Aug 27th 10 Posted in Belize News // No Comments

Mrs. Kim Barrow Hosts National Symposium on CSEC

Guardian.bz | It is one of the worst forms of modern day child labour and many Belizeans blind their eyes and deafen their ears to the fact that not only does it exist but it might be prevalent in our society. The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is sexual abuse by an adult accompanied by remuneration in cash or in kind to the child or third person(s).

Mrs. Kim Simplis-Barrow, Special Envoy for Women and Children, is hosting a two-day National Symposium on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children on Wednesday and Thursday, August 25 and 26, to raise awareness and prompt action against these acts. The event is being held at the Radisson, and on Wednesday it was well attended and participation was extreme. There were representatives from all stakeholder agencies, including the education sector, law enforcement, Judiciary, business sector, churches, media and other child care organizations. Mrs. Barrow says that the turnout is motivating. She said, “This shows that we are finally ready to face this problem.” The keynote speaker for the opening ceremony was Hon. Eden Martinez, Minister of Human Development and Social Transformation. Minister Martinez has been a lifelong social worker and is committed to the fight against CSEC. (Continue Reading)

Aug 26th 10 Posted in San Pedro Weather // No Comments

Daily San Pedro Belize Weather Forecast August 26th

General Situation: Conditions remain a bit moist and unstable. 24hr Forecast: Sunny with cloudy periods today and partially cloudy tonight. Winds: Southeast at 5 to 15 knots. Sea State: Choppy. Outlook: Through Saturday: Partially cloudy with a few  isolated showers and thunderstorms over most areas. Highs: 32°C/90°F  Lows: 26°C/78°F.

Tropical Weather Outlook: At 3:00am Hurricane Danielle was centered near 23.4n lat, 54.9w long or about 860mls  SE of Bermuda. Danielle was moving to the NW at 16 mph with Maximum sustained winds of 105mph. Also at 3:00am  Tropical Storm Earl was centered near 15.2N lat, 34.8W long or about 695mls west of the southernmost Cape Verde Islands. Earl was moving west northwest  at 16mph with maximum sustained winds of 45mph. -Elsewhere in the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next 48 hours.

Aug 26th 10 Posted in Ambergris Caye Stories // No Comments

History in the Making

tacogirl.com | This is a very interesting and important time in the history of Ambergris Caye and Belize. Last night Heather, Cathy and I literally had a great brainstorming session. By the end of our chat  we had filled in a couple of new puzzle pieces for Direct Abundance Belize.

Heather and Cathy went to Holy Cross school today, met with Vernon & Eric and then walked through to the back of  San Mateo. They had both been to this area before and agreed that going further back and walking the London bridges was a high impact moment – especially after stopping to watch a  young girl run with confidence and ease along the narrow planks of wood.

After hearing Heathers plans – Vernon gave a two thumbs up for having a waste water garden at the school to go along with their new state of the art composting flush toilets. The school is also willing to help Direct Abundance in carrying out the fantastic plan Heather has come up with to do phase one of basic composting toilets for all residents in  San Mateo.

The school will donate lumber towards the project as well as use of tools and work space to the community so the structures for the compost toilets can be built. They recognize how invaluable this project is to clean up the neighborhood from the ground on up.  Tim Tam from the Word at Work ministries is also on board with the idea and he is already making plans to help Direct Abundance move forward on this idea and a seed has been planted for getting composting toilets happening  on mainland Belize areas in need. With over 1/3 of Belize’s land being protected this whole project will be huge and far reaching to keep Belize Green.

While on their tour yesterday Veron and Eric took them to meet Shirley who was featured in Travis’s Current tv documentary on San Mateo and Holy Cross – she has agreed to be one of the first houses to get up and running with a composting toilet.  Heather is hoping to get a few model units on the go asap so that she can see what they are dealing with in preparation for a mass build. (Continue Reading)

Aug 26th 10 Posted in Ambergris Caye Stories // No Comments

Louisiana Lions Donate to the San Pedro Poly Clinic

San Pedro Sun | Mack, Keith, Kevin, Glen and Casey are five members of the Louisiana chapter of the International Lions Club. Mack and Keith have traveled several times to the island, donating many items to the Poly Clinic II with every trip. This trip was no exception, and their friends, who were first time visitors, got to witness the handing over of some much needed medical supplies and blankets and towels to the Clinic!

