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Belizeans at home and abroad waited
anxiously through Monday night into Tues-
day morning asHurricane Dean approached
the southern Yucatan ofMexico. From To-
ledoto Corozal, the question was the same:
how badly would this category five affect
Belize?
Itwas not until around midnight that
we found out. High speed winds and rain
began lashing San Pedro, Caye Caulker,
Corozal and Orange Walk. At the cayes,
high waves washed over piers and onto vil-
lage streets. In Corozal zinc --even entire
roofs-- were tom off off houses, trees and
utility poles toppled. The wind howled and
people huddled together and prayed. Elec-
trical powerlosse addedtothe darkness and
confusion.
Inthe moming,whentherain eased off
and daylight made it possible to evaluate the
damage, the reports came flooding into
LOVE FM and NEMO: downtown
Corozal filled with downed poles and trees,
windows on seafront hotels and homes
smashed, plywood ripped off windows in
(Please Turn To Page 3) M W


ng


Hurricane Dean slams into the coast of the Yucatan peninsula, dumping several inches of rain on Belize.


By: Mario Lara
With the general elections around
the corner and political campaigns in
full swing there will be much mud-
slinging and dodging by candidates.
Politicians assume, justifiably so, that
this is a show voting citizens expect.
Politics is not for the thin-skinned.
So, how do we get good moral men
and women to volunteer to step into
this fray and offer themselves as po-
tential candidates? The answer is that
we generally don't get the most moral
of men and women to step forward.
This is why it is important that we
have a system of checks and balances
to keep those less than purely honest
individuals who do step forward from
running amuck.
But, how do we vote-in a group of
people who will be honest and moral
enough to do what they say they will
do and enact changes to institute a
system of checks and balances that


will be worth at least the paper that
the legislative reforms will be written
on? Well, you can see why many
people don't hold their breaths in
hope for significant improvement and
why the Prime Minister can be so
confident that all this will "blow over
like wan lee breeze." The Prime Min-
ister knows who his opponents are
and he knows that if he invests enough
effort in the mud slinging and confu-
sion that political campaigns are all
about then there's still is a good
chance.
Allegations of corruption in politics
can be expected to blow over like a
breeze and incompetence can be re-
duced to minor "hiccups" along the
way once you know that your com-
petition your main opponent is of
not much higher caliber than you are.
Then it all just becomes a game to win
over the people's affection and loyal-
ties by putting on a great show (at


least for the moment.)
Third party candidates have a much
more daunting challenge at playing that
game because they're not in a posi-
tion to mobilize public resources to
win over the people's affection by
paving their streets, or putting in long
overdue streetlights, or anything like
that. The party in government has a
clear advantage.
Third party candidates also don't
have a record they can point to and
remind people in creative and some-
times even fictitious ways of how good
and how different things were under
their watch, unlike the current oppo-
sition.
Third party candidates who have
not had a chance to govern previously,
typically don't have the business sup-
port and financial resources to stage
a political campaign that can match
the mudslinging, dodging, and confu-
sion that is put on display by the main-


stream political parties. So, third
party candidates are clearly at a se-
vere disadvantage.The main thing that
third parties DO have going for them
is the hope that they will be different.
But, if they engage or can be drawn
into the mudslinging, dodging, and
confusion that the mainstream parties
do, their chances can be easily dimin-
ished; because we are already skep-
tical in the first place about their true
motivation and capabilities. So, third
party candidates have to be much
more prepared and organized and
state their case in a straightforward
and well thought out manner. I don't
know if our third parties have achieved
that level, yet. I do think, though, that
even if they are ultimately unsuccessful
in their bid, their participation will have
had a positive impact on the political
campaign process because it adds an-
other, hopefully more serious element,
to thej ockeying for people's votes.


L e dI n e n d t O n li e a t h t t p // b ei z e n e w c o mi n d e e n d n t r h t p : t i n ug A m 2 4 5 g g







Read S S S -- S ~Independent Oniea tp/blznwscmidpneto tp//iyrgo/4dpPg


Travel Writer Finds
All is Well with
Tourism Sector

Dear Editor,

Based on emails I've received and
from reports on
www.BelizeEmergency.net, nearly all
hotels in Belize, even those in Corozal
District, escaped Dean without seri-
ous damage.
Nearly all hotels, except those that
are closed for routine seasonal main-
tenance, are open. A few hotels in
Corozal Town say they will reopen
later this week. Hotel Maya in
Corozal Town and a couple of small
Corozal guesthouses report they suf-
fered some structural damage and
haven'tdecided when they'll reopen.
Reporting hotels in Orange Walk
District say they suffered no signifi-
cant damage and are open (unless al-
ready closed for seasonal mainte-
nance).
Most hotels on Ambergris Caye re-


port that they suffered no structural
damage. A few had minor damage
and downed trees and some beach
erosion. Most will reopen on Thurs-
day, after grounds cleanup. Victoria
House, Costa Maya Resort and a few
others are closed for a short time for
cleanup.
Hotels on Caye Caulker uniformly
report no damage, and most have
stayed open, though a few will reopen
later this week or early next, after
cleanup.
Properties in Belize, Cayo, Stann
Creek and Toledo districts uniformly
report no damage and are open for
business, except for those already
closed for routine seasonal mainte-
nance.
Bottom line is that the tourism in-
dustry in Belize suffered very little
damage and that except for some
short-term cancellations during the
next few weeks Belize's slowest
tourism period anyway the tour-
ism industry should not have any sig-
nificant impact from Hurricane Dean.
Signed, Lan Sluder


TUNE IN Sunday on LOVE FM
from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm


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Sunday, August 26, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page 3


Dodging


" -Ell(Continued From Page 1)
villages like San Joaquin. The sea in the
Corozal Bay had receded before the
storm hit, as it generally does, but .
washed back in again as residents be-
gan to move about and the all clear was
called.
It was a similar sight across the <
Mexican border where international
media reported the eye of the storm
came ashore near the cruise port of
Mahajual, just outside the state capital
of Chetumal, in area described by As-
sociated Press as sparsely populated.
Quintana Roo authorities reported there. ...
had been a mandatory evacuation of
villagers living in thatched huts, but that *."'"'
many hid from the soldiers or chased l .......
them away with machetes, refusing to "
leave their homes. Fortunately no lossTotal blowout in Corozal at the famous
of life has been reported at press time flying debris shattered all thep
on either side of the border.
Further north in Cancun, some
50,000 tourists and thousands more lo-
cal residents had been successfully
evacuated, the memory of other dev-
astating hurricanes fresh in their minds.
In Belize, residents of the cayes --
had been moving out since Friday but
some those who waited until Monday
afternoon found themselves stuck where
they were as airplanes and water taxis
ceased their runs.
International aircraft canceled
flights for Tuesday in anticipation but
hundreds of tourists left on Sunday and
Monday.
There was abit of a power struggle
between the Mayor of Belize City,
Zenaida Moya and Central
Government's National Emergency
Management Organization, NEMO.
The mayor stated early on Monday she
was not recommending opening the 10
shelters (of 24) approved for occupancy Belize Defense Force recruits of l
since they were not able to withstand
reason reach NEMO officials and there
anything stronger than a category 2 and had been no official order to mandato-
n s a y at c had been no official order to mandato-
Dean was already at category 4. She rily evacuate the city and she needed
told Belizean listeners to LOVE FM that .
buses to do so if it was indeed in effect.
she would only order shelters opened if NEMO authorities bristled at her word-
Dean was downgraded. She also com- NEMO authorities bustled at her word-
a. a e S a ing and said there was no mandatory
plained her office could not for some b ere
evacuation...but people were being


"crystal palace" (residence of former Social Security Board head Narda Garcia) as
plate glass windows during the hurricane, leaving only its skeletal frame.



-'A


Recruit intake No.49 hauling away trees and other debris after Hurricane Dean.

urged to leave of their own volition. Belize City would only be experiencing
(Translation: no money no dey?) tropical storm force winds and so the
But the Mayor was able to open shelters opened. At least some of them.
shelter doors later in the day the advi- For soon enough there was another is-
sories coming from the Met Office said (Please Turn To Page 13) l W


Dean's 165mph winds mangled the zinc roof of a lean-to shed in front of this colorful
stall in the Corozal market.


Lots of work ahead to restore this home to its former state, as it lost a good portion of
its roof and sustained damage to its front verandah.







I. IS ReadS S I~~Independent Oniea tp/beieesc midpedn rht:/inulc m25 ag 4 1


The Chosen Country:


Belize


By: TrevorVernon


Hurricane or no hurricane, Belize is
the best place to invest your money
these days. There's no hit or miss
proposition when investing here. You
invest in the right industries that the
central planners have designated, and
you will be living the good life in the
best country, anywhere.
The new "big five" industries that
the Musa Administration has re-des-
ignated at the end of the eleventh hour
of his term are: agribusiness, tourism,
aquaculture, information communica-
tion technology, environmental goods
& services. These are truly the best
industries to invest in now, per gov-
ernment orders.
Yet we see world-class Belizean in-
vestors investing in none of the gov-
ernment designated areas. Take mas-


ter investor Luke Espat. Does he in-
vest in information communication
technology? No! He went after the
upscale condo market in Belize City.
Did he invest in environmental goods
& services? No! He went into devel-
oping a tourist resort in Placencia. Did
he venture into aquaculture? No! He
invested heavily in the privatization of
the ports: air, sea, and other points of
entry. Mr. Espat is the Warren Buffet
of Belize's Wall Street.
Money is real cheap and easily ac-
cessible in Belize. Walk into any local
or offshore, or nearshore bank with a
most basic feasibility study, cash flow
projections, heavy collateral (or sov-
ereign guarantee) and you get instant
approval. Well, cheap is relative but
easily accessible isn't. So, you don't
even have to bring venture capital
monies just a vivid imagination and
we'll provide access to the parallel
foreign exchange markets... at pen-
nies on the dollar. Hell, you can do
pretty well for yourself just on the
exchange.
We have great foreign controlled
utility companies too so the power is
always on, the phones impeccable, the
ISP superb, the water as pure as the


driven snow, and the instant noctur-
nal activity exciting. The road condi-
tions are second to none and there is
even a helicopter company to fly you
around to selected spots at about
1000 dollars an hour. What there
that's missing you ask? Absolutely
nothing. We've got everything your
little heart desire, for a small price
anything can be arranged with the
greatest of ease.
You may have heard bad things
about Belize by the malcontents who
don't share the vision of the great
leaders and who through their own
treacherous illusions of grandeur
speak ill of the great Musa/Fonseca
revolution. Whatever you may have
heard are all lies I tell you. Yes we
have had a few hiccups with power
outages, overzealous security forces,
organized gangs, contaminated rivers
and aquifers, spots of dying reef, and
wild nocturnal activity but none of this
will affect you. Just ask Jeffery
Prosser, Sir Ronald Saunders, and
their top notch Belizean attorney
Lionel Welch.
And how can anyone or anything be
against this country and it government
when God is with them? Just look


what happened when Dean was
threatening: God intervened and dis-
sipated it, shrunk it, and made it go
away. Belize is more than just a good
country. It's a chosen one with lots of
great investment opportunities. Just
ask Luke.


I Now available


Get your Free Gift
of an Independent
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paid, don't You Know,
when you sow -
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whirlwind? ; ,
















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said cannot escape Deanw!!







Sunday, August 26, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page 5


'U
w


of


thinking how awful it must be out in the
sun all day and how lousy the pay must
be. But then again, the PUP's blue and
white paint stripes at the base of tele-
phone polls in the Corozal district vil-
lages are certainly decorative. Every


I j--.
A,,-,. .",-g ,[

By: Karla HeusnerVernon
I did a double take when I passed
through Orange Walk the other day (pre-
hurricane Dean). The sign strung across
the highway, attached to two utility poles,
was demanding that the Prime Minister
call elections NOW! Actually, it called
him a nasty name too. There were other
signs, with uncomplimentary photos or
caricatures of him perched like a pup-
pet.
The diversity of the artwork makes it
difficultto determine if they emanate from
a single source, or were erected by a
group or party branch. Some of the signs
appear to be UDP sponsored, but you
cannot be sure. Until someone claims
credit, we can only speculate.
A Belize City divisional candidate for
the UDP Michael Peyrefitte has
claimed responsibility for the signs he
has posted all along the utility poles of
the northern highway and main streets
of his division. They are red and atten-
tion getting and show he is ready for
action. Actually they make you feel
kinda festive. Like "Merry Christmas"
or "Happy September Celebrations"
signs. I like them.
The blue t-shirts on roadside work-
ers are harder to enjoy. I just keep


once in awhile there is a red one stick-
ing out like a sore pole, butby and large
the blue and white seems dominant. At
least paint can-wise. We cannot be sure
how much it reflects the nearest home
owner's sentiments since most utility
poles are outside their yards on the
streetside. Maybe someone just
sneaked up to the pole in the night and
painted it. The next morning the resi-
dents came outside and either felt a
surge of PUP pride or sucked their teeth.
The National Reform Party is also
joining the color war, putting up bill-
boards to try and convince Belizeans
to go orange this time around, introduce
their candidates- many of whom have
abandoned the red and blue in search
of something more pure and promising.
It is probably only a matter of time
before the Vision Inspired by the People
and We the People's yellow begins to
dot the landscape, bright and fresh, un-
tainted by any tinge of scandal.
But thej ostling for control of the poles
is child's play compared to the pending


.e


war at the polls. It is just nervous side-
ways glancing before the start of the
race. Compounding the tension is the
frustration that no one knows when the
gun will go off, except the Prime Minster.
Hence the Orange Walk signage trying


to bully him into making an announce-
ment.
But the Prime Minister is as inscru-
table as a Buckingham Palace guard,
keeping his secret. No doubt he enjoys
everyone trying to read his mind: "Should
we run? Or wait? Save our money or
spend?" It must be nerve wracking for
the various party leadership!
It certainly is nerve wracking for the
business community and international
investors who once more in "wait and
see mode" just as they always are for
the year or so before an election in
Belize. Money stops flowing, people
start hoarding, thinking about their op-
tions if this one win, or that one lose,
making fake friends, hedging their bets,
just in case. It's all so unnatural, bizarre
even.
Of course media managers love to
prolong the inevitable, make more
money from the ad campaign. You
never hear them calling for early elec-
tion. Oh no, the longer the term the big-
ger the bill!


oft.


