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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials


The San Pedro Sun

Stress management training held for island officers
25 San Pedro Police officers received training on stress management through the Employee Assistance Program of the Ministry of Public Service. Held at Fido's Courtyard on Wednesday, July 15th, the training was led by Dawn Marin Williams, an intern student from the University of the West Indies (UWI) from Jamaica. The officers were educated on how to manage and cope with stress on a daily basis in order to carry on with their jobs in an effective manner. Present at the seminar were Superintendent Sandra Bowden, Corporal and President of the Police Association Eldon Arzu, and coordinator of the Employee Assistance Program. According to Bowden, the training will prepare the officers to be more disciplined when dealing with their personal lives and their job. "The training came about as part of an entire series that we are doing in regards to the Police Department. The training provides our police officers with information and empowers them when dealing with the different types of stress they face in their everyday lives. They also learn how to deal with their problems in a manner that is professional," said Bowden. It is expected that after the training, the officers will be able to identify any stress factors and find ways on how to manage them.

NEMO recruiting members for National Search and Rescue Team
The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) is recruiting members of the community to join the Nation Search and Rescue Team. With the Hurricane Season upon us, it is vital to develop and properly train a team in case of national emergencies or disaster situations. The team will work hand in hand with other relevant agencies to respond to such situations across Belize and provide valuable assistance in times of need. Everyone is welcomed to apply. All persons will be trained in first aid, emergency response, search and rescue and evacuation techniques. "Search and rescue is very important to save lives. We are looking for trained and untrained persons. Join the NEMO National Search and Rescue team and make a difference in saving lives," said District Emergency Coordinator at NEMO, Jeromey Timrose Augustin Cayetano. Those interested in being part of the National Search and Rescue Team can pick up an application form at your nearest NEMO Office. Forms are to be completed and submitted before Tuesday, July 21st. The NEMO Office in San Pedro is located on Barrier Reef Drive. For more information contact 600-8672 or email [email protected].

Saga Humane Society reports recent activities
On June 30th, the Saga Humane Society, a non-profit and non-governmental organization, selected a new set of board directors. This was a monumental way of finishing the month of June, after a busy month of tireless activities. In their most recent update, Saga detailed how the recent activities have uplifted the performance of the organization, which provides Ambergris Caye with medical care and shelter to its animals. During a general meeting held in June, a new board of directors was appointed. Kevin Smith is the Chairman and COO, Charles Maher is Vice Chairman and CFO, Dr. Donald Tummons is the Director of International Veterinary of Medicine, while Kathy Marin is the Director of Animal Well Being. Gail Neal is the Treasurer and Dawn LoCascio is the Director of Governance/Secretary. Sandie Betz-Eisenberg was named the Director of Humane Education and Ari Trejo is Director of Governmental Affairs and Grant Acquisition. The new board presented the 2014 Annual Report, summarized accomplishments and presented the 2014 financial report as well. The new team began discussing topics like board structure, accountability, increasing volunteer teams through Executive Member Teams and financial transparency under the new leadership. Immediately afterwards, the Chairman delivered the welcome message and pledge: "As your board for the next two years, we have pledged to one another and now to you that we will give you the protocol, procedures, and governance for a sustainable future. As volunteers, directors, and donors change hands, the frame work will remain in place, and the future of Saga will be secure. We will create the torch that will pass. We will build and provide transparency and accountability. We will publish financial documents quarterly, we will involve you in decisions that shape the future since you are our supporters thus, you will be involved," stated the pledge.

Misc Belizean Sourcesmzz

INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING PLAN
Workshop Date: July 23rd, 2015 9am to 12pm . OBJECTIVES: To improve your knowledge of the market planning process. To give you a set of tools which will help you design, implement and track your marketing plan. To give you a better understanding of marketing communications and how to use it in supporting your marketing plan. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN How to write an actionable targeted marketing plan How to develop your expenses and sales budgets. How to develop your Marketing strategy and Marketing mix. COST: $30.00 LOCATION: BELTRAIDE OFFICE, Orchid Garden Street, Belmopan Includes a light snack and refreshment.

