STARSTARSTARSTARSTARSTARSTARSTAR ......held the machete to the girl’s neck and told her that if she ever squeals on him, he would kill her. Rodney passed away 8 hours later

Tuesday, February 24, 2009 - STAR - Tel:- 626-8822 & 626-3788 - Email:[email protected] - Page 1

No. 151 SUNDAY, MAY 11, 2008 Price $1.00 No. 179 Tuesday, February 24, 2009 Price $1.00

Please Turn To Page 15Please Turn To Page 11

BELIZE CITY, Monday,February 16, 2009: It was over two years ago, onDecember 8, 2006 when a 12member jury of his peers,unanimously found him guilty ofmurder and today, in a retrial, afterwithdrawing the jury from the case,and directing them to bring a notguilty verdict, the new trial judge,Justice Herbert Lord, told thepreviously convicted murderer,Dionicio “Life” Salazar Jr., thathe was free to go.

It was four years and sevenmonths ago, during the afternoonhours on June 28, 2004 whenRodney Richard August, 22, theeldest son of the Publisher of thisnewspaper, and JanelleLongsworth were sitting onthe San Ignacio bank of theMacal River, when a lone man,brandishing a machete sneaked upfrom behind out of nearby bushes,and with a single swing of themachete chopped Rodney in theback almost cutting him in half. He

held the machete to the girl’s neckand told her that if she ever squealson him, he would kill her. Rodney passed away 8 hourslater whilst undergoing emergencymedical treatment at the WesternRegional Hospital in Belmopan butnot before, in a dying declaration,separately telling a Justice of thePeace, his mother and the policethat, “Life” was the person whochopped him. During the investigation,statements were recorded from the

eyewitness, Janelle Longsworth,the Justice of the Peace, the motherand the police. Three days afterthe incident, on July 1, 2004,an identification parade wasconducted at the Queen StreetPolice Station in Belize City wherethe eyewitness positively identifiedDionicio Salazar Jr., from amongeight others, as the person with themachete who held it to her throatand threatened to kill her if ever shesquealed on him. The casefile shows an immaculateidentification parade conducted bythen Inspector Oscar Puga. When the case first went totrial in November 2006, theprosecutor did not tender thepolice identification parade intoevidence but instead relied on adock identification of the accusedby the eyewitness. The dockidentification was admitted intoevidence but not before the learnedtrial Judge, Justice Adolph Lucas,advised the jury of the weakness ofthis form of identification asopposed to the police identificationparade where the accused is placed

Dionicio “Life” Salazar Jr.

SAN IGNACIO TOWN, CayoDistrict, Saturday, February 21,2009: It is with profound sadness thatwe record the passing of KennethGeorge “Kenny” Gibbs, 58, ofSan Ignacio, Cayo, who passedaway suddenly in Corozal Town onMonday, February 16, 2009whilst on a business trip in thatnorthernmost municipality. A relative of the deceasedinformed that Kenny Gibbs left hishome on Blue Hole Street in theCahal Pech Area, San Ignacioshortly after 5:00 am for the trip toCorozal Town along with hisson-in-law, Fernando, to pick up avehicle for his daughter. It was shortly after 2:00 p.m.that evening when he called hiswife informing her that he wasgetting ready to leave CorozalTown on his way back home. The relative informed that he wasgetting into the vehicle to drive

back to San Ignacio,when he reportedlycalled out toFernando informinghim that he wasgetting numb. Sincehe is known tobe always joking,at first Fernandodid not takeit seriously butthis soon changedwhen Kenny Gibbscollapsed to theground. He wasrushed to theCorozal hospitaland passed awayat 3:45 p.m.whilst undergoingemergency medicaltreatment. The relativeinformed that at thetime of his passing,

Kenneth George “Kenny” Gibbs, 58SUNRISE: December 31, 1950SUNSET: February 16, 2009

he was on a strict diet as advised

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Page 2 - STAR - Tel:- 626-8822 & 626-3788 - Email:[email protected] - Tuesday, February 22, 2009

BY: Janel August, Student, San Francisco, USA There comes a time in life when you look around and realize thatthe picture painted, the facade put up, is just that - a deflector tocurb the flow of how things ought to be rather than the way theyare. The scales of justice are supposed to be fair, equal, unbiased, andfree of corruption. If tipped in one direction, it fails to be balancedand becomes a mere curtain, covering greed, self-centeredness,malpractices and maybe even corruption. Things are never as bad as they seem until the tide turns, and yourship becomes the one being tossed back and forth by the roughwinds of injustice. I was raised to believe that when someone does you wrong, youput it in the hands of the law. If someone steals your car, you file areport and let the law handle it. Do it any other way and vigilantejustice steps in. Justice should never be construed as a payback orrevenge; otherwise, it fails to live up to its true intentions andexpectations. Over four and a half years ago, on June 28th, 2004, my brotherRodney Richard August, a young resident of Santa Elena Townwas killed when he was chopped almost in half as he was attackedfrom behind by a coward who an eyewitness identified as “Life”. On December 8th, 2006, ironically on what should have beenRodney’s 24th birthday, the coward was found guilty, beyond allreasonable doubt, of the heinous crime by a 12 member jury of hispeers and was sentenced to spend the rest of natural life in jail. To the family who lost a loved one at the hands of a coward, thisseemed as fair a justice as can be expected. The law of the landprevailed. The monster that decided he couldn’t coexist with Rodneywas handed a punishment fit for the crime. Under the laws of Belize, every citizen is given the right to anappeal to which “Life” was no exception. In 2008, the defenseattorney filed an appeal and the court ordered a retrial. During the period of the conviction and the appeal, situationchanged and the sole eyewitness, a female, now sits inside a jail inGuatemala on a drug charge. She was ready and willing to take thewitness stand for a second time. The Guatemalan authoritiesrefused the request to have her transferred to Belize for the day ortwo to testify in the retrial. Notwithstanding, her statements wereallowed to be read into evidence and it again points to oneperpetrator, “Life”. On February 16th 2009, the victims’s family, and indeed theclose knitted community is slapped with the news that, in hiswisdom the trial judge, not a jury of his peers, sets this onceconvicted murderer free. And what is his reason for setting thisperson free, - because he says, in the deposition the eyewitness failedto link “Life” to the accused, although the evidence shows thatwhen he was placed in a police identification parade along with 8persons of his choosing, the eyewitness in an instant positivelypointed him out from the police line up. In his individual wisdom however, the trial judge came to thedetermination that the eyewitness failed to make the connectionbetween “Life” and the accused. And with the single stroke of theJudge’s pen, a once convicted murderer was set free after serving ameasly four and a half years for depriving a young person of hisGod given right to life. Let me put myself in this man’s shoes for a second. Here I am, apreviously convicted murderer, facing a life term in prison. I amsitting in court, I hear my defense attorney going to great extremesto strip me of the identity I grew up with while I sit in court withthese exact identifying words branded for life on my neck and onmy arm. I am known on the streets and in the hood as “Life” andhere is this man trying to take away my identity. To heck with that Isay, I do not care I say because if he succeeds in convincing thejudge that I am not “Life” then I will get a new lease on “Life’. A tattoo is a distinguishing mark. The bearer is branded for life ofhis own accord. That which is voluntarily etched into his skin is

what he believes in and what he claims. Bikers tattoo the name oftheir cliques to identify them. Gangs use tattoos as a territorial markthat divides, unites and distinguishes them. Wouldn’t a tattoobearing the word “Life” be reason enough to establish theconnection? As Dionicio Salazar Jr. a.k.a. “Life” sat in that courtroom,looking down at his forearm at the very word “Life” etched deepinto his skin, his mind probably raced. Doesn’t this support the factthat “Life” and the accused are one and the same? It is amazinghow one can be who and what one wants to be when it isconvenient. On the streets they know me as “Life”, but in acourtroom, I bear no knowledge of who this “Life” could possiblybe. As he continues wearing this mark, he must realize that he isdoing so in shame as he has allowed total separation from it.

