FoodFuel: World Food and Fuel Crisis, Haiti Food Aid Case, High Food Prices, Global Foods

Helping Haiti: Haitian Kids Are Surviving on Grass Despite Humanitarian Aid Being Around

2010-02-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

For those around Leogane, the dirt poor coastal farming town where the most powerful tremors were felt, such help is desperately needed. It is just 20 miles from the capital, Port au Prince. Yet like so many other corners of the earthquake zone - none of them far-flung - it has received only minimal assistance so far.
Mrs Bertrand's seven-year-old son Milky sat quietly nearby, his eyes wide with hunger, and an enormous right-angled gash on the top of his head, as she recalled the horrors of the previous 11 days.
Her son was inside their house playing when the 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck on Jan 12 and a breeze block fell on his head.
"I rushed back and found him and his eyes were closed," she said. "I thought he was dead. I could see his skull. I took him to the hospital but it had collapsed. There was no medicine, nowhere to go and he was in so much pain. He cried all the time."
For a week the boy suffered with his gaping head wound before a makeshift clinic opened nearby and it could be stitched up.
Leogane itself looks as if it has been carpet bombed, with between 80 and 90 per cent of its buildings destroyed. In a town of 120,000 people, the best estimate is that 30,000 have died. No-one knows for sure, as so many bodies remain under the rubble. About 500 of those are at the St Rose de Lima school, which was filled with children, priests and nuns.
The infrastructure of everyday life is gone. Banks, the police headquarters and municipal officers were all wiped out. Outside the city the lush hills where bananas grow have ruptured, sending boulders crashing down into villages.
On the road that leads 20 miles west to Leogane from the capital Port-au-Prince, deep fissures have opened up. Approaching the city a scrawled sign reads "We need help" and the countryside is dotted with makeshift tents. On the outskirts homes and shops lie in various states of collapse with concrete slab roofs concertinaed everywhere.
In Leogane everybody now sleeps under the stars and the sidestreets are lined with small, triangular shelters built from wooden-frames and corrugated iron sheets.
Inside, on mattresses scavenged from the wreckage, lie survivors with broken limbs and bloody makeshift bandages. Most of them are doing nothing, simply waiting. Others have fled to set up ramshackle settlements in the surrounding sugar cane fields and mangrove swamps.
In the centre of town more than 100 people stood praying on a grass square. An unpaved road leads from the square to the shattered shell of the city's main landmark, the 500-year-old St Rose of Lima church, the oldest in Haiti. It crumbled during a service and bodies remain below.
The façade is now a 30ft high moutainn of rubble with its giant bell sitting precariously on top. Inside, the marble altar survived without a scratch.
In the nearby Rue de l'Hopital, Rosanna Compere, 50, looked dazed as she stared at a pile of rocks that used to be her home. Four of her six children - Marise, 20, Mariemath, 15, Juerdy, 11, and Theodora, 10 – perished when it collapsed.
Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at half a dozen pairs of Mariemath's dancing shoes strewn in the wreckage.
"Mariemath was the most beautiful girl. She had dreams, big dreams. My daughter was a dancer and she loved to put on a show," she said. "She wanted to do it professionally. If that did not happen then she wanted to be a journalist on the radio. I cannot believe she is gone.
"My daughter Marise was going to be a nurse and wanted to go to work in the United States. She was going to take me there." Mention of Theodora lifts her sombre mood. She remembers how her daughter loved the Cha-cha-cha, played the saxophone and dreamed of traveling the world. Her son, Juerdy loved football. "He played in midfield and wanted to be a big star player," she said. "I loved them all so much. I miss them with all my heart. They are still part of me." There is nothing to remember the children by, not even a photograph.
Her eldest son Wisley, 29, who survived, said: "I was outside when this catastrophe happened and I came running back. I saw my house flattened. I saw my sisters dead, my brother dead. I picked them up and carried them out into the street. I was weeping. I cry even now thinking about it."
He pointed at a soft toy amidst the shards of wreckage "That was Juerdy's," he said. "And this exercise book was Mariemath's. That was what she wrote all her school things in." He shook his head as he looks at the mangled wreckage of his own bed.
