TIMELESS ROOTS MEDIA 'Culturally Conscious' GLOBAL EXCHANGES

A TIMELESS INNAVIEW with DAVID L. WEEKS~WRITER/POET/WORD SMITH

Somewhere in this world

Now is the time for our words

To touch someone's Life

Each poem written

Is always written for someone

Somewhere

DAVID L. WEEKS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A TIMELESS INNAVIEW with DAVID L. WEEKS, writer,poet/word smith

By Hailemah Amhara Solomon

As a writer, journalist, and poet myself with a profound love of language and the word sound's power, I find it ironic to explain why I had to find just the right words to paint the colourful picture of writer, poet, philosopher my brother (bredren in faith) DAVID L. WEEKS.

I get speechless in the awe of his prolific blessings of the two edged sword, the tongue, delivering messages and idyllic journeys of life love, the celestial heights, in romantic symmetries, sometimes raw and urgent messages riveted and punctuated in his fathomless love of His people and The Almighty.

It has been just over four years since I met David on another social website (Myspace) and I was struck by the fiery eyes and chiseled face crowned by a hefty blessings of dreaded locks. Once I peeled forward the skins of newness of the friendship, I discovered a deeply grounded character of intellect, poise and grace but more impressive his profound love of his craft as a word smith.

As a poet myself, I was delighted to find out that he was the author of a vital works of poetic artistry entitled ANCIENT TRADITION, soul poetry which he published in 2000. I was immediately intrigued and requested to purchase a copy as well as a few extra copies which I promoted on a large RasTafarI website I managed. It was a pleasant surprise to discover also that David resided in my vicinity and was able to deliver the books in person.

What I found most amazing about this incredible human being was that David was born with Cerebral Palsy. Rather than taking the platter he was served in this life as a disadvantage, he furled his faith to the stars, reached for his fate, and carved out his destiny! Curiously, after four years, I just discovered that David's other pastime, his career, was in information technology, and he is a graduate of Bowie State University in MD,U.S. He worked on one of the NASA's bases on the Hubble Space Telescope Project. I will never cease to be impressed and humbled by David's passion for life, his work, and his expression of poetic art.

After four years and intermittent communication via the internet and social websites, our friendship and mutual respect have grown and I give thanks for having been blessed with meeting David. When I co-authored my late Father's recent publication on True Planetary Motions and Rhythmic Climatic Changes, it was David who represented the RasTafarI community by being the only one who travelled over 35 miles from Baltimore /Glen Burnie to be in support on a snowy February afternoon earlier this year. I was moved to tears to see him sitting alone awaiting my presence and presentation. That is what true friendship is to me.

I met David for the third time again this recent week, at that very restaurant to pick up another copy of his book for my other poetic long time literary genius, Vaughn Benjamin, of the roots reggae band, Midnite, coincidentally also from the island of St. Croix. As I entered the Everlasting Life restaurant & cultural center on a hot and humid summer afternoon in Washington, DC, I was greeted by David already served the Ital platter he travels far from Glen Burnie to visit this venue to enjoy! I joined him in warm greetings:

Hailemah: Blessed Love Bredren, give thanks for meeting me, please don't'let me interrupt your meal, I can reason with you as we go along?

David: Greetings sistren, good to see you, I really wanted to share lunch, you will not be eating?

Hailemah: No, sorry, I grabbed a bite before coming, I am on fruit today, give thanks! But I will try the cleansing juices it sounds delicious, give thanks.

David, still wearing his 2 feet long dread locks, is vital, vibrant and wholesome looking with deep set bright eyes and a bearded face, looks like an excerpt from the ancient of days! I settle to drink my Ital juices and begin to jot down David's natural soft spoken banter as we let the energy just flow between us.

Hailemah: So David, is there a beginning? where we shall start? I can't help but give respect to the first of your mentor, your Mother, Blessings be upon her, will you share her with me?

David: Well, as you know Hailemah, I was close to my Mother from early childhood. Her passing recently really changed my life. She was orphaned very early in her childhood and learned early to become fiercely independent by necessity. She was a no nonsense woman and raised me and my older brother alone. I was just 8, and my Brother was 10 when our Father died. My Mother was a homemaker, after My Father died she made everything as normal as can be, making sure we had everything. Having had benefits from our father's military pension, my Mother made do, we had a roof over our heads, ate three meals a day and we never went to school dirty or tattered. She worked hard all her life and was always healthy, never sick, I never saw her sit down to eat, she was always busy with making life good for us.

Hailemah: I know David, how powerful a force your Mother was in your life, I remember seeing the image of her and you that you used as your Myspace profile picture. I would often send greetings to you and her, (smile) so shall we start with your writing, with your early days in St.Croix as a boy?

David: I was really an artist first, before a writer. I wasn't into literature, the required traditional Shakespeare, and the like, my writing actually started by accident, in college. In my English class, I had a good relationship with my teacher who asked us to make a journal of our daily activities. I soon got bored with writing about that, and my first real literary piece was about the pros and cons of shoe laces, vs. Velcro closures for tennis shoes!

Hailemah: Wow, how fascinating, a seemingly insignificant matter to most, but highly important to developing children and adaptation of necessary motor skills in tying shoelaces, yes I, please continue.

