SAN PEDRO DAILY, August 16, 2007,Belize,News,Features,Newspapers,Information,Resource,Caribbean,Ambergris Caye

U.S. Embassy Revokes
Ombudsboy's Visa

Assistant to the Ombudsman Lionel Castillo is waiting for a quick trial which is when his attorney Dickie Bradley says he’ll prove his innocence of an extortion charge. But the U.S. Embassy isn’t waiting around. 7NEWS has confirmed that the Embassy has cancelled Castillo’s visa. The Embassy sent this letter to all airlines and all border points yesterday. It advises that Lionel Castillo’s visa has been revoked. The visa had been issued on May ninth, 2000. As we have reported, police allege that Castillo extorted a prisoner by telling him that if he paid him $5,000, he could ensure that those Castillo claimed to control on the Parole Board would grant him a release. The prisoner, Kelvin Reneau was paroled on July 27th and police say they have Castillo on audio and videotape collecting $3,500 from him last week Friday. We are informed that based on recordings of conversations between Castillo and Reneau, there are also implications of wrongdoing involving the Magistracy. Read More

Emory King, Dead at 76

Film commissioner, author and historian Emory King died at his home in Tropical Park last night. He was 76 and had been ailing from symptoms associated with cancer. In his 54 years in Belize, the American born King made a wide mark, not least of them here at Channel 7, where he co-founded Tropical Vision in 1980. Today, to reflect on why King mattered, we pulled up an old interview from 1998. The interview was done at the time for an art project, not for the news – so what you’re about to see has never been aired and it provides a useful insight into who Emory King was. Emory King, Deceased
[1998 Interview] “I’ve been here 44 years. I got shipwrecked on the Great Belize reef in 1953 and I’ve been here ever since.” And King always said that’s how his story fits in with the Belize story. Emory King,

“Belize, the land of the reluctant immigrant. Nobody ever came here willingly but once they got here they never left willingly either. They stayed and stayed. When you stop and think about it, the pirates, the slaves, the Garifuna, the Mestizos – nobody came here because they wanted to but once they were here, hallelujah – they have found paradise.” More than paradise and he also found a place in history.
Yasser Musa, NICH President
“In terms of history he is known to have brought the Mennonites, negotiated the bringing of the Mennonites to Belize, he was a founding member of the Belize Historical Society, he was the film commissioner, he brought many films, documentaries to Belize, and in many instances that creased a lot of employment and opportunities, and an important thing that Emory did for many years was the Tribute to Belizean Patriots. In terms of media, he had a great impact. I know in 1980 along with Net Vasquez, the owner of Tropical Vision, they brought the first satellite dish to Belize, and of course the rest is history in terms of that being a major signpost to the opening up of global culture.”
Emory King,
“I wrote books and I have lectures and I got the movies in here, I brought the Mennonites to Belize, and I’ve had a grand old time.”
Yasser Musa,

“But from a personal standpoint, I think anybody that encountered Emory King knows he was a great raconteur, a great storyteller, he always had a pocketful of jokes that at anytime he would deliver with such amazing skill.” And he parlayed that into bit roles in Hollywood movie made in Belize. Emory King,
“In my first movie which is the ‘Dogs of War’ in 1980 I stood in a bar with a glass of whiskey and a cigar and Christopher Walking. In my second picture, the ‘Mosquito Coast,’ I sat in a bar with a glass of whiskey and a cigar and Harrison Ford. In my third picture, a thing called ‘Caribe,’ I sat in a bar with a glass of beer and my hat and my cigar and a pretty girl across the table. I thought my career was taking off. Unfortunately in my fourth picture, I died – in more ways than one.” But more than a star, King just wanted to be accepted as a Belizean.
Emory King,
“I became a Belizean at heart back in ’54 and I became a Belizean legally in 1964 so I only thought about Belize, Belize, Belize.” Read More

BNTU: Chispas Books Have To Go!

“Pull the Chispas textbooks and send them back to the publishers!” That’s what the Teachers’ Union today told the Minister of Education in a press release. The union release says that errors and omissions in the Spanish and social studies books are, “a major insult and affront to the intelligence and dignity of our Belizean people, teachers and students.”
But more than just insulting, the union release says that the books contravene chapter 1, sections one and two of the Constitution of Belize. Now, the union says the Spanish and social studies books must be withdrawn and returned to the publisher for corrections. And to this end, the union says it is calling for an urgent meeting with the Minister of Education. Of course, the story wouldn’t be complete without an ‘I-told-you-so’…and sure enough the union release says all this shows is proper and timely planning, consultation and implementation were required before the new textbooks were introduced. We were unable to reach Education Minister Francis Fonseca for comment today. On Friday, 7NEWS broke the story of the Chispas books which show Belize on a map as a part of Mexico. And while other Latin American countries are discussed in books one through three, Belize is not mentioned until book four. The social studies book also only has one picture of Belize and it is a historic picture. And while this point has not been widely discussed; 7NEWS has also learned that the English book portrays the Mennonite community of Blue Creek as being in Cayo, not in Orange Walk. Read More

NOTICES/LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Hurricane Dean Updates- CLICK HERE

Scheduled power outage- Friday 17 August, 1:30 to 4:30 PM. Areas to be Affected: From Caribbean Depot, Bowen & Bowen water treatment plant, San Pablo Subd., DFC Subdivision and Escalante

Some corrections regarding the triplets. I guess daddy got excited and was giving the info and got mixed up a little. The first triplet was delivered by Dr. Daniel Gonzalez at Ambergris Hope's Clinic. The other two were delivered by Cesarean section at KHMH.

They very badly need help financially and/or with things for the babies, who are premature.

Medical Assistant Veronica is collecting for the family at Ambergris Hope Clinic

Thanks, Nurse Natalie

All parents of registered Holy Cross Anglican School students are required to attend the parent/teacher conference on August 26 at 2 pm.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

"Someone show me how to tell the dancer from the dance"

The Eagles, Desperado

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