In a strange series of events, what we thought was just a dying tropical depression already moving its way inland, proved to be a powerful storm that left its mark in Belize. What was left of Tropical Depression Arthur dumped some serious rain over Belize causing major flooding in the mainland.

In San Pedro, the damage was limited to mostly sunken and displaced skiffs, downed trees, flooded yards and homes, with only a few losing their roofs. The storm packed tropical storm winds gust of about 40mph, dumped about 10 inches of rain and produced some powerful electrical storms.

Weather here in San Pedro started to deteriorate since Friday afternoon and it rained all day Saturday and got worst on Sunday. There was some flooding off the streets and low lying areas. The seas were choppy, but all in all, there was only a lot of rain dumped on the island which was a blessing because everything was covered in dust for the past three months. That’s looking at the bright side of things.

Alma, the Eastern Pacific tropical storm that hit Nicaragua Thursday, fell apart over the high mountains of Honduras. The remnants reorganized over the Western Caribbean on Saturday morning and became Arthur. Had Alma maintained her identity as a tropical depression during the crossing, she would have kept her name. As it was, Alma died, had a posthumous sex change, and became reborn as a man named Arthur. Only two tropical storms since 1949 have made the crossing from Pacific to Atlantic and maintained at least tropical depression status during the crossing.

Damages

Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr. mentioned that there were about 65 sunken boats both in the seaside and the lagoon. Areas which were mostly affected by the flooding on the island were San Pedrito Area, Escalante Subdivision, DFC Area and San Mateo.

According to Mr. Kevin Gonzalez, chairman of NEMO in San Pedro and Caye Caulker, there were only 2 medical emergencies on the island, one which was a person suffering from a convulsion and the other of a woman suffering from head injuries caused by a zinc roof metal sheet tossed around by the strong winds.

But not only did TS Arthur flood parts of the island; in its wrath villages in the Northern districts and Stann Creek suffered major flooding, receiving up to 12 inches of rainfall. The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) Secretariat reported that approximately 469 persons were evacuated in 14 shelters countrywide with the bulk being in the Orange Walk and Stann Creek District. A total of two fatalities and 5 missing have been reported along with damage to houses, bridges and roads.

NEMO also provided an initial report of approximately 10,000 persons being affected by the floods. According to reports tropical storm Arthur caused more flood devastation in comparison to Hurricane Hattie in 1961 which was a category 4 hurricane and killed 278 people.

According to Ramon Frutos, Chief Meteorologist, because the air flow remains very unstable we should expect more rainfall. However Frutos says the rains will not be as intense and persistent as what affected the country over the weekend. With the formation of Tropical Storm Arthur one day before the hurricane season officially started on June 1, and all the rain and flooding it brought along with it, residents of San Pedro and Belize can only pray and hope for a quiet hurricane season and no threats to their homes.

Did Arthur Form Over land?

Arthur was also unusual in that the first advisory position for the storm was inland over northern Belize, about 30 miles from the ocean. Technically, the storm probably formed while the center was just offshore or right at the coast, but the National Hurricane Center (NHC) did not name it until the center was already inland.

There is one other case of NHC issuing its first advisory on a system while it was over land - Hurricane Agnes, which became a tropical depression on June 14, 1972, while centered over the Yucatan Peninsula. Since the Yucatan is a relatively narrow strip of land with very warm ocean waters on three sides, one can form a tropical depression centered over land here in rare cases, when the large-scale atmospheric patterns are very favorable for tropical storm formation.

The blockbuster movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull that was released last week in theatres has stirred up some attention to Belize and the famous Crystal Skull from Lubantuun. Now you can find information on the Crystal Skull and Belize on the internet, television and in countless magazines.

Belize has been trying to acquire the famous Crystal Skull and have it brought here in the country but hasn’t succeeded as yet. On Tuesday, May 20, News Five aired a documentary by Dr. Jaime Awe who explained a bit of the mystery and controversy of the Crystal Skull.

It’s one of the greatest and most bedeviling mysteries of Belizean archaeology but more than that, the skull is one of the most visually stunning objects known to mankind. It’s all these things and the subject of an ongoing dispute in archaeological circles: is it for real, or is it a hoax? It’s an explosive question that Dr. Awe gave his opinions on.

“After the Jade Head, I think that the Crystal Skull is very likely the second most famous, or perhaps the most infamous artifact,” commented Dr. Jaime Awe, Director of Archaeology. “Infamous mostly because of this man, Mitchell Hedges, a British explorer and adventurer who claims he found it here at Lubantuun in 1927.”

The Crystal Skull is often referred to as the “Skull of Doom”; the skull was made from a single, unusually large block of clear quartz crystal, and measured 5 inches high, 7 inches long, and 5 inches wide, weighing 11 pounds, 7 ounces. It closely corresponds in size to a small human cranium, with near perfect detail, even to rendering the skull without the globular prominence or superciliary ridges, which are characteristics of a female.

As the story goes ... One day in 1927, English adventurer, traveler, and writer, F.A. “Mike” Mitchell-Hedges, who had a talent for telling colorful stories, was clearing debris from atop a ruined temple at the ancient Mayan city of Lubantuun, located in British Honduras, now Belize. His seventeen-year old daughter Anna, who had accompanied him, suddenly saw something shimmering in the dust below. Anna found an exquisitely carved and polished skull made of rock crystal, with the jaw piece missing. Three months later, she located the jaw in an excavation about 25 feet from the first site.

There are many speculations that Hedges didn’t actually find the crystal skull since he didn’t publish anything about the Crystal Skull until he had bought the Crystal skull in an auction for £400 ($782US). So why would he make up the story? Well, according to Dr. Awe maybe Hedges was trying legitimize the object.

