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The San Pedro Sun

Doctor Love: Mothers and Fathers
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, When my boyfriend and I first got together his mother seemed to like me very much. She went out of her way to […]

Letter to the Editor: A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU TO A VERY SPECIAL LADY
Having been in on the San Pedro Lobster Festival from its beginning seven years ago, it is without a doubt one of the most challenging, rigorous, and fun event in San Pedro. Since its inception by a few of us seven years ago, we managed to be creative, make do, stretch the limits, and fill in the blanks to make it all happen. What many of us know and often forget to acknowledge is: The integral part of the San Pedro Lobster Festival is Rebecca Arceo. She does not get paid, she manages, somehow to make all the cogs fit the wheel, to orchestrate the best concerto written, to line up people, places and things that make the event fun for locals, families, and tourists alike. She is batting 1,000 since that first year when she needed to figure out how to light the booths, how to get businesses interested, how to block off the street, how to clean up the mess and a multitude of other jobs that no one but the committee knows about.

Wolfe’s Woofer: Sportsmanship
“Davin is playing soccer today,” she said. “Do you want to come watch the game?” “I’m his grandfather.” I said. “Of course I want to go the game. What kind of team is he on?” “It’s little boy’s football,” she said. “They are all between the ages of seven and ten years old. The match is at five o’clock.” I was late getting away from home for the game and then I had a flat tire. By the time I got there the players were just breaking for half time.

Letter to the Editor: San Pedro Lobster Festival Committee say Thank You!
The San Pedro Lobster Festival and San Pedro Business Association would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every sponsor, business, individual and participant that made this event successful this year. Our Grand Sponsors were Bowen and Bowen Ltd and the Belize Tourism Board in conjunction with the Honorable Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Manuel Heredia Jr and other major sponsors include Tabony Industries, NICH (National Institute for Culture and History) and the Border Management Agency, Sandy Point Resorts and the San Pedro Town Council. The businesses that hosted the events for the Lobster Crawl Passport were El Divino Restaurant at Banana Beach Resort, Caribbean Villas Hotel, Pirate’s Treasure Restaurant and Chill Bar, Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Crazy Canucks at Exotic Caye Resort, Sunrise Realty, Pineapple’s Restaurant at Ramon’s Village Resort, Belize Chocolate Factory, Pedro’s Pizza at Pedro’s Hotel, Mesa Cafe, Fido’s Courtyard, Bar & Restaurant, Wayo’s Beachside Beernet, Wet Willy’s Bar & Smokehouse Grill and Seaduced by Belize. The Lobster Crawl Passport crew being Christine Syme and Emilse Marin deserve a big pat on the back for being at each and every event selling t-shirts and stamping passports.

Misc Belizean Sources

Fundraiser: Go Big for Biggs!
On June 24th in San Pedro Belize, boat Captain Biggs noticed 2 tourist in the water struggling with the current. He went in to save them and in turn his boat capsized, was destroyed and he lost evetything including his livelihood. I think we all knew Biggs would give his life for anyone, now he has proven it! I am reaching out to those who can help a man who put his life on the line to save total strangers. Lets give Biggs back his life, just like he did for the 2 people he saved. I can't think of a more deserving man to help in his time of need.

Pitbulls kill man
Pitbulls reportedly killed a man in Independence Village, Stann Creek on Friday night. The incident happened at around 11:30 p.m. and an elderly man reportedly found the victim barely hanging onto life. The man, whose name is still unknown, was rushed to the Independence clinic […]

North America warns against travel to Haiti
The United States and Canadian governments have warned their nationals against traveling to Haiti on grounds that there has been a reported increase in crime in some parts of the French-speaking Caribbean country. “You should exercise a high degree of caution due to high crime […]

Traffic accident leaves man seriously injured
Gilbert Henry, 34, is in the Western Regional Hospital with head and leg injuries following a road traffic accident. The incident occurred at around 10 p.m. on Friday at the intersection with Constitution Drive and Forest Drive in Belmopan. According to Elder Paredes, 32, he […]

Patrick Jones

Belizean wins Houston Caribbean Pageant
A Belizean woman has won the inaugural Houston Caribbean Queen pageant. Rheisha Shol, originally from Punta Gorda town, captured the title on Saturday night during the event which was held at the Stafford Civic Center in Stafford, Texas. Shol beat out seven other contestants to win the title which was billed as “a cultural, educational and festive event that seeks to celebrate the talent and intellectual abilities of young Caribbean women.” Congratulations Rheisha Shol.