David: From there my writing took on a more analytical mode in writing about social issues and other areas that interested me. I didn't write romantic/ love poems much from in the beginning, it wasn't until I met a woman who inspired me tremendously. It was from her inspiration that I drew most of my passion to write those pieces flavored by her love. It is from this time that I did some of my best writing, romantically.

Hailemah: Ah, yes, blessed love Bredren, for sharing that with us, I know the well of emotions well myself, bless!.....There are a set of questions ,usually five, that I ask my interviewees, one of them is your professional, or pen name, where does yours, ANCIENT TRADITION spring from?

David: I was not always known as ANCIENT TRADITION, in my youthful days growing up in St.Croix, my "Dread" name was SHAMBALA, which I saw flashed on the screen of an American band's video, and loved the sound of it, so I began to use it from then. I choose the name ANCIENT TRADITION in 1996, when I wound up on poet group/chat site and began using the handle. From the two words, ANCIENT, of being ,as some would say to me, "You are an OLD SOUL!", and TRADITION from our ancestry and tradition of poets, or GRIOTS of Afrika. The name became the personification of who/what I was evolving into.

Hailemah: Most people , as I and you being writers, have used various means to get exposure for our works, such as this medium, the writer's interview, or as I call it here on Timeless Roots Media, a 'Timeless Innaview'. What have you been doing to promote ANCIENT TRADITION, the book"?

David: My first book of poetry I wrote was published in 2000 as ANCIENT TRADITION, which I have primarily used the poet's chat rooms and the social websites to give exposure to my works. I ,unlike people like you, Hailemah,who have the gift of PR and promotions, do not have that gift. God gave me this gift of writing but he did not give me the vehicle to move them! That is why I appreciluv what you do Hailemah.

Hailemah: I overs(stand), bredren, it is one thing to write a great works of literary worth and not have the means to market it, that is sadly the fate of thousands of Haile talented writers and artists. I fulljoy giving to others, promoting others helps me to give forward in my ability to do so as a media personality, website creator, marketing and public relations professional. I do it from love, like you, up to this year, never charging for my services, except as you well know, publishing even though self publishing is now an option for writers, that route as an alternative to traditional publishing is largely still rather expensive. We cannot continue to give away our works which is Haile honourable but not very cost effective or practical to surviving to create another work!

David: Yes, I used to freely share my poetry before I published my book and I still freely share new works that I write, as my poetry being of a spiritual nature the value is in making someone else inspired to develop and pursue their own dreams. But I would ask Jah(God) why he would give me the talent to write and inspire others, yet not give me the talent to market it! I leave it to Jah, and to ones like you Hailemah. Give thanks.

Hailemah:, Most welcomed Bredren, I too, wish I could continue to give my books away, just dump into the clouds and let them rain down purple! LOL,But we both know the value is a labour of love, despite the lack of support in some areas.

David: Yes sistren, making someone else inspired has been my driving force, but also I will not sell my soul to capitalism. As we have reasoned sistren on the survival in challenging times, in these times, many will not survive for they are not of the spiritual world, but from the world of materialism. Where are all the diamonds, god and precious metals that they fight endless wars for, they are in Afrika! They will sell their souls to gain the richest of everything, and lose their souls!  Many will not survive in any type of catastrophe, but Rastaman can!

Hailemah: Yes I Bredren, spiritual groundedness places us in a place of co-captainship with the Creator , doing His will, in His time, we are in synch with the laws of nature, the Earth planet, and the cosmos. In your works, particularly, 'IGZIABEHER', just ONE of my favourites, as the entire book can becomea list of my favourites, for real! (smile). As it goes in this one:

Under a Grape Tree, I sat gazing across the sea;

With my eyes fixed on the horizon, I wondered how

All things came to be.

Everyone has a different story. Despite all the

Various stories I must recognize that FORCE ,

That ONE FORCE that makes this whole universe a

Reality. I call this Force by HIS name, JAH, so

I must say: "Igziabeher, (Let JAH Be Praised)".

I found the natural flow and simplicity of its fluidity and appreciluvness of nature, the Almighty and the seemingly simple things we all tend to take for granted,(the Grape Tree, the sea, the whole universe), I find it all so much a reflection of the age old questions and search of every living soul, to refer to our FORCE, the ONE FORCE that you so reverently give praises and honour to. I give thanks to HIM, the Creator, for YOU David, for the reflection of his divine doings in the making of men such as you who love from the source, our MOTHERS, Your SISTERS and lovers, your Bredren in true selflessness, give thanks David for sharing of your self, your time this afternoon with me and for giving me permission to share this with the world!

David: Blessed Love sis Hailemah and thank you.

I parted with my friend David that afternoon, knowing that the parts of ourselves that we share with others through our faith in Jah, will be rewarded tenfold, in the equation of Life!

For book copies contact David at https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=1633099117

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** We Never Know, When The Words We Are Inspired To Write, Will Be That

Shining Light, Somewhere At The End Of Someone`s Dark Tunnel ** DLW

________________________________________

Hailemah Amhara Solomon

May 11th, 2011

Forward to business.....Read these posts from W.A.D.U ,World Afrikan Diaspora Union that I have been posting for over two years, wake up people!

