SAN PEDRO DAILY, August 10, 2007, Belize News,Features,Newspapers, Information,Resource,Caribbean,Ambergris Caye

Mexico warms to Venezuela,
Cuba with new envoys

Mexico has named new ambassadors to Venezuela and Cuba as President Felipe Calderon seeks to mend fences with the two socialist countries after several years of diplomatic disputes.
The foreign ministry announced on Thursday it will send Mexico's current ambassador to Colombia, Jesus Chacon, to Caracas after a two-year break without a top envoy there.
Relations hit a low in 2005 when Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called Mexico's then-President Vicente Fox a "lap dog" of the United States.
Calderon, a conservative who took office last December, has vowed to move Mexico nearer to Latin America while keeping close ties to key trade partner the United States.
His government asked Congress on Wednesday to send a new ambassador, Gabriel Jimenez, to Cuba to replace one named by Fox, who also fought with Havana over human rights.
Chavez, a vocal anti-U.S. foe, this week acknowledged Mexico's efforts at rapprochement.
"We have heard the messages from Mexico and we have no choice but to respond in the same way," Chavez said in Buenos Aires, naming his own ambassador to Mexico.
Calderon narrowly won Mexico's presidential election last year and had to fight off claims of vote fraud by his leftist opponent, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Chavez, the most visible face of Latin America's resurgent leftist politics, initially refused to recognize Calderon's victory. Read More

Student Grants from Social Security

The Belize Social Security Board today held its annual scholarship award ceremonies in Belmopan for a total of thirty-eight students from across the country.
The ceremonies were held to recognize the recipients of the scholarship program who were successful in meeting the requirements set out by the Social Security Management and staff for the student grant.
Fifteen students were awarded in the High School program, seventeen for the sixth form program and six for the Bachelor’s degree program.
Invited Guest Speaker at the event was the Chief Education Officer, Ms. Maud Hyde. In her remarks, she urged the students to embrace the scholarships and hold today’s achievements as the beginning of their success story.
The Belize Social Security’s scholarship program has been in place since 2002. In 2005, it was extended to allow recipients for the sixth form category and last year they implemented the program to include applicants pursuing Bachelor’s degree in Social work, Tourism Management, Natural Resources Management, Nursing or Information Technology programs. Read More

Prime Minister attends
Regional Meeting

Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Said Musa left today for Caracas, Venezuela to attend a regional meeting of the Petro Caribe. Attending this important summit will be other CARICOM leaders from throughout the region.
Petro Caribe is a forum set up by the leaders of CARICOM and the Venezuelan Government to, among other things, explore ways to reduce the high cost of energy to the region by using Venezuela’s vast oil resources. The leaders will meet with President Hugo Chavez in their series of discussions.
Accompanying the Prime Minister is Hon. Ralph Fonseca, Minister of Home Affairs, Housing and Public Utilities.
Prime Minister Musa returns to the country on Sunday August 12th. During his absence, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Vildo Marin, is acting as Prime Minister. Read More

BELIZEAN JOURNALISTS PARTICIPATE IN TRAINING WORKSHOPS TO FOCUS ON EFFECTIVE REPORTING

Journalists from print, radio, and television media countrywide, will participate in the second phase of training workshops focusing on effectively reporting on the environment. The workshops are being conducted by the International Center for Journalists at Loyola University in New Orleans, under the stewardship of Doctor Robert Thomas.
Doctor Robert Thomas:Director of Center for Journalists at Loyola University
“This will be our second round of environmental workshops for journalists in Belize.It’s a project at the International Center for Journalism in Washington DC and it’s funded by PACT Belize and the HOPE Foundation and now we’ve gotten some money from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Washington DC as well.We did our first workshop in November,out in St.George’s Caye and this will be our second one held in Stann Creek.The whole concept is to educate journalists on the nuances of covering the environment.Covering the environment is a very difficult process because it’s not a single dimension.It’s not just going out saying this is this and this is that.It’s almost always helping the listener,reader,watcher to understand science,understand the process of science,understand how it affects social systems in the community and the country.The politics of it all,the economics of course,the environmental reform and it’s very multi-dimensional and very important to the well being of citizens in the country.” Read More

ALLIANCE AGAINST AIDS HOSTS MEETING WITH THE MEDIA THIS WEEKEND

The Alliance Against AIDS’ along with the Latin American and Caribbean Council of AIDS Service Organization is holding a three day working meeting with the media this weekend. The five year project is entitled “Community Based Advocacy and Networking to Scale Up Prevention in an Era of Expanded Treatment”. Executive Director for the Alliance Against AIDS’, Rodel Beltran Perera, says they hope the media will help with the five year project.
Rodel Beltran Perera:Executive Director for the Alliance Against AIDS
“Not only share the project itself and what the project is all about and its objectives in networking in more involvement of the community,including the media,but also to share with the media what we’ve been doing so far and this project now goes into its third year.It’s a five year project,but we now go into our third year and we want to share with the media our accomplishments but also,how the media can work with us in promoting the objectives and targets of the project.” Read More

NOTICES/LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dorado and Tuna Tournament- Sunday August 12. Briefing: Caliente at 7pm Friday the 10th
More info here: http://belizephotographs.com/070809.html

BRUNCH Served every Saturday and Sunday at Beachin' Kitchen. Cathy's great cooking!

CHURCH SERVICE AT HOLY CROSS- Sunday, August 12 at 10 am. Guest preacher will be Rev. Julie Bryant from Pacific Palisades, California.

All parents of registered Holy Cross Anglican School students are required to attend the parent/teacher conference on August 26 at 2 pm. The new school year begins Monday, September 3. For any additional information, please call the School office at 226-3456.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY
"If you stand for nothing,

then you'll fall for anything"

Kentucky saying
John E Greif III

THE SAN PEDRO DAILY ARCHIVES