Jasmine Lowe
Jasmine was so bright that she was skipped a grade BUT dad decided she was too young. Instead he has been working with her in the family business and spending what is sure to become treasured time with his daughter. Read the following from Channel 5:
All your prayers and good wishes must be working! Please keep sending all those positive vibes her way 🙂
The family would like to invite you all to a Prayer Service tomorrow for Kim.
We just started our blog a mere 5 months ago and so much has happened! To Aria and me…to Belize…none of it could have anticipated. BUT Aria seems to have assessed the political climate accurately at least. Check out one of her first pieces: Tell me what you think!
Reflection
    by Aria LightfootÂ
“If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it.”
Abraham Lincoln
In the ad lib words of President Lincoln, to get to where we are going, we must know where we are. 2011 is fading;  2012 is approaching fast and Belize faces municipal,  city council and general elections. The implications are for a positive financial outlook for the Belize voter. The money for votes exchange is off to a head start and the political warriors are gearing up for battle. At this juncture it is difficult to determine what the future leadership of Belize will look like, I have my own speculations, however in politics, the only certainty is uncertainty. Voters are fickle and needy; political parties’ popularity fluctuates between love and hate. Hate while in government and love while in opposition.
I predict in 2012 that it really doesn’t matter which party holds the majority in the House and municipal elections. Crime, poverty, corruption, inefficiency, apathy of leadership, politics of patronage, special interest politics, the growing divide between rich and poor will remain constant. Are the major political parties reluctant, stubborn and arrogant? Or are politicians merely a reflection of our corrupted society? The voting patterns in Belize suggests a yearn for change;  however the inability to articulate it has resulted in major changes  at the polls with little changes to much else.    What does corruption even mean to the average citizen? Does the average citizen know that hustling on the side, hooking up family members and friends, pushing friends to the front line, erasing the professional and personal line, selective enforcement, turning a blind eye, paying tax paid  government officials to complete work, accepting money for votes, buying anything on the black market, inflating contracts to benefit friends and family, hiring and promoting due to relationship rather than skill; educating friends and family and supporters, denying access to qualified citizens, special favors of any kind…equals corruption? Lets us begin the arduous journey of reflection on the impact we make on the society.
I’m running on E here….not much that has happened recently that I haven’t talked about…mocked…questioned….so I’m just saying hi and asking if anyone out there has something he/she wants to hear about…
Meanwhile…why are the Maturas’ being killed off? Is there something I’m missing? It is toooooo sad when a child is caught in grownup games. Belize is just too small for all this shooting and killing…it’s like the Wild Wild West down there : lawless and under the control of a few egotistical maniacs…
Anybody know? I’m trying to find out but as usual, the news only go as far as Friday…Belize stop fi di weekend and it was a long one..so rather than rely on rumours…I gotta wait…
John McAfee
So remember in the interview with Jeff Wise, John McAfee said that he was trying to apply his knowledge of computer viruses to figuring out viruses that plague us human beings? Remember how he proudly showed Mr. Wise his “lab” and his leading research scientist  on quorum sensing? Well according to the San Pedro Sun, he was manufacturing “antiseptics” not “antibiotics“. WOW. I am like stunned because this man really believes that we are that dumb as to not know the difference as well as it was in his own words that he said he was trying to develop antibiotics using quorum sensing or did I read it wrong and misinterpreted what he meant? So he was really trying to make antiseptics using bacteria??? uhmmmm…ok but I think I will stick to Clorox bleach….
For the full interview in the San Pedro Sun:Â http://www.sanpedrosun.com/crime-and-violence/2012/05/10/john-mcafee-demands-an-apology-for-gsu-raid/
For the previous articles on John McAfee:Â https://twocanview.com/2012/05/04/just-how-nutz-is-this-nut-who-is-john-mcafee-by-fayemarie-anderson-carter/
And the previous update on that article:Â https://twocanview.com/2012/05/08/update-just-how-nutz-is-this-nut-who-is-john-mcafee-by-fayemarie-anderson-carter-2/
‘Tis indeed a small world. I went to get my hair “did” yesterday and normally I don’t talk but one of my challenges this year for myself is to engage in small talk and to just let people know I appreciate them. So, somehow we got to where I’m from and I said Belize and she goes “O my gosh! I’ve been there.” So I ventured to ask where hoping it was like San Pedro or Caye Caulker and then she said, struggling to appear neutral, “Belize City.” And I saw the look on her face and I burst out laughing. I said, ‘O I’m so sorry. Why did you go there? Nobody goes there for a vacation!” And she said that it was the cruise ship. They were dropped off and told to go explore Belize City. SERIOUSLY???? Whose stupid idea is this??? I mean, even we locals hate going to the city.
