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Sporty Bird: All About Sports and Healthy Diet

We have been covering various camps and trainings since the beginning of summer. Today, we visited a different kind of activity, one where young athletes are learning how to prepare healthy meals that will keep them fit and energized when they are competing in various sports. Visiting celebrity chef Art Smith and his business partner, rugby athlete Lucas Cancelier, are leading the sessions organized by Ambassador Shabazz. We stopped by OURS Café and Lounge this morning where healthy cuisine is the order of the day. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.

Ismar Vasquez, MMA Fighter

“As soon as I heard this, that it’s a cooking class and it’s dedicated for athletes, it’s more on the education for sports side of things, I was excited so that’s when I knew I wanted to come for it.”

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

Nutrition plays a crucial role in supporting athletes’ performance and overall health, as they engage in intense physical activities that require more energy than the average person. A well-balanced diet provides the necessary fuel for training and competition.

Lucas Cancelier, Former Athlete/Chef

“All my life I did sports and I know that doing sports, it all depends on what you do during the day it’s what you will need, more proteins, more carbs. So my idea here is teaching them, it all depends on how they feel and what they need to eat and knowing what you have in the fridge too. We all don’t have the possibility to have everything in our fridge, so we need to know what we have and what are the properties of what we have in the fridge.”

Different sports have varying nutritional requirements. Endurance athletes may focus on carbohydrates, while strength athletes prioritize protein intake. Adequate nutrients support muscle strength, endurance, and power. Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are essential for optimal performance.

Ismar Vasquez

“I like that they are emphasizing how important the vegetables are that any meal that you want to do as an athlete, you want to start off with your vegetables. It helps with your digestion and, as well, you know, it adds to the food, the flavors and the healthy aspect of it.”

Ismar Vasquez is a young athlete who has transitioned from the sport of rugby to mixed martial arts. Along with several other sportsmen from various disciplines, he is learning the importance of a nutritionally adequate diet which is the foundation for an athlete’s success. They are learning from renowned American chef and restaurateur, Art Smith.

Art Smith, American Chef

“Sports and food, there’s very few places that actually have excellent food and there wasn’t a noted chef behind food and sports. And so, Oprah once said, Quincy Jones said this, the great Quincy Jones, the producer, he said, “If you can see it, you can be it.” And I saw the need for a chef and so, together, working with Sporty Bird and Lucas Concelier and others. I just met with the president of the Chicago Bears and as a way of bringing food and chef-driven food to the stadium because a lot of it is fast-food.”

The sessions attended by these athletes are part of a series organized by Ambassador Attallah Shabazz, the eldest daughter of Malcolm X. She has been friends with Chef Art for the past thirty years.

Amb. Attallah Shabazz, Organizer

“We’re at the OURS Café and Lounge, and OURS means, Our United Reclamation Shared. So it has a sensitive and dedicated component to it and so while we have a restaurant and special events, host special events and the like, when my visiting chef series comes in they are responsible for Monday to Monday. During that Monday to Monday, they get to know Belize personally, we identify areas that are associated to them such as this one which is sports and food and nutrition, the power of food. Then on Sundays, following, we always end with a special community brunch for everyone to participate here.”

In 2020, Lucas Cancelier, a rugby player, was on his way home to Argentina after a playing a season in Spain when he took a detour to visit Smith in the United States. When the pandemic struck, he was unexpectedly quarantined in Florida. Their time together resulted in Smith losing seventy pounds. A new concept for sports and healthy eating was also born.

Lucas Cancelier

“I always had the idea to mix sports and food because I like to teach people [about] what is right to eat. So we started doing some media together. After that, I told him, why don’t we mix your fried chicken, because he is so famous for fried chicken, with my Argentinean Milanese. I had my mom’s recipe that is pretty good, and he said, “Let’s try it.” So we tried it, people loved it and we started putting some stores, the name is Sporty Bird. So we have a Sporty Bird in Chicago and we are expanding to other states now.”

Together, Cancelier and Smith are teaching Belizean athletes how to eat healthy and excel in their respective disciplines. Isani Cayetano for News Five.

