UFO MOTOR BACK ENGINEERING IDEA by Ray Auxillou ( March 2010 )
The Hadron Collider startup and search for the GOD particle subject ( Higgs Bosun particle ) on our listserve in Belize, Central America!
Which reminds me, in my dreaming subconscious state in the wee hours of the morning, my mind was trying to back-engineer from UFO reports of saucer movements, the motor that they might use?
What I get is that a centrifugal force builds up kinetic energy. If one used an atomic structure with nucleus ( proton ) as the mass in the center and the electron ( a wave function, not an actual thing ). But anyway, so far in my ruminations and research, I figure as an example that if you could take a hydrogen atom and vary the speed of the circling electron, you could speed it up and create kinetic energy. If you have some way to anchor the mass of the proton to the flying saucer, then a method of shielding the kinetic energy build up, so that you could using some sort of transmission device to shift the shield, so only one gap would allow the kinetic energy to transmit the movement of force and you were able to rotate that gap around the atom, you would have a directional motor for a flying vehicle.
Now I'm using the hydrogen atom, because it is a simple structure, with one proton and one electron. Don't know what happens when you liquefy hydrogen to the atomic structure, but obviously you could use an atom of something with 6 electrons more successfully, if you had the basic principle of kinetic force build up, by altering the speed of the electron. We are getting into quantum physics here and I have no training in this physics, so lack the math and such. But backyard curiosity tinkering, might develop a new motor like reported done by UFO's if this is possible. Maybe molecules? Will have to look into that some more. Give me some young physicists up on this math and maybe something could be created as a space motor for flying in the solar system, even in our atmosphere. Idle thoughts from the rural areas of Belize, Central America.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Horses of BELIZE
March is coming to an end. April and May are our true SUMMER here, the DRY SEASON. All the racing season is in vogue, from cross country canoe races, to bicycle races, foot races, sailboat races, horse races and the Easter holidays are looked forward to. Two or three weeks in rural areas for small town populations, on farms of relatives and barrier reef holiday islands swimming.
Today Sunday, the wife and I took our two dogs down to the Macal River in town. The place was crowded with families. A couple of hundred people and children picnicking on the river bank grass under the shade trees. Children everywhere walking and splashing around in the shallow water of the gravel banks. We washed our dogs and enjoyed the old swimming hole atmosphere of country life. Temperatures day and night are in the middle 80's F. Perfect weather for a holiday.
BELIZE BUSINESS TAXES LIST FOR 2010
http://belizebankaccount.blogetery.com/2010/03/27/belize-direct-corporate-taxation/
Belize Direct Corporate Taxation
March 27, 2010
The Income Tax (Amendment) Act, 1998 introduced a new method of corporate taxation, under which a turnover tax is levied on most types of company income at various rates, and the tax paid is credited against a conventional corporate income tax, which was previously itself the main tax.
A 15% Value Added Tax, or VAT, which provided the Government with some 30% of its tax revenue, was abolished in 1999 in favour of a ’sales’ tax,’ which in turn was replaced with a 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July 2006.
Said Musa, the former Belizean Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, announced in his 2007 budget speech that the process of tax reform must continue “apace” during the year to come. Musa said that the government would soon reconvene the Tax Committee to advise on several matters:
“First, the Tax Reform Committee will be asked to review proposals to increase the threshold of income tax to $24,000 and reintroduce tax exemptions for charitable contributions to registered organizations, schools and athletic organizations.”
“Secondly, Government will ask the Committee to review the Excise Tax regime to remove the perverse incentives to engage in contraband activities. Although there has been some success in enforcement and interdiction, contraband activities continue to exist in flagrant contravention of the laws and at great cost to revenue.”
“Thirdly, Government will ask the Tax Reform Committee to review the GST with a view to making recommendations for improvements which may be necessary.”
In December 2008, the House of Representatives in Belize approved a number of amendments to the Income and Business Tax Amendment Bill, which will affect the way in which the country’s real estate, banking, and telecommunications sectors are taxed.According to the government, the amended bill will:
*
Retain the rate of business tax for all non-commission earning categories of the real estate industry at 15%;
*
Fix the ‘real’ business tax rate for commission earning real estate businesses, including real estate developers, condominium owners, long time lease timeshare operators and share transfer sales at 1.75% (the government had initially proposed to set this tax at 2.5%);
*
Increase the tax for public investment companies in the banking sector to 12% from 8%; and
*
Raise the rate of business tax on companies in the telecommunications sector to 24.5% from 19%.
In March 2009, Prime Minister of Belize, Dean Barrow, presented the country’s 2009/10 Budget to parliament, revealing that it will not signal the introduction of any new tax cuts.
Belize Scope of Business Tax
The Business Tax, which is in fact a turnover tax, is payable on a company’s receipts, defined as: “all revenues, whether in cash or in kind, or whether received or accrued, of a person or entity carrying on a trade or business or practising his or its profession or vocation in Belize without any deduction whatsoever.
There are some exclusions, mostly of taxes payable to the Government, to avoid double taxation (see below).
The local subsidiaries of foreign companies do pay the Business Tax, but they are also assessed to Corporate Income Tax at 25% on their profits (as was the case before, although at 35%) and the Business Tax is treated as an advance against Corporate Tax (this is to preserve tax credits in their home countries).
Local companies are charged Corporate Income Tax at 25% on their chargeable income, and if the corporate income tax payable is less than the business tax paid for the year, the business tax paid will be treated as a final income tax. The excess of any business tax paid can be carried forward as an expense to the next basis year.
Belize Rates of Business Tax
As of 2006, the business tax rates were as follows:
* Receipts from radio, on-air television and newspaper business 0.75%
* Receipts from domestic airline business 1.75%
* Receipts of service stations from the sale of fuel and lubricants 0.75%
* Trade and other business taxes to 1.75%
* Business Tax on professionals 6%
* Business Tax on Banks 15%
* Business Tax on PIC groups of companies as defined in Section 115 of the International Business Companies Act 8%
* Business Tax on real estate agents’ commissons 15%
* Rents, royalties, premiums and any other receipts from real property 3%
* Business Tax on gross earnings of casinos or liceensed gaming premises 4%
Belize Calculation of Taxable Base
The legislation defines “receipts” as being: “all revenues, whether in cash or in kind, or whether received or accrued, of a person or entity carrying the trade or business or practising his or its profession or vocation in Belize without any deduction whatsoever.”
The following forms of revenues are not classified as “receipts”:
* Revenue Replacement Duty on fuel;
* Supply sales by a designated bulk fuel importer to another bulk fuel supplier;
* Excise duty;
* Accommodation tax payable under the Hotels and Tourist Accommodation Act;
* Value added tax payable to Government;
* Funds received as an agent;
* Any payment by a Public Investment Company (PIC) of a dividend or other distribution, interest or principal on any indebtedness to the PIC or to another PIC Group Company;
* Receipts from trade, business, profession or vocation of less than US $27,000 per annum;
* Rental receipts of less than US $825 per month where rents form the only source of livelihood of an individual, or where receipts from rents and any other source do not in the aggregate exceed US $825 per month;
* Winnings from Boledo and Jackpot Lottery;
* Any lottery where the winnings is less than US $750;
* Interest from any debentures, treasury bills, treasury notes or bonds issued by or under the authority of the Government of Belize;
* Receipts of any local authority, statutory board, corporation, friendly society, credit union or ecclesiastical, charitable or educational institution of public character in so far as such receipts are not derived from a trade or business carried on by any of these entities;
* Interest on savings paid to individuals (but not to companies or other entities) by financial institutions in Belize (including credit unions, provident funds and similar institutions) subject to the condition that full disclosure of such interest is made to the Commissioner;
* Receipts of Belize Electric Company Limited and its successors and permitted assigns as provided in the Mollejon Hydro-electric Project (Exemptions from Taxes and Duties Act, 1994);
* Absolute and immediate gifts amounting in the aggregate to US $250 or more, taking effect in Belize, for sports, ecclesiastical, charitable, educational or cultural purposes or for the improvement of amenities in towns or villages, up to a maximum of US $10,000 per annum, provided that the Commissioner is satisfied that the gifts were actually made;
* Receipts of an Export Processing Zone Business in accordance with Section 12 of the Export Processing Zone Act;
* In addition, the Minister, on the recommendation of the Revenue Advisory Board and by Order published in the Gazette, may exempt a newly-established business or industry from the payment of Business Tax during the first two years of its operation, if in his opinion it is necessary to alleviate hardship or financial difficulty, and a maximum period of five years for citrus or other long term crops where the date of production is longer than two years from the start of operation.
Interest paid on loans to non-residents is exempt from tax if:
* the loan is to a development industry or projects specified by the Minister by notice published in the Gazette; and
* the Minister is satisfied with the ratio of paid up share capital to loan capital in such industries or projects; and
* tax is not chargeable on such interest payments in the country of residence of the person to whom such interest is paid, (but the Minister may waive this requirement if he is satisfied that the loan capital could not be reasonably procured in Belize).
Additionally, the Minister, on the recommendation of the Revenue Advisory Board and by Order published in the Gazette, may exempt a newly-established business or industry from the payment of Business Tax during the first two years of its operation, if in his opinion it is necessary to alleviate hardship or financial difficulty, and a maximum period of five years for citrus or other long term crops where the date of production is longer than two years from the start of operation.
NB: This brief summary of some of the more important aspects of Belizean tax law is given for general information only; it should not be relied upon in actual situations, for which professional tax advice is necessary.
Belize Filing Requirements and Payment of Tax
All companies should file a Company’s Income Tax Return, together with their financial statements within three (3) months of the end of the financial period, to the nearest Income Tax Department. If more time is required a request in writing should be directed to the Commissioner of Income Tax BEFORE the due date. Otherwise a penalty for late filing is a levy of 3% of the tax for the financial period, for each month or part of the month in which the return is late to a total of twenty (20) months.
The penalty for late payment of income tax is 1.5% per month on the unpaid amount from the due date to the date of payment. This applies to any deficiencies in installment as well as to any other amount. In the case of installments this charge is based on the tax calculated on the chargeable income for the previous financial period or the actual income tax for the financial period for which this return is filed, whichever is less. This charge also applies to any amount unpaid after the date for final payment.
A company should pay its income tax by quarterly installments. Installments are due no later than the last day of the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th months of the company’s financial period.
If a company wishes to employ foreign consultants, technicians etc. who are not normally resident in Belize, their names should be registered at the Income Tax Department and the company should deduct 25% of total income paid to such non-residents.
For additional information contact:
Income Tax Department
Phone: (501) 2-24776, 24005, 24956
Fax: (501) 2-24029
Belize Withholding Tax
25% tax is applied to non-resident companies and individuals on any sum paid in respect of management fees, rental of plant and machinery, mortgage and debenture interest, and insurance premiums. For many other types of payment, the Business Tax acts as a withholding tax (see above).
Belize Goods and Services Tax
On July 1, 2006, a new 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) went into effect in Belize. The GST replaced the 9% sales tax which had been in effect since April, 1999.
The GST applies to most goods and services, including some real estate transactions and all hotel and tourism charges. Exceptions are certain food items, including rice, flour, bread, fresh fruits and vegetables, chicken, and fish. Also, electricity useage of less than BZ$150 a month won’t incur the GST.
The GST is similar to a value added tax in that the tax are included in the price of goods and service before purchases, rather than added on at the sales point at time of purchase.
Under the old sales tax regime, a sales tax of 9% was levied at the point of importation or production of most goods and services, while fuel, alcohol and tobacco were taxed at 12%. There was also an upper bracket of sales tax which was levied at 13% on certain luxury goods. The Sales Tax itself replaced a previous Value Added Tax which was levied at 15%.
The following goods and services were exempt from the application of the sales tax, the majority of which have also escaped taxation under the new GST regime, as previously mentioned:
* Supply of electricity;
* Supply of water and sewerage services (but not bottled water);
* Provision of financial services by institutions not licensed under the Banks and Financial Institutions Act which are closely related to financial intermediation, market intermediation, risk pooling, and credit purchase services, including services performed by credit unions, cooperative societies, building societies, mortgage finance institutions and moneylenders;
* Goods in transit through the national customs territory bound for a Belize Export Processing Zone, a Belize Commercial Free Zone, or a destination outside the country;
* Goods exported from Belize as verified by the Comptroller of Customs;
* Accommodation charges that are subject to the accommodation tax levied under the Hotels and Tourist Accommodation Act;
* Goods or services which are made available from funds provided under grant agreements with external donor agencies, or funds borrowed from external financial institutions by the Government of Belize, or under a Government Guarantee, to assist the economic development of Belize;
* Basic foodstuffs;
* Some medicines and medical supplies;
* Some agricultural chemicals;
* Fees and charges collected from students for services provided by a private school registered under the Education Act, or an educational institution that is approved for this purpose by the Minister of Education;
* Text books, school work books and other educational texts;
* Equipment and furniture for the use of recognized educational institutions as certified by the Ministry of Education;
* Labour services in connection with the construction of buildings for educational use provided to private schools registered under the Education Act, or educational bodies approved for this purpose by the Minister of Education;
* Transport of passengers in any vehicle, ship or aircraft designed or adapted to carry not less than 12 passengers or on any scheduled flight, vehicle or vessel;
* Freight services, provided that the provision of this service does not form a part of the provision of any other service;
* Services rendered to persons not resident in Belize; provided that the services do not relate in any manner to any land or building situate in Belize, that the services are not utilized in Belize and the benefit of the supply is not derived by any person or entity within Belize, and that the services are paid for in a currency other than the currency of Belize.
Belize Stamp Duty
The cost of a transfer of title to real property is 10% of the value for Stamp Duty and a token fee for registration.
Unless there an agreement to the contrary these costs are usually shared between seller and buyer.
Other types of transaction are also stamped, at various rates, especially if they involve the Government.
Belize Environment Tax
Under the Environmental Tax (Amendment) Act 2001 (revised in 2009), every good imported into Belize is charged a 2% Environmental Tax in addition to any customs duties levied under any customs law. Certain prescribed medicines and foodstuffs are exempted from the tax.
Belize Direct Corporate Taxation
March 27, 2010
The Income Tax (Amendment) Act, 1998 introduced a new method of corporate taxation, under which a turnover tax is levied on most types of company income at various rates, and the tax paid is credited against a conventional corporate income tax, which was previously itself the main tax.
A 15% Value Added Tax, or VAT, which provided the Government with some 30% of its tax revenue, was abolished in 1999 in favour of a ’sales’ tax,’ which in turn was replaced with a 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July 2006.
Said Musa, the former Belizean Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, announced in his 2007 budget speech that the process of tax reform must continue “apace” during the year to come. Musa said that the government would soon reconvene the Tax Committee to advise on several matters:
“First, the Tax Reform Committee will be asked to review proposals to increase the threshold of income tax to $24,000 and reintroduce tax exemptions for charitable contributions to registered organizations, schools and athletic organizations.”
“Secondly, Government will ask the Committee to review the Excise Tax regime to remove the perverse incentives to engage in contraband activities. Although there has been some success in enforcement and interdiction, contraband activities continue to exist in flagrant contravention of the laws and at great cost to revenue.”
“Thirdly, Government will ask the Tax Reform Committee to review the GST with a view to making recommendations for improvements which may be necessary.”
In December 2008, the House of Representatives in Belize approved a number of amendments to the Income and Business Tax Amendment Bill, which will affect the way in which the country’s real estate, banking, and telecommunications sectors are taxed.According to the government, the amended bill will:
*
Retain the rate of business tax for all non-commission earning categories of the real estate industry at 15%;
*
Fix the ‘real’ business tax rate for commission earning real estate businesses, including real estate developers, condominium owners, long time lease timeshare operators and share transfer sales at 1.75% (the government had initially proposed to set this tax at 2.5%);
*
Increase the tax for public investment companies in the banking sector to 12% from 8%; and
*
Raise the rate of business tax on companies in the telecommunications sector to 24.5% from 19%.
In March 2009, Prime Minister of Belize, Dean Barrow, presented the country’s 2009/10 Budget to parliament, revealing that it will not signal the introduction of any new tax cuts.
Belize Scope of Business Tax
The Business Tax, which is in fact a turnover tax, is payable on a company’s receipts, defined as: “all revenues, whether in cash or in kind, or whether received or accrued, of a person or entity carrying on a trade or business or practising his or its profession or vocation in Belize without any deduction whatsoever.
There are some exclusions, mostly of taxes payable to the Government, to avoid double taxation (see below).
The local subsidiaries of foreign companies do pay the Business Tax, but they are also assessed to Corporate Income Tax at 25% on their profits (as was the case before, although at 35%) and the Business Tax is treated as an advance against Corporate Tax (this is to preserve tax credits in their home countries).
Local companies are charged Corporate Income Tax at 25% on their chargeable income, and if the corporate income tax payable is less than the business tax paid for the year, the business tax paid will be treated as a final income tax. The excess of any business tax paid can be carried forward as an expense to the next basis year.
Belize Rates of Business Tax
As of 2006, the business tax rates were as follows:
* Receipts from radio, on-air television and newspaper business 0.75%
* Receipts from domestic airline business 1.75%
* Receipts of service stations from the sale of fuel and lubricants 0.75%
* Trade and other business taxes to 1.75%
* Business Tax on professionals 6%
* Business Tax on Banks 15%
* Business Tax on PIC groups of companies as defined in Section 115 of the International Business Companies Act 8%
* Business Tax on real estate agents’ commissons 15%
* Rents, royalties, premiums and any other receipts from real property 3%
* Business Tax on gross earnings of casinos or liceensed gaming premises 4%
Belize Calculation of Taxable Base
The legislation defines “receipts” as being: “all revenues, whether in cash or in kind, or whether received or accrued, of a person or entity carrying the trade or business or practising his or its profession or vocation in Belize without any deduction whatsoever.”
The following forms of revenues are not classified as “receipts”:
* Revenue Replacement Duty on fuel;
* Supply sales by a designated bulk fuel importer to another bulk fuel supplier;
* Excise duty;
* Accommodation tax payable under the Hotels and Tourist Accommodation Act;
* Value added tax payable to Government;
* Funds received as an agent;
* Any payment by a Public Investment Company (PIC) of a dividend or other distribution, interest or principal on any indebtedness to the PIC or to another PIC Group Company;
* Receipts from trade, business, profession or vocation of less than US $27,000 per annum;
* Rental receipts of less than US $825 per month where rents form the only source of livelihood of an individual, or where receipts from rents and any other source do not in the aggregate exceed US $825 per month;
* Winnings from Boledo and Jackpot Lottery;
* Any lottery where the winnings is less than US $750;
* Interest from any debentures, treasury bills, treasury notes or bonds issued by or under the authority of the Government of Belize;
* Receipts of any local authority, statutory board, corporation, friendly society, credit union or ecclesiastical, charitable or educational institution of public character in so far as such receipts are not derived from a trade or business carried on by any of these entities;
* Interest on savings paid to individuals (but not to companies or other entities) by financial institutions in Belize (including credit unions, provident funds and similar institutions) subject to the condition that full disclosure of such interest is made to the Commissioner;
* Receipts of Belize Electric Company Limited and its successors and permitted assigns as provided in the Mollejon Hydro-electric Project (Exemptions from Taxes and Duties Act, 1994);
* Absolute and immediate gifts amounting in the aggregate to US $250 or more, taking effect in Belize, for sports, ecclesiastical, charitable, educational or cultural purposes or for the improvement of amenities in towns or villages, up to a maximum of US $10,000 per annum, provided that the Commissioner is satisfied that the gifts were actually made;
* Receipts of an Export Processing Zone Business in accordance with Section 12 of the Export Processing Zone Act;
* In addition, the Minister, on the recommendation of the Revenue Advisory Board and by Order published in the Gazette, may exempt a newly-established business or industry from the payment of Business Tax during the first two years of its operation, if in his opinion it is necessary to alleviate hardship or financial difficulty, and a maximum period of five years for citrus or other long term crops where the date of production is longer than two years from the start of operation.