Aug 26th 10 Posted in Letters to the Editor // No Comments

Crocodile Feedings Continuing?

Peter Lawrence | Yesterday we were passing the WASA lake at around 5.30pm, and Jambo (a golden retriever 70lbs) decided to take a quick dip in the lake. Well,I admit, he is not the brightest dog to ever hit this planet. I immediately stopped the golf cart and started screaming for him to get out. He swam around quite unconcerned, and showed no sign of coming back to shore. During all this I had spotted one of the local lads who feed the crocodiles just standing on the jetty watching.

I saw ripples in the water, then two eyes, then the gnarled tree trunk body of a very large unfriendly crocodile heading at great speed towards Jambo. Laurie started to panic,although she had yet to see the danger but of course knew about what lies below the water surface. Fortunately Jambo, not seeing anything, decided that he had had enough of swimming and it was time to jump back on the golf cart. The crocodile was within thirty feet of grabbing him and taking him for a one way ride, and there would have been little we could have done.

It is obvious that the crocodiles are still being fed, and as like yesterday there were no tourists which meant no food for the reptiles, and Jambo was looking a very appetizing alternative. While it is well known that there are crocodiles in the lake, and that they are still being fed. It is without a doubt that this practice should be stopped immediately because if a child is killed or severely maimed whose fault will it be, and what will be the effect on this islands economy or the family whose child was attacked?

Aug 26th 10 Posted in International News // No Comments

Morgan Freeman joins OCEANA’s ban against offshore drilling

Channel 5 Belize | Over the past few weeks, we’ve told you about OCEANA’s tour and research along the coastline of Louisiana and other parts of the United States that have been deeply affected by the BP oil spill. OCEANA Vice President in Belize, Audrey Matura Shepherd gave an update last week on what she saw in coastal towns and has returned to the U.S. accompanying a significant partner, San Pedro’s Mayor, Elsa Paz, to learn how communities like San Pedro can be crippled by a petroleum leak.

Paz is also joined by award-winning actors Ted Danson, Morgan Freeman and Spanish model Almudena Fernandez. Mayor Paz spoke at a press conference earlier in the week and said QUOTE “this visit allows me to carry the message back to my hometown and country with the hope of enlightening those who have been blinded by the greed of allowing oil exploration to develop freely in our country” END QUOTE. Paz expressed her commitment to do her share in discouraging her government from allowing oil exploration and drilling in Belizean waters. Freeman also spoke to Matura Shepherd about offshore drilling in Belize. News Five’s Jose Sanchez reports.

Morgan Freeman, the Hollywood actor, has performed in notable movies such as the Shawshank Redemption, the Dark Knight and even Evan Almighty. The Oscar Award Winner is aboard OCEANA’s vessel, the Latitude, which is sailing along the Gulf of Mexico to visit areas which were damaged by BP’s Deep Horizon oil spill. (Continue Reading)

Aug 26th 10 Posted in Belize News // No Comments

Sexual Exploitation of Children, A Widespread Problem

7 News Belize | The first national symposium on the commercial sexual exploitation of children was held today. It’s an effort to get society at the official and the unofficial level to confront the awful reality that this type of sexual abuse is too common to turn a blind eye.

And while you may not know what commercial sexual exploitation is, you may be familiar with situations where adults – most times parents – permit sexual abuse of children to occur or persist in exchange for money.

This is often the kind of thing that happens in private, so there are no hard figures, but there is the certain knowledge that it is happening in Belize, and in hard times, it is sure to be happening even more frequently.

That was the backdrop for today’s first national symposium on the commercial and sexual exploitation of children, which was held under the patronage of the prime minister’s wife, Special Envoy for Women & Children, Kim Simplis Barrow who took a vocal lead…..

Kim Simplis-Barrow
“We cannot sit in silence and ignore the cries of our children when we have the power to do something about the situation. Children are our future but perhaps more importantly they are our present. Time is of the essence because whatever we do or whatever we do not do, affects them now as well as shapes their future.”