Robert Arnold Faces Second Murder Charge in One Month

Twenty-one-year-old Robert Arnold is facing another charge of murder after being arraigned on Wednesday for the shooting death of businessman Cruz Magana on June third. It is alleged that Arnold, who is presently on remand for the murder of Rudolph ‘Bobo Youth’ Lewis, entered the home of Elizabeth Magana in the Fresh Pond Community. He, along with an accomplice, reportedly proceeded to rob the family of two thousand, five hundred dollars and personal electronics, before shooting thirty-two-year-old Cruz Magana. The incident shocked residents in that quiet neighborhood and police continued their investigation, despite not having much to go by. Their diligence paid off and yesterday, Arnold was brought down from the Belize Central Prison and taken before the lower courts where he was charged with murder. On June twenty-fifth, Arnold, along with twenty-two-year-old Travis Herbert, was charged for the March murder of Rudolph Lewis.

Guatemalan Machete Man Gets Almost Three Years for Chopping Incident

Guatemalan national, Julio Lopez-Perez will serve the next two years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to inflicting vicious chop wounds to Nerie Barrios. The incident happened in November 2021 when Barrios was attending a friend’s wake in Lords Bank Village. While inside the house talking with a few friends, including Lopez-Perez, when he was struck in the head. He then realized that he was bleeding profusely from the head. Barrios had been attacked with a machete and chopped twice in the head, cracking his skull. Today at sentencing, Justice Nigel Pilgrim after considering the severity of the offense handed down a four-year prison sentence, but awarded him a deduction for Lopez-Perez’s early guilty plea. That leaves him with two years and eight months, effective May ninth, 2022.

Haile Selassie I’s 132nd Earth Day Celebration at Birds Isle

On Saturday, Enoch Ethiopian International is hosting a Haile Selassie I One Hundred and Thirty-Second Earth Day Celebration at the Birds Isle. This event will mark nineteen years of celebrating Haile Selassie I’s earth day in Belize. It promises to be a time loaded with entertainment and food. Ras Reuben, a member of the Rastafarian community in Belize, stopped in at our studio to tell us more.

Ras Reuben, Member, Rastafarian Community

“This event is an annual event. We have been hosting it for nineteen years, since 2005 I have been on the forefront being in charge of hosting it in Belize City. It is an annual event that we try to get the awareness of the community of what Rastafari means to the community. This year we have Mile 41 Band, Kenny Gladden and the New Creation Band, and we also have a couple other artist, Ras Melanin, Ras Sherman and we two big DJs, Tony G and Fada Mose wah the spin pan the wheels ah steels. This is not as you would say exclusive to Rastafari small community. This is for the wider community and that is why we try to put together a show that has multiple kinds of personalities so that people could fins something to attract them. We also have food, my food will be there, Vegan Bites will be there. We have food from other people, for people that do eat meat and other stuff. So, a wide variety of entertainment for the people deh. That is the idea to come, commune, unite with a cooler, calmer, positive vibration. The idea is for us to find ways to interact with each other and learn at the same time, spreading the energy and the vibes of the music.”

Kevin Bernard, “Belizeans Need to Learn to Respect the Rules.”

We broke the news on Monday that the medical staff working the night shift at the Southern Regional Hospital came under threat of physical harm when relatives of victims of a road traffic accident barged into the triage area and attempted to enter the Emergency Department. It is an incident that’s eerily reminiscent of what took place at the San Ignacio Community Hospital several weeks ago when family and friends of the now deceased David Galindo stormed the facility and demanded prompt medical attention for their loved one. In a release from the Ministry of Health and Wellness, both incidents are described as, quote, continuous aggressive and threatening behavior by the public towards medical staff, which cannot be countenanced, end quote. Earlier today, we caught up with Minister Kevin Bernard in Punta Gorda where we sought a comment from him on the latest incident.

