What is a summer day camp, to a young person? If you’re an inner city dweller, it’s a center possibly in the local school yard playing city games on the concrete school yards or table tennis and basketball (indoors or outdoors) and stickball or handball. The fantasy of that city child is to have a day camp they can go to, with trees, grass, lakes, wooden cabins, picnic grounds and other such non-every day amenities that kids in the country kids have. The country kids have their backyards and woods that they can explore but sometimes envy the city kids for their culture and what they consider their city cool attitude.

So what is the right way to satisfy that young person living in your life, in the country? I would say a day camp to get them out of the house away from the electronics and that provides activities that can have them interact with their peers in their own age groups and gender.

Expand their personal relationships and exposure to other children with diversified backgrounds and develop self discipline, enhance their education and expand their inter-personal skills. A well established Summer Day Camp in your area has this type of basis to build upon; it should have a reputation of experience and also extend its reputation for serving the local and surrounding community with its needs. It should provide the young person with a list of physical activity to challenge and improve the young person’s physical abilities.

This type of activity should be fun for the young person also. Activities like canoeing, swimming, and water skiing are some of the activities that help develop individual awareness, as well as teamwork. Team sports like soccer, baseball and other strong team building activities should be offered as well.

Friendships and life long memories will be made. If you as parents both work consider a established, quality day camp for your children that’s convenient or nearby and has a good reputation. Summer Day Camp represents more than just a summer experience, but rather a lifetime of memories. Kids attending Summer Day Camp will enjoy a wonderful experience. Summer Day Camp will provide your child a wide range of both new skills and practical knowledge and enrich their lives, and supplement their year round academic school skills with complementary activities focused on physical fitness, art, music, culture, nature and other productive forms of creativity.

“I roamed the countryside searching for answers to things I did not understand.“ ~ Leonardo da Vinci

This guest post was created by the Camp Redwood, a summer camp in the Hudson Valley.

Pigeon barriers can fall into a number of groups to act as a deterrent to avoid perching of these birds. They are:  anti-perching devices can be built and anti-entry devices. Anti-perching devices are the most commonly used method for protecting commercial building surfaces from damage caused by the droppings of pigeons. These devices work by preventing pigeons from landing and roosting, and therefore from contaminating certain areas. There are three main forms; anti-perching wire (sprung wire), anti-perching spikes and anti-perching gel.

Anti-perching wire(sprung wire) is a popular used device. This is a wire consisting of nylon-coated stainless steel with a diameter that is too small for either pigeons or gulls to grip. The wires are attached by tension springs to either horizontal or vertical posts. The springs cause the wire to ‘bounce’ when birds try to land on them, therefore disorienting the bird and subsequently putting them off landing in that particular site. The wires are relatively low in visibility and are therefore more suitable for the esthetics of buildings.  The components of the deterrent are rustproof and therefore do not create rust marks on the building surface, and the plugs into which the posts are fitted ensure that rainwater does not penetrate and later damage the masonry.

Anti-perching spikes deter pigeons from landing in certain areas. Spikes are used on leading edges of sills and ledges. Pigeons tend to sit on the edges of these surfaces in order to look for food and at the same time foul the face of the building. If they are unable to do so they will only perch in this area for a number of seconds, realize they cannot get a comfortable view for seeking out food and therefore fly away. These spikes are glued to the surface using a silicone-based adhesive. The glue does not cause damage to the building surface, which it does not penetrate, and it can be completely removed at a later date if required, leaving the surface completely intact.

Anti-perching gel consists of a gel sealed with a skinning solution. The gel never sets hard. When a bird lands on the gel its feet break through the skin and onto the sticky polybutylene gel underneath. The pigeon then flies off with some of the gel attached to its feet. As the birds do not have the means to remove it, the gel will remain stuck to the bird’s feet for a while and create an uncomfortable feeling. The unpleasant experience is mindset in the pigeon and deters pigeons from subsequently landing on any surface that looks like gel. As the gel is very difficult to see once installed, it has little impact on the aesthetics of a building. It also has a very short lifespan because dust and debris soon get stuck to it and absorbed into the surface. In order to maintain its effectiveness it should be removed and re-applied annually.