Job Opportunity @ Santander!
Join the Santander Team! Santander is seeking 100 Industrial Welders during the final construction phases of the sugar mill now through December 2015. Please call 671-3780 or e-mail us at: [email protected]

Cayo Art Collection 2015
The Cayo Art Collection exhibit opens next Friday, at 6:00pm, at the SISE House of Culture. See art from a wide range of Cayo artists.

BELIZE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Bet you're wondering which films are going to win. Well we'll all find out on Sunday, July 19th at the Closing Awards Show and Banquet at the Belize Ocean Club in Maya Beach Placencia. Join us for dinner between 5:30 and 7 p.m. followed by our closing awards ceremony featuring some of the HOTTEST Belizean music artists: Get ready for live performances by TR SHINE, CANTINENTAL CAT, NELLO PLAYER and ERNESTINE CARBALLO. That's this Sunday, July 19th, starting at 7 pm and airing LIVE ON CHANNEL 5. Hosted by the ever dapper William Neal! And in case you're wondering what kind of dinner will be served: Well check out this special Belize Ocean Club menu: whole roasted pig with guava chipolte sauce, pibil whole fish baked in banana leaf, carnival vegetable paella, roasted vegetables with linguine marinara, sweet and sour BBQ chicken cuts, chorizo sausage with jack daniels pineapples bbq sauce, roasted potatos, sting bean casserole and baby carrots, 3 bean salad, greek saad, cesar salad, black forest passion cake, pina colada cake, pearl fruit kebabs with choclate fountain. VERY LIMITED TICKETS available! Contact the front desk to find out.

The Reporter

Punta Negra residents seek assistance for erosion problem
Residents of Punta Negra, a small coastal community in the Toledo district, are seeking government's assistance to address what they deem to be an urgent erosion problem affecting their community and threatening their livelihoods. Ray Jacobs, a Punta Negra village councilor, explained that the erosion of the shores along their village has been a consistent problem but has really intensified over the last five years. According to Jacobs, the erosion has impacted over 10 miles of coast line, reducing the beach by up to 60 feet in some areas. A quick tour of the village, which is accessible only by boat as their are no roads that lead in or out of the community, makes obvious just how much the erosion has impacted the area. Coconut trees with exposed roots lay dead in shallow sea waters, where beach sand once occupied, for miles. Other trees hang on, but just barely, soon to be consumed and reclaimed by the ocean. Jacobs said the Council is looking at its options but believes the best way to address the problem is by lining the coast with large boulders and rocks to form a sea-wall and break the waves. He said this method has been used in many parts of the country, including Punta Gorda (PG) just a few miles away. The only problem for the community is that, since there are no roads leading in, a barge would be necessary to transport the boulders but the Council doesn't have the funding to undertake the task being just a small fishing community.

Domestic conflict ends in death!
A domestic conflict in Lords Bank has ended in death. Sketchy details are that the incident happened early this morning and that the victim was stabbes to death. We will have more information as it becomes available.

Coast Guard who shot colleague kills boyfriend
The female Coast Guard, who made headlines months ago for shooting a male colleague, stabbed her boyfriend to death on Saturday afternoon in Lord's Bank village during a domestic dispute, which was witnessed by several persons. Ladyville OC Inspector Frederick Gordon confirmed that 24-year-old Coast Guard officer Lt. Keyren Tzib was detained by police for the incident. According to Gordon, at around 2:00 p.m. Tzib and her boyfriend Travis Blancaneaux were embroiled in a domestic dispute when things took a turn for the worst. The landlord and another person was at the property at the time the argument started and according to Gordon, the stabbing happened in the yard. Gordon said their investigations have so far revealed that Blancaneaux attacked Tzib with a stick and was hitting her while she made several pleas for him to stop. This is when Tzib drew for a knife, Gordon said, and stabbed him to the shoulder and the abdomen. Blancaneaux was dead by the time police arrived on the scene. Tzib was taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) to be treated for her injuries and has refused to give a statement, Gordon said.

