STAR Newspaper ( February 28, 2010 )

00002-28-2010 ( .pdf )

PAGE 1

Sund a y , F eb r u a r y 28 , 2010 S TA R T el: 626 8822 & 626 3788 E m a il: s t a r n e w s p a p e r @g m a il. c om P age 1 w w w . a g u a d a h o t e l . c om a g ua d a@ b t l . n et 80 4 3 6 0 9 W e ’ r e n o t E x p e n s i v e , W e j u s t l o o k t h a t W ay !” F r e e L o c a l D r i n k w i t h p u r c h a s e o f a n y f o o d i t e m o f f t h e m e n u. C U @ t h e F l y I n C e nt ra l F ar m A i r s t r i p S u n d a y , F e b r u ary 28 t h 1 0 a m . A v i a t i o n F u n a n d L o t s o f F o o d a n d D r i n k s . F u n F a m l i y D a y !! E x p i r e s M a r c h 7 , 2 0 1 0 No. 151 SUNDAY, MAY 11, 2008 Price $1.00 No. 218 Sunday, February 28, 2010 Price $1.00 A b o v e , t h e s p a ce b e t w ee n t h e d o u b l e f l oo r p a n el P R I NC E SS I N TE RN A T I O NAL S AN I G NAC I O L I M I TE D , C ayo, T hu r s d a y , F e b r u a r y 25 , 2010: T h e f un d ra i s e r , sp e ar h ea d ed by P r i n c e s s I n t e r n a t i o n a l S an I gnac i o L i m i t ed , in s up p ort of t he earthqua k e v icti m s in Haiti , was held on S und a y , Janua r y 31, 2010 , and today a cash donation o f o v e r t e n th o u s a n d d o l l a r s, p r o c e e d s o f t h e eve n t , w as handed o v er to the Red Cross. F r e s h i n t o w n f r om an ove r s e a s b u s i n e s s t r i p , t he G e n e r a l M a n a g e r o f P r i n c e ss I n t e r n a t i o n a l S a n I gn a c io L i m ited , B u le n t Y esily u rt , was o n h a n d to p e r s on a l l y p r es e n t t he m a n ila e n v elo p e wi t h exa c tly $1 0 , 079 . 0 0 in c ash t o the Red Cross. R e cei v i n g the d onati o n on be h alf of t h e Re d Cr o ss w a s M s. Cy n t h ia Ellis in her capacity as Chairperson of the S an Ig nacio P lea s e T u r n T o P age 11 G e n eral Ma n age r , B u le n t Y esily u rt (L) , h a nd i n g o ve r cash don ati on t o L o cal Re d C ro ss C h air p ers on , Cy n t h ia Ellis (R) FRID AY , Fe b r u ar y , 26 , 2010: On W ednesda y , February 24, a ma n a nd h i s m ot h e r w e re arre s ted and c ha rg ed f o r the p o s s e s s i o n o f w e e d an d a w e a p o n. Benque V iejo Police executed a search warrant on a pre m ises A f u rther search i n side the yard resulted in the disco v ery of a point 25 pistol in a plastic ba g concealed a m on g a pile of g arba g e. The disco v ery led to the arrest o f t he o c cu p i e r of t h e h o u se Ovi d i o G a r cia Ag u all o, 2 1, Be l izean cons t ruct i on wo r k er and his m othe r , Estela Ag u all o, 48 , Belizean do m estic who was v isitin g at the ti m e of the search but residin g nearby at #21 also on S t Joseph S treet The m othe r , son , weed and the weapon were transported to the Benque V iejo Police S tation where the dru g s was wei g ht at 575 . 5g ra m s. O n T h u r s d a y , F e b r u a r y 2 5, located at #24 S t . Joseph S treet in that western m unicipalit y. T he s ear c h i n sid e a r oom r e su l ted in th e d i sc ov er y o f a gr ey p l as t ic ba g c o nt a in i n g f o ur i n di v i d ua l b l ac k p l a s ti c b ags with loose cannabis. S e n t e n ce d t o t w o y e a rs i n j a il, O v i d i o G a r c i a A g u a ll o , 21 P lea s e T u r n T o P age 11 * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R* S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T AR * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R 8 * 8 T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R* S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T A R * S T AR P D F c r ea t ed w i t h pd f F a c t o r y P r o t r i a l v e r s i on ww w . pd f f a c t o r y . c om

PAGE 2

P age 2 S TA R T el: 626 8822 & 626 3788 E m a il: s t a r n e w s p a p e r @g m a il. c om Sund a y , F eb r u a r y 28 , 2010 C h a ll e ng e s c on f r o n t i ng t h e n a t i o n a l ec o n o m y a r e b y no m ea ns m i nu s c u l e a s p ub li c l y a nnoun ce d b y t h e N a t i o n ’ s Pr i me M i n i s t e r / M i n i s t e r o f F i n a n ce , H o n . D e a n B a r r o w. T h e r e i s a n e s t i m a t e d $ M 60 d e f i c i t i n t h e u p c o m i ng b u d g e t. T h i s i s t h e c u rr e n t r ea lit y . H o w e v e r , w e c a n o n l y i m a g i ne w h a t li f e w o u l d h a v e b ee n li k e i f t h e r e w a s n o t a c h a ng e of g o v e r n m e n t t w o y ea r s a g o. Pr i o r t o t h e U n i t e d D e m o c r a t i c P a r t y ( UD P) v i c t o r y a t t he po ll s o n F e b r u a r y 7 , 2 008 , f o r a ll i n t e n t s a n d p u r po s e s , t he i n t e r n a t i on a l f i n a n c i a l s t r u c t u r e w a s s t il l i n t a c t . I t w a s on ly s u b s e q u e n t t o t h e UD P v i c t o r y a t t h e po ll s, t w o y ea r s a g o , t h at t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l f i n a n c i a l c o ll a p s e b e g a n. B e li ze ’ s f i n a n ce s h o w e v e r , b e g a n t o f ee l t h e s t r a i n a r o und m i d w a y i n t h e s ec o n d t e r m o f t h e M u s a a d m i n i s t r a t i o n. W e r eca ll t h a t t h e n a t i o n w a s d e f a u l t i ng o n i t s d e b t p a y m e n t. B e li ze ’ s f i n a n c i a l r a t i ng s w a s a t t h e v e r y bo tt o m o f t h e b a rr e l. I n t e r n a t i o n a l F i n a n c i a l I n s t i t u ti o n s l i k e t h e W o r l d Ba n k , t he Ca r i bb ea n D e v e l op m e n t B a nk a n d t h e I n t e r A m e r i can D e v e l op m e n t B a n k w e r e s i m p l y r e f u s i ng t o do a ny b u s i n e ss w i t h t h e p r e v i ou s a d m i n i s t r a t i o n p r i m a r i l y b ec a u s e o f t he n a t i o n ’ s poo r c r e d i t r a t i ng s. I n d e s p e r a t i o n , t h e g o v e r n m e n t of t h e d a y w a s f o r ce d t o s c r a m b l e f o r e x p e n s i v e m o n e y a n d so t h e y t u r n e d t o l o a n s h a r k s j u s t t o k ee p t h e n a t i o n a l ec o n o my f r o m t o t a l c o ll a p s e r e s u l t i ng i n t h e b a ll oo n i ng o f t h e n a t i o n al d e b t t o a l m o s t 3 B illi o n s do ll a r w i t h n o t h i ng t o s h o w f o r i t a s, in m o s t i n s t a n c e s, t h e e x p e n s i v e f i n a n ce w a s c o n s u m e d in r ec u rr e n t e x p e n d i t u r e s p r i m a r il y f o r s a l a r i e s a n d w a g e s. A ll o f t h i s w a s t a k i ng p l ac e w h i l e a p r i v il e g ed “a cc o mm o d a t e d” f e w dod g e d p a y i ng t h e i r r i gh t f u l s h a r e of t a x e s w h il e o t h e r s w e r e o u t r i gh t s t ea li ng t h e e x p e n s i v e m o n e y. I n t h o s e d a y s t h e f i n a n c i a l c r e d i b ili t y o f t h a t a d m i n i s t r a t i on w a s v i r t u a ll y n o n e x i s t e n t . W e e m e r g e d f r o m t h a t e r a w h e n , in t h e f ace o f n a t u r a l d i s a s t e r s, do n o r a g e n c i e s r o u t i n e l y b y p a ss ed t h e e l e c t e d g o v e r n m e n t o f t h e d a y a n d i n s t ea d c h a nn e ll ed a ss i s t a n ce t o t h o s e a f f ec t e d t h r o ugh p r i v a t e i n s t i t u t i o n s. L i f e t o d a y i n B e l i ze i s c e r t a i n l y no t a b e d o f r o s e s, b u t i m a g i n e w h a t i t w ou l d h a v e b e e n l i k e t o d a y i f t he P U P w a s r e t u r n e d t o g o v e r n m e n t . A ss i s t a n ce f r om i n t e r n a t i on a l f i n a n c i a l i n s t it u t i o n s e v a p o r a t e d a t l ea s t 2 1 / 2 y e a rs b e f o r e t h e P U P w a s boo t e d o u t o f o f f i ce. T h e e x p e n s i v e m on e y w a s g e tt i n g o u t o f c on t r o l a n d l i k e M a rk E s p a t p r e d i c t e d “ O n e o f t h o s e b u ll e t s w ill e v e n t u a ll y s t r i ke t h r o u g h t h e h e a r t o f t h e Be li z e a n ec o n o m y”. T h e r e w a s a c h a ng e o f g o v e r n m e n t o n F e b r u a r y 7 , 2008 . T he c h a ng e , c o u p l e d w i t h t h e h a r d w o r k a n d d e d i ca t i o n o n t h e p a rt o f t h e n e w Pr i m e M i n i s t e r / M i n i s t e r o f F i n a n ce , s i gn a ll e d t he g r a d u a l r e s t o r a t i on o f f i s ca l c r e d i b il it y f o r a c o ll a p s i ng n a t i o n a s n e w a ff o r d a b l e f i n a n c i ng a nd g r a n t s a r e now b e g i nn i ng t o t r i c k l e i n. T h e oppo s i t i o n s a y s : “ N o Job N o h D e h ” . T h e r ea li t y i s t h at t h e p e r v i o u s a d m i n i s t r a t i o n w a s h ea d i ng t o t h e po i n t , li k e a Ca r i bb ea n s i s t e r n a t i o n , o f b e i ng un a b l e t o m ee t t h e i r w a g e b ill. A n d li k e t h e o t h e r s i s t e r Ca r i bb ea n n a t i o n s t a t e h a v i ng t o t u rn t o t h e d r e a d e d I n t e r n a ti o n a l M o n e t a r y F u n d f o r b a il o ut f i n a n c i ng “ N o Job D e h ” t h e oppo s i t i o n c r i e s. T h e r ea li t y , un d e r a P UP g o v e r n m e n t , w o u l d h a v e b ee n f a r w o r s t a s w h il e p u b li c o f f i ce rs w o r k e d , t h e i r p a y w o u l d h a v e b ee n d e l a y e d o r e v e n w o r s e t h ey w o u l d g e t n o p a y a t a ll . T h i s w o u l d h a v e b ee n n o t h i ng n e w f or t h e P U P a s s o m e p u b li c o f f i ce r s s t ill r eca ll t h o s e d a y s w h en L i f e W ou l d H a v e B ee n M u c h , M u c h W o r se U nd e r A P U P G o v e r n m e n t. t h e y w e r e r o u t i n e l y p a i d w i t h p r o m i ss o r y n o t e s. T h e bo tt o m li n e i s t h a t w e m u s t b e t h a n k f u l f o r s m a ll m e r c i es a n d w e m u s t c o un t o u r b l e ss i ng s. L i f e i s ce r t a i n l y n o t a b e d of r o s e s b u t w e m u s t t a k e c o m f o r t i n t h e f ac t t h a t i t w o u l d h a ve b ee n m u c h , m u c h w o r s e un d e r a P U P g o v e r n m e n t. BEL M O P AN C IT Y , C ay o, Fri d a y , Fe b r u ary 26 , 2010: T h e off i c e o f t h e P r ime M i ni s t e r t od a y in f orme d t h at Cabinet m et in special session o n T h u rs d a y , F e br u a r y 25 , 2 0 1 0, to conti n ue di s cuss i on of the bud g et for F Y 2010/20 1 1. The bud g et for the upco m ing fiscal year will be presented in th e Hous e of R e prese n tati ve s by the Pri m e Minister and Minister of Finance , the H on . Dea n O. Ba rrow , on Monda y , March 15th. P R I M E M I N I S TE R TO S AN S A L V AD O R AND G U A TE M A L A C I TY Pr i m e M ini s te r , th e Ho n. Dea n O . Bar ro w, is scheduled to be away fro m Belize March 3rd 6th. O n M ar c h 4t h 5 th he w i ll participate in the I DB ’ s XX IV M e et i n g of th e G o v e rn o rs of t h e c ou n tr i es of th e C e nt r al A m e r i c a n I s t h m u s a n d t he D omi ni c an R e pu b li c i n S an S al v ado r . He will be acco m panied by the CEO in the Ministry of Eco n o m ic De v e l op m e nt, C o mm e rce & Ind u str y , a nd Consu m er Protection , M r s. Y v onn e Hy d e. M EET I N G W I T H U . S. S E CR E T A RY O F S T A TE On Ma r ch 5th th e Pr ime Mi n ist e r w i ll t ra v e l t o Gu a te m a la City to participate in a m eeting of Cen t ral A m er i can H ead s of Go v ernment and U S S e cretary o f S t a t e H i l l ar y C li n t o n. Deputy Pri me Minister and Mi n ist e r o f Na t ura l Re s our c es and the En v iron m ent , the H on. G as p a r V ega, will act as Pri me Mi n ister while Pri m e Mini s ter Barrow is out of the countr y. N E X T M EET I NG The next meetin g of the C a b i n e t i s s c h e d u l e d f or T uesda y , March 2 , 2010. T e l : 626 8822 or 626 3788 s t a r n e w s p a p e r @ g m a i l . c om P u bl i s h er : A l b e r t o A u g u st E d i t o r: N y a n i A z u e t a Au g u st C i rc u lat i o n : E rr ol Go n z a l ez V i s i t u s on li n e a t : belizenorth.com/ thestar.htm belizenews.com/thestar star.belizeanlife.com guidetobel i ze.info/star “ T h e N e w s pap e r t h at c a r e s a n d da r e s t o b r i ng o u t t h e t r u t h” 4 2 A W e s t er n Hi g h w a y, S a n t a E l e n a , C ay o, Be li z e , C e n t r a l A m er i ca O FF IC E O F T H E P RI M E M INIS TER P D F c r ea t ed w i t h pd f F a c t o r y P r o t r i a l v e r s i on ww w . pd f f a c t o r y . c om

