Today's Belize News: May 31, 2013

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Today's Belize News: May 31, 2013 #465620 05/31/13 05:54 AM
Joined: Oct 1999 Posts: 84,398 oregon, spr Marty OP
OP Marty	FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report. 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 NEMO Week 2013: preparing for hurricane season 2013 With the hurricane season opening on Saturday, June 1st, the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) has once again set out to prepare the Belizean community in case of an emergency. This year, NEMO Week is observed under the theme, "Reducing the threat from Climate Change, Disaster preparedness begins with you" and took place during the week of May 26th to June 1st. The purpose of NEMO week is to bring awareness to the public and stress the importance of disaster preparation. The week included a Morning Talk Show, school visits to handout materials on disaster preparedness, a game competition and a cleanup campaign. The week commenced with a day of prayers on Monday, May 26th. Members of all denominations from across town were invited to offer a special service for protection throughout the hurricane season. On Tuesday, May 28th Dennis Gonguez, Meteorology officer for the Belize Meteorology Center visited the San Pedro High School students to discuss climate changes and basic preparation methods in case of tropical storms and hurricanes. Gonguez explained to the students how pollution affects climate drastically and leads to the formation of larger storms. He also explained how global warming is affecting the intensity of hurricanes. The power of a hurricane depends on how rapidly water can evaporate from the ocean, transferring heat to the atmosphere, which converts the transfer of heat into wind energy. As the temperature of the water rises it becomes easier for hurricanes to be created and to be fueled, therefore create catastrophically large storms. The students also learned how the community can help reduce factors that lead to climate change. From simply not burning garbage to reducing the use of aerosols, we all play part in reducing the threats of climate change. Oceana's Northern II trawler sold for $1 to Placencia fishermen for sustainable use Oceana in Belize finalized the sale of the last of two trawlers they had acquired when trawling was banned in Belize in December of 2010. Since purchasing the Northern II in April of 2011 from the Belize Northern Fisheries Cooperative, Oceana in Belize has been accepting proposals for the creative use of the vessel that was once one of only two trawlers in Belize. One of those proposals came from the Placencia Producers Cooperative Society Limited (PPCSL) and on Saturday May 25th, Oceana Vice President in Belize Audrey Matura-Shepherd finalized the sale and handed over the vessel for $1. In 2011, Oceana acquired the Northern II at a cost of $650,000 and gave an additional $150,000 towards a loan and grant agreement as compensation for giving up the trawling industry. Since the acquisition of Northern II, Oceana accepted creative proposals for the use of the trawlers, the only condition being that it couldn't be used for trawling anywhere in the world. Reef Week Triathlon results As part of the 2013 Reef Week celebration, Hol Chan Marine Reserve held two triathlon competitions on the morning of Saturday, May 25th. The purpose of Reef Week was to raise awareness about the reef and marine life conservation. The groups of competitors were divided into Under 14 and Over 14. The race began shortly after 10am, and a crowd gathered at Central Park to cheer on the young athletes. The competitors first took to the sea, swimming laps around markers that had been set out. Not even a little rain could interfere with the ongoing race. Once the swimmer completed his laps the next phase of the race took part with cycling and then running laps through Barrier Reef and Pescador Drive. At the end of the race, first place for the Under 14 division went to Luis Carcamo. For his efforts, he took home a beach cruiser bicycle and a gift bag. Second place went to EsromAldana. He received a snorkel set and a gift bag. Third place went to Andy Rivero who won a trip to Hol Chan Marine Reserve and one gift bag. Coconut Drive by Yacht Club opens The section of Coconut Drive (by the Belize Yacht Club) that was on repairs will be opened tomorrow at 7:30 AM to all vehicular traffic. Ambergris Today Second Telethon Seeks to Raise $500,000 for Inspiration Center The Special Envoy for Women and Children, Mrs. Kim Simplis Barrow and CARE-Belize are once again hosting a nationwide telethon to raise funds to complete and equip the Inspiration Center. The telethon will held on Saturday, June, 1st, 2013 at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts and once again, donation booths will be placed in strategic locations countrywide. Construction of The Inspiration Center at 1.5 mile on the George Price Highway is well underway and the funds raised this year will be primarily used for the purchase of specialized equipment to provide physical and occupational therapy, medical care, recreational activities and other services catered to the needs of children with disabilities. The center will also serve as a community center with after-school classes for disadvantaged children from the surrounding communities. How to Be a Good Dog Owner and a Great Neighbor SAGA Humane Society and the San