Today's Belize News: June 16, 2014

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Today's Belize News: June 16, 2014 #492320 06/16/14 04:40 AM 06/16/14 04:40 AM
Joined: Oct 1999 Posts: 83,953 oregon, spr Marty OP .
Marty OP	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, Channel 5 and CTV 3 Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials The San Pedro Sun Lobster season is officially open! For many Belizeans and visitors, especially in coastal fishing communities, grilled lobster, lobster kebabs, lobster dip or a lobster ceviche is something they look forward to from June 15th to February 14th. There is no need to punish those taste buds any longer, as the Fisheries Department has officially declared the 2014/2015 Lobster Season open today Sunday June 15th. Scientifically known as Panulirus Argus, the Caribbean Spiny Lobster is the only lobster that is regulated in Belize. Calman Hall, Fishery Officer at the Belize Fisheries Department said that the closed season of the Caribbean Spiny Lobster season runs from February 15th to June 14th inclusive of any year. “The season officially opens on the 15th of June and runs until February 14th. Because lobster, like conch, is considered commercial species, a fisherman’s license is needed to engaging in the catching of Caribbean Spiny Lobster.” Doctor Love: Friends and Self Injury 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, Three years ago I was working at this place and I met a girl who worked there. We became good friends and I […] Oceana wavemakers celebrate “World Ocean’s Day 2014” at Halfmoon Caye In commemoration of World Ocean’s Day 2014 (June 8), thirty Oceana Wavemakers and staff traveled Halfmoon Caye on the Lighthouse Reef Atoll. Belize is home to three of the Western Hemisphere’s four atolls. As Belize’s eastern most point, (55 miles east of Belize City) the number of Belizeans who are able to visit the idyllic location every year is minimal. Halfmoon Caye has enjoyed some form of protection since 1982 and is home to one of the region’s healthiest populations of the red-footed booby birds and protects the healthiest grouper spawning aggregation sites in the country. While on the caye, the Oceana delegation also observed the turtle nesting grounds of the critically endangered hawksbill turtle. Eulogy for Dalinda Guerrero Salazar Written by Marisa Salazar, granddaughter Hoy, Yo estoy aquí, frente a ustedes para decir algunas palabras acerca de Mama Dal. Soy consciente de que nos faltan palabras para expresar perfectamente lo que significaba mi abuela a cada uno de nosotros, porque PALABRAS SIMPLEMENTE NO PUEDE CAPTURAR AMOR. Para nosotros fue una bendicion haberla conocido, haberla amado. las únicas cosas que realmente captan quién era ella, son los buenos recuerdos que cada uno de nosotros guardamos en nuestros corazones. Nuestra abuela, Dalinda Guerrero, nació y se crió en San Pedro el 30 de marzo del 1923. A los veinte años de edad, unio su vida a la de Marciano Salazar. Juntos se enfrentaron a las luchas de la vida. Papa Chel y Mama Dal nunca vivieron un estilo de vida lujoso, ni les importaba. Lo único que parecía importarle era FAMILIA, unión, la risa y el amor. Papa Chel y Mama Dal tuvieron una vida maravillosa creciendo a sus hijos Pedro, Eiden, Julie, Roque y Mash. Mientras amaba a todos sus hijos por igual, todos sabemos que la relacion con su hija Julie era una relacion de madre a hija muy especial. Mi abuela fue muchas cosas para muchas personas, entre ellos, fue una hija cariñosa, una hermana sincera, una esposo abnegada, una madre ejemplar y una Catolica devota. Ella era la costurera de su familia, la estilista de sus amigas, decoradora de los pastes de sus familiares, talvez por el talento artistico que caracterisa a los Guerrero’s y su cuidado a los detailles, Cualquier cosa menos que perfecto no era lo suficientemente bueno. Sus críticos más severos eran sus hermanas. Wolfe’s Woofer: Drunk Test “Albert, are you sure you can drive?” “I’m sure,” he said. Albert had stopped to give me a ride home. I had just started to notice that he had been way over-served at whichever bar he was coming from. “Be careful,” I told him. “The traffic department has breathalyzer machines now and they can measure […] Misc Belizean Sources Plant the corn, Mista Man! By Abdulmajeed K. Nunez Instructions from the Master Teacher Will the prime minister honour the court order? Will he make good on his good measure speech to the media? Or will he be sour after the courts lifted the injunction? Perhaps he will subject this decision to yet another interpretation Since this seems to be his new modus of operation Be mindful he will try to pull a fast one We get that you had to reassure your power brokers That you are still in command And that there is not going to be an insurrection I call on the Rod of Correction to pay close attention Just plant the corn, Mista Man! BGYEA congratulation! On the lifting of the injunction Just for your information here is a little reflection Beltrade has a corn agreement with the Caribbean My master teacher says to the tune of millions Belize is not tapping into this option So let’s plant the corn, Mista Man Time to form a corporation amongst the owners of the land Plant the 1,300 acres instead of one One that could yield over 1.8 million immediately With three harvests of corn yearly At eighteen hundred dollars an acre approximately Plant the corn, Mista Man! San Pedro Tigersharks take the first game of the playoffs