Guatemala gets 29,992 more UK tourist than Belize

Julie Chapel, UK Ambassador to Guatemala

English woman Julie Chappel 31 years old and has had a meteoric rise in the UK civil service, made her bid for the Guatemalan Embassy as Ambassador as a posting, was done by telephone from Ethiopia and is to be there for 3 years. She has served in Iraq and in Ethiopia. In Guatemala her main concern are the 30,000 UK tourists that visit Guatemala each year. Compared to Belize that is 29,992 more UK tourists than we get here. Why do they go to Guatemala? What are our BTB doing about it?

Belize as part of the Central American Association deal with the EU?

Guatemala Association of Central American countries make deals with the European Union.

It is not clear from the news across our border in Guatemala twelve miles away, if Belize as a Central American country is part of this Association of Central American countries, that the EU are trying to line up for markets and suppliers of basic commodities. Since we are also dealing with the EU through CARICOM, with which we parctically have no decent economic activity, or interests, it is surprising there has been no news in the local Belize media about this meeting and the deals being sought by the EU. The question is: are this Central American deal any different than the recent one signed by CARICOM countries? What is in it?
If there is leadership of any kind in Belize, should we not be plugging for and creating a joint voice for ALL CARIBBEAN countries, including Caricom islands and mainland countries and those of Central and South and North America bordering the Caribbean Sea. Something is wrong here? I smell a rat. I smell a disadvantage to Belize. Our politicians in Belize are asleep at the wheel, either that or our media are not on the job?

BELIZE IS FLU FREE AND WELCOMES TOURISTS

SWINE FLU OUTLOOK IN BELIZE (BELIZE IS FREE OF THE FLU AND WELCOMES TOURISTS THAT HAVE NO COLDS, FEVER, OR SICKNESS ) OUR SALT SEA INSIDE THE BARRIER REEF IS 4 TIMES SALTIER THAN FLORIDA WATER AND CURES ALL AILMENTS. JUST GARGLE AND SWALLOW A BIT IF YOU HAVE A COLD.

The radio talk shows had callers from Corozal this morning, worried about Mexicans entering Belize . Since there are reports of outbreaks in the Yucatan , this concern is not without reason.

In Mexico City the death toll is about 7%, which means 1 person in 14 that comes down with Swine Flu would die. A virus mutates fairly rapidly, so it may get weaker, or even stronger. This at the moment we don’t know? Mexico City has a population of 20 million, so the death toll if nothing is done in a preventative manner could be 1.5 million people. The virus has already got outbreaks in various parts of the USA and even in New York City . Mexico City is being shut down in order to isolate clusters of infected persons and starve the virus of victims.

Gauze masks are the method of prevention most common. It is possible to make virus vaccines, but these are slow to make and since the virus mutates is of questionable performance.

During the SARS virus outbreak some years ago, isolation or quarantine was the method of making the virus die off, from lack of victims. The EBOLA virus for instance was starved for victims more easily, as the method of transmission was by bodily fluids. Quarantine resolved that problem. We do have anti-virals, but these are more for HIV and not for flu virus strains.

One caller this morning to the radio shows in Belize was recommending a strong immune system by eating hot peppers, such as our Jabanero pepper. I myself believe in this therapy and haven’t had any problems with colds or flu for years and I’m 72 years old this year. The medical doctors in the government though, remind us this is not scientifically proved. The reports also from Mexico City are saying that the ones who die are healthy people in their prime, not the little children and old people that normally die from the flu and subsequent pneumonia complications.

The Belize Health Department are meeting with emergency responders today this Monday, to decide on the course of action for what is currently a SWINE FLU FREE country. Flu that is airborne in almost impossible to contain though. Also to be considered are the economic activities and impact, versus the dangers. The SARS virus had a 50% death rate and the 7% death rate of this Swine Flu is not nearly so bad. Little else is known about this swine flu yet. As the world population keeps multiplying exponentially, the war on humans by virus attacks are expected to become more frequent.

China advises that they learned their lessons six years ago. Speed and isolation is of the essence, which slows spread and gives the medical establishment time to identify the virus and come up with solutions. Hong Kong is taking the temperature of EVERY arriving plane passenger, with an ear thermometer. If you have any fever they whisk you to isolation. They have a 1000 bed dormitory for quarantine. It is hermetically sealed, with lower pressure maintained in the dormitory. They say that the General Hospitals were the worst incubators of the flu virus during the last epidemic. The best attack is isolation until the virus runs it's course of two weeks. Followed by washing of hands all day regularly and wearing a mask.

BELIZE PRIME MINISTER ADMITS CASH CRUNCH ON TELEVISION

PM BARROW ACKNOWLEDGES GOVERNMENT CASH CRUNCH for Belize !

While Prime Minister Barrow in interviews this week, admitted his government has a cash crunch, he still showed the UDP and what he, as Finance Minister were thinking, of having more borrowing of Foreign Loans for a solution. There was no mention of smarter more efficient government, de-centralization, using part time workers as a civil service solution. Slashed work week hours, or any solutions like that. It quickly became obvious Finance Minister Barrow hasn’t really got a handle on the real CASH CRUNCH coming down the line shortly. He is going to learn the hard way, like PM Musa did, by the end of his first term.

Predictions had been for a tough financial year in 2010, with expected recovery to start in 2011 and 2012 the end of their UDP term. It looks like the SHOCK and AWE in financial crisis will hit the UDP and our country in October this year. One thing about economic recoveries that one tends to ignore in the precipitous drop of a RECESSION, the recovery is a heck of a lot slower coming back, than the recession going down. It will probably be the term after the next national election, before anything more than any small incremental financial revenue improvements will even be noticed, and even then they are going to be small steps, not big steps for increases in available finances.

Looking at the numbers, the current budget is around $738 million, of which a little less than $500 million goes just to maintain the cost of governing. The rest goes to pay the interest on the Belize foreign currency bonds. It is not enough for spending this year and indeed the UDP under Finance Minister Barrow borrowed another $200 million from foreign lenders, as part of his pre-election promises for infra-structure works. Now we hear PM Barrow hinting the UDP Cabinet are talking about having to go borrowing MORE foreign debt. Our foreign debt interest payment load is currently a quarter of all government annual revenues in the formal sense. In the informal sense there are another $150 million Bz of loans out there, that are not being counted, borrowed on special circumstances. With the Belize Bond balloon interest payments, our debt load is going to total at least a third of our total government revenues in 2010, if not sooner. We owe over $2 billion bz. By the third quarter of 2010 we might be looking at 45% of our government revenues going to pay interest on our debt load. We are in big financial trouble.

I haven’t heard anything about a freeze on government hiring. I haven’t heard about a shorter 3 day work week. I haven’t heard anything about dispersing some of the Central Government functions to local Town and Village governments on a volunteer basis, or part time worker basis. There does not yet seem to be any solutions offered to allow our nation to stand on our own two feet and be financially self sufficient.

Past PM Musa is looking better all the time. He may actually get re-elected again for his leadership in austerity governing if he chooses to run, which I doubt. After the PUP had that disastrous first term, in their borrowing spree that went awry and saddled our government revenues with 30 years of debt, Musa did give the government a freeze on almost everything and went to a five year austerity program on government finances for his second term. This worked, but cost him the election.

Barrow and his cabinet has to be innovative and imaginative. Further borrowing is not a solution. ( an opinion ) The UDP haven’t learned this lesson yet and it is looking like it will be 2012 before they do learn it. By then we as a nation are going to be in worse financial doo –doo!

We have a bigger and better government with better academically trained bureaucrats, many with fancy degrees from Universities. The problem is these salaried bureaucrats are not HUSTLERS. They don’t know how to make do! Fat and happy on salaried jobs and perks, they do not know how to innovate or do the same job on less MONEY. Indeed the projections are, that the cost of government MUST be slashed to HALF the current cost. Some of these costs are; built in and cannot be changed, like pensions. So how will you run a government on a package deal of $250 million available for everything, the rest of this year and for next year? We are going to see how good the UDP are as financial managers over the next three years for sure. I don’t envy them the job!

