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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials


The San Pedro Sun

RediVolt, Protecting Your Home and Business While Supporting the Community
1456053_1465330953694758_1530877737_nThere is a new business in San Pedro Town that is providing protection to our homes and businesses from one of the most damaging agents, power surges, and that product is called RediVolt. RediVolt is a state-of-the-art power management system that can easily be installed in any business or home. Harmonic electrical imbalances, as well as internal and external power surges can cause thousands of dollars in damage and loss to valuable computers, production machinery and even home appliances. With RediVolt, protection from such power surges using harmonic filtering for electrical equipment is a guarantee for life. Each RediVolt unit comes with a lifetime warranty and a $100,000 connected equipment warranty from the manufacturer. Since 1987, RediVolt has been providing quality surge protection for thousands of customers worldwide. RediVolt has already become a part of the community here in San Pedro, donating to The San Pedro Foundation, which provides scholarships to students in their quest for attaining higher educations, The Sunshine Foundation, and now Bridging Communications.

Billy Leslie is the newly appointed Co-chair for ACCSD
The Ambergris Caye Citizens for Sustainable Development hereby notifies the public that we have a newly appointed Co-chair for our organization. As of May 13, 2014 Mr. Billy Leslie has accepted the post and will be working along with us in his new position. He has been serving as Director for the past 4 years and has been very fundamental in the establishing of the organization. We are pleased that Mr. Leslie has accepted this appointment and know he will represent the organization well and will contribute much to the community.

Tobacco Awareness Campaign visits Primary Schools
National Drug Abuse Control Council (NDACC) representative Kristina Romero, along with the San Pedro Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute (SPADAI) are hosting a two week Tobacco Awareness Campaign leading up to World No Tobacco Day on Saturday, May 31st. The purpose of the campaign is to raise youth awareness regarding the dangers of tobacco. Throughout the campaign, Romero will be visiting the various primary and high schools of both San Pedro Town and Caye Caulker Village to educate the students on the consequences of first, second and third hand smoking. Romero explained to the children the different chemicals found in cigarettes, chemicals that are also found in household poisons and cleaning products. Those chemicals include: carbon monoxide, nicotine, tar, arsenic (found in rat poison), ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, acetone (found in nail polish remover), butane, formaldehyde (used to preserve dead bodies), sulfuric acid, cadmium, Freon, geranic acid, methoprene and maltitol. The students were surprised at the list of these chemicals. "These chemicals are all dangerous and break down cells and body tissues. Each cigarette a person smokes takes away 14 seconds of their life," said Romero.

Misc Belizean Sources

Chaplain builds relationships, supports New Horizons team
Emotionally stirred by the events of 9/11, a man in seminary graduate school found himself wondering where his calling in life would lead. "I remember where I was," said U.S. Air Force Chaplain (Capt.) Matt Clouse of his whereabouts on Sept. 11, 2001. He was visiting his mother and heard the news announcement on TV. "Like Pearl Harbor, as a nation people wanted to respond," he said. "There was a response of, 'What can we do' and 'How can we get involved?' For many, the answer was to join the service." For Clouse, it took six months to decide that joining the service was the right path for him. "When I was praying about that, I wrestled with the idea of my calling. I felt called to be a minister; I just didn't know in what way," said Clouse, a native of Muskogee, Okla. "Then six months later, I enrolled in the chaplain candidacy program.

Deployed SNCO watches daughter hear for first time
I'm very thankful for technology," said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Emily Smith, New Horizons legal operations superintendent. "Still, my motherly instincts took over, and it brought tears to my eyes not being able to reach out to her." Smith watched via video chat as her 3-year-old daughter, Renee, received her first hearing aids May 9. Smith, the legal operations NCO in charge at the 55th Wing, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is deployed in support of New Horizons Belize 2014. This is Smith's fifth deployment in 17 years, but it's her first deployment since her children were born. "This deployment has been particularly challenging," said Smith, a mother of two. Smith and her husband, Todge, also have a 20-month-old son, Alan. Renee was born unable to hear at certain pitches, to include high-pitched and conversational-level sounds. "We didn't know before she was born that she was going to have Down syndrome, but we adapted quickly. From the beginning we only wanted the best life we could provide for her," said Smith. "Because we wanted the best life for her, we started baby sign language. It's hard to know what she's hearing and what she's not hearing.

