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The July 22nd, 2012 issue of The STAR (Cayo) is online HERE

This Week's Stories:

• Lowe Blow Injures Vasquez
• Pandy And Trapp Get Five Years
• American Woman, Susan Jean Harrsen, Found Dead
• Sugar City Hosts Fiestarama Business Expo And Fair 2012!
• Cayo Becoming Belize's Hollywood
• BWCN Jaguar Rescue
• Manhunt By Foot, Motorcycle, Vehicle And Plane
• Paulino Gets Nine Months
• Belize Represented At CCT Meeting In Nicaragua
• Why Does Belize Have To Do like Others?
• Decriminalizating Marijuana
• Cayo Archaeological Sites To Benefit From Sustainable Tourism Program (STP)Investment
• Human Rights Watch attacks 'abuse of power' in Venezuela
• Rural Chinese get online as mobile overtakes desktop
• STAR Humor
• Editorial: Anything else is just a waste of precious time
• Your Weekly Horoscope and Lucky Numbers
• Letters to the Editor
• Public Notices

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

Repair it and they will come�
A big THANK YOU to San Pedro Town Council for the road work being done on south Ambergris Caye. Repair work in the form of hard core has been done in the last two weeks to finally make the road 100% more passable. By no means is it a smooth journey, however, it doesn't take water wings to navigate the road to just past the 5.25 mile point. I understand that the work will continue to the end of the island very quickly. I write this thank you with the understanding that by doing the repairs it is a boon to the island. The day the work was completed to the Marco Gonzalez Maya Site entrance, we had some of our first visitors (even in a light rain) in a very long time. You simply couldn't get to the Site entrance due to the amount of rain water covering the roadway. From about Mile 2.5 to the end, only the construction and sand trucks could "safely" drive down the watery road. Now we're open for business again. By doing the repairs, the realtors can show property, construction supplies can be bought, workers can go to their jobs, everyone can get paid which equates to paying rent, buying food, paying bills, etc. It's also safer for the locals to drive down for fishing and recreation. THANK YOU AGAIN, SPTC. It is a wise investment you've decided to make.

Editorial: How LOW Can You Go?
For the last 37 years the San Pedro International Lions Club has held steady to its motto, "We Serve". It is impossible to list everything the Club has done for the community and residents of San Pedro over last three-plus decades, but they are the first ones who come to mind when we are in a time of need. Be it helping individuals and families with unexpected medical expenses, fundraising for victims of fire and misfortune, providing the community with the beachside Mosquito Coast Park or hosting free monthly eye exam clinics, the San Pedro Lions tirelessly comes to the aid of our community. They have even worked to raise funds to help those who have suffered disasters globally and I recall they collected over $5000 for the victims of the Haiti Earthquake in 2010. Leading by example, our San Pedro Lions Club is the most recognized and accomplished Club in Belize. So how is it that a Club that is dedicated to serving the community can fall prey to thieves and vandals? Over the years there have been countless break-ins at their Den located on Barrier Reef Drive and often the place is ransacked and damaged while the thieves help themselves to the few things that belong to the Club. Even their "tail twister" bronze lion fine bank used to collect fines imposed by the club's tail twister was stolen a couple years ago while the Den was open for a meeting. The San Pedro tail twister fine bank had been with the Club from its beginning in 1975 and the symbolic and historic icon was never recovered, despite an appeal to the community. This week was no exception, when thieves broke into the Den and made off with booze from the Lions Bar and a new flat screen TV. Property was damaged and the vandalism will set the charitable club back more than $2,500.

Letter to the Editor: Dog Poisonings
To the Honorable Danny Guerrero and esteemed members of the San Pedro Town Board, I am writing to you as a visitor to your wonderful island, a friend to many of your constituents, and also as a dog owner. I do not expect to receive a response to my email but I would like to express my dear hopes that you reexamine the current process of eradication of stray dogs and animals on the island. Reading via the online news publications, social media and emails of the late night unannounced poisoning of stray animals sickens me and begs the question is there not a better and more humane way? I live in a large metropolitan city that also has its fair share of stray and dangerous animals and would please hope that you please explore how other towns and cities handle this problem before using a barbaric and inhumane method of eradication. I acknowledge that this problem is from pet owners that do not either spay/neuter their pets or abandon them but yet there are those who do follow the rules that are now living in fear. My friends on the island, who also treat their pets like family members, are now in fear of letting their pets go outside as they are afraid if anything was thrown into their yard in the middle of the night with no warning and this is not right. As a gringo who is sitting in the states right now, I don't have a dog in this fight but as a pet owner I humbly ask that you please consider the outcry of my friends and extended family that do live in your town and look at other options. Sincerely yours and a friend to the island, John S Robilio