I am just a twenty two year old college student and sister ofthe deceased. I am looking at questionable justice being served onmy still grieving family at loss of a loved one. On February 16th, 2009 “Life’s” defense attorney made a nocase submission on his behalf and the trial judge ruled that basedon defense’s submission, the once, jury convicted, murderer had nocase to answer. The star witness was absent from the retrial as she isheld in Guatemala on an unrelated charge. According to herevidence in the 2004 trail, she placed the accused on the scene ofthe crime holding the machete and she knew him as life. In hisdying declaration, Rodney told a Justice of the Peace, his motherand the police that “Life” was the one who chopped him. In the police identification parade and on the dock inside thecourtroom, the eyewitness pointed him out as the person who creptup from behind and fatally chopped Rodney Richard August acrossthe back as he sat with her in a secluded area on the banks of theMacal River in San Ignacio Town on that June 28th 2004 afternoon. With his identity successfully stripped, by his defense attorney, atleast in the eyes of the learned trial judge, what is Dionicio “Life”Salazar Jr. now going to be? Perhaps “After Life”, “Another Life”“Pitiful Life”? Certainly not “No Life” because that one was forcedonto Rodney. I now await this coward’s new alias. Quite frankly, I never thought I would see the day when I fearraising a family in Belize - the land of my birth - that supposed“Beautiful Jewel Of Ours”. I fear for my yet unborn children walking the streets whereconvicted murderers get off in these flippant ways. I fear leaving my home knowing that the very person, handsstained with someone else’s blood, drenched in his own misery andcowardly stripped of his alias, roams freely. What messages are we sending to the citizens of Belize? The“Life” of a fellow human being is worthless - Take the law intoyour hands - By pass the justice system, use your machets and yourguns to settle differences - Justice is best served when you take “aneye for an eye” - Kill and get off free by claiming you are not whomthey claim you are? Has the Belizean life become so insignificant that our judicialsystem fails to protect it? Maybe we should resort to living likesavages, in a Darwinian world. While I refuse to buy into the notionthat lady justice is peeping from behind her blindfold, this personalbrush with the system certainly leaves a very bitter taste in my mouth.


SANTA ELENA TOWN, CayoDistrict, Sunday, February 22,2009: The information reaching us isstill sketchy but police are tonightreporting a shooting incident at theintersection of Carmen Street andCarillo Puerto Avenue in SantaElena Town, Cayo. Reports indicate that it wasexactly 8:50 pm on Sunday night,February 22, 2009 when theyreceived the report of the firing ofgunshots in the area. Within five minutes of the report,members of the Police QuickResponse Team were on the scenefollowed shortly thereafter by theregular elements on duty. Upon arrival the police cameupon an injured man on the groundnear a drain on the side of the street.He was placed in the police vehicleand rushed across the woodenbridge to the San Ignacio TownHospital where he was identifiedas Osberto Alcaraz, 20, Belizeanunemployed, residing at #3Teacher’s Lane, Santa Elena - justup the street from where theshooting occurred. The victim was found with what

appeared to be a gunshot wound tothe upper portion of the right thighwith an exit wound on the otherside, between the legs. There werealso signs of a graze in the samearea. When his pants were removed inthe emergency room, the lead fromtwo bullets fell to the floor. One ofthe lead was found to be smashedwhile the other was almost intactthereby leading police to suspectthat the smashed lead was the onethat penetrated the victim whileother could have been the one thatgrazed him. Despite a thorough search of thecrime scene, police did not find asingle expended shell which, whencombined with the lead that fellfrom the victim’s pants at thehospital, is leading investigators tosuspect that the shots were firedfrom a 38 revolver being the kindof firearm that retains expendedcasings in the chamber. From the San Ignacio Hospital thevictim was transferred to La LomaLuz hospital for x-ray but, uponarrival, the medical personnel wereinformed that the x-ray machine atthe Loma Luz Hospital was not

working and so the ambulancecontinued on to the WesternRegional Hospital in Belmopan. While the victim is reportedlynot fully cooperating with thepolice during the preliminaryinvestigation, the reports indicatethat a lone gunman came riding abicycle up Carillo Puerto Avenuefrom the direction of GeorgePrice Avenue heading towards theWestern Highway and upon reach-ing near the midway point, in the

area where Carmen Street crossesCarillo Puerto Avenue, he cameupon three young men hanging outat the intersection. While the police are saying thatthe gunman was unmasked, anotherreport indicates that the gunman’sface was covered by a red rag andthe hood of his jacket was pulledover his head. The gunman reportedly rode upto the boys and pulled out a gun

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BY: Candace Willacey,Marketing Officer GalenUniversity, Central Farm, Cayo,Wednesday, February 18, 2009: Galen University (GU) studentspresented 10 Mac Laptopcomputers and two routers to St.Barnabas Anglican Primary Schoolin Central Farm, Cayo. The generous donation was madeduring a brief 4:30 pm. ceremonyat the school on Tuesday,February 17. The equipment will be used forthe setting up of a wirelesscomputer lab. The Applications of SustainableDevelopment course at GalenUniversity has a service learningcomponent. Groups of studentsin this course develop acommunity project and, in thisinstance, this was one of theirprojects. The main goal of the fourstudents currently working on this

Photo left - right: Dylan Gart, International Student; RaulMartinez, GU Undergraduate Student; Inar Cayetano, GU

Undergraduate Student; Mrs. Joyce Shaw, Principal St BarnabasAnglican Primary School; and Georgia Middleton,

GU Undergraduate Student

project is to educate the primaryschool teachers, who have virtuallyno experience with computers, on

basic computer skills that they canin turn use for their work and thenpass along to the children in their

Dear Ms. Elly Ruge, On behalf of the Rotaract Clubof San Ignacio (District 4250), Iwish to express our gratitude for

classes. Mrs. Joyce Shaw, the principalof St. Barnabas Anglican PrimarySchool, commented: “We aregrateful for such a donation. Iknow my teachers will utilize theselaptops to the fullest and whateveris being taught to them will bepassed down to the students of St.Barnabas Primary School.” Galen University is a communityoriented university which strives topromote sustainable development.

