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THE BELIZE TIMES
12 Gunshot Victims in Bloody Weekend …crime wave continues Belize City, February 18, 2013 In a matter of two days, criminal activity spiralled out of control in the old capital which resulted with twelve gunshot victims with two being fatal. The two fatal victims were 39 year old Lincoln “Kilo Boy” Allen and 23 year old Devon Saldano. Saldano is believed to be the man who shot Kilo Boy to the back of the head and in the mouth around 1:30am on Saturday through Muñoz Alley. Saldano was also targeted by an unknown shooter and killed. A third person, Derek Cervantes, was shot and had to be rushed to the Karl Heusner Memoral Hospital for treatment. Kilo Boy’s mother, Joan Sankey, believes her son was targeted following a scuffle with another man who was near the Bucket Bar located at the foot of the Swing Bridge. Saldano’s family said they don’t know what could have led to their loved one’s untimely death. The last they heard of him was late Friday night when he left their home to buy food. At the scene, Police found six 9mm expended shells and a licensed 9mm pistol licensed to Cervantes.
Lincoln “Kilo Boy” Allen
Kilo Boy was the father of 11 children. Before the double murder and near-fatal shooting on Saturday morning there had already been five other shootings. The victims are Kenroy Tillett, Alton Roches, Donald Matura, Carmita Chan and Alchea Harris. On Sunday there were four other shooting victims. 47 year old Mario Ramos was shot on Mayflower Street from what seemed to be a misguided bullet which tore through his wall and hit him while he was inside his bedroom checking on his
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Callate tu boca!
Devon Saldano
grandchild. Ramos has said that for a while now he had been sleeping on the floor rather than the bed, where it is no longer safe. The three other men who fell victim to what seems to be a wild crime spree are 19 year old Randy James Harris, 24 year old Deon Gibson and 39 year old Orlando Vasquez. The three men were standing in a yard on Kraal Road around 6:40 on Sunday night when a gun man ran in and let off a barrage of gunshots. Fortunately, the men survived the attack.
Belize City, February 20, 2013 Ever since taking office as the Attorney General and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington’s mouth has been Belize’s worst enemy. His raw, unbridled ineptitude has made the Government of Belize the laughing stock of the Caribbean and Central America, with embarrassing spews like “the border is artificial”, and insenContinued on page 31
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THE BELIZE TIMES
05 5
Knowing The Hour
here is a term in literature which is taken directly from the French word for “untying”, nouer, and in our primary schools, our children are taught to refer to the events immediately following the climax of a book or play as “denouement”. This literary term is in essence the euphemistic way of identifying when a situation is going downhill. In the technical sense it specifically refers to the outcome or result of a complex situation or sequence of events. It is the final outcome or unraveling of the main dramatic complications in a play, novel, or other work of literature. In drama, the term is usually applied to tragedies or to comedies with catastrophes in their plot. Denouement is usually the final scene or chapter in which any necessary, and, as yet unmade, clarifications are made. In political terms, this literary term aptly characterizes where the UDP government finds itself in 2013. There are certain realities that accompany this stage of a dying government’s life. Therefore, these are dangerous political times in Belize and all the socio-economic indicators, which could lend the Government some currency to muster hope for our people have been destroyed, misused or disengaged. Our people need to be put on guard because as this Government crashes into a fiery end, they are sure to take many Belizeans to their demise unless institutional safeguards are demanded. For this government, people are only seen as votes, their problems as economic opportunities for cronies and their sufferings are shrugged off as “collateral damage”. With the UDP, Belizeans live a morbid reality where every pocket of our population is vulnerable despite the apathy, recklessness and intolerant indifference of UDP politicians. For a full term they have squandered public confidence and public funds with the confidence that they could hide behind hate speech and witch hunting. It worked brilliantly for four years but clearly the Belizean public has looked around, weighed the Government in the balance and found them wanting. None of the campaigns, which carried the UDP into government, have translated into any benefit for the common people. The nationalization of the utility companies is a constant reminder that there is a huge disconnect between what the people want and the execution of those wishes by the Government. Despite the public ownership of the utilities, light bills have skyrocketed by more than 17%; entire communities in Mahogany Heights, Toledo and Orange Walk still live without reliable water services; and save for two concerts with Jamaican dancehall artists, no Belizean has seen a penny of benefit from BTL. The vindictive smashing of NHI is another campaign of the UDP that has only resulted in scandals, increased infant mor-
