GSU ( Government Special Unit -police )
The coastal port town,GSU ( gang suppression unit was designed to fight gangs in the port town ) made a surprise stealth attack, in the interior capital city of Belmopan, at 4 a.m. in the morning on the home of a Club owner and a family. No one knows the reason why? All the police will say, is it was a TIP. From the results and reports, it seems more likely POLITICAL?
The capital city Belmopan Club owner, claims he works 16 hour days and earns his money honestly. He does not know why he was targeted. Woken up by his wife at 4 a.m., after getting home after closing his club at 2 a.m. he was told by his wife, that there were invisible people moving around his yard. The Belmopan ( capital ) police dispatcher was called and told him to barricade his family in the house. All their police were accounted for and not involved. They were sending a patrol unit to rescue them. A battering on his front door, led him to fire a couple of shots from his licensed pistol through the door, to dissuade the HOME INVASION. Claims by CRIMINALS that they said they were POLICE have been used many times in the country of Belize by murderers and rapists and other HOME INVASION attackers. The GSU video of the operation, showed they were dressed in BLACK, invisible and were only softly whispering they were police, with the police video taken outside the house.
The door was breached and lo and behold it was the coastal port town, GSU Unit invading the premises in the far away interior capital, at 4 a.m. in the darkness. Nobody knows why? They found nothing after ransacking the house and arresting the occupants. The GSU commandos are only cannon fodder and claim they were acting on orders and following their training and protocol.
A number of questions arise over this HOME INVASION? If they wanted the Club Owner, why didn´t they go to the CLUB two hours earlier and talk to him, and or arrest him? Or do so at breakfast time? If they wanted to search the house, why didn´t they surround the house in daylight and then search the house? Why was the Belmopan police department not tasked to do this? In response they said, to his warning shots through the door, the GSU police unit opened fire with hundreds of rounds, ( corrected after the fact, to 4 dozen rounds ) penetrating the house from high velocity bullets, penetrating steel and concrete block. Why they did not withdraw and form a perimeter is not known. Why they would fire on a residential house of a businessman in the interior capital city of Belmopan, outside of their jurisdiction and purpose, and his family containing women and children at night, is not known. They claim it was surpressing fire. Yeah! Sure! You are going to riddle a residential house with high velocity bullets, in which you SHOULD KNOW if you did your intelligence right, was filled with women and children. What kind of police protocol is that? Something out of FBI American Television?
The family is in jail. The husband was not killed, nor anyone else, but while down on the floor the GSU unit kicked him unmercifully in the head and face and other parts of his body. Breaking his nose and breaking his jaw leaving him unconscious for a long time. The wife was in hysterics and the children and housekeeper as they cowered and listened terrified while GSU members argued about killing them outright or not.
Don´t come to Belize to live, if you fear this type of police brutality! Quadaffi in Libya and leaders in Arab countries are not the only ones with violent police.
Friday, May 27, 2011
FLAMING TIRES BLOCK MAJOR HIGHWAYS IN BELIZE OVER alleged UDP PARTY CORRUPTION.
BUS OPERATORS BURN TIRES ON NORTHERN AND WESTERN SINGLE HIGHWAY SYSTEM, BLOCKING TRAFFIC FOR HALF A DAY.
By the time the evening news reports came on cable TV, the picture became more clear and suspicions started to coalesce into a feeling of certainty.
The government of Belize is run by a gang called a political party. This UDP party in control of the government and government doings and institutions had a clique supported by the rest of the non-involved gang in the CABINET UDP party. You scratch my back and if you can make some money out of your Cabinet Ministry, then I will support you is the rule. In this particular case what is becoming clear, is that there has been a planned political clique in the CABINET to invade and make a HOSTILE TAKEOVER of the most lucrative and rewarding bus runs in the country, along the cross country Western Highway and the Northern Highway. The two busiest single road systems in the country, with the most traffic populations and earnings.
What is mysterious is the sudden surprise appearance of a rumored 20 or so new school buses from California under a new company name, called WESTLINE. This company had no bus runs, no experience, had no runs, never existed before, but have come into the country of Belize with political backing and finance from some mysterious Cabinet UDP backer, at least a few million dollars worth.
Immediately the current furor is over the UDP Cabinet Minister, Melvin Hulse cancelling the bus runs on both lucrative Western highways and Northern Highways and re-issuing the permits for these runs to the brand new bus company. Turns out the company is fronted by a UDP insider, one Mr. Chuc, but he certainly did not have the millions to order all these buses. So where did the finance come from? Lord Ashcroft, one wag hinted with a smile.
The bus system is diversified among many small independent operators. This is good for the country, because it gives security in time of disasters, like hurricanes and earthquakes. The new apparently UDP political HOSTILE TAKEOVER PLAN is intended to squeeze out the small independents and take over their permitted bus runs and create a monopoly of a money making best segments of the bus transportation industry. You can smell the political greed and anticipation coming from the political backed financiers. Their identity yet unknown.
The small bus operators are united into two organizations and revolted, putting flaming tires blocking the Northern and Western highway. Politicians are always greedy and always looking for ways to takeover successful money making businesses and the chosen method of doing so, is by the PERMIT and LICENSE process, which is controlled by a CABINET POLITICIAN and then backed by the criminal political party gang controlling the government. The story never changes, just human nature at work.
This is the first organized corrupt foray, misusing government institutions of this magnitude, this term, by the new UDP political party, acting as managers of the government bureaucracy, into using the institutional bureaucracy and trappings of government to make themselves totally rich. The Prime Minister is noted for nepotism and making his family and relatives rich, of government work contracts and jobs, but up until now, he has governed reasonably well, and the public voters though not liking such nepotism, have winked and closed their eye to the practice, because we got reasonably good government back by doing so and the field of possible leaders is tremendously small in such a small country.
Johnny Briceno aspirant OPPOSITION leader, hopeful future Prime Minister and his well known gang of political PUP party thieves, tried to make hay over the issue in TV interviews at the highway blockade against a background of crowds and smoke from burning tires. There is probably not a hope of them ( the PUP ) doing that, as they have a bad reputation for thievery from the government treasury. The current UDP party are apparently now getting the same reputation, due to this HOSTILE BUS TAKEOVER MONOPOLY political play.
There are a couple of third party groups contesting elections, but they really have an opportunity here, if they can get themselves organized on a national level, for every seat. The voting public is clamoring for a change and the UDP have severely damaged any good faith and credibility they might have built up over the past couple of years.
The situation is still in play and may work itself out over the weekend with endless meetings. The small independent operators are being squeezed out, using the institutions of government to push them out, through cancelling their permits, and or by negotiating away their business runs in compromises, in favor of this new UDP backed bus Westline company.
By the time the evening news reports came on cable TV, the picture became more clear and suspicions started to coalesce into a feeling of certainty.
The government of Belize is run by a gang called a political party. This UDP party in control of the government and government doings and institutions had a clique supported by the rest of the non-involved gang in the CABINET UDP party. You scratch my back and if you can make some money out of your Cabinet Ministry, then I will support you is the rule. In this particular case what is becoming clear, is that there has been a planned political clique in the CABINET to invade and make a HOSTILE TAKEOVER of the most lucrative and rewarding bus runs in the country, along the cross country Western Highway and the Northern Highway. The two busiest single road systems in the country, with the most traffic populations and earnings.
What is mysterious is the sudden surprise appearance of a rumored 20 or so new school buses from California under a new company name, called WESTLINE. This company had no bus runs, no experience, had no runs, never existed before, but have come into the country of Belize with political backing and finance from some mysterious Cabinet UDP backer, at least a few million dollars worth.
Immediately the current furor is over the UDP Cabinet Minister, Melvin Hulse cancelling the bus runs on both lucrative Western highways and Northern Highways and re-issuing the permits for these runs to the brand new bus company. Turns out the company is fronted by a UDP insider, one Mr. Chuc, but he certainly did not have the millions to order all these buses. So where did the finance come from? Lord Ashcroft, one wag hinted with a smile.
The bus system is diversified among many small independent operators. This is good for the country, because it gives security in time of disasters, like hurricanes and earthquakes. The new apparently UDP political HOSTILE TAKEOVER PLAN is intended to squeeze out the small independents and take over their permitted bus runs and create a monopoly of a money making best segments of the bus transportation industry. You can smell the political greed and anticipation coming from the political backed financiers. Their identity yet unknown.
The small bus operators are united into two organizations and revolted, putting flaming tires blocking the Northern and Western highway. Politicians are always greedy and always looking for ways to takeover successful money making businesses and the chosen method of doing so, is by the PERMIT and LICENSE process, which is controlled by a CABINET POLITICIAN and then backed by the criminal political party gang controlling the government. The story never changes, just human nature at work.
This is the first organized corrupt foray, misusing government institutions of this magnitude, this term, by the new UDP political party, acting as managers of the government bureaucracy, into using the institutional bureaucracy and trappings of government to make themselves totally rich. The Prime Minister is noted for nepotism and making his family and relatives rich, of government work contracts and jobs, but up until now, he has governed reasonably well, and the public voters though not liking such nepotism, have winked and closed their eye to the practice, because we got reasonably good government back by doing so and the field of possible leaders is tremendously small in such a small country.
Johnny Briceno aspirant OPPOSITION leader, hopeful future Prime Minister and his well known gang of political PUP party thieves, tried to make hay over the issue in TV interviews at the highway blockade against a background of crowds and smoke from burning tires. There is probably not a hope of them ( the PUP ) doing that, as they have a bad reputation for thievery from the government treasury. The current UDP party are apparently now getting the same reputation, due to this HOSTILE BUS TAKEOVER MONOPOLY political play.
There are a couple of third party groups contesting elections, but they really have an opportunity here, if they can get themselves organized on a national level, for every seat. The voting public is clamoring for a change and the UDP have severely damaged any good faith and credibility they might have built up over the past couple of years.
The situation is still in play and may work itself out over the weekend with endless meetings. The small independent operators are being squeezed out, using the institutions of government to push them out, through cancelling their permits, and or by negotiating away their business runs in compromises, in favor of this new UDP backed bus Westline company.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
UDP LOSES 2 POINTS ON PERFORMANCE REPORT, to 60%
UDP Cabinet member, MELVIN HULSE, a rural politician constantly reduces the UDP approval ratings report card.UDP POLITICIAN, MELVIN HULSE SENDS BUS TRANSPORTATION BUSINESS INTO CHAOS!
UDP GOVERNMENT LOSES 2 POINTS FROM THEIR PERFORMANCE REPORT CARD OVER MINISTER OF TRANSPORT, MELVIN HULSE, MIS-MANAGEMENT OF THE BUS TRANSPORTATION BUSINESS THROUGHOUT BELIZE.
TV NEWS on local channels on cable last night, the 24th, of May, 2011, were full of the fiasco over bus runs, zoning, and other alleged inproprieties over favoritism and lack of transportation department dealing with bus problems, seemingly done in an ad hoc, autocratic, knee jerk manner. Impressions are: Autocratic, Melvin Hulse, BIG TALKER, but non-performer! No planning, or capability in dealing with public transportation problems for past three years while in office. No legal procedures, office administrative procedures, rules being followed, or any sort of organized process, to applying, qualifying, or processing transportation systems for the general public good. Totally chaotic is the impression and a FUEDAL KINGDOM ruled by whim and self interest, not by an organized bureaucracy system.
Belize and Guatemala our neighbor lack GOVERNMENT POLICIES governing self sustainable electric sources.
BELIZE AND GUATEMALA HAVE NO GOVERNMENT POLICIES IN PLACE TO FOSTER ALTERNATIVE GREEN FUEL SUBSTITUTES FOR THE DRAIN ON FOREIGN EXCHANGE OCCURING BY IMPORTING ELECTRICITY, OR FOSSIL FUELS TO MAKE ELECTRICITY
Guatemala does have a small ethanol from sugar and sugar by products enterprise. There is however, no guidance, subsidies, or favorable policies to make the country self sufficient in energy methods to produce electricity. Neither does Belize.
Guatemala does have a small ethanol from sugar and sugar by products enterprise. There is however, no guidance, subsidies, or favorable policies to make the country self sufficient in energy methods to produce electricity. Neither does Belize.
Is it the language ARABIC, or the RELIGION MUSLIM, that denies people FREEDOM?
ARABIC WORLD AFFAIRS!
Israel Ambassador to the USA, made a good point in a TV interview last night. He said, in a vast swath of countries, sweeping across two continents, from, the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan, to the horn of Africa in Morroco, all the countries of the ARAB MUSLIM religious world, are POLICE STATE TYRANNIES,, with torture, jail and murder the norm in politics. Israel is the only COUNTRY in that whole region, with 6 million population of which 1 million are ARAB MUSLIM Israeli citizens, is a democracy.
Is it the language ARABIC, or the RELIGION that denies pèople FREEDOM?
Israel Ambassador to the USA, made a good point in a TV interview last night. He said, in a vast swath of countries, sweeping across two continents, from, the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan, to the horn of Africa in Morroco, all the countries of the ARAB MUSLIM religious world, are POLICE STATE TYRANNIES,, with torture, jail and murder the norm in politics. Israel is the only COUNTRY in that whole region, with 6 million population of which 1 million are ARAB MUSLIM Israeli citizens, is a democracy.
Is it the language ARABIC, or the RELIGION that denies pèople FREEDOM?
Monday, May 23, 2011
WHO CARES IN BELIZE IF COLD FUSION IS CONTROVERSIAL? Either it works and is replicable, or it doesn´t.
Latest additions of information.
Some new additional tidbits of information. June 3rd, 2011. The Rossi reactor ( small stainless steel pipe ) is heated with an electrical resistor inside the pipe. The powdered nickel is the catalyst, and theories are that it is the hydrogen gas, that produces the reaction. How is not clear yet theoretically. Anyway, you hit the reactor with a 1000 watts of heat to start the process, then turn it back to 80 watts of heat for operation. This produces around 10 KW of heat which must be siphoned off, usually with water. To stop the reaction, you turn off the 80 watts of heat and release hydrogen gas, to reduce pressure. There is a limit you can go with pressurizing the hydrogen, as otherwise the heat grows so much, the reactor will blow up.
There is an alternative company working with this, using radio frequency waves from outside in a coil, to provide input heat. They call their company BLACKLIGHT POWER.
Rossi catalyzer demo for Swedish skeptics society. The shielding was taken off so you could see other units and how they are made and work.
DEBATE ABOUT LOCAL SMALL BELIZE NEWSPAPER ( THE REPORTER ) TO ESTABLISH A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT COMPETITION TO prove or disprove, THE Bologne, Italy, COLD FUSION DEMONSTRATION!
I disagree Lan. First off, it is a cheap experiment. Secondly the payoff, if replicable, is HUGE for Belize. Thirdly, I dislike the term COLD FUSION, it seems to be no more than a chemical reaction, like poyester resin with catalyst, or epoxy resin with a catalyst. Both create heat, according to the amount of catalyst added and the ambient atmospheric temperature.( 5 minutes to 1 hour normally ) In the case of hydrogen gas and nickel grains, with pressure effecting the reaction and ambient temperature raised by the addition of a small amount of heat to the nickel to get it going. I wonder actually if it is the nickel being effected? Because hydrogen gas with heat would expand enormously and increase the pressure astronomically? Don´t know enough though.