KHMH on go-slow, workers agitate for raise
The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) remains on a go-slow after workers announced that starting Friday certain services would be cut back indefinitely as workers demonstrate to receive the same kind of salary increase given to public officers over the last two years. Since the KHMH is a statutory body and the workers are not collectively unionized the workers do not qualify as part of the Collective Bargain Agreement (CBA) agreed upon by the Government, the Public Service Union (PSU), the Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU) and the Association of Public Service Senior Managers (APSSM) in 2013. The workers, however, believe they are entitled to the same kind of consideration being the operators of the nation's only referral hospital. KHMH Board of Governors Chair Chandra Cansino reportedly made an appeal to Cabinet last week but government responded that the workers would need to form a union and a bargaining unit to negotiate a CBA. Since Friday the clinics have been closed and no elective surgeries are being performed except for urgent and emergency cases. Emergency care remains uninterrupted and the day to day running of the wards continue as well.

Breaking Belize NewsPJ

Police hold Coast Guard officer for questioning over boyfriend's stabbing death
Lord's Bank, Belize - Coast Guard officer Keyren Tzib, 27, is tonight in police custody in Ladyville as she is questioned over the death of common-law partner Thytis Blancaneaux, 30, who received a single stab wound to the chest. However, an eyewitness to the incident this afternoon has told BMG that [�]

Coast Guard Keyren Tzib detained pending investigation
Keyren Tzib, a coast guard who is currently out on bail accused of attempted murder is now being held for questioning by Ladyville Police in connection with another murder. This is a developing story and we will be updating it as more information becomes available.

Former PUP national campaign manager declines return to post
Former national campaign manager for the People's United Party (PUP), Eamon Courtenay, has nixed suggestions of a return to the post. Earlier this week Godfrey Smith exited the post by agreement with party leader Francis Fonseca while staying on as a personal advisor. Fonseca's allies sought Courtenay, whose experience would [�]

Nestor Mendez takes up post as OAS Asst. Sec. Gen.
Belizean diplomat Nestor Mendez is now the second-highest ranking man in the Organization of American States (OAS), accepting the post of Assistant to Secretary General Luis Almagro of Uruguay in special session in Washington on Friday after being elected four months ago. Mendez, until recently Belize's Permanent Representative to the OAS and [�]

Minister of State accused of manipulating Petrocaribe-financed road construction
First-term area representative for Corozal North and Minister of State in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture, Hon. Hugo Patt, has been accused of manipulating the pavement of a quarter mile of road in the village of Patchakan that runs past the football field and water board office, but [�]

Weekend weather will be fair
The National Meteorological service of Belize predicts mostly fair weather throughout the remainder of the weekend. Over the next 24 hours there will be plenty of sun; skies will be partly cloudy on Saturday night. Showers or thunderstorms will be isolated. Winds are coming from the east at 10 to [�]

Blogs

Sunrise Hermit Crab Crowd Spawning On North Ambergris Caye
There has been some pictures and speculation over the last few years about a strange phenomenon on Ambergris Caye. Once a year (for a few days) hermit crabs emerge from jungle and�have a giant get-together. If you are looking for an official "Migration Month" on the caye - July is definitely it. Over the past week, we've seen the butterfly migration. Cloudless sulphur butterflies and a handful of orange and yellow ones heading south for�who knows what. Watch the beautiful video here. And now the crabs�last night was the first of their mating dance/social gathering and just a strip of beach at the south end of Rojo Beach Bar.

Maya Concepts Part 2
Many people have asked throughout time and everywhere in the Maya world about the role of women in ancient Maya societies. As in all societies, certainly, women were important. The played some vital roles which helped ancient Maya societies thrive. For example: They were rulers, as in the case of Lady 6 Sky of Naranjo. They were certainly important for political alliances, such as the one with Calakmul and Caracol through Lady Batz Ek. There have been some representation on art panels of women ball ams players in the Tabasco and Campeche, Mexico areas. They served in many cases as ritual conductors, especially fertility rituals There is no secret that Maya women were some of the best weavers in the world There is also no secret that Maya women were some of the best potters in the world

A Caribbean Jerk Marinated Chicken RECIPE FOR YOU
Ingredients Serves: 6 3 tablespoons McCormick® Perfect Pinch® Caribbean Jerk Seasoning 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 2 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken parts Directions Mix Seasoning, oil, soy sauce and vinegar in small bowl. Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag or glass dish. Add marinade; turn to coat well. Refrigerate 30 minutes or longer for extra flavor. Remove chicken from marinade. Discard any remaining marinade. Grill over medium heat with lid closed 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally.