tality and maimed mothers. After all the talk, nothing has gotten better. The average Belizean walking down Albert Street is no longer in the same emotional place they were in 2008 and Barrow realizes that to survive the full second term he has to put bigger lights and more expensive clowns in the circus in the hope of keeping the masses distracted. Sadly, the duality of experiences in Belize City and Corozal this weekend is a bitter example of the two worlds that have become Belize over the past five years. Within the window of forty-eight hours, and while the Government was swearing to the Unions that there were no monies for salary adjustments, UDP officials were dishing out five hundred dollar bribes to voters at the political convention. Where did that money come from in the middle of a choking financial drought? Also within that forty-eight hours as Barrow was in Corozal beating his chest on stage and boasting of the impeccable job that he has been doing, twelve people were either killed or almost killed in his own political backyard in Belize City. The Government has hit a huge wall in its administration of the nation and has begun a screaming plunge into an abyss. Most Belizeans believe they cannot fix anything and every sector of our society is in irreparable crisis. The Justice system is broken. Crime is uncontrollable. The economy is just plain bad. Life is hard and getting harder while we finally accept that the Government is incapable of giving the public any relief. The important realization must be that the UDP and their leeches have also come to the realization that the “jankrows” are circling. Full evidence of this is the reappearance of old faces and the accelerated pace, audacity and extravagance of government spending. At the furthest end of historical analysis, we will all accept that the cause of the unraveling of the UDP and their government began in 2007. Its natural end as ordained by the natural route of political conclusions is 2013. As insiders of the PUP have the benefit of moving between each meeting of the internal machinery of the Party, there is another huge contrast. The morale, work plans and strategies are inspiring. There is a comforting feeling and a calming reassurance from the leadership that the social justice compass of the Party is back in its rightful place. It may be that the PUP has come to grips with the fact that they must right the reef-bound ship that has become Belize and do so before the full five year term of this administration. Surely, the Party has taken on the character of its Leader and has grown under his faith, temperance and humble confidence. So we at BELIZE TIMES echo his call to our people to “Have hope, the PUP will serve the People.”
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THE BELIZE TIMES
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Joe Coye & Florencio Marin Sr. Vindicated Continued from page 1 Court Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin dismissed the case of misfeasance that had been brought against former PUP Ministers Florencio Marin and Jose Coye. According to one of the witnesses for the government, the claim was brought at the insistence of Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega, who ironically, has openly confessed to his own misfeasance in giving prime lands
August/Vega wins….UDP implodes Continued from page 1 the little integrity remaining in the UDP. But now it has come to pass, and the UDP is facing implosion. The first victim could be Secretary General Phillipa Bailey who reports say has written a letter of resignation saying she calls it quits as of March 2013. Bailey is not a happy camper. The Gaspar Vega/ Alberto August victory was a bitter pill to swallow. Since her own Party Leader Dean Barrow administered the prescription, she feels there is only one way to go, and that’s through the door. Who’s next? Reports say Brian “Yellowman” Audinette who is the National Assembly Macebearer and UDP Secretariat staffer is not too curry. He is not fan of Alberto August either. Reports are he too could be packing up his bags. Yellowman is UDP Minister Michael Finnegan’s “messenger” in the Mesopotamia area. Finnegan did not support Vega or August. Is this the beginning of a UDP revolt, one that stretches all the way to Cabinet? Time will tell, but so far we gather than the upheaval is mainly because of one man: the former SIS Chief who has now assumed the post of the 3rd most influential man in the UDP. Alberto August is unquestionably the most biased, partisan, and activist Chairman of the Elections and Boundaries Commission in Belize’s short history as an Independent nation. August was given this important responsibility by Dean Barrow specifically because Barrow knew he could count on August to put the interest of the UDP ahead of the integrity of the EBC. August interfered and intervened in every aspect of our electoral system and process. He was public and boastful in his support for the UDP and made every effort to intimidate registering officers and other public officers who formed a part of the 2012 election day team. But this past Sunday, at the National UDP Convention, August got his reward. He was elected Chairman of the UDP by the delegates present. August’s celebration will be short-lived. This is a step backwards for the UDP. The new UDP Chairman is a man who works best under the cover of darkness, a man who is a stranger to accountability and transparency. In 2013 Alberto August, like Gapi Vega, is a big problem for the UDP. The signs are already there. Time will tell.
