According to the recently released results of the 2013 PSE (Public School Examinations) proficiency exams, more than half of all exiting Primary school students throughout Belize ranked poorly in English and Math. The results that were released to the media show that 53% [...]]]> By Gustavo A. Ramirez, Guidance Counselor / Education Consultant

According to the recently released results of the 2013 PSE (Public School Examinations) proficiency exams, more than half of all exiting Primary school students throughout Belize ranked poorly in English and Math. The results that were released to the media show that 53% of the 7359 students who took the exams were assessed as not proficient. The median score in English was 58% while in Math it remained steady at around 54% as the previous year. These low proficiency scores indicate loudly that our students in Primary schools are not learning as they should. Readers who follow my Guidance Counseling columns know that, for years now, I strongly advocate and assert that Education, especially at early levels, needs to be focused on successful “learning”. Low PSE results this year show, without a doubt, that there continues to be large disparities between teaching and learning in our Primary schools.

The results of these standardized exams deem that half of all students who complete Primary school throughout the country this month are “not ready” to enter high school. How valid is this statistic? At the outset, I submit that it does not mean that our children and schools are deficient. Moreover, no amount of finger-pointing or vocal public accusations against schools/ teachers will even out any disparities between teaching and learning, or improve student performance. Politicization of these results merely focuses on blaming, and adds to the trauma that students and schools may be suffering now. Let us, especially after this unfavorable assessment, respect and uphold the dignity of our schools and teachers, and students. To remove the stigma of failure, policymakers who manage Belize’s Education Systems can focus on designing and providing multiple resources for schools and educators to use to help young students learn to develop their inquiry and reflection skills. Rote learning and memorization of fragmented academic subjects, which we continue to emphasize in Primary schools, are not learning methods. Teamwork, experimentation, and problem-solving are preferable.

While alcohol is fat-free and low in carbs, it’s important to remember that it’s the calories that count when it comes to weight management. As you know, alcohol and [...]]]> Ok folks. Time to get a post on having fun while trying to be healthy. Here are a few things to help you on your way….

While alcohol is fat-free and low in carbs, it’s important to remember that it’s the calories that count when it comes to weight management. As you know, alcohol and dieting don’t mix well—your body processes alcohol first, leaving carbohydrates and fats to get stored as fat instead of getting used as fuel.

Wines

The most friendly drink you can have while on a diet. Here’s a list of some of the more common wines.

Hard liquor

When drinking hard liquor, mix it with a diet soda or tonic water and go with smaller servings.

Beer

Beer has an average of around 150 calories per 12 oz serving

The main thing to remember is MODERATION. Drinking will loosen your inhibition and you’ll want to eat more loosely so be careful…  Most health experts recommend the following hierarchy when choosing alcohol based on potential health benefits (such as antioxidant content): choose red wine over white wine; choose wine over beer; choose darker-colored beers over lighter-colored beers; and choose beer over liquor and liqueur.

Some mixers that won’t pack on the pounds include:

• Diet soda or diet tonic: 0 calories
• Orange juice (6 oz): 84 calories
• Cranberry juice cocktail (8 oz): 136 calories
• Light orange juice (8 oz): 50 calories
• Light cranberry juice (8 oz): 40 calories
• Light lemonade (8 oz): 5 calories
• Coffee, tea: 0 calories
• Baja Bob’s sugar-free margarita or sweet ‘n’ sour mix: 0 calories
• Lemon or lime juice (1/2 oz): 10 calories
• DaVinci or Torani’s sugar-free syrups: 0

How Many Calories in Popular Cocktails?

• Pina Colada (6 oz): 378 calories
• Mojito (8 oz): 214 calories
• Cosmopolitan (4 oz): 200 calories
• Chocolate martini: (2 oz each vodka, chocolate liqueur, cream, 1/2 oz creme de cacao, chocolate syrup): 438
• Margarita (8 oz): 280
• Skinnygirl margarita (4 oz): 100
• Green apple martini (1 oz each vodka, sour apple, apple juice): 148
• Martini (2.5 oz): 160
• Port wine (3 oz):128
• Bloody Mary (5 oz): 118
• Red wine (5 oz):120
• White wine (5 oz): 120
• Alcohol-free wine (5 oz): 20-30
• Beer (12 oz): 150-198
• Light beer (12 oz): 95-136
• Ultra-light beer (12 oz): 64-95
• Champagne (5oz): 106-120
• Coffee liqueur (3 ounces): 348
• Godiva chocolate liqueur (3 oz): 310
• Wine spritzer (5 oz): 100
• Eggnog with rum (8 ounces): 370
• Hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps (8 oz): 380
• Hot buttered rum (8 oz): 292
• Spiced cider with rum ( 8 oz):150
• Mulled wine (5 oz): 200
• Vodka and tonic (8 oz): 200
• Screwdriver (8 oz): 190
• Mimosa (4 oz): 75
• Gin and tonic (7 oz): 200
• Long Island iced tea (8 oz): 780
• White Russian (2 oz vodka, 1.5 oz coffee liqueur, 1.5 oz cream): 425
• Mai Tai (6 oz) (1.5 oz rum, 1/2 oz cream de along, 1/2 oz triple sec, sour mix, pineapple juice): 350
• Rum and Coke (8 oz): 185
• Rum and Diet Coke (8 oz): 100
• Mike’s Hard Lemonade (11 oz): 98