She said that she didn’t want to give me the wrong idea. She learned a lot and came to appreciate that she really does have life good and that she is very glad she lives where she lives. She and her family took a guided tour in the seedy and then more wealthy areas (turns out it was definitely Buttonwood Bay). She said she felt scared and knew that had it not been for her family she would not have even gotten into the cab. She said she definitely felt “eyed” and threatened. She liked the chicken with the “sauce” on the rice but was afraid to try it at first, then glad she had. I asked her if she got to go to the islands and she said that she knows that there are beautiful beaches and that people have destination weddings but she never even got close to a beach.
Here is the thing. I understand that the tourist village was built to drive $$$ into the city in an attempt to create jobs and a sustainable economy but did we shoot ourselves in the foot? By highlighting our crime ridden and bullet gutted city, we provide a very narrow and frightening view of our country to tourists. This creates a negative press we may not have anticipated. That girl and her family (6 of them) will never entertain coming back and you can damn be sure they are not going to send anyone else. Multiply that by a couple thousand every week or so??????
*sigh* Any ideas on how to do this differently?
Take off the blinders, man.
My partner here at Twocanview wrote the article Legitimized in Belizean Society by Aria Lightfoot https://twocanview.com/2012/04/26/legitimized-in-belizean-society-by-aria-lightfoot/ and nearly a 100 comments later on another page and a few others here and there on other pages, as well as here, there seems to be a deliberate misunderstanding of her point.
Aria was NOT and I will repeat it (because no matter how many times I said it or how many ways I said it, it was ignored), NOOOOOTTTT exploring HOW we came to have gangs. She was only pointing out that we Belizeans legitimize their activity in ways perhaps, we don’t even realize? Is that where the defensive opposition is coming from? A lack of realization of how many little ways we really do legitimize the drug dealers/gangs in our society?
Look. Legitimising doesn’t mean legalizing. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you are singing their praises to your children…some of the responses we got just made me feel like I had entered the Twilight Zone. So let’s explore what “legitimising” means.
-When you look the other way as one of your friends or family smokes a joint
– When you occasionally indulge in smoking a joint, snorting a line
-When you don’t show up to court as a witness in a case prosecuting one of these gang bangers
-When you think it is ok that the son of Mr. Soh and Soh “get off” for murder bc his family is soooo respected
-When you don’t call the cops when you just watched a crime being committed
-When you hear a domestic fight between a thug and his girl and you don’t call the cops because “da nuh nun a yer bizniz”.
-When you see a kid reach into his backpack and suspiciously palm something as he hands it off to your son.
-When you ask Mr. Soh and Soh for a donation for your youth program when you know where the money comes from.
-When you call the latest squeeze of Mr. Soh and Soh “Mrs.” and invite her to your fundraiser cause she will buy the $100 tickets
-When you admire their new car, their new house…their clothes
-When you let them buy you a drink or you go to their child’s birthday party, take you to the cayes, Can Cun
-When because his name is “brother” “son” “husband” you tell yourself “he isn’t all that bad”
-When you tell yourself “mek dey kill out deyself” thus making murder ok as long as it  is one of “them”.
I could go on and on but the point I am making is simply this: When you apply a different set of rules and standards for people because you secretly envy their material success or because you are afraid of retaliation or you simply want your cut, you legitimise gangbanging. It is not only the “gangbanging” itself. It is an entire set of behaviours, from misdemeanors to felonies.
You legitimise by NOT accepting that the gangbanger is not just the thug sagging his pants BUT it is Minister Soh and Soh. It is Mrs. Soh and Soh. The lone attitude that it is a minority in the depths of our city legitimises all the other ones living in Buttonwood Bay, San Pedro, Belmopan? By perpetuating the myth that it is the teenager riding barefooted on the bike, you are legitimizing the crooked lawyer you have dinner with or the business person you know is smuggling or money laundering.
People. The thug on the street is the symptom, the mere tip of the iceberg. If we want  to solve this so called “inner city” problem, you have to look at your mansions hidden in the hills along the Hummingbird Highway. You need to search the yachts docked in front of Placencia and San Pedro. You need to search the containers being shipped to churches. You need to turn in your friend the pilot who just flew a plane full of cocaine.
You need to get real. You need to get over your prejudices. You need to open your eyes and see what is right in front of you.
Hey! YOU! Yes, YOU!
Lookya! O^O
Belize has been getting a lot of negative press and for good reason. What is ironic is that many Belizeans quick fuh hallah dat govament nuh di duh dey job! Tymes haaaaaad! People tieeeeeef! Police corrrrrrupt! And then when they get put in the limelight by international agencies, instead of rising up and hollering “yes! Da tru! Da tru!” uno run inna uno hole and play victim.