to his family and friends for chump change. But the irony of all ironies was uncovered during the case, as while Gapi Vega was maliciously pursuing Mr. Marin and Mr. Coye, behind closed doors Gapi was in fact selling property in the same area of Caribbean Shores for less than what the PUP government sold the land for. Documents from the Lands Department revealed that on the 14th of October, 2009 Gapi Vega transferred Parcel 4772 situated in the Caribbean Shores Registration Section to Sylvia Perdomo, the daughter of the then Minister of Defence, Carlos Perdomo, at a purchase price of $2,500. So while Gapi was claiming that the PUP gov-
ernment was selling land in Caribbean Shores at an undervalue of $4,000, he was actually doing worse, by selling land in the same area to UDP cronies at a purchase price of $2,500. But aside from Gapi’s blatant acts of misfeasance in public office, who else in the UDP was benefiting from these crass political lawsuits? Readers may recall that this claim was originally dismissed by the former Chief Justice of Belize and thereafter appealed to the Caribbean Court of Justice after which it was then sent back to the Supreme Court of Belize, only to be dismissed once again. So who was the one prosecuting this case on behalf of the government for this extended length of time? Was
it the Solicitor General’s Office? While it should have been, it was not. One Lois Young Barrow, the ex wife of the Prime Minister has collected top (tax payer) dollar in furthering this case. But the trouble for the government does not end there, because in addition to paying Lois’ legal fees out of public funds, the government must now find more taxpayer dollars to pay the attorneys of Mr. Marin and Mr. Coye who were awarded costs in the Supreme Court decision. As with all other trumped up charges brought by the UDP against former PUP Ministers this one was no different – full of hot air, big bucks for Lois and bound to fail from the very outset.
09 9 First-of-its-kind Community Care Center inaugurated in Dangriga
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Dangriga Town, February 15, 2013 A well-furnished single-storey concrete building was handed over by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to the residents of Dangriga. It was received by the Mayor Major (Ret’d) H. Gilbert Swaso and Productive Organization of Women in Action (POWA) Dangriga chapter of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Transformation during an official ceremony held on Friday, 15 February, 2013 at the 2nd New Site in Dangriga. The overall goal for the Community Care Center is to halt the spread of HIV with special emphasis on young people 15 – 24 years in Dangriga, in addition to the other objectives of the service that include to 1) reduce sexual transmission of HIV among young people; 2) improve the quality of life of people living with HIV and AIDS; 3) improve the coverage and quality of the continuum of care for HIV infected and affected population through enhanced Anti-Retroviral Treatment; and 4) enhance the skill sets of human resources at every in the national response to HIV and AIDS. The presenters at the ceremony were His Worship, Mayor H. Gilbert Swaso, Mr. Daniel Alemu, Assistant Representative of UNDP and Miss Michele Irving who presented an overview of the building and the vote of
THE BELIZE TIMES
(L) Dangriga Mayor Major (Ret’d) Gilbert Swaso thanks. During his presentation, the Mayor reminded the residents of Dangriga of the neglect this municipality endured over several years although there is the availability of land through Government reserved for public purposes. He cited the land on which the Community Care Center is built on as an example. Mayor Swaso explained that “Together with the Productive Organization with Women in Action (POWA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Dangriga Town Council the concept for a Community Care Center was sown, nurtured such that today we are gathered to transition to a new phase on this journey to care for our children”. He reiterated that the primary function of the building is to serve the orphan and vulnerable children in Dangriga who are afflicted and
New Community Center affected by the scourge of HIV and AIDS. Mayor Swaso did not hesitate to equate the Community Care Center with the Belize Cancer Center and of course, the Southern Regional Hospital which offer excellent primary care to the residents of the southern districts; Dangriga and Toledo and by extension, the entire country and implored the residents and the care givers and receivers and beneficiaries to ensure that the building serves its purpose well. In conclusion Mayor H. Gilbert Swaso said “This is one way that, together, we can ensure that our children be the future leaders, farmers, tour-guides, fishermen
and boat captains, contractors and builders etc. Together let us press the reset button and join the campaign to ‘Love Dangriga, Clean Dangriga, Beautify Dangriga and Sell Dangriga”. Mr. Daniel Alemu, the Assistant Representative of UNDP in his presentation praised, foremost, UNDP’s invaluable involvement and contribution to Dangriga through the project. In her presentation, Michele Irving of POWA and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Transformation expressed gratitude to UNDP, Dangriga Town Council, POWA and those present at the opening.