Sample Drink Mixes

Well what you’ve been waiting for is here, the drinks. Here’s three…

Sangria Sparkler

• 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine
• 1 cup light orange juice
• 1/4 cup brandy or cognac
• 1/4 cup orange liqueur
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 medium oranges, sliced
• 2 cups club soda, chilled
• Crushed ice and/or orange peel curls (optional)

1. In a large pitcher, combine wine, orange juice, brandy, orange liqueur, sugar, and orange slices. Chill at least 2 hours. Add club soda before serving. Serve over crushed ice and/or with orange peel curls, if desired.

Nutrition Information per serving: 100 calories, 0g protein, 9g carbohydrate, 0g fat (0g saturated), 0g fiber

Mojito Fresco

• 2 large limes, cut into pieces (reserve one piece)
• 2 cups water
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup light rum
• Sugar
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• Ice cubes
• Quartered limes and/or mint leaves (optional)

1. In a blender combine lime pieces, 2 cups water, and 2/3 cup sugar. Cover and blend about 30 seconds or until limes are chopped; do not puree. Strain through a sieve into a large pitcher. Mix in 2 cups additional water. Cover and chill for 1 to 12 hours.
2. Stir rum into lime mixture. Moisten the rims of 8 glasses with the reserved lime piece; dip rims in sugar. Divide mint among glasses. Use a wooden spoon to press mint into the bottom of each glass; press firmly to release flavor. Fill glasses with ice cubes. Pour chilled lime mixture over ice and mint leaves. If desired, add extra quartered limes and/or mint leaves.

Nutrition Information per serving: 95 calories, 0g protein, 21g carbohydrate, 0g fat (0g saturated), 1g fiber

Strawberry-Citrus Vodka Cocktail

• 2 strawberries
• 1 sprig of mint
• 3/4 ounce light agave nectar, such as Wholesome Sweeteners
• 1 3/4 ounces citrus vodka
• 3/4 ounce lemon juice

In a shaker, muddle together mint and strawberries, then add the remaining ingredients. Shake vigorously with ice for 20 seconds. Pour entire contents of shaker into a tall glass. (Include all of the mint and strawberry pulp.)

Nutrition Information per serving: 259

June is a month for Graduations, annual rites of passage and new beginnings for students in Belize and throughout the world. Young teenagers complete Primary/Elementary School (Standard 6) while older teenagers graduate from Secondary (High School), and adults graduate from Tertiary (Sixth Form [...]]]> By Gustavo A. Ramirez, Guidance Counselor / Education Consultant

June is a month for Graduations, annual rites of passage and new beginnings for students in Belize and throughout the world. Young teenagers complete Primary/Elementary School (Standard 6) while older teenagers graduate from Secondary (High School), and adults graduate from Tertiary (Sixth Form or University).  Most of the students who graduate from Primary (Standard 6) typically will head straight into a High School or Technical School, if their families can afford to pay for it, while students who leave or graduate from High School will enter the workforce, the military, or opt to continue studying, or choose a combination of employment and continuing education.  Those students who graduate from a university with an Associate, Baccalaureate, or other degree are now ready to enter the workforce as career professionals.  Nonetheless, each year brings more challenging and complex academic and career options. This month thousands of young Belizeans who are graduating, from Primary up through University level, face increasingly complex and pivotal crossroads and new phases in their lives.  How ready, though, are they to make crucial decisions and take on the world?  If they are ready, are there places for each of them in today’s world?

Speaking from actual experience, I can verify that when Sixth Form (Associate Degree level) was the highest level of academic Education available in Belize, students who graduated from Sixth Form had limited career choices: seek immediate employment and enter the workforce, or go abroad to continue studying or working, or both.  I thank my Sixth Form English teacher (Peace Corp) for her guidance and encouragement, and my family for providing the support that enabled me to go abroad to study at the University of Wisconsin.

After “Pomp and Circumstance” is played several times this month in Belize, and graduates don their caps and gowns, what choices do they face?  There are now several high schools, sixth forms and universities throughout the country that offer high levels of academic and vocational training. During my lifetime, and before that, students who completed Primary School on San Pedro, and in several Districts, had to travel to Belize City to attend a High School!  Nonetheless, the various options facing graduates today are complex.  Where does a Primary School graduate turn if his/her family cannot afford to pay the thousands of dollars just to register in a high school?  Who will pay the remaining thousands of dollars in tuitions and books for 4 more years?  What if a graduate is not accepted into his/her school of choice to continue studying?  What if he/she is accepted but cannot afford the tuition and many other costs of that education?  What about those graduates who cannot find or obtain part-time employment?  Without part-time jobs many students cannot afford more schooling; it is just so expensive.  What does a student do after graduating from school, any level, if he/she still is not sure what “next step” to take, or does not feel prepared?  Are there “roads frequently travelled” that graduates might clearly see and follow?  Many students who are graduating with degrees, know exactly what they want to do, and are fully academically qualified; but, they will not be able to find employment in their field, or perhaps in any field whatsoever. Youth of Belize, are you ready to face the world as it is now?  Do you know where/how you now fit in your communities?

