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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

Doctor Love: Mixed Up
Readers, please send your letters. They can be emails, formal letters or handwritten notes. They are edited solely for grammar and spelling. Also, they are sometimes edited for length. Dear Doctor Love, I knew my fianc� for a year and we were good friends. One day I impulsively kissed him when he took me home. [�]

Police Report

Wolfe's Woofers: Learning About Sin
Melody was certainly happy to see me when I stopped at her art gallery yesterday. "I am so glad you came when I left the message for you," she said. "I need somebody to watch Davin while I go to a resort up on the north end of the island. I'll only be gone for [�]

Misc Belizean Sources

Archaeologists Discover Rare Ancient Maya Mural in Belize
Known as Tulix Mul, it appears at first blush as a mound-like island of jumbled trees and bushes jutting out of a landscape that has been otherwise cleared by local mechanized ranchers for their cattle ranch operations. It is a curious protrusion, but only because this site holds special value to archaeologists and other researchers. The local landowner ranchers have agreed to leave it untouched -- at least for now. Going forward, however, there are no guarantees. Development must ultimately meet the needs of developers. In the meantime, investigators are racing against the clock and other elements to excavate, study, and preserve the site. It is an ancient Early Classic (200-600 CE) Maya site in northwestern Belize that contains evidence of at least two standing vaulted rooms. As a relatively recent discovery, archaeologists, under the auspices of the Maya Research Program (MRP), and the University of Texas at Tyler, have been excavating at the site since 2012. It has been identified as a shrine group approximately 1 km. from Nojol Nah, another severely endangered Maya center where they have been excavating. In 2013, they focused on a structure (designated "Structure 2" on their site plan) that showed intrusion by a looter's trench. Excavation revealed evidence of a vaulted room.

VIDEO: Cassava Bread
ProjectExplorer.org's Kat Lonsdorf learns to cook Cassava bread in Dangriga, Belize.

News Exchange Highlights Add!ction in Cayo
The new issue of News Exchange Magazine is out, and it can be found at Venus. Add!ction is featured in this issue, and you can see their models all around Cayo. They are also having a $300 raffle, which will be held on January 29th. Pictures on fb: "News Exchange Magazine has their latest issue out. You can find it here in Cayo at Venus Photos and Records. News.Exchange Magazine and Courts Belize are having a raffle to win $300. You can find the entry form in the magazine. Gabriela Berrera has a great photoshoot in this issue, and you can see her creations in shots from all over Cayo. Enjoy, and good luck!"

Teenage man found stabbed to death in Belize City
The body of a man was found this morning on Elston Kerr Street in Belize City. It has been identified as that of Joseph Sanchez, 18, a resident of Antelope Street Extension. Sources say Sanchez' body, which was found face down, had a stab wound to the chest. The murder is under investigation by the police.

I will continue to advocate �
by Glenn Tillett I am reproducing the following column which was published in the Belize Times several years ago because I was told that a judgement in this matter may be nigh. I have been told by some that my suit is simply me carrying a brief for Lord Ashcroft in his fight with the Barrow administration over the seizure of Belize Telemedia Limited. I am aware that I am that proverbial blade of grass underfoot those giants, but I am neither tool nor fool. I am confident that mine is an act borne from principle and I am encouraged that increasingly I hear ordinary citizens like myself expressing their dissatisfaction with Social Security funds being used for the furthering of political agendas. It is long past time that the fund be managed by a board on which the political executive representatives is not the majority and can over-ride the employers and employees representatives at will. This week I am spending time in the courtroom of Acting Chief Justice Samuel Awich listening to attorneys spar over the interpretation of certain "Acts" or laws while Senior Counsel Lois Young tries to avoid looking at me. My mind wanders at times, especially when Dr. Lloyd Barnett gets up and starts speaking in a voice almost devoid of inflection or emotion.

Blogs

Sunny and very busy San Pedro Saturday
Yesterday was a fun filled active day. On Friday when I stopped by Catamaran Beach bar, Ruth had told me I needed to come back and try the iced coffee with alcohol in it so I decided that would make a nice Saturday morning treat before going to the Island Art and Craft the art show. When I got there Leisa was enjoying a glass of wine and had already ordered. As soon as I saw her plate, I told Luis I wanted the same. My alcohol version of my fav iced coffee since Island Perk included Bailey's and Kahlua - it was yummmmmmy. While we were eating we got to watch a kite surfer practicing, he was really good and we were both amazed at his stamina ad he zipped back and forth past us.

