The Independent 19 - Nov -2011

SUNDAY November 20, 20112 The Independent

The wholesale promotions leave the Union executive in a bit of disarray and having to hold new elections, ten-tatively scheduled for Friday, November 25th to fill the now vacant positions. Vice Chairman Angel Wade, Secre-tary Ian Leiva, Treasurer Ian Chavaria, Trustees Ramiro Gongora and Fidelmar Hernandez, the remaining Auditor Jose Rejon, Chief Shop Steward Aldo Rome-ro and Assistant Shop Steward Edward Conorquie will have to steer the BWU ship in the meantime.

Gongora and Baeza along with Ma-chinist operator Earl Lopez are also the Trust Protectors, the guardians of the workers trust that holds the majority shareholding in BSI. While the manage-ment of BSI may yet have a credible and pragmatic explanation for the sudden promotions, the rift between the man-agement and the union now seems sud-denly wider.

Our reports are that following a meeting between the union executive and BSI management on November 10th, at which the union laid out several grievances and areas of contention, the following day the men were told that they were to be made staff because BSI was “integrating” the factory’s sugar processing operations with Belcogen, its electricity generating plant. In this way they would be trained in Belcogen’s op-erations.

The men were also told that the promotions would become effective December 1st.

The union’s cynicism at BSI’s man-agement’s motives was further height-ened when two days later they were told the promotions would instead be effec-tive yesterday November 16th. The deci-sion seemed to follow a decision by the union to fight the promotions and BSI’s insistence that there was a long stand-ing agreement between the union and BSI that “staff” employees could not be members of the union.

At present 140 of BSI’s employees is staff while 155 are day workers. The Union is also concerned because BSI would need the agreement of 75% of the votes by the employees to change the BSI Workers Trust statutes to allow for the sale of its majority shareholding. One union executive told The Independent that “They may have us out-numbered already” in that regard because voting rights is determined by salary and staff employees are much better paid than day workers.

The union has already written to the Tripartite labour commission, and are preparing to go to court on this issue.

Reliable reports are that BSI wanted “The Sugar Crop”, the annual harvesting and grinding of sugar cane to start as early as next week Wednesday, Novem-ber 23rd but the sugar cane farmers are balking at starting their harvest on that date. They would prefer a date nearer to the end of the month. Whenever the harvest starts, it will do so once again, in an atmosphere of tension and mistrust between the processor’s management and employees, and the farmers who are bidding to buy majority control of the processor, but believe that management is in favour of a foreign investor, Banco Atlantida of Honduras.

BSI Busting Union?

Continued from page 1




nization’s Reef Ride from Belmopan to Dangriga.

Late word this afternoon is that Flores’ riding partner Adrian Cama-ra will be unable to accompany him on his latest ride to raise awareness.

Orange Walk Town-based Ca-mara, who was born without legs and accompanied Jerome for rides in 2009 & 2010, had to seek urgent medical attention in Mexico this week due to bladder and lung infec-tions.

Jerome said he is now even more motivated to succeed for his friend.

The Reef Ride has two main aims: to bring awareness of and gen-erate funds for BAPDA and to bring attention to the call for a ban on off-shore oil drilling due to its threat to Belize’s marine resources

The ride starts at 6am Friday morning, November 18th in front of the National Assembly Building in Belmopan and ends November 19th

was “better being a big person in a small country than a nobody in a big country.”

Although most of his fam-ily emigrated to the US, Walter stayed and continued to build his family-owned business, only vis-iting the US but always returning home.

His daughter thanks the staff at the KHMH whom she says gave “110%”. She will miss her dad who was an important part of her life but she fully intends to carry on the legacy that he built.

Walter “Dits” Craig was a Belizean institution in his own right. He will be missed. He lived by the phrase: “It is more impor-tant to be nice, than it is nice to be important.”

RIP Walter

“Dits” Craig, 59

Jerome Will Roll Alonein Dangriga, where Jerome will partici-pate in the Garifuna Settlement Day Parade.

The first leg of the ride will be from Belmopan to St Margaret’s Village and the second start’s on Saturday morn-ing from St Margaret’s Village.

Another told the newspaper that Belize has been self-sufficient in rice since 1998, and there is no need to ever import rice. He claimed that even through the flooding of the past few years, they have been able to meet the nation’s needs.

“We should be exporting rice, not importing it,” he claimed. “I am having to sell at eighty cents and even so I have trouble selling it.”

Marketing Board again! Rice growers complain BMDC importing rice

SUNDAY November 20, 2011 3The Independent

4th Annual competition an inspiration

Entertainment Report:

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

BELIZE CITY - Penta Paints in partnership with Brothers Habet presented its 4th Annual “Penta Paint-Up the Place” Art Competi-tion/Exhibition at the Image Factory gallery this morn-ing, and a brief survey of this year’s results is eye-opening and inspiring.

The “‘Penta Paint-Up the Place” Art Competi-tion’s aim is to inspire young Belizean students to col-lectively create art designs that will are considered for a

Painting up a storm – eight of the winners pose with Habet Bros’ Carlo Habet!

For his first place effort Amir Smith won $500 and a paint job for his school

This painting by SJC 3rd Form student Kody August was one of several that ex-pressed the students’ growing uncertainty about the nation’s direction and future

This past weekend, Belizeans had a variety of events to choose from as most munici-palities had events scheduled.

In Punta Gorda, there was the Battle of the Drums competition which high-lighted the drumming techniques of the Garinagu people and featured groups from around Belize and neighboring Garifuna communities. In San Ignacio, there was a DJ Showdown competition featuring Cloud 9 and Tagg Internation-al, two prominent sound systems, who were each out to prove their juggling skills.