Can the experiment be replicated? That is the question. If it can, it makes possible micro generator production of electricity at the rural farm level in Belize very practical, for a 5 kw generator, or a simple automobile junk alternator to charge a battery bank. Exportable product to Guatemala for sure. All you would need for a ranch house, or farm house.
The difference seems to be in the length of time for the reaction that creates heat. They are saying they stopped after six months of heat production. That the reaction continued in the catalyctic process. Don´t let COLD FUSION jargon confuse you, or throw you off from if replicable, a possible source of cheap home electricity around the world.
Plus a bit of advertising of the experimental results, failing or confirming the results would go a long way to put Belize on the map of the world in a different manner than done with tourism.
A real science competition as easy as this to do, would be a real kick in the butt of our educational system, if the REPORTER or some other media did a series of articles on it.
--- On Sun, 5/22/11, Lan Sluder wrote:
From: Lan Sluder
Subject: Re: Bz-Culture: Think of the interest and possibilities with a series of articles on a science experiment?
To: "Ray Auxillou"
Date: Sunday, May 22, 2011, 10:44 AM
Interesting idea, Ray, but so-called cold fusion is such a controversial idea it might be better initially to get Belizean students involved in something more mainstream and practical.
On Sun, May 22, 2011 at 9:38 AM, Ray Auxillou wrote:
To the EDITOR OF THE REPORTER newspaper.
Care to RISK a $1000 PRIZE on a science competition experiment? Could be good for a series of articles on science and students applied science in Belize. If the prize for a science experiment is not won, you gain a series of useful and interesting, articles on our society of youth. If it is won, you have just vindicated a heat source, that can quickly be turned into micro generators manufactured in Belize for the production of electricity. Open to High School students, ITVET, University of Belize students, or even freelance groups. First one to achieve proof, WINS! If nobody does, you lose no money. That is a story or a lot of stories in of itself.
$1000 PRIZE for the first group, to replicate the April, 2011, COLD FUSION experiments held in Italy, in which nickel and hydrogen gas, create heat in a catylictic reaction.
Experiment parameters to qualify: 1) Use a candle to provide heat to the nickel.
2) Container for the experiment should be registering heat of 100 C or greater. Enough to boil water. 3) Sustained heat for 4 weeks, or 1 month.
WINNER TO do this claims the $1000 PRIZE. FAILURES are good fodder for articles to encourage youth in Belize to innovate, but do not collect anything. Cost of materials for the experiment are less than $100. Well within the ability of Belizeans science groups to attempt.
Applications are primary as a heat source for ORGANIC RANKIN CYCLE micro generators to produce electricity, can replace more expensive solar parabolic collectors. Articles are found on: http://westernbelizehappenings.blogspot.com
What is claimed by the Italian exeriment, is that they get 300 C to 400 C temperatures for a six month period.
___________________________________________
Friday, May 20, 2011
University of Belize to explore Cold Fusion heat source?
ITALIAN COLD FUSION WORKS?
You use a container that can heat nickel ( Ni ) nano size grains of powder, pressurized by hydrogen gas. This produces massive amounts of heat, over a period of time, and copper.
Can this be used as a heat source in Belize for an Organic Rankin micro generator? Maybe our lab students at the University of Belize in the practical, APPLIED MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT can tell us?
____________________________________________
My understanding is that they have produced 250 kwh from a consumption of 0.25 g of H2 ( hydrogen gas ) and nano sized powder NI ( nickel grains ), for a continuous period of six months.
Now how would you use this in an experiment? I presume you could use either a special made copper pot, or pyrex glass container? Just guessing, you would heat the bottom where the nickel dust is lying in the pot, heat the pot with a bunsen burner, or candle maybe? The nucleur reaction ( catalytic process like mixing fiberglass resin ) that turns the nickel into copper, would provide heat. how much pressure is needed for the hydrogen gas I don´t know? Certainly you can provide 30 to 100 lbs of pressure with local materials and tanks. Instead of a conventional lid, you would want a flat lid, so you could heat water, or tubing outside the pot, with glycol, antifreeze liquid, or something similar until it vaporizes and goes to the spiral aluminum turbine, which in turn would spin the generator up to 20,000 rpm I think car alternators draw down the rpms as the load slows it down to around 8000 rpm someplace I read on this high rpm spiral turbines, producing 50 amps. From there, the vapor would go to a condensor and be cooled back to a liquid. I believe I read you can get 300 to 500 celsius heat out of this fusion nuclear reaction.
Back in my sailing yachting days, we used to run a 3 hp Briggs and Stratton engine, to spin a car alternator and charge a yacht battery. Took about 15 minutes at 30 to 50 amps. So I can see such a micro generator charging a bigger battery bank at 50 amps. If one went to LED reading lights, that are very low wattage, but focused beams and instead of having fluorescent lights covering a room, you had a half dozen reading LED lights of micro wattage scattered around the walls of a room, you could get enough light to do anything needed in a rural area and cheap electricity at that.
Seems to be a worthwhile lab experiment for the University of Belize, applied mechanical engineering ( RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ) department? Curious minds want to know how it works out?
If we are going to copy the example of the Growth of BRAZIL, we need to do this stuff at our PUBLIC UNIVERSITY in Belize.
Posted by Western Belize Happenings! at 8:12 AM 0 comments
All size of heat operated micro generate FREE production of electricity plants.
SMALL SCALE ( 1 KW ) TO BIGGER ELECTRICAL PRODUCTION USING THE ORGANIC RANKING CYCLE, TURBINE SYSTEM
http://www.infinityturbine.com/ORC/ORC_Waste_Heat_Turbine.html
Posted by Western Belize Happenings! at 7:34 AM 0 comments
the UNIVERSITY OF BELIZE LACK OF APPLIED MECHANICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH LAB PROBLEM IN BELIZE.
THE APPLIED MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, SHOULD BE DUPLICATING, AND VERIFYING THESE THERMAL GAINS. IF TRUE? CAN BE DUPLICATED, ALL MANNER OF ELECTRICAL POWER PRODUCTION IS POSSIBLE IN RURAL BELIZE, SAVING OUR FOREIGN EXCHANGE AND RELIANCE ON FOREIGN ENERGY SUPPLIES
The return of cold fusion?
As example -- in the comments:
gernos on May 19, 2011 - 3:47pm
I understand why you have got this impression, because it is what Rossi and Focardi themselves tend to believe. However, they are not theorists, admit they haven't the slightest notion of what is going on, and have absolutely no evidence to support Widom's or any other proposed mechanism. Focardi (Rossi is really only the backer) has taken a entirely pragmatic suck-it-and-see approach to this since he first published in 1994. He just claims to produce heat at 400 celsius - lots of it - from a miniscule consumption of H2 and Ni nanopowder.
(circa 250 KWh from a consumption of 0.25g H2 and 2.5g Ni each and every day for around six months)
[My comment: Tack on a low and very fair 30% thermal to electric conversion efficiency -- 250 * .30 = 75 kwE (meaning electric power "out") -- for six months -- using "0.25g H2 and 2.5g Ni" -- now that is as close to "free" as one can get!!]
Having met him a couple of times, I am completely convinced by his honesty. Of all the possible interpretations, this is NOT a scam. For one thing, R&F wouldn't have invited the boss of the physics dept of Bologna from whom they lease the lab space to the public demonstrations in February. Needless to say, he left the meeting entirely convinced by the huge exothermy, in common with all other 50 participants, many of whom are highly qualified scientists.
I have every sympathy with people who see this as yet another free energy scam. Thermodynamics-violating free energy scams annoy me more than most, probably because I studied, researched and taught quantum physics at Oxford University from 1978-1999. However, for a number of reasons that I find compelling, the details of which I will not bore you all with here, I remain convinced that: Its Different This Time.
Posted by Western Belize Happenings! at 7:18 AM 0 comments
________________________________________
Smaller System with Great Results
The test was performed on a much smaller version of the E-Cat. The previous version of the E-Cat had a reactor volume of about one liter. This system has a reactor volume of only one twentieth of a liter. Four E-Cat systems were present, but only one was tested. The remaining units had their shielding and insulation removed. This allowed for their construction to be seen.
This new model of E-Cat consists of a stainless steel reactor vessel which is placed inside of a copper pipe. Water flows between the copper pipe and the steel reactor vessel. There are inlets for both water and hydrogen gas. The reactor is activated by current flowing through a resistor which is wrapped around the outside of the copper pipe. When a certain temperature is reached the reaction begins. The setup is truly simple. It reminds me of old pipework from many years ago.
Additional items found out, 2.2 lbs of nickle powder produces 10 kw over 10,000 hrs.
The experimental unit had lead shielding, as there is some gamma ray, during the turn on and turn off time. Nobody understands how it works atomically. There is no waste radiation when you turn it off.
Some new additional tidbits of information. June 3rd, 2011. The Rossi reactor ( small stainless steel pipe ) is heated with an electrical resistor inside the pipe. The powdered nickel is the catalyst, and theories are that it is the hydrogen gas, that produces the reaction. How is not clear yet theoretically. Anyway, you hit the reactor with a 1000 watts of heat to start the process, then turn it back to 80 watts of heat for operation. This produces around 10 KW of heat which must be siphoned off, usually with water. To stop the reaction, you turn off the 80 watts of heat and release hydrogen gas, to reduce pressure. There is a limit you can go with pressurizing the hydrogen, as otherwise the heat grows so much, the reactor will blow up.
There is an alternative company working with this, using radio frequency waves from outside in a coil, to provide input heat. They call their company BLACKLIGHT POWER.
Rossi catalyzer demo for Swedish skeptics society. The shielding was taken off so you could see other units and how they are made and work.DEBATE ABOUT LOCAL SMALL BELIZE NEWSPAPER ( THE REPORTER ) TO ESTABLISH A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT COMPETITION TO prove or disprove, THE Bologne, Italy, COLD FUSION DEMONSTRATION!
I disagree Lan. First off, it is a cheap experiment. Secondly the payoff, if replicable, is HUGE for Belize. Thirdly, I dislike the term COLD FUSION, it seems to be no more than a chemical reaction, like poyester resin with catalyst, or epoxy resin with a catalyst. Both create heat, according to the amount of catalyst added and the ambient atmospheric temperature.( 5 minutes to 1 hour normally ) In the case of hydrogen gas and nickel grains, with pressure effecting the reaction and ambient temperature raised by the addition of a small amount of heat to the nickel to get it going. I wonder actually if it is the nickel being effected? Because hydrogen gas with heat would expand enormously and increase the pressure astronomically? Don´t know enough though.
Can the experiment be replicated? That is the question. If it can, it makes possible micro generator production of electricity at the rural farm level in Belize very practical, for a 5 kw generator, or a simple automobile junk alternator to charge a battery bank. Exportable product to Guatemala for sure. All you would need for a ranch house, or farm house.
The difference seems to be in the length of time for the reaction that creates heat. They are saying they stopped after six months of heat production. That the reaction continued in the catalyctic process. Don´t let COLD FUSION jargon confuse you, or throw you off from if replicable, a possible source of cheap home electricity around the world.
Plus a bit of advertising of the experimental results, failing or confirming the results would go a long way to put Belize on the map of the world in a different manner than done with tourism.
A real science competition as easy as this to do, would be a real kick in the butt of our educational system, if the REPORTER or some other media did a series of articles on it.
--- On Sun, 5/22/11, Lan Sluder
From: Lan Sluder
Subject: Re: Bz-Culture: Think of the interest and possibilities with a series of articles on a science experiment?
To: "Ray Auxillou"
Date: Sunday, May 22, 2011, 10:44 AM
Interesting idea, Ray, but so-called cold fusion is such a controversial idea it might be better initially to get Belizean students involved in something more mainstream and practical.
On Sun, May 22, 2011 at 9:38 AM, Ray Auxillou
To the EDITOR OF THE REPORTER newspaper.
Care to RISK a $1000 PRIZE on a science competition experiment? Could be good for a series of articles on science and students applied science in Belize. If the prize for a science experiment is not won, you gain a series of useful and interesting, articles on our society of youth. If it is won, you have just vindicated a heat source, that can quickly be turned into micro generators manufactured in Belize for the production of electricity. Open to High School students, ITVET, University of Belize students, or even freelance groups. First one to achieve proof, WINS! If nobody does, you lose no money. That is a story or a lot of stories in of itself.
$1000 PRIZE for the first group, to replicate the April, 2011, COLD FUSION experiments held in Italy, in which nickel and hydrogen gas, create heat in a catylictic reaction.
Experiment parameters to qualify: 1) Use a candle to provide heat to the nickel.
2) Container for the experiment should be registering heat of 100 C or greater. Enough to boil water. 3) Sustained heat for 4 weeks, or 1 month.
WINNER TO do this claims the $1000 PRIZE. FAILURES are good fodder for articles to encourage youth in Belize to innovate, but do not collect anything. Cost of materials for the experiment are less than $100. Well within the ability of Belizeans science groups to attempt.
Applications are primary as a heat source for ORGANIC RANKIN CYCLE micro generators to produce electricity, can replace more expensive solar parabolic collectors. Articles are found on: http://westernbelizehappenings.blogspot.com
What is claimed by the Italian exeriment, is that they get 300 C to 400 C temperatures for a six month period.
___________________________________________
Friday, May 20, 2011
University of Belize to explore Cold Fusion heat source?
ITALIAN COLD FUSION WORKS?
You use a container that can heat nickel ( Ni ) nano size grains of powder, pressurized by hydrogen gas. This produces massive amounts of heat, over a period of time, and copper.
Can this be used as a heat source in Belize for an Organic Rankin micro generator? Maybe our lab students at the University of Belize in the practical, APPLIED MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT can tell us?
____________________________________________
My understanding is that they have produced 250 kwh from a consumption of 0.25 g of H2 ( hydrogen gas ) and nano sized powder NI ( nickel grains ), for a continuous period of six months.
Now how would you use this in an experiment? I presume you could use either a special made copper pot, or pyrex glass container? Just guessing, you would heat the bottom where the nickel dust is lying in the pot, heat the pot with a bunsen burner, or candle maybe? The nucleur reaction ( catalytic process like mixing fiberglass resin ) that turns the nickel into copper, would provide heat. how much pressure is needed for the hydrogen gas I don´t know? Certainly you can provide 30 to 100 lbs of pressure with local materials and tanks. Instead of a conventional lid, you would want a flat lid, so you could heat water, or tubing outside the pot, with glycol, antifreeze liquid, or something similar until it vaporizes and goes to the spiral aluminum turbine, which in turn would spin the generator up to 20,000 rpm I think car alternators draw down the rpms as the load slows it down to around 8000 rpm someplace I read on this high rpm spiral turbines, producing 50 amps. From there, the vapor would go to a condensor and be cooled back to a liquid. I believe I read you can get 300 to 500 celsius heat out of this fusion nuclear reaction.
