A Michigan man has been sentenced to 165 years in prison for traveling to Haiti to sexually abuse children in a center for the poor he set up in the Caribbean country. …read more
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Tag Archives: Haiti
Judge: Letters from 45 victims may be included in sentencing for man in Haiti sex abuse case
A judge has ruled that statements from almost four dozen victims of sexual abuse at a center for poor children in Haiti can be used at the sentencing hearing of a Michigan man. …read more
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Haiti police: 183 injured in street fights at Carnival-like fete; man dies falling off float
A summer Carnival-like celebration in Haiti has turned violent. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Not Your Average Condom Company
By Karsten Strauss, Forbes Staff
It’s not traditionally the first choice of global activists, but given the impact male prophylactics can have on the spread of disease and unwanted pregnancy, maybe the condom business makes sense as a platform from which to change the world. Sir Richard’s Condom Company operates on a business model that melds profits and a worthy cause— for each condom it sells, it donates one to a developing country. To date the Boulder, Colorado-based company has donated over 2.2 million of them since going to market in 2011. According to company CEO, Jim Moscou, Sir Richard’s mission is to address a massive global shortage of prophylactics. “Some countries have one condom per man per year,” he explained. “So the need is huge—it’s literally in the billions.” The company is currently focusing on Haiti as a recipient for its products—a country still recovering from a devastating earthquake in 2010. Since there was no Haitian brand of prophylactics, Sir Richard’s developed one especially for the country’s populous, called KORE, with the help of Haitian artists Marc Baptiste, to be distributed through Partners In Health. Is Sir Richard’s profitable? Not yet, but could be in the next year. Its policy of giving one away for each one it sells has put a damper on a growth run but that’s part of the adventure, according to Moscou. It’s socially conscious leanings set its brand apart from others in the market. “We’re going to give up a little bit of that profitability to do this and because of that it opens up a larger market, we believe, for us.” …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
NY food stamp recipients reportedly using benefits to ship food overseas
The practice of shipping food abroad to places like Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic has become so common that hundreds of barrels line the walls in grocery stores around the city to be used to send the food.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
Thousand-plus show up in Haiti anti-gay protest
More than 1,000 people in Haiti are participating in a rare demonstration to protest homosexuality.
Eddy Jean-Pierre, who says he’s a Protestant, is among demonstrators in the capital of Port-au-Prince. They are urging lawmakers not to pass legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage in the Caribbean nation.
The Friday demonstration organized by several religious groups comes two days after watchdog groups condemned what they say is an increase in threats targeting homosexuals in Haiti.
A group called the Haitian Coalition of Religious and Moral Organizations said three weeks ago that it disagreed with recent laws in other countries supporting gay marriage.
Haiti’s small gay and lesbian community has long remained largely underground because of a strong social stigma that sparks fears of physical violence and loss of employment.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Groups condemn threats against Haiti's gay society
Watchdog groups in Haiti are condemning what they say has been a series of threats targeting the Caribbean nation’s small gay community.
Attorney Mario Joseph and gay rights advocate Charlot Jeudy said at a news conference Wednesday that people who are gay or lesbian should be able to live freely without being harassed or attacked.
Jeudy is the president of a gay rights group. He says he was recently the victim of several threats, including a call from someone who told him to shut his mouth, or have it shut for him.
The conference comes three weeks after several Protestant leaders in Haiti said on national television that they disagreed with recent laws in other countries supporting gay marriage.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Serval Mesh Founders Aim To Create Disaster-Proof Mobile Network
By The Huffington Post News Editors
Several Australian telecommunications researchers have started taking steps to build a disaster-proof mobile network and are looking for more funding to expand their cause.
They developed free software, called The Serval Mesh, which enables Android phones to send and receive information using built-in Wi-Fi without depending on established cellular networks. Co-founder Paul Gardner Stephen, who is part of the nonprofit Serval Project based in Australia, decided to develop the software after grappling with Haiti’s infrastructure failures in the wake of the country’s 2010 earthquake.
The founders have also created a “mesh extender” device that substantially increases the Wi-Fi range, currently at 100 meters, between phones on the new network. They launched a fundraising page earlier this month to help turn the prototype of the device into a product that can be distributed to consumers.