Belmopan Bandits at CONCACAF
Congratulations to the Belmopan Bandits, who are travelling to Miami today to represent Belize at the CONCACAF Champions League. Go, Bandits! In related news, FFB had their Football Association School of Talent in Belmopan today. "A high level delegation from the 2014 back to back Premier League of Belize Champions the Belmopan Bandits FC will leave Belize on Tuesday 27/5/2014 to attend the 2014-2015 Concacaf Champions League draw in Miami. The Belmopan Bandits FC earned the right to represent Belize after being victorious in the opening and closing tournament of the PLB Belikin Cup."

Journey Art Exhibit Launch
The SISE House of Culture is launching Stacy Ann Rogriguez' art exhibit, entitled 'Journey,' this Saturday, May 31st. "'JOURNEY' is a collection of art created during Lent/Easter season this year. It is greatly inspired by The Final Quest by Rick Joyner. The overall concept is Spiritual Blindness (black) and Spiritual Awakening (white)."

The Reporter

Former minister of state dies in traffic accident
Marcial Mes, former minister of state in the Ministry of National Development, died in a traffic accident early Monday morning on the Southern Highway. Reports are that sometime around 1:50 a.m. Mes was driving from Punta Gorda towards San Marcus Village when as he reached Emery Grove area, ten miles out of Punta Gorda, he lost control of the Toyota Rav 4 SUV, ran off the road and careened into a culvert. Mes, died shortly after the incident, but a passenger who was with him is in the Southern Regional Hospital receiving treatment. Mes was accused in 2007 of knocking down two children who were on their way to church in Forest Home Village.

Belize Port planning for bulk-cargo shipping
The Belize Port Authority may soon see increased export activity through a proposed development by a private company to facilitate bulk-cargo transportation using the facility. Arturo Vasquez, receiver, Port of Belize explained that they have been in negotiations with a company called Belize Logistics Terminal discussing the development. According to Vasquez, the development of a bulk-cargo terminal would facilitate agro-productive exportation. Vasquez said that the current terminal is mainly a container-cargo terminal and not suitable for bulk-cargo handling. He added that in some cases, receiving countries cannot accept agro-products in containers, placing limits on the port because it eliminates sales to certain external markets.

Colombian ex-finance minister wins first round of presidential election
Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, Colombian ex-finance minister has won the first round of that country's presidential election, over incumbent President Juan Manuel Santos. Both men fell far short of the 50 percent plus one needed to avoid a second round and will now face each other again on June 15. The election could decide whether peace talks with Farc rebels will continue. Mr Santos supports them as the best way to end Colombia's 50-year-long armed conflict, but Mr Zuluaga prefers a tougher approach. With almost all of the votes counted, Mr Zuluaga was ahead with 29.25 percent, followed by Mr Santos with 25.69 percent. The other three candidates trailed at least 10 percentage points behind.

Patrick Jones

Police needs help in identifying "John Doe"
Police in Belize City are asking for the assistance of the general public in finding out the identity of a Belize City man in his late teens or early twenties whose body was discovered near the canal at the corner of Partridge and Lavender Streets in the Lake Independence area early Monday morning. Residents in the area notified authorities around 5:30 a.m. and the body, seen to have multiple stab wounds, was taken to the City Hospital Morgue. The individual is said to be Creole descent, five feet eight inches tall, light brown complexion, sporting two tattoos, one of a name 'Ezekiel' on his upper left arm and initials 'E.H.' above the right knee. He was dressed in a yellow polo shirt and black pants. If anyone has information that can lead to an identification, they are asked to call Superintendent Alford Grinage, O.C. of Precinct 2 at 610-3459 or Precinct 2 Headquarters at Racoon Street at 207-2222.