In Belize City, two major events took place at the same time on Saturday night, namely KREM’S Birthday Bash at Tropicana Lounge and Punta Fest at the MCC grounds. KREM Radio celebrated their 22nd anniversary in grand style and had a show which featured their DJs, Belizean artists such as Continental Cat, TR and Blak Berry, and up-and-coming Jamaican Reggae artist, Chris Martin. This event was well advertised, however, the crowd turnout was lower than ex-pected and all the featured artists sang from pre-recorded tracks. It was disap-pointing to see an international artist of this caliber perform without a live band

travelling art exhibition, an art calendar, a public mural art project and a complete exterior paint makeover for the winning school.

The paintings were in-fluenced by five different themes as well as other cri-teria including creativity, content, technique, com-position, subject and im-pact on the community.

This year saw the par-ticipation of schools from across the country and is customray, was opened for students from Standard IV to Fourth Form. A little un-der a hundred entries were

submitted and the top thirty (30) pieces went on display today in an art exhibition that will run until the end of November at the Im-age Factory. As stated before, the exhibition will then travel to other districts.

According to the organizers, the selec-tion process was “very lengthy and difficult” and a visit to the gal-lery would confirm why. Still the judges la-belled entries by Amir Smith, Marvin Vernon,

Andrew Hunter and Eldon Simmons (St. John’s Col-lege, Belize City), Orlando Pelayo, Zyania Alonso, Hui-Ling Huang and Takaki Yanai (St. Joseph Primary School, Belize City), Raquel Burgos, (St. Catherine’s Academy, Belize City), Jo-anna Huang, (Pallotti High School, Belize City) and

the group entry by Clif-ton, Sheridan, Shaloma, Ashanty, Dayhna, Joaniel and Louis of St. Isabella RC School the class of the field.

Their paintings will be put in the annual Penta calendar, a much prized and sought after item.

Celebrating the weekend in Grand Styleand background vocalists, especially considering the cost of a ticket. All in all, it was definitely a festive, peaceful mood and there was a celebratory feeling in the air, and most attendees were excited to watch Chris Martin sing some of their favorite songs, such as Cheater’s Prayer, My Ex Girl and Paper Loving.

Just a few blocks away at the MCC grounds, Belizeans were celebrating the Garifuna culture at the 3rd Annual Pun-ta Fest organized by Wave Radio. The show featured artists who performed both traditional and contemporary Garifuna music. It was hosted by Lau-ren Burgess and Frank “Papa” Mena and featured artists such as Lova Boy, Supa G, Aziatic, Ernestine Carballo, Concego, Titiman and Taprick. Belizeans rocked to the rhythmic drums as each of the performers sang their hit songs.

After the heavy Saturday afternoon rain, the field became muddy and barely useable, and the weather may have been one reason attendance was not excep-tional. Those who did attend had to be extremely careful as they made their way across the slippery field. Additional tents seemed an afterthought even if it meant they could not be placed directly in front of the stage since they would

limit visibility. However, even with these predicaments and entrance cost, Be-lizeans still showed up to support and party with the local artists and to be charmed by the amusing hosts.

It must be said that Belizean pro-moters are becoming more vigilant in their planning efforts, however, one area of grave concern is that there is no dis-tinction between live performances and live appearances. A live performance is when the artists sing with accompani-ment from a band, whereas during a live appearance, the artist uses a sound recording or a drum machine. Many people go to events expecting the full experience of an artist, backup band, background vocalists and proper stage lighting and feel cheated when this does not occur. Promoters and event organizers need to be mindful of this, plan properly and provide what they advertise in order to exceed the expec-tations of attendees.

Another issue plaguing the Beliz-ean entertainment industry is the lack of a covered outdoor arena in a central-ized location, with adequate parking, excellent lighting and sound, and space to host a big crowd. Whenever it rains and an event is to be held in an out-

door or semi-outdoor location, people generally do not show up. As a result of this, both of these events lacked the crowd to call either of them a huge commercial success.

The MCC clearly was not a desir-able locale after the rains because the field was wet, slippery and muddy in spots, and there were few tents set up to shelter the public if it had rained during the event. As for the Tropicana Lounge, the bar area is nicely covered but the stage and front stage area is in the open. If it had rained, the artists would not have been able to perform or if they did, it would not have been in a visible location which would take away from the experience. As development of the Belizean entertainment indus-try continues, these are very important things to consider.

It was heartwarming and eye open-ing to see Belizeans choosing to pay and support local artists over an event featuring an international artist, al-though both events was similarly price and being held the same night in the same city.

Kudos to both promotions, though, for their persistence and determination even in the face of inclement weather.


OPEN LETTER TO: US President Obama and

Belize Prime Minister BarrowNoble savages indeed!Mr. President, you inher-

ited the war on drugs that is not being won.

Mr. Prime Minister, you in-herited the Super Bond that will cripple Belize.

I hereby respectfully submit a proposal that will enable both of you to win.

PROPOSAL: The Prime Min-ister requests and the President facilitates the establishment of a US military base in Belize in ex-change for the US paying off the Belize Super Bond.

The US military sole mission in Belize is the elimination of drug trafficking through Belize to the USA via sea, land and air.

The USA wins the battle on the War on Drugs trans-shipped through Belize.

Belize is removed from the President’s drug trafficking black list.

Belize is freed from the 30 year obligation of the Super Bond.