When times are good, I like to see my 41 year old daughter Tina at work on the beach at Caye Caulker. When she is full, or nearly so at Tina’s Backpackers Hostel, she relaxes and plays. When her hostel is nearly empty and times are tough, she has her sign in her hand and is mixing it in, with all the Rastafarans, other hotels and their reps, the taxi drivers with their commissions for special accommodations, in the hustling crowd meeting the few tourists coming in on the Water Taxi’s to the main pier. In those times, the hustlers on the pier outnumber the available tourists coming in by water taxi, about 6 to 1. She is going to fill her hostel somehow and pay her bills. We call that hustling! Not something one likes to do, but in times of famine, you better hustle, or starve. As an analogy can our UDP Cabinet hustle? Can our better educated Masters Degrees and Ph’ds running our bureaucracies and institutions learn to hustle for their government departments? They better learn quick, or look for other work. Hard times seem to be coming!

http://westernbelizehappenings.blogspot.com News and photos of Western Belize .

“Life in a Banana Republic”. The story of Caye Caulker living on a small island inside the barrier reef.

Western Belize now has a new cottage industry CEMENT BLOCK FACTORY in Hillview, Santa Elena Town

Hillview cement block factory

HILLVIEW NOW HAS A NEW COTTAGE INDUSTRY CEMENT BLOCK FACTORY! Two man operation machine.

VIRGIN COCONUT OIL PRODUCED IN BELIZE

Virgin Natural Coconut Oil

IN RECENT YEARS COCONUT OIL HAD BEEN IMPORTED FROM MALAYSIA, AS THE COCONUT TREES HAD BEEN DEVASTATED BY A DISEASE IN THIS AREA OF THE WORLD.
Today, we now have somebody in Stann Creek resuming selling Belizean made Coconut Oil. It is also being processed properly as a EXTRA VIRGIN ALL NATURAL COCONUT OIL. Used for cooking in many Belizean dishes. Advertising on the label says it is NO HYDROGENERATION, NO TRANS FATTY ACIDS, RICH IN MEDIUM CHAIN TRIGLYCERIDAS. This kind of oil is comparable to Virgin Olive Oil from the Mediteranean area. This coconut oil unlike corn type vegetable cooking oils, is actually good for you. Very healthy! the current price is $9 bz for 1 liter. Unfortunately this is twice the price of the previous imported Malaysian oil we had gotten used to over the past ten years. So for Belizeans it is a bit expensive. The vegetable stand lady said it is produced from Stann Creek Valley. There is another part time producer in Xaibe, in the northern Corozal District. This vegetable stand was the main one, found near the Internet Cafe in Santa Elena Town, Western Belize.

THREE TOURIST PIONEERS OF BELIZE FROM THE SIXTIES, now only Ray Auxillou is still alive.

Ray in Coban, Guatemala on an exploring trip, looking for another retirement place with his wife Silvia, travelling by mini-van collectivos on 900 mile swing through Eastern side of the divide of the mountains in Eastern Guatemala.
Ray Auxillou growing salads for the Hostel in his rooftop nursery.
photo of Ray Auxillou, Belizean tourist pioneer


THE THREE PIONEERS OF TOURISM AS AN INDUSTRY IN BELIZE BACK IN THE 1960'S WERE BERT FOREMAN DOWN AT FOREMANS CAYE, RAY AUXILLOU ON CAYE CAULKER, JOHN GRIEF SR. ON THE BEACH AT SAN PEDRO.

Only Ray Auxillou in his 72 nd year is still alive.
"I have heart arrythmia he says, and I kinda wonder when the end will come? I can sure tell the old body is getting tired. But I can still lift weights on my bench press in the backyard and if I do YOGA and don't eat too much, feel otherwise pretty good. We are still catering to young adventurous exploring tourists out here at Falconview Backpackers Adventure Hostel in Western Belize. The climate and pace is a bit slower than on Caye Caulker, which suits me. I take a nap every afternoon, usually in a hammock. Other than that things are good and I'm enjoying life. Into ART and pencil sketching as a hobby these days."

TWO LENTIL GROWING EXPERIMENTS IN TROPICAL BELIZE FAIL SO FAR.

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TWO EXPERIMENTS IN GROWING LENTILS IN BELIZE HAVE FAILED!

Here are the requirements copied off the internet for a temperate climate. From reading the below, lentils should grow in Belize. What seems to be the problem is the soil. Looks like they require HUMUS.
-----------------------

Lentils are annual plants producing lens-shaped seeds. A cousin of the bean, the lentil belongs to the legume family, or those with seeds that grow within pods. Lentils are quite rich in iron and have the highest levels of protein of any vegetable next to soybeans. Once you know the right soil and climate conditions you can grow your own lentils.


Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Things You’ll Need:

* Soil pH tester
* Garden spade

Step1
Test your soil with a soil pH tester. Lentils grow best at a soil pH of 6.0 to 8.0.
Step2
Find the best location to plant. Lentils grow best on level or slightly rolling land, which drains well.
Step3
Sow your seedlings using a garden spade early in spring. Work the soil while moist and when the soil is warm enough to stimulate germination.
Step4
Plant seedlings 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep in moist, but not wet, soil. You can plant them a bit deeper in well-draining soil.
Step5
Watch your lentil plants grow. On average they reach 1 to 2 1/2 feet high, with pods that usually hold two lentil seeds each.
Step6
Harvest them around mid-July when seeds mature and your soil dries. Lentils are drought tolerant and can grow under fairly dry conditions, although they do require a minimum of 6 inches of rain or watering during the entire growing season.

USA FASHION INDUSTRY DISCOVERS SISTER HOSTEL, TO FALCONVIEW BACKPACKERS ADVENTURE HOSTEL - TINA'S BACKPACKERS HOSTEL ON CAYE CAULKER

This was a different fashion photographers group at Tinas Backpackers beachfront Hostel. The shoot was for the Buckle catalogue and included Justin Gaston, current boyfriend of Mega tina bopper actress and rock star Miley Cyrus.

Fashion models discover Tinas Backpackers Hostel

Seems the fashion industry has discovered Tinas Backpackers Hostel on the beach at Caye Caulker. A series of international modeling magazines are using Tina's Backpackers Hostel on the beach at Caye Caulker for shooting photos fairly regular now. Tina's is a sister hostel to the Adventure Hostel out in Western Belize, foothills of the Belize Alps. ( Falconview Backpackers Adventure Hostel ) These are father and daughter Hostels. Ray the 72 year old father of Tina ( 41 years old )has been running tourists on Caye Caulker and now in retirement in the foothills of the Belize Alps since 1964. Both father and daughter have had a life and more adventures and tales to tell, which would make a tour with the Green Berets, or US Navy Seals look tame.

Galen University of Western Belize helps Northern Corozal Junior College with Bachelor Degree in Education

Galen University in Western Belize
Corozal Junior College
Big Rock Falls of Belize
student at Galen University


GALEN UNIVERSITY OFFERING BACHELOR OF EDUCATION DEGREE TO NORTHERN COROZAL DISTRICT STUDENTS

Corozal Junior College students in the North part of Belize near the Mexican border only go up to an Associate Degree for the Education diploma. Galen University out of Western Belize, located about 5 miles away on the Western highway from me here in Hillview, Santa Elena Town ( such as it is ), next to the Government Agriculture Department Research Station, the only private University system in Belize, has arranged with Corozal Junior College to provide the next two years of the Bachelors Degree in Education for students and teachers desirous of pay raises and increasing qualifications in the educational field. I’m not sure how it is to be done. Probably by on line lessons or something? Galen University is growing and making many innovations in the education system of Belize . All other University studies in Belize are done by extended campuses owned by the Government of Belize.