Commanding [...]]]> Ever wonder what British Columbia’s most profitable industries are? Logging? Fishing? Tourism? Ever think to include marijuana? If you haven’t, think again. No longer a hobby for the stereotypical hippie culture of the ’60s, BC’s illegal marijuana trade industry has evolved into a seemingly unstoppable business giant, dubbed by those involved as ‘The Union’.

Commanding upwards of $7 billion Canadian annually, The Union’s roots stretch far and wide, directly and indirectly affecting all areas of our society. With 65% to 85% of all ‘BC Bud’ being exported to the United States, it’s clear that the BC marijuana trade has become an international issue with consequences that extend far beyond our borders. When there are record profits to be made, who are the players, and when do their motives become questionable?

Why is marijuana illegal? What health risks do we really face? Does prohabition work? What would happen if we taxed it? Medicine, paper, fuel, textiles, food, etc. Are we missing something here?

Follow filmmaker Adam Scorgie as he dives head first into Canada’s most socially acceptable illegal activity. Along the way, Adam demsytifies the underground market and brings to light how such a large industry can function while remaining illegal. By interviewing experts from around the globe, including growers, clippers, police officers, criminalogists, economists, psychologists, medical doctors, politicians and pop culture icons, Scorgie explores the cause and effect nature of the business behind getting high.

Nobody’s innocent in this exploration of an industry that may be profiting more by being illegal. Join Adam Scorgie as he unravels the mystery of The Union. (Excerpt from theunionmovie.com)

Related articles

• Why Is Marijuana Illegal? – Examining the Health Aspects of Cannabis [w/ Video] (secretsofthefed.com)
• Canada announces new rules for medical marijuana (beaconnews.ca)
• Medicinal Cannabis Union First of Its Kind in Canada (prweb.com)
• High Marijuana Arrests: Signs of Racism & Over-Policing (tucson-progressive.com)

The Ministry of Defense “rethinks” of mobilizing army special forces in Petén – kaibiles-, specifically to areas close to the line of adjacency with Belize, after military bullet injured a Guatemalan, a fact which is attached to a long history of incidents in that area.

Guatemalan soldiers [...]]]> Shared by Amauri Marconi Leal

Belize, B. Honduras, June 5. — Nora Parham, aged 36, the East Indian mother of eight sons, was hanged today for the murder of the man with whom she had been living.

So ran a minute, page-10 wire story in the London Times* from the [...]]]> by Sherry Nyberg

June 5th, 2011 Headsman

Belize, B. Honduras, June 5. — Nora Parham, aged 36, the East Indian mother of eight sons, was hanged today for the murder of the man with whom she had been living.

So ran a minute, page-10 wire story in the London Times* from the British Central American possession soon to become self-governing as the country of Belize.

The unfortunate subject of the story was the first, and remains to date the only, woman put to death in Belize.

But she’s very much more than a bit of trivia.

A domestic violence victim hanged for murdering her batterer — who just happened to be a cop — Parham remains a lively source of controversy down to the present day.

Nora’s position as the victim in an abusive marriage, combined with serious doubt about whether she truly killed her husband at all, have given her enduring appeal. There’s a going campaign to issue her a posthumous pardon. In fact, there was a going campaign before she died to issue her a humous pardon, opposed by a governing party paper on the grounds that “sympathy” ought not “change court rulings.”

And it’s hard not to feel sympathy for Nora Parham and the years of beatings she’s reported to have endured in her relationship with Ketchell Trapp. One doubts even the harshest magistrate would condemn a person in her situation to hang today.

“By refusing to treat the pair as wife and husband, not just cop slayer and cop,” argues this volume on gender politics in colonized Belize, “the government deepened its own highly political silence about domestic and community gender oppression and violence and added a threatening element to its re-call to ‘domestic womanhood.’”

That cop/husband was doused with gasoline and set afire, but admitted as he expired from these ghastly injuries that he had been beating Parham before the fatal fire.

Even so, it sounds like a calculated way to kill a person.

But many believe, as Parham testified at her trial** that it wasn’t homicide at all … that Trapp was incidentally splattered with gasoline during his donnybrook with his wife, then carelessly set himself ablaze lighting a cigarette while off in the outhouse. (While naked, no less. What a way to go.)

“While he came back in the bedroom, I had a gasoline iron [in] my hand with a pan of gasoline.