POINTS TO CONSIDER: a. This is an opportunity for

the USA to win at least one bat-tle of its declared War on Drugs. That battle is trafficking of drugs through Belize to supply the US demand that has resulted in the US President black-listing Belize. Note: Belize has never black-listed the USA for causing drug trafficking through our ter-ritory!

b. The military base in Be-lize will not contribute to the US deficit because the reduction of US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan will more than cover the cost of the base in Be-lize. Thousands of US military personnel will soon be avail-able.

c. Finances for the War on Drugs can be used to help fi-nance the military anti-drug operation in Belize as well as to pay off the Belize Super Bond.

d. Belize is already a demo-cratic English speaking friend of the USA.

e. The former British Army base immediately adjacent to the international airport is now vacant and may be available for occupation as a US base head-quarters.

f. We always hear the de-mand to “create more jobs”. It is strongly implied that GOB must create more jobs. Jobs to do what? Who will pay the salaries?

g. A military base in Belize will create many new jobs for

Belizeans, including many of the jobs that were lost when the British Forces left Belize, when shrimp farms closed down, when a very big sewing factory closed down, when tourism is in “slow season”.

h. Here is a real opportunity for GOB to deliver on that de-mand to create more jobs.

i. Several small high-visibili-ty US military camps strategical-ly set up throughout the country will be a great deterrent to drug trafficking as well as illegal log-ging, farming and fishing.

j. Military access and use of satellites, drones, airplanes, he-licopters and boats will spot and alert military personnel before drug traffickers even enter Belize territory.

k. High-visibility and well-advertised anti drug trafficking capabilities and readiness will cause drug traffickers to bypass Belize all together.

These are just some of the points I would like to see dis-cussed, criticized, developed and urgently acted upon and implemented.

What are the alternatives, what is the way forward for Be-lize, what else can we do to im-prove the economy and security of Belize? Where else can we find or create more and better employment? So many ques-tions. So few answers.

Tourism and agriculture will certainly be increased and im-proved but will slowly take many more years. In the mean time, do we continue to run on two good tires and two flat tires? Or do we negotiate a mutually ben-eficial agreement with the USA to establish a serious anti drug military operation in Belize in exchange for the US paying off the Belize Super Bond?

This can be accomplished before the next general elections in both countries.

If the President and the Prime Minister are not interested in this proposed solution I may elect to redirect my open letter to next Republican Presidential Candidate and to

PUP Leader Francis Fonseca.

cc: US Ambassador Tumala-pally,

Minister of Defense Carlos Perdomo,

Senator Godwin Hulse.

Respectfully submitted by Mike Heusner, November 16, 2011.

By: Trevor Vernon

T wenty years ago or so, I had the hon-our and pleasure of accompanying a distinguished

senior Ambassador of Belize on a reconnaissance mission. He was laying the groundwork to eventually recover Mayan Artifacts from various insti-tutions in the USA and Eu-rope (and, I am not referring to the little bits and pieces of undocumented scrap that gets repatriated). The experi-ence was special and remains pronounced to this day given the severe decline of our other major natural resources.

The gentleman we had the meeting with was the Presi-dent of a major East Coast (USA) University. That insti-tution along with many oth-ers, to include museums and private collections, had come into the possession of some highly valued pieces of doc-umented Mayan antiquity. Our Ambassador was skill-fully attempting to convince the President that the piec-es belonged in Belize from whence they originated. The bow-tied, Mayf lower society gentleman reminded us that it was the British Governor of Belize, half a century ago, who had gifted these items to the University so they had proper rights to care for these price-less pieces of Mesoamerican history. Belize, he politely argued, does not possess the wherewithal, the resources, or the knowledge to provide proper care for her property and it was the institution’s moral duty to do so.

Being much younger, I was f loored. Then to add insult to injury, he offered an amicable solution: how about the Uni-versity making replicas to gift back to Belize. That way we wouldn’t have to worry about them deteriorating and fall-ing to pieces due to negligence and lack of proper care.

That educational experi-ence has had a profound im-pact on my psyche. Belize will never get those priced pieces back ever because to those highly polished east coast people we are nothing more than noble savages. And they

may be right. Look at all the cruise ship raw sewer-age, plastics, and other solid waste they dump in our wa-ters and on our reef everyday and all we do is smile and say thank you, please come back again. “Whorism” at its best!

The more I think about it, the more I have to agree with what that University Presi-dent was saying to us twen-ty years ago on that bright spring morning. We Beliz-

eans sit back and get the blank pumped down our backs and across our faces, every time those mobile cities pull up in our har-bour and drop anchor. Now, there is no record anywhere that any-one is willing to share that shows how much of it is being pumped in our waters, treated or untreat-ed. We know from a recent online Miami Herald piece that the State of Florida in the USA (where the cruise ships mostly dock) reports sewerage dumping in the sea of 300 million gallons of the stuff per day. You read correctly, 300 Mil-lion gallons of sewerage a day.

Now we see a deadly “algae bloom” blossoming along our Be-lize coast. Some observers loose-ly refer to it as red tide. You too can take a look at it online and the satellite image is updated daily. http://modis.marine.usf.edu/weekly/belize/belize.2011.43.html#2011300

Now I am not saying there’s a direct relationship between the “invisible, undocumented cruise dumping” and this sudden sci-entifically recognized growth of this massive green morass but it begs the questions. Problem is no one wants to provide any answers - they prefer to pretend it is not happening here.

