Belize

May 12th, 2013

Eric Wichmann – @theericfamily

Post 10:

McAfee Speaks Again
As I covered in Post 1, software mogul John McAfee has finally broken the silence since he has returned to the United States – Portland to be specific – about the allegations that he murdered his neighbor in Belize. “I have some stories and things to tell you, sir,” he says, rapping his right hand against a coffee table while nervously shifting his feet. “Do you have time for the truth?” For four hours, McAfee explains his side of the story to a USAToday reporter in an undisclosed apartment location.
Despite having spoken for so long, McAfee maintains his innocence, keeping up with his backstory that the government in Belize was after him because he denied their bribes mid 2012. McAfee claims that he is being pointed out for the murder because he declined to pay off the government, and points his finger to another neighbor who supposedly left the country shortly after the murder occurred.

Belizean officials declined to know which neighbor McAfee was referring to.  Since returning to America, McAfee has gotten a bit more serious with his girlfriend, Janice Dyson, and has even been seen walking his dog. Despite his accusations, McAfee he called the country a “third-rate banana republic” in reference to their economic climate.

“It is the world’s most physically beautiful country in the world,” McAfee says. “But it has an extremely high murder rate, and lots of rich Americans are there.” So do you think McAfee murdered his innocent yet annoying neighbor, or did the police push it on him?

 

May 12th, 2013

Eric Wichmann – @theericfamily

Post 9:

Language in Belize

Most of Central America is Spanish speaking, and Belize is no exception. Interestingly enough and contrary to common belief, Spanish is not the official language of Belize.  English is the official language, because Belize is a former colony of Britain, but since September 21, 1981 has claimed their independence from the country. However, only 4% of the population speaks English as their first language. Spanish is the most common first language, and it is native to nearly half the population of Belize. It became popular amongst the people during the 1840s when the Mestizo refugees came to Belize. Spanish and English are taught in primary and secondary schools.

Bilingualism is common amongst the population. Though Belize is home to many different cultures, the cultures tend to be more blended due to the absence of various language barriers. The literacy of Belize currently sits at 80%. Kriol is also a commonly spoken language in the country. It is an English-based language with the use of some African and Spanish syntax spoken by nearly 33% of the population.  To linguists, it is considered a dialect of English. Around 75% of the population speaks with a combination of English and Kriol; however, there is a much larger presence of Kriol. Though these are the three most popular languages of Belize, Mayan languages account of nearly 10% of the population.

 

American tourists need not worry, because 80% of Belizeans believe that their English skills are ‘good’ to ‘very good’. They pride themselves in their bilingual abilities, and tourists appreciate it as well.

 

 

May 12th, 2013

Eric Wichmann – @theericfamily

Post 8:

Gay Rights in Belize

Caleb Orozco, the gay rights campaigner attempting to overturn laws that criminalize homosexuality in Belize, has received a constant influx of death threats. Lisa Shoman, a Belizean lawyer and politician and the Foreign Minister of Belize from 2007 to 2008, has said the following on the matter:

“There are threats for killing, burning, shooting; you name it. It has to stop. We are all Belizeans. We can agree to disagree without getting violent about it.”

It seems that there isn’t as much of a legal or political backlash to such actions, as this has been going on for quite some time now. Caleb Orozco, of gay rights group UniBAM, has decided to fight against the ‘anti-buggery’ criminal laws to Belize’s supreme court. Mr. Orozco is no stranger to this violence however, as he has been called the antichrist, received previous death threats, and at one point had a beer bottle smashed into his face for his beliefs. The Guardian summarized the case with a statement saying:

“For four days, Orozco, supported by the former UK attorney general Lord Goldsmith and Godfrey Smith, Belize’s former attorney general, will dispute the legality of a 19th-century law drafted in Britain. Defending section 53 of Belize’s criminal code, which outlaws “carnal intercourse” between consenting same-sex adults, will be Belize’s current attorney general, Wilfred Elrington, backed by the country’s Catholic, Anglican and evangelical churches.”

From this I can see that such a colonial-era belief is bound to stir up trouble, and that the world is moving forward on such issues; Belize seems to be moving backwards with their lack of understanding.  Mr. Orozco isn’t fighting to gain new rights, and is instead trying to enforce existing “fundamental freedoms” governing human dignity and equal protection under the constitution. Obviously this is a hot topic in Belize, and it may end up attracting a lot of attention. As it says in Section 53 of the Belize Criminal Code, “Every person who has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any person . . . shall be liable to imprisonment for 10 years.”

