BELIZE BTL behind the customer service curve in internet bandwidth in 2012.

BTL INTERNET SERVICE IS GOING SLOWER AND SLOWER IN WESTERN BELIZE, CAYO DISTRICT. It is believed in the pursuit of profits, that BTL have oversubscribed, the shared bandwidth available, about 2 Giga. In fact, some days, it is not possible to use the internet at all during business hours in Santa Elena Town. Amateurs like myself, believe the bandwidth is carrying DOUBLE the customer load it was designed for and sold to customers. There is talk by BTL customer service people that sometime this year, the bandwidth will be increased to 4 GIGAS. BTL under different owners have constantly lied about such promises over the past 22 years. Nobody believes them. This under the current customer service subscribed load, would bring service back to normal at 4 GIGA. The local opinion, is; that 4 GIGA Bandwidth, will simply meet the current subscriber load needs. In order to promote development and the future of the nation building, an effort should be made to get ahead of the development curve and go up to 6 GIGA bandwidth. To allow for new customers to be added over the next two years. Across the Western border with Guatemala, THEIR CITIZENS enjoy 10 GIGA bandwidth of internet service. Caye Caulker with about 50 registered customer users in the town on the island, during my last dry season, four month stay there. The WI FI service was far superior to what we get from BTL in Cayo District. A U TUBE teaching video is uploaded and able to run continuously on CAYE CAULKER due to the light customer load, whereas in Hillview, Santa Elena Town in comparison, it is not practical to try and use U TUBE videos for learning new things. You click on a video on U TUBE to learn something in Hillview. You get 1.5 sentences, then the video stops to reconnect and reload, after 4 to 5 minutes of waiting, you get another snippet of 1.5 sentences and then the video stops to reconnect and reload and you wait another 4 to 5 minutes to get the next 1.5 sentence. It can take hours ( about 4 hours ) to run a learning video off the internet. It takes about 4 to 5 minutes to download a url webpage completely. We use the two antenna BTL wireless modem at home. On Caye Caulker a URL appears complete in less than a second, once you press the key. We are definitely not getting the customer service we pay for, about $120 per month.

NEW CONSTRUCTION STEADY IN CAYO DISTRICT, BELIZE IN MID 2012

CONSTRUCTION GOING ON AROUND THE TWIN TOWNS IS GOING AT A PREDICTABLE STEADY PACE. NOTHING FANCY, BUT STEADY YEAR AFTER YEAR. Took a scenic drive along the road from Bullet Tree Falls, through Santa Familia villages, Billy White village and Duck Run going into Spanish Lookout. The road is maintained smooth and well, even though a dirt road, by Mennonites. There is a lot of expatriate construction of retirement homes along this scenic route, through rolling hills and beautiful views.

BELIZE FAILURE OF ACADEMICS IN AGRO PROCESSING 2012

AGRO PROCESSING OF THE SURPLUS PRODUCTION CAPABILITY OF FARMERS OF BELIZE IS STILL LACKING. Blamed for the failure to produce new processed, and packaged vegetable food exports out of Belize, is the failure of academics of the University of Belize, hired to do just that in various government departments, to provide the technical know how, start up ventures for entrepreneurs in agro processing. Production of vegetable know how of farmers has surpassed the ability of the new academics hired to foster the agro processing industry, to create a product and market same for development of the country of Belize. We are failing and with oil money going to run out in four more years, in desperate need for an economic boost from the agro producing, export industry.

SUGAR CANE FARMERS OF THE NORTH AND WEST IN BELIZE ARE SHOOTING FOR 110 TONS THIS YEAR 2012

SUGAR CANE FARMERS OF THE NORTH, CENTRAL AND WESTERN PARTS OF BELIZE HAVE SURPASSED THE 100 TONS OF SUGAR DELIVERED AND PRODUCED AT THE SUGAR FACTORY. For the first time in six years, cane farmers have produced more than 100 tons of sugar. They are expected to reach 110 thousand tons for this season. This is the result of reorganizing the delivery schedule and timing of deliveries by organization. Also quality control was implemented to get rid of mud carried on the trucks. Mud was often used to pad the figures for delivery of sugar cane.

Caye Caulker, Mother and daughter graduate together from University of Houston

Mother and daughter, from Caye Caulker, Belize graduate together from University of Houston.

Wendy Auxillou and Zoe ( Auxillou ) de la Fuente

A BELIZE DESCRIPTION OF THE GOVERNING MODEL USED FOR THE COUNTRY - INEPTOCRACY -

A BELIZEAN DESCRIPTION OF THE BELIZE GOVERNMENT MODEL INEPTOCRACY: A system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least capable to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers. Thoughts? (https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/318226_3995774899946_1448181587_3523552_658200968_n.jpg)

SPAIN SEEKS BELIZEAN AID IN HELPING JAMAICA IMPROVE THEIR AGRICULTURE.

SPAIN SEEKS BELIZEAN TECHNICAL AID IN HELPING JAMAICA IMPROVE THEIR AGRICULTURE From: "Wong, Luis" To: "hillviewhacienda@yahoo.com" ; "bz-culture-request@psg.com" Cc: "Fonts, Agusti" Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2012 10:35 AM Subject: Message for Mr. Ray Axillou (Belize) Dear Mr. Auxillou: Greetings from IRTA (http://www.irta.cat/en-US/Pages/default.aspx), the Agri-Food Research and Development Institute from the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, Spain. We are writing to you to request your help. IRTA will take care of a training program for small farmers in Jamaica, in the matter of Protected Agriculture techniques. This program will include several modules and we are interested in knowing if you (or any of your associates) could act as instructor in one specific module: 2.2 Plant Propagation & Nursery Management - Nursery Structures and Designs - Plant Propagation Methods and Media - Nursery Management: Production Planning & Logistics - Irrigation and Fertigation Technology - Plant Protection - Practical case: Propagation and cultivation of a Caribbean ornamental plant - This module is supposed to be taught in English for an auditorium of between 30 to 40 people, within a week (six continuous days, from Monday to Saturday), by mid to late June 2012 (we would precise the dates shortly)and it’s both theoretical and practical, with specific emphases on the practical part. We would cover your roundtrip airplane ticket, your hotel and meals, your internal transportation charges as well as would pay you a sum of US 400.00 dollars per every day of instruction (US$ 2,600.00 in total, free of any deductions). If you agree on this, we would send you a contract stating these aforementioned conditions. We would need a confirmation message from you, providing us critical information: a) Materials needed for the conducting practical experiences. b) Any modification to the previously mentioned basic syllabus. c) Any other request, relevant to the instruction of this module. d) An updated copy of your curriculum vitae, with phones, fax numbers, emails, etc. Please consider this request. If you can’t help us, please recommend us someone who could. Thanks for your upmost valuable cooperation and assistance. Truly, Luis Wong-Vega, Ph.D. Liaison Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean IRTA Dr. Luis Wong Vega, Oficial de Enlace Regional para América Latina y el Caribe Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA) Generalitat de Catalunya Tels. en Panamá: + 507 399-7388 / + 507 6570-1768 Tels. en Santo Domingo: +(809) 442 3476 / +(809) 566 8121 Email: luis.wong@irta.cat **************************************************************************************************************************************************** Thankyou for your offer. I´m not sure how you got my name? I did do a three year vegetable growing project to disprove the Agriculture Department of that time here in Belize contention that small farmers could not grow vegetables profitably. But I was self taught and going to the contrarian view of the bureaucrats and politicians of that time here in Belize. The subsequent three year nursery experimental booklet was sent to UN FAO of the three year results experienced and knowledge gained from the internet and tried in practice in my own NGO nurseries. This worked out well and subsequently the government of Belize and Agriculture Department started to access a lot of international GRANTS for green houses and incoming technical expertise. They did in fact acquire millions of dollars worth of aid based on the results of my book. Subsequently I closed my nurseries as the job and results desired were reached from an educational viewpoint, as an NGO development project. We changed the defeatism type of mindset of the government basically. The Agriculture Department picked up on the technological changes and with the aid of experts from abroad, learned a lot of new things about tropical vegetable farming and soil changing. This whole thing was a complete new thing for Belize which had been constricted by a hand labor mindset, milpa growing mentality. The local vegetable import substitution took off and some people made a lot of money. The local market being small, it soon ran into trouble with overproduction. The main result has been a widening of vegetable supplies and new varieties, and Belize is now self sufficient in food. Though we seasonally import shortages. The new focus is to develop export orientated vegetables through acquiring processing knowledge and plant capacity. I have no part in that field and leave it to the paid salaried people of the government to do. As a self taught person, I am not sure how much value I would be too you. I have been a school teacher, so teaching is no problem. But I will pass your request by my wife and if she approves would be delighted to do a little bit. In light of the above information, if you are still interested, contact me again. I have no agriculture degrees. My specialty turned out to be soil changing, organic farming and hydroponics. I would require internet access as I am working on another project developing financial trading as a business for Belizeans, through JAGUAR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, which can be maintained by internet availability, if I have it in Jamaica. This financial project is now two years along and will require another year. My only experience in propogation is through seeds and cuttings. I do not have any experience in propogation of ornamentals, though my daughter in Florida owns a commercial nursery doing stuff like that.

