Bye, bye, bye

The biggest of the local newspapers published it's annual Year End Review front page caricature. While I have a difficult relationship with said publication (least of which being that they call themselves a "daily" when they only come out 4 times a week most of the year!!! Witness the fact that this issue was delivered TODAY), I have to admit, the "last page" drawings are always very appreciated.


They've changed artists, this is a younger guy who, from what I know, does mostly comic strips and albums. Now, for those who haven't been following the news (I know, I know, I didn't do much in 08), the references are, from left to right:

- April : The so-called hunger riots;
- Summer : Four hurricanes, one after the other;
- Too-Long to Care : Picking the next Prime Too...Minister, I mean MINISTER (FYI:the woman got the job);
- Two Years Too Long : The US elections
- Rinse Repeat's New Thing : Changing the Constitution. As if there's nothing more important to do. Like UPHOLD AND APPLY THE CURRENT LAWS!!!!
- The accidental death of a famous local HipHop group (though I doubt they went UP)
- Most of the year : Why Colombia is our BFF and How the Gvt shares the Lurve (or not);
- See above : Why were they here again? Do we really care anymore?


Note: I'll post the translations of the dialogue bubbles later, too much trouble with my dial-up connection today

Let's Get It On...

It's official. I have the internet at home again!

Watch out World, she's baaaack!!!!!

Back, From Outerspace

Well, not really. I apologize to all my readers who were dispairing of ever seeing me write her again. I had lost my mojo...and my internet access.

My apologies also to those who left comments and hoped for replies. I'm bad at checking comments even when I post (somewhat) regularly!

Anyway, with luck, next week, I will have dial-up at home again and so, will return to the ranting you are used to (if not, get to it!)

Meanwhile, in the Real World...

- Still no Prime Minister. Since Whatshisface got the boot, mid-April, we have been treated to yet another wonderful interpretive art piece by Rince Repeat. I like to call it "Mirages". Rinse calls them candidates. Go figure...

- The price of gas has officially risen. Super is 270 gourdes ($6.75*), Regular is 265 gourdes ($6.62*) and Diesel is 194 gourdes ($4.85*). Public transportation fare is up too. I myself took a taxi to work this morning for 30 gourdes. Will get back to you with the full list of new fares.

- Official exams are almost over. This year, both 12th and 13th grades had their tests the same week. As always, the numbers speak for themselves: 247,000 students for 6th grade, 180, 523 for 9th grade, and 92, 129 students for the combined final two grades. Nevermind that 50% of these kids live here, in the capital.

- Kidnappings have again increased their daily rates, despite showy police arrests. Why bother, if the kidnappers are released within a few days...without a trial? The one good thing is that school is out. I know several parents were counting the days. I myself feel a little twichy going in and out of my house.

So, there you have it, fodder for future posts. Thank you for being patient.

* at a 40 gdes exchange rate

On which side to butter

The biggest bad news to hit us this week is that the price of wheat has risen. According to a spokesman for the State Mill being interviewed on the radio this morning, we import 28,000 tons of wheat a year but the prices are now around 230-237 euros per ton. That grain becomes the total source of white flour (or "Farin France", French flour as we call it) produced and sold in Haiti.

This increase is already felt here in the price of bread. A baguette of French bread as gone from 15 gourdes ($0.41 US) to 24 gourdes ($0.65 US). A messenger boy at work told me that the breakfast egg sandwich has shrunk to a pitiful size on the streets, while it's price stays the same. This is a staple for many Haitians who do no eat at home before they leave for school or work.

Sliced bread, already above the 30 gourdes mark, is sure to tople over into the 40 gourdes or, more dramatically, the 50 gourdes bracket. Unfortunately, I was not able to access the news websites (server restrictions at work) to give you a sampling of what is being said about this situation.

That same spokesman mentioned above tried to be positive and reassuring. Apparently, they haven't noticed any dramatic change in the sales of flour to the bakeries around town.

He goes further to explain this more expensive wheat on...biofuel! According to him, the growing market for ethanol has not only put corn and cane in the spotlight but has put more pressure on wheat since it seems to be replaced by those two other crops.

Notice this is not what the article linked to above says at all.

I'm not a big bread eater so I don't feel concerned yet. But this is bad news for us all, most especially the parents who are already struggling to send their kids to school. I remember eating quite a number of sandwiches over the years.

Tuition is one thing, but lunch is another. When you're lucky enough to get one, that is.

Of course, we've always eaten a lot of root vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, green plaintain, yams, bread fruit. I guess we're just going to have to eat them more.

Want to hear something ironic? Last month, the Minister of Economy was speaking to the House of Representatives Commerce Committee about how certains prices were actually lower. Nobody believed her then.

Now? Let's just laugh it off.

Like Taking a Grass Snake to School

According to the Ministry of Education, Monday was the first day of the new school year.

According to real life, it wasn't.

I'm very aware of school issues because I have the (mis)fortune of living on a street that boasts three (3) kindergartens and one (1) high school. So I always know when school is in or not.

Well, it's been very quiet both Monday and Tuesday. This morning, the kindergarten across the street from my house was open but the mustn't have received all their students yet. Though I could hear the children's voices and they played the usual songs about ducks, and boats and cuckoos in the forest, there wasn't nearly as much traffic or even pedestrian activity as on a regular school day.

My mother also works in a kindergarten and she tells me that her back-t0-school day is set for next Monday. And, if things go according to the same pattern as the last few years, she'll still be receiving kids as late as October.

