Head of the Male Social Participation and Violence Research for the Belize project, Dr. Herbert Gayle, Anthologist of Social Violence at UWI, Jamaica, met with five grieving mothers in Belize City this morning – among them activists Mrs. Yolanda Schakron and Mrs. Danalyn Murillo – as he draws to the final weeks of the comprehensive study. Gayle, encouraged by an appeal by Belize researcher Nelma Mortis of the Ministry of Education, has undertaken the extensive research in the hopes of helping Belize to put into effect a meaningful program to stop the tide of violence which, according to official data supplied to Amandala, has claimed 1,200 lives since 1993.
CitCo drops planned increase; says some vendors still owe fees... The Belize City Council appears to be rapidly backtracking on a proposed fee increase to be paid by the 76 market vendors at the temporary compound at Pound Yard on Cemetery Road, which it had said last week was necessary to help pay the rent to Hotchandani Holdings Limited (HHL), owner of the property.
According to police reports, Nubia Vannessa Urbina, Internal Auditor for Speed Net Company (Smart), reported that on April 27, 2010, she was informed by Kevin Bernard, Fixed Asset Accountant at Speed Net, that there were monies not deposited on April 15, 2010, by Lourdes Acosta, a Customer Service Representative of the Dangriga branch showroom, as required by company policy regulations. Police are looking for Acosta pending investigations.
41 polls were to have been held in all six districts, but the number was reduced to 35 as all six elections in the Toledo West constituency had to be postponed, according to chair of the Election and Boundaries Commission, Alberto August, at the request of convalescing area representative, Hon. Juan Coy, as a result of last week’s traffic accident in which he and his police brother-in-law were injured and his wife Brigida died. The affected villages are San Pedro Colombia (Coy’s home village and the largest in Toledo); Golden Stream, Indian Creek, Medina Bank, San Miguel and Silver Creek.
With their starting line-up sporting a league high four foreign players, the San Pedro Tigersharks are steadily climbing their way back up the league standings, and, following Friday night’s 101-73 trouncing of Creative Graphics Impressions, now find themselves just 1 ½ games behind the league leading Belmopan Bandits. Local sensation Lester Cadle recorded the season’s first triple-double, as he totaled 13 pts 11 rebs 10 asst. He was aided by foreign imports Gene Myvett, who had a game high 28 pts to go along with 9 rebs and 7 asst, followed by Ivan Jackson 22 pts 3 asst, Damion Staples 15 pts 11 rebs 6 blocks and Stretch Marcellus 13 pts 7 rebs. The Tigersharks dominated all four quarters of play, as they shot an impressive 48% from the field on 41 of 86 shooting, were out-rebounded 52-46, however made up in ball distribution, as they totaled 25 asst to their opponents’ 3. CGI, who have now dropped two in a row after starting 3-0, were led by Andre Almendarez 24 pts 16 rebs, Harris Patten 13 pts 8 rebs and Winston Augustin 12 pts 10 rebs.
21 is a special number for Belize, and this year’s 21st Annual SOL Female Cross Country Classic, according to a Belize Cycling Association release last week, was the last for the SOL sponsorship, so it was a sort of farewell chapter to a long and fruitful relationship between SOL Belize Limited and the Belize Cycling Association.
When we elect our leaders in general elections every five years or so, we expect these electorally empowered Belizeans to look out for our humble interests at all material times. It really doesn’t work that way these days. In the time of Mr. Price, it seemed different. Whatever the criticisms having to do with Mr. Price’s policies and politics, we, the Belizean people, did not feel that our everyday way of life was endangered. That may have been, of course, because everything was slower those days.
But the time is coming fast when we have to start getting serious and listening to what we are being told. And more importantly, acting on it. To fail to listen would be a failure of our personal responsibilities as members of the world community, and for our politicians to fail to act would be a dereliction of their duty.
Little did Belizeans realize some 25 to 30 years ago that by the stroke of a pen, the creation of the shop liquor license would contribute to the degradation of law and order in the cities and towns of what is supposed to be our beautiful Jewel!
We opposed the amendment to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations (2007) that moved the activity of “oil exploration” from Schedule I (meaning there MUST be an EIA) into Schedule II (meaning an EIA MAY be needed).
From a respectful distance, it seems to us that the grassroots land cultivation movement at Mile 41 on the Western Highway and Nigel Petillo’s crime prevention effort in Belize City have elements of Real Rasta within their ranks.
This morning in Magistrate’s Court #6, the six police constables accused of severely beating Elvin Torres, 36, an auto electrician, appeared before Magistrate Dorothy Flowers to answer charges of wounding.
I am a PUP supporter and campaigner, so it is disheartening to hear that our losses continue to mount. I thought that the news could not get any worse for the PUP. However, the results of the current village council elections show that the PUP continues to fade.