CITRUS FUTURES LOWEST PRICES IN 2.5 YEARS EFFECT THE BELIZE CROP

GROWERS OF CITRUS FRUIT NOTE THAT ORANGE JUICE FUTURES CONTRACTS, FELL TO THE LOWEST PRICES IN TWO AND A HALF YEARS. HOW THAT WILL EFFECT THE FACTORY PRICES LOCALLY IN BELIZE IS NOT KNOWN. BUT THE FACTORY USUALLY SELLS THE CITRUS FUTURES CONTRACTS LONG BEFORE THE HARVEST.

BELIZE ONLY SUGAR FACTORY IS FOR SALE!

Belize one and only sugar mill is up for sale. Banco Atlantida has withdrawn their offer and the latest offer is coming from a USA company. They plan to put $20 usa million in improvements into the sugar mill.

THREE TOP COUNTRIES IN THE AMERICAS FOR RETIREMENT

TOP THREE RETIREMENT DESTINATIONS ON THE AMERICAN CONTINENT OF 34 COUNTRIES They are: Trumpet introduction first, then BELIZE, GUATEMALA, ECUADOR. These three countries are tops for people on FIXED RETIRMENT INCOMES, from SOCIAL SECURITY, PENSIONS, and SAVINGS. The main reason is: These are heavily populated indigenous populations that are in large part agriculture orientated. This makes FOOD very cheap. Much cheaper than European, or North American countries. Rents are usually much less than the equivalent in industrialized countries and medical is often FREE, or very cheap. Belize has an added advantage because English is the legal language, though Spanish, German, Chinese Mandarin are also spoken.

Belize one of many tax havens and diversified portfolios.

There are hundreds of tax havens all over the world. The goal of an international businessman is to establish companies in different tax havens, to make it difficult for predatory governments to demand more taxes than they should, as a harassment tactic. There is nothing more criminal that many Western industrialized societies, who habitually extort money from their home businesses in the name of permits, licenses and taxes. With over 200 countries in the world, it behooves any sensible businessman, to diversify his holdings, his income stream over different legal jurisdictions. Nobody wants to do criminal things, but sometimes greedy governments who are mismanaged financially, look to choke the life blood of the world economy, and tax havens like Belize are part of that legal type business maneuver, to diversify the assets. When investing, diversification is KING of survival in business. _____________________________________________________ QUINN'S SECRET EUR80MILLION CARIBBEAN HQ; BBC PROBE UNCOVERS HIS HIDDEN ASSETS The Mirror May 16, 2012 Wednesday AN investigation into Sean Quinn's empire tracked down the HQ of a company controlling more than EUR80million worth of assets belonging to Irish taxpayers. And shockingly, it revealed how Anglo Irish Bank has been locked out of properties it now owns on our behalf. Billionaire Quinn went bankrupt in January owing EUR2.8billion to Anglo. Bosses at the company hoped to scrape EUR500million for taxpayers by selling off Quinn Group's Click for Enhanced Coverage Linking Searchesglobal property portfolio. But weeks before Anglo - now the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation - took control of the group, obscure offshore companies laid claim to key properties. And a special BBC Spotlight investigation managed to track down the new secret home of Quinn's EUR80million property portfolio in Belize. The tiny country on the Caribbean coast of Central America - 5,000 miles from Ireland - is where the biggest slice of taxpayers' money is tied up. The explosive documentary also revealed: IBRC took control of a EUR60million shopping centre that Quinn once owned in Kiev, Ukraine, but the property agent it appointed has been locked out COPS armed with AK47s showed up the first time the property agent tried to get inside after the mall's dismissed management team called 999, and BEING locked out is robbing Irish taxpayers of EUR800,000 a month rent that is rightfully ours. The programme, which aired on BBC1 Northern Ireland last night, also broadcast evidence it uncovered in Sweden which appears to show Quinn was part of a secret boardroom coup which put him back in charge of the property empire weeks after he had been dismissed from the Quinn Group. Click for Enhanced Coverage Linking SearchesJournalist Jim Fitzpatrick was seen speaking to IBRC-appointed property agent Rostislav Levinzon outside the taxpayerowned shopping Mall in Ukraine. The BBC team didn't manage to get inside and security guards interrupted filming and told the production team to leave. Mr Levinzon revealed how he was chased by police armed with rifles when he tried to take charge of the centre. Mark Rachkevych, a journalist with the Kiev Post, told how the drama made the headlines. He revealed: "It was embarrassing for everybody because the management office is next to the bowling alley and this was afternoon time when a birthday for kids was taking place and mothers saw people with flak vests, helmets and AK47s come in, and they were shocked. "So this is bad for business, whoever is in charge of that place." Quinn is currently involved in a contempt of court case which claims his family purposely put multimillion-euro foreign property assets beyond the reach of the State-owned IBRC. Last June, Mr Justice Frank Clarke ordered the family to stop - but the bank alleges that Quinn, his son Sean Jnr and his nephew Peter Darragh Quinn continued. They deny the claims. But this global property portfolio is the only real chance we have of clawing back some of the EUR2.8billion Quinn owes the country. IBRC has secured properties in Ireland, the UK, the Czech Republic and Turkey. But it is struggling to regain control of properties in Russia, Ukraine and India. IBRC chair Alan Dukes said the Quinn family had left the bank with "no option" but to take court action. He told the BBC: "EUR2.8billion outstanding to a bank that is owned by the State is a matter of serious concern to the taxpayer. "I don't expect that we will recover all of that, but our job in the bank is to recover as much of it as we possibly can. "The bank has no option but to pursue this." *************************************************** BELIZE is a tiny country on the east coast of Central America, bordering Mexico. The population is roughly 310,000 and the official language is English. 40% of the population are living in poverty and the country is plagued by crime and drugs.