Before these massive ships became commonplace, it was ac-ceptable to release a few gallons of waste here and there because Moth-er Nature could absorb it. Now with thousands of these massive ships carrying hundreds of thousands of people for a week at a time, they col-lect millions of gallons of raw sew-erage every day. Our outdated laws and seafaring mores simply have not kept up with the changing maritime vectors. The Florida Cruise Industry has simply been capitalizing on this lackadaisical oversight across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Given that statistic from Flori-da, USA, home port for those mo-bile cities, it forces the question: how much is being dumped here? We gather that the law is slack and enforcement, if there’s any require-ment, is winked and blinked away. That damn University President was so right after all. We deserve nothing because we are noble sav-ages who are ignorant of what we have and oblivious of how to pro-tect, preserve and maintain our in-valuable assets. Our dignity has left the building and has been replaced by unmitigated ignorance, and apa-thy.


Belizean fruits and vegetables are the “hartiest!”

By Jose Ysaguirre

IN OUR quest for healthier eating choices, we are en-couraged to eat foods with less fat and sodium, more fi-bre, more complex carbohy-drates and lower in calories. The foods that are most pro-

moted are usually the imported ones since more is known about them than about our local foods. We may there-fore seek out whole grain cereals and breads, fruits such as the American apple, plum and grapes and vegeta-bles such as broccoli and cauliflower. How do our local foods compare?

Who has not heard the adage, ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’? This is probably because the Ameri-can apple has fibre to facilitate gut health and rid the body of waste. But do you know that one guava fruit has four (4) times the amount of fibre, slightly more potassium and nineteen (19) times the amount of vitamin C as an American apple? In comparison to a whole bunch of grapes, one (1) guava has twenty five (25) times more vita-min C, four (4) times more fibre and about the same potassium.

Likewise, it would take fifteen (15) American apples to supply the vita-min C content of only one (1) West Indian cherry.

Cranberry juice has become very popular because of its benefits to bladder health. But have you thought that similar benefits could be had from coconut water at less than half the calories and with appreciably more potassium? A glass of cranberry juice will provide about 150 - 200 calo-ries while the same glass of coconut water contains only 50 calories while giving 400mg potassium compared to the 60mg for cranberry juice.

For those concerned about the sodium content of coconut water, be assured that a single glass will provide only 60mg sodium compared to the 700 mg in V8 canned vegetable juice. Also, be assured that the coconut wa-ter has no fat.

The fat of the coconut resides in the jelly and will thus be found in co-conut milk, but there is no cholesterol since the coconut is of plant origin and cholesterol is found only in foods of animal origin. This means that but-ter will have cholesterol but coconut milk, like the vegetable margarines is free of cholesterol. Moreover, the tra-ditional way of cooking with coconut milk for flavour is better than using margarine which is often substituted in porridge, rice and peas and soups. A tablespoon of coconut milk has only 38 calories and 4g fat compared to 111 calories in the same amount of mar-

garine and 11.5 g fat.Also, the fat in coconut is healthier for the

body than margarine fats. Two other sources of fat that are often mislabelled are the Jamaican ackee and the Avocado pear. Neither has any cholesterol and the fat is monounsaturated - the same type of fat that we pay so much for in the olive oil.

Admittedly, broccoli, cauliflower and brus-sel sprouts, like other vegetables will provide vitamin C, minerals, flavonoids and other phy-tochemical but they are no match for our local callaloo (amaranth) in terms of calcium, iron or vitamin A. Callaloo has more than four times the calcium, two or more times the iron with more

than twice the vitamin A as the American veg-etables. The whole grain cereals are indeed a good source of fibre but calorie for calorie our provisions are equally beneficial.

The Irish potato, brown rice and whole

kernel corn provide the least fiber per serving. Those of better value are whole wheat bread, green banana and sweet potato providing 1.5 g per serving of about 70 calories. Richer still is rolled oats at 1.96g but top-ping the list, you guessed it, our lo-cal breadfruit at 2.45g for a serving of two (2) slices.


Burrell Boom Reading Carnival brightens minds, hearts and spirits

Saturday, November 12, 2011

BURRELL BOOM VILLAGE: If the old African proverb “it takes a village to raise a child” holds true in Belize, then Burrell Boom is way ahead of the curve.

A first ever Reading Carnival was held on Saturday, November 12 through the streets of the village as hundreds of residents lined the pa-rade route to witness the spectacle.

The school yard at Burrell Boom Methodist School was abuzz with activity on Saturday.

The kaleidoscope of colors and literary potpourri was an im-pressive show of cooperation as students, teachers and even some parents dressed up in costumes depicting their favorite fairytale characters.

The Reading Carnival was the brainchild of Literacy Coordinator at Burrell Boom Methodist prima-ry School Dawn Flowers.

“We are applying things that we have taught in our classrooms, so this will come across in a fun way,” said Flowers.

And fun it was. Costumes de-picted fairytale characters ranging from Peter Pan … to Batman, Alice in Wonderland to Superman. But who could forget Belize’s very own Bra Anansi? Esmeralda Wagner came dressed as one of the mythi-cal character’s children.

“The part I like the most is how Anansi was so hungry that he wanted to kill all the animals just to get food for his children and how they had to wear torn clothes and things like that. I like it,” said the standard 5 student, while wearing a costume made of an upside down crocus bag.

“I am Anansi. My class and I are depicting Anansi and his fam-ily,” said Standard 5 teacher Evan-gelina Waight as she proudly intro-

duced her segment of the Reading Car-nival.

Waight said the entire school spent months preparing for the Carnival. And her class set-tled on the story of Bra Anansi with the teacher in the lead role because “An-ansi is a very smart spider and so I hope that by showing my children how to be a smart spider they will get ahead in life.”

One of the par-ents who went all out to sup-port their child is Gardinia Martinez. Her Infant One son depicted an attorney at law and came dressed the part.