A desperate appeal on behalf of the hundreds of sexually exploited children of this country by Special Envoy for Women and Children, Kim Simplis Barrow. And who better to draw attention to such a plight, than the wife of the Prime Minister. (Continue Reading)

Aug 26th 10 Posted in Belize News // No Comments

Impact of the Gulf Spill Felt Around the World

ELaw.org | The waters off Belize are still pristine. Meanwhile, oil companies have petroleum contracts for most of the sea floor. Around the world, people are watching the impacts of the BP/Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. They are concerned about how a similar incident might unfold along their shores. In Belize, for example, a color-coded petroleum contracts map reveals that nearly every inch offshore is already charted for oil development.

In the midst of the economic recession, governments such as Belize are desperate for revenue to provide basic services, and natural resource exploitation is a “cheap fix” in the short-term. Oil consumption by the developed world is driving multinationals to explore for oil under every rock and reef.

The good news is that ELAW partners in Belize have captured the moment and joined an alliance of more than 40 organizations seeking a moratorium on oil drilling offshore and in protected areas. The Belize Coalition to Save Our Natural Heritage will draw lessons from Costa Rica and other places where public interest lawyers have effectively deterred oil development in fragile marine ecosystems.

“Right now, Belize lacks the regulatory and emergency response infrastructure to manage oil development on this scale,” says Lori Maddox, ELAW Associate Director. “When regulatory systems fail, everyone suffers. We see this unfolding now in the Gulf of Mexico. In Belize, an oil spill would paralyze the economy and destroy the country’s only real hope for building a solid revenue stream for the future – locally-based, sustainable tourism.” (Continue Reading)

Aug 25th 10 Posted in San Pedro Weather // No Comments

Daily San Pedro Belize Weather Forecast August 25th

General Situation: Somewhat moist and unstable conditions persist over the area. 24hr Forecast: Mostly Sunny with a few showers or thunderstorms today and partially cloudy tonight. Winds: Southeast at 5 to 15 knots. Sea State: Light Chop/Choppy. Outlook: Through Friday: Partially cloudy with a few  isolated showers and thunderstorms. Highs: 32°C/89°F  Lows: 26°C/79°F.

Tropical Weather Outlook: At 3:00am Hurricane Danielle was over the Atlantic Ocean about 795 miles east of the leeward Islands with maximum winds of 85 mph and moving to the west-northwest at 17 mph.  A broad area of low pressure over the far eastern Atlantic about 300 miles west southwest the Cape Verde Islands has a high chance of  becoming a tropical cyclone during the next day or two.

Aug 25th 10 Posted in Ambergris Caye Stories // 3 Comments

German tourists allege scam by local officials on San Pedro

Aaron Humes, Amandala | Matti Ruben and Linda Bade, backpackers from Germany, spent only two days in Belize, from August 3 to 5, 2010, after arriving via private boat from Mexico. However, allegations they have made of a scam allegedly being run by officials in the Immigration and Customs Departments on San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, may leave Belize with a seriously wounded reputation.

According to proprietor of Pedro’s Hotel and Inn in San Pedro, Peter Lawrence, the couple arrived around lunchtime on the 3rd of August asking, “How expensive is it to visit Belize?”
After the couple told him that they had had to pay $120 to enter the country – $80 to Immigration and $40 to Customs – Lawrence said he contacted Immigration officials who told him that since the couple had arrived during lunchtime, they would have to pay. When Lawrence pointed out that the couple could have waited until after lunch and that since the doors were open, there was no clear indication that it was lunchtime, the official he was speaking with told him that it was “none of his business.”

Ruben and Bade told the San Pedro Sun’s Dennis Craft (Lawrence told us he contacted the island newspaper after his fruitless call to Immigration) that they had chartered a boat in Xcalak, Mexico, called the “Yirien”, en route to San Pedro.

On their arrival, the captain, identified in the couple’s formal report to the BTB (as seen by Amandala) as Gabrino Patto, took them to the Immigration office, the door of which was closed. They then went to the Customs office next door, where they apparently met the Immigration official on duty, who took them back across to the Immigration office.
In the office, the Immigration officer, a woman, demanded US$40 (BZ$80) for a “boarding fee.” The couple said they did not have US dollars, but she would not accept their Mexican pesos and told them in response to their questions that they would have to pay a similar amount next door at Customs. (Continue Reading)