Biggest and Brightest Full Moon of 2010 Tonight

Tonight's full moon will be the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. It offers anyone with clear skies an opportunity to identify easy-to-see features on the moon.


This being the first full moon of 2010, it is also known as the wolf moon, a moniker dating back to Native American culture and the notion that hungry wolves howled at the full moon on cold winter nights. Each month brings another full moon name.

But why will this moon be bigger than others? Here's how the moon works:

*** The moon is, on average, 238,855 miles (384,400 km) from Earth. The moon's orbit around Earth – which causes it to go through all its phases once every 29.5 days – is not a perfect circle, but rather an ellipse. One side of the orbit is 31,070 miles (50,000 km) closer than the other.

*** So in each orbit, the moon reaches this closest point to us, called perigee. Once or twice a year, perigee coincides with a full moon, as it will tonight, making the moon bigger and brighter than any other full moons during the year.

Tonight it will be about 14 percent wider and 30 percent brighter than lesser full Moons of the year, according to Spaceweather.com. As a bonus, Mars will be just to the left of the moon tonight. Look for the reddish, star-like object.

Full moon craziness

Many people think full moons cause strange behavior among animals and even humans. In fact several studies over the years have tried to tie lunar phases to births, heart attacks, deaths, suicides, violence, psychiatric hospital admissions and epileptic seizures, and more. Connections have been inclusive or nonexistent.

The moon does have some odd effects on our planet, and there are oodles of other amazing moon facts and misconceptions:

A full moon at perigee also brings higher ocean tides. This tug of the moon on Earth also creates tides in the planet's crust, not just in the oceans.

Beaches are more polluted during full moon, owing to the higher tides.

In reality, there's no such thing as a full moon. The full moon occurs when the sun, Earth and the moon are all lined up, almost. If they're perfectly aligned, Earth casts a shadow on the moon and there's a total lunar eclipse. So during what we call a full moon, the moon's face is actually slightly less than 100 percent illuminated. The moon is moving away as you read this, by about 1.6 inches (4 cm) a year.



The moon illusion

Finally, be sure to get out and see the full moon as it rises, right around sunset. Along the horizon, the moon tends to seem even bigger. This is just an illusion.

You can prove to yourself that this is an illusion. Taking a small object such as a pencil eraser, hold it at arm's length, and compare its size to that of the moon just as it rises. Then repeat the experiment later in the night and you'll see that the moon compares the same in both cases. Alternately, snap two photos of the moon, with a digital camera or your cell phone, when the moon is near the horizon and later when it's higher in the sky. Pull both photos up on your computer screen and make a side-by-side comparison.

Astronomers and psychologists agree the moon illusion is just that, but they don't agree on how to explain it.

Grand Carnaval slated for Saturday, February 13th

El Gran Carnaval de San Pedro is a unique tradition to this island and one that has been passed down from generation to generation. Although, it seems that with time, some of these wonderful customs are slowly disappearing, many people are striving to keep our traditions alive. Let us travel back to a time when long-time residents of San Pedro, Felipe Paz Sr. (Tio Pil) and Lucio Guerrero (Don Lucito) celebrated this event. The following is what was learned as they reminisced and recalled their fondest memories of carnaval.


In the early 1940s, El Gran Carnaval de San Pedro was one of the most anticipated events of the year. It was a time when Sosimo Rodriguez, Pepe Cardenez, Asita Lopez de Aguilar, "Chequete," Isabel Reyes, Luis Aguilar, and others were the "Kings" and "Queens" of carnaval. They were the most well-known "carnavalistas" (carnaval organizers) of the village, responsible for writing and composing comparsas, and getting everyone in a festive mood.

Carnaval is celebrated annually, on the three days before Ash Wednesday (miercoles de senisa) when Catholics begin the forty-day season of lent. In the early days of carnaval, the program for the grand event was officially announced on Saturday, known as "sabado de bando." In those days, there was very few means of entertainment. Carnaval organizers would paint their faces and/or wear colorful costumes and then stand on different corners of the village accompanied by musicians. They would announce the schedule of events to passers-by using cardboard megaphones, as no electronic amplifiers were available then. Carnaval was basically divided into two activities - comparsas (street dancing) and painting.