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THE BELIZE TIMES
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2013
BY ORDER OF MORGAGEE SCOTIABANK (BELIZE) LIMITED LICENSED AUCTIONEER NOEL J. CODD WILL SELL AT SCOTIABANK SAN PEDRO AMBERGRIS CAYE BRANCH ON 1st March 2013 at 10:00 a.m. ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being 3610 Block 7 San Pedro Registration Section (Being timber building containing: Ground Floor – 3 bedrooms + 1 Entertainment Room + Bar + Bath + Living/ Dining/ Kitchen + Porch: First Floor: 1 Bedroom + 1 Bath + Living Room and lot [410.90 S.Y] situate on Corner DFC and San Pedro Street, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, being the Freehold property of Mr. FITZ-GERALD BROWN and MS. RHONDA CRICHTON.
ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 57 situated in the Phase 3 Area, North side of Caye Caulker, Belize District. Vacant Lot measuring 50 ft x 90 ft (445.703 sq meters) the Freehold property of JOAQUIN AND EUPHEMIA BLANCO.
ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being Parcel 4900 Block 7 San Pedro Registration Section. Vacant Lot measuring 631.24 S.Y. being the Freehold property of JOSEPHINE & RAMON NUNEZ
ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being parcel 3737 San Pedro Registration Section Block 7 situated in DFC Area. San Pedro Town, Belize District. Measuring 416.60 sq yds.the Freehold property of LUIS FERNANDO MONCADA WEJBE
Telephone: 624-5184 or 677-5184
ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being Parcel 3740 and 3741 San Pedro Registration Section Block 7 located in the DFC Area, San Pedro Town, Belize District. Land only measuring 833.20 Sq yds being the Freehold properties of LUIS ALFONSO MONCADA WEJBE.
ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being parcel 464 Block 7 situated at Sea Star Street, San Pedro Registration Section, measuring 405.48 sq. yds. Building- 1440 sq. ft. 2 storey- 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, living, dining, kitchen and porch area being the Freehold property of NOEL BLANCO.
ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being parcel 1640 San Pedro Registration Section Block 7 situated on Saltfish Street, San Pedro Town, Belize District. Measuring 336.9 sq yds. Containing two storey Concrete Structure. Main level is designed as two appartments - with 2 bedrooms, full bath, kitchen, living room, and a dining room each. Second Level: 3 bedrooms, 2 full bath, kitchen, dining and living room being the Freehold property of RAUL PAZ.
ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being parcel 4354 San Pedro Registration Section block 7 situated 2 miles North of San Pedro, Belize District. Vacant land containing 1.00 acre being the Freehold RAUL PAZ.
NOEL J. CODD
Carmelita Village, Orange Walk District
ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being parcel 5274 Block 7 San Pedro measuring 555.128 S. Y (50 x 75) containing elevated (2 ft) plycem/timber structure with a floor area of 720 sq feet. 2 bedrooms, 1 kitchen, living, & dining room being the Freehold property of THOMAS ACK.
ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being parcel 212 Block 7 San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, Belize District. Containing 500.2 sq. yds. Building- 7040 sq. ft.-Apartment building-Main floor- 5 bedrooms, 5 full baths, 5 living room, 5 dining room & 5 kitchen. Second Floor- 5 bedrooms, 5 full baths, 5 living room, 5 dining room & 5 kitchen. Third Floor- 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, living, dining & kitchen being the Freehold property of THOMAS SANTOS.
ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being parcel 3938 Block 7 San Pedro Registration Section, containing a two storey residential structure with a gross square footage of 1,800 sq ft. 1st floor has one bedroom, one bathroom and an open living area, second floor is a three bedroom single family residence being the Freehold property of VENANCIO TILLETT.
ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being parcel 3743 Block 7 DFC Area, San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, Belize District. Measuring 416.45 sq. yds. The Property has four small residential structures on it Building 1 (storage room), Building 2, 3 & 4 (1 bedroom, 1 bath, living, dining & kitchen.) Second Lot being parcel 3744 Block 7 DFC Area, San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, Belize District. Vacant land measuring 416.45 sq. Both properties will be sold together as one being the Freehold property of THOMAS SANTOS.
Email: noelcodd@yahoo.com
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THE BELIZE TIMES
Belmopan Area Rep threatens Plus TV’s Patrick Andrews City of Belmopan, February 18, 2013 UDP Belmopan Area Representative and National Security Minister John Saldivar has threatened to sue Plus TV’s Rise and Shine morning co-host Patrick Andrews for certain remarks made during the February 10th, 2013 morning show. Saldivar claims that Andrews committed libel against him, and instructed a high powered law firm to write An-
drews, demanding a retraction and apology as well as indemnification and compensation of an unknown amount. In a letter sent to Andrews, Saldivar’s attorney has requested an answer by Friday, 22nd. Andrews has built a reputation on the Plus TV morning show as a firebrand and outspoken Belmopan resident. He is the son of Joseph Andrews, a Belizean who served the country well and whose standing in the UDP history is unlike any.
Faber Eats Humble Pie Belize City, February 18, 2013 The little man with the big ego was humbled, if but for a few days, on Sunday in Corozal following his decisive loss to the bumbling, fumbling Gapi Vega, for UDP Deputy Leader. Belizeans had little interest in the UDP convention but there were many particularly in the education community, who could not help but offer up a brief smile at the news that the pompous and egotistic little Minister of Education had to
swallow some humble pie on Sunday. He who had predicted a great victory and had run some of the most “breggin” tv ads Belizeans had ever seen, was brought to his knees by a man largely regarded as a lightweight. On Sunday, the UDP faithful gathered in Corozal put the brakes on little Faber’s ambitious rollercoaster. Loud mouth, dutty mouth, sharp tongue……..dah weh yu think yu di go lee bwoy!!
More BWS firings Continued from page 3 Neither Westby nor any Union Executive was present when McKoy was fired on Valentine’s Day. McKoy said he was shocked that after he was handed his letter, Haynes told him that when the investigation is completed, he could get back his job if he is found to be innocent. He was also told that even though he was no longer employed at BWS, the Police would go after him if necessary and that his phone “could be accessed” any time because “BTL is working with us”. “They cannot say anything bad about me. I come to work early, I do my work, I give in my report every day. I am respected by all employees
and managers. What they have done to me is very wrong,” he concluded. McKoy said that he has sought legal advice and intends to take the water company to Court for wrongful termination. The company has launched a messy investigation into the circulation of letters that make scandalous allegations against managers and employees of BWS. The letter alleges unethical office romances and accuses senior company officials of practising political cronyism and the abuse and waste of company resources. In addition to being shared with all BWS employees through electronic mail, the letters were printed and mailed to the Prime Minister.