 

May 6th, 2013

Eric Wichmann – @theericfamily

Post 7:

Liberty Children’s Home & Belize

Bad things happen to innocent people, and for that, there is the Liberty Children’s Home in Ladyville, Belize.  Liberty Children’s Home has been taking care of abandoned children, abused children, and children afflicted with HIV.  LCH considers itself:

“a sanctuary for children in need, providing in a natural environment, love, nurturing, and a high standard of education.”

LCH also praises itself in its development and upbringing of the children.  According to their website, they use the Reggio Emilia and Montessori methods of child development and education to prevent scarring from the institutionalization. For those unfamiliar, the Reggio Emilia method has the following aspects included:

• Children must have some control over the direction of their learning;
• Children must be able to learn through experiences of touching, moving, listening, seeing, and hearing;
• Children have a relationship with other children and with material items in the world that children must be allowed to explore and
• Children must have endless ways and opportunities to express themselves.

To LHC, incorporating the above technique with the following Montessori methodologies is vital in the process of raising children ,developmentally and educati0nally, to live above their neglect or illness and succeed. The premise of the Montessori Method of Education starts with the ideas that there is a need for freedom within limits, and a need for a carefully prepared environment which guarantees exposure to materials and experiences. With that said, the following approaches must be taken:

• Children are to be respected as different from adults and as individuals who differ from each other.
• Children possess an unusual sensitivity and intellectual ability to absorb and learn from their environment that are unlike those of the adult both in quality and capacity.
• The most important years of childrens growth are the first six years of life when unconscious learning is gradually brought to the conscious level.

I believe that the above methods were carefully chosen, and its directly in the best need for the children. They’re always taking donations, and to read more about what they do, visit: http://www.libertychildrenbelize.org/.

 

May 5th, 2013

Eric Wichmann – @theericfamily

Post 6:

Belize’s World Organization Involvement

Belize has taken many steps to establish a name for itself in the world international relations. Belize takes involvement in international organizations such as: the United Nations, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Trade Organization, and also the Caribbean Forum, which has a full-trade pact with the European Union. While gaining respect world-wide for involvement, Belize also participates organizations of Central America, such as: Association of Caribbean States, Organization of the American States, the Caribbean Community, the Caribbean Court of Justice, and Commonwealth of Nations.  The country is active in its efforts to globally interact with other states.

 

Since 1981, Belize has been a member of the United Nations— relatively speaking, a later country to form membership. The organizations ultimate goal is to promote human rights. Also, as a member of the World Trade Organization, Belize opens doors for good practice of foreign affairs. With the trade policy they have established, they allow for open trade with members, which is good for their growing economy and globalization. Though trade is welcomed, the United States is still, and has always been the largest source of imports for Belize accounting for nearly 50% of all imports each year. Belize relies largely on its geography for exported goods. The main exports of Belize are sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood, and crude oil.

 

 

 

Belize is planning the growth of economy using agriculture through CARICOM, as named above as the Caribbean Community. The aim is to trade more with Europe, even though exports with the United States and Europe are much greater than that to the Caribbean states surrounding the country. Belize is making strong headway into the world of international relations, and continues to prove its capabilities to the rest of the world.

 

April 29th, 2013

Eric Wichmann – @theericfamily

Post 5:

Belize vs The World vs Gasoline

As I sit down to blog, I glance at the time see that it is 9:11.  More and more do I hear people saying that they just so happen to glance at the time and see what I’m seeing; Sometimes occurring so often it’s bone-chilling. The numbers together mark a scary date in our history, but also mark the beginning of an unpredictable and insane petroleum problem.  At first, due to so many people complaining about gas prices, I assumed that the United States and Europe had the highest gas prices. Little did I know, the United States doesn’t really have it that bad. One country who is truly suffering in this gas-dependent world is Belize.

According to a chart compiled by Car & Driver for their January 2013 issue, Belize’s average gas price is at an astonishing $7.59 a gallon, while the United States’ average sits at a mere $3.85. Of course these figures change daily, but seeing Belize at such a high number just raises a concern in my mind. (info-graphic below)

 

Belize seems to be getting the short end of the stick in Central America…

Right away after viewing this info-graphic, a few questions came to mind. Why does Belize suffer so much as the rest of Central America’s prices seem a little more reasonable? (but still not very) Because of the high prices, does Belize continue to use the same amount of gasoline? What caused this apparent price-gauge?

