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Specials and Events

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


The San Pedro Sun

Caye Caulker Police report
On Tuesday, December 10th about 8AM, while Caye Caulker Police officers were conducting patrol by the South Point Area of Caye Caulker Village they conducted a search on a male person seen in the area who was later learnt to be Edwardo Lanza, 28 years, for illegal drugs. Upon searching the right front pocket of his pants, police found a black plastic bag containing 27 smaller transparent plastic bags each containing a substance suspected to be cannabis. He was placed under arrest and escorted to the station along with the suspected drugs. At the station, the cannabis was weighed which amounted to 46.8 grams. Edwardo Lanza was formally arrested and charged for the offence of Possession of a Controlled Drugs. Later that day, Caye Caulker Police escorted Lanza to his apartment located on Luciano Reyes Street, Caye Caulker Village where they conducted a search for illegal drugs and firearm. Present at the time was Clara Ack, 20 year. Ack is the common law wife of Lanza.

San Pedro Roman Catholic Rectory and Office burglarized
The Roman Catholic community in San Pedro Town is still trying to figure out who burglarized the church rectory and office. The office and rectory, located on Barrier Reef Drive in downtown San Pedro, was discovered vandalized and ransacked early on the morning of Wednesday December 4th. According to Pablo Kotch, caretaker of the church properties, when he went to the rectory sometime between 7AM and 7:30AM on the given date, he noticed that the one of the glass panels from the window was damaged and removed. A closer inspection revealed that not only was it damaged, but access had been gained to the interior of the building. A further check of the remainder of the property revealed that the office, adjacent to the rectory was also burglarized. The window to the southern section of the building was shattered and removed. In both sections of the property, the intruder or intruders vandalized and ransacked the building. The walls and portraits of the Pope and other Catholic saints were painted with the numbers "666" and the words "satanic." Stolen was a gray Toshiba laptop and a few dollars, proceeds from collections of the office. All across the interior of the property, blood stains, possibly from injuries obtained from the broken glass, were left behind.

Four San Pedro Town Residents receive Red Cross awards
Four residents of Ambergris Caye received awards at a two-day event hosted by the Belize Red Cross at the Youth with a Mission Grounds in Roaring Creek Village, Cayo District. The event saw a delegation of 19 people from Ambergris Caye attending the Belize Red Cross encounter and award ceremony on the 7th and 8th of December. 8On the first day of the events, participants participated in several fun-filled initiatives where volunteers showcased their skills and training acquired as members of the Belize Red Cross. There were also branch competitions in areas such as, First Aid, Disaster Response and Preparedness, HIV/AIDS awareness and the History of the International Red Cross and Belize Red Cross movements. These challenges and activities were both physical and mental, and a healthy representation of both youth volunteers as well as "older" volunteers bridged the gap between the two age groups.

Misc Belizean Sources

FISHING REPORT: Week of November 23 - December 14th, 2013
Happy Thanksgiving, late. Merry Christmas, early! We give "thanks," to our friends who return here to El Pescador. We get so excited when we see your name on our reservations. But it's this continuing relationship with fishing as our common denominator that warms our hearts. Thank you Bill and Kathy and "Happy Trails to You!" Bud and Ruth - great to see you. Thank you Ruth for pool supervision, and Isa looks forward to flirting with you soon as you learn to cast to new distances. Our "Honeymooners," Matt and Kristen. They came here three years ago on their honeymoon, so they are the "Honeymooners," forever. Kristen also received her PADI certification. Dave, Carol, Toni and Scott. Today the sun is shining and it's your last day out on the water before you head home. However, I have a sneaking suspicion we might be seeing you around here sooner than later. I hope so. Rick and Richard had a great father son week. We had several father and son duos these past few weeks and it's been bringing smiles to all of us. One last big "Thank You!" goes to our readers of this fishing report. We are thrilled that you pay attention to our life here at El Pescador and all the beautiful fish and friendships that go with it! Blessings.

Powder Buns, a Belizean Treat
This recipe takes me way back to my childhood in Corozal and all the way back to standard 3. In Belize, schools are often underfunded and forced to come up with all kinds of schemes for staying afloat. My schools' fund raising included electing a class "king" or a class "queen" for every standard. One year I was elected. As "elected" class king/queen a large burden for raising class funds is placed on your back. Often these elections are rigged so that kids whose parents were perceived to be "rich" would get "elected". The idea is being, rich kids', rich parents, would support the class fund raising. My mom was having none of it. She unilaterally decided that if I were to be class king/queen I would raise the funds the old fashioned way: hard work. This is where powder buns come into the picture. My mom and I would bake a batch of powder buns every night and I would sell them at school. Lucky for me powder buns sell themselves. The combination of spicy nutmeg and cinnamon with a sugary sweet finish is irresistible. I would sell them every day at recess for $0.50 BZE. I always sold out.