Back in my sailing yachting days, we used to run a 3 hp Briggs and Stratton engine, to spin a car alternator and charge a yacht battery. Took about 15 minutes at 30 to 50 amps. So I can see such a micro generator charging a bigger battery bank at 50 amps. If one went to LED reading lights, that are very low wattage, but focused beams and instead of having fluorescent lights covering a room, you had a half dozen reading LED lights of micro wattage scattered around the walls of a room, you could get enough light to do anything needed in a rural area and cheap electricity at that.
Seems to be a worthwhile lab experiment for the University of Belize, applied mechanical engineering ( RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ) department? Curious minds want to know how it works out?
If we are going to copy the example of the Growth of BRAZIL, we need to do this stuff at our PUBLIC UNIVERSITY in Belize.
Posted by Western Belize Happenings! at 8:12 AM 0 comments
All size of heat operated micro generate FREE production of electricity plants.
SMALL SCALE ( 1 KW ) TO BIGGER ELECTRICAL PRODUCTION USING THE ORGANIC RANKING CYCLE, TURBINE SYSTEM
http://www.infinityturbine.com/ORC/ORC_Waste_Heat_Turbine.html
Posted by Western Belize Happenings! at 7:34 AM 0 comments
the UNIVERSITY OF BELIZE LACK OF APPLIED MECHANICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH LAB PROBLEM IN BELIZE.
THE APPLIED MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, SHOULD BE DUPLICATING, AND VERIFYING THESE THERMAL GAINS. IF TRUE? CAN BE DUPLICATED, ALL MANNER OF ELECTRICAL POWER PRODUCTION IS POSSIBLE IN RURAL BELIZE, SAVING OUR FOREIGN EXCHANGE AND RELIANCE ON FOREIGN ENERGY SUPPLIES
The return of cold fusion?
As example -- in the comments:
gernos on May 19, 2011 - 3:47pm
I understand why you have got this impression, because it is what Rossi and Focardi themselves tend to believe. However, they are not theorists, admit they haven't the slightest notion of what is going on, and have absolutely no evidence to support Widom's or any other proposed mechanism. Focardi (Rossi is really only the backer) has taken a entirely pragmatic suck-it-and-see approach to this since he first published in 1994. He just claims to produce heat at 400 celsius - lots of it - from a miniscule consumption of H2 and Ni nanopowder.
(circa 250 KWh from a consumption of 0.25g H2 and 2.5g Ni each and every day for around six months)
[My comment: Tack on a low and very fair 30% thermal to electric conversion efficiency -- 250 * .30 = 75 kwE (meaning electric power "out") -- for six months -- using "0.25g H2 and 2.5g Ni" -- now that is as close to "free" as one can get!!]
Having met him a couple of times, I am completely convinced by his honesty. Of all the possible interpretations, this is NOT a scam. For one thing, R&F wouldn't have invited the boss of the physics dept of Bologna from whom they lease the lab space to the public demonstrations in February. Needless to say, he left the meeting entirely convinced by the huge exothermy, in common with all other 50 participants, many of whom are highly qualified scientists.
I have every sympathy with people who see this as yet another free energy scam. Thermodynamics-violating free energy scams annoy me more than most, probably because I studied, researched and taught quantum physics at Oxford University from 1978-1999. However, for a number of reasons that I find compelling, the details of which I will not bore you all with here, I remain convinced that: Its Different This Time.
Posted by Western Belize Happenings! at 7:18 AM 0 comments
________________________________________
Smaller System with Great Results
The test was performed on a much smaller version of the E-Cat. The previous version of the E-Cat had a reactor volume of about one liter. This system has a reactor volume of only one twentieth of a liter. Four E-Cat systems were present, but only one was tested. The remaining units had their shielding and insulation removed. This allowed for their construction to be seen.
This new model of E-Cat consists of a stainless steel reactor vessel which is placed inside of a copper pipe. Water flows between the copper pipe and the steel reactor vessel. There are inlets for both water and hydrogen gas. The reactor is activated by current flowing through a resistor which is wrapped around the outside of the copper pipe. When a certain temperature is reached the reaction begins. The setup is truly simple. It reminds me of old pipework from many years ago.
Additional items found out, 2.2 lbs of nickle powder produces 10 kw over 10,000 hrs.
The experimental unit had lead shielding, as there is some gamma ray, during the turn on and turn off time. Nobody understands how it works atomically. There is no waste radiation when you turn it off.
Friday, May 20, 2011
University of Belize to explore Cold Fusion heat source?
ITALIAN COLD FUSION WORKS?
You use a container that can heat nickel ( Ni ) nano size grains of powder, pressurized by hydrogen gas. This produces massive amounts of heat, over a period of time, and copper.
Can this be used as a heat source in Belize for an Organic Rankin micro generator? Maybe our lab students at the University of Belize in the practical, APPLIED MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT can tell us?
____________________________________________
My understanding is that they have produced 250 kwh from a consumption of 0.25 g of H2 ( hydrogen gas ) and nano sized powder NI ( nickel grains ), for a continuous period of six months.
Now how would you use this in an experiment? I presume you could use either a special made copper pot, or pyrex glass container? Just guessing, you would heat the bottom where the nickel dust is lying in the pot, heat the pot with a bunsen burner, or candle maybe? The nucleur reaction that turns the nickel into copper, would provide heat. how much pressure is needed for the hydrogen gas I don´t know? Certainly you can provide 30 to 100 lbs of pressure with local materials and tanks. Instead of a conventional lid, you would want a flat lid, so you could heat water, or tubing outside the pot, with glycol, antifreeze liquid, or something similar until it vaporizes and goes to the spiral aluminum turbine, which in turn would spin the generator up to 20,000 rpm I think car alternators draw down the rpms as the load slows it down to around 8000 rpm someplace I read on this high rpm spiral turbines, producing 50 amps. From there, the vapor would go to a condensor and be cooled back to a liquid. I believe I read you can get 300 to 500 celsius heat out of this fusion nuclear reaction.
Back in my sailing yachting days, we used to run a 3 hp Briggs and Stratton engine, to spin a car alternator and charge a yacht battery. Took about 15 minutes at 30 to 50 amps. So I can see such a micro generator charging a bigger battery bank at 50 amps. If one went to LED reading lights, that are very low wattage, but focused beams and instead of having fluorescent lights covering a room, you had a half dozen reading LED lights of micro wattage scattered around the walls of a room, you could get enough light to do anything needed in a rural area and cheap electricity at that.
Seems to be a worthwhile lab experiment for the University of Belize, applied mechanical engineering ( RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ) department? Curious minds want to know how it works out?
If we are going to copy the example of the Growth of BRAZIL, we need to do this stuff at our PUBLIC UNIVERSITY in Belize.
You use a container that can heat nickel ( Ni ) nano size grains of powder, pressurized by hydrogen gas. This produces massive amounts of heat, over a period of time, and copper.
Can this be used as a heat source in Belize for an Organic Rankin micro generator? Maybe our lab students at the University of Belize in the practical, APPLIED MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT can tell us?
____________________________________________
My understanding is that they have produced 250 kwh from a consumption of 0.25 g of H2 ( hydrogen gas ) and nano sized powder NI ( nickel grains ), for a continuous period of six months.
Now how would you use this in an experiment? I presume you could use either a special made copper pot, or pyrex glass container? Just guessing, you would heat the bottom where the nickel dust is lying in the pot, heat the pot with a bunsen burner, or candle maybe? The nucleur reaction that turns the nickel into copper, would provide heat. how much pressure is needed for the hydrogen gas I don´t know? Certainly you can provide 30 to 100 lbs of pressure with local materials and tanks. Instead of a conventional lid, you would want a flat lid, so you could heat water, or tubing outside the pot, with glycol, antifreeze liquid, or something similar until it vaporizes and goes to the spiral aluminum turbine, which in turn would spin the generator up to 20,000 rpm I think car alternators draw down the rpms as the load slows it down to around 8000 rpm someplace I read on this high rpm spiral turbines, producing 50 amps. From there, the vapor would go to a condensor and be cooled back to a liquid. I believe I read you can get 300 to 500 celsius heat out of this fusion nuclear reaction.
Back in my sailing yachting days, we used to run a 3 hp Briggs and Stratton engine, to spin a car alternator and charge a yacht battery. Took about 15 minutes at 30 to 50 amps. So I can see such a micro generator charging a bigger battery bank at 50 amps. If one went to LED reading lights, that are very low wattage, but focused beams and instead of having fluorescent lights covering a room, you had a half dozen reading LED lights of micro wattage scattered around the walls of a room, you could get enough light to do anything needed in a rural area and cheap electricity at that.
Seems to be a worthwhile lab experiment for the University of Belize, applied mechanical engineering ( RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ) department? Curious minds want to know how it works out?
If we are going to copy the example of the Growth of BRAZIL, we need to do this stuff at our PUBLIC UNIVERSITY in Belize.
All size of heat operated micro generate FREE production of electricity plants.
SMALL SCALE ( 1 KW ) TO BIGGER ELECTRICAL PRODUCTION USING THE ORGANIC RANKING CYCLE, TURBINE SYSTEM
http://www.infinityturbine.com/ORC/ORC_Waste_Heat_Turbine.html
http://www.infinityturbine.com/ORC/ORC_Waste_Heat_Turbine.html
the UNIVERSITY OF BELIZE LACK OF APPLIED MECHANICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH LAB PROBLEM IN BELIZE.
THE APPLIED MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, SHOULD BE DUPLICATING, AND VERIFYING THESE THERMAL GAINS. IF TRUE? CAN BE DUPLICATED, ALL MANNER OF ELECTRICAL POWER PRODUCTION IS POSSIBLE IN RURAL BELIZE, SAVING OUR FOREIGN EXCHANGE AND RELIANCE ON FOREIGN ENERGY SUPPLIES
The return of cold fusion?
As example -- in the comments:
gernos on May 19, 2011 - 3:47pm
I understand why you have got this impression, because it is what Rossi and Focardi themselves tend to believe. However, they are not theorists, admit they haven't the slightest notion of what is going on, and have absolutely no evidence to support Widom's or any other proposed mechanism. Focardi (Rossi is really only the backer) has taken a entirely pragmatic suck-it-and-see approach to this since he first published in 1994. He just claims to produce heat at 400 celsius - lots of it - from a miniscule consumption of H2 and Ni nanopowder.
(circa 250 KWh from a consumption of 0.25g H2 and 2.5g Ni each and every day for around six months)
[My comment: Tack on a low and very fair 30% thermal to electric conversion efficiency -- 250 * .30 = 75 kwE (meaning electric power "out") -- for six months -- using "0.25g H2 and 2.5g Ni" -- now that is as close to "free" as one can get!!]
Having met him a couple of times, I am completely convinced by his honesty. Of all the possible interpretations, this is NOT a scam. For one thing, R&F wouldn't have invited the boss of the physics dept of Bologna from whom they lease the lab space to the public demonstrations in February. Needless to say, he left the meeting entirely convinced by the huge exothermy, in common with all other 50 participants, many of whom are highly qualified scientists.
I have every sympathy with people who see this as yet another free energy scam. Thermodynamics-violating free energy scams annoy me more than most, probably because I studied, researched and taught quantum physics at Oxford University from 1978-1999. However, for a number of reasons that I find compelling, the details of which I will not bore you all with here, I remain convinced that: Its Different This Time.
The return of cold fusion?
As example -- in the comments:
gernos on May 19, 2011 - 3:47pm
I understand why you have got this impression, because it is what Rossi and Focardi themselves tend to believe. However, they are not theorists, admit they haven't the slightest notion of what is going on, and have absolutely no evidence to support Widom's or any other proposed mechanism. Focardi (Rossi is really only the backer) has taken a entirely pragmatic suck-it-and-see approach to this since he first published in 1994. He just claims to produce heat at 400 celsius - lots of it - from a miniscule consumption of H2 and Ni nanopowder.
(circa 250 KWh from a consumption of 0.25g H2 and 2.5g Ni each and every day for around six months)
[My comment: Tack on a low and very fair 30% thermal to electric conversion efficiency -- 250 * .30 = 75 kwE (meaning electric power "out") -- for six months -- using "0.25g H2 and 2.5g Ni" -- now that is as close to "free" as one can get!!]
Having met him a couple of times, I am completely convinced by his honesty. Of all the possible interpretations, this is NOT a scam. For one thing, R&F wouldn't have invited the boss of the physics dept of Bologna from whom they lease the lab space to the public demonstrations in February. Needless to say, he left the meeting entirely convinced by the huge exothermy, in common with all other 50 participants, many of whom are highly qualified scientists.
I have every sympathy with people who see this as yet another free energy scam. Thermodynamics-violating free energy scams annoy me more than most, probably because I studied, researched and taught quantum physics at Oxford University from 1978-1999. However, for a number of reasons that I find compelling, the details of which I will not bore you all with here, I remain convinced that: Its Different This Time.
JATROPHA TREE PRODUCED - BIO DIESEL CROP RUNS INTO TROUBLE IN GUATEMALA AND BELIZE.
JATROPHA TREE PRODUCED - BIO DIESEL CROP RUNS INTO TROUBLE IN GUATEMALA AND BELIZE.
Government Subsidies Crucial to Develop Guatemala's Biodiesel Industry - Executive Says
By Ivan Castano, Contributor | May 18, 2011
Guatemala-- Guatemala must introduce a subsidies program to develop its biodiesel industry at a time when producing the cleaner fuel has become increasingly competitive and costly in the Central American country, a leading industry executive said.
"Biodiesel is an emerging industry but it could become much bigger if the government introduced subsidies," said Luis Rodolfo Montes Osorio, general manager of Biocombustibles de Guatemala. A dearth of raw materials to make the fuel has made it virtually impossible to produce at competitive prices against diesel. "There isn't enough used oil or plant feedstock and when there is it's expensive as most of it goes to the food sector," Montes added.
Because of a tough market, Biocombustibles de Guatemala was forced to shut its biodiesel refinery last year and may not be able to re-open it until 2016 when it hopes plans to harvest jatropha curcas will bear fruit.
"We are working hard to develop and improve the crop but this could take 5-10 years," Montes said, adding that so far the company has 40 harvested hectares. "If the government helped, we could start producing biodiesel sooner."
Montes hopes a national election in November will usher a new administration with a more ambitious green agenda.
Guatemala has a small sugar-ethanol industry which also doesn't benefit from subsidies. There also isn't a renewable energy development scheme or target in place.
Other initiatives to build biodiesel are small, Montes added, with Pollo Campero (a major fast-food chain) recycling some of its oil to produce biodiesel for its vehicle fleet. Some government municipalities have also engaged in biodiesel production and promotional programs, Montes added.
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/05/government-subsidies-crucial-to-develop-guatemalas-biodiesel-industry-executive-says?cmpid=rss
______________________________________________
In Belize the Jatropha tree crop for bio diesel is a hard sell, though Belize Ag Report promotes the subject in articles. Unfortunately there is a long time span required to get an orchard going. Followed by the lack of production and processing data, financial motion investment reward studies.