Comparsas, in those days, was a very special part of the celebration and it was taken quite seriously. The entire process of planning the comparsa was, in itself, a big deal. First the words of the song were written, next the music composed and finally the costumes created. Then the practicing commenced and continued for the next two to three weeks prior to the beginning of carnaval. The comparsas usually depicted an ethnic group such as Negritos, Gringos, Chinitos, Cubanitos, Inditos and so on. But it would not be carnaval if one of the comparsas groups did not perform the always-entertaining "Torito" (bull fight dance) and La Estudiantina, a village favorite. La Estudiantina was a potpourri of songs and dances that included the Waltz, Danza, Shotish, Zapateado, Danzon and Corrido.

Providing the rhythm for the comparsas were many talented musicians who were always willing to perform lively music with their violins, trumpets or harmonicas. Those who did not own an instrument were satisfied to be part of the "band" by beating a steel pan or tin can. Since vehicles, in those days, were almost non-existent, the entertainers had the streets to themselves as they made their way around the village performing from house to house.

To show support for those participating, the villagers would rise early during the three days of carnaval, do their household chores and patiently await the comparsas. The villagers would join and follow the first three to four comparsas who came out. Those who were a little more shy opted to stay home but supported the "carna-valistas" by using their hard-earned money to pay a whopping 25 to 50 cents as a tip for the entertainment provided by the comparsas. For three days the streets of San Pedro were filled with fun, wonderful music and colorful costumes

San Pedro Curfew Set for Under 16 teens

Mayor Elsa Paz made the announcement at this morning's Good Morning San Pedro Radio Show that the San Pedro Town Council and the San Pedro Police Department have reinstated a 9 o'clock curfew for children 16 years old and younger. This curfew takes place immediately and runs from 9p.m. Sunday to Thursday all night long and starts an hour later on Friday and Saturday at 10p.m.

The San Pedro Police Department makes notice that a number of crimes are being committed by underage children and that this curfew is one incentive to deter crime on the island. The Justice of the Peace Committee has pledged their support to conduct patrols along with the Police Officers. First offenders will be taken into police custody and his/her parents will be given a warning. After the first warning parents can be arrested if their child breaks the curfew laws multiple times.

Belize has the highest Poverty rate in the Caribbean?

The Country Poverty Assessment will be officially released next week Tuesday – but according to figures that have been leaked to 7News – the portrait it paints is of a country sinking more deeply into poverty. The survey was carried out in over two thousand households in April of 2009. It follows up on the 2002 survey and it clearly demonstrates that in the intervening 7 years, poverty has increased sharply.

142,000 thousand Belizeans, 43% of the population, are considered poor, while 52,000 of those – 16% of the population is considered indigent, or very poor – which means that they can’t afford the minimum food basket which is $5.50 per day. Then there is another category, the vulnerable, those who are able to afford daily expenditure just above the poverty line – which is set at ten dollars. The vulnerable amounts to another 45,000 persons, 14% of the population. Add that to the 43% who are poor and you’ll have more than half the population either poor or vulnerable, meaning they are at risk of falling into poverty.

A table cited in the draft report shows that Belize has the highest poverty rate in a sampling of Caribbean countries. In fact, Belize’s poverty rate – the report says – is on par with Mexico. And Belize’s rising poverty has affected every district, except Toledo. Most worryingly, Corozal’s poverty and indigence have both doubled; in fact its poverty level now approaches Toledo’s.

And what’s the cause of it? Well, the draft report concludes that it is due to a decline in the sugar cane sector and the fact that some areas were very badly affected by the 2008 floods. The report shows that there was a sharp decline overall in agriculture and the fishing industry declined an alarming 37%. Like we said this is just a small sampling of findings and more will be released when the report is launched on Tuesday
Source: 7Newsbelize

How to attain a Boat Captains License in Belize

Taken off the Port Authority of Belize website...

Requirements For Boat Master's License - Registration Requirements: It is mandatory by law that Boat Owners register and license their vessel with the Authority in order to operate within our territorial waters.