ANTI-ENTRY DEVICES

Exclusion netting is best suited for keeping pigeons out of central courtyard areas, and is also deployed as a screening device for features such as balconies, windows, pipe work and air conditioning units.

The net’s lifespan may be expected to be ten years or more, depending on the degree of exposure, as it is treated with a UV-resistant coating. In a sheltered location, some nets can last as long as 20 years. Mesh sizes vary with  50mm-mesh nets for pigeons.

Once the netting has been installed it is relatively unnoticeable does not  reduce the light reaching any windows behind it. It must be maintained regularly to keep it clear of windblown leaves and rubbish, which can create a real eyesore. An annual inspection is usually sufficient. The netting excludes the birds from the premises’ openings and they have to look elsewhere for nesting and roosting opportunities.

If you feel you don’t want to tackle this task personally, you can use a wildlife removal company  professional to rid these creatures from commercial or residential locations. You should make sure the pigeon removal organization uses humane techniques, as well as, moves the captured creatures to a sanctuary or other less harmful location when possible. Exclusion work should be performed after the creature is removed to avoid further incidences of their destruction

Squirrels are very active, fun loving creatures. Unfortunately, their definition of fun is every person’s agony. If your grandfather clock points to 12 midnight and the lights in your home start to go “on and off”, it’s less likely to be some haunting spirit sending you a message from the grave. In this modern age, it must be a squirrel munching or hanging upside down your electric cables. They might get electrocuted for doing this and your wallet will sure suffer some heavy dents as well. Imagine the bill you have to pay for for calling an electrician to fix those electric wires, which is little consolation even if you see a dead squirrel in the morning.

Many complaints about squirrels are about their great desire to “chew” stuff. They seem to know which stuff to “chew” that will annoy you the most. Of course, if you refer to all the heavy zoological books in the library, “chewing” is the squirrels special way of remodeling their homes.

They love to create holes by chewing the fascias and sidings of your house. For them, your house is the candy house of Hansel and Gretel. The parts of your house are their favorite pickings and you would be the wicked witch who wants to get rid of them. Once these rodents create that cute hole in your house, it’s their home sweet home and expect them to bring in some NESTING MATERIAL!

Squirrels are another dilemma for people who like birds. Squirrels are the number one culprit of bird feeder disturbances. They steal the bird seeds, and more often, destroy the feeder itself. If you have flower gardens and manicured lawns, lucky you. Squirrels love to dig into such gardens in search of nuts.

The worst part about a squirrel living inside your house is Its’ odors. Squirrels are shameless when they have to urinate or take defecate. They can also live inside your couch which is too bad if your couch is worth a thousand dollars. They are also known to carry ticks and fleas.

 Cunning Enemies

Many squirrels are very diligent in searching for nests during their breeding season which are normally mid-December, early January and early summer. They give birth from one to eight kittens and wean them within two months. Depending on the available resources, squirrels can mark their territories to as huge as 90 acres. They love to eat seeds, hard fruits, buds of elms, maples, mushrooms and garden fruits. When the abundance of food is nil, they feed on barks of trees.

There are many ideas here that can help your evict these furry pests. However, you won’t read anything about squirrel poisoning because poisons have the awful disadvantage of leaving a rotten and putrid squirrel cadaver in your attic, around your yard and in between the walls. There are also reports of pets who get sick after eating the dead carcass of a poisoned squirrel. What you want is to get rid of squirrels without having to reach into a rotten corpse or indirectly endangering other animals in the process. Here’s how to evict them safely and effectively:
“Slippery When Piped”

You have to locate how the furry rodents enter your house. If you happen to spot them running along your cables or power lines, you need to slit a 2-foot long piece of PVC pipe(those orange or blue plastic pipes) and place it over the wire where they travel. The pipe will destabilize the culprit’s footing whenever they try to cross it. However, be sure to contact the power company before you execute this. They will be able to give you valuable advice on how to perform this method safely.
“Trim The Trees”

If you have a house full of redwoods, it’s best to take those machetes and do some trimming. Trim the branches of your trees, particularly those close to your roof, at least 15 feet from the house. Fifteen feet is too far to jump, unless you’re dealing with flying squirrels which are very rare.