The bodies of the children lay in the street for a week along with the rest of Leogane's dead before trucks came to take them to anonymous mass graves in the hills of Titanyen, north of Port-au-Prince. They were bulldozed into trenches along with thousands of others.
"We don't know where they are," said Mr Compere. "We will never know. The truck came and took them and it was so hard to let them go but we had to. We survived but we have nothing now, we sleep in the street. We need help but it doesn't come." Holding up a mini-carton of orange juice, he said: "This is all we have had so far."
Many in Leogane feel they have been forgotten by the international aid effort so there was an explosion of excitement on Friday when, a full 10 days after their city disintegrated, an articulated lorry pulled in to deliver 2,500 food packs from Germany.
Because of fears of a riot the truck was accompanied by a contingent of soldiers from Germany and Canada, and US Marines. They guarded the truck, forming a line in front of the church as thousands of people pressed forward.
There was a brief period of mayhem as the key to open the container was lost for 15 minutes. After the food was distributed many people remained empty-handed.
Monique Dasir, 23, one of the lucky ones, clutched her food pack which contained eight meals. "I was so hungry," she said. "There has been a lot of misery here. It is impossible to find food." Volker Pellet, the Geman chargé d'affaires, said: "People are desperate. There is an extreme need here so we have moved forward into the affected area."
Despite the UN having identified Leogane as the place worst affected by the earthquake the first week after the catastrophe saw only one truck full of water arrive. In a field outside the city US military helicopters have now begun delivering food packs, which were guarded by Marines as ravenously hungry people looked on.
"I wish we could hand them straight out but we have to wait for the UN to come and distribute them," said one Marine.
In addition to having no food many people in Leogane still have broken, twisted limbs and festering sores which have yet to be treated. Médecins Sans Frontières has established clinics in the area but many of the injured do not know where they are. Volunteers are being sent out with megaphones to advertise their presence.
At one clinic 12 amputations had been performed and 45 more people were waiting to undergo surgery.
"If we are not there in the first day people die. That's a life saving time," said Dr Bichet Mathieu of MSF. "The consequences in medical terms are big."
Yet many Haitians spoken to by The Sunday Telegraph spoke to, even those who had suffered with painful injuries for more than a week, expressed no anger at the tardy arrival of food and medical aid.
Their stoicism was partly based on the fatalism of voodoo, which prescribes that God decides when a person dies.
"The Haitian people do not get afraid of death. We are sure that we come back again," said Max Beauvoir, the supreme servitor and highest priest of voodoo in Haiti. "We believe that everyone lives 16 times - eight times we live as men, and eight times as women - and the purpose of life is to gather all kinds of experiences."
He said many people felt God had sent the earthquake. "They see it as an act of God, meaning God would decide to hurt Haitian people, which of course is wrong," he said. "They're not only wounded in their body alone. They are wounded in their spirits and in their mind."
As the rescue workers began pulling out of Port-au-Prince two people were miraculously pulled from the wreckage of their homes. Emmannuel Buso, 21, a tailor, survived by drinking his own urine after furniture that fell around him created a space. He was so ghostly pale that his mother thought he was a corpse but doctors said he is expected to make a full recovery.
"I am here today because God wants it," he said from his hospital bed.
Marie Carida Romain, 84, was also rescued from another building. She was being treated in hospital for severe dehydration.
Yesterday the country's interior ministry said that more than 110,000 people had been confirmed dead, with over 190,000 injured. Nobody doubts that the true total will prove to be far higher, if ever it can even be counted. North of the capital, in the wasteland of Titanyen, where the children of Rosanna Compere were buried in a mass grave, workers are no longer bothering to dig holes. Instead, they leave corpses to rot in the sun and be eaten by animals.
Adults, children and babies have been dumped in undignified heaps and left to fester. "We don't want to go there," said Wisly Compere. "We would rather remember them as they were."