Where will we then "repatriate" to, what then will we have to turn to,if Afrika is returned, as it surely seems to be, to a continent of doom and darkness, by the current NATO onslaught via the bottleneck of atrocities against strategic Lybia? It is not just oil that they are after, but a two-fold agenda to dessimate Afrika,one country at a time, just like the agenda for the middle East!!!! The monies for Afrikan banks, infrastructure, communications for United Afrikan States are being held by Gadaffi in amounts that they (NATO) desperately want! (from billions of oil money marked for Afrika's building a United Afrikan States). This is the main motivating reason aslo that these funds are being viciously targeted by the hungry blood suckers of U.S, Britian, France, Italy, Canada,NATO, now in full force, so tha Afrika will never become the potential of its glory ever! This is crucial and the world is standing by and doing little but sucking teeth and shaking heads, even the AU is letting down Gadaffi and Libya, so the sore will be an open for the salt, just wait and see, their(NATO) plan is almost two months in the making of constant bombing at merciless levels, dessimating a country while the world watches, "shaking heads,"what a pity".... READ these posts:

.http://sz0072.wc.mail.comcast.net/zimbra/h/message?id=652020

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UPDATE ON HAITI HUMANITARIAN SITUATION   ( DEC 15TH, 2011)

(give thanks sistren Sabrina for this update)

News » IJDH Press Releases

Rights Groups Denounce U.S. Government’s Decision to Resume Some Deportations to Haiti Amid Spiraling Cholera Outbreak and Worsening Humanitarian Situation

13 December 2010 Comments: 0

For Imme­di­ate Release:

Mon­day, Decem­ber 13, 2010

Con­tact:

Jen Nes­sel, Cen­ter for Con­sti­tu­tional Rights, 212.614.6449, jnessel@ccrjustice.org

Steve Forester, Insti­tute for Jus­tice and Democ­racy in Haiti, 786.877.6999, steveforester@aol.com

Michelle Kar­shan, Alter­na­tive Chance, 212.613.6033, Altchance@aol.com

Rights Groups Denounce U.S. Government’s Deci­sion to Resume Some Depor­ta­tions to Haiti Amid Spi­ral­ing Cholera Out­break and Wors­en­ing Human­i­tar­ian Situation

Depor­ta­tions for Crim­i­nal Con­vic­tions Could Vio­late Oblig­a­tions Under Con­ven­tion Against Torture

Decem­ber 13, 2010, New York – The Immi­gra­tion and Cus­toms Enforce­ment agency (ICE) announced on Decem­ber 9 that it has lifted the ban on depor­ta­tions to Haiti for per­sons with crim­i­nal con­vic­tions. Depor­ta­tions to Haiti have been stayed since shortly after the Jan­u­ary 12, 2010 earth­quake dev­as­tated the coun­try. ICE announced it has also ended the pol­icy of releas­ing detainees with orders of removal after 90 days, which could result in their indef­i­nite, unrea­son­able and arbi­trary deten­tion. Hait­ian nation­als with any crim­i­nal record are now likely sub­ject to con­tin­ued deten­tion and removal. Last week, 89 Hait­ian nation­als were arrested and detained with the intent to deport them.

In response, the Cen­ter for Con­sti­tu­tional Rights, the Insti­tute for Jus­tice & Democ­racy in Haiti, and Alter­na­tive Chance issued the fol­low­ing statement:

ICE’s sud­den deci­sion to resume depor­ta­tions to Haiti is uncon­scionable. As that agency is well aware, the sit­u­a­tion in Haiti has not improved and may be even worse now than when the depor­ta­tions were halted in the weeks after the dev­as­tat­ing earth­quake of Jan­u­ary 2010.

The peo­ple of Haiti are now in the mid­dle of a wors­en­ing cholera out­break that has spread to the very pris­ons where those deported may be detained. The prac­tice in Haiti, even before the earth­quake, has been to detain many depor­tees from the United States in hold­ing cen­ters in Haiti with, as U.S. immi­gra­tion judges have often noted, deplorable, sub­stan­dard con­di­tions and lack of med­ical care.

The Inter­na­tional Com­mit­tee of the Red Cross in Haiti recently reported that the cholera epi­demic is spread­ing through Haiti’s crowded pris­ons, and numer­ous pris­on­ers have already died. Groups work­ing on the ground in Haiti have also reported that untreated water is being given to pris­on­ers, which could fur­ther has­ten the spread of cholera.

Send­ing Hait­ian nation­als to be detained in facil­i­ties deemed deplorable before the earth­quake where expo­sure to cholera could lead to death is a vio­la­tion of the U.S. government’s oblig­a­tions under the Con­ven­tion Against Tor­ture (CAT). Under U.S. law cod­i­fy­ing CAT, the U.S. is not per­mit­ted to remove any­one when it can be shown that it is “more likely than not that he or she would be tor­tured if removed to the pro­posed coun­try of removal.” U.S. courts have pre­vi­ously held that remov­ing peo­ple who are HIV-positive to Haiti where they would be detained in deplorable con­di­tions and unable to obtain nec­es­sary med­ica­tion could, in some cir­cum­stances, be a vio­la­tion under U.S. laws imple­ment­ing CAT.

It is ironic that on the same day ICE announced this new pol­icy, Decem­ber 9, 2010, the U.S. State depart­ment issued a travel warn­ing rec­om­mend­ing against any non-essential travel to Haiti due to “con­tin­ued high crime, the cholera out­break, fre­quent dis­tur­bances in Port-au-Prince and in provin­cial cities, and lim­ited police pro­tec­tion and access to med­ical care.”

