Not all birds are meant to be caged, their feathers are just too bright. Happy New Year’s everyone. Thank you ever so much for your support this past year.
Month: December 2012
2012 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 48,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 11 Film Festivals
Kim Simplis Barrow’s Reflections, Inspiration and Outlook for the New Year!
The New Year is a time to reflect on a year gone by and make plans and preparations for the upcoming year. One of the greatest blessings of humanity is the ability to recreate our lives, overcome and learn from adversity. Mrs. Kim Simplis Barrow took the nation of Belize through a tsunami of emotions as she battled one of the toughest fight of her life. She brought cancer awareness to the forefront while excelling at her duties as Special Envoy for women and children. Please read her message below as she shares her fight, struggles, fears and successes.
Kim Simplis Barrow and daughter Salima Barrow
A YEAR I WILL NEVER FORGET… by: Kim Simplis Barrow
2012 is coming to an end and for many reasons it is a year I truly don’t mind putting behind me. As I sit here reflecting on the year that was, there is no denying that 2012 was a challenging one for me as I spent a great deal of it fighting for my life. I battled cancer the best way I could and just when it seemed that the victory could well be in sight, there was another major struggle to overcome. When I suffered heart failure at the end of May, I couldn’t help but ask, “what the hell is going on?” I really needed answers. Answers I really didn’t get, but I continued to fight and I also continued to hope and pray and believe. It was a tough year as I completed chemotherapy treatments, radiation, and restored my heart to an acceptable beating pulse after a very grim prognosis.
Despite the many adversities I had to face, many days I smiled! I smiled at the everyday miracles I experienced. My faith in the human spirit, the goodness and beauty in everything was ever so present. I am forever grateful for all the support and constant prayers that came and continue to come my way.
Yes, during 2012 I struggled with my health but nonetheless, I can gratefully say – it was a successful year. Oh yes it was! My daily inspiration: our beautiful Belizean children! They are the ones who gave me the strength and courage to keep working on my Special Envoy projects. This year I saw the budding fruits of my labours as after many years of planning and advocacy a number of things came together. The Inspiration Telethon was a complete success and construction of the Centre has started. The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Prohibition Bill and the Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Bill were approved by the Cabinet and passed through both the House of Representatives and the Senate with unanimous support. They are now just a signature away from becoming law. The drafting of amendments to the Criminal Code to increase penalties for perpetrators of sexual assault has started and we’re expecting that it will be passed into law in 2013. A few weeks ago we received the good news that the Challenge Gobie Foundation reached its million dollar mark for us to start construction on the first phase of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.
And those are just the big highlights. There were many other victories: the annual launch of our Inspiration calendar and agendas, a very successful Annual Spirit of Christmas Concert that entertained over 300 children, the launch of several PSAs on sexual exploitation and child safety, increased public awareness on disabilities and cancer… just to name a few.
Overall, what I have learnt this year–indeed what I have lived this year–is that you don’t have to quit in the face of adversity, no matter how great a challenge! You should never give up no matter how horrible you feel, even if you are lying in the ICU! Life is many times ‘unfair’ and rough, we face unexpected events (cancer, job loss, death) but life doesn’t have to break us. WE MAKE LIFE!!!
That is my mantra: MY LIFE IS WHAT I MAKE IT! And in 2013 I intend to make it as rich and fulfilling as it can be; no matter the adversities, no matter the naysayers. I will continue to count my blessings, continue to cherish and support my loved ones, continue to appreciate my friends, continue my work on behalf of the children of this nation. And I will continue to look for the lessons as I face, head on, whatever challenge the new year may bring. I hope you will do the same!
Happy New Year to all! In the words of Afrobella I urge you to:
Slow down. Calm down. Look back at your year. Appreciate the journey you’ve made – the peaks and the valleys, the growth and the realizations. Be thankful for who you are, what you have, and the people who love you. Look forward to the upcoming year. Make plans that make sense for you, considering what you know you are capable of. Don’t limit yourself. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else.
I wish you peace, happiness, prosperity and love in 2013 no matter, or perhaps, despite what challenges may come your way!
Happy Birthday Twocanview and Merry Christmas to All!
One year ago on December 26th, 2011, Twocanview splashed onto the Internet scene with a hard-hitting poem ‘Jingle Bells’ by Fayemarie Anderson Carter (https://twocanview.com/2011/12/27/jingle-bells/) and an article ‘Reflection’ by Aria Lightfoot. (https://twocanview.com/2011/12/26/reflection/)
The idea of Twocanview was borne to address issues in Belize normally too taboo to discuss, or due to political affiliation, fear of retaliation or apathy, not addressed. We are two Belizean women, giving a bird eyes view of our beautiful country Belize. We chose the name Twocanview as a play on the word toucan, Belize’s national bird.
What was the year like?
Twocanview’s articles brought out very strong mixed emotions from readers and from writers of Twocanview alike. We were enthusiastically encouraged to continue by some; some readers were deeply offended, even those we were not talking about; our Belizeanness were called into question; one person threatened to ‘bring down’ Twocanview (the most hilarious threat); we were blocked and reported as spam; we were called insignificant; we were ignored; we were taken very seriously; we were prayed for; we were called evil and one fanatical church lady called for my personal arrest when I reach Belize. Some opposition members accused us of being an arm of the government and the government had no idea what to make of us. Maybe starting a controversial blog months before a major General Elections could make a lot of people ‘naaavous’ and suspicious.
As the year progressed, many people calmed down, and many of our readers developed a level of trust for us. We received many tips on stories and many times people reached out for us to address issues and helped to add credence to our articles. Faye and I have been very clear and consistent in our writing. We are anti-corruption, pro-Belize and we are adding our voice to the discourse to move Belize forward. We firmly believe that Belizeans want the same things, regardless of political affiliation, social or financial status.
Over the year, we promoted a successful writing contest with the winner, Andre Alamilla, receiving over 1000 dollars in gift and prizes through the generous contribution of our readers. We were also featured in the Independent Newspaper; we had the opportunity to interview the Prime Minister of Belize, Dean Barrow and also met several past and present members of House of Representatives. Several writers contributed to Twocanview with opinion pieces of their own and Twocanview also sponsored a child through Restore Belize hoping to make a difference if only in one child’s life.
In our first year, Twocanview wrote 355 articles, received 1,132 comments from readers, had more than 48,000 hits. About 800 email subscribers, 40 blog followers and almost 400 Facebook likes. The most read story in one day was “The mishandling of the Jasmine Lowe investigation” (https://twocanview.com/2012/06/08/the-mishandling-of-jasmine-lowes-investigation-by-aria-lightfoot/) which had over 4250 views in one day and reprinted by two small newspapers. Our blog has been viewed in Belize, USA, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Even though we do not blog daily or weekly we still get about 50-100 daily viewers.
The year has seen some ups and downs. Faye and I have disagreed on how to address certain issues and as passionate women, we made our stand. Our writing is real and emotional and driven by our love of country. We have also received very good, not so good, rude and interesting feedback from professors, co-bloggers and just about anyone with an opinion. The last few months we have had less articles due to school and work obligations for myself and Faye began pursuing other projects.
What is in store for 2013?
As I become acclimated with working full time, I plan to continue blogging in the New Year. The membership has been renewed and in 2013 Twocanview, will continue to bring to readers perspective on issues we think are of national importance. Belize is too important to us. We will not go quietly into the night and promise to continue our advocacy of good governance for Belize. We wish you a very merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Please continue reading and spreading the birdflew.
Twocanview LLC 