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Long Lines, Signs of Desperation, Search for Water and Food in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

2010-02-03T07:37:00.000-08:00

iPhone Service in Haiti: Continue to Use iPhone There or Use local Plan Phone?

2010-02-03T06:41:00.000-08:00

Question:"I will be moving to Les Cayes, Haiti for about one year this May. I have an iPhone with a shared family plan with my mom and sister. Do you know if I'll get service there with my phone or would it be better to buy a new phone there to use or get a different plan, etc. Please do not just tell me to check ATT's website, I have done that already and couldn't find the information I needed."

Answer: Yes, your iphone will get service anywhere you go, but get ready to pay high fees if you are not on the international plan with AT&T. You should be able to discuss this issue with your AT&T clerk. Make sure you get coverage for ATT's international plan if you feel you have to use it while living there. Based on my own experience, it will be better and cost effective to get a phone when you arrive in Haiti. If cost is not the problem for you, then keep using the iPhone there. If you want to have more money in your pockets, get a local phone. Then, sign up with Rebtel.com

Earthquake Trapped Haitian Civil Servants under Piles of Debris, Damaged Infrastructures, Bridges, Roads and Caused Food High Prices

2010-02-03T06:28:00.000-08:00

The strongest earthquake in Haiti in more than 200 years, measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, rocked the impoverished Caribbean nation on 12 January at 4.53 p.m. (local time). The earthquake struck Ouest Province (population 2.2 million), with the epicentre some 17km south-west of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. The nearby cities of Carrefour and Jacmel, as well as other areas to the west and south of Port-au-Prince, were also affected. Powerful aftershocks shook a desperately poor country where many buildings are flimsy. As of the publication of this Flash Appeal (15 January 2010), thousands are feared dead, many more are injured, and unknown numbers are still buried under the rubble. The streets of Port-au-Prince are filled with people too scared to go back into their damaged homes, sleeping in the open at night amidst the bodies of those killed in the disaster.

The level of casualties sustained by civil servants and the damage to public buildings and services have significantly reduced the capacity of national authorities to lead and coordinate the response. Damage to buildings and infrastructure is widespread and severe. Port-au-Prince’s critical infrastructure such as electricity and water is still disabled. The airport in Port-au-Prince is operational (currently for earthquake-related operational flights only), but roads to and within the capital are partly blocked. Communications remain widely disrupted, making it difficult to obtain a full picture of the situation. The damage to infrastructure – such as damaged or destroyed roads, bridges, water systems, and electrical and communications systems – will inevitably affect the speed and scale of the relief effort. Fortunately, areas beyond the capital appear to be less affected, if not unaffected, by the earthquake.

At the moment there is no way to be certain of the numbers of people killed, wounded, trapped, missing or homeless. However, plotting the earthquake’s zones of intensity against population densities in this part of Haiti shows that 3 million people were in areas of ‘very strong’ to ‘extreme’ shaking, where structures would have suffered moderate to very heavy damage.[1] Early aerial surveys of Port-au-Prince bear this out. This response plan and appeal therefore are based on an initial estimate of 3 million people severely affected, in the sense of injury and/or loss of access to essentials such as food, water, health care, shelter, plus livelihoods, education and other basic needs, and on restoring and strengthening state capacities. In addition, much of the affected population will have been displaced, heightening the vulnerabilities. Because of the concentration of displaced people in Port-au-Prince, it is likely that some inhabitants will travel to areas outside the capital in search for shelter, food, medical care, etc. This would add demographic pressure on rural areas and other urban centres.

Assessments are now under way in Port-au-Prince to map comprehensively the consequences of earthquake. National and international efforts are expected to evolve and increase in the coming days and weeks. Initial international effort has focused on urban search and rescue, plus improving logistics and starting to provide large-scale aid including medical assistance and evacuation, water, food, tents and blankets. Logistics resources are paramount to ensuring delivery of relief items, and to establishing and managing camps/areas for the displaced. They will also be necessary to allow aid agencies to re-establish and scale up their capacities quickly.

Because of the damage to capacities of aid agencies themselves in Port-au-Prince, this rapid first edition of the flash appeal is based to a greater degree than usual on remote sensing, background information, estimation and inference. Moreover, because of the disaster’s scale and severity, it is being published faster than usual. For these reasons, much of the information and plans herein must be understood as very approximate. Subsequent situation reports will continually update the information, and a general appeal revision will follow as usual in some weeks when more information, better-developed plans, and participation by more organizations are possible.

Communities Outside of Port-Au-Prince: Leogane, Grand Goave, Gressier, Petit Goave

2010-01-18T09:42:00.000-08:00

(First and third pictures are about Petit Goave. The middle picture is about one of Grand Goave's tent cities. Grand Goave has water supply issues.)

Please consider donating to CHF International, an organization that works with the communities outside of Port au Prince, in Petit Goave and Grand Goave, Haiti. Visit HelpHaitiQuake Blog to Find List of Organizations That are Helping Haiti

You can donate online or send a check, made payable to CHF International.

Help bring food, water and shelter to the people of Haiti.

TO DONATE ONLINE, CLICK HERE

TO DONATE BY CHECK, please mark your check 'Haiti Relief' and send it to:

CHF International Resource Development
8601 Georgia Ave, Suite 800
Silver Spring, MD 20910

Please make checks payable to: CHF INTERNATIONAL

TO DONATE BY PHONE, please call +1 301-587-4700.