Interest paid on loans to non-residents is exempt from tax if:
* the loan is to a development industry or projects specified by the Minister by notice published in the Gazette; and
* the Minister is satisfied with the ratio of paid up share capital to loan capital in such industries or projects; and
* tax is not chargeable on such interest payments in the country of residence of the person to whom such interest is paid, (but the Minister may waive this requirement if he is satisfied that the loan capital could not be reasonably procured in Belize).
Additionally, the Minister, on the recommendation of the Revenue Advisory Board and by Order published in the Gazette, may exempt a newly-established business or industry from the payment of Business Tax during the first two years of its operation, if in his opinion it is necessary to alleviate hardship or financial difficulty, and a maximum period of five years for citrus or other long term crops where the date of production is longer than two years from the start of operation.
NB: This brief summary of some of the more important aspects of Belizean tax law is given for general information only; it should not be relied upon in actual situations, for which professional tax advice is necessary.
Belize Filing Requirements and Payment of Tax
All companies should file a Company’s Income Tax Return, together with their financial statements within three (3) months of the end of the financial period, to the nearest Income Tax Department. If more time is required a request in writing should be directed to the Commissioner of Income Tax BEFORE the due date. Otherwise a penalty for late filing is a levy of 3% of the tax for the financial period, for each month or part of the month in which the return is late to a total of twenty (20) months.
The penalty for late payment of income tax is 1.5% per month on the unpaid amount from the due date to the date of payment. This applies to any deficiencies in installment as well as to any other amount. In the case of installments this charge is based on the tax calculated on the chargeable income for the previous financial period or the actual income tax for the financial period for which this return is filed, whichever is less. This charge also applies to any amount unpaid after the date for final payment.
A company should pay its income tax by quarterly installments. Installments are due no later than the last day of the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th months of the company’s financial period.
If a company wishes to employ foreign consultants, technicians etc. who are not normally resident in Belize, their names should be registered at the Income Tax Department and the company should deduct 25% of total income paid to such non-residents.
For additional information contact:
Income Tax Department
Phone: (501) 2-24776, 24005, 24956
Fax: (501) 2-24029
Belize Withholding Tax
25% tax is applied to non-resident companies and individuals on any sum paid in respect of management fees, rental of plant and machinery, mortgage and debenture interest, and insurance premiums. For many other types of payment, the Business Tax acts as a withholding tax (see above).
Belize Goods and Services Tax
On July 1, 2006, a new 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) went into effect in Belize. The GST replaced the 9% sales tax which had been in effect since April, 1999.
The GST applies to most goods and services, including some real estate transactions and all hotel and tourism charges. Exceptions are certain food items, including rice, flour, bread, fresh fruits and vegetables, chicken, and fish. Also, electricity useage of less than BZ$150 a month won’t incur the GST.
The GST is similar to a value added tax in that the tax are included in the price of goods and service before purchases, rather than added on at the sales point at time of purchase.
Under the old sales tax regime, a sales tax of 9% was levied at the point of importation or production of most goods and services, while fuel, alcohol and tobacco were taxed at 12%. There was also an upper bracket of sales tax which was levied at 13% on certain luxury goods. The Sales Tax itself replaced a previous Value Added Tax which was levied at 15%.
The following goods and services were exempt from the application of the sales tax, the majority of which have also escaped taxation under the new GST regime, as previously mentioned:
* Supply of electricity;
* Supply of water and sewerage services (but not bottled water);
* Provision of financial services by institutions not licensed under the Banks and Financial Institutions Act which are closely related to financial intermediation, market intermediation, risk pooling, and credit purchase services, including services performed by credit unions, cooperative societies, building societies, mortgage finance institutions and moneylenders;
* Goods in transit through the national customs territory bound for a Belize Export Processing Zone, a Belize Commercial Free Zone, or a destination outside the country;
* Goods exported from Belize as verified by the Comptroller of Customs;
* Accommodation charges that are subject to the accommodation tax levied under the Hotels and Tourist Accommodation Act;
* Goods or services which are made available from funds provided under grant agreements with external donor agencies, or funds borrowed from external financial institutions by the Government of Belize, or under a Government Guarantee, to assist the economic development of Belize;
* Basic foodstuffs;
* Some medicines and medical supplies;
* Some agricultural chemicals;
* Fees and charges collected from students for services provided by a private school registered under the Education Act, or an educational institution that is approved for this purpose by the Minister of Education;
* Text books, school work books and other educational texts;
* Equipment and furniture for the use of recognized educational institutions as certified by the Ministry of Education;
* Labour services in connection with the construction of buildings for educational use provided to private schools registered under the Education Act, or educational bodies approved for this purpose by the Minister of Education;
* Transport of passengers in any vehicle, ship or aircraft designed or adapted to carry not less than 12 passengers or on any scheduled flight, vehicle or vessel;
* Freight services, provided that the provision of this service does not form a part of the provision of any other service;
* Services rendered to persons not resident in Belize; provided that the services do not relate in any manner to any land or building situate in Belize, that the services are not utilized in Belize and the benefit of the supply is not derived by any person or entity within Belize, and that the services are paid for in a currency other than the currency of Belize.
Belize Stamp Duty
The cost of a transfer of title to real property is 10% of the value for Stamp Duty and a token fee for registration.
Unless there an agreement to the contrary these costs are usually shared between seller and buyer.
Other types of transaction are also stamped, at various rates, especially if they involve the Government.
Belize Environment Tax
Under the Environmental Tax (Amendment) Act 2001 (revised in 2009), every good imported into Belize is charged a 2% Environmental Tax in addition to any customs duties levied under any customs law. Certain prescribed medicines and foodstuffs are exempted from the tax.
BELIZE AND CARICOM COUNTRIES HEADING FOR SOME FORM OF DEFAULT, OR BANKRUPTCY SAYS GUYANESE PRESIDENT
Guyanese President, a trained economist, warns the outside world that ALL CARICOM countries are going to go into default, or bankruptcy SOON! With debt ratios to GDP of 170% and up, the economies of CARICOM are unsustainable.BELIZE AND CARICOM COUNTRIES HEADING FOR SOME FORM OF DEFAULT OR BANKRUPTCY SAYS GUYANESE PRESIDENT
Caricom heading for bankruptcy - Guyana president
2010-03-27 06:40:00
The Caribbean regional trade bloc Caricom is heading for "bankruptcy" with many islands unable to pay debts and cover costs, Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo warned on Friday.
"The region is heading towards bankruptcy, if countries could be declared bankrupt," he said at a press conference.
Jagdeo, a Soviet-educated economist, heads a task force of the 15-nation Caribbean Community set up to look at ways the region can address the impact of the global financial crisis.
He said Caricom has been hit by a drop in revenues from tourism and financial services due to the crisis, compounded by a "pernicious" build up of debt and a loss of productivity.
Jagdeo is a leading proponent of debt relief for the region. He and other Caribbean leaders met World Bank World Bank president Robert Zoellick in Dominica last weekend.
Zoellick agreed to work with CARICOM to devise a debt management strategy for each country, Jagdeo said.
(Reporting by Neil Marks)
_______________________________________
Belize has a Debt to GDP Ratio of 107%. Two years ago when they came into office the UDP government started off with a whopping 76% Debt to GDP ratio, left by the outgoing PUP government, back then after the national elections. Prime Minister Barrow says his government is looking at an additional increase this year of fiscal year 2010 of another 3% thereabouts in the debt ratio. To around 110% of Debt to GDP ratio. Government cuts in spending are now the force passing through Government Departments like a dose of diarrhea. These first departmental budget cuts are mild. Overall we expect a cut in spending on the government of Belize of 40% from 2009. The money just is not there and the loans are drying up, with which to run the Government of Belize. We generally expect additional cuts of 5% per quarter over the next 18 months, to make any sense at all of this budget cutting exercise.
Government costs around $550 million a year. In our twin parallel economies, one that is called BIG GOVERNMENT sustained by GRANTS and BORROWED FOREIGN LOANS, and the other the smaller one currently, called the PRIVATE SECTOR production for export. The government economy is the bigger one. This is all about to change by force of financial stormy weather looming very quickly over the horizon. The storm clouds are brewing and the hurricane is expected to change forever, the way we govern the country of Belize and administer the police forces. The cost of our centralized government in a rough estimate is going to have to shrink to a budget of $330 million.
Already talk is floating around the internet chat forums with Belizeans, on the wisdom of the major criminal town in the country going to a different policing system. The ideas have been batted around for 25 years, but colonial trained lawyers in politics have fought any change to the status quo, constantly. Money lacks, may do what wisdom and common sense could not do? The idea is that the one town of out of nine national towns, but being the port with the worst national crime record, hold elections for a SHERRIF and that Sherrif hire his own cops from a civil service exam, impartially administered in a double blind testing model. That the then money currently budgeted for policing for the port town, be given as an operational GRANT equal to current expenditures by central government, and then the new 2 year elected SHERRIF and the City Council derive other ways of raising money for expansion, if required of the new policing system. This to be expected would be a pilot model, to see what the problems might be, when the police are independent of National Political party control and Town Council controls, subject only to the voters at the ballot box of Town Council elections.
Current department heads and bureaucrats are going to have to figure out ways of administering the same quality, or better services to the public at 40% less money to do it with, over the next 18 months. That is the rough picture facing the very large BIG GOVERNMENT ECONOMIC SECTOR. The borrowed foreign loan money is due to come to a very quick halt.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
BELIZE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT HEADS FACE FIERCE REVOLUTION NOW! UDP performance report card, jumps 5% to 65 %.
BELIZE CENTRALIZED GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT HEADS, FACE A REVOLUTION IN HOW THEY RESTRUCTURE OPERATIONS
UDP GOVERNMENT REPORT CARD JUMPS TO 65% ON STRENGTH OF BUDGET CUTS!
We wonder as government watchers; how the Department Heads of various functions in the centralized system of government operations will rise to the occasion, as budget cuts, FORCE re-adjustments to the way we operate the Belize government?
It was thanks to the PUP Opposition in this week, last House sitting in our Parliament, that we became aware of current budget cuts across the board of government operations. The PUP Opposition of course used the budget cuts to criticize the government. In their political world, everything the UDP in politics do, is BAD, and everything they the PUP in Opposition do is GOOD. So the twist to the budget cuts announced by the OPPOSITION PUP, while used as ammunition in the never ending propaganda campaign, to influence voters, alerted us to some phenomena going on in government as something bad; actually came as a pleasant surprise to us.
We are going to award the government UDP in power an additional 5 points to their performance REPORT CARD, for implementing the budget cuts.
The thinking here goes like this! As a life long sailor, seaman and captain of vessels, one learns quickly to “be prepared” and take what comes with storms, reefs and less desirable events that face any person who has spent a life dealing with the unforgiving characteristics of life lived on the sea. We know the sea does not care one way or another, about what we decide to do, and it us alone that can only face the weather that is thrown at us. To survive, you must be prepared and respond in a timely manner. In my later career as a financial trader, one learns the same mistakes, that one can make to your bank account. The financial markets care not one whit about your circumstances, you must always have financial trading contingency plans.
The announcement in the Parliament by the PUP Opposition, of the current budget cuts by the UDP government, comes as a pleasant surprise. We take this as the proper approach to changing financial weather.
That said; now the exercise is obviously under way, we would guess the first cuts are 10% ? In our rough thumbnail subjective judgment without statistics, we can foresee over the next 18 months additional cuts of about 30% more. This would be roughly an additional 5% budget cuts necessary per quarter, as the next 18 months progresses. After that a review of the situation would be needed.
The question arises; is this a prepared contingency plan, or is this forced upon us by changing financial weather? Either way, we judge the budget cuts the proper response. With the alarming, budget reporting, in the House Sitting and the DEBT to GDP ratio at 107% of GDP, there is cause for great alarm. Nevis and St. Kitts Prime Minister yesterday on television was flaying his OPPOSITION in that twin island small country, because his Debt to GDP ratio was 170% and his OPPOSITION were saying it was the WORST IN THE WORLD. The ratio of course; expresses in formula form, the usual inadequacy of amateur and corrupt leadership found in democracies. To be properly good, the debt ratio has to be below 3% of GDP, the European Union say.
We try to put the dots together, as we observe and listen to both political parties explaining what is going on with government. From this we form opinions. Connecting the dots, means that the recent series of seminars on the NEWS, for government employees, in not being afraid of CHANGE and how to handle change in the way the government is run, is a pre-planned response to changing fiscal weather. Another DOT to be connected, for this first quarter of 2010, is that tourism has recovered and oil exports will increase, and barring a Hurricane strike this season, or torrential rains over Belize and Guatemala causing flooding, all is right with our ECONOMY of BELIZE. Things are back to normal we judge! The local private sector recovery has been fairly rapid and did not consume more than 18 months of a recession, due mostly to outside world financial crisis’s. That said; then whatever revenues with increased taxes due in another week to be implemented, will give us ball park figures on how much revenues can be expected to receive and actually has to be spent on government, by the time, interest payments are paid on outstanding government debts of past current administrations. From this we can allocate and extrapolate the future abilities of the money available, to run the government of Belize.
Obviously, past policies of running the government of Belize on borrowing loans, both foreign and domestic is no longer going to work. Thus the financial weather forces changes, a revolution if you will to the way our centralized government is being run. This means that Department Heads are on the forefront of the battle, for re-organizing and restructuring our government operations into an affordable, self sustainable model. Some department heads are obviously going to be casualities in this revolution, as the nation adjusts and changes the way government services are rendered. Priorities will shift and a lot of DEADWOOD bureaucrats will be discarded, as we no longer have the inflow of loans to sustain them. The balancing act is going to be a NEW GOVERNMENT, based on our ability to pay, according to the economic figures we receive one year from now, for 2010. Which are going to be our normal revenues to run this country for the next forty years probably? A lot of this is guess work. Politics will play a part of course, as those with the political muscle, will struggle like hooked fish landed in the bottom of a boat, to feed off the tax trough, we no longer can afford to feed them with. Next year 2011 this time, looks to be an interesting time! The changes are going to take place now for the next year and probably another year after that, before we arrive at a rational self sustaining model of private sector production and graduated government costs that can be afforded. Somewhere in there, over the next 18 months, the civil service is going to be faced with some monumental changes in the way we do government business, and only the strong, smart and efficient will survive. I believe we have the talent in country. If education is any guide, we should have! This is not like the old self government years when nobody had even a Bachelors Degree in any subject.
As the Chinese proverb says: “May you live in interesting times!” The civil service of Belize are going to find that very interesting indeed, as they must by force of stormy financial weather coming over the horizon, beyond their control, re-structure this nation of Belize and how it is run. The old colonial model no longer works and has not for a very long time.
UDP GOVERNMENT REPORT CARD JUMPS TO 65% ON STRENGTH OF BUDGET CUTS!
We wonder as government watchers; how the Department Heads of various functions in the centralized system of government operations will rise to the occasion, as budget cuts, FORCE re-adjustments to the way we operate the Belize government?
It was thanks to the PUP Opposition in this week, last House sitting in our Parliament, that we became aware of current budget cuts across the board of government operations. The PUP Opposition of course used the budget cuts to criticize the government. In their political world, everything the UDP in politics do, is BAD, and everything they the PUP in Opposition do is GOOD. So the twist to the budget cuts announced by the OPPOSITION PUP, while used as ammunition in the never ending propaganda campaign, to influence voters, alerted us to some phenomena going on in government as something bad; actually came as a pleasant surprise to us.
We are going to award the government UDP in power an additional 5 points to their performance REPORT CARD, for implementing the budget cuts.
The thinking here goes like this! As a life long sailor, seaman and captain of vessels, one learns quickly to “be prepared” and take what comes with storms, reefs and less desirable events that face any person who has spent a life dealing with the unforgiving characteristics of life lived on the sea. We know the sea does not care one way or another, about what we decide to do, and it us alone that can only face the weather that is thrown at us. To survive, you must be prepared and respond in a timely manner. In my later career as a financial trader, one learns the same mistakes, that one can make to your bank account. The financial markets care not one whit about your circumstances, you must always have financial trading contingency plans.
The announcement in the Parliament by the PUP Opposition, of the current budget cuts by the UDP government, comes as a pleasant surprise. We take this as the proper approach to changing financial weather.
That said; now the exercise is obviously under way, we would guess the first cuts are 10% ? In our rough thumbnail subjective judgment without statistics, we can foresee over the next 18 months additional cuts of about 30% more. This would be roughly an additional 5% budget cuts necessary per quarter, as the next 18 months progresses. After that a review of the situation would be needed.
The question arises; is this a prepared contingency plan, or is this forced upon us by changing financial weather? Either way, we judge the budget cuts the proper response. With the alarming, budget reporting, in the House Sitting and the DEBT to GDP ratio at 107% of GDP, there is cause for great alarm. Nevis and St. Kitts Prime Minister yesterday on television was flaying his OPPOSITION in that twin island small country, because his Debt to GDP ratio was 170% and his OPPOSITION were saying it was the WORST IN THE WORLD. The ratio of course; expresses in formula form, the usual inadequacy of amateur and corrupt leadership found in democracies. To be properly good, the debt ratio has to be below 3% of GDP, the European Union say.
We try to put the dots together, as we observe and listen to both political parties explaining what is going on with government. From this we form opinions. Connecting the dots, means that the recent series of seminars on the NEWS, for government employees, in not being afraid of CHANGE and how to handle change in the way the government is run, is a pre-planned response to changing fiscal weather. Another DOT to be connected, for this first quarter of 2010, is that tourism has recovered and oil exports will increase, and barring a Hurricane strike this season, or torrential rains over Belize and Guatemala causing flooding, all is right with our ECONOMY of BELIZE. Things are back to normal we judge! The local private sector recovery has been fairly rapid and did not consume more than 18 months of a recession, due mostly to outside world financial crisis’s. That said; then whatever revenues with increased taxes due in another week to be implemented, will give us ball park figures on how much revenues can be expected to receive and actually has to be spent on government, by the time, interest payments are paid on outstanding government debts of past current administrations. From this we can allocate and extrapolate the future abilities of the money available, to run the government of Belize.