OP-ED: The Sky is Falling: A creation of Facts for Bain
The recent protest in Belize about Professor Brendan Bain, was really an opportunity for story- telling and propagandising. As the foremost Caribbean homophobe, Ian Boyne states".. Professor Bain is a retired professor. He has not been penalised as a professor with Evangelical views� for many years.. pushing traditional Christian family values. He was never victimised by the UWI for that." Boyne goes on to explain, "UWI's values are in the direction of the decriminalisation of homosexuality - on the wrong side of which Professor Bain found himself in that Belize case�the Professor exercised terribly poor strategic judgement � which got him fired. In essence, the professor fell on his own sword. This was not an issue of bigotry. To be clear, Professor Bain spoke no inconvenient truth in his testimony. The fact that men who have sex with men have significantly higher rates of HIV is widely known and acknowledged. Where Professor Bain erred was in linking without evidence those high HIV rates to the removal of laws that criminalise homosexuality in France, the Netherlands and the United States, while ignoring that neither laws nor Jamaica's notorious hostility to homosexuality have protected us from having one of the highest rates of HIV infection among men who have sex with men in the world.

Former government minister killed in traffic accident
Former two time People's United Party (PUP) area representative for Toledo West Marcial Mes, 65, died early this morning in a road traffic accident in rural Toledo district. Mes, who served both as a Junior Minister and later as a Minister in the Musa administration, was driving his green Rav4 SUV towards his home in San Marcos village around 1:15 this morning when he crashed into a culvert and died. The accident happened in Yemeri Grove village, which is about 7 miles outside of Punta Gorda town. Residents of the small rural Toledo village of San Marcos were shocked this morning at the news of the death of Mr. Mes. Preliminary information suggests that Mes lost control of his SUV, ran off the road and crashed into a cement culvert.

Blogs

Basic White Sandwich Loaf
This an easy, tasty loaf that can be used to make sandwiches.

Diving With Sharks and Hungry Eels - The Belize Barrier Reef (With Video)
The rolling wake rippled the otherwise glass-calm waters as our boat cruised between two paradises. Making our way from Caye Caulker to Ambergris Caye was a breeze, and we pulled ashore just as Dariece's stomach began to churn. We stepped off of the boat with the same, slow saunter that we had acquired from our previous island oasis: Caye Caulker. Our sea-weary feet planted onto the sun-heated dock which seemed to soften our synthetic flip-flops like we were standing on a stove. The sun's intensity had been increasing ever since we left Mexico, but we weren't complaining, this is the kind of weather we love. There were two things that I was excited for when we arrived on Ambergris Caye in Belize: to stay at the stunning Victoria House Resort and to dive the Belize Barrier Reef which lies just a few hundred meters offshore!

International Sources

Using intellectual property to enhance business
The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) has launched its latest initiative on the subject of intellectual property (IP): a series of private sector IP clinics that will take place across the region. The first of the sessions took place in Belize from April 29-30 and three more sessions are scheduled to follow over the next two months in the region. The clinics are the second phase of a developmental project which was initiated through an intensive workshop entitled "The Use of Intellectual Property as a Tool for Business/Export Enhancement", which the Agency hosted in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in 2013 and where participants recommended that engagement take place at the national level to help tease out issues businesses are facing with regards to protecting their intellectual property assets (i.e. trademarks, brands, trade secrets, etc.). These clinics directly correlate to a critical component of the EU 10th European Development Fund (EDF). The intervention also responds to a specific need in the entertainment industry: the need for knowledge and correct observance of intellectual property rights and procedures.

