QUADS. Like most Belizeans, I am holding my breath, praying that it isn’t so that the Ministry of Education (MoE) has endorsed a book that improperly demarcates The Jewel. Such an error would not be nice. Still, if it turns out so, I have to admit that I will not be surprised.

When UBAD (United Black Association for Development) ruled the streets between 1970 and 1972, I was not a part of the action. I was busy playing football, or being with my buddies, Reginald Jex, who was at that time in the police special unit, or something like that, and his cronies, and people like the legendary Edward “Thor” Middleton, exciting boxer and star footballer, discovering all the discos and bars in the city, and the “speak-easies,” where one could get a drink at any time of the early morning.

Cap test. In George Orwell’s classic, Animal Farm, we saw some wily hogs dupe innocent animals into believing that they would enter into the land of equal distribution milk and honey if they only shaped their ploughshares into muskets and followed them. Then, when the hogs attained power their true colors (obsession with worldly goods) showed through their rinds, and the rank and file on the farm got a hefty dose of what Belizeans tays every five years or soh. And the gullible “peasants” get the sense of why we seh: dammit, tu much time da jos monki fu blak daag.

Years before Sebastian Junger, an American, wrote the book titled “A Perfect Storm,” published by W. W. Horton & Co., Dr. Henry Anderson, a Belizean, wrote a book about a hurricane which he titled “The One Eyed Lady”. “A Perfect Storm” became a best seller, but few Belizeans have read Dr. Anderson’s book.

“ If anyone says ‘I love God,’ but keeps on hating his brother, he is a liar; for if he doesn’t love his brother who is right there in front of him, how can he love God whom he has never seen? And God himself has said that one must love not only God but his brother too.”(1 John 4:20-21)

The annual Lord Rhaburn Jazz Festival was held at the Bliss last Friday, July 27th and it had its high points, as it usually does. The time frame, approximately 2 ½ hours, made this year’s event more compact and therefore more “audience friendly” than it has been in the past. Shows of 3+ or 4 hours or more tend to be unwieldy and harder to keep moving. Such an extended time frame eventually tries the patience of some.

So now we have the Dean Samuels incident to deal with. First of all, everybody is innocent until proven guilty. I obviously have no problem with that concept, but I am also aware that judicial systems in any country, including ours, are not always impartial. They can be and have been manipulated by those with money and connections. I have had personal experience with the Belizean judicial system. My wife and I had to represent ourselves in a civil case involving land because most of the lawyers in Belize, at least at that time in 1993, could not be trusted.

You see, that’s the trouble with decisions that are motivated primarily (or in this case, solely) by politics. Free textbooks for students happens to be an excellent idea, in principle. In the United States, Canada and in the majority of Western countries, textbooks are provided through high school. I have long been an advocate of just that, as any of my social studies students at Edward P. Yorke High School, past and present, can affirm. Providing free textbooks will ease the burden that parents have to bear as a result of having to buy books that are often taken off the list next year, rendering them impossible to pass on to younger siblings or to sell in an attempt to defray some of the cost of new books. So why are so many teachers, administrators and union leaders complaining?

Belizeans, as we look at the need for justice and perfection as necessary ingredients for good living and good government in Belize, the application of Biblical commentaries on the above verse appears relevant and potentially rewarding in its application to our Socio–economic situation.

What’s different? Cancun is different, and I’m not talking about the level of infrastructure development, which is obviously way ahead of anything in Belize. I know that Mexico has problems just like any other country in the world, so what else is new? When I went on line a week ago to search for a hotel, I did notice that one establishment advertised that it was located “in one of the best residential neighborhoods in the city.” This clearly means that there are neighborhoods that are not so good and that particular business saw the advertising edge that their location would give them

Andy Palacio and the Garifuna Collective returned home on Monday, on a three-week break from a hectic world tour. Andy does hope to kick back and enjoy some of that Caribbean breeze and Belizean serenity he’s been missing for the past seven weeks, but before he gets fully settled into that relaxation mode, he has a big appearance coming up this weekend in the “Culture Capital,” Dangriga.

There comes a time of the year that is called “Mothers’ Day.” It is a time of celebration and sharing gifts. It is a time of telling about the goodness and greatness of motherhood. In fact, it is a celebration of “parenthood”, as single mothers are often referred to as parents too. It is a great time indeed. You couldn’t miss the festivities. Everybody is involved: men, women, and children. Ordinarily, men feel very comfortable to see their children celebrating motherhood. If children are at peace with their mothers, it is thought to be a good thing in a traditional society, since the children spend most of their time with their mothers. Thus, it is assumed to reduce schism, the cost of discipline, and other requirements for effective home management. But in the modern society, the rules of engagement have extensively changed, though many people continue to fight the new battle the old way with the same old expectations. Things have changed, and it is expedient we now work to understand the difference.

The word came down a few weeks ago that star female track athlete Marion Jones had declared bankruptcy; she could no longer pay her bills. The problem seemed to stem from two things: one, she was no longer invited to run in meets all over the world that once had made her a millionaire. No meets, no endorsements, therefore no way to make a living at her chosen career. And why was she summarily denied her right to make a living? Because of unproven allegations that she had used performance-enhancing drugs! No facts, mind you, just allegations. Marion Jones has never failed a drug test in her life, but that apparently didn’t matter. What was number two? The exorbitant legal fees she had to pay to try to clear her name and to avoid criminal charges for absolutely nothing! As “the Wizard of Rass” once said, (“It’s jes’ one o’ them zero thangs”, Amandala, Sunday, November 26th, 2006.) “Non-facts are just as good as facts. Without non-facts there would be no facts, and vice-versa, get my drift?”

Last week, Belize TV news sounded an alarm about counterfeit toothpaste that was being sold at bargain prices in local stores. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the usual “they’re stealing our trademark which is protected by intellectual property rights.” This was “don’t buy it and if you have bought it, dispose of it ASAP because this stuff can kill you!” What’s the story and how did it come to this?