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| Huxley would
be surprised by today’s world. If he were suddenly transported here
tomorrow, he might be on his way to Belize the day after. Perhaps
for the very reasons he stated but with a different value placed on them.
Belize is terrific! Belize is like no where else in the entire world and
there is nothing with which to compare it. It is as Huxley called
it, exactly and to the letter. Ah, but what he said yesterday sounds
so great today. |
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| Belize is
everything Costa Rica is purported to be. For people looking for
a young unspoiled nation, Belize has to be one of the choicest expatriate
destinations imaginable. The language is English. The people
are friendly. The government is an absolute anomaly for Central America.
It is a true democracy, operating under the parliamentary system it adopted
from Great Britain (which until 1981 upheld Belize in colonial status.)
There is absolute freedom of the press. Little, if any serious corruption.
An intelligent attitude towards business and an absolutely astounding respect
for ecology. It is in our opinion a world leader in its efforts to
create a balance between tourism and sound principals of ecology.
There are few countries towards whom we feel a greater degree of respect. |
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| Its tiny population
is numerically less than many of the world’s cities. ( Note that while
the country of El Salvador consists of approximately the same land area
as Belize, El Salvador contains thirty times as many people; - - with El
Salvado having an overall population of almost six million people, compared
with Belize’s 200,000. ) Yet despite its small population Belize
manages to attract the worlds attention for its modern attitudes, stable
government and respectful treatment of its indigenous peoples. |
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| Good telecommunications,
a great environment, real estate prices that are significantly lower than
that of Costa Rica, the best diving in the world, the second biggest barrier
reef in the world, a growing off-shore tax haven sector, offshore corporate
services, developing offshore banking practices, a soon to be established
free trade zone, an international airport, a free trade zone at the border
city of Chetumal, close proximity to Cancun, an archeological store-house
of Mayan Ruins (some still not totally explored), a polyglot culture that
lives in harmony, proximity to Mexico and the United States, (the
fact that we can actually drive from Belize to the United States has some
positive values,) a series of Cayes (islands) some of which are available
for purchase at prices that are so reasonable they make you want to pack
your bags and catch the next plane. It is difficult to think of a
better destination for the expatriate seeking a new home in an unspoiled
land. |
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| Human
Rights Practices for 2000 Report - Gives Belize fairly high marks.
There is nothing occurring in Belize that raises a red flag in terms of
human rights practices. |
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Freedom
House - Gives the following evaluation: Freedom of the press is
guaranteed constitutionally, but the authorities may make exceptions in
the interests of defense, public safety, public order, morality, or public
health. There are six privately owned weekly newspapers, half of which
are directly affiliated with major political parties. The first privately
owned commercial radio station began to broadcast in 1990. Radio call-in
programs freely criticize the government and speak on political matters.
There are eight privately owned TV stations. Though the Broadcasting Corporation
of Belize is nominally independent, the government exerts influence over
the BCB's two radio stations through financial subsidies. BCB studios are
used by the government to produce partisan propaganda. The government is
the largest buyer of radio and television time. Half of the six privately
owned weekly newspapers (no dailies) are subsidized by political parties.
Journalists may seek greater access to official information through
the freedom of information act. Freedom House Rating: Political
Rights: 1 Civil Liberties: 1
Note that
no other country in Central America has such an exemplary record regarding
civil liberties and political rights as does Belize. This is commendable! |
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| HDI ranking:
Ranked 63 out of 174 countries The Human Development Index (HDI) ranks
countries according to the following indicators: GDP, life expectancy,
rate of adult literacy and years of schooling. |
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| Where Does
Belize Fall Down? - In our evaluation Belize falls down in two categories. |
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| 1.)
It's telecommunications access is hampered by the idiocy of it's government-subsidized
Belize
Telecommunications Limited (BTL), which is somewhere back in the last
century mentally. They are trying to keep independent Internet Service
Providers from ‘competing’ with them. This will be remedied one way
or another. Hughes Satellite Dishes that will connect anyone, anywhere,
to everything, are only a year or two away. BTL will cut their own
throat, (and that of the entire Nation,) if they don’t get someone to explain
the facts of global economics and techno-reality to them. Once the government
is brought to understand that free access to Internet Service Providers
spells the future success, or failure, of Belize; it is hopeful that the
situation will be remedied internally. No access to the internet,
or shabby access to the internet, spell doom to any nation. Belize
has to get rid of the blood suckers that run their telephone company.
Or free it up to competition. (We understand that the company strangling
Belize is foreign-owned; and is a subsidiary of an American owned company.) |
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| 2.)
Rastas, or wantabe Rastas are spoiling some of Belize's larger towns, cities
and more populated areas. (But are not a problem in the outlying country
or more remote areas.) The worst of it is that most of these so-called
Rastas
don't even originate from Belize, but migrate to Belize from other areas
of the Mosquito Coast. Few tourist or expatriates have any sympathy for
them. |
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| They are an
annoyance to those Belizeans born in Belize as well as to the new expatriates
who have moved to Belize. These fake Rastas are drug pushers, thugs, petty
thief's, and hoodlums. How Belize will deal with them is an important question.
They are not Belizean, so any way that Belize deals with them would be
acceptable to EscapeArtist. |
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| Why should
anyone have sympathy with those who use sympathy as a means to pick pockets?
The people of Belize are for the most part good and gentle souls. That
a rash of migrants from other areas of Central America and the Caribbean
should come and spoil their fine nation is a travesty. These thugs are
one of the biggest problems facing Belize. |
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| Overall,
EscapeArtist gives Belize high marks. It is a nation that still allows
us to live the sort of life we care to live without big brother hanging
over our shoulder. If we want to disappear, live the quite life on a secluded
beach, mind our own business and listen to our hair grow, then Belize might
well be one of the best nations to pick. It's low population to land area
means that we won't be crowded, nor overwhelmed with meaningless and idiotic
laws. |
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| Belize does
respect human rights more than most nations, there is freedom of the press,
the land is cheap and the weather is pretty darn nice. With the two caveats
in mind, we could make of Belize a wonderful new home with much about it
that is agreeable. |
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| Updates:
One
very good way of keeping abreast of current news in Belize is to search
the our Media
of Belize Index and see what's going on in their press. Another
excellent resource is One World News, which focuses on news that
other news agencies are willing to publish. One World News has an index
of most of the worlds nations. Find them on our Media of Belize index. |
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