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The June 5th, 2013 issue of The Capital Weekly is online HERE
This Week's Stories:
- PM Donates 50,000! Discusses Gold Cup with FFB Officials:
Last week the Football
Federation of Belize
(FFB) announced it's
decision to hold an
Official Telethon on Saturday,
June 15 to raise funds to send the
Belize National Football Selection
to the Gold Cup in the United
States, a prestigious CONCACAF
Regional Tournament
which begins on July 7, 2013.
The FFB said it needs to
raise a total of $500,000 (Half
a Million Dollars) to send our
proud footballers to the Gold
Cup to Represent the Jewel.
The Federation is asking
every Belizean to donate
at least One Dollar ($1.00) towards
supporting our National
Selection, and is calling on businesses to adopt a player;
which is to donate funds for the
cost of sending one player to
the Gold Cup (BZ $5,000.00).
Well, this past week, the
FFB's fundraising efforts got an
excellent jump start as Prime
Minister Hon. Dean Barrow, on
behalf of the Government of Belize, handed over a cheque
of $50,000 towards the cause.
- They Finally Did It!
Police Win PLB Championship:
It was the third time
consecutively that
they had gone to the
Finals of the Premier
League of Belize (PLB) National
Football Competition. The previous
two years they fell short
of winning the championship,
earning them the derisive nickname
in sports circles of 'bridesmaid'.
This time, the Police
United Football Club finally did
it; they earned the ultimate distinction
of being the 2013 PLB
Football Champions.
The decisive match was
played last Saturday, May 25
inside the FFB Stadium in the
Capital City of Belmopan, starting
around 8 PM. The Police
United Team went into that second
and final match of the Finals
holding a narrow lead of 1
goal to zero, earned in the first
game of the two-game home
and away series.
- Kim Raises $500,000+:
Last Year was the first time
she did it, and it was very successful
- the Nationwide Telethon
spearheaded by First Lady of Belize
and Special Envoy for Women
and Children, Mrs. Kim Simplis
Barrow, to raise funds for Children
with Disabilities in Belize.
This weekend, Saturday
June 1, 2013, the second such telethon
was held, in conjunction
with Care Belize; and it once again
exceeded its target of $500,000.
The event featured an extensive
line-up of Belizean artists
and was broadcast live on
all major TV and Radio Stations.
- Troubling Days for Democracy:
Ha v i n g
recently
ent
e r e d
the second year of its
second term in office,
the current administration
is admittedly
beginning to show visible
cracks and fissures
here and there, confirming
the fact that no
human creation or endeavor
is ever perfect.
Notwithstanding,
the popularity of
the Government headed
by Prime Minister
Dean Barrow is, by all
accounts, on the resurgence.
The results of the
ongoing Village Council
Elections being conducted
countrywide
clearly indicate that
the Party in Government
is solidifying the
trust and confidence
placed in it by the Belizean
People as it
consolidates the gains
made in its first term
of office.
- Sweet Celebration! Sugar Production Exceeds Expectations:
The big economic
news of the past week is that
the Sugar Industry has performed
exceptionally well
over the crop year just ended.
In fact, the performance
went well beyond expectations,
triggering a big
celebration at what has been
dubbed the Dia de Los Caneros
(Cane Farmers Day) observed
this past Friday, May 31, 2013.
In true democratic fashion,
the Cane Farmers invited
leaders from both major political
parties to speak at the event
in Orange Walk, the incumbent
party (UDP) represented
by Deputy Prime Minister and
Orange Walk Area Representative
Hon. Gaspar Vega, the
PUP by Leader of the Opposition
Hon. Francis Fonseca.
Be that as it may, it is
certainly the current UDP Administration
and the farmers
themselves who deserve a great
deal of the credit for what will
certainly go down in history
as one of the most remarkable
turnarounds for the better.
- Early Rains - Quick Response: Culverts Replaced on Burrell Boom-Hattieville:
As noted in our
report on the
Press Conference
held by
the Ministry of National Emergency
Management and Belize's
National Emergency Management
Organization (NEMO),
the Minister in charge, Hon Godwin Hulse, commented
that there had already been two
named storms for the year 2013
even before the official opening
of the Hurricane Season.
Truth is those storms,
named Alvin and Barbara,
had actually developed
in the Eastern Pacific, where
the Official Hurricane Sea son starts as early as May 15.
In Belize where the
storms affecting us generally
form in the Atlantic Ocean
and Caribbean Sea, the Official
Hurricane Season would
not commence until June 1, but
we have already been visited
by a relatively early rainy season
with some heavy torrential
showers for several days over the past two weeks. And, although
in most areas the ground was
pretty dry prior to that, the
early rains were perhaps more
than needed, and certainly
more than could be readily absorbed
in such a short period.
- Belmopan Cycling Race:
On Sunday, June 2, Belmopan
City presented a cycling race to
La Democracia, Caves Branch
Bridge on Hummingbird Highway,
and back to Belmopan, covering
60 Miles. The race was won
by Junior Cyclist Giovanni Lovell
of BTL. Jose Choto came 2nd,
Allen Castillo 3rd, Angel Tzil
4th, and Erwin Middleton 5th.
- Ready or Not: Here Comes Hurricane Season 2013!:
It's one of those seasons
most Belizeans
don't await with eager
expectation, but
whether we like it or not, the
Hurricane season is here, having
coming Saturday, June 1. Are
we ready for it? We had better
be, says the National Emergency
Management Organization
(NEMO), which falls under the
Ministry of National Emergency
Management headed by Hon.
Godwin Hulse, who at a press
conference this past Thursday
reminded us that Hurricanes
and the response to it are not
just the business of his Ministry
and NEMO, but that of every individual
who can be affected:
"The state is prepared to
assist all the individuals of this
country to be safe in the event of a disaster, prepared to assist you to be
as safe as possible."