After more research, I see that Belize gas prices are so high, and higher than the rest of Central America, because Belize continues to borrow money from other countries, and to try to spark more income to help pay off their debts, has taxed gas at an unreal rate.  When gas was just $4.12 in Belize, the breakdown was as follows:

Government Tax per Gallon     $4.18 (BZD) = $2.07 (USD) VS United States’ tax of ($0.184) Esso Cost                                          $3.12 (BZD) = $1.54 (USD) Distributor Commission            $ 0.41 (BZD) = $0.20 (USD) Transportation Fee                      $ 0.07 (BZD) = $0.03 (USD) Service Station Commission    $ 0.55 (BZD) = $0.27 (USD)

Total Cost To Consumer  $8.33  for Regular.  ($4.12 in USD)

Such rates seem ridiculous, and despite not being able to find a breakdown for the near-8 dollar a gallon price of gas in Belize, we can all see where the money is going. It seems Belize is just in plenty of financial trouble, and are trying to tax and borrow their way out, while the population suffers.

Below is the United States’ breakdown of gas prices, feel free to make your own assumptions.

 

Surprisingly less taxes than I assumed.

 

March 10th, 2013

Eric Wichmann – @theericfamily

Post 4:

Environmentalism

According to places like http://ahbelize.com/general_information/environment and http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/centralamerica/belize/index.htm, Belize seems to keep a grip on environmental problems before they get too big; possibly to maintain their constant influx of tourists. Belize faces the same environmental terrors as many other countries, with pollution, climate change, Of course things like hurricanes and coastal flooding are hard to defend against, because no matter how much preparation is done, it never seems to be enough. Nature.org (linked above) states that:

“A million-acre stretch of protected areas extends from the Maya Mountains to the Caribbean Sea.”

As one can see, Belize takes their environmental issues seriously; especially with a million-acres alone being protected from things like deforestation. A large part of efforts in Belize is put towards protecting their – 600 mile long – Mesoamerican Reef. Scientists have identified more than 13 spawning aggregation sites of endangered reef fish in the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere (Nature.org). With sport fishers going after multiple prized fish located in the Mesoamerican Reef, tourists flocking, and agricultural drain-off, Belize faces problems of overfishing and water pollution. However, Belize doesn’t just let these threats takeover such a prized and beautiful area – they handle their problems. As pulled from Nature.org:

“To help ensure that the reef continues to provide food and shelter for the people, plants and animals that depend upon it for survival, the Conservancy is working in the Belizean stretch of the Mesoamerican Reef to”

• complete a conservation area network, with a particular focus on bringing increased resource management to Central Belize, which includes Turneffe and Lighthouse Reef atolls;
• establish a network of no-take zones for fish stocking and re-population—particularly in areas where huge concentrations of fish gather to spawn—throughout Belize;
• establish new fisheries management systems in Central Belize that can help fish populations recover while allowing artisanal fishermen to harvest these resources sustainably;
• test improved surveillance technology and build the capacity of local agencies to patrol protected zones in Southern Belize;
• develop incentives, regulations and land-use zoning mechanisms to address coastal development  by collaborating with governments to implement the Belize Coastal Zone Management Plan; and
• create permanent finance mechanisms that cover the basic management costs of conservation areas and tap into new global funding sources that support climate change adaptation.

Obviously, Belize doesn’t take their environmental issues lightly, and definitely strives to find the most effective and efficient way to handle any issues that may arise.

February 22nd, 2013

Eric Wichmann – @theericfamily

Post 3:

Nationalism, Westernization, Human Rights

In Zakaria’s writing under ‘Westernization‘, a letter referenced is quoted as saying: “… employing European gentlemen of talents and education to instruct the natives of India in Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, Anatomy, and other useful sciences ... [the knowledge] has raised them above the inhabitants of other parts of the world.”.  As I read it, it leads me to believe that Westernization is heavily dependent on Education. Belize’s global rankings in the education system aren’t anything to boast about. Despite 5.2% of their GDP being spent in Education (To the US’s 5.7%), financial aid is near-nothing in comparison to the financial aid available for colleges and universities in the US – thus restricting that education level from the poor and lower middle classes.

Pictured below is Belize’s National performance on their Primary School Education test:

 

Wouldn’t mind these grade ranges…

In regards to Nationalism and Human Rights, Belize is struggling. With a constant flow of complaints against police in Belize being corrupt and abusive, the people are constantly being shut down. Belize seems to be just another Central American country flooded with bloated politicians and other people who let power get to their heads. With corruption running through it’s veins, and a beautiful mask of being a travel-destination, I see Belize being the next Cuba before maintaining the stronghold the US has held.

February 8th, 2013

Eric Wichmann

Post 2:

Economy and History

Belize has a government much different from the United States; Their power is spread out and legislation is easier to pass. Sounds enticing, but in fact a “Parliamentary Democracy” can lead to major political shifts without any election. It seems the entire economy of Belize is at least a hundred years behind countries with more advanced economical structures, so much in fact that they just launched the very first Belizean business magazine, Invest Belize.  There have been a few Belizean natives on the Forbes’ list, but Invest Belize wasn’t even launched until just 8 days ago at the Biltmore Plaza Hotel. Quoted on the matter was Mike Singh – CEO in the Ministry of Trade. He claimed: “It’s a mile-stone.  It’s something that we’ve been working on for probably about 8 months.” – found http://www.plustvbelize.com/news/beltraide-has-launched-belizes-first-business-magazine/.

