An Aftershock Shocked Haitians Further
Posted by Kirsten Monzon in Writing on March 11, 2010
Still not recovering from the first major earthquake, Haiti was hit by another catastrophe. Last Wednesday, Haitians were shook by an aftershock, whose magnitude, according to reports, ranged from 5.9 to 6.0 One thing that was sure was that it brought more disaster. Port-au-Prince was still in the midst of rubble, fallen debris, collapsed buildings, and destroyed houses when the earthquake hit. The 49 aftershocks that Haiti experienced after the 7.0- earthquake were not as alarming as this. Thankfully, though, no casualty was reported.
This aftershock only made matters worse for the Haitians. It further left them with nothing and nowhere to live in. More so, their cries for help and relief intensified and became much more needed now. According to the report of Chicago Tribune, one woman died from a heart attack when the aftershock hit. Those eight seconds of shaking only aggravated the situation and disrupted the relief operation that different countries and organizations were doing. The aids from the U.S. Navy and the USNS were arriving that day, too.
A lot of relief operations have been done in Haiti. Teams were organized to search for victims that were trapped under buildings and other infrastructures. In Chicago Tribune’s report, Dr. Jon Kim Andrus, the deputy director for the Pan American Health Organization, said that, so far, they have found 121 people.
The World Food Program was also reported to provide food and relief goods to the Haitians. Even though nearly $1 billion was allocated for different operations for Haiti, that still proved to be lacking. Despite the treatments that the medical teams have done, there are still some that are not found.
Bruce Pessgrave, the USGS geophysicist, feared that an aftershock might still happen in the future months. This possibility can be due to the fact that the “earth adjusts to the new stresses caused by the initial quake.” Let us all pray that this will not happen. Let us continue to support and help Haiti in any way possible.
A Telethon for Haiti
Posted by Kirsten Monzon in Writing on March 8, 2010
On Sunday, George Clooney will be hosting a telethon to help raise funds for Haiti. He will be partnering with MTV to air the said program. This will be the actor’s third time to host a telethon. His first was for the 9/11 incident, and the second was for the catastrophic tsunami in South Asia. According to People’s report, the bachelor even skipped the Critics’ Choice Awards just to deal with some things and people organize the telethon.
Even when the telethon was just at its initial stage, celebrities, artists, and television networks joined in the wagon. According to MTV, Wyclef Jean will be reporting from New York, Anderson Cooper (of CNN) from Haiti, and George Clooney from Los Angeles. The program will run for two hours with no commercials at all. Major television networks, like CBS, ABC, NBC, CW, and MTV, will air the event. The proceeds will go to a lot of foundations- Oxfam America, Red Cross, UNICEF, Yele Haiti Foundation, and Partners in Health. Even online social networks committed, too. Facebook and Myspace were said to help in promoting the telethon.
A lot of buzz has been going on as to who will be appearing in the telethon. No final word has been given out yet. But, according to MTV, Alicia Keys, Kid Rock, Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake, and Taylor Swift will be with Clooney in Los Angeles. On the other end of the coast will be Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, and Sting. In London, Rihanna, Bono, Coldplay, Jay-Z, and The Edge are scheduled to perform.
Furthermore, George Clooney is encouraging the youth to “get involved, whatever you do.” He pressed that this operation “is about compassion. There are times in our lives when people are really without help and in real danger, and this is one of those times. So whatever they can do — give money to one of the organizations that they like the best.”
Who Will Make Sweet Music in the Grammys?
Posted by Kirsten Monzon in Entertainment on March 5, 2010
The awards season continues on with the Grammys that is set to happen on January 31 at the Staple Center in Los Angeles. Last December, the nominees were announced. Leading the pack with ten nominations is Beyonce. Well, there is no surprise about that, seeing how much fame and praises this performer gains. Taylor Swift is on her tail with eight nominations. These top two performers are both vying for the Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance awards. Beyonce’s “I Am … Sasha Fierce” album and the tracks in it are nominated in different categories. Her “Halo” and “Single Ladies” earn the most nominations. Swift’s “You Belong With Me” lands her on many categories, as well, in the Grammys.