CHF International Staff went out to report on Leogane, Grand Goave

Leogane

* MINUSTAH (UN mission in Haiti) were undertakni g a protein cookie distribution in front of Leogane City Hall to mostly women and children.
* Much of Leogane, both downtown and the surrounding area, was flattened by the quake and unconfirmed estimates put the death toll as high as 100,000. We sincerely hope this is far higher than the reality.
* Between Leogane and L'Acul we passed a destroyed water pump that is indicative of the below-the-surface damage that has crippled many wells and reservoirs in the region. Potable water is and will continue to be a major issue for the region until water supplies can be repaired or replaced.
* The Ecole National Anna Karina, a high school in the city center of Leogane, was flattened completely. Tragically class was in session at the time.
* Churches appear to have suffered extraordinary damage from the quake, with most crumbling, especially the larger structures.
* The financial system in affected cities has been paralyzed by the earthquake. While some supplies are available, prices have skyrocketed and people simply do not have access to what little money they have in the bank.
* We saw collapsed wooden houses on stilts, common in historic Leogane, a city of approximately 134,000. Many of the multi-level Leogane homes fell to the ground after the stilts and supporting beams collapsed underneath them. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 80-90% of Leogane was destroyed by the earthquake.

Haiti's Unlimited Needs: How can you help?

2010-01-14T02:04:00.000-08:00

Begslist.org: Cyber Begging, Digital Panhandling, Free Cyber Begging

2009-12-09T09:10:00.000-08:00

begslist.blogspot.com or begslist.org is a good site for all of these: cyberbegging, cyber begging, internet begging, internet panhandling, e panhandling, online donations, debt help etc.

There are thousands of appeals on craigslist and on other Web sites devoted to begging, such as Begslist, CyberBeg and DonateMoney2me.com.

And the appeals are heart-wrenching. A single mom with no money to pay her bills; an unemployed construction worker about to lose his house. And, of course, lots of families who can't afford gifts for Christmas.

Certainly some of these appeals are scams, but many appear to be legitimate pleas for help.

Michael Arthur of Frederick, Md., says he debated for weeks before placing an ad called "Santa, Are You Out There?" on craigslist:

I'm a partially disabled single father with two young sons, seven and eight. They deserve to get a few nice toys and things for Christmas. They are really good kids. I don't make enough money to be able to buy them anything. … If anyone out there could possibly help me obtain a few toys for my children please let me know. I hate to beg, but I will for my children.

Foodfuel.blogspot.com Presents Burger King's Whoppervirgins.com in Whopper vs. Big Mac

2008-12-05T08:13:00.000-08:00

Burger Kings takes the battle of whopper vs. Big Mac on this website showing various groups people tasting the big whopper. The idea is that Burger King goes a long way to find virgin tasters of the whopper. A romanian woman, another old lady and three Hmongs star in this commercial. Their goal is taste the whoppers.

Hmong taste testers have a good chance of choosing the whopper over McDonald's Big Mac.
What are other bloggers saying about this experiment in virgin taste?

"The No 2 burger-maker in the US asked farmers in the Transylvania region of Romania, the Hmong tribe of Thailand, and other folks in far-flung places to sample its Whopper alongside McDonald's Big Mac and declare the winner."

A blogger on Walletpop wrote: "What might irk people is the concept that Burger King is taking its fat-laden fast food to people who aren't used to this stuff in their diets, who aren't usually subject to our crass commercials, and who probably don't really care too much."

Burger King said it approaches this project with great care. It wants to respect the cultures it is using in this ad campaign.

While we are at it, the music is catching too.

Related info about this taste testing in new territories

http://www.whoppervirgins.com

Nickihawj's Hmong Blog

Symptoms of Diabetes in Developed Countries, Blood Glucose : What You Can Do To Help

2008-10-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

Blood glucose levels can change suddenly. There are symptoms for hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).

The signs of hyperglycemia are blurred vision, thirst, headache, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. If these happen, encourage me to check my blood sugar level immediately. Treatment could be as simple as drinking water or I may need to adjust my eating plan or medications.

The symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) are a ravenous appetite, sweating and trembling, and being confused and cranky. If you see this happening to me, remind me to check my blood sugar right away. If I'm low on glucose, I may need your help to quickly get sugar into my body.

