Of all the stupid things I have heard, this is up there with the best of them.
This is from Anna Raccoon's Blog
'Britain has International agreements which govern the size and thickness of the corrugated sheets we are allowed to donate. Anything else would apparently cause confusion as you attempt to shelter from the rain and the winds under a collection of sheets that were not altogether uniform in size with those arriving from, say France, or the USA. You might not care about such things, but the civil servants in charge of these matters do.'
You can read the whole blog here.
Showing posts with label Haiti. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Haiti. Show all posts
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Thursday, 21 January 2010
Are the United States damned if the do and damned if they don't?
What can the United States do than what they have already done to help the Haitians. When the US arrived in Haiti there was a logistical and security nightmare to sort out, but they quickly got the airport up and running, as smooth as they could, so aid and personnel could get into Haiti.
Yes more can be done, but why should the US take it all on their shoulders.
No matter what the US does they are in the wrong according to some other countries.
The most I, or any member of the public, can do is donate to a charity to help Haiti, but what about other countries governments.
If you go here, there are pictures of the personnel from a number of countries helping in the relief effort in Haiti.
Where is the help from the more wealthy nations of the world, like Saudi Arabia.
Here is a quote to an article in the Telegraph today, to answer that question.
Compare this with the response to the disaster in the Arab states, where the US is so routinely reviled. Some of the poorest among them, such as Jordan and Lebanon, have sent assistance, as have the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. But Saudi Arabia, one of the world's wealthiest nations, has managed to send just a letter of condolence. As for Syria, which never misses an opportunity to denounce the iniquities of the Great Satan, it appears to have sent nothing at all.
The US doesn't get it right all the time, what country does, but what other country has ships, aircraft, personnel to mount this sort of operation with so many assets at their disposal.
Yes more can be done, but why should the US take it all on their shoulders.
No matter what the US does they are in the wrong according to some other countries.
The most I, or any member of the public, can do is donate to a charity to help Haiti, but what about other countries governments.
If you go here, there are pictures of the personnel from a number of countries helping in the relief effort in Haiti.
Where is the help from the more wealthy nations of the world, like Saudi Arabia.
Here is a quote to an article in the Telegraph today, to answer that question.
Compare this with the response to the disaster in the Arab states, where the US is so routinely reviled. Some of the poorest among them, such as Jordan and Lebanon, have sent assistance, as have the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. But Saudi Arabia, one of the world's wealthiest nations, has managed to send just a letter of condolence. As for Syria, which never misses an opportunity to denounce the iniquities of the Great Satan, it appears to have sent nothing at all.
The US doesn't get it right all the time, what country does, but what other country has ships, aircraft, personnel to mount this sort of operation with so many assets at their disposal.
Wednesday, 20 January 2010
The fault line in Haiti runs straight to France
This is the headline to an article in the Times.
After reading this article in the Telegraph the other day and the above article today the French have a lot explaining to do on their treatment of the Haitians.
Here are a few quotes from the article;
In the 18th century, Haiti was France’s imperial jewel, the Pearl of the Caribbean, the largest sugar exporter in the world. Even by colonial standards, the treatment of slaves working the Haitian plantations was truly vile. They died so fast that, at times, France was importing 50,000 slaves a year to keep up the numbers and the profits.
Inspired by the principles of the French Revolution, in 1791 the slaves rebelled under the leadership of the self-educated slave Toussaint L’Ouverture. After a vicious war, Napoleon’s forces were defeated. Haiti declared independence in 1804.
Also;
France did not forgive the impertinence and loss of earnings: 800 destroyed sugar plantations, 3,000 lost coffee estates. A brutal trade blockade was imposed. Former plantation owners demanded that Haiti be invaded, its population enslaved once more. Instead, the French State opted to bleed the new black republic white.
In 1825, in return for recognising Haitian independence, France demanded indemnity on a staggering scale: 150 million gold francs, five times the country’s annual export revenue. The Royal Ordinance was backed up by 12 French warships with 150 cannon.
The terms were non-negotiable. The fledgeling nation acceded, since it had little choice. Haiti must pay for its freedom, and pay it did, through the nose, for the next 122 years.
The French, even in the recent past have refused to repay any of the money they forced the Haitians to pay for their freedom.
Haiti could of been a prosperous nation, and a far cry from what it is today.
In my opinion the French have a lot to answer for when it comes to the Haiti.
Have a read of the article and see what you think.
After reading this article in the Telegraph the other day and the above article today the French have a lot explaining to do on their treatment of the Haitians.
Here are a few quotes from the article;
In the 18th century, Haiti was France’s imperial jewel, the Pearl of the Caribbean, the largest sugar exporter in the world. Even by colonial standards, the treatment of slaves working the Haitian plantations was truly vile. They died so fast that, at times, France was importing 50,000 slaves a year to keep up the numbers and the profits.
Inspired by the principles of the French Revolution, in 1791 the slaves rebelled under the leadership of the self-educated slave Toussaint L’Ouverture. After a vicious war, Napoleon’s forces were defeated. Haiti declared independence in 1804.
Also;
France did not forgive the impertinence and loss of earnings: 800 destroyed sugar plantations, 3,000 lost coffee estates. A brutal trade blockade was imposed. Former plantation owners demanded that Haiti be invaded, its population enslaved once more. Instead, the French State opted to bleed the new black republic white.
In 1825, in return for recognising Haitian independence, France demanded indemnity on a staggering scale: 150 million gold francs, five times the country’s annual export revenue. The Royal Ordinance was backed up by 12 French warships with 150 cannon.
The terms were non-negotiable. The fledgeling nation acceded, since it had little choice. Haiti must pay for its freedom, and pay it did, through the nose, for the next 122 years.
The French, even in the recent past have refused to repay any of the money they forced the Haitians to pay for their freedom.
Haiti could of been a prosperous nation, and a far cry from what it is today.
In my opinion the French have a lot to answer for when it comes to the Haiti.
Have a read of the article and see what you think.
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