“He came in the bedroom with a stick in his hand and hit me on my head. When he was going to hit me another hit, I threw the gasoline on him and he grabbed away the pan from me, and I went through the backdoor and he stone me with the said pan.

“After he stoned [me], I ran around the house and he never see where I got to. I went in the house through the front door, then I took the gasoline iron from where I left it and put it in the box.

“While I was inside I heard a noise and I run to see what it was. When I went I saw Ketchell Trapp come out of the latrine under fire. I then run up to help him but I see I could not, then I continued running towards the Hospital back street, running towards the station.

Related articles

• Bismillah The Case of Viola Pook (fiwebelize.com)

The case of Viola Pook was brought to national and international attention two months ago when Minister Farrakhan, in a question and answer session after his lecture to the prison population of the Belize Central Prison asked Ms Pook why she felt the need to kill the man she [...]]]> by Derrick Estrada

The case of Viola Pook was brought to national and international attention two months ago when Minister Farrakhan, in a question and answer session after his lecture to the prison population of the Belize Central Prison asked Ms Pook why she felt the need to kill the man she was convicted for killing. Viola Pook in front of the whole world recounted a story of betrayal, violence and eventual rape of a thirteen year old child she and her common-law husband of twenty three years had raised from the time the child was eight months old. When he did that treacherous act the dam broke and she soon after set him on fire which eventually caused his death. Ms Pook’s graphic recollection of her ordeal brought many who were present to tears.

At the end of her story the Minister called her up to the stage from which he spoke and said to her that he would do what he could to help her case. He said he was willing to write to the Court of Appeals on her behalf. He went on to point out that in a truly Muslim society that any man who committed such a crime would be punished by death.

Minister Farrakhan has continued to show a keen interest in this case and has asked me to follow the case closely and advise him on what is the best way he can support Ms Pook’s case. As a result I have been in regular communication with officials at the Central Prison, as well as having a three hour visit with Ms Pook. I have also met with her attorney Mr. Simion Sampson to be briefed on the appeal process. So the Minister is abreast of the case and like all of us, awaits the outcome.

Viola Pook’s case comes up in this present June Session of the Court of Appeals. As I understand it, the scenario that Ms Pook told the world on that historic day in the Prison, regarding the real reason she killed her common-law, was never entered as evidence by her attorney. For some reason that whole part of her reasoning was left out of the defense argument. Perhaps it’s because in our laws there is no justification for intentional homicide. Instead the defense was based on debunking a statement, “da me catch an fire”, and the technicalities in the trial procedures. The jury did not buy that weak defense and as a result Ms Viola Pook ended with a life sentence.

But I think a part of the blame must also go to Ms Pook herself. How can she know that the straw that broke the camel’s back was the rape of her granddaughter, and that was what led her to kill him, yet she didn’t insist that this be a part of her defense? Maybe it’s because poor people usually leave such matters up to smart lawyers not knowing that some of these lawyers cynically reconcile their loses with the justification that, “you win some, and you lose some”.

Viola Pook’s case should have been the focus of all women’s groups including the Women’ Department whose mantra says they are about support for women who have been domestically abused. They even have an hour long TV documentary film sponsored by UNICEF that highlights domestic abuse of Belizean women which they air every week, yet when they have a live, and current case in front of them, they are disengaged.

Ms Pook has a very intriguing and engaging story of abuse that goes back more than a decade. One day she may get a chance to tell the world her whole story. Ms Pook thinks that there are many women out there who are suffering exactly what she was going through and she wants the chance to share her experience with them so that they don’t end up going to the limits she did.

But for now it’s about her case which will be heard in the Court of Appeals on June 13. Ms Pook is being represented by the esteemed human rights, Senior Consul, Simion Sampson.

As mentioned earlier, the whole scenario recounted by Ms Pook at the Central Prison two months ago will not form a part of her appeal since it did not form a part of the original trial transcript. New matters cannot be introduced at the Court of Appeals level. At this level the only thing the Court considers is what is documented in the trial. Mr. Sampson, as her attorney will present the Court with arguments related to matters of law and represent justification from the trial documents for the Court to reconsider the verdict and rule in her favor.

So we all await the decision of the Court of Appeals on the case of Viola Pook which they will hear on June 13, 2013.

Yesterday Reuters put out an article that praises MenAfrivac which is a vaccine that fights meningitis in places such as Africa where the disease is more common due to various reasons such as lack of medical treatment. They really went out of their way to point out the good this vaccine has done.

Reuters

The thing is, they forgot to mention this:

This is a French written article in a journal called “La Voix” out of Chad where this incident took place. I will provide a partial translation of what happened, the translation comes from VaxTruth.com and it has been verified by several people including myself.

On December 20, 2012, a vaccination tragedy hit the small village of Gouro, located in northern Chad, Africa. According to the newspaper La Voix, out of five hundred children who received the new meningitis vaccine MenAfriVac, at least 40 of them between the ages of 7 and 18 have become paralyzed. Those children also suffered hallucinations and convulsions.