Pedro Town Board are working together to help dog owners be better neighbors and members of the community. This article will help you to understand what you can do, as a dog owner, to make San Pedro a more beautiful, happier and healthier place for residents and tourists alike. Don't forget that when you choose to get a dog, your neighbors have no say in that choice. Neuter or spay your dog. This will prevent them from spreading disease and from adding to the dog overpopulation problem we have in San Pedro. It will also make them healthier and more loyal. Keep your dog under control and in your yard at all times. No one deserves to be frightened or hurt by your dog. Misc Belizean Sources NEMO "Hurricane Season 2013" documents "Reducing the threats from Climate Change, Disaster Preparedness begins with YOU". National Emergency Management Organization Melhado Parade, Belmopan Click Here for NEMO's Emergy Response Information Are YOU prepared in case of a Hurricane ? Photos: Streets affected by the rain on May 28 Mayor Danny and Councilor Severo visit various streets from Ramon's Village up to the D.F.C. Area and the Escalante Subdivision making an assessment on future repairs of the streets that suffer tremendously from the heavy rains, especially since rainy season is upon us. MCHS Promo Video Mount Carmel High School has a lenghty advertisement video out. That's a cool mural they have by their auditorium. Elvis Avila Wins NICH Award Congratulations to Benque's, Elvis Avila, for being NICH's National Arts and Culture award recipient. Viva la Lens of Culture! "Awesome news!!!!!!!! Benque House of Culture salutes, Elvis Avila on a major accomplishment as the National Arts & Culture recipient by the Institute of Creative Arts (NICH) 2013, join us in wishing him well in development of the Arts & Culture in the community & Belize! Felicidades Elvis!" Public Service Information Day More Public Service Information Day pictures. "BARS, NICH, BMA, BTB and the main office came together to represent and inform the public of the work done by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture." In Bloom Plays Lucky 5 Tonight In Bloom will be playing at Lucky 5. If you missed them open at the Ascenthium concert or didn't see them at the Full Moon Concert, then tomorrow is your chance. They just released a video of them doing Seize the Day from Avenged Sevenfold on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5I1WaG7AgM Emmanuel Mangar Jams the Blues Cayo's Emmanuel Mangar released a great jam session of slow blues. He'll be playing at Mr. Greedy's tomorrow night, where he plays most Friday nights. Some day, he'll be playing this in front of thousands of people. Rotaract Living Healthy BBQ Fundraiser Rotaract had a highly successful BBQ to raise funds for their school projects. It was delicious! A big thanks to the sponsors, and to the Rotaractors, for being the change they wish to see in the world. "On Saturday, May 25th, Rotaract San Ignacio Went out to San Ignacio's Market to do a BBQ sale. The Club was fundraising for our upcoming event: Living Healthy Campaing. It was a total success; we were even sold out! Thank you for everyone who supported and thank you once again to those who never hesitate to sponsor us. We all did it! Sponsors: Codd's Drug Store, Atlantic Bank Ltd., The Belize Bank Limited , Rumors Resort Hotel, Astrid Salazar Silva, Matus Dental Clinic, Emil & Sharon Figueroa, Rotary Club of San Ignacio, and Rotarian: Franklin Syrowatka. Support the Inspiration Telethon Just 2 more days until the Inspiration Telethon. In Cayo, you can donate at the booth that will be set up in front of Atlantic Bank. They will also have t-shirts and hats that you can buy to support the Inspiration Center. You can also call 0-800-INSPIRE. Sun Is Up Pre-Summer Party Meluchi's is having their Sun Is Up Pre-Summer party tonight. Cloud 9 will be there, along with Tagg International and DJ Richie. The first 25 ladies get a glow stick and a rocket balloon. There will be a Kotch competition. Summer is here! "Thing called SUN IS UP: Pre- Summer bash inside MELUCHI'S GRAVEYARD LOUNGE on Friday May 31st!! Musical niceness by big bad Cloud 9 Sound, Dj Richie Galvez, and last but not least, Dj Justin Jago Williams of Tagg International! Summer is here!!! Stress free!!!!" Channel 7 KHMH: Who's Responsible? Who's to blame for the death of a dozen newborns at the KHMH Pediatric Intensive Care Unit? That's what most everyone wanted to know from a press conference held this afternoon by the KHMH, Board and Management along with the Prime Minster. But, as we found out in the hour and a half long press conference in the Hospital Conference Room, things aren't always that straightforward. Here's what the Chairman of the Board had to say. Jules Vasquez "What you said at the Press Conference was that it was really a failure of management protocols, a failure of reporting protocols so am I to determine then that no one is to blame? No human is to blame? No one is accountable?" Chandra Nisbet Cansino - Chairman, KHMH "If you are asking specifically about the deaths of the newborns - at this time we cannot hold any one person accountable. We have had detailed discussions with the head of the Pediatric Unit and there response was really timely, they did what they were suppose to do and when they were supposed to do it. I think as Dr. Coye explained, he was aware of what was going on - unfortunately the CEO was not. We