Enjoy your Garifuna Settlement Day!


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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and other specials


The San Pedro Sun

Letter to the Editor: A heart breaking and heart warming clean-up
Dear Editor, The clean-up of the San Pedrito road was heart breaking and heart warming. It was an emotional experience. Heart breaking because the life giving mangroves are being poisoned. Humans have deliberately put trash in the water. The mangroves are trying to grow in water that is scary to look at. The water is a strange polluted colour. It looks and is, toxic. Heart warming because there were so many hardworking people doing their best to remove this trash. They were standing in the water hand picking the trash and placing it on the road for pick up. This is not fun work. Its is simply depressing, back breaking work. Then it was either loaded into trucks or placed into bags to be hauled off. There were not enough volunteers or enough trucks. Not enough water or snacks. Not enough garbage bags or gloves. And yet the volunteers persisted. All of this done in the hot sun.

Wolfe's Woofer: A Good Provider
"Do you remember Dolores?" Sherry asked. "She's the girl who used to work doing cleanup for me when I had the Monkey Bites Caf�." "Yeah," I said. "She also worked for us as a maid for two days a week." "That's her." "Didn't she move back to her village on the mainland?" "Yes, but she's back on the island. She came by yesterday looking for domestic work and I'd like to hire her for a couple of days a week. What do you think?" "It's fine as long as she doesn't touch any of my stuff. Anything of mine she ever touched disappeared for a week. Finding my shoes or my keys was like searching for Easter eggs."

Letter to the Editor: A call to action for EVERYONE
Dear Editor, Warning - what follows is a rant/call to action for EVERYONE, even if you are not on the island. For the last 5 months, the BIG Garbage Clean up has been in the planning and organizing stages. HUNDREDS of hours have been dedicated to this project by only 4 determined ladies (that also have full-time businesses) and many many additional hours by others wanting to help. The task was ENORMOUS, but they took it on because the issue this island has with garbage being dumped on the roadsides is affecting our environment and it is beginning to have an effect our #1 industry - Tourism. There is NO job here on the island that does not depend on tourists continuing to come to the island, and yet no one seems to care that the first thing the tourists see as they approach the island by air is trash upon trash along the tarmac dumped on the San Pedrito Highway - not the greatest first impression after the beauty of the ocean that they've been photographing on the way over.

Doctor Love: Bored
Dear Doctor Love, All of my life I have been accused of lacking motivation. When I was in school, teachers sent notes to my parents telling them of my unwillingness to get involved with student activities and my disinterest in performing at any level higher than is necessary to pass. Because of this life long attitude, I find myself a single woman in my mid-twenties with not a single close friend, working a job just to pay my bills. I am simply bored with everything. I have no interest in anything other than sleeping. I don't care what I eat. I don't want a boyfriend. I don't even remember ever getting excited about holidays and birthdays.

Misc Belizean Sources

mzz

Annual Christmas Bird Count 2018
It's that time of the year!!!! Okay friends, let me know who is interested in going on which one of the counts. December 8th and 9th, we will be doing a refresher for rusty birders and intro for new birders. Location will be Caribbean Shrimp Farm, Salt Creek Road, and Belize River Valley area. Dec 8th - (Saturday afternoon) 1 to 4pm classroom Dec 9th - (Sunday) 5:30am - 5:30pm all day birding.

ICJ Referendum Forum at The Corozal House of Culture
We are very grateful to all our guest who came out to be informed at The ICJ Referendum Forum at The Corozal House of Culture on November 16th 2018. There was a balanced presentation on both sides of the topic. The public has an opportunity to freely and respectfully express their inputs and points of view on the subject. We are grateful for the opportunity to continue to educate on matters that are vital to our past and current history. Many thanks to our seasoned presenters Mr Roy Rodriguez Sr. and Mr Gian Vasquez. Many thanks to our moderator Dr Baldomino Barboza. Thanks to Ms Debra WilkesDebra at The Corozal House of Culture. Thanks to NICH Belize for your continual support of our efforts.Thanks to Miss Celeste Pederson for your financial support. Thanks to members of To'one Masehualoon NGO Mr Adan Palomo, Mr Faustino Yam, Ms Claridelma Sabino and Ms Loreen Maura for your support and participation. Many Thanks to CTV3 and Power FM from Orange Walk Town. Together we achieve more. En la kech a la keen.

