Carnaval - Monday!!!!

Carnaval continues and the tradition persists ... the painting is fun and everyone wants to get a piece of the action!

Comparsas:

Sin Senos no hay Paraiso

Miss Flora's Posse

School Division:

Ambergris Caye Elementary School

San Pedro Roman Catholic School

Carnaval 2009 kicks off!

Sunday, February 22nd is the official start of Carnaval in San Pedro. This means lots of paints, eggs, and of course, the ever popular comparsas! The festivities go on for three days, and each day presents different dances and performances by the participating groups. Below find pictures of the first day, starting with the painting crowd, and followed by the comparsas!

Even the littlest ones can't resist the painting!

"Yeye" and her son and granddaughters enjoyed some painting fun!

The best spot to paint is near the beach, where one can run into the sea to wash off the worst of the paint and egg combo!

Comparsas!

RC School

The San Pedro Roman Catholic School had little dancers performing at different establishments, keeping the tradition alive!

"Sin Cenos No Hay Paraiso"

As always, this group of men kept the crowd entertained. Bawdy lyrics replace the original ones, and their parodies always draws laughs!

Ms. Flora's Group

The theme for the first night is high school!

ACES (Ambergris Caye Elementary)

"El Torito"! The students and teachers provided a lively show.

Great dancing!

National News

$50 Bounty offered for the capture of the Lion Fish

And the price of fish has gone up considerably. But before you panic, we’re talking about the price of the dreaded Lionfish. The invasive fish specie released off the coast of Florida in the nineteen ninety’s, has spawned and affected reef ecosystems in many Caribbean countries. It eats just about anything; even fish twice its size and can also give a nasty sting to humans. The lionfish has been spotted in Belizean waters once at the Turneffe Atoll and Glover’s Reef. Initially ten dollars was offered for each Lionfish that was captured, but stakeholders in the industry are now offering fifty dollars per fish that is captured or killed.

Beverly Wade, Administrator of the Fisheries Department, explained why everyone wants this fish eradicated from our waters. Beverly Wade, Fisheries Administrator, "The Lionfish is an invasive specie and what it has basically done in countries like the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos is that it has affected recruitment of pure local and endemic species and at the end of the day it has affected the entire function of the reef ecosystem because it has the ability to directly negatively affect those reef fish populations who play an important role in maintaining healthy reef ecosystems at the end of the day."

Read more : Channel 5 Belize

Beautiful Birds: Woodpeckers

The Golden-fronted Woodpecker is composed of four subspecies that differ in size, amount of barring on the tail, and the color of the nape (back side of the neck), nasal tufts, and belly. Whereas the nape of the form found in Texas and most of Mexico is yellow to orange, it is red on the Yucatan Peninsula and orange farther south. The four forms were formerly considered different species.

The Golden-fronted Woodpecker consumes about as much fruit and nuts as it does insects.

Rules and regulations for Carnaval 2009

*Sunday and Monday, February 22^nd and 23^rd painting is permitted only on the beach side between the hours of 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

*Tuesday, February 24^th painting is permitted only on the beach side between the hours of 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

*Comparsas (street dances) are permitted all over the streets of the town.

*Painters are asked to respect all people in uniform and all those not wanting to participate.

*All Traffic is requested to be respectful to the street dancers.

Enjoy a couple shots of the Comparsas and Painting fun had at last year's Carnaval! See you there!

SP Salvadoran Community celebrates 8th Ann.

Eight years ago on February 13th Salvadorans in San Pedro reunited and celebrated the commencement of their new group. Salvador had just been hit by a major earthquake and knowing that their country was in need, the group banded together and sent assistance to their fellow countrymen. Throughout their eight years, the San Pedro Salvadoran Community has helped in many ways. Through radiothons and fundraisers, they have helped, not only their members but the San Pedro community too. Always willing to work with other like organizations, the Salvadoran community is always willing to extend a friendly hand. On Sunday, the Salvadoran Community rendezvoused at My Secret Deli and celebrated their eight years of accomplishment. With traditional Salvadoran cuisine, the night was a lovely affair.
What has proven difficult to the organization, as in many organizations, is the need for more active membership. With only approximately 25 active members out of a database f 150, their regular meetings are an effort to boost participation. Meetings are held every Wednesday at La Divina Providencia at 7:00 p.m. All are invited to attend.