RAGAMUFFIN SAILBOAT TOURS, ALONG THE GREAT BARRIER REEF, OUT OF CAYE CAULKER. This was the SUNSET SAIL experience.

CYNICS LOOK AT BARROW AND ASHCROFT REAPPROACHMENT

Prime Minister Dean Barrow publicly declares that he will now seek the Road of Conciliation and Cooperation with Lord Michael Ashcroft, whom he had formerly referred to as the "public enemy no. 1" and "new age Colonial Master" and "Persona Non Grata in Belize." .... most interesting!!! Enquiries minds would like to know what is behind this turn-around in policies, views and perceptions..." "Prime Minister Dean Barrow reportedly gave the keynote address at the Belize Bank's 25th anniversary celebration at the Radisson Fort George Colonial Gardens last Saturday night. Our report is that it was very conciliatory and in it he called for an improved relationship between the bank and his administration." "While no other UDP minister or high ranking party member was there, Lord Michael Ashcroft was in attendance." Source: The Independent http://www.flashpointbelize.com/flashpointarticles/tabid/103/EntryId/141/Ashcroft-Barrow-Detente.aspx FOLLOW THE MONEY TRAIL THE CYNICS SAY. WITH FIVE YEARS TO GO AND THEN PUP INTO OFFICE, BARROW NEEDS ASHCROFTS LEGAL BUSINESS IF HE CAN GET IT? GOT TO BUILD UP HIS RETIREMENT FUND YOU KNOW? ( grin ) What do you think?

ATLANTIC BANK DREAMS UP NEW MONEY MAKER AT YOUR EXPENSE.

ATLANTIC BANK HITS SMALL SAVING ACCOUNT HOLDERS WITH NEW TAX, OR SERVICE CHARGE. Imagine my surprise last week, when out on Caye Caulker I went to get $200 out of my account for living expenses. My home is out WEST in the twin towns. Like most ATLANTIC BANK small savings customers, most husbands and wives have a joint account. Often one works somewhere else in the country and returns on weekends, or thereabouts. My wife at home keeps the savings passbook, as she has to meet the house living expenses. I ran short of cash and went to the local branch of Atlantic Bank on the island and was told this time around, that a penalty was being charged for not having the passbook with me. In order to take out $200 I would have to pay a FEE of $6.05. Well they had my back against the wall. I only had $2 in my pocket. Needed my money, so accepted the service charge. There was no other change. Same look up the account on the computer, same withdrawal slip and signature. Same photo I.D. and no problem. Just that my small needs cost me $6.05 extra. If I had known I would have taken out a few hundred more. I´m hoping I can hang on long enough for the next visit from my wife out here at the island and she can bring me a few hundred dollars. The bank being a bit expensive to use. Makes you wonder what is going on in the banking circles in Belize? Friendly banks seem to be a thing of the past and the bottom line profit seems to rule the roost nowadays.

BELIZE POLICING THUGGERY BRINGS BLACK EYE INTERNATIONALLY AND LOCALLY.

BELIZE POLICING CONTINUES TO BRING BLACK EYE ON THE COUNTRY POLICING SYSTEM For 45 years citizens of Belize have tried to change the policing system in Belize. The inherited police system is an inherited colonial model, intended to serve political masters of the government. To this day, the police system does that. Thuggery is rewarded over professionalism. Nor, is any change on the horizon. The government itself is an elected one party dictatorship for five years. Promotions depend on favoritism to political masters in the CABINET. So many attempts to clean up the police force have been made and all have met with failure. The Belize policing system is not as corrupt as India, nor as deadly as that of Syria. Yet the desire for a professional police force among the voters and citizenry is still a DREAM, unfulfilled.

PIONEER PLANTATION, UNDEVELOPED 2.5 ACRES FOR SALE FOR $19,000.

PIONEER PLANTATION, HENDRY COUNTY, 2.5 acre pineland ranchette for sale. One of about 150 ranchettes located in the Pioneer Plantation subdivision in the middle of rural Hendry County. The Ranchette is for sale on a LEASE PURCHASE ARRANGEMENT. With $7000 down payment and the rest of the asking price of $19,000 to be paid over five years. Including interest and property taxes the monthly payments for five years would bee $318 per month. For further information contact VANESSA at: Berdugon@aol.com , or telephone: 954 914 8439 Website with details, adventure story and some photographs. http://falconview0.tripod.com/hendrycounty/ This is a good investment, as a double lane highway across the state of Florida has been recently built nearby, making commutes to Fort Lauderdale, or Fort Myers easy. Asking prices are running around $40,000 and were being sold between $50,000 and $60,000, seven years ago. I think it will take another 7 years to see the prices of ranchettes in Pioneer Plantation get back to that level from the general collapse of the housing bubble. But you cannot go wrong at this bargain price. The owner now lives outside of the USA and not interested in returning and wants to get his property taxes back in the sale. Hence the bargain price, for fast sale.

ARCHEOLOGISTS FIND DESCRIPTION OF MAYAN CALENDAR MATHEMATICS ON WALL EXCAVATED AT XULTAN, GUATEMALA, WEST OF THE BELIZE BORDER.