“Ant-Squirrel Feeders”

Heard of squirrel proof bird feeders? These are weight sensitive bird feeders that block or close the feeding ports when a squirrel lands on it. They will not close when a few birds land because birds are not as heavy as the squirrels. Some of these devices can even provide a slight electric shock and some even send a squirrel flying. Some of the most popular brands are Droll Yankees, Wild Bill or Brome Bird Care. It’s a great investment especially if you spend hundreds of dollars worth of bird seeds. There are also feeders that spin so fast when a squirrel sets foot on it, giving the squirrel a very difficult time to harvest your bird seeds.
“Baffle the Squirrel”

Go to your local hardware store and ask for a squirrel baffle. These are devices you can affix on your bird feeders to give the squirrels a difficult time to reach the seeds. These are wonderful devices and must be used correctly for it to work. If you’re going to place this on a pole, place the baffle at least five feet from the ground. Anything lower than that and the squirrel might simply jump on top of it, defeating its purpose. If you want those baffles that can be hanged, make sure you hang it at least ten feet away from the squirrel’s launching pad such as tree trunks, house, fence, shed, chair, you get the idea. Some well-known squirrel buffers are, Aspects, Droll Yankees, and Eva.
“Feeder Pole Placement”

If you’ve been bombarded by squirrels all your life, you must know that they’re magnificent jumpers. The rule of thumb is keep your eye on the sky and your feeders in the open. Some squirrels can easily jump fifteen feet (high to low) from a tree. You want the birds to feel safe feeding on your feeders, or else, setting up one won’t make any sense at all.
“Sanitize”

Keeping your place clean is imperative because if there’s nothing for your squirrels to sink their teeth in, then there won’t be squirrels around in the first place. Get those rakes from the tool shed and rake off those fallen seeds especially those scattered by the gusts of wind. Clean the hulls from beneath the feeders and it’s best if you have a “catch tray” underneath. Always empty the food trays of your pets. There is nothing more squirrels enjoy but leftovers from pet trays. They are also known to dine on basically anything they can find such as barbecue grill scrapings, bread, fruits and garbage. Yes, place a tight-fitting lid on your garbage cans.
“Seal the Deal!”

Have you looked in your attic lately? Well, aside from the possibility that it’s perhaps the squirrels den during winter time, you might want to cancel a day at the salon just to seal these rodents from conquering the annexes of your house. First, check if your loft vents are still in good shape. Second, grab some wire screens (wire mesh is advisable) and seal any holes, openings, cracks that you can find. If you have a chimney, cover the opening using the same kind of wire mesh. Keep in mind that gray squirrels can fit into a hole that’s as small as 1 ½ inches.

Word of caution: seal the openings but NEVER trap squirrels inside! Before any sealing executions, check if there are already squirrels living in these holes and drive them out. If you accidentally trapped a squirrel, don’t provoke it by chasing it, that would make it even worse. Instead, open the doors and windows and read a newspaper. Allow the squirrel to get out by itself. If the waiting process doesn’t give you the results you’re hoping for, it’s time to trap them.
“Trap!”

If all else fails and squirrels are literally swooning down on you like a perfect storm, it’s time to resort to live trapping! There are very good trapping contraptions sold in the market such as Havarat Live Traps, among others. You can use any kind of bait but most recommend peanut butter. To be able to use peanut butter with minimal mess, spread it on a cracker before you place it in the booby trap. Once you caught the little rascals, you can start relocating them as far as you can. Squirrels have an uncanny sense of smell, relocating three blocks away from your house is not enough.
Squirrel Repellents

Squirrels misbehave all the time, putting your flowerbeds in a risky position. You can try to protect your flowers by burying an anti-squirrel fence that’s at least 8-12 inches beneath the ground because these pests can also burrow like a gopher. When fencing (not the sport of course), make sure you’re using hardware cloth. This method works very well with vegetable plots. However, many don’t want to fence their flower gardens because admiration of blooms tends to be lessened when one is looking into a protective barrier.

