Ancient Celebrations of Mother and Motherhood

 May 2006

The Adventures of Dano & Klim

By: James Cleeve Westby, May 2006

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Sun Safety

May, 2006

Let’s face it - here in Belize the sun sometimes can be brutal - hot sunny days are often the norm and if a person is not careful they can easily feel the effects of too much sun. We found some interesting information on sun safety that anyone and everyone will find helpful.
Preventing Harmful Effects of the Sun
Sunburn, skin cancers, and other sun-related adverse health effects are largely preventable when sun protection is practiced early and consistently. Despite the fact that suntanning and burning increase skin cancer risks, most people do not protect themselves from the sun's damaging rays (CDC, 1998).
Attitudinal barriers to the sun must be addressed and changed before behaviors will change. Attitudinal barriers to sun protection include the beliefs that it is necessary to use sunscreens only while at the beach or pool rather than year round, "a suntanned body is a healthy body," and "you can only get a sunburn in the summer". To overcome these barriers, education must begin early so habits can be developed early and consistently. Still, it is never too late to start sun protective habits.
The best sun protection is provided when all the sun-safe behaviors are practiced together. Sun protection habits include
Limit sun exposure during the hours when the sun's rays are the strongest, 10am to 4pm. To the extent possible, people should limit their exposure to the sun during these hours and practice all of the sun protective behaviors. Your shadow is an indicator of the sun's intensity. If your shadow is shorter than you are, the sun is at its highest intensity. The American Academy of Dermatology has established the Shadow Rule: No Shadow-SEEK SHADE.
Refer to the daily UV index when planning outdoor events. The UV Index is a daily forecast of the intensity of the sun's UV rays. The Index indicates the risk of overexposure to skin-damaging UV radiation and can be used to help plan outdoor activities to minimize overexposure.
Seek shade whenever possible. Shade structures such as trees and umbrellas provide year round protection. Although trees do not offer complete sun protection, they provide about 60 percent blockage from the sun's rays.
Wear a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and long-sleeved, tightly woven clothing. Clothing can physically block out the sun's harmful rays and should be one of the first lines of defense against sun exposure. Sunglasses should block out 100 percent of UVA and UVB radiation to protect the eyes from damage. Hats are the best way to minimize UV radiation exposure to the face, head, ears, and neck.
Use broad-spectrum sunscreens whose active ingredients block UVA and UVB rays. The Sun Protective Factor (SPF) should be a minimum of 15. Sunscreens should be used every day, including cloudy days. They should be applied liberally and evenly before going out into the sun and should be applied frequently, especially after swimming.
Avoid tanning salons. Artificial UV radiation is just as bad for your skin as sunlight. Most tanning devices use UVA rays which have been shown to go deeper into the skin and contribute to premature wrinkling and skin cancer (AAD, 1994).
Limit exposure to the reflective surfaces like snow and water. UV rays can be reflected off of sand, tile, water, snow, and buildings. It is important to practice all the sun protective behaviors even when you are in the shade.

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Human Rights For All

By: Jeff and Elicia Blumberg  May, 2006

On March 16, 2006, the students of Standard Five and Six of St. John’s Primary School watched the gripping movie, Hotel Rwanda, in the Placencia Community Center. The movie presentation was part of a human rights outreach program developed by Peace Corps Volunteers Jeff and Elicia Blumberg. Over a period of five class sessions, the students learned about the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights that describes the basic rights that all human beings have. The students also learned about racism and prejudice and discussed ways that they can learn to respect other people’s rights even though they may be a different culture or skin color.
While watching Hotel Rwanda, the students learned about genocide, the deliberate destruction of an entire people or ethnic group. The movie describes how the government of Rwanda initiated mass killings of one ethnic group, the Tutsis, by a different ethnic group, the Hutus. In 3 months over 800,000 men, women and children were massacred while the rest of the world stood by and watched. The movie portrays one Rwandan man, a Hutu, who saved the lives of over one thousand Tutsi people in his hotel during the killings. The students watched this heroic story and discussed how the movie affected them and whether they thought something like this could happen again in the world. During the discussion after the movie, one Standard Five student stated concern that the tension between different groups in Belize could result in violence. The students discussed the importance of respecting the rights of all people in Belizean society. All of the students have benefited from the human rights training and are trying to be more sensitive and open to the fact that people may be different but are all still human beings with the same basic rights to live freely and safely.

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Destiny  By: James Cleeve Westby

May, 2006

I’ve been looking for that special someone
There’s so many stars that twinkle in the evening sky
But there is only one for me
If it is written in the heavens for us to be
Destiny is what if shall be

Once in my life time it shall happen to me
Ever lasting love, love that will burn so brightly
As the golden sun eternally
From my heart to yours, I’ll find the one
One in a million is who he shall be

I want to find a secret place and be lost in his embrace
Every time the wind sings its song of love
I know that somewhere out there he waits for me

We can even be friends now, but unexpectedly love will be
One day upon the rising sun I shall find thee,
And may the heavens sing and rejoice
That another flame of love is united so strongly

Courage and faith will see me through my search for love
My heart will lead me, one step at a time
My future lies in the stars
I trust my heart, destiny is what it shall be
Destiny, Destiny, Destiny

