put out some accounts of the financial positions of the City Council. The Mayor, it must be remembered is paid as a full time Mayor but is also a businessman and a practicing attorney at law. No amount of public complaints has daunted him in continuing to travel to district courts and spend time in the Belize City courts for his personal bank accounts when he should be at the City Council office doing the work of the City. A work seriously neglected as evidenced by the dirty state of affairs, the lack of drain maintenance, over-grown abandoned yards and broken down streets with craters and potholes. The Mayor, it must also be remembered is a round-faced, bald faced mimic and mini-me of his Prime Minister, although the evidence is increasingly clear that the two cannot get along. Like the Prime Minister, the Mayor is fast and loose with taxpayer's monies. Driven by an outsized ego and ambition the Mayor thought he had hit the jackpot. He borrowed twenty million dollars to cement one hundred streets claiming it was ordained in some semi-secret "master plan" for city tourism.

Ladyville Tech, E.P. Yorke, Gwen Liz, SJC & Wesley boys eye football finals
This weekend the E. P. Yorke boys will take on the Wesley boys, while the Gwen Liz boys will meet SJC and one of the winners of the 2 games will get a bye into the final, while the loser of the bye will meet Ladyville Tech to decide who goes to the finals. That's how the stage is set in the male high school Belize District football competition going on right now. Ladyville Technical High School, Edward P. Yorke High School and Wesley College boys are all hopeful as they each posted big wins in their games last Saturday.

Toledo Scorpions & Moen Stars win volleyball champs
The Toledo Scorpions and Moen Stars won the Belize Volleyball Association's national volleyball championships held at the Belize Elementary auditorium over the weekend. Toledo's Giovanni Arzu, Arnie Agustine, Nuani Cayetano, Elton Moore and Ernroy Caliz hammered the San Pedro squad with plays set by Alwyn Mahung to win 25-9, 25-23. In the 3rd place match, the Jaguars hammered the Belmopan Blingz 25-18, 25-23. Eight male teams had entered the tournament and competed in two groups of four, which each played a round-robin competition, from which the two top teams from each group advanced to the finals The Scorpions also had to go to extra points to win the second set 31-29 over the Dangriga men, after taking the first set 25-18.

BES girls & Holy Cross boys advance to basketball nationals
The Belize Elementary School girls of Belize City and the Holy Cross Anglican School boys of San Pedro will be representing the Belize District at the national primary schools basketball championships at the Birds Isle on Friday, February 6, after both teams won the district championships at Birds Isle on Tuesday, February 3, 2015. The BES girls won the championship finals 10-5 over the Belize City sub-champs, the Holy Redeemer School girls. BES was led by Allyana Musa with 8 points while Holy Redeemer's Wareyni Gillett and Yu Ting Li scored a bucket apiece.

Carla catches cold feet? - UDP still searching for Freetown standard bearer
Dr. Carla Barnett's anomalous political campaign appears to already be dying an expected natural death. Despite Dean Barrow and senior executives of the UDP gathering at the UDP Headquarters, two weeks ago, to introduce Dr. Barnett as their personal choice for candidate in the Freetown Division, an advertisement calling for applications from "persons interested in offering themselves as Standard Bearer for the UDP in the Freetown Constituency" appeared in this week's El Guardian newspaper. The publication suggests that either the UDP is not sure about Barnett's candidacy or Barnett has caught cold feet only two weeks after announcing that she will take on the people's champ in the division, Area Representative, PUP Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca.

Infamous Daniel Cano re-surfaces in million-dollar project - Former S.I.F. CEO had resigned following Dangriga market scandal
The former Chief Executive Officer of the Social Investment Fund, Daniel Cano, who was deeply embroiled in a major corruption scandal that involved alleged extortion and kickbacks and the overall mismanagement of the Dangriga Market project, has found a way to be handling another million dollar Government project. The Dangriga market project scandal which came to light in the September of 2013 left such a bitter taste in the mouths and minds of Belizeans that it has not been forgotten. In May 2012, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Economic Development Santino Castillo joined Cano, who was then SIF's CEO, to break ground for what should have been a new $1.4 million building to house the Dangriga Market. The project should have taken less than a year to complete, but within a few months it ran into problems and came to a standstill.

Fuel prices hit record low, but cost of living still very high
Fuel prices have hit a record low, locally and internationally, following the announcement last year by large oil-producing nations that they will maintain the supply of oil at peak levels. Fuel prices in several parts of the United States are competing at around US$2.00 per gallon, while in Belize the Government which controls the pricing appears to continue the gouging of consumers, charging over BZE$8.00 per gallon for Premium gasoline. In most of the Caribbean region, the drop in fuel prices has been like a blessing to all. Prices of goods, services and utilities have fallen drastically. For example, the Barbados Light & Power's reported last week that as a result of the significant decline in oil prices, electricity rates have dropped by more than 50% over the last six months. The lower cost of energy for businesses across the region has also improved their financial performance.