Since this report, the true extent of this tragedy is coming to light, as parents of these vaccinated children have reported yet more injuries. The authorities in the area are shaken, as citizens set fire to a sanitary administration vehicle in a demonstration of their frustration and anger at the government’s negligence.

Source for translation

Five hundred children were vaccinated and 40 of them ended up being paralyzed. As previously mentioned there were many other adverse effects such as hallucinations and convulsions. Many of the children had to be evacuated 350 miles in order to receive proper care. Poor countries are often used as testing grounds for these vaccines due to the fact the people doing the testing can almost always get away with these side effects happening without suffering consequences.

If you go to check out the press release they plan on using MenAfriVac  in 26 different African countries.

Costing less than US$0.50 per dose, the innovative vaccine that is manufactured by Serum Institute of India Ltd. (SIIL) has dramatically reduced disease burden in the first countries to introduce it, according to recently-published findings. MenAfriVac ® is the first vaccine designed specifically to help health workers eliminate meningococcal A epidemics from Africa’s “meningitis belt,” which includes 26 countries from Senegal to Ethiopia.

MenAfriVac

The World Health Organization supports this vaccine on their website as well.

WHO

We have various organizations such as the WHO and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supporting  MenAfriVac  since day one and I have been keeping track of this story since the very beginning and have not come across any acknowledgement from the guilty parties for what has happened to these children. This incident was silenced rather quickly, and I am guessing that money was a factor…not just in Chad but other testing grounds as well since this is common practice, money can fix almost any problem.

Many of us are already aware that the vaccine industry is a major money maker, but many people forget about the eugenics agenda. Many rich famous people openly call for world depopulation. Bill Gates and Ted Turner are two of the most notorious. I believe that many of these vaccines may cause diseases that make us ill later in life such as cancer for example.

Here is Bill Gates speaking about depopulating the world agenda:

(If you are impatient skip to around 2:45 of the video but I suggest you watch the whole clip)

Here’s the full talk Gates did on TED

I have heard many different individual interpretations of what he said and in which context it was said, but in my opinion it’s pretty clear what he meant.

The whole purpose of this post was to notify everyone about the latest vaccine push that is being unleashed upon the people of Africa…does anyone remember the Polo Vaccine they used in Africa?  This is not only happening in Africa as the practice of testing vaccines on poor people happens all over the world in places such as India and even some European countries too.

Related articles

• Internet monitoring system to stalk social media users who question safety of vaccines (dailyhealthworldnews.wordpress.com)

It appears as though the Cabinet has made a pronouncement concerning the proposed Norwegian Cruise Lines development on Crawl Caye.

As with all things, especially in dealing with matters deriving from this administration, a word to the wise is that despite what you glean from the press release…”the [...]]]> Belizeans and true friends of Belize,

It appears as though the Cabinet has made a pronouncement concerning the proposed Norwegian Cruise Lines development on Crawl Caye.

As with all things, especially in dealing with matters deriving from this administration, a word to the wise is that despite what you glean from the press release…”the devil is in the details”.

On the surface it looks as though the Cabinet made a wise, sound and appropriate decision, based on the statutes involving environmental protection. Yet, it causes the “enquiring mind” to query why, on one hand they opt to disregard issues pertaining to environmental protection and concern, when it involves seismic testing and oil exploration in our forest reserves, then subsequently show signs of an environmental “conscience” regarding the matter at hand. The bottom line is, that “all that glitters isn’t gold”.

Again, given this administration’s propensity for manipulating the “law”, you are asked to pay keen attention to the wording of the release. In particular, kindly note where it reads…

“However, in an effort to stimulate employment and open up other economic benefits for Belizeans in the South, Cabinet did support Norwegian Cruise Line’s request to search for an alternate site in Southern Waters…”

Translation, people of the South and truly concerned Belizeans everywhere, gear up for round 2, because a development as lucrative as this one will certainly NOT be shelved.

Therefore, let us remain vigilant and ensure that those in Belmopan recognise that we will not sit idly by and allow the proverbial “tail” to wag “the dog”. Cabinet’s decision on this matter is simply a temporary adjournment, because if their track record is indicative of things to come, this proposed development will certainly resurface, complete with the adjoining cronies lined up, for what they believe is their piece of the pie.

Conservation entities and inhabitants of the South, along with the assistance of others, be sure to not be lulled to sleep on this one!