The Cen­ter for Con­sti­tu­tional Rights, the Insti­tute for Jus­tice & Democ­racy in Haiti, and Alter­na­tive Chance call on ICE to halt roundups and deten­tions of Hait­ian nation­als in the U.S. and con­tinue the stay on depor­ta­tions. Fur­ther­more, we call on ICE to release more infor­ma­tion about this new pol­icy and, specif­i­cally, to explain what assess­ment was con­ducted of the cir­cum­stances in Haiti prior to the change in policy.

The Cen­ter for Con­sti­tu­tional Rights is ded­i­cated to advanc­ing and pro­tect­ing the rights guar­an­teed by the United States Con­sti­tu­tion and the Uni­ver­sal Dec­la­ra­tion of Human Rights. Founded in 1966 by attor­neys who rep­re­sented civil rights move­ments in the South, CCR is a non-profit legal and edu­ca­tional orga­ni­za­tion com­mit­ted to the cre­ative use of law as a pos­i­tive force for social change. Visit www.ccrjustice.org.

The Insti­tute for Jus­tice & Democ­racy in Haiti (IJDH), estab­lished in 2004, fights for human rights and jus­tice in Haiti and for fair and just treat­ment of Haitians in the United States. Visit www.ijdh.org.

Alter­na­tive Chance (Chans Alte­na­tiv) is a self-help, peer coun­sel­ing, advo­cacy pro­gram for crim­i­nal depor­tees in Haiti founded in 1996 to assist prior to depor­ta­tion, while detained in Haiti, and dur­ing inte­gra­tion into Hait­ian soci­ety. Alter­na­tive Chance chal­lenges ille­gal deten­tion of depor­tees in Haiti, the injus­tices of US immi­gra­tion poli­cies, pro­vides expert wit­ness tes­ti­mony, and var­i­ous ser­vices includ­ing job coun­sel­ing and ori­en­ta­tion to Haiti. Visit www.AlternativeChance.org.

News

Would-be Haitian contractors miss out on aid

13 December 2010 Comments: 0

By Martha Men­doza, Asso­ci­ated Press

A Hait­ian man removes debris from a house dam­aged by the Jan. 12 earth­quake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sat­ur­day Dec. 11, 2010. Out of every $100 of U.S. con­tracts now paid out to rebuild Haiti, Hait­ian firms have suc­cess­fully won $1.60, The Asso­ci­ated Press has found in a review of con­tracts since the earth­quake on Jan. 12. And the largest ini­tial U.S. con­trac­tors hired fewer Haitians than planned. There are many rea­sons for the dis­par­ity. Among them, US AID is more famil­iar with some U.S. con­trac­tors and gave out some no-bid con­tracts out of urgency, and fears the cor­rup­tion that is rife in Haiti. On the Hait­ian side, there is a lim­ited under­stand­ing of U.S. gov­ern­ment prac­tices. (APPhoto/Dieu Nalio Chery) (Dieu Nalio Chery — AP)

His 40-year-old com­pany, Chabuma S.A., sells cement blocks, doors, sand bags and other mate­ri­als for inter­na­tional com­pa­nies. But what he wants is a more sig­nif­i­cant role in his country’s recov­ery, which is why he says he keeps bid­ding — with­out suc­cess — for U.S. gov­ern­ment contracts.

“You can imag­ine that if we can’t win the con­tracts our­selves, we become totally depen­dent on for­eign com­pa­nies and non­prof­its, and there is not much hope in that,” he said. “We may not have the extended capac­ity of a U.S. com­pany, but we are respectable. We keep good books and records, we have for­eign sup­pli­ers, we have good credit, we pay our taxes and our cus­toms dues.”

Out of every $100 of U.S. con­tracts now paid out to rebuild Haiti, Hait­ian firms have suc­cess­fully won $1.60, The Asso­ci­ated Press has found in a review of con­tracts since the earth­quake on Jan. 12. And the largest ini­tial U.S. con­trac­tors hired fewer Haitians than planned.

There are many rea­sons for the dis­par­ity. Among them, US AID is more famil­iar with some U.S. con­trac­tors and gave out some no-bid con­tracts out of urgency, and fears the cor­rup­tion that is rife in Haiti. On the Hait­ian side, there is a lim­ited under­stand­ing of U.S. gov­ern­ment practices.

But using for­eign aid to give local com­pa­nies con­tracts is one of the most impor­tant aspects of recon­struc­tion, says Clare Lock­hart, chief exec­u­tive offi­cer of the Insti­tute for State Effectiveness.

“You can’t just pro­vide man­ual jobs. You need to con­tract with com­pa­nies so that the mid­dle tier man­agers and own­ers of com­pa­nies have a stake in the legal sys­tem and rule of law, and ulti­mately a stake in the suc­cess of their polit­i­cal sys­tem and their econ­omy,” she says.

Of the 1,583 U.S. con­tracts given so far in Haiti total­ing $267 mil­lion, only 20 — worth $4.3 mil­lion — are going to Haitian-owned com­pa­nies. And an audit this fall by US AID’s Inspec­tor Gen­eral found that more than 70 per­cent of the funds given to the two largest U.S. con­trac­tors for a cash for work project in Haiti was spent on equip­ment and mate­ri­als. As a result, just 8,000 Haitians a day were being hired by June, instead of the planned 25,000 a day, accord­ing to the IG.

