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Specials and Events

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


The San Pedro Sun

Tropic Air Launches Codeshare to Tegucigalpa
Effective, February 17, 2015, Tropic Air has entered into a partnership with CM Airlines of Honduras to offer same day travel between Belize City and Tegucigalpa, Honduras via both airlines' flights to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. This service will eliminate costly overnights when travelling between Belize City and Tegucigalpa, and will serve to stimulate tourism and trade between the two countries. "Today, in partnership with CM Airlines, we are pleased to add Tegucigalpa, Honduras to our route network" says John Greif III, President of Tropic Air. "Our passengers have been asking for this service for some time, and today we are pleased to make it happen".

Wolfe's Woofer: Why Marriages Break Up
"Hey! Dennis! What are you doing here?" I was at the big market in Chetumal, Mexico, right across the border from Belize. I turned around to find that it was my old friend Mike calling me. "Hey, Mike. I'm killing time until it's time to catch the boat back to San Pedro. What about you?" "My wife dragged me out to do some shopping. I think I've been through every stall in this market." "Where is your wife?" "We got separated about an hour ago. She was looking at some curtains and she probably hasn't even noticed that I'm not there." "How are you going to find her?"

Letter to the Editor: Harrison Longsworth
In your last week's publication, I read with, great annoyance, the letter to the editor that alleged that the writer had conducted a survey at his place of business which yielded certain conclusions. I have no problem with any legitimate findings, whatever they may happen to be. Fact is fact. However, I have always held that those who would sign voluntary submissions as "concerned citizen" or "name with-held by request" or any other shield for anonymity are either cowards or liars or both. When someone does not accept ownership of a statement by signing his name to it, the credibility of the statement is immediately suspect.

Doctor Love
Dear Doctor Love My husband is a jealous guy. I know he loves me and I love him but this is really getting to me now. My husband does not work regular. He gets little jobs to make money but he usually spends it at the bar. I have a very good job and I pay the bills. At my job there are people that I have to work very close with. Most of them are women but one is a guy. He is a happily married, attractive man. All of the women like him but only as a friend, not in a physical way. My husband hates him because he is convinced that I am cheating with him. Everyone else knows it is not true but my husband will not give it up. He has talked about it with my family, his family and everyone we know.

Misc Belizean Sourcesmzz

Benque Market Lonely on Valentine's Day
Saturdays are considered the most important market days in the country. However, this is how the Benque Market looked on Saturday February 14th. According to a release from the European Union "The Benque Viejo del Carmen Market is now a developed 6000 square foot plaza which facilitates permanent stalls; paved parking spaces, an upgraded recreational area which features a gazebo and beautification through added green spaces. All the stalls facing the new plaza and green areas are connected with covered walkways." According to residents, many vendors are either on bicycles or on foot going house to house to sell their goods. These goods are not limited to local goods as some are contraband goods and some from their farms in the area. Benque shoppers also have a culture of going to the district market in Cayo or to Melchor De Menchos, Guatemala which is closer and cheaper.

BRAD PATTICO: IN CELEBRATION OF BELIZEAN CREOLE FOLKLORE!
The last standing Belizean Creole folk artist, musical ambassador, and Grio, Brad Pattico posed here with yours truly Bilal Morris in 2011 in Los Angeles. Pattico is the only formidable Belizean musical folk artist that has a complete musical package of Belizean folk music ready for the live international stage.

REMEMBERING GEORGE GABB: BELIZEAN ARTIST EXTRAORDINAIRE!
Yours truly Bilal Morris posed alongside, The Sleeping Giant, Belize most celebrated artistic masterpiece to date at the National Institute of Culture & History (NICH) in 2010.

YAYA MARIN COLEMAN: A BELIZEAN ACTIVIST FOR A CAUSE!
Yours truly meeting of Yaya Marin Coleman for the first time in December of 2013 to cover the first attempted visited by Minister Louis Farrakhan to Belize was an rewarding experience that will be remembered here at Belizean Legends. This dynamic Belizean woman of courage needs no accolades to represent her since she is all the accolades in itself. Straight up and outspoken, Yaya was clear to me as a Belizean who was downright serious about the causes she struggled for. While penning an article at the Amandala Press on UNIBAM versus the churches, Yaya came straight to me that day and introduced herself with one of the most powerful personalities that would be ever be seen in present day Belizean society. She was to the point and made an urgent invitation for me to attend the CABO meeting in Honduras that was unfolding in a few days. Though my trip was too short, and it was a must to refuse the invitation, since the work at Amandala was priority, the offer could hardly be refused though my instincts succumbed.