Obviously, past policies of running the government of Belize on borrowing loans, both foreign and domestic is no longer going to work. Thus the financial weather forces changes, a revolution if you will to the way our centralized government is being run. This means that Department Heads are on the forefront of the battle, for re-organizing and restructuring our government operations into an affordable, self sustainable model. Some department heads are obviously going to be casualities in this revolution, as the nation adjusts and changes the way government services are rendered. Priorities will shift and a lot of DEADWOOD bureaucrats will be discarded, as we no longer have the inflow of loans to sustain them. The balancing act is going to be a NEW GOVERNMENT, based on our ability to pay, according to the economic figures we receive one year from now, for 2010. Which are going to be our normal revenues to run this country for the next forty years probably? A lot of this is guess work. Politics will play a part of course, as those with the political muscle, will struggle like hooked fish landed in the bottom of a boat, to feed off the tax trough, we no longer can afford to feed them with. Next year 2011 this time, looks to be an interesting time! The changes are going to take place now for the next year and probably another year after that, before we arrive at a rational self sustaining model of private sector production and graduated government costs that can be afforded. Somewhere in there, over the next 18 months, the civil service is going to be faced with some monumental changes in the way we do government business, and only the strong, smart and efficient will survive. I believe we have the talent in country. If education is any guide, we should have! This is not like the old self government years when nobody had even a Bachelors Degree in any subject.
As the Chinese proverb says: “May you live in interesting times!” The civil service of Belize are going to find that very interesting indeed, as they must by force of stormy financial weather coming over the horizon, beyond their control, re-structure this nation of Belize and how it is run. The old colonial model no longer works and has not for a very long time.
Friday, March 26, 2010
BELIZE APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING STILL FAILS TO BE IMPLEMENTED.
BELIZE APPRENTICESHIP EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE STILL FAILS TO BE IMPLEMENTED AFTER YEARS OF TRYING. It is believed the bureaucracy don't want to be bothered with it? The politicians are not serious, and the money they budget for it, is tapped for other priorities they have in a stagnant economy.
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Had a nice chat with the head of the ITVET ( community college ) here in San Ignacio.
Asking him about his students doing practical entrepreneurial assignments for build a battery charging generator I have drawn up plans for. Told him I would pay for the materials if they the students would build it under my supervision. As an experimental pilot project, it needs the cheapest materials to be just functional and prove the concept of the design as measured at the battery. He said their community college courses were more structured than that, but would talk to the electrical teacher. Told him a successful pilot experiment would lead to using better materials and marketing for export. I don't want to export, but any entrepreneurial student would jump at a big Central American market. I think this is seemingly outside of academic education? From the reaction I got.
Also talked about the $1 million apprenticeship program PM BARROW was touting in the parliament sitting. He said, ( at the ITVET ) they had been approached in years past, but private sector people did not want to teach and supervise and then there was the problem of finding staff to go and check on students.
Told him I could do it for my own project. Told him, only one in 20 applicants have the skill and aptitude to learn the intricacies and disciplines of Option Hedging operations. Lot of lingo, specialist jargon involved to learn. Nothing is hard and clear cut. Lot of variables and the intuitive senses have to be trained to respond to stimuli, like learning a musical instrument, or becoming a successful athlete. For an apprentice program learner, the successful one, would be hired after one year. Or they would then have the requisite skills to do it on their own in an entrepreneurial business. Trouble is; finding that person with the aptitude. He asked about age. I said the only requirements were two years high school, for the math and being able to do percentages and ratios in your head while working to round rough numbers. Typing skill, an interest in the learning. Other than that it is a regular job routine. Right now with the time zones it is 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. All computer work. Periods of boredom, interspersed by nail biting anxiety and panic.
He said, the government was having trouble funding supervision of an apprenticeship program. He had suggested they pay 3 times the cost of the salary to employer to government. Like they do in Trinidad. Unfortunately, when he said 'employer', my eyes glazed over and my hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, straight up. I don't want to employ anybody, nor do any bookkeeping, or social security stuff withdrawals, issue any cheques or payments. My business is over the internet in the CBOE ( Chicago Options Exchange ) Direct line to the trading floor pits. Brokers handle the middle man business end of it, and taxes are a straight 28% tax at the end of the year on the NET profit in the USA. After balances for profit and losses are figured out. Clean business, no government involvement. The mioddle man brokers do all the government paper work stuff. Told the ITVET that I would train an apprentice, and indeed am looking for one. But paying one out of my own pocket for a year is out of the question. There are too many variables and someone who quits, is no good to you, nor is anyone who can't learn. The learning is by hands on experience and measured by performance as in profit and loss balances. You either have the aptitude skill, or you don't. Only one in 20 are any good at it. I'm looking for that pearl among the gravel stones.
The apprenticeship program bogged down in years past, by the Belmopan bureaucrats, over who and how will the apprentice get paid and who would accept responsibility for deductions like social security and stuff. I can do the work office routine, the supervision and training and even submit a monthly report. I cannot accept any responsibility for employing anyone. In my world, everything is contract workers by job, not by payroll. Dont' do anything requiring another layer of bureaucracy and red tape. Can't afford the cost in time, of such stuff.
Teaching somebody is okay. Somebody in the government has to run the payroll part responsibilities. I'm not interested in getting paid for teaching. I'm just looking for a person who has the natural skill to be a trader for profit. Using Hedging Options. The financial business. You give somebody a $100,000 to trade, you sure don't want to be dealing with union rules, or labor codes, or salaries. Though shares, or drawdowns, or bonuses on performance are appropriate. Apparently this is a different world than the bureaucratic mentality fit in, with their rigid structures of civil service. The financial world is performance based only. You lose too much money, your gone baby! You do good, you get a fat bonus at Xmas.
__________________________________________
Had a nice chat with the head of the ITVET ( community college ) here in San Ignacio.
Asking him about his students doing practical entrepreneurial assignments for build a battery charging generator I have drawn up plans for. Told him I would pay for the materials if they the students would build it under my supervision. As an experimental pilot project, it needs the cheapest materials to be just functional and prove the concept of the design as measured at the battery. He said their community college courses were more structured than that, but would talk to the electrical teacher. Told him a successful pilot experiment would lead to using better materials and marketing for export. I don't want to export, but any entrepreneurial student would jump at a big Central American market. I think this is seemingly outside of academic education? From the reaction I got.
Also talked about the $1 million apprenticeship program PM BARROW was touting in the parliament sitting. He said, ( at the ITVET ) they had been approached in years past, but private sector people did not want to teach and supervise and then there was the problem of finding staff to go and check on students.
Told him I could do it for my own project. Told him, only one in 20 applicants have the skill and aptitude to learn the intricacies and disciplines of Option Hedging operations. Lot of lingo, specialist jargon involved to learn. Nothing is hard and clear cut. Lot of variables and the intuitive senses have to be trained to respond to stimuli, like learning a musical instrument, or becoming a successful athlete. For an apprentice program learner, the successful one, would be hired after one year. Or they would then have the requisite skills to do it on their own in an entrepreneurial business. Trouble is; finding that person with the aptitude. He asked about age. I said the only requirements were two years high school, for the math and being able to do percentages and ratios in your head while working to round rough numbers. Typing skill, an interest in the learning. Other than that it is a regular job routine. Right now with the time zones it is 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. All computer work. Periods of boredom, interspersed by nail biting anxiety and panic.
He said, the government was having trouble funding supervision of an apprenticeship program. He had suggested they pay 3 times the cost of the salary to employer to government. Like they do in Trinidad. Unfortunately, when he said 'employer', my eyes glazed over and my hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, straight up. I don't want to employ anybody, nor do any bookkeeping, or social security stuff withdrawals, issue any cheques or payments. My business is over the internet in the CBOE ( Chicago Options Exchange ) Direct line to the trading floor pits. Brokers handle the middle man business end of it, and taxes are a straight 28% tax at the end of the year on the NET profit in the USA. After balances for profit and losses are figured out. Clean business, no government involvement. The mioddle man brokers do all the government paper work stuff. Told the ITVET that I would train an apprentice, and indeed am looking for one. But paying one out of my own pocket for a year is out of the question. There are too many variables and someone who quits, is no good to you, nor is anyone who can't learn. The learning is by hands on experience and measured by performance as in profit and loss balances. You either have the aptitude skill, or you don't. Only one in 20 are any good at it. I'm looking for that pearl among the gravel stones.
The apprenticeship program bogged down in years past, by the Belmopan bureaucrats, over who and how will the apprentice get paid and who would accept responsibility for deductions like social security and stuff. I can do the work office routine, the supervision and training and even submit a monthly report. I cannot accept any responsibility for employing anyone. In my world, everything is contract workers by job, not by payroll. Dont' do anything requiring another layer of bureaucracy and red tape. Can't afford the cost in time, of such stuff.
Teaching somebody is okay. Somebody in the government has to run the payroll part responsibilities. I'm not interested in getting paid for teaching. I'm just looking for a person who has the natural skill to be a trader for profit. Using Hedging Options. The financial business. You give somebody a $100,000 to trade, you sure don't want to be dealing with union rules, or labor codes, or salaries. Though shares, or drawdowns, or bonuses on performance are appropriate. Apparently this is a different world than the bureaucratic mentality fit in, with their rigid structures of civil service. The financial world is performance based only. You lose too much money, your gone baby! You do good, you get a fat bonus at Xmas.
BELIZE BARRIER REEF AND INTERNAL SEA ; CORAL RESTORATION PROJECT
Are there any Belizean entrepreneurs in this generation want to start a business in coral reef restoration?
All you need is to register an NGO ( $250 ) and start a pilot project. Use the photographs and story then to seek foreign funding.
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GCRA OVERVIEW FAQ NEWS ARTICLES PHOTOS REEF ISSUES RESTORATION PAPERS LINKS
Reef Restoration Using Seawater Electrolysis in Jamaica
Thomas J. Goreau and Wolf Hilbertz
NOTE: This paper, the first to describe the results of eight years of work on reef restoration using mineral accretion, was presented at the 8th International Coral Reef Symposium in Panama in July 1996.
ABSTRACT
Coral reefs have been restored on a pilot scale by transplanting coral fragments onto artificial reefs made of limestone and magnesium minerals precipitated onto iron and steel structures by seawater electrolysis. Corals have grown at rates comparable to the highest values reported in the field, even in areas of poor water quality. A complete assemblage of coral reef invertebrates and vertebrates have settled onto or migrated to these reefs. Because this novel technology creates the only growing, self-repairing artificial reefs that promote enhanced growth of corals and sand-producing calcareous algae while suppressing weedy fleshy algae and maintaining a complex coral reef community, it is uniquely suited for restoring physically damaged or eutrophication-affected coral reefs in order to protect shorelines, maintain biodiversity, and adapt to rising sea level.
INTRODUCTION
Jamaican coral reefs are undergoing accelerating deterioration wherever human activity physically disturbs reefs, degrades water quality, or over harvests key species (Goreau 1992). Many reefs no longer function as vital ecosystems: the coral-dominated wave-resistant upward-growing structures are turning into benthic ecosystems with a minor component of isolated corals. These ecosystems are coral communities rather than coral reefs because biodiversity is severely degraded and the reef structure, being bio-eroded faster than it grows, is less able to protect shorelines, keep up with rising sea-level, or provide shelter and food for the many other organisms which live between corals. Degraded reefs have fleshy algae dominant over calcareous algae, and can no longer provide beach sand to replenish that lost to erosion after damaged reef crests allow increased wave energy to reach the shore.
Several types of "artificial reefs" have been built as wave-resistant barriers and hiding places for fish (Goodwin and Cambers 1983). They have a poor record because structures built from steel. poured concrete, stone, concrete blocks, gabions (wire baskets containing rocks), sand bags. sunken ships, wrecked airplanes, or old automobiles, unavoidably rust, corrode, and are broken by waves. Their fate is ultimate destruction by storms, requiring expensive and inevitably futile replacement. They turn into dangerous projectiles in hurricanes. After hurricane Andrew hit southern Florida, a survey of 'artificial reefs' found that all had moved. Some had one or several fragments found, but many vanished entirely. Although fish will hide behind any underwater obstacle, hard corals will not colonize them for a very long time, if ever, and they are mainly settled by soft corals and sponges rather than reef building corals. 'Artificial reefs' made of automobiles (a popular excuse for creating marine junkyards) rust and break apart before corals will settle on them (Goodwin and Cambers 1983). The failure of exotic materials to instigate natural hard coral reefs is caused by unsuitable surface chemistry and leaching of toxic hydrocarbons and metals from engines, paint, plastic fillers, concrete, and steel.
A novel technology, developed by architect W. Hilbertz in the 1970s, uses electrolysis of seawater to precipitate calcium and magnesium minerals to 'grow' a crystalline coating over artificial structures to make construction materials (Hilbertz 1975). The mineral accretion, largely aragonite (CaCO3) 3nd brucite (Mg(OH)2), is very similar in chemistry and physical properties to reef limestone (Hilbertz 1992), which are primarily the remains of the aragonite skeletons of corals and green calcareous algae. This paper describes the results of work done in Jamaica since 1988 building and growing mineral accretion artificial reefs for enhanced coral growth and reef restoration.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Electrolysis of seawater results in mineral deposition at the cathode. The physical properties of the material depend on mineralogy and crystal size, functions of deposition rate and electrical current parameters. Higher current densities result in faster growth but weaker material dominated by brucite, while lower current densities produces slower deposition dominated by harder aragonite (Hilbertz, 1992). Mineral accretion materials have a mechanical strength comparable to, and often greater than, concrete (Hilbertz, 1979).
Deposition of minerals results from alkaline conditions created at the cathode by the reduction reaction:
2H2O + 2e- = H2 + 2OH-
which precipitates calcium and magnesium minerals from seawater:
OH- + HCO3- + Ca++ = CaCO3 + H2O
2OH- + Mg++ = Mg(OH)2
In contrast the anode becomes acidic due to:
2H2O = 4H+ + O2 + 4e-
and highly oxidizing conditions result in:
2Cl- = Cl2 + 2e-
The sum of the net reactions at both electrodes should be neutral with regard to hydrogen ion production, and hence with regard to CO2 generation through acid-base equilibriums and carbonic acid hydrolysis:
2HCO3- = CO3-- + CO2 + H2O
Cathodes and anodes can be made in any size and shape, with current flow dependent on their spacing and surface area. Typically the cathode is built out of expanded steel mesh constructed as simple geometric forms such as cylinders, sheets, triangular prisms, or pyramids, but we have also molded complex forms using square mesh or chicken-wire mesh. An experimental reverse catenary was even built supported by floating spheres, i.e. a buoyant metal chain structure fixed to a cathodic base plate. This structure was initially flexible, and became rigid with progressing mineral accretion. Other new applications include molding shapes out of powdered sand or other materials, containing a cathode to enhance cementation by mineral accretion.
Pilot artificial reefs have ranged up to 3 metres high and 10 metres across, but there is no theoretical limit on their size, providing sufficient current density is applied. Anodes are typically much smaller than cathodes, and shaped as sheets, rods, or mesh, depending on the materials used. Cathode materials are entirely protected from rusting by reducing conditions, whereas anodes are subject to rapid oxidation unless resistant material is used. We have used a wide variety of anode materials, including lead, graphite, and steel, but had best results with specially coated titanium.
Although any direct current source will work, our preference is to use solar and wind generated power rather than alternating current generated from renewable fossil fuels which pollute the atmosphere with CO2 and acid rain. Current is applied across the terminals from a variety of power sources. We have empirically found it best to use lower voltages and higher currents. We have used transformers and battery chargers at both 12 volts and 6 volts, photovoltaic panels in a direct charge mode at a range of voltages between 3.8 and 17 volts, and have plans to use windmill generated current as well. Electricity consumption of each structure is equivalent to a single light bulb. These current levels are entirely safe to swimmers and divers, and it is possible to feel only a slight tingle when one directly short circuits the current by touching both anode and cathode simultaneously with bare hands. Current is transmitted by insulated copper cables, mono- or multi-strand types. Anode cable connectors are protected by clear silicone to detect the green color formed if salt water corrodes the electrical contact.
Small pieces of corals were transplanted onto the structures, and attached with plastic ties, iron wire, or monofilament line, or simply allowed to sit on them. These corals largely consisted of fragments which had been naturally broken by storms, damaged by anchors, divers, or spear-fishermen, or corals whose bases were so bio-eroded that they would be broken by storms, as well as small pieces of branching corals from nearby "control" colonies. Most species of Caribbean corals have been tried. Only corals were attached, but these included some epifaunal sponges, calcareous algae, and other organisms on their undersides.
Artificial reef structures have been built in depths ranging from 0.5 metres to 7 metres, in locations ranging from extremely protected back reef sites, open sites on the leeward western end of the island, to open exposed shores fully exposed to the direct impact of winter northers. One structure, located in a depth of 1.5 metres, continues to work despite being exposed to breaking waves which can reach up to 7 metres high. They have been built on sea-grass beds, limestone hard ground, white sand, and mud bottoms. We also built control structures receiving different current levels or no current at all, and structures which were allowed to accrete for a period of time and were then turned off. In addition we have connected corals growing in-situ directly to current sources via wires leading to artificial reefs.
RESULTS
Crystal growth and hydrogen gas bubbling began as soon as rust on the steel had been reduced to iron. The surface changes from red to black to grey, and then white as minerals grow on it. Minerals have accreted to a thickness of up to 20 centimetres over three years. Iron and steel remain bright and shiny as long as sufficient electrical current flows to maintain cathodic protection. They are protected from corrosion by overlying mineral layers after current is turned off, unless this coating is broken. Structures on limestone hard ground become solidly cemented onto it, while those on sand and mud remain loosely attached and are vulnerable to being toppled in severe storms.
In almost all cases transplanted corals healed quickly and were cemented solidly onto the mineral accretion within weeks. They showed bright healthy tissue pigmentation and prolific polyp feeding tentacle extension. However, some Acropora cervicornis have been killed by bristle worm (Hermodice carunculata) and gastropod (Coralliophila) attack, and some broken by severe storm waves. Transplanted corals grew skeletons at rates comparable to the highest values measured in the field (Gladfelter et al, 1978), even though all sites had sub-optimal water quality. Growth rates were determined by periodically measuring the diameter of colonies with a ruler or by measurements from sequential photographs or video images. Fragments of Porites porites grew from 5 cm to 30 cm across in two years. Acropora cervicornis branched prolifically, and grew by 5 to 8 cm in just 10 weeks. The tissue of corals attached to the structures via wires soon begins to grow over the mineral accretion. Such corals are visibly brighter than adjacent corals of similar species, but become less colourful when the current is turned for periods of up to 2 months, and then regain bright pigmentation within days when the current is restored. Young corals colonize and grow on the mineral accretion. We have found juvenile coral colonies up to 1 millimetre in diameter at densities of around 0.7 per square centimetre on three year old artificial reef substrate. One artificial reef has been colonized by around a hundred young Agaricia agaricites and Favia fragum in the last two years and these have grown to a size of several centimetres across, in a polluted lagoon where little or no natural recruitment is being observed.
