by Colin Hyde
I have these little spells when I decide I will speak decent Spanish, or I will do better than a stik man in my drawing book. These “fads” don’t last. There are things you should do when you are young. But let’s not belabor that; this morning I have my libro, and this afternoon is for my pencil and paper. Now let’s see how far I will get with the fun stuff before I get distracted.
Sometime back I told you about a fascinating book by Betty Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, which could make you into a respectable artist even if you have two “left” hands. Well, after all these years, I picked up something “illuminating” in the Spanish, and you know me, that when I find a prize I have to share.
All the while I was looking over my libro I was saying in my mind, I know I’m going to bok, and I know where. I think Dylan sang, when you got nothing you got nothing to lose; and having nothing to lose, I decided to take a peek in the Google. And that’s where I found the prize.
I met this guy, Qroo Paul, and his discussion on direct and indirect object pronouns. Allow me this little insertion here: my written grammar is pretty good, but I can’t “explain” much beyond nouns, verbs, and adjectives. I am only four-fifths competent with punctuations. The truth about me is that my life was ball; and after I had to give that up, my life was fishing, more sea than fishing, and farming. But in my childhood I did get to like reading, and like everyone else I have my lee thoughts, maybe plenty. Okay.
Not for hell could I understand the usage of se in Spanish, and now I know why. Qroo Paul says that in many cases it is, get this, REDUNDANT. Noh #@* wid mi! People who know me beyond snippets know I am very punctual. That’s about reciprocity. I don’t like for anyone to waste my time. Thank you, I’m pretty proficient at doing that for myself. I get into arguments, sometimes, and if at some point I feel your engagement is for your ego, I get upset. When I argue/debate, I don’t mind losing, because then I come away with a better truth. Of course, that doesn’t apply to certain core values. Redundant, Braa please noh waste mi time.
A sample sentence from Mr. Paul, Sí, se lo di a Maria, means, Yes, I gave it to Maria. I have to pause here for some water, to keep my temperature down. Okay. Of course, the sentence is, Sí, lo di a Maria—Sí (Yes), lo (it) di (I gave) a Maria. Why the hell do we need the se there for? Dammit, after all these years, it’s redundant! Pardon for all the cursing.
Whoa there, we are not completely out of the woods. There are the reflexive verbs, where the se is added to the verb. But let’s not worry about that today. Let’s take our victory and run with it. No vale nada de preocuparnos con tal problema hoy. Dejamos agarrar nuestro victoria y deprisa corre afuera con eso.
29 horses in the gate to find out their fate
With no surprise ruling having come from the court to delay the election for redistricting—a verdict that would have thrown our country into crisis, and tied us up in a knot that only had embarrassing solutions—we go to the polls on Wednesday. I expect the court weighed all the factors in this matter. Allow me: there are a number of reasons why the redistricting wasn’t done, not the least of which is the dilemma of the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) to make sense of it.
The EBC valiantly picked up the ball, and the members there thought the best configuration called for 32 seats, but tried for 31 because we need an uneven number. You know, I always give the devil their due. If the present government had its hands deep into the EBC, they would have said 33, because politicians, like lawyers, look out for their kind. Thank you, Henry Charles.
Borrowing from a report in a July 2023 Amandala, we learn that the EBC did some shuffling, and their main proposals included reducing Belize District seats from 13 to 11. The story says, “The divisions proposed for elimination are Queen’s Square and Port Loyola. Cayo and Stann Creek would be increased by one division each. There would be a new electoral division in Belmopan.” It’s hard to not be kind to your boss. Hmm, to make Henry Charles’s Fort George credible, the EBC proposed “adding Caye Caulker voters from Belize Rural South and a portion of polling area 16 from Albert.”
Notably, a redistricting expert hired by Lord Ashcroft for the Belize Peace Movement had, among his proposals, joined Caye Caulker with Fort George too. The foreign expert and the EBC set out their plan, and residents of Caye Caulker—men, women, and children — said no daam taal, don’t put that boat in the water; if you do, it won’t get by Porto Stuck. And what’s at the bottom of the discrimination? Landlubbers! Caye Caulker said too many people in Fort George can’t paddle a dory, hook a lobster, and spit out their guts when they’re in a sailboat.
The EBC recommendation needed the blessing of the politicians, and with neither the Blue nor the Red excited by it, it remains in a House Committee. That said, we are set for March 12, a showdown for 29 seats. Don’t tell me you thought it was 31. You must be a Bel Am to not know that on Nomination Day last week, in another first anywhere and everywhere – remember our first-first was our area representative who was too busy hobnobbing at the market to attend House meetings – two members of the Red Party decided, after campaigning for months, that they wouldn’t pay the fee at the starter’s gate to enter the races in Pickstock and Fort George. Thus, two of our 31 seats are settled, have been decided, will not be contested on March 12. The small question is why those Reds decided to stay home. The big question is why, of all the PUPeez, why those two. I get it; you doant want to hear the speculation from me.
Oho, just in case people think they are off scot-free, a reminder: first laaf da noh laaf. No one will need a hanky to dry tears when the redistricting comes, finally, and those two bohgaz have to duke it out for a single space at the table bikaaz Pikstak an Foat Jaaj get amalgamated.
No disrespect to others, but it’s no secret that I want Tracy to walk in the footsteps of the great PSWG in the Alberts. Flat out, I don’t support the BelAms’ candidate in the area representative role in our politics. Man, that Shyne brother is some selfish dude, and on top of that he is wild swinging too. If he was in the batter’s box, the pitcher needn’t throw anything in the zone to strike him out. I say, this brother throws around endorsements without asking the red ODS to inspect the credentials.
In my neighborhood, all eyes will be on John. I think in this election his main concern is about his showing. Don’t put any stock on the UDP’s 3-losses-and-out rule. That is nonsense. How will the folk in Corozal North respond to Patt and his fealty to the Barrow family to the detriment of the red party? There are 3 interesting independent/3rd party candidates: Ms. Elvia, Mr. Cyril, and Wil. What intrigue if one of them has to decide a 15-15 deadlock? What do “scorned” lovers do if the flame that rejected them comes begging at the door? Could Wil link with the party that signed the compromis?