What about our Iil Resources?



A statement from the NRP


When you are in Spanish Lookout on
a hill around the Esso gas station at night
and you look towards the east you see
in approximately 2 miles east the air light
up of a flame where Belize Natural En-
ergy is wasting natural gas from the 5
producing oil wells all joined by a pipe
underground. At times you can see the
flame arising above the bushes from 2
miles away and the toxic smoke cover-
ing the whole area and the breeze blow-
ing it towards residential areas. This has
been going on since they open the first
well and the complaints made and sick-
ness caused by this waste have been
completely ignored by BNE and other
authorities.
The BNE is sending in various news-
papers a colourful release on how much
they have benefited Spanish Lookout,


by sales of goods and fees, and how
the have one person working from
Spanish Lookout Also how they have
pleased Spanish Lookout by removing
the gas burning flame from near the
houses which was sickening them over
one year, to 2 miles down the road to
where it blows over Spanish Lookout
in a wider area than before and how
they are promising once more that they
will get the royalty fee some day.
Then there are questions about the
actual amount of oil being produced:
the Spanish Lookout committee re-
ports BNE informed them they are
extracting 3200 barrels per day. But
the record we have from the truckers
indicates they are hauling 24 tankers
per day which equals to 4800 barrels
of oil per day. What is BNE trying to


hide? Do they think they can hide a
big semi-truck? And what is exactly
the reason they bring out a colourful
release of how great they are, while
they are intoxicating our air and wast-
ing our irreplaceable natural re-
sources? They seem to sell their pub-
lic image relations real cheap.
Information from other countries
has also arrived. We happened to get
a visit from an oil specialist from
Houston Texas. He said that even in
Nigeria, a country with little social and
health control, they do not allow the
burning of toxic gas at the oil wells,
but they re-inj ect it back, not to dam-
age the gas cap in the earth. He says
the gas cap over the oil must stay there
until the well is depleted so we can
expect approximately 60% of the de-


posit, in the case of letting the gas out
maybe only 40% can be extracted. It
is also important how fast the oil is
extracted not to damage the core. He
also stated that the gases should be
pumped back into the gas cap in the
earth in any case to get 20% more oil
out.
One must ask the question: Are we
so broke that we have to rush and get
the 40% of our oil resource and run
and not able to keep a record closer
than 30% from 2300, to 4800 bar-
rels and no matter who gets sick, who
loses and what is wasted, and to dis-
regard peoples health, rights, environ-
ment and international rules? Some
one sooner or later will have to an-
swer these questions. Before to much
negative vibes are created.


"But the jostling for control of the poles is child's
play compared to the pending war at the polls. It
ut t'
is just nervous sideways glancing before the start
of the race... "
J


Poles

The only real mystery to me is why
we, as Belizeans, allow this cat and
mouse game to continue. The Political
Reform Commission considered a pro-
posal to fix the date of the General Elec-
tions, just as the Municipal and Village
elections are set. But they declined.
"The majority of the Commission
does not recommend that there be
fixed dates for national elections in
Belize in the context of the parliamen-
tary executive model of government
as practiced by Belize. (See recom-
mendation 84 of your bedside copy of
the Political Reform Commission Re-
port 2000.1 Ibelieve it is there right next
to your "Constitution of Belize." )
It was not just a matter of consistency
with the inherited model; the Commis-
sion maintains there are other mecha-
nisms which offer alternatives to wait-
ing for the Prime Ministerto call an elec-
tion, mechanisms which can be easily
activated: "One of the basic principles
of this model is that a government
must resign if there is a vote of no
confidence or if they otheli n ie lose
the majority in the House of Repre-
sentatives. "
Hmmm, not quite sure what "other-
wise lose the majority" means since
Reps are not allowed to cross the floor,
but the part about vote of no confidence
is pretty clear. However, what provi-
sion is there is when the ruling party rep-
resentatives just grumble about losing
confidence but no one actually makes a
motion?
Seems we are back to square one,
(Please Turn To Page 11) 0 J*







I ReadIndependnt Onlie athtp://beizenew comindepnden orhgg ..- 0~om25dp ae


By: Gus Perera
It is such a great feeling to be writ-
ing again after a short but wonderful
vacation. In order to make the holi-
days just that holiday I self-im-
posed a media blackout and insulated
myself from all things political-news-
papers, talk-shows (more like spin
shows), news and political ads. The
political "detox" was a liberating ex-
perience. Now I am even more con-
scious ofjust how uninspiring the poli-
tics of "winning elections" is. It is a
brand of politics for enfeebled men -
- self-serving, seeking validation
through positional power and control,
and the amassing of wealth. It is a
"two faced" kind of politics "look-


ing good on the outside but doing
badly on the inside."
Speaking about "two faced," dur-
ing a recent visit to Chetumal, and
while browsing the stores, I happened
to notice the brand name "Dorian
Gray." It reminded me of a movie I
saw during my high school days; the
name of the flick was "The Portrait
of Dorian Gray". The entire movie
plot and main actors eluded my
memory but it did not matter, it was
just a brief journey down memory
lane nothing important.
As if by pure co-incidence though,
and during one of my daily devo-
tional readings this week, I came
across an article entitled "About
Face. In it, the author spoke of
an encounter with an elderly man
with a cane whose face "radiated
such jocularity and positivity"
that she was compelled to ask the
man about his life. After talking with
the elderly man, she could not help
but recall the novel written by Os-
car Wilde, "The Portrait of
Dorian Gary." We were "on the
same page!"
She wrote: "Dorian Gray is an
exceptionally charming, wealthy


Belizeans


and handsome man. A friend, and
admirer of his, paints his portrait
and Dorian expresses the wish
that he could remain as handsome
and young as the portrait and
that the portrait age instead. He
gets his wish. But not only does
the portrait age, its features
change and grow uglier as Dorian
slowly immerses himself in a sor-
did and reprehensible lifestyle full
of ignoble deeds. Dorian Gray
never lost his looks and charisma
but his portrait reflected the deca-
dent rogue that he had become.
King Solomon wrote: "As in wa-
ter face answers face, so does the
heart of man to man. The truth
is that there is a connection between
a person's face and his heart. The
countenance of our face is the mir-
ror of our soul. Perhaps this should
challenge our leaders to look into
their leadership mirror. What is the
face of the nation telling them? Why
is her face so wrinkled? Why the
stress lines on her forehead? Why
the puffed eyes? Why the countless
tears streaming down her face. The
countenance of our national face is
one of stress the mirror of our


Rea


R. Saltsmam Jewish World Review
government?
At the individual level, what is the
mirror telling each leader about the
state of his soul? Sure, some lead-
ers have said time and time again,
"Everyday I look myself in the mir-
ror," as if to suggest that they ha-
bitually hold themselves accountable
for doing the right thing. But the
statement is both legal and ambigu-
ous, and intentionally so, for it fails
to address two critical questions:
"What do I see?" And "What will I
do about it?"
The answer to the first question
"What do I see?" cuts through the
facade of charisma, it blows a hole
through the pretence of caring, and
it exposes the putrid stench of
blended confidence and arrogance
("confi-gance").The answer to the
question "What do I see?" cuts to
the bone it exposes the very soul
of the leader the very "Portrait
of Dorian Gray."
The answer to the second ques-
tion "What will I do about it?" chal-
lenges the heart of conscience, it ren-
ders the phony leader helpless in the
face of searing truth truth that ex-
poses the evil motives of the heart.



dy to


Take


Back Their Country


By: Patrick Tillett
Some people are suggesting there is
not much hope for Belize over the next
5 year, or even 10 years. The truth is,
the journey of a 1,000 miles starts with
the first step.
Belize has been in this same situa-
tion before, and it did not take 10
years to recover, it did not even take
5, in less then five years a good and
prudent government turned around
the economic situation: creatingjobs
and growth in GDP over 10%.
Prime Minister Musa has created a
debt crisis for Belize. Resolving the
debt crisis will be a challenging task,
but it has been done before, and new,
seasoned leadership can do it again.
Political reform is important, but, al-
most none of those reforms will help
deal with the crisis of the debt, at DFC
or Social Security Board. The SSB
Chairman admits that SSB will con-
tribute $10 million this year to the
NHI when it had only planned $5 mil-
lion. The Musa Administration can-
not manage the financial affairs of the


country and are repeatedly robbing
from Peter to pay Paul.
The most popular reform is an
elected Senate. The UDP has pro-
posed its alternative to an elected
Senate. Let the debate begin. Prime
Minister Musa has said publicly he
supports an elected Senate, but he is
unwilling to push it. The Prime Minis-
ter also supports giving $37 million to
Belize Bank for UHS, and he was
willing to push that. Perhaps to Prime
Minister Musa it is better to give away
$37 million of taxpayers money, than
to push for an elected Senate.
In spite of the sound financial man-
agement by UDP Administrations,
some people keep suggesting that
UDP and PUP are the same. When
has UDP bankrupted DFC or any-
thing else? When has the UDP used
privatization to transfer the wealth of
the nation into hands of a few? When
has UDP bankrupted the nation by
accumulating debt recklessly and
wanton spending? Ignore those, the
UDP and PUP are still the same.


The third parties have a lot to offer
Belize, but, none of them will be ready
for 2008. What do Belizeans do?
Should Belizeans stay with the cor-
rupted and crooked Musa Adminis-
tration or look to the UDP where
there is a record of sound manage-


ment?
Belizeans are ready to take back
their country, and it starts with chang-
ing the PUP Leadership. Change must
come, and now. The UDP is ready,
able and willing, the third parties are
not...


are


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Sunday, August 26, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page 7



National Reform Party: the



new Government of Belize?


By: RavAuxillou
In chatting with some NRP knowl-
edgeable people, I'm told all the secrecy
of the intentions of the NRP are based
on the strategy of waiting for the incum-
bent PUP government to call the next
elections. I'm puzzled by this political
strategy, but am assured they are ready
to contest the next national elections and
provide a much better form of govern-
ment than previously held under either
the UDP or the PUP.
Apparently they have all the election
divisions throughout the nation covered
with candidates and have a solid party
equal to that offered by the UDP, if not
better. They would not give me candi-
date names, because they claim the PUP
conduct dirty politics and they are afraid
that their candidates would be perse-
cuted and intimidated by the power in-
herent of a patronage political party
machine holding the reins of the police,
the government jobs, the court dates and
justice system controls and the Belize
Defense Force. They don't want their
candidates beaten up by police, or
homes raided by the Belize Defense
Force military on trumped up charges,
with ransacking oftheir belongings. Nor
do they have a newspaper, radio sta-
tion, or television station to get into a
lying, insulting competition.
The NRP attitude seems to be they
want to provide good, honest govern-
ment based on logical development,
through consensual views arrived at
through debate. They do not want
anything to do with character assas-
sination, trumped up charges in court
cases, insults and slander, which is the
way the PUP operate in an election
campaign using the successful politi-
cal patronage model of election cam-
paigning.
I'm not sure waiting for the last thirty
days until election time is a good po-
litical strategy, particularly if they are
not getting any publicity of their mis-


