#task: belize

[mariacallous]

On March 2, she was gone. The Belize-flagged, British-owned bulk carrier Rubymar sank in the narrow water lane between the coasts of Yemen and Eritrea. The Rubymar was the first vessel that has been completely lost since the Houthis began their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea—and its demise, with 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer, spells ecological disaster. A similar substance—ammonium nitrate—caused the devastating explosion at the Port of Beirut in 2020. It had been stored there after being abandoned on a vessel and authorities intervened to prevent an environmental disaster.

Because the Houthis have no regard for the environment, there are likely to be more such disasters. Indeed, groups set on destruction could also decide to attack the carbon storage facilities now beginning to be built underneath the seabed.

For two weeks after being struck by a Houthi missile in the Red Sea, the Rubymar clung to life despite listing badly. The damage caused by the missile, though, was too severe. At 2:15 a.m. local time, the Rubymar disappeared into the depths of the Red Sea. The crew had already been rescued by another merchant vessel that had come to the Rubymar’s aid, but there was no way anyone could remove its toxic cargo.

The ship’s owner had tried to get it towed to the Port of Aden—where Yemen’s internationally recognized government is based—and to Djibouti and Saudi Arabia, but citing the environmental risk posed by the ammonium phosphate sulfate, all three nations refused to receive it.

Now enormous quantities of a hazardous substance are about to spread into the Red Sea. IGAD, a trade bloc comprising countries in the Nile Valley and the Horn of Africa, points out that the Rubymar’s fertilizer cargo and leaking fuel “could devastate marine life and destroy coral reefs, sea life and jeopardize hundreds of thousands of jobs in the fishing industry as well as cut littoral states off from supplies of food and fuel.”

Not even shipping’s option of last resort, salvage companies, seems available. “The salvage companies that normally recover vessels are reluctant to go in,” said Cormac Mc Garry, a maritime expert with intelligence firm Control Risks. That’s because salvage ships and crews, too, risk being targeted by Houthi missiles. “If a salvage company knows it’s likely to be targeted, it will hesitate to take on the task. It has a duty of care for its crew,” said Svein Ringbakken, the managing director of the Norway-based maritime insurance company DNK.

It was only a matter of time before a Houthi missile brought down one of the many tankers and bulk carriers that still traverse the Red Sea every day. (In the first two months of this year, traffic through the Red Sea was down by 50 percent compared to the same period last year.) “The Houthis have no regard for life and even less for the environment,” Ringbakken said. “They shoot missiles at ships even though they know that there are humans and hazardous cargo on them.”

For years, the Houthis allowed an oil supertanker ironically named Safer that was moored off the coast of Yemen to rust away even though she was holding more than 1 million barrels of crude oil. By the beginning of last year, the Safer was close to disintegration: an event that would have cost hundreds of thousands of Yemenis their livelihoods because it would have killed enormous quantities of fish. Indeed, had the Safer’s oil leaked, it would even have forced the Houthi-controlled ports of Hudaydah and Saleef to close, thus preventing ordinary Yemenis from receiving food and other necessities.

It would, of course, also have caused permanent damage to all manner of marine life, including coral reefs and mangroves, in the Red Sea. Then the United Nations pulled off an almost impossible feat: It got Yemen’s warring factions, international agencies, and companies to work together to transfer the oil off the Safer. Disaster was averted. “It was a massive undertaking,” Ringbakken noted. “But for years and years and years, the Houthis were adding impediments against this undertaking, even though the Safer was sitting just off the Yemeni coast.”

Indeed, maritime terrorism itself is not new. “Besides guerrillas and terrorists, attacks have been carried out by modern day pirates, ordinary criminals, fanatic environmentalists, mutinous crews, hostile workers, and foreign agents. The spectrum of actions is equally broad: ships hijacked, destroyed by mines and bombs, attacks with bazookas, sunk under mysterious circumstances; cargos removed; crews taken hostage; extortion plots against ocean liners and offshore platforms; raids on port facilities; attempts to board oil rigs; sabotage at shipyards and terminal facilities; even a plot to steal a nuclear submarine,” researchers at RAND summarized—in 1983.

Now, though, the Houthis have upped the nihilism, and unlike the guerrillas, terrorists, and pirates of the 1980s, they have the weaponry to cause an ocean-going vessel to sink. The joint U.S.-U.K. military operation against the Houthis has failed to deter the Iranian-backed militia’s attacks; indeed, not even air strikes by U.S. and U.K. forces have convinced the Houthis that it’s time to stop. On the contrary, they’re escalating their attacks. They do so because they’re completely unconcerned about loss of life within their ranks or harm to their own waters.

It’s giving them a global platform. That, in turn, is likely to encourage other militias to also attack ships carrying toxic substances—even if it ruins their own waters. The local population is hardly in a position to hold a militia accountable. Indeed, militias interested in maritime terrorism could decide that the world’s growing sea-based infrastructure is an attractive target. And there’s a new form of sea-based infrastructure they could decide to make a preferred target, not just because it’s set for explosive growth but because attacking it would guarantee a global platform: CO2 storage.

With the world having failed to reduce its carbon-dioxide emissions enough to halt climate change, CO2 storage has become an urgent priority. Through this technique, carbon dioxide can be captured and buried underground, typically underneath the ocean. Norway has, for example, begun auctioning out licenses for CO2 storage exploration on its continental shelf. So has Britain. The United States has 15 carbon-storage sites, and another 121 are being developed. Even Big Oil has discovered carbon storage. ExxonMobil is buying offshore blocks to use for carbon storage instead of oil drilling.

Carbon storage sites are, of course, designed to withstand both natural perils and man-made attacks, but that won’t prevent destructive groups—especially ones backed by a powerful state—from trying. And because groups like the Houthis are so unconcerned about all forms of life, it won’t matter to them that releasing concentrated CO2 would cause extreme harm to the planet—including themselves. Even a tiny carbon-storage leakage of 0.1 percent per year can lead to additional CO2 emissions of 25 giga-tonnes, researchers have established.

Until recently, sea-based infrastructure was only lightly guarded, because it was in everyone’s interest that it worked. The sabotage of Nord Stream and various other pipelines and undersea cables over the past two years have demonstrated that such peacefulness can no longer be taken for granted. The new CO2 sites will need not just AI-enhanced monitoring but regular patrolling to communicate to potential attackers that it’s not even worth attempting an attack.

And for now, attacking merchant vessels remains a promising and economical strategy for the Houthis and their ilk. It doesn’t seem to matter that ammonium phosphate sulfate will soon be poisoning Yemeni waters and thus depriving locals of their livelihoods. Indeed, other bulk carriers and tankers may soon join the Rubymar on the bottom of the sea, poisoning the future for even more Yemenis.

For the Houthis, what matters is not the outcome: It’s the attention. That’s what makes them such a vexing problem for the U.S. Navy and other navies, shipowners, maritime insurers, and especially for seafarers. But there is another group that should be just as worried about the rampant insecurity on the high seas: ocean conservationists.

There is, in fact, a woman with an unsurpassed green platform who could make the growing scourge of maritime terrorism her new cause. (Nearly) everyone would thank you, Greta.

[imaginedreamwrite]

A Permanent Claim: Part 4

Harvard, the Ivy League school famously profiteering from the presence of Hayden and his family for generations, was just one of the many avalanching reasons why your relationship was tumultuous.

With his father belonging to one of the oldest fraternities, and Hayden joining the league of cult-like frat boys, there was a distinct sense of entitlement that led itself to a base kind of toxicity in your relationship.

Hayden had pitied you, in some frame of his mind, even though he had called you a breath of fresh air from the elitism that was engrained throughout the vines of his family tree, it was doomed.