Sex for Oil, Gas, Fuel, Drugs: Energy Surplus by Department of Interior Officials

2008-09-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

Officials charged with ensuring that American taxpayers receive their share of revenue from oil and gas companies drilling on federal lands reportedly engaged in a "culture of ethical failure," one plagued by sexual relationships with oil industry employees and improper acceptance of dinners, gifts and travel, according to a series of Interior Department inspector general reports released today.

Investigators from the Interior Department's inspector general's office said more than a dozen employees, including the former director of the oil royalty program, took meals, ski trips, sports tickets and golf outings from industry representatives. The report alleges that the former director, Gregory W. Smith, also netted more than $30,000 from improper outside work.

The report from Inspector General Earl E. Devaney contains fresh allegations about the practices at the beleaguered royalty-in-kind program of Interior's Minerals Management Service, which last year collected more than $4 billion worth of oil and natural gas from companies given contracts to tap energy on federal and Indian lands and offshore. The revelations come as Congress is set to consider opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and areas off the coast of Florida for drilling.

The report also identifies four companies that had provided gifts to RIK employees while maintaining a business relationship: Chevron, Shell, Gary Williams Energy Corporation and Hess Corporation (nyse: HES - news - people ). Chevron and Shell conducted business as producers on leases where the Minerals Management Service collects royalties and also buys oil from the RIK program. Hess also operates MMS leases, and Gary Williams Energy purchases RIK products.

For Shell, Chevron, and Gary Williams Energy, the report details several thousand dollars of gifts from employees of each company that Department of Interior employees should not have accepted, including meals, hotel rooms, ski lodge stays, and golf and paintball outings. Spokesmen for Shell and Chevron said they had not yet seen or had time to review the reports. Gary Williams Energy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

World Vision Gives Examples of Global Food Crisis Impact: Young Girls' Forced Marriage to Pay Debt

2008-09-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

A new briefing paper from Christian humanitarian organization World Vision, illustrates the causes and human costs of early marriage in countries and regions where it is most common. With contributions from development and advocacy workers in the field, the report also highlights innovative and successful programs in countries ranging from Afghanistan to Zambia where a variety of approaches aim to tackle the underlying needs that often fuel the practice.

While most girls in North America are starting a new school year this week, millions of their peers across the developing world must stay home and stop their education because they have become child brides. The result is a continuing spiral of poverty, illiteracy and maternal and child health problems in impoverished and underdeveloped communities worldwide, humanitarian workers say.

Child and early marriage — before the ages of 14 and 18, respectively — are expected to claim the futures of some 100 million girls in the next decade, depriving most of them of the chance to finish school and putting them at higher risk of injury or death due to early childbearing, and of contracting HIV. Aid workers also report that the current global food crisis is exacerbating the practice, pushing more poor families to send young daughters into marriage in their struggle to cope with the strains of deeper poverty and hunger.

Haiti's Hurricanes Photos: Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike...Mudslides, Floodwaters in Photos

2008-09-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

Haitians need your help. They are asking for help from citizens and countries. The recent series of hurricanes make their situations worse. They need your help.

Visit http://sponsorandfeedachild.blogspot.com today!!!!!!!

If you want to sponsor a family or a kid, contact Sponsorandfeedachild at sponsorachildemail@gmail.com

Gustav Smacked Haiti and Dominican Republic, Is Heading to New Orleans

2008-08-27T22:23:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Gustav is threatening Haiti, a very poor country in the Western Hemisphere. Haitians are buying whatever provisions they can get. They are making plans to spend the time at reinforced homes owned by neighbors and friends. However, some Haitians living in Cite Soleil have nowhere to go other than to tough it out.

Gustav is the second hurricane to hit the island. There are a lot of needs and devastation. Very recently, Haitians took to the streets to protest food prices. Now their crops are going to be lost. There will be hunger on the island. Organizations such as (http://sponsorandfeedachild.blogspot.com) are trying to help children and families. If you want to be part of the rebuilding efforts, help them out.

Some of the residents who can afford to go to another country are already leaving the country. They will get back at the end of the hurricane season. Miami is their next destination.

Update from other news organizations:

Here is what is being reported on this hurricane:

"At 1200 GMT, the center of Gustav was located about 75 miles (125 kilometers) south-southeast of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, and was moving toward the northwest at around nine miles (15 kilometers per hour), the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory.