Panerrifix: A Christmas Story
Panerrifix will be performing ''A Christmas Story' along with the Cayo Music School. It'll be at the Hilltop Basketball Court on Saturday, December 8th, and starts at 7:00pm. "Come celebrate the greatest story ever told...the story of Jesus Christ through music and song. Special guests include Chanelle Parks and the Cayo Music School. Get your tickets early from band members or inbox to reserve."

JACINTO CANEK
Jacinto Canek or Jacinto Uc de los Santos was a 18th-century Maya revolutionary who fought against the Spanish in the Yucat�n Peninsula of New Spain. His sentence was carried out in the main plaza of M�rida on December 14, 1761. A good reading for us Yucatec Maya of Belize to learn more about our ancestors struggle . The Spanish conquest of Yucat�n ended in the late 17th century, with the fall of the Itza people, the last group of Maya able to resist the conquistadors. However, the Mayas continued armed revolt against the Spanish into the 18th century, and after an interruption, into the early 20th century under Mexican jurisdiction. Lands owned in common by the Maya were taken and given as land grants in the form of haciendas to either the Catholic Church or to Spanish noblemen, interfering with the means of subsistence of the Maya.

Channel 5

Shooting in Belize City
A man is at the KHMH receiving treatment after he was shot tonight in Belize City. The victim was on Neal Penn Road when a man on a motorcycle approached him and fired several shots. Police are investigating...

Belize City Taxi Man Missing
Please on the lookout for 56 year old Ira Hamilton, taxi driver of 4385 Custard Apple Street, Belize City. He was reported missing by his wife. Hamilton was last seen on Friday, November 16th, driving a gold Toyota Corolla. He reportedly broke down somewhere in the Hattieville area and has not been seen or heard from since. If you have any information that can assist in locating Hamilton you are asked to call the nearest police station.

Teenager Raped in Roaring Creek
Police in Roaring Creek Village, Cayo District, are investigating a report of rape made by a 15 year old girl. Accompanied by her mother, the girl told police that sometime around 4:00 pm on November 17th she was "drinking alcoholic beverages along with her uncle and another male person when she began to feel sick." According to the girl, she went to sleep in a bedroom and after some time had passed "the male person entered the room and had sexual intercourse with her against her will." A medical examination certified that she was carnally known. Police have since detained an 18 year-old male person pending investigation.

Fatal Traffic Accident on the Hummingbird Highway
Thirty three year old Pedro Shol became a victim of a fatal traffic accident on Saturday evening. Police say that at around 5:47 pm, officers were called out to mike 10 1/2 on the Hummingbird where they saw Shol motionless on the ground. Shol was on a motorcycle heading towards Pomona Village when he reportedly lost control of the motorcycle and collided into a parked white bus. He was rushed to the Southern Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The Reporter

Posh Family Park Coming Soon for South-side
Residents on the south side of Belize City will soon have their own stylish family-friendly park, after ground was broken for the facility on Ring Road off Western Avenue on Thursday. Mayor Bernard Wagner told the media that the City Council wanted the southside residents to have a park that is as scenic and that has amenities comparable to the BTL Park on the northside. The park will consist of barbecue stands and seating for families to have picnics and programs.

Breaking Belize NewsPJ

Man shot in Belize City
A man was shot in Belize city. He has been identified as Stefan Tablada. Information to BBN is that he was socializing at a residence on Neal Pen Road when a man on a motorcycle approached and opened fire.

Dr. Simeon Coc wins UDP Toledo West convention
Today the United Democratic Party (UDP) held a convention to elect the standard bearer for the Toledo West constituency. Estevan Coc garnered 13 votes, Sylvia Hulse collected 68 votes and Senator Macario Coy gathered 1,281. In the end, Dr. Simeon Coc emerged victorious with 1,504 votes.

