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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials


The San Pedro Sun

Wolfe's Woofer: The Drink's Not On Me
The Drink's Not On Me "Why don't we just meet at Wet Willy's at one o'clock?" I asked "That sounds like a plan to me," Richard said. "I'm sure some of the other guys will be there already." Richard Cartwright and his lovely wife Vicky usually spend two or three months visiting San Pedro each [�]

Caye Caulker Police Report
On Thursday 16th January 2014 about 5:30am Caye Caulker Police Personnel conducted an Anti-Drug Operation within the island where a search was conducted at the residence of Shawn Bennett age 37. Upon arrival at the house the police knock on the door and identified themselves at which time they observed one of the window facing north of the building being opened where someone stretch of their hand and threw out a black object which fell in the nearby yard. Upon gaining entry inside the house it was observed that Shawn Bennett was inside the house along with his Common Law Wife Betty Petillo age 33 and another male person learnt to be Justin Usher age 22 . They were escorted outside where the object fell and it was retrieved in their presence and observed to be a black plastic bag which when opened contained green leafy vegetable substance suspected to be cannabis. They were informed of the offence committed and escorted to the Police Station along with the suspected drugs where it was weighed which amounted to 66.9 grams of cannabis. They were formally arrested and charged for the offence of Drug Trafficking and will be escorted to San Pedro Magistrate Court on Friday 17th January 2014 for arraignment.

Doctor Love: Sad Mistake
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 met a man while I was here on vacation a year and a half ago. We stayed at the same resort and [�]

Misc Belizean Sources

There is no trust between Belize and Guatemala
By Wellington C. Ramos. Since the 1800s, Guatemala has been claiming our country with no end in sight. Plus, they continue to teach their citizens that Belize belongs to them. Every day many Guatemalan citizens cross the border at will with no regard for the military, immigration or custom officers. They even establish villages, take land to grow their food and settle permanently to await their citizenship through amnesty programs from Belizean politicians, who need their votes to get elected.

Dangriga UDP convention
Frank Mena 1,077, Arthur Roches 690, Spoilt 18. Congrats are in order to Papa Mena!

Damaged equipment cause big blackout
Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) technicians were working late Sunday to fix damaged equipment at the company's Westlake Substation. A brief statement put out by the state-owned company said that the damaged equipment was the cause of an "unplanned power interruption" which plunged the Cayo, Stann Creek and Toledo districts into blackout. The blackout struck at 3:35 pm and it took roughly 3 hours for BEL to fully restore power to all the affected areas.

Archaeology Sites Reopened
The Institute of Archaeology, NICH, has advised all tour operators, tour guides, and the general public that water levels have receded, and the following sites are now open for visitation: Nohoch Che'en (Caves Branch) Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Barton Creek Xunantunich

Blogs

Placencia, Belize: The Beach, The Sidewalk, The Bars, The Restaurants, I'm Loving It
And what's not to love? I've been here a few times in the past year and this place grabs you when you first get off the plane, or the bus or even the Hokey Pokey Shuttle boat from mainland Mango Creek to the Placencia Peninsula.

Central America: You better Belize it, baby! (Part 1)
12 hours, a (very long) bus ride, one border crossing and a boat ride later, and we were on the beautiful island of Caye Caulker. Of all the stops on our itinerary, this was the place I was most excited for. As soon as we approached the jetty and I caught a close-up of the island, I knew I was going to love it. Lush azure waters, a sandy perimeter and colourful shops and houses dotting the 3-street-long island. I mean, how could you not fall in love with this mini haven? Playa Del Carmen may have had the picture-perfect beaches, but Caye Caulker was winning in the attitude stakes; the island's motto: GO SLOW, MON! (Think Caribbean - a big influence on the island, perhaps even more so than it's Latin neighbours). Originally part of the British Empire, Belize is an English speaking country (although the locals often speak a mixture of Creole or Spanish), and so it's also an easy destination for non-Spanish speaking tourists to get by. After dropping our bags at the Paradise Hotel, we followed Kaylie on a short 'tour' of the island which took all of 10 minutes and soon I was racing back to the hotel to jump in the shower before we reconvened for dinner. En route, I passed a guy driving a golf cart and as I raced passed him, he shouted after me "Go Slow!", a welcome reminder for a Londoner like me to take advantage of the more laidback lifestyle whilst I had the chance.

The reason BTL was Nationalized?
I told you all back then and I'll keep saying it.. The issue was never about nationalization as in making it for the people, initially I thought it was just to get to slip a backdoor into the Constitution to give the politicians in Government all power but it seems it goes way beyond that. Doing research for my article about the CARICOM Union that we are heading into, I stumbled on this and you have to know about it. To fully understand this you will have to read the CARICOM article.

International Sources

Pictures: Massive Maya City Revealed by Lasers
Airborne lasers have "stripped" away thick rain forests to reveal new images of an ancient Maya metropolis that's far bigger than anyone had thought. An April 2009 flyover of the Maya city of Caracol used Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) equipment-which bounces laser beams off the ground-to help scientists construct a 3-D map of the settlement in western Belize. The survey revealed previously unknown buildings, roads, and other features in just four days, scientists announced earlier this month at the International Symposium on Archaeometry in Tampa, Florida. University of Central Florida anthropologists Arlen and Diane Chase have spent decades hacking through the tangled undergrowth that has engulfed the powerful city-which thrived between A.D. 550 and 900. So far they've uncovered only a tiny fraction of the ruins.