PAGE 3

Sund a y , F eb r u a r y 28 , 2010 S TA R T el: 626 8822 & 626 3788 E m a il: s t a r n e w s p a p e r @g m a il. c om P age 3 B Y : A l m a C r a w f o rd C ayo D i s t r i c t E du c a t i o n C e n t e r, S a n t a E l e n a , T hu r s d a y , F e b r u a ry 25 , 2010: This year ' s Child S ti m ulation M o nt h i n B el i z e w i ll b e c e lebrated fro m March 1-26 , 2010 under the the m e: "I n vesti n g In Early C h il dhood E du cati on = A Better Beli z e" There are apecial days set aside where al l preschools will be si m ultane o usly doin g the sa m e acti v ities. S o me o f t h e a c ti v i t ie s f or this year are: Church S er v ice, U n ifo r m P a rad e , H u g D a y, Flag Da y , Festi v a l of Arts, S ports Day and Parade/Rall y. Preschoo l s in the Cayo D i s t r i ct w i ll c om m en c e th e m o n th o f a c t i v i t i e s b y p a r a d i ng in Bel m opan City as well as in the towns of S anta E lena/ S an I g nacio and Benque V iejo. P a r e n t s a n d t h e g e n e r al p u b l ic a r e e n c ou r age d t o c o m e o ut and suppo r t the child r en of our c o mm u ni t y in al l a c tivi t ie s t h at will be ta k in g place at the v arious centers in these areas. A c o r d i a l i nvi t a i o n is especially extended to e v eryone t o m a ke t ha t e x t ra e f fo r t to att e nd th e Fest iv al of A rts w hich is will be held at I TVET in S an I g n a ci o o n M ar c h 9 a nd 10 co mm encin g at 6 p . m. I n Bel m opan the Festi v al of A rts will be held at the S e v enth Day A d v entist A uditoriu m co mme nci ng a t 1 : 00 p . m . and at Marshellec k Cancha in Benque V i ej o T o wn co m m en c in g a t 1 : 30 p . m also on the March 9 and 10. The g eneral public is in v ited t o c o me a nd b e a pa r t of t h is year ' s pro g ra m of acti v ities for child sti m ulation m onth. SAN A N T ONIO VI L LA G E, C a yo D i s t r i c t , T u e sda y, Fe b r u ary 23 , 2010: Mini s ter o f A gricu l ture and Fisheries , H on . Re n e M on te ro t o d a y d e l i v e r e d ove r f o ur t h ou s a n d p ou n ds of c a ss a va s e e d l i n g s a l o n g w it h a n o t h er fo u r t h ous a nd c o co y a m s and three hundred Chaya cuttin g s to fa rm ers o f the Maya G reen G r owe r s Asso c iat i on of San A ntonio V illa g e , Cayo District. T h is is in a n e f f o rt b y t he M i n i s t r y o f Agr i c u l t u r e a nd F i s h e r i e s t o i n c r e a s e t he qu a lit y an d qu a nti t y o f ro o t c r ops production in the area. M i n i s t e r M o n t e r o a l so d e liver e d ve g e t ab l e s ee d li n gs and on e hundred Rho d e I sland Red Roosters to the v illa g ers. T h i s p a r t i c u l a r b r e e d of r o o s t e r s w i l l b e u s e d f or b r ee d i n g p ur p os e s w i th t h e a im of i ncreasi ng e gg p roducti o n in the area. T oday ’ s e v ent is in line with t h e Mi n i s tr y ’ s P l a t fo r m of F o od S ecurity which focuses on rural de v elop m ent and the concept of the “Farm Family”. I n m a k in g the presentation, M i n i s t er M o n t er o r ei t e r a t ed t h a t t h e o b j e c t ive o f t h is u n d e r t a k i ng i s t o c r e a te empl o ymen t f o r F a r m i n g F amil i es es p ecia l ly t h e yo u n g far m e rs , t hus m ini m izin g the u rg ency for their m i g rati o n t o urb a n ar e as i n se a rch of jobs or subsistence. Minister Montero also infor m ed that this initiati v e is intended to s e rve a s a n i n te r v e n t i o n g e a r ed towards i m pro v in g the Farm Fa mi ly N utrit i onal D i etary Food inta k e , and their inco m e. F u r t h e r i n f o r m a ti o n c a n be o b ta i ne d b y c o n t at i n g Ch i ef E x ec u ti v e O f fi c e r , Gab i n o Ca n to at 82 2 -2241 or 82 2 -2242. I n acc o r d a n ce w it h S ec t i on 8 . 2 4 o f t h e E n v i r on me n t a l C o m p l i a n c e P l a n ( E C P ) o f A p r i l 5, 2 0 02 , t h e B e l i ze E l ec t r i c C o m p a n y L i m it e d (B E C O L ) a d v i s e s t h a t i t w i ll h o s t P ub l i c I n f o r m a t i on S e s s i o n s o n t h e M a c a l R i v e r U p s t r e a m S t o r a g e F a c ili t y , a l s o k no w n a s t h e C h a lil l o H y d ro P r o j ec t . T h e f i r s t s e ss i on w ill t a k e p l a ce o n F e b r u a r y 2 5 , 2 0 10 i n C r i s t o R e y V i l l a g e a t t h e V il l a ge C o mm u n it y C e n t e r , a t 7 : 00 p . m . O n F e b r u a r y 2 6 , 2 0 10 , t h e s e s s i on w il l t a k e p l ace i n S an I gn ac i o T o w n a t t h e C u lt u r a l C e n t e r a t 7 : 0 0 p . m. T h e s e ss i on s w ill f o c u s on t h e p r o j ec t d e s c r i p ti on ; t h e c r iti c a l i ss u e s i d e n ti f i e d i n t he E nv i r o n m e n t a l I m p a c t A s s e s s m e n t ( E I A ) , t h e a ss e ss m e n t o f t h e i r i m p a c t s a nd t h e m it i g a t i on m e a s u r e s o u tli n e d i n t h e E n v i r o n m e n t a l C o m p li a n ce P l a n ( E C P ). F o r m o r e i n f o r ma ti o n p l ea s e c o n t ac t B E C O L a t 8 2 4 3 0 16. C h a lill o U n it 2 M il e s N o r t h e r n Hi g h w ay Be l i z e C i t y , B e li ze N O T I C E O F P U BL IC SE S SI O NS P D F c r ea t ed w i t h pd f F a c t o r y P r o t r i a l v e r s i on ww w . pd f f a c t o r y . c om

