Fi-Yah (Or the Story of How My Car Blew Up) 11-20-12

Alright so by now, some who follow this blogger are aware that Tuesday evening, October 20, 2012 between 6:45-6:50pm, my PT Cruiser was totally destroyed by fire as it was engulfed in flames on the Interstate in Florida. I was taking my son for Thanksgiving festivities with the family. I had last texted via voice at 6:40pm. A few minutes later while driving in the center lane, I noticed my car began to smoke slightly and found it strange that the Sheriff in the fast lane next to me was speeding by me so quickly. My car soon started to stall & the engine light came on so I shifted and lightly applied the breaks as best I could and made it through the fast lane into the grassy left shoulder of the Interstate. I knew it was bad, got out with my keys, unbuckled the baby and took him out of the car while calling his Mother to come get him. Thick gray smoke began to billow from under the hood, and I knew it was best to get as far away from the car as possible as I knew what was going to happen. Fire was coming soon. No time to panic or try to gather valuables, I ran with him as far away from the car as possible.

My 2004 PT Cruiser caught fire after the engine stalled, 11-20-12.

Eventually while on the phone with roadside assistance from my insurance company, I was at enough of an angle that I could see the undercarriage of the car start to spark, and within a few minutes the entire car was engulfed in flames. My thoughts now that my son & I were safe was that I'd better a) post on Facebook immediately so my family & friends would know that there was a problem but that we were alright as well as alerting my business partners that obviously I would not be making it to photograph our event and b) take pictures of the car for insurance purposes.

At some point, a volunteer firefighter heading in the opposite direction came over with his wife & baby in their truck, gave me a blanket for my son & checked to see what he could do to help. I called 9-1-1, but emergency vehicles were already on very close by, and soon arrived. It took a few minutes for firefighters to extinguish the blaze and I hoped that my son's favorite bike and new clothes could be extracted from the rear hatch. No such luck.  I confirmed that a tow truck would be there in 40 minutes or so to tow my car the 15 miles or less limit to the dealership where I bought the car last June 2011. The Sheriff then gave me a ride to a restaurant nearby where I ordered 2 biscuits and gravy with 1 scrambled egg. I ate the $2.00 dinner while waiting for  my friend & business partner to come pick me up from South Tampa. There are some other minor details to the story, but I'm no longer interested in writing.

POSITIVES:

• We are in perfect health.
• I was scheduled to make my car payment that week. I procrastinated while waiting for a check to be deposited into my bank account. I would have felt sick had I spent all that money on a car I no longer had.
• All is well that ends well.

Jim Greer, Ex-Florida GOP Chair, Claims Republican Voting Laws Focused On Suppression, Racism

So in other news of the obvious...the pope is really really White. It's as the Florida GOP expected that normal people couldn't see through the blatant "I'm shortening voting days from 14 to 8 in the 5th largest state knowing that 300,000 MORE people would vote in 2012 than in 2008 because I'd like to cut down on the [non-existent] voting fraud in a state that Republicans have completely controlled for years" ruse. My home state of Florida gets what it paid for in voting for a criminal whose company received the largest fine in history for defrauding the fed while providing healthcare. But ironically "this guy" is against Obamacare. Priceless. www.thegreatblogofketo.blogspot.com
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Republican Reckoning Begins After Revealing Defeat

I hope my Republican friends consider the facts about how the majority of America feels about the values and corresponding actions of the Democratic party and consequently why we voted for Barack Obama (again). If the GOP continues to operate in it's own echo chamber and ignores the trends of this election, it will be a long time before they control anything again other than Congress for a few more years and some state governments. Unfortunately if Post-Clinton GOP ideology continues to prevail, Republicans STILL won't get it! They will continue to assume blindly and unintelligently that not only ignoring the Black & Hispanic vote which is now solidly Democratic, but also actively ALIENATING these groups with anti-immigrant mentality is still the key to winning elections particularly in the South. They will also continue to stereotype "OTHERS" and say that Obama won because poor Americans on welfare want to continue to get government handouts. THEY couldn't be more wrong on both fronts, and the numbers prove it. Even the Cuban population is no longer Republican in Fla! Unfortunately, I guarantee that the BLIND will continue to lead the BLIND, and Tea Partying, war-mongering GOP Party leadership will stupidly assume that they lost this election BECAUSE their candidates were not MORE extreme. For their sakes they should get it right because the number of old White men in America is shrinking and you CANNOT win with just their vote. Duh. www.thegreatblogofketo.blogspot.com
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