© James Cleeve Westby

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MOTHER NATURE'S MEDICINE CHEST

Contributed by Doyen Gardiner  May, 2006

Madre de Cacao
(Gliricidia sepium)
Plant Family: (Fabaceae)
Description: This tree was planted to shade the cacao trees on plantations, thus the name madre de cacao. Madre de cacao grows up to 10 meters high with a thin trunk which is 30 cm in diameter. The leaves are deciduous and divided in 7-17 leaflets each 3-7 cm long. The flowers are bright pink to white in dense, multi-flowered racemes. The seed are dark brown 10-15 am long by 1-1.5 wide.
Habitat: Madre de cacao can be found growing in forests, fields, roadsides, and is often planted as living fence posts.
Traditional uses: Boiled, cooled bark water is used for washing tired, burning, or irritated eyes- a piece of bark is boiled in water for 10 minutes, then strained through a cloth twice before using to wash eyes. Seeds and bark are pulverized and mixed with grounded corn to kill rats. Mashed fresh leaves are applied as poultice to wounds, skin ulcer, boiled, and diaper rash.

Marigold
(Tagetes erecta)
Plant Family: Asteraceae
Description: Marigold is an erect annual herb that grows up to 1m tall. The leaves are pinnate and aromatic. The flowers are in solitary heads to about 5cm across, yellow to gold and aromatic.
Habitat: You can find marigold in pasture, old fields, yard and patios.
Traditional uses: Marigold is a stimulant and perspiration producer. To relieve fever, infant colic, gastric pains, flatulence, and headaches, a drink is made by steeping 3 flowers in 1 cup of hot boiled water for 10 minutes. A branch of the leaves is used to hold over the pulse of an infant while saying healing prayers. An entire plant boiled in 2 gallons of water for 10 minutes; this is used to bathe infants and young children suffering from malaise, colic, diarrhea, fever, cold and flu. The same decoction is used to bathe sores, abscesses, cuts, wounds and other skin conditions.
 

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Eco-Technologies on Our Doorstep!

 By. Elicia Blumberg  May, 2006

Placencia Village is jumping on the environmental bandwagon! On April 20^th at 7 pm in the Placencia Community Center, a small group met to discuss “alternative technologies” recently becoming available for purchase and use throughout Central America.

Rotoplas, the company that produces tanks for household water storage widely used in Belize, has designed a new tank for digesting- literally- household waste in lieu of a septic tank. These easily installed tanks which come in various sizes to accommodate any capacity (single family homes to entire villages), actually break down waste like a mini-treatment plant, releasing clean water and purified sludge which can be used to fertilize gardens. The tanks have an interior filter that, with the help of a teaspoon of enzyme flushed down the toilet once a week, purifies wastewater (from toilets, showers, sinks and washing machines) and protects the environment.  The beauty of these tanks is that they are sturdy, simple to install and maintain, inexpensive, and prevent harmful bacteria and other toxins from ever polluting the environment. Whereas a septic tank merely holds the waste, and allows it to spill over into the environment, the Rotoplas neutralizes harmful substances found in human wastewater and prevents the contamination of rivers and seas. For communities like Placencia, which are situated near waterways, lack a treatment plant and are growing bigger every day due to increasing tourism, such systems might be not only desirable but also necessary to protect human health and the environment.

Introducing the technology were three gentlemen: two Rotoplas representatives from Guatemala, Oscar Lopez and Carlos Diaz; and an environmental consultant, Luis Garcia, from San Ignacio. For more information on how to purchase a system, you may contact Luis Garcia directly at ritmo91@yahoo.com. Additional information may be found on the Rotoplas website: www.rotoplas.com.

An additional amazing product was also discussed: biodegradable “Styrofoam” and “plastic” containers made of corn! Coming in every imaginable shape and size, these sturdy containers break down in the presence of water, soil and light within two months. A real Styrofoam cup, on the other hand, takes 50 years to disappear and a plastic bottle takes 450 years! The corn-based packaging is every bit as strong and versatile as the harmful version - but you could actually eat it. These products are becoming ever more popular as people realize that we are drowning our environment in trash that will probably be around dirtying up the planet long after we are gone. Restaurants and hotels that want to call themselves “eco-tourism” or “environmentally-friendly” establishments have a responsibility to use these great new products and get rid of those nasty plastics and foams. Mr. Garcia is the person to contact if you would like to see products demos or learn how to purchase them from their producer, called Eco Green. You could also obtain information directly from the Regional Director in Guatemala, Eduardo Salazar, by emailing him at ecogreen@intelnett.com.
Other tips for protecting the environment that you can easily do at home or in your community:
Bring your own reusable shopping bag to the grocery or market, instead of always using (and throwing away) those plastic bags.
Reuse plastic bottles- fill them with the Placencia’s delicious tap water, keep them cold in the fridge, and enjoy!
Don’t leave the water running while you brush your teeth. Take shorter showers or turn off the tap while you soap up. Keep the water to a minimum when you do the dishes.
Turn off the lights and fans when you leave the house. This of course will also save you money.
Walk or ride a bike instead of driving whenever you can.
Tell your family and friends to do the same!
For more information on how to be environmentally friendly at home, contact us at Friends of Nature: 523-3377. Together we can make a difference!

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