Maya Rise & Fall
Interactive map: Explore 15 key Mayan sites that archaeologists and historians are using to piece together the story of this once great civilization.

Belize Tourism Board with Olson Engage Take Home Top Honors At In2 SABREs
The Belize Tourism Board with Olson Engage took home Best in Show honors for its "Breaking Bad's Trip to Belize" campaign at the In2 SABRE Awards at the Four Seasons San Francisco last week. The campaign - which also won in for marketing buzz and digital influence - took home best in show for turning a potential negative into a memorable, remarkable opportunity. Earlier this year, the hit AMC show "Breaking Bad" used the phrase taking a "trip to Belize" as a euphemism for killing someone. Following this, the Belize Tourism Board showed its sense of humor in a series of light-hearted tweets directed at the show's actors and TV influencers. The team also partnered with the New York Times for an exclusive story inviting the cast of "Breaking Bad"on a free vacation to Belize.

Belize and Guatemala agree on 'road map' to address the territorial dispute
Belize and Guatemala agreed at the headquarters of the Organization of American States on a "Road Map and Plan of Action", which has as its main objective the strengthening of the bilateral relationship between the two countries during 2014 in order to make concrete the holding of popular consultations to enable the consideration of the territorial dispute before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza emphasized the importance of the two countries deciding to coordinate joint activities, because doing so "means moving toward a more stable relationship." "The more dense the international relations between countries, the greater their stability and permanence," he added, because "to be able to develop significant projects in the areas of the environment, security, labor, immigration, health or education helps people to get to know and value each other."

Orvis announces 2014 matching grants
Every year, Orvis awards cash grants to causes important to its customers. This year's target grant recipients include the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and its Oyster Restoration Program. Rare, for its Fish Forever program in Belize. Fish Forever empowers local Belizean communities to sustainably manage their fisheries, thereby increasing food security, conserving important marine habitats and species, safeguarding local jobs and creating coastal climate resilience. The $30,000 grant from Orvis will match customer contributions up to the same amount, for a total of $60,000 support for this program.

Belize and Guatemala agree on plan to strengthen relations
The foreign ministers of Belize and Guatemala, Wilfred Elrington and Fernando Carrera, and the secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), Jos� Miguel Insulza, on Friday at the headquarters of the multilateral Organization signed an agreement entitled "Road Map and Plan of Action", which has as its main objective the strengthening of the bilateral relationship between the two countries during 2014 in order to make concrete the holding of popular consultations to enable the consideration of the territorial dispute before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Insulza emphasized the importance of the two countries deciding to coordinate joint activities, because doing so "means moving toward a more stable relationship."

Marshalleck rises from humble beginnings to a leader in his field
From humble beginnings in Central America, Francis Marshalleck, M.D., has risen to become the director of pediatric interventional radiology at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health -- as well as the only fellowship-trained pediatric interventional radiologist in Indiana. A native of Belize, Dr. Marshalleck, assistant professor of clinical radiology at the IU School of Medicine, attributes his work ethic to his mother, a seamstress. "You do it until the job is done -- give your best effort with what you have," said Dr. Marshalleck, whose early struggles were rewarded with scholarships. "I see myself as blessed." A graduate of the Regis University in Denver and the University of the West Indies, Dr. Marshalleck returned to Belize for two years after medical school in Jamaica to work as an emergency room physician, a requirement of his scholarship. He wasn't able to return to practice in the United States, however, until the radiology fellowship director at the University of Texas at Houston -- whose father spent time as a missionary in Belize -- recognized his talent and enthusiasm amidst harsh circumstances, selecting him to join the program.

BELIZE TRAVEL VIDEO
Picking the right destination for your hard-earned vacation is no small feat. Where can you go that is close enough to your home, where one can minimize travel time, potentially be within a similar time zone and where the locals can actually understand you? Insert the tiny island of Belize. Located on the northeastern coast of Central America this country is bustling with adventure, culture and some spectacular Mayan ruins. Did I mention that they also speak English for those of us that are not that proficient with languages? I visited this magical gem at the ripe age of 19 and recall having been blown away by the generosity and kindness of the people. A country that is uncomplicated and simple, yet rich in history. When determining potential locations to shoot the travel show, Belize was at the top of my list. From flying over Mayan ruins in an ultralight, to trekking through waterfalls and exploring the local Garifuna cuisine. Watch the video to explore this exotic and remote country!

BELIZE FRYJACKS
Belize is an amazingly diverse country due to immigration, colonisation and slavery throughout its history; this has had a knock on effect on its culinary history. Having recently completed a few other countries in the same geographical area I was keen to try something different from the region. Inspired by a blog I read about a lady cooking breakfasts from around the world (unfortunately I can't find the link again to reference her) I thought I'd have a go at a Belizean breakfast. Breakfast in Belize consists of a fried dough called Fry Jack (the plural remains Fry Jack, rather than Fry Jacks in the creole language), served with cheeses, beans, eggs, sausages and meats. Coffee is the usual accompaniment along with fruits. I'm a huge fan of mangoes which are grown in Belize so enjoyed a large glass of mango juice. The Fry Jack are made from flour, baking powder, vegetable shortening and water. The ingredients are mixed, kneaded and rested in the fridge (I left the dough overnight last night). The dough is then rolled out and fried in vegetable oil. The Fry Jack puff up and float; they can then be fished out and drained.