James Holmes Identified As Alleged Aurora, Colorado Theater Shooter That Left 12 Dead (PHOTOS, LIVEBLOG)

All I can say is "God help us all!". My heart goes out to the victims & their families, even to the rest of the people in the theater. I hope everyone puts themselves in those people's shoes for a moment and imagine how it would feel to wake up knowing that 12-14 people around you were murdered last night and 30-50 wounded.



And no, I don't think that banning violent video games or TV shows & movies with gratuitous violence is the answer at all. Hundreds of millions of people view this type of material and those of us who are "normal" wouldn't think of replicating these actions because we understand that certain things have their place and should stay in books, video games, movies, etc. We know that those types of behavior should not be emulated in everyday life. Even banning guns is not the answer. If someone is crazy enough or skilled enough there are a number of weapons that can be constructed or used in killing large numbers of people.



It does seem interesting to note though that in the world's richest country, the more educated and intellectual we become and with the world's collective knowledge doubling every so many years, the more savagely we behave towards each other. What mental & emotional issues could a well-educated Ph.D. student have that would "make" him premeditate the ending of multiple innocent lives?!
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

A Son is Born--The Birth of Mason Salim (11-4-2009)

It took him 2 years to arrive, but after several false labors, our 4th child and 1st son together by marriage was about to arrive any moment! Shirre started experiencing labor pains early Tuesday morning, drove herself to the local hospital in our hometown in Florida and called my job for me to come quickly from work, our son was about to be born! My heart was pounding as I had already informed H/R and my managers at my company that when the call came I would be leaving immediately. They knew to come get me off my current phone call with clients as soon as Shirre called! Well, Shirre dilated throughout the day, but it was slow going, and she didn't dilate enough for the nurses to induce labor, so they continued to give her medicine through the I.V. to help her along. I remember them saying throughout the evening, "She's X centimeters (dilated) and X% effaced..." I had no idea what any of that meant but I soon understood that a mother trying to give birth must meet a specific minimum number in order to successfully give birth. I had read as much of the sections geared towards fathers in "What to Expect When You're Expecting" as I could, but I didn't remember reading about these terms! After a while, the nurses just let Shirre rest, and I took a very comfortable sofa bed in the room to spend the night. The next morning, the nurses got Shirre up early so they could get her going again. I had a little notepad with me, taking a few notes, and I had brought my digital camera so I could capture the big moment when it arrived! I wrote on my hospital pad the following timeline which I've kept for 2 years in my A. Fuente cigar box:

November 4, 2009

• 8:18am: Broke Water, 4.5 cm

• 10:20am: Pain meds twice > Blood work > 6-7cm
• 10:30-11am: Dr. G/Anesthesiologist [gave Shirre] the epidural
• Shirre was now feeling fantastic and at ease in less than a few minutes. I remember her saying something really funny to the effect that these drugs were amazingly good!
• Somewhere around this time, I believe I went to get a haircut because this was a big day & shedding of hair symbolizes something old going away so that new life can come.
  
• 12:25pm: Nurse Woke [Shirre] up.
• 12:33pm: 8 cm dilated (according to Jill, the midwife).
• 1:38pm PUSH!!!! NOW!!!! Dad's camera and Mama's best friend & nurse, Danita's Blackberry were ready as I held Shirre's hand.
• 1:52pm: Birth! Sent out a pre-written text message to close friends & family announcing that "A prince is here! Mason Salim was born, 11/4/09, 1:52pm, 9 lbs/21 inches"
• 1530 (3:30pm): Epidural catheter removed (Danita took notes from this point as I went home for a few hours to check on our 3 older children who were eagerly awaiting news of the new baby brother!)
• 1545 (3:45pm): Shirre breastfed Mason
• [Shirre] Still holding baby at 3:50pm
• 1600 (4pm): Enfamil formula (bottle) fed to Mason because he didn't want to breastfeed.
• That evening, the nurses took Mason to the nursery to monitor his vitals overnight and brushed his hair into a mohawk, a style which lasted for quite some weeks without us brushing his hair!
• 10:30pm: Weighed 8lbs, 12oz (The nurse explained that babies weigh a little less their first night).