sion goals, vision and ideas before
hand. It was pointed out to me, how-
ever, that the UDP suffer the same
victimization at the hands of the PUP
in that the PUP will steal their ideas if
they announce them, and do their best
to destroy their candidates reputation
and characters should they announce
too early their candidates names.
Can we as a nation elect a party like
the NRP based on HONEST govern-
ment and using consensual views of
different parties to achieve an honest
government, taking the moral high
ground? Any perusal of archives of
newspapers in election years in local
libraries, or for that matter in any year,
will certainly find that dirty political
tricks are one of the ways the PUP
win general elections. One would
think any political party wishing to
govern Belize would automatically
have to follow the same course of
electioneering as the successful pirati-
cal PUP! Certainly the UDP try to
follow this crude, cruel model of elec-
tion warfare.
I'm not at all sure the citizens of
Belize are ready for honest govern-
ment!
The National Reform Party would
be run on Mennonite governing prin-
cipals, at least, I assume so. The
Mennonites as a group have their in-
dividuals who are less than perfect
too. But overall they have been very
successful in governing themselves and
certainly made the first two genera-
tions born in Belize these past fifty
years, upper middle class, if not
wealthy. They are also the political
party of the poor, as they do, through
their social communal cooperative
rules make sure all people have equal
opportunities and none are left out. I
can certainly attest to that myself, as
the corner house across from me was
rented by a Mennonite church group
and a West African Creole lady of
Mennonite beliefs was installed in this
house and is being supported and
looked after with her four young chil-
dren, when abandoned by a non Men-
nonite African Creole husband, who
beat her and threw them out on the
street to survive by themselves.
The PUP to all appearances are no
longer the party of the poor masses,
but of the wealthy and rich elite. I can
certainly agree, that the PUP have


done some stupid things. Still, the PUP
have done some good healthy infra-
structural things like roads, commu-
nity centers, water systems in Toledo
also. Whether or not any government
of any other party would, in the nor-
mal course of events, have done the
same things anyway is open to de-
bate. Most of this stuff is done by the
civil service anyway I believe, in the
normal course of running a govern-
ment.
The district for Ralph Fonseca
is expected to sell their votes this
year for $700 to $1000 each as
usual. They don't give a hoot about
honest government apparently...
Then there is Said Musa's seat in
the Fort George Division. As far as
I can ascertain from newspaper ar-
ticles, this is bunch of wealthy old
ladies and widows not interested in
politics, or the nation, but are lonely
for some company and the party
leader has already wooed them with
one tea party and expect another
one around Christmas for their
votes. At least, that is the impres-


sion I am getting. There is one shin-
ing example among the electoral di-
visions. Remember when the can-
didate for Belize Rural South ran for
office on an HONEST representa-
tive, blazoned across his street ban-
ners? He beat out Patty Arceo of
the PUP who was kinda slow on the
bookkeeping and accountability
part of government finances she
handled.Just the same, this elec-
toral division did go against the
trend back then, by voting in a UDP
representative solely on the HON-
EST campaign slogan.
He is still in office and after the
first term, I notice this second term
even the incumbent PUP cooperate
with him. He's not really a party
person, but had to run on the UDP
ticket at the time to compete against
what was perceived as unsatisfac-
tory accounting. So it is possible the
NRP can field honest candidates
and take the government in the re-
bound and dissatisfaction from the
PUP shenanigans. Their competi-
tion is really only the UDP.


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Voting for I
is at the lowest.
Mr. Nelson Mandela of SouthAf-
rica said, "Education is the most im-
portant weapon we can use to
change the world," so why is it that
our leaders act as if they don't see
our people being educated as an
d.t economic benefit and also social
i. plus for our nation?
o t Some argue that this 'free educa-
tion' will be paid out of our tax dol-
B Mo Sulhlars, but that's nothing new, every-
PrBye Moses Suph government thing else is paid out of our tax dol-
lars, both the necessary and the un-
An Election should be based on necessary. This venture, however,
debates on moral value, credibil- would be one of the necessary
ity and proven track records. We things.
must seriously look into the ideas Despite how much the PUP scoff
which both parties campaign on at the idea which was the same
as aplat form. We must know who way that the JLP scoffed at the idea
is going to fix the situation our of free health care it is still viable,
country faces, economically, so- and their opposition to it is only be-
cially and spiritually. I am not sure cause they didn't promise it first -
if we as young people are voting purepolitics!
on the issues, yet we must put the It is an absolute insult by those
issues at the forefront. Such as: who consider themselves to be in-
the affordability and the accessi- tellectuals to those who are seeking
ability of education, the creation of to the opportunity to become intel-
employment opportunities, acces- lectuals, to believe that a university
sibility to affordable health care, can properly operate with $8.5 mil-
the accessibility to owning a piece lion.
of land, who is benefiting from The University ofBelize, our only
our resources, the economic debt. national university should be a
As election draws near we must symbol of pride to our nation, and
demand that the cost of education the only way this will come to ac-
be at a rate where it is affordable to tualization is if it is developed and
each and every person wanting the the service given is second to
opportunity to be educated at any none. With Belize City being the
level. The contribution by our gov- most populated district in our
eminent to education is the lowest country, one would believe that
in the Caribbean for secondary and the main campus would be lo-
tertiary. Jamaica is a country with cated in such a place; however
almost 3 millionpeople; the govern- this is not the case and I will not
ment pays 50% of the cost and the attempt to debate that at this time.
parents pay the other 50%. Belize is As a person who loves, and is
a country with only around 300,000 Ta'
thousand people, so why can't we For *
do the same or better?
At the tertiary level again the con- m
tribution by governmentper student M...- jA


Real l

very concerned about our coun-
try and its people, I urge our
young people to demand that the
cost of education both at the Uni-
versity and secondary institution
be affordable, which it is not at
this time. I have seen many of my
peers both at the University of
Belize and other colleges not be-
ing able to pursue their goal of
getting a higher education due to
the cost. I have seen students like
my self not being able to take the
city bus, or have a good lunch
due to the fact that there is no
money after paying their school
expenses.
My solution to the problem?
Government's contribution must
increase, the government can do
this if they truly want to see our
nation move forward and be able
to compete with the global
economy. We have most recently
started selling oil in commercial
quantity, but who is benefiting
from this? Government can cre-
ate an education fund or tax paid
by those selling the oil. Say for
every dollar made off the oil 10%
goes to education.
According to our government,
tourism is our future, but whose
future? To make sure we do ben-
efit from tourism, from every $1
collected from the tax tourist pay
in this country 10% should go to
a specific education fund that a per-
centage of that would go to our Na-
tional University, a percentage to the
secondary institutions and other col-
leges.
Scholarships are a big joke in my
book. First of all some of the per-


issues

sons who have received scholar-
ships in the country should not even
be a candidate for scholarship; their
parents are wealthy and can afford
to pay their way through any educa-
tional institution, and yet these are
the same persons we see get schol-
arships. Scholarships should be
given to those who are in need of
financial assistance and not those
who are not in need. Let us demand
that our leaders invest in our
country's future and the best way
to do so is by making education
affordable and accessible to each
and every person in this country,
regardless, of race, religion, finan-
cial background. One way we can
do so is by voting for those who
are committed to educating our
nation's human resource. Young
people, unite for a better Belize.
Thanks to all the students who
voted for me so I can continue
to represent you in our fight to
keep education affordable.
One God
One People
One Love


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Sunday, August 26, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page 9


Arizona
Chandler
AJ's Chandler
Liquor Square

Phoenix
AJ's Camelback
AJ's Central
Sportsman's Liquors

Scottsdale
Sportsman's Liquors

Tucson
Rumrunner Liquors

California
Beverly Hills
Robert Burns Wines

Costa Mesa
Hi Time Wines

Glendale
Red Carpet Wine

Hollywood
K&L Wines


Granite City
Corrall Liquors

O'Fallon
Plaza Liquors

Skokie
Schafer's Wines & Spirits

Waukegan
Paul's Armanetti Liquors

Indiana
Bloomington
Big Red Liquors

Carmel
Classic Spirits
Hamilton Beverage
Kahn's

Evansville
University Liquor
Winetree

Ft.Wayne
Cap N Cork




Hi 7 1I -I S m li.- i IS I* -i. 1


Wran


Iquenos are


impatient for elections







Sunday, August 26, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page 11


EE(* i[A myi uIiI I9


US Embassy Revokes
corruption suspect's
visa
Reports are the US visa belonging
to Lionel Tillett, aka "Ombudsboy"
has been revoked following a sting op-
eration in which he is alleged to have
been extorting money from a recently
paroled Hattieville prisoner. But the
plot thickens as the names of two
magistrates have reportedly also
come up in the conversations... Might
we see some magistrates losing visas
as well? This one will be a real chal-
lenge for Ombudsman Paul Rodriguez
and his office. But kudos to the po-
lice for the sting and for jumping on
the issue so promptly. One can only
wonder how many other criminals
might be out on the streets right now
because they paid their way out.
Boxing Day for
MOE?
It was supposed to be a welcome gift:
"Free textbooks." But the costs just
seem too high already. Outraged that
Belize is depicted as part of Mexico on
maps in the Spanish book, the Belize
National Teacher's Union has told the
Ministry of Education to get rid of the
books, now. What will happen if they
don't comply? Will the teachers simply
not teach this subject? Sounds like a
showdown in the classroom. But it could
be a good social studies lesson on Na-
tionalism.... Also disturbing is reading
the interview with MOE officials on
LOVE FM website. Just how many
grammatical errors can our educators


make in one breath anyway? Maybe
we need some free adult education
English books?
US Terror Suspect
Pleads Guilty
Well, some Belizeans who believed
aUS fugitive hiding out in Belize, James
Uj ama, was being unfairly persecuted
because of his race and/or religion may
be surprised to hear he has pleaded
guilty in the US to helping raise money
for terrorist groups in Afghanistan and
Britain. According to Channel Five,
Uj ama had been plea bargaining to help
US officials catch some of his co-con-
spirators when he fled to Belize. Will
his arrest lead to any examination of
his contacts here? In light of arrests in
Trinidad, it's not impossible. As to why
any of our people might have believed
he was innocent, maybe he neglected
to mention he had already served two
years for setting up terrorist training
camps... .The question now should be:
why did he come to Belize
COMPOL: in
the hot seat
Commissioner of Police, Hon Gerald
Westby, comes from salt of the earth
but he's been taking a heavy licking in
various comers ofthe Belize media, not
unlike his political bosses. He has gone
on the defensive and has responded to
numerous claims this past weekend.
We like Westby but we know the
modus operandi of his Belmopan
bosses. He must be under a lot of pres-
sure with such a weakened morale in
the public service.


Control of the Poles


.-I (Continued From Page 5)
waiting for the PM to call the date.
Everyone is quickto point out in hushed,
revered tones that Britain and Canada and
many other Commonwealth nations, don't
have fixed elections either. But we tend to
forget their parliamentarians can and do
exercise their right to conduct a vote to
determine the confidence of the members
in the government. British and Canadian
Prime Ministers have been taken down
for doing far less "ras" than many people
in Belize think has gone on here.
(Notto mention all the officials in Asian
countries who quickly resign at the least
hint of scandal, or worse, kill themselves
to save face. Or have their officials ex-
ecuted. We are not asking anyone to do
that here. But it would be nice if some of
our leaders could be a little less facey and
develop some backbone...hmmm?)
So, disappointing as it is, the Political
Reform Commission gives us no hope for
reform on this one. Although they did of-
fer a healthy reminder that the other min-
isters and members ofthe House can ulti-
mately control the fate of the government,


unlike the rest ofus. And showed us we
do not live under a dictatorship, by any
stretch of the imagination. Our represen-
tatives consent/support whatever control
they are under. And we consent to letting
them do nothing.
But just suppose for a moment, that the
date forNational Elections inBelize WAS
fixed and the people, and political parties,
knew their time limits, when their power
and access to taxpayer money, would run
out.
Why, that might be just as confidence
building as knowing there was aterm limit
for aPrime Minister. Yes, what if a politi-
cal party HAD to change leaders after
two runs, offering the electorate a new
choice, newblood, newvision foraparty
they want to remain loyal to, even if an
individual leader has not lived up to his
promises.
Might that be an even better parliamen-
tary model than the one we have? Amore
democratic one? But it seems we shall
never know.
And as long as the man is calling the
election, he di call all di shots.


Luke's new Towers
Lukas' new skyscraper on the bar-
racks called the Renaissance Towers is
a sight to behold with eight stories.
Beautiful inside and out, obviously in-
spired by the Panama landscape, took
a lot of determination, money, and
some vision. Its like many we've seen
in Punta Paitilla in Panama but he
doesn't intend to keep his tower
empty unlike the dozens of empty
ones we saw in Panama. Prices start
for the 2 beds/2 baths at $255,000,
if we heard correctly but you better
check on those figures yourself be-
cause those prices might well be in
Balboas!
Great views all the way around. Say
what you will of the man, he created
a magnificent landmark from scratch!
Expect to see many more works of
art from him and others in the great


pissing contest; he's got a lot of fight
left and extremely wicked connec-
tions. Placencia might be next as we
heard he (and his partner) just fin-
ished buying out a resort there. Lets
hope Placencia doesn't sink with all
these heavyweights coming to the
point to compare penis sizes.
Felicitaciones Luke! You are the man.
Hurricanes
This is hurricane season folks; be
prepared and don't take it lightly al-
though no previous hurricane ever
gave us a direct hit in the month of
August except in 1979 when we got
the tail end of one. You can monitor
direct from national hurricane center
in Miami by subscribing to their list
at: http://hurricanes.gov/. Also, http:/
/www.ambergriscaye.com has a great
section on links, discussion groups,
and a host of great resources.