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THE BELIZE TIMES
Reid Wrong voting right? By G. Michael Reid “If it were probable that every man would give his vote freely, and without influence of any kind, then, upon the true theory and genuine principles of liberty, every member of the community, however poor, should have a vote… But since that can hardly be expected… all popular states have been obliged to establish certain qualifications, whereby, some who are suspected to have no will of their own, are excluded from voting; in order to set other individuals, whose wills may be supposed independent, more thoroughly upon a level with each other.” From Papers of Alexander Hamilton, ed. Harold C. Syrett (New York: Columbia University Press, 1961-79), 1:106 I’m still not certain if the old man was being facetious or if he was serious, but an elderly uncle of mine once remarked that he did not think that universal suffrage was such a good idea. At the time, I accused him of being a royal Kriol, an elitist and an aristocrat. He did not engage me in argument. As time has gone by however, and as I consider more our current situation here in Belize, I no longer view the old man’s comments in the same light. Now this has nothing to do with class, ethnicity or financial status but maybe, just maybe, everyone should not be allowed to vote. “One man, one vote” (or more appropriately “one person, one vote”) was the slogan used where campaigns for universal suffrage raged for the better part of the first half of the last century. It became particularly prevalent in less developed countries like Belize during the period of decoloniza-
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simply age and place of birth. The problem with our system is that the vote of the crack head carries the same weight as the vote of an economics professor or a successful businessman. To rein in bad leaders, we might need to first rein in the irresponsible voters that put them in office. In many countries, there tion and the struggles for naare restrictions as to who can tional sovereignty. In 1954 Bevote. The United States for inlize joined the rest of the world stance, does not allow anyone in gaining universal suffrage and with a criminal moved on to record to vote. define itself That is not the as a demoI have heard rumors of prisoners securcase in Belize. cratic state. I have heard ing early release from prison in order That univerrumors of prissal suffrage to make it to the polls. There are oners securing and democracy thing many who sell their votes for mon- early release from prison in might have ey, a load of sand and sometimes order to make worked back it to the polls. then but it just a tee shirt. There are is certainly many who sell not working their votes for money, a load of mocracy is worse than all other now. sand and sometimes just a tee forms of government” . He went The whole process of voting shirt. on to qualify with “except every has changed considerably from I am not suggesting that we other that we have tried” . Thomwhat it used to be. No longer return to a time when voting as Jefferson had this to say: do people vote for whom they was restricted based on rac“a democracy is nothing more think is better for the country ism and elitism but just maythan mob rule, where 51% of but rather, who can pay them be, we should require citizens the people may take away the the most. Finnegan has not to be contributing to society in rights of the other 49%. ” It is won so many elections because some way before being eligidifficult for me to find a statehe is a good representative or ble to vote. It might in fact work ment that more succinctly debecause he has done so well as an incentive. Have a career, scribes our current situation for his constituency but behave a business or even just be a here in Belize. Benjamin Frankcause he pays a few light bills student working toward being a lin put it this way, “Democracy and hands out a few dollars evcontributor. Maybe this way, they is like a sheep and 3 wolves ery Wednesday. Sedi Elrington would be less inclined or in need voting on what to have for dindid not win because he was a of the handouts that now deterner” . Considering what we have better candidate than Francis mine our elections. Folks who and the way it works, it is not Smith but because he had more have nothing will too readily acdifficult to determine who are money to spend. This is the recept anything to vote for anyone. sheep and who are the wolves. ality of the situation and in all Our kind of democracy is simply The fact of the matter is that fairness it is the state of politics not working! we will have to revisit the status in Belize. Editor’s Note: The strong quo and devise a better system In the last elections held in views and opinions expressed for selecting our leaders. I am 2012, the United Democratic in this article are those of the suggesting that maybe there Party won by a very slim marauthor and do not necessarily should be criteria as to who can gin. The difference was Belize reflect those of the newspaper. and cannot vote; more than just