Many squirrel repellents rely on hot peppers, ground white, black and red are widely common. These can be added on bird food to deter those squirrel taste buds

If you want to repel a squirrel because it’s munching on your other stuff, then buy those bitter tasting gels or sprays like Ro-pel squirrel repellent. Make sure you completely read the directions carefully because many of these products need to be re-applied after a rain or after a certain amount of time. These products yield mixed results: some effective and some are not. You can always try any other products out there until you find the right formula for your furry little nemesis.

It seems that these furry little creatures are designed to destroy your peace of mind. Most of the time, you won’t deal with a single squirrel, no way! There are armies of them. In North America alone, residents have a constant battle with three different species of squirrels. These are the red squirrel, the fox squirrel and the gray squirrel.

I was thinking how I can get back to this old project, and more important not get burned out again. Here’s the list I came out to allow me to keep it going.

How to get back to old projects

• Do a little bit at the time
• Make a to do list
• Make a goal list
• Work on it when you feel confortable
• Make time for it.
• Stick to it

I think this list don’t need any more explanation and is clear to understand. I’ll continue working on it and I’ll share it in this post.

Do you guys have any more tips?

Photo by srbyug

This Great Recession wasn’t the result of sub-prime mortgage madness exclusively, according to a new report from the National Bureau of Economic Research *. It was just a plain old bank panic. Yes, but weren’t bank panics supposed to be a thing of the past, thanks to the creation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1934 controlled by the Federal Government?

That’s the problem.

The report produced by Yale economics professor Gary Gorton, says sub-prime mortgage securitization was a mess — a federal government law doomed to fall — but sub-prime by itself simply wasn’t big enough to put our entire economy in that state it’s in.. That required a failure of the Renew Sale and Repurchase (REPO) market for collateralized securities that over the last 30 years had come to backstop global finance.

The problem here, of course is that hardly anyone has even heard of REPO unless you were in the banking industry, which manages to be an unregulated, uninsured $20 trillion business that is absolutely essential to keeping money flowing in the world. Sub-prime is only $1.2 trillion — not big enough by itself to cause this mess.
According to Professor Gorton, the entire basis of global banking changed in the 1980s, thanks to money market funds and junk bonds, which took all the profit out of being a traditional bank and the de-regulation of the banking industry. So, banks began securitizing loans to regain those lost profits.

The REPO market of inter-bank loans had always existed but it grew dramatically in the 1990s to support securitization. But since there was no deposit insurance for institutional loans measured in hundreds of millions of dollars, counterparties demanded collateral to back these overnight REPO loans that generally replaced demand deposits in the banking system.

While the sub-prime mortgage crisis began in January, 2007, the ensuing bank panic didn’t happen until August of that year when lenders began making collateral calls and demanding reductions (collateral fire sales at discounted prices) from borrowers that led to all the big banks being seriously under-capitalized. The federal government (Treasury Department) should have been watching the banks and enforcing the asset to debt ratios already existing under Federal Regulatory Laws (REGE’s) imposed by the Federal Reserve Bank. The Federal Government, while well prepared to respond to a demand deposit bank panic like those of 1907 and 1933, was not only unprepared for the 2007 panic, they didn’t even know there was a panic until it was well underway.

The panic meant that the value of all types of bonds declined, trillions of bank capital evaporated in our banking system and the REPO market, itself, collapsed as all counter-parties lost faith in each other as well as, the basis of the entire banking system literally disappeared.

So what does this mean? Well it explains why the banks still aren’t lending money, because they don’t have the means to back the loans they’d like to make, absent government intervention. It means that until the REPO market regains some steam there isn’t going to be much natural progress in getting the economy to start growing again (take out the government stimulus and we will collapse financially). And it shows that the Fed and Treasury in the United States were no better able to protect us than you could keep your dog from running into the road and being hit by a car.

This is another contributing factor as to why you don’t feel better…..