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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post
How Apple Accidentally Revolutionized Health Care
By Keith Speights, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Apple didn’t necessarily intend to revolutionize health care, but that’s exactly what happened. Health care has changed dramatically since Steve Jobs first stood in front of an audience to introduce first the iPhone then later the iPad. Much of that change can be directly attributed to Apple.
Source: 3D4Medical.
Apples and doctors
It used to be said that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. That could still be applicable, but the opposite is true for doctors and Apple. Physicians love their iPhones and iPads.
A study by Manhattan Research in 2011 found that 75% of physicians owned at least one Apple product. Vitera Healthcare‘s 2012 survey of health-care professionals backed up this high number. The company’s study found that 60% of respondents used an iPhone and 45% owned an iPad.
The real revolution, though, has come from how physicians and other health-care professionals are using Apple’s devices. Mobile applications opened the door for clinicians to instantly access a world of medical information at the point of care.
For example, WebMD‘s Medscape application allows physicians to check drug interactions, look up information about procedures, and see medical news updates on the fly. Medscape ranks first among the most frequently downloaded medical apps for iPhones and iPads.
Yale University’s School of Medicine even did away with paper materials for training upcoming physicians. The school provided iPads and wireless keyboards to all of its medical students. Other schools followed suit.
Health eVillages’ experience underscores the transformational impact of Apple’s technology. The not-for-profit organization provides mobile health technology to medical professionals in areas such as Kenya and Haiti. Lives have been saved that otherwise would have been lost, thanks to doctors in remote areas who use an iPad to access needed information.
Use of Apple’s products goes beyond serving as a reference tool, though. An application that allows radiologists to view MRIs as well as CT, PET, and SPECT scans on iPhones and iPads received FDA approval in 2011. More recently, the FDA cleared the way for privately held Welch Allyn to connect its portable ophthalmoscope to an iPhone for doctors to view retinal images using the company’s app.
iPatients
Apple perhaps unwittingly opened new horizons for patients also. By April 2012, the company’s App Store included more than 13,600 health-related applications.
A peek at some of the current top-selling apps shows how much Apple’s technology has empowered patients. One application allows individuals to monitor their sleep cycles. Another provides a detailed guide to help expectant mothers through their pregnancies.
Pharmaceutical companies are getting into the act. For example, Vivus recently introduced an app for iPhones (and Android phones) that complements its weight-loss drug. The app allows patients to record what they eat and track their weight plus receive regular information updates.
Vital Art and Science recently gained FDA approval to sell its myVisionTrack product, which enables people with macular degeneration and other degenerative eye diseases to monitor their
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
Chile chief rejects Bolivia call for border talks
Chile‘s president says the U.N.’s top court should reject Bolivia‘s demand for talks on giving it access to the sea.
In an interview with The Associated Press, President Sebastian Pinera says a court ruling in Bolivia‘s favor would open an international “Pandora’s box” that might lead to a review of Mexico‘s border with the United States, or that of France with Germany.
Land-locked Bolivia this past week asked the International Court of Justice in The Hague to force Chile to negotiate over Bolivia‘s claim to at least part of the 240-mile (400-kilometer) strip of Pacific Coast that it lost in a 19th century war. Chile argues the issue was long ago settled by treaty.
Pinera spoke Saturday while returning from a summit in Haiti.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Bahamas military stops boat carrying 30 Haitians
Authorities in the Bahamas say they have intercepted a rickety boat carrying 30 Haitian migrants, including five children.
The Royal Bahamas Defense Force says it is transporting the migrants to the capital of Nassau, where they will be met by immigration officials and Red Cross volunteers. They will eventually be sent back to Haiti.
Military spokesman Origin Deleveaux says the sloop carrying five youngsters, one woman and 24 men was stopped early Sunday off Exuma Cays in the central Bahamas.
Haitian migrants have been coming to the Bahamas for years, fleeing severe poverty. They mostly try to reach the U.S., though some remain in the Bahamas to form a low-income workforce. While no official statistics exist, there are thought to be thousands of Haitians living in shantytowns on the islands.
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/world/~3/ZWAgCNDLmLI/
Haiti renames airport for Hugo Chavez
A spokesman for Haiti‘s prime minister says an airport in the country’s north has been renamed for the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Gary Bodeau says the Cap-Haitien International Airport will now be called the Hugo Chavez International Airport. Bodeau is a spokesman for Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe.