If it hadn’t been the Ivy League school and the generations belonging to the same old-money fraternity, then it would’ve been his father’s reputation and penchant business that yielded disgust inflicted at your behest.

Your place as a poor community college student who graduated with a degree in childhood education and development, being certified in first aid and CPR, was not enough to impress the air of arrogance that surrounded his family. Your choice to work with children was as disrespectful in their eyes as a career in water and waste management.

Despite knowing that if it weren’t for men or women who worked in waste and water management, they’d have to dirty their own hands and clean their water.

And if it weren’t for men and women like you, with early childhood education and child development degrees, they wouldn’t be able to whisk themselves away to Paris, Belize, Venice or Copenhagen every year. If it weren’t for the people who wanted to work with kids, who wanted to give them a fighting chance to combat being shitty adults later in life, they would have to do the heavy lifting themselves.

But Hayden, partially, found your choice to work with kids as almost a romanticized fetish. As if there was some nanny kink that he could have exposed or leaned into, and that breath of fresh air that he claimed you were had been tarnished and sexualized within weeks.

Truly, it didn’t matter what had been the final determining factor to the end of your relationship. In the end, at the bitter ashen resolution, Hayden had still pitied you and looked upon you as if you were nothing more than a glorified babysitter with little promise.

It was another harsh dose of reality that you would’ve never irked, coming from the conversation before your interview and the phone call taken after your interview.

Although he had wanted to rekindle what you had, and although he was certainly charming enough to win over most women without much effort, the condescending edge to his affections and his desire would never allow him to move past his inherited prejudices.

The conversation after you’d accepted the job had turned into an argument, and that argument had bled into exhaustion that had you falling asleep late in the night with little hope for a truly restful sleep.

When your alarm had blared in the morning, you rose from the bed cantankerously. Your entire morning was rooted around the anxiety-inducing need not to be late for your first day and despite being as exhausted as you were, you moved quickly to gather what you needed and complete the list of tasks you’d had in your mind.

Everything from the basic routine needs, the basics that had to be done before you even packed, had been completed through grogginess that hovered above you. A figurative cloud promising rain and thunder, a mini storm that swirled with ambitious plans to follow you everywhere, had been felt through every step you crossed off in your mind.

Even as the clock struck 8:15 in the morning and you were pulling your shoes on your feet, you were afflicted by the figurative storm cloud and the derivative conversation turned argument that you’d had with Hayden. There was seemingly no end to the nature of his pitying thoughts of you, of his natural subjective opinions over your choices that inherently angered you, and made you want to strike him across the face with a hot skillet.

“I want you there at 8:30, new girl.” You huffed, you blew out a puff of air as you closed your apartment door behind you.

You locked it, wondering when you would be back next and if you’d packed enough. Curtis hadn’t talked about a schedule, neither had Pari mentioned once and you wondered how long you’d be working before you could come back to your apartment. While it had seemed like a conversation you should have with your boss, the idea of asking him when your day off before you’d even started was putting you at odds with yourself.

Or maybe it was your overall displeasure with Hayden and his harsh idealism retaining to you and your life.

A breath of fresh air—you scoffed at the idea, coming to realize that he was if truth be told, using you to piss off his father or take hold of some unplanned fun before his world was set right again. He was, by extension, deciding to gain some last taste of untethered fun before he had to find himself a sensible girlfriend and wife.

After your third set alarm blared for you to move your ass, and not end up being late for your first day, you shrugged off the last few optional tasks you’d wanted to have done before you left. With your hair pulled out of your face and a pair of cheap yet unnerving runners on your feet, you were halfway out the door before you turned back.

You couldn’t have prevented yourself from thinking about the lack of personality in the twins’ room, the lack of anything fun or objectionably childlike in the place that should have felt safe for them, bothered you. It was acid eating at your insides, lightly and slowly tearing away at your composure until you acted on the urgency to change that.

Your trek back into your apartment had led you to your bedroom, and even further beyond that, to a pair of cute stuffed animals you’d had since you were a child.

Unassuming and ordinary as they were, they’d made you feel safe and comforted.

The first you’d grabbed from the top of your dresser was light brown, almost sandy-like, with black eyes sewn into the plushy face right above the soft velour muzzle. It was one of your favourite bears as a child, one that you’d named Beartholomew.

The other stuffed animal you’d chosen to take was Snoopy, though he was far from ordinary or plain. With a sturdy and fuzzy set of yellow ears muffs on his head, and a light blue jacket with faux bone ties to hold the jacket closed, it was your favourite version of Snoopy ready for winter.

It was a favourite, it was a comfort and you’d only hoped that Theo & James would like them as much as you had.

The final alarm rang, and it was the catalyst to get you to leave. With the teddy bears in hand, you finally stole yourself from the apartment, hurrying down the staircases to the lobby and then out the front door.

“You’re going to be late,” the driver Pari had told you about the night before was already waiting for you in a blacked-out SUV, the rear passenger door propped open for you, “I’m not taking the fall for you.”

“Good morning to you too.” You mumbled under your breath, resisting the temptation to roll your eyes and instead settling yourself in the backseat with your chosen teddy bears beside you. “I’m not going to be late.”

“Have you ever tried to cross town at this time?” The driver was older than yourself, and likely Curtis, though there was the briefest skiff of greying hair at the nape of his neck and by his ears. “They’re gonna eat you alive.”

You raised your head when he added the last antagonizing comment, a complete lack of faith in your position and the apparent gentility that you seemed to radiate.

You wanted to open your mouth to make a retort in your defence, however, you weren’t given much of a chance when the driver started pulling away from the curb, and your phone started lighting up with text messages from Hayden.

Another feeble attempt to get you to agree to see him, another failed plea to let him have access to you and your body before he complied with his fathers’ wishes.

“Pointless,” you flipped your phone over screen down and negated to answer him, rather you watched the streets pass by as you mentally counted how many avenues were between you and the Curtis’ estate, a great difference between your station and his.

The unruliness of the twins running back and forth across the foyer with a sheet behind them was the first of many sights that had greeted you the moment you stepped into the house.

With muddy footprints traipsing from beyond your view, to the staircase and back around the other side of the hallway, it seemed as if the entire entrance was chaotically locked in madness.

Theo was the ringleader, you’d surmised from watching him in the few moments since your arrival, with a series of cave-man screeches as he crossed down the foyer to a hall and out of sight, while James was following behind his brother with not as much destructive energy.

You watched them with shock and awe, mystified by their presence and attitude toward creating a disaster, and by the huffing and puffing of the maid as she scoffed at the destruction.

“You’re the nanny,” your cantankerous driver looked you over unimpressed, “start doing your job.”

You settled yourself with the idea that you were being thrown headfirst into the job and into the state of needing to help the twins learn right from wrong and with that knowledge, you’d caught Theo and James when they tried to peel back around the foyer.

“Stop!” You raised your voice with just enough force to send the twins sliding into each other.

The older, only by seconds, Theo had skidded unsuccessfully and nearly toppled forward when James had tried to stop on a dime. Both of the boys looked at you with wide eyes, simpering with fear that came from, or you thought, the idea of some unfair punishment.

Theo was the first to turn toward you, looking at you far more head-on than before, and his blue eyes darted between the teddy bears in your hands and your face, still anticipating some kind of reaction that was over the top.

“Did you make this mess?” You questioned the twins, motioning with your hand to the muddy footsteps and the discarded shoes toppled and thrown in the corner. “Did you drag mud into the house?”

“It’s the new nanny,” James leaned forward and whispered in Theo’s ear, the two of them unsure of what to think of you now that you were officially starting your job, “what do we do?”

You negated to answer James’ comment and instead side-eyed the housekeeper who was still irritated and put off by the dirtiness of the floors she had just cleaned. While she hadn’t looked entirely cross to the point of no return, she was less than happy with the two.