The con­trac­tors, Devel­op­ment Alter­na­tives Inc. of Bethesda, Md. and Chemon­ics Inter­na­tional of Wash­ing­ton D.C., which received more than $31 mil­lion each in no-bid con­tracts, responded to AP in an email say­ing that together with sev­eral other con­trac­tors, they had employed 25,000 Haitians a day. Now, they said, 10 months after the earth­quake, “pri­or­i­ties have evolved beyond a focus on tem­po­rary employ­ment,” a pro­gram that has paid Hait­ian work­ers $18 mil­lion in wages.

US AID says it is com­mit­ted to increas­ing the amount of con­tracts going to Haitians.

“We already are engag­ing with Hait­ian com­mu­ni­ties to make them aware of how they can part­ner with us,” said Jan­ice Lau­rente, a spokeper­son for US AID.

Econ­o­mists say giv­ing con­tracts to local busi­nesses cre­ates jobs, which help build the pri­vate sec­tor. Also, most donors would rather see local busi­nesses thrive than for­eign com­pa­nies prof­it­ing from a disaster.

“Some are obvi­ous, like salaries and prof­its that stay in the local econ­omy, but there are also ways to increase capac­ity of local firms by giv­ing them pro­gres­sively larger con­tracts,” says Werker.

But there are many hur­dles to sign­ing a con­tract with Haitians.

The first is a no-bid process: 25 per­cent of the con­tracts went directly to U.S. con­trac­tors with­out even giv­ing Haitians a chance to bid on them, some­times because the needs were so urgent there wasn’t time to go through a for­mal bid­ding process. In addi­tion, some gov­ern­ment requests for local Hait­ian sub­con­trac­tors and exper­tise are pub­lished only in Eng­lish, lim­it­ing access for many Haitians who speak Creole.

Also, at times of cat­a­stro­phe, it can be eas­ier to use an estab­lished con­trac­tor with a strong record than a pre­vi­ously unknown local one. The Hait­ian econ­omy was so dec­i­mated by the earth­quake that it was hard at first even to get wood or traps for shel­ters with­out import­ing them. Now, even though there are Hait­ian com­pa­nies pro­vid­ing many prod­ucts and ser­vices, the pat­tern of using for­eign ones continues.

And finally, it’s more com­pli­cated to con­tract directly in coun­tries like Haiti, where cor­rup­tion is rife. There has been price-gouging among some would-be Hait­ian contractors.

The unprece­dented promise of $9 bil­lion in aid, with the U.S. as a top giver, at first raised hope of rebuild­ing and even of a new and brighter future for the tragedy-prone island. But fewer than 10 per­cent of those funds have made it past the “promise” stage.

While Chemon­ics and DAI are the largest sin­gle recip­i­ents, the bulk of the funds have gone to belt­way con­trac­tors as well: firms in Vir­ginia received the most funds of any state, $45.3 mil­lion, fol­lowed closely by Mary­land, $44.6 mil­lion. Another $31.7 mil­lion went to com­pa­nies based in the Dis­trict of Columbia.

The U.S. for­eign aid con­tracts to Haiti since the earth­quake have gone to an array of almost entirely U.S.-based goods and ser­vices, from bullet-proof vehi­cles ordered Nov. 18 by the Cen­ters for Dis­ease Con­trol from a Miami-based firm to $24,000 in den­tal sup­plies for US Navy med­ical providers in June from a Chesa­peake, Va. firm. Yet bullet-proof vehi­cles and den­tal sup­plies are avail­able from Hait­ian com­pa­nies, accord­ing to the non­profit Peace Div­i­dend Trust.

“Frankly, it’s a shame and a seri­ous oppor­tu­nity lost,” says Edward Rees of the Peace Div­i­dend Trust. His orga­ni­za­tion put together a busi­ness por­tal, offer­ing every­thing from secu­rity ser­vices to cater­ing, and is train­ing Haitians on how to bid for con­tracts and grants. “No one is sys­tem­at­i­cally track­ing how many con­tracts have gone to Hait­ian companies.”

The lack of local spend­ing in Haiti is sim­i­lar to that in most other coun­tries receiv­ing U.S. aid, although econ­o­mist Werker said Haiti is likely at the low end of the spec­trum. But Rees con­trasts Haiti with Afghanistan, where — backed by Peace Div­i­dend Trust — U.S. Army Gen­eral David H. Petraeus ordered his com­man­ders to “Hire Afghans first, buy Afghan prod­ucts, and build Afghan capacity.”

The results in Afghanistan are encour­ag­ing: A recent study found that 37 per­cent of $2 bil­lion in annual inter­na­tional aid is now being used to buy locally-produced Afghan goods and ser­vices, up from 31 per­cent a few years ago.

The AP review focused on con­tracts from the U.S. gov­ern­ment, which spent an imme­di­ate $1.1 bil­lion in U.S. human­i­tar­ian assis­tance after the earth­quake, and promised another $1.15 bil­lion for recon­struc­tion. In Novem­ber, the first $120 mil­lion of the pledged recon­struc­tion funds were tran­ferred to the World Bank-run Haiti Recon­struc­tion Fund, accord­ing to the State Department.

In addi­tion to gov­ern­ment aid, more than $1 bil­lion has come from non­profit char­i­ties, most of which try to buy local, said Samuel A. Wor­thing­ton, pres­i­dent of Inter­Ac­tion, the largest alliance of U.S.-based inter­na­tional non­govern­men­tal orga­ni­za­tions. He rep­re­sents non­prof­its man­ag­ing about 90 per­cent of the U.S. dona­tions that were directed to Haiti after the quake.