The Haitian government urged its population to take precautions and appealed for international help to deal with the storm's aftermath, some 10 days after Tropical Storm Fay left about 47 people dead or missing on the island."

Texting on the Go: Texting While Driving, Texting while Walking Results in Scraped Chins, Noses and Foreheads

2008-08-06T20:44:00.001-07:00

Texting on the Go: Texting While Driving, Texting while Walking Results in Scraped Chins, Noses and Foreheads

You have seen them on the streets and in buildings. Texters are everywhere you turn these days. Texting is a convenient way to communicate with others. But the generation text poses a mobile hazard too. Texting goofs tend to be in nirvana when they are communicating. They forget about the rest of the world. Many hospital staffers, doctors and healthcare professionals have been seeing a new group of patients. Fallen texters are more prone to facial injuries. They tend to hold their iphone, Nokia and other devices close to their faces, so their hands are less likely to break their fall. "By the time their hands hit, their face immediately hits and they smash to the ground."

According to an article by the WSJ, texters have developed ways to avoid falling. Some of them talk about ruining high heels, whacking walls and tripping on a stairwell. They fall down, taking others with them while texting on their shiny, slick iPhone and Blackberry. On www.crackberry.com, an internet forum for Blackberry users, users trade tips about how to navigate busy streets while texting.

Record Profits for Exxon Mobil

2008-08-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

At a time when Americans see their home prices plunge, bills climb and credit lines shrink, Exxon Mobil's gargantuan profits strike some people as odd. The world's largest publicly traded oil company turned a profit of $11.7 billion for the second quarter. All of this was made possible for the soaring crude prices. At the same time, oil-service companies saw a lot of activities. Whether prices of oil go up, they will make money. Whether the prices go down, they will still be needed to work on these oil platforms.

At the same time, European rival Royal Dutch Shell posted its own record profit of $11.6 billion. How much more can Exxon make to satisfy its investors when state-run oil companies such as those in Saudi Arabia and Venezuela control about 80% of known global oil reserves?

It Is High Time for Oil Prices to Fall Down: U.S. Consumers Are Turning to Motorscooters, Bicycles and Other Means of Transportation

2008-07-30T08:30:00.001-07:00

Oil prices fell below $122 a barrel on Wednesday, extending their recent decline on expectations that this year's surge in energy costs is undermining U.S. gasoline demand.

The modest, but continued strengthening of the U.S. dollar also helped push down oil prices.

By midafternoon in Europe, light, sweet crude for September delivery had shed 79 cents to $121.40 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract dropped $2.54 to settle at $122.19 a barrel on Tuesday.

Investors expect more evidence of falling gasoline consumption when the U.S. Energy Department's Energy Information Administration releases its weekly oil inventory report later Wednesday, said Mark Pervan, a senior commodities strategist with ANZ Bank in Melbourne.

"People are looking closely at the deteriorating demand for petrol," Pervan said. "The market will probably fence-sit ... ahead of the DOE numbers."

Gasoline stocks were expected to rise 400,000 barrels in the petroleum supply report, according to the average of analysts' estimates in a survey by energy research firm Platts.

Ford Lost Billions in Quarterly Loss: Gas Guzzlers Let It Down

2008-07-24T19:25:00.000-07:00

Ford Motor Co posted a record $8.7 billion quarterly loss on Thursday as it wrote down the value of slumping truck and SUV operations and revamped plans in a bid to break its reliance on the gas-guzzlers that have been its franchise vehicles for a decade.

The second-quarter loss was deeper than analysts had forecast and Ford shares fell by 15 percent. Its bonds also traded lower.

What's Wrong with This Picture of Paradise? These Pictures Mask the Abject Poverty, Hunger, Illiteracy and Food Problems

2008-07-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

Get more information about kids in need at Sponsorandfeedachild Link

Hunger in Paradise should be the title of this entry. Many of my friends have been asking about what is wrong with this country. These pictures show a beautiful country with very few natural resources. They do not tell all the stories. Underneath this beauty lie the statistics of people and kids going very hungry, of harvests that never came because of lack of rain, of sick children who can not find the right medications, of kids who can not go to school because their parents can not afford school fees and supplies.

Haiti has a high illiteracy rate, probably the highest in the hemisphere. It also has a high death rate due to malnutrition and other diseases that are almost eradicated in the US and other developing countries. Hunger and famine always lurk around every Haitian's doorstep. Yes, we can not save the whole country, but we can do something to help kids eat a meal and get and education. This is why a few friends of mine and I came up with the idea for SponsorandFeedaChild.