_________________________________________
Government Subsidies Crucial to Develop Guatemala's Biodiesel Industry - Executive Says
By Ivan Castano, Contributor | May 18, 2011
Guatemala-- Guatemala must introduce a subsidies program to develop its biodiesel industry at a time when producing the cleaner fuel has become increasingly competitive and costly in the Central American country, a leading industry executive said.
"Biodiesel is an emerging industry but it could become much bigger if the government introduced subsidies," said Luis Rodolfo Montes Osorio, general manager of Biocombustibles de Guatemala. A dearth of raw materials to make the fuel has made it virtually impossible to produce at competitive prices against diesel. "There isn't enough used oil or plant feedstock and when there is it's expensive as most of it goes to the food sector," Montes added.
Because of a tough market, Biocombustibles de Guatemala was forced to shut its biodiesel refinery last year and may not be able to re-open it until 2016 when it hopes plans to harvest jatropha curcas will bear fruit.
"We are working hard to develop and improve the crop but this could take 5-10 years," Montes said, adding that so far the company has 40 harvested hectares. "If the government helped, we could start producing biodiesel sooner."
Montes hopes a national election in November will usher a new administration with a more ambitious green agenda.
Guatemala has a small sugar-ethanol industry which also doesn't benefit from subsidies. There also isn't a renewable energy development scheme or target in place.
Other initiatives to build biodiesel are small, Montes added, with Pollo Campero (a major fast-food chain) recycling some of its oil to produce biodiesel for its vehicle fleet. Some government municipalities have also engaged in biodiesel production and promotional programs, Montes added.
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/05/government-subsidies-crucial-to-develop-guatemalas-biodiesel-industry-executive-says?cmpid=rss
______________________________________________
In Belize the Jatropha tree crop for bio diesel is a hard sell, though Belize Ag Report promotes the subject in articles. Unfortunately there is a long time span required to get an orchard going. Followed by the lack of production and processing data, financial motion investment reward studies.
_________________________________________
Thursday, May 19, 2011
LACKING APPLIED MECHANICAL ENGINEERING IN BELIZE EDUCATION
APPLIED MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY STUDENTS, OR COMMUNITY COLLEGE LEVEL ITVET
A BEEEG PROBLEM in our small country of Belize, is that our two Universities are relatively NEW in years and they concentrate on impractical CIVIL SERVICE type academic degrees, as they are easier to teach and require less equipment and investment.
What Belize needs is an APPLIED MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SCHOOL LEVEL DEPARTMENT.
Someplace we can teach students and youths HOW TO MAKE THINGS? Considering in the next ten years we are looking at 150,240 new young adults entering our work force, from existing school populations. ( Where will the jobs come from? ) ( The LORD helps those that help themselves. ) We will not be able to build our GDP and tax base, without our students of today, having more capabilities than just academic frills and such degrees currently being taught in our current tertiary education. Our civil service and salaried paid job situation is limited. As in any young developing country we need entrepreneurs, but entrepreneurs often need to learn on the job and acquire experience with little money. Here is an example of something that can be manufactured in Belize and is not being manufactured anyplace else in the world. Yet working models have been done in the past.
I´m referring to the ORMAT 4 kw regnerator which has operated without attention over a span of 35 years, or similar designs.
Currently the Mechanical Engineering students in California are making pilot samples of a micro generator system for the outback of Lesotho, in Africa. Why can´t our educators get such programs established here in tertiary education in Belize? The USA studends, particular model, of micro generator is made from salvaged junk auto parts. You need an alternator, an old car radiator to act as a condensor to cool the refrigerant, a power steering car pump, which can be used to return the fluid to the solar heater, or other boiler. A spiral turbine can be welded up in aluminum locally, to spin a car alternator directly, or a washing machine motor.
ref: http://www.stginternational.org.team.html A parabolic solar curved panel is easily made, most piping is available locally in hardware stores. Glycol or numerous refrigerants are available to apply as the heat liquid.
To make an ORC, ORGANIC RANKING CYCLE engine produces 20% efficiencies. Sunlight is free, granite pebbles from the Mountain Pine Ridge are low cost for a heat storage tank and once made, it should run for years. Producing electricity.
Lets say SPONSERS within Belize, or the GOVERNMENT put up a PRIZE of $100,000 to the first group of applied mechanical engineering students at the University of Belize to build such a working micro generator? Would that be the start of a NEW BELIZE?
We have people building ultra light aircraft here. People build boats here. A big DREDGE has been built here. The education just has to be re-routed at our PUBLIC OWNED UNIVERSITY. We need an applied mechanical engineering department. There are no end of development projects to be working on. Must we always be admiring places like BRAZIL for their ability to become the 4th biggest economic powerhouse in the world. Can´t we do it also?
________________________________________
Comment: Well said. They are pushing the same in the states-STEM subjects-Science, Technology, Engineering, Math. Belizean students generally rank highly in math and science abroad because they generally get a good base in primary & secondary schools. Time this type of education to good use now with inventions and increased manufacturing in Belize. The US is trying to refocus on the same as not much is made in the US anymore and therefore most of the jobs have gone overseas. Belize had a college dedicated to the STEM subjects years ago called BELCAST (Belize College of Arts, Science & TEchnology) but they closed it down for some reason or another when they came up with the UB system. Big mistake.
Sharon Urscheler SUrscheler@msn.com
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Growing shrimp in retirement in Belize, organically?
Shrimp farming small scale in Belize, environmentally sound practices.
May 14, 2011, 7:14 am
Farming Shrimp With the Planet in Mind
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
7:41 a.m. | Updated
Here’s a shout-out to the amazing team of Pace University graduate and undergraduate students who, led by professor Maria Luskay (with my assistance), just completed the short documentary “Linda Thornton: Seeking Sustainability, One Shrimp at a Time.” I hope you’ll give it a look and offer your reaction.
The film chronicles the lifelong effort by Thornton, an Illinois native transplanted to Belize, to farm shrimp while leaving as small an imprint on ecosystems and waters as possible. She’s largely succeeded, as you’ll see, and is working with the World Wildlife Fund to try to develop a standard for farm-raised shrimp that can provide consumers with the confidence that they can enjoy this immensely popular seafood and a thriving environment, as well.
The film spans three decades, following Thornton’s journey from early experiments with urban indoor shrimp farming in Chicago to hard-won success in Belize, a country aiming to build its economy without harming its extraordinary natural assets – particularly its coastal mangrove forests and thriving coral reefs.
Undaunted by a boating accident that in 1994 took the lives of her husband and two other men and left her partially paralyzed, Thornton rebuilt her body and her early Belizean pig-farming business. After initial confrontations with environmental groups fighting a wave of shrimp farm development that was damaging coastal ecosystems from Asia to the Americas, Thornton, together with Tim Smith, a biologist working for the World Wildlife Fund, refined methods for controlling feed and water that dramatically cut pollution.
Nearly all of the shrimp raised at the three farms where Thornton works never leave the Caribbean. But other efforts are under way to grow shrimp for American restaurants and shoppers without antibiotics or the environmental impacts associated with old methods for farming, or netting, shrimp. One of the most interesting is the Blue Oasis Pure Shrimp facility outside of Las Vegas that is preparing for its first harvest of several million shrimp this fall. (Here’s a recent CNN report on the operation.) My prediction is that such enterprises will spread, redefining “local food.”
A few reviews of the Pace students’ film have started to come in, including these thoughts from Carl Safina, the marine biologist, conservationist and author of a string of fine books exploring marine life and ways to fit human aspirations on a finite planet:
This is an engaging and exquisitely executed project on a very worthwhile issue. It makes me want to go to Belize, meet her, and see this shrimp farm in operation. The video helps enable us to envision a solution, which is my definition of hope. Inspiring and well-done!
Randy Olson, the marine biologist turned filmmaker and science-communication evangelist, has given a thumbs up.
There’s another nice aspect to this project. Interviews with Tim Smith and another biologist, Sean Ledwin of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, were videotaped by journalism students at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and through the Planet Forward project based at The George Washington University. The potential for more collaborative student-created journalism is unlimited.
Please pass this post around to seafood and ocean lovers. You can also follow the film on Facebook and Twitter @got_shrimp, and at the students’ blog on the project.
May 14, 2011, 7:14 am
Farming Shrimp With the Planet in Mind
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
7:41 a.m. | Updated
Here’s a shout-out to the amazing team of Pace University graduate and undergraduate students who, led by professor Maria Luskay (with my assistance), just completed the short documentary “Linda Thornton: Seeking Sustainability, One Shrimp at a Time.” I hope you’ll give it a look and offer your reaction.
The film chronicles the lifelong effort by Thornton, an Illinois native transplanted to Belize, to farm shrimp while leaving as small an imprint on ecosystems and waters as possible. She’s largely succeeded, as you’ll see, and is working with the World Wildlife Fund to try to develop a standard for farm-raised shrimp that can provide consumers with the confidence that they can enjoy this immensely popular seafood and a thriving environment, as well.
The film spans three decades, following Thornton’s journey from early experiments with urban indoor shrimp farming in Chicago to hard-won success in Belize, a country aiming to build its economy without harming its extraordinary natural assets – particularly its coastal mangrove forests and thriving coral reefs.
Undaunted by a boating accident that in 1994 took the lives of her husband and two other men and left her partially paralyzed, Thornton rebuilt her body and her early Belizean pig-farming business. After initial confrontations with environmental groups fighting a wave of shrimp farm development that was damaging coastal ecosystems from Asia to the Americas, Thornton, together with Tim Smith, a biologist working for the World Wildlife Fund, refined methods for controlling feed and water that dramatically cut pollution.
Nearly all of the shrimp raised at the three farms where Thornton works never leave the Caribbean. But other efforts are under way to grow shrimp for American restaurants and shoppers without antibiotics or the environmental impacts associated with old methods for farming, or netting, shrimp. One of the most interesting is the Blue Oasis Pure Shrimp facility outside of Las Vegas that is preparing for its first harvest of several million shrimp this fall. (Here’s a recent CNN report on the operation.) My prediction is that such enterprises will spread, redefining “local food.”
A few reviews of the Pace students’ film have started to come in, including these thoughts from Carl Safina, the marine biologist, conservationist and author of a string of fine books exploring marine life and ways to fit human aspirations on a finite planet:
This is an engaging and exquisitely executed project on a very worthwhile issue. It makes me want to go to Belize, meet her, and see this shrimp farm in operation. The video helps enable us to envision a solution, which is my definition of hope. Inspiring and well-done!
Randy Olson, the marine biologist turned filmmaker and science-communication evangelist, has given a thumbs up.
There’s another nice aspect to this project. Interviews with Tim Smith and another biologist, Sean Ledwin of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, were videotaped by journalism students at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and through the Planet Forward project based at The George Washington University. The potential for more collaborative student-created journalism is unlimited.
Please pass this post around to seafood and ocean lovers. You can also follow the film on Facebook and Twitter @got_shrimp, and at the students’ blog on the project.
The trouble with our University of Belize
http://www.stginternational.org/team.html
For a country like Belize just on the cusp of approaching light manufacturing, projects like here, using standard off the shelf materials from hardware stores, or junk parts, using knowledge by practical applied mechanical engineers. This project is in Lesotho, Africa and could well be made in BELIZE, at low cost. Unfortunately we are not producing applied mechanical engineers in our Universities. It´s all academics for the civil service. All you need is a junk washing machine motor.
For a country like Belize just on the cusp of approaching light manufacturing, projects like here, using standard off the shelf materials from hardware stores, or junk parts, using knowledge by practical applied mechanical engineers. This project is in Lesotho, Africa and could well be made in BELIZE, at low cost. Unfortunately we are not producing applied mechanical engineers in our Universities. It´s all academics for the civil service. All you need is a junk washing machine motor.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
GUATEMALAN CAMPESIONS CONTINUE TO INVADE BELIZE FOREST RESERVES.
GUATEMALA CAMPESINOS CONTINUE TO DESTROY BELIZE NATIONAL FOREST RESERVES.
Belizeans are not allowed by their government to farm along the frontier, because they are designated Forest Reserves. Guatemalans however can do so, and INVADE at will, due to lack of oversight and enforcement, and marking of border with a fence line.
Western Belize's border corridor with Guatemala is a vast expanse of green, much of it within protected areas. But in 2009 studies showed that during a 20 year span, eight thousand acres of the Chiquibul Forest and 3,500 acres of the Caracol Archaeological Reserve were fragmented - which means the forest, was lost, either denuded, altered or burnt
And it continues…
Today, with the Friends for Conservation and Development and the Lighthawk Organization, 7news went on a flyover of a portion of the western border with Guatemala. We saw many areas of the forest, burnt and cleared by Guatemalans. Rafael Manzanero, the Executive Director Of Friends For Conservation And Development narrated what looked troubling from above:..
Rafael Manzanero, Executive Director Of Friends For Conservation And Development
"In terms of the over flight which we did this morning with Lighthawk it is obvious that there is a progressive move of agricultural farms that are to occur inside of Belize by Guatemalan locals who are found nearby the border. we did an over flight one year ago and in terms of looking at that particular landscape and what we have observe of course is a recurrence of agricultural farming taking place inside of Belize. Like last year - this year we are still seeing a progressive move by farmers in moving from Guatemala into Belize for agricultural purposes. we all know already that the main crops are being planted along that border consists of corn, black beans and also pumpkin seeds. In terms of the change - what we are observing is that it has really been rather difficult for the agencies and authorities to contain that border and thus what we are obviously looking at is still an ongoing movement on people planting along that borderline. It is possible at all we still need to verify it, there might be over some 300 acres or more of areas that have been used especially for this year. We are still making the analysis, we need to get a better feeder but we understand that there would be about 30 areas already cleared for this year alone. But never the less the main point here to indicate is that the area is extremely porous. The border is very extent and so really we do require more resources in terms of being able to monitor, to be able to patrol and be able to contain that border. We are rapidly working with authorities to see how we can come about with a comprehensive borderline plan of action because certainly this is a trend that we have seen over the years and it will require considerable resources and planning and strategic move in terms of seeing how we can be more effective in deterring thus particular encroachments right along the western border."
Accompanying us on the flyover was a BDF Representative to make an aerial assessment for the army.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Fortis declares a dividend. Fortis manages electricity in Belize and other countries.
Fortis a Canadian company that manages electricity in different countries as their major business, but has others, just declared a dividend. Belize is wholly managed by FORTIS for electrical supply.
FORTIS is managing the electrical supply of Belize adequately and on the whole, the general population are happy with their management administration for electrical services.
