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The San Pedro Sun

Dr. Graham presents on the Status of Sharks in Belize
In Wednesday night, April 11th, Dr. Rachael Graham of the World Conservation Society held a presentation on the status of sharks in Belize. The one hour presentation commenced at 8PM and was held at the San Pedro Lion's Den. Dr. Graham, Director of the Gulf and Caribbean Sharks and Rays Program for the Wildlife Conservation Society spoke to The San Pedro Sun before her presentation, "My presentation tonight is actually going to focus on the status and the future of sharks and rays in Belize. It's going to give a very broad overview of the status of sharks globally then go a little bit into the biology of sharks.

Misc Belizean Sources

Free concert in San Pedro! THE GARIFUNA COLLECTIVE: April 21
Aurelio Martinez joins the Garifuna Collective in San Pedro! THE GARIFUNA COLLECTIVE with very special guests AURELIO MARTINEZ & DANNY MICHEL Saturday April 21st, 2012 at 4:00 PM Sundiver Beach, 4.5 Miles North, San Pedro Following on February's concert in San Pedro featuring The Garifuna Collective, Stonetree Records and Sundiver Beach are excited to announce that Belize's internationally-acclaimed musical ambassadors will be returning to the island on Saturday, April 21st with a couple of very special guests for an afternoon/evening of great music and dance. Admission is free.

PHOTOS: University of Belize's Multicultural Fair
UB had their Multicultural Fair, and wow, did they capture some amazing pictures. There are some great ballet folklorico pictures in there. Kudos to their photographer! "The Faculty of Education and Arts under the stewardship of the Dean Dr. Wilma Wright, once again hosted a week of activities in recognition and celebration of education. These activities included 'Flaunt your Hat Day', "Women in Arts Revolution", "Mini Cultural Fair", 'Prayer Vigil', and 'Women in Poetry Workshop'. The FEA Week was instituted as an opportunity for faculty, staff and students to showcase the voluminous work of FEA."

PHOTOS: Green Hills Butterfly Farm
On the way to Mountain Pine Ridge, the Green Hills Butterfly Ranch is a must see. "Lovers of butterflies and unique experiences should reserve a place for Happy hour in the Butterfly House an hour before sunset. You will be served a beer, Belizean rum drink, or soft drink, while you marvel at this natural phenomenon. 'Every evening in the fading light, the butterflies perform their dance, establishing their places in the butterfly hierarchy in shifting clouds and scatters, wreaths and ropes, twisting through the forest architecture. Like the butterflies themselves, it is powerful and ephemeral - a display of delicate strength for some 45 minutes only, then done for another day." Jan Meerman, Green Hills Butterfly Farm"

Francis Ford Coppola Resorts launches 'Alexandra Cousteau Discovery Experience with Coppola Resorts'
Jacques Cousteau's granddaughter was in Belize to gather information for 'Expedition Blue Planet: Belize,' a documentary that will focus on freshwater and marine biomes in Belize. For a portion of her trip, she stayed at Blancaneaux Lodge. They have come up with a travel package based on that. They visit Caracol, Mountain Pine Ridge, and the Chiquibul Forest. "Leave on a tour to the Maya site of Caracol, located deep in the Chiquibul Forest. Firstly visit the impressive Rio Frio Cave system before continuing on to Caracol, the largest and most important Maya site in Belize. The epicentre of the site is home to howler and spider monkeys and the birding is excellent. Leave the lodge early for a spectacular day of birding and natural history en route to the nesting site of Belize's endangered Scarlet Macaws. The route will take you through the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve to an escarpment overlooking the Chalillo Dam and its vast artificial reservoir. After an inspiring and adventurous day in the Chiquibul Forest return to Blancaneaux Lodge. As dusk draws in keep your eyes peeled to the road ahead in the hope of spotting an elusive jaguar."