MAYAN CALENDAR MATHEMATICAL

MAYAN CALENDAR MATHEMATICS FOUND ON WALL BURIED IN XULTAN, GUATEMALA

XULTAN MAYAN RUINS INTRICACIES FOUND ON CALCULATIONS ON A BURIED MAYAN WALL AT XULTAN, GUATEMALA, WEST OF THE BORDER OF BELIZE. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - On the wall of a tiny structure buried under forest debris inGuatemala, archaeologists have discovered a scribe's notes about the Maya lunar calendar, which they say could be the first known records by an official chronicler of this ancient civilization. These notes pertain to the same Maya calendar that is sometimes erroneously thought to predict the world's end on or about December 22, 2012. The researchers who helped uncover and decipher the wall's inscriptions said the Maya calendar foresaw a vast progression of time, with the December 2012 date the beginning of a new calendar cycle called a baktun. "They were looking at the way these cycles were turning," said William Saturno of Boston University, an author of an article on the find in the journal Science. "The Maya calendar is going to keep going and keep going for billions, trillions, octillions of years into the future, a huge number that we can't even wrap our heads around." The faint numerical inscriptions on the wall in Guatemala measure out time in approximate six-month increments, based on six lunar cycles, with small stylized pictures of Maya gods to indicate which deity was the patron of a specific slice of time, the researchers said Thursday in an online briefing. "It seems pretty clear that what we have here is a lunar calendar," said David Stuart of theUniversity of Texas at Austin, another author of the Science article. The findings will also be published in the June issue of National Geographic, which funded some of the research. The numbers on the wall were likely written by a scribe or calendar priest, who would have been an important figure in the Maya court, where monarchs were keenly interested in astronomy and sought to harmonize sacred rituals with events in the sky. The wall was used the way a modern scientist might use a whiteboard, to write down frequently consulted formulas instead of having to look them up in a book, he said. The fact that these calendar details were inscribed on the wall preserved them better than any book would have, since no books remain from the period when the inscriptions were made, probably around 800 AD, the researchers said. In addition to the inscribed numbers, there were pictures on other walls of the structure, including an image of a king in a feather headdress, seated on a throne, with a white-garbed person peeking out from behind him. A painting of a scribe holding a stylus was on another wall. These paintings were the first Maya art to be found on the walls of a house, the researchers said. The structure, covered with vegetation, was detected in 2010 at the ruined Maya complex at Xultun in a rainforest area of Guatemala. Xultun, once home to tens of thousands of people, stretches over 12 square miles (31 square km), and thousands of the remaining structures have not yet been explored. "It's weird that the Xultun finds exist at all," Saturno said in a statement. "Such writings and artwork on walls don't preserve well in the Maya lowlands, especially in a house buried only a meter below the surface." (Reporting By Deborah Zabarenko; Editing by Eric Walsh)

THE BEGINNING OF THE ARAB SPRING IN BELIZE?

KEVIN KELLY WAS BEATEN TO DEATH BY BELIZE POLICE FORCE IS THE PUBLIC OPINION ON MAY 8TH., 2012 Police PR: ( release ) As part of the ongoing investigations into the circumstances surrounding the death of Kevin Kelly on Tuesday 8th May, 2012 Dr. Mario Estradabran conducted a post mortem examination, where at the conclusion he certified the cause of death to be Hypervolemic shock due to internal bleeding, due to multiple abdominal trauma, due to blunt instrument type. To clear up all ambiguities a second opinion was sought, where Dr. Hugh Sanchez on 9th May 2012, between the hours of 6:00pm and 8:45pm conducted a second post mortem on the body of Kevin Kelly. At the conclusion of the examination, Dr. Sanchez’ findings were conclusive to those of Dr. Estradabran’s, hence supporting the original post mortem results. The Commissioner of Police Mr. David Henderson has immediately interdicted from active Police duties all those officers whose names have been mentioned in this investigation. The criminal and internal investigations continue into the death of Kevin Kelly. Sgt. Fitzroy Yearwood, Police Press Office ( FEAR AND TERROR SWEEP THE BELIZE POPULATION, AS THE NATIONAL POLITICAL DIRECTED, POLICE FORCE, ACTING ON POLITICAL DIRECTION, CARRY OUT DEMONSTRATIONS OF FORCE, LEADING TO A CLIMATE OF FEAR AND TERROR, THROUGHOUT THE LAND.

OAS TO FUND CANADA MENTORING OF COMMISSIONER OF POLICE IN BELIZE.

CANADA TO PROVIDE MENTORING FOR COMMISSIONER OF POLICE AND REFORM OF THE DEPARTMENT I can't think of a better partner for such a mission. Something Belize badly needs. -----Original Message----- From: innovate belize To: bz-culture Sent: Thu, May 10, 2012 12:10 pm Subject: Bz-Culture: Canada and the Belize Police Commissioner Project Support for OAS - Belize Police Commissioner Project Implementing Partner: Organization for American States Cost: $422,620 Timeframe: April 2012-March 2014 Canada is working in a cost sharing arrangement with the Government of Belize to support a foreign commissioner of police who will lead the police department, implement initiatives and mentor future commissioners of police. This project will support Belize’s objective of reforming and modernizing its police force. Fundamental to these efforts will be the implementation of sustainable programs and processes that focus on identified needs, such as criminal investigation, human resource management, and accountability amongst the senior ranks of the police department.

FIRE CAUSES LOSS OF MILLION DOLLARS INVENTORY OF STORED LOGS AT WESTERN BELIZE, PINE LUMBER.

PINE LUMBER ON WESTERN HIGHWAY, LOSES MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF LOGS TO FIRE. The unknown owners of the lot next to the Pine Lumber log drying storage yard, had hired a man to chop the weeds and brush off their lot. The idiot worker, then set the brush and weeds on fire to burn them off. Except, he was upwind, to the EAST of the Pine Lumber property and the fire quickly roared across the field and into the stored inventory of Pine Lumber logs. Up went a million dollars of inventory in fire and smoke,due to carelessness. The man ran away.

MAP OF THE SMALL ISLANDS OF BELIZE, ALONG THE BARRIER REEF AND OFFSHORE ATOLLS

CAYES OF BELIZE

McFee ordeal in Belize goes internet wide.

McFee´s brutal victimization goes internet wide. From the Minyanville, THE DAILY FEED -----When antivirus software inventor John McAfee relocated his life and business interests to Central America in 2007, he ended up getting more than the tropical paradise of a tax shelter he’d bargained for. With McAfee Associates behind him -- which was eventually acquired by Intel Corporation (INTC) -- McAfee switched gears from curing computer diseases to those that infect people. He set out to find herbal solutions to drug-resistant bacteria, deep in the rainforests of Belize. But McAfee’s venture developing natural antibiotics came to an abrupt and frightening halt this week when the government came pounding down his door. In the early morning hours of May 1, a law enforcement arm of the Belize police force, called the Gang Suppression Unit (GSU), raided McAfee’s research facility in the northwest district Orange Walk. The GSU allegedly ransacked the property looking for drugs and firearms, shot and killed McAfee’s dog, handcuffed him and his 12 employees, confiscated his passport, and put him under arrest for possessing illegal weapons. McAfee is crying corruption. The raid and arrest, he says, are bogus and merely the consequences of his refusal to line the coffer of a United Democratic Party (UDP) politician -- the “local political boss,” as McAfee describes him. While the GSU found a cache of weapons during the search of his property -- including 12-gauge shotguns, handguns, and rifles with scopes -- McAfee had permits for all but one of them, which he claims a GSU soldier not-so-accidentally misplaced. ( Frame up - extortion using the government institutions ) “Fortunately we had copies,” McAfee said. “Even then it was difficult to get out. I had to get the intervention of the American embassy to get released. By the time I got to Belize, it was sixteen hours. I slept until 2 a.m. on a concrete floor at the Queen’s Street Police Station until the embassy finally convinced someone to release me.” The GSU has a reputation for abusing power in Belize, conducting illegal raids and indiscriminately using violent force against innocent civilians. “This is clearly a military dictatorship where people are allowed to go and harass citizens based on rumor alone and treat them as if they are guilty before any evidence whatsoever is obtained,” said McAfee. Ultimately, McAfee was not charged with any crime. Read more: http://www.minyanville.com/dailyfeed/2012/05/04/antivirus-developer-john-mcafee-arrested/#ixzz1txTebCq4 _________________________________________________ Technically, Belize is a democracy. Once every five years, the people elect a one party dictatorship, on the AFRICAN STYLE of the British Commonwealth Parliamentary system. Essentially still; a COLONIAL RAPE, and PIRATICAL SPOILS SYSTEM OF PLUNDER. Composed of PIGS feeding at the tax trough, as opportunists run for office and enjoy mafia gang protection from their dictatorship role of all things government. In this case, McFee is charging that he was EXTORTED for money, and in vengeance for not paying, by a political politician and his supporters, whose party is in power right now and they used the trappings of the police force, INFAMOUS AFRICAN STYLE police in a ONE PARTY RULED STATE,