Nothing I've cited above is surprising, or even new. All through my own schooling, the official starting date was almost never respected by the nuns. Parents, for their part, rutinely sent their kids abroad on vacation for the summer, without a second thought for the school schedule.

What is changing, though, is the number of people who cannot afford to pay for school. The numbers are growing and we cannot deny this truth.

Of course, there is the dichotomy between "good", usually private, schools and the state schools.

The more elite private or foreign schools are, of course, proportionally more expensive. A former coworker paid 25,000 Gdes (about $685 US) per semester for Kindergarten for her son at the French school. This was two or three years ago.

And then there are the Catholic schools. About five (5) of them are both elite (and elitist) and have a very good ranking in the national exams. I went to "the best". Well, we were (and still are) fighting for that title with our Arch-Enemy.

They are not as expensive as the other private schools but still more expensive than other, less reputable schools. People, regardless of their religion, are constantly fighting to have their daughters admitted. For that same reason, I try NOT TO MENTION I'M A FORMER STUDENT.

About 800 kids try out every spring for 1st grade at my old school. There are only 80 seats available. You can imagine the pleading, begging and even bribery that goes on. Especially since the nuns give priority to their "legacy students".

The government has little control over these schools, or the prices they charge. I don't even know if the DGI (our tax people) audits schools or not.

As for the state schools, there are too few of them, the quality of the education is terribly poor. I should know, I keep meeting the kids that come out of there. Poor reading and writing skills in French. Even in speach, it's obvious they're working with limited knowledge of the language and its construction. But that another topic for another post right there.

The one good thing the Ministry of Education did was publish the official tuition for the different levels in the state schools.

Can you believe that there are parents who cannot afford the 100 gourdes ($3 US) to send their children to grammar school for the year? Let alone spare another 100 gourdes so these kids can eat at the cafeteria.

Yet, it is true. It even made the front page of the papers last year. The press has also related the trials and tribulations of the parents struggling to send their kids to schools this year.

So it seems the prover was right. For most people getting their kids an education is like taking a grass snake to school.

And affording it is like making that snake sit in class...

Shaken, Not Stirred

It seems that things are heating up in the country as we move into the second half of the vacation months.

On the one hand, the weather has decided to roast us alive. Last night, around 7h pm, it was a murderous 35 Celcius (95 F). I was feeling weak and disoriented, especially since I'd been in those high temperatures since coming home from my AC-cooled office.

Of course, it's hurricane season. Last one was Chantal, but we've moved on to another one in-the-making. Though it should mostly affect the South of the island, it's giving me the worse heatwaves!

I'm also worried about heartquakes. We've had consistently high temperatures so the danger, IMO, is there.

But people are also trying to roast my mind. Here's an overview of the last few weeks:

- My phone is still dead. It's been almost 6 months. I actually got a bill for 992.34 gourdes (about $28). I wrote to them to say I didn't appreciate the joke. I have little hope of the situation changing anytime soon since the head of the state phone company has been trouble from disgruntled employees.

He's been interviewed over and over again over the massive firings going on. Can you blame the guy? When he came into the job, the co had 5,000 employees. Among them, eight (8) doctors, including a gynecologist and an urologist!!! He says he only needs between 750, but is willing to go up to 1,200 employees.

I think he's serious. There's even an ad in the papers looking for a company to restructure the IT department. The proble, as always, is the other people. The director publicly admited that the reason only 25% of the 150,000 land lines in the metropolitan area are working is good old sabotage. I'm pretty sure it's true since a LOT of people suddenly lost their phone service at roughly the same time.

He also promised cable internet for next summer. Oh, I want, I want! But will he (and I) get it? Let's wait and see.

- Major corruption/criminality crack down. Two high-profile business men are being questioned by the police over allegedly selling a man a car that had skipped the whole customs thingie. They seem to have even forged the official papers and signatures. The poor buyer got the surprise of his life when officials refused to give him his car.

Notice my very diplomatice/professional tone. That's because I'm jaded, baby. I don't believe the officials are clean, I don't believe the car dealers are clean, I don't believe this is going far. Unless somebody big has it in for the dealers, this all will die down soon.

Oh, the government is running anti-corruption ads but it's a pot and kettle situation, as far as I'm concerned.

On the other hand, the US DEA has been fishing for drug dealers left and right. Lawyer-types and the common man are incensed at this intrusion. I'm pretty sure some sort of deal has been signed.

Maybe I'm imagining things but isn't surprising that the IADB just gave us $12.5 million US, lump sum even, for "restructuring the government"? And promising us more next year?

- Mr Big Stuff UN is in town this week. You can tell by the volume of UN in the streets, especially when they are blocking streets without any explanation. Mr BS has been up down, crosswise this city. He met with Rinse Repeat first and that was fun: each was talking his own spin and I was LOL myself breathless.

Oh, people are in a tizzy. Mr BS said the city is dirty, people got upset. He said the UN isn't living any time soon (if ever), people got mad. Big Stuff says that they'll not be living until things got better "in the long term".

Rinse Repeat especially doesn't seem to agree with the UN issue. Nationalists agree with him, it seems but what's anybody doing about it? When they first came here, people said it would be for 10 yrs. After that press conf, maybe we should double that estimate...

We're also getting a new head of the MINUSTAH next month, a Tunisian diplomat. He's the first North African in the job. So now we are switching the hot chili peppers for harissa.

- The house of representatives has flushed the Culture Minister. They say he did some funny stuff with the Carnaval money. Rumor has it that Rinse Repeat himself told the Culture Min that he SHOULDN'T give money to the different elected officials usually envolved with Carnaval money ie the mayors, representatives and others.