Vehicles crash on the “Benque Road”
At least one person was injured in a road traffic accident this evening on the George Price Highway in Cayo. According to preliminary information, three vehicles were involved in the crash which happened near mile 21 on the George Price Highway near the village of San Jose Succotz. The particulars of the incident and the condition of the occupants of the vehicles are not yet know. Police from San Ignacio town were on the scene shortly after the incident which happened sometime after 6 o’clock this evening.

Roaring Creek and Ontario teams thrill softball fans with exciting game
The Roaring Creek Grace Kennedy and Ontario Rebels softball teams played one of the better softball matches of the 2014 campaign in the Senior Cayo Women’s Tournament on Sunday. The game was played in Las Flores, Belmopan and Roaring Creek needed 8 innings to overcome the Ontario Rebels and take home the victory. (Softball games are normally 7 innings.) But on Sunday, the Ontario Rebels tied the game in the bottom of the 7th inning at 8-8. The Ontario Rebels came close to winning the game by forfeit after catcher Lisandra Guy was seriously hurt on a close play at home plate. Guy, clearly could not continue behind the plate, and with no bench player available, the coach decided to have Guy play first base and brought in his left fielder to the catcher’s position.

Blogs

Day 4: Welcome to San Pedro, Belize
Lindsay and I woke up in our Belize City Hostel, the Sea Breeze Guesthouse, after a solid night of sleep. I actually woke up about an hour earlier than Linds and wrote in my travel journal on our balcony. Our balcony shared a door with our next door neighbor. He came out and we chatted a bit. He’s from Los Angeles and comes to Belize for a week or two every year in May. The sky was a cloudy and looked like impending rain. Other than that it was a decent day, aka less humidity! We hopped on the boat and enjoyed the 1.5 hour ride to San Pedro. The boat was nice and basic. There was plenty of room for everyone, but I can imagine that it is more crowded during the high season. We arrived on the San Pedro dock around 10:30 and hit the first cafe we found for breakfast. Right across the water taxi dock is a little cafe called Licks. It was a great little breakfast place and we both had the traditional Belizean breakfast of fried jack, eggs, beans, and cheese. It was yummy!

Placencia, Belize’s Lobsterfest is One Giant Beach Party
Even though I live on a gorgeous beach in Ambergris Caye, Belize, travelling south to Placencia always feels like a beach holiday. Placencia Village is set at the end of a long, very narrow peninsula…for most of its development, it was accessible only by boat (or a tedious long drive down a very bad road). It has a very distinct feel. Summer vacation. One I’ve likened to Cape Cod or Montauk in the states. Pretty pastel wooden houses, a long sandy beach, a lazy pedestrian main street (“the Sidewalk”), funky bars, art shops and restaurants plus a fantastic ice cream shop. They even have super cute Creole sidewalk names.

Statement on Population and Development in Belize
By: Ms. Judith Alpuche CEO Ministry of Human Development, Social Transformation and Poverty Alleviation Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates Belize wishes to align itself with the statement made by the distinguished delegate from Costa Rica on behalf of CELAC. Mr. Chairman, let me begin by expressing sincerest thanks to the Secretary-General for his three excellent reports that have assisted greatly in informing this important session of the Commission on Population and Development. This 47th session of the CPD provides a good opportunity to pause to assess the gains we have made under the Programme of Action, but more importantly to agree on how to advance our efforts to ensure sustained,equitable economic growth and sustainable development for all our people. We also wish to thank the UN System as a whole and the UNFPA in particular, for their partnership and support to Member States during the global survey process and the regional reviews which have informed the “Framework of Actions for the follow-up to the ICPD beyond 2014”. For Belize the preparation of our responses for the global survey provided us with an excellent opportunity to reflect on the meaning of human rights in the context of our own population dynamics and national development. The process enabled a stocktaking of government’s and civil society’s efforts to make human rights real and meaningful for Belizeans.