USA President Obama to go scuba diving in Belize

Barrow and Kim
Michelle and Obama


USA PRESIDENT OBAMA TO VISIT BELIZE AS A TOURIST!

In a local television news interview in Belize , Prime Minister Barrow hinted that USA President OBAMA will probably visit Belize as a tourist. Speculation has it that December, February and March are the best choices for when it is cold and dreary in Washington , D.C. January in Belize and Mexico can be a rainy month with cold spells due to Alaska Northers sweeping through as far as Nicaragua . These bring rain fronts of several days followed by cold brisk clear skies. This is a time when Belizeans bundle up in three sweaters and jackets.

Prime Minister Barrow of Belize went on to explain that in a head to head talk in Trinidad in private, President Obama of the USA has told him he was appointing an old College Days student friend of his as Ambassador to Belize for the duration of his term. Subject to approval by the US Congress. PM Barrow then went on to laugh and remind listeners that he also remembered his wild times of those youthful halcyon College days. I cannot for the life of me, ever remembering anybody in the world, in my 72 years of life ever using ‘halcyon’ as a real word, in a real sentence. I had to look it up in the dictionary. My huge thick American Random House, library discard dictionary doesn’t even show the word. How about that? I’ve read the word before though. The hint in that laugh by PM Barrow, was that two old USA college student buddies would be reminiscing about their youth while holidaying in Belize . He did qualify the announcement though, that our new USA Ambassador would have the ear of the USA President. P.M. Barrow went on to explain that USA President Obama was curious about where Belize was and what it was like and asked many questions? US President Obama has no experience in most of the Americas and knows little of the American continent, though he is an otherwise world traveler; which is obvious when you listen to him being interviewed on American television. All his Americas knowledge is from intelligence briefs and written reports.

The motto of the P. M. Barrow’s UDP party in government is: “IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES! “ So letting my imagination run wild, perhaps we might be able to brag in our advertising at Falconview Backpackers Adventure Hostel for adventurers and explorers in their 20’s and 30’s, that one day next year, we can say “OBAMA SLEPT HERE at Falconview Backpackers Adventure Hostel!” Obama is not Lincoln or George Washington, but he is unique in the USA as the first black president. A Prime Minister of Canada has stayed at Lamont’s Long Caye, Caye Glory Atoll scuba resort in a simple beach hut, made of wild cane and thatch, with a bucket toilet. That wild Canadian Prime Minister also buzzed Caye Caulker and Caye Chapel at coconut tree top height in a Canadian Airforce four engine jet. I was teaching Primary School on Caye Caulker at the time, and remember the building shaking for 5 minutes afterward. Other than that, Belize has seen the Shah of Iran, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth and movies stars and movie directors by the score. Most people are famous, but we don’t know about them down here in Belize and couldn’t care less. So long as they are nice people, friendly and tip well ( grin ). We also get a lot of billionaires and in recent years we even had some famous trillionare software guy who owns Microsoft. Forget his name though! Millionaires are so common in Belize on the local scene and as visiting tourists, we don’t even consider them as anything other than ordinary people. When the new foreign tourist millionaires start bragging on, about their assets through some ego trip. Belizeans just listen with politeness. Just because we are barefoot, wearing a bathing suit, or straw hat and denim coveralls, or in my case K Mart canvas loafers with my toes sticking out, dressed in baggy thrift shop pants and shirt is deceptive. Lots of our Belize citizens are millionaires too. It just doesn’t mean much. You can only spend so much and enjoy life so much. Personal relationships here in Belize are more important than money and assets. We value our social life in Belize . But I’m straying here, going off on an old man’s reminisces. Lets see if we can post a sign out front next year, that says PRESIDENT OBAMA SLEPT HERE, either in Tina’s Backpackers Hostel on Caye Caulker Beach , or here at Falconview Backpackers Adventure Hostel in Western Belize recreational area. Or some of the AUXILLOU beach front condos on Caye Caulker.

For personal photos and news about Belize . Read the CAYE CAULKER CHRONICLES, or LIFE IN A BANANA REPUBLIC, or WESTERN BELIZE HAPPENINGS for real life stories of Belize people on the internet.

Guatemalan News in English for Belize

Guatemalan mango crop reaches 4.5 million boxes this year of 2009
2200 year old frieze discovered in El Mirador


NEWS OF OUR NEIGHBOR GUATEMALA for Belizeans.

Our neighbor Guatemala is doing research on high protein corn.

The Mango crop for Guatemala will reach 4.5 million boxes of mangos this year of 2009.

2,200 year old archeological find discovered in El Mirador about 5 hours drive from where I live on the border in Belize. For comparison, the CAHEL PECH set of hilltop temple ruins in San Ignacio Town of Western Belize, goes back 3000 years, earlier than this new frieze found in Guatemala.

Honey oil from Indian hemp and butane, cottage industry how to-technical article.

Honey oil.
Honey oil cottage industry manufacture.


Interesting article on making HONEY OIL from Indian Hemp using Butane. Both are available in Belize and Guatemala and Mexico. For some stupid reason, Indian Hemp is illegal in Belize, so watch yourself. It is still a part time agriculture industry here in Belize. Butane we import from Guatemala. This article is posted for the benefit of the curious on technical matters, associated with the illegal Indian hemp Belize back lot farmer. I have no idea what you do with the honey oil after you have got it, but presume you will have an idea? Anything with the word HONEY in the title must be a good export crop, I would think?? Sandwich spread maybe?

http://www.greenpassion.org/1700.html

ETHANOL STUDY IN BELIZE

Robert Warrens ethanol still
Ethanol Production in Belize

There is none yet, but the research has been done. At a basic cost, ethanol in a back yard 5 gallon a day type still, runs about $4.50 Bz currency per gallon for 200 proof. For a business, production costs including hired labor, transportation and other costs associated with a full day of operation on a cottage industry commercial scale, would cost about $17 Bz currency per gallon. At this price you could make a profit. At the moment gasoline is around $7.50 Bz currency a gallon, which includes government taxes. The prices are expected to increase over the next two years.
Obviously, other than a hobby, then ethanol is not commercially viable. You could though, include producing some ethanol at the rate of 5 gallons a day in a farm sideline, offset your fuel costs this way. Presuming you did it yourself, or used a hired hand, who was otherwise idle.
A 5 gallon, 200 proof ethanol, per day, still, costs about $1500 bz currency in labor and materials. The copper pipe and tubing is not yet available in Belize, nor the special solder required. This is usually a 5 inch diameter copper vertical still, that is 5 to 6 feet in height. With a separate 55 gallon drum boiler for the mash. There are many fruit and molasses type source materials locally.

OBAMA WOEFULLY UNPREPARED FOR SUMMIT OF AMERICAS

USA President Obama




THE MONDAY EVENING REVIEW OF THE SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS

by Ray Auxillou ( Belize observations )