CTV3

U.S National Robbed In Broad Daylight
And that brings us to our next story. On Wednesday at about 11:40am Canadian National, 58 year old Patricia Husbands was walking along the Finca Solana Area in Corozal when two male individuals of dark complexion rode up to her on separate bicycles and demanded her belongings. Both assailants covered their faces with black handkerchiefs. One of the men wearing a black t-shirt pulled out a knife at Husbands while the other individual wearing a purple t-shirt stood on the side with a machete in hand. Fearing for her life Husbands handed over one smart phone valued at BZE$100.00, a brown wallet containing BZE$50.00, a Sony brand purple notebook laptop valued at BZE$1,600, one bag of clothing worth BZE$6.00 and one master card. The assailants then made good their escape with items in hand valued at a total of BZE$1,760. Corozal Police have detained two individuals pending charges.

Honoring The Senior Farmer Of The Year 2012
Last night we told you about a Northeno who was named the Senior Farmer for the year 2012 by the National Agriculture and Trade Show. Jorge Morales, a farmer from the Corozal District, has been developing his sixty four acre farm, located in the Consejo Road Area, for more than 8 years. Today our news team traveled further north and found out what made Morales win the prestigious award. Jorge Morales acquired this 64 acre land 8 years ago and since then he has been developing it to what it is today: a bonafide farm. His new system of irrigation attracted fellow agriculturists to advice Morales to submit his name for the competition. When Morales received the good news yesterday that he was named the Senior Farmer of the year by the National Agriculture and Trade Show he became ecstatic.

Minister Of National Security Visits Corozal Amidst A Strung Of Burglaries
The Minister of National Security Honorable John Saldivar, launched his countrywide tour today. During the tour Saldivar will primarily be visiting police stations, immigration offices and BDF camps across the country in order to obtain a firsthand knowledge about the issues affecting the offices and stations. Saldivar's first stop was at the Corozal Police Station and after a brief meeting with officers he told us more about the Ministries initiative. "I am just touring the facilities including the police department and all the other departments that are under the Ministry of National Security this morning we are doing the police here in Corozal and later we are heading to the Immigration Department to look at that since it also falls under the Ministry OF National Security. The main objective of the tour is for me to familiarize myself with the departments and also for the officers to get to know me and for me to get to know them. Preliminarily it is for me to look at some of the issues that the formation is faced here in Corozal, to see how we can address these issues and improve the conditions under which the officers work and also improve the machinery, equipments, weapons and all that they need to fight crime in this district."

Altercation Leads To One Man Being Shot In Patchakan
Corozal Town has been making headlines over the past weeks due to a spate of burglaries that have been taking place across that community. As we mentioned last night, police have been working overtime in all attempts to address the issue of burglaries. Despite that fact, it appears that criminals are on a rampage as yesterday Corozal recorded a shooting and another armed robbery. We start off tonight's newscast by reporting on the shooting incident that unfolded around 6:00 yesterday evening and left one man injured in the Village of Patchakan. Abraham Ek, a 24 year old Belizean laborer from Ranchito Village in the Corozal District was hanging out with a group of friends in an area known as Patchakan creek in the Village of Patchakan when he became involved in an altercation with 48 year old Michael Clarke and 31 year old Jury Charlie.

Summit of The Americas To Take Place In Cartagena Columbia
Colombia will be hosting the Sixth Summit of the Americas on April 14th and 15th in Cartagena where 34 Heads of State of the Western Hemisphere will address the Sixth Summit Central theme, "Connecting the Americas: Partners for Prosperity". This year's theme focuses on the role of physical integration and regional cooperation as a means to achieve greater levels of development. The Heads of Government, including those from the United States and Canada, will discuss challenges in several key areas including poverty and inequalities, citizen security, disasters and access to technologies. Leading the Belizean delegation will be Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega who will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington. Yesterday Elrington met with the Secretary General of the OAS Jose Miguel Insulza, and discussed the political climate and other main issues to be debated during the summit. One substantial issue stimulating disquisition is that of the decriminalization of drug transportation in Mexico which is currently threatening the regions security and has caused up to 50,000 deaths.

