Seems as if Haiti is back to being Haiti’s problem just like before. Maybe everyone has forgotten what happened last January 12th. Honestly, with all the turmoil on our own soil, it’s hard for me to remember how hard the ground shook over there. But now that I think back, how can we forget about the massive amounts of lives we committed to saving as well as the ones we couldn’t save. They say time heals all wounds but a year doesn’t seem like a lot of time.

It’s safe to say, social media played a very big role in generating support for the disaster relief efforts. If it wasn’t for Twitter, Facebook, and sms platforms, the most ignorant could’ve easily ignored the events that took place. Instead, it became trendy for young people, their parents, their parent’s parents, white, black, & brown, to subconsciously come together online and off with hopes of God showing mercy on them.

Wyclef Jean was like Barack, fore he was the biggest symbol of hope to a country that had went through what only New Orleans residents could attest that they’d experienced anything close to. While stopping through the free-world of worldstarhiphop, President Wyclef gives his account of what he dealt with and is still dealing with when it comes to his home, Haiti.

Did someone say President Wyclef Jean? Reports are floating around the net that the ex-Fugee singer is considering a bid for the Haitian presidency. Jean has been a strong supporter of his homeland and its youth for several years. He founded the Yele Haiti Foundation in 2005 to help raise funds for Haitian youth putting almost 7000 children in school, and informing over 2000 young people a month about AIDs and HIV. Rumors of Jean’s aspirations could be traced back to when the singer was appointed ambassador-at-large in 2007, by the current president, Rene Preval. In an e-mail to the media, the Jean family stated, “Wyclef’s commitment to his homeland and its youth is boundless, and he will remain its greatest supporter regardless of whether he is part of the government moving forward … If and when a decision is made, media will be alerted immediately.” (Huffington Post) In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Jean reports he intends on being apart of the election on Nov. 28, whether his name will be found on the ballot is still unsure. Most candidates are expected to publicize their bids by Aug. 7,2010.

This is a tough decision for the artist to make. The impoverished Caribbean nation’s elections are often combative and violent. If Jean does decide to run, he would then have to prove that he has resided in the country for the past five years, own Haitian property, and has never been a citizen of any other nation.

Weezy talking his truth!!

Davey D once again does his due diligence and makes sure that the hip-hop generation’s voice is heard. Mistah FAB and Mystic come with it too.

Mistah F.A.B.
http://bit.ly/a2JvF1

Mystic
http://bit.ly/dAGK04

Melanie Fiona does her part to make sure that the world helps the people of Haiti.

Ever since Haiti was hit by the earthquake, conspiracy theorists have been postulating that the natural disaster was man made. Well, Hugo Chavez has taken it up a notch and has actually accused the US of creating the quake. Of course, it’s hard to believe that the US is that sinister, but according to Wired, man made earth quakes are pretty normal. “The human production of earthquakes is hardly supervillain-worthy. It’s downright commonplace:…25 percent of Britain’s recorded seismic events were caused by people.

While this conspiracy theory seems far fetched, it is a bit scary to know that earthquakes can be caused by humans. Let’s just hope Lex Luther doesn’t get hold of this technology.

Check the video of Chavez pointing the finger after the jump and let us know if you think Chavez is crazy?

“We need an Exodus.”

Warning: Extremely Graphic

Wyclef Jean, for those who have not been attuned to hip-hop prior to Cash Money or Young Jeezy, is a Grammy-winning, internationally known hip- hop artist who single-handedly put Haiti on the map. Through his artistry and advocacy, he brought to light the history of Haiti for many who were just too young or simply never cared enough to realize Haiti’s rich history. It was the first country that freed itself from slavery and not only overthrew that heinous institution, but defeated the whole lot of French rule.

Wyclef in his music has always paid homage to his homeland, and shared the culture and pain of his countrymen unashamedly. He did this at a time when many Black Americans shunned any relationship to Haiti. At the height of his career as a member of the Fugees, (group first named ‘Refugee Camp’ for the conditions many Haitians find them selves when arriving on American soil) the group went back to Haiti and took several media outlets to document the plight there. Subsequently, that trip garnered Haiti prime shine in various magazine articles. During his solo career, Wyclef went back further still to his roots, releasing a full CD in creole titled, Welcome to Haiti Creole 101. And then in 2007, pledging a more substantive allegiance to his native land, Wyclef became a Haitian ambassador for the government.