International Sourcesizz

Opportunites Abound for Laguna Blanca School Expedition to Belize, Guatemala
Belize and Guatemala are small countries with big histories. The Maya monuments of Tikal in Guatemala are perhaps the most visible piece of the region's past, but the famed stone relics are turning to dust at an alarming rate. While many visitors may be too overwhelmed by the grandeur of the views to see it, the temples, which were once protected by the canopy of jungle vegetation, are now exposed to the elements so that one can pluck at a wall and take out a chunk that becomes powder when clenched tightly in the fist. Laguna Blanca School teachers Arturo Flores and Blake Dorfman were able to meet with archaeologist Rudy Larios, who resides near the monuments, thanks to their guide for the week, Anabel Ford Ph.D., director of UC Santa Barbara's MesoAmerican Research Center. Larios has seen facades crumble to nothing in a matter of decades, giving a real sense of urgency to the more conservationist "archaeology under the canopy" that Ford is practicing at the site of El Pilar across the border in Belize. In this sense, the educational opportunities grow even larger for the group of Laguna Blanca students who will have the opportunity to travel to the area next summer.

Cuba, Invited to International Maya Culture Festival in Yucatan, Mex
Cuba is the guest country to the International Festival of Maya Culture (FICMaya) 2015 to be held in various locations in the Mexican state of Yucatan from October 16 to 25, it was announced here this weekend. This fourth edition also has Quintana Roo, Yucatan adjoining, as guest state. The governor of the host state, Rolando Zapata, said the FICMaya is already an important global meeting for visitors from around the world learn more about the original culture of the Mayab. According to experts, the Mayab was the territory chosen for the development of the Maya civilization which at this moment includes part of Guatemala, western Honduras and Belize, and the states of Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche and Chiapas and Tabasco, in Mexico. Zapata emphasized that the meeting will also be an ideal space for dialogue, debate, exchange ideas and reflections over this ancient culture,which is still alive, contemporary and in force. There will be coloquiums, round tables and academic panels where various issues will be discussed among specialists from countries such as Mexico, Cuba, United States, Slovenia, Argentina, Australia, Russia and Holland.

Caribbean real estate hot spot
CARIBBEAN real estate is hot property again. That's according to new information released by 7th Heaven Properties, which called itself "one of the world's leading independent Caribbean property specialists, representing...real estate for sale from across the entire Caribbean and Central America". The company is based in London. "Demand for Caribbean real estate has doubled during the first six months of 2015 compared to the same period last year," the company said last week. "Analysis of enquiries received via the 7th Heaven Properties website and the company's magazine The Caribbean Property Investor indicates that interest in residential and commercial real estate in the Caribbean has increased dramatically across all price brackets," it added.

Videos

  • Mystic River Belize 2015, 3min.

  • Rad Summer Trip 2015, 3min. Amazing summer trip with the family. First to Chicago then a long train ride down to New Orleans. The next day we were off on Carnival Dream boat for a week, stopping at Island Roatan, Honduras, Belize, and Cozumel. We ventured out into the humid jungle to zip line in the rain, snorkel, visit ancient ruins, and many more exotic adventures. As if this wasn't enough, after the cruise we spent a few days exploring the historic New Orleans, eating our way through the city.

  • The Will for Belize, 4min. Drone footage of the up coming documentary I'm shooting over a year.

  • Sunrise in Dangriga, Belize, 11min.

  • Belize 2015, 7min.

  • Dolphin cruise Belize, 2min. Dolphin cruise with the Belize Portugal Albufeira 12-07-2015