“Theo, James…” You paused, taking a moment to make sure your voice was even and calm, to keep it controlled and not to provoke any anxiety within themselves.

There was no necessary force needed to deal with the twins, and whether it was your intuition or what Pari had told you about the previous nannies not giving Theo and James the ability to be kids, it had affected your approach.

“Can we take a quick pause?” The boys looked at you with wide eyes, their lips barely parted and their hands clutching the sheet-turned-cape and some fake foam sword. “I know you’re trying to have fun you dragged mud all over the clean floor, and your shoes are lying all over the place.”

It was as if lightbulbs had gone off in the twins heads and they were aware of what they’d done, and with a slow look around at the discarded shoes, the muddy footprints, the toys they’d dragged from their playroom and even the sheet, their playfulness was replaced with deep frowns.

“I have something for you,” you stepped dropped your blacked bag to the floor and stepped toward the twins, stuffed bear and Snoopy in your hands, crouching before them as they eyed you suspiciously, “this is Beartholomew, and this is Snoopy. I loved them when I was a kid, and I thought maybe you’d like to keep them safe for a while?”

You held out the stuffed animals for the boys, watching Theo grab the Snoopy and James reach for Beartholomew, both boys tucking them to their chests.

“Thank you,” James reply was quiet and he had squeezed his given bear, and then he bit down on his bottom lip, turning to look at the mess, “do we have to clean it up?”

The housekeeper had cleared her throat addressing you with a subtle sound and with a single look had flexed her fingers around the mop handle. With an understanding that suited both them and yourself, you had started to stand with a little smile.

“Pick up your shoes, put the sheet back where it came from and then go play.” You addressed them with a level of calm, hoping not to get off the wrong foot with them and solidify a certain level of trust compared to the other nannies they’d had before.

“And apologize for making a mess.” You stopped them before they took off, the boys looking back over their shoulders to utter a quiet apology before adhering to your request, first grabbing their shoes and then taking off up the stairs.

As they left up the stairs, you’d turned back to the bag you packed and had become immediately startled by the imposing figure standing behind you, with piercing blue eyes.

Curtis had looked you over with unwavering amusement and some other guarded secrets contained in his irises. He raised his hand and ran his palm over his chin and jaw, lips drawn into a smirk before he opened his mouth and with a single statement irritated you.

“You were late.”

Permanent Tags List: @jennmurawski13-writes @beardburnsupersoldiers @rebekahdawkins @supraveng @bookfrog242 @old-enough-to-know-better73 @loveitorleaveit20 @alexakeyloveloki @socalgem1124 @mogaruke @dreamlessinparis @frisky975 @dispatchvampire @hereforbuckyandsteve @jesgisborne @fairybnha3 @hallecarey1 @tang082646 @mrslokibarnesrogers @deputy-videogamer @posionivy0061 @loving-life-my-way @kaylamcd2000 @mercyy98 @rootcrop @whatinthestyles @slutforsteve @cornmousequeen @rededfoxy @yagurl-snow @glimmering-darling-dolly @patzammit @buckymydarlingangel @missusbarnes-rogers @andy-is-gay @nervousfandom @rileyloves5 @emi11ie @carelessreadersstuff @readingandwritingandreading @cynic-spirit @inkedaztec @gh0stgurl @cats-and-sheep @pono-pura-vida @seitmai @teambarnes72 @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory @miss-rebel-without-applause

[sasquapossum]

Today was a very interesting day. After a couple of days spent clearing stuff out of my brother's storage area, which held much of my mother's stuff, he and I went to his even older storage area which we set up when I left town in 1989. Our main goal was to find his old MtG cards for my daughter and her boyfriend who are into that. No luck on that front. However, we did find several other items of interest.

More of her poetry, including complete sets of the collection that I remember helping her deliver around Wellington when I was a kid.

Some parts of her ruby-glass collection, which we had both been very surprised not to have found earlier.

My coin collection!

I'm going to focus on that last one. You see, I had thought for 44 years that it was among the things that never made it during our move from New Zealand back to the United States. I'd resigned to it being gone forever, but as soon as I opened the box I recognized the round container (in surprisingly good shape) that they were in. Hallelujah! Here are some of my favorites.

My second oldest coin. The oldest is from 1898, but it's barely recognizable. Yes, this has Victoria on the back. I distinctly remember finding both in the very back of a very deep closet at one of the flats we lived in, probably left there by a previous tenant who had forgotten how far back that closet went.

British Honduras became Belize in between these two. They're also interesting because that's where my mother's parents were still working as missionaries at that time (though I don't think the coins came from them).

More exotic locations. The middle one is from French oceanic territories (e.g. Tahiti) and feels like aluminum. The Cook Islands are a dependency of New Zealand, and I didn't even remember that they had separate coinage.

Mystery coin, side 1.

Mystery coin, side 2. Very nice design IMO. This one took me on a bit of a journey to identify. It's an Egyptian 1/10 qirsh. If I'm reading the numerals and converting from the Hijri calendar correctly, it would have been minted in 1911. That conflicts with sources saying they were minted from 1876 to 1909, but either way it was under Ottoman rule so that's interesting.

I know there are some other coins still missing, such as some Fijian ones with holes in the middle. At least now I know where to look, though it'll have to wait for another day. Besides the fact that I'm hitting the road toward home tomorrow, that storage area is a horrible mess. Getting it cleaned up enough to do a proper search for all of the still-missing things (including my brother's stamp collection) would be a task bigger than what I've tackled the last couple of days, and I'm just not up for that right now.

Still, this has been quite a trip down memory lane. There's other stuff in that box that I have yet to explore, so that should be fun when I get home.

[cocktailsfairytales]

🎄𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐄🎄

All three books in the 𝐋𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐞 series from Amber Kelly is on sale for a limited time!!

Lake Mistletoe (FREE): https://mybook.to/lakemistletoe

Smitten in Lake Mistletoe (99¢): https://mybook.to/smitteninlakemistletoe

Stranded in Lake Mistletoe (99¢): https://mybook.to/strandedlm

Links in bio @authoramberkelly

Lake Mistletoe Blurb:

Life in the fast lane is what I’ve been working toward for the last six years. My career was all planned out running one of the hottest hotels in Miami’s South Beach. That was until our playboy owner broke a few rules, and my perfect opportunity crumbled underneath my feet.

So here I am, headed to Lake Mistletoe, a quaint little valley town in Idaho of all places. My grandmother, and namesake, left her Inn to me, and I am now sentenced to the task of getting it prepared to sell at the end of this year's holiday season. My memories of this Christmas oasis have long since faded, but I’m determined to use this experience to further my career and get back into the hospitality game.

When Keller Harris, Lake Mistletoe’s resident craftsman, and unofficial handyman, offers to help me with the neverending list of repairs and upgrades, it's the perfect opportunity for me to get hands-on experience. He’s talented, driven, and sexy as sin, but he's also a know-it-all and completely unimpressed by my business sense. I can learn a lot from him but his stubborn self can also learn a lot from me.

As walls start to fall, literally and figuratively, I begin to realize that success comes in many forms and passion can be found in unexpected places. Will I be able to turn this season into a stepping stone to an exciting new career in Belize?

Or will I discover that everything I ever wanted was tucked away in the Rocky Mountains?