PAGE 4

P age 4 S TA R T el: 626 8822 & 626 3788 E m a il: s t a r n e w s p a p e r @g m a il. c om Sund a y , F eb r u a r y 28 , 2010 B Y : Alejand r o “Alex” Rios B E N Q U E V I E J O T O W N, C a y o , S u nda y , F e bru a r y 2 1, 2 0 10: It ’ s be e n 1 5 y ea r s i n t he r u nni n g a n d t o da y th e Er w in Contreras Cayo W est Cup Footb a l l T o u r n ame n t off i c i a l l y b egan in Benque V iejo T own and S an J o se Su cc o tz V i l a ge , wi t h t he traditional m arathon. A t o t a l o f 2 3 f o o tb a l l t e a ms (16 in Benque V iejo T own and 7 in t he vi l lag e o f S a n J o se Su c cot z ) a r e p ar t ic i pa t in g i n t h is yea r ’ s tourna m ent. T he t r adit i on w as s t arte d 15 y e a r s ago b u y C a y o W e st A re a Repr e sentat iv e an d now Minister of Econo m ic De v elopm en t , I nd u stry a n d Co m merce and Consu m er Protection , H on. Erwi n Co n t r e r as . T od a y t he tourn am ent is m o vi n g from s t re ngt h t o s tr e n gh t wi t h t he unendin g and personal support fro m the Hon . Erwin Contreras. Prior to the co mm ence m ent of t o day ’ s mara t hon , M i nis t er C o n t r e r a s w a s o n h a n d to personally deli v er a full set of unifor m to all m e m bers of the participatin g 23 tea m s . He also handed o v er 1 1 football to each of the 24 tea m s. Min i ster Contr e ras stated o f f at 9 : 0 0 am at t h e Ma r s h a l l e ck Cancha in Benque V iejo T own a n d l a t e r j o u r n e y e d t o t he Cancha in S a n Jose S uccotz w h e r e t h e h a n d i n g ove r of uniform and other e q uip m ent c o n t i n u e d t o p a r t i c i p a t i ng tea m s. The first encounter of the day was b etween t wo tea ms from A r e n a l vi l l a g e r e s u l t i ng in A r e na l F o o t b al l Cl ub d e f e a t i ng Cl ub D e po rtiva Ar e n al by a A t t h e M a r s h a ll ec k C a n c h a i n Be n q u e V i e j o T o w n, t h e H o n . Er w i n C o n t r er a s ( R ) h a n d i n g o v e r un i f o r m s, s h o e s, s o c k s a n d f oo tb a ll s t o a ll p a r t i c i p a t i n g t e a ms score of 4 to nil . W ith three of t h e f o ur g oa l s t o h i s c red i t, A r en a l F C ’ s M i gue l A gui l ar e m e rg ed as the top score r. I n the second g a m e , after the 30 m i n utes of pl a yin g Re g aee B oyz V e ter ans a nd B o r d er T eam e m e rg ed with a scoreless d r a w e v e n t u a l l y e n d i ng in Re g aee Boy z V e t era n s d e fea t ing Border T ea m in penalty shots. Falc on s F .C blasted Falc ons J un i o rs by a score of 5 g oals to nil. In th e fo u rth ga m e , the new t e a m o n t h e b l o c k , R i ver s i d e FC defeated Deportivo Santa Cruz, also a new tea m on the bloc k by a score of 3 g oals to nil. J u ve n t us , a t ea m of y oung colle g e boys defeated Fla m in go by a score of 2 to nil. In re g u latio n ti m e , rei g n ing cha m p i ons , Jaguars e m e rg ed with a 1-1 draw a g ainst Be nque F i re . H o we v e r , a ft e r pe n a l ty s h o t s w e r e t a k e n , J agu ar eme r ged vic t or i ou s o v e r t he Benque Fire T ea m. P u m as FC li k ewise defeated the Gr ee n Mac h i ne by way of pe n alty shot s an d the rei g n ing Su b C h a m p i o n s , R e al B en q u e o e l imi na t e d Be n que U n ite d by a score of 3 g oals to 1. I n the first g a m e of the second r o u n d Ar e n a l F C d e f e a t ed Re g aee Boyz by a score of 4 to nil . Falcons FC ed g ed Ri v erside FC 2 -1 and Ju v entus y Ja g uars p l a y ed t o a s c or e l e ss d r aw resultin g a v ictory for Ju v entus fro m penalty s hots . Pu m as FC sc r aped t o the fina l s aft e r a ti g h t encount e r a g ains t Real Ben q ueo. I n the se m i final round , A renal FC defeated Falcons in penalty sh o ts an d in s i m il a r fas h ion Pu m as e m e rg ed v ictorious o v er Ju v entus. T h e m arat hon e nd e d s ho rtly a f t er 10:3 0 p m w i th A r e na l FC i n f i r s t p l a c e f ol l o wed by J a g ua rs F C in s ec o n d and Pu m as FC rou n d ing o f t he t hr ee t op f i n is h ers. Mea n wh i le i n t he nea r by v illa g e of S an Jose S uccotz , the c e remon y b e g an at 1 1 : 00 am with H o n . Erwin Co n treras de l i v e r in g u nif o r m s and f oot b all to e a ch of the 7 partici p ating tea m s. The action be g an at 12 noon at the Cancha in S an Jose S uccotz. T h e p a r t i c ip a t i ng t eams i n c l u d ed 1 ) L a Ju b e F C , 2) D’Rev o l u ti on s 3) La T ri bu 4) W e s t B o y z 5 ) Ar s e n a l 6) C oroz alit o and 7) Rive r Plate. A f t e r m a n y h o u r s o f f i e r ce c o m p e t i t i o n t h e f i r s t p l a ce t r op h y w a s c ap t ure d b y La T r i bu an d A re n al in seco n d pl a ce. W illia m Can was na m ed as the t o p g oal sc o re r w h ile T o m as M o h emer g e d a s t h e B e st G o alkee p e r . M u s i c w as pr o v i d ed b y I n e cos Box an d th e e v e nt coordinator in S an Jose S uccotz is W ils on Patt. D u r i n g i t s 1 5 y e a r s in e x ist e nce , th e Ca y o W e st C up c o nt i nu e s get t ing b e tt e r a nd better each yea r . The success of the to u rna m ent is du e in part t o t h e s el f l e s s eff or t s o f i ts o rg anizers which includes L u is A l d a n a J r , G e o v a n y P ine l o, Aleja ndro Ri o s a nd M r . Pa b lo Uc. While this S unday ’ s m arathon si g naled the co mm ence m ent of t h e b a t t l e f o r t h e E rw in C on t r eras Cay o W est C up , re g u lar g ames wi l l be p l ayed e v e r y w e eke nd c u l mi n a t i n g w i th the g rand cha m pionship g a m es playin g around the m iddle of July 2010. The tourna m ent pro m ises to be c o m pe t it i v e and ex c it e d . T he p u bl i c i s e sp e ci a ll y i nv i t ed to attend the g a m es and to support their tea m of choice. T h e o rga nizers of the e v ent , the players , and the people of Cayo W e s t i n p a r t i c u l a r , e x t e nd s i n c er e gra t i t ud e t o t h e ir A r ea R e pr e se n ta t i v e , H o n . Er w in C o nt r er a s f or h is un e nd i ng supportin g in o f ferin g the youth o f C a y o W e s t w i th s p o r t i ng a c ti v i ti e s a s a n a l te r nat i v e to cri m e and v iolence. M o n d a y : D r a f t B eer $2 . 50 T u e s d a y : L o c a l R u m $2 . 50 W e d n e s d a y : M a r g a r i t a s $ 6 . 95 Th u r s d a y : P i a C o l a d a $6 . 95 F r i d a y : M i c h e l a d a s $3 . 50 T e l : 501 824 2730 E m a il : R o l s o n @ b t l . n et W e b : R o l s o n s . c om M o n . t o F r i. 5 t o 7 P .M H A PP Y HO UR H o n . Er w i n C o n t r er a s ( L ) i n S a n J o s e S u cc o tz P D F c r ea t ed w i t h pd f F a c t o r y P r o t r i a l v e r s i on ww w . pd f f a c t o r y . c om

PAGE 5

Sund a y , F eb r u a r y 28 , 2010 S TA R T el: 626 8822 & 626 3788 E m a il: s t a r n e w s p a p e r @g m a il. c om P age 5 P D F c r ea t ed w i t h pd f F a c t o r y P r o t r i a l v e r s i on ww w . pd f f a c t o r y . c om