Police Department appeals to motorists to exercise caution while driving
In light of recent traffic accidents, the Belize Police department today issued a statement appealing to all motorists to exercise extreme caution. Motorists are reminded to refrain from driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The department is also appealing to all family members and friends to do all in their power to prevent loved ones from driving or riding motorcycles if they are drinking or under the influence.

Man dies in fatal traffic accident
Police are investigating a fatal traffic accident that occurred yesterday evening. Around 5:47 pm, police went to an area near Mile 10 � on the Southern Highway, Stann Creek and saw the body of a man lying face up on the road. The victim was identified as Pedro Shol,33, of Valley Community.

15 year-old-minor raped in Roaring Creek; Police investigating
Roaring Creek police are investigating a report of rape. According to reports, a 15-year-old female minor and her mom reported to police that yesterday around 4 pm, she was drinking alcoholic beverages along with her uncle and another male person when she began to feel sick. According to the minor, she went to sleep in her bedroom and shortly thereafter, the male person reportedly entered the room and raped her.

Taxi driver missing in Belize City
The family of Ira Hamilton, 56, a taxi driver of Belize City is concerned about him. Hamilton was reported missing by his wife yesterday. According to reports, he was last seen on Friday, November 16, 2018, driving his 1989 Gold Toyota Corolla.

Blogs

Ear Muffs & Mule Carts: Snapshots of My Week in Belize
Each year - about this time, the weather abruptly shifts. We go from BLAZING HOT and humid to the first cold front of the year. Just a shift in wind and a few degrees drop in temperature and those who live here get out sweatshirts and thick socks and confound all the tourists. I walked the dogs in a full sweat suit the other day - right past a bunch of visitors sunning in their bikinis. Monday, breeze from the west, bright sun, temps in the low 80s Monday night was looking beautiful� But the next morning�the cold winds were starting to blow. And suddenly it was in the mid-70s with a brisk northerly wind. Kids were wearing quilted winter jackets - those driving golf carts? Wool hats and I even saw a set of ear muffs. Here are some snap shots from Ambergris Caye and Belize City - many of which I share on Facebook but�and GET THIS�some of you don't have Facebook! SO here they are.

International Sourcesizz

Belize's thriving Afro-Caribbean community
The boats came at dawn along the shores of the town of Dangriga on the coast of Belize. Onboard, vibrantly dressed men, women and children carried homemade flags and waved bright green fronds of coconut palm branches as they approached the shore. On land, a crowd waited, ready to cheer as feet stepped out of the boats to touch sand. On a similar morning in 1832, the Garifuna people - descendants of Carib, Arawak and West African people - made the same journey from St Vincent Island in the Caribbean, finally able to call Belize home after being turned away by the British government three times. Every year on 19 November, the Garifuna celebrate Garifuna Settlement Day, marking their arrival in Belize (which was then a British colony) and their many contributions to the Belizean landscape.

IMF concludes 2018 consultation with Belize
On November 12, 2018, the executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with Belize. Belize's economic recovery is strengthening, supported by a favourable global environment. Real GDP is estimated to have increased by 1.4 percent in 2017, and recent data indicate an acceleration in economic activity. This acceleration reflects growth in the tourism and agricultural sectors, on the back of economic expansion in Belize's trade partners, expanded capacity, and foreign direct investment. Unemployment decreased to 9.4 percent in April 2018 from 9.7 percent six months earlier, the current account deficit narrowed to 7.6 percent of GDP in 2017 from 8.4 percent of GDP in 2016, and the financial sector is strengthening.

Is This Private Island Resort The Privatest Of All Private Island Resorts?
"There are no other neighbors - it's just you and the views." There are plenty of resorts, hotels and, in this modern age, Airbnbs that will boast that the experience of staying there is more 'money can't buy', more exclusive and more luxurious than any other. But on the spectrum of things that get you the closest to actually going full Branson and owning your own island in the middle of the Caribbean, we'd be willing to bet that the Gladden Island Resort is probably on the furthest extreme. Gladden Island sits in the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, where it sits under the legal jurisdiction of Belize. It's little more than a remote stretch of sand and trees "20 miles off the coast of Placencia, Belize," and is shielded on all sides by the Belize Barrier Reef system. This makes it virtually inaccessible by large ships and, as such, almost untouched by human civilisation. Well, until now at least, because one company has thrown a private resort onto it.