Read the following blog posts chronicling Shirre's pregnancy with Mason Salim:

Baby Diary: It's A Boy (5-18-09)

Baby Diary: The Name Revealed! (7-06-09)

Burn Advocates Network Offers Hope to Survivors

This week I had the good pleasure of meeting Attorney Samuel Davis, a New Jersey/New York area personal injury attorney. Sam is notable as the original founder of Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C., a personal injury law firm representing those injured due to accidents, negligence, medical malpractice, and defective products (in laymen's terms, products that sicken, injure or kill people). Of even greater human interest is a new non-profit organization that Davis founded, Burn Advocates Network which exists to support burn survivors of any age--youth, military combat veterans, and senior citizens through the post-accident recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration. BAN does this by offering medical, surgical, and psychiatric care to help victims return to normal life as well as legal representation for those who were burned due to another's negligence. BAN also offers variety of programs and initiatives including Burn Camps and Children's Surgical Missions.

More on the role of burn camps for injured youth:

Burn Camps help young burn survivors cope with their painful new world. In the course of a few weeks, the campers build self-confidence, friendship, and learn that there is life after burns. We are currently the only organization that aids burn camps all around the country by sending them recreational equipment and volunteers. We raise money to allow the camps to reach more children in need, and to provide them with more therapeutic activities. The campers enjoy, for example, swimming in the pool, teambuilding activities, playing music and singing around the campfire.

As a youth burn survivor myself, I can appreciate the proactive role that Sam and BAN are taking to help youth live meaningful lives after burn accidents. In my case, I sustained 2nd-and-3rd-degree burns in my home country of Haiti due to a cooking accident at age 4. Due to caring medical missionaries including my future adoptive mother, Dr. Guy Theodore, founder of L'Hospital Bienfaisance de Pignon, and Shriners Hospitals for Children® in Cincinnati, OH I was saved from death, relocated to the US, and underwent 14 reconstructive plastic surgeries from 1985-1995. I understand too well the importance of having someone like BAN in your corner. The youth psyche is a fragile thing, and can suffer repeated blows from being ostracized by kids at school because now you're "different", even from stares or negative comments by adults who should know better. Like Shriner's Burns Institutes, BAN serves a critical role in the rehabilitation and development of youth and adult burn victims. Thank God for people like Sam Davis, Burn Advocates Network staff, mentors, and volunteers, and Shriners.

For more information on Burn Advocates Network, Ltd. click the picture below or contact 375 Cedar Lane Teaneck, NJ 07666 Ph / 877-BURN-411.

Oklahoma State To Pac 10? Cowboys Reportedly Leaving Big 12 For Pac Ten

The dominoes have started falling and where they'll land noone knows. However, it is pretty obvious that schools, athletic directors & football headcoaches are making this move for the money. Not that there's anything wrong with that (especially since public universities nationwide have taken significant funding hits with this recession, especially in places like Florida where my alma mater, University of South Florida has lost millions in government funding.) A major TV network like The Big 10 Network provides cash and tons of it for building/expansion/renovation projects, funding & budgeting for R&D and anything else a major University might need.

Eventually we're probably going to see 4-5 superconferences each representing a geographical monopoly on NCAA athletic competition with less "significant" schools like Marshall, UCF, Baylor?, etc. being relegated to the "other" conferences. It is what it is. Of course, the "amateur" student athletes will never see a dime of those increased TV revenues, but that and the NCAA's hypocrisy are different topics for another post when I have all day and lots of digital ink. http://www.thegreatblogofketo.blogspot.com/
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Gary Coleman DEAD: 'Diff'rent Strokes ' Actor Dies In Utah, Wife Shannon Price At His Side

Gary Coleman was the poor man's Michael Jackson, so to speak. He was a famous child star, whose life never really panned out the way he thought it would, as so often happens with child stars faced with the pressure of growing up way too quickly and living in an adult world without the benefit of being able to enjoy childhood as a child should. I think this is partly why Gary acted out so often, and was such an angry person.