The biggest problems with electrical supply, or electricity produced by competitive producers of electricity, is the lack of a law allowing NET METERING. Most newer investments in electrical supply for a national self sufficiency, research and experimentation show, will be small cottage industry electrical production on the low end of the scale. From windmills, solar farms, hydro dams of small scale and so forth. The lack of the ability to freely produce electricity and sell it back to the National Grid on a sporadic basis ( e.g.: during hours of sunlight for example ) is the biggest stumbling block to our nation becoming self sufficient in electricity. To do so, would save oodles of FOREIGN EXCHANGE, currently spent on imported diesel fuels, or buying electricity from MEXICO. The FUTURE for Belize in creating adequate supplies of electricity, is going to be several decades of transformation as newer technologies become financially practical for electrical production. We need to foster the turnover research and development of these newer technologies and applied science, by passing laws making NET METERING MANDATORY. Then in the future when crisis occur, the solutions will be instant expansion of small scale successful systems. Make no mistake about it, ENERGY in the form of ELECTRICITY is the KEY for GDP and economic independence. Without it, you cannot as a country go anywhere. Foresight and planning already has dictated that NET METERING is needed as a country policy and while the effect immediately is not expected to be any more than a nuisance to FORTIS and the NATIONAL GRID, and possibly the Government Bureaucracy and Politics, in the LONG RUN, only opening up this PANDORAS BOX, are we going to be READY, as in BEING PREPARED for outside world disasters, crippling otherwise our small country and any economy we develope. It is a mistake being made by our politicians not to encourage small trial endeavors of producing electricity for the NATIONAL GRID, by passing NET METERING as a mandatory regulation.
FORTIS is managing the electrical supply of Belize adequately and on the whole, the general population are happy with their management administration for electrical services.
The biggest problems with electrical supply, or electricity produced by competitive producers of electricity, is the lack of a law allowing NET METERING. Most newer investments in electrical supply for a national self sufficiency, research and experimentation show, will be small cottage industry electrical production on the low end of the scale. From windmills, solar farms, hydro dams of small scale and so forth. The lack of the ability to freely produce electricity and sell it back to the National Grid on a sporadic basis ( e.g.: during hours of sunlight for example ) is the biggest stumbling block to our nation becoming self sufficient in electricity. To do so, would save oodles of FOREIGN EXCHANGE, currently spent on imported diesel fuels, or buying electricity from MEXICO. The FUTURE for Belize in creating adequate supplies of electricity, is going to be several decades of transformation as newer technologies become financially practical for electrical production. We need to foster the turnover research and development of these newer technologies and applied science, by passing laws making NET METERING MANDATORY. Then in the future when crisis occur, the solutions will be instant expansion of small scale successful systems. Make no mistake about it, ENERGY in the form of ELECTRICITY is the KEY for GDP and economic independence. Without it, you cannot as a country go anywhere. Foresight and planning already has dictated that NET METERING is needed as a country policy and while the effect immediately is not expected to be any more than a nuisance to FORTIS and the NATIONAL GRID, and possibly the Government Bureaucracy and Politics, in the LONG RUN, only opening up this PANDORAS BOX, are we going to be READY, as in BEING PREPARED for outside world disasters, crippling otherwise our small country and any economy we develope. It is a mistake being made by our politicians not to encourage small trial endeavors of producing electricity for the NATIONAL GRID, by passing NET METERING as a mandatory regulation.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
PERU, COLOMBIA, MEXICO AND CHILE FORM A FEDERATION FOR ECONOMIC TRADE AND WELL BEING OF THEIR DEMOCRACIES
ALBA CONFEDERATION OF LATIN AMERICA MEETS A NEW COUNTERPOINT CONFEDERATION for the hearts and minds of free citizens.
The would be President for Life tyrants, of Latin America, with their ALBA FEDERATION, now has competition for the hearts and minds of the peoples of Latin America. Four Latin American countries have formed the PACIFIC ALLIANCE. All have coasts on the Pacific, and ASIA is the new growth area for both exports and imports.
The NEW competitive business alliance was signed in LIMA, PERU this past week. Participating countries are Peru, Colombia, Mexico and Chile. Only Brazil an ALBA CONFEDERATION dictatorship type movement and the fourth largest economy in the world is left out, of what could be the biggest move in decades to improve the economies and democracies of Latin America. The FOUR presidents at the signing said that they believe the intergration and complementing of our economies and visions for the future, will augment existing FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS. These four PACIFIC COAST countries down in the Southern hemisphere represent 55% of the Latin American exports together and 35% of the Southern continent GDP. The future they feel is with trade with Japan and China.
BELIZE SPINEY LOBSTER FISHERY DEBATE GETS HOT!
THE SPINEY LOBSTER DEBATE IN BELIZE
Senior Fisheries Officer, George Myvett replied to criticisms of his bureaucratic department with a long paid ad in the Reporter newspaper. The man explained his case well and defended his department´s decisions and regulations with gusto. The main issue were an article by somebody called Judge Kenneth Gale. That writer we have all learned is a concerned person about development issues and constantly writes articles creating a furor in local circles with his criticisms. The articles are good in that they do make us take a second look at the status quo. We have also learned that Mr. Gale, does not do proper research, but writes articles based on his opinions, stating these as FACTS. It did the cockles of my heart good, to read the paid ad by our FISHERIES OFFICER George Myvett rebutting the conclusions and opinions of Mr. Gale. Between Mr. Gale and Trevor Vernon we have some opinionated persons, who write biased articles on our society and development. The latest furor is over the lobster fishery.
Mr. Gale starts stating opinions as FACTS, which is very misleading and not backed by the science. To the general public this causes a great deal of confusion. While in this current debate, Mr. Gale is saying the spiney lobster fishery is declining, our Fisheries Officer Mr. George Myvett states this is not true. He then goes on to state that our lobster tail export product is actually stable and has been for many years, a couple of decades. He then pointed out that Mr. Gale drew his flawed conclusions based on the dollar values earned by the lobster fishery, on a recent per annum comparison. THAT is very true, due to the WORLD RECESSION of three years or so, in which lobster tail prices dropped in export value. The Senior Fisheries Officer points out that the number of weight, or pounds of lobster tails stays fairly steady, making a stable self sustainable fishery under current management rules.
One of the arguments put forth by the Fisheries Officer is that MOST of the lobster tails are caught and delivered by snorkelers, using the hook, NOT by lobster trap fishermen. The divers work the reefs and grounds down to about 40 feet. At least that is what I used to do in my youth as a lobster diver. Most reefs are steep underwater inclines and at deeper levels the spiney lobster is unmolested. A sort of self regulating affair, as to catch. Lobster diver producers, make value judgements on weight through experience, by visual sight when they decide which lobsters to hook out of a crevice with a nest of them residing there. Some mistakes will be made, but on the whole it works well as a system.
When it comes to management rules, I tend to differ from the Fisheries Officer. Bureaucrats everywhere want more CONTROL and more regulations. I myself believe that the control comes from PROFIT. Either you make a paying trip, or you lose money. PROFIT is a proper system of controls, not more bureaucratic management and permit limitation rules.
When it comes to lobster trap fishing, and I have made my living at this and was a FOUNDING MEMBER of the first LOBSTER FISHING COOPERATIVE IN BELIZE during Colonial times, so there is 60 years or more of experience here. I disagree with the Senior Fishery Officer in which he states that since lobster trap fishing produces less than 25% of ALL the lobster tails produced, the current diversity of managment controls on the lobster fishery are adequate enough, as shown by the self sustainability of the lobster fishery, by pounds of lobster tails delivered each year. He may have a point, but I support the view and argument of Mr. Gale that says we can do better, with a release space at the bottom of the traps, for immature lobster. There are locations in the waters of Belize, which produce most of the Spiney Lobster juveniles. My traps to the West of the Bajo, a sand bar, a few miles West of Caye Caulker, always produced 99% small baby lobster, and only the occasional spiney lobster of legal size. Same could be said of the area around Blackadores Caye. There are other places. To me I will agree an escape space at the bottom of the trap makes a lot of sense, even if the lobster trap fisherman is only producing less than 25% of the catch. The reason the catch is not more, is most lobster fisherman in the North of the country, went into building hotels and restaurants for the tourist business, which has grown and pays better than lobster, for less work.
Still, when this subject comes up, I am mindful of my lobster traps being FULL of lobster, so heavy that it was difficult to pull them over the side of the boat. The drawback, was out of hundreds of lobster, only one, maybe two would be legal size. The space at the bottom of the trap makes a lot of sense to me as a mandatory regulation. Controls on number of fishermen are just games that bureaucrats play, in this fishery, to throw their weight around and complicate a fishery that does not need. Using expensive gasoline and the PROFIT margins, make any lobster trip self regulating.
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RESEARCHERS SHOW SENIOR FISHERIES OFFICER IS LYING? Spiney lobster statistics show the lobster catch of Belize has declined from 1000 tons in the 1980´s to 600 tons in the early 2004 period. So say criticizers of Fisheries management regulations.
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I’m not sure where whoever wrote the Fisheries article in this weekend’s paper got their data, but data from the Fisheries Department itself shows that the catch of lobster has declined from over 1000 metric tons per year in 1980 and 1992 to less than 600 metric tons per year in 2000 – 2004. Perhaps the author was being disingenuous by using data only since 2000.
www.fao.org/docrep/006/y4931b/y4931b07.htm
www.ub.edu.bz/download.php?f=nrm/Carcamo_R_lobster.pdf
http://www.landusepolicy.bz/Downloads/Geo_Belize_2010_lowres.pdf (this is an EXTREMELY informative document about everything from agriculture to fisheries to water to mangroves/corals, aquaculture, etc.
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Also, friends of mine who used to own a restaurant in Placencia had to order lobster a couple of times from the Northern Coop when lobster wasn’t available in Placencia.
What they received was disgusting – the tails were about the size of a medium-sized shrimp.
So, whatever tonnage is being produced now obviously includes undersized lobster tails.
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BELIZE - things could hardly be any better!
THE PROBLEMS OF BELIZE ARE GOOD PROBLEMS, THOSE OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT!
The news media tend to concentrate on the BAD things that happen, as those make the NEWS. In reality, Belize continues to grow and expand and development in categories like EDUCATION, AGRICULTURE DIVERSIFICATION, PRODUCTS FOR EXPORTS, LIVING STANDARDS, SOCIAL PROGRAMS FOR THE POOR, all these things have vastly improved and continue to do so, year by year, in small but steady increments. Belize is actually a wonderful place to live and local born people consider Belize to be a PARADISE. There is many a debate on shutting the borders to immigrants, to preserve our wonderful way of life.
One gets swamped by all the terrible things that happen normally in any society around the world, as these sell newspapers and television advertising. This can create a misunderstanding both locally and from foreign observers. The NEWS MEDIA presents a lopsided biased view of things. All the BAD THINGS that can happen. In reality, sports and living standards, roads and utility services are constantly improving.
It is a shame that this slant to BAD NEWS becoming headlines frames the attitudes of many observers. For the reality is otherwise.
Right now, we are quarrelling about OVERPRODUCING - CATTLE, RICE AND ONIONS, which have not yet developed foreign export markets. The over production is a set of newer problems of course, but certainly not the end of the world. Just another incremental step, a problem of growth that must be met and solved. It will be, the society of Belize is dynamic and intelligent. While we are not the USA, in manufacturing capacity, what we do for our very small 313,000 population, scattered over 6000 square miles of territory is HUGELY SUCCESSFUL, considering 58% of our population are under 18 years of age. There are no weeds and barnacles growing on this boat that is Belize. We are doing very well as a society and a nation thank you. May all our problems remain development problems, deciding how to get richer, live more comfortable, equalize income levels throughout our society, quarreling about the best way to export more things. OPPORTUNITY is the name for BELIZE. With such a small population things could hardly be any better.
The news media tend to concentrate on the BAD things that happen, as those make the NEWS. In reality, Belize continues to grow and expand and development in categories like EDUCATION, AGRICULTURE DIVERSIFICATION, PRODUCTS FOR EXPORTS, LIVING STANDARDS, SOCIAL PROGRAMS FOR THE POOR, all these things have vastly improved and continue to do so, year by year, in small but steady increments. Belize is actually a wonderful place to live and local born people consider Belize to be a PARADISE. There is many a debate on shutting the borders to immigrants, to preserve our wonderful way of life.
One gets swamped by all the terrible things that happen normally in any society around the world, as these sell newspapers and television advertising. This can create a misunderstanding both locally and from foreign observers. The NEWS MEDIA presents a lopsided biased view of things. All the BAD THINGS that can happen. In reality, sports and living standards, roads and utility services are constantly improving.
It is a shame that this slant to BAD NEWS becoming headlines frames the attitudes of many observers. For the reality is otherwise.
Right now, we are quarrelling about OVERPRODUCING - CATTLE, RICE AND ONIONS, which have not yet developed foreign export markets. The over production is a set of newer problems of course, but certainly not the end of the world. Just another incremental step, a problem of growth that must be met and solved. It will be, the society of Belize is dynamic and intelligent. While we are not the USA, in manufacturing capacity, what we do for our very small 313,000 population, scattered over 6000 square miles of territory is HUGELY SUCCESSFUL, considering 58% of our population are under 18 years of age. There are no weeds and barnacles growing on this boat that is Belize. We are doing very well as a society and a nation thank you. May all our problems remain development problems, deciding how to get richer, live more comfortable, equalize income levels throughout our society, quarreling about the best way to export more things. OPPORTUNITY is the name for BELIZE. With such a small population things could hardly be any better.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
BELIZE AGRICULTURE REVIEWS FOR MAY, 2011.
Big commercial chicken farmers are mostly Mennonites though there are some smaller Creole farmers. Big industry for size of Belize.
Commercial corn crops are two per year in tropical Belize, staggered with bean production alternately. You can grow year round here.
Belize citrus orchids and export industry for juices and concentrates.
Belize Cheeses sold in local stores and markets. Produced by immigrant Salvadoreans and Mennonite farmers.
Papaya export industry of BelizeMay Agricultural Review
We get our summary ideas from local expert John Carr in the Belize Agriculture Report magazine and local newspaper articles.
MOST COMMODITIES ARE HIGHER ON THE LOCAL SCENE
Onions went into oversupply and some growers lost their shirts, due to not having a system of storing onions yet. The government will give them assistance for the next onion crop as we develop this new industry agricultural crop, using drip irrigation.
Rice is now in oversupply for the local market around 8 million pounds, up from 2 million pounds of a few years ago. The price is dropping, but the government is buying all the rice and working on an export market in El Salvador through a partial scope agreement by our Foreign Ministry. Local countries in our area neighborhood, have cheaper rice they produce. Talk indicates disatisfaction with the ability to suitably clean the rice before packaging.
This season sugar crop seems like it is going to be a good one. The sugar cane farmers are getting it together and the deliveries are being spaced out properly for the mill, while the amount of mud they were delivering with cane is now being inspected voluntarily and controlled, helping the expected season to be better than previous years. The amount of sugar to cane ratio has improved so far. Government is working on a program to improve yields on a person to person basis. The sugar cane farmers still have a lot of difficult farmers though, stuck in bad habits.
Hogs are higher priced, but with a surge in fuel costs, corn feed is also higher and not much gain is expected here in prices.