“It took me half day to get it ready,” said Martinez, speaking about her son’s law-yer outfit.

The idea of the Reading Carnival was definitely a hit for both students and par-ents. And it will go a long way in helping the next gen-eration of Burrell Boom resi-dents to stay in touch with their roots.

“This is part of keeping our tradition going,” said Dawn Flowers.

And the initiative got the stamp of approval from

the school’s principal Thomas Oliver.

“Most of the proj-ects that we do, we try to have the whole com-munity involved,” said Oliver.

Even with rain clouds looming in the distance, Burrell Boom’s Reading Carnival went off without a hitch. The advertisement on the village’s community bulletin board worked, and with the participa-tion of the Mother Na-ture’s Creation carnival group from Belize City, Burrell Boom was the place to be on Saturday afternoon, November 12, 2011.


Tickets also available from the RED CROSS

“Saving Lives, Changing Minds” It is the slogan that underpins the works of the Belize Red Cross. It is also precisely what the Bowen Group of Companies via the Belize Estate Company Limited is seeking to do via its partnership with the Red Cross as it is donating the profits from its 2011 Christmas Raffle.

The raffle for a 2011 Ford Fiesta was launched in the midst of the National Celebrations on September 17 at the Expo Fair of the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The vehicle is a sleek, sexy Performance Blue color four door five-seater car (available for viewing at the compound of BEC). Aside from its attractive exterior and interior, the vehicle offers value for the small investment in a raffle ticket of $5.00.

Having a blue Christmas may not be such a bad thing this year. If you are lucky, you could be enjoying a “NEW blue Christmas” in your 2011 Ford Fiesta. Tickets are available at the Belize Estate Offices on Slaughterhouse Road and from all Bowen Sales Centers in our district towns. Tickets will also be sold periodically through the next months from downtown Belize City locations.

THIS AD IS SPONSORED BY THE RADISSON FORT GEORGE & MARINA. ALL PROFITS IN AID OF THE BELIZE RED CROSS



In July 2009 Henry Canton instituted Claim 661 of 2009, Henry Canton v Citrus Products of Belize Limited (CPBL) seeking declarations to the effect that:

(1) By his employment contract, a binding and enforceable contract was concluded between himself and CPBL;(2) By virtue of his employment contract, he is entitled to remain a director of CPBL and its subsidiaries while his contract sub-sists;(3) His removal as a director of CPBL or any of its subsidiaries while the contract subsists would constitute a breach of his con-tract and unlawful.

Canton filed his claim in response to the decision of Belize Citrus Growers Association Investment Company Limited (ICL), the majority shareholder of CPBL, to remove him as a director of CPBL. At the time the claim was filed Canton also sought an urgent injunction to restrain his removal as a director of CPBL. On or about August 2009 the BCGAICL appointed directors on the CPBL Board which included Frank Redmond, Michael Duncker and Henry Canton, along with Banks Holdings Ltd appointed Directors Sir Allan Fields, Richard Cozier, Robert Ramchand and Dan Stoute determined not to defend Canton’s claim against CPBL. BCGAICL therefore applied to be joined as parties so that it could participate in the claim and argue why the declarations soughtshould not be granted.

Following BCGAICL’s change of directors on CPBL’s Board in April 2010, both BCGAICL and Banks Holdings Limited (BHL) issued instructions to CPBL’s attorneys, Barrow & Williams, to defend the claim on behalf of CPBL on June 2nd 2010. The CFO of CPBL gave similar instructions to Barrow and Williams for CPBL to defend against the Canton claim on June 3rd 2010. Since the defence should have been from October/November 2009 an application for an extension of time had to be filed to enable CPBL to defend the claim. However, the application for extension of time was only filed on 28th October 2011 after the Court issued notice of a hearing for a default judgment in the matter.

On Tuesday 8th November 2010 Madam Justice Hafiz heard both CPBL’s application for extension of time to file a defence and an application for default judgment by Henry Canton.

Although Counsel for CPBL argued that the justice would only be served in allowing CPBL to defend the claim, Madam Justice Hafiz determined that no good reason had been offered for the delay and denied CPBL’s application for an extension of time to ftle a defence.

As a consequence of the absence of a defence, the Court was required to accept the contents of Canton’s claim as though proved. Only legal submissions could therefore be made by Counsel for CPBL and BCGAICL on issues of law. CPBL’s Counsel, Barrow and Williams, argued that no utility could be served by the granting of the declarations and so the Court should refuse to grant the declarations. Counsel for BCGAICL argued that the right of appointment of a director is a right of the shareholder and could not be contracted away by CPBL. Furthermore, by the Articles of Association of CPBL, only BHL and BCGAICL have a right of appointment of directors. Counsel for Henry Canton argued that at the time Canton was employed, a right of appointment of directors was not conferred only on BHL and CPBL and so it was a valid term of Canton’s contract that he should be a director of CPBL and all its subsidiaries.

Madam Justice Hafiz determined at the close of arguments that the declarations should be granted. Reasons for her decision will be provided at a later date.

It should be noted that in Claim No. 852 of 2009, Belize Citrus Growers Association Investment Company Limited v Citrus Products of Belize Limited et aI,Madam Justice Hafiz determined that pursuant to the Articles of Association of CPBL, BHL and BCGAICL had the absolute right to appoint and remove their nominated directors to CPBL Board and that it was not neces-sary to convene a meeting of CPBL for this purpose - it may be effected by way of letter.