AZIATIC & ELJAI: BELIZEAN LEGENDS IN MUSIC!
Seeing Aziatic perform live at Pupa Curly's Sea Breeze Festival a few years ago at the Los Angeles Sports Arena was a show of epic performance that will go down as quality and outstanding performance for us here at Belizean Legends. The captivating artist's stage show and musicians were just one of the best in Belize's Punta Rock genre, and if duplicated on the world stage again will blow away any Caribbean, R&B and African artists for that matter. We hope to see more of this Punta Rock icon in Belizean music take the stage more in concert hopefully at the Belize City Council BTL Park Concert shows in Belize City soon.

CTV3

COLA Call on Mendez To Face The Media
And while COLA President Giovanni Brackett spoke with the media this morning following the hearing of the case against Elvin Penner, he took the opportunity to share the organizations sentiment on the charges against Orange Walk East Area Representative Doctor Marco Tulio Mendez who has been charged with six counts of aggravated assault against two minors. According to Bracket, COLA has issued a press release on the matter and asks that Doctor Mendez give a statement on the accusations that have been levied against him. "Unlike other cases where COLA has been leaked documents for us to see the nature of the statements against individuals or the scenario, this has been quite different. We have not seen any statements. And what makes it a bit peculiar is that it involves minors. And as you would know in the media that we are commanded to be very sensitive under the different laws and we have to be very careful not to put children's identities out there. But we want to make it very clear that COLA by no means has any tolerance for any act against children, and we'll go even further, we not only find this allegation serious and disheartening..."

Contraband Cigarettes Confiscated In Mexico, Product Believed To Be From The CCFZ
Tonight a two ton container truck loaded with what is believed to be cigarettes exported from the Commercial Free Zone is impounded by the Procuraduria General de la Republica in Mexico. According to a Mexican Newspaper in Mexico, around midnight yesterday, officials from the PGR were on a routine check point where the truck driver was asked to open the doors of his containers. When he did officials noticed the large amount of cigarettes being transported.

Road Works In Corozal 70% Complete
With 285 days into the road project launched by Prime Minister of Belize Hon. Dean Barrow in June of 2014, the Corozal infrastructure project is approximately 70% complete. Today as our news team paid a visit to the work site in Corozal Town, over 80 workers employed by Imer Hernandez were busy as they aim to complete the work by the end of July. According to a ground supervisor, the weather has been holding up favourably and if it remains that way the project should see much more improvement in the near future.

Case Of COLA Versus Penner Goes Back To Court, Penner Is A No Show
Earlier this week we reported on a rare Inferior Court Appeal to be heard today Friday by Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin. That appeal is being brought by Geovannie Brackett, president of Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA) and advisor Nedal 'Jihad' McLaren, against Cayo Northeast area representative and former Minister of State for Immigration and Nationality Elvin Penner. This goes back to the case against Penner in the Kim Won Hong Passport scandal that was dropped in court in June of last year. COLA representatives and their attorneys appeared before the court today but the matter was not heard. COLA attorney Kareem Musa explains. "The appeal before the Honorable Chief Justice from the court's decision of the learned magistrate Ms. Aretha Ford - today was the first hearing of that appeal. As you know this matter concluded at the magistrate's court level in last year and in August of last year, we had filed our notice of appeal. We filed a ground s of appeal and we are now in a position to proceed with that appeal. We have filed our skeleton arguments as well. This morning we were notified that Mr. Penner had a change of an attorney. As you would recall at the magistrate's courts level he was represented by Mr. Ellis Arnold. This morning, we were notified that Ms. Trecia Pitts Anderson would be going on record and in that regard she requested an adjournment, because she was only retained I believe Wednesday of this week, so she will be needing a little time to prepare her arguments for a full hearing."

The Reporter

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner may face Argentina bomb probe
An Argentine prosecutor has asked a federal judge to investigate President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner over allegations she helped cover up Iranian links to a deadly 1994 bombing. Prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita inherited the case from Alberto Nisman, who was found dead in mysterious circumstances. The president denies the allegations, with the government calling the probe an "anti-democratic attack". The attack on a Jewish centre killed 85 people. Iran denies being involved. The latest prosecutor's move means the judge will have to decide whether to authorise new investigations to prove the president's alleged involvement. If the prosecutor and the judge agree that there are enough elements to prove Ms Fernandez committed a crime, she could face prosecution and be charged.