PAGE 6

P age 6 S TA R T el: 626 8822 & 626 3788 E m a il: s t a r n e w s p a p e r @g m a il. c om Sund a y , F eb r u a r y 28 , 2010 W EDNESD AY , F e b r u ary 24, 2 0 10: L ast Friday Belize ’ s House of Representati v es passed two m ajor constitutional refor m s as follows: a ) T h e ap p o i nt m e n t o f an A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l f r o m t he pri v ate L awyers field re m o v ing t h e r e q u i r e m e n t f o r t h at i n d ivi d u a l t o e i t h e r b e an elected m e m ber of the House of R e pr e se n ta t i ve s o r a n a pp o in t ed m e m ber of the S enate and b) T o m a k e the C arib b ean Court of Justice the final court for all appeals thus e f fecti v ely repl a cin g the P ri v y Coun c il in L o n don . W it h th i s pa r tic u lar c o n s t i t u t i o n a l a m e n d m e n t, B e l i ze no w j oi n s Gu y an a a nd Bar b ados a s the only t hree En g lish spea k in g for m er British c o l o n i e s i n t h e C a r i b b e an t o m o v e i n t h a t d i r e c t i o n. N o t w i t hs t a n di n g , man y o t h er i n la n d s ta t es in th e C a ri b be a n a re speedin g up le g islation in their r e sp e ctive j ur i sd i ct i ons to do li k ewise. T hese t wo con s titut i onal a m e n d m en t s w e re p a ss e d i n to law af t er the ruling United D emo c r a t i c P a r t y ( U D P) g o v e r n m e n t w i t h d r e w a p r ovi s i o n t h a t w o u l d h ave allo w ed Beli z eans wit h dual citizen s hips , m ainly B elizean Am ericans , to see k election to t h e H o us e of Re p re s ent a ti v es or f o r a p po i n t m e nt t o t he S e n a te while retainin g dual nationality status. The proposed dual citizenship a m e n d m e n t w a s s t r o n g ly r e j e c t e d b y t h e o p p o s i t i on Pe o ple ’ s Unit e d Pa r ty ( P UP) a n d o t h e r B e l i z ea n s wh o a re d i sgr u n t l e d w i t h B e l i z e an A m eri c an cit i ze n s f o r l ea vi ng their countr y. No t wi t hs t an d i n g t he PU P ’s o p pos i ti o n t o th e p r opo s ed a m end m e nt , the rul i n g UDP g o v ern m ent has a 25-6 m ajority of seats in the current House of Representati v es. Thi s su p er m a jor i ty i s m o re than enou g h for the g o v ern m ent to proceed with any a m end the Constitution of Belize. P r i o r t o e n a c t i n g t h e se amendment s , a con s tit u tio n al r e f o rm c o m mi t te e w a s c re a t e d in the House of R epresentati v es t o c o n d u c t c o n s u l t a t i o ns t h r o ugh o u t t h e s i x d i s t r i c t s of Belize to hear out the v iews of the Belizean population. M o st of the s e c o m m un i ty me et i n g s w er e p a c ke d an d ma ny Belizeans expressed their v iews and concerns o v er these issues. W i th the ri s in g m urde r rate c u r r en t l y i n B e l iz e , B e li z e a ns a r e di s g u s t e d w it h t he cu r r e nt syste m where the Pri v y Council i n L o ndo n c o nt i nu e s t o c o mm u te the s entences o f m urdere r s from t h e d e a t h p e n a l t y t o l i fe i m prison or at ti m es acquittals d u e t o s ome t e c h n i c a l i t y or anothe r. T h e p r o v i s i o n t o g r a nt Belizeans with dual nationality the ri g ht to contest elections to the House of Representati v e or appoint m ent to the S enate caused heated a rg u m e nts and debates durin g the consultation process. Belizean in the United S tates we r e m or e in s uppo r t of t his le g islation than those li v in g in Belize. The decision to withdraw this pr ov isi o n wh e n t h e UD P has the m ajority v otes to pass it , was, in m y opinion , not a wise one. The PU P has always been a part y that de l i v ers wh a te v er their people want despite the o p p o s i t i o n c omi n g f r om o t h er quarters. I f the UDP had passed that le g islation , Belizean Am ericans w o u l d h a v e c on s o l i d a t e d t h e ir support for th e m indefinitel y. N o w t h at t hey ha v e fa i led to d e l iv e r t h i s p r o mi s e , B el i z e an Am ericans m i g ht start to think that both the UDP and the PUP are the sa m e when it co m es to a d d r e s si ng t he c o nc e r n s of B e l i ze a ns l i v i n g i n th e U n i t ed S tates and elsewhere. O v er t he y ear s , B e liz e an poli t icians , f ro m both m ajor politi c al parties , h a v e been v isitin g the United S tates during electi o n ti m e m a k in g lots of p r o m i s es b ut ha ve fa i led in deli v erin g the m. Most Belizeans possess dual citizenships as is spelled out in t h e B e l i z e c o n s t i t u t i o n . In addition , they ha v e played and s t i l l p l a y a v i t a l r o l e i n t he de v elop m ent of their ho m eland. Ho w e v e r , the r e ha s bee n no pro g ra m by the g o v ern m ents of B e l i z e t ha t w i l l be n e f i t a nd e n c o u r age B e l i z e a n s l i v i ng ab r oad t o g e t invol v e d an d do so m e si g nificant thin g s for their countr y. I n m ajor U S cities li k e New Y o r k , Lo s A n g el e s , Ch i ca g o, Houston , Mia m i , Detroit , New Orleans and other m etropolitan area s where B e lizeans r e side, t h e y e n c o u n t e r h a r d t i m es r e n e w i ng t h e i r p a s s p o r t s, o b ta i n i n g Be l i z ea n d o c um e n ts a n d c om m un i c a t i n g w i t h t h e ir d i p l o m a t i c r e p r e s e n t a t i v es re gu larly o n m att e rs of m ajor co n cern and i nte r est . I n o t her w o r d s , B e l i z e ’ s d i p l o m a t ic ser v ice in the U S A is poo r. T he r ig h t t o v ot e b y p r o xy f r om a b r o a d i s n o t e v e n b e i ng d i scu s sed an d it ap p ear s as if both political parties are a g ainst it despite the fact that this is a con s tituti o nal ri g ht to w hich Bel i zeans li v in g abroa d are entitled . I a m yet to hear of the c u rr e nt g o v e r n m e nt ’ s p o s it i on on this issue. W ith the passa g e of this latest c o nst i tu t io n al a me nd m ent , I e x pe c t th e P U P t o c o n ti n ue opp o sin g t he pro v ision that w i ll n ow l e g a lly al l ow p ri v a te atto r neys to b e appoin t ed as A ttorney General without being either a m e m ber of the House of R e p r es e n t a t i v e s or t h e S e n a t e. T h e o p pos i tio n PU P is us i n g t he a r gu m en t s of acc o unta b ilit y to t h e p eo p l e a s t h e mai n r ea s on why they are a g ainst it and the f e a r t h at t h e c u r re n t P r i me M i nis t er wil l a p poi n t a cl o se f r i e n d o r a r e l a t ive t o t h at position. E v ery political party in Belize i s g ui l t y o f a pp o i n ti ng fr i e n ds and relati v es to public o f fices in Belize. I n m any cases so m e of those appointed by the PU P , were not even q ual i fie d f o r t h e p o sts to w h ich the y we r e a ppo i nte d . M o st a p p o in t m e n t s w e r e d u e to lo y a l ty and dedication to their political part y. As for th e chan g e t o the Caribbean Court of Justice , the PUP was alway s in support of that chan g e. Belizeans wi t h dual citizenships will not sit down idly by and d rop dead . They wi l l now h ave t o l a u n c h a n a g gr e s s ive ca m pai g n to b r in g this issue bac k to the forefront of Belizean politics. A nother way to achie v e their constitutional ri g hts m i g ht be to file a case at the Belize S upre me C o ur t o n b eh a l f o f B e l i ze a ns who Possess dual citizenship to force the Belize g o v ern m ent to g rant the m the ri g ht to v ote by prox y , to beco m e m e m bers of t h e N a t i o n a l A s s e m b l y as citizens of Belize , to be entitled for land and other benefits that Be l ize h a s to of fer t o all citiz e ns. T he fa i lure t o pre s ent t h e 7 Constitutional Am end m ent Bill f o r p a s s age w i t h t h e d u al na t iona l ity p ro v is i on i s si m i lar to the De m ocrats in the United S tates beco m in g co m placent in p a ss i n g Un i v er s al He a lt h C a re C o v e r a g e t o a l l A me r i c a ns because of t h e Republicans o b st r uct i on i st tac t ic s , whe n t h ey c o ntr o l a m a j or i ty i n b o th hou s es of con g ress and ha v e a m e m ber of their party as the president. Poli t ical science te a ches us, tha t the r eason why p e ople g i v e their g o v ern m ent power is becaus e they expect the m to e n fo r c e i t a n d d e l i v e r o n th e ir pro m ises. Whene v er a g o v ern m ent fails to deli v er to its people , despite th e fact that t hey p o ssess the m eans to deli v e r , the people will be c o m e a n g ry and f rust r ated and re m o v e the m fro m powe r. The opp o sit i on par t y w i ll alw a ys op p ose , c o m plai n and d i s t ra c t b e c au s e t h e ir o ve r a ll objecti v e is to ta k e the rei g ns of g o v ern m ent fro m the g o v erning party so that they can for m the new g o v ern m ent . I n m ost cases, it does not g uarantee t hat they will and can do better than the party in powe r. B Y : W ellington C . Ramos P D F c r ea t ed w i t h pd f F a c t o r y P r o t r i a l v e r s i on ww w . pd f f a c t o r y . c om