your kind donation of BZ $1,040to our Flood Relief Efforts. We received the money throughMr. John Acott, Rotarian from our

sponsoring Rotary Club. In October and November,following the devastating floods inour country, our club executedseveral Flood Relief projects.Among those was one executed inthe Calla Creek Village in the CayoDistrict - one of the villages inBelize most affected by the flood. Through a clothes and food drive,and sponsorship from 2 RotaryClubs in Belize our club distributeda total of 56 family hamperscontaining basic necessities such ascorn flour, beans, rice, canned food,toilet paper, soap, mosquitorepellent and clothes includingsheets and blankets to the neediestfamilies in Calla Creek village. With this additional money, wewill be able to help more peoplewho, due to the floods, have had a

difficult time in restoring their dayto day life back to normalcy. Once the project is executed,which we hope will be possiblethis month, we will be sending youa report and photographs.Attached please find a small tokenof our appreciation.Thank you again. Yours in Rotaract,Emogene HabetPresident (2008 - 2009)Rotaract Club of San IgnacioDistrict 4250

Mon. to Fri. 5 to 7 P.M

Monday: Draft Beer -$3.00

Tuesday: Local Rum -$3.00

Wednesday: Margaritas$9.95

Thursday: Piña Colada -$9.95

Friday: Micheladas -$4.00

Mexican &Belizean Menu

HAPPY HOUR

BY: Stephen DuncanMethodist Men¹s CommissionBELIZE CITY, Wednesday,February 18, 2009: The Methodist Church Men’sCommission is organizing apublic forum on the Guatemalanclaim to Belize and the impendingreferendum. The Commission is seeking topass on as much knowledge of thetopic to the general public in theevent that a referendum is held. The Commission is thereforeextending an open invitation toeveryone to attend the forum whichwill be held on Sunday, February

22, 2009 at Wesley Church onAlbert Street in Belize City,commencing at 2:00 p.m. There will be presentations froma distinguished panel of Belizeansincluding Ambassadors FredMartinez, Lisa Shoman, EamonCourtenay and James Murphyas well as a presentation by theMinister of Foreign Affairs andForeign Trade, the HonourableWilfred Elrington. The forum will also include aquestion and answer session. Facilitator for the event will beMrs. Brenda Armstrong, Principalof Westley Methodist College.


The Wrong Patient Mr. Castillo goes into a drugstoreon Burns Avenue in San IgnacioTown and asks the pharmacist if hecan give him something for thehiccups. The pharmacist promptly reachesover the counter and slaps Mr.Castillo in the face. "What did you do that for?"asks Mr. Castillo. "Well, you don't have thehiccups anymore, do you?" asksthe pharmacist. After shaking off the slap Mr.Castillo says, "No, but my wifeout in the car still does!"

Mr. Thompson and Mr. Chucwere sitting on a bench in theColumbus Park when Mr.Thompson striked up aconversation "It looks like a very heavynorth breeze is blowing downbecause it was very cold this

A Sure Indicator Of The Cold Weather

The PUP was having thelaunching of its manifesto bash atthe Macal River Park. A man steps up to the bar andorders a beer. "That will be twodollars," says the bartender. "Two dollars!" the customerprotests, "but at these policicalfunctions you usually sell DallaBeers!" "Well," replies the bartender,"it's a Dalla for the beer and aDalla for the PUP.” Reluctantly, the man gives thebartender the two dollars, and is

Only The PUP Benefits

Carlson was charged withstealing a Mercedes Benz and witha crafty lawyer defending him,the judge acquitted him. Later that day Carlson came backto the judge who had presided atthe hearing. "Your honour," he said, "Iwanna get out a warrant for that

Lawyer Takes The Goodsdirty lawyer of mine." "Why ?" asked the judge. "Hewon the case for you. Why do younow want to have him arrested?" "Well, your honour," repliedCarlson, "I didn't have the moneyto pay his fee, so he went to myhouse and took the MercedesBenz I stole."

morning." says Mr. Thompson. "How cold was it?" asked Mr.Chuc. “I do not know. All I know thatit was unusually cold because thismorning I saw a lawyer walkingdown the street with his hands inhis own pockets."

surprised when the bartender giveshim back a dollar change and says,"We are out of beers."

Submitted By: Orlando Pulido,Santa Elena, Cayo

To Mr. Rene MonteroMinister of Agriculture andFisheries, Area Representativeof the Cayo Central DivisionDear Sir; We the, the undersignedresidents of Bradley’s Bank,located behind the NovelosConvention Centre in Santa Elena

The People Of Bradley’s Bank Says ThankYou To Agriculture Minister Rene Montero

Town, Cayo, would like to thankyou for the expansion of waterservices in our area. This milestone development willbring great health benefits to ourresidents. We would appreciate ifelectricity is also extended toBradley’s Bank. We thank you in advance for yourefforts in bringing energy to ourhomes.


15 WESTERN HIGHWAY,SANTA ELENA, CAYO DISTRICT

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CHANNEL 7, Belize City,Monday, February 16, 2009: In its TV newscast for Monday,February 16, 2009, Tropical Vision,Channel 7 reported on thescheduled court appearance ofofficials from the Belize NaturalEnergy (BNE) Ltd. to answer acharge in connection with thealleged non-reporting of a minoroil spill that took place on thecompany’s Iguana Creek Roadcompound near the Mennonitecommunity of Spanish Lookout,in the Cayo District

CHANNEL 7’s REPORT There was once a time when itwas widely felt that, as Belize’sonly oil producer and a mainrevenue source for government,Belize Natural Energy could“get over” on the Department ofthe Environment (DOE). Things have changed inBelmopan and a sure sign of thatwill come tomorrow when BNE ismade to appear in San IgnacioMagistrate’s Court charged for anenvironmental offence. It’s not a major offence: the non

reporting of an oil spill....but it issignificant that it has gotten tothis stage without executiveintercession – that’s probably afirst. On February 12th the DOEpresented a summons for BNE toappear Court. According to our reports, thespill happened in the first week ofFebruary, when what the Depart-ment of the Environmentestimates was 10 barrels of oilspilled into a creek within BNE’scompound in the Iguana Creek

area. According to Chief Environ-mental Officer Martin Alegria,the main concern is that the oilcould drain off into the IguanaCreek proper which is a tributaryof the Belize River. He claimsthat BNE did not report it to hisoffice and when DOE got there,BNE staffers had already takenmeasures to mop it up. BNE has highly specializedequipment to conduct oil spillcleanups. Still, it’s the law and therequirements of their complianceplan that it be reported to thedepartment. And they’ve beenusing it because according toAlegria, this is the third oil spillsince November. The charge was read byMagistrate Kathlene Lewis inthe presence of BNE’s legalrepresentative and the matter wasadjourned for Tuesday, March 10,2009.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009: In response to Channel 7’sNewscast (above), Belize NaturalEnergy (BNE) limited, thismorning, fired off the followingpress release:

BNE’s RESPONSEIGUANA CREEK, CAYO,Tuesday, February 17, 2009: “BNE’s unwavering commitmentto its environmental and safetyresponsibilities is soundlydemonstrated in its achievementsin not only operational mattersbut also capacity building andtraining. BNE has never triedto “get over” anyone as thiswould be irresponsible and

counterproductive. On 4th of February 2009, aminor spill of an estimated 5 to 7barrels of crude oil occurredwithin the compound of BelizeNatural Energy’s handling andstorage facility in Iguana Creek,Cayo District. BNE trained personnelresponded immediately to containthe spill and implement provencleanup procedures to minimizeany adverse impact on thesurrounding environment. The cleanup and restorationwas successfully concluded withmonitoring by the Departmentof the Environment and thePetroleum Department.