would have liked that the CEO knew about these events as they were unfolding and so we as a board plan to have a conversation with him probably to strengthen that area because as a board as well if there is a crisis in the hospital, we also feel that we should know. We definitely will have that conversation but our first concern was to ensure that the situation was handled correctly and that there was no negligence on the part of the medical professionals." It's Official, Audrey Resigns From OCEANA Last night we told you about the unconfirmed reports that Audrey Matura-Shepherd would be abruptly announcing her resignation from Oceana. Well, the former Oceana Vice President confirmed those reports in a press release she sent out this morning. The release states, and we quote, "I have submitted my resignation as Vice President of Oceana for Belize effective as of August 22, 2013. It is time for me to move on to new opportunities and fully pursue my legal career which remains my passion", end of quote. And while that seems simple enough�was it really? Did Matura-Shepherd freely resign, or was she forced to after she made anti-homosexual remarks? Today Matura-Shepherd held a Press Conference and explained what caused her sudden and unexpected move. She also spoke about her columns in the Amandala about the comparison she made of homosexuality to bestiality and how she was out rightly attacked for having an opinion. Cabinet's Position On Crawl Caye Last night, 7New told you about the mass concerns coming from the BTIA, environmentalists and private tourism interests in relation to the proposal from Norwegian Cruise Line to build a cruise port on Crawl Caye in Southern Belize. As we reported, rumors spread that the Government committee reviewing the proposal intended to decide on a Memorandum of Understanding with NCL as early as next week. This caused the concerned stakeholders to start a letter campaign to torpedo the project. Well, today, 7News got an opportunity to speak to Minister Godwin Hulse, the chairman of the committee looking at the proposal, and he discussed Government's position on the proposal at this current moment. He also discussed the public concerns which have been ventilated via the media. Hon. Godwin Hulse - Minister of Labour "Here's the position - NCL has made a proposal. There's a committee of the cabinet which I chair made up of other ministers, Heredia (Tourism), Castillo (Economic Development), Alamilla (Environment) and of course Minister Contreras (Trade) and myself basically as Minister of Labour - those are the areas which government has concerns with any investment. Initially we met with NCL and out of that meeting came a requirement that the NCL technical people meet with our technical people to determine the technical parameters of doing a facility on the proposed island. Shooting A Short Distance From Police Substation Tonight, 26 year-old Jason Joseph, a resident #101 West Street, is recovering from a gunshot wound after an assailant ambushed him at his home. At around 7:40 last night, he was standing in front of his house when a gunman wearing a black mask ambushed him, fired several shots and ran off. One of those bullets struck him in the left upper arm, and he was rushed to the KHMH for treatment. The brazenness of the attack must be noted because Joseph's house is just a stone's throw away from the Mesopotamia Police Sub-Station, so the assailant risked quick police response to execute the attack. Cruise Terminal On Crawl Caye, to Be Or Not To Be? Before the commercial break you heard Minister Godwin Hulse speak about Norwegian Cruise Line and its interest in putting a Cruise Port on Crawl Caye. Hulse is the Chairman of an investment subcommittee assigned by cabinet to look at the matter - but the Prime Minister - in a sense is the "decider." Today he told us government is obligated to look at Norwegian's Officer, but they are in no rush. Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minster of Belize "Norwegian is talking about an investment of possibly a hundred million dollars, at least in my view, given the need for employment especially in the need for opportunities, government must have the conversation that it is having with Norwegian. Given the location of Crawl Caye, cabinet insisted that the relevant ministries do the proper assessment to ensure that we could even do a project there and that if we could in what ways the project would have to be limited. I see the BTIA saying, 'oh this is going to be a kind of free for all' Norwegian brings hundreds and hundreds of cruise passengers. There is no way we are going to move in any precipitous fashion on this thing, I don't know whether we will move at all but the conversation must occur because you simply don't turn away this potentially huge investment without making absolutely sure that this cannot happen in the larger scheme of things in the larger national." Shady San Antonio Road Transactions At A "Frenzied" Time We also pressed the Prime Minister to speak about the San Antonio Road. You'll recall that's the one we told you about on Friday night, where a contractor was paid to pave the San Antonio Road, but the Road was left unpaved. The PM told the press today that yes, there are standing discrepancies with that contract and the entire conduct of the business. Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister of Belize "After I saw the news reports" Jules Vasquez "You watch the news Sir?" Hon. Dean Barrow "No,No, I was sent the internet version, I wouldn't have said it, I don't want people to feel that I am discriminating against you, but no, I don't watch your news, since you bring it up. But after I saw the internet version I caused the financial secretary to go meet with the CEO in the Ministry of Works. PM Says Deputy Had No Role In Noh Mul The Prime Minister was also asked to comment on the destruction of the main temple at the Noh Mul Mayan site. De-Mar's Stone Company, owned by UDP Candidate in Orange Walk Central Denny Grijalva used the two thousand year old structure as a quarry. He did it to fulfill public contracts to fill roads in Orange Walk North. That's the Deputy Prime Minister's division and the PM bristled when we tried to make connection. Jules Vasquez "Are you satisfied that in fact the deputy prime minister and the representative from Orange Walk North had no involvement in the paving of roads in the Orange Walk North rural roads with fill from Noh Mul?" Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minster of Belize "Sorry, could you repeat that" Jules Vasquez "The deputy prime minister has sent out as statement saying he had no involvement in the malling of Noh Mul" Hon. Dean Barrow "That I certainly accept" Man Charged For Manslaughter, Family Wants Murder Tonight, 40 year-old Eduardo Rudolpho Torres is out on bail on the charge of Manslaughter by Negligence for the death of 32 year-old John Paul Fernandez, which happened on May 4 on the compound of the Palm Island Bar. Police were initially treating it as a murder because at around 3:41 a.m. that night, Torres was fatally shot to the right side of his head. Initially, they didn't have any witnesses who could say that Torres, who was the main suspect, shot him, but after 4 weeks of investigation, they finally charged him. Fernandez's family is furious that Torres was charged with manslaughter and not murder, especially given the fact of how Fernandez was killed. Man To Jail For Sex With 15 Year Old Tonight, 19 year-old Rudolph McKoy is at prison tonight after he was taken to court for allegedly having sex with a 15 year-old female. According to police, on Tuesday at around midday, McKoy met his fellow female student at Dolphin Park where they had intercourse. Police caught them in the act, and detained them both. As a result of this and a medical examination McKoy was charged with unlawful carnal knowledge and aggravated assault of an indecent nature. NEMO Gets Ready For Hurricane Season The 2013 hurricane season opens on Saturday, June 1 - and that's when NEMO will begin to take an active role in monitoring the development of tropical storms and hurricanes. While doing that, NEMO will take the lead in informing and mobilizing the nation with their disaster preparedness plans. And to note the seriousness that they take that responsibility, the NEMO directors today held a press conference to update the nation. NEMO Minister Godwin Hulse gave a presentation outlining the tough policy that his ministry will be operating by for 2013. Here's what he had to say: Hon. Godwin Hulse - Minister of NEMO "The state is prepared to assist all the individuals of this country to be safe in the event of a disaster, prepared to assist to be as safe as possible. The state cannot and will not save your life - that is for God and we take no such credit. I open with that, because too many times there is the misconception that 'well there is a hurricane coming, weh unno the do?' and I want the public who sees this tonight to understand it is what you will do for yourself, because it is your responsibility to preserve, as best as possible, your own life and to help to prevent accidents to yourself and to look after your property. Cervical Cancer, Eluding Early Detection In Belize It's Cancer Awareness Month - and in line with the theme, "CANCER: "Did you know? Get the facts!" - the Belize Cancer Society today held a forum on cervical cancer. The opening address was given by Dianne Finnegan whose husband Michael Finnegan beat prostate cancer, and whose sister-in-law lost her battle with cervical cancer. Finnegan told the crowded room at the Radisson about the lessons she's leaned. Dianne Finnegan - Sister in Law of Cervical Cancer victim "In discussion with my sister in law when she was alive she said if she had only gone to the doctor earlier they would have been able to diagnose the cancer in its early stage and be treated." Delone Pascascio, RN, MN - Belize Cancer Treatment Center "We continue to see more new referrals, in the last two days we were at the cancer center and we saw a total of perhaps 25 patients - half of which were new referrals. This is really heartbreaking because some of these patients are really young. What we're battling now in terms of the referral are the increasing numbers of Cervical Cancer that are diagnosed in their late stage. The disturbing trend we're seeing is the number of late cases, late stages of young women, one of the cases she was 31 years old, is exceptionally unusual because usually we see those in their early stages and there's able to intervene. What we're seeing right now is a hesitancy to go and check out what may be changing and therefore you wait and think that things will right themselves but in fact they continue to progress and by the time you get to a physician you get this really terrible diagnoses that you are devastated and have to figure out what you're