PAGE 7

Sund a y , F eb r u a r y 28 , 2010 S TA R T el: 626 8822 & 626 3788 E m a il: s t a r n e w s p a p e r @g m a il. c om P age 7 B e n a n d J o e we r e be s t of friends since childhood days. As t h e y a p p r o a ch e d th e t wi l i g ht of their years they m ade a pact of friendship: When one passed on , the other wo u ld t a k e a w h ole bot t le o f f ine Caribbean Ru m and sprin k le it o v er the g ra ve of the d early departed friend. A s fate wou l d ha v e i t , Ben beca m e ill and s o he sent for Joe to co m e v isit hi m one last ti m e. A s he sat beside the bed of his feeble friend Joe as k ed , "Be n, ca n y ou h ear m e?" Fain t l y , B en r e plie d , " Y es, Joe , I can hear you ." " D o yo u r e m e mb e r o ur A P a c t Be t w ee n P a ls p act?” Joe as k ed. " Y es , I do ," replied Ben "S o , y ou r e m e m b e r t h at I am t o spr i n kl e a wh o l e b ot t l e of f i n e C a ri bbe a n Ru m ov er your grave? as k ed Joe. " Y e s , I d o ," w h isp e red Ben " Y o u w i l l a gr ee t h a t it ' s a who le bo ttle of f i n e Cari bb ean R u m " u rg ed Joe. "And what are you getting' at Joe?" as k ed Ben , bris k l y. " W ell Be n , b e for e I s p ri nk le tha t w h ol e b o t t l e o f fine C a r ibbe a n Ru m ov er y o ur gr a ve , w ou l d y ou m i nd if I f ilte r it t hrou g h m y b la dd er f irst? Father L eslie , a youn g priest, was sent to a v ery s m all church in the bac k woods of the T oledo District in S outhern Belize. A fter a couple of years the Bishop decided to pay the priest a v isit to see how he was doin g. Father L eslie said "T h is is a v e ry l o n el y job a n d I do n 't t h i nk t h at I c ou l d h ave m a d e it thi s l on g with o ut m y Ros a ry a n d two s h o ts o f w i ne e a ch d a y ." "W h at?!" E xc l ai m e d t he B i s h o p . " Y o u ' v e ta k e n to d r i n k i n g ? W h a t k i n d of e x am p le is th a t to se t f o r t he c o m m u n i t y ? T h i s d o e s n 't reflect well on the church ." " B u t the l o nel i n e ss , I just c ou l dn 't sta nd it . I f it w e r e n 't fo r m y R o sary a nd t ho se t wo s ho ts of w i n e e ac h d a y , I wou ld su r e l y ha v e go n e i n s ane, " responded Father L eslie. The B i shop t hou g h t a m o m ent, t h e n s a i d " I g u e s s t h a t is un d ers ta ndab l e c o nsid e ring . .." W ith that the priest said to the B i sho p, " W ould you l i k e to h ave a s ho t of w i n e w it h m e?" T h e B i s ho p s a i d , " w ell , I really shouldn't but ... Y es , that w o ul d b e n i ce . I th i nk I w il l , b ut just this once ." The priest turned around and h o lle r ed t ow a rd t he k it c hen , " fix u s t wo s ho ts of w i n e p lease?" “And who is this young lady b r i n g i ng t h e w i n e ? a sk ed the Bishop. “ P l e a s e al lo w m e to i n t r o d uc e y o u t o Ros a r y” responded Father L eslie. M y R o s a r y A nd M y W i ne R eg ulation at the n e w S an Ign aci o Co m m uni t y H o spi t als r e q u i r e f o r p a t i e n t s b e i ng discha rg ed to be wheeled out of the hospital. O ne m o r n i n g a n a t te n d a nt found an elderly g entle m an --a l rea d y d r es s ed a nd s it t in g on t he bed with a suitcase at his feet-who insisted he didn ' t need any help to lea v e the hospital. A fter a chat about ha v in g a job W oo p s ---W r o n g P er s on A b ea u t i f u l y o u n g b l o n d e w o m an b o a r d s a p l a n e a t t h e P h il l ip G o l d s o n I n t e r n a t i o n a l A i r p o r t in B e li ze w i t h a t i c k e t f o r t h e c o ach s ec t i o n. S h e l oo k s a t t h e s ea t s i n c o ach a n d t h e n l oo k s a h e a d t o t h e f i r st c l a s s s e a t s. S e e i n g t h a t t h e f i r s t c l a ss s ea t s a pp ea r t o b e m u c h l a r g e r a nd m o r e c o m f o r t a b l e , s h e m o v es f o r w a r d t o t h e l a s t e m p t y o n e. T h e f li g h t a tt e n d a n t c h ec k s h er t i c k e t a n d t e ll s h e r t h a t h e r s ea t is i n c o ac h. T h e b l o n d e r e p li e s, " I ' m y o un g, b l o n d e a n d b e a u t i f u l , a n d I 'm g o i n g t o s i t h e r e a l l t h e w a y to L A ." F l u s t e r e d , t h e f l i gh t a t t e n d a nt g o e s t o t h e c o c kp i t a n d i n f o r m s t he ca p t a i n o f t h e b l o n d e p r o b l e m. T h e ca p t a i n g o e s b ac k a n d t e lls t h e w o m a n t h a t h e r a ss i g n e d s ea t is i n c o ac h. A g a i n , t h e b l o n d e r e p li e s , “ I 'm y o un g , b l o n d e a n d b e a u ti f u l , a nd I ' m go i n g t o s it h e r e a ll t h e w a y to L A ." T h e ca p t a i n d o e s n' t w a n t t o ca u se a c o mm o t i o n , a n d s o r e t u r n s t o t he c o c k p i t t o d i s c u s s t h e s i t u a t i o n w i th t h e c o p il o t. T h e c o p il o t s a y s t h a t h e h a s a b l o n d e g i r l f r i e n d , a n d t h a t h e can t a k e ca r e o f t h e p r o b l e m. H e t h e n g o e s b ac k a n d b r i e f ly w h i s p e r s s o m e t h i ng i n t o t he b l o n d e ' s ea r. S h e imm e d i a t e l y g e t s up , s a y s, " T h a n k y o u s o m u c h ," h ug s t he c o p i l o t , a nd r u s h e s b a c k t o h er s ea t i n t h e c o ac h s ec t i o n. T h e p il o t a nd f l i g h t a t t e n d a n t, w h o w e r e w a t c h i n g w i th c l o s e a tt e n t i o n , t o g e t h e r a s k e d t he c o p i l o t w h a t h e h a d s a i d t o t he w o m a n. H e r e p li e s , " I j u s t t o l d h e r t h at t h e f i r s t c l a ss s ec t i o n i s n ' t go i ng t o L A ." O n e O f T h o s e B l o nd e Jo k es t o d o a n d ab o u t r u l e s b e i n g r u l e s, the elder l y m an reluc t antly let the attendant wheel hi m out of the hospital. A fter lea v in g hi m outside the A ttendant as k ed if his wife was m eetin g hi m. " I d o n ’t kno w ," sai d the elderly m an . "s h e is still b ack there in t h e ba t h r o om c h a ng i ng o u t o f h er hosp i t al g own ." N o w O ff er i n g 6” C e m e n t B l o c k s F o r O n l y $1 . 00 e a ch A l s o p r o v i d i n g t o p q u a l i ty D r e ss e d & R o u gh H a r d w oo d a n d M a h o g a n y L u mb e r , S a n d, C e m e n t , S te e l , Ply w oo d , C e l o t e x , R o o fi n g, D o o r s A n d A Wh o l e L o t M o r e. E f f i c i e n t S e r v i ce a n d L o w P r i c es E v e r y da y! C a l l U s A t : 8 2 4 2 9 59 J o s e Ma r in, Man a g er P D F c r ea t ed w i t h pd f F a c t o r y P r o t r i a l v e r s i on ww w . pd f f a c t o r y . c om