Today, in fact the President is meating with the House. Is he giving them what-for? or just cold hard cash? Rumors are flying. Some say Rinse Repeat will NOT get rid of his BFF Minister. Others think this is the beginning of the end for either Rinse or the House.

See what I mean when I say my brain is set on broil? And we haven't even got to the State Examen Results yet. School is in a little over a month away. Gas prices are high, there's very little electricity, everybody is broke (ok, that's not new).

I need a liquid nitrogen bath, quick!

So Fresh and So Clean

I'm posting this specifically for my Third World Readers, both here on the island and across the American Continent.

"FDA Advises Consumers to Avoid Toothpaste From China Containing Harmful Chemical

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today warned consumers to avoid using tubes of toothpaste labeled as made in China, and issued an import alert to prevent toothpaste containing the poisonous chemical diethylene glycol (DEG) from entering the United States.

DEG is used in antifreeze and as a solvent.

Consumers should examine toothpaste products for labeling that says the product is made in China. Out of an abundance of caution, FDA suggests that consumers throw away toothpaste with that labeling. FDA is concerned that these products may contain "diethylene glycol," also known as "diglycol."
FDA is not aware of any U.S. reports of poisonings from toothpaste containing DEG. However, the agency is concerned about potential risks from chronic exposure to DEG and exposure to DEG in certain populations, such as children and individuals with kidney or liver disease. DEG in toothpaste has a low but meaningful risk of toxicity and injury to these populations. Toothpaste is not intended to be swallowed, but FDA is concerned about unintentional swallowing or ingestion of toothpaste containing DEG.

FDA has identified the following brands of toothpaste from China that contain DEG and are included in the import alert: Cooldent Fluoride; Cooldent Spearmint; Cooldent ICE; Dr. Cool, Everfresh Toothpaste; Superdent Toothpaste; Clean Rite Toothpaste; Oralmax Extreme; Oral Bright Fresh Spearmint Flavor; Bright Max Peppermint Flavor; ShiR Fresh Mint Fluoride Paste; DentaPro; DentaKleen; and DentaKleen Junior. Manufacturers of these products are: Goldcredit International Enterprises Limited; Goldcredit International Trading Company Limited; and Suzhou City Jinmao Daily Chemicals Company Limited. The products typically are sold at low-cost, “bargain” retail outlets.

Based on reports of contaminated toothpaste from China found in several countries, including Panama, FDA increased its scrutiny and began sampling toothpaste and other dental products manufactured in China that were imported into the United States."

This reminds me of the whole syrup tragedy of ten years ago when almost a hundred children died. Yes, it was a Chinese product then also (Nevermind that China is one of our Best Friends 4 Ever).

So you've been warned. Pass the word. Don't let that minty fresh feeling be your last sensation on this earth!

The Heat is On

Today is the official first day of Summer.

The typical reaction here to this announcement is a very bored : "So What?"

How else to react when you've been feeling the heat for weeks now. I personally don't walk into my house after a long day at work.

No, instead, I swim through a room-full of hot air. Sauna hot. Iron forge hot. The skies are overcast and gray but there's no rain. Or if it does rain, it's not long enough to cool us off. It's the hurricanes-in-the-making, obviously, but what does that knowledge do for me? Nothing!!!

It's also amazing how difficult living out of the range of a fan has become. Brushing your hair, coming your teeth, getting dressed, eating, sleeping: if it can be done with a fan on, you do it. And you're always sure to stay in range of the wind. Wouldn't want to drip sweat all over the floor, now, would you?

Don't have a fan? Must be that you are either a fish in the sea (the problem is then moot) or you're rich enough to have AC. If that's the case, get out of my face (sometimes resentment rimes!)

If, like me, you had the misfortune of your aged, trustworthy and faithfull fan dying, buck up. It's going to cost you a sweet 1,500 gdes ($41 US, give or take) to get a standing fan. Almost makes the heat seem nice.

But what worries me the most is the fact that our electricity regimen is usually linked to sporting events (like the Gold Cup, World Cup or Olympics) or political doings.

Are we going to fry alive with none of those things to stimulate the Electrical Company's output of energy?

Looks like it.

Gypsies, Thugs and Thieves

Note: I was supposed to post this last week but, some days, inexplicably, my server hates Blogger. So I changed a few verb tenses, cleaned it up a bit and posted what you'll read bellow. Still working on getting links in English.

Last week certainly lived up to it's full potential of madness and pain. Let me break it down for you:


Monday



Started off with a bang! No 1 Bank had live entertainment and fireworks. The police blocked off the streets, traffic was crazy, but mostly everybody was wondering WTF was going on.


From what I've pieced together, a man and a woman tried to cash a fake check in US dollars at the main branch, smack in the middle of The Golden Suburb. The man, rumor says, had already cashed a similar check the previous work day (Saturday?) and the bank teller was suspended.



So they were waiting for him. The bank security tried to detain him, he broke down the (front?) door, shots were fired, the police came. Both are under arrest but an unfortunate bystander was wounded to the shoulder.



Up to now, no official commentary from No 1 Bank's Management. Not surprising, nobody likes to explain anything in this country. This isn't the first time a spectacularly public crime has been hosted by No 1 Bank, either. Last time was back in 96 or something and there was a hostage situation, if I remember correctly.



No 1 Bank's arch-rival, No 2 Bank, must be enjoying this. Of course, this is nothing compared to the white-collar crime(s) being committed daily, I'm sure, at both banks.



Maybe I should take my money out of there...