It has been interesting hearing the summing up of the SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS on local TV and I think I would more take my impressions from three leaders that have been interviewed. The first was Prime Minister Barrow of the country of Belize, who is also head of CARICOM this year. The leader of Guyana and then the remarks of President Obama of the USA.
PM Barrow of Belize was looking for concrete action proposals, but hinted that in that, he was disappointed, in that there was not anything really going to happen differently. Some hot button items were put on the table for CARICOM concerns and that of Barrow’s country of Belize. Something may come out of these later. There is a quotation applicable here “The Lord helps those that help themselves! “
The leader for Guyana, ‘I forget his name’, said it more succinctly. The SUMMIT more was a sharing of aspirations and common goals by the different leaders and any arguments were more in the nature of how best to go about achieving these for each country present. The fundamental idea was to improve living standards for their citizens and let them achieve happiness, each in his own way. In that sense, the Guyanese leader was positive on the sharing aspects of all the 34 leaders of the Americas coming out of the meeting.
President Obama of the USA was more soul searching. His vaunted ability with the diplomatic words, left him; as you could see the smoke coming out of his ears while thinking hard what to say. In a halting fashion when interviewed, he tried to marshal his thoughts and express them in a manner consistent with the future foreign policy interests of the USA. What came out of his thoughts was that the USA involvement in the past 20 years has been in drug intervention and minor military assistance. He was full of hesitations, searching for words to express the acknowledgement that this had not been enough by the USA and was not enough. It was obvious that OBAMA was struggling with the shortcomings of USA foreign policy regarding his own backyard on the American Continent. He was inadequately briefed and seemed not to know much about the Americas outside of Canada and Mexico. U.S. Foreign policy is still Euro Centric and Russian and Middle East centric. They are probably hiring the wrong kind of people in the CIA? It was clearly obvious that his NEW USA ADMINISTRATION were woefully short on Latin American intelligence, or involvement, that there was a complete absence of any plans or ideas, for the USA involvement with the other countries of the Americas. He obviously did not know the condition of the countries who are his neighbors, or their aspirations interpreted by a juandiced intelligence community in Washington, D.C. You could see that he wished he had something to offer, but his State Department, CIA, and other foreign affairs advisors had nothing for him. He was obviously inadequately prepared with a brief on the American continent current affairs, he did not know his subject and felt embarrassed that he didn’t have a single idea, or program to offer. We understand, because we realize he is new in his job. We also understand, because we are his neighbors and have become accustomed to Euro centric, bureaucratic Washington arrogance, or ignorance. Hopefully, he will find ways to change that? Given his financial problems, one does not hold out much hope. USA National Debt is reputed to be 4% of GDP, ( above the 3% maximums for good governance ) whereas in Belize here, our ratio is 78% of GDP, while some of the Caricom countries are reputed to have ratios of 170% of GDP.
Still, speaking solely for BELIZE, I can give him a few ideas, like I give Prime Minister Barrow in daily and weekly articles. I do this, knowing full well this will put me on a terrorist watch list in the current state of the art, of excessive Homeland Security bureaucratic paranoia in the Washington establishment.
In the weekend newspapers of Belize published down in the port town on the coast, there are numerous quarter page advertisements this weekend from Japan, South Korea, from New Zealand and Taiwan, for scholarships for Belizeans for higher education. Most of these are to do with people with Masters Degrees, going for their Phd, or post graduate degrees. Decades ago the USA used to do these things and so did the U.K., but not for a very long time now. ( decades ) In the very small country of Belize, these type of educational scholarships are going to bureaucrats mostly, in salaried jobs in the civil service. There is nothing wrong with having more experienced academics in the civil service, they perhaps do improve our administrative capability in government. The trouble is, that Belize at this stage of growth as an Independent nation, small as we are, need Community College level specialist courses for our young people. Things that would make them entrepreneurs and productive citizens. Our national need is for more exports, not so much better academic administrators we cannot afford. I’m mindful of a local youth in my community of Hillview, that was keen as a young artist and finally he went to the USA on some kind of scholarship for three months and got lessons in water colors, acrylics, layering and other tricks of the commercial artist trade and I have seen the improvement in his paintings. He has now become a professional artist, thanks to that 3 months scholarship training in the USA. Who paid for it, I don’t know? I’m going to try and fill the information gap in, for the President of the USA, intelligence brief regarding his neighbors of the Americas. While your gurus in Washington, D.C. flounder with what to do for affordable USA foreign policy programs, I suggest you renew short term courses of the Community College level for students of the 34 countries of the Americas. In Belize, that USA artist training worked successfully. We also need software programmers, airplane pilots and airplane and powerplant mechanics certified to FAA standards for licensing here in Belize. There are probably more things your bureaucrats can think of that are not available here in Belize? President Obama, if you are listening? Implement a new low budget foreign scholarship program for assorted technical skills that one does not find normally in a University environment. The short courses, which enhance, at least in Belize, the capability of a new young generation to earn a living and contribute to our country GDP. As you said yourself in that post summit interview in Trinidad, the USA needs ways to influence public opinion in the Americas of which the USA is a part. This is cheap and justifiable as a USA foreign policy interest. This is the way you can do it. Set up a program of educational short term courses financed to bring young people from the Americas to the USA for specialist short term training not available in other American countries due often to economies of scale. Low budget and VERY EFFECTIVE foreign policy results in benefits, to the USA image and involvement with your fellow 34 American countries. If you want to go a step further, expand the budget for your PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS and increase them. We now have similar volunteers from Taiwan, Japan and other Asian countries. We don’t need 4 year Phd courses, we need practical stuff done in short time periods. If you want to do more, then build us some bridges over some of our wild rivers.
On the home front in Belize, it is obvious to me from this SUMMIT of the AMERICAS at least, that it is time to take the organizational events of the past five years with Central American countries and Caricom countries and merge them both, into a more larger cooperative whole. A Group of Caribbean nations, including Central American and perhaps Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela as well, as Caribbean nations. We can call them the group of Caribbean 20 or GC22 or something? Cooperatives and credit unions do not only work for groups of citizens but they can increase our local geographic world political power, by having a larger group of countries. We in Belize are already doing this in meteorology, police, air traffic, bus traffic, disaster assistance and such lower level institutions throughout Central America and Caricom. It is time to expand our capabilities, melding Central American countries and the Caribbean islands together in ONE cooperative whole. Trade and commerce then become practical. Lets do it!
When will we hold the next CG 20 Caribbean SUMMIT?

EXPORTING FROM BELIZE TO CUBA!

EXPORTING FROM BELIZE TO CUBA

All imports to Cuba must go to Cuban companies, or institutions. Middle man, wholesalers and retailers are not allowed in the communist state.

We could not find the appropriate agencies online, sorry!

EXPORTING FROM BELIZE TO VENEZUELA!

SO YOU WANT TO EXPORT TO VENEZUELA FROM BELIZE? ( from the Belize Development Trust )

Some highlights of the requirements.

a) Payment is best done by IRREVOCABLE LETTER OF CREDIT FOB Belizeans
b) Best to have a local agent or partner to deal with the myriad time consuming bureaucratic red tape requirments. There are control prices on almost all food.
c) Some of the imports Venezuela requires are; beans, carrots, mushrooms, sweet corn, seafood, dairy products, candies, jam preserves, honey, spices.
d) Local growers/producers cannot compete with imports, because of subsidized imports.
e) There are many food importers found on the internet for Venezuela. There is even a STATE STORE RETAIL FOOD CHAIN. Called MERCAL.
f) Canada finds Venezuela as their BIGGEST market in Latin America. Mostly wheat, and potatoes.
g) Recently Venezuela had a 14% devaluation of the currency. Inflation is about 28 %.
h) Get paid in foreign currency in your country, NEVER in BOLIVARS.
i)_ The USA supplies about 1/3 rd of the Venezuelan food imports. The EU and Canada are the other big exporters to Venezuela.

Belize budget to be slashed immediately $160 million because of Tourism shortfalls.

Some concern over the proposed cutting of $152 million from the budget for 2010 due to the interest balloon payment on the Foreign Belize Bonds.
This now seems to be a hot button issue, as already for this year, Barrow said at the Summit of the Americas that TOURISM had dropped by 66% and if so here in Belize, then the time to contract government size and services and costs, look like needing to be cut right now this month of April, 2009, not next year in 2010. Tourism HAD in previous years provided a huge amount of the annual government revenues. Without tourism revenues, the current government budget is $160 million overbloated as proposed.
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CAN JET AIRLINES hit the news in Jamaica. A carrier that leases out a 737 to Tour Operators for charter flights to Cuba and Jamaica out of Halifax, Canada. One expects to hear that our Minister of Tourism is going to hot foot right up to Halifax and deal with the Caribbean Tour Operator who is chartering the CAN JET 737? Bring them to Belize!
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BTIA Cayo section meeting called for April 28th at 2 p.m., at the Cahel Pech Hotel in Cayo.
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Belize Artist produces pencil sketch titled HAPPINESS IS RELATIVE!