Wyclef Jean refused United Nations protection for a trip through Cite Soleil, Haiti’s most notorious, gang-infested slum, relying on his popularity to keep his group safe. “I am putting myself in the front line because I want that change to happen.” Jean said.

This to me, speaks volumes of his love and honor of his country. But greater than that it speaks of the mutual respect and pride the country has for him.

More after the click!

So why is it when a native son of Haiti yells out for relief from the devastation that has demolished his beloved land, why would there be questions of his intentions? What force would rally against his efforts and bring questionable allegations regarding his foundation http://yele.org

Smoking Gun posts IRS returns for the year 2009. Listing the foundation as being in operation for “12 years,” they say accounting has not been so transparent. Maybe it hasn’t. But check the records of many and you’d be hard-pressed to find squeaky clean accounting, even among the most financially prudent. But they continue to try and smear this guy by pointing out he “paid” himself for rent and performances.

Check it… just on some real plain and simple hood logic: if you open a business/not-for-profit, foundation, charity, church, etc. you have to keep the lights on. Most times, that money is coming out of your very own pocket. You do what you must to hold yourself afloat until things start rolling. In the grand scheme of things, if you have an accountant savvy enough, you’l wind up writing a large amount off. Isn’t that what every tax paying American seeks out like a leprechaun searching for a pot of gold, that tax-incentive? I’d like every politician to disclose personal or affiliated returns for the public. Of course I know they have to go through the motions of making them public, but when is the last time your elected official directed you to his/her returns and they were in plain view? Uh, huh.

For me, I just can’t see what the deal is. For one, yes he may have performed at a charity event, yes yes I know his foundation gave it. But who said the band played for free? Did the production company who handled stage, lighting, hotel, travel, catering, security, attorney fees, and on and on the list could go. Did those entities get tossed in for free. Come on. In America? I doubt it. He probably had to pay them folks..

I am signing off. And if you’re looking for me, I’ll be tweeting away, reminding you to text yele to 501501.

BTW, peep the video Wyclef did speaking about the work of his foundation long before the earthquake rocked Haiti.

The strange trio of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and President Obama linked up yesterday to talk about America’s role in Haiti. As usual, Bush had the best quote when he stated, “I know a lot of people want to send blankets or water; just send your cash.” No sugar coating with that guy.

It’s sad that this level of bipartisanship can only take place after a natural disaster. But whatever, it’s pretty cool that these folks linked up.

via MTV

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — There are dead bodies lying on Haiti’s street and they cannot be ignored. After Tuesday’s devastating 7.0 earthquake, thousands of people died in buildings and on the walkways — their faces exposed, their eyes sometimes slightly open. The next day many were covered with sheets, shielded from the sun and from sight. Now, from under the flimsy coverings, the stench from their decaying bodies rises up and attacks the air with a pungent odor that causes the locals to cover their faces and noses with whatever they can find.

“I wear this mask because it’s starting to smell badly with all the dead bodies,” Jean McKenzie, a 16-year-old resident of Port-au-Prince’s Carrefour Feuilles district, said on Thursday. He had a red bandana tied around his face to block out the smell, but there is little that can block out the stench. “It started smelling really, really bad at noon today,” he said.

Check the video after the jump.

Even while the Haitian Police have begun to collect bodies for identification at the morgue, McKenzie said, they have much more work to do.

McKenzie is one of many Haitians who are trying to live with the dead in ways they didn’t expect just days ago. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake left many bodies trapped under rubble and displaced many residents. The bodies that were pulled out of the wreckage rested on the sidewalks and roadways. There were too many wounded for authorities to contend with the dead. So they lie there while people walk the street wearing bandanas, surgical masks or even napkins.

Roberto Bonsues, 18, has tied a tank top around his neck in order to keep out the smell. I talked with him in the same downtown area where I met McKenzie. Fortunately, no one in his family was killed when his building collapsed. But that does not mean he is unaffected. “Too many people died,” he said. “And you can smell it in the air.”

The day after the earthquake, I was walking through Port-au-Prince’s downtown area. The bodies of two women lay motionless on the street; flies darted around their bodies. Across the street, there was a United Nations fort. No soldiers or police officers where visible in the area, except from the watch post behind a wall, across the street. I walked over and asked the soldier if he could do anything about the dead at their front doors. He ducked away and an English-speaking woman came to speak to me through the gate.

“There are many dead bodies,” she said. “Walk around the other side. You will see them. There are dead bodies everywhere. We have sick people here. We cannot take any more in here.”