We cannot yet export cattle legally, and this is hampering the cattle industry. The regulations are being worked on. Our local cattle prices are only half the US prices. On the bright side, local processors of value added meat products are now producing for the local market, excellent, comparable, finished, table ready processed meats. It remains to be seen how soon this will become an export deal, by the container load.
Citrus has turned from whole fruit and concentrate exports, to value added finished carton juice products. Everything is already sold in the export market, though citrus growers are arguing about their delivery prices.
Chicken industry is live and well, and comparable with any other in our geographical export region.
Milk continues to be in short supply and the cheese business in the local market is full. We have not yet progressed to export type specialty cheeses, due to lack of milk and dairy herds.
Shrimp continues at a modest level from farm production. The shrimp trawling industry has been banned, due to GREEN environmental pressures and outside sources have bought the two remaining shrimp trawlers for our small seasonal mud bottom grounds, eliminating a small $800,000 a year industry. Farm produced shrimp continue to be available though.
Egg production remains good and prices are stable and affordable.
Bananas continue to be a productive small scale export enterprise and the rejects are sold cheaply all over the nation on the local market. One of the cheapest nicest foods to be found.
Papaya are continuing to be exported. Believe there are two or three exporters and those smaller rejects are still available in all town markets at cheap reasonable prices.
Tomatoes continue to improve as to supply and variety. Central Farm vegetable expert is now working on providing local seeds, as many of the more successful seeds are coming in from abroad, genetically improved and expensive to buy in seed packages. The next step is developing local seed capability.
Spiny lobster exports have been steadily declining through lack of size catch controls by our Fisheries regulations.
Cobia seems to be doing well on a small scale and the various problems are being licked. The open water fish net industry is expected to expand modestly. This is a total foreign investment in Belize.
Fish farming of Tilapia still is working. What is lacking are research studies and experimentation in controlled tilapia acqua culture. Currently the method is by guess and by golly. We have no data to improve this tilapia industry as of yet. Tilapia do though, provide lots of fish for all the towns in the country. Whether it is a viable profitable enterprise for export fish products remains to be seen. Local investment is reluctant due to lack of scientific production data. Our bureaucracy is too small and underfunded and unable to do many of the things we need to get done, to change the dynamics for exporting.
Foreign markets are opening up. The outlook by the controlling government bureaucracies is very slowly adapting and changing. They seem to only respond to private sector led, research developments and are not leading adequately with information and speed needed to boost economic growth. Currently the private sector look upon the government departments as just another set of obstacles to be overcome.
Friday, May 6, 2011
BELIZE NEEDS FOREIGN VOLUNTEERS TO BUILD PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
Belize has roughly 4000 children of primary school age out of a population of 313,000 people, who have no school to attend.
YOU DON´T HAVE TO BE A RELIGION, OR MISSIONARY TO BUILD AND DONATE A SCHOOL IN BELIZE. YOU CAN DO IT PRIVATELY. IT TAKES ABOUT $500,000 USA TO GET A PRIMARY SCHOOL GOING, INCLUDING BUYING THE LAND, CONSTRUCTING THE BUILDING AND HIRING TEACHERS AND MANAGING IT FOR THE REQUIRED 3 YEARS GOVERNMENT QUALIFICATION, TO GET THE TEACHERS SALARIES PAID FOR. IF YOU DESIRE TO HELP BELIZE, AM CONSIDERING ORGANIZING AN NGO TO DO THIS, WITH THE PROVISION OF THE DONATED CAPITAL. NOT REALLY MY THING, BUT I WAS A PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHER IN BELIZE RURAL PARTS IN MY YOUTH AND SOMETIME PRINCIPAL. PREFER YOU DO IT AND ORGANIZE IT YOURSELF.
Primary school education is the biggest educational problem facing the small nation OF BELIZE. The government lacks the money to buy the land and build the schools. The government does though, pay 100% of privately owned primary schools, teachers salaries. What the nation needs is some charitable groups in more advanced countries to come in and build a primary school and manage it. There is always maintainance and oversite required. Some local and foreign entrepreneurs have actually built schools and are doing that, mostly to give themselves a job at government expense and those of their relatives, in the case of locals. Still the NATION OF BELIZE has a deep crying need for primary schools. Every year the population grows and schools with classrooms are quickly filled. It is a real challenge just to keep building classrooms to stay up with population growth. At the moment, the small country of Belize are short about 500 classrooms.if not more. Our local family have been planning to start a Charitable Trust to fund educational grants, but the actual building and maintaining and supervising a primary school has crossed our mind. Not that we want to do that, and our own resources are very limited, but the need is so great and Belize is so wonderful and given us so much joy and happiness.
What we have in Belize is an unrealized potential of human capital. The country seems rather backward to many foreign tourists, but compared to what it was 50 years ago, the standard of living has risen tremendously. Education has improved by leaps and bounds, particularly at the tertiary level. Unfortunately we still have officially a 50% poverty level and being tropical most people struggle to simply feed themselves, but as standard of living rises, the financial difficulties for people are growing as living conditions also improve. The nation of Belize has an official population of 313,000 people scattered over 6000 square miles. Some of it very rugged terrain. Roads are going in and people are moving into what was previously jungle lands and are now being developed. We have about 9 towns of modest small size and hundreds of villages and scattered small homesteads. There is actually a very highly motivated population and given the limited resources of a small population and a minimal government bureaucracy to maintain, Belize is doing much better than some of our neighboring Central American countries, or Caribbean island countries. Considering the modest tax base of a raw commodity exporting small nation, we do very well for the small tax base available. Living here is to live in paradise though. Much better than in European, or North American countries, I think. If you like rural and warm weather, it is perfect.
The CRIME situation in BELIZE.
SOCIOLOGY OF CRIME IN BELIZE
PM Barrow´s comments on crime and social conditions in Belize.
"The point is, while we must attack the social conditions that breed this kind of mentality, we have to go at that particular element hard and it's not just with respect to the on-the- ground efforts of the GSU, it is as well to broaden and deepen the legal infrastructure so that the sort of penal catchment area can be widened," he said.
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Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, while discussing a new building to open a poverty type, uneducated school training system made a comment on social conditions found in the South Side of Belize City, the port town.
The survey showed that the congested part of the city for living conditions, produced a lot of young males without schooling. Most had quit school before even finishing elementary levels. Standard 6 in the Belize educational system. The survey showed that young males refused to go to school. They did not want to and they were supported by their parent ( mostly single mothers ) in this idea.
The areas in this country that have this problem are primarily CREOLE culture. Found in the port Belize City, Esperanza, Roaring Creek and often Dangriga. The people of these areas still communicate verbally with very limited vocabularies, they speak a BROAD DIALECT called CREOLE, sort of a bastardized English of the 17 th century. 50 years ago this was the main language of the country, with the then much smaller population. Black Creole culture dominated and the Creole dialect or language was the dominant varient of English. The population has grown a lot since those 50 years and nowadays the idea of having a plantation and doing some subsistance fishing is no longer viable as a port town life style. To find a paying job you have to have some education. Those that speak CREOLE as a first language, or dialect, mostly are nowadays relegated to manual labor. They get the poorest paid jobs when they can find a salaried job. Education has been on the mend for several decades now and we have many people with advanced degrees and most young people with ambition have either High School, or Associate Degree. The tertiary education by product has meant that for CREOLE ONLY speakers, has produced a lot of job applicants who are, you could say, bi-lingual, they can speak the CREOLE dialect, not understood by foreigners, and International quality English, though most Belizeans understand Creole, though it is dying out in the Western and Northern part of the country. From their higher education viewpoint, they have also learned to express themselves in International English. Gradually, except for pockets, International English has become the norm. Teachers and civil servants were once always CREOLE speakers, but nowadays the transformation to a higher educated paid workforce, with more labor competition, has meant the CREOLE speakers no longer have much choices as to employment. Certainly nothing in higher paid employment. Not to forget that the population has grown to be mostly Spanish speakers of the Mestizo class. Creoles have shrunk from 97% of the population to 20% of the population.
The result has been a drift toward professional career criminals, born and bred in the slums, gravitating toward the easier work and higher pay of crime. Crime itself over fifty years, has progressed from career thieves and cat burglars, to violent crime, murder of victims to get rid of witness and evidence, while leading a life that is a career of itself, of robbing people in street robberies, home invasions and certainly targeting stores, payrolls and selling of addictive crack cocaine to people enduced into trying crack, which enslaves them without originally being aware. The gangs dealing in crime actually GLOAT over stupid addicts, and there is always a percentage of a population, genetically disposed to addictive things, like alcohol, marijuana and crack smoking. The criminal forces have learned to hook youngsters early in life and once addicted they are a source of money for the rest of their lives.
In essence, while there will always be occasional crimes of opportunity, crimes of passion and those lacking anger management and peer pressure in any civil society, of any country. A whole industry has expanded and grown up now fueled mostly by CREOLES who never finished primary school, have no intention too and they have learned that CRIME PAYS and is a worthwhile substitute for going fishing, or growing food on a plantation. With the rise of living standards, the easy going life of yesteryear, with kerosene lamps, buckets for toilets is gone. The cost of a higher standard of living and material costs that go along with it, means that these CREOLE enclaves of uneducated, poorly speaking CREOLE speakers, can only find the money to live and match their peers with material goodies, through a life of career crime. They are the recent survey showed, choosing this course of life, deliberately.
Sad to say this class of youths and adults have learned by an inadequate justice system, that violence pays, murder pays and the crime wave experienced in the port town is the result. It does not seem to be a sociological problem so much, as an inadequate justice system. Most policemen are their peers and come from the streets themselves and understand them well. In essence, we have a situation, where a small segment of our greater society is in a CIVIL WAR with the greater population. Deliberately so, because they can get away with it. Some of course are pre-disposed. It is a life style choice. There is not much compassion in me for criminals enslaving young people for life, to addiction by crack cocaine sales.
As the universe shows and also our own planet Earth, life is about EAT or be EATEN and this segment of our society have turned into predators and we the greater population have become their prey, by their own choice. Not by force of circumstance. In a civilized society, it is the role of our taxes, to pay for security to protect us masses of citizens from the vicious predators, the sharks, the crocodiles and snakes among our human population. We are like a school of anchovies swirling around, trying to confuse the sharks, the whales, the marlin and sailfish that prey on us. We have chosen to pay taxes and hire mercenaries to protect us. Unfortunately this is not working very well. Since it is a WAR, not made from us the prey, or greater population of our civilized society, then it seems we need to be more aggressive in this war and meet fear and terror, with fear and terror in self defence. Make no mistake about it, the predators are in human terms and of civil organized society, EVIL persons. Wild animals that need to be put down.
The subject has more complexities than this. For instance first time offenders, or those youngsters coaxed into taking free crack cocaine and becoming unwittingly addicted, against those who are career criminal persons, who laugh and jeer at civil society, viewing us and our group life style, of peaceful work, education and family raising. It is still CIVIL WAR and if you are going to go to war against the predators, then perhaps we should change the current rules that have evolved from a more peaceful colonial time, when compassion, understanding, addiction to rum or marijuana was tolerated and the petty crimes that were the result in a small segment of our society. Today, a much larger segment of our society the survey shows, are deliberately making war on our civilized society and we need to understand that we are in this war and need to get more serious about it.
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Jamaica Observer: ( newspaper )
Belmopan, Belize - (CMC) Prime Minister Dean Barrow said his administration will introduce tougher legislation to deal with crime at next Friday's sitting of Parliament after a grenade was thrown at a group of people in the old capital of St Martin on Tuesday.
Police were continuing their search for suspects and Barrow told reporters that he was thankful that the devise, which landed in front of a group of women and children, did not explode.
"Thank God the grenade did not explode. Generally, I believe that the GSU (Gang Suppression Unit) has been doing extremely well. I believe that unit has been able to bring some slight sense of reassurance to the public especially here in Belize City.
"We, in government, have committed to in fact provide to the unit all the wherewithal, all the material that it needs and we're in the process of procuring additional weaponry, additional bullet proof vests and additional vehicles," Barrow said.
Police said that one person is assisting their investigations into the incident that could have resulted in a major disaster had the grenade exploded.
Barrow said that the Government would soon be opening a building that would provide "a second chance facility in terms of people who have not had an opportunity to complete school".
"And this allows me to say that the enforcement efforts of the police and of the security forces general; while extremely critical, have to be complimented by the attempts at social amelioration. So I do want to make clear that in that context we signed the loan for $US10 million from the IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) which will help with the training of young people, which will help with community involvement, which will help us to try even harder to beat back this phenomenon of urban violence."
The prime minister acknowledged that the security forces now had to deal with criminals who are showing that they have no regard for life or property.
But he sought to assure citizens that his administration would be taking stronger measures to deal with the situation.
"The point is, while we must attack the social conditions that breed this kind of mentality, we have to go at that particular element hard and it's not just with respect to the on-the- ground efforts of the GSU, it is as well to broaden and deepen the legal infrastructure so that the sort of penal catchment area can be widened," he said.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Belize-promises-tougher-laws-as-rival-gang-crime-worsens_8762125#ixzz1LaRJn04b
PM Barrow´s comments on crime and social conditions in Belize.
"The point is, while we must attack the social conditions that breed this kind of mentality, we have to go at that particular element hard and it's not just with respect to the on-the- ground efforts of the GSU, it is as well to broaden and deepen the legal infrastructure so that the sort of penal catchment area can be widened," he said.
______________________________________
Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, while discussing a new building to open a poverty type, uneducated school training system made a comment on social conditions found in the South Side of Belize City, the port town.
The survey showed that the congested part of the city for living conditions, produced a lot of young males without schooling. Most had quit school before even finishing elementary levels. Standard 6 in the Belize educational system. The survey showed that young males refused to go to school. They did not want to and they were supported by their parent ( mostly single mothers ) in this idea.
The areas in this country that have this problem are primarily CREOLE culture. Found in the port Belize City, Esperanza, Roaring Creek and often Dangriga. The people of these areas still communicate verbally with very limited vocabularies, they speak a BROAD DIALECT called CREOLE, sort of a bastardized English of the 17 th century. 50 years ago this was the main language of the country, with the then much smaller population. Black Creole culture dominated and the Creole dialect or language was the dominant varient of English. The population has grown a lot since those 50 years and nowadays the idea of having a plantation and doing some subsistance fishing is no longer viable as a port town life style. To find a paying job you have to have some education. Those that speak CREOLE as a first language, or dialect, mostly are nowadays relegated to manual labor. They get the poorest paid jobs when they can find a salaried job. Education has been on the mend for several decades now and we have many people with advanced degrees and most young people with ambition have either High School, or Associate Degree. The tertiary education by product has meant that for CREOLE ONLY speakers, has produced a lot of job applicants who are, you could say, bi-lingual, they can speak the CREOLE dialect, not understood by foreigners, and International quality English, though most Belizeans understand Creole, though it is dying out in the Western and Northern part of the country. From their higher education viewpoint, they have also learned to express themselves in International English. Gradually, except for pockets, International English has become the norm. Teachers and civil servants were once always CREOLE speakers, but nowadays the transformation to a higher educated paid workforce, with more labor competition, has meant the CREOLE speakers no longer have much choices as to employment. Certainly nothing in higher paid employment. Not to forget that the population has grown to be mostly Spanish speakers of the Mestizo class. Creoles have shrunk from 97% of the population to 20% of the population.