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness

“It’s quite an unfortunate situation. I’m very much appalled at what is happening and the recent trend of events that’s happening. It started in San Ignacio where, as you know, that was very uncalled for. We had the situation in Corozal, minor issues there, but then what happened in the Southern Regional Hospital, again… You see, Belizeans, and people need to understand that yes, there might be an emergency but you must respect our medical officers. We must respect our health professionals, they have a job to do to protect their patients, to ensure that, for example, at that moment, there was a pregnant woman. There were two pregnant women, there was one approaching the emergency room, they had the issue of the people that had that accident, terrible accident. And so, but you cannot just barge into facilities like this. We must respect the rules, hospitals also have certain regulations, it’s about patient safety, patient security and the sanity of the persons that are in there, because remember, we have to look at infection control. All of these things have a key factor to play, especially when you are not the patient. So you have to ensure that people understand, you just can’t go into a hospital just like that. You can cause other infections to other persons who are there with other issues. So we have to, and I am calling out those persons who did this, they are wrong and we are already looking at other measures that we are going to be putting in place and I have said to my colleagues in Cabinet, if we have to come to the House and make laws to put further restrictions and to put penalties to persons who do these types of things then we may have to do so. Belizeans need to learn to respect the rules.”

Department of Transport to Increase Road Security

It was a tragic weekend across Belize after a series of road traffic accidents claimed the lives of eight individuals. In the north, two families lost a parent and a child in a collision, and several were critically injured, while in southern Belize a five-year-old and two family members were killed while driving back from celebrating the child’s birthday in Punta Gorda. These unfortunate events have raised concerns with the public about the safety of the roads and highlighted issues regarding their upkeep that need to be addressed. We asked Leon Gentle, Chief Transport Officer, what the department is doing to address these concerns considering the recent accidents. Here’s what he had to say.

Britney Gordon

“We had a very tragic weekend with several accidents across Belize. Can you speak a little bit about, how the department is responding to that?”

Leon Gentle, Chief Transport Officer

“Well, the department has started, we have increased the number of patrols, both for the areas that are hot spots. as well as for doing normal checks along the highways. It is also important that we highlight the collaborative effort that we should have between the police and the Department of Transport, especially during the after hours, because majority of these accidents normally happen when the sun goes down, for lack of a better term. But the idea is that we want to collaboratively work along with the police department to have at least some sort of security with us when we do those patrols within the, within the nighttime.”

Britney Gordon

“So there has been some criticism, especially, in the southern region about, poor lighting on the highways and a lack of markings on the highway. So how is the department addressing these issues?”

Leon Gentle

“In my opinion, it’s important for us as well, collaborate with the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing because they’re primarily the persons responsible for And that is also about improving the roads and infrastructure within the country, and so it’s is a wider discussion not only from the Department of Transport, but also with the ministry of infrastructure, development and housing, and primarily because of that there has to be that conversation that we have before we can produce a timeline as to how to improve that. But we do agree that there is need for markings on the road. As well as for increasing in lighting or reflectors within the road. So it is a conversation that we intend to have with the Ministry of infrastructure, development and housing.”

Public Advised to be Cautious when Overtaking on Roads

Recent traffic accidents across Belize over the weekend have prompted the Department of Transport to once again advise the public to exercise caution while travelling on the highway. According to Chief Transport Officer, Leon Gentle, the Department of Transport is working towards increasing security on the roads, however, there are several practices that can be taken by the public to limit the number of accidents recorded. We spoke with Gentle earlier today to hear how drivers can avoid a collision on the roads. Here’s what he had to say.

Britney Gordon

“And how do we encourage drivers to take more precautions on the road? What are some of the practices you discouraged them from doing?”

Leon Gentle, Chief Transport Officer

“Well, on the roads, especially for road users, it’s important to understand the laws as it relates to moving, overtaking a person in front of you. I want to also try to discourage persons who are on these motorcycles for overtaking on the wrong side of vehicles. That seems to be a practice that these motorcycles have been using for some time, especially within the city limits and on town limits. It’s also important for us to stay within the speed limit. And to ensure that you indicate when you’re intending to overtake the vehicle in front of you and to ensure that all your lightings on your vehicles are working properly. Take precautions of the road conditions. Ensure that you are familiar with the roadways and just be safe while you’re driving. Ensure to buckle up as well.”