Furthermore, back in 2006 when growers became aware of the then secret Investment Agreement, they appointed a Committee of Five to review the agreement and among other things recommended that Dr. Canton’s contract be renegotiated to take out the provision that he must be appointed to the Board of CPBL and all its subsidiary companies. The recommendations of the Com-mittee ofFive were accepted by all parties and the growers agreed for the Investment Agreement to proceed on the understanding that all the recommendations of the Committee of Five would be effected.

Dr. Canton raised the issue of his appointment to the CPBL Board at the first Board meeting of CPBL where Bank Holdings Ltd. appointed directors were present. The directors dismissed the agreed recommendation of the Committee of Five. When Dr. Canton was removed from the Board of CPBL these same directors of CPBL appointed by Bank Holdings Ltd, namely Sir Allan Fields, Richard Cozier, Robert Ramchand and Dan Stoute along with Michael Duncker and Frank Redmond voted for CPBL not to defend against Canton’s lawsuit. The outcome of yesterday’s proceeding clearly demonstrates that Henry Canton, Michael Duncker, Frank Redmond and the Banks Holdings appointed directors did not act in the best interest of the company and also against the recommendation of the Committee as was sanctioned by the growers as a condition to proceed with the Investment Agreement.

Henry Canton vs CPBL


HUMORTHE BEST DIVORCE LETTER EVER!

Dear Wife,I’m writing you this letter to tell you that I’m leaving you forever. I’ve been a good man to you for 7 years

& I have nothing to show for it. These last 2 weeks have been hell. ... Your boss called to tell me that you quit your job today & that was the last straw. Last week, you came home & didn’t even notice I had a new haircut, had cooked your favorite meal & even wore a brand new pair of silk boxers. You ate in 2 minutes, & went straight to sleep after watching all of your soaps.

You don’t tell me you love me anymore; you don’t want sex or anything that connects us as husband & wife. Either you’re cheating on me or you don’t love me anymore; whatever the case, I’m gone.

Your EX-Husband P.S. don’t try to find me. Your SISTER & I are moving away to West Virginia together! Have a great life!

Dear Ex-Husband Nothing has made my day more than receiving your letter. It’s true you & I have been married for 7

years, although a good man is a far cry from what you’ve been. I watch my soaps so much because they drown out your constant whining & griping.

Too bad that doesn’t work. I DID notice when you got a hair cut last week, but the 1st thing that came to mind was “You look just like a girl!” Since my mother raised me not to say anything if you can’t say some-thing nice, I didn’t comment. And when you cooked my favorite meal, you must have gotten me confused with MY SISTER, because I stopped eating pork 7 years ago.

About those new silk boxers: I turned away from you because the $49.99 price tag was still on them, & I prayed it was a coincidence that my sister had just borrowed $50 from me that morning. After all of this, I still loved you & felt we could work it out. So when I hit the lotto for 10 million dollars, I quit my job & bought us 2 tickets to Jamaica But when I got home you were gone. Everything happens for a reason, I guess. I hope you have the fulfilling life you always wanted. My lawyer said that the letter you wrote ensures you won’t get a dime from me.

So take care.Signed, Your Ex-Wife, Rich As Hell & Free!P.S. I don’t know if I ever told you this, but my sister Carla was born Carl. I hope that’s not a problem.

Notice is hereby given that Andrew Logan is applying for Shop Liquor License to be operated at “Andrew Logan’s Shop”, Independence Village, under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 2000.

Notice is hereby given that Gloria Esteranga Cadle is ap-plying for Publican Special Li-quor License to be operated at “Power House”, Independence Village, under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 2000.

Notice is hereby given that Elvis Jackson is applying for Publican Special Liquor Li-cense to be operated at “Coco Loco”, Bella Vista, under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 2000.

Notice is hereby given that Francisco Gomez is applying for Publican Special Liquor Li-cense to be operated at “Cora-do Bar”, Bella Vista, under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised 2000.

Notice is hereby given that Elvbina Gomez is applying for Publican Special Liquor License to be operated at “Nuezo Amanecer Bar”, Bella Vista, under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 2000.

Notice is hereby given that Al-fred Quid is applying for Pub-lican Special License to be operated at “Aldana’s”, Trio Village, under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 2000.

Notice is hereby given that Maxine Thomas is applying for Malt and Cider Liquor License to be operated at “Tugucina Mac”, Georgetown, under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Ordinance Revised Edition 2000.

LIQUOR LICENSES APPLICATIONS NOTICES

THANK YOUDr. Marjorie Parks, through this medium,

gratefully acknowledges the many individu-als, groups and organizations that supported her in achieving the Doctor of Education De-gree. Special thanks to my family, friends, colleagues, cohort members, and extended nursing family. The contributions of the faculty and staff of Nova Southeastern Uni-versity’s Abraham Fischler School of Educa-tion, the University of Belize, the Nurses As-sociation of Belize, the Nurses and Midwives Council of Belize, and the National Nursing Administration Committee of Belize are also deeply appreciated. My sincere gratitude is extended to the Government of Belize, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Honorable John Saldivar, Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Marian McNab, and former Chief Execu-tive Officer Ms. Margaret Ventura for their financial support. To everyone, including the media, who organized, supported and at-tended the beautiful recognition ceremony that was held in my honor; your kind consid-eration has made this a historic and memo-rable event that will remain with me always. THANK YOU EVERYONE!

Marjorie E. Parks, Ed.D., R.N., R.M.