San Pedro Tigersharks take the first game of the playoffs in an absolute squeaker (go defense!!!): 53-52 over Cayo Western Ballaz!! Go Tigersharks!! Caye Caulker Chronicles Atlantic Bank sponsors art competition "My Happy Childhood in Belize" The Reporter BGYEA beats GOB in court The Supreme Court on Friday ruled in favor of BGYEA, the Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association, to remove the injunction placed on them by the Government of Belize. Justice Courtney Abel decided to discharge the injunction after the Office of the Solicitor General made several procedural errors in the ex-parte injunction brought against BGYEA, to stop them from planting corn in the buffer zone of the Harmonyville community. The Court also awarded BGYEA cost of the proceedings and ordered GOB to compensate them for the seeds and other materials they purchased to plant with. Attorney for BGYEA, Audrey Matura-Shepherd, explained that the Solicitor General’s office failed to serve BGYEA President, Nigel Petillo, with the required documents after they sought the injunction without him being in court to defend himself. Colombia re-elects Santos as President Colombia has re-elected Juan Manuel Santos as their president, with nearly 51percent of the votes cast over his right-wing challenger, Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, who received 45 percent. Santos, 62, will be inaugurated in August for a new four-year term. “This is the generation of peace. Millions of Colombians have chosen hope over fear,” he said in an address to supporters at his headquarters. Santos vowed to continue his fight to “defend the life and the liberty” of all Colombians. Zuluaga, who had won the first round of vote in May by a narrow margin, accepted defeat in a speech to supporters. PM pledges to support $5 million OW Town Council bond Prime Minister Dean Barrow, at Friday’s House Meeting, pledged to support a five million-dollar bond being proposed by the Orange Walk Town Council in an effort to upgrade that municipality’s infrastructure. “Without a doubt, whatever permission or approval is required from the Ministry of Finance for the town council to float its five million dollar bond, they will have it, no questions asked,” Barrow pledged. Barrow added that once the council is able to secure the bond he doesn’t “think it would be difficult to try to find some additional resources to give to them.” John Briceno, the PUP’s area representative for Orange Walk Central introduced the plan to the PM. Barrow commended the Council for following the lead of Belize City Mayor Darrel Bradley who introduced a municipal bond to facilitate the concreting of streets. The Belize Times Penner Stole the File! – COLA says Barrow & Hulse cover up stinks to high heaven Prime Minister Dean Barrow and Godwin Hulse’s cover up of the Elvin Penner immigration scandal has evolved into an absolute national disgrace. COLA revealed today that the immigration files that supposedly went “missing” from the Immigration Department in Belmopan were actually stolen by the man at the center of the scandal: Elvin Penner. COLA, who has obtained a leaked copy of the Auditor General Dorothy Bradley’s investigation into the immigration scandal, held a press conference this morning to disclose some of the shocking findings. The most scandalous of these findings is that the very same files which Godwin Hulse repeatedly claimed to have gone missing and which have supposedly created “difficulty” for the Commissioner of Police’s investigations to continue were taken out of the Immigration Department without authorisation by Elvin Penner. Additionally, the Auditor General’s report reveals that Hulse was made aware of the files being in Penner’s possession through a letter reportedly written to him by Immigration Supervisor Ady Pacheco. In that letter, according to COLA, Pacheco claimed that around the same time the scandal broke, in September 2013, Penner strode into Immigration Department, demanded and collected a bunch of immigration files including the Won Hong Kim file, and left. This revelation is shocking. Hulse has repeatedly claimed “we still don’t have the Won Hong Kim file”. He has said that it is “missing”, that it “disappeared”, but has never reported to the nation that he is aware that Penner took the important files. Here comes MORE STRESS!! Darrel Bradley has brought nothing but a pile of stress to Belize City. The conference or media dance held on Wednesday afternoon by the UDP to announce that he would run again for Mayor was like warning of the resurgence of a deadly plague. Bradley has turned the city upside down with his chaotic street works, turning the city into dustville and causing many people to get sick. Bradley has made life harder with increased taxes. He introduced an inspection fee and hiked the cost of driver’s license to $60.00. He increased trade license fees and threatened to impose a garbage tax. He has denied basic services to city residents if they cannot afford to pay up. GOB Lashed by the Rod of Correction Prime Minister Dean Barrow entered rough waters when he opted to disrespect the newly formed Rod of Correction (ROC) at a press conference held on Wednesday in Belize City, in response to the fiery protest rally held against his administration on Saturday. When the Prime Minister brought up the topic of the ROC, the UDP officials in attendance were heard snickering and sneering in the background. Barrow then began entertaining his set of