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"Dialogues from the country side":


The problem with Familiarity

Familiarity is a slow killer within a
society. What do we mean? Is it not
good for someone to get to know you
really well? Of course, but let us not
think about their negative behaviour
and weaknesses as a person or a
group. Soon, others become less
important than our-self and that is *
the problem. It sets in like a slow .
poison to friendship or any social life
as gangrene covers the body.
In religious circles, self righteous-
ness is a troublesome disease created
by familiarity and has robbed the
peace and happiness of millions of
good people. In every society many
are held captive by familiarity. They
are held captive in their own mind of
low self-esteem, low self-worth, even
when they are very talented people -
with special gifts. Parents have '
screamed at them "you are a failure". d ,".
Friends have been cruel to them as
well. We have too many Belizeans in
this miserable condition.
How to wake up the people? We
need to look past a person's weak-,"
ness and faults to see his/her talents, '
gifts, dreams and desires. We need
to see ourselves as productive
people. We need to see the opportu-7
nities of making a difference in this t
beautiful country of ours. We need to --
stop following blindly our blind lead-
ers. We need to understand that each NRP members on the campaign trail in the Cayo District
ers. We need to understand that each
one is responsible for the mess of our
country Hey, we have to say: enough
is enough. HOUSE FOB SALE
Here is where National Reform
Party can make a difference because
we see the value of every Belizean and
takes seriously the contribution of
each one. We have to stand up like
this nurse at Medical Associates. She
came back from the US to take care
of her elderly mother. She lives in the
worse crime zone of Belize City. As
a single parent she goes to work
every morning with a smile in her
face. Some time ago she was fired
from her second job because she
would not go along with corruption.
She refuses to go along with famil-
iarity. As this nurse, you can also
stop "familiarity, for it breeds con-
tempt". Let us make a difference
in our country.


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Sunday, August 26, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page 13


ARIES (Mar. 21- April 20)
Be sure to organize events that
will keep the children busy. Don't
overspend to impress others. Be
careful not to push your luck or
take too much for granted when
dealing on either a personal or pro-
fessional level. Overexertion and
negligence will be your worst en-
emies. Your lucky day this week will
be Thursday.
TAURUS (Apr. 21- may 21)
Reevaluate your motives. Keep
important information to yourself.
You can't do everything on your
own. Do not ruffle feathers if pos-
sible. Your lucky day this week will
be Tuesday.
GEMINI (May 22-June 21)
You may want to make changes that
will turn your entertainment room
into a real family affair. Do not let
the reactions of others get you go-
ing. Eliminate situations that are no
longer to your advantage. Some
situations may be blown out of
proportion.Your lucky day this
week will be Tuesday.


CANCER (June 22-July 22)
Be diplomatic when dealing with
in-law. Don't promise to deliver the
goods if you aren't positive that you
can meet the deadline. Lighten up
your serious attitude Organize so-
cial events or family gatherings.
Your lucky day this week will be
Saturday.
LEO (July 23-Aug 22)
You will be extremely receptive
to new and progressive methods at
work. You will be able to get good
advice if you listen to close friends
or relatives you respect. Your cre-
ative ideas will be put to good use
if you dig in and do things around
the house that will make your fam-
ily happy. Frustrations and limita-
tions could cause anxiety this week.
Your lucky day this week will be
Monday.
VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23)
Don't second guess yourself, just
go to it. Sudden changes regarding
your domestic scene are probable.
You will encounter those who can
help you further your goals if you


attend functions that attract promi-
nent people. Personal alterations
will be in your best interest.
Your lucky day this week will be
Friday.
LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23)
Be sure to cover all the necessary
groundwork before signing binding
contracts. Avoid being intimately in-
volved with clients or colleagues.
Your ability to organize and get ev-
eryone together will enhance your
popularity and bring interest from
potential mates. You are best not to
confide in anyone right now. Your
lucky day this week will be Satur-
day.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24 Nov. 22)
Organization will be the key to
avoiding discord and family feuds.
You might get behind if you spend
too much time debating senseless
issues. Get involved in sports events
that will benefit your physical ap-
pearance. You can expect the fur to
fly on the home front.
Your lucky day this week will be
Sunday.

SAGITTARIUS(Nov. 23 -Dec.22
Don't hesitate to voice your opin-
ions at a group meeting; however,
keep your thoughts to yourself at
home. Those you work with may
have little consideration for the un-


derdog. Changes in your home en-
vironment may cause friction. Make
a point of working on yourself.
Your lucky day this week will be
Monday.
CAPRICORN (Dec 22.- Jan. 20)
Your emotional partner will push
the right buttons this week. Con-
cern yourself with legal matters and
formulating contracts rather than fi-
nalizing your objectives. You need
to sit back and enjoy. Be discreet
and don't present your ideas until
you're certain that they're fool-
proof. Your lucky day this week
will be Wednesday.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 -Feb. 19)
You can make a difference if you
take a position of leadership. Limi-
tations at work might set you back.
Secret affairs will only lead to de-
ception. Catch up on overdue
phone calls and correspondence.
Your lucky day this week will be
Tuesday.
PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20)
You may have to take a short trip to
visit someone who hasn't been well. You
will have the stamina and the know how
to raise your earning power. Get the
whole family involved in a worthwhile
cause or cultural event. You will be emo-
tional with regard to your personal life.
Your lucky day this week will be Thurs-
day.


Your weekly







I. IS ReadS S I~~Independent Oniea tt:/eieewgo/nepneto *-:/iyrlcm25 P age1


Medieval Crucifix

found in trash


Reuters-An 800-year-old,
gold-plated crucifix that went missing
after being seized by the Nazis has been
found in a rubbish skip in Austria.
The crucifix, made of copper and
enamel, was crafted in Limoges,
France, and was part of a Polish art
collection brought to Austria during
Nazi rule, according to Josef
Holzberger, police spokesman in
Salzburg.
It was found in 2004 in the
lakeside winter resort of Zell am See
by a woman combing through a skip
filled with the discarded possessions of
a neighbour who had just died.
Last month the woman showed
the crucifix to a friend who realized it
might be something special and took it
to a museum.
In the run-up to World War Two,
the owners of the crucifix had hid it and
other treasures by walling them inside
the basement of a house in Warsaw.
They were discovered by the Na-
zis in 1941, brought to the Polish Na-


tional Museum and later transferred to
a castle in the Austrian village ofBruck
an der Grossglocknerstrasse, near Zell
am See, police said.
"We lost track of what happened
then we don't know how the cruci-
fix ended up in Zell am See," Holzberger
said.
The crucifix might be worth up to
400,000 euros (270,400 pounds) at
auction. Poland's culture ministry has
contacted the London-based Commis-
sion for Looted Art in Europe.


Man told to "walk off


pain" after shooting
Reuters-A South African man Mashiane told the paper
shot three weeks ago was told to "walk turned away by one private hos
the pain off" and is still trying to per- cause he could not afford the bill
suade hospitals to remove the bullet public hospital took X-rays and 1
lodged in his side, a newspaper said in for observation before patching
Thursday. and sending him home with pain]
Three Johannesburg hospitals re- When he returned a doctor
fused to remove the bullet for security to "walk the pain off"
guard Phillip Mashiane, 38, who was Doctors at a third hospital
shot during a burglary at the property could not remove the bullet
of South Africa's ambassador to the Mashiane had started treatme
United Nations, the Star newspaper where.
said. South Africa is battling son
The bullet passed through his el- highest rates of violent crime int
bow and entered his body just above and its underfunded public h
the hip, missed his vital organs d a struggle to treat all those w
stopped beneath the skin on the oppo- healthcare.
site side of his body, the Star said.

Couple tried to


name baby "@'


A Chinese couple tried to name
their baby "@," claiming the character
used in e-mail addresses echoed their
love for the child, an official trying to
whip the national language into line said
Thursday.
The unusual name stands out es-
pecially in Chinese, which has no alpha-
bet and instead uses tens of thousands
of multi-stroke characters to represent
words.
While "@" is familiarto Chinese e-
mail users, they oftenusethe English word
"at" to sound it out-which with a drawn
out "T" sounds something like "ai ta," or


I
he was
pital be-
s while a
kepthim
g him up
killers.
told him

l.1 said it
because
nt else-

ne of the
e world,
hospitals
ho need


"love him," to Mandarin speakers.
It was not clear if officials accepted
the "@" name. But earlier this year the
government announced a ban on names
using Arabic numerals, foreign lan-
guages and symbols that do not belong
to Chinese minority languages.
Sixty million Chinese faced the
problem that their names use ancient
characters so obscure that computers
cannot recognize them.
One of them was the former Pre-
mier Zhu Rongji, whose name had a rare
"rong" character that gave newspaper
editors headaches. --Reuters


Dodging DEAN


-.in(Continued From Page 4)
sue: government personnel assigned to
shelters were not showing up, or
showed up late causing people to wait
anxiously, even as night approached.
By 7 pm all the Belize City shel-
ters were filled and three more had to
be opened to take the overflow. Evacu-
ation buses also reported difficulty de-
parting the city. At one point, there were
40 buses waiting but only one service
station open to fuel them up!
Villagers all over Belize called ra-
dio stations to report their shelters were
non-existent, substandard or not being
announced, while shelters in San Ignacio
and Benque reported lower than ex-
pected occupancy and invited people
to come out west to safety. The ques-
tions began to swirl as menacingly as
the storm bands: what happened to all

"Princess
A leading Norwegian newspaper
called on Princess Martha Louise to
renounce her royal title Monday after
she said she communicates with angels.
The 35-year-old princess, who is
fourth in line to the Norwegian throne,
has come under intense media scrutiny
for her involvement in an alternative
school that aims to teach people how
to get in touch with angels.
Some observers have questioned
whether her work for the private insti-
tute, dubbed "the angel school" in Nor-
wegian media, can be combined with
her duties as a member of the royal fam-
ily.
"As princess and theoretical heir to
the throne Martha Louise must ... op-
erate within a certain framework," the
Bergens Tidene daily said in its editorial
Monday.
"If she feels that this would clip her
wings, so to speak, ... the solution is
clear and actually not dramatic: Drop
the princess title and her place in the
line of succession, (and) choose to live
life in her own way."
Martha Louise is the daughter of King


the hurricane shelter retrofitting and
promised new shelters after previous
storms? Work supposed to be carried
out from hefty loans and grants from
international lenders... Friends of
Belize?
But as the storm bore down, those
who had hesitated or not found an open
facility were forced to ride it out at home.
Miraculously no loss of life was re-
ported, although there was damage to
some homes in the Corozal and Orange
Walk districts.
At press time there has been no
serious flooding since the rains ceased
early on Tuesday and did not continue
as expected for several days. Belize had
once more escaped with minor injuries
instead ofmaj or casualties and relatively
minor financial damage.



of Angels"


L. r ,
Princess Martha Louise
Harald V and Queen Sonja, and the
older sister of Crown Prince Haakon.
She was married in 2002 to Ari Behn,
a Norwegian writer.
Many commentators said a member
of the royal family should not be in-
volved in spiritual healing, and some
even questioned her mental health.
In an interview Saturday on national
broadcaster NRK, Martha Louise
stated "I am very happy that I don't live
a few hundred years ago, because then
I would have been burned at the stake
a long time ago," she said.


Visit


The Belize Zoo



ThoB i

Zo



In The orl







Sunday, August 26, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page


GUEST


GALLERY


Hurricane Dean 165mph winds blew down the Island Academy '
wooden picket fence on Ambergris Caye. (photo from
tacogirlblogspot)


The thatched roof on Ramons 's Village dock in San Pedro Town stood up to Hurricane
Dean 165mph winds but their pier did not fare as well. /.)... 1)


Tropical Touch on San Pedro got debris from the sea. .... 1)
If you have any photos you would like to share
with Independent readers in our Guest Gallery,
send your digital jpg or tiff images to
karlavernon_belize@yahoo.com.


Caye Caulker got roughed up from Hurricane Dean's winds and wave action.. (courtesty
ambergriscaye. corn)



S.. One commercial building (4 offices,
YWrobelize Consulting ~ conference room, reception area) in
,- E, King's Park $1800.00/month
S'nsur ng Escrow services. Computers $800/each Call: 223-
Propedf s.ear andm e. 1668/602-9182
Vi\itourwebaite at ww : "ecm for more Free Ads! The INdependent Re-
information or mail us at wrobelizet@6 maii com
former is you your first classified ad
Needed: Mountain Bike Tour Op- with us free of charge! After that only
erator wanted in Cayo with equip- $10 per advert per issue. Ads must
ment. Tel: 663-5580 CayoAdven- be: 1) 20 words or less 2) photo must
ture Tours Ph# 824-324 bejpeg or tiff formats only. Must be
emailed, no disk pickup or drop
Need help with cleaning, ironing, off
painting or other household chores at 3) business card -first run is free
your Ladyville home? Then call me at 2007, $20 a run thereafter
624-3652. Reasonable rates, mature 4) All classified ads mustbe emailed to
female. independent. newspaper. bz@gmail.
"Free international real estate and com with cc to
investment blog and podcast. Go kheusner@yahoo. com and checks to
to http://investtheworld.blogspot.com PO Box 2666, Belize City.
as we travel the world for fun, in- Please note:
vestment and profit."For Rent: A (2) We must receive your ad by Friday
bedroom flat located in King's Park, at mid-day for inclusion in following
Belize City $800/month Tuesday issue.


