Building a Sustainable Community is Key to Long Term Recovery

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, June 4, 2010 — Bond Building Systems (BBS), the unrivaled gold standard in quality cost-effective rapid production building systems technology, heads to Haiti next week to take part in a heralded international event organized by the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic, the American Chamber of Commerce of Haiti and in collaboration with the US Commercial Service.  Entitled, “Building a New Haiti” Business, Commerce and Investment, the event puts industry leaders like BBS at the table with the Haitian Government, the United Nations, the World Bank and others charged with implementing and financing recuperative and development strategies designed to build an economically sustainable Haiti.

No Shortage of Do-Gooders

Huge amounts of money to assist with emergency response, food, long-term medical care and housing needs, have poured in from all over the world, ever since the earthquake hit this already impoverished nation.  In the midst of recovery, resettlement and redevelopment, conflicting estimates report that from 200,000 dead and 1.5 million Haitian people were made homeless by the earthquake.  From tarps and shanty towns created by scrap wood, metal and other scavenged materials to temporary modular boxes built by well-meaning do-gooders and government partnerships with non-profit organizations, Bond Building Systems principals, Art Bond, President says that these in adequate shelters amount to building the next generation of slums”.  Both He and Bill Hanson, Vice President, feel that Haiti’s true future success lies in relocating its’ people to an area 50 – 60 miles outside of Port Au Prince in permanent homes built in planned sustainable communities.

Bond Building Systems Plan gives Haiti a chance to do it right!

The systems patented core materials and technology produce completely unified structures that are impervious to impact, impenetrable by moisture and are hurricane, earthquake, mold and mildew resistant, as well as fire and insect proof

Simply the strongest building system in the world.

Core elements of the BBS Proposal:

• Assure that the sites for new communities are strategically located so as to promote local job opportunities and that proper community infrastructure is in place as the homes are being build; The BBS plan includes building a batch plant that will produce the aggregate materials used in the construction of its homes.  A workforce impact of more than 6000 direct jobs will be created for Haitians who will be hired and trained to work in the plant and construct homes.
• To the maximum extent practical, use construction materials and products that are locally sourced in order to stimulate its economy and promote its local businesses thereby creating additional job opportunities.
• Construct homes that are attractive and durable and that will promote long-term increasing market values that will last for generations to come.

Once established, the best practices used to build the first 5000 homes (housing 30,000 people) will be replicated, as the government determines, to spur systematic development of an estimated 10 sustainable communities over the next 10 years, building 50,000 homes (housing 300,000) and creating in jobs for Haiti’s people.  Please visit, www.bondbuildingsystems.com to view live demos

Remember the gorge Alexander McQueen dress that Kate Moss wore on the Relief for Haiti runway?

Well, now T.K.Maxx are selling dresses online and I have just spotted this amazing look-a-like for only £39.99 by S Twelve.

Now all you need is a leather bodice and your good to go.

$50, Signed and Numbered
Release Date: 02/05/2010 at a Random Time

This print was made for www.artistsforpeaceandjustice.com. This is a collaboration with Studio Number One’s Cleon Peterson, Casey Ryder and Shepard Fairey. Photography by Tao Ruspoli. All proceeds of the sale of this print go to Haiti.

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[Posted by Niall]

Learn more about WAR CHILD & DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS

(sing it now:) we are the ones who decide who gets the aid and who gets an air strike
by Davis Fleetwood

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When I heard that they are re-recording We Are The World to benefit Haiti, my first thought was Will Lady Gaga sing Boy George’s part?” That has now been confirmed.

Also: Justin Timberlake, Bono, Eminem, Jay-Z, Barbra Streisand are just a handful of the confirmed 100-plus stars scheduled to take part in a re-recording of “We Are the World” to benefit Haiti in an orgy of self congratulatory Catharsis on demand, and without apology. It is the American way.

I know, don’t say it: you really do want to hurt me. You really want to make me cry.

"We Are The World": we decide who gets the aid and who gets an air strike

Legendary producer Quincy Jones, who collaborated with songwriters Michael Jackson Lionel Richie on the original “We are the World” benefit for South Africa says: “It’s the 25th anniversary (of the 1985 song) and it’s perfect timing. It’s not an accident, man. That’s God. It will be ‘We Are the World’ for Haiti.”

Come again? Is it God that created the tectonic plate shifts under the city of Port Au Prince? Or are you suggesting that there is a biblical significance to the number 25? Or was that some version of guilt that ascribes your remarkable good fortune to being born in a country rich and powerful enough to decide who lives and who dies as the will of God?