Boat Master’s License Requirements: In order for a Belizean to obtain a Boat Master’s License (Certificate of Competence) he/she must be able to show proof of their Citizenship by being in possession of either of the following:

•Valid Social Security Card
•Valid Voters ID or Passport

Once the applicant has met the requirements mentioned above in subsection 2.3.1 the applicant will then be required to first sit a written examination that is conducted every Mondays and Tuesdays respectively between the hours of 10:00-11:00 pm at the Office. This exam is based primarily on the contents of this booklet. These booklets are available for sale at the Belize Port Authority’s Office for an administrative fee.

After successful completion of the written exam the applicant will then be required to take a practical examination using his own personal vessel.

•After successful completion of the written and practical exam, the applicant will be asked to provide the Authority with two passport sized photographs and a fee of $25.00 per year.

•The first license issued to an individual after having met the requirements is an “A” Class and age restriction is twenty one (21) years for A2 class license for commercial vessels. To upgrade license individuals need to wait at least six (6) months after obtaining the first issue of their Boat Master’s License.

An application for upgrading of license must be submitted to the Harbour Master, if approved the person will be required to do a practical test for the upgrade.

Note: All Boat Master’s License expires on the Captain’s Birthday. Upon obtaining a license Master’s have the option to pay for a maximum of three years.

For a Foreigner to obtain a Boat Master’s License he/she must posses either of the following:

•Valid Work Permit

•Residency Card

•Valid Passport or

•Retirement Pension Card (provided by the Tourism Board)

Once the applicant has met the requirements mentioned above in subsection 2.3.1 the applicant will then be required to first sit a written examination that is conducted every Mondays and Tuesdays respectively between the hours of 10:00-11:00 pm at the Office. This exam is based primarily on the contents of this booklet. These booklets are available for sale at the Belize Port Authority’s Office for an administrative fee.

After successful completion of the written exam the applicant will then be required to take a practical examination using his own personal vessel.

•After successful completion of the written and practical exam, the applicant will be asked to provide the Authority with two passport sized photographs and a fee of $25.00 per year.

•The first license issued to an individual after having met the requirements is an “A” Class and age restriction is twenty one (21) years for A2 class license for commercial vessels. To upgrade license individuals need to wait at least six (6) months after obtaining the first issue of their Boat Master’s License.

An application for upgrading of license must be submitted to the Harbour Master, if approved the person will be required to do a practical test for the upgrade.

Note: All Boat Master’s License expires on the Captain’s Birthday. Upon obtaining a license Master’s have the option to pay for a maximum of three years.

San Pedro raises Over $50K+ for EarthQuake victims

In an effort to aide the victims of the 7.1 Magnitude Eartquake that devastate Haiti, Ambergris Caye residents stepped up to the plate once again. With a community effort, the Reef Radio in San Pedro, in collaboration with the San Pedro Red Cross, conducted a Radiothon yesterday morning, asking island residents to extend their kind monetary donations. “$50,103 has been raised for Haiti earthquake victims,” states Eiden Salazar of the Reef Radio at 5:00p.m. “Thanks San Pedro, and God bless everyone for your contributions. More donations are still coming in!” says Salazar.

House Hunters International features dream home in Belize

Amber is a very busy business woman from San Diego who is looking for a second home in Belize, Central America. She had traveled to Ambergris Caye in the past, and knew she wanted her first vacation home to be on the island and turn-key.  Click on link to see Part 1 of 2





The three condos that Amber has chosen to view are at Sueno del Mar, Brahma Blue Island Oasis, and Coco Beach, all located within Ambergris Caye, Belize. House Hunters, Belize Part 2 of 2

3rd quarter stats for 2009 show modest improvement in economy

3rd quarter stats for 2009 show modest improvement in economy

Last week the Prime Minister expressed a degree of optimism saying that the economic outlook will improve in the first quarter of this year. And according to the latest figures for the third quarter of 2009, the Statistical Institute says there was a “modest improvement” over the first two quarters of last year. In terms of specifics, however, the wholesale and retail trade sectors contracted by seven point four percent. This was followed by a contraction of five point four percent in the services sectors in respect of overnight tourist arrivals and expenditures. The transportations sector, according to the SIB stats, also went down by one point four percent due to reduced movement in trade and tourism. The silver lining was in the manufacturing sector which grew by one point seven percent due to an increase in oil production. Construction, financial and other business services showed the best growth of twelve point three percent, primarily because of improvements in the production of bananas.