Proyecto Lagartija Seeks To Enhance Theater And Art In Belize
"El Proyecto La Lagartija" is the umbrella name of a Central American regional network of organized professional actors and actresses. The aim of the organization is to implement the practice of theater, art and drama within the Central American region. This year the Latin based project is being hosted in Orange Walk Town in collaboration with the Belize Association for the Development of Arts (BADA) and the National Institute of History and Culture (NICH). The organization originally started in Honduras in the year 2004. At that time Belize was not included in the membership list. That changed; however, in the year 2010 thanks to the efforts of Beverly Swayze, Belize's representative for Proyecto La Lagartija. Beverly Swayze, Belize Representative for Proyecto La Lagartija "We became a part of this project which started in 2004 but we became a part in 2010, I attended meeting, they have invited to a meeting in 2009 in Nicaragua to see what it is all about and we push for Belize to become a part of it because I saw it was something that would assist Belize being recognized regionally as well as internationally and so at that meeting they decided that they would accept me in 2010 and that is when Belize really became a part of El Proyecto Lagartija Centro America."

LOVE TV

Alleged fake cop wanted for assaulting Belize City man
Belize City police are looking for a man who not only allegedly posed as a cop, but is reported to have illegally detained another man for over five hours earlier this week. Nineteen year old Mike Smith tells police that his ordeal began around eleven forty five on Wednesday night, when he was accosted as he walked on Wilson Street in Belize City. According to Smith, a man named Reginald Wagner, identified himself as a police officer and even produced a police badge and informed Smith that he would be locked up. Smith says that Wagner pulled out what appeared to be a firearm from his pants waist and pointed it at him. Fearing for his life, Smith says he handed over his cell phone along with two hundred and twenty dollars in cash. Smith is further alleging that he was taken at gunpoint by Wagner to an apartment on Daly Street where he was tied up and beaten. Smith says that he was released around four o'clock Thursday morning. Police are now looking for Reginald Wagner as their investigation of the alleged attack continues.

Corozal shooting incident leaves man hospitalized
A shooting incident last evening in Corozal has left one man injured and two others in police custody. According to police reports, the victim has been identified as Abraham Ek. Police say they went to the emergency room at the Corozal hospital around six-twenty last night where they say Ek suffering from a gunshot wound to the right side of the chest and right forearm. Initial investigations by police reveal that around six o'clock yesterday evening Ek was in the company of other friends in an area known as the Patchakan Village Creek when he got into a confrontation with forty eight year old Michael Clarke and thirty one year old Jury Charlie. During the confrontation it is alleged that Clarke pulled out a nine millimeter pistol and fired several shots hitting Ek in the chest and forearm. Corozal police have since detained Clarke and Charlie pending charges.

A helping hand for Toledo rice farmers
Spray pumps for use by milpa farmers were recently presented to leaders of ten Toledo villages. Correspondent Paul Mahung reports.

Woman wanted in Florida tracked down at University of Belize
Referred to as Mother Nature's Best Kept Secret, Belize has, of recent years at least, become a secret hideaway for fugitives eluding the tough arm of the US law. And tonight it seems that there is yet another name added to that growing list. This time, it is a "she" who has come to our attention here at Love News, and what's more is that she is enrolled as a student at the University of Belize. You heard right. The records that we retrieved from Florida Mug Shots show reveal the woman, Nadine Martin, was born in Belize on October first, 1977. Her particulars thereafter, like where she grew up and who are her parents are not available. But Martin, who incidentally now goes by the alias "Nadine Gladden", has had a history of offences in the US, particularly on Pasco County and Hillborough County in Miami. While most of the offenses are minor, her last one was shooting/throwing a missile at a vehicle. She is a fugitive because she absconded to Belize before her scheduled probation term expired, which would have come to an end in June of this year. But Martin had other things in mind and instead, she skipped town and returned to Belize where she enrolled at the University of Belize by the alias, Nadine Gladden, in the Management and Social Sciences programme. According to the institution, Gladden met all the requirements for admittance and because ordinarily, UB does not require its students to produce a police record, Gladden was not asked to do so.