My point? Why do we obsess about bad press? Why do we create hysteria and give this horrible impression that everybody is starving and dying and basically living in squalor?
Check out the Facebook updates: smiling people at the bar, the beach, Cancun???? Fancy ride, pretty house, lush gardens? And how did you upload those pictures? On your iPhone….not cheap people so…methinks you do complain too damn much.
SO! I will re feature a lovely story from Channel 7 about someone who beat the odds and has quite the frank discussion about his childhood, the ramifications and how he overcame his “demons” as he calls them:Â Dr. Leroy Almendarez
Look how well that fits 🙂
There is a presumption many make about women: we don’t get along but men do. Women don’t like each other; all we do is gossip and fight and compete agaist each other instead of working with each other. Men don’t hold grudges; they aren’t emotional so make better teams; they get ish done (rolling my eyes on this one: sorry guys, but you rule the world and yeah….’nuff said).
I disagree. I think that the relationships are different in nature which leads to particular challenges. What do I mean? Men appear to get along because they keep it superficial. Can you imagine a conversation that goes: “And how did it make you feel when the boss touched your ass?” Not gonna happen.
So women and their relationships are under a lot more stressors than their male counterparts which may seem compromise productivity at times. For a brief history read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women’s_rights  So, evolutionarily speaking, perhaps this is exactly the kind of dissonance and discord which needs to take place in order to strengthen our understanding of each other so that we can develop better resolution of problems facing our society: domestic violence, equal pay etc.
What does this mean in the world of politics? A LOT. If men are unwilling to delve into the effects certain issues have on the quality of life of women and children, these issues get pushed into the background and are ignored. It is proven that societies in which women enjoy greater independence, access to education, representation in court etc are stronger economically.
It would seem then, instead of seeing things in a negative light, let’s learn from each other to find an optimum level of respect, understanding and good intentions so that we can all contribute to the growth of our society. Don’t blame women. Don’t blame men. We are the victims of our history BUT we are in control of our future so be grown and act accordingly.
The Face of Belize
*Sigh* uno mek me tyad inuh….Why do we have brilliant, articulate women defending dastardly crimes committed by men in power???? WHY? WHY? WHY? How can you rally behind leaders who have proven that they are corrupt and self serving and misogynistic? I mean, it just defies logic! Why would you put your head on the block for people who don’t even respect your gender?????And that by the way, is the LEAST of their offences. What about the bastards who pay rapists to terrorize and threaten women who dare to raise their voices? HOW CAN YOU STAND BEHIND THEM??????? What about the bastards who take the bread out of your mouth because you choose to oppose, instead of condone??? How about the ones who give preferential treatment to their own children or children of their lackeys and give them scholarships and positions you or your children worked for and deserved??? How about the ones who steal your land and give it to someone else? How about the ones who bribe magistrates to get their sons out of serving jail time while you can’t get justice for crimes committed against you? The police doesn’t even want to take your statement? DON’T MUDDAHFUKIN TELL ME IT’S IN THE PAST! Da snake only shed ih skin! Da still a snake, poisonous as evah. And we the people, don’t forget, can’t forget.  Some of us NEVER recover.
You call upon us to serve. You call us apathetic. You call us lazy. BUT YOU ASK YOURSELF: how many good people have you squooshed in the dirt, broken and devastated, having lost everything; and, then you kicked them when they were down, after they just lost everything standing behind you, for you and with you????
Sad truth is: if you can’t kill your roots of evil and corruption…you will grow the same weeds, long and tendrilous, choking off any possible growth and progress. We can’t be for you when you are for them. Period. We want to. We might admire some of our new politicians. You love Belize. You are dedicated and passionate. But you lose every ounce of credibility when you excuse obscenely unethical and straight up thuggish behaviour. We appeal to you. We need people to vote for and right now, we can’t trust anybody. Please give us a reason to believe. Perhaps, if you kicked out your criminals; prosecute a few; make reparations by returning stolen property and giving the deserving their hard earned scholarships and jobs; make solid plans instead of quick fix band aids…and maybe, just maybe, if you start listening to your people, we might start believing.
Don’t you understand we are afraid of you? Don’t you understand we are ashamed of you? Don’t you understand that we are paralyzed by your intimidation and condescending ways? And most of all, don’t you understand YOU WORK FOR US? WE PAY YOUR SALARY. YOU OWE US YOUR RESPECT AND CONSIDERATION. DO NOT TALK DOWN TO US. DO NOT INSULT US WITH YOUR ARROGANCE AND CAVALIER DISMISSAL. You keep pushing a people who are very close to having nothing to lose. You are asking for anarchy. People can only take so much. And while Belizeans seem to be extremely resilient and accommodating of their own rape, we do have a breaking point. Don’t find out where that is.
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