going to do with it." PM Says Gender Policy Not Law And in one last bit of political news for tonight - the PM was grilled on the flap over the Revised National Gender Policy. As we've reported that document has come under intense scrutiny from the Christian for seeming to suggest that homosexual rights should be mainstreamed into cultural and religious practices. The mere suggestion has started an angry crusade against the document and, by extension, the government. A lot of it centers around the fact that the churches were not consulted while UNIBAM apparently was. The PM answered this criticism: Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister of Belize "Churches were not consulted specifically, they are on various sort of satellite bodies, the Aids Commission, the National Committee for Families and Children, but in terms of the writing up of the policy by the consultant and it's finalization, it is my understanding that the churches were not directly involved. But as I've said to Bishop Phillip Wright, the policy is not a platform for legislative action, the policy is to some extent, aspirational, and it can do no more than inform governments' attitude. If we ever wanted to legislate, and the question of whether there ought to be legislation in certain areas to make the word flesh with respect to protection of peoples' rights, If we ever wanted to legislate there would have to be wide spread consultation and an effort at some sort of a consensus, so when people see the policy as the thinning of the wedge - when they get from there to the suggestion that this opening the door to some kind of legislation that would sanction same sex marriages, my God, that's entirely bizarre, its completely out of the question and not a factor in the equation at all. A Recap of Belize Football Game In Melchor Last night, 7News told you about the friendly match between the Belize National "A" Team and the Guatemala Professional league team, Heredia Jaguares de Peten, which is currently the second place team in that country. Our news team arrived back from Melchor late yesterday evening - which only gave us time for a brief snippet. But tonight, we have the full recap of a game which Belize easily dominated. Daniel Ortiz reporting The Friendly match began promptly at 3 at a three quarter full 'Estadio Olimpico De Melchor De Menchos' where we saw a handful of Belizeans mixed in with the mostly Guatemalan crowd. But, the Belizean players should have felt right at home on a surface that seemed much like the rough and tumble pitch at the MCC. Both teams battled for possession, but slowly as the game progressed, the Belize National Team started to apply pressure to the Heredia defence. Quite a few times, the Belize team had good looks, but they became near misses. REACH Launches With Buff Art Show We feature art shows in this segment of the news all the time - but tonight's art show is different: it's from a youth-oriented NGO, which is advancing art as an antidote to violence. Their mission is to encourage community self-evaluation, social change and more informed policy and decision-making through high quality social research. We found out more at the launch of REACH today. Jules Vasquez reporting As this promotional launching video shows the newly formed NGO called REACH is about the artistic expression of young men- in their first show called IMAGINE-NATION. Sure, the acronym may stand for Research, Education and Advocacy for Social Change - but really it's about diverse artistic expression including poetry. And while that may seem like idle humour, in a society where, research shows, many young men are like ticking time bombs without an outlet for expression, the importance of words can't be over emphasized. A Plea From the Medical Chief Of Staff At the top of the newscast, we told you all about the ongoing investigation at the KHMH to find who or what is accountable for the 13 baby deaths in 20 days. But today the Medical Chief of Staff made a heartfelt plea on behalf of his institution when he said that Belizeans must go beyond the blame-gaming to find a staff that genuinely cares:� Dr. Adrian Coye - Medical Chief of Staff, KHMH "It is easy to see the wrong, it is easy to say, well 'they don't have this, they don't have that' and I am challenging you as a country to see the other side. If they don't have this, where can I fit in? How can I fix that? We see that this is a small unit; we're asked to do so much, four hundred and fifty, five hundred babies a year with a capacity that should be for ten babies, but we do twenty sometimes and I see and have seen miracles, I've seen excellent work and when all those successes are happening, no one says anything. But I just want to say, in defense, of all those I see work without praise, that I am proud to be working in such a great group." Chetumal Street Gets "Major Surgery" And we hope the city council is not footing the bill for a growing mess on Chetumal Boulevard. The road was opened six weeks ago with much fanfare and a cost of almost three quarter million dollars. But, two weeks later, we showed you cracks in the pavement, and now, a whole significant section of it has been dug up and is being re-cast. In addition to that, with the first rain, a part of the median that should be a flowerbed, has turned into a small lake. Due to time constraints at our end, we could not get a comment from the City Council today. We will try to do so tomorrow.