On June 19th 2009, the Prime Minister of Belize, the Hon. Dean Barrow, while addressing the proposed 7th amendment to the Belize constitution in the National Assembly uttered the following words:

“Because our laws recognize dual citizenship how then will you turn around, recognizing dual [...]]]> 28 May 2013 — by Derrick Estrada

On June 19th 2009, the Prime Minister of Belize, the Hon. Dean Barrow, while addressing the proposed 7th amendment to the Belize constitution in the National Assembly uttered the following words:

“Because our laws recognize dual citizenship how then will you turn around, recognizing dual citizenship, providing for dual citizenship but impose a limitation on a dual citizen. It makes no sense at all and if a little bit of history and background are necessary, we didn’t always recognize dual citizenship. The recognition of dual citizenship came about as a consequence of the advance in legislation that was promoted by national hero Phillip Goldson. But we turn around and we leave intact in the constitution for all these years this impairment on the rights of the Belizean who have acquired a second nationality. I say therefore, Mr. Speaker, that it is utterly and completely contradictory. I also say it is inconsistent, and let me tell you why it is inconsistent, if you are a Belizean who has acquired second nationality you are disqualified from sitting in the National Assembly, but the Governor General, whose office is from a protocol point of view the highest office in the land, there is no such disqualification. The Governor General can be a Belizean who has acquired a second nationality. He is not barred from being Governor General and that is the highest office in the land. “

Recently a prominent Diaspora Belizean, Mrs. Muriel Laing-Arthurs, asked me to comment on the 7th amendment to the constitution proposed in 2009 that would have given full citizenship rights to Belizean-born natives who happen to possess dual nationality. Since I am not a card carrying member of any political party, my trajectory on this issue is not skewed by the inordinate local partisan rhetoric that has taken on a life of its own in Belize, but rather influenced by the realities we are facing as a people and nation and the fact that we have thus far failed to strategically maximize our human capital among our Belizean brothers and sisters in the Diaspora.

Therefore, on this particular issue I am in agreement with the Prime Minister and endorse the concept and spirit of the 7th amendment. However the contradictions and hypocrisy in our actual behavior/thinking surrounding the re-embracement of the Belizean Diaspora must fundamentally change if this initiative is to be successful.

Belize national hero, the Honorable Phillip Goldson, lost his physical eyesight in the later years of his life, but arguably he possessed one of the most clairvoyant visions we have ever produced in an indigenous leader. From the inception he saw the critical role Belizeans in the Diaspora can and should play in the overall national development of Belize, and understood that national allegiance and patriotism were not limited by one’s geographical location. Hence, his efforts over the many decades to engage, reconnect, claim and maximize the Belizean human capital of the Diaspora toward Belize national development have been one of the most remarkable progressive legacies of Phillip Goldson.

The issue of migration has been with the earliest human creatures as they began the trek out of Africa and eventually crossed the Bering Strait millennia ago into the Americas. These migrations were often times prompted by the need of share survival and in search of water, food and shelter. Other times by war, oppression, natural disasters and protection against the unrepentant natural elements.

As empires rose and fell over the millennia, human beings were captured and used as slaves to build these empires. In modern times much of Europe as we have known it was obliterated by two world wars that killed millions and displaced entire populations. During the revolutions that engulfed the Central American isthmus in the 70’s and 80’s, hundreds of thousands of people were displaced, forced to flee, and many became refugees.

In Belize’s case large migration can be traced back to the building of the Panama Canal and World War II. After the 1931 and 1961 hurricanes that devastated the country and killed many people, Belizeans, via a designed policy, were granted refugee status and were allowed to migrate into the United States. Over the ensuing decades this migration pattern continued officially and unofficially, eventually creating a brain drain that has had an adverse impact on the nation’s long term development. Today thousands of these same Belizeans and their offspring have acquired various life-affirming skills and experience that have benefitted the host countries.

This perennial movement /exodus of masses of people has been a part of human nature as a result of curiosity, mobility, circumstance, oppression and conflict. To this end, the life and times we are now living in 2013 have therefore imposed upon us the necessity to reclaim this reservoir of natural resource.

A brilliant Diaspora Belizean sociologist who is an expert on migration, Dr. Jerome Straughan, raised the issue of the transforming definition of the modern nation state and its increasing mobility of people and how governments will have to implement policies that take these new dynamics into account. Accepting the reality that half of Belize’s population reside abroad, creating the bridge/mechanism to harness this human capital toward the development of the mother nation is not only logical, but is in keeping with the transforming definition of modern nation states and globalization. Given Belize’s geographic location, population size and history, isolationism has no place in the 21st century. There is no question that the nation’s future direction, national development and very survivability hinge on its ability to reclaim its Belizean Diaspora and incorporate the human capital into a long term strategy for maximum benefit.

The vulnerability of small, developing and peripheral economies like Belize’s is the burden of external debt. When a small country becomes totally consumed by debt, her natural resources then become collateral and held hostage to the creditor nations and institutions. Local governments are pressured into compromising the national patrimony, which includes putting the country’s vital industries, raw materials, and even the scandalous selling of passports, on the chopping block in a desperate bid to raise revenue. This global trend will not change anytime soon, but given the continued contraction of the metropolitan economies, Belize’s natural resources will remain a premium for exploitation.