BNE has invested tremendousamounts of resources in thetraining and equipping ofpersonnel for the prevention ofspills, and for effective responsewhen spills do occur. BNE has assisted the DOE inincidents that were unrelated toBNE’s operations and workedwith the DOE in workshops suchas the recently held Spill ResponseWorkshop in which we providedequipment and supplies. BNE, under theEnvironmental Compliance Plan(ECP) signed with the Departmentof the Environment (DOE), isrequired to report all spills andprovide a written report on theincident to the DOE within 72hours. BNE has carried through onthese reporting requirements onall “Energy for Life” priorincidents. A report on the spillreferred to by Channel 7 wasprovided to the DOE in thespecified time. The biggest weakness in thereporting requirements which thisrecent incident has highlightedand which BNE and the DOE willhave to immediately address is thematter of clear 24/7 access to areporting mechanism within the

DOE along the lines of a manned911 call. At this time, the Department ofEnvironment has no reportingsystem in place (i.e no hotline ordirect line for this purpose).

By Jatindra DashBHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) An infant boy was married off to hisneighbors’ dog in eastern India byvillagers, who said it will stop thegroom from being killed by wildanimals, officials and witnesses saidon Wednesday. Around 150 tribespeople performedthe ritual recently in a hamlet in thestate of Orissa’s Jajpur district afterthe boy, who is under two years old,grew a tooth on his upper gum. The Munda tribe see such a growthin young children as a bad omen andbelieve it makes them prone to attacksby tigers and other animals. The tribalgod will bless the child and ward offevil spirits after the marriage. “We performed the marriagebecause it will overcome any cursethat might fall on the child as well

on us,” the boy’s father, SanarumalaMunda, was quoted as saying by alocal newspaper. The groom, Sagula, was carried byhis family in a procession to thevillage temple, where a priestsolemnized the marriage betweenSagula and his bride, Jyoti, bychanting Sanskrit hymns, a witness said. The dog belongs to the groom’sneighbors and was set free to roamaround the area after the ceremony. Nodowry was exchanged, the witnesssaid, and the boy will still be able tomarry a human bride in the futurewithout filing for divorce. Indian law does not recognizeweddings between people andanimals, but the ritual survives inrural and tribal areas of the country.(Editing by Matthias Williams, LeslieGevirtz)


Dear Editor I would like some space in yourmuch informational newspaper toshare my views and commentson an article appearing in theFebruary 15, 2009 edition of yournewspaper under the heading"Sacred Heart Junior CollegeSchool Support Program.” I have personally been involvedin this program and it is with greatpleasure that I applaud the studentswho with great effort always "puta smile on children's face". I know Sacred Heart JuniorCollege students who have beeninvolved in the program from thebeginning and are always workingto make every fund raiser a greatsuccess. I can recall waking up at 5 a.m toprepare for a "market day" or abake sale, or asking for a dollar onSaturdays up until 2:00 pm to raisethe money needed to make the solong awaited trip to visit childrenat the much needed rural schools. Planning fundraising eventswere always fun, as the ideas thesestudents bring to make the effortsa success were always with highexpectations, and were always met!

The program is very dear to me,and the students who are in theprogram are always keeping meupdated with the program'ssuccess. The experience of being a part ofthe program is ever gratifying.Thesmiles on children's face when theyreceive the gifts make the memberswork endlessly and with vigor tofund raise. The teachers who guide thesestudents to make the program asuccess are hard at work trying toget students together for meetingsto making the SSP help moreschools. The program wouldn't be asuccess without the businesssector. Students send letters to thebusiness community and theresponse is always good. Thephilosophy of the program,"helping to educate our children"is always welcomed by thelocal businesses community. I would like to express mysincere gratitude to the followingpeople who make SSP the greatsucess that it is:LECTURERS: Mrs. MariaMarin Mendez, Mrs. Natalie

You all have made me proud!

Williams, Mr. Keith Westbly,Ms. Jan Throwsmith,STUDENTS: Judy Vasquez,Hugo Salazar, Delsie Pinelo,Molly Paggett, and all the rest of

the students, present and past whohave made the SSP a great success.You all have made me proud!Thanks very much.Ian Segura

Dear Editor I read with much interest theMichael Hyde article on theexpulsion of his son in last week’sedition of the STAR Newspaper. There are many things thatMr. Hyde failed to bring to theattention of your newspaper andwhat he recounted to you is onlyselected clips of that particularincident. I guess that he has good reasonswhy he might not want STARreaders to get the full story. One of the persons who can shedmore light on the saga is PrincipalFrancisco Tun himself but thismight never be because Mr. Tun isguided by the principles and rules

governing disclosure to the media. I would also like to bring some ofthis information to the forefrontbut as a policeman, I too amrestricted by the rules governingthe department. All I will confine myself insaying is that Principal Tun is areasonable man and I trust thathe will do what is in the bestinterest of maintaining disciplineand security at Mopan TechnicalHigh School while also takinginto consideration the interest ofMr. Hyde’s son as well as thoseof the students and staff at hisschool.Please Do Not Publish My NameBenque Viejo Town.

Principal Tun Is A Reasonable Man

U

PltainT

Winsom Foundation - Festival Of Lights“KEEP IT IN THE LIGHT”

Please mark the date on yourcalendar. It’s the WinsomFoundation Festival of Lightsto be held under the theme “KEEPIT IN THE LIGHT” The event takes place onSaturday, April 25, 2009. For more information we invite

you to visit our website atwww.winsomfoundation.com. We also ask you to kindly tell yourfriends about the Festival. Tell allyour friends living in Belize as wellas those from abroad who might bevisiting around the time.Thank You - Winsom Foundation


For many years themotoring public hasbeen complaining

about the badcondition of this

section of theNorthern Highway

the condition ofwhich can be

attributed to verypoor or non-existent

maintainance

Driversmanuveringthrough thedeplorablecondition of

the roadsurface.

Breaking up manyvehicles and costingthe motoring publicmillions of dollars

in replacementparts and repairs.


The Ministry of Works is rehabilitating some 9,900 feet of the Northern Highway fromChetumal Street located at Miles 2.2 to miles 4.6 on the Northern Highway. This includes

resurfacing, drainage and culverts along the highway. Work on this project has commenced and is expected to be completed by the end of March,

long before the rainy season. In the interim the cooperation and patience of the public is being sought as the Ministry of

Works improves this portion of the highway.

Minister of WorksHon. Anthony “Boots” Martinez

The Government of Belize allocated the sum of 2.3 million Belize dollars for therehabilitation of some 9,900 feet of the Northern Highway, which was severely affected by

Tropical Depression #16, late last year.THE PEOPLE OF BELIZE ARE NOW GETTING TRUE VALUE FOR THEIR TAX DOLLARS


BY: Myrna Manzanares,President, National KriolCouncilBELIZE CITY, Wednesday,February 18, 2009: The National Kriol Council isconducting its Annual GeneralMeeting at the House of Cultureon Saturday February 28th

commencing at 10:30 a.m. The Council last held a GeneralMeeting in 2005, and it is expectedthat hereafter, the GeneralMeetings, held every two years,will proceed as such. Over the past few months, the

U.S. Embassy, Belmopan, Fri-day, February 20, 2009: A media release from the U.S.Embassy in Belmopan todayinformed of the offering of aSummer Exchange Programs toStudent Leaders. The release informs that theEmbassy of the United States ofAmerica in Belmopan invites

young Belizeans to apply for afive-week course from July 11 –August 15, 2009 at a U.S.institution to strengthen theirleadership skills, meet with theirAmerican peers, engage in localcommunity and service activities,and learn more about the U.S. The Student Leaders courseoffered through the Study of UnitedStates Institutes (SUSI) is open tostudent leaders from Belize, CostaRica, El Salvador, Guatemala,Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.