Announcement of

Sale of Business
This article is to give notice that the business known as
C@f6 Caye operating at 12 Burns Ave, San Ignacio, Cayo
District is under contract for sale. Completion of sale to
take place 28th August 2007.
Any persons or businesses who believe they have outstand-
ing accounts to be paid from said business should contact;
Rainforest Realty, PO Box 195, San Ignacio, Cayo Dis-
trict, in writing 7 days before the date of completion.




= Rad ndpenen O6 in athtt:/belzeewsco /inepedet6o 6tpS/tny6l-cm645Sp ageQ1


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PAGE 1

Sunday, August 26, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page 1 INdependentVol. 2 No. 33 Sunday, August 26 2007 $1.00 Belize’s Rebel PaperTheReformer Read Independent Online at http://belizenews.com/independent or http://tinyurl.com/245dpp With the general elections around the corner and political campaigns in full swing there will be much mudslinging and dodging by candidates. Politicians assume, justifiably so, that this is a show voting citizens expect. Politics is not for the thin-skinned. So, how do we get good moral men and women to volunteer to step into this fray and offer themselves as potential candidates? The answer is that we generally don’t get the most moral of men and women to step forward. This is why it is important that we have a system of checks and balances to keep those less than purely honest individuals who do step forward from running amuck. But, how do we vote-in a group of people who will be honest and moral enough to do what they say they will do and enact changes to institute a system of checks and balances that Fighting Dirty Fighting Dirty Fighting Dirty Fighting Dirty Fighting Dirty will be worth at least the paper that the legislative reforms will be written on? Well, you can see why many people don’t hold their breaths in hope for significant improvement and why the Prime Minister can be so confident that all this will “blow over like wan lee breeze.” The Prime Minister knows who his opponents are and he knows that if he invests enough effort in the mud slinging and confusion that political campaigns are all about then there’s still is a good chance. Allegations of corruption in politics can be expected to blow over like a breeze and incompetence can be reduced to minor “hiccups” along the way once you know that your competition – your main opponent is of not much higher caliber than you are. Then it all just becomes a game to win over the people’s affection and loyalties by putting on a great show (at least for the moment.) Third party candidates have a much more daunting challenge at playing that game because they’re not in a position to mobilize public resources to win over the people’s affection by paving their streets, or putting in long overdue streetlights, or anything like that. The party in government has a clear advantage. Third party candidates also don’t have a record they can point to and remind people in creative and sometimes even fictitious ways of how good and how different things were under their watch, unlike the current opposition. Third party candidates who have not had a chance to govern previously, typically don’t have the business support and financial resources to stage a political campaign that can match the mudslinging, dodging, and confusion that is put on display by the mainBy: Mario Larastream political parties. So, third party candidates are clearly at a severe disadvantage.The main thing that third parties DO have going for them is the hope that they will be different. But, if they engage or can be drawn into the mudslinging, dodging, and confusion that the mainstream parties do, their chances can be easily diminished; because we are already skeptical in the first place about their true motivation and capabilities. So, third party candidates have to be much more prepared and organized and state their case in a straightforward and well thought out manner. I don’t know if our third parties have achieved that level, yet. I do think, though, that even if they are ultimately unsuccessful in their bid, their participation will have had a positive impact on the political campaign process because it adds another, hopefully more serious element, to the jockeying for people’s votes. Belizeans at home and abroad waited anxiously through Monday night into Tuesday morning as Hurricane Dean approached the southern Yucatan of Mexico. From Toledo to Corozal, the question was the same: how badly would this category five affect Belize? It was not until around midnight that we found out. High speed winds and rain began lashing San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Corozal and Orange Walk. At the cayes, high waves washed over piers and onto village streets. In Corozal zinc -even entire roofs-were torn off off houses, trees and utility poles toppled. The wind howled and people huddled together and prayed. Electrical power losse added to the darkness and confusion. In the morning, when the rain eased off and daylight made it possible to evaluate the damage, the reports came flooding into LOVE FM and NEMO: downtown Corozal filled with downed poles and trees, windows on seafront hotels and homes smashed, plywood ripped off windows in (Please Turn To Page 3) Dodging DEAN Hurricane Dean slams into the coast of the Yucatan peninsula, dumping several inches of rain on Belize.

PAGE 2

Read Independent Online at http://belizenews.com/independent or http://tinyurl.com/245dpp Page 2 “Quote of the Week” Send me my FREE T-shirt with my year’s subscription of the INdependent Reformer for BZ$60.00 in Belize (US$60.00 international) INdependentReformer The Name (please print) Address Apt. City State Zip Email Address Payment Included Bill me later Prices for subscription and postage may vary for subscription outside Belize. independent.newspaper.bz@gmail.com YES! P.O. Box 2666 Belize City, Belize Comments? Suggestions? or want to share your thoughts & photos? Email us at Independent.newspaper.bz@gmail.comFor an online version of the INdependent Reformer visit us atwww.belizenorth.com OR www.belizenews.comLetters to the Editor Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor Letters to the EditorEditor Karla Heusner Vernon General Manager Trevor VernonDesign/Layout/ Environmental editor William G . Ysaguirrre Published by: Independent Publishing Company (of Belize) Ltd.P.O. Box 2666 Belize City, BelizeTelephones:(501)600-1627 (501)664-1627 (501)671-1964email addresses: publisher@belize-independentnewspaper.com and editor@belize-independentnewspaper.com Printed by:National Printers New Road Belize City, Belize Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor Travel Writer Finds All is Well with Tourism SectorDear Editor, Based on emails I’ve received and from reports on www.BelizeEmergency.net, nearly all hotels in Belize, even those in Corozal District, escaped Dean without serious damage. Nearly all hotels, except those that are closed for routine seasonal maintenance, are open. A few hotels in Corozal Town say they will reopen later this week. Hotel Maya in Corozal Town and a couple of small Corozal guesthouses report they suffered some structural damage and haven’tdecided when they’ll reopen. Reporting hotels in Orange Walk District say they suffered no significant damage and are open (unless already closed for seasonal maintenance). Most hotels on Ambergris Caye report that they suffered no structural damage. A few had minor damage and downed trees and some beach erosion. Most will reopen on Thursday, after grounds cleanup. Victoria House, Costa Maya Resort and a few others are closed for a short time for cleanup. Hotels on Caye Caulker uniformly report no damage, and most have stayed open, though a few will reopen later this week or early next, after cleanup. Properties in Belize, Cayo, Stann Creek and Toledo districts uniformly report no damage and are open for business, except for those already closed for routine seasonal maintenance. Bottom line is that the tourism industry in Belize suffered very little damage and that except for some short-term cancellations during the next few weeks — Belize’s slowest tourism period anyway — the tourism industry should not have any significant impact from Hurricane Dean. Signed, Lan Sluder TUNE IN Sundays on LOVE FM from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm

PAGE 3

Sunday, August 26, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page 3 (Continued From Page 1) (Please Turn To Page 13) Dodging DEAN villages like San Joaquin. The sea in the Corozal Bay had receded before the storm hit, as it generally does, but washed back in again as residents began to move about and the all clear was called. It was a similar sight across the Mexican border where international media reported the eye of the storm came ashore near the cruise port of Mahajual, just outside the state capital of Chetumal, in area described by Associated Press as sparsely populated. Quintana Roo authorities reported there had been a mandatory evacuation of villagers living in thatched huts, but that many hid from the soldiers or chased them away with machetes, refusing to leave their homes. Fortunately no loss of life has been reported at press time on either side of the border. Further north in Cancun, some 50,000 tourists and thousands more local residents had been successfully evacuated, the memory of other devastating hurricanes fresh in their minds. In Belize, residents of the cayes had been moving out since Friday but some those who waited until Monday afternoon found themselves stuck where they were as airplanes and water taxis ceased their runs. International aircraft canceled flights for Tuesday in anticipation but hundreds of tourists left on Sunday and Monday. There was a bit of a power struggle between the Mayor of Belize City, Zenaida Moya and Central Government’s National Emergency Management Organization, NEMO. The mayor stated early on Monday she was not recommending opening the 10 shelters (of 24) approved for occupancy since they were not able to withstand anything stronger than a category 2 and Dean was already at category 4. She told Belizean listeners to LOVE FM that she would only order shelters opened if Dean was downgraded. She also complained her office could not for some reason reach NEMO officials and there had been no official order to mandatorily evacuate the city and she needed buses to do so if it was indeed in effect. NEMO authorities bristled at her wording and said there was no mandatory evacuation…but people were being urged to leave of their own volition. (Translation: no money no dey?) But the Mayor was able to open shelter doors later in the day the advisories coming from the Met Office said Belize City would only be experiencing tropical storm force winds and so the shelters opened. At least some of them. For soon enough there was another is-Total blowout in Corozal at the famous “crystal palace” (residence of former Social Security Board head Narda Garcia) as flying debris shattered all the plate glass windows during the hurricane, leaving only its skeletal frame. Belize Defense Force recruits of Recruit intake No.49 hauling away trees and other debris after Hurricane Dean. Dean’s 165mph winds mangled the zinc roof of a lean-to shed in front of this colorful stall in the Corozal market. Lots of work ahead to restore this home to its former state, as it lost a good portion of its roof and sustained damage to its front verandah.

PAGE 4

Read Independent Online at http://belizenews.com/independent or http://tinyurl.com/245dpp Page 4 The Chosen Countr The Chosen Countr The Chosen Countr The Chosen Countr The Chosen Countr y: New Belize y: New Belize y: New Belize y: New Belize y: New Belize By: T r evor V ernon Hurricane or no hurricane, Belize is the best place to invest your money these days. There’s no hit or miss proposition when investing here. You invest in the right industries that the central planners have designated, and you will be living the good life in the best country, anywhere. The new “big five” industries that the Musa Administration has re-designated at the end of the eleventh hour of his term are: agribusiness, tourism, aquaculture, information communication technology, environmental goods & services. These are truly the best industries to invest in now, per government orders. Yet we see world-class Belizean investors investing in none of the government designated areas. Take master investor Luke Espat. Does he invest in information communication technology? No! He went after the upscale condo market in Belize City. Did he invest in environmental goods & services? No! He went into developing a tourist resort in Placencia. Did he venture into aquaculture? No! He invested heavily in the privatization of the ports: air, sea, and other points of entry. Mr. Espat is the Warren Buffet of Belize’s Wall Street. Money is real cheap and easily accessible in Belize. Walk into any local or offshore, or nearshore bank with a most basic feasibility study, cash flow projections, heavy collateral (or sovereign guarantee) and you get instant approval. Well, cheap is relative but easily accessible isn’t. So, you don’t even have to bring venture capital monies just a vivid imagination and we’ll provide access to the parallel foreign exchange markets…at pennies on the dollar. Hell, you can do pretty well for yourself just on the exchange. We have great foreign controlled utility companies too so the power is always on, the phones impeccable, the ISP superb, the water as pure as the driven snow, and the instant nocturnal activity exciting. The road conditions are second to none and there is even a helicopter company to fly you around to selected spots at about 1000 dollars an hour. What there that’s missing you ask? Absolutely nothing. We’ve got everything your little heart desire, for a small price anything can be arranged with the greatest of ease. You may have heard bad things about Belize by the malcontents who don’t share the vision of the great leaders and who through their own treacherous illusions of grandeur speak ill of the great Musa/Fonseca revolution. Whatever you may have heard are all lies I tell you. Yes we have had a few hiccups with power outages, overzealous security forces, organized gangs, contaminated rivers and aquifers, spots of dying reef, and wild nocturnal activity but none of this will affect you. Just ask Jeffery Prosser, Sir Ronald Saunders, and their top notch Belizean attorney Lionel Welch. And how can anyone or anything be against this country and it government when God is with them? Just look what happened when Dean was threatening: God intervened and dissipated it, shrunk it, and made it go away. Belize is more than just a good country. It’s a chosen one with lots of great investment opportunities. Just ask Luke. Now available Get your Free Gift of an Independent Reformer Weekly t-shirt when you buy a year’s subscription to the paper. Said cannnot escape Dean!!! Said cannnot escape Dean!!! Said cannnot escape Dean!!! Said cannnot escape Dean!!! Said cannnot escape Dean!!! Said, don’t You know, Said, don’t You know, Said, don’t You know, Said, don’t You know, Said, don’t You know, when you sow when you sow when you sow when you sow when you sow misdeeds, you reap the misdeeds, you reap the misdeeds, you reap the misdeeds, you reap the misdeeds, you reap the whirlwind?! whirlwind?! whirlwind?! whirlwind?! whirlwind?!