Except for transplanted corals and a few small organisms encrusting their bases, all other species found on the artifical reef have spontaneously settled on it or migrated to it. A highly diverse coral reef community (Table 1) established itself on the mineral accretion structures, including foraminifera, cyanobacteria, chlorophytes, rhodophytes, phaeophytes, porlfera, bryozoans, cerianthids, coralliomorpharia, gorgonaceans, sabellid, serpulid, and nereid polychaetes, oysters, gastropods, octopods, squids, echinoids, holothurians, ophiuroids, crinoids, cleaning shrimp, crabs, hermit crabs, and spiny lobsters. A large variety of adult and juvenile fish have been permanent or temporary residents, including morays, trumpetfish, squirrelfish, seabass, fairy basslets, cardinalfish, grunts, drums, butterflyfish, angelfish, damselfish, wrasses, parrotfish, blennies, gobies, surgeonfish, filefish, and porcupinefish. The geometry of the structure appears to strongly affect the type of species recruited. Dolphins have been observed swimming near the structures. No organism has been observed to show aversive behavior.
The main difference between our artificial reefs and nearby natural reefs is the preponderance of fleshy algae which are overgrowing corals on nearby reefs while the artificial reefs have balanced coral and algal growth and the algae are predominantly sand-producing calcareous reds and greens with a much lower density of weedy algae than adjacent natural reefs. Large masses of calcareous Jania, Amphiroa, and Halimeda grow on the sides of the structures, generating sand. Mineral accretion structures whose power is turned off have subsequently had their calcareous algae and corals overgrown by fleshy algae. In sharp contrast to electrified structures, the control structures which received no current rusted and fell apart within months, and the crumbling fragments were not colonized by corals or other organisms.
DISCUSSION
Rapid coral growth and recruitment even in areas of known poor water quality (Goreau 1992) show that our method is able to partly counteract coral reef eutrophication due to coastal zone nutrient fertilization, and so can contribute to restoring damaged reefs and creating new ones in even degraded areas. As the structures become stronger with age, they are also able to contribute more and more to shore protection from waves, and to keep pace with rising sea level. Unlike "artificial reefs" made of exotic materials, our reefs get constantly stronger with time. As long as current is applied, they are self-repairing, since any cracks and breaks of mineral accretion are rapidly and preferentially filled in by new material. While some structures have been damaged by storm waves or impacting objects, such damage is easily repaired.
The stimulation of calcareous organisms of all types on the artificial reef, and the relative paucity of non-calcifying organisms, is probably largely due to the boost the former receive from locally alkaline conditions, which allow them to grow their skeletons at lower energetic cost because they do not have to use metabolic energy to pump protons away from calcification sites to maintain internal pH homeostasis (Goreau 1977). The bright colors of the colonies and their high degree of tentacle expansion may be due to the extra biochemical energy freed as a result. A possible alternative explanation could be due to the high density of electrons on the cathode, some of which may be trapped and used to generate ATP, but if this were the major factor, non-calcareous organisms would also be stimulated. The general stimulation of growth of marine organisms by both processes on mineral accretion substrates is covered under pending US patent #08/374993, issued to W. Hilbertz and T. Goreau (1995).
The view that mineral accretion is the most suitable substitute substrate for coral recruitment compared to natural limestone is supported by marine archaeology. Where only iron metal is found in shipwrecks, it rusts away and is not colonized by hard corals unless first covered by encrusting calcareous red algae. Where several dissimilar metals are found in wrecks as well, such as brass, bronze, copper, magnesium, or aluminum, the differing electromotive potentials of the metals results in electrolytic current flows which cause deposition of mineral accretion over the cathodic metals until the anodes are consumed, ending the reactions. Natural electrolysis is responsible for preservation of most metal artifacts in shipwrecks dating as far back as the Bronze Age, which are found under thick concretions of limestone minerals. We have observed old iron anchors and chains completely covered with hard mineral accretion, allowing corals to settle and grow prolifically on them. This would probably not have happened without electrolytic mineral coatings and concurrent cathodic protection.
We believe that apart from protection of living reefs, mineral accretion is the best substitute for enhancing coral growth and restoring natural coral reef ecosystems even under stressed conditions. Since the method is able to rely entirely on non-polluting and renewable energy, it is suitable for remote areas. Laboratory experiments showed that 1.07 kilograms of mineral accretion was precipitated per kilowatt-hour of electricity. At Jamaican residential customer rates for imported fossil fuel generated electricity (US$ 0.10 per kilowatt-hour), resulting materials are nearly an order of magnitude cheaper then the equivalent weight in concrete blocks.
Typical costs for sea-walls and breakwaters using conventional techniques run around US$ 8,000 per metre, the amount it cost the Maldives to replace mined-out reefs with stacked pre-cast concrete tetrapod breakwater structures to protect the shore from erosion and the aquifers from salt water intrusion. Unlike concrete blocks, mineral accretion structures can be built in any size and shape, contain internal steel reinforcement, and get stronger with age rather than weaker. Submerged sea-walls could therefore be built which would eventually become much stronger than concrete structures, at a fraction of the cost.
We expect that mineral accretion technology will eventually become the preferred form of reef restoration and shore protection where reefs have been degraded due to anthropogenic or natural causes, especially if sea level continues to rise more rapidly than coral reefs grow upward. Over the last two years the global average sea level rise measured by the TOPEX/Poseidon radar satellite has been 2 millimetres per year, as fast as most healthy reef structures are accumulating, but faster than degraded reefs or bleached corals can grow (Goreau and Macfarlane 1990).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We are grateful for support from the European Union for the latest phase of artificial reef construction under a grant to the Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society for establishment of the Negril Marine Park. We thank Ursula Hilbertz-Rommerskirchen. Maya Goreau, Bill Wilson, Katy Thacker, Karen McCarthy, Martin Brinn, and Bert Bentley for assistance during artificial reef construction and deployment. This work would not have been possible without permission from Richard Murray and David Cunninghame to use Tensing Pen property to house the power supply and their support for electricity bills. Anodes were donated by Heraeus Elektrochemie G.m.b.h., Germany.
REFERENCES
Gladfelter E, Monahan R, Gladfelter, W (1978) Growth rates of five reef-building corals in the northeastern Caribbean. Bulletin Marine Science 28: 728-734
Goodwin MR, Cambers G (1983) Artificial reefs: a handbook for the Eastern Caribbean. Caribbean Conservation Association. Barbados
Goreau TJ (1977) Coral skeletal chemistry: physiological and environmental regulation of stable isotopes and trace metals in Montastrea annularis. Proceedings Royal Society London B 193: 291-315
Goreau TJ (1992) B1eaching and reef community change in Jamaica. American
Zoologist 32: 683-695
Goreau TJ, Macfarlane AH (1990) Reduced growth rate of Montastrea annularis following the 1987-1988 coral bleaching event. Coral Reefs 8: 211-215
Hilbertz W (1975) Towards self-growing structures. Industrialization Forum 6: 53-56
Hilbertz W (1973) Electrodeposition of minerals in seawater: Experiments and applications. Oceanic Engineering 4:94-113
Hilbertz W (1992) Solar-generated building material from seawater as a sink for carbon. Ambio 21: 126-129
Hilbertz W, Goreau TJ (1995) A method for enhancing the growth of aquatic organisms and structures created thereby. US Patent #08/374993
TABLE 1 PARTIAL LIST OF SPECIES SEEN ON ARTIFICIAL REEFS
These are species which were regularly found on the artificial reefs, including corals which had been transplanted, attached organisms which had spontaneously settled and grown on them, and mobile organisms which were repeatedly found on the structures and appeared to have taken up permanent residence on them. Many other organisms were also seen on the structures on once or twice, but these are not listed as they may have only have been temporarily passing by.
SCLERACTINIAN HEXACORALLIA
Stephanocoenia michelinii, Madracis decactis, Madracis mirabilis, Acropora palmata, Acropora cervicornis, Agaricia agaricites, Agaricia tenuifolia, Agaricia fragilis, Helioseris cucullata, Siderastrea radians, Siderastrea siderea, Porites porites, Porites furcata, Porites astreoides, Porites branneri, Favia fragum, Diploria clivosa, Diploria strigosa, Diploria labyrinthiformis, Manicina areolata, Colpophyllia natans, Montastrea annularis, Montastrea cavernosa, Meandrina meandrites, Dichocoenia stokesii, Dendrogyra cylindrus, Mussa angulosa, Isophyllia sinuosa, Isophyllastrea rigida, Mycetophyllia ferox, Mycetophyllia lamarckiana, Eusmilia fastigiata
OTHER INVERTEBRATES
porifera: Iotrochota birotulata
hydrozoans: Millepora alcicornis, Stylaster roseus
cerianthids: Ceriantharia sp.
actinaria: Lebrunia danae
coralliomorpharia: Ricordea florida
gorgonaceans: Briareum abestinum
sabellid: Sabellastarte magnifica
serpulid: Spirobranchus giganteus
nereid: Hermodice carunculata
terebellid: Eupolymnia nebulosa
oysters: Pteria colymbus, Isognomon sp.
gastropods: Coralliophila sp.
octopods: Octopus briareus
squid: Sepioteuthis sepiodea
echinoida: Diadema antillarum, Eucidaris tribuloides
holothuria: Holothuria mexicana
ophiuroida: various species
crinoida: Nemaster rubiginosa
shrimp: Stenopus hispidus
isopods: Anilocra sp.
crabs: Percnon gibbesi, Mithrax sp.
hermit crabs: various species
lobster: Panulirus argus
PROKARYOTA
cyanobacteria: Schizothrix sp
PROTOZOAforaminifera: Homotrema rubrum, Gypsina sp.
ALGAE
chlorophytes: Halimeda opuntia, Caulerpa racemosa
rhodophytes: Jania rubens, Galaxaura oblongata
phaeophvtes: Lobophora variegata
FISH
morays: Gymnothorax funebris, Gymnothorax moringa, Muraena miliaris
trumpetfish: Aulostomus maculatus
squirrelfish: Holocentruus rufus, Myriprlstes jacobus
seabass: Epinephelus cruentatus
fairy basslets: Gramma loreto
cardinalfish: Apogon maculatus
grunts: Haemulon flavolineatum
drums: Equetus punctatus
butterflyfish: Chaetodon ocellatus, Chaetodon striatus
angelfish: Holacanthus tricolor, Pomacanthus paru
damselfish: Eupomacentrus partitus, Eupomacentrus dorsopunicans, Eupomacentrus leucostictus, Abudefduf saxatalis
wrasses: Thalassoma bifasciatum, Halichoeres maculipinna
parrotfish: various species
blennies: various species
gobies: various species
surgeonfish: Acanthurus coelerus, Acanthurus chirurgus, Acanthurus bahiana
filefish: Cantherhines macroceros
porcupinefish: Diodon holocanthus
Figure 1. Top of artificial reef after two years of mineral accretion growth. This structure reaches within 0.5 metres of the surface. Photograph by Dr. Peter D. Goreau.
Figure 2. Artificial reef seen from above. This structure is 8 feet (2.2 metres) tall. The prolifically branching Porites porites facing the camera grew from 10 cm to 30 cm in diameter in two years following transplantation onto the structure. The sides of the structure are largely covered with the red calcareous alga Jania. The base of the structure is solidly cemented to the limestone bottom by mineral accretion. The three hemi-cylindrical ballast chambers around the base were filled with rocks to stabilize the structure before mineral accretion attached it to the bottom. The chamber at the right contained an anode and mineral accretion is seen to be much greater than on the chamber at left due to the higher electrical current density. Photograph by Dr. Peter D. Goreau.
Figure 3. Close-up of Porites porites growing on the artificial reef, showing prolific polyp extension. Photograph by Dr. Peter D. Goreau.
Figure 4. Close-up of Porites astreoides growing on the artificial reef. Protograph by Dr. Peter D. Goreau.
Figure 5. Close-up of Diploria strigosa growing on the artificial reef. Photograph by Dr. Peter D. Goreau
Figure 6. Close-up of the artificial reef, showing young colonies of Acropora palmata and Porites divaricata which spontaneously settled and grew on the structure. No Acropora palmata was observed growing in the surrounding back-reef. Photograph bv Dr. Peter D. Goreau.
All you need is to register an NGO ( $250 ) and start a pilot project. Use the photographs and story then to seek foreign funding.
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GCRA OVERVIEW FAQ NEWS ARTICLES PHOTOS REEF ISSUES RESTORATION PAPERS LINKS
Reef Restoration Using Seawater Electrolysis in Jamaica
Thomas J. Goreau and Wolf Hilbertz
NOTE: This paper, the first to describe the results of eight years of work on reef restoration using mineral accretion, was presented at the 8th International Coral Reef Symposium in Panama in July 1996.
ABSTRACT
Coral reefs have been restored on a pilot scale by transplanting coral fragments onto artificial reefs made of limestone and magnesium minerals precipitated onto iron and steel structures by seawater electrolysis. Corals have grown at rates comparable to the highest values reported in the field, even in areas of poor water quality. A complete assemblage of coral reef invertebrates and vertebrates have settled onto or migrated to these reefs. Because this novel technology creates the only growing, self-repairing artificial reefs that promote enhanced growth of corals and sand-producing calcareous algae while suppressing weedy fleshy algae and maintaining a complex coral reef community, it is uniquely suited for restoring physically damaged or eutrophication-affected coral reefs in order to protect shorelines, maintain biodiversity, and adapt to rising sea level.
INTRODUCTION
Jamaican coral reefs are undergoing accelerating deterioration wherever human activity physically disturbs reefs, degrades water quality, or over harvests key species (Goreau 1992). Many reefs no longer function as vital ecosystems: the coral-dominated wave-resistant upward-growing structures are turning into benthic ecosystems with a minor component of isolated corals. These ecosystems are coral communities rather than coral reefs because biodiversity is severely degraded and the reef structure, being bio-eroded faster than it grows, is less able to protect shorelines, keep up with rising sea-level, or provide shelter and food for the many other organisms which live between corals. Degraded reefs have fleshy algae dominant over calcareous algae, and can no longer provide beach sand to replenish that lost to erosion after damaged reef crests allow increased wave energy to reach the shore.
Several types of "artificial reefs" have been built as wave-resistant barriers and hiding places for fish (Goodwin and Cambers 1983). They have a poor record because structures built from steel. poured concrete, stone, concrete blocks, gabions (wire baskets containing rocks), sand bags. sunken ships, wrecked airplanes, or old automobiles, unavoidably rust, corrode, and are broken by waves. Their fate is ultimate destruction by storms, requiring expensive and inevitably futile replacement. They turn into dangerous projectiles in hurricanes. After hurricane Andrew hit southern Florida, a survey of 'artificial reefs' found that all had moved. Some had one or several fragments found, but many vanished entirely. Although fish will hide behind any underwater obstacle, hard corals will not colonize them for a very long time, if ever, and they are mainly settled by soft corals and sponges rather than reef building corals. 'Artificial reefs' made of automobiles (a popular excuse for creating marine junkyards) rust and break apart before corals will settle on them (Goodwin and Cambers 1983). The failure of exotic materials to instigate natural hard coral reefs is caused by unsuitable surface chemistry and leaching of toxic hydrocarbons and metals from engines, paint, plastic fillers, concrete, and steel.
A novel technology, developed by architect W. Hilbertz in the 1970s, uses electrolysis of seawater to precipitate calcium and magnesium minerals to 'grow' a crystalline coating over artificial structures to make construction materials (Hilbertz 1975). The mineral accretion, largely aragonite (CaCO3) 3nd brucite (Mg(OH)2), is very similar in chemistry and physical properties to reef limestone (Hilbertz 1992), which are primarily the remains of the aragonite skeletons of corals and green calcareous algae. This paper describes the results of work done in Jamaica since 1988 building and growing mineral accretion artificial reefs for enhanced coral growth and reef restoration.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Electrolysis of seawater results in mineral deposition at the cathode. The physical properties of the material depend on mineralogy and crystal size, functions of deposition rate and electrical current parameters. Higher current densities result in faster growth but weaker material dominated by brucite, while lower current densities produces slower deposition dominated by harder aragonite (Hilbertz, 1992). Mineral accretion materials have a mechanical strength comparable to, and often greater than, concrete (Hilbertz, 1979).
Deposition of minerals results from alkaline conditions created at the cathode by the reduction reaction:
2H2O + 2e- = H2 + 2OH-
which precipitates calcium and magnesium minerals from seawater:
OH- + HCO3- + Ca++ = CaCO3 + H2O
2OH- + Mg++ = Mg(OH)2
In contrast the anode becomes acidic due to:
2H2O = 4H+ + O2 + 4e-
and highly oxidizing conditions result in:
2Cl- = Cl2 + 2e-
The sum of the net reactions at both electrodes should be neutral with regard to hydrogen ion production, and hence with regard to CO2 generation through acid-base equilibriums and carbonic acid hydrolysis:
2HCO3- = CO3-- + CO2 + H2O
Cathodes and anodes can be made in any size and shape, with current flow dependent on their spacing and surface area. Typically the cathode is built out of expanded steel mesh constructed as simple geometric forms such as cylinders, sheets, triangular prisms, or pyramids, but we have also molded complex forms using square mesh or chicken-wire mesh. An experimental reverse catenary was even built supported by floating spheres, i.e. a buoyant metal chain structure fixed to a cathodic base plate. This structure was initially flexible, and became rigid with progressing mineral accretion. Other new applications include molding shapes out of powdered sand or other materials, containing a cathode to enhance cementation by mineral accretion.
Pilot artificial reefs have ranged up to 3 metres high and 10 metres across, but there is no theoretical limit on their size, providing sufficient current density is applied. Anodes are typically much smaller than cathodes, and shaped as sheets, rods, or mesh, depending on the materials used. Cathode materials are entirely protected from rusting by reducing conditions, whereas anodes are subject to rapid oxidation unless resistant material is used. We have used a wide variety of anode materials, including lead, graphite, and steel, but had best results with specially coated titanium.
Although any direct current source will work, our preference is to use solar and wind generated power rather than alternating current generated from renewable fossil fuels which pollute the atmosphere with CO2 and acid rain. Current is applied across the terminals from a variety of power sources. We have empirically found it best to use lower voltages and higher currents. We have used transformers and battery chargers at both 12 volts and 6 volts, photovoltaic panels in a direct charge mode at a range of voltages between 3.8 and 17 volts, and have plans to use windmill generated current as well. Electricity consumption of each structure is equivalent to a single light bulb. These current levels are entirely safe to swimmers and divers, and it is possible to feel only a slight tingle when one directly short circuits the current by touching both anode and cathode simultaneously with bare hands. Current is transmitted by insulated copper cables, mono- or multi-strand types. Anode cable connectors are protected by clear silicone to detect the green color formed if salt water corrodes the electrical contact.
