Thousands feared dead in Haiti quake; many trapped

[MaxFly]

A few friends and I are making plans to go down later this spring to help out. The suffering that's taken place is heartbreaking. My prayer is that God's mercy and grace be with the people of Haiti and all people of Haitian decent.

If there were ever a time for people to open their hearts and wallets, this is it.

[Simon Lerkot Berglind]

Really terrible and I doubt that all the money people are trying to donate will go to those who need it the most... pretty much corruption and stuff going on there.

[bigted]

News: Twista Speaks "911" Freestyle Tribute, "Once That [Tragedy] Happened, It Was A No-Brainer"

Saturday, Jan 23, 2010 8:31AM

Written by Biz Jones

Rapper Twista recently spoke on the motivation behind his recent "911" Haiti tribute track and explained why it was only right to bring awareness to this month's massive earthquake.

According to Twista, he felt the same vibes he received after being shocked from 2005's New Orleans, Louisiana disaster.

"When I did that, it was just like what I saw with Hurricane Katrina," Twista explained via telephone from Chicago. "What I saw in Haiti hit me just the same. Especially if you're a person that is black and you're into our African culture, when you saw these things, it hits you harder than the average person. I know Wyclef personally, I'm a fan of his music before any of this happened. He put out CDs that were completely in Haitian. I would still bump those CDs 'cause I was into the whole vibe of it. I happened to be in the studio working. It was during the week when I was putting out a different freestyle for each day of the week. Once that [tragedy] happened, it was a no-brainer, like, 'What I gotta do today?' I thought real hard and the Mary J. Blige and Wyclef [Jean] '911' song came to me. I looped it up, played it for a while and thought about everything I wanted to say before I went in there. I just put something down. I thought it wasn't about lyrical skill -- just go straight in and tell them how you feel how you think people should react. That's what I did." (MTV)

The song also places emphasis on the actions made by rapper Wyclef Jean and United States' President Barack Obama.

"Man, I don't know what's going on y'all," Twista starts off saying. "We just gotta all hold hands and pray...Woke up this morning to the news and heard the fears and the cries/The sight of Haitian faces brought nothing but tears to my eyes/People suffer from a tragedy of the same demeanor as a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina/Where is God when I need him, I can't believe thedrama...it was like I was right there to see how death felt, I couldn't imagine the pain that Wyclef felt...I got up some old clothes like Nike and Pelle donate to 'em and make some contributions...and I'm glad to see Obama react the way he did, immediate reaction because we have to save the kids/Pride and honor because we both are from Chicago..." ("911 (Haiti Dedication)")

Rapper Lupe Fiasco has also penned a tribute track for Haiti relief funds.

Lupe has partnered with Music for Relief by donating/recording a brand new track "Resurrection" with Kenna to support the Haitian Earthquake response effort. Artists include: ALANIS MORISSETTE, THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS, DAVE MATTHEWS BAND, ENRIQUE IGLESIAS, HOOBASTANK, KENNA, LINKIN PARK, LUPE FIASCO, PETER GABRIEL AND SLASH. You can join us and support of the immediate relief and long-term recovery process in Haiti by downloading the music player, listening to your favorite songs and making a donation for your downloads. (Lupe Fiasco's Blog)

Haiti's earthquake took place earlier this month.

The major earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday may lead to hundreds of millions of dollars of insured losses, risk assessor Eqecat said, an amount that could have been higher had underwriters loosened their standards. Eqecat indicated that insured buildings often must meet a higher standard and therefore may sustain less damage. However, the company said Haiti's magnitude 7.0 earthquake, whose epicenter was just 10 miles (16 km) from the capital of Port-au-Prince, "is very severe, and even well-designed buildings could expect damage from this event." (Reuters)