hyenas, dissing the new movement and calling the leaders all sorts of names. He said that the rally held on Saturday which was supported by over a dozen organisations and saw the participation of over 300 persons was not “tactually successful”. He accused the organisers of creating “a crisis that isn’t there” and that the organisations were merely seeking “opportunism”. Think About It It’s that time of year again. Graduation! Proud parents, proud teachers and proud students. Congratulations are in order. It is an achievement, to pass through four years of High School, or two years of Sixth Form, or three years of University. Everyone has a right to be proud. Except the government. They have nothing to offer the graduates of Belize. The economy is in shambles with zero growth, no investments, no new industries, no jobs. Bad business. The southside of Belize City can be considered the home of the creoles. The southside of Belize City is represented by six UDP area representatives who are all Ministers of Government. These include the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance who has been in Queen’s Square for many years. Also the Minister of Housing who is in Mesopotamia for over three terms. The Minister of Education in Collet for three terms and new comer in Lake Independence for his first term, Minister of local work and Poverty in the Port Loyola area. The southside Colleges are collapsing in front of the eyes of these selfish so-called representatives, who seem to be representing themselves, their families and their cronies to the detriment of the young people and the country. Maud Williams High School, situated in Queen’s Square and Mesopotamia has seen its enrollment fall by a disturbing 23 percent. Excelsior High School in Port Loyola has seen its enrollment plummet by a huge 34 percent. Sadie Vernon in Lake I has gone to the ground with almost a whopping fifty percent fall in enrollment. Editorial: POWER AND WEALTH The concentration of wealth in a society’s elite has been the legacy of slavery and colonialism throughout history. When the nationalist movement led by the People’s United Party began in 1950, 90% of the land in Belize was owned by less than 5% of the population. It was British companies like the Belize Estate& Produce Company that was given title by the colonial government to thousands of acres of forest and agricultural land. One of the many accomplishments of successive PUP administrations was to vest ownership and control of land in the hands of thousands of Belizean farmers, homesteaders, villagers and town dwellers. In the late 1960s after hurricane Hattie had devastated Belize City and coastal communities in the south, all the land around what is now the nation’s capital Belmopan was owned by one family – the Melhado’s. It was through the ingenuity and savvy negotiating skills of Premier George Price that this land was transferred to the government. And today we not only have the seat of government in the “new” capital but burgeoning communities of small farmers around Belmopan. Fast forward to 2014. There is a kind of dissonance coming out of that area of Cotton Tree and a budding new community that is called Harmonyville. Jury acquits man of rape charge A jury of 6 men and 3 women deliberated for about 2 hours and 15 minutes yesterday in the court of Justice Herbert Lord before it found Brian Smith, 35, not guilty of rape. The jury’s verdict was not unanimous. It was in the proportion of 7 to 2. The incident occurred during the day at Smith’s residence, located on Berry Street. The complainant, who was a 17 year old high school student at the time, testified that Smith, a close friend of her father, gave her 50 cent to buy noodles while at her father’s house. She said that upon returning from the shop where she bought the noodles, Smith who was in his yard told her he wanted to talk to her and he invited her into his apartment. She testified that Smith closed the door when she went into his apartment. She sat on his bed and he began to make sexual advances at her. When she repelled his advances Smith, she said, pushed her on her back and held her hands with one of his hands and tried to take off her ¾ pants. She struggled with him but he was too strong for her and he succeeded in pulling down her pants and underwear, she said. 22 yr. old walks from Murder charge for second time On Friday evening, May 11, 22 year old John Chessman, beat a second murder rap when a jury of 8 women and 4 men found him not guilty of the murders of Karen Crawford, 19 and Maurice Cadle, 44 in the Court of Justice Adolph Lucas. The jury deliberated for about 4 hours before it arrived at its verdict. Crawford and Cadle were shot and killed around 8p.m. on Thursday, May 29, 2008 in Bermudian Landing. The prosecution had alleged that Chessman and others went to the residence of Emmerson Wade where Crawford, Wade’s common-law wife, resided with Cadle. Their motive was, reportedly, to steal drugs and money but other sources say they went to the house carry out a “hit” on Wade. Robert Panting, a witness for the prosecution, testified that he stopped at Wade’s residence on his way home and while he was there a man dressed in a camouflage jacket and armed with a pistol came from the back of the house and pointed the pistol at the deceased and Owen Hendy who were on the verandah. Panting said the gunman asked for Wade then he began to fire shots at the trio on the verandah. Wade was not at home. Belmopan Tennis Club