Blogs

Festive Friday night at Caliente
Last night we rode our bikes into town and met our friend David for taco night and half-price margarita night at Caliente. We got a great table on the deck and enjoyed the breezes, company, fantastic food, and potent margaritas. On our ride into town, we passed a few golf carts. Some friendly folks on one of them yelled out "We read your blog!" They also said that they really liked our food photos, so we've made sure to include plenty in this posting. There is a wonderful view from Caliente's deck, and the clouds over the sea had a pink glow from the sunset over the lagoon side of the island. There was a great breeze as well. Ahhhhhhh....

Sailing "Old School" on San Pedro's Rum Punch II
Thursday afternoon, I was invited for a sail and snorkel trip on San Pedro resident's George Eiley's Rum Punch 2. I'd been on the classic wooden fishing boat once before (Gorgeous Day of Sailing) and LOVED it. This time we had a bigger group, lots of drinks and snacks and a beautiful day. It was just as much fun. Our plan was to sail up to Mexico Rocks snorkelling spot - an area off North Ambergris Caye with uber-clear water and lots of coral heads. Beers and pringles. All the makings for a solid frat party...with just one thing missing. Oh good...here it is. Jagermeister.

Bill Gates' Children Enjoy Cayo
Jennifer and Phoebe Gates visited Chaa Creek's Butterfly Farm and Natural History Museum. No matter who you are, you'll have a great time visiting them. That's a really cool picture of CC's collage of butterfly wings. Bryony Fleming, CC's spa manager, had this to say about their visit. "One thing you really notice is how similarly kids respond to the rainforest environment, no matter their cultural, national or economic backgrounds. The look of wonder when they're surrounded by beautiful, gigantic Blue Morpho butterflies, and seeing them go from pupae stage to being released into the forest - it's a fascination that all people, whether young and old, seem to share. It was wonderful to see how much the girls enjoyed their stay and how enchanted they were with the butterflies, natural beauty and other things we tend to take for granted"

International Sources

Trying to take back the government of Belize by using the courts
By Wellington C. Ramos I find it very strange that the oldest political party in Belize, the People's United Party (PUP), is petitioning the Supreme Court to try and overturn the results of the elections that were held in several constituencies in Belize so that they could be given a chance to have recall elections. This, they believe, will give them a chance for by-elections to be held in these constituencies and possibly make them win more seats to form the new government in Belize. The People's United Party ruled Belize from 1956 to 1984 under the leadership of one person, the late George Cadle Price. They had more than enough time to develop Belize and make it one of the most industrialized countries in Central America. Since the independence of Belize, the United Democratic Party (UDP) just won their fourth election to go ahead of the PUP in post independence wins. They have never been given the chance until now to win back to back elections so that they can continue with their reform agenda items to clean out the mess they inherited when they took over the reins of government from the People's United Party, who bankrupted our country.

VIDEO: CANNABIS AND SKIN CANCER

Belize girl recovering after life-saving surgery in Knoxville
A little girl from Belize is recovering from life-saving surgery in Knoxville. Catarina Ishim underwent nearly 20 hours of surgery to have a large, cancerous tumor removed from her face. She got out of surgery around 3 a.m. Saturday and was listed in serious condition.

Shyne speaks on reuniting with Diddy [Video]
It's been nearly 3 years since former Bad Boy and Def Jam rapper Shyne was released from prison, having served nine years of 10 year sentence for assault and gun possession charges that source from a shooting at a New York club, at which both Shyne and Diddy attended. Puffy (as he went back then) was acquitted of all charges, even being labelled a "snitch" by some, which led to severed ties between himself and Shyne. The rapper has since converted to Judaism and been deported to his native Belize, and has looked to reconcile with his former boss and mentor. In a new three-part interview that has hit the net, Shyne sits down and speaks in-depth on his jail time, reuniting with Diddy and more.

Mayan End of the World Events Calendar
December 21, 2012 will mark the end of the 5,125-year-long Maya long-count calendar. While sensationalists say the calendar's conclusion will precipitate the end of the world, scholars who study Mayan culture say it will simply conclude one era and usher in another. Regardless of what will happen on December 21st, the months leading up to that date are filled with events celebrating Maya culture; some of these are truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for travelers who enjoy immersing themselves in authentic cultural experiences. The Mundo Maya is made up of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico; each country has special events planned for Maya 2012. Take a look at some of them and get planning.