I have never been involved directly with the Sugar Cane Industry especially since I am from Orange Walk Town proper. But I would be silly to deny that all Orange Walkeños have a direct stake in the industry. I think I know almost all persons who work at the sugar factory or many...feels like all. When it comes of the actual cañeros, I know some who have the name since they somehow deliver cane without ever owning a cane truck or much less visiting a canefield but do not know any "real" cañeros.
I can remember the cane trucks traveling up to the sugar factory as long as I have had life and nothing much has changed. Now, I love technology, and thus, have wondered how time did not affect the look of the cane trucks. They seem to have been frozen in time.
The cañeros refusal to respect the readings of something that is called a "core sampler" reminds me of some people at the jobplace that thought that the computer and MSExcel and MSword etc. was a waste a time.
I am not proud of the fact that BSI as an industry did ensure that the cañeros kept updated with technology.
I am not proud of the fact that some cañeros rather deliver low quality cane and expect the industry to turn a blind eye to it and pay. Imagine you own a vegetable stand at the market. Would you pay the same price for low quality veggies as for better quality ones?
I am not proud of the fact that the two sides rather play the blame game than fixing things for good.
I have always thought that the 'real' cañeros deserved a larger slice of the sugar industry's earnings. But I have also felt that they do not do enough to show that they deserve. Like everyone else they need to keep up with the times. Some have mired themselves in debt and have little choice.
My opinion on this is purely from the outside looking in. So this is how it all reaches me and I could be totally wrong.
What I am sure of is that the Belizean government at the highest levels should have solved this from the onset. Maybe, they too are busy blaming someone for something.
Hey let's concentrate on solutions. This I would be proud of...anyday.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Make a Promise Kept
WRONG!
When speaking to the nation our 'leaders' ought to be mindful of what they are saying and in lieu of that they should keep their mouths shut. Granted, speaking "correct" English may be an impossibility but there must be an deliberate attempt not to make mistakes. This comes with preparation.
More so, these errors should be minimal if one is acting as the minister responsible for the education of Belizean children. But, these inaccuracies will occur when one is more concerned with bickering and speaking as if you are still in opposition than with governing.
Google this..."make a promise kept", a line used at the HoR last house sitting. Not a webpage is indexed with it.
It goes without saying and without the need for propaganda. The government of the day both central and local (in Orange Walk) are clueless when it comes to governing without their spirit of vengeance interfering. Hatred sometimes feels like the way to go but it only leads you astray. The Belizean government at Jan 2009 have placed blinders not only to the side of the eyes but in some cases on top. They are so intent on "correcting" the past misdeeds of some while neglecting the present... the Belizean people.
A newscaster on American TV commented on how George W. Bush had ratings lower than stomach cramps. And, he, the newscaster, doesn't know of much countries that still have a peaceful transition given said circumstances. Well yes, we do here in Belize.
We must keep our haven peaceful no matter what. But also, we must be economically independent and self-sufficient no matter what.
First, we must start with having the right people to do the basics--have functional drains, keep streets navigable, efficient garbage collection, to name a few.
Keep your promises, you all. They ARE meant to be kept. If u cannot do the job, do the honourable thing and resign or do the logical thing and wait to be voted out by our savvy Orange Walkeños.
When speaking to the nation our 'leaders' ought to be mindful of what they are saying and in lieu of that they should keep their mouths shut. Granted, speaking "correct" English may be an impossibility but there must be an deliberate attempt not to make mistakes. This comes with preparation.
More so, these errors should be minimal if one is acting as the minister responsible for the education of Belizean children. But, these inaccuracies will occur when one is more concerned with bickering and speaking as if you are still in opposition than with governing.
Google this..."make a promise kept", a line used at the HoR last house sitting. Not a webpage is indexed with it.
It goes without saying and without the need for propaganda. The government of the day both central and local (in Orange Walk) are clueless when it comes to governing without their spirit of vengeance interfering. Hatred sometimes feels like the way to go but it only leads you astray. The Belizean government at Jan 2009 have placed blinders not only to the side of the eyes but in some cases on top. They are so intent on "correcting" the past misdeeds of some while neglecting the present... the Belizean people.