Twenty students will be selectedfrom this region to participate infour weeks of coursework andclassroom activities, one week ofdomestic travel, and a 2-3 dayprogram in Washington, D.C. The program covers participants’costs including: internationaland domestic travel, groundtransportation, books, culturalevents, mailing and incidentalallowances, housing, andsubsistence allowances. Participants are expected to be

highly motivated first through thirdyear undergraduate students whodemonstrate leadership throughacademic work, communityinvolvement, and extracurricularactivities. This Exchange Program istargeted at students between theages of 18 and 25 who have littleor no prior experience outside ofBelize. If you are interested in applying,please fill out an application formand return it to the U.S. Embassy,Public Affairs Office, Floral ParkRoad, Belmopan by 4:00 p.m.,Friday, February 27. The submission of a prescribedthree page application form is re-quired which can be downloadedfrom the Embassy’s website athttp://belize.usembassy.gov. Student leaders interested inobtaining more informationabout the program can do soby writing the Embassy at:[email protected].

Kriol Council has been on amembership drive, travelling tovarious regions in the countryrecruiting members. This has beendone with the kind support of SIF,(Social Investment Fund). Thebusiness of the General Meeting isto receive and adopt the report ofthe executive, to receive and adoptthe financial report, to selectofficers to the executive and totransact other business as may bedetermined. Kriol committees from thevarious districts are submittingnominations for the executive

posts, and nominations are beingaccepted from interested persons.This can be done in writing viaemail to [email protected] ordropped off at the Council’s officeat the House of Culture on RegentStreet in Belize City, between thehours of 9 am to 2 pm workdays,or on the day of the meeting itself. All Kriol Council members,supporters and interested Belizeansare invited to attend this year’sGeneral Meeting. Buses will be leaving from thedifferent districts and the BelizeRiver Valley. Schedules of the times ofdeparture will be announced closerto the date of the meeting. For more information, interestedpersons can contact theAdministrative Secretary Jameliaat 602-5282 or the Council’sPresident Myrna Manzanares at605-7671. Since the last General meeting,the Kriol Council has been activein promoting the rich Kriollanguage and culture, withhighlights being the publication ofa grammar book in 2005, theKriol-English dictionary in 2007,a Traditional Games book also in2007, and two ethno-musicworkshops with resulting CDs ofmusic and Kriol lyrics in 2006 and2008 respectively. The Council is also a consistentresource for Schools and students. In other related news, the KriolCouncil was the 2006 recipient ofthe Belize Tourism Board’sCultural Tourism award. It has alsoembarked on two funded projects– the membership recruitmentdrive with the assistance of theSocial Investment Fund and theIDB for the preservation of theKriol traditional dance, andbrokdong music through thetraining of a starter group ofteachers and students in fiveupper elementary pilot schoolswhich is in its preliminary stages.

“The Newspaper that cares anddares to bring out the truth”

Publisher: Alberto AugustEditor: Nyani Azueta-AugustCirculation: Errol Gonzalez

42A Western Highway,Santa Elena, Cayo,

Belize, Central America

Tel: 626-8822 or 626- 3788

belizenorth.com/thestar.htmbelizenews.com/thestar

[email protected]

We AMS To Please


SANTA ELENA TOWN, CayoDistrict, Friday, February 20,2009: Junior members of the SanIgnacio Humane Society are gettingactive as they launched theiractivities this week with thesetting up of a fundraising artprogram at the San Ignacio Libraryfor children. Twelve children from the SanIgnacio/Santa Elena area arrived topaint t-shirts with themes related topets. They painted 22 t-shirts thatwill be sold to raise funds for thework of the humane society. The t-shirt painting is a way toraise awareness that stray, abused,neglected and unhealthy animalsare a community problem thatneeds community action to solve.

Many thanks are owed toLibrarian , Ms. Terasita Ulloa ,who offered the use of the SanIgnacio Library for use by JuniorMembers. A special thank you isalso extended to Sophie Cohen,the San Ignacio Humane SocietyVice President who organized theevent. The San Ignacio HumaneSociety (SIHS) is a volunteer-runorganization that is dedicated to im-proving the welfare of animals andpromoting the humane treatment ofanimals. The organization rehabilitatesstrays and finds them safe, newhomes, assists owners in gettingtreatment for animals with mangeand other health problems andorganizes activities that promote

responsible pet care. The work of the organization iscarried out by the very fewactive members and though themembership is rising steadily, it isrising slowly and there is a constantneed for new members from thecommunity. Led by Ms. Cohen, the newjunior members have alreadyproven to be a small, but active andenterprising group. Jointly theyhave helped to rehabilitate a puppy,Penny, who now has a safe, new

home, off the streets and in aspacious, fenced yard. The recent t-shirt painting eventwas such a hit with the membersand those that came to join the fun,that they have decided to holdanother one. Children are welcome to join thegroup again on February 28, 2009at the San Ignacio Library. Theactivity is free, fun and for a goodcause. Anyone wishing to becomeactive in the society shouldcontact the Vice President, SophieCohen at 672-1011 or [email protected].

INVITATION FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTERESTTO PURCHASE SSB PROPERTY

On St. George’s Caye, Belize District

The Social Security Board (SSB) hereby informs the general public of its intention tosell, and invites sealed bids to purchase the following property:

SCHEDULE

ALL THAT piece or parcel of land demised to the Social Security Board under aTransfer Certificate of Title dated 6th April, 2000 and recorded in Volume 36 at folio74. The property is situate at St. George’s Caye being Lot Number 18 and known asEgg Bouy Cottage measuring in width fronting the sea one hundred and twenty-sixfeet or thereabouts and at the back thereon one hundred and eight feet orthereabouts and in dept on the Northerly side adjoining Lot Number 17 now orformerly in the possession of William Cadle Price two hundred and five feet orthereabouts and on the Southerly side adjoining Crown land two hundred and fifteenfeet or thereabouts be the said several dimensions little more or less TOGETHER withall buildings erections and developments standing and being thereon.

ALL offers to purchase the said property must be made in writing addressed to theGeneral Manager, Investment Services, Social Security Board, P. O. Box 18,Belmopan City, from whom full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained.Potential buyers must submit bids by February 27, 2009. Late bids will not beaccepted. No preference shall be given to any individual or group.

The Social Security Board reserves all rights, including the right to refuse any or allbid(s) or offer(s), to withdraw the property from the sale at any time before fullpayment, and to consider the bid price and currency offered. Acceptance of a bid isconditional upon full payment. Successful buyer(s) must pay the bid price in fullupon notification by SSB.

DATED the 9th day of February, 2009.