wins Billy Musa Shield The inter-club tennis tournament for the prestigious “Billy Musa Shield” took place over the weekends of May 31st and June 7th at the Pickwick Tennis court. Belize Pickwick Tennis Club went in as the defending champs having won the shield for 5 years straight from the inception of this tournament so they got a bye leaving St. Mary’s Tennis Club to take on Belmopan Tennis Club on May 31st. Belmopan Tennis Club defeated the St. Mary’s Tennis Club by winning 6 of the 7 matches slated for this tournament (in Men’s B doubles, Belmopan’s Mike Sosa & Robert Lee overcame St. Mary’s Peter Quan & Ellison Flowers 6-2, 6-2; in the women’s doubles Belmopan’s Lauren Mena Sosa and Jessie Clark defeated Judith Brooks and Judith Swift 6-1, 6-4; in the men’s A singles Belmopan’s Dr. Mitra Meenaveli defeated Peter Quan 6-3, 6-3 and in the lady’s singles Belmopan’s Jessie Clark took out St. Mary’s Karen Pike 6-1, 6-0. St. Mary’s forfeited the men’s A doubles and men’s B singles and Belmopan forfeited the men’s C doubles.) BES & Holy Redeemer boys lead basketball competition Kristian Swasey scored 11 points, Edwin Quan had 8 points and Willie Chi had 5 points for Belize Elementary’s 3rd win over St. John’s Anglican boys on Monday. John Kelly scored 15 points for St. John’s while Malcolm Waight added 8pts. BES also won over Calvary Temple boys 31-11 last Wednesday and 22-19 over the St. Luke’s Methodist School boys last Monday. James Saunders scored 11 points while Luciano Novelo had 9 points and Shakur Swift 5 points in Holy Redeemer’s 3rd win 31-4 over the Muslim Community boys on Monday. Western Ballaz takes on Tigersharks in finals The Cayo Western Ballaz are preparing for the rough seas as they take on the San Pedro Tigersharks in Game 1 of the National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) championship finals at the Angel Nunez Auditorium at 1:30pm Sunday, June 15th. The Western Ballaz advanced to the finals in grand fashion when they defeated the Smart No Limits team 75-57 in a heated match played at the Sacred Heart College auditorium last Friday night. The Western Ballaz’ power-forward Farron Louriano had a blast jamming 4 alley-hoop dunks to emphatically punctuate the highest individual score in an NEBL game, in double-double style, with 34 points and 12 rebounds. A Sad State of Affairs Dear Editor, Allow me space to express some serious concerns. If we adopt the theory of Minister of State Mark King that offices, contracts and employment are to be given as rewards for services and membership in the U.D.P. we will see that these rewards will become the prey and spoil of frustration which will be the booty of victory of factions in the U.D.P. It will become like a virus in the flesh of the UDP Government, if it is not already. Our nation is already showing signs of fast becoming a mass of corruption. It is like a living carcass rotting with cancer under the UDP. King’s unsound theory represents the body politic of the UDP Government. This habit of electioneering and begging for political sweets has ended in bribery and corruption in offices of Government. Kindly note that offices of all kinds are now cooked up to give rewards to party hacks. The offices then become less practical. Seventeen tyrants are seventeen times worse than one tyrant. Note that the food pantry system of the UDP prepares and makes many recipients to be slaves of their whims and fancy, a sad state for our sisters and brothers. Who Sold Prize Land in San Ignacio? It is rumoured that a well-known UDP individual in San Ignacio sold this historic, prime piece of Downtown land in San Ignacio to a Chinese businessman. The land is situated just beside the San Ignacio/Santa Elena market on Savannah Street. The land was filled up by the PUP town council in 2001 along with the land where the market now sits. This parcel of land was designated for a public parking facility. The village buses used it for parking since the year 2000. The people of San Ignacio are concerned that this prime parcel of land has been sold and that there was no consideration for the village bus owners or taxi operators who badly need a public parking facility. City resident accuses Lands official of sabotage – “Hotbed of corruption” continues unabated In October last year while in the hot seat at a meeting with the Belize diaspora in Los Angeles, Prime Minister Dean Barrow called Gaspar Vega’s Ministry of Natural Resources a “hotbed of corruption”. The PM’s serious indictment of his Deputy was followed by the embarrassing words of Commissioner of Lands Wilbert Vallejos in March this year when he said that it was impossible for corruption to be uprooted from the Ministry of Lands under the Barrow Administration. He said “only God can” eliminate the corruption. Vallejos’ statement came as no surprise as there are thousands of cases of hustling, under the table land deals, political land grabs, disappearing of files and manipulation of the national lands systems under the watch of Minister of Natural Resources Gaspar Vega. We at the BELIZE TIMES have shed light to hundreds of fishy land business but the new case of Raymond Williams, a resident of Belize City, and his frustrations with “Lands” is pretty unique, because Williams has identified the problem and made high officials at the Ministry aware of what’s going on, yet nothing has changed for him. Celebrating Our Bright Minds!! – Featuring: Wesley College, Belize Adventist College, Corozal Community College, Orange