PAGE 5

Sunday, August 26, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page 5 When you are in Spanish Lookout on a hill around the Esso gas station at night and you look towards the east you see in approximately 2 miles east the air light up of a flame where Belize Natural Energy is wasting natural gas from the 5 producing oil wells all joined by a pipe underground. At times you can see the flame arising above the bushes from 2 miles away and the toxic smoke covering the whole area and the breeze blowing it towards residential areas. This has been going on since they open the first well and the complaints made and sickness caused by this waste have been completely ignored by BNE and other authorities. The BNE is sending in various newspapers a colourful release on how much they have benefited Spanish Lookout, What about our Oil Resources? What about our Oil Resources? What about our Oil Resources? What about our Oil Resources? What about our Oil Resources?A statement from the NRP by sales of goods and fees, and how the have one person working from Spanish Lookout Also how they have pleased Spanish Lookout by removing the gas burning flame from near the houses which was sickening them over one year, to 2 miles down the road to where it blows over Spanish Lookout in a wider area than before and how they are promising once more that they will get the royalty fee some day. Then there are questions about the actual amount of oil being produced: the Spanish Lookout committee reports BNE informed them they are extracting 3200 barrels per day. But the record we have from the truckers indicates they are hauling 24 tankers per day which equals to 4800 barrels of oil per day. What is BNE trying to hide? Do they think they can hide a big semi-truck? And what is exactly the reason they bring out a colourful release of how great they are, while they are intoxicating our air and wasting our irreplaceable natural resources? They seem to sell their public image relations real cheap. Information from other countries has also arrived. We happened to get a visit from an oil specialist from Houston Texas. He said that even in Nigeria, a country with little social and health control, they do not allow the burning of toxic gas at the oil wells, but they re-inject it back, not to damage the gas cap in the earth. He says the gas cap over the oil must stay there until the well is depleted so we can expect approximately 60% of the deposit, in the case of letting the gas out maybe only 40% can be extracted. It is also important how fast the oil is extracted not to damage the core. He also stated that the gases should be pumped back into the gas cap in the earth in any case to get 20% more oil out. One must ask the question: Are we so broke that we have to rush and get the 40% of our oil resource and run and not able to keep a record closer than 30% from 2300, to 4800 barrels and no matter who gets sick, who loses and what is wasted, and to disregard peoples health, rights, environment and international rules? Some one sooner or later will have to answer these questions. Before to much negative vibes are created. “But the jostling for control of the poles is child’s play compared to the pending war at the polls. It is just nervous sideways glancing before the start of the race... ”I did a double take when I passed through Orange Walk the other day (prehurricane Dean). The sign strung across the highway, attached to two utility poles, was demanding that the Prime Minister call elections NOW! Actually, it called him a nasty name too. There were other signs, with uncomplimentary photos or caricatures of him perched like a puppet. The diversity of the artwork makes it difficult to determine if they emanate from a single source, or were erected by a group or party branch. Some of the signs appear to be UDP sponsored, but you cannot be sure. Until someone claims credit, we can only speculate. A Belize City divisional candidate for the UDP Michael Peyrefitte has claimed responsibility for the signs he has posted all along the utility poles of the northern highway and main streets of his division. They are red and attention getting and show he is ready for action. Actually they make you feel kinda festive. Like “Merry Christmas” or “Happy September Celebrations” signs. I like them. The blue t-shirts on roadside workers are harder to enjoy. I just keep Control of Control of Control of Control of Control of the P the P the P the P the P oles oles oles oles oles By: Karla Heusner V ernonthinking how awful it must be out in the sun all day and how lousy the pay must be. But then again, the PUP’s blue and white paint stripes at the base of telephone polls in the Corozal district villages are certainly decorative. Every once in a while there is a red one sticking out like a sore pole, but by and large the blue and white seems dominant. At least paint can-wise. We cannot be sure how much it reflects the nearest home owner’s sentiments since most utility poles are outside their yards on the streetside. Maybe someone just sneaked up to the pole in the night and painted it. The next morning the residents came outside and either felt a surge of PUP pride or sucked their teeth. The National Reform Party is also joining the color war, putting up billboards to try and convince Belizeans to go orange this time around, introduce their candidates— many of whom have abandoned the red and blue in search of something more pure and promising. It is probably only a matter of time before the Vision Inspired by the People and We the People’s yellow begins to dot the landscape, bright and fresh, untainted by any tinge of scandal. But the jostling for control of the poles is child’s play compared to the pending war at the polls. It is just nervous sideways glancing before the start of the race. Compounding the tension is the frustration that no one knows when the gun will go off, except the Prime Minster. Hence the Orange Walk signage trying to bully him into making an announcement. But the Prime Minister is as inscrutable as a Buckingham Palace guard, keeping his secret. No doubt he enjoys everyone trying to read his mind: “Should we run? Or wait? Save our money or spend?” It must be nerve wracking for the various party leadership! It certainly is nerve wracking for the business community and international investors who once more in “wait and see mode” just as they always are for the year or so before an election in Belize. Money stops flowing, people start hoarding, thinking about their options if this one win, or that one lose, making fake friends, hedging their bets, just in case. It’s all so unnatural, bizarre even. Of course media managers love to prolong the inevitable, make more money from the ad campaign. You never hear them calling for early election. Oh no, the longer the term the bigger the bill! The only real mystery to me is why we, as Belizeans, allow this cat and mouse game to continue. The Political Reform Commission considered a proposal to fix the date of the General Elections, just as the Municipal and Village elections are set. But they declined. “The majority of the Commission does not recommend that there be fixed dates for national elections in Belize in the context of the parliamentary executive model of government as practiced by Belize.” (See recommendation 84 of your bedside copy of the Political Reform Commission Report 2000. I believe it is there right next to your “Constitution of Belize.” ) It was not just a matter of consistency with the inherited model; the Commission maintains there are other mechanisms which offer alternatives to waiting for the Prime Minister to call an election, mechanisms which can be easily activated: “One of the basic principles of this model is that a government must resign if there is a vote of no confidence or if they otherwise lose the majority in the House of Representatives.” Hmmm, not quite sure what “otherwise lose the majority” means since Reps are not allowed to cross the floor, but the part about vote of no confidence is pretty clear. However, what provision is there is when the ruling party representatives just grumble about losing confidence but no one actually makes a motion? Seems we are back to square one, (Please Turn To Page 11)

PAGE 6

Read Independent Online at http://belizenews.com/independent or http://tinyurl.com/245dpp Page 6 Some people are suggesting there is not much hope for Belize over the next 5 year, or even 10 years. The truth is, the journey of a 1,000 miles starts with the first step. Belize has been in this same situation before, and it did not take 10 years to recover, it did not even take 5, in less then five years a good and prudent government turned around the economic situation: creating jobs and growth in GDP over 10%. Prime Minister Musa has created a debt crisis for Belize. Resolving the debt crisis will be a challenging task, but it has been done before, and new, seasoned leadership can do it again. Political reform is important, but, almost none of those reforms will help deal with the crisis of the debt, at DFC or Social Security Board. The SSB Chairman admits that SSB will contribute $10 million this year to the NHI when it had only planned $5 million. The Musa Administration cannot manage the financial affairs of the Beliz Beliz Beliz Beliz Beliz eans ar eans ar eans ar eans ar eans ar e Ready to e Ready to e Ready to e Ready to e Ready to T T T T T ak ak ak ak ak e Back e Back e Back e Back e Back Their Countr Their Countr Their Countr Their Countr Their Countr y y y y y By: Patrick Tillettcountry and are repeatedly robbing from Peter to pay Paul. The most popular reform is an elected Senate. The UDP has proposed its alternative to an elected Senate. Let the debate begin. Prime Minister Musa has said publicly he supports an elected Senate, but he is unwilling to push it. The Prime Minister also supports giving $37 million to Belize Bank for UHS, and he was willing to push that. Perhaps to Prime Minister Musa it is better to give away $37 million of taxpayers money, than to push for an elected Senate. In spite of the sound financial management by UDP Administrations, some people keep suggesting that UDP and PUP are the same. When has UDP bankrupted DFC – or anything else? When has the UDP used privatization to transfer the wealth of the nation into hands of a few? When has UDP bankrupted the nation by accumulating debt recklessly and wanton spending? Ignore those, the UDP and PUP are still the same. The third parties have a lot to offer Belize, but, none of them will be ready for 2008. What do Belizeans do? Should Belizeans stay with the corrupted and crooked Musa Administration or look to the UDP where there is a record of sound manage“F “F “F “F “F ace of ace of ace of ace of ace of the Na the Na the Na the Na the Na tion” tion” tion” tion” tion”“Our countenance is the mirror of the soul” R. Saltsmam – Jewish World ReviewIt is such a great feeling to be writing again after a short but wonderful vacation. In order to make the holidays just that – holiday I self-imposed a media blackout and insulated myself from all things political – newspapers, talk-shows (more like spin shows), news and political ads. The political “detox” was a liberating experience. Now I am even more conscious of just how uninspiring the politics of “winning elections” is. It is a brand of politics for enfeebled men self-serving, seeking validation through positional power and control, and the amassing of wealth. It is a “two faced” kind of politics “lookand handsome man. A friend, and admirer of his, paints his portrait and Dorian expresses the wish that he could remain as handsome and young as the portrait and that the portrait age instead. He gets his wish. But not only does the portrait age, its features change and grow uglier as Dorian slowly immerses himself in a sordid and reprehensible lifestyle full of ignoble deeds.” Dorian Gray never lost his looks and charisma but his portrait reflected the decadent rogue that he had become. King Solomon wrote: “As in water face answers face, so does the heart of man to man.” The truth is that there is a connection between a person’s face and his heart. The countenance of our face is the mirror of our soul. Perhaps this should challenge our leaders to look into their leadership mirror. What is the face of the nation telling them? Why is her face so wrinkled? Why the stress lines on her forehead? Why the puffed eyes? Why the countless tears streaming down her face. The countenance of our national face is one of stress the mirror of our government? At the individual level, what is the mirror telling each leader about the state of his soul? Sure, some leaders have said time and time again, “Everyday I look myself in the mirror,” as if to suggest that they habitually hold themselves accountable for doing the right thing. But the statement is both legal and ambiguous, and intentionally so, for it fails to address two critical questions: “What do I see?” And “What will I do about it?” The answer to the first question “What do I see?” cuts through the facade of charisma, it blows a hole through the pretence of caring, and it exposes the putrid stench of blended confidence and arrogance (“confi-gance”).The answer to the question “What do I see?” cuts to the bone it exposes the very soul of the leader the very “Portrait of Dorian Gray.” The answer to the second question “What will I do about it?” challenges the heart of conscience, it renders the phony leader helpless in the face of sear ing truth truth that exposes the evil motives of the heart. ing good on the outside but doing badly on the inside.” Speaking about “two faced,” during a recent visit to Chetumal, and while browsing the stores, I happened to notice the brand name “Dorian Gray.” It reminded me of a movie I saw during my high school days; the name of the flick was “The Portrait of Dorian Gray”. The entire movie plot and main actors eluded my memory but it did not matter, it was just a brief journey down memory lane nothing important. As if by pure co-incidence though, and during one of my daily devotional readings this week, I came across an article entitled “About Face.” In it, the author spoke of an encounter with an elderly man with a cane whose face “radiated such jocularity and positivity” that she was compelled to ask the man about his life. After talking with the elderly man, she could not help but recall the novel written by Oscar Wilde, “The Portrait of Dorian Gary.” We were “on the same page!” She wrote: “Dorian Gray is an exceptionally charming, wealthy ment? Belizeans are ready to take back their country, and it starts with changing the PUP Leadership. Change must come, and now. The UDP is ready, able and willing, the third parties are not... By: Gus Perera SPECIAL OFFER for Independent Weekly readers An autographed copy of Karla Heusner’s collection of columnsOnly $25 BZ(including shipping) Call, email or write toIndependent Weeklynow!