I have a family member, a comedian & entertainer who met Gary and remarked how irritable and angry Gary seemed. Gary would even snap at you if you mentioned his trademark line, and say no he wasn't going say his line unless he was paid to do so. Poor Gary, regardless of any money he may have made, he cannot be said to have loved his life, and therein lies the greatest tragedy of his life. http://www.thegreatblogofketo.blogspot.com/
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Haiti and the 2010 Earthquake: Part 5-Contacting U.S. Department of State

From the U.S. State Department :

To Ask For or Provide Information About U.S. Citizens in Haiti
Email the Task Force at Haiti-Earthquake@State.Gov
OR
From the U.S. or Canada, call 888-407-4747.
Outside the U.S. and Canada, call 202-501-4444.

For U.S. Citizens in Haiti Seeking Assistance or Reporting Their Status/Whereabouts
Call the Embassy's Consular Task Force at 509-2229-8942, 509-2229-8089, 509-2229-8322, or 509-2229-8672.
OR
Email the Embassy at ACSPaP@state.gov

For All Nationalities and Locations
Use the Person Finder below to find and share information about missing persons in Haiti.

Regarding inquiries about American Citizens to Haiti-Earthquake@State.Gov, (setup due to the high volume of calls) include the following information:

• The full name, date of birth and passport information (if known) of the persons in Haiti you are trying to contact.
• Their contact information in Haiti; telephone numbers, email address, hotel name or address (if known)
• Your name and contact information, and your relationship to the person in Haiti (parent, spouse, friend etc.)
• Any special or emergency circumstances.

Person Finder Tool by Google
Copy & paste the HTML code into your webpage to post this Person Finder tool on your website.

Haiti and the 2010 Earthquake: Part 4-Relief Efforts (A Guide)

A positive storyline arising from the 2010 Haiti Earthquake is the incredible outpouring of love, charity, and goodwill that citizens of the United States have demonstrated towards victims of Haiti's tragedy. Americans are among the world's most altruistic citizens, and commit more foreign aid than all but a few other countries. Factors may include the United States boasting among the world's highest per capita income, our attraction to the story of the underdog, or that images of immeasurable suffering being endured by the Western Hemisphere's poorest country truly touched our hearts in ways that no other tragedy in recent memory has. I cannot remember seeing so many charity drives, phone calls, emails and volunteer efforts by Jane & John Doe's, and coordinated corporate charitable efforts since 9-11!

Because of the sheer number of charitable efforts underway, this blogger has undertaken to identify legitimate local (Tampa Bay) and national/international relief efforts by organizations recognized as legitimate in which we can be confident of entrusting our donations of time and money.

WARNINGS:

Cash is what's needed and is the most efficient donation method. However, I would strongly advise that you make sure you know an organization is legitimate before you donate your
money. Also, SPECIFY to them WHERE you want your monies to go, ask exactly how much of your donation will be used, and HOW your donation will be used. If you are sent pictures of the disaster from unknown source do not open as they could contain viruses. Legitimate charities that are recognized and have the networks in place to actually transmit your donations include those organizations mentioned below in "TAMPA BAY RELIEF EFFORTS", "NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL RELIEF EFFORTS", and "MORE RELIEF WEBSITES".

After 9-11 appeals, Americans donated over $1.3 billion including over $353 million for the families of about 400 police officers, firefighters, and other uniformed personnel. However, there was skepticism over how much of the 9-11 donations went to victims families. Just because you donate with good intentions doesn't mean your donation will be distributed where you think it will. Some people are well-meaning, but if they don't have the relationships in place or the organizational skills to distribute large amounts of money or supplies your donations will just end up being mis-allocated, unaccounted for, or lost in administration. Please don't just pull out your credit card & enter your personal info into a web form without doing your homework first, because it's easy to setup phishing sites that look like a trusted charity webpage. When donating funds, SPECIFY to the charity exactly HOW you want funds allocated for relief efforts.