Find more books from Amber Kelly: https://authoramberkelly.com

#free #99pennies #LakeMistletoe #AmberKelly #HolidayRomance #ChristmasInJuly #LimitedTime @wordsmithpublicity

[swldx]

BBC 0439 20 Feb 2024

12095Khz 0359 20 FEB 2024 - BBC (UNITED KINGDOM) in ENGLISH from TALATA VOLONONDRY. SINPO = 55344. English, ID@0359z pips and newsroom preview. @0401z World News anchored by Neil Nunes. The United States has proposed a rival draft United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and opposing a major ground offensive by its ally Israel in Rafah. The move comes after the U.S. signalled it would veto on Tuesday an Algerian-drafted resolution, demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, over concerns it could jeopardize talks between the U.S., Egypt, Israel and Qatar that seek to broker a pause in the war and the release of hostages held by Hamas. Until now, Washington has been averse to the word ceasefire in any U.N. action on the Israel-Hamas war, but the U.S. text echoes language that President Joe Biden said he used last week in conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The crew of a Belize-flagged, British-registered cargo vessel have abandoned ship off Yemen after it was hit by missiles fired by the Houthi movement. The Houthis claim they sank the ship. UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said "Vessel at anchor and all crew are safe, military authorities remain on scene to provide assistance." A judge investigating the July 2021 assassination in Haiti of President Jovenel Moïse issued a final report on Monday that indicts his widow, Martine Moïse, ex-prime minister Claude Joseph and the former chief of the Haitian National Police, Léon Charles, among others. An online site run by a major criminal gang who organise ransomware cyber attacks appears to have been taken over by law enforcement. The site belongs to the group LockBit. On Monday evening, a message appeared on the site belonging to the group saying it is "now under control of law enforcement". The message says that the "site is under the control of the National Crime Agency of the UK, working in close cooperation with the FBI and the international law enforcement task force, 'Operation Cronos'." Banking giant Capital One has announced plans to acquire Discover Financial Services in a deal combining two of the United States’s biggest lenders and credit card issuers. The Australian government has announced a major overhaul of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, saying it would more than double the number of warships, including the intention to acquire six new large optionally crewed surface vessels that can be operated remotely by a support vessel during wartime. Astronomers have found what could be the brightest object in the universe, a quasar with a black hole at its centre that's growing so fast it swallows a sun every day. This super bright quasar shines 500 trillion times brighter than our sun. The black hole powering this distant quasar is over 17 billion times bigger than our sun. @0405z "The Newsroom" begins. Backyard gutter antenna, Etón e1XM. 250kW, beamAz 315°, bearing 63°. Received at Plymouth, MN, United States, 15359KM from transmitter at Talata Volonondry. Local time: 2159.

[johnandtracyslittleones]

Christmas Escape Room 2023

We tried a new thing for Christmas this year. We gifted the whole family a trip for Christmas, a surprise the kids didn’t know about. But there isn’t much fun in just giving them a slip of paper explaining the trip. Instead I made a slideshow that explains the details of our upcoming trip - but I password protected it. I then created 10 escape room style challenges that they had to complete. As they completed each one, they recieved an envelope containing the next character of the password. When all tasks had been completed, they could enter the password and view the slideshow!

Box#1 - Book Ciphers

Two clues waited to be decoded using the book What If…Once they got the hang of how to read the clues for this type of code they really enjoyed deciphering them.

Box #2 - Obstacle Course

As a team they had to complete a course that included sliding down the stairs in a sleeping bag, maneuvering through a yarn laser maze, carrying a “radioactive marble” on “the spoon of destiny” through a series of balance challenges and setting up a mini domino course for the marble to knock down. The goal was to complete the course in 1min - they managed 1min and 2 seconds.

Box #3 - Math Worksheet

Kira knocked out the math challenge for the next clue.

Box #4 - Treasure Hunt

A number of tricky riddles led them to various hiding spots throughout the house, ending with a package full of items they will need on the trip - sunscreen, snorkel gear and binoculars.

Box #5 - Cocoa Break!

This box contained cocoa bombs for a quick break - perfectly timed to recharge with breakfast.

Box #6 - Storm the Castle

John and I set up a magnet tile castle that they had to collapse to retrieve the next clue. I intended for them to use Crunch Lab Build Box toys to bring down the castle, but they were no match for the magnet tiles. Fail. Eventually we armed them with magnet tile triangles (as throwing stars) and they succeeded.

Box #7 - Jigsaw Puzzle

Drawn by Daddy on a custom jigsaw template, and successfully completed for the next clue.

Box #8 - Acrostic Poem

I wrote a poem about trees…that was secretly an Acrostic Poem that read “The Next Character is Q.” It took Kira less than a minute to solve this one!

Box # 9 - Locked Scissors

A clue inside a super taped up box could only be released by a certain pair of scissors - which were locked! Eight little keys hid around the house, but they had to find them all before they could try opening the lock. (I bought a kit that had 6 different locks and keys for this portion. Later in the day Jamie asked to see the locks the keys were for and he ended up spending nearly two hours playing with them. Added bonus!)

Box #10 - Tiny Print

The clue was printed in size 2 font with the idea they would have to find the magnifying glass to read it. Alas Kira’s youthful eyes could read it without any assistance. 😂. She made quick work of that one!

Box #11 - Globe Search

The final challenge was a series of clues that led them across our little globe and eventually to the country we are visiting - Belize!

Once they had the entire password, they entered it into the slideshow to unlock it. The excitement at all of the photos and details was as I had hoped.

I spent a long time working on this, and John helped a bunch too. I worried they would complete it super fast and I would be sad about all the work I put into it. But in the end it took about 2.5 hours to complete it all and they were effusive about how much they enjoyed it. Definitely worth the effort, and we still get to have more fun with the upcoming trip. Yay!

Merry Christmas!

[joyffree]

🌲SALE ALERT 🌲

Lake Mistletoe by Amber Kelly is on sale! Grab yours for #99cents!

Download here: 

Link in bio @authoramberkelly

Blurb:

Life in the fast lane is what I’ve been working toward for the last six years. My career was all planned out running one of the hottest hotels in Miami’s South Beach. That was until our playboy owner broke a few rules, and my perfect opportunity crumbled underneath my feet. So here I am, headed to Lake Mistletoe, a quaint little valley town in Idaho of all places. My grandmother, and namesake, left her Inn to me, and I am now sentenced to the task of getting it prepared to sell at the end of this year's holiday season. My memories of this Christmas oasis have long since faded, but I’m determined to use this experience to further my career and get back into the hospitality game. When Keller Harris, Lake Mistletoe’s resident craftsman, and unofficial handyman, offers to help me with the neverending list of repairs and upgrades, it's the perfect opportunity for me to get hands-on experience. He’s talented, driven, and sexy as sin, but he's also a know-it-all and completely unimpressed by my business sense. I can learn a lot from him but his stubborn self can also learn a lot from me. As walls start to fall, literally and figuratively, I begin to realize that success comes in many forms and passion can be found in unexpected places. Will I be able to turn this season into a stepping stone to an exciting new career in Belize? Or will I discover that everything I ever wanted was tucked away in the Rocky Mountains?

Find more books by Amber Kelly here: www.authoramberkelly.com

[remaxbelizepropertycenter]

A Comprehensive Guide to Insider Tips for Selling Property in Belize

Selling a property can be quite a task, especially in a foreign market. But fear not, friend! If you’ve got the property in Belize that you’re looking to sell, you’ve landed on the right blog. Continue reading>>

[cayoscoop]

UnBelizeablue Screening

See on Scoop.it - Cayo Scoop! The Ecology of Cayo Culture

The US Embassy is having a screening of UnBelizeablue documentary on Monday at 2pm. They'll also have a panel discussion about the Belizean documentary.

  'Join us on Facebook Live on Monday for a sneak-preview of the “Unbelizeablue” documentary and a panel discussion moderated by Ambassador Michelle Kwan. UnBelizeablue showcases the efforts of a multigenerational group of inspiring women leaders in Belize who have taken up the challenging task of protecting the Belize Barrier Reef, the planet’s second largest coral reef system.