Small pieces of corals were transplanted onto the structures, and attached with plastic ties, iron wire, or monofilament line, or simply allowed to sit on them. These corals largely consisted of fragments which had been naturally broken by storms, damaged by anchors, divers, or spear-fishermen, or corals whose bases were so bio-eroded that they would be broken by storms, as well as small pieces of branching corals from nearby "control" colonies. Most species of Caribbean corals have been tried. Only corals were attached, but these included some epifaunal sponges, calcareous algae, and other organisms on their undersides.
Artificial reef structures have been built in depths ranging from 0.5 metres to 7 metres, in locations ranging from extremely protected back reef sites, open sites on the leeward western end of the island, to open exposed shores fully exposed to the direct impact of winter northers. One structure, located in a depth of 1.5 metres, continues to work despite being exposed to breaking waves which can reach up to 7 metres high. They have been built on sea-grass beds, limestone hard ground, white sand, and mud bottoms. We also built control structures receiving different current levels or no current at all, and structures which were allowed to accrete for a period of time and were then turned off. In addition we have connected corals growing in-situ directly to current sources via wires leading to artificial reefs.
RESULTS
Crystal growth and hydrogen gas bubbling began as soon as rust on the steel had been reduced to iron. The surface changes from red to black to grey, and then white as minerals grow on it. Minerals have accreted to a thickness of up to 20 centimetres over three years. Iron and steel remain bright and shiny as long as sufficient electrical current flows to maintain cathodic protection. They are protected from corrosion by overlying mineral layers after current is turned off, unless this coating is broken. Structures on limestone hard ground become solidly cemented onto it, while those on sand and mud remain loosely attached and are vulnerable to being toppled in severe storms.
In almost all cases transplanted corals healed quickly and were cemented solidly onto the mineral accretion within weeks. They showed bright healthy tissue pigmentation and prolific polyp feeding tentacle extension. However, some Acropora cervicornis have been killed by bristle worm (Hermodice carunculata) and gastropod (Coralliophila) attack, and some broken by severe storm waves. Transplanted corals grew skeletons at rates comparable to the highest values measured in the field (Gladfelter et al, 1978), even though all sites had sub-optimal water quality. Growth rates were determined by periodically measuring the diameter of colonies with a ruler or by measurements from sequential photographs or video images. Fragments of Porites porites grew from 5 cm to 30 cm across in two years. Acropora cervicornis branched prolifically, and grew by 5 to 8 cm in just 10 weeks. The tissue of corals attached to the structures via wires soon begins to grow over the mineral accretion. Such corals are visibly brighter than adjacent corals of similar species, but become less colourful when the current is turned for periods of up to 2 months, and then regain bright pigmentation within days when the current is restored. Young corals colonize and grow on the mineral accretion. We have found juvenile coral colonies up to 1 millimetre in diameter at densities of around 0.7 per square centimetre on three year old artificial reef substrate. One artificial reef has been colonized by around a hundred young Agaricia agaricites and Favia fragum in the last two years and these have grown to a size of several centimetres across, in a polluted lagoon where little or no natural recruitment is being observed.
Except for transplanted corals and a few small organisms encrusting their bases, all other species found on the artifical reef have spontaneously settled on it or migrated to it. A highly diverse coral reef community (Table 1) established itself on the mineral accretion structures, including foraminifera, cyanobacteria, chlorophytes, rhodophytes, phaeophytes, porlfera, bryozoans, cerianthids, coralliomorpharia, gorgonaceans, sabellid, serpulid, and nereid polychaetes, oysters, gastropods, octopods, squids, echinoids, holothurians, ophiuroids, crinoids, cleaning shrimp, crabs, hermit crabs, and spiny lobsters. A large variety of adult and juvenile fish have been permanent or temporary residents, including morays, trumpetfish, squirrelfish, seabass, fairy basslets, cardinalfish, grunts, drums, butterflyfish, angelfish, damselfish, wrasses, parrotfish, blennies, gobies, surgeonfish, filefish, and porcupinefish. The geometry of the structure appears to strongly affect the type of species recruited. Dolphins have been observed swimming near the structures. No organism has been observed to show aversive behavior.
The main difference between our artificial reefs and nearby natural reefs is the preponderance of fleshy algae which are overgrowing corals on nearby reefs while the artificial reefs have balanced coral and algal growth and the algae are predominantly sand-producing calcareous reds and greens with a much lower density of weedy algae than adjacent natural reefs. Large masses of calcareous Jania, Amphiroa, and Halimeda grow on the sides of the structures, generating sand. Mineral accretion structures whose power is turned off have subsequently had their calcareous algae and corals overgrown by fleshy algae. In sharp contrast to electrified structures, the control structures which received no current rusted and fell apart within months, and the crumbling fragments were not colonized by corals or other organisms.
DISCUSSION
Rapid coral growth and recruitment even in areas of known poor water quality (Goreau 1992) show that our method is able to partly counteract coral reef eutrophication due to coastal zone nutrient fertilization, and so can contribute to restoring damaged reefs and creating new ones in even degraded areas. As the structures become stronger with age, they are also able to contribute more and more to shore protection from waves, and to keep pace with rising sea level. Unlike "artificial reefs" made of exotic materials, our reefs get constantly stronger with time. As long as current is applied, they are self-repairing, since any cracks and breaks of mineral accretion are rapidly and preferentially filled in by new material. While some structures have been damaged by storm waves or impacting objects, such damage is easily repaired.
The stimulation of calcareous organisms of all types on the artificial reef, and the relative paucity of non-calcifying organisms, is probably largely due to the boost the former receive from locally alkaline conditions, which allow them to grow their skeletons at lower energetic cost because they do not have to use metabolic energy to pump protons away from calcification sites to maintain internal pH homeostasis (Goreau 1977). The bright colors of the colonies and their high degree of tentacle expansion may be due to the extra biochemical energy freed as a result. A possible alternative explanation could be due to the high density of electrons on the cathode, some of which may be trapped and used to generate ATP, but if this were the major factor, non-calcareous organisms would also be stimulated. The general stimulation of growth of marine organisms by both processes on mineral accretion substrates is covered under pending US patent #08/374993, issued to W. Hilbertz and T. Goreau (1995).
The view that mineral accretion is the most suitable substitute substrate for coral recruitment compared to natural limestone is supported by marine archaeology. Where only iron metal is found in shipwrecks, it rusts away and is not colonized by hard corals unless first covered by encrusting calcareous red algae. Where several dissimilar metals are found in wrecks as well, such as brass, bronze, copper, magnesium, or aluminum, the differing electromotive potentials of the metals results in electrolytic current flows which cause deposition of mineral accretion over the cathodic metals until the anodes are consumed, ending the reactions. Natural electrolysis is responsible for preservation of most metal artifacts in shipwrecks dating as far back as the Bronze Age, which are found under thick concretions of limestone minerals. We have observed old iron anchors and chains completely covered with hard mineral accretion, allowing corals to settle and grow prolifically on them. This would probably not have happened without electrolytic mineral coatings and concurrent cathodic protection.
We believe that apart from protection of living reefs, mineral accretion is the best substitute for enhancing coral growth and restoring natural coral reef ecosystems even under stressed conditions. Since the method is able to rely entirely on non-polluting and renewable energy, it is suitable for remote areas. Laboratory experiments showed that 1.07 kilograms of mineral accretion was precipitated per kilowatt-hour of electricity. At Jamaican residential customer rates for imported fossil fuel generated electricity (US$ 0.10 per kilowatt-hour), resulting materials are nearly an order of magnitude cheaper then the equivalent weight in concrete blocks.
Typical costs for sea-walls and breakwaters using conventional techniques run around US$ 8,000 per metre, the amount it cost the Maldives to replace mined-out reefs with stacked pre-cast concrete tetrapod breakwater structures to protect the shore from erosion and the aquifers from salt water intrusion. Unlike concrete blocks, mineral accretion structures can be built in any size and shape, contain internal steel reinforcement, and get stronger with age rather than weaker. Submerged sea-walls could therefore be built which would eventually become much stronger than concrete structures, at a fraction of the cost.
We expect that mineral accretion technology will eventually become the preferred form of reef restoration and shore protection where reefs have been degraded due to anthropogenic or natural causes, especially if sea level continues to rise more rapidly than coral reefs grow upward. Over the last two years the global average sea level rise measured by the TOPEX/Poseidon radar satellite has been 2 millimetres per year, as fast as most healthy reef structures are accumulating, but faster than degraded reefs or bleached corals can grow (Goreau and Macfarlane 1990).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We are grateful for support from the European Union for the latest phase of artificial reef construction under a grant to the Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society for establishment of the Negril Marine Park. We thank Ursula Hilbertz-Rommerskirchen. Maya Goreau, Bill Wilson, Katy Thacker, Karen McCarthy, Martin Brinn, and Bert Bentley for assistance during artificial reef construction and deployment. This work would not have been possible without permission from Richard Murray and David Cunninghame to use Tensing Pen property to house the power supply and their support for electricity bills. Anodes were donated by Heraeus Elektrochemie G.m.b.h., Germany.
REFERENCES
Gladfelter E, Monahan R, Gladfelter, W (1978) Growth rates of five reef-building corals in the northeastern Caribbean. Bulletin Marine Science 28: 728-734
Goodwin MR, Cambers G (1983) Artificial reefs: a handbook for the Eastern Caribbean. Caribbean Conservation Association. Barbados
Goreau TJ (1977) Coral skeletal chemistry: physiological and environmental regulation of stable isotopes and trace metals in Montastrea annularis. Proceedings Royal Society London B 193: 291-315
Goreau TJ (1992) B1eaching and reef community change in Jamaica. American
Zoologist 32: 683-695
Goreau TJ, Macfarlane AH (1990) Reduced growth rate of Montastrea annularis following the 1987-1988 coral bleaching event. Coral Reefs 8: 211-215
Hilbertz W (1975) Towards self-growing structures. Industrialization Forum 6: 53-56
Hilbertz W (1973) Electrodeposition of minerals in seawater: Experiments and applications. Oceanic Engineering 4:94-113
Hilbertz W (1992) Solar-generated building material from seawater as a sink for carbon. Ambio 21: 126-129
Hilbertz W, Goreau TJ (1995) A method for enhancing the growth of aquatic organisms and structures created thereby. US Patent #08/374993
TABLE 1 PARTIAL LIST OF SPECIES SEEN ON ARTIFICIAL REEFS
These are species which were regularly found on the artificial reefs, including corals which had been transplanted, attached organisms which had spontaneously settled and grown on them, and mobile organisms which were repeatedly found on the structures and appeared to have taken up permanent residence on them. Many other organisms were also seen on the structures on once or twice, but these are not listed as they may have only have been temporarily passing by.
SCLERACTINIAN HEXACORALLIA
Stephanocoenia michelinii, Madracis decactis, Madracis mirabilis, Acropora palmata, Acropora cervicornis, Agaricia agaricites, Agaricia tenuifolia, Agaricia fragilis, Helioseris cucullata, Siderastrea radians, Siderastrea siderea, Porites porites, Porites furcata, Porites astreoides, Porites branneri, Favia fragum, Diploria clivosa, Diploria strigosa, Diploria labyrinthiformis, Manicina areolata, Colpophyllia natans, Montastrea annularis, Montastrea cavernosa, Meandrina meandrites, Dichocoenia stokesii, Dendrogyra cylindrus, Mussa angulosa, Isophyllia sinuosa, Isophyllastrea rigida, Mycetophyllia ferox, Mycetophyllia lamarckiana, Eusmilia fastigiata
OTHER INVERTEBRATES
porifera: Iotrochota birotulata
hydrozoans: Millepora alcicornis, Stylaster roseus
cerianthids: Ceriantharia sp.
actinaria: Lebrunia danae
coralliomorpharia: Ricordea florida
gorgonaceans: Briareum abestinum
sabellid: Sabellastarte magnifica
serpulid: Spirobranchus giganteus
nereid: Hermodice carunculata
terebellid: Eupolymnia nebulosa
oysters: Pteria colymbus, Isognomon sp.
gastropods: Coralliophila sp.
octopods: Octopus briareus
squid: Sepioteuthis sepiodea
echinoida: Diadema antillarum, Eucidaris tribuloides
holothuria: Holothuria mexicana
ophiuroida: various species
crinoida: Nemaster rubiginosa
shrimp: Stenopus hispidus
isopods: Anilocra sp.
crabs: Percnon gibbesi, Mithrax sp.
hermit crabs: various species
lobster: Panulirus argus
PROKARYOTA
cyanobacteria: Schizothrix sp
PROTOZOAforaminifera: Homotrema rubrum, Gypsina sp.
ALGAE
chlorophytes: Halimeda opuntia, Caulerpa racemosa
rhodophytes: Jania rubens, Galaxaura oblongata
phaeophvtes: Lobophora variegata
FISH
morays: Gymnothorax funebris, Gymnothorax moringa, Muraena miliaris
trumpetfish: Aulostomus maculatus
squirrelfish: Holocentruus rufus, Myriprlstes jacobus
seabass: Epinephelus cruentatus
fairy basslets: Gramma loreto
cardinalfish: Apogon maculatus
grunts: Haemulon flavolineatum
drums: Equetus punctatus
butterflyfish: Chaetodon ocellatus, Chaetodon striatus
angelfish: Holacanthus tricolor, Pomacanthus paru
damselfish: Eupomacentrus partitus, Eupomacentrus dorsopunicans, Eupomacentrus leucostictus, Abudefduf saxatalis
wrasses: Thalassoma bifasciatum, Halichoeres maculipinna
parrotfish: various species
blennies: various species
gobies: various species
surgeonfish: Acanthurus coelerus, Acanthurus chirurgus, Acanthurus bahiana
filefish: Cantherhines macroceros
porcupinefish: Diodon holocanthus
Figure 1. Top of artificial reef after two years of mineral accretion growth. This structure reaches within 0.5 metres of the surface. Photograph by Dr. Peter D. Goreau.
Figure 2. Artificial reef seen from above. This structure is 8 feet (2.2 metres) tall. The prolifically branching Porites porites facing the camera grew from 10 cm to 30 cm in diameter in two years following transplantation onto the structure. The sides of the structure are largely covered with the red calcareous alga Jania. The base of the structure is solidly cemented to the limestone bottom by mineral accretion. The three hemi-cylindrical ballast chambers around the base were filled with rocks to stabilize the structure before mineral accretion attached it to the bottom. The chamber at the right contained an anode and mineral accretion is seen to be much greater than on the chamber at left due to the higher electrical current density. Photograph by Dr. Peter D. Goreau.
Figure 3. Close-up of Porites porites growing on the artificial reef, showing prolific polyp extension. Photograph by Dr. Peter D. Goreau.
Figure 4. Close-up of Porites astreoides growing on the artificial reef. Protograph by Dr. Peter D. Goreau.
Figure 5. Close-up of Diploria strigosa growing on the artificial reef. Photograph by Dr. Peter D. Goreau
Figure 6. Close-up of the artificial reef, showing young colonies of Acropora palmata and Porites divaricata which spontaneously settled and grew on the structure. No Acropora palmata was observed growing in the surrounding back-reef. Photograph bv Dr. Peter D. Goreau.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
BELIZE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUDGET ANALYSIS DEFECTIVE!
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUDGET ANALYSIS DEFECTIVE!
The Chamber of Commerce, television program called ‘BUSINESS PERSPECTIVES’
was a DUD. The program turned out to be a panel of people seeking their 15 minutes of fame before the video cameras discussing the proposed UDP budget for 2010.
They preened and talked, ruffled their feathers, gave out with profound criticisms and armchair hindsight quarterbacking. They crowed and cackled. The only notable exception was a quiet lady, wearing eye glasses, who tried to offer constructive solutions. Each time she spoke she was cut off by the others. Worst was a tall lanky fellow with a microphone, whose profound utterances, were those of an academic government bureaucrat. One would have thought he was a soft soap salesman for the government party in power? Senator Hulse had some useful criticisms and explanations to offer, but even he lacked any solutions.
The discussion simply covered things we the public already knew. They didn’t break new ground.
Everybody knows the Prime Minister is a black colonial Englishman. He cannot avoid his training and background. His budget solutions based on his background were as good as he could make it. Understanding that in his political universe, the party must come first, the national good ( through self reliance are secondary ), elections are paramount considerations, I thought his budget was a good one. Not the right solution to the problems of Belize, but certainly the right solutions for his political party who want to stay in power. He took no chances, did not make any waves, and offered no solutions to the problems caused by BIG GOVERNMENT.
From the Chamber of Commerce I expected better. Unfortunately, there was only one member of the panel that even saw things the way I see them. She was not allowed to speak much and was cut off each time, she tried to discuss SOLUTIONS, by the others seeking to dominate their limited amount of publicity air time.
If the Chamber is to be respected, I think they need to concentrate on the points of how the BUDGET does not fit the circumstances of Belize. The 107% Debt to GDP ratio. Considering that the next 40 years are all going to be the same with escalating debt problems and insufficient money from revenues, each and every year, the next panel should be from people with solutions. Not from stating the obvious, as in armchair criticism. From the Chamber of Commerce, we expect innovation and ideas, suggestions to change the status quo, in which the country finds itself, perpetuated by both political parties. We need new paradigms, new methods of governing, new structures for policing and running a government within our limited financial means. We need to figure out how we can govern and manage our economy and nation within the strictures of political party debt load, they keep burdening us with. Which total revenues seem to hover around $600 million a year. The amount left over to govern and run the country, after paying debt, is getting smaller and smaller every year under these two politicial parties. If the CHAMBER do not tackle the solutions, and offer ideas, then of what use are they?
The Chamber of Commerce, television program called ‘BUSINESS PERSPECTIVES’
was a DUD. The program turned out to be a panel of people seeking their 15 minutes of fame before the video cameras discussing the proposed UDP budget for 2010.
They preened and talked, ruffled their feathers, gave out with profound criticisms and armchair hindsight quarterbacking. They crowed and cackled. The only notable exception was a quiet lady, wearing eye glasses, who tried to offer constructive solutions. Each time she spoke she was cut off by the others. Worst was a tall lanky fellow with a microphone, whose profound utterances, were those of an academic government bureaucrat. One would have thought he was a soft soap salesman for the government party in power? Senator Hulse had some useful criticisms and explanations to offer, but even he lacked any solutions.
The discussion simply covered things we the public already knew. They didn’t break new ground.
Everybody knows the Prime Minister is a black colonial Englishman. He cannot avoid his training and background. His budget solutions based on his background were as good as he could make it. Understanding that in his political universe, the party must come first, the national good ( through self reliance are secondary ), elections are paramount considerations, I thought his budget was a good one. Not the right solution to the problems of Belize, but certainly the right solutions for his political party who want to stay in power. He took no chances, did not make any waves, and offered no solutions to the problems caused by BIG GOVERNMENT.