City. Interestingly enough, the hardest workers and the greater contributors to the welfare of our nation live in the outer districts and in the rural areas of Belize. This means then that the ones who decided the government were the least fruitful and constructive of our lot. The few seats that were won outside of Belize City were won by slim margins and primarily in the areas where new immigrants were hurried through the naturalization process and given tidy incentives to vote for the incumbent government. The UDP did not win the elections, they bought the elections. The idea of voting to elect leaders was proposed centuries ago by the philosopher Plato in his historical treatises named Republic. Plato never suggested or intended that everyone should be allowed to vote. He had specific requirements and those requirements usually involved education more so than elitism or any other criteria. The idea of a Democracy has come under much scrutiny as many a famous scholar has questioned its true merit. In a 1947 speech, Winston Churchill evidently quoting someone else stated that “It is said that De-
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New Olympic & Commonwealth Games Association members elected
New President Mr. Hilly Martinez Belize City, February 19, 2013 On Saturday, 16th February, 2013, the Belize Olympic & Commonwealth Games Association held its elections. The 17 member Associations were represented by 2 members each. The Elections was presided over by an Election Commission, appointed in coordination with NOC/PASO and Mr. Charles B. Hyde Sr, President of Belize NOC/OA Fair Play Commission, which comprised of Mr. Raymond Lashley, Rt. Pharmacist; Ms. Sharon Frazer, Senior Magistrate &
Ms. Hadie Gomez, Rt. Principal. The meeting was called to order and the National Anthem was sung by Mr. Sean Saldano and the prayer of St. Francis Assisi was recited by all. Sir Colville Young, Governor General of Belize, was unanimously elected & appointed as Patron of the Belize Olympic & Commonwealth Games Association. Elected to office are: Mr. Hilberto (Hilly) Martinez (President); Mr. Owen (Sonny) Meighan (Vice President); Mrs. Yolanda Fonseca (Secretary General); Ms. Josephine Flowers (Assistant Secretary); Mr. Giovanni Alamilla (Treasurer); Mr. Herman Pastor Jr. (Member); Mr. Allan Sharp (Member); Mr. Arturo Vasquez (Member). The meeting culminated with a Resolution presented by Mr. Billy Musa, President of the Belize Tennis Association under the written approval of all 17 Association, to name the outgoing President, Mr. Edward Pitts, as President Emeritus.
Referendum Process Contaminated Continued from page 6 that same bubble are convinced that Belize will be able to maintain its territorial integrity. But thousands of Belizeans are more and more losing confidence in such utterances. More and more his bleatings would suggest that he is carrying a brief for Guatemala. Mr. Minister, please draw from the Colombia experience, or please speak to your friend, the Ambassador for Taiwan in Belize. There are other references that can be provided. This is what our Foreign Minister said in a recent interview: “I think what worries both the Guatemalans and us really is that fact that their people are moving eastward. There is a lot of poverty, there is a lot of hunger, there is a lot of violence…because of the hardship (that exists In Guatemala) people are migrating towards Belize because the grass is greener”. OK Father Teresa, this suits Guatemala well. Talk with the UNHCR if you want to be helpful to Guatemalan refugees, if that is what you are leading up to. Don’t just drag on your beard and suck your toes. We want you to lodge a protest with the OAS and the UN, about the persistent incursions by Guatemalans into Belize, aided and abetted by their government who recently demanded and received compensation af-
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ter a Guatemalan citizen was allegedly assaulted by the Belize Defence Force for defending Belize’s territory against this intruder. These incursions continue to pose a threat to our national integrity and your job is to deal with related issues, not to have a bleeding heart for Guatemalans entering Belize illegally “because the grass is greener”. The Minister of Foreign Affairs has implied that he has no problem with ceding some of Belize’s southern sea to Guatemala “as they are not firmly demarcated and defined”. You have been sleeping on your watch or wining and dining too much with the Guatemalans? Our Foreign Minister seems not to understand that our Maritime Areas Act provides that definition which is in accordance with the International Law of the Sea Convention. Are you betraying your National Hero, Mr. Philip Goldson? Shame on you, Sedi. Neither the Prime Minister nor his Minister of Foreign Affairs has argued convincingly why the people of Belize should vote yes to go to the ICJ. Guatemala’s propaganda on the other hand, which we have not challenged except at the OAS where they remain defiant and where they always get a pass, continues to be insulting to the people of Belize. Be careful what you wish for!