Of particular note is that total imports fell to three hundred and twenty-five million compared to 2008, when it totaled one point four billion, that’s a decrease of twenty-two percent. Import purchases at the Corozal Free Zone, went down considerably by fifty point eight percent, totaling only one hundred and thirty point nine million dollars. On the domestic front, the employment figure stood at twelve point five percent with Toledo experiencing the highest rate. While the rate of inflation is reported to have declined to the lowest rate in a decade, the effects might have been negated by the one point eight percent increase in food prices.

Channel 5 News

Problematic 12 ft Croc relocated from San Pedro Town

Called to Ambergris by San Pedro Police, ACES captured a 12 foot problematic crocodile that has been spotted under DFC homes because of trenching activities in the area. The croc called 'Satan' by locals has been regularly fed illegally for years as a tourist attraction. Now that acres of red mangrove, wetland, critical, crocodile habitat has been destroyed due to trenching activities, American Crocodiles (a protected species) are on the move searching for new territories.

Now closer than ever to families homes, residents in DFC have been living in fear of one of these crocs taking a pet, or worse yet and very possible, a child. It was unbelievable how bold and fearless this particular croc was behaving. It has been fed so often that it actually associated the golf cart with a means of obtaining a meal. The croc will now be re-located to southern Belize and held in captivity at the American Crocodile Education Sanctuary (ACES). A croc population study should have been performed prior to trenching to determine what areas needed to remain intact for croc habitat and nesting, and to buffer homes from dangerous croc intrusions. Right now large females are extremely dangerous because they are gravid with eggs and are beginning to search for potential nesting areas. If the development continues and dredging follows through April, it is undetermined how many nest site may end up being destroyed. American Crocodiles are in danger of becoming extinct with only an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 left Worldwide. The reason they seem so plentiful here on the island is because Belize is one of the last strongholds for this modern day dinosaur. ACES has rescued over 30 crocodiles country-wide and has rehabilitated and re-released 10 crocs last year.

This croc will have to remain in captivity or otherwise be killed. ACES is in need of finishing a new secured habitat for Croc George, a large rouge male that has killed other rescued crocs at the facility. Chances are, being it is mating season, George may try to kill Satan. Trouble is, it is Satan's only chance at this point so we have to try. The sooner ACES can obtain funding to finish the much needed new croc habitat, the better the chance for Satans survival. Croc Satan has been re-named 'Clint Crocwood,' and although captivity is his fate, it is imperative to save as many of these American Crocs as possible. Researchers come to ACES to study the crocs as well as local school groups and tour guides. ACES teaches them all about these amazing reptiles and how to safely co-exist with them. Crocodile blood has been found to kill HIV and Herpes simplex in laboratory studies. At ACES we have the means of obtaining blood samples whenever needed. Please help with a tax deductible donation today. Go to www.americancrocodilesanctuary.org and Help Take a Bite Out of Extinction! Documented by the San Pedro Sun Newspaper, Belize.

Study shows Pre-historic coral reef creating new species

A study of prehistoric coral reefs shows that these shallow-water congregations of corals, fish and shell fish aren’t just diversity magnets, they actually create new species.


And that is worrisome news in the face of climate change, which rising ocean temperatures and higher carbon dioxide levels, threatens to wipe out the world’s coral reefs by 2050.

The paper, published Thursday in the journal Science, looks at a large database of sea floor fossils, the Paleobiology Database, beginning in the Cambrian period, about 540 million years ago. The researchers, at the Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at Humboldt University in Berlin and the University of Chicago, compared the number of new species and genera that first appeared in coral reefs with those that first appeared in shallow water.