Find out more here:

http://www.haitienmarche.com/sommaire.php (scroll down, Fr)

http://www.lenouvelliste.com/article.php?PubID=1&ArticleID=44652 (Fr, again, sorry!)





Tuesday


By now, we all knew this week wasn't going anywhere good. Particularly since two events were converging : the Certificat (official 6th grade exam) and the Public Transportation Strike.



The result was chaos, as you might imagine. I was insanely late for work, no buses or taxi. I think most of those kids must have been late for the exam.



I understand the drivers frustration, the price of gas is insane: 95 went from 173 gourdes to 209 gourdes. 91 went from 171 gourdes to 205 gourdes. Diesel went from 103 gourdes to 109 gourdes. Only kérosène (used for lighting and cooking) hasn't moved.

The rise in gas prices comes on top of the whole license plate issue. (More on that later). The last time the prices went up, the government got envolved and fixed the fares. Some of it was normal, but some prices were insane. The negotiations included promises but I have not idea which; evidently, they weren't kept or we wouldn't be here...again.

Wednesday

Day two of the bus strike but the streets are so free that, as always, the population as adapted. I myself had to arrange a ride with a neighbor. Couldn't afford to be so late to work again.

I wonder how this turmoil will translate in the exam grades?
This wasn't the real news of the day. No, instead what really had people talking was the death of gang leader Yoyo Piman in a shoot out with the Police and the UN.

This 25 year-old thug was wanted for murder, kidnapping, rape, auto theft, among other things. The French wanted him because he's accused of killing a Haitian-French business man.

Besides the obvious reasons, this caused talk because people are a little torn over the whole UN envolvement. On the one-hand, one can't complain about them being passive anymore; on the other, the police still can't do it's job like a grown-up.

Either way, the kidnappings are still going on.

Read more here :

http://www.radiokiskeya.com/spip.php?article3761 (Fr)

http://www.hpnhaiti.info/SOCIETE/629.html (Fr)

Thursday

Foolishly, I thought it was all over. Nothing more to talk about this week.
Uh...not really. Because for the last week or so, Baby Doc has been in the news again. Apparently, some sort of statue is up in Switzerland and so a bank there is getting ready to hand over 7,6 million Swiss Francs to our dear former dictatorial heir.

People are not happy. Especially NGOs against corruption. Here, it's a split. Some don't care, Baby Doc is history (well, it's been 21 yrs). But on the other hand, what about all the people who died? or lost their land/business under his regime? Aren't they entitled to something?

I can't help but wonder how much road those millions would build. Roads it was Baby Doc's JOB to build after all.

I also think those NGOs are right to say that Swiss laws have to be changed. The one thing I cannot stand is for all these generations of criminals and murderers to leave here and just start a brand-new, quiet, prosperous, honest life elsewhere.

Ah, life just isn't fair is it? Never thought so.

Read more here:

http://alterpresse.org/spip.php?article6101 (Eng!)

Friday

By then, I just couldn't care anymore. Of course, most people were too distracted by the Gold Cup to care much one way or the other. Maybe I should do like them, and enjoy the massive amounts of electricity in ways other than worrying of my future.

Well, the work week did end on a sort of high note. The junior football league is whole once more.

[Note: in case you didn't know, the term "soccer" is considered an un-democratic abberation. So I don't use it. Ever]

The story speaks for itself but I really think, as I always do, that someone needs to teach officials and public figures in this country about the importance of good PR. And Spin. It's an urgent need. Really. Dumb statements like "they were probably kidnapped" (13 kids? really?) or "we got lost at the airport" (how does an accompanied group of minors do that, anyway?) just make you look like a fool.

Read more here:

http://www.radiokiskeya.com/spip.php?article3764 (Fr)

http://alterpresse.org/spip.php?article6105 (Eng)

Flip it and reverse it

Let's try something different today. Instead of my version of the story, why don't I let you see a different perspective.

People, meet Celine. I promised to blogroll her months ago and shamelessly forgot. So I'm showcasing her. Please visit her blog,

A Bee Bumbling Around

I've met her in person but I have to say, reading her blog has been very eye-opening. Experiencing this country from someone else perspective has done me some good.

I couldn't stop there so I tried to find you guys other blogs written from Haiti about Haiti. It wasn't easy. Most of the blogs I found were by UN or NGO workers. Here's what I found so far:

Martin Baran's Fotoblog (check his sidebar for more pix)

Yon Ayisyen (hasn't been updated but whatever)

From Haïti (MINUSTAH guy, in spanish, his sidebar is worth a look)

Haïti chez Guy (this one is in cache but I found it interesting)

Circles of Change (this is an NGO guy, more of an announcement blog, don't know the thing)

Ben Terrall (outdated but another poor misguided activist...IMO)

Haïti Recto Verso (not sure if it's an NGO or what but check it out anyway)

Kiskeyàcity (A Woman! Check out her archives, she did something on Haitian bloggers. And, she knows about me. I'm thrilled!)

You might notice that most are foreigners, and most of the foreigners are outside of PaP. Still can't find an active, 100% haitiano-haitian blog but still looking. I was also surprised by the number of blogs (mostly political or activist) that talk about us. Usually with an agenda to push but still...I always feel like, when things are bad here (or even when they're not) that nobody but our diaspora cares out there. I like to think that their are many Afghan, Iraqi, or whatever suffering national who must feel like that too.

Feel free to browse around what I found for you. Blogroll, aggregate (I'm a GReader addict myself!) and I shall do the same...eventually.

Inner musings :

Somebody tell me I'm not the only lazy (female) blogger on this island, please!!!!

Whatever you say...