Loyola Baseball players bring back more than memories from Belize
Over Christmas vacation, five baseball players joined Coach Faust and recent Wolf Pack alumni in traveling on a ten day service trip to the Mayan village of San Jose for the second annual Belize Baseball Camp. The group, led by Fr. Ted Dziak S.J., Loyola's Vice President for Mission & Ministry and baseball team chaplain, traveled to Belize from December 13th to 23rd to teach baseball as well as academic subjects such as math, English, and arts and crafts to the children. The group included sophomores Joel Buhler and Daniel Pappas, junior Brian Reaney II, and seniors Brandon Snow and Michael Pfister. Head Baseball Coach Doug Faust as well as former baseball players Jeffrey Castille, Dylan Roudolfich, and David McChesney also made the trip. This is the second consecutive year members of the baseball team have taken this trek. Five people in the traveling party returned for a return trip. First baseman Brian Reaney was one of those who returned, "I couldn't wait to get back and see the same kids I taught last year. Some of them remembered the techniques we coached them on last year. It was extremely rewarding to see that." Pfister echoed that sentiment by commenting, "It was probably the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. We lived in the villages. We travelled to waterfalls, quarries, jungle, islands, and Mayan ruins. After returning from the trip last year, I had this feeling of doing something amazing. After two months, the feeling wore off. When Fr. Ted asked if I wanted to go again this year as a leader, I was all in!"

Hopkins Village- A Hidden Paradise in Belize
Hopkins Village is a cute and colorful beach front village in southern Belize known for its Garifuna population. A lot of people say that this is the Garifuna cultural center of the country. It is a small, vibrant community of just over one thousand people that dedicates their lives mostly to fishing. It was only until a few years ago that they started developing activities to cater the visitors. The village stretches through five miles of white sanded beach. For those of you who still aren't familiar with the term, the Garifuna are the descendants of Native Caribbean tribes, that mingled with African slaves hundreds of years ago. As the time passed and both cultures mixed, the Garifuna or Black Carib, as they were known before, were born.

Videos

Video: Tropical Moisture Likely to Invade W. Caribbean and Eastern Gulf During First Week of June, 6min.
Tropical Tidbit for Monday, May 26th, 2014

Video: Tikal, 2min.
Steadicam Smoothee Test Shots: These shots are some examples of the Steadicam Smoothee in action. It was my first field experience with it and I was instantly able to see improved results in my video steadiness.

Video: Deadly Waters, 1min.
Sharks in Shark Ray Alley at Hol Chan preserve in Belize.

Video: Alex & Lindsey Lazowick's Belize Honeymoon, 21min.
Married 05/03/2014. Honeymoon Video from Belize. Enjoy

Video: Snorkelling in Belize, 4min.

Video: International Day: Belize, 5min.
International Day Music

Video: Jump into a waterfall pond @ Rio Blanco National Park Belize, 1min.
Jump at Rio Blanco National Park in the Toledo district of Belize, Central America

Video: Belize Semana Santa, 5min.

Video: Belize Diving April 2014, 7min.
Diving in Belize with Island Divers, Rudy, Loidy and our boat captain Martin. These guys are the best.

Video: Belize Esmeralda, 9min.
Diving in Belize. June 2013

Video: Belize Dolphins lead boat; part 1, 1min.
1: cool video I took of dolphins in Belize riding the wake in front of our boat.

Video: Sunday Afternoon in Corozal Town, Belize, 5min.

Video: The Split, Caye Caulker, Belize, 1min.
Caye Caulker island is divided into two by The Split that separates the more developed southern portion from the north side that partly because it is a swampy mangrove area, has so far had little development. The Split started off as a channel which was widened by Hurricane Hattie in 1961, and now serves as a central gathering point for locals and visitors to congregate and socialize along the sandy beach lining this natural divide. Locals say that the hurricane created a channel a foot or so deep. The islanders then dug by hand to widen the channel to allow small boats to pass through. Over the years tidal forces took over and created the 20 foot feet channel that is now today's Split.

Video: Belize buddy dive save at 40', 1min.
Divers regulator hose blows out. Swims to other diver. Both swim up. Handled extremely professionally. That's how you do it!