State Of The

Arts:Youth in a Social Network culture

By Katie Usher

On Friday, November 11, 2011, I attend-ed “The Creation of Eve” the recently launched exhibit by renowned Belizean artist Pen Cayetano. The exhibit was an excellent display of an artist who has perfected the art of the Garifuna por-trait. Each painting shows a Garifuna romance, a fishing day, or agütü mak-ing cassava bread. Cayetano skilfully in-terprets the essence, the feeling of what Garifuna is - he does not just merely show us what it looks like.

During his opening remarks he ex-plained that he has been painting for a very long time. He explained that he would exchange bottles at Champions Bar in Dangriga in order to buy paint and paintbrushes. He explained that he would meet with other artists like Ben-jamin Nicholas, and even a painter Sosa from Mexico. He was networking with other creators and they shared ideas and concepts. Cayetano then paused, maybe for effect, he resumed by say-ing that young people are creating too, that they have lots of new technology but that they need to be careful with it. Cayetano said that we (young people) “need to stop with the gun thing and do the right thing!” He is a musician so even the advice he gave was lyrical and rhythmic.

On Tuesday morning, while check-ing my email, the news I saw on the screen was not very pleasant. “Diaspora co-founder dead at 22”. The headline gripped me so I read the article. It was quite short, and though much is still unknown the general gist of it was, 22 year old Ilya Zhitomirskiy, co-founder of the recently developed and success-ful social network Diaspora, was found dead, and that suicide is a possible ex-planation. I had not heard of Diaspora before, but it was certainly making waves as the founder of the monstrously successful Facebook Mark Zuckerberg was named as one of the investors in the project. What could have led a success-ful young person to an early end? Could it have been social networking instead of networking socially?

In the e-book El Fleco by Yasser Musa, which was based on a series of in-terviews, I was asked about life, art and Facebook. I told him that I thought that Facebook and other social networks were part of the reason why young peo-ple have problems connecting in the real world. We can log in and log off of any virtual platform whenever we choose. We can be 116 years old, widowed, and have a video vixen as our profile picture. We become avatars, and this shields us from having actual interactions with people in the real world. It gives us the

illusion of connecting, and being able to ac-cess everything, while broadcasting to a mas-sive audience - the world. Still, after 15 plus hours logged in to that world of avatars, who have you confided in?

Who was even the slightest bit con-cerned about you as a person? Who knew your real feelings? Where is your actual expression? Are you still not every bit as alienated as before you logged on?

Is there any hope for the youth in this world of social networks, where emotions are virtual and everything is on sale?

On November 16 2011, Brother’s Habet presented the winners of the 4th annual ‘Penta Paint-up The Place Art Competition’ at the Im-age Factory Art Gallery. This is one of the few remaining real competi-tions. There was no photoshop and no virtual theatrics. In this world of new technology, there were 30 pieces mounted on the gallery walls, all of which are 100% original and made by an actual hand. The competition has steadily progressed in the quality of work submitted. Noteworthy too is the fact that several entrants this year had previously submitted works. It is visible in the new submissions where these students have improved and developed. The entries, which came from schools which have art in their curriculum, are very progressive and it is obvious that those environments are conducive to creativity.

The young people from various primary and sec-ondary schools showcased their actual expression. The artwork will be transported all throughout the country to be displayed in various Belizean towns. These en-tries will also be featured in the Brother’s Habet ‘Penta Paint-up The Place’ 2012 calendar. The winning piece by Amir Smith of St. John’s College, which shows a black hand and a white

hand holding up, what I can only describe as, all things Belizean, will be promi-nently displayed as a mural on his school’s wall.

So here we have a real alternative to this new prob-lem of the ‘un-social’ net-works. Competitions of this sort offer the students a real platform to express them-selves, and an actual audi-ence that will consume their un-doctored images with ready eyes.


Of Belize politics and leadership …

Contributed

It has become a rather sad state of af-fairs and observation to admit out loud that Belize displays a void in leadership. During the past weeks, as PUP struggled to identify its “head” and the political machinery, rhetoric and posturing was unavoidable in the newscasts, advertise-ments, newsprints and everywhere else eyes can observe, the plight of the voter, in fact the plight of Belizean leadership, laid bare. A feeling of quiet desperation wafted over and the death of patriotism and fruitlessness to exercise civic duty via the vote became painfully clear. The current battle for Caribbean Shores only further reinforces the quandary of Beliz-ean political leadership.

To analyze the People’s United Party predicament: Francis may be a good guy but his last name lays plague to his aspirations and the Party’s abil-ity to sell and convince of its renewed commitment to social justice and the good of the people. With hardwork and some crafty distancing between him and his monied cousin and soiled past leader may earn him the opportunity he pleas to receive. The looming ques-tion though, does he have the strength, wherewithal to achieve such distance and will those two old guards graciously accept their liability and agree to offer the “Betties” necessary to run a cam-paign without demanding and exacting a price? In short, will the two old guards accept that they must “go quietly into the night” for the good of the whole. A story yet to unfold…

Now before the UDPs enjoy this ar-ticle too much and begin to celebrate a victory, the question facing that group – Does your semblance of leadership of 2011 has the glory and represent the hope that same represented in the dark dim days of 2008? I dare to say “Not quite.!” The UDPs have fallen prey to their own self righteousness and pious chest beat-ing. What was a ray of hope and promise of difference has now been shrouded in arrogance, greed and unfeeling callous-ness toward the very people who once hailed the promise of brighter, and fair-er days. The numerous outbursts of self righteousness, exuberance of pride, self-justification of too many of the powers that be have haunted the electorate and lay to ruin many lives. Patrick, John and the very PM Dean have been caught too often with the proverbial “foot in mouth disease” as they celebrated publicly their arrogance, self-righteousness and self justification.