Either way, Quincy Jones decided that while all of the stars are in town for the Grammies he’d drag them into the same studio and the magic continues, the only concern in Hollywood was: with all of the stars are in one studio, who will light the way for all us sheep through the pitch black night?

Of course, it’s a wonderful gesture and probably a genius idea.  I’ve said before, I’ve donated to Haiti. And I have matched those donations with funds going to groups working in Iraq.

Cuz really, where the fuck was Quincy Jones and his craptastic anthems
when we the United States went on a criminally negligent homicidal rampage that erroneously sent Iraq back to the stone ages? Where is the
outpouring of aid and relief for Iraqi people? Just because tectonic
plates brought the destruction — as opposed to Halliburton and our own tax dollars working through the extended arm of the United States military and with the blessing of our elected officials doesn’t make it any less tragic.

I wonder who will be up and running with some semblance of normalcy first:
Haiti or Iraq?  Given that those two countries house 2 of the 5 largest U.S. embassies world wide, Las Vegas is placing favorable odds that both will but up and running, in good time, and remade in a different image. Because, as the song goes: We are the World.
After the antics of our government these past 10 years, and the people who vote them in, “We Are The World” takes a whole new meaning. We are the world, fuckers, and you better get ready because we decide who gets the aid and who gets an air strike.

ω

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If you love Jazz music, live in New Jersey and you would like to help provide Relief for Haiti, this Fundraiser may be for you!  Lolita Turner presents a Music Fundraiser that will donate all proceeds to the Red Cross for the people of Haiti.  The event will take place at Cecil’s Jazz Club, 364 West Valley Road in West Orange, New Jersey.  The cost of this event is $25!  What a bargain!  Various Talented Musicians and Singers will entertain you for this very good cause.  If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Turner @ 932.652.2290.

The military is not any good at handing out stuff like food – their middle name is “hurry up and wait.” They stand around in the UN peacekeeping doing security like they are ready to shoot somebody and those jackasses are getting around with enough petroleum in their armored vehicles to run fourteen cars the same distance. And for what? They can’t give out food and water while waiting to shoot somebody for stepping out of the queue?

Across every military in the world, they feed literally armies of meals and drinks every day for three and sometimes, four mealtimes. And, this UN group “organizing” this relief aid for Haiti and their American military general at their beck and call, only want to feed a percentage of the people once every two weeks? And they think that is okay? That is unacceptable. That is grossly incompetent. They are obviously not the right people for the job if that is the best they can do after having a full twelve days to get their shit together and “organize” it. There are Boy Scout leaders and Girl Scout leaders across America and in fact, across the world that could do a better job of organizing an operation than that.

A child in Haiti already suffering from the devastation of the earthquake, loss of home and family, torn apart in a community that is in turmoil and chaos, physically and emotionally in pain and trauma should not have to suffer only eating a meal once every two weeks, if they can get that and get to it. What kind of nightmare is that which would turn a catastrophe into a cataclysmic suffering of sadistic and inhumane proportions?

What pregnant woman will bear a healthy son or daughter or survive childbirth herself, after all she has suffered in the aftermath of the earthquake only to be punished by the hands of UN “peacekeepers” and Generals that withhold food and sustenance for her precious life and that of her child (- except once every two weeks, if she is in the right place with the percentage of the population getting fed when it is her turn)?

So this General with the organizational skills of a rock gets to decide along with the United Nations and Haiti’s government that only a percentage of the people affected by the earthquake in Haiti get to eat every day and have no intention of feeding people, children, babies, old people, sick people, pregnant women, mothers, grandmothers, free democratic people,  – more than once every two weeks. And, I bet they didn’t tell the Haitian people any of that – or that they could expect their next meal after the protein biscuits they are getting today – to be two weeks from now . . .

God, I hate them at the decision making table of the United Nations and military when they do horrible shitty things like this. They are worse than the earthquakes and the natural disasters themselves and all of the damage that was done in the first place. Letting people die in the rubble while dicking around on a runway about who should land or not. Sending search teams off to sit for hours waiting to be deployed while they could’ve been doing some good. Letting good food, water and medicines wither into unusable crud in 90 degree sun out on a runway in quantities that could’ve and should’ve saved the lives it was intended to help. Leaving people to suffer without medicines and without water for well over nine days. Forcing people to endure open air amputations without pain relief, without antibiotics, without sutures, without bandages, without any chance of anything but gangrene and excruciating constant pain, thirst and hunger. It was wrong and it never, never, never would have been a greater disaster than the earthquake if it hadn’t been for the outrageously incompetent decision making of those United Nations representatives, the demanded choices of the Haitian government ministers and the Haitian president along with the military generals and charities being required to follow the dictates of the Haitian president’s whims. I think that man is brain damaged from the earthquake or something – unless he is taking something that has detracted from his ability to reason.