SOCIAL SECURITSOCIAL SECURITSOCIAL SECURITSOCIAL SECURITSOCIAL SECURITY BY BY BY BY BOOOOOARDARDARDARDARD

by his doctor and that they begangetting hints of his medicalcondition as over the past twoweeks he was often times

incoherent in his speech whichmade it difficult for members of hisfamily to understand what he wassaying. Kenneth George “Kenny”Gibbs is originally from BelizeCity. He lived for several years inDangriga before relocating to SanIgnacio Town where, along with hiswife, Joan Ritchie Gibbs and theirchildren, he began operating theJ&K Bar and Grill on Blue HoleStreet in San Ignacio. His unique personality made ithard for anyone to miss hispresence in any gathering makinghim a well known person in thecommunity. Kenneth George “Kenny”Gibbs was the only child born tohis parents George Gibbs and EvaWade of Belize City both of whompassed away several years ago. He is survived by his wife JoanRitchie Gibbs; sons, KennethCharles and Kenneth Jr.; he isalso survived by two daughters:Kendra and Kenberly as well asseveral other relatives and manyfriends. A memorial mass was held at St.Andrews Anglican Church, onBurns Avenue in San Ignacio Townon Thursday, February 19 at 3:00p.m. In compliance with his wishes,the family did not hold a big wake.The body was brought infrom Belize City, on Thursdayevening for a couple hours at thefamily home after which thefuneral procession led to thechurch. Immediately after the memorialmass the body was returned toBelize City and taken to a remotelocation where it was cremated, aswas his wish. The ashes werereturned to the family home in SanIgnacio. We take this opportunity toexpress our sincerest sympathies toMs. Joan and the family at thesudden passing of their loved one.May the soul of Kenneth George“Kenny” Gibbs rest in eternalpeace.

From Front Page


ARIES (March 22 toApril 20)

New circumstancesenhance the outgoingand sociable side ofyour personality. Youget an opportunity to

widen your social contacts. Thisbrings admirers into your orbit andpossible partners to the heart free!Good fortune forecast on:Wednesday. Lucky Numbers: 19,25, 56.

TAURUS (April 21 to May 21)An old friendship isabout to be renewedand it may be asurprise change inevents that throws

you together. Using your initiativeat work gets good results. Goodday for luck: ThursdayLucky Numbers: 5, 34, 72.

GEMINI (May 22 to June 21)The Sun hits the top of your chart,

Mercury entersyour travel sector andyou’re more con-fident about making ben-eficial changes that giveyou a wider field of self

expression. Best day for luck:Friday. Lucky Numbers: 24, 19,86.

CANCER (June 22 to July 23)A recent financialtransaction will bringresults you weren’teven dreaming of. Anoffer of some moneyrecently applied for,

may come your way sooner thanexpected. Lucky day: Sunday.Lucky Numbers:22, 67, 91.

LEO (July 24 to August 21)Should you need toask for a favour, this isthe time to do so. Ifsomeone owes youmoney and they seem

to have forgotten about it, bring the

subject up ‘tactfully’ this week andthey will swiftly cough up!Fortunate on: Wednesday. LuckyNumbers: 18, 33, 75.

VIRGO (August 22 to September21)

Before you canachieve anythingspecial you mustknow what you want.This is a good week tomake firm long term

goals. It will be surprising howswiftly you progress once youfocus on a specific target. Good dayfor luck. Monday. LuckyNumbers: 2, 45, 92.

LIBRA (September 22 toOctober 23)

A new creativeproject is starting totake up a lot ofyour time. You’rediscovering a talentyou hadn’t previously

acknowledged and when yourealize your ability, all you willwant to do, is develop it. Expectluck on: Sunday. Lucky Numbers:7, 38, 49.

SCORPIO (October 24 toNovember 21)

With the Sun movinginto a lucky area ofyour chart, this couldbe a time for romanceand merrymaking.

Even so, practical matters mustalso be considered, in particularthose relating to the family needattention. Fortunate on: Tuesday.Lucky Numbers: 13, 28, 42.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 toDecember 21)

Arrangements anddeals made nowwon’t be minor ones.You will need all yourwits about you. Don’t

be in such a rush that you skim overimportant details or you will miss

a crucial point. Good fortuneforecast on: Thursday. LuckyNumbers: 16, 17, 44.

CAPRICORN (December 22 toJanuary 20)

You could getto establish someinteresting newcontacts. Expect ashift in the pattern of

your relationships these next fewweeks as new people enter yourlife. Lucky day: Sunday. LuckyNumbers: 15, 64, 83.

AQUARIUS (January 21 toFebruary 18)

You have good ideason how to bringimprovements intoyour life; your plans

aren’t small ones. There arenone of the objections you hadbeen expecting. People take toyour schemes like ducks towater. Best day for luck:Monday. Lucky Numbers: 21, 52,78.

PISCES (February 19 to March20)

There’s anassertiveness anddirect approach toyour dealings thatbrooks no argument

or interference. The Sun movinginto your sign warrants afresh approach to issueswhich weren’t adequately solved inthe past. Expect luck on:Friday. Lucky Numbers: 8, 76,95.

#31 Bullet Tree Road, San Ignacio Town, CayoTel: 824-2160


In the Sunday January 18, 2009edition of your favorite STARNewspaper, you probably read anarticle, a brief explanation about theBahá’í Faith and the Dawn of the NewDay. This article today gives moreinformation about the life ofBahá’u’lláh, the nineteenth-centuryProphet Founder of the Bahá’í Faithand His teachings. With the new millennium upon us,the crucial need facing the nature ofman and society. Such a vision unfoldsin the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh. Throughout history, there has beena driving force to civilize humannature. The challenge is to accept thatwe are one people, to free ourselvesfrom the limited identities and creedsof the past, and to build together thefoundations of global civilization. Bahá’u’lláh (1817-1892), whosename means “The Glory of God”, wasborn into a family descended fromPersia’s imperial past. As a young manHe declined the ministerial careeropen to Him in government to devoteHis energies to a range ofphilanthropies which had, by the early1840s, earned Him widespreadrenown as “Father of the Poor.” The early nineteenth century was aperiod of messianic expectations onmany lands. People from variousreligious backgrounds turned to thescriptures of their faiths and expectedthe fulfillment of prophecies about thePromised One. Christians awaited thereturn of Christ from passages like: “Ihave yet many things to say to you,but you cannot bear them now. Whenthe Spirit of truth comes, He willguide you unto all truth; for He willnot speak on His own authority, butwhatever He hears He will speak, andHe will declare to you the things thatare to come” (John 16:12). Otherreligions had similar expectations. In1863 Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed that Hewas the One promised by all religionsand that God had entrusted Him witha revelation addressing humanity’spresent-day needs. Opposed by the Muslim clergy andthe Persian government, Bahá’u’lláhsuffered exile, imprisonment, andpersecution that climaxed with Hisbanishment to the Turkish prison city

Promoting The Unity of MankindWhat is the Bahá’í Faith all about? (Continuation)BY: Mohsen Badiyan of ‘Akká in the Holy Land. Although

outwardly a captive, Bahá’u’lláhopened a new vision to men’s heartsand minds through His writings. In September 1867, Bahá’u’lláhbegan writing a series of letters to theworld leaders of His time, addressing,among others, Emperor NapoleonIII, Queen Victoria, Kaiser WilhelmI, Tsar Alexander II of Russia,Emperor Franz Joseph, Pope PiusIX, Sultan-Aziz of Ottoman Empire,the Persian ruler, Nasírí-Din Shah. In these letters, Bahá’u’lláh openlyproclaimed His station. He spoke ofthe dawn of a new age. But first, Hewarned, there would be catastrophicupheavals in the world’s political andsocial order. He called for generalefforts at disarmament, and urged theworld’s leaders to pursue justice andshow forth compassion. Only byacting collectively, He said, could alasting peace be established.