Get more information about kids in need at Sponsorandfeedachild Link

Chick Visit (No Pun Intended!): Share the Beach with These Chicks!

2008-07-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

A Quiet Place to Stay if You Happen to be In Haiti: Hotel Villa St Georges, Grand Goave

2008-07-04T13:54:00.000-07:00

Do you want to beat the bad weather here in the USA and Canada? Well, think about the lukewarm waters of the Caribbean. The waters are superb year-around. If you are thinking about going to the Caribbean nation of Haiti, think about staying at Hotel Villa St Georges Bar & Restaurant. You will be able to enjoy the best of the Caribbean in this quiet corner of the country. Take it from me. I was there for two weeks. I had a great time.

Villa St Georges Hotel, Grand Goave, Haiti (Hotel Villa St Georges) has all the amenities you are leaving behind. Built by a retired UN worker, this hotel offers the greatest package deal you would ever dream about. Here is the catch. The longer you stay there, the least amount of money you end up paying. Once you get picked up from the airport in Port-au-Prince, you will be traveling south to Grand Goave, a very quiet community with the best beaches around. Check http://foodfuel.blogspot.com to see more pictures. In less than 1 hour, you will be transported to a slice of paradise. In fact, a nearby beachfront property is named Paradise. Hotel Villa St Georges offers suites which you can rent for a week or a month. You can decide to prepare your own meals. Your room comes equipped with a stove, refrigerator and other amenities.

One of the most interesting features of the hotel is 24-hour electricity and wireless Internet access which will allow you to stay in touch with your work, family members and friends. This is great news for that part of the country which, until recently, had no access to electricity and cell phones. To have access to wireless Internet is a great achievement. From Hotel Villa St Georges, you can decide to visit nearby missions such as Pastor Mark's mission and go on hike to NanTibo. Only the fittest need to apply to the hike! And if you are interested in taking the best shots of the ocean, you need to be on top of these green mountains. For all hike related trips, you can contact Laurent Fanfan or any other personel who will put you in touch with the right crew.

Visit the pearl of the Antilles and Hotel Villa St Georges at http://foodfuel.blogspot.com

Visit http://podshoppingblog.libsyn.com

Have a nice stay!

Monkegifts.com, Lasermonks.com, Benevolentblends.com Invite you to Shop for a Good Cause

2008-07-04T13:03:00.000-07:00

PoliticalChurch Blog Supports the Business Model of LaserMonks.com, Monkegifts.com, monasterygiftbaskets.com: A feel-good Story
Real monks work for their living. They also work to support each other and others' ministries. That is why we find a lot of monks are getting entrepreneurial by creating multimillion dollar businesses that catch the attention of a lot of people. www.lasermonks.com and www.monkegifts.com are two good examples of great charitable work ideas. The funny thing about these monks' work is that they are not seeking to be rich. On the contrary, they make the money which they turn around to give away to much needy people around the world. As we are about to shop for this holiday season, think about what your dollars can do when you shop at benevolentblends for the coffee afficionados.

Here is what the SFgate site is saying about them, "That model, which LaserMonks characterizes as "commerce with compassion," is also the subject of a recent book, "LaserMonks: The Business Story Nine Hundred Years in the Making," by Sarah Caniglia and Cindy Griffith, who now live at Our Lady of Spring Bank and manage operations for both LaserMonks.com and its two offshoots, BenevolentBlends.com, a coffee retail site, and Monkegifts.com, which sells products (such as Trappistine Creamy Caramels and Holy Hot Chocolate) produced by other monasteries."

Visit these offshoots: www.lasermonks.com, www.monkegifts.com

If you want to make a donation, go to Sponsorandfeedachild.blogspot.com to make the donation.

What It is Like To Work: A Kid Weeds a Cornfield and Has No Opportunity to Go To School

2008-07-04T00:54:00.000-07:00

This kid and many others should be in school. With no rain to help these corn plants to grow, this field will dry up. All of his parents' efforts will amount to nothing.

NanTibo Hike: Travels to Haiti's Flora and Fauna: Listening to Nature Under a Shade Tree on a Hot Day

2008-07-04T00:43:00.000-07:00

Hiking to NanTibo, to the top of the mountains overlooking the ocean below. In the midst of this tropical beauty lie poverty andthe highest illiteracy rate. Children are not in school. Those who go to school do not get the best education because teachers are not getting paid. Children are the future of Haiti. They need help with their school supplies and proper nutrition to be able to make it.