to intimidate foreign rich immigrants, in order to seperate them from their money. Notwithstanding McFee already donated millions to the police and other worthy causes more to his inclination. Belizeans on the social media internet forums are alive with this latest in a long list of crimes by our system of government and many claim, they are so AFRAID, they do not want to return home. Some indeed are retiring in Panama, a more expensive place, but more civilized they say. ________________________________________________________ Herbal medicine business closed says worker for over a year. They do produce coffee though for local consumption. Usual police bogus charges they say over trainee security guards. We are following the law. The police are making things up. Laboratory Closed Say's McAfee's Worker Screen_shot_2012-05-03_at_7.56.07_PMLast night you heard the story of 66 year old John McAfee whose residence by the Toll Bridge was ransacked in what he calls an unjustifiable raid by the GSU. While McAfee is claiming that the GSU used unnecessary force and their actions were unprofessional, the GSU sent out a press release yesterday evening justifying their actions and the level of force used. Today, the Head of Security at McAfee’s residence says otherwise. According to Emerson Michael, the GSU used excessive force on the security guards and watch dogs. Emerson Michael, Head of Security “First of all it was not a nice experience because the GSU were the one who woke us up from our bed with all noise and all the commotion which was really uncalled for. They started by cutting the fence- cutting the wire on the fence and the gate was right there. My security had opened the gate. They cut the wire and stormed in and break down all the doors which really was not professional. It wasn’t justified at all. The breaking down of the doors was not necessary. It was uncalled for.” In the press release issued out by the Gang Suppression Unit, they state and we quote, “Investigations regarding the employment of the security guards revealed that only two out of the four guards are licensed to act as Security Guards.” End quote. But according to Michael, one of the individuals in question is presently training to be a security guard and the other individual is a maintenance worker. Emerson Michael, Head of Security “That’s what they are claiming but one of the officers is not a security guard. He is on training. On training to be a security you can’t possess a security licence. You are on training you are not a security guard. We don’t hire security guard just to hire security guard. We train them. We want professional so we train them. So this fellow is on training. The other guy is maintenance- or he does maintenance around the yard. Even though you do maintenance around the yard everybody that works there have a uniform and equipment. IE taser, baton, handcuff but they are not security guards. One is maintenance officer and one is on training. Training to be a security guard so there is no way we could get licence for him. He is not a security guard as yet.” And so the question arises - Why does McAfee need so many security guards? Well according to general manager of the McAfee estate Noel Codd, the answer is a simple, because he can. Noel Codd, General Manager “Well this person is a famous person, a multi millionaire. He has the finance. He can afford it. At the same time he gives people jobs you know. We are not using the government, the police force for protection like some individuals like a couple of months ago when they had the incident with Mr. Urbina. After that they had our tax payer’s money working for them when they had the police officer guarding him and for election he had a special branch for him all the while. Mr. McAfee doesn’t need that. He can afford his own and that’s why he does it.” During the search on Monday, the GSU claim to have discovered a laboratory which they are alleging is being used to manufacture antibiotics without a licence from the Ministry of Health. But according to Codd, that laboratory has been closed for over a year now and is presently being used to manufacture coffee. Noel Codd, General Manager “That’s a lab that has been closed for over a year now. We had a researcher who came with a proposal for a business and Mr. McAfee as a business man always you know finance and stuff. This medicine that they are talking about is a natural- is from natural plants around in the area especially the Bullet Tree. They extract it and use the chemical from that and they make this anti biotic used for cuts, scrapes, fly bites and stuff like that. But it was closed and that’s the reason part of it is used for the coffee factory.” Hipolito Novelo, Reporter “What coffer factory? Noel Codd, General Manager “The coffee factory that we have. We produce coffee, manufacture coffee and send them out to San Pedro where we have the restaurant and stuff.” John McAfee, Philanthropist “I have over 80 employees in this country that we are playing social security for and my various establishments. They are all Belizeans. I have not hired a single American because I think to invest in a country you must invest in the people. I have donated in the past year along over a million dollars to various police departments. Not in money but in terms of equipments. Every officer in Orange Walk has new boots. Why? Because I purchase it for them. I was stopped at a check point about ten months ago and I saw an officer with tape around his boots, standing all day long. I bought them all new boots. I bought them stunned guns, pepper sprays, utility belts, camel backs. They are water packs for their backs. I built a police station for them in Carmelita which has not been accepted because the UDP believe that they would get a black eye by accepting that donation from me. It a beautiful police station: two jail cells, fully furnished with a vehicle that I donated. And they so far have not accepted it, which is fine with me. I’ll turn it into the housing for the poor. But it’s a ridiculous system that’s here, totally ridiculous.” McAfee reiterated to us today that if the matter should go any further then it would be through the courts.

DOCUMENTARY ON CAYE CAULKER TO START THIS MONTH. 2012.

Help fund my documentary, "Women of Caye Caulker", friends ...http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1554727237/women-of-caye-caulker-belize-documentary, www.kickstarter.com. Wendy Auxillou of Caye Caulker, living in Texas, USA is going to be doing a documentary on the women of Caye Caulker as a historical and sociological piece. She needs matching funds, so donations of any kind would be welcome. She already has a professional TV documentary editor lined up and is planning the trip to do this documentary in the next few weeks. Any contributions would be helpful. Wendy will be graduating from the University of Houston this month I believe? _________________________________________________ Can you please help to circulate my link around? Help fund my documentary, "Women of Caye Caulker", friends ... http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1554727237/women-of-caye-caulker-belize-documentary http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1554727237/women-of-caye-caulker-belize-documentary Women of Caye Caulker, Belize (Documentary) The influential women of my childhood on Caye Caulker, Belize are dying off, and their history has not yet been recorded, until now. To see your Wall or to write on Wendy's Wall, follow the link below: http://www.facebook.com/n/?permalink.php&story_fbid=456288134398102&id=100000345421260&mid=60dd77aG5af32510f5ccG498efdcG3a&bcode=mfTvMYxi&n_m=hillviewhacienda%40yahoo.com Thanks, The Facebook Team _________________________________________________

BELIZEANS SOCIAL MEDIA TALK ABOUT HOW SCARED THEY ARE IN BELIZE.