Disaster is nothing new in today’s Haiti, which is plagued with economic, social and natural strife. The country has a longstanding history of immense poverty (about 70 percent lives on less than $2 per day), the Republic’s thorny political history is rife with coups d’etat and rampant corruption, and natural disasters, particularly hurricanes, run rampant. But Tuesday’s devastating quake has brought death counts that range from 50,000 (according to Red Cross) to 100,000 (according to Haitian government estimates) and possibly more — but no one knows the true count.

“This is worse than [the mid-1990s genocide in] Kigali, Rwanda,” said Ken Walton, a former U.N. Rwanda Emergency Officer agent, now helping to evacuate people from Haiti for International SOS. He said he dropped into Kigali after a bloody massacre that left about 1 million dead. “And the smell is worse.”

In Port-au-Prince, bodies continue to decay in the sun, waiting to be claimed or taken away — not because they may cause illness (many experts argue they won’t), but because the living now sleep near the dead at night, walk among them during the day — and they must be reminded of their tragedy with each breath. It’s no good to demand that an overwhelmed U.N. acknowledge the dead bodies in their midst — but there’s much good in world citizens reaching out to help the living. (Head here to find out what you can do to help.)

“Only the dead person’s family comes to take the body,” McKenzie said, his voice slightly muffled by his red mask. “They just take it to the cemetery and drop it there.”

And yet, you can still smell it in the air.

Check out this emotional tribute to the Haitian earthquake victims by Chi-Town’s Twista.

On Tuesday, a catastrophic earthquake struck near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed, but the death toll — already in the thousands — is climbing fast.

This is the worst earthquake to hit the area in more than 200 years. Entire communities have been ripped apart and as many as 3 million people have been directly affected, including tens of thousands of American citizens who are in Haiti.

Footage is pouring in of homes collapsing, Haitians carrying injured family members, and hospitals being overrun in what was already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.

I have directed my administration to respond with a swift, coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives. Personnel from the United States and our partners in the international community are on the ground in damaged areas right now, working side by side with the Haitian people. They’re providing much-needed food, water, and sanitation supplies, saving lives and helping local communities start to rebuild.

Despite the fact that we are experiencing tough times here at home, I encourage those who can to reach out and help. It’s in times like these that we must show the kind of compassion and humanity that has defined the best of our national character for generations.

As this story continues to unfold, I hope you will continue to keep the people of Haiti in your thoughts and prayers, as well as the many Haitian-Americans who have done so much to enrich our country and who are worried about friends and loved ones in this time of need.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

earth, quake. such a terrifying thought for those of us who live on earth, that she can just quake, just quiver, and destroy a nation.

i finally slowed down enough to actually read the news, look at the pictures, do more than just give money, feel the crisis that is happening, feel the fragility and incapability of any human infrastructure to respond in a meaningful way. in the way that we do in this information age, we quickly become experts on haiti, on the politics of the nation, on the places to point and finger out blame.

but what we need to become is experts on generosity. i was told of two organizations that are trustworthy, credible places to give.

Partners in Health (http://tl.gd/3im85)
and
YELE (http://bit.ly/2paXOv )

we can discuss the politics later.

with love for all those who struggle…

First Katrina, then this. Poverty is a mu’fer!

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI GOT STRUCK TODAY WITH THE LARGEST EARTHQUAKE EVER RECORDED IN THE AREA. Reports are flooding in of the streets of Port-au-Prince being filled with the unhinged yelling of its people. Bodies, blood and destroyed buildings scrambled together…. The sky is gray with dust and devastation . Unfortunately Haiti’s infrastructure wasn’t the most sound to begin with. For a large earthquake to occur anywhere on the globe this location is most devastating. Communication is in shambles and government officials have yet to obtain direct communication between themselves. Causality numbers haven’t been announced yet, and we can only brace now and hope that the damage is majority structural.
The quake was a magnitude 7.0 and was centered about 10 miles (15 kilometers) west of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It had a depth of 5 miles (8 kilometers).

WHILE WE BRACE FOR MORE INFORMATION WHAT WE HOPE IS THAT THIS MAY BE A NEW BEGINNING FOR BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE AND CULTURAL OF A COUNTRY THAT HAS BEEN DEEMED THE POOREST IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE FOR DECADES. Maybe the infrastructure must first come down to be rebuilt stronger than before. Our prayers are with the people of Haiti! Behind every cloud, there is a silver lining.

See the original post here by Ebony Joy at:
OUR PRAYERS ARE WITH THE PEOPLE OF HAITI