Girl in hammock pencil sketch of over 7000 years ago, life study in Belize.

This pencil sketch by Belize artist Ray Auxillou is for sale at $450 usa. Representing an unchanging life style between 4387 BC to 2009 AD in Belize. Life is good and HAPPINESS IS RELATIVE! Nothing much has changed for the good life living in tropical Belize in the Belize Alps lower foothills. Photocopy prints can be ordered for $19.95 usa plus $6 shipping and handling.

USA NEWS MEDIA REVIEW the SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS!

Prime Minister Dean Barrow arrives at Summit of the Americas with small entourage.
Foreign Minister of Belize Elrington



USA NEWS MEDIA REVIEW SUMMIT OF AMERICAS- THE BELIZE VIEW!

by Ray Auxillou ( Belize )

Was watching the USA television cable news reviewing the Summit of the Americas from the viewpoint of the USA cabel media . What seemed to bother them ( the USA media ) the most, was the rhetoric and anti-Americanism coming from our seven American elected Communist leaders trained in their youth by the COMINTERN.

My thoughts on that were that the USA has been pretty much disengaged with the American Continent 34 countries for about 20 years now, running through the CLINTON , BUSH and currently OBAMA years. For the leftist group of ALBA to castigate the USA at THIS summit of the Americas was ridiculous. LEADERS with policy failures always point the finger at somebody else, as excuses for their failures. Each leader, or leaders over the past 20 years in the Americas of our 34 countries should, and are responsible, for whatever success or failures they have had in the past 20 years. The USA has been ignoring us all that time, pretty much. If Ortega of Nicaragua is complaining, he should look to his own government leadership and country and solve his own problems. I heard yesterday that President Chavez of Venezuela since being in office has just completed a 1000 % INFLATION rate for his country. ( doesn't sound true - will check ) Obviously then, using inflation as a measuring yardstick for success or failure, Chavez has destroyed Venezuela with his policies, if this 1000% inflation rate is true. His country is now on a par with ZIMBABWE and President MUGABWE. Not only does inflation destroy the economic capabilities of a country, it also wipes out the middle class aspiring leadership and destroys the next two or three generations of newer young people who could build up a country, some yet unborn. You destroy peoples bank savings, the repercussions take several generations to recover for a nation. Megalomaniac power mad dictators, who have a lust for power at any cost, are the ones who destroy their countries through policies reflected in an unmanageable inflation rate. You can identify many of the causes. Such as CENTRALIZATION, or POLITICAL VENDETTAS, which are no more than the use of government institutions to wage war on your own population. Tyrants and autocratic leaders also ignore the power of greed for material goods and profit as a motive to inspire new generations to innovate and lead with new ideas and methods to achieve the rewards of the good life materially. Socialism saps these motivations and only makes everybody poor, except the tyrants and their minions.

I looked up the inflation rate from Venezuelan Central Bank today at the internet cafe, it is about 29% officially. Not as bad as 1000% quoted to me, but still not good. For an oil rich and resource rich country that is strange.

In Belize , this past year, inflation reached as high as 12% under the UDP, much of which reflected the imported cost of goods, out of our control, dictated by the surge of oil prices by speculators. Inflation in our country of Belize quickly identifies the policies of correction we must do. These are; more import substitution, self sufficiency in food, a need to create light manufacturing policies quickly, increased emphasis on entrepreneurs, our education system has satisfactorily already re-organized. Our only problem of any note is an inherited one from the past PUP administration, which is the size of the NATIONAL DEBT, which is $2 billion Belize currency. Those responsible for this disaster were the autocratic leadership of Musa, Fonseca and Godfrey. It will take another 30 years probably to work our way out of debt caused by the PUP.

Energy is a problem in Belize at the present time, but it does not have to be. We import most of our energy, so the solution is to produce our own energy in some sort of self sufficiency policies. Off hand, the two immediate easiest sources of energy reduction costs, are probably dual flex vehicles using gasoline and butane, or gasoline and ethanol. Fuel energy studies done by the Belize Development Trust volunteers show that BUTANE is already making inroads into the cost of operating vehicles, ($1500 Bz conversion cost per pickup truck) by reducing energy fuel costs roughly 33% are reported. Ethanol is easily produced in Belize and we have all the ingredients to make a big dent in the cost of operating vehicles by ethanol. Nobody is doing it yet, and you cannot build home or farm, 3 stage stills for production of ethanol yet, ( they cost about $1500 Bz in materials and labor, for a 5 gallon a day production capacity ), but the research has been done and it looks like as world oil prices start to rise again, people will do so. We need associated fuel policies that will favor expansion of our current butane engine conversions and we need a merchandise importer to bring in the copper tubing ( 5 inch or 6 inch diameter and ½ inch and 1 inch copper tubing, along with the correct type of solder for brazing copper pipes for local manufacture of small farm back lot type, 3 stage 200 proof ethanol stills. ), accompanied by favorable policies ( mostly hands off by the bureaucrats and regulations and politicians with their licenses, permits and taxes ) to get such a changeover in energy import substitution into the mainstream mix of energy IMPORT SUBSTITUTION for Belize. Studies already show that ethanol is marginally competitive at current fuel prices, but will become more so as OIL WORLD STOCKS shrink, due to more countries demanding a piece of the OIL SUPPLY. We import BUTANE, so our oil wells need to produce this locally if it is feasible, otherwise ETHANOL small backyard farm lot stills are the proper short term (30 years ) answer, as that is a totally SELF SUFFICIENT BELIZEAN capability. It would take some years to get cottage industry ethanol production meaningful as a saving in imported fuels, but is entirely practical if the government regulators keeps a hands off policy.

Electrical supply costs are largely imported as well, and we need to save FOREIGN EXCHANGE in any manner we can, as a small country. This will become more important as world oil prices keep rising. Policies need to recognize that vulnerabilities to the cost of importing, versus the trade offs of taxation for short term government revenue income on energy supplies. In my personal view, politicians and bureaucrats should always go for the saving of FOREIGN EXCHANGE costs as the dominant factor in policy making, because cheap energy enables higher production and the ability to expand production in new commercial fields of economic endeavor. NET METERING has not yet been tried as a policy and it should be done also, in my view. In a nutshell, if a small homeowner, or small scale cottage electrical supplier can produce electricity, then policy should be directed at encouraging this trend. The name of the game and for the future success of Belize is not measured in short term political goals of revenue taxation gain, but long term SELF SUFFICIENCY in electrical supply and all energy usage. Don’t think BIG, think SMALL solutions for Belize , if you are a politician or bureaucrat.

Our relationship in Belize with the USA to the North, is unchanged. We recognize they are our major market and major supplier of technical goods, as also our largest TRADING PARTNER. The USA has been involved in the past 20 years with the 34 countries of the AMERICAS , mostly in a selfish manner. The FREE TRADE agreements and the war on the FARC, ELN bandit, terrorist criminal groups in Colombia come to mind. These were all GOOD things for the Americas . What we need is a version of the European Union, but of the 34 American countries. Since we buy and sell mostly with the USA , then whatever problems they are having with the DOLLAR should not concern us. TRADE will continue, however adjusted by the USA currency problems because of our linked dollar backing. We need to widen our Chinese commercial connections for sure. China is the next major power.

The big thing from studying the Communist Comintern new elected presidents in the Americas ( over the past 20 years of non interference by the USA ) is that their Communist policies and idealogy are contrary to raising the standard of living of everybody. Instead of increasing a middle class by encouraging greed for material things, profit and innovation, they lower the standard of living and basically enslave their populations into a large lower class, in some cases like SERFS of the past centuries of history. Instead of widening the HAVES in their society, they are reducing their populations quality of life issues, and building a society of HAVE NOTS! Their mistaken ideological policies are creating a super class of poverty in some of their Latin countries. Centralization is part of the blame in their misguided ideology.