[sanemyamen]

Aviation Blockchain Market Is Likely to Experience a Tremendous Growth in Near Future

Aviation Blockchain Market Comprehensive Study is an expert and top to bottom investigation on the momentum condition of the Global Aviation Blockchain industry with an attention on the Global market. The report gives key insights available status of the Global Aviation Blockchain producers and is an important wellspring of direction and course for organizations and people keen on the business. By and large, the report gives an inside and out understanding of 2021-2027 worldwide Aviation Blockchain Market covering extremely significant parameters.

Some key Players in This Report Include Microsoft Corporation (United States),IBM Corporation (United States),Zamna Technologies (United Kingdom),Aeron Labs (Belize),Winding Tree (Switzerland),Filament (United States),Infosys (India),Insolar Technologies (Switzerland),Leewayhertz Technologies (United States),Moog Inc. (United States),Deloitte (United States),Avinoc LTD (Hong Kong),Leewayhertz Technologies (United States)

Blockchain is a special type of distributed ledger in which the data is collated into “blocks” before being added to the shared database, and the blocks combine to form a single sequential chain. In the aviation sector, Blockchain is used to provide reliability, convenience, transparency, and validation benefits. Blockchain in aviation helps to maintain and records data so that multiple stakeholders can confidently share mutual access. It operates by recording and storing every transaction across the peer-to-peer network in a cryptographically-linked block structure that is replicated across network participants. Blockchain enables multiple stakeholders to operate from a single, shared, mutualized data ledger, eliminating the need for separate record-keeping and reconciliation. The Blockchain contains a record of all transactions and data recorded in the chain from its inception. According to Air Transport IT Insights published by SITA Groups in 2018, 34% of airports are planning Blockchain research and development programs by 2021. One area in which airports see Blockchain potential is the ability to help improve passenger identification processes, in part by reducing the need for multiple ID checks. This growing adoption of Blockchain in aviation will rapidly drive the market growth in upcoming years.

Market Trends: Companies Integrating Blockchain Technology in Aerospace Industry

Market Drivers: Robust Cryptographic Techniques enables Greater Certainty of Data Quality

Reduced Costs and Transactional Complexities

Distributed and Stability Benefit

Market Challenges: Data Modification is a Difficult Task

Blockchain Can Grow Very Large Over Time Requiring More Storage Space

Market Opportunities: Streamline The Earning, Spending, Accounting and Reconciliation Of Frequent Flyer Points

Tracking of the Status and Location of Valuable Assets such as Passenger Bags, Cargo, and Aircraft Spare Parts

Passenger and Crew Identity Management

The Global Aviation Blockchain Market segments and Market Data Break Down by Application (Passenger-Focused and Ticket Sales (Passenger Identity Information,, Passenger Loyalty Programs, Blockchain Registers of Flights & Ticket), Aircraft Ownership and Financing, Cabin Crew, Aircraft Parts and Subsystems (Parts Tracking, Registers of Aircraft Parts and Subsystems, and Aircraft Parts and Subsystems Service Histories)), Function (Record-Keeping, Transactions), Platform (Manufacturers, MRO Service Providers, Airline Company, Customer, Flight Auditor, Buyer), Aviation Blockchain Type (Public, Private, Hybrid), Components       (Database, Permissioned Blockchain, Smart Contract, Public Blockchain, Supply Chain Management)

Presented By

AMA Research & Media LLP

[nahasjungle]

Canon ip3000 print heads

Simply keep printing until the ink flows freely through the head.Excludes: Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Turkey, Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mayotte, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Reunion, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Greenland, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, United States, Armenia, Azerbaijan Republic, China, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Iceland, Jersey, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, New Caledonia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Virgin Islands (U.S. You may find after cleaning that it takes a while for the ink to flow again. Next attach the ribbon cable (where applicable) and re-install the print head. For Canon i560, iP3000, i850, MP700, MP730. This can best be done using a hair dryer. Move the paper thickness lever to the left, and load a sheet of A4 or letter size paper in the auto sheet feeder. To print the nozzle check pattern, do the following. Do print head cleaning only when necessary. Once it is fully clear then make sure that the print head is dry before installing. Note: Print head cleaning consumes a certain amount of ink. Keep the water flowing until the water coming out the bottom is completely clean. Hold the print head upright (same as it sits in the printer) and let the hot water pour into the head until you see the old ink flowing out the bottom of the print head. Next simply flush the print head out under your hot water tap.ĭon't pay too much attention to the guy in the video as its mainly there to demonstrate how the print head is removed. Simply remove your inkjet cartridges and then unclip the print head as shown in the video below. Most of the Canon Printers have a 'removable Print Head' as seen in the video below. Next simply flush the print head out under your hot water tap. Printheads are classified as spare parts and as such do not. QY6-0042-000 (Discontinued) - Superseded by part QY6-0064-000 Printhead The iP3000 printer now uses a QY6-0064-000 Canon Printhead. When the dialog opens, select the ink group for which deep cleaning is to be performed. Canon iP3000 The Canon iP3000 is easy to place anywhere and effortless to use, this printer meets all your photo and document printing needs perfectly. Select Cleaning from the pop-up menu on the Canon IJ Printer Utility2. Perform deep cleaning when two Cleaning attempts do not resolve the print head problem. Simply remove your inkjet cartridges and then unclip the print head as shown in the video below. Deep Cleaning is more thorough than cleaning. Most of the Canon Printers have a removable Print Head as seen in the video below. Cleaning the Print Head on a Canon Printer is quite an easy task. Cleaning the Print Head on a Canon Printer is quite an easy task.

[pineroffshore]

Merchants of kaidan s team

Buy low, sell high - a merchant's motto is easy to grasp. Your task is to roam the world and search of opportunities to score some profit. You start very humble, one cart, a purse of gold and silver coins is all that you have. Merchants of Kaidan is a challenging trading game fused with lots of RPG elements. Regain your riches, restore your honor and punish those who have wronged you. RegionsÅland Islands, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, plurinational state of, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bouvet Island, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Congo, Democratic Republic of the, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Holy See (Vatican City State), Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, Republic of, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Micronesia, Federated States of, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestinian Territory, Occupied, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of North Macedonia, Reunion, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Helena, Ascension And Tristan Da Cunha, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin (French Part), Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sint Maarten, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, South Sudan, Spain, Sudan, Suriname, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Province of China, Tajikistan, Tanzania, United Republic Of, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, British, Wallis and Futuna, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe

[cocktailsfairytales]

🌲SALE ALERT 🌲

Lake Mistletoe by Amber Kelly is on sale! Grab yours for #99cents!

Download here:

https://mybook.to/lakemistletoe

Link in bio @authoramberkelly

Blurb:

Life in the fast lane is what I’ve been working toward for the last six years. My career was all planned out running one of the hottest hotels in Miami’s South Beach. That was until our playboy owner broke a few rules, and my perfect opportunity crumbled underneath my feet.

So here I am, headed to Lake Mistletoe, a quaint little valley town in Idaho of all places. My grandmother, and namesake, left her Inn to me, and I am now sentenced to the task of getting it prepared to sell at the end of this year's holiday season. My memories of this Christmas oasis have long since faded, but I’m determined to use this experience to further my career and get back into the hospitality game.

When Keller Harris, Lake Mistletoe’s resident craftsman, and unofficial handyman, offers to help me with the neverending list of repairs and upgrades, it's the perfect opportunity for me to get hands-on experience. He’s talented, driven, and sexy as sin, but he's also a know-it-all and completely unimpressed by my business sense. I can learn a lot from him but his stubborn self can also learn a lot from me.