Misc Belizean Sources

"SALADS" Were a Success!
SAGA Humane Society would like to extend their thanks to Bruce & Diane Badolato and Steve Kilchenstein the owners of Wet Willy's for hosting our monthly Cook-off Fundraiser for the second time this year! It was held on Wednesday, July 18, 2012. Bruce, Diane & Steve and their staff were once again gracious hosts. We tried a new theme - "SALAD"S - and we happy to say it was well received. We had (12) entries and each and every one of them were delicious! But in the end, it was Wild Mango's with their Roasted Chili Caesar Salad that took home the first place prize of a Nano IPod! 2nd Place went to AJ's own Danielle with her Buffalo Chicken Salad Bites. And 3rd Place went to Adaly Ayuso with her yummy Lobster Salad. The other mouth watering entries were as follows: Caprice with their Shrimp-n-Pasta Salad, Caroline's Cooking with her Cold Ham Pasta Salad, Bruce Badolato of Wet Willy's with his Smoked Fish & Crostini w/Shrimp, Steve Kilchenstein of Wet Willy's with his Roasted Chicken Salad w/Balsamic Dressing and Saut�ed Zucchini, Pineapples at Ramon's Village with their Fiesta Salad, Carolina Gonzalez with her Vegetable Pasta Salad, Luis Caliz with his Lobster Salad, Rosa LaRosa with her Roasted Corn & Sweet Pepper Salad and Arlethe Lima with her Grilled Salad w/Ranch Dressing. Thank you to everyone who entered a dish!

Belize archaeological sites to benefit from sustainable tourism investment
A commitment from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and the Belize Tourism Board to invest in a quality tourism experience and improved visitor management at Belize's archaeological sites was cemented on July 13. Construction contracts totaling over Bz$680,000 (US$346,000) were signed with two local firms, ASCON and Usher Construction Ltd. Under the Sustainable Tourism Program (STP), funds totaling Bz$504,596.74 will be spent on expanded bathroom and interpretation facilities at Cahal Pech and Belize's second most visited site, Xunantunich. A new visitor centre will be built at Xunantunich to present and communicate its history, architecture and Maya cosmology. The existing visitor centre at Cahal Pech will undergo a revamp, and improvements will be made to the site trail. The enhancements are timely, as Cahal Pech is the chosen venue for a number of the special events planned to celebrate the completion of the 13th B'ak'tun in December. Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) will benefit from Bz$177,500 investment. It is an exclusive tour, as ATM is one of the most spectacular subterranean Maya archaeological sites in the region. By December, visitors will enjoy complete restroom and bathing facilities, set in a landscaped jungle environment at the entrance to the site.

Scuba Diving Certification Videos
Dive Certification, Sandy Point, Belize Barrier Reef, Another dive for Raegan, Catalina and Marcus for their Open Water Diver Certification, with Island Divers Team. Diver Certification- Dive Three, Skills on The Reef. Featuring Open Water Diver Candidates Reagan, Catalina and Marcus with Island Divers Belize. Diver Certification- Dive Two with Sharks! Featuring Open Water Diver candidates Reagan Heitzig, Catalina Ovalle and Marcus Amaro with Island Divers PADI Team, San Pedro Belize.

Fry Jack in One Minute
I show in one minute, how to make Fry Jacks

Blogs

2012 CHAA CREEK ECO CAMP - COMMENCEMENT
This afternoon, the excited chatter of twenty four children came echoing through the jungle, as our new group of eco-campers entered the Macal River Camp, where they will be spending the next eight days. The 2012 Eco Kids Camp brings us a unique group of twelve boys and twelve girls who have travelled from all the corners of Belize to experience what is sure to be another memorable week of friends, fun, laughter, and of course, eco-education! Upon arrival, the campers were introduced to their camp counselors and the sponsors of the retreat, Mick and Lucy Fleming. The children were soon broken up into four groups (the Jaguars, Howler Monkeys, Blue Morphos, and Fireflies) and were quickly making new friends as they helped design this year's team banners. As the eco-campers found their assigned cabins and played some group games, the smells from the kitchen took over and the children sat down to what promised to be the first of many great meals prepared by camp leader Docio and his family. As if all this wasn't enough excitement for the first day, the campers were in for a treat as Chaa Creek naturalists, David and Meshack, showed up to take the kids on a Creatures of the Night walking tour. From giant grasshoppers and cock roaches, to wolf spiders and tarantulas, to lizards and salamanders, and all sorts of creatures in between, this was the first taste of Belizean jungle nightlife for many of our young campers. Despite being divided into two tours, and taking two different trails, it was not hard to tell when a new creature was spotted as the excited (and nervous) gasps and screams could be heard throughout the wilderness. The tours guides were filled with interesting and informative information on everything we encountered and it was obvious the kids gained a new respect and awareness for the living things and ecosystems around them.

Reasons To Retire In Belize
As an Expat Relocation Consultant and Property Manager in Belize, one of the first questions I ask my clients or prospective tenants is, "Why do you want to retire in Belize?" It's important for me to know, because I want to make sure they have practical and valid reasons. It helps me answer their questions better. And if for any reason they have a mistaken notion about Belize, I can easily correct them before they move here and it's too late! Over the years of working with clients, here are their top reasons for retiring in Belize: You've had a dream Many people have worked their entire lives with the idea that one day, they will escape the rat race and move to paradise. They can't wait to waive goodbye to the materialistic and news-centric culture they are from and embrace a laid back and simple lifestyle. Belize is one of the most casual and slow-paced countries in Central America. So much so, that you may not know what to do with yourself for the first few weeks. But that feeling won't last long. Warm weather year round Let's face it - the older we get the colder we get. Why do you think so many retirees live in Florida? But Belize has become the new Florida, and it's not hard to see why. With an average year round high of 84 degrees, you can leave your jeans and coats behind. Instead, your new uniform will be tank tops, shorts and flip flops!