Department of Transport Says License Plates are Coming Soon

It’s been over a year since the Department of Transport experienced a shortage that halted the issuance of license plates and insurance stickers. The scarcity has been an inconvenience to Belizeans for several months, particularly those who are seeking to travel outside the country’s borders. As a result, some have taken to forging license plates in the absence of the plates issued by the Department of Transport. We spoke with Chief Transport Officer Leon Gentle to find out how much longer the public is expected to wait for the issue to be resolved. Here’s what he had to say.

Britney Gordon

“Can you speak to me a little bit about the issue going on right now about people making fraudulent license plates? How are we addressing that issue? What could have led to this?”

Leon Gentle, Chief Transport Officer

“Again, what could have led to it would have been the shortage of plates and stickers within the national transport system. The main reason for that is primarily because after taking over the position earlier this year, I decided that we should go through an audit to ensure that all of our information is as clear and as correct as possible. We’ve gone through that process. We are currently in the procurement process where we that, of course, takes another time to be able to complete, but we are near the end of it, and hopefully in the month of August, at least the first week in August, we should have a set of plates that we can start ensuring that we get back to its normal operations for.”

Britney Gordon

“So what can you say to deter people from making these fraudulent license plates? What are some of the dangers and risks of that for on their end as also for you guys?”

Leon Gentle

“It actually is a fraudulent act and of course being a fraudulent act it is also arrestable and so it’s important for the public to understand that just bear with the Department of Transport at least a little bit more patience for us to clarify that everything is up and running and smoothly and we should have the plates hopefully by the first week in August. So, I want to do encourage persons to not produce any of license plates or stickers and those who are actually producing it to the cease from doing so.”

Britney Gordon

“And you said the license plate you’re hoping for it to be by August. And what about the stickers?”

Leon Gentle

“Both are within the same timeline.”

Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Belize’s Maya Golden Landscape

The Ya’axche Conservation Trust has joined forces with various stakeholders, including the Government of Belize, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Global Environmental Facility, to implement a four year project in the Maya Golden Landscape of Toledo District. This initiative integrates biodiversity conservation, protected areas management and sustainable livelihoods at the landscape level. Executive Director Christina Garcia tells us more.

Christina Garcia, Exec. Dir., Ya’axche Conservation Trust

“It is a project that was formulated four years ago with support from the Government of Belize, particularly the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change. So yesterday, we had a project launch with the government officials and other state actors, just basically outlining hat the project is going to be and the level of support for what is going to be needed by the Food and Agriculture Organization, but also the Government of Belize. So the project focuses on various aspects and it will be implemented in ten indigenous communities in the Toledo District and it looks at the development of certain plans, particularly for key biodiversity areas that we manage which is the Maya Mountain North Forest Reserve. We’ll be developing a thorough plan for that area. We’re encompassing the feedback from stakeholders, particularly the Trio community. The project also looks at developing a policy guideline for non-timber forest products and this is something that we have going on in the Golden Stream Corridor Preserve for quite a while and so it’s just the formality and making sure that a policy is established, of course with endorsement by the relevant agencies, regulatory agencies such as the National Biodiversity Office and the Forest Department.”

Ya’axche Says Project Launch is Very Timely

According to Garcia, the project launch and implementation are both timely, in the wake of devastating wildfires that ravaged farmlands, destroying agricultural crops.

Christina Garcia, Exec. Dir., Ya’axche Conservation Trust

“This project comes at a very handy time because, as you know, the devastation that we suffered in the Toledo District has been of mass, I would say, destruction because we never thought that fire would have raged with all these agro-forestry farms. So the project comes in very handy because agro-forestry is a tool that we utilize for restoration of these lands and I think that the farmers are going to be very grateful for having the implementation of these systems within their farmlands so they’ll have the opportunity to restore what the fire has destroyed. For example, some of the agro-forestry farms, farmers have lost cacao, coffee, timber, and other fruit trees. So the project will basically help these farmers to restore these farmlands, but at the same time, you know, making sure that there are best practices that are implemented in the prevention of these fires. Of course more going towards adopting the sustainable agricultural practices and moving away from the traditional slash and burn that is utilized for crop cultivation.”