Wor­thing­ton says there is no sys­tem to count how much has gone to Haitian-owned companies.

“There is a very strong bias to ensure as much local pro­cure­ment as pos­si­ble, and as much spend­ing in the local econ­omy,” says Wor­thing­ton. “Our bot­tom line is to serve as many peo­ple as pos­si­ble and get the best price, to spread those dollars.”

—

Men­doza reported from Santa Cruz, California.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/12/AR2010121201566.html

Dec.7th, 2010

Sent to me from World Afrikan Diaspora Union Cultural Commissioner,Nana Farika Berhane:

Please share

Hailemah Amhara Solomon

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From: Amenelik@aol.comTo: Amenelik@aol.comSent: 12/5/2010 8:54:53 A.M. Eastern Standard TimeSubj: DRAFT 2 - SENEGAL DECLARATION OF SUPPORT

The world African diaspora union (WADU)

World Festival of Black Arts and Cultures, Dakar, Senegal December 10, 2010

AFRICAN DIASPORA DECLARATION (ADD) FOR ACTION TO THE AFRICAN UNION STATES

Union Government Citizenship Education Investments Reparations

On this historic day of the 110th anniversary celebration of the Pan African Movement and the third anniversary of the World Festival of Black Arts and Cultures in Dakar, Senegal; Reaffirming the visionary role of the people of Senegal in the leadership of the African world; Recognizing that Africans everywhere have been severely oppressed and underdeveloped due to the legacy of Imperialism, Racism, Slavery, Colonialism and Neo-Colonialism; Encouraging coordinated and direct actions in support of the U.N. resolution calling for 2011 the International Year for the People of Afrikan descent; Now join with other leaders and representatives of the African world in support of this African Diaspora Declaration urging the African Union States in the year 2011 to act for the:

1. Immediate transformation of the African Union into a ‘United States of Africa’ continent government body;

2. Acceptance of the African Diaspora as an integrated political and social representative body to the African Union with the restoration of rights of citizenship;

3.Cultural emulation and propagation of the philosophy and teachings of our Pan African history, heritage and sciences, including promoting African Diaspora cultural pilgrimage to Africa;

4.Acceptance of the African Diaspora as an economically integrated constituent of the African Union, as priority partners to establish and promote a Pan African model for the sustainable development of our joint resources through businesses, trade, investments and commerce across the African world; and Implementation of the Abuja Declaration and its mandate in pursuance of the claim to Reparations and accept the findings of the Durban Conference on Racism, Xenophobia and other related matters and to pursue the plan of action.

PLEASE COMPLETE THE AFRICAN DIASPORA DECLARATION

_______________ ____________________________________

Name Signature

Organization/Group

________________ ____________________________________

Phone E-mail

Date

________________________________________________­­_______

Comment

________________________________________________________________

(Optional) Title Address State/Country

World African Diaspora Union (WADU) P.O. Box 115073 Atlanta, GA 30310-0095

PS. Send to John Watusi Branch (Chief Secretariat –NYC) at Jwatusi@aol.com

/718-523-3312 or Min. P.D. Menelik (Secretary Gen.-ATL) wadupam@aol.com /404-527-7756/404-822-2049

WWW.WADUPAM.ORG

.

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Seven Signs of a Bad Loan

Greetings Family,

As a Realtor(inactive) I have seen many of the following in the years prior to the Real Estate bubble inflating and finally bursting. The information herein may help someone who is tying to be first time buyer in a straining market. Heed the warnings and good luck with your home purchase.

Blessings,

Sis Hailemah

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seven Warning Signs of a Bad LoanSponsored By

Know the red flags of a loan going bad

By Lew Sichelman

Chances are you know the seven warning signs of cancer; many people do. But do you know the seven red flags that a lender is taking advantage of you? Or that the loan you are considering is not in your best interests?

If not, the Federal Trade Commission warns in an updated alert, you could end up losing your house and all the equity you've built up in it over the years.

"Not all loans or lenders are created equal," the consumer watchdog agency cautions in the revised bulletin. "Some unscrupulous lenders may offer loans to elderly or low-income homeowners and those with credit problems, promising that the loan will be based on the equity of the home, rather than the homeowner's ability to repay it."

Basically, if a loan sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't. But beyond that, there are certain tell-tale signs that something is amiss and you should slow down and proceed with extreme caution.

Avoid any lender who:

•Tells or requires you to falsify information on your application. There is no such thing as a "little white lie" when borrowing money. If you don't tell the truth, you could go to jail or be fined. But even if you are not prosecuted, you could be forced to pay the loan in full right away. Or you could be getting in way over your head and find yourself on the street.

•Pressures you into borrowing more money than you need. The only reason a lender wants you borrow more than necessary is to increase his commission. But you'll probably pay more in interest on the extra dough than you'd earn in interest by stashing it away in a savings account. So stick to what you need and ask for no more.

•Pushes you into accepting monthly payments you can't afford. Figure out whether you have enough coming in to cover all your monthly bills, including a new or larger mortgage. And don't forget to have a little cushion for emergencies. If your outflow is more than your inflow, you will find yourself in trouble rather quickly. Only Uncle Sam can get away with deficits.