I had an interesting experience this week. My brother had a son earlier this month and this past Wednesday he took me to the Bureau d'État Civil so I could sign as a witness for the birth certificate. And boy, what a great experience that was!



This public office is unfortunately situated right smack in the middle of a market. Hundreds of people coming and going, cars honking and practically rolling over your feet. You even get the crazy UN driver actually doing reverse in this milling nightmare!!!



So we go in. I'm leading our little file, followed by my brother and his other witness, D. I walk right in, through the lobby, up the stairs, down a corridor and into this small room, our final destination. Why is this weird? Well, for the number of people we meet all along the way, NOBODY ASKED US WHAT WE WERE DOING HERE.



Several dozen people, on the front steps, in the hall, on each step of the narrow stairs: no questions, a few comments (what kind of sick fool tries to pick up a woman on a stairway, anyway?) but most were content to just lean again the walls or tables. Probably their version of technical support...



Let's take a pause here. Because my hitman fantasy kicked in right about then. You see, whenever I go into formal settings, I think of crime. If I go to the bank, I think of armed robbery or a heist. When it's a public office, it's usually more violent. This is what happened here. Something by Tarrantino. We would all be wearing dark suits and sunglasses. Our guns in metal briefcases. Surprise. Panic. Chaos.



I love it.



Ok, back to reality. The room we go in has two tables. On the right, two women with what will turn out to be the registries. On the left, The Public Official himself.



We go in, wait our turn after these two ladies, and sign at the both of a page in each registry. Another mystery: how do they expect two people to sign on the dotted lign when the space is barely big enough for one signature in the first place???



The Public Official signes and seals the certificate, gives it to my brother and we leave.



That's it. The kid has been declared.



Now the title of this post came to me later, when I actually read the birth certificate and realized that nowhere on there is there mention of any ID number. Not for my brother, the father; not for either of us witnesses. My Sister-in-Law tells me that they didn't even ask for some sort of proof from the Maternity: a bill, a receipt, an affidavit from the doctor. Nada.



Basically, my brother could have named any woman, declared any gender of child, cited anyone as witnesses, they would take his word for it.



I mention this to a coworker who had studied law. Apparently, this has always been the case. Worse, there are two (2) types of birth certificates : the mother's and the father's. Wait, it gets better.



The mother can declare her child herself and name a father. Except this birth certificate can be contested by the real/fake father. Not so the case of the father's certificate. It's permanent.



As my coworker said, in a country of Miraculous Births, they figure any man willing to acknowledge a child, must really want to.

They'll believe you, whatever you say...

And when the party's over...

I miss last month, I really do. Last month afforded me 10 solid days of denial. From the chocofest of Valentine's day to a two-day work week (finally Rinse-Repeat did something I can actually enjoy!), what's not to love. As a bonus, the Carnaval was even pretty and (somewhat) on schedule this year : streets full of costumes, inaugural ball on Saturday night at the Presidential Palace, beautifully decorated stands on the plazza, only a few dozens wounded (well, at least according to the police but whatever)...

But it's back to harsh reality ever since. And boy, do we have stuff on our plate!

The banking scandal is dead. It think I can say safely say that. After all the special commission said it interviewed dozens of people and found no proof of Whistleblower Senator's allegations that several senate members were bribed into voting the decree concerning Socabank.

That story is almost dead. The Senatorial Special Commission said it didn't find any proof. Are you surprised? Even better, Whistleblower might even get sued over this.

My take on this is simple: I think he told the truth. I just don't know why or for whom he did this. This is not a country were the truth is made public. I wonder who was coordinating this behind the scenes...

The new thing is that Rinse-Repeat is talking about amending the 1987 Constitution. And wouldn't you know it? The two main issues are citizenship and money.

Note : For those who don't know, the law doesn't allow double citizenship. But the Haitian diaspora (who, last year alone injected, some 1.65 billion U.S. dollars in this country, 77% of which went to food and lodging for the families receiving these transfers) is limited by this law and it's been talked about a lot, especially in the last 10 yrs or so.

Back to the story. The best part of this is that the law doesn't let us hold referendums. So basically, the gvt can do whatever they want to the Constitution and we, the citizens/electors/tax payers will just have to live with it.

So I might just wake up one day and discover that the deal is done and that the "haitian dollar" as ceased being fiction and turned into cold hard cash. Or that all my Canadian, US, French or whatever else friends and relatives will legally be Haitians too! Wonders never cease, I tell you.

All this is part of the great virtual reality show called Haitian Politics.

Real life, as I live it, is a little more basic.

Kidnappings are as popular and lucrative as ever. A friend of mine's mother was the victime of a kidnapping recently. Except this time, they broke into her house in the middle of the night and drove away with her in her own car. The initial ransom was $300,000 USD, I think. Her family negociated a drastically lower price and so now they are broke.

I was very surprised by this b&e technique but it turns out that this is the new modus operandi. Other people have been taken the same way. My aunt's neighborhood was ringing with gunshots recently. Luckily, the people ran away in the night and escaped their fate.

There's something incredibly scary about being attacked at night. This is blackout country, people. So if you have to run for your life, you'll probably have to do it in the pitch blackness. Unless it's around the full moon. Otherwise, zero artificial light. I know several people who've lived through this and they are scarred for life.

But being attacked and abducted day and night isn't the scarriest part. It's the rape and torture part that chill my blood. And the killings. Quite a few kidnappings have been reported on the news.

Recently, they found the victim's decomposing body in the water cistern of an empty house. The neighbors had smelled something rotten. There were also two men, bound and gaged inside the house. The dead man's family had paid twice, for a total of $34,000 USD. They still killed him.