The result has been a drift toward professional career criminals, born and bred in the slums, gravitating toward the easier work and higher pay of crime. Crime itself over fifty years, has progressed from career thieves and cat burglars, to violent crime, murder of victims to get rid of witness and evidence, while leading a life that is a career of itself, of robbing people in street robberies, home invasions and certainly targeting stores, payrolls and selling of addictive crack cocaine to people enduced into trying crack, which enslaves them without originally being aware. The gangs dealing in crime actually GLOAT over stupid addicts, and there is always a percentage of a population, genetically disposed to addictive things, like alcohol, marijuana and crack smoking. The criminal forces have learned to hook youngsters early in life and once addicted they are a source of money for the rest of their lives.
In essence, while there will always be occasional crimes of opportunity, crimes of passion and those lacking anger management and peer pressure in any civil society, of any country. A whole industry has expanded and grown up now fueled mostly by CREOLES who never finished primary school, have no intention too and they have learned that CRIME PAYS and is a worthwhile substitute for going fishing, or growing food on a plantation. With the rise of living standards, the easy going life of yesteryear, with kerosene lamps, buckets for toilets is gone. The cost of a higher standard of living and material costs that go along with it, means that these CREOLE enclaves of uneducated, poorly speaking CREOLE speakers, can only find the money to live and match their peers with material goodies, through a life of career crime. They are the recent survey showed, choosing this course of life, deliberately.
Sad to say this class of youths and adults have learned by an inadequate justice system, that violence pays, murder pays and the crime wave experienced in the port town is the result. It does not seem to be a sociological problem so much, as an inadequate justice system. Most policemen are their peers and come from the streets themselves and understand them well. In essence, we have a situation, where a small segment of our greater society is in a CIVIL WAR with the greater population. Deliberately so, because they can get away with it. Some of course are pre-disposed. It is a life style choice. There is not much compassion in me for criminals enslaving young people for life, to addiction by crack cocaine sales.
As the universe shows and also our own planet Earth, life is about EAT or be EATEN and this segment of our society have turned into predators and we the greater population have become their prey, by their own choice. Not by force of circumstance. In a civilized society, it is the role of our taxes, to pay for security to protect us masses of citizens from the vicious predators, the sharks, the crocodiles and snakes among our human population. We are like a school of anchovies swirling around, trying to confuse the sharks, the whales, the marlin and sailfish that prey on us. We have chosen to pay taxes and hire mercenaries to protect us. Unfortunately this is not working very well. Since it is a WAR, not made from us the prey, or greater population of our civilized society, then it seems we need to be more aggressive in this war and meet fear and terror, with fear and terror in self defence. Make no mistake about it, the predators are in human terms and of civil organized society, EVIL persons. Wild animals that need to be put down.
The subject has more complexities than this. For instance first time offenders, or those youngsters coaxed into taking free crack cocaine and becoming unwittingly addicted, against those who are career criminal persons, who laugh and jeer at civil society, viewing us and our group life style, of peaceful work, education and family raising. It is still CIVIL WAR and if you are going to go to war against the predators, then perhaps we should change the current rules that have evolved from a more peaceful colonial time, when compassion, understanding, addiction to rum or marijuana was tolerated and the petty crimes that were the result in a small segment of our society. Today, a much larger segment of our society the survey shows, are deliberately making war on our civilized society and we need to understand that we are in this war and need to get more serious about it.
______________________________________________
Jamaica Observer: ( newspaper )
Belmopan, Belize - (CMC) Prime Minister Dean Barrow said his administration will introduce tougher legislation to deal with crime at next Friday's sitting of Parliament after a grenade was thrown at a group of people in the old capital of St Martin on Tuesday.
Police were continuing their search for suspects and Barrow told reporters that he was thankful that the devise, which landed in front of a group of women and children, did not explode.
"Thank God the grenade did not explode. Generally, I believe that the GSU (Gang Suppression Unit) has been doing extremely well. I believe that unit has been able to bring some slight sense of reassurance to the public especially here in Belize City.
"We, in government, have committed to in fact provide to the unit all the wherewithal, all the material that it needs and we're in the process of procuring additional weaponry, additional bullet proof vests and additional vehicles," Barrow said.
Police said that one person is assisting their investigations into the incident that could have resulted in a major disaster had the grenade exploded.
Barrow said that the Government would soon be opening a building that would provide "a second chance facility in terms of people who have not had an opportunity to complete school".
"And this allows me to say that the enforcement efforts of the police and of the security forces general; while extremely critical, have to be complimented by the attempts at social amelioration. So I do want to make clear that in that context we signed the loan for $US10 million from the IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) which will help with the training of young people, which will help with community involvement, which will help us to try even harder to beat back this phenomenon of urban violence."
The prime minister acknowledged that the security forces now had to deal with criminals who are showing that they have no regard for life or property.
But he sought to assure citizens that his administration would be taking stronger measures to deal with the situation.
"The point is, while we must attack the social conditions that breed this kind of mentality, we have to go at that particular element hard and it's not just with respect to the on-the- ground efforts of the GSU, it is as well to broaden and deepen the legal infrastructure so that the sort of penal catchment area can be widened," he said.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Belize-promises-tougher-laws-as-rival-gang-crime-worsens_8762125#ixzz1LaRJn04b
our NEIGHBOR HONDURAS CONTINUES TO BE MESSED UP AS A BEHIND THE SCENES MILITARY DICTATORSHIP
OUR NEIGHBOR HONDURAS CONTINUES TO BE MESSED UP AS A BEHIND THE SCENES, MILITARY DICTATORSHIP.
Honduras: Teargassed Open, for Business
Dana Frank
May 5, 2011
In Honduras, it's come to this: when 90 percent of the city's 68,000 public schoolteachers went out on strike in March to protest the privatization of the entire public school system, the government teargassed their demonstrations for almost three solid weeks, then suspended 305 teachers for two to six months as punishment for demonstrating, and then, when negotiations broke down, threatened to suspend another five thousand public schoolteachers. The level of repression in Honduras, after a nationwide wave of attacks on the opposition in March and early April, now exceeds that of the weeks immediately following the June 28, 2009 military coup that deposed President Manuel Zelaya, as current President Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo Sosa wages war on entire swaths of the Honduran population.
Ilse Ivania Velásquez Rodríguez was one of those striking teachers. A 59-year old elementary school teacher and former principal in Tegucigalpa, she rushed to the Presidential Palace to defend Zelaya the morning of the coup. She was one of hundreds of thousands of Hondurans took to the streets for weeks to protest the new coup government of de facto President Roberto Micheletti--who Honduras' oligarchs hoped would roll back Zelaya's mild leftward moves and resistance to further neoliberal privatization. Last summer she was one of thousands in the Honduran opposition who circulated petitions--eventually signed by 1.25 million people, roughly one in three adults--demanding a Constitutional Convention to re-found the country from below. "My sister wanted to retire this year," her sister, Zenaida, who lives in San José, California, told me. "But they told her she needed to be on a waiting list," behind two thousand others, because the teachers'
government-managed retirement fund was bankrupt--looted by Micheletti’s post-coup government.
The morning of March 18, 2011, the second day of the strike, Ilse joined other teachers at a demonstration in front of the Tegucigalpa office of their state-run retirement agency, to demand her pension and protest the privatization plan. As police and soldiers stormed down the streets and aimed tear gas at the demonstrators, the teachers, to signal their nonviolence, raised their hands up high. The police started rapidly launching tear gas anyway. At 10:44 a.m., as Ilse tried to run away, one of them deliberately shot a tear gas canister directly in her face at close range. She fell to the ground, unconscious, into an asphyxiating cloud of gas. The driver of a passing television truck, himself affected by the fumes, ran over her right side. She lay face down in a pool of blood seeping out from her body. Three hours later, she died in a hospital.
Teachers like Ilse have been the shock troops of resistance to the coup. During the 1990s and 2000s, teachers deployed regular mass mobilizations to increase their salaries and pensions under legislation that granted them special labor protections at a national level. With the military coup, they were the first to take to the streets. "From the beginning, we felt obliged to defend democracy against a government imposed by force," emphasizes Jaime Rodriguez, president of COPEMH (Colegio de Profesores de Educación Media de Honduras), the Honduran middle-school teachers' association. "That united almost all the teachers, apart from what the government did to the teachers themselves."
By this past March the teachers' grievances had become enormous. Not only was their pension fund gone, but they are also owed six months' back pay. At least twelve teachers in the opposition have been killed or disappeared since the coup. Last August, the government of Pepe Lobo--himself placed in office during Micheletti’s reign, in a fraudulent November 2009 election boycotted by international observers and most of the opposition--promised to pay them back. But the money is still nowhere to be seen.
On March 31, despite the protests, the Honduran congress approved a law opening the door for privatization of the entire country's public school system. The legislation passes control of education to municipalities, who are free to organize for-profit enterprises or work with nonprofits modeled on a pilot program developed during the presidency of neoliberal Ricardo Maduro (2002-2006). Maduro will now head a new nationwide program in which teachers, instead of being hired through their professional associations, will work on yearly ten-month contracts with no job security, be paid as much as one-third their current salaries (placing them below the minimum wage), and receive no pensions.
The day before the bill passed, the Frente Nacional de Resistencia Popular (FNRP, or the National Front of Popular Resistance), in solidarity unleashed a nationwide paro civico or "civic strike" to oppose the law, protest the repression, and demand a new minimum wage, lower prices of food, fuel, and public utilities, and, above all, a constitutional convention to re-found the nation from below. The FNRP unites the broad national coalition that came together right after the coup, embracing the labor, campesino, women's, gay, indigenous, and Afro-indigenous movements.
By this point the Honduran resistance has hardened into a steely wall of defiance. It continues to oppose what it considers the "ongoing coup regime" of Pepe Lobo. It has no official avenues for political input at this point: Congress, chosen in the same bogus election as Lobo, is in the pocket of the oligarchs and ignores popular sentiment; since Lobo dismissed five judges and magistrates who oppose the coup government, the judiciary almost entirely supports it. The judicial system is largely nonfunctional. To this day no one has been prosecuted or convicted for any of the politically-motivated killings of 34 members of the opposition and 10 journalists since Lobo took office, let alone for the over 300 killings by state security forces since the coup, according to COFADEH (Comité de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos en Honduras), the leading independent human rights group.
The FNRP knows if it chooses to run candidates in the 2014 elections--a topic of fierce internal debate--the electoral process will be controlled by the very same military that is occupying the country. Thinking long term, the Frente has spent much of the last year carefully constructing a system of national representation, community by community, building to a national assembly with 1,500 delegates this past February in Tegucigalpa that is laying the foundation for a new constitution, that it hopes to force Lobo and the oligarchs to accept.
Meanwhile, Hondurans in the opposition are using one of the few remaining weapons they have: their own unarmed bodies, placing themselves in the path of the regime, quite literally. In response, the regime is now using lethal force over and over and over again, all over the country, hoping to tear gas its own citizens into submission.
In Nacaome, in the country's south, the morning of the big civic strike police suddenly launched tear gas at teachers and their allies as they gathered in the street, getting ready to blockade it. When a group of protesters fled into a nearby house, police shot several canisters of gas inside it, where at least five children were present, asphyxiating a two-month-old baby, Christopher de Jesús Bonilla García. When the baby stopped breathing, his father gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The police continued to blast tear gas canisters as the father tried to run away with the baby. Finally he finally climbed over a wall to pass the baby to its grandfather, who escaped on a motorcycle and reached a medical facility. The baby survived, but the long-term damage to his lungs is unknown.
At 6:30 a.m. that same morning, in Triunfo de la Cruz, a community of Afro-Indigenous Garifuna people on the North Coast, police selectively grabbed Miriam Miranda, Coordinator of OFRANEH (Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña) and the most prominent resistance leader in the Garifuna community, out of a demonstration. Spitting racist insults, they hit her, shot tear gas at her abdomen at close range, and threw her onto the asphalt and then into jail, where, her lungs burning, she was refused medical attention and not read her rights for over for two hours--then charged with sedition. "Despite state functionaries' plastic smiles and eagerness to obtain international recognition," Miranda declared the next day, after an international outcry freed her, "under the regime of Porfirio Lobo the criminalization of dissent has sharpened."
The campesinos have been the most defiant, and paid the highest price. Since December 2009, over 5,000 campesinos and their children, largely in the Aguán Valley, have used their bodies to occupy lands they argue were illegally stolen by Honduran elites, especially Miguel Facussé, the richest man in the country and key backer of the coup. Over 34 campesinos involved in these land occupations have been killed since the coup, according to COFADEH, most of them picked off in ones and twos by paramilitaries. The morning of the civic strike, campesinos and their allies blocked traffic in Planes, at the entrance to the Aguán Valley, beginning at 7:00 in the morning. At 12:20, as they were about to disperse, police fired tear gas and live ammunition at them injuring at least twelve and killing a campesino, whose body was so quickly grabbed away by the authorities that he or she couldn't be identified.
Honduran security forces are now using tear gas canisters as a deadly weapon, not just against protesters but also against journalists identified with the opposition. That same day in Tegucigalpa police surrounded and closed in on reporter Lydia Diaz and started jerking the cable to her microphone, with its clear blue, red, and yellow logo of TV Globo, an opposition station. When she objected, they shot a tear gas canister straight at her feet. Two days later, police shot a tear gas canister directly in the face of Salvador Sandoval, a cameraman for the same station, fracturing his septum. "The police have all the media identified as `resistance' or `not resistance,'" he charged from his hospital bed.
All this state-sponsored repression of demonstrations in March and April comes on top of an unrelenting daily bombardment of death threats, harassment, and assaults by paramilitaries and other extralegal agents, directed against all sectors of the opposition. In the capital, rocks rain down on cars in the parking of the union hall where many opposition meetings take place. In San Pedro Sula, an unmarked car routinely lurks daily outside the office of the Centro de Derecho de Mujeres (Center for Women’s Rights) shadowing Maria Elena Sabillón, an attorney who represents victims of domestic violence. Transgender women show up dead in alleyways and garbage dumps.
Through all of this, the Obama administration's response has been to blame the victim. In response to queries from U.S. human rights activists when Garifuna leader Miriam Miranda was seized, Jeremy Spector, the U.S. Embassy's Human Rights and Labor Attaché in Tegucigalpa, wrote back with an extended attack on the teachers for being violent, called on them to return to the classroom, and insisted that Ilse Velásquez was merely "run over by a press vehicle." And the State Department enthusiastically backs not only Lobo but the neoliberal economic agenda behind the coup, which the Honduran congress is swiftly trying to enact. "Since the first day President Lobo took office he has focused on...the creation of investment to generate employment with the support of the national congress by establishing the legal framework to gain the confidence of domestic and international investors," Eduardo Atala, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Honduras,
summarized coyly on April 14. The privatization of education and simultaneous destruction of the teachers' unions are just one piece of that agenda, which also includes a proposed labor law reform that would convert full-time jobs to part time, making workers ineligible for unionization; astonishingly, it would allow many employers to pay 30% of their employees' paychecks in company-issue scrip, rather than real money. The oligarchs also plan rapid privatization of the country's ports and publicly-owned water, telephone, and electrical systems.