UDP's Top 50 Ridiculous Moments! - Things have gotten Ridiculous in Belize under the UDP. What is Ridiculous?
Ridiculous is allowing a Guatemalan company to build a base for our military and then have Sedi say we should be thankful for it. Ridiculous is Mayor Darrel Bradley spending most of the day, every day, working as a Lawyer, while the city crumbles. Ridiculous is having UDP Ministers spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to drive 2015-model vehicles from the year 2014 at the expense of taxpayers. Ridiculous is the case of 2,680 rounds of deadly M16 and M4 assault rifles being stolen from the BDF facility, yet the Minister of National Security keeps his mouth shut.

WOMAN IN THE HOUSE - THE GENDER AGENDA
In early December last year I was fortunate to have attended a forum of Women Parliamentarians of the Americas. It was held in San Jose, Costa Rica, and my participation was sponsored by the Fundacion Justicia y Genero based in Costa Rica. It was an excellent though challenging two days of conference, as the proceedings took place entirely in Spanish. It was a pleasure to meet and share experiences with women parliamentarians from various Central and South American countries. I was particularly impressed with the 'diputadas' from Bolivia, one of whom is blind and who is an accomplished and forceful representative of her people. The Bolivian women all spoke highly of their President Evo Morales, who has been untiring in his promotion and encouragement of women in politics. Bolivia boasts close to forty percent women in parliament, and is clearly forging ahead with a gender agenda that is redounding to the benefit of all Bolivians.

Reflections on the Public Square - BARROW: DIVISIVE LEADERSHIP
With a population of some 350,000, Belize is a relatively small country yet it boasts a a uniquely diverse and multicultural society. The Creole, Mestizo, Garifuna and Maya remain the major cultural and ethnic groups but Belize has over the years also warmly welcomed growing communities of Indians, Arabs, Muslims, Mennonite, Asians, Europeans, North Americans, and Africans, to our shores who all now form an integral part of our social fabric. I believe that this diversity, grounded in a spirit of shared respect and understanding, is good for Belize's future socio-economic development. This is the Belize that our Father of the Nation George Price envisioned, nurtured and cultivated in his constant travels across the country. He was a UNITER who understood and appreciated the unique strength and beauty of each ethnic group but recognized that the success and strength of our Nation required us all accepting each other as Belizeans.

PUP Statement on Formal Charging of Dr. Marco Tulio Mendez
It has been confirmed to Party Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca that today, February 3rd, 2015, the Hon. Dr. Marco Tulio Mendez, Area representative for Orange Walk East, has been formally arrested and charged with certain criminal offences. On the basis of this development the Party Leader, in accordance with the power vested in him by the National Executive, has with immediate effect removed Hon. Dr. Marco Tulio Mendez from his position as Chairman of the Northern Caucus and has suspended him indefinitely from all other Party related duties, responsibilities, and activities. As the public will know, Hon. Mendez has already stepped down from his position as the Standard Bearer for our Party in Orange Walk East and the Party has elected a new Standard Bearer in that Area in the person of Mr. Josue Carballo who has from the date of his election assumed full responsibility for the work of our Party in Orange Walk East.

New NTUCB President says Advocacy is Priority
There is renewed hope in the National Trade Union Congress of Belize following the election of a new leader this past weekend. Marvin Mora went unchallenged for the position of President to lead very important umbrella workers' representative group. Mora and a new Executive Council were elected when the NTUCB held their Annual General Meeting in Caye Caulker with sixty seven delegates present. Mora is still a relatively new personality for a majority of Belizeans, but he has been a leader in the union movement for several years. He entered the scene as the President of the Belize Energy Workers Union. Mora also served the last two years as the NTUCB's 1st Vice President and has been a main figure behind the re-organisation of the NTUCB, which has seen the group pick itself off the floor where the former leader, Dylan Reneau, had left it.

Tourism Minister picks fight with Police, after bailing out accused drug offender
Tourism Minister and Belize Rural South area representative Manuel Herredia has picked a fight with San Pedro Police officials, accusing them of abusing the rights of island residents. Herredia made the accusations when he defended his decision to post bail for a San Pedro Resident, whom the island Police charged for alleged drug possession. Herredia himself is under fire for that decision. The accused, identified by the Police as Edwardo Jones, avoided being sent to prison after he was charged on Monday, January 19th, thanks to Herredia's intervention. Jones was detained by the island's Police Officers on Saturday January 17th. They have reported that they saw him standing at the corner of Almond and Tarpon Streets and that he was acting suspiciously. The Police claim that they saw a male person approach Jones, and he handed something over. The Police went to Jones and performed a search which revealed nothing. But according to the authorities, they found a black plastic bag with cannabis in the same area where Jones was standing.