A recent 900 mile tour through Eastern Guatemala, showed the difference I know in my life time, from military dictatorships and centralization in that country, for an example, and of ten years of democracy in Guatemala and the startling results in living standards, paved roads, schools, clinics and medical treatment. Practically every Guatemalan rural indigenous child had his own cell phone for example. Every village and rural town has clinics, schools and brand new asphalt paved roads superior than those in Canada, or Belize. ( Oil money I guess? ) That is not poor by any means. Indeed Guatemalans on a whole are richer in material things and quality of life issues, than Belizeans was my impression and we in Belize are pretty well off. Mostly we seem on a par with the living standards of Guatemala . Life is a struggle for ALL young people as they start life and have families. That is the fun in life is solving and meeting the challenges, as you learn new trades, build a home and raise a family, then look back after you get old.

In summary, for Belize at the Summit of the Americas , our Prime Minister had to present the views and needs of CARICOM and those of Belizeans individually as a country of Central America . We need to fight the dominance of the G7, G14 and G20 as much as we can collectively. We could start by joining CARICOM and CENTRAL AMERICA institutional organizations in joint policy forums and meetings. There is power in cooperation and it looks like Belize needs to put some 'meat in the bun,' by creating, or encouraging a joining of Central America and Caricom interests on the political and other institutional stages. We need to make our cooperation wider with more members. How do we do that? What common foreign political and trade economic grounds can we find for our 20 countries of Caricom and Central America ? Caricom is too small. Central America is slowly maturing. Can we join them all and have Belize lead the way? We should, because it is in our foreign policy interest. Divided we fall, United we stand. Let us form a C20 group? That for me was the important lesson and conclusion of this Summit of the Americas .

Exploring the potentials, could a C 20 group of Caricom and Central American countries devise rules for offshore tax havens? Could we fight this war for world market share for financial services against the interests of the G7 Robber Barons? Can we then sue in local courts G7 applications of breaking OUR C20 group rules and regulations? Or even in their own countries for violations of behavior with our laws? Can we create a banking exchange transfer system in the Caribbean, or Central America? Maybe Panama, or Cayman for example? Avoid dealing with a crooked deck as run by New York for the USA and Belgium for the EU. The possibilities are endless.

FALCONVIEW BACKPACKERS ADVENTURE HOSTEL new photo April, 2009

Recent photo of Falconview Backpackers Adventure Hostel.

The breadfruit tree on the right in front got trimmed and so you can now see the three story annex in the background. The top floor is a funky furnished apartment, varnished pine wood paneling inside and at the rear is the first of the two hydroponic nurseries. The second floor of the annex has another one bedroom furnished apartment and a dormitory to the rear, or southern side. This photo was taken after the sun had set in order to get the angle. Unfortunately, my digital camera chose that moment to stop working as the batteries became too weak. I will get another photo another day.

PM Barrow interviewed at Summit of Americas along with Foreign Minister Elrington

BARROW INTERVIEWED AT SUMMIT OF AMERICAS

By Ray Auxillou

Apparently Belize had two media television houses represented at the Summit of the Americas . I saw on Friday night, interviews with our Prime Minister Barrow and Foreign Minister Elrington.

Our PM Barrow was acting in dual capacities. As head of CARICOM and as the Prime Minister of Belize. The interviews overlapped these dual duties.

The big thing that struck me, was the fact that BARROW was saying more or less, that both Belize and Caricom were looking for the ‘meat in the bun’ when dealing with OBAMA of the USA. He went on to explain that right now there were two trade acts from the US Congress involving both CARICOM trade and Belizean trade and we were allowed to ship duty free a small list of items to the USA . He wants these agreements to be enlarged and expanded in general. As far as both Belize and Caricom go, the exports from our area to the USA are so slight that they do not even make a blip on the charts of the US Economy. Yet to us in the Caribbean , on our export and economic data graphs, those miniscule things loom large and mean work, employment and tax revenues to our economies. Our populations and production for export are so small as to not even be equivalent to an ordinary large city in the USA .

Barrow went on to explain that speaking for CARICOM, that the bank doing the most lending here in our Caribbean region was the IDB, or Inter Development Bank. He did not explain who the shareholders were, or how it was capitalized. But he did say that the region populations and commerce and trade requirements had so grown since it was first formed, that the IDB really needs to be re-capitalized to the tune of another $180 Billion usa currency, in order to serve the original purposes for which it was designed. I’m only guessing, but presume Northern hemisphere industrialized countries own this bank?

The next item on the CARICOM agenda to deal with; was the OECD and the G 20 who are obviously using the tax havens of the Caribbean as RED HERRINGS and scapegoats, to lay off blame for the world financial crisis caused by the USA and European bankrupt trade in risky derivatives. There may be one or two billionaire tax dodgers in tax havens, but the propaganda and exaggerations put out by the USA and European media and G 20 group are not at all representing the FACTS, but distorting the truth, in what seems to be a WAR of ECONOMICS of the G 20 to create a monopoly and weed out competition from the three major tax havens in the Caribbean. This is obviously a propaganda war and media blitz by the G 20 in this war for MARKET SHARE of the Financial Services industry in the world. The total financial services industry market share in the Caribbean region puts us in FOURTH PLACE in the world and the G 20 group are going to attack, and attack again, and attack again our competition, in what for us is a type of industry we can do with our small populations and modern telecommunications. We have little to compete and survive in the world otherwise, and the Financial Services industry is an important part of the revenues of the Caribbean governments with such services. This is OPEN WAR by the G 20 and can we find a way to fight back is the big question? They control the flow of money around the world through Belgium and New York . CARICOM is calling for moderation in what many in the ALBA GROUP of the AMERICAS call Imperialism. This found a sympathetic ear from other American countries on this continent.

The financial crisis in the world created by the USA and European financial service industry, has created a PANIC and a loss of 2/3 rds of the Tourist Visitors and loss of revenues to Belize in particular, but to the CARICOM countries as a whole. There has been a FREEZE on Belize Tourist Board statistical reporting for the last six months, as the Government of Belize does not want us tourist operators to know how bad it is. At the moment tourist operators are cinching up their belts and holding on, thinking maybe they are isolated, and their tourist markets are wrongly aligned. It doesn’t do us any good to have our own government freeze tourist statistical reporting, by the BTB. The private sector cannot plan ahead, or re-orient their advertising unless we have statistics.

It would seem our PM Barrow has matured over the last year, and I put it down to the long preparatory work for the April 2009 Budget exercise. Barrow seems to have learned a lot on finances and economics and is talking more sense than when he came to power a year ago. Back then he was obviously an amateur filled with idiotic ideas. In his television interview at the summit he showed his capacity as a Quick Study and now holds an impressive grasp of the nuances of finance. Maybe, the next four years of the UDP management might come out better?

Foreign Minister Elrington came out in his interview, more in control and careful of his words. He also has matured over the past year. He is becoming more of a statesman. I kind of liked that.

G 20 SLANDERS CARIBBEAN FINANCIAL CENTERS

G 20 DECLARES WAR ON OTHER FINANCIAL CENTERS

There is big money in financial services and the spread world wide of many new financial services over the last 25 years, is eating into the control and commissions such financial service business brings. The amounts of money involved is in the TRILLIONS. Third hand rumor mill has it, that the G 20 has outlawed financial services outside of their countries at the recent meeting ballyhooed in the media.

Using euphinisms, propaganda and time honored traditions of waging war, the language is about tax havens to make the competitors and enemies of the G 20 seem to be criminals like Saddam Hussein or Hitler was once. This to strengthen the coming WAR on other countries financial service center economies on a world wide basis.

The G 7 countries have traditionally had a lock, or monopoly on banking and financial world wide services. With the aid of Lord Ashcroft we learned how this Robber Baron mentality works on the world stage here in Belize. With the aid of computer modernization and newer electronic telecommunications, the ability to spread this financial services, economic activity through many countries over the last 25 years, has eaten drastically into the ability of the G 7 Northern Hemisphere traditional Imperialistic and Colonial conditions to control third world countries. Many third world countries have raised themselves up by their bootstraps to be competitors for financial services and in the case of the smaller countries, this is also a major part of some of their economies.