*Report For The US FINACIAL INQUIRY COMMISSION by Professor Gary Gorton

 
AN AMERICAN CITIZEN’S RESPONSE: 
 
Dear Mr. Obama: 
 
Were those Muslims that were in America when the Pilgrims first landed? 
Funny, I thought they were Native American Indians.  Were those Muslims that celebrated the first Thanksgiving day? Sorry  again, those were Pilgrims and Native American Indians. 
Can you show me one Muslim signature on the United States Constitution? 
  Declaration of Independence? 
  Bill of Rights? 
 Didn’t think so. 
  Did Muslims fight for this country’s freedom from England? No. 
  Did Muslims fight during the Civil War to free the slaves in America? No, 
they did not. In fact, Muslims to this day are still the largest 
traffickers in human slavery. Your own half brother, a devout Muslim,  still advocates slavery himself, even though Muslims of Arabic descent refer to  black Muslims as “pug nosed slaves.” Says a lot of what the Muslim world  really thinks of your family’s “rich Islamic heritage,” doesn’t it Mr.  Obama? 
Where were Muslims during the Civil Rights era of this country? Not  present 
  There are no pictures or media accounts of Muslims walking side by side  with 
Martin Luther King, Jr. or helping to advance the cause of Civil Rights. 
  Where were Muslims during this country’s Woman’s Suffrage era? Again, not 
present. In fact, devout Muslims demand that women are subservient to men  in the Islamic culture. So much so, that often they are beaten for not  wearing the ‘hajib’ or for talking to a man who is not a direct family 
member or their husband. Yep, the Muslims are all for women’s rights,  aren’t they? 
 Where were Muslims during World War II? They were aligned with Adolf  Hitler The Muslim grand mufti himself met with Adolf Hitler, reviewed the troops  and accepted support from the Nazi’s in killing Jews.  
Finally, Mr. Obama, where were Muslims on Sept. 11th, 2001? If they weren’t 
flying planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon or a field in 
Pennsylvania killing nearly 3,000 people on our own soil, they were 
rejoicing in the Middle East. No one can dispute the pictures shown from all parts of the Muslim world celebrating on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and  her cable news networks that day. Strangely, the very “moderate” Muslims  who’s  asses you bent over backwards to kiss in Cairo, Egypt on June 4th were stone cold silent post 9-11. To many Americans, their silence has meant  approval  for the acts of that day. 
 
And THAT, Mr. Obama, is the “rich heritage” Muslims have here in America.  Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot to mention the Barbary Pirates. They were Muslim. 
 And now we can add November 5, 2009 – the slaughter of American soldiers at Fort Hood by a Muslim major who is a doctor and a psychiatrist who was supposed to be counseling soldiers returning from battle in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
 
That, Mr. Obama is the “Muslim heritage” in America.

Marshall Plan Video 60th Anniversary

I was listening to the radio a couple of days ago and Jeff Katz a talk show host who broadcasts in South Florida was discussing  the comments made about opening up our shores to Haitians as a humanitarian thing to do, but he mentioned what impact it would have on the now stressed South Florida economy, including the strained medical, educational, and housing services we have in place He then came up with what I thought was a brilliant idea which could aid Haitians and Americans alike. That was to take the highly skilled construction workers such as electricians, carpenters, steel workers, etc… that are unemployed in the South Florida area because of  the depression we’re presently in with housing market and hire them to rebuild Haiti. Not only hire these American workers but have skilled and unskilled Haitans work along side of them rebuilding their country. The Haitians working along side of these skilled American workers could be mentored and taught a skill that would allow them to continue working and earning a living on their own after the reconstruction was completed in Haiti. Well that is a great idea but you might ask yourself well what about the monies, the temporary housing, the basics for living food, water , medical, sanitary, etc… and the logistics????

I thought about that and Gen. George Marshall who managed the rebuilding of  of war torn Europe after World War II came to mind. If the United States is willing to give Haiti $100 Million in aid we could have organizations like the US Army Corp of engineers manage the funding and civilian US/Haitian workers for the reconstruction of Haiti. We could also have agencies like the General Accounting Office track the funding and results. Also, President Obama will be accountable for the whole project being that he’s the Commander And Chief of the US Army.