HOT DISCUSSION GOING ON BY BELIZEANS ABOUT THE UDP GOVERNMENT ON THE INTERNET SOCIAL MEDIA Ditto on that MEL. I know I'll get a few flaming arrows thrown at me but seriously, I am scared shitless every time I visit Belize. In an earlier post where Ray talked about Belize being a state in the Republic of Guatemala, he said Guatemala is better than it was 50 years ago but Belize is the same as it was 50 years ago. I beg to differ. In my opinion, Belize is significantly worse that it was 50 years ago. Each year that I go back, I find myself climbing the walls to leave. I know every country has its problems, including Panama where I'm going to retire, but I just don't feel safe in Belize even in broad daylight in downtown Albert or Queen Street. Steve Date: Thu, 3 May 2012 07:14:42 -0700 From: cowfootsoup@yahoo.com Subject: Re: Bz-Culture: More on McAfee Raid To: succotz@yahoo.com; hillviewhacienda@yahoo.com CC: bz-culture@psg.com Sounds like the type of abuse Sr. Reek used to endure - except he wasn't a famous millionaire so nobody cared. PUPs will say the UDPs are a bunch of thugs (and they are) - a lowly officer may get re-assigned and nothing will change. It doesn't matter how many pictures of sailing boats and blogging about the sweet life in Belize that Ray posts....this kind of news will turn people off from Belize (myself included). MEL --- On Thu, 5/3/12, Ray Auxillou wrote: From: Ray Auxillou Subject: Re: Bz-Culture: More on McAfee Raid To: "Charlie Trew" Cc: "bz-culture@psg.com" Date: Thursday, May 3, 2012, 6:52 AM So, you think the officer that pocketed the firearm licenses and conveniently lost one, and was proven wrong when McFee produced the photo copy of it, will get prosecuted in a court of law and sent to prison for framing McFee? I had no idea a Security Guard had to have a license? Wonder who issues such photo I:D:´s? Which government department and what is the fee? Would you get it at the traffic department? What do you think of the gratituitous destruction of property, as using sledge hammers to ostensibly open doors, that were already open, if you turned the knob. Now you got to have a license to test mold in a petri dish, as an antibiotic, or something similar? You gotta be kidding me? Bloody hell!

BELIZE IS NOT A DEMOCRACY! MACFEE BECOMES TARGET OF POLITICAL GOVERNMENT EXTORTION RAID?

CHANNEL 6 NEWS STORY ALARMING! EVERY ORDINARY BELIZEAN IS AFRAID OF THE BELIZE GOVERNMENT THESE DAYS AND THEIR APPLICATION OF VIOLENT INVASION AND TRUMPED UP CHARGES. ME TOO! THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TG BE AFRICA, BUT YOU CANNOT SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN OUR ELECTED STYLE ONE PARTY DICATORSHIP. POLITICAL EXTORTION BLAMED BY FAMOUS PHILANTHROPIST IN BELIZE RETIRED HERE FOR GSU ATTACK ON HIS HOUSE.

May 2, 2012 Antivirus Founder, John McAfee, says politics caused GSU raid John McAfee is the founder of McAfee Antivirus has been a philanthropist and investor in Belize. How rich is McAfee? We’re not sure, but rich enough to donate a vessel worth one point two million dollars to the Belize Coastguard in January 2009. McAfee lives in Belize and he says that he has become a target of the Gang Suppression Unit. He says the GSU came busting into his research facility in Orange Walk, killed his dog, took his passport, handcuffed him and arrested him on a bogus weapons charge. McAfee says he’s a victim because he didn’t donate money to a known U.D.P. Orange Walk politician. John McAfee, Claims False Imprisonment by GSU John McAfe “On Monday at six o’clock, I was awakened by the sound of a bullhorn, a megaphone. I went outside and saw about thirty GSU in full uniform, full dressed, automatic weapons, storming through the property and drive way. I went back inside, got some clothes on, I came out. I was told to put up my hands up against the wall as was eleven other people on the compound. We had about eleven people present at the time—five of them were women. I was told that they had a warrant to search property. They began, with sledge hammers, to break the doors of the buildings—none of them were locked, but they just went and broke them in any case. I was merely watching this. They confiscated my passport, all of the weapons we used for security on the compound, handcuffed me and everyone and for fourteen hours outside in the sun, I sat handcuffed without food or water. We got water around noon. At three o’clock we asked for food. We were told by the GSU, do we look like cooks to you. They murdered my dog in cold blood. That was the thing I think—it was a warning to us that this is serious; don’t mess with us. They threw things around, they stole things—it was unbelievable, unimaginable for a country that was supposedly a democratic country. I was arrested on a bogus charge of having an illegal firearm—a firearm without a license. At the very beginning of the day, one of the GSU soldiers, one of the GSU officers, took all of my firearm licenses and put them in his vest. When he took them out to check the firearms, this one was missing. They charged me for having a firearm without a license; took me to Belize City. Fortunately we had copies. We showed up later at the police station with the copies. Even then it was difficult to get out. I had to get the intervention of the American embassy to get released. By the time I got to Belize, it was sixteen hours. I slept until two a.m. on a concrete floor at the Queen’s Street Police Station until the embassy finally convinced someone to release me. They confiscated my passport and claimed they didn’t have it. The entire day was an incredible nightmare. This is clearly a military dictatorship where people are allowed to go and harass citizens based on rumor alone and treat them as if they are guilty before any evidence whatsoever is obtained. It is astonishing, it is beyond belief and I intended not to let this stand. I will not stand idly by to let this happen to me. I promise you. It began, innocently enough, with my refusal to donate to the local political boss of the district where I liVed in Orange Walk and I have given at least two million dollars in gifts to the police departments in Orange Walk, San Pedro, Belize City, to the village of Carmelita, the City of Orange Walk. I have started programs to feed children, I’ve helped mothers whose husbands have simply disappeared. I am an old man, I am sixty-six. I have a fair amount of money and not much to do. So I spend it where I think it will do good. And I don’t ever invest in politics. I don’t donate to any political party; I don’t have any political affiliations. I think politics is foolish for a private citizen like myself to engage in—the winning party; you never get your money and the losing party; your on the outs. So I do not. And I refused to donate and the gentleman expected you know, I’ve given a million dollars to the police department, so he should get a huge chunk and he got nothing. Immediately after that, he began—not personally but his aids—began a campaign of calling to the local radio stations on Saturday morning talk shows saying the same thing; “What are we going to do about the white man at the toll bridge? He has all of these security guards. He’s probably involved in illegal activities. Everybody is complaining about him.” Nothing could be further from the truth. That politician by the way did not get reelected.”

JAPANESE TSUNAMI DEBRIS FIELD ALREADY ARRIVING IN HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF TONNES OF PLASTICS.

Debris field already hitting West Coast. Particularly Alaska. Worse than the Valdez oil disaster they say. Light plastics, wind driven are coming earlier. Hundreds of tons of it from the Japanese tsunami. Neither the USA or Canada have a response organized yet. It is supposed to get worse over the next two years. It is very bad right now in Alaska, terribly bad. Belize gets this stuff from Guatemala, Honduras and the Caribbean countries also. You should see the beaches on Eastern side of Turneffe Atoll.