A newscaster on American TV commented on how George W. Bush had ratings lower than stomach cramps. And, he, the newscaster, doesn't know of much countries that still have a peaceful transition given said circumstances. Well yes, we do here in Belize.
We must keep our haven peaceful no matter what. But also, we must be economically independent and self-sufficient no matter what.
First, we must start with having the right people to do the basics--have functional drains, keep streets navigable, efficient garbage collection, to name a few.
Keep your promises, you all. They ARE meant to be kept. If u cannot do the job, do the honourable thing and resign or do the logical thing and wait to be voted out by our savvy Orange Walkeños.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Reasons why I rather the cold to the rain in Orange Walk
- Does not get you wet and give you a cold. (well hmm)
- You do not sweat while walking down the streets. (depends)
- Vehicles do not spray you with mud as you walk the streets. (or drive)
- You can see the craters in the streets as you drive. (or walk)
- You can wear the nice long sleeves to cover the old uniform.
- It reminds you of Christmas.
- The warm hug of the loved one is so much nicer.
Winter time in the northern hemisphere is in its full swing so expect more of this nice weather. All is not always good though, since the coming of a cold front brings in rain that forms as the cold air meets the warm. The water vapour in the atmosphere condenses and we get rain just at the boundary of the cold air mass, this is literally the FRONT of the air mass or cold front. We later enjoy the back of this front since where there is no condensation.
How many times did you hear this week, "mein I love this weather?" How many times did you say it? Sad to say but I have heard at least one person say, that they love the warm sticky weather. Yap!
Hey, still following Obama right? How about our very own soap opera usually called "the town board?" You still following?
Hey, just wanted to stick this one in today. See ya soon.
Monday, January 19, 2009
El cambio
Sometimes unimportant things happen an creole seh "dat dah small change." Then once in a while we beam with satisfaction that something has "gahn laahj."
Tomorrow the United States of America will go extra extra large. Barack Hussien Obama will move from mythical president-elect to beyond real President of the United States. He is part of MLK's Dream right before our very eyes. Have you been marveled by MJ, Tiger, Phelps, Lance or Sampras? Well, if you have had that feeling it is a mere prelude to the THE INAUGURATION tomorrow Jan 20. This will be the political(not to mention social, economical and racial) equal to man travelling the speed of light.
The television ratings do not have the appropriate measure to gauge tomorrow!
Historic is an understatement. Epic might be in the neighborhood.
The lawn at DC will fit one person per 2 square feet imagine!
Is all of this relevant to you? I have not a clue. Is it relevant to me. Yes it is! In the very least it is a glittering example of what we need. Belizeans need the feeling of HOPE that things can be better for them and their children. Our leaders and citizenry alike ought to learn from that monumental parade to change.
Sometime people hate on the USA. But give them a chance they fly out quickly to Miami, LA, NY etc. We know that not all is bad with Uncle Sam. Obama for all intents is only good for the USA and also for the world.
Tomorrow all satellites and fiber optics will be hot with delight. People from every nook and cranny will be looking on...and so will I. Will YOU?
Change was already cliché. Obama purged that label and exposed it. Change has come to the United States.
So what are we waiting for?
Tomorrow the United States of America will go extra extra large. Barack Hussien Obama will move from mythical president-elect to beyond real President of the United States. He is part of MLK's Dream right before our very eyes. Have you been marveled by MJ, Tiger, Phelps, Lance or Sampras? Well, if you have had that feeling it is a mere prelude to the THE INAUGURATION tomorrow Jan 20. This will be the political(not to mention social, economical and racial) equal to man travelling the speed of light.
The television ratings do not have the appropriate measure to gauge tomorrow!
Historic is an understatement. Epic might be in the neighborhood.
The lawn at DC will fit one person per 2 square feet imagine!
Is all of this relevant to you? I have not a clue. Is it relevant to me. Yes it is! In the very least it is a glittering example of what we need. Belizeans need the feeling of HOPE that things can be better for them and their children. Our leaders and citizenry alike ought to learn from that monumental parade to change.