•Fails to provide you with the required loan disclosures, or tells you don't need to read them. By law, lenders have to tell you the APR, or annual percentage rate, plus provide an itemized list of closing costs within three days after you apply.

The APR is a comparison shopping tool that includes not just the interest rate but also points, broker fees and certain other credit charges. The list of closing fees, known as a good faith estimate, will cover these charges as well as everything else you'll be asked to pay at settlement.

If yours is considered a "high-rate, high-fee" loan, the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act, gives you additional rights and protections. For example, if total fees and points exceed a certain amount for 2003, the figure is $488 or 8 percent of the total loan amount you must get some disclosure three business days before closing.

All of this is valuable information, so take as long as necessary to read it. And if you don't understand it, consult with someone you trust for an explanation. That could be an attorney, financial advisor or your local credit counseling agency.

•Promises one thing and delivers another. If you are presented one set of terms when you apply for the loan and a completely different set at closing, your antenna should wiggle and you should demand an explanation. Actually, even if your lender explains what's going on, it's probably a good idea to step back and take another, harder look at what he's asking you to agree to. And be prepared to walk away and take your business elsewhere.

•Tells you it is okay to sign blank forms. It is never okay to sign a blank form. Period. End of story. So don't allow the lender to fill in the blanks later. If there is a blank, cross it out and initial your mark.

•Says you can't have copies of the papers you are signing. Or won't give you copies of the documents you'll be asked to sign.

•Lenders may not give you the actual filled-in papers in advance, but they should be willing to give you blank documents that have not yet been filled in so you can take them home and review them or show them to a trusted advisor. If they won't, wonder if they have something to hide.

•And if the lender won't give you copies of what you've signed at closing, cancel the deal right then and there. These papers contain important information about your rights and obligations. If your lender doesn't want you to have a set, something's terribly wrong.

Copyright © by Realty Times

TIMELESS ROOTS MEDIA NETWORK~ ‘Culturally Conscious Media’

REVIEW by Hailemah A. Solomon

 Introducing!  RAS RESTAURANT & LOUNGE~ 4809 GEORGIA AVENUE, N.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20011

OPEN 10:00 A.M UNTIL!   LATE NIGHT BREAKFASTS ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHTS AND TAKE-OUT ALSO AVAILABLE. 

The moment I entered the Ras Restaurant & Lounge I knew I was in for a treat of culinary visual and sensual delights! Sensual in that one’s entire senses are engaged fully upon experiencing this gem of a find in Northwest Washington. Awakened by the colourful images of art works, cultural sounds, and appealing ambience of this rich oasis.

The owner Elias, welcomed me warmly as he remembered me from the days of his proprietorship of the legendary Kaffa House , a previous establishment he owned in the U street corridor in the mid 90’s.  Since Kaffa House, there has been a void in Washington D.C. for the real roots and culture of the Afrikan Diaspora.

We sat at the great ample wooden bar on black leather stools, quietly speaking on our updates and my reason for visiting. My two-fold purpose was to deliver some current copies of the Reggae Festival Guide magazines that I represent as a sales and marketing agent. I brought Elias up to date with my Timeless Roots Media Network, of Advertising and Public Relations and offered to do this review before returning on Saturday for a joint Ras Punch project and my new Book Release.

It is mid-afternoon in upper N.W. Washington and the slower than normal traffic allows me to have a private audience with the owners Mesfin and Elias. They are both as equally gracious as Mary, my waitress for the afternoon lunch that I was so looking forward to. I settle in to order and enjoy the Injera and vegetables tray. This spread of delectable delights is well worth the price at only $10.00. My tray is delivered with full regalia of a gorgeous Ethiopian colourfully designed pottery dish laid out with individual portions of curried cabbage, greens, lentils, spiced lentils and slithered beet roots. It is served with the traditional Inerja, an Ethiopian soft, spongy flat “bread” that is most delicious with the accompanying samples.

With a varied menu of Late Night Breakfasts, to All Day Breakfasts, Lunch, Dinner and in between side dishes, the choices are a delightful blend of Afrikan, Caribbean and familiar American favourites, like pancakes and rich deserts. For the vegetarian crowd, like me, the entrees are both mouth watering and satisfying. From Herbed Carrot and Tomato Salad to Ginger and Garlic Tufu Salads, along with the soup of the day, all available at just $5.00, no one leaves without the palette unfulfilled!

A variety of Lunch and Dinner specials like Bake and Shark with lettuce and tomato filling and reasonable priced at just $8.00. Off course the richness of many spicy and curried dishes are not to be by passed! Curried Chicken served with either Gouda grits or Rice and Peas is a hefty choice but not so heftily priced at just $8.00. With breakfast all day, the smashing Roasted Tomato, Spinach and Spiced Goat Cheese omelet is guaranteed to keep you coming forward!

The famous Inerja Bread is well accompanied by Kit-fo, Beef tips and Lamb tips, and of course, my favourite, the spread of vegetable sides, topped with hottish sliced green peppers, just exquisite!

While I was sampling the culinary treats and taking some choice shots around the restaurant, I noticed the flow of traffic encouraging some youthful patrons as well as some mature adults obviously enjoying the great atmosphere, music and alluring stream of tantalizing food aromas coming from the chef’s galley. The service by Mary, the pretty Ethiopian waitress, is engaging and she is well trained in food preparation, presentation, knowledge and sales by encouraging patrons to try items such as the sinfully good deserts like chocolate and carrots cakes, and strawberry cheesecakes. I pass them up for my upcoming return visit this Saturday night.