Walk Technical High, Muffles College, Belmopan Comprehensive School and Delille Academy The final article in our series on the 2014 High School Graduation Season will be an up-and-down, cross-country journey through our beautiful country. We kick things off with Wesley College on Yarborough Road. The venerable Methodist high school has weathered through a transition in leadership – long-time Principal Mrs. Brenda Armstrong was recently succeeded by her long-time second-in-command, Mrs. Joan Tillett. But it hasn’t stopped the school from cultivating and producing premium graduate material. The school marched up 111 graduates of 130 students on Wednesday, June 11th, 2014 at the Ramada Princess Hotel in Belize City. According to Vice-Principal Edgar Pacheco, the top students are Class 4Green’s Keeron R. Young (Valedictorian, studying Science, with a GPA of 3.57), Shenelle A. Williams (Salutatorian, studying Business, with a GPA of 3.07) and Chyanne Whylie (3rd Place, studying Science, with a GPA of 3.01). Belizean receives award at US Medical School graduation Belizean Giselle Habet Basdeo was awarded the Dr. Charles H. Pegellow Award for Compassion, Dedication and Excellence in recognition for her commitment to the care of children at a graduation at the University of Miami. Mrs. Habet Basdeo has completed her studies at the Jackson Memorial Childrens Hospital where she studied specialization in Pediatrics. Four years ago Mrs. Habet Basdeo graduated from the UWI medical school in Trinidad where she was the Valedictorian. Belize is very proud. Chinese shakedown underway The BELIZE TIMES has been reliably informed that a secret meeting between high officials of the Police Department and members of a so called Chinese mafia was held over the weekend. The purpose of the meeting was to organise a campaign to squeeze Chinese businessmen who are not willing to support UDP politicians financially. The Chinese mafia who has very close ties and interests in the UDP have ordered their Police allies to get tough on any business that does not cooperate with them. The scheme is blatant UDP extortion. Chinese businessmen who resist will be persecuted by City Council special constables, GST harassment and even special GSU visits if necessary. Among those who attended Saturday’s clandestine meeting at an undisclosed location on St. Thomas Street were two nefarious UDPs – one from a “Palace” and the other who is front and center of the Penner immigration scandal. New PUP Corozal Bay Executive Sworn In On Friday June 6, 2014 a new PUP Corozal Bay Executive Committee was sworn in. The Party Chairman Henry Usher travelled to Corozal Town and conducted the swearing in ceremony at the Corozal Bay PUP Office. Present at the ceremony was Deputy Party Leader Hon Florencio Marin, Past Party Leader Hon. John Briceno, Hon. Ramiro Ramirez, PUP Standard Bearer for Corozal Bay Gregorio Papas Garcia and PUP Standard Bearer for Corozal North David Castillo. The Executive Committee that was sworn in consists of the following: Thea Garcia, Chairperson; Cornelio Acosta, Deputy Chairman; Roy Smith, Secretary; Alberto Dominguez, Logistics; Vildo Marin, Campaign Manager; Jose Chan, Deputy Campaign Manager; Santiago Vasquez, Treasurer; George Escalante, Deputy Treasurer; Nikita Riverol, U.W.G. Representative; Josue Perez, B.Y.M. Representative; Mark Cuellar, Marshall; Canaima Dominguez , Fundraisor and Special Events; Angie Villanueva, P.R./Communications and members Kenny Gladden, Miguel Cawich, Shamir Alpuche, Eddie Palma, Fernando Montero, Elizardo Vasquez, Eder Riveroll, Ivor Nicholson, Alex Ewens, Carmela Hadad and Froila Tzul. WOMAN IN THE HOUSE: A Focus on Conduct A few months ago the Prime Minister of our sister Caricom country, Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad Bissessar took swift and decisive action following reports of the misbehavior of two of her Cabinet colleagues. She fired them from the Cabinet forthwith, not waiting for court action or the judicial pronouncement of innocence or guilt. I think that Prime Minister Persad Bissessar acted correctly in sending a strong signal that bad conduct would not be tolerated from anyone in her Cabinet. After all, a higher standard of behavior should be adhered to by members of the Cabinet in any country. As an aside I note that the women political leaders in Trinidad and Tobago are making strides and asserting themselves fully in the political life of their country. Carolyn Seepersad Bachan has made a bid for the leadership of her party, the Congress of the People, which holds six seats in the Trinidadian National Assembly. Penelope Beckles Robinson, an old classmate of mine, recently launched a challenge for the leadership of the opposition People’s National Movement. She was not successful this time, but I strongly feel that she will one day be the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. REFLECTIONS ON THE PUBLIC SQUARE: A Message to the Voters of Cayo Northeast This past Sunday, the UDP held a convention in the electoral division of Cayo North East (CNE) to elect a new Standard Bearer to represent their Party in the next general Elections. Three persons stood for election and Mr. John August, the current Mayor of San Ignacio Town, emerged victorious. The UDP want the voters of CNE to view this as a new beginning for their Party and are desperately seeking to put as much space and time between themselves and the current UDP Representative Elvin Penner. The voters of CNE