Military and “peacekeeping” military forces that can’t operate at least as effectively as the McDonald’s corporation to serve daily food rations, water, medical aid and shelter to a population in dire need – isn’t a military operation. It is a disdain and contempt for the human life they are sent to serve.

And, Generals like that one I saw on CNN tonight saying they would only be trying to feed a percentage of the population each day so that over two weeks most of them would get a meal, ought to be digging latrines instead of organizing anything because that is the only thing he is obviously qualified to do. Just as the president of Haiti, his prime ministers, and his UN colleagues along with this US General have managed to accomplish thus far – digging a bigger hole than the one they started with.

- cricketdiane, 01-25-10

***

And, Mr. President, and Mr. Ban ki Moon – if that is the best these authorities and organizational leadership can do – please get them the hell out of there.

In absolute truth – considering that you could give every person in Haiti eight dollars and let them walk over to the Dominican Republic and buy a happy meal or two – which would do a better job than the billions that are being spent not even doing that much for them – then something is way, way wrong.

Why can’t the military people feed them the same way they feed millions of troops every single day three times a day with snacks in between? They manage to do that effectively every single day across every division in every theater of operation on this planet . . .

Why can’t they do that?

Our seed project  is  a cooperation and we need your help too, we have directed the administration to respond with a swift, coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives. Personnel from Canada 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 challanges 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.

READ BELOW ON HOW YOU CAN HELP HAITI

1) Pray long and hard for the poor people of Haiti.

2)  Donate donate donate!  If you haven’t already, please donate whatever you can to help these people in their greatest hour of need.  Suggested donations range from $50 to $1,000, but you can name your own amount if you prefer.

3)  Food and water Supplies:

4) You can drop-off emergency supplies at the HMF office at 3401 Dufferin St. Box 27564 Toronto, On M6A 3B8 Canada.

5) BHD through its seed programs is  accepting donations of emergency supplies such as clothing, water, first aid and canned food or Pallet of medical supplies, health care kits, temporary shelter, kid’s school supplies to send immediately to Haiti.

6) OMSO (organisation Mains De Secours de Ouanaminthe in Haiti) is  grassroots movement we support that builds local awareness for Haiti while helping to transform the country through programs in education, children’s soup kitchen,  sports, the arts and environment.  Contact at  OMSO website   or at this address:  Dorcilien street #47, Ouanaminthe or Juana Mendez,  Haiti.

7) You can purchase products from stores  that will be directly used on the ground in Haiti.

8)Your donation will be used to save children’s lives and bring supplies to Haiti such as toiletries, clothing, shoes, and more.

Never let a good crisis go to waste. The neighboring country, the Dominican republic is going to be important in getting earth-movers to clean up the rubble and build new infrastructure. There is political strife, this may spur new cooperation.

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-Canadians who have done so much to enrich Canada and who are worried about friends and loved ones in this time of need.

If you have any questions or need more information, feel free to contact direct  BHD  or HP Here   Please this is very important, they really need help.

Thank you,

The sponsor of all our  seed projects is Bet Ha Derech (BHD) you can either contat them directly and make your Monetary donation or simply send an envelop or check to ”Help  Haiti” to our contact office.

This well-intentioned couple was filling up a trailer with bags of  items people were donating.  The plan is once the trailer is full, they’ll drive it down to Miami and ship it to Haiti somehow.  It wasn’t clear if they are asking for specific goods that they know are desperately needed, and it wasn’t clear if they have strong connections with a reputable organization that is already on the ground in Haiti that will be responsible for receiving and distributing the bagged goods.  If not, those items might end up in a warehouse, clogging up much needed space and never getting to the people in need.

When God nudges us to love others and do good, we should respond, but we should respond in a responsible manner.  We should do our homework and ASK QUESTIONS FIRST.  We need to ask HOW we can help and WHAT is needed before rushing in and doing something that might not really help or, worse yet, do more harm.

When people are in crisis, those who are around them want to help.  They want to do something… anything!  When the desire to help is so great that we don’t bother to take the time to find out what the people in crisis REALLY need, then we are actually acting selfishly.  We are satisfying our own ego and meeting our own “feel good” quota.  We are putting our needs before those who are truly in need.