Banana Cinnamon Bread
Ingredients 1/2 cup lukewarm water 3 teaspoons yeast 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup Greek-style yogurt 1/2 cup mashed overripe bananas (about 2 bananas) 2 3/4 cups (12 3/8 ounces) bread flour 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon Procedures 1 In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the water, yeast, and a pinch of the sugar and set it a aside a few minutes to get frothy. 2 Add the remaining sugar, yogurt, bananas, bread flour, salt, and vanilla. Knead with the dough hook until the cleans the sides of the bowl and start to get elastic.

Photo Essay: The 2014 Caye Caulker Lobster Festival
The 2014 Caye Caulker Lobsterfest happened this weekend and it was huge success. I went to this event a few years ago and it was much smaller than now. I am happy to see a lot more Belizeans partaking in local travel since it is great for the economy. Here are a few of the best photos of the event. 10 Photos of the Caye Caulker Lobster Festival

Photo Essay: The 2014 Placencia Lobsterfest
Every summer the tiny Southern village of Placencia hosts their annual Lobsterfest to commemorate the beginning of the lobster season and this year the festival was bigger than ever, drawing crowds from all across Belize and the world. Highlights included the 2014 Placencia Lobsterfest official raffle, live jam sessions, food competitions, the Panerrifix Steel Drum Band, the Benque Viejo Marching Bank, and the eagerly anticipated Lionfish tournament . 10 Photos of the Placencia Lobsterfest

Top Ten Reasons to Visit Belize
What draws thousands of visitors every year to this small Caribbean/Central American destination? We suggest plenty of reasons you might want to visit Belize, although once you have visited you may be able to think of many more. Come stay with us here on Southwater Caye at the Blue Marlin! 1. A touch of luxury: At Blue Marlin we are in the heart of nature with pristine coral reef and white sand beach at our doorstep, but not lacking of modern conveniences. Our comfortable rooms offer air conditioning, warm showers, flat screen TVs, and fine linens. Offering a host of water sports in the warm sea, the outdoor life beckons at Blue Marlin Beach Resort. We also have an onsite restaurant, bar, water sports amenities,and entertainment, making this a truly relaxing holiday in paradise. 2. Island hopping: If you think staying on a small island might give you cabin-fever, think again. There are a lot of surrounding islands in our Southwater Caye marine reserve where you can explore the beautiful barrier reef, offering opportunities for fishing, diving, and snorkeling.

The June 29th 2014 issue of The STAR (Cayo) is online HERE

This Week's Stories:

• Guerra GoesTo Jail Again:
  A troubled Santa Elena man was today remanded to prison on gun and ammunition charges. Residents of Carmen Street in Santa Elena got a scare of their lives on Monday when Rodel Guerra, 27, busted out of his father’s #14 Carmen Street house brandishing a 16 gauge shotgun and a pocket load of cartridges. The matter was reported to the police who promptly arrived on the scene just in time to see Guerra ridding himself of the shotgun and cartridges before fleeing the scene.
• Getting Our Share Of The National Development Pie:
  As the unprecedented building of the nation continues, San Ignacio and Santa Elena are getting its fair share of the national development pie. A new cemented round-about is now in full operation at the junction of the George Price Highway and La Loma Luz Boulevard in Santa Elena. We can hardly remember what the area looked like prior to this major improvement. The entire length of La Loma Boulevard is properly paved complete with cemented sidewalks on both sides. Steel light poles with underground wiring have replaced those old and leaning wooden lamp posts with their spider web of crisscrossing overhead high tension electrical cables that once dangerously hung overhead along La Loma Luz Boulevard. Construction is now underway for the first ever two lane bridge across the Macal River connecting La Loma Luz Boulevard in Santa Elena to Joseph Andrews Drive in San Ignacio. A new roadway has been constructed through the Golden Orange orchard linking the new bridge with Joseph Andrews Drive.
• THE DOMESTICATION OF A PEOPLE:
  By Leonides Sanchez, Punta Gorda, Toledo. The domestication of a people and how can we turn this dilemma around: In town where I live there are several cats around my house and yet I don’t really own none. What I have observed is that while I am aware of the natural skills of a cat to be able to feed itself by hunting, they prefer to resort to begging and eventual stealing your food. I brought this up because our people are in a similar situation. The human being was gifted with a brain to be able to think and skills to be able to survive and overcome obstacles but somewhere along the way domestication interfered with the natural process. Now instead of our people resorting to their natural skills to do the feed themselves, they chose instead to resort to begging and eventually deprive others. This is a real situation. My question now is how do we turn this around so that our people can regain back their natural instincts to do for themselves? I believe that a new kind of education has to be introduced to the children.
• Rotary Club is Refurbishing Park in Santa Elena:
  The Rotary Club of San Ignacio is planning ahead for the traffic on the by-pass coming to San Ignacio soon. Just a short block away from the new traffic circle in front of the La Loma Luz SDA Hospital,there is a community park sponsored by the Rotary Club. Club members raised concerns about the safety of children and families using the park since there will be a great deal more traffic on the Loma Luz Boulevard. The long term goal of the Club is to give the park a new look and upgrade the play equipment and features. The first step for the makeover of the park was safety. The park now has a sturdy chain link fencing around three sides of the area. This will keep children away from the busy highway of the future. This effort was funded by money for the Rotary District. The Belize Fence company gave the Club a very helpful discount on the fencing material and the Rotoract Club of San Ignacio members participated in put the fence in place.
• Office of the Prime Minister Responds to Attacks on Justice Awich:
  The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) has noted with concern the continued attacks by some lawyers on Justice of Appeal Mr. Samuel Awich. These attacks, using the Belize Bar Association Resolution as their springboard, are contemptuous and contemptible. They seek to scandalize the Belize Court of Appeal by alleging bias on the part of a member of that court, and may well be actionable by the Director of Public Prosecutions. Indeed, even from the English common law, it is considered contempt to “prejudice mankind [by speech or writing] in favour of or against a party before the case is heard” and the same principle is reflected in the laws of Belize where it is stated to be an offence to write or do anything “with intent to excite any popular prejudice for or against any party to [court] proceedings.”
• Mother, Daughter and Son On Dishonesty Charge:
  A 16 year old boy was today remanded to prison on burglary and handling stolen goods charges. San Ignacio police reports that at around 10:00 am on Wednesday, June 25, Esperanza Village resident Maybelline Flores visited the police station in San Ignacio where she reported that her house was burglarized two days earlier. The complainant informed that between 12:30 pm and 3:00 pm on Monday, June 23 someone entered her house as a trespasser and stole there from a black Nikon brand digital camera with serial number 4234359 along with an extra lens and battery charger.
• TACKLING LACK OFYOUTH OPPORTUNITY:
  The lack of opportunity for the youth of Belize has been recognized for quite a while, yet results from efforts to deal with this problem are struggling and lack support. Whilst the economy of Belize shows little capacity to offer much, sport has an almost inexhaustible ability to bridge the gap between education and employment. In fact, sport can and frequently does open doors to successful careers, for those who grasp what’s on offer. * Guided and directed youth can have significant impact on the success of communities, as well as on the future of the youth themselves * Using sport, as the basis for engaging with youth at community level, is a recognized model for promoting healthy lifestyle and producing successful adults and leaders of the future.
• Sickle-Cell Anaemia:
  Sickle-cell disease (SCD), or sickle-cell anaemia (SCA) or drepanocytosis, is a hereditary blood disorder, characterized by red blood cells that assume an abnormal, rigid, sickle shape. Sickling decreases the cells' flexibility and results in a risk of various life-threatening complications. This sickling occurs because of a mutation in the haemoglobin gene. Individuals with one copy of the mutant gene produce a mixture of both normal and abnormal haemoglobin. This is an example of incomplete dominance. Sickle-cell disease may lead to various acute and chronic complications, several of which have a high mortality rate.
• Public Advisory on Use of Specific Health Products:
  The Ministry of Health has received a public notification from the Unites States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), through the International Health Regulations of the World Health Organization, on health products that consumers are advised NOT to purchase. Consumers are advised not to purchase or use the following products that are promoted and sold for weight loss on websites or in retail stores: Dr. Ming’s Chinese Capsule, 7 Days Herbal Slim, Sliming Diet Berry Plus, Asset Extreme, SlimEasy Herbs Capsule and Meizitang Citrus.
• Luis Suarez bite: Uruguay striker banned for four months:
  Uruguay striker Luis Suarez has been suspended from all football-related activity for four months for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini. In addition, the Liverpool player, 27, has been banned for nine international matches, ruling him out of the rest of the 2014 Fifa World Cup. He will also miss the first nine games of the Premier League season. Uruguay say they will appeal, calling it an "excessive decision" for which "there was not enough evidence". Uruguay Football Association president Wilmar Valdez added: "I have seen more aggressive incidents recently.
• Mexican Tijuana Cartel Boss Sanchez Arellano 'Captured':
  The Arellano Felix clan is one of the most feared criminal families in Mexico The Mexican army says it has captured the leader of the once-powerful Tijuana cartel, Luis Fernando Sanchez Arellano. In the 1990s, the cartel controlled much of the drugs flow from the northern Mexican city of Tijuana to the United States. But it was dealt a severe blow after the arrest of four of the brothers leading it and the killing of a fifth. Luis Fernando Sanchez Arellano is the nephew of the Arellano Felix brothers who originally founded the cartel. An army official said Mr Sanchez Arellano was captured on Monday afternoon shortly after the Mexican football team reached the last 16 of the Fifa World Cup by beating Croatia.
• No Arrest In Venus Burglary:
  Five days later, almost four thousand dollars worth of items stolen, three persons interviewed, Zero arrests made. San Ignacio police informed of the receipt of a burglary report from Teresita Silva Johnson proprietor of Venus Store located at #6 Hudson Street in San Ignacio. The complainant informed that the store was secured at 9:00 pm on Saturday, June 21 and that upon checking at around 5:30 am the following day, the store was found to have been burglarized. Entry was gained through an opening pryed into the metal shutter attached to the front entrance.
• STAR Humor
• Your Weekly Horoscope and Lucky Numbers
• Letters to the Editor
• Public Notices