SPIRTUAL TEACHINGS The foremost theme of Bahá’u’lláh’steachings is UNITY. He taught thatthere is only one God, that there is onlyone human race, and that all theworld’s religions have been stages inthe revelation of God’s will andpurpose for humanity. Throughout history, God hasrevealed Himself to humanity througha series of Divine Messengers-each ofwhom has founded a new religion.This succession of Divine Teachersreflects a single historic “plan of God”for educating mankind about theCreator and for cultivating thespiritual, intellectual, and moralcapacities of humanity. The goal hasbeen to prepare the way for asingle, global and ever-advancingcivilization. The essential identity of eachperson is defined by an invisible,rational, and everlasting soul. It growsand develops through the individual’srelationship with God, mediated byHis Messengers. This relationship isfostered through prayer, knowledge ofthe scriptures revealed by theseTeachers, love for God, moralself-discipline, and service tohumanity. This process is what givesmeaning to life.

SOCIAL AND MORALTEACHINGS

One of the extraordinary features ofthe Writings of Bahá’u’lláh is thedegree to which they accuratelyforecast the increasing number ofcritical issues that humanity has facedin the twentieth century. ThroughoutHis writings, Bahá’u’lláh called for acomplete restructuring of the globalsocial order. His vision of renewaltouches on all aspects of life, frompersonal morality to economicsand governance, from communitydevelopment to religious practice. Through an irresistible historicalprocess, the traditional barriers of race,class, creed, faith and nation will breakdown. These forces will give birth intime to a new global civilization. Overa century ago, Bahá’u’lláh said, for a

global society to flourish it must bebased on certain fundamentalprinciples. They include, amongothers, the elimination of all forms ofprejudice; equality wrights of womanand man; recognition of the onenessof the world’s great religions thesecurity and progress of the family; theelimination of extremes of poverty andwealth; universal education; a highstandard of personal conduct; theharmony of science and religion; asustainable balance between natureand technology; and the establishmentof social justice. In over one hundredvolumes of His writings, Bahá’u’lláhaddresses the spiritual and materialneeds of the individual and society. In just over 100 years, the Bahá’íFaith has grown from an obscuremovement in the Middle East to thesecond most widespread of theindependent world religions.Embracing people from more than2,100 ethnic, racial and tribal groups,it is quite likely the most diverseorganized body of people on theplanet. Its unity challenges prevailingtheories about human nature and theprospects for our common future. Out of the voluminous Writings ofBahá’u’lláh, which were revealed overa period of forty years, a few are citedhere to give the reader a flavor of Hiswritings, and serve as a source ofmeditation and spiritual enrichment.

PRAYER FOR HEALING “Thy name is my healing, O mygod, and remembrance of Thee is myremedy. Nearness to Thee is my hope,and love for Thee is my companion.Thy mercy to me is my healing…Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful,the All Knowing, the All-Wise.”SEEKING DIVINE ASSISTANCE “Create in me a pure heart, O myGod, and renew a tranquil consciencewithin me, O my Hope… Throughthe power of Thy transcendent mightlift me up unto the heaven of Thyholiness, O source of my being, andby the breezes of Thine eternitygladden me, O Thou Who art myGod! Let Thine ever lasting melodiesbreathe tranquility on me, O myCompanion, and let the riches ofThine ancient countenance deliverme from all except Thee, O myMaster…”

PRAISE AND GRATITUDE “All praise, O my God, be to TheeWho art the source of all glory andmajesty, of greatness and honor, ofsovereignty and dominion, ofloftiness and grace, of awe andpower… Illumine, O Lord, the facesof Thy servants that they may turnunto the court of Thy heavenlyfavors… Verily, Thou art the Lord ofall worlds.”

HEAVENLY COUNSEL “Be generous in prosperity, andthankful in adversity. Be worthy ofthe trust of thy neighbor, and lookupon him with a bright and friendlyface. Be a treasure to the poor, andadmonisher to the rich, an answererto the cry of the needy… Be fair in

thy judgment, and guarded in thyspeech… Be as a lamp unto themthat walk in darkness, a joy to thesorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, ahaven for the distressed, andupholder and defender of the victimof oppression. Let integrity anduprightness distinguish all thineacts…”

RENEWAL OF THE DIVINECOVENANT

The power that is awakening man’sspiritual consciousness throughout theworld is the universal Revelation ofGod promised in all the scriptures ofmankind’s past. Its spokesman isBahá’u’lláh whose growing influenceis the greatest untold story of our time.In this day, the driving force tocivilize man comes from the Writingsof Bahá’u’lláh. Bahá’u’lláh has revealed a systemof laws and institutions designed togive practical effect to the principlesin His writings. At the heart of thissystem is what Bahá’u’lláh termed anew Covenant between God andhumanity. God has promised never toleave man without His lovingguidance. Bahá’u’lláh is the fulfill-ment of that promise for this day. Thelife of Bahá’u’lláh, the many volumesof His writings, and the example ofthe growing worldwide Bahá’í com-munity support His claim to be theMessenger of God for the coming ofage of the human race. As the peopleof the world embrace the spiritual au-thority inherent in the guidance of therevelation of God for this age,Bahá’u’lláh said, they will find inthemselves a spiritual enrichmentwhich human effort alone has provenincapable of generating. The Bahá’í community demonstratesthe power of Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenantto heal the ills that divide the humanrace. Although still in its infancy, theBahá’í community has alreadyunified many diverse elements of thehuman family, from virtually everynationality, religious background,ethnic group and social class. Theemergence of this community offersclear evidence of the far-reachingeffect Bahá’u’lláh’s teachingseventually will have on humanity. For more information, there aresome Bahá’í websites as follows:

www.bahai.org http://refrence.bahai.orgwww.bahaiworldnews.org

www.bahairadio.orgTelephone contact in Belize,

San Ignacio is 604 4330; 674 1919;or 824 3019

Email; [email protected]


This week we take a look atBISHOPS, they move at an angle,diagonally. Notice that for each side onebishop starts on a white square andone starts on a dark square, theystay on the same colour squares

CARACAS, Venezuela, Sunday,February 15, 2009: By a margin of 54.4% to 45.6%,Venezuelans voted to eliminatetwo-term limit on all electedoffice. Venezuelans went to the polls onSunday, February 15 and supporteda constitutional amendment toeliminate the two-term limit on allelected offices. By 9:30 on Sunday night, threeand a half hours after polls closedand with nearly 95% of votescounted, Venezuela’s NationalElectoral Council announced thatVenezuelans had voted nearly 55%in favor of the constitutionalamendment to eliminate termlimits. Chávez supporters took to thestreets, to celebrate the nearly9-point victory margin withenthusiasm, as it will allowPresident Hugo Chávez to run fora third full term in 2012. Thousands descended onVenezuela’s presidencial palace,Miraflores, where PresidentChavez addressed the crowd.