Don’t assume the people of Haiti need blankets and sweaters.  It has been in the 80 to 90 degree-range since the earthquake.  Don’t assume the people of Haiti need canned goods (although they might).  What if they don’t have can openers to pass out with the canned goods?  Don’t assume you can just bag up a bunch of your old clothes and ship them down to Haiti and it will help.  Someone is going to need to go through all those bags of clothes and separate them out based on size and gender.  Someone is going to have to be in charge of distributing them fairly.  To simply unload bags of clothes and have people rummage through them and decide what they need is chaos!  People might end up hurting one another, or even killing one another, to get what they need.

Systems are in place and people are on the ground who know how to handle disaster situations.  Work within those systems and with those people.  That is the responsible way to help.

Locate reputable organizations/charities you can trust, and find out if they are helping the people of Haiti and how.  You can find excellent groups doing excellent work by doing a little of your own investigative homework.

Forbes magazine evaluates the top charities in the country and rates them based on their efficiency (how much of your money goes to the actual work being done to help people).  The Forbes rating is done every year, and a list of those most efficient charities is available.  I recommend looking only at charities that have a 95% efficiency rating or better.

Go to the websites of charity watchdog groups that look at the details of a charity’s work and finances to determine if they are on the up and up.  Charity Navigator is one of those watchdog groups.

Once you have found the charity you trust, ask what ways you can help.  Chances are, the greatest help you can offer is through a financial donation.  If you live in the same community as the charity, perhaps you can volunteer to help in the office by answering phones or packing goods being shipped.  If you are in the medical profession and want to serve on a team, you will likely look for an organization that coordinates that kind of trip and has plans to go to Haiti.  There again, just do a little research on the internet to find the group that seems to match your interests.

If you desire to help the people of Haiti, by all means do it.  But be sure to do it responsibly.  My personal recommendation for a charity that is already on the ground in Haiti providing millions of dollars worth of medicine and medical supplies is MAP International, but I confess to being a bit biased

On Tuesday a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the island of Haiti.. the streets are destroyed, family members are missing and building have crumbled..

What can we do to help!?

Check out Google’s Relief Page

Visit CNN to find out how to donate to: The American Red Cross, Direct Relief International, Care and more!!

This button does not work but visit http://www.yele.org for more information

SMS text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts

SMS text “YELE” to 501501 to Donate $5 to Yele Haiti’s Earthquake Relief efforts

PRAY

 Check CNN for Minute by Minute Updates

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, I wanted so bad to travel to LA and help rebuild, donate, something.. but I was unable to do so.. I am hoping that I will be able to do something for Haiti.. I donated via Yele.. but that is NOT enough..

Let me know what else there is that we can do!

Also.. I’m sure you’ve heard about Pat Robertson (ancient dude from The 700 Club).. who said that the quake was a result of “Haiti’s pact with the devil”.. huh?! Why do people believe that everytime something happens like this it is some sort of “punishment” from God!? An earthquake is a natural disaster.. just like a tornado, tsunami or a hurricane.. they have been happening since the beginning of time.. if a natural devestation like this one was punishment.. wouldn’t it be for the way we mistreat earth or something?! Futhermore.. how would Pat Robertson know that Haiti made a pact with the devil unless he was there and involved!? I mean really..

Anywho.. I wanted to share my opinion and hopefully find some ways to help out! Whatever you know.. please leave it in the comments.. until then.. my prayers are with the people of Haiti and I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled..

Oh and before I go.. I must say how thankful I am that I am to have life.. 2 jobs and love.. the little things that I found stressful.. like bills, boy b.s. and car troubles.. are tiny bumps in the road.. they don’t even matter.. clarity..

My heart goes out to the people of Haiti. I can only imagine the magnitude of despair following the destruction, although I hope some of the effects and tension (death tolls, Parliament collapsed, prisons busted and inmates have escaped, displaced families), will be alleviated by the assistance being offered globally by countries, such as Canada, The U.S., France, Norway, Germany, China, Spain, Iceland, and Mexico. . .these are just a few. Some of these countries have sent millions of dollars, sent aircraft equip with basic supplies & food, and delivered medical relief.

Being alive and well in my city makes me feel {exponentially} blessed, buh-lee-dat! There are many different ways we can fiscally support Haiti. Here are some quick resources:

Wyclefe Jean has set up a disaster relief automatic donation: Text “YELE” to “501501″. You can also make an automatic $10 donation to the Red Cross by texting “HAITI” to 90999.

CNN.com has a pretty comprehensive list provided, if you feel compelled to further assist Haiti. I am doing what I can. I’m hoping that all of you set aside some time to explore how you can as well. C’est tout.

Love you. Mean it.

MJ