The established monopolistic goals were set by the Bretton Woods annual meetings. The new system favoring the G 7 is called the NEW WORLD ORDER. In actual fact, what we seem to have is a new group of bigger countries called the G 20 who wish to theoretically control the world economy and financial services sectors. The G 20 is probably going to be controlled through many battles, using treaties, agreements, penalties and other paraphanalia of this new World War. The G 20 of itself has members that are themselves going to become subservient or victims in this economic war. The G 20 will undoubtedly be controlled by the G 14 and the G 14 will eventually be controlled by the G 7.

In the current world banking system, foreign exchange money and deals are brokered through New York and Belgium money transfer exchange centers. The major currencies are the EURO and the US DOLLAR. Both of these are backed by military might at the end of a gun, and more formidably in this NEW WORLD ORDER, by the flow of CAPITAL having to go through a rapacious banking system in which cheques are exchanged, other instruments of money transfers and wire services must all be cleared and paid through two major centers in Belgium and New York, for the whole world. Money actually does not change hands very much, it is all electronic data numbers. Money or currency itself, no longer even has anything backing the world paper trading system. The USA went off the gold standard a long time ago. Most currency is worthless and is just paper, but in order to have world commerce, paper currency is required, which in the last 20 years has switched to digital data, exchanged electronically.

Interestingly enough, CUBA went to a different system decades ago, using commodities in a barter system. The rise in Cuban tourism however, compromised Cuban independence and commodity barter system. Tourism paid through established foreign exchange has defeated the socialist system of Cuba . Venezuela in recent years has instigated a system of commerce and trade, mostly found in the Americas , also using barter, under what they call the ALBA TRADE SYSTEM. This to circumvent what these two countries call the Imperialist war of the G 7 countries. Venezuela trades oil mostly, but the trade is huge and unavoidable to use established paper currency, or electronic transfers. This gives the G 7 countries an advantage in the small battles to come for economic control of the NEW WORLD ORDER. We seem to be in an era approaching World War 111, like before the historical European World War 11.

The first victims are expected to be the NEW third world, very small, country financial services, built with the newer computer electronic capabilities of transferring wealth around the world. The G 7 have succeeded apparently, in getting a larger group called the G 14 to wage economic war in a campaign of world conquest. In turn this war has been broadened now into the G 20. The United Nations has been cut out of the process and now used mostly for peace keeping and alleged poverty alleviation and disaster programs. The United Nations has become a dead side issue, replaced by the G 20, and inside that by the G 14, and inside that; back to the old masters of the world, the G 7.

This is going to be an ugly war. The first victims are expected to be all the newer, small financial country service centers that have no military might and are unable to defend themselves, against propaganda and slander, as long as they use the established money banking transfer systems, and indeed the money currency types itself approved by the G 20. The world is going back to monopolies of the monarchial imperial era of European and North American world conquest.

The USA and the UK are reputed to be the two largest MONEY LAUNDERING, TAX HAVEN COUNTRIES in the world. But as part of the G 7, they are going to be left alone, while the war is aimed at the newer smaller countries providing the same services.

Victims are expected to be a number of Caribbean countries who have built a leg of their economies based on selling financial services, through ship registration, company registration and other trappings of the commerce activity involved in world trade. At the heart of the NEW WORLD ORDER is; who will have the right to dictate the rules and laws of settling financial disputes. Which court systems will rule? The end of the gun barrel of force, is the ability to block the transfer of capital, or refuse to honor the banking systems of smaller countries competing for a piece of the Financial Services world economy. Or even seize the financial assets to enforce the will by the G 7.

The new small financial service centers need their own money, or trading system, to fight this World Economic War. Small as they are, they are not equipped to fight using the Euro, or the Dollar, which makes them vulnerable and will lose the battles to come otherwise. Since most small financial center countries have little resources and are usually in debt because of corrupt politicians on a national basis, they have little commodity, or manufacturing export strength to give them the required muscle. This is the beginning of the end of small ex-colonies of European powers of the last two centuries. They are going to be enslaved again, using for the time being, the trappings of economics used similarly between the two previous century, World Wars 1 & 2. Eventually this is expected to evolve into many small world military conflicts.

The only defense for Belize is SELF SUFFIENCY economically. This is the time for Belize to strengthen trading ties with Mexico , Guatemala , Salvador , Honduras and the rest of Central America , in trade and commerce. We need to supply each other with the necessities of life and our economies. Caricom has use as a legal system and as an international policy voice, but the real strength for Belize is going to be local nearby trade with Central and South America . Self sufficiency for food particularly is the biggest requirement for Belize , as our population keeps expanding. Without self sufficiency and good financial management we are going to become poor colonial victims again, in this wider World War, waged by the G 7 through their proxies the G 20. We need to open our currency exchange system wider in Belize , to use of the Quetzal, until such time as a Central American currency is established. There isn’t enough industrial capacity in Caricom to serve the needs of Belize in the future century. Nor is there ever likely to be. The CARICOM island countries will always be exporting their brightest young people as they are short on opportunities. Not so in Belize , we have lots of trade and commerce and industrial opportunities.

A 7 to CHALLENGE G7 for world trade.

A7 GROUP TO CHALLENGE G7 COUNTRIES WITH NEW CURRENCY

By Ray Auxillou

The A 7 countries of the Americas ( ALBA TRADING GROUP OF AMERICAN COUNTRIES ) are to challenge the G 7 with a new currency. Dominant currencies are currently the Euro and the Dollar. The new currency of the A 7 countries will be called the SUCRE .

This is a wonderful idea and if the A 7 countries insist on being paid in SUCRE currency for their OIL, NATURAL GAS, BANANAS, TIN, LITHIUM, GOLD, PLATINUM, COFFEE, SUGAR and many other natural resources and food, that feeds the Europeans in particular, coming from the American Continent, things may indeed get interesting in this hemisphere.

The challenge to the supremacy of the Europeans and the USA in world trade is looking to take a new turn. China is currently well invested into the African Continent and moving into the South American area as well. We look forward to seeing the SUCRE take off. Where the currency market headquarters will be for the new exchange of such things, is reputed to be in Caracas . This will make a new money center comparable to Belgium for the Euro and New York for the Dollar. One can hardly wait for the new currency to be floated.

What makes it even more interesting is if CARICOM as a group of countries would follow Grenada and the Grenadines and join ALBA. With everybody aboard the same boat, we would have the advantage of a similar voting block for the political issues, yet acquire the muscle of the finance and exporting dimension of South and Central American countries. The fear of CARICOM political interests being held hostage by the original communist A 7 signing countries would no longer apply, or restrict CARICOM aspirations for economic and trade expansion. With a Financial Center in Caracas dealing in the new SUCRE currency a lot of the players on the table would be changed. New moves, it makes sense! We could pyramid a multiplier effect and become world players in trade and commerce. Time for a REFERENDUM of CARICOM countries on joining ALBA en masse!

WESTERN BELIZE, CARICOM AIRLINES VENTURE PUT ON HOLD AGAIN, SAYS CHAIRMAN, RAY AUXILLOU.

BELIZE HEADQUARTERED PROPOSED CARICOM AIRLINES VENTURE, PUT ON HOLD AGAIN!