As walls start to fall, literally and figuratively, I begin to realize that success comes in many forms and passion can be found in unexpected places. Will I be able to turn this season into a stepping stone to an exciting new career in Belize?

Or will I discover that everything I ever wanted was tucked away in the Rocky Mountains?

Find more books by Amber Kelly here: www.authoramberkelly.com

#salealert #LakeMistletoe #AmberKelly #holidayromance #steamy #jolly #lovestory #christmasromance #wordsmithpublicity

[tasksweekly]

[TASK 087: BELIZE]

There’s a masterlist below compiled of over 200+ Belizean faceclaims categorised by gender with their occupation and ethnicity denoted if there was a reliable source. If you want an extra challenge use random.org to pick a random number! Of course everything listed below are just suggestions and you can pick whichever character or whichever project you desire.

Any questions can be sent here and all tutorials have been linked below the cut for ease of access! REMEMBER to tag your resources with #TASKSWEEKLY and we will reblog them onto the main! This task can be tagged with whatever you want but if you want us to see it please be sure that our tag is the first five tags, @ mention us or send us a messaging linking us to your post!

THE TASK - scroll down for FC’s!

STEP 1: Decide on a FC you wish to create resources for! You can always do more than one but who are you starting with? There are links to masterlists you can use in order to find them and if you want help, just send us a message and we can pick one for you at random!

STEP 2: Pick what you want to create! You can obviously do more than one thing, but what do you want to start off with? Screencaps, RP icons, GIF packs, masterlists, PNG’s, fancasts, alternative FC’s - LITERALLY anything you desire!

STEP 3: Look back on tasks that we have created previously for tutorials on the thing you are creating unless you have whatever it is you are doing mastered - then of course feel free to just get on and do it. :)

STEP 4: Upload and tag with #TASKSWEEKLY! If you didn’t use your own screencaps/images make sure to credit where you got them from as we will not reblog packs which do not credit caps or original gifs from the original maker.

THINGS YOU CAN MAKE FOR THIS TASK -  examples are linked!

Stumped for ideas? Maybe make a masterlist or graphic of your favourite faceclaims. A masterlist of names. Plot ideas or screencaps from a music video preformed by an artist. Masterlist of quotes and lyrics that can be used for starters, thread titles or tags. Guides on culture and customs.

Screencaps

RP icons [of all sizes]

Gif Pack [maybe gif icons if you wish]

PNG packs

Manips

Dash Icons

Character Aesthetics

PSD’s

XCF’s

Graphic Templates - can be chara header, promo, border or background PSD’s!

FC Masterlists - underused, with resources, without resources!

FC Help - could be related, family templates, alternatives.

Written Guides.

and whatever else you can think of / make!

MASTERLIST!

F:

Nadia Cattouse (1924) Belizean - actress and singer-songwriter.

Zee Edgell / Zelma Edgell (1940) Belizean - novelist and short story writer.

Errollyn Wallen (1958) Belizean - composer.

Sarita Diana Acosta (1959 or 1960) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1979.

Josephine Gault (1970) Belizean - Miss World Belize 1991 and Miss Universe Belize 1991.

Catherine Bruhier (1972) Belizean - actress and filmmaker.

Angela Gegg (1979) Belizean - spoken word artist, poet, writer, entertainer, painter, cubist, and abstract artist.

Kisha Sierra (1981) Belizean - actress.

Kalilah Enriquez (1983) Belizean - broadcast journalist and poet.

Melonie Gillette (1984) Belizean - singer-songwriter.

Felicita Arzu / Leesha Arzu (1985) Belizean - model and Miss World Belize 2007.

Christie Laing (1985) Belizean / British - actress.

Linda Blease (1985) Belizean - actress, DJ, tv producer, and socialite.

Charmaine Chinapen (1987) Belizean - model and Miss World Belize 2008.

Lisa Tucker (1989) Afro Belizean - actress and singer.

Idolly Louise Saldivar (1989 or 1990) Belizean - Miss World Belize 2013.

Kasturi Anderson (1991) Belizean, Japanese, African-American, Unspecified Native American - actress.

Becky Bernard / Becky Belinda Bernard (1991 or 1992) Belizean [Mayan] - Miss Universe Belize 2003 an Miss Costa Maya Belize 2002.

Destinee Dominique Arnold (1992 or 1993) Belizean [Mayan] - Miss Costa Maya 2013 and Miss International Belize 2012.

Rebecca Rath (1993) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 2016.

Kadejah Kenifah Tunn (1993 or 1994) Belizean - Miss World Belize 2011.

Joyjah (1994) Belizean - instagrammer and youtuber.

Iris Carmen Salguero (1995 or 1996) Belizean - Miss Earth Belize 2017 and Miss World Belize 2016.

Christine Syme (1995 or 1996) Belizean - Miss Earth Belize 2015.

Jasmin Jael Rhamdas (1995 or 1996) Belizean - Miss World Belize 2015.

Shereen Cutkelvin (1996) Afro Belizean, possibly Scottish - singer.

Tanya Carter (?) Belizean [Afro Belizean, Indian, English, Spanish], Mexican - singer-songwriter.

Tamara Goodwin (?) Belizean / African-American - actress.

Ninah Shanice (?) Belizean - Youtuber and Instagrammer.

Tyler Savery (?) Belizean - fashion designer.

Maria Jeffery (?) Belizean [Mayan] - Miss Universe Belize 2007 and Miss Costa Maya 2007.

Rebecca Stirm (?) Belizean - fashion designer.

Adele Ramos (?) Belizean - musician, poet, author, journalist, and publisher.

Maureen Navarrete (?) Belizean - fashion designer.

Renee Sherese Martinez (?) Belizean - Miss World Belize 2017.

Denise Castillo (?) Belizean - singer.

Raquel Alejandra Badillo (?) Belizean - Miss World Belize 2014.

Alleshia Pollard (?) Belizean - model.

Chantae Chanice Guy (?) Belizean - Miss Earth Belize 2016 and Miss World Belize 2012.

Amber Rivero / Amber Renee Rivero (?) Belizean - Miss Earth Belize 2013.

Jessel Monique Lauriano (?) Belizean - Miss Earth Belize 2012 and Miss World Belize 2010.

Kimberly Ann Robateau (?) Belizean - Miss Earth Belize 2011.

Marsha / gamine.taurean (?) Belizean - instagrammer and designer.

Annlyn Nicole Apolonio (?) Belizean - Miss International Belize 2011.

Norma Leticia Lara (?) Belizean - Miss World Belize 2009.

Leilah Anne Magdalena Pandy (?) Belizean - Miss Earth Belize 2007 and Miss Universe Belize 2004.

Andrea Elrington (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 2005.

Corinth Morter Lewis (?) Belizean - poet and educator.

Dalila Violeta Vanzie Montano (?) Belizean - Miss World Belize 2003.

Karen Anita Russell (?) Belizean - Miss World Belize 2002.

Shiemicka Richardson (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 2000.

Viola Jeffery (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1999.

Elvia Lilia Vega (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1998.

Sharon Domínguez (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1997 and writer.

Ava Lovell (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1996.

Deborah Wade (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1995.

Melanie Smith (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1993.

Ysela Antonia Zabaneh (?) Belizean - Miss World Belize 1990 and Miss Universe Belize 1990.

Martha Badillo (?) Belizean - Miss World Belize 1989.

Andrea Shermane McKoy (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1989.

Pauline Young (?) Belizean - Miss World Belize 1988.

Janine Sylvestre (?) Belizean - Miss World Belize 1987.

Holly Emma Edgell (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1987.

Romy Ellen Taegar (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1986.

Jenny Woods / Jennifer Woods (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1985.

Lisa Patricia Ramirez (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1984.

Shirlene Dianne McKoy (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1983.