BELIZEANS SHOULD PRAY FOR GUATEMALA TO RESCUE US FROM RAPE AND THE COLONIAL SPOILS SYSTEM?

There is a lot of publicity going on about the upcoming referendum with Guatemala. Considering 97% of the people consider that the two major political parties, are RAPING BELIZE under the Colonial copy cat Constitution. We also know from various economic studies from international economists, on things Belizean, that our method of governance, the BRITISH SPOILS IMPERIALIST INHERITED COLONIAL SYSTEM cannot be changed, as the two major political parties are made up of people whose sole intent is self enrichment, at any cost. We have 50 years of experience of this. So, the SPOILS SYSTEM OF THIS BUNCH OF MAFIA PIRATES IN COLONIAL GOVERNMENT MODEL, or what? The gang has the political power, they make and enforce laws according to their needs, they tax and regulate in what economists explain is the EXTRACTIVE governing system. They will not share power, or create methods to distribute government jobs by ability, or civil service tests. Certainly they both, the two major political parties WILL NOT make Belize a REPUBLIC, which is a more INCLUSIVE SYSTEM and the gateway to economic success. When in office, they also control the police and defense force and have the guns, for superiority in fire power. Perhaps then, a new generation of us should consider that since Guatemala is a REPUBLIC, it would not be a bad thing, for Guatemala to actually take over by an INTERNATIONAL court decision and bring Belize to the status of a REPUBLIC through this sideways approach? Our political mafia pirates will not do it. They consider RAPE of Belizeans and the TAX TROUGH earnings, their due ( as SPOILS ) when in office. Their RIGHT, just ask the current Prime Minister! Certainly there is no distribution of power, either. The economists forecast Belize will remain poor and inadequate in per capita income, due solely to BAD GOVERNANCE, the model we currently use to govern with. Seems like we ordinary Belizeans should PRAY, that Guatemala wins the REFERENDUM and the COURT DECISION on the future of Belize. We are not going to accomplish anything under our current colonial governance model. That is obvious. The only way you could otherwise change the system of governance is REVOLUTION. Who wants to turn into an ARAB SPRING? With all the death and violence involved. Think about it you new Belizean generation! Don´t be saddled with the propoganda and clap trap brainwashing of the past. Be logical !

TOUGH LIFE LIVING IN BELIZE, BUT SOMEBODY HAS TO DO IT. ( photo )

TOUGH LIFE LIVING IN BELIZE, BUT SOMEBODY HAS GOT TO DO IT. WE KNOW PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DOING IT FOR ABOUT 14,000 YEARS.

SUCCOTZ FIESTA, 2012 in Western Belize

Small town life in Western Belize. SUCCOTZ is at the white water rapids, of the Mopan River. Across the river rises a huge hill, on top of which is the famous Xunantanich MAYAN ruins. We know for sure this town has been here for about 4000 years and most suspect for over 10,000 years. Small town life can be a very good life. SAN JOSE SUCCOTZ FIESTA, 2012

BELIZE SEA KAYAKING TOUR SWEET MEMORIES

SWEET MEMORIES FROM A SEA KAYAKING TOUR, AND LIFE IS SO SWEET.

Life is sweeter among the Garifuna; The best dessert awaits in Belize: fresh coconut, ginger, butter and sweetened condensed milk cooked to perfection over a bonfire The Globe and Mail (Canada) March 10, 2012 Saturday In 1635, two heavily laden Spanish slave traders sank off the coast of St. Vincent, the African slaves that survived taken ashore and granted refuge by the Arawak and Carib Indians inhabiting the Caribbean Isle. From this unlikely union sprang the Garifuna, an unusual blend of old and new world, with their own unique language, religion, customs and beliefs. The Garifuna history has been one of diaspora. After co-existing peacefully with French settlers on St. Vincent for more than a century, they put up fierce resistance when English colonists began demanding land. Hopelessly outnumbered, they were easily defeated, the survivors rounded up and deported to Roatan, off the northern Honduran coast. Soon after, they aligned with the losing side of a civil war, and many were forced to move on again. Today, Garifuna villages and settlements can be found sprinkled along the coastlines of Belize, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua. During the winter of 1995, I spent six months in the sleepy town of Dangriga (located near the geographic midpoint of Belize's eastern coast) living among the Garifuna. Together, we guided sea-kayaking journeys through the clear waters and sandy cays rising along the spine of Belize's barrier reef. What I remember most, of course, are the people. Their easy laugh and slow pace. The men, often with immaculate cornrows (rebraided after every trip by patient wives), would dive for conch or spear grouper, staying down minutes at a time, returning to the surface without even a gasp. Their balance was so spectacular that they often paddled the kayaks standing up. The women, their clothes always whiter than snow, cooked cassava flatbread in 50-gallon drums that had been converted to beach ovens. The dark nights were marked by frantic drumming and fluid dancing. The food my Garifuna friends prepared, over coconut husk fires, was unlike any camp fare I had experienced before. The ocean provided an endless supply of fresh fish, conch (nearly always fried in fritters) and lobster tails. Filling the plates were salty plantain fries, johnny cakes, and the ubiquitous Belizean rice and beans, flavoured with fiery habanero. But my favourite - by far - was the sweet coconut dessert known as tableta. Pappy, slim and dreadlocked, introduced me to the treat early that winter. One afternoon, while our guests dozed in hammocks, he zipped up a tall palm (an incredible feat of athleticism itself) and knocked down three green coconuts. Husking them in a flash with a rusty machete (a skill that evades all northerners, no matter how frequently practised, and one that often leads to grievous injuries), he asked me to grate the soft white meat into a large pot. Pappy then tossed in a pinch of ginger root, a spoonful of butter and one can of sweetened condensed milk. Carefully balancing the pot atop three conch shells over the embers of a fire, he instructed me to start stirring. And not to stop - under any circumstance - until the mixture turned brown. Then he retired to a hammock and was soon snoring. I stirred and stirred the thick mixture till my forearms ached, and sweat dripped from my brow, but nothing changed. I took a momentary break, and Pappy, without so much as opening his eyes, hollered, "Don't stop mon, don't stop!" And so I stirred more. Until I was dizzy; my eyes watering from smoke. Then it happened. The entire goopy mixture, in the space of seconds, turned brown, the sugar caramelizing. Pappy leaped up, and with wet hands patted the hissing and crackling candy flat onto a cookie tray. Moments later, it had hardened, and we cut it into bars. The result was ridiculously delicious. So delicious that for the next six months, I made the dessert at every opportunity, never ceasing to enjoy its simple flavours. I have tried several times to recreate the dish in Canada. Bags of dry, grated coconut are, quite simply, useless. Even the fresh coconuts occasionally found in our supermarkets seem to lack some crucial element. Tableta, its unique taste that whispers of sand and palms and blue waters and acrid fires, must be experienced in the Caribbean. Today, this Garifuna treat has spread far and wide, and one can often find children selling "coconut crisp" at bus stops and beachfront resorts throughout Belize, but with a can of sweetened condensed milk in hand, and some polite pleading, you can have tableta prepared almost anywhere along the Belizean coast - and I heartily suggest, should you visit, you do.