In Belize there have been many noble causes taken up by various local and foreign finance advocacy groups and organizations relating to the physical environment, wildlife, social and cultural issues, but not a single organization dedicated to reconnecting and reclaiming the Belizean human capital from abroad. Over the years, Belize’s leading newspaper, the Amandala, has editorially supported the Hon. Phillip Goldson’a vision of proactively engaging the Belizean Diaspora and encouraging the cross-pollination of Belizeans at home and abroad, but this vision is yet to reverberate across all sectors of the society.

The most valuable natural resource our nation will ever produce is our people. Hence, any attempt at reclaiming this natural resource should be paramount on any platform for national reconstruction and development. It is now estimated that the number of Belizeans (first and second generation) residing abroad in North America, Europe and elsewhere is equal to half the three hundred thousand plus residents in the entire nation of Belize.

The arguments presented in 2009 for abolishing the discriminatory and apartheid era law dividing our people, and for providing the legal instrument allowing Belizeans who hold dual nationality access to full citizenship rights, participation and inclusion in elected public office, were and are a visionary, progressive policy option.

There is no excuse for not initiating and quantifying the various experiences in creating a skill bank of Belizean citizens abroad toward national inclusion. This should be relatively easy since globally the platforms already exist using tools such as Linkedln, Facebook, etc., where thousands of Belizeans are actively interacting and networking with each other. The Fortune 500 corporations and many countries already use these various platforms for global recruitment of talents, skills and experience. Since the rapid growth of the Internet, the competition for human creativity, talent and experience has indeed gone global.

The continued dragging of the feet and denial of thousands of Diaspora Belizean-born citizens from total participation in the development of their homeland is now viewed as conspiratorial, and even racist, by many. If a Belizean-born citizen is disqualified from full “citizenship rights” and his or her allegiance is questioned on the basis that they hold dual nationality, this is not only myopic but hypocritical, primitive thinking. The intense passion and interest which many Diaspora Belizeans have demonstrated regarding the ongoing Guatemalan claim and the proposed ICJ option is a clear reflection of the love and fraternal relationship they hold toward Belize. If the nation of Belize were to be militarily invaded/attacked, there is no question a vast segment of the able-bodied Belizeans with military and actual combat experience living abroad would volunteer to fight for their homeland.

What greater betrayal and damage has been done to the nation state of Belize over the past quarter century than by those who swear to defend and uphold the national patrimony and sovereignty of the state but hold more allegiance to a political entity effectively subordinating the state? Indeed, the actions, behavior and policies that have seen most of the nation’s arable land sold to foreign interests, vital industries usurped, selling of Belizean citizenship (passports), oil drilling concessions with ties to cronies and family members, and outright pillaging of the national treasury for personal gain – who is the real enemy of the Belizean state?

As I sat with one of Belize’s sages and historians recently, Imam Ismael Shabazz, and asked for his insight on the 7th amendment, Shabazz in his wisdom reminded me that the real substance of the 7th amendment should not only include the right to hold public office, but indeed “voting rights” of Belizean citizens in the Diaspora. This idea is not new. However, it has been resisted by the political elite, including many of the so-called progressive thinkers among us. The arguments made were that Belizeans living abroad would not be familiar with the issues on the ground and therefore they were uninformed and out of touch. This argument was made in the early 1970’s and perhaps had some validity forty years ago. However, the world has drastically changed over the past quarter century and the speed, access and advancement of technology and cyberspace have essentially obliterated this argument. Belizeans regularly interact with each other via social media, participate in call-in radio/TV talk shows, and have access to the various media outlets online.

Over 100 nations, large and small, allow their Diaspora the right to vote in local elections. These include Mexico, El Salvador, Venezuela, Britain, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and France. Given the share size of the Belizean population living abroad and the decades-old impact of remittances to families back home, the vast majority of Diaspora Belizeans have maintained a solid relationship with their homeland. According to the World Bank remittance report, the remittances to Central America, which included Belize, in 2007 had reach a colossal US$ 12.1 billion. The report also stated that in some of these countries the remittances are equal to some 10% of the entire GDP. In the case of Belize, the report shows, for example, that Belizeans in the Diaspora in 2004/05 had made remittances estimated to be over US$ 160 million.

Whether the current administration (or future ones) will move swiftly and strategically to reclaim its citizens living abroad as an integral component of its national developmental platform, remains to be seen. But whether the political elite act or not, the Belizean people, along with progressive grassroots movements should take the lead. Belizeans abroad have been actively engaged in supporting grassroots organizations like the Belize Territorial Volunteers and BGYEA, among many other charitable efforts on the ground. This kind of fraternal collaboration and operational unity must be supported and encouraged between Belizeans at home and aboard for the sake of our self-preservation and survival.

It is my opinion that much of the resistance to the 7th amendment was essentially the result of the way in which it was crafted and presented. The original (amendment) was presented to the Belizean public in 2009, and tragically, in keeping with the typical ad hoc/ top down fashion in which policies are formulated in Belize, provided the ideal climate for speculation and misinformation. No real engagement with the community, from the inception of the idea stage to formulation and proper public education so the people could understand the purpose and benefit of the proposed change, was carried out.