The airport’s 17,500-foot runway was repaved in October with Venezuelan money.
Venezuela has been one of Haiti‘s biggest supporters. Venezuela pledged $1.2 billion for Haiti, more than any other country, following the 2010 earthquake but has released just $222 million.
President Michel Martelly left Haiti Thursday to attend the inauguration for Venezuelan President-elect Nicolas Maduro.
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/world/~3/RLH7AZQ4PcY/
Brazil official: World Cup, Olympics will be safe
Brazilian officials said Tuesday they were closely following the investigation into the explosions at the Boston Marathon as they consider whether to change security measures for next year’s World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.
But a top official with FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, said his organization was already planning tougher security for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil in light of the Boston attack.
FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke said during a visit to Haiti on Tuesday that the measures would include secret service agents, police officers, military and Interpol.
Valcke also said a perimeter adding a second layer of security protection would be set up around Brazil‘s stadiums, with inspections of everyone passing through. As during the last World Cup in South Africa, a satellite will provide surveillance over Brazil, he said.
“As you can imagine with what happened in Boston, (security) will be even … stronger,” Valcke said at a news conference in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. “We will push the limit to make sure that we have the security, from the beach, to the airport, to the stadium.”
Valke, who was in the Caribbean country as part of a delegation led by FIFA President Sepp Blatter, said the soccer organization will work with police departments from all 32 countries participating in the 2014 World Cup and will draw on security measures adopted during the 2010 event in South Africa.
While Brazil has never been a target of international terrorism, Monday’s attack in Boston underscored how vulnerable big sporting events can be, and Brazil‘s foreign minister stressed that “all necessary measures” would be taken to make sure the upcoming mega-events are safe. Brazil is also two months away from hosting the Confederations Cup, the World Cup warm-up tournament.
“We are confident there will be measures which will guarantee the security of the events,” Antonio Patriota told reporters in the capital, Brasilia, adding that authorities here were awaiting the conclusions of the investigation into the two Boston blasts.
Alexandre Castilho, a spokesman for the government department that oversees safety during major events, stressed that no changes to security plans had been made, but didn’t rule out future changes.
“It would be too soon to change our strategy, especially because not even the American government has definite conclusions about what happened
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/world/~3/29qjv5eLvrA/
FIFA head: Boost security after Boston blasts
A top FIFA official says the international football organization will be stepping up security for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil as a result of the bombings at the Boston Marathon.
FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke said during a visit to Haiti that the security measures will include secret service agents, police officers, military, and Interpol. He also says a perimeter will be set up around stadiums and a satellite will provide surveillance over the country.
Valcke made the remarks Tuesday at a news conference at the headquarters of the Haitian soccer association. He was part of a FIFA delegation led by FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/world/~3/oLtjJgS-0Eo/
Haiti's displaced from the quake now at 320,050
A humanitarian agency in Haiti says the number of people still displaced by the earthquake three years ago is 320,050.
That’s a 79 percent decrease since the number of people living in settlements after the quake peaked at 1.5 million a few months after the 2010 disaster.
The International Organization of Migration also looks at recent departures from the camps.
The organization says about 60 percent of the 27,230 people who left during the past three months did so because of a government program that provides rental subsidies for those living in camps.
It says 6 percent of the departures were people who were evicted — something that typically happens when landlords want to get their land back.
The group released its report Monday.
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/national/~3/D8hXrBjd5Qc/
2nd Haiti minister resigns in as many days
Two radio stations in Haiti are reporting that a second minister in as many days has resigned from her post.
Privately owned Radio Tele-Kiskeya and Radio Tele-Metropole say that Minister of Communications Regine Godefroy has stepped down. The media outlets cited unnamed sources and didn’t say why she left.
There was no immediate response from the government.
Godefroy’s departure comes just one day after Haiti‘s Minister of Finance, Marie Carmelle Jean-Marie, resigned. Jean-Marie didn’t speak to the press but several radio stations reported that she left because she didn’t receive support from her colleagues as she tried to reform her office.
Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe acknowledged that Jean Marie resigned but declined to answer questions from The Associated Press.
Radio reported Godefroy’s resignation Thursday.