PAGE 8

P age 8 S TA R T el: 626 8822 & 626 3788 E m a il: s t a r n e w s p a p e r @g m a il. c om Sund a y , F eb r u a r y 28 , 2010 CANCER: June 22 to July 23 T h e r e w ill b e i n c r ea s e d i n t e r e st i n w o r k . Y o u w ill b e b u bb li n g w i th i d ea s – o n e s t h a t a r e n o t o n ly f ea s i b l e , b u t i n s p i r e a g oo d a m o u nt o f c o n f i d e n c e i n y o u r a b i li t i e s. C o n s e q u e n t l y , e x t r a e f f o r t in r e s ea r c h a n d m o r e h o u r s a t w o rk a r e a h ug e p o s s i b i li t y . L u c ky N u m b e r s : 09 , 53 , 72. LEO: July 24 to August 21 Y o u a r e li k e l y t o g a i n c o n f i d e n ce a nd h a v e b e l i e f r e s t o r e d i n p e r s o n al c o nv i c t i o n s . A s ec u r e p e r s o n a l li fe n o w s pu r s y o u i n t o p u r s u i t o f m o re a m b i t i o u s p r o f e s s i o n a l t a r g e t s. T h e r e w ill b e m o r e t im e s p e n t w i th s e n i o r s, d i s c u s s i ng b l u e p r i n t s f or e x p a n s i o n o f w o r k o r v e n t u r i ng i n t o a w h o l e n e w s ec t o r . L u c ky N u m b e r s : 06 , 65 , 96. VIRGO: August 22 to Se p tember 21 W o r k t a k e s a b a c k s ea t f o r a w h i l e. Y o u a r e d e f i n i t e l y i n c li n e d t o w a r ds s p e nd i n g m o r e t i m e w i t h y o ur f a mil y a n d l o v e d o n e s . T h e re w i l l a l s o b e e n h a n c e d f o c u s on ac t i v i t i e s t h a t l ea d t o b o n d i n g w i th l o v e d o n e s. T r a v e l i s l i k e l y . Y ou n ee d t o t a k e ca r e o f y o u r h ea l t h as b e p r o b a b l y d i s gu i s e d a s c o m p e t it i v e n e ss. L u c k y N u m b e r s : 10 , 55, 79. CAPRICORN: December 22 to January 20 C o n f li c t s a n d c o l d v i b e s t i r e y ou a nd y o u w o r k t o w a r d s r e d u c i n g a ny k i n d o f t e n s i o n . A l o n g p e n d i ng d i s pu t e i s b r o ug h t t o a c o n c l u s i o n. T h e r e w ill b e t e m p t a t i o n t o s e tt le o l d s c o r e s b u t r e f r a i n f r o m i t. D i s t u r b a n ce o r l ac k o f s l ee p c o u ld ca u s e y o u t o b e a b i t i rr i t a b l e a nd i m p a t i e n t. L u c k y N u m b er s : 0 9, 30 , 52. AQUARIUS: January 21 to February 19 T h e r e w il l b e ce l e b r a t i o n s a nd i n d u l g e n c e s , n o t t o m e n t i o n a ll t h e h o bn o b b i ng w i t h s o c i a l e l i t e. H o w e v e r , w h a t t r u l y o cc up i e s y o ur m i n d s p a ce i s p e r s o n a l g r o w t h, a c h i e v e m e n t o f m o r e s e r i o us o b j e c t i v e s a nd s p i r i t u a l g o a l s . Be c a r e f u l w h il e d r i v i n g . A v o id g i v i n g i n t o r o a d r a g e . L u c ky N u m b e r s : 20 , 34 , 66. PISCES: February 20 to March 21 Y o u w ill g r a v i t a t e t o w a r d s h o me a n d f a mi l y . Y ou r ca r i n g s t r eak c o m e s t o s u r f ace , a s y o u l oo k a f t er a n a ili n g m e m b e r o f t h e f a mil y a nd w o r k w i t h c h i l d r e n . W o r l d ly t e m p t a t i o n s w ill t r y t o a tt r ac t y o u. R e s i s t t h e l u r e . K e e p y o u r s e lf c o n s t r u c t i v e l y o c c up i e d s o t h a t y ou k ee p d e p r e ss i v e t e n d e n c i e s a t b a y. L u c k y N u m b e r s : 16 , 22 , 77. g o i ng o v e r b o a r d c o u l d l e a d t o a b u r n o u t . L u c k y N u m b e r s : 13 , 2 8, 49. LIBRA: Se p tember 22 to October 23 T h e c o mi n g w ee k m o v e s i s li k e ly t o e x e r t d e m a n d s o n y o u . Y ou w ill h a v e t o c o p e w i t h c o n t r a d i c ti n g e m o t i o n s . T h e r e c o u l d be mi s u n d e r s t a n d i n g s du e t o w h i ch y o u c o m e u n d e r f i r e . T h e e n t i re s ce n a r i o i s li k e l y t o m a k e y o u m o re w i t h d r a w n f o r a w h il e . B e p r e p a r ed f o r t h e s a m e. L u c k y N u m b er s : 1 9, 67 , 91. SCORPIO: October 24 to November 21 Y o u t r y a n d f o c u s m o r e o n y o ur p r o f e ss i o n a l li f e . Y o u w a n t m e n t al s t im u l a t i o n a n d g r o w t h f r o m w o r k. T h i s c o u l d ca ll f o r a n e x t r a d e g r ee o f e f f o r t , w h i c h w il l p r o ve w o r t h w h il e . P e r s o n a l r e l a t i o n s h i ps b e g i n t o a pp ea r qu i t e w ea r i s o m e, i r r e s p e c t i v e o f t h e d e g r ee of c l o s e n e ss . L u c k y N u m b e r s : 33, 58 , 93. SAGITTARIUS: November 22 to December 21 Y o u m a y f ee l t h a t y o u a r e b e i ng t o r n a p a r t by v a r i e d r e s po n s i b i li t i e s. A l t h o ug h y o u s t r i v e h a r d t o c o pe up w i t h t h e c h a ll e n g e s o f y o u r li f e, t h e r e i s a l s o t h e j ea l o u s y a nd n e g a t i v e a tt i t ud e o f p e o p l e a r o u nd y o u t h a t y o u m u s t h a n d l e . I t w ill ARIES: March 22 to A p ril 20 W o r kp l ace i ss u e s w ill n ee d to b e d e a l t w i t h , t e m p e r a m e n t al c o ll e a gu e s t o b e h a n d l e d a nd m o n e y m a t t e r s t o b e s o r t e d ou t. T h e r e w ill b e m u c h s o c i a li s i n g a nd n e t w o r k i n g t o b e d o n e . Y o u m ay b e t e m p t e d t o r u s h t h r oug h a l u c r a t i v e d ea l , b u t a ll o w t h i n g s to r u n t h e i r c o u r s e n a t u r a ll y. L u c ky N u m b e r s : 07 , 44 , 61. TAURUS: A p ril 21 to May 21 T h e l a r g e s t o f y o u r w o rr i e s w ill b e m o n e y r e l a t e d , a s e x p e n s e s s o a r. Y ou m a y h a v e t o t a p s und ry r e s o u r c e s t o g a t h e r f u nd s . K eep y o u r a tt i t ud e i n c h ec k o r y o u m ay h u r t y o u r l o v e d o n e s w i t h y o ur h a r s hn e ss . Y o u c o u l d b e a tt r ac t ed t o w a r d s s p i r i t u a l i t y a n d r e l i g i o n. L u c k y N u m b e r s : 03 , 25 , 88. GEMINI: May 22 to June 21 T h e c o mi n g w e e k s e e s y ou t a c k l i n g h o m e r e l a t e d i s s u e s a nd c h o r e s w i t h r e n e w e d e n e r g y . Y ou c ou l d b e i n v o l v e d i n s o me r e n o v a t i o n a t h o m e . K ee p i n mi nd t h a t y o u w ill n o t b e a b l e t o p l ea se e v e r y b o d y , e v e n i f y o u p u sh y o u r s e l f t o t h e l im i t s . L u c ky N u m b e r s : 04 , 17 , 36. W e a r e l o c a t e d o ff Jo s e p h A n d r e w s D r i v e, n e a r t h e F a l c o n F i e l d i n S a n I g n a c i o T o w n. C a ll u s a t 824 2076 o r 670 2329 E m a il : c l e a n m a s t er b z @ y a h oo . c om W e A MS T o P lea se P D F c r ea t ed w i t h pd f F a c t o r y P r o t r i a l v e r s i on ww w . pd f f a c t o r y . c om

PAGE 9

Sund a y , F eb r u a r y 28 , 2010 S TA R T el: 626 8822 & 626 3788 E m a il: s t a r n e w s p a p e r @g m a il. c om P age 9 Dear Editor; O n the e v eni ng new s this week i t w a s r e p o r t e d th a t a s h o pke e p er at the No v elo bus ter m inal was robbed in broad dayli g ht by two g un weildin g thie v es; sadl y , this is n othin g o ut of t he ordi n ar y, b u t w h a t i s m o s t d i s t u r b i ng i s t h a t t h e e n t i r e i n c i d e nt w a s "wat c hed" by a nearby shop k eeper who did nothin g but "watch"; bec a use he d i d not wish to beco m e in v ol v ed. It w o u l d a p p e a r t h at c r i m i n a l e l eme n t s h ave e f fecti v ely cowered the populaT h e r e a r e m o r e o f th e goo d p e o p l e th a n th e r e a re o f th e b a d o n es tion of g ood honest people. H e r e i s o n e h o n e s t h a r d w o rki ng person bein g robbed by two t h ieve s ( w it h g u ns n o l es s) w h ile a n o t h e r h o n e s t h a r d w o rki ng p e r s o n l o o k o n a n d d o es absolutely nothin g to help. It a p pe a r s a s if t h e g o od honest people ha v e all lost their b a c kb on e s a nd l iv e in ab j ec t f e ar o f th e c r i m i n al s . T hey ha v e b e en cowered and g one into hidin g. When will they realize that there are m ore of the g ood people than there are of the bad ones? A ll that is necessary to crush t h e c r i m i n al s i s f o r th e g o o d p e op l e t o or g an i ze an d move a g ai n st t h e b a d o n e s ; a n d t h e P o l i ce should be assistin g with the o rg anization. T o the person that did nothing I as k "what if it was you that w a s b e i n g r o b b e d ; s h o u ld p e o p l e l o o k a w a y a n d do nothing?” N o w t h a t I go t t h a t off m y chest I ' ll g et bac k to housek eepin g. Al, San Ignacio B Y : Bart Jones , ASP Police Press O f ficer W EDNESD AY , F e b r u ary 24, 2 0 10: On Sund a y , F ebr u ary 21, 20 1 0 a b out 12: 3 0 a m , Sa n P e dro P o lic e vi sit e d t he B ays i de Bar to conduct an in v esti g ation into a reported robber y. Up o n ar r i va l t he p o li c e m et J u a n Pe r ez , 45 , a fruit v ender o f t h e C o r o z a l D i s t r i c t w ho reported that about half an hour earli e r at arou n d 12:00 mi dni g ht he was inside his boat na m ed " Princess Liliani" alon g with a helper who is a m ino r. Perez infor m ed that they were s l e e p i ng w h e n t h e y w e re suddenly awa k en by three m en, w h o i de n ti f ie d t h e m s elves as P o l i ce a n d B D F off ic e rs a s t h ey b e g a n d e m a n d i n g f o r “ t he d r u g s ” t o b e h a n d e d o v e r to t h e m . P e r e z r e p o r t e dl y t o l d t h em that he had no dru g s. A ccordin g to Perez one of the m en then be g an to hit hi m o v er the head r epeate d l y . H e was r e p o rt e ld y s ea r c h ed a n d r el i e v ed of a reported $650 . 00 dollars in U S and Belize currenc y. Perez said that he was ta k en outside of his boat by two of the me n w h i l s t t h e t h i r d o ne sea r ched bo t h the mi nor and the boat. The m an searchin g the m inor r e po r te d ly to ok o ut a c hro m e h an dg u n a n d p la c ed it to the m inor ' s head de m andin g to k now where the dru g s were. The m an then be g an hittin g the m inor with he g un until he fell unconscious to the g round. Perez reportedly m ana g ed to escape fro m the captors and ran for help whereby the police were alerted. The in v esti g ation let to the detention of three indi v idu a ls who were ident i fied as Derrick G i d e on, 23 , Police m an of a Belize City address, J u st in Cassi m iro , 21 , B e lize Defenc e Force soldier residin g in Biscayne V illa ge and J ohn C u s , 29 , Electrician of S an Pedro T own all of w h o m w e r e l a t e r c ha r ge d f o r a g g r ava t e d b u r gl a r y, conspiracy to co mm it a gg ra v ated bu rg lary and k idn a ppin g. Derric k Gideon was additionally cha rg ed for resistin g arrest and har m while John Cus was additionally cha rg ed with for har m. Gideon has been interdicted fro m acti v e police du t ies a nd p l aced on ha l f pa y , pe n din g the outco m e of the cha rg es a g ainst hi m. T he Co m mi ss i o n er of P o li c e ta k es t h is oppo r tunity t o assure the g ene r al publi c that wron g doin g on the part of Police O f ficers will not be co n doned i n any wa y . C o mm iss i oner Je f feries reiterates that any police o f fice r , who co mm its a cri m e will be dealt with accordin g l y. I n other news , the police m an found sleeping D err i c k Gi d e o n , 23 , P o li ce m an J u s t i n C a ss i m i r o , 21, Be li z e D e f e n ce F o r ce S o l d i er J o hn C u s, 29 , E l ec t r i c i an f r o m S a n P e d r o T o wn with the soldier when the soldie r ’ s M-16 rifle went m issin g , was internally cha rg ed for Prejudice to Good Order and Discipline and Dereliction of Dut y . He appeared bef o re a tribunal where he pleaded not g uilt y . The hearin g continues. Noti c e is her e by g i v en that, under the I ntoxicatin g L iquor L ic e nse O r dinan c e , Ch a pter 150 of th e L aws of Be l ize R e v i s e d E d i t i o n 2 0 0 0, A N G E L H E R R E R A is a p p l y i ng f o r a R E S T A URANT & BAR liquor license f o r t h e ye a r 2 0 1 0 t o o p e r a te A NGI E ’ S R E S T A U R A N T & BAR l oca t ed o n 1 6 th S tre e t, S an Ig nacio T own in the Cayo District P D F c r ea t ed w i t h pd f F a c t o r y P r o t r i a l v e r s i on ww w . pd f f a c t o r y . c om