must therefore be reminded that it is this same UDP Government and Party that continues to protect and cover-up the wrongdoings of Elvin Penner and others who are allegedly deeply involved in the passport and visa “hustle” which continues to cheapen and bastardize our Belizean nationality. It is this UDP which gave us Penner and which allowed him to act unchecked leading to this national and international embarrassment. It is this UDP which has refused to investigate the immigration crimes and which has sent its Solicitor General and Commissioner of Police to the Supreme Court of Belize to defend that refusal. Despite “millions and millions”…UDP Convention flops Elvin Penner still protected in Cayo North East The United Democratic Party has sealed their demise in the Cayo North East constituency with their antics leading up to the weekend’s failed convention. The UDP demonstrated that they will continue to protect disgraced and corrupt UDP area representative Elvin Penner when they rejected all the persons who had signed the 2013 anti-Penner Recall petition. The petition attracted 2002 signatures, endorsed by nationalist Belizeans and who are PUP and UDP supporters, but the UDP considered them traitors and disallowed their participation in Sunday’s convention. Many die-hard UDPs were turned back. They left the convention area cursing out the UDP and promising to vote for Landy Habet who is by far the better man to represent Cayo North East. Time for true Servants of the People Editor Sir, I write to advocate for unity in Belize and an end to the politics of victimization, division and hate. When Minister of State Mark King said publicly that as a member of the government he serves UDPs first, Belizeans second and PUPs last that was totally wrong and distasteful. King’s remarks however reflect the view of the entire administration. That is exactly why they have been assisting only a selected few for the past six years. Can you imagine that not a single Minister has publicly condemned King’s outrageous remarks? This administration needs to remember two very important things. First they need to realize that the huge bucks they are spending include millions of dollars in taxes that are paid by all Belizeans: UDPs, PUPs, and independent voters (no Ps) to the national treasury. All the citizens of this country therefore have a right to benefit from the use of such funds. Second, this administration needs to realize that they were elected to office with the support of thousands of independent thinking Belizeans or swing voters and not only with the vote of their hard core party supporters. The government therefore has a duty to serve all the citizens of this country. Patrick Jones Car crashes on the Hummingbird Highway There was a traffic accident early this morning on the Hummingbird Highway. Reports are that it happened sometime after 8 o’clock this morning and involved a resident of Mile 25 on the Hummingbird Highway. The small blue car was extensively damaged as it appears to have crashed […] PUP chooses candidate for Orange Walk North division The People’s United Party (PUP) today held a convention to choose a standard bearer for the Orange Walk North constituency. Three candidates, namely Alfredo Ortega, Ramon Cervantes and Jaime Castillo contested the convention. The results, which were released late this evening showed that Ramon Cevantes bested the other […] Police believe Friday morning murder is gang-related Police have launched an intensive investigation into Friday morning’s murder of 30 year old Tulio Caceres, a building inspector and resident of Taylor’s Alley in Belize City. Taylor’s Alley and Majestic Alley are believed to be the bases of warring rival gangs. But both also recently hosted editions […] Cayo Neighborhood Watch Association holds information fair The Cayo Neighborhood Watch Association held a mini-fair on Saturday at the Welcome Centre in San Ignacio Town. Various Neighborhood Watch groups from the district came together to share information with the general public about what they do and to encourage people to join in the effort. Among […] The June 15th, 2014 issue of The STAR (Cayo) is online HERE This Week's Stories: Mother And Sons Arrested For Drugs: Monday, June 9, 2014: The sharp nose of a police dog picked up the scent of marijuana through a floor covering, a wooden floor, a plastic bag and a covered plastic container , and it landed a mother and her two sons in problems with the law. It was shortly after 12 noon on Thursday, June 5 when a team of four policemen along with Tungee, said to be one of the sharpest police dogs in the Canine Unit, descended upon an upstairs wooden house on 5th Street in San Ignacio Town to conduct a search for drugs. Within minutes of entering the house, Tungee alerted its handler of the presence of drugs by sitting on a spot in the living room. When the marley floor covering was lifted, police found an unfastened board covering a cavity in the floor from which the police retrieved a black plastic bag with two covered plastic containers both loaded with marijuana. Present at the time of the search was a 78 year old grandmother, in the company of Martha Alicia Ralda, 46, and her two sons, William Ralda, 22 and his 17 year old brother. Policeman Charged For Attempt Murder: Three policemen and a special constable driver, members of San Ignacio Police Quick Response Team (QRT) all facing criminal charges, are on interdiction from active duty. The lives of Corporal #443 