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/world/~3/uu0bywzJmxQ/
Alarm over vanishing frogs in the Caribbean
A curtain of sound envelops the two researchers as they make their way along the side of a mountain in darkness, occasionally hacking their way with a machete to reach the mouth of a small cave.
Peeps, tweets and staccato whistles fill the air, a pulsing undercurrent in the tropical night. To the untrained ear, it’s just a mishmash of noise. To experts tracking a decline in amphibians with growing alarm, it’s like a symphony in which some of the players haven’t been showing up.
In parts of Puerto Rico, for example, there are places where researchers used to hear four species at once and they are now hearing one or two, a subtle but important change.
“You are not hearing what you were before,” said Alberto Lopez, part of a husband-and-wife team of biologists trying to gauge the health of frogs on the island.
Scientists report that many types of amphibians, especially frogs, are in a steep global decline likely caused by a mix of habitat loss, climate change, pollution and a virulent fungus. The downward spiral is striking particularly hard in the Caribbean, where a majority of species are now losing a fragile hold in the ecosystem.
Without new conservation measures, there could be a massive die-off of Caribbean frogs within 15 years, warned Adrell Nunez, an amphibian expert with the Santo Domingo Zoo in the Dominican Republic. “There are species that we literally know nothing about” that could be lost, he said.
Researchers such as Lopez and his wife, Ana Longo Berrios, have been fanning out across the Caribbean and returning with new and troubling evidence of the decline. In some places, especially in Haiti, where severe deforestation is added to the mix of problems, extinctions are possible.
It is part of a grim picture overall. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has found that 32 percent of the world’s amphibian species are threatened or extinct, including more than 200 alone in both Mexico and Colombia.
“Everywhere we are seeing declines and it’s severe,” said Jan Zegarra, a biologist based in Puerto Rico for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Frogs may be less charismatic than some other troubled species, but their role in the environment is important. They are consumed by birds and snakes and they in
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
US military company gets contract in Haiti
A leading U.S. military contractor announced Tuesday that it won a contract for up to $48.6 million that will help support a U.S. contingent to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti.
The Falls Church, Virginia-based DynCorp International received the contract from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. It will recruit and finance up to 100 officers to join the U.N.’s police unit affiliated with the mission, known as UN Pol, and 10 U.N. correction advisers.
The contract also means that DynCorp will provide logistical support to Haiti‘s police academy, along with five French- and Haitian Creole-speaking experts to advise senior police officials.
The firm says it has already trained more than 400 officers with Haiti‘s National Police Department, a chronically understaffed force that today has only 10,000 officers in a country of 10 million people. Haitian officials hope to bring the total number of officers to 15,000 by 2016.
The DynCorp task order has a one-year base period with three, one-year options that carries a total value of $48.6 million.
The U.N. mission of now more than 9,000 troops has been in Haiti since 2004 with the goal of providing stability following the ouster that year of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Haiti bishop who married 'Baby Doc' Duvalier dies
A former Haitian bishop who presided over the lavish wedding of former dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier and was viewed as a supporter of the regime has died. He was 85.
The privately owned Radio Kiskeya is reporting that Francois-Wolff Ligonde died Monday following an unspecified illness. He had suffered from heart complications and diabetes.
Bishop Louis Kebreau reported the death to the radio station.
Ligonde was the uncle to Duvalier’s ex-wife, Michele Bennett. He married Duvalier and the divorcee in a lavish cathedral wedding in 1980 that was said to have fetched $3 million.
His sermons had been sympathetic to the 29-year rule of Duvalier and his father, Francois.
Ligonde was born in the southern coastal town of Les Cayes. He retired as the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince in 2008.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Study finds most Haiti aid went to US groups
A new report on American aid to Haiti in the wake of that country’s devastating earthquake finds most of the money went to U.S.-based operations.
The Center for Economic and Policy Research analyzed the $1.15 billion pledged after the January 2010 quake. The group says a lack of transparency makes it hard to track all the money. It found the “vast majority” of the money it could follow went to U.S. companies and organizations, more than half in the Washington area alone.
Just 1 percent went to Haitian companies.
The group has been critical of U.S. policy in the past, accusing the U.S. of a top-down approach to aid that does little to alleviate poverty in impoverished Haiti.
USAID did not respond to requests to comment on the report Friday.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News