PAGE 10

P age 10 S TA R T el: 626 8822 & 626 3788 E m a il: s t a r n e w s p a p e r @g m a il. c om Sund a y , F eb r u a r y 28 , 2010 B Y : Rudolph A . Bowman , Fort Collins , Colorado , USA rbowman2 @ gmail . com T H URS D AY , Febr u a ry 2 5, 2 0 10: C l ima t e c h a n g e , a n d i ts predi c ted e f fec t s for low lying u n d e r d eve l o p e d c o u n t r i e s, c r e a t e s g r e a t a n g s t a nd unc e rtainty for ord i nary ci t izens and politicians ali k e. They want to k now how real it is , h o w i mm i nent i t is , how se v ere the thr e ats are , and in what for m s do they occu r. T h ey q u estio n whe t her en o u g h d ata h a v e b een c olle c ted to show irrefutably that we are headin g towards an irre v ersible t i p p i ng p o i n t w i t h r es p e c t to uncontrolled g lobal war m in g. They as k if we should hed ge our bets and wait , since m uch of t h e w a r m i n g i s al l e g e d to be occurrin g in colder A rctic areas; o r s h oul d w e j u st p la y i t sa f e a nd a c t . A n d w ha t s h o u ld ou r a c ti o ns be? W i l l t h e s e a c t i o n s h ave deleterious and ne g ati v e e f fects o n t he c o un t r y ’ s e c o n o m y , on d e v e l o p m e n t , on eve r y d ay l i v e s? S hould the co s t of t hese c h a nge s f o r a l l evi a t i o n be s u bs i di z ed or fin a nc e d b y t he m ain contrib u tors to g lobal war m in g? W h a t s h o u l d o u r r o l e b e if funds exist , if they do not exist? What would be ethically and le g all y required of u s under either scenario? (seques t ration) ? S hould the U SA and EU share t h ei r e m e r g i ng t ec h no l o gi es ( c lea n co a l) w i th C hina and I ndia so that to g ether they can pr o duc e be t ter and m or e e f f ici e nt “g reen technolo g ies”? S hould local g o v er m ents p r ovi d e b u si n e s s e s an d i n d ivi d uals t a x incentives for re d ucing GHG? How will all this i m pact local food production and security? The next pressin g questions deser v in g answers are: How m uch ti m e do we ha v e, an d ho w severe are the s e t h rea t s? W i l l o u r l o w l a n d s be in u nda t ed i n the nex t 5 y e ars fro m polar and g lacial m elting an d expa n ded w a r m oc e ans wa t ers , our c o ral r eefs gone f r o m bl e a c hi ng a nd ac i d i fi c at i on fro m increased CO 2 , our lands threatened by m ore stor m s from e a rl i er wa rm t e m p e ra t ur e s off the coast of A frica , our usable w a t e r s r e d u c e d , o u r c r o ps scorched , our t o uris m shattered, our people in disarray? While a consensus exists that these e v ents are occurrin g , and that th e y will g et wo r se based o n g l ob a l wa r m i n g c ir c u l at i on m odels , there appears to be no dan g er in the short ter m , but a s t ern wa r ning t h at w e n eed to c h an g e ou r w a ys n ow and red u ce our carbon footprints. W e m u s t c ons e r ve , r edu c e, reuse , use incenti v es to con v ert t o mo r e r e n e w a b l e e n er g y, p r e s e rve f l o r a a n d f a u na (d i versi t y) , m ana g e che m i c als w i sel y , r efo r es t , r ev e g eta t e, es p ecia l ly g r a sses near our w a t e r w a y s , a n d , y e s , s t a b i l i ze our wo r ld ’ s populat i on this centur y , befo r e we reach that irre v ersible tippin g point! B u t w h a t i f h uma n gl o b al w a r m i ng i s a h oa x ( less t han h a l f i n t h e U S b e l i e v es it’ s a problem) , and just data c h err y -p i c k i n g b y s ci e nti s ts to ge t gr a n t s a n d f a m e ; h ow u n c o m f o r t a b l e w o u l d y ou sti l l b e to f ollow the a b o ve prescr i ptions? C o mm e n ts a ppr eciate d a nd ca n b e d i r ecte d t o t h e a u t hor at: bowman2@gmail . com S hould the local g o v ern m ent pro v ide incenti v es? T h e s e a re ju s t s o m e o f t he qu e sti o ns t hat a na t ion ’ s b r ain trust m ust address , and hope in the end , that they ha v e selected wisely and correctl y. Be f ore we c on t inu e , s o me d e fin i tio n s a r e n e ces s ar y . W h ile cli m ate chan g e can m ean m any t h i n g s , t h e te r m is br o a d ly u s e d a s a s ur r ogat e f o r g l o b al w a rmi n g: t h e i n c r e a s ed t e m p er a tu r e ch a n g es be c a u se of the greenhouse e f fect. Basical l y , g ro u nd refl e cted i n fr a re d r a di a ti o n h ea t i s t r ap p ed i n t h e a t m o s p h e r e ( l ik e i n a gl a ss greenhouse or in an enclosed car) principally by the so-called g reenhouse g ases (GHG) , water va p o r (H 2 O) , ca r bon dio x ide (CO 2 ) , m eth a ne (CH 4 ) , o zone (O 3 ) and nitrous oxides (NO x ). This action in v ariably results in h ig h e r n ea r -s u rf a ce la n d a nd ocean te m peratures. This is a g ood thin g ; it causes t h e ea r t h t o h a v e a n a ve r age te m perature of 59 de g rees F (15 C) instead of below freezin g. I f that heat had escaped , life o n e a r t h w o u l d h a v e b e en i m possible! Howe v e r , so m e of these GH G, li k e CO 2 (organic c ombustion) , CH 4 ( c a t t l e b u r p s a n d r i ce p a d d ie s) , h a v e i n c r e a s e d b e y o nd its natural le v els because of hu m an ’ s a cti v i t ies (an t hropogenic GHG). Carbon dioxide concentration, t h e p r inc i pa l co n tr i but o r , h as b e e n i n c r e a s i n g s i n c e t he industrial re v olution. I n t h e l a s t 5 0 ye a r s o r s o, Davi d Keeli ng (1928-2005) at M a u na Loa , H a w a i i , f o u n d a direct correlation between CO 2 concentration and te m perature. T h e CO 2 c o nce n trat i on i n cre a sed fro m abou t 310 p arts p er m i l lion (ppm) to about 380 pp m while the te m perature increased 1 to 2 de g rees F. Al t h o ugh o t h e r n a t u r al war m in g exists fro m v olcanoes, s u ns p ots , a n d u nc e rta i nt i es e x is t b ec a us e o f t he r o le of c l ou d s , m o st o f t h is n e w i nc r e a se i s s ai d t o h a v e b ee n c a u s ed b y in c re a sed fos s il fue l ( o il, co a l , g as , woo d ) burn i n g and deforestatio n and g rassland p l ow i n g fo r c r o p s , ca t tl e , a nd wood. While oil is s t ill used the m ost, coal , second in use , is relati v ely c h ea p a n d a bu n da n t , bu t ve ry p o llu t in g . It re m ain s a d o m i n ant so u rce o f el e ctri c al e n e rg y for t h e U S A , a n d f o r g r o w i ng e c o n o m i es s u ch a s I n di a a nd C h i n a , no w t he la r ge st e mi t t er of CO 2 . The U S by fa r , thou g h , is the la rg est e m itter per capita. S o , is g lobal war m in g real? A re the scientists and their data reliable? What do the data show with respec t to m anm ade G HG from a consensus of cli m ate chan ge scientists as exe m plified by the I nte rg o v ern me ntal Panel on Cli m ate Ch a n g e ( IP CC)? W hile c o n t r a r i a n vi e w s e x i s t, especially after the East A n g lia fiasco in Brit a in , g o v ern m ent o f f i c i al s a n d o rd i n a r y c i t i z e ns still need to rely on so m e source of export analysis for direction. The I PCC , with representation f r om a ma j o r i t y o f c o u n t r i e s , a nd u n ive r s i t y a n d gove r nme nt sc i ent i sts , and w ith o f fi c ial m and a te fro m t he UN a n d the W orld Meteorolo g ical O rg anization , presents such analysis. I t is their op i nion then , that there is a 90% probability that a n t h ro p ogen i c g l o b a l w a r m i n g is real , and will g et worse. T h e y c o n t e n d t h a t t he con c o m ita n t dro p in o x y g en concentration as CO 2 increases, m ea n s tha t v olc a noes a re no t the cause , and that only the lower at m osph e re i s wa rm in g and not the uppe r , as would be ha p pen i n g i f s o lar act i v it i es were the cause. What should g o v ern m ents do? W h at sho u ld th e ro l e o f t he USA and the European Union (EU), C h i n a a n d I n d i a , b e , w i th re g ards to GHG e m issions and tech n olo g y? S hould there be a Cap-andT r a d e p r o g r am w h e r e l e ss de v eloped countries can benefit f r o m b eing l e ss p ol l uti n g , a nd f r om f i x i n g m o r e c a r b on P D F c r ea t ed w i t h pd f F a c t o r y P r o t r i a l v e r s i on ww w . pd f f a c t o r y . c om