Honorable Godwin
Hulse said. "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 unu the do?"
- "The Woman You Gave Me!":
It has often
been said that
whatever men
can do, women
can do it even better.
While this statement
is an endorsement
to the diverse abilities
possessed by women to
excel in unfamiliar domains,
it can also mean
that women have the potential
to surpass the evils
done by Ted Bundy, Jim
Jones or Adolf Hitler.
It is no surprise
then that the effort that
was started in the Western
World as the Feminist
Movement, which
was once strongly rooted
in the traditional Judeo-
Christian concepts
of truth, morality and
justice, has now evolved
into an influential movement
far removed from
the ideals and goals of the
original feminists. Neo
Feminism (the New Feminism)
is now commanding
enormous social shifts
globally as trailblazers
in the global campaign
that seeks to redefine the
terms "gender" and "family"
and to entice organizations
and governments
for laws to support rights
and freedoms to engage
in activities that are totally
contrary to God's design
and purpose.
- The Case of the Crawl Caye Project: A Lesson in Transparency, Thoughtfulness and Thoroughness:
An on-going
n e w s - s t o r y
in the local
B e l i z e a n
media has to do with the
possibility, feasibility or
desirability of a Tourismrelated
project in Southern
Belize which Norwegian Cruise
Lines has expressed interest
in pursuing. For context,
let's go back to a portion of
Prime Minister Dean Barrow's
most recent Quarterly Press
Conference on April 29, 2013:
"Norwegian Cruise-Lines
has written to the Government
of Belize and has been in
discussion. We've appointed
a Cabinet Sub-Committee to
carry this along. They want to
do a cruise facility in the South.
We're looking very carefully at
the area to ensure that there
are no difficulties from an
environmental or conservation,
protection point of view."
Following up on the
Prime Minister's comments,
Jules Vasquez of Channel Seven
News asked: "Sir, are you able
to say, you spoke earlier in a
superficial way about Crawl Caye,
the option of Crawl Caye. Are
you taking into consideration
the fact that it annexes a World
Heritage Site and, secondly, that
the National Tourism Master
Plan also says that only pocketcruising
should be reserved
for the South of Belize?"
- Challenges, Changes, Excellence: Public Service Showcased at Information
Day 2013:
Because they
represent and
work for the
Government,
the roles they play and the duties
they perform on a day to
day basis are too often taken
for granted; pretty much like
the forces of Nature: Sunshine,
Rain, Wind, the Tides, etc. But
the effectiveness of Public Officers
in executing their functions
to the community they serve is not as automatic
as we often seem to
think. A lot goes into it,
not the least of which is
the personal motivation
and drive to do their
best. Of course, a little
understanding from
the public also goes a
long way in helping
them to perform and
serve more effectively
and more meaningfully.
The self-motivation
and public-appreciation
that combine
for a more effective government
workforce is
perhaps also the underlying objective of what has now
become an annual event known
as Public Service Information
Day. In Belmopan, it was held
two Thursdays ago, and by all
accounts, it was a great success.
- Short Term and Long Term Solution:
PM Barrow Fixes Infant-Mortality Problem at KHMH:
In the news for the past
two weeks or so has been the
issue of the death of 12 premature
babies within one
month at the Karl Heusner
Memorial Hospital, all established
to have been caused by
a bacteria that had somehow
found its way into the hospital.
It's one of those stories
that still has many wondering
how the situation could
have reached such crisis levels
without the Management and
Board of the Hospital being
fully apprised of the situation
and taking measures to address
it as promptly as possible.
It's a story that will no
doubt continue to be discussed,
with the media and the public
understandably continuing to
ask the hard, basic questions.
For now, what's particularly
essential is that measures
are taken to ensure that
such deaths do not continue to
occur. It is with this objective
in mind that Prime Minister
Barrow on Thursday, May 30
made the following announcement
at a Press Conference
called by the Ministry of Health
and the KHMH Management:
- UDP Dominant in Village Council Elections Countrywide:
After FOUR weeks of Village
Council Elections Countrywide,
with only two weeks to go, the
United Democratic Party has a
commanding lead, scoring significant
victories even in villages and
constituencies which it lost by significant
margins in the last Elections.
This is an encouraging sign
for the party which almost lost the
2012 General Elections because of
low voter support in the rural areas.
The chart on the left shows results
of the most recent round of village
council elections this past weekend;
the one below, the overall tally.
- Miami Blows out Indiana in Game 7:
Their season,
their legacy, their reign
atop the NBA was all at stake,
and the Miami Heat responded
to all of that in a manner
befitting champions.
With a blowout.
It's onto the NBA Finals
for the Heat after they put away
the Indiana Pacers, who saw
their hopes of a storybook upset
simply fall apart in a hurry.
LeBron James scored 32
points and grabbed eight rebounds,
ailing Dwyane Wade
matched his post-season high
with 21 points, and the Heat ran
away from the Pacers 99-76 in
Game 7 of the Eastern Conference
finals on Monday night.
The Heat advanced
to play the San Antonio
Spurs in a series that starts
Thursday night in Miami.
- New Members of Elections and Boundaries Commission:
A Swearing-in
Ceremony was
held on May 23,
2013, at Belize
House, Belmopan
for members
of the Elections
and Boundaries
Commission.
His Excellency
the Governor
General, Sir
Colville Young, swore in Mrs. Phillipa Griffith
Bailey, Ms. Naima Barrow,
Mr. Derek Courtenay,
S.C., and Mr. Orlando Espat,
who have been appointed as
members of the Elections
and Boundaries Commission
for a period of five years with
effect from 1st May, 2013.
- Belmopan Kids and Youth Cup 2013:
Playoff Schedule for Weekend - June 1 & 2
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