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Sunday, August 26, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page 7 In chatting with some NRP knowledgeable people, IÂ’m told all the secrecy of the intentions of the NRP are based on the strategy of waiting for the incumbent PUP government to call the next elections. IÂ’m puzzled by this political strategy, but am assured they are ready to contest the next national elections and provide a much better form of government than previously held under either the UDP or the PUP. Apparently they have all the election divisions throughout the nation covered with candidates and have a solid party equal to that offered by the UDP, if not better. They would not give me candidate names, because they claim the PUP conduct dirty politics and they are afraid that their candidates would be persecuted and intimidated by the power inherent of a patronage political party machine holding the reins of the police, the government jobs, the court dates and justice system controls and the Belize Defense Force. They donÂ’t want their candidates beaten up by police, or homes raided by the Belize Defense Force military on trumped up charges, with ransacking of their belongings. Nor do they have a newspaper, radio station, or television station to get into a lying, insulting competition. The NRP attitude seems to be they want to provide good, honest government based on logical development, through consensual views arrived at through debate. They do not want anything to do with character assassination, trumped up charges in court cases, insults and slander, which is the way the PUP operate in an election campaign using the successful political patronage model of election campaigning. IÂ’m not sure waiting for the last thirty days until election time is a good political strategy, particularly if they are not getting any publicity of their misNational Reform Party: the National Reform Party: the National Reform Party: the National Reform Party: the National Reform Party: the new Government of Belize? new Government of Belize? new Government of Belize? new Government of Belize? new Government of Belize? sion goals, vision and ideas before hand. It was pointed out to me, however, that the UDP suffer the same victimization at the hands of the PUP in that the PUP will steal their ideas if they announce them, and do their best to destroy their candidates reputation and characters should they announce too early their candidates names. Can we as a nation elect a party like the NRP based on HONEST government and using consensual views of different parties to achieve an honest government, taking the moral high ground? Any perusal of archives of newspapers in election years in local libraries, or for that matter in any year, will certainly find that dirty political tricks are one of the ways the PUP win general elections. One would think any political party wishing to govern Belize would automatically have to follow the same course of electioneering as the successful piratical PUP! Certainly the UDP try to follow this crude, cruel model of election warfare. IÂ’m not at all sure the citizens of Belize are ready for honest government! The National Reform Party would be run on Mennonite governing principals, at least, I assume so. The Mennonites as a group have their individuals who are less than perfect too. But overall they have been very successful in governing themselves and certainly made the first two generations born in Belize these past fifty years, upper middle class, if not wealthy. They are also the political party of the poor, as they do, through their social communal cooperative rules make sure all people have equal opportunities and none are left out. I can certainly attest to that myself, as the corner house across from me was rented by a Mennonite church group and a West African Creole lady of Mennonite beliefs was installed in this house and is being supported and looked after with her four young children, when abandoned by a non Mennonite African Creole husband, who beat her and threw them out on the street to survive by themselves. The PUP to all appearances are no longer the party of the poor masses, but of the wealthy and rich elite. I can certainly agree, that the PUP have done some stupid things. Still, the PUP have done some good healthy infrastructural things like roads, community centers, water systems in Toledo also. Whether or not any government of any other party would, in the normal course of events, have done the same things anyway is open to debate. Most of this stuff is done by the civil service anyway I believe, in the normal course of running a government. The district for Ralph Fonseca is expected to sell their votes this year for $700 to $1000 each as usual. They donÂ’t give a hoot about honest government apparently... Then there is Said MusaÂ’s seat in the Fort George Division. As far as I can ascertain from newspaper articles, this is bunch of wealthy old ladies and widows not interested in politics, or the nation, but are lonely for some company and the party leader has already wooed them with one tea party and expect another one around Christmas for their votes. At least, that is the impression I am getting. There is one shining example among the electoral divisions. Remember when the candidate for Belize Rural South ran for office on an HONEST representative, blazoned across his street banners? He beat out Patty Arceo of the PUP who was kinda slow on the bookkeeping and accountability part of government finances she handled.Just the same, this electoral division did go against the trend back then, by voting in a UDP representative solely on the HONEST campaign slogan. He is still in office and after the first term, I notice this second term even the incumbent PUP cooperate with him. HeÂ’s not really a party person, but had to run on the UDP ticket at the time to compete against what was perceived as unsatisfactory accounting. So it is possible the NRP can field honest candidates and take the government in the rebound and dissatisfaction from the PUP shenanigans. Their competition is really only the UDP. By: Ray Auxillou

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Read Independent Online at http://belizenews.com/independent or http://tinyurl.com/245dpp Page 8 An Election should be based on debates on moral value, credibility and proven track records. We must seriously look into the ideas which both parties campaign on as a plat form. We must know who is going to fix the situation our country faces, economically, socially and spiritually. I am not sure if we as young people are voting on the issues, yet we must put the issues at the forefront. Such as: the affordability and the accessibility of education, the creation of employment opportunities, accessibility to affordable health care, the accessibility to owning a piece of land, who is benefiting from our resources, the economic debt. As election draws near we must demand that the cost of education be at a rate where it is affordable to each and every person wanting the opportunity to be educated at any level. The contribution by our government to education is the lowest in the Caribbean for secondary and tertiary. Jamaica is a country with almost 3 million people; the government pays 50% of the cost and the parents pay the other 50%. Belize is a country with only around 300,000 thousand people, so why can’t we do the same or better? At the tertiary level again the contribution by government per student V V V V V oting f oting f oting f oting f oting f or R or R or R or R or R eal Issues eal Issues eal Issues eal Issues eal Issues By: Moses SulphPres. UB Student Governmentis at the lowest. Mr. Nelson Mandela of South Africa said, “Education is the most important weapon we can use to change the world,” so why is it that our leaders act as if they don’t see our people being educated as an economic benefit and also social plus for our nation? Some argue that this ‘free education’ will be paid out of our tax dollars, but that’s nothing new, everything else is paid out of our tax dollars, both the necessary and the unnecessary. This venture, however, would be one of the necessary things. Despite how much the PUP scoff at the idea which was the same way that the JLP scoffed at the idea of free health care it is still viable, and their opposition to it is only because they didn’t promise it first pure politics! It is an absolute insult by those who consider themselves to be intellectuals to those who are seeking to the opportunity to become intellectuals, to believe that a university can properly operate with $8.5 million. The University of Belize, our only national university should be a symbol of pride to our nation, and the only way this will come to actualization is if it is developed and the service given is second to none. With Belize City being the most populated district in our country, one would believe that the main campus would be located in such a place; however this is not the case and I will not attempt to debate that at this time. As a person who loves, and is + Brand New +size 9 ladies (wide width) +white with dark blue stripe +good quality (imported from the U.S) +comfortable +asking $40.00 BZ Please contact – 671-1964For Sale!!!NEW Soho tennis shoes very concerned about our country and its people, I urge our young people to demand that the cost of education both at the University and secondary institution be affordable, which it is not at this time. I have seen many of my peers both at the University of Belize and other colleges not being able to pursue their goal of getting a higher education due to the cost. I have seen students like my self not being able to take the city bus, or have a good lunch due to the fact that there is no money after paying their school expenses. My solution to the problem? Government’s contribution must increase, the government can do this if they truly want to see our nation move forward and be able to compete with the global economy. We have most recently started selling oil in commercial quantity, but who is benefiting from this? Government can create an education fund or tax paid by those selling the oil. Say for every dollar made off the oil 10% goes to education. According to our government, tourism is our future, but whose future? To make sure we do benefit from tourism, from every $1 collected from the tax tourist pay in this country 10% should go to a specific education fund that a percentage of that would go to our National University, a percentage to the secondary institutions and other colleges. Scholarships are a big joke in my book. First of all some of the persons who have received scholarships in the country should not even be a candidate for scholarship; their parents are wealthy and can afford to pay their way through any educational institution, and yet these are the same persons we see get scholarships. Scholarships should be given to those who are in need of financial assistance and not those who are not in need. Let us demand that our leaders invest in our country’s future and the best way to do so is by making education affordable and accessible to each and every person in this country, regardless, of race, religion, financial background. One way we can do so is by voting for those who are committed to educating our nation’s human resource. Young people, unite for a better Belize. Thanks to all the students who voted for me so I can continue to represent you in our fight to keep education affordable. One God One People One Love

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Read Independent Online at http://belizenews.com/independent or http://tinyurl.com/245dpp Page 10Or Or Or Or Or ange ange ange ange ange w w w w w alquenos ar alquenos ar alquenos ar alquenos ar alquenos ar e e e e e impa impa impa impa impa tient f tient f tient f tient f tient f or elections or elections or elections or elections or elections

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Sunday, August 26, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page 11 TOPICAL TIDBITS TOPICAL TIDBITS TOPICAL TIDBITS TOPICAL TIDBITS TOPICAL TIDBITSUS Embassy Revokes corruption suspect’s visa Reports are the US visa belonging to Lionel Tillett, aka “Ombudsboy” has been revoked following a sting operation in which he is alleged to have been extorting money from a recently paroled Hattieville prisoner. But the plot thickens as the names of two magistrates have reportedly also come up in the conversations….Might we see some magistrates losing visas as well? This one will be a real challenge for Ombudsman Paul Rodriguez and his office. But kudos to the police for the sting and for jumping on the issue so promptly. One can only wonder how many other criminals might be out on the streets right now because they paid their way out. Boxing Day for MOE? It was supposed to be a welcome gift: “Free textbooks.” But the costs just seem too high already. Outraged that Belize is depicted as part of Mexico on maps in the Spanish book, the Belize National Teacher’s Union has told the Ministry of Education to get rid of the books, now. What will happen if they don’t comply? Will the teachers simply not teach this subject? Sounds like a showdown in the classroom. But it could be a good social studies lesson on Nationalism…. Also disturbing is reading the interview with MOE officials on LOVE FM website. Just how many grammatical errors can our educators make in one breath anyway? Maybe we need some free adult education English books? US Terror Suspect Pleads Guilty Well, some Belizeans who believed a US fugitive hiding out in Belize, James Ujama, was being unfairly persecuted because of his race and/or religion may be surprised to hear he has pleaded guilty in the US to helping raise money for terrorist groups in Afghanistan and Britain. According to Channel Five, Ujama had been plea bargaining to help US officials catch some of his co-conspirators when he fled to Belize. Will his arrest lead to any examination of his contacts here? In light of arrests in Trinidad, it’s not impossible. As to why any of our people might have believed he was innocent, maybe he neglected to mention he had already served two years for setting up terrorist training camps….The question now should be: why did he come to Belize COMPOL: in the hot seat Commissioner of Police, Hon Gerald Westby, comes from salt of the earth but he’s been taking a heavy licking in various corners of the Belize media, not unlike his political bosses. He has gone on the defensive and has responded to numerous claims this past weekend. We like Westby but we know the modus operandi of his Belmopan bosses. He must be under a lot of pressure with such a weakened morale in the public service. Luke’s new Towers Lukas’ new skyscraper on the barracks called the Renaissance Towers is a sight to behold with eight stories. Beautiful inside and out, obviously inspired by the Panama landscape, took a lot of determination, money, and some vision. Its like many we’ve seen in Punta Paitilla in Panama but he doesn’t intend to keep his tower empty unlike the dozens of empty ones we saw in Panama. Prices start for the 2 beds/2 baths at $255,000, if we heard correctly but you better check on those figures yourself because those prices might well be in Balboas! Great views all the way around. Say what you will of the man, he created a magnificent landmark from scratch! Expect to see many more works of art from him and others in the great waiting for the PM to call the date. Everyone is quick to point out in hushed, revered tones that Britain and Canada and many other Commonwealth nations, don’t have fixed elections either. But we tend to forget their parliamentarians can and do exercise their right to conduct a vote to determine the confidence of the members in the government. British and Canadian Prime Ministers have been taken down for doing far less “ras” than many people in Belize think has gone on here. (Not to mention all the officials in Asian countries who quickly resign at the least hint of scandal, or worse, kill themselves to save face. Or have their officials executed. We are not asking anyone to do that here. But it would be nice if some of our leaders could be a little less facey and develop some backbone...hmmm?) So, disappointing as it is, the Political Reform Commission gives us no hope for reform on this one. Although they did offer a healthy reminder that the other ministers and members of the House can ultimately control the fate of the government, Control of Control of Control of Control of Control of the P the P the P the P the P oles oles oles oles oles (Continued From Page 5)unlike the rest of us. And showed us we do not live under a dictatorship, by any stretch of the imagination. Our representatives consent/support whatever control they are under. And we consent to letting them do nothing. But just suppose for a moment, that the date for National Elections in Belize WAS fixed and the people, and political parties, knew their time limits, when their power and access to taxpayer money, would run out. Why, that might be just as confidence building as knowing there was a term limit for a Prime Minister. Yes, what if a political party HAD to change leaders after two runs, offering the electorate a new choice, new blood, new vision for a party they want to remain loyal to, even if an individual leader has not lived up to his promises. Might that be an even better parliamentary model than the one we have? A more democratic one? But it seems we shall never know. And as long as the man is calling the election, he di call all di shots. pissing contest; he’s got a lot of fight left and extremely wicked connections. Placencia might be next as we heard he ( and his partner ) just finished buying out a resort there. Lets hope Placencia doesn’t sink with all these heavyweights coming to the point to compare penis sizes. Felicitaciones Luke! You are the man. Hurricanes This is hurricane season folks; be prepared and don’t take it lightly although no previous hurricane ever gave us a direct hit in the month of August except in 1979 when we got the tail end of one. You can monitor direct from national hurricane center in Miami by subscribing to their list at: http://hurricanes.gov/ . Also, http:/ /www.ambergriscaye.com has a great section on links, discussion groups, and a host of great resources.