There’s long been debate among scholars over whether coral reefs simply attract lots of diversity animals and plants, or whether these complex ecosystems also contribute to the evolution of new species. The researchers found that since the Cambrian explosion of new forms of life on Earth, coral reefs have been key ‘evolutionary cradles’ for new species, in the words of the paper. Not only that, but coral reefs are prolific exporters of biological diversity to other ocean environments, the research found.

With coral reefs so important to continued diversity, the current destruction of today’s reefs is troubling. Coral reefs support fully a quarter of all marine life. However, the effects of global warming are likely to be devastating to reefs, with worse to come.

Warming first increases water temperature, causing a condition called bleaching in which corals lose the symbiotic algae that allow them to survive. In addition, more carbon dioxide dissolving into the oceans makes the water more acidic, which causes corals’ exoskeletons to dissolve.

By Elizabeth Weise

Photo: Detail of a fossil reef from Vanuatu. (By W. Kiessling)
http://blogs.usatoday.com/sciencefair/2010/01/study-prehistoric-coral-reefs-creating-new-species.html

Tia Chocolate - life stories and anecdotes..... great read!!

"The Snake"

A few nights ago, I dreamt there was a rattlesnake in my bedroom. The intense fear and loathing I felt actually woke me up. For a surreal minute, I actually envisioned the damn slithery thing under my bed, ready to strike. Sleep was elusive for the better part of an hour after my rude wake up call, so I stayed up trying to analyze the true meaning of my dream.

In my second year of high school, I read a book by Jamaica Kincaid – “Annie John”, and in that dream, if I remember correctly, Annie dreamt of a black snake in a basket on her head. I made my literature teacher dance with joy when I guessed that it meant an upcoming betrayal, like a black premonition. I simply equated the snake to that of the one in the bible, and assumed (thankfully) correctly that it meant a betrayal such as that of the snake to Adam and Eve.

The things I think about at night!

After a few more restless hours of sleep, I faced the day head-on, but curious about what my dream would represent. I looked for meaning everywhere, and bored everyone by asking what they thought. A favorite cab driver who believed in the meaning of dreams said that it meant sickness. My heart stopped as I can’t afford to get sick. That’s how we are – humans, Belizeans, we believe in the power and meaning of dreams. I hoped it really was betrayal, and not illness, and I hoped that power of the mind would overcome whatever supernatural and dark forces were at play.

Back story: Dreams represent real life, and it’s symbols show what your mind is meant to pick up on. One can use dreams to either avoid disaster or prepare for life changing events. Dreaming of losing a tooth means death, a wedding means illness, a dream of death means new life (birth) and so on and so forth – if the dreamer can remember what happened during the night. Apparently dreaming of a snake was a new one for me…

Well, within a couple of days I found out what it meant. Someone who had been pretending to be a friend showed her true colors. Finding out that she’d been saying nasty things behind my back was at first surprising. But then it was not. Maybe it was the dream that primed me for the truth, or maybe it was the fact that I had been expecting her to show herself for who she truly was, an immature and petty child. Either way, it was not totally unexpected. And it is brilliant to know where I stand, with her, and the circle of friends who surround like sycophants, believing they’re better than others. I also won’t lie that being called a “fat cow” wasn’t a stinger. But it did make me laugh to know the source, and to know that in some cases, the phrase “takes one to know one” really does hold true.

What the situation mostly did for me was the instant gratification of the support system I had built up. Who knew I could find supporters in every corner?! People who’d heard about the comment, who knew about the issue, all of a sudden were being supportive. But more importantly, the real friends I’ve had the good fortune to make in my lifetime were there to at once plot her disfigurement, slow torture, beat down, until finally – the real emotion set it for me, and it was one of indifference. And I repeat the issue mostly to show how one dream can live on for more than a week, full of meaning, and involve so many people, especially when it does come true. I would not be surprised had that nightmare meant illness, the very same people who gave so much support to me would have rallied round as well.

But now, I want to wake up with an itchy right hand – which of course will mean that I will be coming into money real soon. I’d even take a dream of a funeral – which would mean breaking out the dancing shoes to go to a fabulous wedding. Anything but another rattlesnake. We have enough real-life snakes in our lives to have them crawling on their bellies into our dream!