As the CIA puts it on cia.gov, a Parliamentary democracy is: “… a political system in which the legislature (parliament) selects the government – a prime minister, premier, or chancellor along with the cabinet ministers … by this system, the government acquires a dual responsibility: to the people as well as to the parliament.”, thus more politic-ing. I’m not sure if the outdated economic styles are due to a more classic worldview, greed, or a lack of technology, but either way the economic vibe from Belize is nothing short of lazy.  I would have loved to link to a magazine, but they JUST got one. In an article in ‘The Reporter’, a Belizean online newspaper, it explains how a simple $1.5 million loan from the Belizean government could save the rice industry. Such a small amount to save such an important industry is shocking considering the amounts that our government bails out to banks and other perks of being a wealthy country. That article is accessible http://www.reporter.bz/business/1-5-million-could-save-southern-rice-industry/.

 

Despite being influenced heavily by the Americas during colonization, the economy and government of Belize doesn’t seem to be interested in the people as much as the United States or many European countries. As it says under the ‘The Rise of Nationalism” title on page 34 of Zakaria, “…no issue can be addressed without significant coordination and cooperation among many countries.”.  This is proven true when Belize doesn’t even have enough backup globally to save their $1.5 million rice industry crisis. Thankfully they’re not that rebellious, and have been members of the UN since the 25th of September, 1981.

January 27th, 2013

Eric Wichmann

Post 1:

Belize and Technology

Being an Information Technology major myself, I was instantly drawn to the story surrounding tech-legend John McAfee, a computer programmer and obvious founder of McAfee, Inc, when I read that he was wanted for questioning relating to the murder of his neighbor Gregory Viant Faull. Faull was found dead of a gunshot wound on November 11th on the island of Ambergris Caye, which is the biggest island in Belize. The same day Faull was found dead, the Beliezan police tried to talk to McAfee, but he went into hiding. Doing anonymous interviews with numerous technology sites as time progressed, McAfee expressed his concerns with the Belizean police, and how he was afraid they were going to kill him.

 

“I wear construction clothes one day, farmers clothes the next, and the next day dress like a traveling salesman,” he wrote on his blog. “I think my best friends would not recognize me.”

After following his story, it became pretty obvious that the Belizean government was neither impressed with McAfee’s North American mogul-type lifestyle nor his antics with drugs, guns, and the media.  As the story has been circulating throughout the webisphere for the past few months, I picked up a few details along the way from sites like Wired, USAToday, and TechCrunch.  As the story seems to go, McAfee had been living in Belize for about four years. Rumor has it that he liked to do a number of things on the typically-vacationed island; things listing from yoga to numerous designer drugs. McAfee’s hobbies consumed most of his time, while his neighbors in the area seemed to be hard at work. The government and police of Belize showed discontent with McAfee’s actions dating as far back as 2 years, when he was told by local police that he had to control his numerous dogs; due to suspicion of dog-fighting.  It seems to me that the Belizean government is willing to accept vacationers to their country, and are thankful for the income it brings them, but the showboating McAfee is too much of a hassle for them to deal with. Since the incident, McAfee has made his way safely back to the United States. In an article on the Huffingtonpost website, it claims:

“Residents of the Caribbean island of Ambergris Caye and others who know him paint the picture of an eccentric, impulsive man who gave up a career as a successful entrepreneur in the United States for a life of semi-seclusion in the former pirate haven of Belize, surrounded by bodyguards and young women.”

So as Belize will continue to be a vacation hotspot, it’s far from advanced in the world of technology. According to the World Development Indicators database, in 2004, Belize only had around 34,000 computers; an astonishing number considering this college campus could have just as many, easily. It’s almost as if Belize is trying to avoid the unavoidable shift in the technology standard, even through ways of political pressuring on a very influential man in the world of the computers.

Miscellaneous facts about Belize and it’s technology:

• 1 in 3 people have a phone (mobile or landline)
• There are only 2 Internet Service Providers in Belize (Largest is BTL)
• As of 2004, the International Internet bandwidth (mbps) of Belize was 135 Mbps, compared to the United States’ 970,953.5 Mbps
• As of 2006, Belize only had 75 Secure Internet Servers, while the top 3 read: US 260,000, Japan 42,000, UK 34,000.