However, Lady Gaga is just a few steps behind. “Poker Face” is nominated thrice, including Record of the Year. Her album, “The Fame,” has two nominations in the bag. The Black Eyed Peas follow suit. Their “I Got a Feeling” earned nods for Record of the Year and Best Pop Performance, while “Boom Boom Pow” is nominated for Best Dance Recording. Their album is among the nominees for the Album of the Year, along the three previously stated nominees.
Now that the event is fast approaching, everyone is getting hyped up, and the news and speculations are becoming bigger. Some of the artists and singers that are confirmed to perform are Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Black Eyed Peas, and Green Day. The event is also said to feature the 3D mini film that was done for the late Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” tour. This will be the first time it will be shown to the public. Special awards and merits will also be given.
Let’s all tune in of January 31 to see what will happen in music’s biggest and most prestigious award- giving body. Which award will go to whom? But, perhaps, the most anticipated question is, who will bring home more awards between Beyonce, the veteran, and Taylor Swift, the musical breakthrough?
Who Will Make Sweet Music in the Grammys?
Posted by Kirsten Monzon in Writing on February 27, 2010
The awards season continues on with the Grammys that is set to happen on January 31 at the Staple Center in Los Angeles. Last December, the nominees were announced. Leading the pack with ten nominations is Beyonce. Well, there is no surprise about that, seeing how much fame and praises this performer gains. Taylor Swift is on her tail with eight nominations. These top two performers are both vying for the Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance awards. Beyonce’s “I Am … Sasha Fierce” album and the tracks in it are nominated in different categories. Her “Halo” and “Single Ladies” earn the most nominations. Swift’s “You Belong With Me” lands her on many categories, as well, in the Grammys.
However, Lady Gaga is just a few steps behind. “Poker Face” is nominated thrice, including Record of the Year. Her album, “The Fame,” has two nominations in the bag. The Black Eyed Peas follow suit. Their “I Got a Feeling” earned nods for Record of the Year and Best Pop Performance, while “Boom Boom Pow” is nominated for Best Dance Recording. Their album is among the nominees for the Album of the Year, along the three previously stated nominees.
Now that the event is fast approaching, everyone is getting hyped up, and the news and speculations are becoming bigger. Some of the artists and singers that are confirmed to perform are Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Black Eyed Peas, and Green Day. The event is also said to feature the 3D mini film that was done for the late Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” tour. This will be the first time it will be shown to the public. Special awards and merits will also be given.
Let’s all tune in of January 31 to see what will happen in music’s biggest and most prestigious award- giving body. Which award will go to whom? But, perhaps, the most anticipated question is, who will bring home more awards between Beyonce, the veteran, and Taylor Swift, the musical breakthrough?
Looters Spread Out in Haiti
Posted by Kirsten Monzon in Writing on February 24, 2010
Haiti is still under a catastrophe, but it seems like not everyone is grieving. According to numerous reports, looters have been taking advantage of the situation. It’s not only the health and shelter of the Haitians that the US troops need to focus on. Their security has been added to the list, too. Groups of looters have been said to be roaming around the area of Port-au-Prince, probably looking for things they can take for themselves. Both the military and the Haitian policemen are taking care of this matter. Gunshots were reportedly fired last Tuesday to alert the looters and stop them from stealing. This, though, did not completely shoo them away.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper was a witness to these crimes. He said, “… Haitian police officers were occasionally firing into the air to try to keep order, but that only worked for a few moments, then the looting would begin again.” These looters caused more trouble, too, aside from stealing. The reporter also recounted the incident where he saved a bleeding boy from being further harmed. Cooper saw how the young Haitian was hit from a piece of concrete that a looter was throwing from a roof. The boy kept on collapsing as he tried to run for cover.
This problem, according to rescue officials, can be due to the fact that people are in dire need for supplies. They have gone on days without food, water, shelter, and other necessities. Their lack of these things pushes them to steal and take whatever they can find. It’s a wrong thing to do; but if this is their reason for doing it, you cannot blame them.
This should serve as an alert to other countries in the world to send anything they can to help the Haitians. They are suffering enough from the earthquake. They probably cannot afford to protect themselves because of the much more important things that they have to think and worry about, such as their food and shelter. It is very much obvious that Haiti is willing to take whatever help they can get, and that can only come from us.
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