Biofuels are also central to the oligarchs' agenda. Miguel Facussé, the Aguán Valley oligarch, has planted much his vast acreage with African palms for biofuel. Not coincidentally by any stretch, the United States just named as its next Ambassador to Honduras Lisa Kubiske, an expert on biofuels.
From May 4 through 6 an array of megafigures will converge in San Pedro Sula, the country's second largest city, for a promotional extravaganza celebrating the new agenda, entitled "Honduras is Open for Business." Alvaro Uribe, the former president of Colombia, Carlos Slim, the richest man in Mexico and the world, and Francisco J. Sánchez, Undersecretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce, are all coming to town. Bill Clinton was originally scheduled to speak but recently pulled out. Asked to comment on the conference, current Ambassador Hugo Llorens crowed: "The country is once again politically stable, and President Porfirio Lobo's government of national unity is working to heal the divisions caused by the coup"--days after the recent wave of resistance and repression.
Meanwhile, on March 23, precisely as the riot police were teargassing Hondurans, across the border in El Salvador, President Obama visited the grave of Archbishop Óscar Romero, who was assassinated in 1980 and remains the most important symbol of resistance to the repressive Salvadoran government during the 1970s and 80s backed by the United States. Despite Obama's baldly hypocritical gesture, we should have no illusions that his policies in Honduras--and beyond--now match those of Ronald Reagan and the long history of extended U.S. support for repressive regimes in Latin America.
The State Department is obsessed with getting Honduras readmitted to the Organization of American States, so that the Lobo's regime can regain international legitimacy. The sticking point, though, is Zelaya's safe return to the country. Although the Honduran courts just dropped the last of their trumped-up charges against Zelaya, it's unclear whether it will ever be safe for Lobo's illegitimate government to have Zelaya, an immensely popular symbol of the resistance, speaking freely within in Honduras--or whether Zelaya could safely step on Honduran soil without being killed by paramilitaries.
In the face of ongoing assaults from both their own government and the U.S., Hondurans in the opposition have two choices: either continue to resist the oligarchs’ agenda with the clear knowledge they could be killed, or watch as their country is rapidly turned into a model extractive zone for global capital. They themselves have a quite different vision of the Honduran future, based on democracy, ordinary people's rights, and social justice. To support their vision, Latin American solidarity activists demand an immediate stop to all U.S. funding for the Honduran military and police, and a halt to US pressure on the Organization of American States to admit Honduras.
Dana Frank
May 5, 2011
Honduras: Teargassed Open, for Business
Dana Frank
May 5, 2011
In Honduras, it's come to this: when 90 percent of the city's 68,000 public schoolteachers went out on strike in March to protest the privatization of the entire public school system, the government teargassed their demonstrations for almost three solid weeks, then suspended 305 teachers for two to six months as punishment for demonstrating, and then, when negotiations broke down, threatened to suspend another five thousand public schoolteachers. The level of repression in Honduras, after a nationwide wave of attacks on the opposition in March and early April, now exceeds that of the weeks immediately following the June 28, 2009 military coup that deposed President Manuel Zelaya, as current President Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo Sosa wages war on entire swaths of the Honduran population.
Ilse Ivania Velásquez Rodríguez was one of those striking teachers. A 59-year old elementary school teacher and former principal in Tegucigalpa, she rushed to the Presidential Palace to defend Zelaya the morning of the coup. She was one of hundreds of thousands of Hondurans took to the streets for weeks to protest the new coup government of de facto President Roberto Micheletti--who Honduras' oligarchs hoped would roll back Zelaya's mild leftward moves and resistance to further neoliberal privatization. Last summer she was one of thousands in the Honduran opposition who circulated petitions--eventually signed by 1.25 million people, roughly one in three adults--demanding a Constitutional Convention to re-found the country from below. "My sister wanted to retire this year," her sister, Zenaida, who lives in San José, California, told me. "But they told her she needed to be on a waiting list," behind two thousand others, because the teachers'
government-managed retirement fund was bankrupt--looted by Micheletti’s post-coup government.
The morning of March 18, 2011, the second day of the strike, Ilse joined other teachers at a demonstration in front of the Tegucigalpa office of their state-run retirement agency, to demand her pension and protest the privatization plan. As police and soldiers stormed down the streets and aimed tear gas at the demonstrators, the teachers, to signal their nonviolence, raised their hands up high. The police started rapidly launching tear gas anyway. At 10:44 a.m., as Ilse tried to run away, one of them deliberately shot a tear gas canister directly in her face at close range. She fell to the ground, unconscious, into an asphyxiating cloud of gas. The driver of a passing television truck, himself affected by the fumes, ran over her right side. She lay face down in a pool of blood seeping out from her body. Three hours later, she died in a hospital.
Teachers like Ilse have been the shock troops of resistance to the coup. During the 1990s and 2000s, teachers deployed regular mass mobilizations to increase their salaries and pensions under legislation that granted them special labor protections at a national level. With the military coup, they were the first to take to the streets. "From the beginning, we felt obliged to defend democracy against a government imposed by force," emphasizes Jaime Rodriguez, president of COPEMH (Colegio de Profesores de Educación Media de Honduras), the Honduran middle-school teachers' association. "That united almost all the teachers, apart from what the government did to the teachers themselves."
By this past March the teachers' grievances had become enormous. Not only was their pension fund gone, but they are also owed six months' back pay. At least twelve teachers in the opposition have been killed or disappeared since the coup. Last August, the government of Pepe Lobo--himself placed in office during Micheletti’s reign, in a fraudulent November 2009 election boycotted by international observers and most of the opposition--promised to pay them back. But the money is still nowhere to be seen.
On March 31, despite the protests, the Honduran congress approved a law opening the door for privatization of the entire country's public school system. The legislation passes control of education to municipalities, who are free to organize for-profit enterprises or work with nonprofits modeled on a pilot program developed during the presidency of neoliberal Ricardo Maduro (2002-2006). Maduro will now head a new nationwide program in which teachers, instead of being hired through their professional associations, will work on yearly ten-month contracts with no job security, be paid as much as one-third their current salaries (placing them below the minimum wage), and receive no pensions.
The day before the bill passed, the Frente Nacional de Resistencia Popular (FNRP, or the National Front of Popular Resistance), in solidarity unleashed a nationwide paro civico or "civic strike" to oppose the law, protest the repression, and demand a new minimum wage, lower prices of food, fuel, and public utilities, and, above all, a constitutional convention to re-found the nation from below. The FNRP unites the broad national coalition that came together right after the coup, embracing the labor, campesino, women's, gay, indigenous, and Afro-indigenous movements.
By this point the Honduran resistance has hardened into a steely wall of defiance. It continues to oppose what it considers the "ongoing coup regime" of Pepe Lobo. It has no official avenues for political input at this point: Congress, chosen in the same bogus election as Lobo, is in the pocket of the oligarchs and ignores popular sentiment; since Lobo dismissed five judges and magistrates who oppose the coup government, the judiciary almost entirely supports it. The judicial system is largely nonfunctional. To this day no one has been prosecuted or convicted for any of the politically-motivated killings of 34 members of the opposition and 10 journalists since Lobo took office, let alone for the over 300 killings by state security forces since the coup, according to COFADEH (Comité de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos en Honduras), the leading independent human rights group.
The FNRP knows if it chooses to run candidates in the 2014 elections--a topic of fierce internal debate--the electoral process will be controlled by the very same military that is occupying the country. Thinking long term, the Frente has spent much of the last year carefully constructing a system of national representation, community by community, building to a national assembly with 1,500 delegates this past February in Tegucigalpa that is laying the foundation for a new constitution, that it hopes to force Lobo and the oligarchs to accept.
Meanwhile, Hondurans in the opposition are using one of the few remaining weapons they have: their own unarmed bodies, placing themselves in the path of the regime, quite literally. In response, the regime is now using lethal force over and over and over again, all over the country, hoping to tear gas its own citizens into submission.
In Nacaome, in the country's south, the morning of the big civic strike police suddenly launched tear gas at teachers and their allies as they gathered in the street, getting ready to blockade it. When a group of protesters fled into a nearby house, police shot several canisters of gas inside it, where at least five children were present, asphyxiating a two-month-old baby, Christopher de Jesús Bonilla García. When the baby stopped breathing, his father gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The police continued to blast tear gas canisters as the father tried to run away with the baby. Finally he finally climbed over a wall to pass the baby to its grandfather, who escaped on a motorcycle and reached a medical facility. The baby survived, but the long-term damage to his lungs is unknown.
At 6:30 a.m. that same morning, in Triunfo de la Cruz, a community of Afro-Indigenous Garifuna people on the North Coast, police selectively grabbed Miriam Miranda, Coordinator of OFRANEH (Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña) and the most prominent resistance leader in the Garifuna community, out of a demonstration. Spitting racist insults, they hit her, shot tear gas at her abdomen at close range, and threw her onto the asphalt and then into jail, where, her lungs burning, she was refused medical attention and not read her rights for over for two hours--then charged with sedition. "Despite state functionaries' plastic smiles and eagerness to obtain international recognition," Miranda declared the next day, after an international outcry freed her, "under the regime of Porfirio Lobo the criminalization of dissent has sharpened."
The campesinos have been the most defiant, and paid the highest price. Since December 2009, over 5,000 campesinos and their children, largely in the Aguán Valley, have used their bodies to occupy lands they argue were illegally stolen by Honduran elites, especially Miguel Facussé, the richest man in the country and key backer of the coup. Over 34 campesinos involved in these land occupations have been killed since the coup, according to COFADEH, most of them picked off in ones and twos by paramilitaries. The morning of the civic strike, campesinos and their allies blocked traffic in Planes, at the entrance to the Aguán Valley, beginning at 7:00 in the morning. At 12:20, as they were about to disperse, police fired tear gas and live ammunition at them injuring at least twelve and killing a campesino, whose body was so quickly grabbed away by the authorities that he or she couldn't be identified.
Honduran security forces are now using tear gas canisters as a deadly weapon, not just against protesters but also against journalists identified with the opposition. That same day in Tegucigalpa police surrounded and closed in on reporter Lydia Diaz and started jerking the cable to her microphone, with its clear blue, red, and yellow logo of TV Globo, an opposition station. When she objected, they shot a tear gas canister straight at her feet. Two days later, police shot a tear gas canister directly in the face of Salvador Sandoval, a cameraman for the same station, fracturing his septum. "The police have all the media identified as `resistance' or `not resistance,'" he charged from his hospital bed.
All this state-sponsored repression of demonstrations in March and April comes on top of an unrelenting daily bombardment of death threats, harassment, and assaults by paramilitaries and other extralegal agents, directed against all sectors of the opposition. In the capital, rocks rain down on cars in the parking of the union hall where many opposition meetings take place. In San Pedro Sula, an unmarked car routinely lurks daily outside the office of the Centro de Derecho de Mujeres (Center for Women’s Rights) shadowing Maria Elena Sabillón, an attorney who represents victims of domestic violence. Transgender women show up dead in alleyways and garbage dumps.
Through all of this, the Obama administration's response has been to blame the victim. In response to queries from U.S. human rights activists when Garifuna leader Miriam Miranda was seized, Jeremy Spector, the U.S. Embassy's Human Rights and Labor Attaché in Tegucigalpa, wrote back with an extended attack on the teachers for being violent, called on them to return to the classroom, and insisted that Ilse Velásquez was merely "run over by a press vehicle." And the State Department enthusiastically backs not only Lobo but the neoliberal economic agenda behind the coup, which the Honduran congress is swiftly trying to enact. "Since the first day President Lobo took office he has focused on...the creation of investment to generate employment with the support of the national congress by establishing the legal framework to gain the confidence of domestic and international investors," Eduardo Atala, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Honduras,
summarized coyly on April 14. The privatization of education and simultaneous destruction of the teachers' unions are just one piece of that agenda, which also includes a proposed labor law reform that would convert full-time jobs to part time, making workers ineligible for unionization; astonishingly, it would allow many employers to pay 30% of their employees' paychecks in company-issue scrip, rather than real money. The oligarchs also plan rapid privatization of the country's ports and publicly-owned water, telephone, and electrical systems.
Biofuels are also central to the oligarchs' agenda. Miguel Facussé, the Aguán Valley oligarch, has planted much his vast acreage with African palms for biofuel. Not coincidentally by any stretch, the United States just named as its next Ambassador to Honduras Lisa Kubiske, an expert on biofuels.
From May 4 through 6 an array of megafigures will converge in San Pedro Sula, the country's second largest city, for a promotional extravaganza celebrating the new agenda, entitled "Honduras is Open for Business." Alvaro Uribe, the former president of Colombia, Carlos Slim, the richest man in Mexico and the world, and Francisco J. Sánchez, Undersecretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce, are all coming to town. Bill Clinton was originally scheduled to speak but recently pulled out. Asked to comment on the conference, current Ambassador Hugo Llorens crowed: "The country is once again politically stable, and President Porfirio Lobo's government of national unity is working to heal the divisions caused by the coup"--days after the recent wave of resistance and repression.
Meanwhile, on March 23, precisely as the riot police were teargassing Hondurans, across the border in El Salvador, President Obama visited the grave of Archbishop Óscar Romero, who was assassinated in 1980 and remains the most important symbol of resistance to the repressive Salvadoran government during the 1970s and 80s backed by the United States. Despite Obama's baldly hypocritical gesture, we should have no illusions that his policies in Honduras--and beyond--now match those of Ronald Reagan and the long history of extended U.S. support for repressive regimes in Latin America.
The State Department is obsessed with getting Honduras readmitted to the Organization of American States, so that the Lobo's regime can regain international legitimacy. The sticking point, though, is Zelaya's safe return to the country. Although the Honduran courts just dropped the last of their trumped-up charges against Zelaya, it's unclear whether it will ever be safe for Lobo's illegitimate government to have Zelaya, an immensely popular symbol of the resistance, speaking freely within in Honduras--or whether Zelaya could safely step on Honduran soil without being killed by paramilitaries.
In the face of ongoing assaults from both their own government and the U.S., Hondurans in the opposition have two choices: either continue to resist the oligarchs’ agenda with the clear knowledge they could be killed, or watch as their country is rapidly turned into a model extractive zone for global capital. They themselves have a quite different vision of the Honduran future, based on democracy, ordinary people's rights, and social justice. To support their vision, Latin American solidarity activists demand an immediate stop to all U.S. funding for the Honduran military and police, and a halt to US pressure on the Organization of American States to admit Honduras.
Dana Frank
May 5, 2011
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