Ricky Valencia, Constables #1330 Maxwell Valerio and #1010 Jesus Marroquin along with Special Constable, driver, Ernesto Budna began changing at the break of the new day on Monday, May 26, 2014. Patrolling the George Price Highway the team drove up to Blackman Eddy Village and turned at the junction with the road into Spanish Lookout at the Iguana Creek. On the way back to base they came upon a group of four men in Unitedville on their way home from a wake in the village. Editorial: Life Is Dynamic: Life is in constant evolution. Nothing lasts forever, this is the nature of the phenomenon we call life. This week former educator/ politician, Mr. Eulogio Cano tell us that Sacred Heart Roman Catholic High School started 54 years ago in a room downstairs the Stork Club, the busiest and most popular bar in San Ignacio Town in that era. Today, it is not permissible to open and operate a bar anywhere near a school much less a high school where students are more mature. Our gun laws were once slack until the senseless spate of gun violence showed its ugly head especially on the south side streets of the old capital. This development necessitated the passage of stringent, some might say, draconian gun laws. Today, the gun violence has somewhat abated. Some among us are now calling for the slacking of the gun laws. We change with the current time fit prevailing circumstances and conditions. Such is life. Ashton Tillett Is This Year’s Top PSE Performer: The results of this year’s Primary School Examinations are out recording Ashton Tillett from Crooked Tree Government School, in the Belize District, as this year’s top performer. Today’s announcement sparked an outburst of joy, first on the school compound in Crooked Tree and later thoughtout the entire Village. We join in congratulating Ashton on this great achievement and wish him all the best as he proceeds on to the high school of his choice which we understand is Edward P. Yorke. Ashton Tillett The Three Men Injured In Bar Brawl: A brawl in a western village bar has left two men wounded and with criminal counter charges again each other. The report of a stabbing incident in Billy White Village Cayo was received by San Ignacio police at around 5:00 am on Saturday, June 7. A team of policemen, under the command of Sgt 651 S Bowden, rushed to the village and first to the home of Gumercindo Pop where they found Pop, visibly drunk, with stab wounds to the head, chest, shoulder and back. Pop told the police that he was at a bar in the village earlier that morning when and argument erupting resulting in him being attacked by brothers Santos and Roberto Chacon and a 15 year old boy. World Cup 2014 Kicks Off With Colourful Ceremony: The 2014 Fifa World Cup officially got under way on Thursday with a colourful opening ceremony before hosts Brazil beat Croatia 3-1 in the first match. A cast of 660 dancers paid tribute to the country's nature, people and football with a show around a "living" ball on the Arena de Sao Paulo pitch. The final act saw a performance of official World Cup song "We Are One" by Jennifer Lopez and rapper Pitbull. The month-long tournament sees 32 nations compete in 64 games. Many fans took to the streets to sing and chant their support for Brazil as excitement built in the hours before the tournament began. Father's Day Canoe Race: The Father's Day Canoe Race co-sponsored by the Black Orchid Resort and SeaSure Real Estate is set for Sunday, June 15th, 2014. The race will start in Flowers Bank Village at 9:00am and will end at the Black Orchid Resort in Burrell Boom. The first canoes should be arriving around midday. This race will have all categories, Male, Female, Mixed, Masters, Juniors, Pleasure and Intramural, it’s opened for anyone to participate. Registration can be done the morning before the race starting at 8:00am, however, early registration is accepted. The registration form is available on our website at www.bcanoe.bz. Race Registration fee is $50. Malaria: Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by parasitic protozoans (a type of unicellular microorganism) of the genus Plasmodium. Commonly, the disease is transmitted by a bite from an infected female Anopheles mosquito, which introduces the organisms from its saliva into a person's circulatory system. In the blood, the parasites travel to the liver to mature and reproduce. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever and headache, which in severe cases can progress to coma or death. The signs and symptoms of malaria typically begin 8–25 days following infection; however, symptoms may occur later in those who have taken antimalarial medications as prevention. Initial manifestations of the disease—common to all malaria species—are similar to flu-like symptoms, and can resemble other conditions such as septicemia, gastroenteritis, and viral diseases. The presentation may include headache, fever, shivering, joint pain, vomiting, hemolytic anemia, jaundice, hemoglobin in the urine, retinal damage, and convulsions. Sacred Heart College – 50 Successful Years: Sacred Heart College will be holding graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2014 on Saturday, June 14 in the auditorium on the school compound. This is a significant year in the history of Sacred Heart College as it will simultaneously celebrate the golden anniversary of the first graduating class, the class of 1964. Invited to deliver an address in celebration of this historic occasion is Mr. Eulogio Cano from