Indeed there are several, but those skulls look nothing like this one which experts say was never touched with metal implements. Awe says that while Mitchell’s story may be bogus, the Crystal Skull is not. The Belize’s Department of Archaeology will keep asking for the return of the Crystal Skull to its original place where Hedges claims is its home, Belize because if they claim that it was found here it should return here. Anna Mitchell-Hedges passed away on April 11, 2007 at age of 100 and the crystal skull has been put into the custody of Bill Homann.

With placards in hand and voices heard strong throughout the streets of San Pedro Town, children from various schools on the island partook in a march against violence and child abuse on Friday, May 31, 2008.

Recently the San Pedro Police Department asked Holy Cross Anglican School to put together this march. Glenda Rancharan from Holy Cross was the coordinator of the march.

“It is against physical, sexual abuse and neglect against our children,” said Glenda Rancharan. “We organized this march because it hit so close to home. At this school, a couple months ago, we were told that we had several sexual abuse cases happening and couple month ago we had a student here at our school that was abused by a predator inside her home and when we investigated we found out it was not only in our school but all over the country.”

Children from Holy Cross, RC. School, ABC Preschool, Little Angels Preschool and New Horizons met at 8:30a.m. in Central Park to get ready for the march. Several police officers were there and fire department showed support with their truck leading the way. The children walked through town with their signs letting people know they deserve respect, love, and that abuse is not okay.

In an effort to protect the environment several schools on the Island are joining together to encourage their communities to make reusing and recycling a part of San Pedro’s education system.

There has been much talk about the effects of development on the island and its impact on the ecosystem. In order to help protect the island’s natural beauty, we must join together and start the ball rolling for reusing, recycling and going green in San Pedro.

The goal is to jump-start reusing and recycling on Ambergris Caye by having people talk to the kids and explain why it is important. In the new school year the plan is to get kids making arts and crafts from clean and ready to use items that people would otherwise be throwing in the trash.

Please join us and support the kids for our parade Friday June 6th 1:30p.m. (meet at Central Park). Recycled signs to show support are welcome but not necessary.

If you would like to help please contact one of the schools listed below to see what is needed. If there is a school in your area that is not on the list please encourage it to join the program. For more Information please contact Laurie via tacogirlblog.blogspot.com

* Holy Cross School – Miss Linda: 226-3456
* ABC Pre School – Mr. Will Alamilla Jr.: 226-3070
* Little Angels Pre School – Miss Marina: 226-2115
* R.C. School - Miss Kay: 226-2550
* New Horizons – Mr. Miguel Hernandez: 226-4155
* Ambergris Caye Elementary School – Miss Odelia: 226-4323

Police say that on Friday, May 30, fifty-two year old Canadian Paul Steel, a longtime resident of San Pedro Town, was driving his pick up in the direction of Belmopan from Placencia when a loaded 40 foot container truck rammed into him on a curve between miles 24 and 25 near Middlesex Village.

Steel died at the scene. The driver of the big rig, Edwin Torres, has been arrested and is out on $5,000 bail. Torres, a resident of San Ignacio, told police that he saw the pick up slow down then swerve suddenly as if to make a U-turn.

According to Torres, he honked his horn but could not prevent the collision. He has been charged with Manslaughter by Negligence, Causing Death by Careless Conduct, and Driving a Motor Vehicle without Due Care and Attention. His next court date is July 7. Memorial services for Mr. Steel were held on Wednesday, May 4, at the Island Academy.

Public utilities are those services that are beneficial and necessary for the welfare of the general population of a country. Under this category come electricity, water, telephone, health services and education. Other essential services could be streets and roads, police and security. They are called public services and utilities because they are operated by the government for the general population.

Private enterprise are those services provided by private businessmen and business firms and include transportation by land, air and sea, stores and shops of all natures, television, newspapers and communication, hotels and accommodation and health which is also public. These exist strictly to make a profit.

Note that something like cable television is a private service and not public because it is not absolutely an essential service. People can do without it, but people cannot do without water and electricity and even health. That is why these are run by the government so that even if people cannot afford it, it is the government’s duty to provide these for its people.

At one time, BEB, the Belize Electricity Board and WASA, the Water and Sewerage Authority used to be government owned and operated. The telephone company and even the radio station were government operated public utilities. But then some time ago, government officials (of both political parties) decided to privatize these utility companies. And it is precisely here that the problems lie today.

A private business company exists for the sole purpose of making a profit. It is their right to make a profit. How can government tell you that you cannot raise the price of your product or service?

We are of the opinion that the best solution is to re-nationalize these companies. Government can and should re-acquire BEL, for example, and then be able to provide inexpensive power supply to the people of Belize, especially now that we have oil in Belize. This will give the poor people more spending power because they will save from the high costs of electricity. The industrial and commercial sector will also benefit and be able to invest more into our economy. Investments always bring more jobs; more jobs mean more employment. More employment means more spending power by the poor people. More jobs also mean less crime by the suffering people.

It is not right for such a company to threaten a country and government by setting an ultimatum. Whether deliberate or not, the country lost a lot of money when productivity came to a halt due to all the power outages last week. In San Pedro, we learned that many tourists were checking out early and asking for refunds as they did not want to be inconvenienced by the power outages. Who can blame them?

All of the above is a formula for happy people and government is in a position to make the people of this nation happy. It is very simple to re-nationalize the utility companies. It is a matter of will power. Forget who sold what in the past. Forget that. It is a matter of will power to solve a problem that exists today.