Patrick Jones

PUP presents Manifesto for Municipal Elections in Belize City
This afternoon at the ITVETT compound on Freetown Road in Belize City, the People's United Party, (PUP) is launching its Manifesto for the March 4 Municipal Elections. The Manifesto is titled: Change Begins Now and it lists the plans and objectives that the PUP aim to achieve should they be elected on March 4. Mayoral candidate Yolanda Schakron is quoted as saying that "the United Democratic Party for almost a decade has neglected and disrespected the people who live here." She described the current Belize City Council as "a one-man show with arrogance and confusion."

Two men die in early morning crash in Belmopan
Two people died in a crash involving a motorcycle and a car early this morning in Belmopan. The victims have been identified as 26 year old Leonardo Ramos and 18 year old Rigoberto Cabrera. Reports are that just after 2 o'clock this morning, Ramos and Cabrera were riding on a motorcycle traveling on the Hummingbird Highway between miles 54 and 54 when it collided into a car going in the opposite direction.

Orange Walk man crushed to death in Spanish Lookout
A man from the village of August Pine Ridge, Orange Walk died on Friday morning when he was crushed by some heavy steel plated. Ramon Ku, 38, was on top of a set of steel plates being moved by a forklift, when, according to reports, the steel plates flipped over. The incident happened at Midwest Steel Company, located just off the Center Road in Spanish Lookout around 9:45 am on Friday. Another man who was also on top of the steel plates managed to hold on to the forklift, but Ku could not and he was crushed by the falling plates. Ku died at the scene.

Blogs

Soca Queen Visit to San Pedro Just in Time for Carnival
San Pedro was recently treated to a huge concert, honoring Belizean Artists. Held at the Paradise Theater, the event was a huge success. Headlining the concert was non other than Soca Queen herself Ernestine Carballo. I met up with her at Banana Beach Resort where she enjoyed staying so much she added an extra night's stay. After all, who wouldn't want an extra day to chill out in San Pedro :) Born and Raised in Belize City, the only sister to 8 boys, this young 31 year old lady is no stranger to the stage. Ernestine's first performance was in 1997 with MD'S Dancers from The Young Artist Association (Y.A.A) and in 2003 began performing for KTV which was her "big break". She also performed for Belleview Entertainment.

Saturday Snapshots: Pictures of My Week in Belize
I went from Maya Beach, Placencia back to Ambergris Caye over the past week and took tons of pictures in between. Some published on my blog�some on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram (or all three)� Here are my snapshots (mostly on my IPhone 4s) around Belize. The beautiful beach on the Placencia Peninsula - between the Belize Ocean Club and Maya Beach Hotel & Bistro.

International Sources

From Northern Idaho To Cayo, Belize -- David And Cathy One Year Later
One year ago, David and Cathy Thompkins moved from northern Idaho to Cayo, Belize. How did that happen? I'll let them tell you their story in their own words... Cathy: When David came to me and said, "We are going to be retiring, and I really want to live outside the country," I replied, "Not with me! I don't know who you're going with, but it won't be me." David (with a smile): Yes, Cathy wasn't open to the idea at first. Her only experience outside the United States at that point had been a trip to Paris, a birthday gift from our daughter. I had been living in Europe before Cathy and I got married. I already knew that I wanted to travel. I wanted to see a bunch of different countries. But Cathy said no way. Then life took over. We had our kids, raised them, had careers. After the kids were grown, we had an opportunity to travel to Central America and Mexico.

Belize, Ambergris Caye: l'isola pi� bella del mondo. Offerte low cost
La pi� grande isola del Belize, Ambergris Caye , per il secondo anno consecutivo si � aggiudicata il primo posto tra le migliori isole della classifica di Tripadvisor, ottenendo il massimo dei riconoscimenti, per conciliare la modernit� e tranquillit�. L'isola vanta alcune delle spiagge bianche pi� belle del mondo e si rivela anche il luogo ideale per le immersioni nella barriera corallina e il Blue Hole, un cerchio calcareo profondo 120 metri ricco di fauna marina. Per raggiungere Ambergris Caye ci sono voli giornalieri tra Belize City e San Pedro, l'unica localit� abitata dell'isola . Si consiglia di partire dall'Aeroporto Municipale che collega con l'aeroporto di San Pedro. Il volo impiega circa quindici minuti al costo di circa 30 dollari, laddove dall'altro aeroporto della citt�, il Philip Goldson International Airport il prezzo � di 60 dollari. Dovete stare attenti a verificare la tratta, in quanto molti voli si fermano anche all'atollo caraibico Caye Caulker.

Bahamas to host 1st English Caribbean Men's Softball Championship set
The Bahamas will again host a championship for the English Caribbean Amateur Softball Confederation (ECASC) with the 1st English Caribbean Amateur Softball Confederation Men's Championship to be played in Nassau, March 25-29, 2015. In 2013, the Bahamas hosted the ECASC Women's Championship in Freeport, which was won by Aruba. Seven countries from the region are expected to participate namely, Aruba, Belize, The British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, the Turks & Caicos Islands, and the host Bahamas. The announcement was made by the President of ECASC, Burket Dorsette, who also confirmed the IIIrd General Assembly of ECASC will be held in Nassau during this time.

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