Man and minor shot in Belize City Sunday night
Two people, a man and a minor were shot on Sunday night in Belize City. The two, Charles Guy, 56, and a 9-year-old boy were shot to their right legs while making a purchase at a grocery shop on Faber's Road. Reports are that the shooter rode by sometime around 7 p.m. and unleashed a volley of shots into a small group who were at the shop before riding off on Sanker Street. Police, who recovered about a dozen expended shells from the scene, have no suspects.

Hattieville man shot dead in Ladyville
Denver Jones, 29, a villager of Hattieville village was shot dead shortly after 9 p.m. on Saturday night in Ladyville Village. The incident happened on Marage Road with its junction with a road lwading to an area called Lake Gardens. Jones was shot once to his left cheek and died at the scene. Ladyville police have detained three persons in connection with the murder.

Patrick JonesPJ

Two people injured in Sunday night shooting incident in Belize City
A man and a minor were victims of a shooting incident in Belize City on Sunday night. The victims, a 9 year old boy and 56 year old Charles Guy, both sustained non-life-threatening injuries to their right leg when a man fired several shots in their direction as the two of them were buying at a grocery store on Fabers Road. Police responded to reports of the shooting incident around 7 pm on Sunday and when they visited the emergency ward at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, they found Guy and the minor undergoing treatment. Initial information received say that close to a dozen expended shells were recovered from the scene of the crime.

Senior Citizens attend social event in Orange Walk town
The La Inmaculada Youth Group today hosted a social event for 12 golden citizens from Orange Walk Town. The afternoon was spent by playing games, youths reciting poems and showcasing their talents in short skits. A care package was given to each person which were contributions from the community. The group meets for planning every Sunday at the auditorium.

Hattieville man murdered in Ladyville
A man was shot and killed last night in Ladyville village, Belize district. The victim has been identified as 29 year old Denver Owin Jones, a resident of Hattieville village. Police say that around 9:30 pm on Saturday they visited a road which connects Marage Road with Lake Gardens where they found Jones on the ground with a single gunshot wound to his left cheek.

Blogs

It's Carnaval time in San Pedro, Belize
Carnaval 2015 begins in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, Belize. On Sunday, Front Street, the beach and Central Park were given over to paint wars by kids. They descended on the park with bottles filled with washable paints (hopefully) and even some raw eggs. Often banding together in teams, they waged battles on other groups, gleefully smearing each other from head to toe. They get to do it again after school tomorrow and Tuesday, starting at 3 p.m. The adults get to join in too. A big part of the celebration is Carnaval Comparsa, the marching of adult groups in themed costumes. They can be political, social, cultural - and as often as not, that very attractive woman marching by you is a guy. Some, like Felix, head of the local HIV Commission (in a photo in this blog) do an amazing transformation. The groups march and dance every night and compete for prizes.

Belize Pollution Problems
Pollution is the leading cause of death in low- and middle-income countries, according to a report from the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP), an organization whose members include the World Bank, Columbia University's Earth Institute, and various United Nations' bodies and national governments. In 2012, pollution - in the form of contaminated soil, water, and both indoor and outdoor air - was responsible for 8.4 million deaths in developing countries. That's almost three times more deaths than those caused by malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis combined. And the Ebola outbreak that had American legislators shaking in their suits, while ignoring more pressing national issues? Last year, fewer than 8,000 individuals died from the Ebola virus. Belize has managed to preserve its natural environment more effectively than any of its neighbors in Latin America and the Caribbean. Nevertheless, the country still faces its own environmental pollution challenges, most of which are consequences of development projects and a growing population. There are currently seven major environmental issues, related in one way or another to pollution that impact Belize's natural resources. While these issues are by no means exhaustive, they represent the most pressing matters. High deforestation rates, improper solid-waste management, polluted water, rapid coastal development, increasing poverty, weak institutional and legal frameworks, and the recent discovery of sweet crude oil all pose significant threats to Belize's ecosystems.

Gorgeous Weather, Good Eats and Cute Spots in San Pedro
This week's weather in San Pedro has been absolute perfection. Cool in the morning and evening and warm sun all day. A bit breezy the last day or two but now I'm just getting nit-picky. It was a week of political rallying - elections in San Pedro are coming up QUICK - March 4th�and kids gawking at them over the school fence. Okay�on to the good eats. Wednesday, for lunch, I had an extremely tasty burger at Blue Water Grill. Green apple, thick thick bacon and lots of blue cheese. Yum.