Sharon Kay Auxillou (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1982.

Ivette Zabaneh (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1981.

Ellen Marie Clarke (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1980.

Christina Margarita Ysaguirre (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1978.

Dora Maria Phillips (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1977.

Janet Joan Joseph (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1976.

Pelisamay Longsworth (?) Belizean - Miss Universe Belize 1975.

F - Athletes:

Sharette García (1969) Belizean - middle-distance runner.

Althea Gilharry (1970) Belizean - triple jumper.

Camille Solis (1971) Belizean - cyclist.

Marion Jones (1975) Belizean / Unknown Other - sprinter and long jumper.

The Belizean Bruiser / Marion Reneau (1977) Belizean - mixed martial artist.

Tricia Flores (1979) Belizean - long jumper and runner.

Emma Wade (1980) Belizean - sprinter.

Alicia Thompson (1981) Belizean - cyclist.

Kaina Martinez (1986) Belizean - sprinter.

Idania Ramirez (1988) Belizean - footballer.

Katy Sealy (1990) Belizean / Unknown Other - runner, high jumper, and javelin thrower.

Kaya Cattouse (1990) Belizean - cyclist.

Samantha Dirks (1992) Belizean - sprinter.

Simone Biles (1997) Belizean / African-American - gymnast.

M:

Evan X Hyde / Evan Anthony Hyde (1947) Belizean - writer, journalist, and media executive.

Pen Cayetano / Delvin Cayetano (1954) Afro Belizean - musician.

Nigel Miguel (1963) Belizean - actor and producer.

The Grandmaster / Leroy Young (1967) Belizean - dub poet.

Yasser Musa (1970) Belizean [Palestinian, possibly other] - poet, visual artist, and publisher.

Erik Griffin (1972) Belizean, Jamaican, Honduran [Afro Honduran, Indian, Spanish, possibly other] / Irish, possibly other - comedian and actor.

Dan Man / Allison Hemsley (1973) Belizean - actor, rapper, and musician.

Da Long / Big Dragon / Andrew Ballen (1973) Belizean, Jamaican - tv personality, content developer, and CEO.

Arlen Escarpeta (1980) Afro Belizean - actor.

Wolé Parks (1982) Belizean / African-American - actor.

LaMorne Morris (1983) Dominican / Afro Belizean - actor, tv personality, and comedian.

Houston / Houston Edward Summers IV (1983) Belizean, African-American - singer.

Jah (1986) Belizean - actor.

O.T. Genasis / Odis Flores (1987) Afro Belizean - rapper.

iLoveMakonnen / Makonnen Sheran (1989) Belizean [Afro Belizean, Indian, Chinese, Irish, Belgian, German] / Unspecified Non-Belizean - rapper and singer.

Sergio Blanco (2003) Nicaraguan [Miskito, Spanish], Belizean, Jamaican / British, French, Welsh, Finnish

Kareem Ferguson (?) Belizean - actor.

Lova Boy / Daniel Cacho (?) Belizean [Garifuna] - musician.

Hubert Escarpeta (?) Belizean - actor.

Ivan Duran (?) Belizean - musician and producer.

DJ Lindy D (?) Belizean - DJ.

Frankie Reneau / Francis Reneau (?) Belizean - pianist and composer.

Romeo Escobar (?) Belizean - producer.

DJ Buddy (?) Belizean - DJ.

Lord Rhaburn / Gerald Rhaburn (?) Belizean - musician.

MC Melo (?) Belizean - rapper.

Supa G (?) Belizean - musician.

M - Athletes:

Denfield McNab (1943) Belizean - cyclist.

Colin Thurton (1943) Belizean - sprinter.

Kenneth Sutherland (1943) Belizean - cyclist.

Errol Thurton (1944) Belizean - sprinter.

Owen Meighan (1944) Belizean - long jumper.

Robert Hulse (1946) Belizean - sports shooter.

Arthur Mapp (1953) Belizean - judoka.

Phillip Pipersburg (1955) Belizean - sprinter.

Eugène Muslar (1959) Belizean - long-distance runner.

Joslyn Chavarria (1959) Belizean - cyclist.

Damel Flowers (1960) Belizean - sprinter.

Merlyn Dawson (1960) Belizean - cyclist.

Paul Réneau (1960) Belizean - sprinter and cyclist.

Earl Theus (1963) Belizean - cyclist.

Ian Gray (1963) Belizean - middle-distance runner.

Lindford Gillitt (1964) Belizean - cyclist.

Kurt Cutkelvin (1964) Belizean - cyclist.

Warren Coye (1965) Belizean - cyclist.

Chito Martínez / Reyenaldo Ignacio Martínez (1965) Belizean - baseball player.

Wernell Reneau (1965) Belizean - cyclist.

Polin Belisle (1966) Belizean - marathon runner.

Emery Gill (1966) Belizean - sprinter.

Fitzgerald Joseph (1967) Belizean - cyclist.

John Palacio (1967) Belizean - sprinter.

Michael Lewis (1967) Belizean - cyclist.

Devon Hyde (1967) Belizean - triple jumper.

Carlton Usher (1968) Belizean - sprinter.

Douglas Lamb (1968) Belizean - cyclist.

Anthony Adderly (1968) Belizean - football manager.

Charles Lewis (1968) Belizean - cyclist.

Verno Phillips (1969) Belizean - boxer.

Michael Joseph (1971) Belizean - sprinter.

Charlie Slusher / Carlos Slusher (1971) Belizean - footballer.

Orlando Chavarria (1971) Belizean - cyclist.

Norman Nunez / Norman Nunez Pipersburgh (1971) Belizean - footballer.

Elston Shaw (1972) Belizean - sprinter.

Marlon Garnett (1975) Belizean - basketball player.

Jarbi Alvarez (1976) Belizean - footballer.

Kawan Lovelace (1976) Belizean - triple jumper.

Deris Benavides (1976) Belizean - footballer.

Jayson Jones (1977) Belizean - sprinter.

Milt Palacio / Milton Palacio (1978) Belizean - basketball player.

Mark Leslie (1978) Belizean - footballer.

Michael Aguilar (1979) Belizean - hurdler.

Selvin De Leon (1980) Belizean, Guatemalan - footballer.

Rudolph Flowers (1980) Belizean - footballer.

Eddermys Sanchez (1980) Belizean - judoka.

Shane Orio / Shane Moody-Orio (1980) Belizean - footballer.

Vallan Symms (1980) Belizean - footballer.

Stephen Lopez (1980) Belizean - footballer.

Noel Felix (1981) Belizean - basketball player.

David Trapp (1981) Belizean - footballer.

Elroy Smith (1981) Belizean - footballer.

Dion Frazer (1981) Belizean - footballer.

Alfonso Martinez (1982) Belizean - taekwondo practioner.

Victor Morales (1982) Belizean - footballer.

Trevor Lennen (1983) Belizean - footballer.

Dalton Eiley (1983) Belizean - footballer.

Jonathan Williams (1983) Belizean - hurdler.

Harrison Rochez (1983) Belizean - footballer.

Elroy Kuylen (1983) Belizean - footballer.

Woodrow West (1985) Belizean - footballer.

The Juggernaut / Joe Pacheco (1985) Belizean, Puerto Rican - mixed martial artist.

Ashley Torres (1985) Belizean - footballer.

Harrison Tasher (1985) Belizean - footballer.

Ryan Simpson (1985) Belizean - footballer.

Tyrone Pandy (1986) Belizean - footballer.

Ian Gaynair (1986) Belizean - footballer.

Brandon Jones (1987) Belizean / Unspecified - sprinter.

Deon McCaulay (1987) Belizean - footballer.

Renick James (1987) Belizean - judoka.

Evral Trapp (1987) Belizean - footballer.