TO TRAVEL/VOLUNTEER IN HAITI:

According to this blogger's conversation with American Airlines International Desk, Toussaint L'Ouverture Intnat'l Airport is not reopening until January 25. Only military & government aid flights are currently allowed in to Port-au-Prince. American Airlines, the primary U.S. carrier to Haiti cannot even reach their own agents in Haiti (Phone: 509-229-6000). Some travellers are planning on flying to the Dominican Republic, then driving over the border into Haiti, but some parts of the border may still be closed, so perform your due diligence first.

The Center for International Disaster Information has posted the following important guidelines on offering volunteer services in Haiti. Please consult their website for the full statement on in-person volunteer requirements.

Volunteers without prior disaster relief experience are generally not selected for relief assignments. Candidates with the greatest chance of being selected have fluency in the language of the disaster-stricken area, prior disaster relief experience, and expertise in technical fields such as medicine, communications logistics, water/sanitation engineering. In many cases, these professionals are already available in-country. Most agencies will require at least ten years of experience, as well as several years of experience working overseas. It is not unusual to request that volunteers make a commitment to spend at least three months working on a particular disaster.

The American Red Cross also states, "We are not accepting volunteers to travel to Haiti. If you would like to volunteer for the American Red Cross, please contact your local chapter."

TAMPA BAY RELIEF EFFORTS:

Tampa Gospel Kingdom (A 501(c)(3) organization so your contributions are tax deductible). Contact: Rev. Francoeur Fenelon, Founder, 813-770-5080, fenelonuniversity@yahoo.com. Many of Rev. Fenelon's parishioners are from Leogane, a city nearby Port-au-Prince which has also experienced extensive earthquake damage with some parishioners reporting family member deaths. This blogger has volunteered with this organization for some years, and Reverend Fenelon has an extensive distribution network for funds through his churches and contacts in Haiti.

Haitian Association Foundation of Tampa Bay, Inc. HAF is the Tampa Bay organization representing Tampa Bay professionals and the interests of the Haitian community at large. Yours truly is a member. HAF is coordinating efforts with Haitian-American Alliance, Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce of Tampa Bay (CACCTB), and other organizations to conduct relief drives throughout Tampa Bay. Contact HAF for drop-off locations throughout Tampa Bay.

USF Joins Humanitarian Relief Efforts for Haiti Students, faculty, and staff at my alma mater, University of South Florida such as USF Club Creole are coordinating relief efforts among several organizations on campus while also collaborating with community organizations.

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL RELIEF EFFORTS:

American Red Cross ARC Pledges Initial $1 Million to Haiti Relief. Donors may send a $10 Donation by Texting ‘Haiti’ to 90999 through an effort backed by the U.S. State Department. You can also make a donation by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or click on the Donate Now button.

YELE Text YELE to 501501 and donate $5 to support Haiti! Proceeds benefit Wyclef Jean's Yéle foundation. Thus far Yéle donors have raised over $2 million for Haiti relief.

T-Mobile customers can make free international calls to Haiti retroactive from January 12 through January 31st, 2010.

UPS is NOT offering free shipping for anything under 50 lbs going to Haiti. That is an Internet hoax. However, The UPS Foundation is giving $1 million (USD) in cash and in-kind aid to help the people of Haiti.

American Airlines is NOT offering free flights to Haiti. This is another Internet hoax. However, AA will allow travellers to make a donation to the American Red Cross and earn AAdvantage® bonus miles through February 28, 2010. Logon http://american.redcross.org/americanairlines-pub for details and restrictions.

Direct Relief International has already sent nearly $420,000 worth of medicine and essential to the St. Damien Children's Hospital in Port-au-Prince. You can donate at directrelief.org.

UNICEF You can donate as little as $10 through by logging on unicefusa.org/haitiquake or calling 800-4UNICEF.