The sound ambience is just at the right level , perched high up over the entrance arches, is a monitor advertising culturally conscious music. It is a perfect audio backdrop for dinning in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. The sweet sounds of Reggae and World Music hover just so lovingly over the seating areas including the terrific bar graced with vivid Afrikan art. I am a huge art fan and am thoroughly enjoying the choice pieces of explosive colour in Afrikan and Island art that drape the entire length of the restaurant. I quickly return to my car to retrieve my camera to do some justice to this magical place. The square footage is roughly 1,700 square feet of dining areas, bar, stage, dance floor and miscellaneous adjoining rooms as well as a downstairs yet unfinished, being used for storage.

The attractively designed booths and upholstered seating in dark ocean blue leather seats backed with cushioned red, gold and green tapestry is alluring and inviting against the bright citrus green walls.   I immediately envision this location as a new mecca for the arts and culture in Washington D.C. and even reasoned a bit with the owner, Elias, who mentioned bringing back the legendary Midnite Band, who started out at his first location , Kaffa House, to perform at this new location.

The deepest part of the Restaurant & Lounge is the stage area, with equipment set up for live performances. Elias reminds me that he is awaiting the liquor license to incorporate a full bar for patrons. This space is large enough o accommodate a full band, with ample space for dancing by the after dinner or evening crowds. Lighting is adequate to read in the dining areas, with just enough to maintain the ambiance of the warm and cozy feel of this most inviting spot.

Elias leaves , but not before graciously thanking me for the visit and the gesture of this review. I promised I would return personally to post the review on his bar this Saturday. I give thanks to the lovely trio of patrons in the opening photo, as well as to Elias and Mesfin , and of course Mary, for their warm welcome and a great afternoon delight of Soul stirring food, music and relaxation.

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Nana Farika is an award-winning writer with over 30 (thirty) years experience as an arts educator. Her children writing workshops are designed to develop reading fluency heighten creativity, increase comprehension skills and inculcate in children a love of the literary arts. She brings joy to the process of learning and inspires children to become eager readers and writers. She takes the writer from off the bookshelf and makes him/her a living, breathing person with relevancy to students’ lives. She offers long and short-term residencies to schools, community organizations and cultural institutions in poetry, fiction, drama and print journalism. She is also available for storytelling, poetry performances and workshops in arts education to teachers.

Her work with students addresses national education goals and fulfills the District of Columbia standards for English and the Literary Arts from Kindergarten through Grade 12. She spent several years working with California Poets in the Schools (CPITS) as a poet/teacher and consultant. CPITS was a joint project of the Arts and Humanities Program of the United States Office of Education, the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council. Her journals on her teaching experiences were published in Poetry Flash. She received grants for her work with CPITS and her students won prizes for their poetry. Her students in Washington D.C. and Detroit, have also won poetry contests, performed their poems and had them published.

Nana Farika was trained as a writer by the Philip Sherlock Creative Arts Centre at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica, the London School of Journalism in England, the British Broadcasting Corporation, London, England, the Instituto de Allende, University of Guanajuato, Mexico, the Circle in the Square Theater School, New York and the Gleaner Company, and Kingston, Jamaica. Her short fiction, poetry, articles, radio and television scripts are published in the Caribbean, the United States, England and many European countries. Her children’s stories were published by Kingston Publishers and McGraw Hill and were used for over a decade as readers in the Jamaica elementary school system.

She has won awards and honors from cultural institutions, foundations, commissions and organizations for change. The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities gave her grants for her arts education projects and her work as a folk artist and poet. The Smithsonian Institution awarded her for sharing the folk culture of the Maroon people; the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation gave her a Peer Mentoring Grant to be trained by Paddy B. Bowman, Co-coordinator Network for Folk Arts in Education and Dr. Diana N’Diaye, Folk life Specialist, Smithsonian Center for Folk life and Cultural Heritage. Oxfam America, the Organization of American States, the Humanities Council of D.C., Starbucks Foundation. The Caribbean American International Organization and the Jamaica Cultural Development Co

STORYTELLER

She is an accomplished writer and performer of fiction, poetry and plays, a folklorist, an oral historian and storyteller with a background in journalism.

FAR- WRITER WORD SOUND IS POWER POETRY

The voice is direct, honest and haunting in the tradition of the African chant and the African American revival meeting.

Dr. J. Jahannes, scholar

Author of Truthfeasting,” a collection of poetry published by Africa Press.

Obviously a talented poet

Eloise Greenfield, author of children’s books and poetry.

Irony and wit. Simplicity and strength

E. Ethelbert Miller

Director of African American Resource Center, Howard University

Chair of the Board

Institute for Policy Studies, Washington D.C.

Author of several books of poetry, editor of Poet Lore.

Sister Farika’s Rainbow Dawning, is one of the year’s finest entries.

Chuck Foster

Billboard Books

An African-Jamaican perspective on the state of blacks in the Diaspora.

Woman’s Auxiliary UNIA Division 330

African Communities League

Her heartical praise-poetry orchestrates a range of moods that go to the core of Rasta spirituality: hopefulness, pride, defiance, solemnity, compassion and joy. Farika is to be commended for her ongoing work to promote greater public understanding of and appreciation for the African traditions of the Jamaican people.

Dr. John P. Homiak

Smithsonian Scholar