MEXICO GANA A BELICE 2-0

Mexico squad defeats Belize 2-0 in World Cup qualifying match
HOUSTON — Jared Borgetti scored on a penalty kick during stoppage time to help Mexico outlast Belize 2-0 in the second round of World Cup qualifying Sunday.
Carlos Vela took a deflection off a missed shot by Luis Perez and kicked it in from two yards out for the game's first goal in the 66th minute.
The final game of the two-game aggregate series will be played in Monterrey, Mexico, on Saturday.
Belize, ranked No. 172 in the world, was a huge underdog to 14th-ranked Mexico. But Belize didn't play that way the first half, with its defence consistently turning back Mexico's surges en route to a scoreless tie at the break.
Belize goalkeeper Shane Orio blocked three shots the first 25 minutes, including a leaping block of a power shot up the middle by Andres Guardado. Orio also stopped a close-in shot from the right side by Fernando Arce in the 39th minute.
Still Mexico was dominant in controlling the game, taking 12 shots the first half to only one by Belize. Mexico also had 11 corner kicks to one by Belize the first half.
Belize, playing in the second round of qualifying for the first time ever, got another dramatic save in the 71st minute when Orio was taken out of the play and Trevor Lennen went into the goal to kick out a short shot at the last second.
But Belize had almost no offence as it managed only three shots on goal the entire game.

TEAM BELIZE DEPARTS TO TAKE ON MEXICO

The 21 players of the Belize national football selection left Belize today, for Houston, Texas USA, to take on football powerhouse Mexico, in round two of the qualifying games for the 2010 FIFA World Cup scheduled in South Africa.
These young sports ambassadors are undaunted by their David vs. Goliath confrontation with Mexico, and rightly so, they have taken Belize past the first round, for the first time ever, by winning the two game series against St. Kitts/Nevis in February.
Their spirits were high when they boarded a direct flight to Houston this morning, because they know they have put in the physical training, studied the tapes of their opponents in action, and discovered what strategies they will have to use to overcome the giant called Mexico.
The months of training at the Football Federation of Belize’s (F.F.B.) Institute outside Belmopan are about to pay off and all eyes will be on Houston, where the game is expected to start sometime after 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 15.
F.F.B. president, Dr. Bertie Chimilio, leads the Belize delegation, but the real leader on the field is their seasoned goalkeeper, 27-year-old Shane Orio, who won several semi-pro championships in Belize with Kulture Yabra, and now plays for Puntarenas, in Costa Rica’s professional league. He helped Puntarenas win as sub-champions in last year’s competition.
Alternate goalkeeper, Charley Slusher, at 35 is the oldest player on the team, and he is a veteran of the Belize selection, which lost by an aggregate of 8-0 in their two games of the first qualifying round against Canada for the 2006 World Cup in Seoul.
Most recently, he successfully defended his goal to help semipro rookies B.D.F. win the Belize Premier League’s sub-championship this year.
Belize’s other professionals who are playing in the region include 24-year-old striker Harrison “Kafu” Roches, and 26-year-old midfielder, Elroy Smith; both play with Deportes Sabio, in Honduras.
Ryan Simpson, 22, also had professional experience with Atletico Chiriqui in Panama, but returned home to play last season with Georgetown Ibayani.
What the selection lacks in experience, they make up for with youthful energy and enthusiasm. Belizean fans can also expect exciting action from 19-year-old Deon Macaulay of the B.D.F. team, the BPFL’s top goal-scorer a year ago, and 27-year-old Jerome James, of F.C. Belize, who won the BPFL’s Most Goals award this past season.
The 2008 MVP of the BPFL, Daniel Jimenez, 19, is the youngest player on the selection, but he too is confident that Belize will get some goals.
Their strategy is simple: lock up shop to keep the Mexicans out of their backfield and goal area, and forward the ball to the midfield and strikers to get a goal.
Midfield general Deris Benavides, 30, of the San Pedro Dolphins will be creating the plays for the strikers, with the support of Bernard Linarez, 22, of Georgetown Ibayani, David Trapp, 26, of the Revolutionary Conquerors, and Cristobal Gilharry, 27, of F.C. Belize.
Coach Ian Mork replaced Jose Palmiro Salas as technical director at the beginning of May, and with the help of physical trainer, Luis Cabrera, has been preparing the selection for their historic confrontation.
In recent friendly practice matches, Team Belize lost 2-0 to Honduras, but scored 3 goals against Costa Rica in a 120-minute match that ended 4-3 in Cost Rica’s favor. The match was played in four 30-minute quarters, and ‘ticos’ were up 2-0 before Harrison Roches scored the first goal for Belize in the first quarter, and Dion Macaulay equalized the score at 2-2 in the second quarter.
The ‘ticos’ gained a 3-2 advantage, and Belize was denied a penalty when Macaulay was taken down inside the 18-yard box in the third quarter, but again Roches equalized the score in the fourth quarter. It was not until the last five minutes that the host team was able to score a fourth goal for the win.