According to the ElectoralCouncil, participation wasrelatively high. Just under 70% ofthe 16 million registered to vote,cast their ballot on Sunday. This is roughly two million morevoters than in 2007, during thefailed constitutional reformreferendum that would have altered70 articles of Venezuela’sconstitution. Chávez and hissupporters had argued that theelimination of term limits isnecessary to allow Chávez togovern for longer than thefour years remaining in his term,in order to complete Venezuela’stransition to “BolivarianSocialism.”

President Hugo Chávez

BY: David Coombs,Cayo Chess Coordinator

throughout the game. They can move forwards andbackwards and as far as they areable without jumping, rememberonly the knight can jump. Towards the end of the game ifyour opponent has only one bishopyou can place your pieces on theopposite colour squares and theycannot be attacked by that bishop.Now you know the bishops, knightsand pawns you can practice a gamewith only these pieces just to getused to how they move. If you have missed a column orhave questions write to me [email protected]

Puzzle for those who know how toplay chess, SEE THE BOARDBELOW. This is a tricky one.White to move and checkmate inone move. If you work it out, send the answer

to [email protected] first three to get it correct willhave their names in the next chesscolumn. If any business would like todonate a prize please let me know!

ehC se s oC l u m nT h W ee k l ye


among other persons of nearsimilar physical appearances. The Court of Appeal ordereda retrial on the basis thatalthough Justice Adolph Lucasadvised the jury of the weaknessof the dock identification, he

From Front Page

From Front Pagewhich he aimed at the uppersection of the victim’s body butbefore he could pull off the firstshot, the victim fell to the groundfor cover, the gunman neverthelesssqueezed off about 4 or 6 shots ashe continued riding pass the group.He then took into the first left streetoff Carillo Puerto Avenue ridingpass the victim’s house onTeacher’s Lane, beforedisappearing into the darkness. Since no Police informed that an intensive

investigation is underway as thesearch continues for the personresponsible for this most recentbreach of the peace. The police is also issuing awarning to those persons,especially those young boys, whohabitually hang out on streetcorners after sunset, to be evermindful of the dangers associatedwith doing so as they run the riskof being at the wrong place at thewrong time and could become theunfortunate innocent victims ofrandom shootings.

Notice is hereby be given that under theIntoxicating Liquor License OrdinanceChapter 150 of the Laws of Belize,Revised Edition 2000, thatMARIA BOITON is applying for therenewal of her SHOP LIQUORLICENSE for the year 2009 to operateBEL-CHI SUPERSTORE located onLa Loma Boulevard, Santa Elena Townin the Cayo District.

Notice is hereby be given that under theIntoxicating Liquor License OrdinanceChapter 150 of the Laws of Belize,Revised Edition 2000, thatBLANCA ASCENCIO is applying forthe renewal of her PUBLICANSPECIAL LIQUOR LICENSE forthe year 2009 to operate BL’s COOLSPOT located 23rd Street, San IgnacioTown in the Cayo District.

did not sufficiently emphasizethe point and a retrial wasordered. The new trial began on February2, 2009. The eyewitness, JanelleLongsworth was unable to take thewitness stand as she is incarceratedin a Guatemalan prison on a drug

possession charge and despitecountless telephone calls toGuatemala and a visit to the prisonin Santa Elena, Peten, combinedwith the best efforts of the newprosecuting Attorney, CecilRamirez and by way of thediplomatic channel through theEmbassy of Belize in Guatemala,her transfer to take the witnessstand in the new trial could not beobtained. Notwithstanding however, thejudge allowed for her deposition tobe read into evidence ultimatelyresulting in the trial Judge, JusticeHerbert Lord, ruling that theeyewitness did not make the linkbetween the person she referred toas “Life” and the accusedmurderer, Dionicio Salazar Jr. Hesubsequently recalled the jury anddirected them to return a not guiltyverdict against the accused andordered him to walk free of thecapital charge.

The prosecution has indicatedits intention to appeal thedecision of the trial judge.


* The first phase of a new and modern farmers market, to serve the people of San Ignacio & Santa Elena and indeed the entire Cayo District,is today a reality. No longer are we walking like pigs in the mud when it rains on market day. No longer are we buying our fruits and vegetablesfrom among the mud. The new market has attracted in excess of a 100% more fruit and vegetable vendors as well as other enterprisingBelizeans. The other phase of the development of the market must continue. Mayor John August kept his promise to build a new market andtoday the new market is a testimony of a promise kept. He has promised to construct the other phase and when re-elected with his team onMarch 4, 2009, he will continue the development of the market.

* Many are the Mayors and Councillors before John August and his team who expected us to be satisfied with a little scraping and painting ofthe outdated Columbus Park. But NOT John August and his team. When the Shell Gas Station requested an expansion, Mayor John Augustsuccessfully negotiated for the total demolition and upgrading of the Columbus Park and today the new park stands as another testimony of hisability to bring progress to the residents of San Ignacio and Santa Elena. “You want to expand” said Mayor John August “Then build a parkfor my people” and after much negotiation and hard work the park is yet another milestone in Mayor John August’s vision for the community.

* In just a few months after a friendly UDP central government was elected, Mayor John August went to Belmopan and successfully negotiatedfor the removal of the Cox Garbage Yoke from around our necks. Today the residents of the Twin Towns are free of that yoke.

* Many are the Mayors before John August who sat in the Town Hall and never as much as painted it once during their term in office. Not sowith Mayor John August. He has not only painted the building but have consistently upgraded and improved it every single year. Today theTown Hall is much more improved from when he inherited it in 2006.

* No longer are street side cutters sharing machete and files to get the job done. In fact today, under the leadership of Mayor John August andhis team, machetes and files are tools of the pass for street side cutters. Today, street side cutters are using high powered weed cutters boughtand paid for by Mayor John August and his team. Council worker have no intention of returning to the days of machetes and the sharing of afile.

*In 2006 Mayor John August and his team inherited a Town Council in deep financial crisis. It was a Council that had a hard time to pay itsworkers. A Council that could not get credit from local businesses. A council that could barely purchase fuel for the single vehicle it had.Today, with the prudent management skills of Mayor John August and his team, the Council’s financial head is now floating above the water.

* Under the stewardship of Mayor John August and his team, the Council has moved from owning a single vehicle to now owning over ONEMILLION DOLLARS worth of equipment from weed cutters, to tractors, trucks and more recently a FIRST EVER Compactor Truck anda FIRST EVER Grader.

* In one short term, Mayor John August and his team have paved and repaired more streets than any of his predecessors.

*Much, much more has been accomplished. Much, much more is left to be done. If Mayor John August and his team were able to achieve somuch under a HOSTILE PUP Central Government - IMAGINE how much more he can achieve under a friendly UDP Central Government.

Documents

*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR*STAR ......held the machete to the girl’s neck and told her that if she ever squeals on him, he would kill her. Rodney passed away 8 hours later

STARSTARSTARSTARSTARSTARSTARSTAR ......held the machete to the girl’s neck and told her that if she ever squeals on him, he would kill her. Rodney passed away 8 hours later