Secondly, at no stage of this proposed 7th amendment fiasco was the constituency most affected, the (Diaspora Belizeans) themselves, invited to participate in the process. They were essentially left out of the actual discussion. Not only would it have made perfect sense to have included the Belizean Diaspora in the formulation of the policy proposal, but most importantly in the public and educational dialogue with their brothers and sisters in Belize.

As a consequence of the flawed approach, propaganda and partisan rhetoric took over and subsequently the merits and demerits of the actual amendment became completely lost in the process. The vitriol that ensued was reflective of the deep-seated residual effect of colonialism that still permeates our worldview. Talking points filtered via partisan bickering became the norm, instead of dialogue and constructive debate. So yet again, because of the choke hold of petty party politics on our perceptual apparatus, a shameful law that discriminates against thousands of Belizeans and relegates them to second class citizenship status in the place of their birth, remains intact and activated to this day.

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Two weeks after the scandal in Orange Walk broke where Imer Hernandez was supposedly paid just under $200,000 for works which he did not do on the San Antonio Road, he is back in the news tonight.

That’s after 7News confirmed that he was awarded the 6 [...]]]> posted on 7News (June 4, 2013)

Two weeks after the scandal in Orange Walk broke where Imer Hernandez was supposedly paid just under $200,000 for works which he did not do on the San Antonio Road, he is back in the news tonight.

That’s after 7News confirmed that he was awarded the 6 million dollar contract to upgrade the Belize City Municipal Airstrip.

Viewers may remember that in December 2012, the Ministry of Works opened up bids to the public. Well, after a competitive bidding process, Hernandez was awarded the contract.

And if you’re wondering if that scandal has shaken the faith of the authorities in charge of the airstrip, we were too. We contacted, the General Manager of the Belize Airports Authority, Kenworth Tillett, who told us that from his information, Hernandez presented the best deal to the vetting committee.

Tillett says that he has been informed that Hernandez has gone above and beyond in trying to acquire this contract.

And in relation to those null contracts for San Antonio works in Orange Walk, they are once again picking up steam. It happened today when a mass email was sent out to more than 100 contacts which discloses copies of those receipts we had last week, and a picture which purports to reveal Imer Hernandez’s identity.

Genetically modified plants are grown from genetically modified, or engineered, [...]]]> On Memorial Day weekend, 2 million people marched in protests against seed giant Monsanto for the purpose of bringing awareness to hazards from genetically modified food, which it and other companies manufacture. Organizer Tami Canal said protests were held in 436 cities in 52 countries.

Genetically modified plants are grown from genetically modified, or engineered, seeds, which are created to resist insecticides and herbicides so that crops can be grown to withstand a weed-killing pesticide or integrate a bacterial toxin that can ward off pests.

The Chicago Tribune reported that because genetically modified organisms are not listed on food or ingredient labels, few Americans realize they’re eating GMO foods every day. Genetically modified crops constitute 93 percent of soy, 86 percent of corn and 93 percent of canola seeds planted in the U.S. and are used in about 70 percent of American processed food.

The Tribune reported that the Food and Drug Administration has permitted the sale and planting of genetically modified foods for 15 years and that the Obama administration has approved an “unprecedented number of genetically modified crops,” such as ethanol corn, alfalfa and sugar beets. The Alliance for Natural Health USA added that the U.S. Department of Agriculture now wants to eliminate any regulatory controls from genetically altered corn and cotton.

And Monsanto, the world’s largest seed-maker and a publicly traded American multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation, is leading the pro-GMO march and moving full steam ahead in being the No. 1 U.S. and global farm supplier.

CEO Hugh Grant said this past week, “We’re in a growth mode, and with the combination of momentum in our core businesses and new layers of growth coming online from an increasingly global portfolio, we have the strategic drivers in place to continue our growth trajectory next year and beyond.”

But business columnist Al Lewis summarized the dilemma Monsanto faces in his column for Dow Jones Newswires: “For Monsanto, it comes down to saving the nine billion people expected to populate the planet by 2050. Monsanto is the company that allows farmers to grow more food with less land, water and energy. But it is also the company that brought us products we now know were far more dangerous than advertised, including the insecticide DDT, the toxic industrial chemicals known as PCBs, and the Vietnam-Era defoliant Agent Orange, which poisoned our own soldiers with dioxins. Monsanto also brought us saccharine – sweet, yet artificial, and known to cause cancer in laboratory rats.”

The Alliance for Natural Health USA cited the late George Wald, a Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine and one of the first scientists to speak out about the dangers of genetically engineered foods:

“Recombinant DNA technology (genetic engineering) faces our society with problems unprecedented, not only in the history of science, but of life on the Earth. … Now whole new proteins will be transposed overnight into wholly new associations, with consequences no one can foretell, either for the host organism or their neighbors. … For going ahead in this direction may not only be unwise but dangerous. Potentially, it could breed new animal and plant diseases, new sources of cancer, novel epidemics.”

Original Article