Last night, another coworker was kidnapped. Asking price : $800,000 USD. There are several witnesses, she was with friends.

I'm torn between fear, anger and disgust. I can't be the only one who wonders why this isn't over yet? The UN are allegedly cleaning up the slums of gangs and criminals. And yet kidnappings have never stopped. It's going to be 4-5 years since this started and it only gets worse.

I don't sleep well at night. It's been a while since I had this problem. About six months, I would say. So I bought exercise DVDs and it helps. A little. I drink tea at night. I blog.

Except the problem doesn't go away, does it? I still have to go to work everyday. And come home everyday. And go to bed everyday. And hopefully wake up safe and sound, everyday.

And people get kidnapped and killed. Everyday.

P.S. Sorry the links are all in French, couldn't find them in English.

And that's a wrap!

So 2006 has finally (FINALLY!!!!!) reached it's last day. Happy new year everybody else. I can only hope the same will be true for us here but there's no guarantee. L'espoir fait vivre...

I decided to make 5 New Year's Resolution but also (stole this somewhere) 5 New Year's Indulgences because I need some fun in my life (in case you hadn't noticed, not much of that in 06). So here we go:

5 Resolutions for 2007:
1- Eat more balanced meals (like have a real breakfast)
2- Get to work on time or die trying (what can I say, love my bed and my books)
3- Go dancing (or try to. I just realized I love dancing. Who knew!?!)
4- Exercise something other than my brain (that one's going to be tough. See 2)
5- Write the damn book, already! (No comment)

and now the best part, 5 Indulgences for 2007:

1- Eat more chocolate (it's good for the brain and for fighting headaches but who really cares?)
2- Music, music, music (even if it's unhip stuff like Fado or jazz)
3- Makeup is fun! And so is jewelry! (hey, it's a twofer!!!)
4- Mani/pedis are good for the soul (I'm positive that's true)
5- Celebrate the big 3-0 every chance I get (like, every month)

Let's see if a year from now, I' ve kept up more with the Resolutions or the Indulgences...

In A New York Minute

Well, I'm back at work today. Couldn't hide my head in the sand longer than a day. Not that yesterday was completely blissful and ignorant but a girl can try, can't she?

Anyway, the bad news (and is there any other kind of news around here?) started pouring in the minute I got into the office.

First, my boss. He comes in, says Good Morning and then tells me that a bus full of kids was hijacked and the kiddies sequestered. Apparently, the kidnappers had warned the neighborhood that they would strike.

Then I hear from my mother that rumors are running wild about kids being kidnapped in every school in town. It seems that at least two little girls were taken from a Catholic school not too far from my house. That's not counting the kid they took last night from his own house.

The way my boss explains it, the kidnapping gangs wanted the major schools (most of them private catholic schools) to pay a "kidnapping fee" of $15, 000 USD each to insure that said schools wouldn't have to worry about any unfortunate incidents. Since the schools didn't pay...you know the rest.

According to the police, they are targeting grammar school kids between 4 and 9 years old. Vulnerable age, isn't it? I mean, if adults don't always survive the current kidnapping wave, how can children?

By 11h am, I need a break. Instead, I got the newspaper. The headlines : "Our kids are being taken while the Prime Minister "negociates" with the gangs", "The State Hospital smells like rotting corpses as the non-medical staff continues its strike" and "Cap Haitian jail overcrowded and unsanitary".

Well, so much of taking a breather. I don't know what Santa's going to bring since yesterday there was also a lot of violence and shooting in several parts of the country following the partial results of the municipal and local elections.

You see, somebody forgot to explain to the candidats that democratic elections mean the guy with the most votes gets the job, the car and the money, NOT the one with the most armed supporters.

For this very reason, the Electoral Council decided not to publish the election results for the capital. I think they're trying to let us enjoy the hollidays, whatever that means.

Except, the candidats don't care about us. They want their election results and they want them NOW!

Now, where did I put that bottle of rum, anyway?

Special Post : No Sturm or Drang...If I can help it

Today is my birthday so I thought "Why not spare them the ranting, raving, politicking etc.?" Why not indeed? So I google my bday to see what happened.

Well, let's just say it's a mixed bag. See for yourselves:

World History (and it ain't pretty)
1098 - First Crusade: Massacre of Ma'arrat al-Numan - Crusaders breach the town's walls and massacre about 20,000 inhabitants. After finding themselves with insufficient food, they resort to cannibalism (Yikes! No wonder I’m so bloodthirsty sometimes)
1642 : Abel Tasman discovers New Zealand
1799 : Napoléon Bonaparte is First Consul of France
1804 : Spain declares war on the United Kingdom
1870 : Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the first black U.S. congressman.
1894 : Japan invades Korea
1897 : Belo Horizonte, the first planned city of Brazil, is inaugurated.
1901 : Guglielmo Marconi changes the world with a kite and some copper wire.
1915 : German Hugo Junkers flies the first all-metal plane.
1941 : World War II: Great Britain declares war on Bulgaria. Hungary and Romania declare war on the United States. India declares war on Japan. (Busy day, wouldn’t you say?)
1952 : First French supersonic flight, aboard a Mystère II. (cool name)
1963 : Jamhuri Day, Kenya gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
1964 : Prime Minister Jomo Kenyatta became the first President of the Republic of Kenya.
1979 : Pakistan President Zia-ul-Haq conferred Nishan-e-Imtiaz on Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam.
1979 : Rhodesia changes its name to Zimbabwe.
1999 : The Erika brakes in half and dumps ten thousand tons of oil on the northern French coasts
2000 : The US Supreme Court says it’s Dubiya in Florida (Oh, Joy !)
2001 : Caribbean leaders recognize the Caribbean Sea as a commun heritage (Big whoop)