PAGE 11

Sund a y , F eb r u a r y 28 , 2010 S TA R T el: 626 8822 & 626 3788 E m a il: s t a r n e w s p a p e r @g m a il. c om P age 11 S a l e o f U S D o ll a r s b y A u t h o r i ze d D e a l ers T h e C e n t r a l B a n k o f B e li ze a d v i s e d t h e pu b li c t h a t t h e p r e s c r i b e d s e lli n g r a t e f o r o n e U n i t e d S t a t e s ( U S) d o ll ar r e m a i n s f i x e d a t a m a x im u m o f B Z $2 . 0175 , w h i c h i n c l ud e s t h e c o mmi ss i o n o f t h e A u t h o r i ze d D ea l e r s. F o r e x a m p l e , o n t h e s a l e o f o n e ( 1 ) U S d o ll a r , t h e f o ll o w i n g i s p a y a b le B a s i c r a te B Z $2 . 00 M a x im u m C o mmi ss i on + B Z $0 . 0175 S e lli n g R a te B Z $2 . 0175 W h il e n o a dd i t i o n a l c o mmi ss i o n m a y b e c h a r g e d o n t h e U S D o ll a r s a l e , t h e f o ll o w i n g a r e j u s t i f i e d c o s ts t h a t m a y b e i n c u rr e d o n t h e s a l e t r a n s ac t i o n: . s t a m p du t y o f 1 . 25 % o n t h e B e li ze d o ll a r e qu i v a l e n t o f f o r e i g n c u rr e n c y pu r c h a s e s t h a t a re g r ea t e r t h a n B Z $100 . 00 i n v a l ue . w i r e / t e l e g r a p h i c t r a n s f e r c o st . b a n k d r a f t c o st . r ec o v e r y o f mi s ce ll a n e o u s c h a r g e s l e v i e d b y f o r e i g n b a n ks A n y p e r s o n w h o h a s a c o m p l a i n t r e g a r d i n g t h e s e lli n g r a t e c h a r g e d o n U S d o ll a r s a l e s m a y l o dg e a r e p o rt t o t h e C e n t r a l B a n k o f B e li ze a t 223 6194 w i t h t h e M a n a g e r , I n t e r n a t i o n a l P a y m e n t s U n i t. T h e C e n t r a l B a n k o f B e li ze f u r t h e r a d v i s e d t h e pu b li c t h a t o n l y A u t h o r i ze d D ea l e r s a r e p e r mi tt e d to e n g a g e i n t h e b u y i n g a n d s e lli n g o f f o r e i g n c u rr e n c y . T h e f o ll o w i n g e n t i t i e s a r e A u t h o r i ze d D ea l e r s: . H e r i t a g e B a n k L imi t ed . A t l a n t i c B a n k L imi t ed . F i r s t C a r i bb ea n I n t e r n a t i o n a l ( B a r b a d o s ) B a nk . S c o t i a b a n k ( B e li ze ) L imi t ed . B e li ze B a n k L imi t ed . P o s t M a s t e r G e n e r al . A cc o u n t a n t G e n e r al . B e li ze G l o b a l t r a v e l s e r v i ces A n y u n a u t h o r i ze d p e r s o n o r e n t i t y w h o e n g a g e s i n t h e b u y i n g o r s e lli n g o f f o r e i g n c u rr e n c y c o n t r a v e n es t h e E x c h a n g e C o n t r o l R e gu l a t i o n s a n d i s li a b l e , up o n s u mm a r y c o nv i c t i o n , t o a f i n e n o t e x cee d i n g t en t h o u s a n d d o ll a r s ( $10 , 000 . 00 ) o r t o im p r i s o n m e n t f o r a t e r m n o t e x cee d i n g t w e l v e m o n t h s o r t o b o th s u c h f i n e a n d im p r i s o n m e n t o n a f i r s t o f f e n ce. B r a n c h . In a c c e p t i n g t he contribution Ms . Ellis said that s h e h a s b e e n i n f o rme d b y t he Di r ector of t h e Red Cros s , M r s. Lily B ow m an , that e v ery sin g le penny of today ’ s donation will b e g oi ng di r e c tl y t o t h e r e l i ef e f fort and that not a sin g le di me w i l l b e u s e d f o r a n y l o c al ad m inistrati ve expense of the Red Cross. I n m akin g the prese n tation, G e n e r a l M a n age r B u l e nt Y esilyurt inf o r m ed that the undertakin g was all a part of P r i n c e s s In t e r n a t i o n a l ’ s gl o b al fundraisin g dri v e to help those in need , especially the children s u f f er i ng f rom t he d e v a st a t i ng effec t s o f th e ea r th q ua k e in Hai t i. Ms . Ellis capitalized on the o c cas i on by s end i n g out an appeal to the g eneral public to co m e in and si g n up to join the local branch of the Red Cross. “Let us not wait until a disaster st r ikes for u s to j ump i nto action” she said . “It is in these quiet times that we , at the Red C r oss , a r e b e tt e r a b le t o p rov i de a d e q u a t e t r a i n i n g t o a ll volunteers . The Red Cross is w o r k i n g o v e r t i m e i n its Hai t i Reli e f Camp a ign be c ause we a re cog n izant of the fact t h at tod a y i t ’ s H a it i an d t h at to m orr o w it can ver y wel l be us. I also want to advise the public th a t w h ile t he f ocus is c u rre n tly on H aiti , let us be eq u ally mindful , that there is likewise tremendous need right here in Belize so we must therefore not hesi t at e to volunteer our time and resources in aid of those in need in our own backyard .” A pa r t f r o m a G E NER O US pe r sona l don a tion fro m Prin c ess I n t e r n a t i o n a l S a n I gn a c io L i m i ted , o t her spo n sors o f the J a nu a ry 31 fu n dr a is i n g e v e nt i n c l u d e : A m a n da la P r e s s, S T AR N e w spa p e r , Su p a G, J a d e B an d , D J Skanl e s s, Es c a nd ar Be d r an , S an Ig na cio R e sor t H o t e l , O l d B e l i z e, M i cha e l B l e a s e , A s i an Co m mu ni t y ( S a n I g n a c i o, San t a Elena & Benque V iejo) , Sa nt iag o C astil lo Li m i te d, L o v e FM , O y e FM R ad i o, Cay o Ca b le V i si on , Beli ze T e l e m e d i a , Dol ph in P ro d u cti on , T ou c h of Class Pri n ti n g, J e i m m y R e e s a n d J a v i er Gu tier r e z (MC ’ s for the event) T h e B e l i z e B a n k L i m i t e d h e r e b y i n f o r ms i t s c u s t o m e r s t h a t t h e S a n P e dro a n d a nd S a n I g n a c i o b r a n c h e s w i l l b e c l o s e d f or b u s i n e s s o n S a t u r d a y M a r c h 6 th , 2 0 10 . F o r e v e r y d a y b a n k i n g t r a n s a ct i o n s, p l e a s e u s e o ur A T M m a c h i n es a v a i l a b l e 24 h r s a d a y , 7 d a y s a w e ek o r y o u r B eliz e B a n k V I S A D e b i t C a r d. T h e B e l i z e B a n k L i m i t e d t a k es t h is o p p o r t u n i ty w i s h i t s c u s t o m e r s a n d a l l B e l i z e a n s a s a f e a n d h a p p y B a r o n B l i s s Da y. t h e y w e r e a r r a i g n e d i n s i de B e nq u e V ie j o ’ s M a g i s tr a te Co u rt where O v idio pleaded g uilty to both cha rg es . He was ordered to p a y a fin e of $9 0 5 b y M a y, 2 0 10 , fo r dr ug t ra ff ic k in g in default 1 year i m prison m ent. On the wea p on cha rg e , he w a s s e n t en c e d t o t w o y e a rs i m pri s on m ent. A ll cha rg es a g ainst the m other were withdrawn. The son elected not to pay the fine and was transported to the Hattie v ille prison where he will spend the next two years. C o n t i nu e d F r o m F r o n t P age C o n t i nu e d F r o m F r o n t P age P D F c r ea t ed w i t h pd f F a c t o r y P r o t r i a l v e r s i on ww w . pd f f a c t o r y . c om

PAGE 12

P age 12 S TA R T el: 626 8822 & 626 3788 E m a il: s t a r n e w s p a p e r @g m a il. c om Sund a y , F eb r u a r y 28 , 2010 P D F c r ea t ed w i t h pd f F a c t o r y P r o t r i a l v e r s i on ww w . pd f f a c t o r y . c om