International Sources

Belize true paradise for outdoors enthusiasts
HOPKINS VILLAGE, Belize - Permit, bonefish and tarpon beckoned from mangrove-flocked cays dotting glistening saltwater flats, but our bountiful reward had nothing to do with recompense gained via measured swings of a fly rod. In reality, the true treasures of this small country nestled below the Yucatán Peninsula in Central America are its people, culture and distinct places, including some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world featuring an abundance of amazing species. My new bride, Michelle, and I spent our honeymoon based out of a private residence on what certainly was a quiet and splendid beach. But getting off the beaten path provided so much more to marvel at, allowing us to partake in activities we otherwise never would have enjoyed. It sounds cliché, but there literally is something for everyone, especially if you enjoy outdoors pursuits, including all-day treks involving multiple stops or shorter journeys spanning a couple of hours. The saltwater locales, protected by one of the world’s longest coral barrier reef systems, not only are gorgeous but also teem with a grand amount of angling targets. In addition to the shallow-water species above, there also are offshore trips for marlin, sailfish, wahoo, mahi mahi, sharks and more. The rates also are more reasonable than many typical blue-water trips out of any Texas port.

Videos

Video: Belize April 2014, 6min.
Compilation of footage from diving in Belize April 2014. Sites were Glovers Reef, Gladden Spit, and Lighthouse Reef. Filmed with a 5dmkiii in a Nauticam housing - Canon 16-35mm wide angle lens. All footage filmed in natural light. Diving services provided by Hamanasi Resort.

Video: Belize: termites, 2min.
Eat em up! Yum!