From the Chamber of Commerce I expected better. Unfortunately, there was only one member of the panel that even saw things the way I see them. She was not allowed to speak much and was cut off each time, she tried to discuss SOLUTIONS, by the others seeking to dominate their limited amount of publicity air time.
If the Chamber is to be respected, I think they need to concentrate on the points of how the BUDGET does not fit the circumstances of Belize. The 107% Debt to GDP ratio. Considering that the next 40 years are all going to be the same with escalating debt problems and insufficient money from revenues, each and every year, the next panel should be from people with solutions. Not from stating the obvious, as in armchair criticism. From the Chamber of Commerce, we expect innovation and ideas, suggestions to change the status quo, in which the country finds itself, perpetuated by both political parties. We need new paradigms, new methods of governing, new structures for policing and running a government within our limited financial means. We need to figure out how we can govern and manage our economy and nation within the strictures of political party debt load, they keep burdening us with. Which total revenues seem to hover around $600 million a year. The amount left over to govern and run the country, after paying debt, is getting smaller and smaller every year under these two politicial parties. If the CHAMBER do not tackle the solutions, and offer ideas, then of what use are they?
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
BELIZE 'BUSINESS PERSPECTIVES' TV PROGRAM DEAL WITH BUDGET PROPOSAL
BELIZE BUSINESS PERSPECTIVES TV PROGRAM ( March 24, 2010)
BELIZE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TELEVISION PROGRAM ‘BUSINESS PERSPECTIVES' - AGREES CABINET BUDGET IS NO GOOD!
The Belize Chamber of Commerce has a weekly Television program discussing things of National Interest. This week, the subject by a panel was regarding the recent BUDGET PROPOSAL by the UDP CABINET. BUSINESS PERSPECTIVES’ IS THE PROGRAM.
In essence, the budget for numbers was reasonably presented. In breakdown for practical application, the budget was reminiscent of the SELF GOVERNING years before Independence. The 2010 budget, spit out a lot of clichés and jargon, but did not address the pragmatic needs of re-structuring how the UDP CABINET party dictatorship of the economy and budgets need to be fixed.
It was plain that the budget was over bloated and impractical and will fail to meet the targets. Even though increased taxation is going to fill at least one hole, there is another hole of $70 million we are short in filling, Senator Hulse explained. That said; of ALL the panel, only one person had anything practical and useful to say and that was a lady I don’t know her name, she wore glasses, but whenever she was not cut off in her speech, or was allowed to say something, she had more practical common sense than the rest of the verbose panel put together.
The CABINET needs to listen to her. There is no provision in the budget for disaster relief and we get disasters almost every year. The government continues to operate on BORROWED LOANS as a method of existing. Pay raises for government workers considering the private sector is cutting and belt tightening seemed unfair. This was $30 million budget item alone. Senator Hulse pointed out that in fact, the borrowing method of financing government, is continuing to dig a deeper hole ( all the way to CHINA ) and the rise of our DEBT TO GDP ratio from 76% to 107% for 2009, points to a big government economy run system that as loan financed, is spiraling Belize down the spiraling path of worsening financial disasters in the future.
Somebody mentioned we cannot afford all the SOCIAL PROGRAMS we have, even if we need them. Nobody offered a solution though.
It is the job of the PUP in Opposition to point out ways we as a country can live within our means. Obviously the cost of government has to be cut and other ways of providing government services could maybe be copied from e.g.: the USA State of New Hampshire.
There has always been a set of finger pointing excuses, disasters, external shocks and other beloved reasons and rationalizations, why our political parties have not re-structured our governing system. The fault in my opinion lies at home, here in Belize, by our political parties. They lack the business skills to restructure our government within our means to pay. What we have is a BOOM and BUST cycle of borrowing to pay for a government that is too big, this loan borrowing, causing a rise in false GDP from loans, then a period ( 5 years ) period of austerity, wherein we cannot pay to do anything for regular maintainance. I for one am tired of these BOOM and BUST cycles of political ineptitude. We should be able to design a government structural system, we can afford, in good years and bad years of the economy. Nobody apparently in either of our major political parties seems to have that ability. I would rather we had that lady on the panel with the glasses as Prime Minister and Finance Minister than Dean Barrow, or anybody in the PUP. At least she understands what is needed to happen to build Belize.
BELIZE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TELEVISION PROGRAM ‘BUSINESS PERSPECTIVES' - AGREES CABINET BUDGET IS NO GOOD!
The Belize Chamber of Commerce has a weekly Television program discussing things of National Interest. This week, the subject by a panel was regarding the recent BUDGET PROPOSAL by the UDP CABINET. BUSINESS PERSPECTIVES’ IS THE PROGRAM.
In essence, the budget for numbers was reasonably presented. In breakdown for practical application, the budget was reminiscent of the SELF GOVERNING years before Independence. The 2010 budget, spit out a lot of clichés and jargon, but did not address the pragmatic needs of re-structuring how the UDP CABINET party dictatorship of the economy and budgets need to be fixed.
It was plain that the budget was over bloated and impractical and will fail to meet the targets. Even though increased taxation is going to fill at least one hole, there is another hole of $70 million we are short in filling, Senator Hulse explained. That said; of ALL the panel, only one person had anything practical and useful to say and that was a lady I don’t know her name, she wore glasses, but whenever she was not cut off in her speech, or was allowed to say something, she had more practical common sense than the rest of the verbose panel put together.
The CABINET needs to listen to her. There is no provision in the budget for disaster relief and we get disasters almost every year. The government continues to operate on BORROWED LOANS as a method of existing. Pay raises for government workers considering the private sector is cutting and belt tightening seemed unfair. This was $30 million budget item alone. Senator Hulse pointed out that in fact, the borrowing method of financing government, is continuing to dig a deeper hole ( all the way to CHINA ) and the rise of our DEBT TO GDP ratio from 76% to 107% for 2009, points to a big government economy run system that as loan financed, is spiraling Belize down the spiraling path of worsening financial disasters in the future.
Somebody mentioned we cannot afford all the SOCIAL PROGRAMS we have, even if we need them. Nobody offered a solution though.
It is the job of the PUP in Opposition to point out ways we as a country can live within our means. Obviously the cost of government has to be cut and other ways of providing government services could maybe be copied from e.g.: the USA State of New Hampshire.
There has always been a set of finger pointing excuses, disasters, external shocks and other beloved reasons and rationalizations, why our political parties have not re-structured our governing system. The fault in my opinion lies at home, here in Belize, by our political parties. They lack the business skills to restructure our government within our means to pay. What we have is a BOOM and BUST cycle of borrowing to pay for a government that is too big, this loan borrowing, causing a rise in false GDP from loans, then a period ( 5 years ) period of austerity, wherein we cannot pay to do anything for regular maintainance. I for one am tired of these BOOM and BUST cycles of political ineptitude. We should be able to design a government structural system, we can afford, in good years and bad years of the economy. Nobody apparently in either of our major political parties seems to have that ability. I would rather we had that lady on the panel with the glasses as Prime Minister and Finance Minister than Dean Barrow, or anybody in the PUP. At least she understands what is needed to happen to build Belize.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
EARTHQUAKE EFFECTS BECOMING MORE FREQUENT IN BELIZE
March 2010
Belize is experiencing an increase of tremors from Earthquake faults passing around the country. We are not particularly close to any fault, except in the Punta Gorda area of the Southern Toledo District. Certainly the Stalagmites and stuff in the BLUE HOLE on Lighthouse ATOLL loved by scuba divers are estimated at 140 million years old. So nothing big is likely to happen in Belize from Earthquakes?
-------------------------------
Yeah! My brother-in-law was up in the computer trading room on the 3rd floor. He felt it.
Don't know which one? It seems as we pass through the gravitational plane of the galaxy, that there is an increase of gravitational energy as the masses of the star systems of the galaxy line up, with each other effecting EARTH. The last time, this happened 13,000 years ago, the ICE AGE ended. I think we are about 18 years into the most dense concentration of gravitational effects and this will peak sometime in the next 400 years? Though I'm not sure what happens during Xmas 2012?
--- On Sat, 3/20/10, lynn . wrote:
From: lynn .
Subject: Bz-Culture: Magnitude 5.3 GUATEMALA 3:55pm Belize time
To: belize@lists.belizeculture.com, "Bz-Culture"
Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 9:45 PM
Magnitude 5.3 GUATEMALA
Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 21:55:49 UTC
http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/neic_ubb5_l.html
About 200 miles west of us in the south. I didnt' feel it, but others did.
And a 4,8, just south of Gitmo, couple hours earlier.
http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/neic_ubbp_l.html
Belize is experiencing an increase of tremors from Earthquake faults passing around the country. We are not particularly close to any fault, except in the Punta Gorda area of the Southern Toledo District. Certainly the Stalagmites and stuff in the BLUE HOLE on Lighthouse ATOLL loved by scuba divers are estimated at 140 million years old. So nothing big is likely to happen in Belize from Earthquakes?
-------------------------------
Yeah! My brother-in-law was up in the computer trading room on the 3rd floor. He felt it.
Don't know which one? It seems as we pass through the gravitational plane of the galaxy, that there is an increase of gravitational energy as the masses of the star systems of the galaxy line up, with each other effecting EARTH. The last time, this happened 13,000 years ago, the ICE AGE ended. I think we are about 18 years into the most dense concentration of gravitational effects and this will peak sometime in the next 400 years? Though I'm not sure what happens during Xmas 2012?
--- On Sat, 3/20/10, lynn .
From: lynn .
Subject: Bz-Culture: Magnitude 5.3 GUATEMALA 3:55pm Belize time
To: belize@lists.belizeculture.com, "Bz-Culture"
Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 9:45 PM
Magnitude 5.3 GUATEMALA
Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 21:55:49 UTC
http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/neic_ubb5_l.html
About 200 miles west of us in the south. I didnt' feel it, but others did.
And a 4,8, just south of Gitmo, couple hours earlier.
http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/neic_ubbp_l.html
Saturday, March 20, 2010
BELIZE 2009 DEBT TO GDP RATIO 107%
Belize statistics are in, printed in the Amandala and some in the Guardian newspapers.
The total GDP for 2009 was $2.9 billion Belize currency.
The total in Belize currency for all debts was $3.8 billion of Belize currency
The 2009 Debt to GDP ratio is 107%
When the UDP came into office, they inherited a debt to Gdp ratio of 76% from the previous PUP administration. During the two term PUP administration, the debt ratio had risen as high as 127%. During their second five year term, they went on an austerity binge for the five years and handed over the 76% Debt to GDP ratio to the UDP after the UDP won the elections.
Normally by European Union standards, no country should have a debt to GDP ratio of more than 3% for good government standards.
____________________________________
The above debt to ratio standards show what is happening. The UDP came in after the PUP austerity five years with the expressed intention of borrowing foreign loans and servicing the infra-structure and increasing government spending. This they have done. When they came into office, they almost immediately got hit with devastating floods that swept across the central part of the industrial sector of the nation. This cost them money they didn't have. On the good side, we did not get any HURRICANE strikes over the past two UDP years. Belize is at the end of the bowling alley for Hurricanes in the Western Caribbean. Getting hit by hurricanes is a cyclical disaster that occurs regularly. Floods in the past have not been this serious before, but the change in climate and conditions on the land tenure in the Peten of Guatemala is making them more common cyclical disasters. Disasters cost money in recovery and lost economic activity. Couple that with a general world collapse because of WALL STREET that hit around the world, with countries falling like houses built with a pack of playing cards in a wind storm, and the recession hit Belize hard last year. Mostly to do with TOURISM reductions, a tax earner responsible for 25% of the government revenues in good years. Enter 2010 and the tourist season has finally come back to normal. GDP is expected to recover from 2009 during 2010. Forecasts for 2010 are optimistic at 1.5% GDP growth. I think personally we will be doing good to reach neutral, a ZERO rate, last year was negative GDP.
On the good side, the increase in Debt to GDP ratio from 76% to 107% has seen considerable government spending and improvement in small but effective ways for improvements in living standards. There are two economies in Belize. One economy is government growth and government employees. This has been growing during the past two years. The other economy is the private productive sector and for the most part that has been staying stagnant, if not shrinking just slightly. What government spending has been done by the UDP government during these past two years has met with public approval, with one or two minor exceptions.
There is the factor though that government growth is not the answer to GDP statistical growth, through borrowed loans. Increased taxes are part of the new budget package. The private sector is to pay for increased government growth and employment. The debate on that choice will probably be hot and can cut both ways. Needless to say, the most ignorant uneducated farmer, or campesino understands this loan borrowing financed GDP growth is unsustainable practice.
What the UDP government will do about it remains to be seen. We of course sometime have to get our DEBT to GDP RATIO down to below 3% of GDP. To be a well managed country. Therein lies the challenge for this current UDP government.
The total GDP for 2009 was $2.9 billion Belize currency.
The total in Belize currency for all debts was $3.8 billion of Belize currency
The 2009 Debt to GDP ratio is 107%
When the UDP came into office, they inherited a debt to Gdp ratio of 76% from the previous PUP administration. During the two term PUP administration, the debt ratio had risen as high as 127%. During their second five year term, they went on an austerity binge for the five years and handed over the 76% Debt to GDP ratio to the UDP after the UDP won the elections.
Normally by European Union standards, no country should have a debt to GDP ratio of more than 3% for good government standards.
____________________________________
The above debt to ratio standards show what is happening. The UDP came in after the PUP austerity five years with the expressed intention of borrowing foreign loans and servicing the infra-structure and increasing government spending. This they have done. When they came into office, they almost immediately got hit with devastating floods that swept across the central part of the industrial sector of the nation. This cost them money they didn't have. On the good side, we did not get any HURRICANE strikes over the past two UDP years. Belize is at the end of the bowling alley for Hurricanes in the Western Caribbean. Getting hit by hurricanes is a cyclical disaster that occurs regularly. Floods in the past have not been this serious before, but the change in climate and conditions on the land tenure in the Peten of Guatemala is making them more common cyclical disasters. Disasters cost money in recovery and lost economic activity. Couple that with a general world collapse because of WALL STREET that hit around the world, with countries falling like houses built with a pack of playing cards in a wind storm, and the recession hit Belize hard last year. Mostly to do with TOURISM reductions, a tax earner responsible for 25% of the government revenues in good years. Enter 2010 and the tourist season has finally come back to normal. GDP is expected to recover from 2009 during 2010. Forecasts for 2010 are optimistic at 1.5% GDP growth. I think personally we will be doing good to reach neutral, a ZERO rate, last year was negative GDP.
On the good side, the increase in Debt to GDP ratio from 76% to 107% has seen considerable government spending and improvement in small but effective ways for improvements in living standards. There are two economies in Belize. One economy is government growth and government employees. This has been growing during the past two years. The other economy is the private productive sector and for the most part that has been staying stagnant, if not shrinking just slightly. What government spending has been done by the UDP government during these past two years has met with public approval, with one or two minor exceptions.
There is the factor though that government growth is not the answer to GDP statistical growth, through borrowed loans. Increased taxes are part of the new budget package. The private sector is to pay for increased government growth and employment. The debate on that choice will probably be hot and can cut both ways. Needless to say, the most ignorant uneducated farmer, or campesino understands this loan borrowing financed GDP growth is unsustainable practice.
What the UDP government will do about it remains to be seen. We of course sometime have to get our DEBT to GDP RATIO down to below 3% of GDP. To be a well managed country. Therein lies the challenge for this current UDP government.
INTERNET SERVICE NEWS FOR WESTERN BELIZE (March, 2010 )
Internet News for Western Belize in March, 2010 )
It is looking like both BTL and SMART will be knocked out of the internet business, this year, by the CABLE TV internet service.
At the moment, SMART is the top dog, internet provider in the TWIN TOWNS of Western Cayo District of Belize. The speed is low and the bandwidth way too small for demand.
As the only internet service provider in our section of Santa Elena Town, SMART is what we use. We have been having trouble with the service and recent events and an amateurs, tracing of the problems; seems to indicate that the problem lies not with US internet networks, but locally here at home with SMART. I fear that recently as yesterday morning, when trying to run the software website involved with our business, we kept getting TIMED OUT disconnections and messages that said " cannot connect to remote computer" when trying to reload. We believe, but are not sure, that the problem is that we are not getting the full software of our broker site in Chicago loaded onto our computer and thus the 30 second changing STREAMING DATA we need to function does not have what it needs to work. We were into some data for about 2 hours yesterday morning during working hours 7a.m. to 9 a.m., but not what we needed to function and could not access our ORDER PAGES at all. Later in the morning after trying and trying to reload, we finally disconnected SMART and then re-accessed the web site and took the 20 minutes or so it takes to load the software over the internet again, using SMART DIALUP, Verizon wireless and succeeded in getting our streaming data and almost, but not all of the brokers web site we require to operate our business. In conclusion: we surmise that the problem lies with our local internet provider SMART, because of insufficient bandwidth and speeds, to properly load modern business complex software.
Out here in Western Belize area, the Belize Telecommunications Company ( BTL) providing internet, still has the twin town centers, or the icing on the cake customers congestion of town center service for internet. But SMART is rapidly putting BTL out of business. The dark horse the rumor mill says, which is the Television Cable company is still pushing westward from the coast and last I heard by the rumor mill, had passed Spanish Lookout and was approaching Bullet Tree Falls and would eventually soon reach the Twin Towns. I've used the internet FREE SERVICE at Caribbean Tire in Spanish Lookout and it is superb. I'm only guessing that is service from the CABLE company? I heard a rumor that it was 2 gigabyte speeds, compared to the 5 to 7 kbps we actually are getting with our current SMART internet service provider. Either way, as a customer I will switch to wherever I can get the best quality service at the lowest price whenever it comes.
It does look like the cable tv company is going to run both BTL and SMART out of the business. That is what competition in the free market place is about.
It is looking like both BTL and SMART will be knocked out of the internet business, this year, by the CABLE TV internet service.
At the moment, SMART is the top dog, internet provider in the TWIN TOWNS of Western Cayo District of Belize. The speed is low and the bandwidth way too small for demand.
As the only internet service provider in our section of Santa Elena Town, SMART is what we use. We have been having trouble with the service and recent events and an amateurs, tracing of the problems; seems to indicate that the problem lies not with US internet networks, but locally here at home with SMART. I fear that recently as yesterday morning, when trying to run the software website involved with our business, we kept getting TIMED OUT disconnections and messages that said " cannot connect to remote computer" when trying to reload. We believe, but are not sure, that the problem is that we are not getting the full software of our broker site in Chicago loaded onto our computer and thus the 30 second changing STREAMING DATA we need to function does not have what it needs to work. We were into some data for about 2 hours yesterday morning during working hours 7a.m. to 9 a.m., but not what we needed to function and could not access our ORDER PAGES at all. Later in the morning after trying and trying to reload, we finally disconnected SMART and then re-accessed the web site and took the 20 minutes or so it takes to load the software over the internet again, using SMART DIALUP, Verizon wireless and succeeded in getting our streaming data and almost, but not all of the brokers web site we require to operate our business. In conclusion: we surmise that the problem lies with our local internet provider SMART, because of insufficient bandwidth and speeds, to properly load modern business complex software.