BELIZE FINANCIAL CENTER TO EXPAND AGAIN, BY END OF THIS YEAR IN HILLVIEW, BELIZE

e mail post by INNOVATE BELIZE An example is this alternative trading system is https://www.secondmarket.com/ But we would need fiber optics ... ____________________________________________________ ****INTERNET IS THE ONLY PROBLEM AT THE WESTERN BELIZE FINANCIAL CENTER IN HILLVIEW. For the past four months, I´ve been operating out of Caye Caulker, which has a high speed wi fi system. This has worked out much superior to the service at our FINANCIAL CENTER in Hillview. Which is radio waves and modem, plus it is shared bandwidth and overcrowded. I am getting constant complaints of brown outs, cut offs, slowdowns, non performance, at the main Financial Center in Hillview, the Twin Towns by telephone calls. I have had several interruptions of lost service on Caye Caulker as well. Yesterday morning was one of them, when the wi fi internet system would not let me into the local server. I even phoned our broker in Chicago near the OPTIONS EXCHANGE, who tracked the problem from up there and they said it was here in Belize at the BTL server. I could not connect at all here, when Monday morning I routinely have thousands of dollars of trades to implement and seconds count. I was stalled without a server for about four hours, this past Monday morning. Despite the failure of the government controlled/owned internet BTL monopoly for business, we are still planning an expansion up at the main center in Hillview, starting probably June, or July. We currently had converted a family bedroom apartment, to operate four trading desks. We had started with one desk, went to two desks and now use four trading desks. That apartment conversion has grown too small, and we have guest traders coming in from other countries, planned for the FALL and WINTER months, to do some educational training and mentoring. So the building plans are to tear down the third floor, annex vegetable nursery and rebuild it as a trading center with about 50% more floor space and capacity, than we now have. The apartment will be restored with a face lift, for emergency accomodations. Indeed, the whole two building three story complex is to be re-painted, reconstructed and refurbished. Hopefully finished before January, 2013, the end of this fiscal year. We are just approaching the professional threshold here on performance statistics. It has taken two very long years to get this far. By JUNE we should be to a professional standard, in everything, except internet service and capacity from BTL. That will control any future expansions, or other businesses from moving here.

Belize Blog gets 12,116 hits for April, 2012.

12,116 visitors read the BELIZEWESTERNHAPPENINGS BLOG for the month of APRIL, 2012. Those are the statistics of the number of readers, visiting Western Belize Happenings blogsite, written by Ray Auxillou, a 75 year old retiree, living in the suburb of Hillview on the slope of Green Parrot Valley, in the Cayo Western District of Belize.

BELIZE FINANCIAL CENTER - JAGUAR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT STOCK PRICE

JAGUAR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT SHARES CLOSED APRIL, 2012 AT .77 CENTS A SHARE "JAGUAR CAPITAL MANAGMENT" IS A HIGH RISK, SPECULATIVE, FAMILY, PRIVATELY RUN,HEDGE FUND, AT THE WESTERN FINANCIAL CENTER IN HILLVIEW, THE TWIN TOWNS OF THE CAYO DISTRICT.

THE SECRETS BELIZE PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW, AS TOLD BY THE WASHINGTON TIMES, IN THE USA.

WHAT ARE THE SECRET POLICIES THE WASHINGTON TIMES OF THE USA, ARE REFERRING TO, THAT WOULD MAKE BELIZE A RICHER COUNTRY? The Washington Times in the USA did an article comparing the small country of Belize and the small country of the Cayman Islands economic success ( Cayman ) and the poor showing of Belize. Quoting a USA ECONOMIC ADVISOR in an earlier article on this BLOG, it was only stated that policy changes in the Cayman Islands 10 or 15 years ago, made Cayman Islands a per capita very rich country. Whereas the failure because of bad governance in Belize by the political parties and established setup, guaranteed they hinted, to keep Belize a poor place. The article criticized, but NEVER outlined the POLICY CHANGES, that had to occur in Belize, to make Belize RICHER per capita than the Cayman Islands. It´s easy to destroy and criticize, but building a nation is a tougher job. So, I wonder and many other citizens of Belize wonder, what are these mysterious policy changes that happened in the Cayman Islands, that were not done in Belize? Curious minds want to know? C´mon WASHINGTON Times, do an article on what was done in the Cayman Islands, that we should do in Belize. _____________________________________________ Recommended reading for Belizeans. WHY NATIONS FAIL ! by Daron Acesmoglie and James Robinson A summation of why nations like Belize fail! Ray, I'm still in the process of reading it. The gist of what I've read so far is that the differences are in the institutions, primarily political institutions. The authors differentiate between "inclusive" political institutions that foster widespread participation in politics, the economy, the benefits of natural resources, and other forms of civic life, and "extractive" political institutions that concentrate all those things in the hands of an elite. The elite being the party, or those connected to the party. ( e.g. Louis Young ) According to the author's research, "inclusive" nations prosper and "extractive" nations don't. That is an overly-simplified thumbnail, but my understanding from my reading so far. In the case of Belize, consider things like concessions, monopolies and near-monopolies, hurdles for entrepreneurs, expensive and restrictive telecommunications, and land-control issues. The authors do have some interesting and disturbing things to say about China's long-term prospects and trends in the US. Greg ____________________________________________________________________ p.s. I guess that would cover Belize alright? The pirate, SPOILS SYSTEM. In which our one party in charge politicians, exploit, business, steal businesses for themselves, or relatives from other people, the feeding at the tax trough, like a herd of pigs, gimmeee, gimmee, gimmee, gimmee. Endless taxes, laws and regulations, that are applied to non-insiders, vs ignored for the controlling party insiders. Patronage jobs, instead of by civil service blind application qualification tests for government jobs. Sounds about right!

BELIZE, NATIONAL AGRICULTURE SHOW, APRIL 2012 COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY

BELIZE AGRICULTURE SHOW AT BELMOPAN A SUCCESS THEY SAY, WITH 24,000 VISITORS, BUT MORE COMMERCIAL BOOTHS. Considering I never knew about it and therefore a good percentage of the population in rural parts did not know either. The average attendance was good and normal.

Belize Alps forest fires by satellite 2012

Nasa Modis photo. From this satellite video you can spot the forest fires in the Mountain Pine Ridge in Belize. They are the small red dots. On the Western side of the divide of the Belize Alps. I was suffering last dry season from swollen glands, and face and throat from the smoke wafting down over Green Parrot Valley, so this year, I came to Caye Caulker for the humidity and clean air. So far it is working, but I return to Hillview and Green Parrot Valley at the end of this month of May. Hopefully the rainy season will start in June and dampen all the smoke. I had a heck of a bad time for five months last year, with the dry season, which is worse on the back Western side of the BELIZE ALPS. The dry season on the Caye has enabled a normal life. I´ve had swollen throats a few times, periodically, but it never got out of hand, like it does up at home in the foothills.