Mercy Corps lets you donate by phone (888-256-1900), mail, or online. Mail checks to Haiti Earthquake Fund, Dept. NR, PO Box 2669, Portland, Oregon 97208-2669.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Due to reports of fraudulent activity, MDF is asking all donors to please be wary of third-party solicitations for Haiti relief. To ensure that your donation goes directly to Doctors Without Borders, please use the secure website or toll-free phone number, 1-888-392-0392.

Oxfam is on the ground in Haiti with 200 people preparing to support rescue efforts and respond with safe water, sanitation services, and shelter material. Help now by donating to their Haiti Earthquake Response Fund.

Microsoft made an initial commitment of $1.25 million for Haiti relief efforts, and asked its employees to support relief organizations working in Haiti. The Bing homepage includes a Haiti disaster-relief link.

Salesforce.com has set up a special donation page on its website, for funneling Haiti-earmarked funds to the Red Cross and World Vision.

Apple has also placed a "Haiti Earthquake Relief Donate Here" button on iTunes.

MORE RELIEF WEBSITES:

Listings of relief sites excerpted from How You Can Help Haiti Earthquake Victims, Essence Magazine, January 14, 2010 and Haiti Earthquake: How to Help, Jan 13, 2010

Action Against Hunger American Jewish World Service
Americares
Beyond Borders
CARE
CarmaFoundation
Catholic Relief Services
Childcare Worldwide
Compassion International
Church World Service
Feed My Starving Children
Food for the Poor
Friends of WFP
Haiti Children
Haiti Marycare
Haitian Health Foundation
Hope for Haiti
International Medical Corps
International Relief Teams
International Rescue Committee
Medical Teams International
Meds and Food for Kids
Mennonite Central Committee
One.org
Operation Blessing
Operation USA
Partners in Health
Rural Haiti Project
The Lambi Fund of Haiti
The Salvation Army
Samaritan's Purse
Save the Children
World Concern
World Relief
World Vision

Updated Sunday, January 17, 2010 [Updated WARNINGS section; Added section: TO TRAVEL/VOLUNTEER IN HAITI]

Refer to previous posts in this series by accessing the links below:
Haiti and the 2010 Earthquake: Part 1
Haiti and the 2010 Earthquake: Part 2-Where In the World is Ruth Hodges?
Haiti and the 2010 Earthquake: Part 3-Cause & Effect

Haiti and the 2010 Earthquake: Part 3-Cause & Effect

A 7.0 earthquake is disastrous anywhere in the world. In Haiti, this disaster is further exacerbated by total lack of economic (banking system, inflation), government (government and non-government agencies), health (hospitals, rescue), communications (telephone/internet, etc.) & civil infrastructures (roads, bridges, public works) due to decades of negligence, abuse, and misuse by Haitian government, big business, and lack of education among the people.

Every time we begin to recover from natural disasters such as Hurricane Jeanne in September 16-17, 2004 which killed over 5,000 in NW Haiti, back-to-back hurricanes in 2008, etc., another tragedy seems to follow on the heels of the last. Furthermore, each successive government reinvents the wheel based on the cult of personality by top leaders, and improvements or initiatives by the previous administration such as hospital building, road re-construction, aid programs, etc. are often not followed up on by the incoming administration.

On top of this, consider an astronomical 80% unemployment rate (just think of how bad it is in the U.S. with10% unemployment!), the government and private sector are completely unable or unwilling to provide new employment for the population contributing to a cycle of poverty impacted by the fact that average citizens must often choose between having food and sending their children to public school which is not free. Even getting simple aid tools like earth movers to dig out people from the rubble of collapsed homes is unreasonably challenging as such things aren't readily available-if at all.

All of the above help explain why we Haitians are successful when placed in environments like the United States where opportunity to succeed is plentiful. Many of us come to the US fleeing political persecution, economic dis-opportunity, and educational disparities back home. There is no such thing as Social Security, government welfare, free clinics, Disability payments, homeless shelters, job training programs, college scholarships, etc. So if we don't care for our own, we know that no one else will. Again, it's not that Haitians are incapable of succeeding, it's that we have no OPPORTUNITY at home, something many take for granted here in the U.S. (unless our families already have or own some form of capital).