Out here in Western Belize area, the Belize Telecommunications Company ( BTL) providing internet, still has the twin town centers, or the icing on the cake customers congestion of town center service for internet. But SMART is rapidly putting BTL out of business. The dark horse the rumor mill says, which is the Television Cable company is still pushing westward from the coast and last I heard by the rumor mill, had passed Spanish Lookout and was approaching Bullet Tree Falls and would eventually soon reach the Twin Towns. I've used the internet FREE SERVICE at Caribbean Tire in Spanish Lookout and it is superb. I'm only guessing that is service from the CABLE company? I heard a rumor that it was 2 gigabyte speeds, compared to the 5 to 7 kbps we actually are getting with our current SMART internet service provider. Either way, as a customer I will switch to wherever I can get the best quality service at the lowest price whenever it comes.
It does look like the cable tv company is going to run both BTL and SMART out of the business. That is what competition in the free market place is about.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Government of Belize report card jumps 2 points to 60%
UDP GOVERNMENT REPORT CARD JUMPS 2 POINTS TO 60%
Thanks to elected representative RENE MONTERO of the CAYO CENTRAL voing area in Western Belize, the UDP government gets a boost to a long awaited 60% on the approval rating on their REPORT CARD.
Yesterday there was a big tent ceremony with speeches as Rene Montero, the elected representative of Cayo Central area, saw his constituents get over a 100 land lots distributed to citizens of the area of CRISTO REY.
Rene has proved to be a dynamic working elected representative for Cayo Central. He is sure to get re-elected.
p.s. ** Hey RENE we need 5 or 6 street corner culverts in Hillview that were left unfinished the last time your party was in office 15 years ago. To stop erosion of the streets in heavy rainy seasons.
*** Don't forget there was a TOWN BOARD meeting last night and high on the HILLVIEW agenda at the meeting was the request for the paving of the entrance road from the Western Highway into Santa Cruz and Hillview boulevard. Transportation was arranged from the hilltop telephone booth to the meeting, held across the river at the San Ignacio Town, San Ignacio Hotel. I didn't go, but sent a representative.
Thanks to elected representative RENE MONTERO of the CAYO CENTRAL voing area in Western Belize, the UDP government gets a boost to a long awaited 60% on the approval rating on their REPORT CARD.
Yesterday there was a big tent ceremony with speeches as Rene Montero, the elected representative of Cayo Central area, saw his constituents get over a 100 land lots distributed to citizens of the area of CRISTO REY.
Rene has proved to be a dynamic working elected representative for Cayo Central. He is sure to get re-elected.
p.s. ** Hey RENE we need 5 or 6 street corner culverts in Hillview that were left unfinished the last time your party was in office 15 years ago. To stop erosion of the streets in heavy rainy seasons.
*** Don't forget there was a TOWN BOARD meeting last night and high on the HILLVIEW agenda at the meeting was the request for the paving of the entrance road from the Western Highway into Santa Cruz and Hillview boulevard. Transportation was arranged from the hilltop telephone booth to the meeting, held across the river at the San Ignacio Town, San Ignacio Hotel. I didn't go, but sent a representative.
LORD ASHCROFT INTERNET TELEMEDIA COMPANY IN BELIZE HAS WOES!
SMART HAS INTERNET SERVICE WOES!
LORD ASHCROFT TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY HAS INTERNET SERVICE WOES in Belize!
Thanks Lynn
They don't have anything on their website about Internet service, or whatever at SMART. Nor do they have an email for SMART.
I'm not sure if it is a bandwidth problem they have, or simply lack of anyone working nights? I do have two phone numbers for technicians in the Belize City Headquarters, but after trying them yesterday evening, there was no answer from either of the telephones.
It is annoying and inconvenient for business. The evening is bad enough, that problem has been around for a long while. But now the TIME CHANGE in the USA puts New York two hours ahead of us here in Cayo West, I can't keep my web links up and the data streaming coming.
If they work office hours, that means they don't come into work before 9 a.m. local time. Since I start work at 7 a.m., I am not able to put in, or cancel orders, as every time it disconnects me with a TIMED OUT message, CANNOT CONNECT WITH REMOTE COMPUTER MESSAGE, when I try to re-do the Verizon dial up connection, then I'm screwed out of two hours work a day and endangering some big money trades.
Unfortunately, SMART is the only SERVICE for internet here in Hillview, Cayo district. BTL are a no show, and not supplying such telecommunications service. I'm told that the CABLE TV company is coming around, via the Spanish Lookout route heading West with their internet cable service and have reached Billy White village already and working on Bullet Tree Falls, then the Twin Towns is next. Can't wait until we have another internet provider out here. We need the business internet competition badly. They have great service at Caribbean Tire in Spanish Lookout, bunch of high speed DSL free computers for the public to use. Unfortunately, that is a long way from here.
--- On Fri, 3/19/10, lynn . wrote:
From: lynn .
Subject: Re: Bz-Culture: remote computer not responding at SMART INTERNET
To: "Ray Auxillou"
Cc: bz-culture@psg.com
Date: Friday, March 19, 2010, 12:21 AM
Ray, I don't see an email for Smart but their website http://www.smart-bz.com/support.php
gives phone numbers: *1090/ *1091/ *1092/ *1093 (Smart number only) for customer service.
Good luck,
Lynn
ps: under Smarts "contact us" button on that page, looks like they offer support via live chat, but that might be difficult if you can't stay connected.
On Thu, Mar 18, 2010 at 8:35 PM, Ray Auxillou wrote:
I suspect that the SMART technicians are not on duty at night at SMART. Because we are constantly getting the internet disconnected and the screen message when you try to re-dial up is that the "remote computer not responding"
This is particularly troublesome for me in business, because my work day starts at 7:30 a.m. local time, at the time the New York Stock Exchange opens for trading. My business day with the change of Eastern Standard time in the USA is now 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon.
What we get is loss of data feeds in the mornings, and any evening study work is also not worth pursuing because the SMART SERVERS are constantly switching the internet off and saying it is TIME OUT. Then to get back in you have to keep dialing up, and when you get in it is only for a short time and you get disconnected again and again.
If anybody knows the SMART email, would you please forward this? I think their office is in Belize City for technical support. I am guessing they don't have a night time technician worker or something like that?
thanks
Ray
LORD ASHCROFT TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY HAS INTERNET SERVICE WOES in Belize!
Thanks Lynn
They don't have anything on their website about Internet service, or whatever at SMART. Nor do they have an email for SMART.
I'm not sure if it is a bandwidth problem they have, or simply lack of anyone working nights? I do have two phone numbers for technicians in the Belize City Headquarters, but after trying them yesterday evening, there was no answer from either of the telephones.
It is annoying and inconvenient for business. The evening is bad enough, that problem has been around for a long while. But now the TIME CHANGE in the USA puts New York two hours ahead of us here in Cayo West, I can't keep my web links up and the data streaming coming.
If they work office hours, that means they don't come into work before 9 a.m. local time. Since I start work at 7 a.m., I am not able to put in, or cancel orders, as every time it disconnects me with a TIMED OUT message, CANNOT CONNECT WITH REMOTE COMPUTER MESSAGE, when I try to re-do the Verizon dial up connection, then I'm screwed out of two hours work a day and endangering some big money trades.
Unfortunately, SMART is the only SERVICE for internet here in Hillview, Cayo district. BTL are a no show, and not supplying such telecommunications service. I'm told that the CABLE TV company is coming around, via the Spanish Lookout route heading West with their internet cable service and have reached Billy White village already and working on Bullet Tree Falls, then the Twin Towns is next. Can't wait until we have another internet provider out here. We need the business internet competition badly. They have great service at Caribbean Tire in Spanish Lookout, bunch of high speed DSL free computers for the public to use. Unfortunately, that is a long way from here.
--- On Fri, 3/19/10, lynn .
From: lynn .
Subject: Re: Bz-Culture: remote computer not responding at SMART INTERNET
To: "Ray Auxillou"
Cc: bz-culture@psg.com
Date: Friday, March 19, 2010, 12:21 AM
Ray, I don't see an email for Smart but their website http://www.smart-bz.com/support.php
gives phone numbers: *1090/ *1091/ *1092/ *1093 (Smart number only) for customer service.
Good luck,
Lynn
ps: under Smarts "contact us" button on that page, looks like they offer support via live chat, but that might be difficult if you can't stay connected.
On Thu, Mar 18, 2010 at 8:35 PM, Ray Auxillou
I suspect that the SMART technicians are not on duty at night at SMART. Because we are constantly getting the internet disconnected and the screen message when you try to re-dial up is that the "remote computer not responding"
This is particularly troublesome for me in business, because my work day starts at 7:30 a.m. local time, at the time the New York Stock Exchange opens for trading. My business day with the change of Eastern Standard time in the USA is now 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon.
What we get is loss of data feeds in the mornings, and any evening study work is also not worth pursuing because the SMART SERVERS are constantly switching the internet off and saying it is TIME OUT. Then to get back in you have to keep dialing up, and when you get in it is only for a short time and you get disconnected again and again.
If anybody knows the SMART email, would you please forward this? I think their office is in Belize City for technical support. I am guessing they don't have a night time technician worker or something like that?
thanks
Ray
Monday, March 15, 2010
BELIZE GOVERNMENT 2010 BUDGET SPEECH
BELIZE GOVERNMENT’S 2010 BUDGET SPEECH
There were some interesting developments in the budget speech. Former PM MUSA of the PUP, now in the front bench of the Opposition PUP declared that the changes to the amount of Treasury Bills that Central Bank can issue, increases the amount of money that the Government of the day, under the UDP can borrow from Central Bank. Talked about was a 10 year Treasury BOND. Don’t quite remember the amount of expansion in domestic money borrowing was authorized in the new legislation, but MUSA the infamous architect along with his consiglieure Fonseco, have indebted the country of Belize for at least another forty years effects, in what is called the SUPER BOND.
The interest on the SUPER BOND is killing the government of the day and is expected to have effects going out another 50 years now.
Former PM Musa called the new domestic debt expansion by Treasury Bonds, the BARROW BOND. Which probably is what it is?
The difference is that the MUSA/FONSECA BOND debt, some $1.9 billion I think, if I remember it rightly, cannot be retired and paid off early. We must go to expiration , somewhere around 2029 and continue to pay the INTEREST to the COMMERCIAL BANKS abroad ( mostly the USA ). The interest on the SUPER BOND is killing the country of Belize and taking up a huge amount of revenues.
What is interesting is that the MUSA SUPERBOND is in FOREIGN EXCHANGE. The new UDP government has come up with an imaginative twist to deal with this interest. They are going to borrow domestic debt in the BARROW BOND as in a set of 10 year TREASURY BONDS, which in turn will replace those things before, bought by the government in FOREIGN EXCHANGE, needed to run the government and buy locally in local currency, using the proceeds from the BARROW BOND, freeing up FOREIGN EXCHANGE to pay the MUSA SUPER BOND interest payments.
A very imaginative solution and postponing facing the crisis of the SUPERBOND IN 2029, for at least 10 more years, as it is only the INTEREST right now on the SUPERBOND that will be paid in a round-about way with the proceeds from the BARROW BOND to start in MAY, 2010. That is the way I read it.
The DEBT to GDP RATIO of the country finances remain CLASSIFIED TOP SECRET by the Prime Minister and the only thing we have to judge the financial status of the country was the mention that the DEBT to GDP ratio will increase this coming fiscal year by 2.11% of GDP. There are many estimates of the DEBT to GDP ratio in the Private SECTOR, but because the rising debt is a chain and ball choking off our economy, the UDP government and Prime Minister Barrow refuses to tell the public what it is? Estimate guesses run anywhere from 83% DEBT of GDP to 102 % of GDP. Whatever it is, it will increase during the coming fiscal year by another 2.11% he says. That is the way I understand it.
Generally speaking the economy is working fairly well and the work carried out by Public Works and other pro-active infra-structure type Ministries of Government are doing well, using further BORROWED FOREIGN LOAN MONEY, up to date. This looks like it will be switched over the next ten years from foreign exchange works to being paid for by local Belizean currency. A definite improvement.
The government continues to GROW and EXPAND. There was no talk about better management, and legislation is badly needed to create a mandatory BALANCED BUDGET system for government fiscal responsibility. Both by central government and by government individual departments and institutions.
Interestingly, we can forsee the day when like Guatemala and Honduras, the time will come, when our teachers are not going to get paid for six months or more at a time, as the strangulation on revenues by DEBT interest payments. Sad but amusing was a USA TV announcement on their news, that some huge metropolitan city in the EASTERN USA, has closed HALF of their school system, as they lack the money to keep them open.
TAXES are going to rise. The biggest one is in the VAT, a sort of SALES Tax, going up to 12%.
It was interesting to hear that people earning below $25,000 bz a year, ( $12,500 usa ) are regarded to be below the poverty level. Me and my family are in this lower poverty bracket apparently? Anyway, families below poverty level will not pay any income tax.
There was no mention of three day work weeks, or half day work weeks for the government of Belize, as some sort of solution to meeting the crisis caused by excessive government debt.
There were some interesting developments in the budget speech. Former PM MUSA of the PUP, now in the front bench of the Opposition PUP declared that the changes to the amount of Treasury Bills that Central Bank can issue, increases the amount of money that the Government of the day, under the UDP can borrow from Central Bank. Talked about was a 10 year Treasury BOND. Don’t quite remember the amount of expansion in domestic money borrowing was authorized in the new legislation, but MUSA the infamous architect along with his consiglieure Fonseco, have indebted the country of Belize for at least another forty years effects, in what is called the SUPER BOND.
The interest on the SUPER BOND is killing the government of the day and is expected to have effects going out another 50 years now.
Former PM Musa called the new domestic debt expansion by Treasury Bonds, the BARROW BOND. Which probably is what it is?
The difference is that the MUSA/FONSECA BOND debt, some $1.9 billion I think, if I remember it rightly, cannot be retired and paid off early. We must go to expiration , somewhere around 2029 and continue to pay the INTEREST to the COMMERCIAL BANKS abroad ( mostly the USA ). The interest on the SUPER BOND is killing the country of Belize and taking up a huge amount of revenues.
What is interesting is that the MUSA SUPERBOND is in FOREIGN EXCHANGE. The new UDP government has come up with an imaginative twist to deal with this interest. They are going to borrow domestic debt in the BARROW BOND as in a set of 10 year TREASURY BONDS, which in turn will replace those things before, bought by the government in FOREIGN EXCHANGE, needed to run the government and buy locally in local currency, using the proceeds from the BARROW BOND, freeing up FOREIGN EXCHANGE to pay the MUSA SUPER BOND interest payments.
A very imaginative solution and postponing facing the crisis of the SUPERBOND IN 2029, for at least 10 more years, as it is only the INTEREST right now on the SUPERBOND that will be paid in a round-about way with the proceeds from the BARROW BOND to start in MAY, 2010. That is the way I read it.
The DEBT to GDP RATIO of the country finances remain CLASSIFIED TOP SECRET by the Prime Minister and the only thing we have to judge the financial status of the country was the mention that the DEBT to GDP ratio will increase this coming fiscal year by 2.11% of GDP. There are many estimates of the DEBT to GDP ratio in the Private SECTOR, but because the rising debt is a chain and ball choking off our economy, the UDP government and Prime Minister Barrow refuses to tell the public what it is? Estimate guesses run anywhere from 83% DEBT of GDP to 102 % of GDP. Whatever it is, it will increase during the coming fiscal year by another 2.11% he says. That is the way I understand it.
Generally speaking the economy is working fairly well and the work carried out by Public Works and other pro-active infra-structure type Ministries of Government are doing well, using further BORROWED FOREIGN LOAN MONEY, up to date. This looks like it will be switched over the next ten years from foreign exchange works to being paid for by local Belizean currency. A definite improvement.
The government continues to GROW and EXPAND. There was no talk about better management, and legislation is badly needed to create a mandatory BALANCED BUDGET system for government fiscal responsibility. Both by central government and by government individual departments and institutions.
Interestingly, we can forsee the day when like Guatemala and Honduras, the time will come, when our teachers are not going to get paid for six months or more at a time, as the strangulation on revenues by DEBT interest payments. Sad but amusing was a USA TV announcement on their news, that some huge metropolitan city in the EASTERN USA, has closed HALF of their school system, as they lack the money to keep them open.
TAXES are going to rise. The biggest one is in the VAT, a sort of SALES Tax, going up to 12%.
It was interesting to hear that people earning below $25,000 bz a year, ( $12,500 usa ) are regarded to be below the poverty level. Me and my family are in this lower poverty bracket apparently? Anyway, families below poverty level will not pay any income tax.
There was no mention of three day work weeks, or half day work weeks for the government of Belize, as some sort of solution to meeting the crisis caused by excessive government debt.
BELIZE GOVERNMENT TREASURY BILL SCAM EXPOSED?
BIG SHOCK AND SURPRISE IN THE HOUSE DEBATE ON THE TREASURY BILLS!
I'm not sure that I'm surprised really. Shocked at the amount, yes! Seems both political parties have continued a political scam on the public of Belize regarding TREASURY BILLS? Going back to when they had a MONETARY AUTHORITY.
Back then, the government only had about two banks to deal with, or maybe three? They sold treasury bills to whoever would buy them at the bank.
The last few years I've been trying to buy TREASURY BILLS and have phoned and talked to CENTRAL BANK people more than once. One time, I believe last year I was given the run--round because I had written a letter to Central Bank wanting to buy Government Treasury bills. Year after year, after year they have been advertised in the newspapers as an auction. I always suspected that it was a FARCE, a poppy show of criminality. Central Bank man phoned me at home but went around and around and lied about it.
Turns out today, the Prime Minister admitted same in the HOUSE DEBATE.
I kind of figured Treasury Bills were being assigned to the bank of choice of the political party in power. Indeed, there has been at least one bank and probably more, that have opened up, that seem to do no business, other than with the government? I had been asking Central Bank to give me the bid prices on the last couple of years of TREASURY BILLS that went to auction. They apparently NEVER EVER WENT TO AUCTION. The advertisements in the newspaper were false advertising. That is my opinion. The advertising probably required by law? Central Bank both times I remember would not tell me what TREASURY BILLS were auctioned for. Nor is the data published in the newspaper, or government GAZETTE. I was deliberately fed mis-information and discouraged into not bidding.
Turns out today, the Prime Minister said the government had been paying 11% on TREASURY BILLS. WOW!
It doesn't take much extrapolation to figure out a favorite political commercial bank has been getting the TREASURY BILLS. I had been thinking to offer between 7% and 9 % depending on what figure I could get from Central Bank on last auctions, but they were evasive and would not tell me what the six month treasury bills were selling for.