Famous (and Almost) People Born Today
1773 : Robert Surcouf, French privateer
1791 : Marie Louise, archduchess of Austria, second wife of Napoléon Ier and Impress of France
1821 : Gustave Flaubert, French writer
1863 : Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter (yes, I’m keeping it simple)
1893 : Edward G. Robinson, American actor
1900 : Sammy Davis, Sr., American dancer
1903 : Yasujiro Ozu, Japanese filmmaker (who actually died on his bday in 1963, cool)
1908 : Manoel de Oliveira, Portugese filmmaker
1915 : Frank Sinatra, American singer
1923 : Bob Barker, American television game show host
1924 : Ed Koch, Mayor of New York City
1937 : Roberto Benzi, French orchestra director
1938 : Connie Francis, American singer
1940 : Dionne Warwick, American singer
1943 : Grover Washington, Jr., American saxophonist
1957 : Robert Lepage, Quebec playwright, actor and film director
1957 : Sheila E., American musician
1967 : Yuzo Koshiro, Japanese musician and composer
1970 : Jennifer Connelly, American actress
1972 : Kevin Parent, Quebec singer and songwriter
1975 : Mayim Bialik, American actress (Remember Blossom?)
1977: Yours truly
1978 : Jason Wallace, Scottish Porn Star (couldn’t resist that one)
2003 : Keiko, the orca who played Free Willy and the sequels

You' ll notice the number of artists born on this day (yes, I'm including the big mammal). No wonder I turned out this way...

Catholic Saints (yes, those too!)
It's Virgen de Guadalupe day in Mexico. She appeared to Juan Diego in 1531. Ten millions or more pilgrims will travel to her church. Ay mi madre!

But also today is Ste Jeanne de Chantal (née Jeanne-Françoise Frémyot)who founded the Order of the Visitation in France. She was a brainiac apparently and a disciple of St Francis of Sales. And, even cooler, she's the grandmother of Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné, another writer. (It's a sign, I tell you! LOL)

Why do I add these two saints? Well, they were the only women associated with Dec 12th but, you' ll notice, they have/had clout and I like that.

Once more with feeling

I just got an email calling everyone to protest the gvt's choice of negociating with vs punishing the kidnappers and other criminals running amok in this country.

So grève/huelga/silent protest for next monday. Not surprising. Kidnappings continue though I haven't heard stories has traumatizing as the ones I reported here.

On the other hand, I did get a fwd'ed email accusing the Prime Minister of getting a cut on the ransoms. Hence he's...apathy?

In the words of my laundress : "verite a ap pale kounye a "

The truth is finally out...

Stay tune for the next episode of your favorite soap : "Haiti, trials of our lives".

Meanwhile, chaos in Mariani over the local elections or asec. I hear even buses didn't go through yesterday. In PV, there's a call for a recount because, allegedly, there were ballots already cast BEFORE the elections started. There were also student protests in front of the Primature and near the Presidential Palace.

It really is the season to be merry.

P.S. Forgot to mention it but about a dozen prisoners escaped the city jail by digging a hole in the wall. Who needs TV in a city like this!!!

Plucking the chicken

Remember when I told you that Rinse Repeat was planning on paying thugs again to do nothing? I got a couple of emails from a friend who works in a public office that confirm that this is already going on, among other things.

I had to do some editing for clarity but here is what he had to say on different subject. [I'm the one commenting here] :

At work

My last boss what fired because he'd been named by the interm government. The new boss called back all the chimè that had been fired, some over two years ago, so they could claim the back salaries they had'nt "earned" in all that time.

The old boss had managed to turn a profit; the new one is giving away money to people who never worked a day in their lives, including when they supposedly "worked" here two years ago. Worse, current employees got in line to get the checks just like all those chimè and nobody even noticed!

And the ones who where hired under the interim govenment, and got fired after the elections, didn'nt get zip.

Let's not forget all the "chime" standing outside off the office who want to see their pal (I mean the director) and who start shooting when they feel they've waited too long. They're not particularly nice to the current employees either!

Meanwhile, six months can go buy and the real work doesn't get done. They say the new boss is putting some of the office funds in his own pockets. [quite possible and not surprising at all]

In the streets : the cops

When the police stop you, it is not to ask you for your papers or other items. But to ask you for some booze. [great! now we have to provide their drinks too? ]

In the streets : taxis

Did it ever happen to you? You're in a cab and two young guys get in and start asking people for money. There are guys like that on Delmas road : they always get in, watch the passengers, ask for money and then they leave whitout paying. The driver never says anything. [I wonder if that means he's in cahoots?]

I posted this as proof, not only that I am not a paranoid, neurotic freak (a feeling I get from time to time ) but also that there are several other people living here, who are witness to this mess and who are fed up!!!! My friend needed an outlet and you, my readers, need to know.

Urban Camping 101

Yesterday was election day. Municipal, local and even legislative (in the Artibonite, apparently).

But did I care? No. Did I vote? No. Did other people vote? I wonder. The streets were sooo empty, even for a Sunday morning that my mother and I were rather puzzled. My neighborhood was quiet, QUIET, for goodness sake!!!!

So if we didn't vote and didn't go out, what were we doing, you ask. Worrying, that's what! We're down to between 1h15 and 2h of electricity per day. And this does not make us happy.