Within a few years of emigrating to the US and abroad, many hard-working Haitians have saved enough money to buy houses and real estate, and Haitians annually send more money from the US back to Haiti to help with family education, housing, etc than to any other country outside the US, a perfect example of remittance economy. We are incentivized to succeed because there is no alternative.

Refer to previous posts in this series by accessing the links below:
Haiti and the 2010 Earthquake: Part 1
Haiti and the 2010 Earthquake: Part 2-Where In the World is Ruth Hodges?

Haiti and the 2010 Earthquake: Part 2-Where In the World is Ruth Hodges?

As I mentioned in my previous Haiti Earthquake blog post, "Haiti and the 2010 Earthquake: Part 1", my adoptive Mother Ruth E. Hodges, may be missing in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in the aftermath of worst disaster in 200 years. "Ma" as I've called her since my adoption in 1989, is 82-years-old, has been a missionary to Haiti since 1969, and is responsible for having fundraised and overseen the building of several hundred church buildings, schools & orphanages in these 40-odd years. She is known as "Mother Hodges" by the Tampa Bay community.

Ma travelled to Haiti, leaving Tampa International Airport on an 11:00am American Airlines flight. Friends on the ground in Haiti confirm that she arrived in Port-au-Prince at 3:40pm and expected to be picked up by a pastor, long-time family friend and host for her 50-something missions trip by 5:30pm. The earthquake hit Port-au-Prince at 4:53pm. Based on past experience it takes approximately 1.5 hours on a good day to get through customs where officials search luggage thoroughly, inspect and stamp passports & gather visitor itineraries, and then travellers pick up their luggage at the baggage carousel. So we assume she was still in the airport terminal at the time of the earthquake. Unfortunately, our Pastor friend hasn't spoken with anyone via cell phone in the States since Monday, and we don't know if he was able to get to the airport or if he did, if he was able to transport Ma to his house in a more northern city which is out of the earthquake zone. Travel through Port-au-Prince would have been extremely difficult with debris from collapsed houses and buildings forming roadblocks and casualties in the streets. We don't believe she is still in the airport, however, because many American travellers were stranded at the airport waiting for transportation, and it seems Ma would have approached anyone who had a cell phone to call friends or family in the States.

While watching commentary on CNN, I saw the information on the newscrawl referring to the U.S. State Department 888-407-4747 phone number for those searching for American citizens in Haiti. It took me until Wednesday afternoon to finally get through the phone number as I kept getting kicked off the line between 30 seconds and 1 minute, 45 seconds. I gave the clerk on the other end all the most recent information I had on Ma, and they promised to forward the information to US employees in Haiti and relief workers who would contact me by phone once they located Ma. It's now Thursday morning, and we still haven't heard anything yet which is understandable considering there are over 40,000 Americans living in Haiti.

Ma, despite her advanced age has survived hurricanes, coups, motorcycle accidents, obstinate horses, food poisoning, Dengue Fever (which doesn't kill you but makes you wish you were dead), death threats from witch doctors & more in Haiti. She is a fighter and survivor, and has survived in difficult circumstances that would discourage-if not kill-most people. We believe God will keep her safe.

To read more articles about "Mother Hodges" access the following links:

• Mother's way By JEFF KLINKENBERG, Published May 13, 2007
• 2002 "My Favorite Older Person" Winning Essays-Fifth Place General Education Winner: Hillsborough County
• Tampa/Hillsborough County Human Rights Council, Annual Human Rights Award Recipients

Haiti and the 2010 Earthquake: Part 1

On Tuesday, January 12, my home country of Haiti experienced the worst natural disaster and Haiti's worst earthquake in 200 years! The quake registered 7.0 on the Richter scale and was centered 10 miles West of the capital city of Port-au-Prince (a port city named for Christopher Columbus). The tragedy is of personal import to me for several reasons. Not only was I born in Northern Haiti, but my adoptive Mother, Ruth Hodges, an American missionary to Haiti since 1969 was making her 50-something trip to the island that same day, and arrived at the Toussaint L'Ouverture International Airport a few minutes prior to the quake.