I suppose the commercial bank who got TREASURIES were paying mordida, or donating to the campaign election funds, or something? Somebody in the CABINET obviously made extra KICKBACK side money here? Have been doing it for a long while apparently?
The Prime Minister today said they were trying to make a public offering of treasuries in a real time scenario, with the current expansion of government debt borrowing using treasury bills, in the near future. Don't hold your breath though. At 11% this week, I will buy $50,000 for six months right away, THIS WEEK. My savings are in a local commercial bank and not making that much in six month CD's. Hell! I probably would transfer ALL my savings into six month treasuries at 11%.
I know I'm not going to get it though. The whole TREASURY DEAL with advertisements in the newspapers as an auction, turns out to have been a criminal excercise in my opinion. Nothing I didn't suspect, but 11% really knocked me off my feet. WOW! I hadn't realized the scam was that lucrative.
I'm not sure that I'm surprised really. Shocked at the amount, yes! Seems both political parties have continued a political scam on the public of Belize regarding TREASURY BILLS? Going back to when they had a MONETARY AUTHORITY.
Back then, the government only had about two banks to deal with, or maybe three? They sold treasury bills to whoever would buy them at the bank.
The last few years I've been trying to buy TREASURY BILLS and have phoned and talked to CENTRAL BANK people more than once. One time, I believe last year I was given the run--round because I had written a letter to Central Bank wanting to buy Government Treasury bills. Year after year, after year they have been advertised in the newspapers as an auction. I always suspected that it was a FARCE, a poppy show of criminality. Central Bank man phoned me at home but went around and around and lied about it.
Turns out today, the Prime Minister admitted same in the HOUSE DEBATE.
I kind of figured Treasury Bills were being assigned to the bank of choice of the political party in power. Indeed, there has been at least one bank and probably more, that have opened up, that seem to do no business, other than with the government? I had been asking Central Bank to give me the bid prices on the last couple of years of TREASURY BILLS that went to auction. They apparently NEVER EVER WENT TO AUCTION. The advertisements in the newspaper were false advertising. That is my opinion. The advertising probably required by law? Central Bank both times I remember would not tell me what TREASURY BILLS were auctioned for. Nor is the data published in the newspaper, or government GAZETTE. I was deliberately fed mis-information and discouraged into not bidding.
Turns out today, the Prime Minister said the government had been paying 11% on TREASURY BILLS. WOW!
It doesn't take much extrapolation to figure out a favorite political commercial bank has been getting the TREASURY BILLS. I had been thinking to offer between 7% and 9 % depending on what figure I could get from Central Bank on last auctions, but they were evasive and would not tell me what the six month treasury bills were selling for.
I suppose the commercial bank who got TREASURIES were paying mordida, or donating to the campaign election funds, or something? Somebody in the CABINET obviously made extra KICKBACK side money here? Have been doing it for a long while apparently?
The Prime Minister today said they were trying to make a public offering of treasuries in a real time scenario, with the current expansion of government debt borrowing using treasury bills, in the near future. Don't hold your breath though. At 11% this week, I will buy $50,000 for six months right away, THIS WEEK. My savings are in a local commercial bank and not making that much in six month CD's. Hell! I probably would transfer ALL my savings into six month treasuries at 11%.
I know I'm not going to get it though. The whole TREASURY DEAL with advertisements in the newspapers as an auction, turns out to have been a criminal excercise in my opinion. Nothing I didn't suspect, but 11% really knocked me off my feet. WOW! I hadn't realized the scam was that lucrative.
BELIZE AGRICULTURE REPORT MAGAZINE looking for articles.
BELIZE QUARTERLY AGRICULTURE REPORT MAGAZINE looking for articles.
Send articles to : roberson.elizabeth@gmail.com
_____________________________________
Beth ( editor )
I do think the debate on here about the Fisheries license needs to be summed up and printed in your publication. I like what I'm reading here.
Also I would like to see an article with photographs of how Running W are making those sausages they sell and I love for breakfast. It would be an educational article giving hopefully other people ideas of entrepreneurial businesses. I think whether or not they are going to export them should be mentioned.
There are many pepperonis in the USA. My all time favorite is BRIDGEFORT PEPPERONI, ( in the USA ) which is mildly hot. I'm not sure if this is smoked sausage or not? I am certainly slavering at the mouth to get a Belizean equivalent. I would suspect that if one dried habenero peppers in a dehydrator, or over a fire, and then ground the pepper into a powder and sprinkled same into the regular sausage that was then smoked so it had a shelf like in normal room temperatures, you would have a big export market. Anyway an article on how to do it, what it would take and so forth.
I make my own small quantities of beef jerky and just wish somebody would make it, so I don't have to. I use a sandwich plastic bag and slice $5 of beef every couple of weeks or so and then soak the slices of beef overnight or two, with my concoction of herbs, then microwave the strips. Usually I eat the whole darn thing in two days quickly as snacks. Be nice to smoke some too! Though that is beyond my ken.
I think your AG Report quarterly needs to get some portion of articles into the processing end of the agriculture business. That is were the eventual money will be. Would like to see an article of how they make the chicken packages they are selling locally in the Chinese stores. I constantly have chicken breasts and sausages in my freezer. Like them for breakfast. We have a kind of grill, you set over a one burner butane hot plate type thing to do them with. Though often I just fry mine mostly in the frying pan with coconut oil.
There should be an article on the PROCESSED FOOD DISTRIBUTORS in BELIZE that are buying processed cottage industry products and putting their brand name labels on stuff ( like jams, yogurts ). If you push that there are distributors, or buyers of cottage industry processed and packaged food products, there is bound to be an economic surge as a new generation take up the ideas. Lets have a detailed article on who the current distributors are and in which foreign countries they are exporting. I've heard them complain they can't get any local entrepreneurial people to produce goods for export.
Send articles to : roberson.elizabeth@gmail.com
_____________________________________
Beth ( editor )
I do think the debate on here about the Fisheries license needs to be summed up and printed in your publication. I like what I'm reading here.
Also I would like to see an article with photographs of how Running W are making those sausages they sell and I love for breakfast. It would be an educational article giving hopefully other people ideas of entrepreneurial businesses. I think whether or not they are going to export them should be mentioned.
There are many pepperonis in the USA. My all time favorite is BRIDGEFORT PEPPERONI, ( in the USA ) which is mildly hot. I'm not sure if this is smoked sausage or not? I am certainly slavering at the mouth to get a Belizean equivalent. I would suspect that if one dried habenero peppers in a dehydrator, or over a fire, and then ground the pepper into a powder and sprinkled same into the regular sausage that was then smoked so it had a shelf like in normal room temperatures, you would have a big export market. Anyway an article on how to do it, what it would take and so forth.
I make my own small quantities of beef jerky and just wish somebody would make it, so I don't have to. I use a sandwich plastic bag and slice $5 of beef every couple of weeks or so and then soak the slices of beef overnight or two, with my concoction of herbs, then microwave the strips. Usually I eat the whole darn thing in two days quickly as snacks. Be nice to smoke some too! Though that is beyond my ken.
I think your AG Report quarterly needs to get some portion of articles into the processing end of the agriculture business. That is were the eventual money will be. Would like to see an article of how they make the chicken packages they are selling locally in the Chinese stores. I constantly have chicken breasts and sausages in my freezer. Like them for breakfast. We have a kind of grill, you set over a one burner butane hot plate type thing to do them with. Though often I just fry mine mostly in the frying pan with coconut oil.
There should be an article on the PROCESSED FOOD DISTRIBUTORS in BELIZE that are buying processed cottage industry products and putting their brand name labels on stuff ( like jams, yogurts ). If you push that there are distributors, or buyers of cottage industry processed and packaged food products, there is bound to be an economic surge as a new generation take up the ideas. Lets have a detailed article on who the current distributors are and in which foreign countries they are exporting. I've heard them complain they can't get any local entrepreneurial people to produce goods for export.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
BELIZE HERBAL MEDICINES
LIVING HEALTHY WITH PAPAYA LEAVES AND RADISH PLANT LEAVES AS A TEA.
CANCER TUMORS: THE LATEST MEDICAL NEWS ON THE INTERNET SAYS THAT THE TUMORS CAN BE KILLED BY USING THE LEAVES OF THE PAPAYA PLANT.
Since we have these in our yard, all the time, as we like fresh papaya, I guess I'm going to start making PAPAYA LEAF TEA. Also read that RADISH LEAF tea is also a good thing for lots of health problems, so I guess we will do that too!
Boy this internet library is wonderful!
CANCER TUMORS: THE LATEST MEDICAL NEWS ON THE INTERNET SAYS THAT THE TUMORS CAN BE KILLED BY USING THE LEAVES OF THE PAPAYA PLANT.
Since we have these in our yard, all the time, as we like fresh papaya, I guess I'm going to start making PAPAYA LEAF TEA. Also read that RADISH LEAF tea is also a good thing for lots of health problems, so I guess we will do that too!
Boy this internet library is wonderful!
BELIZE THYROID NATURAL HEALTH CURE
The wife is a vegetarian and she has always had a recurring problem with a swelling thyroid. Doctors in the USA when we lived there, wanted to do biopsy's with a needle and put her on lifetime drugs. We refused.
Living here in Belize we discovered raw fresh RADISH grated and taken by the spoonful daily cures the swollen ( huge sometimes ) thyroid problem, solves the problem of moods and emotional swings and generally is all the medicine she needs. We have come to the conclusion some mineral, or vitamin in RADISHES is lacking in her vegetarian diet.
Whatever, we have practiced this dietary cure for a decade or so now and it WORKS!
Living here in Belize we discovered raw fresh RADISH grated and taken by the spoonful daily cures the swollen ( huge sometimes ) thyroid problem, solves the problem of moods and emotional swings and generally is all the medicine she needs. We have come to the conclusion some mineral, or vitamin in RADISHES is lacking in her vegetarian diet.
Whatever, we have practiced this dietary cure for a decade or so now and it WORKS!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
BELIZE FOREIGN POLICY ISSUE GAINS UDP GOVERNMENT 10 POINTS ON REPORT CARD to 58%
UDP GOVERNMENT GETS A BOOST OF 10 POINTS FOR FOREIGN POLICY DEVELOPMENTS. REPORT CARD GOES FROM 48% TO 58%
What happened was that Belize and Guatemala; both governments, the Congress of Guatemala and the Legislature of Belize have just signed an agreement in Guatemala City, with both President of Guatemala and Prime Minister of Belize present, in a TRADE AGREEMENT. This is called a PARTIAL SCOPE TRADE AGREEMENT. The thing is; the signing gives Belize the edge in having a huge market next door in our neighbor for us to sell things. Guatemala has a much larger economy than Belize. The Agreement is partially one side, intended to help Belize.
You have to know the background, to know why we are giving the Belize Government 10 points on their report card. We debated this and originally thought 2 points, or maybe 5 points would be enough. The agreement though small is a MONUMENTAL BREAK THROUGH IN FOREIGN POLICY BETWEEN TWO PREVIOUSLY ESTRANGED NEIGHBORS.
Putting the obvious TRADE issues aside, you have to look at the Congress of Guatemala and the Legislature of Belize, both elected people, have put aside old dividing issues over the old Colonial issues between Guatemala and the UK and are now working in recognition of each as neighbors and respecting the sovereignty of each other's country, borders and all that means. While the GUATEMALAN claim still exists in their Constitution, it no longer has any practical effect in the current real world. We just need to ignore it.
The approval and signing by the Congress of Guatemala and the President of Guatemala with Prime Minister of Belize, defacto recognizes Belize as a SOVEREIGN NEIGHBOR, government to government by their elected bodies is a MONUMENTAL STEP.
The time when a rabid RACIST BLACK PANTHER GROUP out of South Side, port of Belize City, played the racist card and divided the nation of Belize and our foreign relations spin off, seems to have died a quiet death. There was a time, within the last two years, when even our Attorney General was talking about eventual WAR with Guatemala. The racism was that bad down in our coastal port. The misconceptions and Black Panther, trouble makers continued to work overtime in our black populated port, South side.
Other effects are that the UDP new Government is now recognizing that our economic future lies more with our Latin neighbors, who are accessible by plane, road, car, truck and highway transportation. This is a huge turn--round in attitude.
It opens our door to much greater opportunities to come. As part of a Central American market, our capacity to expand our economy and provide local jobs, is only limited by our imagination and entrepreneurial educational systems, in jump starting a new generation of youngsters to recognize and work and take advantage of what is available to them. Look WEST young people, LOOK WEST!
Guatemala is going through a huge change of democratic development. Long riddled by corruption, military mafia groups with hit squads, crooked politicians and administrative bureaucrats, the parallel paralyzing criminal groups are being laid low, our Ambassador to Belize said on TV tonight. He explained that a GOVERNMENT DRUG DEPARTMENT CHIEF was recently sent to jail. Two National Chiefs of Police have ended up in jail in the last seven months, one ex-President of Guatemala is going to go to court and probably will end up in jail for embezzling government money, he is out on bail. ( his travel documents have been seized ) Our Ambassador of Belize to Guatemala said; he believes that Guatemalan President Colom is a GOOD MAN and honest. I believe our Ambassador when he says that. He said, he ( President Colom ) has just been crippled politically in his administration, by parallel organized criminal groups with members in leadership positions, all through the administration of bureaucratic government in Guatemala. The United Nations has a team in Guatemala of over a 100 people rooting out the criminals from government at the request of the President of Guatemala. They are meeting with some success in fighting corruption over there.
On the other hand, I am struck by the difference between BELIZE and CARICOM, and when one watches CARIBBEAN NEWS on television channel 5 in Belize. There is no NEWS out of the CARICOM countries! It is all EGO's, politicians grandstanding and spouting words and bombast. Protests and marches to get votes in the next elections. Night after night listening to wanna be politicians lusting after a government position to feed at the tax trough. Nobody in the CARICOM countries are doing any work, or governing. They dress in English suits, and wear ties in a hot humid tropical country, like so many ORGAN GRINDER monkey's in London's U.K. Hyde Park, with their hands out at the begging ( gimme dollar ) trough, from the international community.
CARICOM has no leaders! That is why this FOREIGN POLICY step is so important to BELIZE. It is based not on EGO's, politics, racism, but on plain common sense economics. Chase the DOLLAR mon! Go where the money is and our economy can build.
Recognizing that, the impact of switch by the UDP government in dealing with our greater Latin neighbors and foreign policy initiatives, means instead of 2 points, or 5 points we gave them 10 points. It's all about attitude and policy mon!
Way to go UDP for the FOREIGN POLICY LEADERSHIP.
What happened was that Belize and Guatemala; both governments, the Congress of Guatemala and the Legislature of Belize have just signed an agreement in Guatemala City, with both President of Guatemala and Prime Minister of Belize present, in a TRADE AGREEMENT. This is called a PARTIAL SCOPE TRADE AGREEMENT. The thing is; the signing gives Belize the edge in having a huge market next door in our neighbor for us to sell things. Guatemala has a much larger economy than Belize. The Agreement is partially one side, intended to help Belize.
You have to know the background, to know why we are giving the Belize Government 10 points on their report card. We debated this and originally thought 2 points, or maybe 5 points would be enough. The agreement though small is a MONUMENTAL BREAK THROUGH IN FOREIGN POLICY BETWEEN TWO PREVIOUSLY ESTRANGED NEIGHBORS.
Putting the obvious TRADE issues aside, you have to look at the Congress of Guatemala and the Legislature of Belize, both elected people, have put aside old dividing issues over the old Colonial issues between Guatemala and the UK and are now working in recognition of each as neighbors and respecting the sovereignty of each other's country, borders and all that means. While the GUATEMALAN claim still exists in their Constitution, it no longer has any practical effect in the current real world. We just need to ignore it.
The approval and signing by the Congress of Guatemala and the President of Guatemala with Prime Minister of Belize, defacto recognizes Belize as a SOVEREIGN NEIGHBOR, government to government by their elected bodies is a MONUMENTAL STEP.
The time when a rabid RACIST BLACK PANTHER GROUP out of South Side, port of Belize City, played the racist card and divided the nation of Belize and our foreign relations spin off, seems to have died a quiet death. There was a time, within the last two years, when even our Attorney General was talking about eventual WAR with Guatemala. The racism was that bad down in our coastal port. The misconceptions and Black Panther, trouble makers continued to work overtime in our black populated port, South side.
Other effects are that the UDP new Government is now recognizing that our economic future lies more with our Latin neighbors, who are accessible by plane, road, car, truck and highway transportation. This is a huge turn--round in attitude.
It opens our door to much greater opportunities to come. As part of a Central American market, our capacity to expand our economy and provide local jobs, is only limited by our imagination and entrepreneurial educational systems, in jump starting a new generation of youngsters to recognize and work and take advantage of what is available to them. Look WEST young people, LOOK WEST!
Guatemala is going through a huge change of democratic development. Long riddled by corruption, military mafia groups with hit squads, crooked politicians and administrative bureaucrats, the parallel paralyzing criminal groups are being laid low, our Ambassador to Belize said on TV tonight. He explained that a GOVERNMENT DRUG DEPARTMENT CHIEF was recently sent to jail. Two National Chiefs of Police have ended up in jail in the last seven months, one ex-President of Guatemala is going to go to court and probably will end up in jail for embezzling government money, he is out on bail. ( his travel documents have been seized ) Our Ambassador of Belize to Guatemala said; he believes that Guatemalan President Colom is a GOOD MAN and honest. I believe our Ambassador when he says that. He said, he ( President Colom ) has just been crippled politically in his administration, by parallel organized criminal groups with members in leadership positions, all through the administration of bureaucratic government in Guatemala. The United Nations has a team in Guatemala of over a 100 people rooting out the criminals from government at the request of the President of Guatemala. They are meeting with some success in fighting corruption over there.
On the other hand, I am struck by the difference between BELIZE and CARICOM, and when one watches CARIBBEAN NEWS on television channel 5 in Belize. There is no NEWS out of the CARICOM countries! It is all EGO's, politicians grandstanding and spouting words and bombast. Protests and marches to get votes in the next elections. Night after night listening to wanna be politicians lusting after a government position to feed at the tax trough. Nobody in the CARICOM countries are doing any work, or governing. They dress in English suits, and wear ties in a hot humid tropical country, like so many ORGAN GRINDER monkey's in London's U.K. Hyde Park, with their hands out at the begging ( gimme dollar ) trough, from the international community.
CARICOM has no leaders! That is why this FOREIGN POLICY step is so important to BELIZE. It is based not on EGO's, politics, racism, but on plain common sense economics. Chase the DOLLAR mon! Go where the money is and our economy can build.
Recognizing that, the impact of switch by the UDP government in dealing with our greater Latin neighbors and foreign policy initiatives, means instead of 2 points, or 5 points we gave them 10 points. It's all about attitude and policy mon!
Way to go UDP for the FOREIGN POLICY LEADERSHIP.
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