You know the old story. You take your vehicle to be inspected because you hear a noise, or feel something shake, or a thump when you land in a hole.

There seems to be a conspiracy amongst the manufacturers of greeting cards not to produce cards with a Christmas theme like the Madonna and Child, the Nativity scene - the Christ Child in a manger with animals around, the Three Wise Men, the star of Bethlehem and angels singing Joy to the World. Instead they concentrate on the festivities - Frosty the Snowman, mistletoe and holly, Santa Claus, Christmas trees, candy cane, etc., etc., but no Christmas themes.

House of Representatives and PUP and UDP Party Headquarters (Third Parties are exempt for now)

I once thought that Belize had the makings of a new Israel - a country where the people had a single faith in God, the Most High and, were warm hearted and generous, where the government was concerned for the well being of all its citizens and strove mightily to improve their living conditions.

It’s not a good thing when your only defense for criticism is, “Well it was a lot worse before.” That, in essence, was the Kolbe defense for what has been happening in Hattieville. Granted, the prison is better than it used to be and for that I say, “Okay. You did a reasonable job in some respects.” Of course there was probably no way in the world to have made it worse, such was the state of the prison before Kolbe took it over! Doing well in some respects, however, should not be a reason for not being criticized when criticism is warranted, and believe me, there are things going on up there that aren’t right.

“People may plan all kinds of things, but the Lord’s will is going to be done. It is a disgrace to be greedy; poor people are better off than liars”.” (TEV - Proverbs 19:21-22)

On Monday, November 19, Felicita Arzu, Miss Belize World, along with 19 other Miss World delegates, were selected to record the official song for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay.

That’s how it looks outside, gray or grey, however you want to call it. The sky is gray, the sea is gray, the streets are gray and so are the people. Yes, there are people on the streets as the late November darkness closes in. The stores and the commercials are pumping Christmas, but there seems to be precious little “holiday joy” out here. It’s as though everyone is walking around with a large weight on their shoulders. Most people know, whether they are willing to admit it or not, that the 2008 elections won’t change very much at all.

Seven men went fishing on November 4 and did not return. After six days of intensive searching by the Coast Guard, BDF and private boat owners, the body of one of the seven was discovered near Glovers Reef on Saturday, November 10. The postmortem examiner’s report is that his death was the result of the infliction of violent blows, not from drowning. It is suspected that the blows may have been inflicted by a party or parties unknown. No other bodies have been found since, which suggests that the other men may have been taken out of our waters. This calls for the kind of thorough investigation that our security forces may not be equipped to perform. It would be no reflection on us if we asked for assistance outside Belize. It calls also, for an increase in our security consciousness when going to sea.

Yeah, I guess that it would be funny, I mean it still is funny, but the humor is tempered more than a little bit by what that whole sign incident meant in terms of the level of the political debate as we move closer to the 2008 general election. There is an issue about disrespect, but in my mind it has nothing to do with the PUP’s disrespect of the UDP. The issue is really about the lack of respect that both the PUP and the UDP are demonstrating towards the electorate, those Belizeans who will soon be asked to vote for a government that will control our destiny for five long years!

Collie Buddz touches down at the PGIA for KREM FM’s 18th Anniversary bashment in Club Next Saturday night.

I am riding the red and white National bus one morning a week or so ago, the 6 o’clock to Belize City, and I am looking out the window, soaking up the scenery. The air’s a little crisp so I’ve got my window (I got a window seat this morning) opened just a sliver, just right to keep the exhausting CO2 flushing out, and the energizing O2 coming in all fresh. Pine ridge. Yap, we’re passing through a nice bit of Christmas pine on a crisp morning, and it’s all good and easy on the mind, so I’m all tranquilo when wa, out of the blue a big, dark green bus pulls up beside us.

I find it difficult to understand the reasoning behind concerns that the Supreme Court decision of October 18, 2007, a decision that affirmed the rights of Mayan communities to own their land according to the customs of their culture, is a negative for non-Mayan Belizeans. I can see the government trying to create that impression because that decision has thrown a big monkey wrench into their plans to sell off all the resources of the Toledo District, but I don’t see the decision being a threat to my rights or to the rights of any non-Mayan Belizean.

Seven men from Belize City went fishing in the vicinity of St. George’s Caye on Sunday, November 4. One of them was Abner Quiroz, who owns the Ocean Hopper, the 25-foot skiff they went out in. It is assumed that he was the captain.