the Class of 1964. We had a chance to speak with Mr. Cano earlier this week and what he told us was quite interesting. He told us that Sacred Heart Roman Catholic College began in 1960 through the efforts of Fr. Osmond Peter Martin (retired Bishop) and Fr. Facundo Castillo. It started with an enrollment of 31 students of which 19 graduated in 1964. The first classroom was housed downstairs of the Stork Club on Hudson Street, in front of Blue Angels Night Club where it remained for an entire year. In the second year however, with the addition of a second batch of students starting first form, the school moved across the street to more spacious accommodations in a building where the Hudson Chinese stores is currently located. It later moved to the Sacred Heart Primary School compound where they remained until graduation. Brazil World Cup: Clashes At Sao Paulo and Rio Protests: Police clashed with protesters in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and several other host cities on Thursday as the World Cup got under way in Brazil. Officers used tear gas on crowds in Sao Paulo hours before Brazil's team beat Croatia 3-1 in the opening match. Several people were also injured after scuffles broke out in Rio de Janeiro. Protesters are angry at how much the government has spent on preparations for the World Cup and the Olympics, which Rio will host in 2016. There were violent clashes in the city of Belo Horizonte, where England will play Costa Rica Earlier, striking airport workers in Rio de Janeiro blocked a road outside the airport, demanding a wage increase and a World Cup bonus. The strike was to have lasted for 24 hours but union leaders called it off early for legal reasons. World Cup Schedule: Full schedule of group games (until the knockout round starts). STAR Humor Your Weekly Horoscope and Lucky Numbers Letters to the Editor Public Notices Blogs Get Zen and A WHOLE Lot More at San Pedro’s Zen Arcade Maybe about a year ago, I heard a new business idea for San Pedro. Noele and Tara, two very popular people and yoga instructors in San Pedro, were taking over a large cement building just south of town. They were going to make it an oasis of serenity, yoga, health & fitness, massage, therapy, community and perhaps even some botox and a mani/pedi. They planned on an modern and affordable cafe with delicious healthy foods managed by one of the most popular and acclaimed chefs on the caye. The proposed name was The Zen Arcade and frankly, being a bit of a spirituality-and-yoga-cretin, I could not picture it at all. But I was super curious… So a few months ago, just as some parts of the business were opening, I stopped in to take a look around to see what a “wellness center” really is. AND…I loved it. About a week later, I was invited in to get a massage sample from Vicki (you can read about the Zen team here), a talented and professional US trained massage therapist. Let’s just say that it was VERY enjoyable. International Sources The World’s Ball Great NYT visual guide to the evolution of the ball used in the World Cup. That 1970 ball is the best — so iconic. I had no idea that it was designed to look better on black and white TVs. AN IMPERFECT BALL. Early soccer balls were hand-sewn and made of leather. They were never perfectly round, and inflating them required some skill. The laces had to be undone before an interior air bladder was filled and tied with a thread; then the laces were retied. Team captains chose a ball before each match, and every team had a preferred design, according to Peter Pesti, a collector and expert on World Cup balls. In the first World Cup, in 1930, Uruguay and Argentina could not agree on which ball to use. The first half of the match was played with a model favored by Argentina. The second half was played with Uruguay’s preferred design, the T-Model. Argentina led, 2-1, after the first half, but Uruguay recovered in the second and won, 4-2. Ship of exploration The Exploration Vessel Nautilus will cruise to the western Caribbean to explore the Mesoamerican Reef. Mr Godson has followed Titanic discoverer Dr Robert Ballard's ocean explorations for the past two decades and now he is among 22 educators to take part in the Nautilus Education Program aboard Dr Ballard's ship of exploration. As a science communication fellow, Mr Godson will join the exploration vessel as it explores the Mesoamerican Reef off the coast of Belize and Honduras in July and August. "It is a dream come true to be finally doing what I love doing but in a lot more organised formal capacity," he said. Mr Godson has spent one month living underwater, propelled himself through the Greek islands in a human-powered submarine and holds the Guinness World Record for the most electricity generated by pedalling underwater. Videos Video: Our Trip to Belize, by Rolling Rock, 12min. Video: Xunantunich Mayan Ruins Belize, 4min. 6/10/14, shore excursion from Carnival Sunshine. Video: Belize Night Frogs, 1/2min. Frog frenzy. Video: Caracol - Changing Lives Transforming Communities, 5min. A short clip about the youth development work of Caracol - Youth Community Development in the Belize-Guatemala Adjacency Zone Video: Belize Diving Video, 9min. 43 min of gopro video condensed down to 8 min and 51 seconds. Sure hope you can see it in HD. Scuba diving off Ambergris Caye. Video: Loose Monkey at the Belize Zoo, 2min. Video: Diving in Belize, Turneffe North: Black Coral Wall & Amber Head, 25min. The Best diving at Belize Turneffe North.