Caricom Airlines based out of Western Belize, Santa Elena Town has been put on hold again! So says the Chairman, Ray Auxillou of Caricom Airlines.
We spent about a $100,000 in time, money and labor trying to set up Caricom Airlines, with the intent over the past year of developing this internal CARICOM AIRLINE said Ray Auxillou. We got lots of banks willing to LEND US MONEY, but we did not want to be undercapitalized, or beholden to interest and monthly payments to some bank, using borrowed money. The only way we were going to build this internal airline, would be with some venture capital invested in Preferred Stock. We were looking for about $25 million USA currency. A lot of the exploratory and investigative work had been done, but we got to the stage were we had to poop, or get off the pot. Theoretically and academically speaking, the thing should build up over time, given private sector financing and operational running control. Caricom is still a mess with a bunch of independent kingdoms basically and the rules keep changing, depending on which political party gets into power in the fourteen nations comprising Caricom. None of the airline infra structure regulations and laws are in place and we would have to develop those as we go. Markets are there in several fields and it looked encouraging, but until you pay your money and give it a go, you have no real idea of the problems to be faced on the ground. We were swamped with BORROWED MONEY BANK type vendors, but what we want is a bootstrap operation, to build as we go and make it pay. Not some Government run bureaucracy type airline run by political nepotism, or bureaucratic job making, using taxpayer revenue money. There are a lot of uncertainties and all we know is; there are a lot of sharks out there, ready to jump in if we are successful and take over the airline, should we succeed in opening up the internal Caricom economy. Most of the sharks are individual politicians in the different countries. We could probably raise initial funding from local sources, on a minimal start up basis. But we've been there before in the AUXILLOU TOURIST GROUP and being undercapitalized is definitely not the way to go. There are a number of articles divulging some of our trade research secrets on the http://westernbelizehappenings.blogspot.com As of now, we are not interested in going ahead under minimal financial conditions. Instead we are looking to expand our tourism and real estate ventures in Guatemala and Thailand. Unless we get an investor for shares, we intend to let the venture drop. We learned a lot in doing this past year, so it is not all lost time and money we have spent. Been kind of fun too!

YOUNG DUTCH MARINES go on R & R looking for sand, sea and girls in Belize

Horny Dutch Marines, show TINA how to squeeze in more sleeping places to her hostel on Caye Caulker


DUTCH MARINES ON R & R AFTER GRUELING JUNGLE TRAINING IN BELIZE, PARTY AT TINAS BACKPACKERS HOSTEL ON CAYE CAULKER.

CARIBBEAN IDEA #104 - POST BED RENTALS
I've started some changes at the hostel again and currently have a few posts jutting out of the ground around the yard. The heavy drinking Dutch Marine boys who are here currently on R&R after several weeks of training in the jungles of Belize, asked me what I was building and I replied that I am trying to find space to fit more people.

The Clever Dutch Marines who have been sleeping on the couches and verandahs & yard drunk the last few nights, suggested that I construct no further & rent out each side of the post to people just like them who don't care where they sleep for a mere $2. bzd or so.

To emphasize their point, they showed me how it could be done.
Posted by Tina Auxillou Life in a Banana Republic at 7:18 PM 2 comments Links to this post
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We aren't that bad yet at Falconview Backpackers Adventure Hostel, Hillview on the slope of Green Parrot Valley in Cayo West Recreational Area. We now can accomodate 16 people in two dormitories using bunk beds and two furnished one bedroom apartments. http://folkmusicfl.tripod.com/adventuresinbelize/

TINA'S BACKPACKERS HOSTEL ON CAYE CAULKER STORIES

Tina my 41 year old youngest daughter of four daughters born to Caye Caulker island. Read her blog, it can be hilarious. http://lifeinabananarepublic.blogspot.com

We share guests occasionally, though my guests at Falconview Backpackers Adventure Hostel are more interested in ADVENTURES out here in Western Belize. Tina's Backpackers Hostel on the beachfront of Caye Caulker is more of a party hostel and actually is in the 9th, or 10th place for the TEN BEST PARTY HOSTELS in the whole world by those who know.
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( One story of many, at Tina's Hostel on Caye Caulker. If you go there, be sure to come here out West to FAlCONVIEW BACKPACKERS ADVENTURE HOSTEL as well. )

Tuesday, February 24, 2009
DRAMA AT TINA'S HOSTEL - BEWARE OF THE PUNTA
(Punta is a local erotic, close style of dancing that natives do to the fast beating drumbeat associated with the Punta Music, also originating in Belize)

I saw a worn & tired figure with long blond hair coming in through the gate early this morning, tears streaming down her cheeks as she tried to hide her red swollen eyes behind dark sunglasses, the kind you get after hours of crying and no sleep, I know the look.

She seemed to be in a hurry, trying to escape somewhere, something or someone.

She was trying to drag through the soft fluffy sand, in a rush, one of those big solid suitcases on wheels which seem to only make her frustration, one could imagine, quadruple. The sight reminded me of a stranded beach shark trying to make it out to sea flipping and flapping about.

She had that anxious worried look on her face where survival meant everything at this moment . Her mouth seemed to be moving but no words were coming out. Even though my hearing was absorbing the chatter of the Slovenia man sitting on the couch outside next to me whom I was with in mid conversation, I had blanked out mentally & thought I saw from a distance, her lips saying HELP ME!

Immediately I knew she was not the kind of guest that Tina's Hostel attracts. She was in her mid forties, carrying the wrong type of luggage since all we get here are backpacks, was too well dressed and wore too much jewellery.

Finally she made it to the stairs & dropped the suitcase in the sand like she had just abandoned 20 years of excess mental luggage, the deep long curvy trails left behind from the force of the wheels digging in.

I rushed to her side to inquire how I can be of assistance and she asked for a dorm bed. I asked her twice if she really was looking to sleep in a dorm and then she asked if I had a private room. I did and I gave it to her. I told her to settle in and come upstairs to check in when she is finished.

Upstairs in private, she admitted that she had no money and could only pay with her husband's credit card. I told her that I could not accept that form of payment as I need to have the cardholder present to verify signature since there is a lot of credit card fraud and the banks are suspicious if I turn in a slip with the wrong signature.

Then she broke down in tears, and I asked her to sit down and relax and tell me about it when she feels comfortable. She asked to borrow the phone and I heard her call someone to ask them to Western Union her some money as she was stranded in Belize!

She hung up the phone and told me that her husband had kicked her out of the fancy hotel next door with intentions of leaving her penniless in Belize and that she stole his credit cards and quickly tried to check in with us to hide, as he was packed and leaving for the airstrip to catch a plane without her.

I told her to relax, we will work it out and an hour or so I could hear her still sobbing in the small room behind the busy kitchen.

She came upstairs again, she needed to talk to someone and had no one to share this horrendous moment with her.

"Her long marriage was falling to pieces" she said, "her husband was leaving her stranded in Belize penniless while on vacation, and he was threatening divorce".

"But why?" I asked, "what have you done so wrong?"

"I drank too much at the Oceanside Bar last night and I kissed one of the local boys on the dance floor where he had me pinned to the wall after we got into some erotic dirty dancing to PUNTA MUSIC"

"But did you want him to kiss you or did you want to kiss him?"

"I got so drunk & was having such a good time, I don't recall who might have initiated, but I know I let him, and my husband was at the bar looking on the entire time & I got lost in the moment and completely forgot he was there."

Not long after, from the second floor veranda, I spot a mild looking First World Corporate type walking in the garden dragging a matching suitcase and I immediately recognize him as the SPOUSE. I warn her and she goes down to meet him before he can make it to the front steps. I watch the show unfold from above, tucked behind the screen door where I can blend in with the mesh.

Like fuel to fire, there was an eruption as soon as they met up and the mild looking man was demanding his credit cards. She helped him drag his suitcase back out the gate and thankfully they went on the dock so as not to cause more of a scene to the rest of the guests milling around, who were secretly hoping for the show to unfold within earshot.

We could see arms flailing wildly then she runs back in to the hostel and borrows the phone again and calls long distance again, then she goes back out, then someone they call is talking to him, then her, then she comes back in the hostel and up the stairs to me.

"I'm leaving she says, I'm going home, but I don't know for how long. I'm sorry I couldn't pay you"
"Don't worry" I tell her, "this one's on the house".


Posted by Tina Auxillou Life in a Banana Republic at 4:54 PM 1 comments Links to this post