Sometime people hate on the USA. But give them a chance they fly out quickly to Miami, LA, NY etc. We know that not all is bad with Uncle Sam. Obama for all intents is only good for the USA and also for the world.
Tomorrow all satellites and fiber optics will be hot with delight. People from every nook and cranny will be looking on...and so will I. Will YOU?
Change was already cliché. Obama purged that label and exposed it. Change has come to the United States.
So what are we waiting for?
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Id
Or is it the ego that compels our Prime Minister. It is fine for him to do so but it befuddles me why he plays with our country at the center?
That he runs from our flood-ravaged savannas to Savannah, Georgia is fine... sort of. But you would think that the populace (not to mention the Belizean People of his political party), would want him celebrating here in Belize on Feb. 7. They would want to be part of the fuss. Who cares? Guess who?
Fresh off the defrocking of one of our very own and anointing one of his, the PM revives something that I can remember in days of old that he is the "minister of everything." The NCN Range Rover, the retrenchment galore, the over-priced VAT and the call for violence, all came before. So there is precedent to these insensitive decisions. These are insensitive to Belizeans of course.
Two days after his birthday by carrier pigeon and by binary code, his successor to LO will show the world that NEW has its meaning etched in reality.
(Help... any suggestions to these)
Orange Walkeños, Corozaleños, San Ignaceños/Santa Eleños, Belmopaneños, Dangrigeños, Punta Gordeños, San Pedranos, and Beliceños(Belize City ) alike will show to themselves and the candidates alike that they want to rule as the internet era allows. WE want to he heard and WE want to be an intricate part of decisions. Self-aggrandizement will not be tolerated.
The CHANGE that WE want is not necessarily of which party is leading but that the people will carry the lead whilst the leaders will actually serve.
Lately, our 'leaders' duly reward themselves . It should be that when they lead successfully, the people will duly reward them.
Everyone has an Id. Sometimes though it oozes out to affect a multitude; it should not.
That he runs from our flood-ravaged savannas to Savannah, Georgia is fine... sort of. But you would think that the populace (not to mention the Belizean People of his political party), would want him celebrating here in Belize on Feb. 7. They would want to be part of the fuss. Who cares? Guess who?
Fresh off the defrocking of one of our very own and anointing one of his, the PM revives something that I can remember in days of old that he is the "minister of everything." The NCN Range Rover, the retrenchment galore, the over-priced VAT and the call for violence, all came before. So there is precedent to these insensitive decisions. These are insensitive to Belizeans of course.
Two days after his birthday by carrier pigeon and by binary code, his successor to LO will show the world that NEW has its meaning etched in reality.
(Help... any suggestions to these)The CHANGE that WE want is not necessarily of which party is leading but that the people will carry the lead whilst the leaders will actually serve.
Lately, our 'leaders' duly reward themselves . It should be that when they lead successfully, the people will duly reward them.
Everyone has an Id. Sometimes though it oozes out to affect a multitude; it should not.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Voila!
I am so sure that this is not new but it might be novel for many of us. I will not spend too much on words.
Yes! Yes! One of the main arguments is that our population is too small for such an industry. I refuse to continue buying that one.
We should be ingenious enough to overcome that dilemma. We will always be cozy small. We want it like that. But that we will not be BIG enough to do something is BS.
This is all food for thought. Ojala pudiese surgir algo de ello.
Yes! Yes! One of the main arguments is that our population is too small for such an industry. I refuse to continue buying that one.
We should be ingenious enough to overcome that dilemma. We will always be cozy small. We want it like that. But that we will not be BIG enough to do something is BS.
This is all food for thought. Ojala pudiese surgir algo de ello.
Dire
Nos Duele... It hurts in so many different ways to go around Orange Walk today and not be able to "walk" with any sense of pride and joy. God's blessings in the form of rain is revealing that the town is in dire straits when it comes to how the simple tasks should be carried out.
Rain is supposed to runoff with ease into drains and these are supposed to lead unhindered to our New River. Such ease though comes with responsibilities carried out by every one of us town citizens. These responsibilities are to be administered by those that the citizenry elected as the overseers. Just as we are supposed to not litter and bag our garbage, the group under stipend is supposed to get rid of the same.