If you want to help, you can go to Sponsorandfeedachild to make your contribution to a good cause.

Patrick Jean Pierre, Ronald Dino Fan Doing Soccer Tricks at Villa St Georges Hotel, Grand Goave, Haiti

2008-07-04T00:30:00.000-07:00

Walking Away From Villa St Georges Hotel, Grand Goave, Haiti to Cite des Canadiens: Find the Respite You Need at this Peaceful Hotel

2008-07-03T23:54:00.000-07:00

A Slice of Haiti Far From the Chaos of Port-au-Prince. Find the right Place to Rest and Relax

2008-07-03T23:31:00.000-07:00

The longer you stay at Hotel Villa St Georges, Grand Goave, Haiti, the more you save. If you decide to stay there, you can get your own suite which comes equipped with a kitchenette, tables, refrigerators and other amenities. You can call the hotel manager to find out about the good deals. You can stay there for $50 a week. The longer you stay there, the less you pay. Make sure to check with the hotel representatives to make sure that there is a room for you.

Shopping for Fruits at Boston Farmer's Market

2008-07-03T23:00:00.000-07:00

Mangoes from the Caribbean and especially Haiti are sold at the market. Those who love Haitian mangoes come from New York to buy car loads of the fruit. They know the large variety of Haitian mangoes and other tropical fruit.

Temporary Solutions to Haitian Food Issues: What Others are Doing to Help and What You Can Do

2008-04-22T07:46:00.001-07:00

According to various news reports, to head off the food issue, Preval has pledged to promote egg, chicken and rice production and subsidize fertilizer costs; the World Bank has promised $10 million in emergency aid and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has agreed to send 364 tons of food, including chicken, milk and lentils. But in Haiti, even the smallest of economic fissures very quickly widen to swallow up any attempt at political equilibrium.

In the midst of all of this, Haitian prime minister Jacques Alexis lost his cabinet position.

Rising Food Prices All Over The World: Foodstuffs, Crops are Lacking

2008-04-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

It's not just in Haiti where unrest is growing. A combination of high fuel prices, booming consumption of food in increasingly wealthy Asia, the use of crops for biofuels, and speculation on futures markets have driven commodity prices to record levels.

The rising food prices are causing waves of unrest around the world. In Manila, troops armed with M-16 rifles now oversee the sale of subsidised rice, the latest basic crop to see a spike in prices. In Egypt, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal, Burkina Faso and Cameroon there have been protests in recent weeks all related to the food and fuel prices.

Farmers are Growing Corn for Ethanol

2008-04-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

Is the food crisis caused by the lack of primary crops? No. Farmers continue to grow as much corn and other crops such wheat, millet as before, but the only problem is that they are producing for bio fuel. Here is a good summary of the problem.

"The surge in food costs has been attributed to several factors, including the increasing number of American farmers who now grow corn to supply the ethanol industry instead of food companies. In turn, they have reduced the amount of land farmed for wheat and soybeans, leading to a huge strain on food processors such as ConAgra Foods, Kraft Foods, General Mills, and Kellogg.

Corn prices have soared, hitting $6 a bushel, up 50% from 2007 and triple the price of three years ago. Corn is the main ingredient in livestock and poultry feed, so prices of milk, chicken, and meat are also higher. "It is important to note the contribution of runaway energy prices to the retail cost of food," says Jim Sartwelle, an economist with the American Farm Bureau. "Transportation, processing, and packaging cost significantly more now than in prior years." According to a survey by AAA, the average price of regular unleaded gasoline was $3.365, up 20% from last year, with many expecting $4 per gallon in some places this summer."

If you want to read the rest of this article, Search for it at Businessweek.com

Travels to Haiti's Food Crisis: Pictures, Photos, Videos and more

2008-04-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

How can we help Haitians to find enough foods to eat? How can the government produce enough to feed its own people? Agriculture must be revamped. More investments must come from foreign countries. Haiti is so close to us, but so far in terms of infrastructure and mentality. How can we have pity on the young ones who are suffering?

Welcome to FoodFuel: Recording the food crisis through travels all over the world

2008-04-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

FoodFuel aims at presenting the increase in our basic foods such as grains, oil, corn, rice and others. It will show the problems of foods in many countries such as Malaysia, Haiti, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Salvador and many others.