Chinese mosquito coil denied registration due to cancer risk
Guyana's Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Board (PTCCB) has denied the registration of "Zenden Mosquito Coil", that is manufactured in China. The denial means that the import, distribution, sale and use of the Mosquito Coil in Guyana is prohibited. Officials say the illegally imported Chinese mosquito coils have been an area of focus for the authority for quite some time and smugglers of these products have made little to no effort to register them. The PTCCB says the process of pesticide registration allows the board to examine the toxicity characteristic of pesticide products to human health and the environment. It allows for more informed decision making regarding the import, distribution, sale and use of pesticides in Guyana.

Venezuela y Belice, los �nicos pa�ses de la regi�n que no avanzan en la erradicaci�n de la pobreza extrema
Cada segundo que pasa, una persona se salva de vivir en la pobreza extrema. Eso significa que hay menos gente viviendo con ingresos inferiores a los 1,9 d�lares diarios. En 2000, uno de cada 4 habitantes del planeta era extremadamente pobre. Para el 2017, la proporci�n pas� a ser 1 de cada 10, seg�n el Informe de Metas de Desarrollo Sostenible de 2018 de las Naciones Unidas. La buena noticia es que la tendencia continuar� y para el 2030 s�lo el 5,6 por ciento de los casi 8.500 mil millones de habitantes del planeta se encontrar�n en una situaci�n desesperada.

Videos

  • Garifuna Settlement Day Celebrations in San Pedro. Bringing in the 19th!, 1.5min.

  • Belize International Yoga Festival 2018, 2min. Date: December 1st, 2018 Time: 6:0am- 6:00pm Location: Harbour View Greens 12 Fort Street, Belize City (Opposite the Belize Sign, near the Fort Street Tourism Village) Cost: $10BZE Day Pass - Children under 13 enter FREE. BIYF is designed to bring together yoga and meditation practitioners, aspirants and the general public from Belize and around the world to enjoy soulful moments of wellness, healing, relaxation and reflection. The festival is a time for positive interactions which is vitally important for the well-being of our community,country and the world. BYIF is a non-alcoholic, family friendly event. The first of its kind in Belize and the region; patterned after similar festivals around the world. It is the signature fundraising event for the non profit

  • National Geographic - Wild Animal - Belize, 46min.

  • IMG 2022 Belize Sunrise 2018:11:10 1080p, 13min.

  • SCUBA Diving - "Un - BELIZE - Able" - Lighthouse Reef, Belize - October 2018, 12min.

  • Diving & Caving in Belize, 4.5min. Sun, beach, go slow and rum everywhere - that's unbelizable Belize! We relaxed on Caye Caulker, met awesome people and explored the underwater world of the 2nd biggest barrier reef in the world. We enjoyed the colors of the amazingly healthy corals and lots of juvenile fishes. And when we went snorkeling in between our dives we almost got run over by a big group of nurse sharks and sting rays. ATM - Another Tourist Missing. That's the nickname of the famous Maya cave close to San Ignacio that we explored. Daniela is not the biggest fan of darkness, closed rooms and especially not spiders. All of which we expected to experience on this cave tour and she still wanted to do it - but see for yourself how this turned out.

  • Garifuna Dance at Belize Bank, 2min. Garifuna dancers in PG before settlement day.

  • Belize week 2, 2min. Week 2 of our Belizian adventure! ATM Caves, rememberance parade, picnics, Caye Caulker, and Placencia where we lost things, got rained in and Andrew got ill. All in all we are having a class journey!

  • Happy Garifuna Settlement Day Belize, 1min. A Tribute To Thomas Vincent Ramos. Happy Garifuna Settlement Day Belize!