Now I am coming to realize that the Christmas tree being bare and an eye-sore at best was not a fluke but a symptom of things going haywire. It is a dire shame that after a rain we cannot come outside and smell that nice aroma that should linger at the end. Does anyone remember that sensation? I do. But it is so so far away in the past that I almost need to undergo self-hypnosis to remember. I want to say "Ahhhhhhh, nice" after a rain again. Is anyone with me?
Shirking one's responsibilities when one should be at the center of it should bring dire consequences. These consequences should either be self-imposed or we the Orange Walkeños ought to speak more often than only at the polls.
It would be a dire shame to have more of the same.
On March 4 we ought to ask for less pitter patter on the streets. We ought to ask for a fresh breath of air after God-given rains. We deserve it!
Rain is supposed to runoff with ease into drains and these are supposed to lead unhindered to our New River. Such ease though comes with responsibilities carried out by every one of us town citizens. These responsibilities are to be administered by those that the citizenry elected as the overseers. Just as we are supposed to not litter and bag our garbage, the group under stipend is supposed to get rid of the same.
Now I am coming to realize that the Christmas tree being bare and an eye-sore at best was not a fluke but a symptom of things going haywire. It is a dire shame that after a rain we cannot come outside and smell that nice aroma that should linger at the end. Does anyone remember that sensation? I do. But it is so so far away in the past that I almost need to undergo self-hypnosis to remember. I want to say "Ahhhhhhh, nice" after a rain again. Is anyone with me?
Shirking one's responsibilities when one should be at the center of it should bring dire consequences. These consequences should either be self-imposed or we the Orange Walkeños ought to speak more often than only at the polls.
It would be a dire shame to have more of the same.
On March 4 we ought to ask for less pitter patter on the streets. We ought to ask for a fresh breath of air after God-given rains. We deserve it!
Friday, January 2, 2009
Still waiting for the future?
A couple of days of internet troubles and here I am scurrying to write a few lines not to bore not to inform not to tell a tale but to stimulate some thought. Calm thinking tends to shuffle ideas in our minds and allow for fresher ideas or novel ways of achieving the best from within us.
Look up to the sky......................... yes now! Or the ceiling... what new do you want from yourself in this new year 2009? Some call it a resolution and usually forget it by January 2.
We need to burn a thought into our mind, and do so with the intention of achieving and feel good. There is not much more to life than doing things now and feeling good about it. When it is done you can breathe deeply....ahhhh.... "I did it" and move on to another one. It takes many little dreams to make a big dream and many little resolutions to make what you will be today.
Yes... what you will be today... like talking about the future being today. Be happy, be gracious, be precise... the future is today.
Look at the countdown, underneath this post... it is already automatically counting on to the next new year. There is no waiting.
So as we scurry back to work or to the oh so loved school(LIS, Louisiana, San Fran, St. Peter's, Chapel's, Technical, Muffles, Solomon's, San Juan Bautista, and MJC) , let us look to do more for ourselves, our family, our friends, and yes Orange Walk...Belize will be the better for it.
Look up to the sky......................... yes now! Or the ceiling... what new do you want from yourself in this new year 2009? Some call it a resolution and usually forget it by January 2.
We need to burn a thought into our mind, and do so with the intention of achieving and feel good. There is not much more to life than doing things now and feeling good about it. When it is done you can breathe deeply....ahhhh.... "I did it" and move on to another one. It takes many little dreams to make a big dream and many little resolutions to make what you will be today.
Yes... what you will be today... like talking about the future being today. Be happy, be gracious, be precise... the future is today.
Look at the countdown, underneath this post... it is already automatically counting on to the next new year. There is no waiting.
So as we scurry back to work or to the oh so loved school(LIS, Louisiana, San Fran, St. Peter's, Chapel's, Technical, Muffles, Solomon's, San Juan Bautista, and MJC) , let us look to do more for ourselves, our family, our friends, and yes Orange Walk...Belize will be the better for it.
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