VIDEO: Mopan flooding
The Mopan River in Bullet Tree Falls village, Cayo is in flood stage right now. The sun came out on Saturday, but the effects of heavy rains late this week continues to manifest itself. The Mopan River in beautiful Bullet Tree Falls village, Cayo is in flood state right now. The flooding is expected to continue into next week.

From a Stress-Filled Office to Relaxing in Belize
I know I made the right decision to move to Belize when I start my day with a warm first light and song birds�instead of a buzzing alarm clock and an icy wind rattling the window. At first light, the dog and I are strolling along Laguna Seca. The village has yet to start its day, so we share the lagoon with the coots, ibis, and flocks of parakeets. As the sun peeks over the horizon it splashes my pre-dawn world with tropical color and a sparkling lagoon. A wonderful "good morning" to another day in paradise. I have always been a morning person but in my previous life as an attorney there was quite a difference. I knew my day would be filled with constant interruptions, nearly impossible deadlines, and ridiculous demands. Although I loved being able to help people, my mind and heart never started the day in the right place. To be greeted by the natural beauty of Belize certainly sets a happier tone for your day.

Blogs

More Caves Branch Cheese please and Premium Wine
On Thursday night there was a Food & Wine Extravaganza at Banyan Bay Club House. Ian Anderson hosted delicious evening of tastings, which will included his famous selection of amazing artisan cheeses, imported wines from Premium wins and spirits and Mystic Mayan natural soaps. Mary and I were talking about the event earlier in the day and we agreed a wine and cheese tasting was a fabulous idea and it would be packed. Of course it was everyone was excited to try Ian Anderson world famous artisan cheeses and I know there were many Premium frequenters in the room. It was great hearing Ian tell the story of how it was when Caves Branch started making their cheese. It took a few tries to get it right as it often does in life. But Ian persevered and came out with the award winning formula. He also persevered when it came to getting to the event, flooding on the mainland made for difficult travel but Ian did not want to disappoint the San Pedro people. I hope the swarming of the cheese table and happy looks on the cheese eaters faces made it all worth while :) As I circled the room talking to people, there are those who were already fans of Ian's Cheese and had come to the event to stock up and then there were those of us (myself included) who had never tried it yet - of course we all loved it. I am not a big wine drinker but I know many were delighted Premium Wines and Spirits was at the event and their table was busy all night long. Mistic Mayan natural soaps of Belize were also popular. Sadly Running W meats could not make it.

Countries sticking together to help Children
The Ministry of Health just reported a successful outcome of the first Belizean baby to benefit from an arrangement with the cardiology paediatric services with the Hospital Cardiologico Infantil Latinamericano in Caracas, Venezuela. Cassidy Martinez was diagnosed when she was three months old with an Atrial Septum and Ventricular Septum Defect in Belize City. Her parents were advised to seek further medical assistance for surgical procedures from a Paediatric Cardiologist, but this is a specialist service not yet available in Belize. Fortunately for young Cassidy and other Belizean children, the Governments of Belize and Venezuela had signed a technical cooperation agreement in August 2010 for the provision of Paediatric Cardiology Services for Belizean children up to 15 years of age with congenital heart disease. So, enter the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Belize and Ambassador Yoel Perez Marcano. Working with Belize's Ministry of Health they jumped in and accepted the request to assist baby Martinez. She underwent a successful surgery on October 10th, 2013 and returned to Belize during the first week of November.

Belizean White Fruit Cake
Fruit Cake. This is the counterpart to the Belizean Black Fruit Cake. This cake is light and moist and the fruits are scattered throughout the cake.

International Sources

Attorney David Rowe marks 30 years at Florida Bar
Jamaican American attorney-at-law David P Rowe celebrated his 30th year at the Florida Bar last Thursday evening with a VIP affair at Miami's Capital Grille Restaurant. Rowe, an attorney in both Florida and Jamaica, was joined by a number of high-profile attorneys from the area, representatives from the United States Government and members of the South Florida media. Rowe's speech also celebrated his father, the Hon Ira Rowe, who served as the President of the Courts of Appeal of both Jamaica and Belize. "I am not the first Jamaican-American to have achieved this milestone, but I am one of the few who have done so," Rowe said. "I am glad to be considered one of the pioneers of trans-Caribbean law - the capability of practising in both the Caribbean and the United States simultaneously."

Destructive lionfish disrupts oceanic ecosystem in gulf waters
The most dangerous creature lurking off the Texas coast doesn't have massive teeth, isn't particularly fast and often can also be found fluttering in home aquariums. In fact, a large one is only about a foot long, but the consequences of the invasive species could have a huge negative impact on a variety of ecosystems. It's the lionfish, and it's the scariest thing imaginable for biologists and fisheries managers, though the threat of the venomous critter has been on the radar for years, its destructive path only increasing in warm-water climates. Much like pythons in the Florida Everglades, these alien invaders have no natural predators in their new environments - except for man - and can't be held in check by any other means than being captured and killed. The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies on the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi campus and the Reef Environmental Education Foundation are at the forefront of the lionfish fight, with their researchers finding a number of startling insights into lionfish behavior. They include: