Today's Belize News: May 1, 2013

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Re: Today's Belize News: May 1, 2013 Marty #463460 05/01/13 06:22 AM
Joined: Oct 1999 Posts: 84,398 oregon, spr Marty OP
OP Marty	More News: Scroll up from here LOVE TV Chief Meteorologist's Son Murdered A student was shot and killed last evening in Belize City. The victim is 21 year old Dennis Rajeef Gonguez, the son of the Chief Meteorologist, Dennis Gonguez and his wife, Shelmadine. She told Love News that she was with her son for most for most of the day running errands, until he dropped her off in the evening. He was scheduled to leave Belize for to Los Angeles on the same day to complete his studies but changed his flight plan for his little sister. SHELMADINE GONGUEZ "From the morning we were out doing business, paying our bills and moving around and different things like that and I told him, Raji, I need a little rest; he said, 'ok, mommy, go' and then I went out, he dropped me off where I was and then I called him, he came, he went back, he came, he went back but short trips and then he said, 'ok mommy I will wait right out here for you', that's by the canal side. He went to water taxi to pick up one of his friends, that's when I called him because he was taking a little bit too long and I called him and apparently a strange person answered the phone and I said Raj, where are you and the person said no this is not Raj, Raj is dead. He came to Belize for a little time and he was going out back. Apparently he booked his ticket for Monday and he held his ticket back because of his sister, there was a little conversation telling her that he will come up on the Friday." Labor Department Holds Annual Open Day Countrywide Labor Department Offices countrywide are hosting their annual open day. The event is an effort undertaken by the department to sensitize the public about the services offered by the Labor Department. On the other hand, the open day is also geared to inform the community on some quick facts in respect to labor in Belize. Deputy Labor Commission, Paulette Wagner, told Love News more on today's event. PAULETTE WAGNER " We have all sort of information about people to do with working relations. We have a quick facts that tell us about all the basic benefits that workers should know about, minimum wage, the normal working hours and stuff like that. One fact that the average person wouldn't know that we do; maybe they don't know that we take matters to court. When a laborer comes to us from a probable employee that has lost their job we try to resolve the matter by talking to the employer to see if we could convince him to pay whatever benefits might be outstanding and if the process here at the Labor Department doesn't work meaning the employer doesn't want to cooperate then we have the option to take the matter to court. We do take matters to court." Missing Teens Reported In Southern Belize Two teenagers have been reported missing in Santa Cruz Village in the Stann Creek District. According to Gloria Nunez, the mother of sixteen year old Roberto Nunez who is missing, he set off at 5:00 a.m on Sunday but did not inform her of where he was going. She says she later learned from the mother of the other missing teen, that she had been informed that they were going hunting in the area of San Roman Village with some men of that village. Gloria Nunez says it is preoccupying for her because her son, who works in the banana industry, had gone out before to do fishing only during the day. Love News contacted the father of Nunez and he informed us he was out with officials looking for his son, before we lost contact with him. Love News will continue to follow up on the story but anyone with information regarding the disappearance of the two teens is advised to contact the nearest police station. Belize City Council Labors on National Labor Holiday The Belize City Council is inviting residents, schools, community groups and business to join in a "Labor for Belize Project" that is taking place tomorrow in commemoration of Labor Day. According to Phillip Singh, the Community Outreach Officer for CITCO, the initiative is meant to be part the sanitation and beautifications efforts being carried out by the city council. LABOUR FOR BELIZE "Ok as you all well know , tomorrow is Labor Day; it is the day that workers take a day off to rest but here at the Belize City Council, we won't be resting. We will be doing what we call a Labor for Belize event and we're asking schools, businesses willing to take part in our activity. What we are going to do tomorrow is going to do a cleanup on the Northern Highway all the way to Freetown Road and when we reach Freetown Road, you notice we have some new concrete streets we decide to sweep the streets along the side just to create a different area. We will also be painting the basketball courts; we have several in mind, we have the Wesley basketball court we have the St. Martin's basketball court, we have the Jane Usher Basketball Court, we have committee groups coming out, we have the Lake I community group, we have our staff, some of them live in the Lake I area, they are interested in cleaning Ecumenical Auditorium Project Receives Handsome Donation Last week Friday Love News reported on a talent show being held by Ecumenical High School in Dangriga Town aimed at raising funds to build their auditorium. Well today, the funds were raised four zeroes higher with a donation from someone in the Community. Dangriga Correspondent, Harry Arzu reports. HARRY ARZU "During a ceremony held on the grounds of Ecumenical High School that took place on Monday, April 29, a prominent citizen of the Stann Creek District donated some $50,000 to the school specifically to assist towards the construction of an auditorium that is being built on the school's compound which has been on a stand still for a while now due to lack of funds. Ray Lawrence is the 2nd Vice Principal in charge of student affairs." Fire At 4H Centre In Belmopan A fire this afternoon partially destroyed a building in Belmopan. Correspondent Fem Cruz has the details. FEM CRUZ " Acting upon information received this afternoon at 12:43pm of an office on fire at the National Agriculture and Trade show grounds, Belmopan fire fighters visited the area. Upon arrival at the scene saw an office at the 4H Centre already engulfed in flames. Quick response from the department managed to save the building and some of its contents. According to a past graduate, 19-year-old, Justin Bradley, a resident of Camalote Village, he was sitting beside the office on a picnic bench waiting for a letter when he heard a number of crackling sounds. Upon turning around to see where the sounds were coming from that is when he saw smoke coming out of the back window from the section of the food processing lot. Bradley immediately informed the manager, Mr. Luke Ramos who told Love News, he immediately went to the scene." Gunmen Ambush Two Women in Western Belize Two women were held up at gun point in the Cayo District. We join Correspondent Fem Cruz for details on the incident. FEM CRUZ "Marilena Dueck, 31- year- old resident of mile 45 on the George Price Highway reported that on Monday afternoon, April 29 sometime around 2pm while driving her white Toyota Taurus SUV from Valley of Peace Village enroute to the City of Belmopan and upon reaching Agropino Cawich Bridge on Valley of Peace Road, two male dark persons of medium built suddenly came out of the bushes wearing stockings over their faces and armed with what appeared to be 9mm pistols. Both men then pointed the gun towards her and fearing for her life she then slowed down the vehicle and stopped. The two gunmen then demanded money and valuables from her but she did not have anything to give them. At the time she was accompanied by her friend, 32-year-old, Carmenia de la Fuente, Belizean manager of mile 44 on the George Highway who was held up at gunpoint and robbed of $ 1750 in cash ,1 Alcatel cellular phone, 1 hand bag containing personal documents, receipt books , note books and a number of keys, all to a total of value of $1990.50. Police investigation continues." Belizean Record Label Celebrates First Anniversary A young record label will be celebrating its first anniversary over the weekend in Corozal Town. The record label Father and Son, located in the Corozal District will celebrate its work with several local artists with a concert on May 4. They will feature international Jamaican artist, Darius. Local singer from Corozal Andre Herrera who goes by the artistic name Andi Dre told us more about the event. ANDRE HERRERA "Well Father & Son basically, a Caribbean style base; we focus on Caribbean style genres from soca, dancehall, reggae; we got into the public eyes with a song from Andidre named, 'She Want Di Wuk' and that's myself and we pushed forward with a song named, 'Good Love', 'Dem a No Gallis', 'Black Man Style' from Alt. We got a lot of recognition as the label got nominated for seven awards in the BMA's, the Belize Music Awards this year for being the first year that the label has showed itself big. We got some international recognition, one with the same artist, Dario whom I have done a song with, 'Wuk and Bubble' and so just to celebrate one year of success in the business and basically he's coming down to do a video shoot and then we are going to do a concert. He will be here from May 2 but the event starts Friday, May 3 at D Spot Lounge where there will be an autograph night and a competition hosted by him; ladies enter free and men are ten dollars. During the day, Saturday will be a family day in Corozal Bay Resort with a volleyball competition, music, drinks; just a fun day with the pool and the beach side and in the night there will be the official concert with all the Father & Son artists, Andidre, Sagadi, ALT, Annika Perez, Missy B, Finesse and other artists, Sharon Martinez and of course Dario will come on afterwards the to end the show off." The event will also feature a host of DJs from Orange Walk, Belize, Stann Creek and Corozal. The security at the event will be high. Stepfather Impregnates Twelve Year Old Minor A 22-year-old man from Maya Beach has been charged with two counts of carnal knowledge. This follows a report by a 12-year-old girl who told police that her stepfather had sex with her and now she is pregnant. The man reportedly had sex with the young girl in March. A medical examination certified that the minor was carnally known, as a result the stepfather was arrested and charged. Prime Minister Announces National Bank Aimed At Expanding the Home Owning Class In Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow spoke of the formation of the National Bank of Belize Limited. The Board of Directors will be chaired by Minister Joy Grant. The bank's motto is "Of the people for the people and according to the Prime Minister is expected to expand the home owning class in the country and provide cheaper access to credit. DEAN BARROW PRIME MINISTER OF BELIZE "And of course the mission of the bank is principally to make residential mortgage and other consumer loans available to lower to middle income Belizeans and in particular, public servants and teachers at cheaper rates than are being offered in the market at this time. Now the point is being made this is fiscal policy in action; government is directly intervening in the market to cut down cost in a sector that has far too long given too little back to those on whose back to profits that are made in the first place; ( somebody wrote that for me I am not quite sure I would have framed it in as provocative manner as that) but the truth is that the whole idea is to put pressure, downward pressure on the lending rates of the commercial banks. So while the phrasing here is, I would have nuanced it a little more; it's not saying anything that is not true. We've indicated that the startup capital will be provided by the government of Belize from the proceeds of the Petro Caribe funds which we borrow at one percent over twenty years. We're putting twenty million dollars and we're prepared to inject more over the short term depending on how the Petro Caribe program continues to develop. The bank expects to lend to consumers at an interest rate of approximately six and half percent on average." Orange Walk Farmer Dies Following Road Accident Nineteen year old Josue Mojica, a Farmer of San Felipe Village in Orange Walk is dead following a road traffic accident. Initial investigations by police revealed that Mojica was driving a black Sunny motorcycle around 5:15 yesterday morning at the entrance of the main street, travelling in the direction from south to north, when on turning into the road of a private property, a gold colored Chevy Pickup came from the opposite direction and collided into the front of his motorcycle. The vehicle was driven at the time by Andres Cruz. Mojica fell off the motorcycle and received severe bodily injuries including abrasions to his right leg and abdomen area. He died on his way to the Northern Regional Hospital. Meanwhile police are seeking for Andres Cruz for questioning. PM and Ambassador Espat Travel To New York On Super Bond 2 Business; Guatemala Calls Off Referendum Prime Minister Dean Barrow held his first quarterly press conference today and there was a lot of ground to cover. The Prime Minister who recently returned from attending meetings spoke first of his visit to New York at which he was accompanied by Ambassador Mark Espat. DEAN BARROW PRIME MINISTER OF BELIZE "We went to have a meeting with the Greyloc people, with respect to some possibilities concerning the $75million US dollar window, that as part of the arrangements governing the restructuring we are allowed in terms of the issue of additional bonds over and above what we now describe as super bond 2; that $75 million could accommodate any settlement that we might perhaps reach with Fortis. So there was a need to discuss mechanics in that regard. Also, Ambassador Espat was asked to present a paper at a UN meeting that was hosted by Ecosoc, the Economic and Social Council of the UN together with the Bretton Woods Institution, the World Bank and the IMF and perhaps most important for purposes of this morning press conference is the visit that I have with the US Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon. The idea there was to update him on where things stand between Belize and Guatemala ." No Salary Deposits for Primary School Teachers Under Catholic Mission Primary school teachers employed under the Catholic Mission faced inconvenience last week Friday as their monthly salary was not deposited in their bank account as per usual. Over the course of the weekend, our newsroom received a number of complaints from teachers across the country who wanted to know what was the delay with their pay. Upon making checks this morning with the Catholic Mission LOVE NEWS understands the problem arises from a setback at the Treasury Department. We understand that the money to pay the teachers was never processed at the Treasury Department thus no monies were directed to the Catholic Mission so that they in turn would make the deposits to the teachers' bank accounts. Our attempts to get an explanation from the Ministry of Education as to why this occurred were unsuccessful as no one seemed to know what happened. We must note this is not the first time teachers, who are employed under the religious missions, go through this inconvenience. For the past couple of years teachers get paid on the last Friday of the month. PlusTV PLUS TV finds what appeared to be freshly cut rosewood The controversial nineteen day rosewood amnesty was declared closed last week Friday. According to Channel 7, the amnesty day ended with Minister Lisell Alamilla posting on her face book page, and we quote, " Tomorrow is a new day. For those who care and wonder, I still love my... Dennis Rajiv Gonguez Jr shot dead in Belize City The streets of Belize City have been relatively quiet unaffected by gun violence for the past few weeks, but last night, shots rang out at a busy intersection and when gun smoke cleared, a young man laid wounded on the street. PLUS News was called out to the corner... Felicia Chen charged for drowning 3 of her children 22 year old Felicia Chen of Mile 8 Western Highway is accused of an unspeakable act: deliberately taking her four children into the sea off Belizean Beach on the Western Highway on Saturday afternoon, then drowning three of them and attempting to drown her oldest child, aged six, who... Senior Attorney reacts to PM's comments on Judge's decision Yesterday we brought you the reactions of Prime Minister Dean Barrow and Leader of the Opposition Francis Fonseca to the judgments handed down on April 16 and 19 by Justice Oswell Legall. The Prime Minister took strong exception to the conclusions reached by the judge and declared the judgments... Gualemala and Belize could work together on Atlantic/Pacific link One hundred and fifty four years ago, the representatives of the United Kingdom and Guatemala signed an important treaty in an attempt to settle the Guatemalan claim. Because of one article, Article 7 which proposed a means of linking Guatemala to the Caribbean coast through Belize, not being followed... Water system in Pueblo Viejo needs rehabilitation In a previous newscast we told you about water problems which the Village of Pueblo Viejo has been dealing with since they lost mechanical water supply some seven years ago. There was previously a water board that controlled a small pump in the community but the pump eventually burnt... New well should aleviate water problems in Armenia The Village of Pueblo Viejo is not the only community that's faced with a water problem though. The Village of Armenia is located about 15 minutes outside the City of Belmopan and since the dry season has begun, accessibility to water has become a daily challenge of resident from... PM praises Police efforts in Crime reduction Last night, we brought you highlights of the Prime Minister's quarterly press conference held yesterday and tonight we continue our coverage of pressing issues addressed by the PM. On the issue of national security, the country can report a downward trend in murders committed on the streets. Last April... Masked men ambushed couple in SUV Last month, the kidnapping of a toddler made headlines, when masked men ambushed their family car in Northern Belize. Tonight we report on another highway hold up, this time in the west. According to Police reports, around 2 in the afternoon yesterday, a woman and her friend were travelling... 12 year old allegedly impregnated by stepfather Tonight we bring you upsetting news coming out of southern Belize, where a 12 year old was allegedly impregnated by her stepfather. Police in Placencia say that the stepfather reportedly had sex with the minor twice in the month of March and that now she is pregnant. After the... PM defends Opposition Leader's claim that BIL is a 'Hustle Vehicle' The controversial Belize Infrastructure Limited is intended to provide multipurpose sporting facilities across the country in a partnership between the Government and private sector. Yesterday the Prime Minister responded to accusations that the vehicle which features GOB appointees and Ministers will be used to "hustle" on large-scale projects. Prime... Funeral Director prevented from working in Belize City Cemetery We told you last week that David Coye, a funeral director, won a judgment in the Supreme Court against the Belize City Council with regard to being able to work in the public cemeteries Lord's Ridge and Eternal Garden. However, PLUS News has been informed that Coye was prevented... National Bank of Belize will open in Belmopan A new National Bank of Belize will open in Belmopan in a few months. Prime Minister Dean Barrow gives details of what the bank will offer. Prime Minister Dean Barrow: The Mission of the Bank is principally to make Residential Mortgage and other consumer loans available to lower to... Taiwanese sailors visit Belize The 2013 class of midshipmen cruising and training squadron of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Navy is visiting Belize for the third time. 841 midshipmen landed on Sunday and Mayor of Belize City Darrell Bradley, whose deputy is Taiwanese, formally welcomed them. Darrell Bradley - Belize City Mayor: I... PM reports on Maranco Oil status A few weeks ago Maranco reported a gush of oil at a site in Orange Walk District. The nation has held its breath waiting to find out if the find of petroleum is in commercial quantities. Today the Prime Minister indicated that that wait will continue as the company... Poll says Referendum would have received Yes vote With all the talk about going to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) now just about done after news of the postponement of the October 6 referendum, we will not know for sure how Belizeans would have voted. But the Prime Minister told PLUS News on Monday that he... Labour Department hosted an open day to detail its work Labour Day is an international celebration of workers - whether it is held in May 1 as in most countries or later in the year like the United States. Today the Labour Department hosted an open day to detail its work. We hear more from Deputy Labour Commissioner Paulette... Jaime Chan still does not have his daughters back Jaime Chan still hasn't gotten his daughters back. On Friday we told you of Jaime Chan, who says he lost his daughters due to running afoul of the Department of Human Services because of a report made by their mother against him. Because of his beliefs about public schooling... PUP claim intimidation against certain personalities The People's United Party controls but does not hold a majority in the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives. Those members - chairman Julius Espat and member Rodwell Ferguson, today issued a release condemning various acts of "intimidation" and "victimization tactics" against certain personalities which they say... Amandala "SIGNAL BREAKTHROUGH": VOIP IN BELIZE FULLY UNBLOCKED ON APRIL 30 Karen Bevans, Chief Operations Officer, told Amandala that BTL was already allowing some level of VoIP via "WhatsApp," "Yahoo Messenger," "Face Time" and other such applications. However, she said, the main concerns were Vonage and Skype. Chairman of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) Net Vasquez has confirmed that the company will tomorrow open full access to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which BTL has been partially blocking from Belizean consumers. VoIP enables Internet users to talk with each other without having to pay per- minute rates applied to regular calls on cell phones and landlines. In his first quarterly press conference for 2013 this morning, Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced that the state-owned company has agreed to lift the current restrictions on VoIP. "It helps the economy when everybody has use and access to this type of communication," Vasquez told Amandala. "At the end of this month-which I believe is tomorrow-BTL will enable full and open access to VOIP-based services and applications in Belize," Barrow told the media this morning. UDITOR GENERAL BRADLEY UNFAZED A UDP newspaper drubs AG, describing her behavior as "unforgivable;" PM Barrow refuses comment. "That doesn't move us one way [or] the other," Auditor General Dorothy Bradley told Amandala this evening, in responding to an article published in last weekend's issue of the ruling United Democratic Party's newspaper, The Guardian, which, among other charges, said that Bradley "�has failed miserably, and has deliberately chosen to feed this nation erroneous information of the worst nature and not qualifying [her 2010-2011 audit] report. Such behavior is rather unforgiveable." Bradley, who was appointed by the UDP administration to succeed Edmund Zuniga, was out of the country when the story appeared in the newspaper, and she told us that she only had a chance to read it today. "This is garbage," she said, saying she wished that the author of the article would have called her office, because the article, in certain parts, appears to contradict itself. NATIONAL BANK OF BELIZE UNDERWAY SSB funds to form part of bank's pool. "We intend to accept deposits and turn this into a full-scale bank�" Minister of Energy, Science and Technology, and Public Utilities Joy Grant will head the new National Bank of Belize, which Prime Minister Dean Barrow said today will be established to force commercial banks to revisit their interest rate, but which will also serve as a vehicle through which the Government will supply an initial $20 million for residential mortgages at a rate of 6.5%. "This is a wonderful idea whose time has come�" said Barrow, adding that, "We mean to take it to the limit where this thing is concerned� We expect to be giving people a better return on their deposits than the commercial banks are doing." The motto of the proposed new national bank, said Barrow, is "�of the people, for the people," and the mission, he added, is, principally, to make residential mortgages and other consumer loans available to lower and middle-income persons, and particularly to public officers and teachers, at cheaper rates than are being offered at this time. MURDER IN FRONT OF BROWN SUGAR A man died this evening at about 5:30 after a gunman walked up to him and shot him four times in his head and body in front of Brown Sugar on North Front Street. The killer then escaped. The man has been identified by police as Derrick Gonquez, son of the Chief Meteorological Officer Dennis Gonguez. According to the social media, however, the deceased is named Rajiv Gonguez. Witnesses told police that Gonguez had just disembarked from a San Pedro water taxi at the docks at Brown Sugar, and was walking to his vehicle, which was parked outside, when a man walked up to him and shot him. Gonguez was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, but died shortly after while receiving treatment. At press time tonight, the killer has not been apprehended, and the motive for the murder is still unknown. THE DAY OF THE WORKERS Editorial Wednesday, May 1, is a public and bank holiday which is called Labor Day in Belize. In some parts of the world, the day is called May Day. This is an international holiday to honor workers of the world. Robots, which are increasingly sophisticated machines designed to perform factory work previously performed by human beings, are a major aspect of manufacturing in the developed nations of the world. In Third World countries like Belize, nevertheless, human beings still do almost all the work which emphasizes hands and muscles. So, we have fishermen and farmers, waterfront workers, warehouse workers, truckers, workers in the electricity, water/sewerage, and telecommunications industries, workers in the fields and factories of the sugar, citrus, banana, and shrimp industries, construction workers, garbage industry workers, policemen and soldiers, and so on and so forth. Even though the teachers and public officers comprise two of Belize's most powerful trade unions, they are not probably considered workers in the classic sense. This is because they work with their minds more than they do with their hands and their muscles. Please understand, and forgive, we are not experts in this subject. But, it is absolutely important to give our younger readers a sense of the domestic and international history which is involved here. Remember, the ancestors of most of us Belizeans came to this land as slave, indentured, or refugee workers. The masters of Belize's slave and colonial history represented what the scholars and analysts refer to as "capital": our ancestors were the labor. Labor works in the service of capital, and there is a long history of capital exploiting labor, in order to maximize profits and in order to finance what is called "research and development." FROM THE PUBLISHER The Roman Catholic priests and nuns have tremendous power in Belize because their schools are considered the best in our country. There is nothing more important in the mind of the average parent than getting the best possible education for his/her child. Parents will ignore criticisms of a school, its curriculum, or its administration, whatever, as long as they believe that such a school gives their child the best chance for life's success. And, as the saying goes, "Nothing succeeds like success." Today, I will give you an idea of the gut loyalty of Catholics to their schools. About 54, 55 years ago, I was in Standard VI at Holy Redeemer Boys School on North Front Street. Carlson Gough and I had been "skipped" from Standard IV to VI, and now we two, who were about 11 years old, were in class with some big boys who may have been as old as 15, 16 years. I was fortunate that the young Belizean nun who was teaching the class took a liking to me, as I to her. She was strongly built, and had a fierce temper, of which she was proud and often boasted. In British Honduras 54, 55 years ago, corporal punishment was the order of the day at home and in school, murderers were still routinely hanged at Her Majesty's Prison on Gaol Lane, and the whole sociological climate was different from it is today BEAUTIFUL P. G. WEDDING Letters by William Chet Sir, This week I had the pleasure of attending a beautiful wedding in Punta Gorda Town. The church and reception hall were packed with hundreds of wellwishers, family, friends and fellow Church of the Nazarene members. We had the pleasure of seeing many old friends, among them Reverend Wade, his wife and family children and grandchildren all here to attend this blessed union. He was Pastor here from 1973 into the 1990's. I had a lot to say about the groom but so much had already been said that I could only endorse it. What I did want to mention and will take this opportunity, is the very impressive fact, that although there were at least 100 young children in the church and reception hall, there was no distraction, no unruliness. They were so well behaved, talking and in quiet ways playing together but in very respectful ways. ICJ REFERENDUM SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY: PM BARROW "The referendum is off". Guatemalan officials have signaled to their Belizean counterparts that the referendum programmed since a year ago, for voters in Belize and Guatemala to simultaneously go to the polls on October 6, 2013, to weigh in on whether the territorial differendum should be settled at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has been indefinitely postponed. Prime Minister Dean Barrow made the announcement this morning at his first quarterly press conference for 2013. He said that the parties held a bilateral meeting on the occasion of the 5th Summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) held in Haiti last week. That meeting came on the heels of a meeting Prime Minister Barrow held with Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, earlier that week, in order to underscore Belize's position, as well as to signal to the UN that Belize may need further UN support. MAN CHARGED FOR "KEEPING UN-MUZZLED FEROCIOUS DOG AT LARGE" The three dogs attacked and killed a $1,500 pit bull. Brian Castillo, 50, was charged for the offence of keeping an un-muzzled ferocious dog at large. Castillo, an engineer of Lords Bank village, appeared in court on Friday, April 26, and was granted bail in the sum of $1,000, which he was able to meet. He is to return to court on June 4, 2013. On Sunday, April 21, 2013, Castillo's neighbor, a 48-year-old woman of Lords Bank, reported to Ladyville police that around 10:30 a.m. on that date, while she was at home, Castillo's three dogs went into her yard and killed her four-year-old pit bull dog, which was tied in the yard. The woman said that her dog was worth $1,500. She reported that she tried to stop the dogs from attacking her dog, but her attempts were fruitless. She added that it was not the first time Castillo's dogs have strayed out of their yard. MOM DROWNS 3 OF 4 KIDS According to the surviving child, her mother, after killing 3 of her children, tried to kill herself. In one of the most horrific, tragic and heartbreaking incidents to happen in this nation, a mother is accused by police of killing three of her four children on Saturday, April 27, by drowning them at Belizean Beach, a popular bathing and picnicking spot four miles out of Belize City, on the George Price Highway. The mother reportedly then tried to kill herself. A police press release of Monday, April 29, 2013 stated: "On April 27, 2013, at about 12:15 p.m., police visited Belizean Beach, at Mile 5 on the George Price Highway, where they saw the apparently lifeless bodies of three children that were retrieved from the sea by police officers. "Initial investigations revealed that on the same date between the hours of 8 and 9 a.m., Felicia Chen, 22, an unemployed of Mile 8 on the George Price Highway, left with her children - Trina Teul, 6, Triana Elica Teul, 4, Thomas Edilberto Teul, 3, and Trinaya Felicia Teul, 1 - for Belizean Beach. Blogs #TravelTuesday - Our trip down south for Chicken Fried Steak The Polaris was looking like tropical Beverly Hillbilly's, filled with colorful coolers and bright plastic baskets. We had both wrapped up our morning work and it was time to make our way south. I was planning to get to First Aid Training down south but Shirlee who was managing the First Aid Training at Black Orchid Restaurant texted me they were going to be wrapping it up at 3:30 so I would not have time to make it. I immediately got assimilated into Cowboy's errand run. He had to do some banking, unload the Polaris at at Banana Beach Resort, get to Lone Star and of course stop for a drink at Lola's Pub along the way. While waiting for Cowboy Doug at Belize Bank 2 guys stopped and asked if I was having a yard sale, I got an lol when I told them as much as I would not mind a few extra bucks, my buddy would get pissed if I sold all his stuff and I was pretty sure they did not want my party dresses I sat and listened to music while I wanted then Lopez stopped to chat and Cowboy was done. The Prettiest Flowers in Belize's Forests The above photo is of the Cortez tree which is in full bloom by the Chaa Creek Stable. According to Mick Fleming, Co-Founder of The Lodge at Chaa Creek, the Cortez Tree is considered one of the prettiest flowering trees in Belize's forests and the wood is supposed to be extremely hard but way too beautiful to cut down. "Happy birthday" in Ambergris Caye Up around 5 am yesterday morning and spent some time - with my mug of coffee - reading The Times on-line. Then set about tackling the In Box and then turned to sending emails. One of which was to the Belize Tourism Board to find out when Rose and I can expect to receive our QRP (Qualified Retirement Program) I.D.cards, without which we cannot submit an application for permission to import a golf cart. Next off was an email to Daniel Camal, the building contractor for our build in Ambergris Caye, Belize , to wish him a very happy birthday. Then spent a fair amount of time exchanging emails with Benny's (for our lighting requirements) and The Tile & Stone Center (for our tile needs). Choosing is taking far longer than we contemplated. Before we knew it though it was time to head off to our build in Ambergris Caye, Belize. On arrival we could see Edson applying cement to the underside of the eastern (front of house) First Floor veranda. Belize Guatemala Mexico border Interesting news from the Belize/Guatemala border region. The following appeared in the Belizian newspaper, The Reporter. Border security key issue Belize-Mexico-Guatemala Belize beefs up border patrols While Belize is engaging in border talks with both Guatemala and Mexico, the tone of these talks could not be more different. In light of the most recent incident with the capture of four Belize security officers last week, which was preceded by deadly belize soldiers-Guatemalan civilians confrontations earlier this year and last year, talks with Guatemala have been tense. But in the north, Belize and Mexico are working together to cut down on the illegal activities along the borderline. Last week in their third annual border security meeting in Belize City, the two countries co-ordinated their efforts to beef up border security. Ministry of National Security and Immigration Permanent Secretary Allan Usher headed the Belize delegation and said he was optimistic about the binational effort to stem criminal activities along the over 300 miles border stretch. Usher said that Belize has already deployed additional resources to patrolling our side of the border, including more manpower to deter illegal activities, particularly smuggling, and transhipment of illegal drugs and firearms. These border patrols include police, BDF, Customs and Immigration officials. Mexican ambassador to Belize, His Excellency Lic. Enrique Hubbard Urrea, said he is optimistic that Belize and Mexico can join their efforts to solve common problems. Owners Of The World Bank/IMF The World Bank/IMF is owned and controlled by NM Rothschild & Sons plus 30 to 40 of the wealthiest people in the world. For over 150 years they have planned to take over the planet through money. The former chief economist of the World Bank, Joe Stiglitz, was fired in 2000. He pointed out to top executives that every country the IMF/World Bank forced their way into ended up with a crashed economy, a destroyed government, and some even broke out in riots. Former President of the World Bank/IMF Sir James Wolfensohn, would not comment on his dismissal. Before Joe Stiglitz was fired he took a large stack of secret documents out of the World Bank. These secret documents from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund reveal that the IMF required nations: To sign secret agreements containing 111 destructive items. (I'd love to get a hold of that list) To agree to sell off their key assets - water, electric, gas, etc. To agree to take economic steps which are devastating to the nations involved. International Sources Making Money Doing What You Love in Belize "This may sound a little chauvinistic, but I think every man has the desire to build a home for himself in the wilderness with his bare hands," says Elbert Greer. It was this desire, to carve out a place in paradise, that led the former teacher to his new life on Ambergris Caye, a Caribbean island just off the northeastern tip of Belize. After many years teaching vocational education for the state of Tennessee, Elbert had decided it was time for a change. Recently divorced and 40 years old, he didn't just change his life�he started over from scratch. He and his faithful black Labrador, Bubba, arrived just as the island was becoming a diving Mecca. That was in the mid-1980s. More than 20 years later, Elbert is running a successful business and is one of the top dive instructors in the Caribbean, with more than 4,000 dives under his tank. Former Norfolk police chief nearly dies in Belize Former Norfolk Police Chief Bruce P. Marquis was training police in Central America as a contractor for the State Department when he got sick about three weeks ago. What started with flulike symptoms quickly worsened, and Marquis was flown from a hospital in Belize City, Belize, to one in Florida to be treated for a rare pneumonia. His wife, Traci Marquis, said that a nurse told her he nearly died, and that a doctor said he was lucky to be alive. "He's getting better, but anyone who has seen him in his heyday - a very healthy individual - he is not the same individual today," she said. "It's been horrific." Marquis, 61, retired April 1, 2011, after about seven years as Norfolk police chief. He was previously an FBI agent and chief of police in Hartford, Conn. His wife said he began working for several companies with State Department contracts, and the work took him to Europe, South America, Central America, Africa and the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Countries he worked in included Moldova, Uganda, Ecuador, Tunisia and India. He arrived in Belize City in mid-March to help train officers in policing and investigations. "He described going to murder scenes where the poverty is just wretched," Traci Marquis said. "There's just so much drugs, gangs and homicide. There's just a complete lack of regard for human life." Guatemala pulls out of Belize border dispute referendum date The prime minister of Belize, Dean Barrow, has confirmed that Guatemala has unilaterally withdrawn from holding a referendum on October 6, 2013 - to be held simultaneously with a similar referendum in Belize - over the question of referring the territorial dispute between the two countries to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for arbitration. A special agreement between Belize and Guatemala on submitting the issue to the ICJ was signed on December 8, 2008. In Belize, voters were to be asked: "Do you agree that any legal claim of Guatemala against Belize relating to land and insular territories and to any maritime areas pertaining to these territories should be submitted to the International Court of Justice for final settlement and that it determine finally the boundaries of the respective territories and areas of the parties?" Natural solitude, reefs a draw in Placencia, Belize It's obvious why filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola built the Turtle Inn resort here: White sand, a blue Caribbean Sea and, some 20 miles offshore, the second-largest coral reef in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. To the west, the sun sets behind the mangrove-fringed Placencia Lagoon and the distant smoky-blue Maya Mountains and Victoria Peak. There's one more compelling reason to come here: Solitude. On a glorious afternoon, I found a beach to myself. An Englishman told me he went bonefishing for a half-day and didn't see another boat. A kayaking trip turned up lots of birds, a few manatees and no people. Let everyone else go 100 miles north to Ambergris Caye, the largest island in Belize and its No. 1 tourist destination. The island's population has swelled to 12,000, not including all the American ex-pats and retirees who have built multi-million-dollar homes along the island's beaches and have bought up new beach-side condos. 10 Things Most Americans Don't Know About America Imagine you have a brother and he's an alcoholic. He has his moments, but you keep your distance from him. You don't mind him for the occasional family gathering or holiday. You still love him. But you don't want to be around him. This is how I lovingly describe my current relationship with the United States. The United States is my alcoholic brother. And although I will always love him, I don't want to be near him at the moment. I know that's harsh, but I really feel my home country is not in a good place these days. That's not a socio-economic statement (although that's on the decline as well), but rather a cultural one. I realize it's going to be impossible to write sentences like the ones above without coming across as a raging prick, so let me try to soften the blow to my American readers with an analogy: A Collection Of My Favorite One-Liners From Thought Catalog Writers Before I started writing on Thought Catalog, I was an avid reader and I continue to be as much as I can. I would read it in the morning, afternoon, and evening. I would even read it at 3 o'clock in the early morning, post-Saturday night celebrations. I would read it on the bus, on the train, in sunshine, and in rain. (Yes, I was trying to rhyme on purpose.) I have always loved quotes; I believe words are powerful. Sometimes I think we wait til people hit the big time or worse, till their dead, before we acknowledge that their creations changed us, even in the smallest way, even if it was just for a moment in time.