Surprise Party to Mourn the Closing of BC's Beach Bar
BC's Beach Bar is one of the best in town and one of the last classic palapa beach bars in San Pedro center. Here's a picture of this palapa gem at sunset last night. The inside has been signed and decorated for years� A great place to hang while your kids play in the sea. I even spotted this crazy octopus in the water right in front one evening. LAST NIGHT, there was a surprise party for Charlene to celebrate the closing of BC's Beach Bar. January 16th is the very last day. The lease is up and a huge condo development is moving in. (More about that in this December 2012 post.) Charlene was told that they were having a fundraiser for the humane society (she is a big supporter) and arrived to a bar full of supporters� And one AMAZING cake.

Take the taste of Belize home to your own kitchen
Foodies will tell you, to truly know a place you've got to sample the local cuisine. In Belize, visitors can enjoy a plethora of diverse and delicious delicacies while on vacation, and taking the taste of Belize home might be easier than you think! As cooking shows and world travel trends continue to encourage people to get into the kitchen and experiment with fusion cuisine, home cooks are putting their own spins on Belizean food like never before. A key ingredient in this challenge is the cookbook- chock full of detailed recipes, secret tips, helpful preparation techniques, and substitution ingredient ideas. Look out for several cookbooks on the market that are filled with family favorites passed on from grandmothers to the next generation; these recipes are comfort foods for many Belizeans and Belizeans-at-heart. So after you've eaten your way across this good food-filled paradise, continue the adventure right in your kitchen by creating your own taste of Belize at home.

International Sources

Memorial held in Belize for Brian Townsend
A memorial was held today in Belize for an Edmonton man who police say was murdered in on Christmas Eve. Brian Townsend, 64, had been living and working as a missionary in Central America for the past nine years. He was reported missing from his home in the small community of Valley of Peace on Christmas, and his body was later found in Guatemala. Pastor Gelder Gamboa, who worked with Townsend, said he expects a big turnout at the service. "The community is sad and we're still grieving. You know, this is where we are at this present moment because we will not see him anymore. It is over." Belize police have two suspects in mind and are working with Guatemalan authorities, but have not yet made any arrests in the case. Arrangements have been made to transport Townsend's ashes back to his family in Canada. A memorial service will be held Jan. 19 in Lacombe at the College Heights Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

HeartGift gives children life-saving surgeries
Imagine your child with a life threatening heart ailment, and no one where you live can treat it. That's the very real story that plays out in underdeveloped countries around the world. Austin area doctors and the HeartGift Foundation make sure several children get that life-saving surgery. Courtney Adalina Castillo can charm anyone in the room, including her mother. "She's the love of my life," said Trisha Lopez, Courtney's mom. Courtney and her family are from Belize. Her mother said there are no pediatric cardiologists there. She said she was desperate after learning of her daughter's condition just a few months ago. "Immediately when someone says there's something wrong with her heart, we all got alarmed," said Lopez. "We were crying. Where to go? What to do? There's nowhere to go and no one to see in Belize."

Spanish Adventurer Continues on Quest to Retrace Balboa's Voyage
Spanish adventurer Alvaro de Marichalar is close to completing a journey of 2,400 nautical miles on his jet ski between Florida and Panama with the goal of commemorating the voyage of Vasco Nu�ez de Balboa, the first European to behold the Pacific Ocean, which he dubbed the "Southern Sea." De Marichalar, who sails alone on his 3-meter-long (about 10 feet) jet ski named Numancia, arrived Friday at Puerto Limon on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast and will continue his journey on Sunday toward Panama, which he hopes to reach next Wednesday. The Spaniard, who left Florida on Dec. 12, had not planned to stop in Costa Rica, but the need for maintenance on his jet ski forced him to do so, giving him the chance to rest a bit and eat properly for a couple of days. De Marichalar told Efe that after his stop in Puerto Limon he will head toward Panama, specifically to Bocas del Toro and Colon, and after that traverse the Panama Canal and finally arrive at the capital city, next Wednesday - if all goes well. On his journey so far, the Spanish adventurer left Florida en route to Cuba and then headed to Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and finally Panama, from where he will transit the Panama Canal and continue to Cartagena, Colombia.

VIDEO: 10 Days in Belize x GoPro Studio
Decided to take just a single GoPro, GoPole and head strap for this 10 day adventure. See what is possible with only these three things as we climb Mayan ruins, play with monkeys, swim with sharks and dive with all forms of sea creatures. Cars, taxis, boats, planes, kayaks, bikes, canoes - this is Belize