Now to Caribbean Shores: It seems the UDP still believes that the rising tide that floated all boats is still very much ashore. It would do them well to reassess that belief. It would seem that prior to offering oneself for public life, a certain degree of self assessment is in order. How many of these C/Shores warriors have looked deep within and asked – what do they bring to the table (HONESTLY!)? How do the possible electorate view them? What are truly their skills?

For Michael Singh, I am not certain any of those assessments were com-pletely done and maybe he and his Party realized such as he graciously stepped aside. But in looking back neverthe-

less… The man may have been smart to establish a private business, but his head was held too high to identify with the lo-cal man and his shoes were too immacu-late to beat the pothole laden streets of the division in certain areas. His aspira-tions, business and personal, were too polemic to be able to bridge the social divide of C/Shores. He was too clearly of one social camp.

Santiago “Santi” Castillo now may have the zeroes in the bank accounts and may have been able to maintain quite a family empire (by Belizeans stan-dards), but you must admit he has been able to maintain a common touch. So, although his political absence may be obvious, his social involvement is vis-ible from his avid sports sponsorships, quests, championships and dedica-tion. Of course, the UDP party faithful

seem to prefer the man of cycling and Messengers Baby fame. Why you ask? Well, the answer lies in deep pockets equipped with enough zeroes to oil any broken down machine.

Now for the ladies, I won’t spend much time on Chandra Nisbet. Is that her name? Her name may have the en-joyed the glory of political relics as her mother’s involvement is too distant for the young voter to know much less recall. She is a non-entity, a political void. Except for the endorsement of the well-involved, well-meaning Prime Minister’s wife, Chandra brings noth-ing to the table but herself.

As for the other woman – Ann Ma-rie “A Woman’s Place is in the HOUSE” Williams… Her days as a political and woman’s activist are clear. However, one question -- what does this vocal

visible woman candidate truly offer? She expounds on her skills as an ac-tivist and journalist, but in these dire economic times, the social agenda will not float without some movement on the economic front. UDP has proven themselves to be a bit clueless, lack-ing of financial and economic creativ-ity and knowledge to inspire any well monied Belizean and foreigner to part with enough zeroes that will job cre-ate. The question for Ann is - Does she understand the issues of the na-tional economic development agenda and what can she bring to a table that seeks to put our economy on a correct-ed path?

This is only a sneak of the as-sessment of our leadership situation. Imagine conducting just this cursory of an analysis on all our candidates who aspire for national office. If the situation appears dire at that level, it is no wonder we have no hope - no hope for the Belize City Council elections - no hope for municipals. No hope in the personalities who dare to declare themselves as leaders.

Belize – our time of politics and the making of politicians is in desper-ate need!




Andy Williams confirms he has bladder cancerHow to Detox

the Body With Vegetables

Every day, your body accumu-lates innumerable toxins. Toxins that accumulate in your body include metallic

deposits such as aluminum, mercury, copper, and lead you take in from food and air. These substances can cause health problems such as cancer, heart disease and allergies. Detoxi-fication is a method of nourishing, resting and cleaning your body from the inside out. There are numerous supplements and body wraps which can help you detoxify, but these rem-edies can be expensive. Luckily, na-ture has an answer to this problem, in the form of healthy vegetables.

Step 1Add half a cup of broccoli to your

diet every day. Broccoli includes an active ingredient called sulforaphane, which can help your body produce enzymes called phase II enzymes that detoxify cancer-causing toxins.

Step 2Add an ounce of chopped garlic

to your daily meals. Garlic contains the active ingredient curcumin which is a natural antibiotic and can help detoxify your blood of toxins. Add it to pasta, casseroles or soups.

Step 3Eat a cup of cooked artichokes ev-

ery day. Artichokes contain a phyto-chemical called cynarin, which helps support your body’s natural detoxi-fication and elimination processes. It helps protect and detoxifies your liver while cleansing your digestive system.

Step 4Drink a cup of natural, unsweet-

ened aloe vera juice daily. Aloe vera contains potent polysaccharides which can enhance your immune system to produce more white blood cells to help your body fight disease-causing toxins that enter your body.

Step 5Add an ounce of ginger to your

foods. Ginger contains a compound called gingerol which aids in the re-moval of toxins and waste from your body while enhancing your metabo-lism and blood circulation. You can also eat two or three pieces of natural ginger candy daily or a cup of ginger tea. Both forms of ginger will give you the same effect.

November 7, 2011

Andy Williams has cancer, which the singer confirmed to an audience Saturday at his Moon Riv-er Theater in Branson, Mo. -- and that audience reportedly responded with a supportive round of cheers and applause.

“I do have cancer of the blad-der,” he said on stage, according to the Branson Tri-Lakes News. “But that is no longer a death sentence. People with cancer are getting through this thing.”

He thanked fans for their sup-port, saying “I really have missed this an awful lot.” The “2011 Andy Williams Christmas Show” perfor-mance was the 83-year-old’s first

time on stage in weeks.Except for a 10-month break in

1999 to deal with a polyp on his vocal cords, Williams has been appearing in Branson regularly for the last two decades, typically performing two shows a day, six days a week for nine months a year. He’s known around town as “Mr. Christmas,” having urged venues around entertainment-based Branson to kick off their deco-

rations and holiday-themed shows starting Nov. 1.

The National Enquirer reported Friday that the singer had, toward the end of October, sought tests and treatment in Texas for “invasive bladder cancer.” According to an un-named Enquirer source “close to Wil-liams,” he is likely to have his bladder removed after rounds of chemothera-py to shrink the tumors.


Documents

The Independent 19 - Nov -2011