12 of the Best Restaurants in San Ignacio, Belize
While Belize is well known for its scenery, its outstanding cuisine often goes unnoticed. San Ignacio in particular has a restaurant scene that rivals cities many times its size. Here are a dozen establishments worth visiting. Cahal Pech Village Resort Restaurant, Ko-Ox Ha-Nah Restaurant, Erva's, Mr Greedy's, Fuego Bar & Grill, D Catch Sea Food Bistro, Pops Restaurant, Mincho's, Cenaidas Belizean Food, Maxim's Restaurant, Hode's Place, Rolson's Cocina Cantina.

International Sourcesizz

BELIZE ON DRUG TRAFFICKING - ANALYSIS
Currently, Belize is struggling with an onslaught of drug trafficking, a common theme experienced by many Latin American countries, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. You can now add Belize to the list that is now caught up in the "War on Drugs." Geographically, Belize shares a northern border with Mexico, a western one with Guatemala, and access to the Gulf and several Caribbean countries. Its physical location and the increasing violence in Mexico and Guatemala make Belize an ideal transshipment point to the U.S. market. To counter the drug trafficking threat, Belize has followed the U.S.'s policy by adopting a hardline approach and cracking-down on drugs. Belize has looked to its allies- the U.S., Canada and the U.K. - to help strengthen its military, called the Belize Defense Force, and the country's police force. The question is whether this militaristic approach is the best option for tiny Belize because the same approach has arguably failed in Mexico and Guatemala. After laying out the facts, Belize may want to look at other options, like marijuana legalization and investing in new social programs, to combat the drug problem into which it has fallen.

Why Caribbean Business Needs Reform
Doing Business 2015: Going Beyond Efficiency is the 12th in the series of long-standing co-publications of the World Bank and International Financial Corporation which ranks the global competitiveness of nations annually. In this publication, 189 economies were assessed over the period 2013 to 2014. 32 of these economies are within the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. LAC and South Asia "remain the two regions with the smallest share of economies implementing regulatory reforms as captured by Doing Business". 13 of these economies are recorded as Caribbean States. Like "Doing Business in the Caribbean: CARIFORUM needs Reform", this article includes 3 additional states taken from Latin America which are members of CARIFORUM: namely Belize, Guyana, and Suriname. The current and previous rankings of these 16 economies are shown in the table below.

Videos

  • Green Iguana Conservation Project at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel, Belize, 4min. Green Globe Travel was impressed when they visited the Green Iguana Conservation Project. They put together a cool little video of the experience, and you'll see how the veterinarians clean the iguanas. "We met up with our guide, Humberto Requena, for a tour of the facility at Belize's San Ignacio Resort Hotel. The Project was co-founded back in 1996 by Mariam Roberson and Daniel Velasquez as a way to protect the species, which was suffering a population loss due to overhunting." min.
  • Snorkeling with Sharks, Rays, Eels and Fish, Belize 2014, 5min. You saw the scuba diving video of the Blue Hole, now you can see the Snorkeling video of Shark Ray Alley. Margie, Phil, Jody and Paul go snorkeling off of San Pedro Belize in November encountering sharks, rays and eels. :) Shark Ray Alley is now a underwater wildlife preserve. It was used for centuries by local fisherman to clean their catch of the day in the shallow reef waters. Marine life still looks for free handouts (not snorkelers).
  • Naked And Afraid | S02E04 | "Mayan Misery" | Belize, 43min. Summary: Two survivalists are challenged to survive in a flooded jungle of Belize. The man and woman must face a labyrinth of Mayan caves filled with poisonous snakes and rabid bats. Can they conquer their fears and emerge from the darkness?
  • Ambergris Caye, Belize 2014 HD, 7min. Vacation in Ambergris Caye during June of 2014. Snorkeling footage taken from the Hol Chan Marine Preserve, Shark Ray Alley and other areas off the coast of Belize. Additional footage taken at Xunantunich ancient Mayan site, El Gato Catamaran, cave tubing, and zip lining. All video shot with a GoPro Hero3+
  • Esmeralda Canyons - Belize - 2/6/2015, 17min.
  • Be The One Belize Men's Mission Trip; Transformation 2015, 5min.
  • Day 4 Belize Norwegian, 5min. This video is about Day 4 of our cruise. we were in Belize that day and had a great time shopping. and i believe that was new Years day.