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Read Independent Online at http://belizenews.com/independent or http://tinyurl.com/245dpp Page 12 Familiarity is a slow killer within a society. What do we mean? Is it not good for someone to get to know you really well? Of course, but let us not think about their negative behaviour and weaknesses as a person or a group. Soon, others become less important than our-self and that is the problem. It sets in like a slow poison to friendship or any social life as gangrene covers the body. In religious circles , self righteousness is a troublesome disease created by familiarity and has robbed the peace and happiness of millions of good people. In every society many are held captive by familiarity. They are held captive in their own mind of low self-esteem, low self-worth, even when they are very talented people with special gifts. Parents have screamed at them “you are a failure”. Friends have been cruel to them as well. We have too many Belizeans in this miserable condition. How to wake up the people? We need to look past a person’s weakness and faults to see his/her talents, gifts, dreams and desires. We need to see ourselves as productive people. We need to see the opportunities of making a difference in this beautiful country of ours. We need to stop following blindly our blind leaders. We need to understand that each one is responsible for the mess of our country. Hey, we have to say: enough is enough. Here is where National Reform Party can make a difference because we see the value of every Belizean and takes seriously the contribution of each one. We have to stand up like this nurse at Medical Associates. She came back from the US to take care of her elderly mother. She lives in the worse crime zone of Belize City. As a single parent she goes to work every morning with a smile in her face. Some time ago she was fired from her second job because she would not go along with corruption. She refuses to go along with familiarity. As this nurse, you can also stop “familiarity, for it breeds contempt”. Let us make a difference in our country. “Dialogues from the country side”:The pr The pr The pr The pr The pr ob ob ob ob ob lem with F lem with F lem with F lem with F lem with F amiliar amiliar amiliar amiliar amiliar ity ity ity ity ity NRP members on the campaign trail in the Cayo District HOUSE FOR SALE HOUSE FOR SALE HOUSE FOR SALE HOUSE FOR SALE HOUSE FOR SALEBy Owner +Exclusive Ladyville nighborhood +Quiet cul-de-sac in close knit, security +conscious community +Two bedrooms, two bath +Newly constructed home office/ sunporch +Fully tiled, laundryroom, +vat, generous yard, +fully fenced 6’ high Perfect for young family or retireesAsking US$75,000Contact Independent Weekly

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Sunday, August 26, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page 13 ARIES (Mar. 21April 20) Be sure to organize events that will keep the children busy. DonÂ’t overspend to impress others. Be careful not to push your luck or take too much for granted when dealing on either a personal or professional level. Overexertion and negligence will be your worst enemies. Your lucky day this week will be Thursday. T AURUS (Apr. 21may 21) Reevaluate your motives. Keep important information to yourself. You canÂ’t do everything on your own. Do not ruffle feathers if possible. Your lucky day this week will be Tuesday. GEMINI (May 22-June 21) You may want to make changes that will turn your entertainment room into a real family affair. Do not let the reactions of others get you going. Eliminate situations that are no longer to your advantage. Some situations may be blown out of proportion.Your lucky day this week will be Tuesday. CANCER (June 22-July 22) Be diplomatic when dealing with in-law. DonÂ’t promise to deliver the goods if you arenÂ’t positive that you can meet the deadline. Lighten up your serious attitude Organize social events or family gatherings. Your lucky day this week will be Saturday. LEO (July 23-Aug 22) You will be extremely receptive to new and progressive methods at work. You will be able to get good advice if you listen to close friends or relatives you respect. Your creative ideas will be put to good use if you dig in and do things around the house that will make your family happy. Frustrations and limitations could cause anxiety this week. Your lucky day this week will be Monday. VIRGO (Aug. 23 -Sept. 23) DonÂ’t second guess yourself, just go to it. Sudden changes regarding your domestic scene are probable. You will encounter those who can help you further your goals if you attend functions that attract prominent people. Personal alterations will be in your best interest. Your lucky day this week will be Friday. LIBRA (Sept. 24 -Oct. 23) Be sure to cover all the necessary groundwork before signing binding contracts. Avoid being intimately involved with clients or colleagues. Your ability to organize and get everyone together will enhance your popularity and bring interest from potential mates. You are best not to confide in anyone right now. Your lucky day this week will be Saturday. SCORPIO (Oct. 24 Nov. 22) Organization will be the key to avoiding discord and family feuds. You might get behind if you spend too much time debating senseless issues. Get involved in sports events that will benefit your physical appearance. You can expect the fur to fly on the home front. Your lucky day this week will be Sunday. SAGITT ARIUS (Nov. 23 -Dec.22 DonÂ’t hesitate to voice your opinions at a group meeting; however, keep your thoughts to yourself at home. Those you work with may have little consideration for the underdog. Changes in your home environment may cause friction. Make a point of working on yourself. Your lucky day this week will be Monday. CAPRICORN (Dec 22.Jan. 20) Your emotional partner will push the right buttons this week. Concern yourself with legal matters and formulating contracts rather than finalizing your objectives. You need to sit back and enjoy. Be discreet and donÂ’t present your ideas until youÂ’re certain that theyÂ’re foolproof. Your lucky day this week will be Wednesday. AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 -Feb. 19) You can make a difference if you take a position of leadership. Limitations at work might set you back. Secret affairs will only lead to deception. Catch up on overdue phone calls and correspondence. Your lucky day this week will be Tuesday. PISCES (Feb. 20-Mar. 20) You may have to take a short trip to visit someone who hasnÂ’t been well. You will have the stamina and the know how to raise your earning power. Get the whole family involved in a worthwhile cause or cultural event. You will be emotional with regard to your personal life. Your lucky day this week will be Thursday. T een ly Page

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Read Independent Online at http://belizenews.com/independent or http://tinyurl.com/245dpp Page 14Couple tried to Couple tried to Couple tried to Couple tried to Couple tried to name baby “@” name baby “@” name baby “@” name baby “@” name baby “@” A Chinese couple tried to name their baby “@,” claiming the character used in e-mail addresses echoed their love for the child, an official trying to whip the national language into line said Thursday. The unusual name stands out especially in Chinese, which has no alphabet and instead uses tens of thousands of multi-stroke characters to represent words. While “@” is familiar to Chinese email users, they often use the English word “at” to sound it out — which with a drawn out “T” sounds something like “ai ta,” or “love him,” to Mandarin speakers. It was not clear if officials accepted the “@” name. But earlier this year the government announced a ban on names using Arabic numerals, foreign languages and symbols that do not belong to Chinese minority languages. Sixty million Chinese faced the problem that their names use ancient characters so obscure that computers cannot recognize them. One of them was the former Premier Zhu Rongji, whose name had a rare “rong” character that gave newspaper editors headaches. --Reuters Reuters—A South African man shot three weeks ago was told to “walk the pain off” and is still trying to persuade hospitals to remove the bullet lodged in his side, a newspaper said Thursday. Three Johannesburg hospitals refused to remove the bullet for security guard Phillip Mashiane, 38, who was shot during a burglary at the property of South Africa’s ambassador to the United Nations, the Star newspaper said. The bullet passed through his elbow and entered his body just above the hip, missed his vital organs and stopped beneath the skin on the opposite side of his body, the Star said. Man told to “walk off Man told to “walk off Man told to “walk off Man told to “walk off Man told to “walk off pain” after shooting pain” after shooting pain” after shooting pain” after shooting pain” after shooting Reuters—An 800-year-old, gold-plated crucifix that went missing after being seized by the Nazis has been found in a rubbish skip in Austria. The crucifix, made of copper and enamel, was crafted in Limoges, France, and was part of a Polish art collection brought to Austria during Nazi rule, according to Josef Holzberger, police spokesman in Salzburg. It was found in 2004 in the lakeside winter resort of Zell am See by a woman combing through a skip filled with the discarded possessions of a neighbour who had just died. Last month the woman showed the crucifix to a friend who realized it might be something special and took it to a museum. In the run-up to World War Two, the owners of the crucifix had hid it and other treasures by walling them inside the basement of a house in Warsaw. They were discovered by the Nazis in 1941, brought to the Polish NaMedie Medie Medie Medie Medie v v v v v al Cr al Cr al Cr al Cr al Cr ucifix ucifix ucifix ucifix ucifix f f f f f ound in tr ound in tr ound in tr ound in tr ound in tr ash ash ash ash ash tional Museum and later transferred to a castle in the Austrian village of Bruck an der Grossglocknerstrasse, near Zell am See, police said. “We lost track of what happened then — we don’t know how the crucifix ended up in Zell am See,” Holzberger said. The crucifix might be worth up to 400,000 euros (270,400 pounds) at auction. Poland’s culture ministry has contacted the London-based Commission for Looted Art in Europe. Mashiane told the paper he was turned away by one private hospital because he could not afford the bills while a public hospital took X-rays and kept him in for observation before patching him up and sending him home with painkillers. When he returned a doctor told him to “walk the pain off.” Doctors at a third hospital said it could not remove the bullet because Mashiane had started treatment elsewhere. South Africa is battling some of the highest rates of violent crime in the world, and its underfunded public hospitals struggle to treat all those who need healthcare. (Continued From Page 4)sue: government personnel assigned to shelters were not showing up, or showed up late causing people to wait anxiously, even as night approached. By 7 pm all the Belize City shelters were filled and three more had to be opened to take the overflow. Evacuation buses also reported difficulty departing the city. At one point, there were 40 buses waiting but only one service station open to fuel them up! Villagers all over Belize called radio stations to report their shelters were non-existent, substandard or not being announced, while shelters in San Ignacio and Benque reported lower than expected occupancy and invited people to come out west to safety. The questions began to swirl as menacingly as the storm bands: what happened to all the hurricane shelter retrofitting and promised new shelters after previous storms? Work supposed to be carried out from hefty loans and grants from international lenders…Friends of Belize? But as the storm bore down, those who had hesitated or not found an open facility were forced to ride it out at home. Miraculously no loss of life was reported, although there was damage to some homes in the Corozal and Orange Walk districts. At press time there has been no serious flooding since the rains ceased early on Tuesday and did not continue as expected for several days. Belize had once more escaped with minor injuries instead of major casualties and relatively minor financial damage. Dodging DEAN A leading Norwegian newspaper called on Princess Martha Louise to renounce her royal title Monday after she said she communicates with angels. The 35-year-old princess, who is fourth in line to the Norwegian throne, has come under intense media scrutiny for her involvement in an alternative school that aims to teach people how to get in touch with angels. Some observers have questioned whether her work for the private institute, dubbed “the angel school” in Norwegian media, can be combined with her duties as a member of the royal family. “As princess and theoretical heir to the throne Martha Louise must ... operate within a certain framework,” the Bergens Tidene daily said in its editorial Monday. “If she feels that this would clip her wings, so to speak, ... the solution is clear and actually not dramatic: Drop the princess title and her place in the line of succession, (and) choose to live life in her own way.” Martha Louise is the daughter of King “Princess of “Princess of “Princess of “Princess of “Princess of Angels” Angels” Angels” Angels” Angels” Harald V and Queen Sonja, and the older sister of Crown Prince Haakon. She was married in 2002 to Ari Behn, a Norwegian writer. Many commentators said a member of the royal family should not be involved in spiritual healing, and some even questioned her mental health. In an interview Saturday on national broadcaster NRK, Martha Louise stated “I am very happy that I don’t live a few hundred years ago, because then I would have been burned at the stake a long time ago,” she said. Visit The Belize Zoo The Best Little Zoo In The World Princess Martha Louise

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Sunday, August 26, 2007 The INdependent Reformer Page 15 14Guest Galler Guest Galler Guest Galler Guest Galler Guest Galler y y y y y Needed: Mountain Bike Tour Operator wanted in Cayo with equipment. Tel: 663-5580 Cayo Adventure Tours Ph# 824-324 Need help with cleaning, ironing, painting or other household chores at your Ladyville home? Then call me at 624-3652. Reasonable rates, mature female. “Free international real estate and investment blog and podcast. Go to http://investtheworld.blogspot.com as we travel the world for fun, investment and profit.” For Rent: A (2) bedroom flat located in King’s Park, Belize City $800/month One commercial building (4 offices, conference room, reception area) in King’s Park $1800.00/month Computers $800/each Call: 2231668/602-9182 Free Ads! The INdependent Reformer is you your first classified ad with us free of charge! After that only $10 per advert per issue. Ads must be: 1) 20 words or less 2) photo must be jpeg or tiff formats only. Must be emailed, no disk pickup or drop off 3) business card –first run is free 2007, $20 a run thereafter 4) All classified ads must be emailed to independent. newspaper . bz@gmail . com with cc to kheusner@yahoo. com and checks to PO Box 2666, Belize City. Please note: We must receive your ad by Friday at mid-day for inclusion in following Tuesday issue. INdependent ClassifiedsAnnouncement of Sale of BusinessThis article is to give notice that the business known as C@fé Caye operating at 12 Burns Ave, San Ignacio, Cayo District is under contract for sale. Completion of sale to take place 28th August 2007. Any persons or businesses who believe they have outstanding accounts to be paid from said business should contact; Rainforest Realty, PO Box 195, San Ignacio, Cayo District, in writing 7 days before the date of completion. Hurricane Dean’s 165mph winds blew down the Island Academy’s wooden picket fence on Ambergris Caye. (photo from tacogirlblogspot) Popeye’s on Caye Caulker got roughed up from Hurricane Dean’s winds and wave action.. (courtesty ambergriscaye.com) The thatched roof on Ramons’s Village dock in San Pedro Town stood up to Hurricane Dean’s 165mph winds but their pier did not fare as well. (tacogirl) Tropical Touch on San Pedro got debris from the sea. (tacogirl) If you have any photos you would like to share with Independent readers in our Guest Gallery, send your digital jpg or tiff images to karlavernon_belize@yahoo.com.

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Read Independent Online at http://belizenews.com/independent or http://tinyurl.com/245dpp Page 16 1670 acres in Burrell Boom for US$70Kindependent.newspaper.bz@gmail.com Conser Conser Conser Conser Conser v v v v v a a a a a tion Land F tion Land F tion Land F tion Land F tion Land F or Sale or Sale or Sale or Sale or Sale