Scenes Of Belizean Heritage

A Freighter in Belizean Waters
The Belize Barrier Reef

Pottery in Cave

These are photos by Tony Rath and thanks to him the Belizean heritage is kept forever in photgraphs.

GAS PRICES GO UP AGAIN IN BELIZE

Fuel Prices Up Again; Diesel now at $11.04

I was driving to work this morning at mid-day and had the radio on in my van. I wish I didn't because the news that came oVer the radio is another nightmare and proof that political promises are idle talk to win elections. The politician will tell you that this is a global thing and one they have no control over. I know that to be true so then maybe it is time for us to stop promising that cost of things will not go up when we know that we will have no control over prices anyway.

ANYWAY, GAS PRICES HAVE GONE UP IN BELIZE TODAY AND EVERYONE KNOWS THAT MEANS ALOT OF THINGS WILL GO UP IN BELIZE IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

Jumps in the cost of fuel are becoming so regular, consumers have gone from saying “Again!” to “how much now?” But the prices in effect as of today are startlingly reflective of a disturbing new reality. Premium gasoline will sell for eleven dollars and seventeen cents, up thirty-five cents. Regular jumped twenty-six cents to ten dollars and ninety-four cents a gallon. And diesel, often referred to as the lifeblood of the economy, is now a whopping eleven dollars and four cents, up forty-nine cents from the old price of ten fifty-five.

THE ARTS AND CULTURE THAT IS TRULY BELIZEAN

This weekend classical ballet will take centre stage at the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts as the Ballet Art School presents its 2008 show, “Forever Dancing”. According to Director Mamie Martinez, the event will highlight the strict intricacies of classical ballet.Mamie Martinez, Director, Ballet Arts School“We have students ranging from the age four to teenagers of eighteen and they will be doing classical ballet; beautiful dancing in lovely costumes. It’s really exciting so I’d like to encourage everyone to come out and join us at the Bliss on Saturday, the fourteenth of June at seven p.m. and on Sunday evening at five p.m. So please join us we’re very excited about this show and you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you come out.”Tickets are available at the Bliss box office. Reserve is twenty dollars while general admission is ten. Saturday’s show starts at seven while the dancing will begin at five on Sunday.

DENESHA GRANT IS SECOND HIGHEST GRADER FOR PSE

Second place goes to Holy Redeemer
Second place honours went to Denesha Grant with a score of three hundred and eighty-one. For Denesha, her classmates and staff at Holy Redeemer, the success represented the culmination of years of effort.Denesha Grant, 2nd Place P.S.E. StudentI didn’t think I would do this well on the P.S.E. I was doubting myself. I wasn’t sure I would do so good. I though I did good but not so good.”Ann-Marie Williams“How hard you studied?”Denesha Grant“I took all the classes that my school was offering’ Saturday classes, evening and morning classes and I also did summer classes so I studied extremely hard for this examination.”Molly Hulett, Principal, Holy Redeemer Primary School“Well, I’m happy, I’m excited. It’s something that I was expecting because Denesha has always been consistent. She has maintained that throughout her school years here so I’m really happy for her and she made our school very proud.”Ann-Marie Williams“Holy Redeemer has not been second in a long time right?”Molly Hulett“Yes, for a very long time indeed. We’ve always been placed in the top twenty-five though every year.”As top performer Shaneice Lord receives the Jane and Michael Nembhard Award which includes a computer as well as financial aid to attend high school. Both Shaneice and Denesha will be attending Saint Catherine Academy. All the top students will be honoured at a national awards ceremony later this month.

WORDS OF TOP PSE STUDENT AND HER PRINCIPAL

Shaneice Lord, Top P.S.E. Student, “I feel very happy because I worked very hard to get where I am right now. I worked very hard. My teacher drilled and tested us very hard. We did evening classes, Saturday classes. I was pretty sure I was going to come in the top twenty-five.”

Sherry Ali, Principal, Bernice Yorke School, “I’m overwhelmed and overjoyed right now. We expected at least two or three to come in the top twenty-five so we’re overjoyed and elated right now.”

Ann-Marie Williams,“How hard you drilled your class?”

Sherry Ali, “Well, every year we do the same thing. We work hard. We work hard early. The positive thing about this class is that they’ve been with us since pre-school so they have been molded into our way.”

Ann-Marie Williams, “A small class helps?”

Sherry Ali, “Yes, a small class does help. It’s a total of twelve students that took the exam.”