Our fridge has turn into a pantry, the ants pantry specifically. We practically don't buy fresh anything anymore. Except certain vegetables like carrots or potatoes or onions that don't really need refrigeration. And since we can't save left-overs, we only cook what we can eat in one meal.

Milk isn't a problem since we've been drinking condensed milk for years now. But things like eggs or bread are surprisingly problematic. We now buy half-cartons of eggs, instead of the whole dz but the bread either goes stale or it molds over.

I have mold phobia, people. And it was EVERYWHERE at first. Now that we basically don't get electricity for much of the day, the mold has dried, we cleaned out the fridge and threw out the last 2 eggs.

Needless to say, I'm trying to use as little electricity as possible. So we don't watch tv/listen to the radio unless there's electricity. I don't know when my inverter is going to give out but I want to make what ever juice is left last as long as possible. So only the lights are on at night. Very depressing.

Very little ironing. Which is in itself a nuisance. You see, while knit clothing would be the obvious solution, my clothes are handwashed so they get scrrrrrubed out of shape by our laundress. So I only had regular fabric clothes. Well, cotton = ironing. I haven't figured out the solution to that one yet; don't want to get a wood-coal iron, ecological responsability and all that. Needless to say, handwashing is here to stay since a washing machine would be useless these days. So round and round we go...

Think that's bad? Rumor has it that the first trimester of 2007 (if not the end of 2006) will be completely energy-free. No electricity. Pa p gen kouran menm menm.

This is very depressing, especially when you hear that some neighborhoods already have no electricity at all, while others, such as Cité Soleil or Delmas 33 (nearer the airport, though) have 24h/7 electricity. I have a friend in Musseau who told me they get electricity during the week but not the week-end .

Now, I've lived through this sort of thing during the embargo so I know I can survive it but it's HARD!!! I just know the price of meat is going to soar. And bye bye yogurt, I'll probably have to change to calcium supplements.

All this brings me to Santa and my list. I used to joke during the embargo that we need everything is two sets : electric and manual. Well, here we go again. I call it Urban Camping 101.

As my mother pointed out last night, first thing we need is a solar-powered lamp. Then a dynamo FM radio. And maybe a dynamo flashlight. Oh, and the blender will have to be replaced (I already have a whisk but I'm thinking more along the lines of a meet grinder).

What else? Hum...I'll have to cut off the internet and the cable service so I need some entertainment. Scrabble and cards we already have. (This is the perfect time for me to learn to play poker, btw). I think the monopoly set is still complete but you could come up with a Clue or a Trivial Pursuit, always wanted one of those.

Did you get all that, Santa? Oh, and don't bother hohoho-ing when (if!) you come, I sleep badly enough as it is, a heart attack isn't a good stocking stuffer. So just come, do your thing and leave quietly. Beware of Sophie, next door, she's the bite-and-drag type.

As to wether or not I've been bad this year...well, I'm sure we can work something out for next year. See you when I see you, Nick.

Just like that...

Today is the first day of December, my favorite month of the year. Except it's been a while since December 1st was full of happy anticipation for me.

The last two weeks have been more and more difficult. Mostly it's the kidnappings/murders that have me down. Last week, everyone was glued to their radios, listen to this mother's testimony. Her 20 year-old daughter was kidnapped and held captive for nearly 10 days. The kidnappers wanted $300,000 USD for her release.

The poor woman "sells" phone calls for a living and couldn't possibly come up with this sum, even in her wildest dreams. After days of constant negotiations, and with the help of neighbors, she scrapped together a mere 10,000 gdes. Finally, they called her and told her to go to a certain neighborhood to find her daughter.

What she found was the girl's body. They'd broken her arm at one point and shot her. Probably in both eyes. They told the mother she shouldn't have tried to contact the police so they were "throwing [her] back [her] kid".

The day after this terrible interview, one of the employees at work was kidnapped near her home. Which is in the same neighborhood the girl was taken. Those kidnappers (although it could be the same group) asked for the same amount, $300,000 USD. The employee's family paid an undisclosed amount and she was released. She's since left the country.

A few days later, I read in the papers that the body of a six year-old boy was found in Cap-Haitian by his father. The man had paid the ransom twice, in gourdes and in US dollars, but still they killed his son.

Everyday, you hear a different kidnapping story. This Monday, a priest is abducted inside the parish school he taught at. Tuesday, at least six women were kidnapped in broad daylight; all were alone in their cars when abducted. At least four more people were taken that same day. Two high-profile victims were on of Preval's former ministers and a well-know professional.

Wednesday, Thursday, today, probably the same has already happened or will soon enough.

Meanwhile the police says it arrested six hundred people for the month of November alone. Meanwhile, the municipal and local elections are for this Sunday and so the candidats are campaining. Meanwhile, the President, the Prime Minister and nine Ministers are all currently traveling abroad.

The Prime Minister, before leaving, told the press that his government believes that dialog and negotiations are the way out of this situation. One senator thinks that the death penalty should be reinstated for murderous kidnappers. A LOT of people agree with this.

So, if right now, you're dreaming of egg nog and fancy diners, and cakes and decorations, of caroling and gift shopping, enjoy it.

Others aren't so lucky.

We won! We won! We won!

Some good news, people (enjoy it while it lasts). Our very own BélO won the Prix RFI Découvertes 2006.

Unfortunately, I only have links in French at this time. Those who wish to, can listen to Claudy Siar of RFI's Couleurs Tropicales. He does a two-part show from Douala, Cameroun around the contest.

For the record, this is our second win, the first being Beethova Obas, back in 88. And I'm sure it won't be the last...

Ayiti cheri, mete pou yo!!!