For a bit of perspective on what a 7.0 earthquake is like, consider the following description by Professor Chris Connors of Washington and Lee University:

...the magnitude 7.0 earthquake would cause extreme motion.

"We're talking things flying off the shelves, popping into the air, significant ground motions coming up and down right underneath you," says Connors.

Connors says the fault line is similar to the San Andreas fault.

He says the reason this quake was so damaging was because it wasn't very deep; it didn't have as far to travel before reaching the surface.

The first source of information I accessed on the earthquake came via an e-mail sent from the Haitian Lawyer's Leadership Network (HLLN), a human rights watch list created by Ezili Dantò, Haitian playwright, performance poet, political and social commentator, author and human rights attorney. From her Tuesday, 1/12/10 6:26pm post follows:

General Hospital in Port-au-Prince is down,
Palace is damaged
No one knows how many dead or injured
The aftershock is revebarating [5.9 and 5.5]
People can only see dust,

Obama is sending in military troops.

Phone lines that are working are: Haiti-tel and Voila. Digicel tower is down.

Tsunami warning still in efffect [for nearby Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic & Haiti]. A terrible situation!

This blogger will update my Facebook & Twitter pages as I receive more information from international news outlets and friends on the ground in Haiti. May God help us all.

Unfriendly Neighbors & Other Tales of Woe

Pictures: Hands of Friendship and the Chinese symbol for friendship.
This week my wife, some friends and associates, and I were discussing a topic that is especially dear to me--unfriendly neighbors and people in the otherwise beautiful neighborhood of North Lakeland, Florida.

My wife, our three children, and I settled in Lakeland last year in a gorgeous condo community upon returning from our honeymoon. We chose the area for several reasons. First, North Lakeland was geographically half-way between her job in Polk County and my job in Tampa, Florida. Second, it is easy to get from our house to the Interstate for travel to Orlando or Tampa in about 30 minutes. Third, the real estate property values are favorable in our part of town and we were able to purchase a newly built unit for about $10,000-30,000 less than any comparable house in any part of Tampa. Finally, schools in the area are "A" schools, there is a low crime rate, and we feel our part of town is a safe and peaceful place to raise our family. All those factors together made settling in Lakeland a desirable choice.

One trend we have noticed in the past year, is that no matter where we go in Lakeland, people seem so unfriendly. Sometimes it just makes you wonder! Often we will shop at the Super WalMart, Publix, local mall, or will participate in an activity in the area. I have noticed time and time again that I am one of the few people who speaks to anyone else in public. I can't count the number of times that I have been wheeling my cart down the store aisle, passed someone just a few feet or inches away, made eye contact, smiled and said "Hello", and been rebuffed by a glare or a stare as if to say, "Please, you don't know me like that." It's not just White's who do it. It's my Black folk as well, which is a surprise because the places I've been, Blacks at least recognize each other with a head nod or a "What's up Brother." I just don't know any more.

What's worse that being ignored by total strangers is that we know very few of our neighbors. In the nearly year and a half we have lived hear, not one neighbor has come over to welcome us to the neigbhorhood even when it was obvious that we had just moved in. The only person who bothered to send a welcome basket was our real estate agent. One neighbor came over one day, but it was just to inform us that she's on the Homeowner's Asssociation and we'd better get our act together or else! Sometimes I will drive or jog around my complex and unless I speak or wave first, the neighbors will just look at me like either they're afraid to say something because I'm young and Black or because they're not sure that I belong in their neighborhood. But then again, these are the same people who stole my Obama yard signs in the dead of night during Election 2008.

As a Christian, I've been taught that we should be friendly to show the love of God in a dark world. As an outgoing person, I have no problem with speaking to others, and in many places I've traveled, attended college, and lived, I've found that total strangers somehow find me interesting enough to walk up to me and begin random conversations. So I know that I don't exhibit a "Don't talk to me," air or an arrogant or condescending attitude. Even when I lived in "the hood" during my youth, I never really encountered unfriendly people even among those society considers outcasts. All I'm saying is, if I take my time to say "Hello" to someone, isn't it only polite and thoughtful if the greet me in like manner? Is that really too much to ask?