Kenneth Medwood (1987) Belizean - hurdler and sprinter.

Evan Mariano (1988) Belizean - footballer.

Daniel Jimenez (1988) Belizean - footballer.

Mario Villanueva (1989) Belizean - footballer.

Amin August Jr. (1990) Belizean - footballer.

Nana Mensah / Nana-Yaw Gydeu Amankwah-Mensah (1990) Belizean - footballer.

Devon Makin (1990) Belizean - footballer.

Mark Anderson (1991) Belizean - sprinter.

Trevon Salazar (1991) Belizean - cyclist.

Andres Makin (1992) Belizean - footballer.

Michael Salazar (1992) Belizean - footballer.

Rakeem Nuñez-Roches (1993) Belizean - American football player.

Luis Torres (1993) Belizean - footballer.

Shaun Gill (1993) Belizean - sprinter.

Mike Atkinson (1994) Belizean - footballer.

Jarret Davis (1994) Belizean - footballer.

Lionel Cabral (1994) Belizean - footballer.

Jordy Polanco (1996) Belizean - footballer.

Stanley Reneau (?) Belizean - footballer.

Russell Hulse (?) Belizean - footballer.

Problematic:

Shyne / Moses Michael Levi (1979) Belizean [Ethiopian Jewish, possibly other] - rapper - Convicted of attempted murder.

[legend-collection]

Soucouyant

The soucouyant or soucriant in Dominica, St. Lucian, Trinidadian, Guadeloupean folklore (also known as Loogaroo or Lougarou) in Haiti, Louisiana, Grenada and elsewhere in the Caribbean or Ole-Higue (also Ole Haig) in Guyana, Belize and Jamaica or Asema in Suriname ), in The Bahamas and Barbados it is known as Hag. It is a kind of blood-sucking hag.

The soucouyant is a shapeshifting Caribbean folklore character who appears as a reclusive old woman by day. By night, she strips off her wrinkled skin and puts it in a mortar. In her true form, as a fireball she flies across the dark sky in search of a victim. The soucouyant can enter the home of her victim through any sized hole like cracks, crevices and keyholes.

Pic by gemgfx on DeviantArt

Soucouyants suck people's blood from their arms, necks, legs and soft parts while they sleep leaving blue-black marks on the body in the morning. If the soucouyant draws too much blood, it is believed that the victim will either die and become a soucouyant or perish entirely, leaving her killer to assume her skin. The soucouyant practices black magic. Soucouyants trade their victims' blood for evil powers with Bazil, the demon who resides in the silk cotton tree.

To expose a soucouyant, one should heap rice around the house or at the village cross roads as the creature will be obligated to gather every grain, grain by grain (a herculean task to do before dawn) so that she can be caught in the act. To destroy her, coarse salt must be placed in the mortar containing her skin so she perishes, unable to put the skin back on. Belief in soucouyants is still preserved to an extent in Guyana, Suriname and some Caribbean islands, including Dominica, Haiti and Trinidad.

The skin of the soucouyant is considered valuable, and is used when practicing black magic. Many Caribbean islands have plays about the soucouyant and many other folklore characters. Some of these include Trinidad Grenada and Barbados.

[universitypenguin]

Preview

Okay, so I’ve been working on this story for quite awhile in my head. Recently, I’ve even started putting it down on paper… 😂

The background to this scene: Ari retired from working as a Mossad field agent and moved to Canada. He served as a liaison officer with CSIS, but was recruited back to undercover work to stop an infamous North African gun smuggler. During this chapter he’s arriving to Alexandria, Egypt with his teammates.

Without further ado, here is the ‘meet cute’ scene from my upcoming story!

An Excerpt, from an untitled work

“They didn’t bother checking the hold,” Max said.

Ari ducked inside the cabin, pulling the door shut behind him. “Good. Now we just have to charm the locals.”

He stood at the controls and watched as Max backed the yacht into the rented slip.

“So, how’s the fiancée?”

Bile twisted in Ari’s gut. Stabbing pain blazed through his chest and he counted it as a blessing that Max was too focused on his task to notice the reaction.

“We broke up.”

“For real?”

It had been two years since he’d gotten together with Max. The last time was for beer and fishing in Belize. Other than the occasional text or call, they hadn’t caught up.

“Yeah. Sylvia and I called it off last month.”

“Mate, you should have called.”

Ari shrugged. “I figured I’d catch you up when we got together for the mission, but it was never a good time.”

Max looked as if he were about to say something, then frowned and tilted his head. The boat captain pointed towards the dock.

“Who is that?”

Turning, he saw Jake and Mariah standing with a woman. Ari pushed down his sunglasses to stare.

Max let out a low whistle. “Damn, that girl is fine!”

Truer words had never been spoken. Even with a distance between them, Ari’s gaze swept hungrily over the gentle curves of a shapely figure that should have been gracing the cover of magazines. Her dress was long enough for the conservative dress code of a Muslim county, but the shape underneath it screamed sex appeal.

“Hello, goddess…” Max murmured.

Ari’s lips twitched into a smile at the sound of breathless lust in his friend’s voice.

“Careful. We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.”

“No…we’re not… supermodel or fitness instructor?”

Ari watched as the woman tilted her sunglasses up and gestured, speaking to Mariah.

“Huh?”

“Come on, she’s one or the other.”

“Trophy wife,” Ari said.

Max groaned and slapped the controls, shutting down the boat’s engine.

“You’re a spoilsport. You know that, right?”

“She’s at a marina in the middle of the day, wearing heels, and carrying a Prada handbag. If you don’t get ‘kept woman’ out of that, you should reconsider your profession.”

“Maybe she’s a trust fund baby and it’s daddy’s money,” Max said.

“Then you’d better get down there before Jake swoops her up.”

He laughed as Max took off like a puppy running towards a mud puddle.

Ari shut up the cabin and made his way down to the group. Sure enough, Jake was flashing his come-on smile and pushing his hair back from his eyes with a subtle bicep flex as he groomed himself. Max was trying to edge him out, stepping between the radiant beauty and the competition.

Next to them, Mariah was smirking. Her eyes darted between the two men like she was watching a tennis match. Ari ducked his head to hide a chuckle. When he came into ear shot, Mariah was happily accepting an invitation to a backyard barbecue.

“We’d love to come. What’s your address?”

“Actually, you’ll be right across the street from us. The receptionist just mentioned it, so I thought I’d stop by and introduce myself.”

Her accent was exotic - a blend of several different languages. It came off as vaguely trans-Atlantic, but he caught the subtle roll in her “r” sound. His interest piqued.

Max butted in as Ari came to stand beside Mariah, asking Galene about the local nightlife. He watched the woman shift her weight to her back leg as she noticed the male interest directed towards her. Unusual. In his experience with beautiful women, they soaked up casual flirting. Ones at this level of staggering beauty could play seductress, ingénue, or man eater, practically on command. When the woman shied away, his eyes narrowed. Max and Jake were more focused on each other than her reaction. Mariah was too busy being amused by the men’s byplay to see how she shivered and wrapped her arms around her abdomen. A gesture of self protection and uncertainty. Ari caught her gaze when she glanced towards the path leading to the parking lot.

Fear flashed in her eyes for a split second, before she hid it behind a polite mask.

“We don’t mean to keep you, Miss…”

“Eliades. Galene Eliades.”

Ari smiled politely. He was cautious as he held out his hand. If he hadn’t seen the subtle alarm in her reaction to Jake and Max, he’d have stepped forward into the handshake. Having noticed it, he kept his feet planted and left the full length of his arm between them.

Relief flickered across her face - but it seemed as if he were the only one who could read the emotions she wore on her sleeve.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

End of Excerpt

More of this story is coming soon!