2013
Sagicor Capital Life Insurance Co. Ltd. Glenn Longsworth of #6 St. Joseph Street, Belize City, Belize has made sworn deposition that Policy No P#F01136827 issued by Sagicor Capital Life Insurance Company Ltd has been declared lost. Dated February 13 2013 By Order Sandra Osborne Corporate Secretary
NOTICE Top Soil Systems Inc. (“the Company”) Notice is hereby given that Top Soil Systems Inc. - is in dissolution - commenced dissolution on January 5th, 2013; and - ECONOMICA XXI, of Geroev Panfilovtsev Str. 10/1 Office 525 Moscow 123363 Russian Federation is the Liquidator of the company ECONOMICA XXI Liquidator
NOTICE Alarcon Inc. (“the Company”) Notice is hereby given that Alarcon Inc. - is in dissolution - commenced dissolution on September 30th, 2012; and - ECONOMICA XXI, of Geroev Panfilovtsev Str. 10/1 Office 525 Moscow 123363 Russian Federation is the Liquidator of the company ECONOMICA XXI Liquidator
NOTICE Sebring Ltd. (“the Company”) Notice is hereby given that Sebring Ltd. - is in dissolution - commenced dissolution on January 2nd, 2013; and Vittorio Alfieri, of Crespellani, 51 P PT, 41100 Modena - MO, Italy is the Liquidator of the company Vittorio Alfieri Liquidator
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2013
BELIZE TIMES WEEKLY
SCIENCE & TECH R
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Selected By Chris Williams
New retinal implant gives sight to nine blind people 20 February 2013 A man walks out of a restaurant into the night and sees street lights and brightly lit shop windows. He’s so thrilled by the spectacle that he stands there for 10 minutes, just looking. The reason for his joy at such a mundane sight is the fact that he is normally totally blind. The man is one of nine patients to have been fitted with an Alpha IMS device, the latest retinal prosthesis that can restore sight to blind people. The image above is an X-ray of one of the patients, showing the implanted chip with wires running to it from the retina, with a dial behind the ear that can be used to adjust brightness. It is powered wirelessly via a battery in the pocket. Such devices work only in patients who have lost their vision through diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa that destroy the light-detecting cells in the eye but leave the vision-processing
neurons intact. The devices send signals directly to the brain. The Alpha IMS joins the Argus
II - the only other visual prosthesis to have so far undergone clinical trials. The Argus II was approved
by the US Food and Drug Administration only last week and has also been adapted to allow blind people to read Braille by sight rather than touch. But the two devices work very differently. The Argus II converts video from a camera on a pair of glasses into electronic signals “displayed” on a grid of 60 electrodes implanted over a person’s retina. The Alpha IMS, on the other hand, detects light entering the eye instead of using an external camera, which means that a patient can look around by moving their eyes rather than always having to move their head. It uses a grid of 1500 electrodes implanted underneath, rather than over, the retina: this offers higher resolution. It also makes use of the natural processing power of the neurons in the middle layer of the retina that process motion and contrast.
Apple Hack Similar to Facebook Attack Tue, Feb 19, 2013 Apple was targeted by the same hackers who went after Facebook last month, Reuters reported this afternoon and Apple confirmed to ABC News. “Apple has identified malware which infected a limited number of Mac systems through a vulnerability in the Java plugin for browsers,” Apple said in a statement. “The malware was employed in an attack against Apple and other companies, and was spread through a website for software developers.” No data was stolen, Apple said. As in the Facebook case, the
company said hackers were only able to access a small number of Apple employees’ Macintosh computers. Apple then isolated them from its network. “There was no evidence that any data left Apple,” the company said. Facebook reported on Friday that it was “targeted in a sophisticated attack.” Like Apple today, it said that there was no evidence that Facebook user data was compromised. Security experts told ABC News that it is likely that the only information compromised was what was on the personal computers of those employees whose machines were infected. Both attacks used a vulnerability in Java, the software used to show much of the content on Web browsers. Because
of that vulnerability, the Department of Homeland Security released a statement last month urging computer users to disable the software in browsers. Apple said that its operating systems do not ship with Java installed. If a user installs Java, Apple’s software will automatically disable it if it has been unused for 35 days. Apple will also be releasing a new update that will help against Java threats. “To protect Mac users who have installed Java, today we are releasing an updated Java malware removal tool that will check Mac systems and remove this malware if found,” Apple said today. Apple and Facebook’s announce-
ments comes after Twitter’s announcement on Feb. 1 that 250,000 accounts were compromised in an attack. Twitter told affected users to reset their passwords. The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal said their computer systems were infiltrated by Chinese hackers in late January. With so many security breaches, this is a good time to make sure you are following basic online safety tips -- reset your passwords regularly, keep your anti-virus software up to date, and stay away from websites that seem questionable.
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