If we rebuilt Europe under the ‘ Marshall Plan ‘ we certainly could rebuild a small country like Haiti under the ‘Jeff Katz Plan’. I’m also sure Jeff Katz wouldn’t expect a noble prize either, he’s just a generous American like the rest of us.

Let’s hear your feed back and also contact the President and the Congress about this.

“A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” ~ United States of America Bill Of Rights 2^nd Amendment

READ AND TAKE THE QUIZ.

You’re walking down a deserted street with your wife and your two small children.
Suddenly, an Islamic Terrorist with a huge knife comes around the corner, locks eyes with you, screams obscenities, praises Allah, raises the knife, and charges at you.

You are carrying a Kimber 1911 cal. 45 ACP, and you are an expert shot.
You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family. What do you do?
THINK CAREFULLY about what response you may choose an answer and answer our survey. There is levity in it but it is serious.

RESPONSE 1.
This is what a Democratic Congressional Leaders response would be:
Well, that’s not enough information to answer the question!
Does the man look poor or oppressed?
Have I ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack?
Could we run away? What does my wife think?
What about the kids?
Could I possibly swing the gun like a club and knock
the knife out of his hand?
What does the law say about this situation?
Does the pistol have appropriate safety built into it?
Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, and what kind
of message does this send to society and to my children?
Is it possible he’d be happy with just killing me?
Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be
content just to wound me? If I were to grab his knees and hold
on, could my family get away while he was stabbing me?
Should I call 9-1-1?
Why is this street so deserted? We need to raise taxes, have
paint and weed day and make this happier, healthier street that
would discourage such behavior.
This is all so confusing! I need to debate this with some friends for few days and try to come to a consensus.

RESPONSE 2.
This is what a Republican Congressional Leaders response would be:
BANG!

RESPONSE 3.

This is what an American Citizens response would be:
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG!
Click ….. (Sounds of reloading)
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG!
BANG! Click
Daughter: Nice grouping, Daddy! Were those the Winchester Silver Tips or Hydra shocks?
Son: Can I shoot the next one?
Wife: You’re not taking that to the taxidermist!

Due to the current financial situation caused by the slowdown in the economy, Congress has decided to implement a scheme to put workers of 50 years of age and above on early retirement, thus creating jobs and
reducing unemployment.

Persons selected to be RAPED can apply to Congress to be considered for
the SHAFT program (Special Help After Forced Termination).

Persons who have been RAPED and SHAFTED will be reviewed under the SCREW
program (System Covering Retired-Early Workers).

A person may be RAPED once, SHAFTED twice and SCREWED as many times as
Congress deems appropriate.

Persons who have been RAPED could get AIDS (Additional Income for
Dependants & Spouse) or HERPES (Half Earnings for Retired Personnel
Early Severance).

Obviously persons who have AIDS or HERPES will not be SHAFTED or SCREWED
any further by Congress.

Persons who are not RAPED and are staying on will receive as much SHIT
(Special High Intensity Training) as possible. Congress has always
prided themselves on the amount of SHIT they give our citizens.

Should you feel that you do not receive enough SHIT, please bring this
to the attention of your Congressman, who has been trained to give you
all the SHIT you can handle.

Sincerely,
The Committee for Economic Value of Individual Lives (E.V.I.L.)

PS – - Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of electricity, gas
and oil, as well as current market conditions, the Light at the End of
the Tunnel has been turned off.

Lets Get Your Opinion:

Have You Forgotten The President and Congress’ Failed  Promise about creating jobs.

Yes_     No_

If you answered No then you’re  part of the population that doesn’t care and will be sucked into the cesspool of no freedom, no job and hopelessness.

A history was necessary to have you understand the world doesn’t or hasn’t seriously stepped up to the human rights attrocities. It has always taken a major catastrophe to focus any attention on this third world nation. The nation that has gone from human misery to a hades on earth. Read on and lets see your comments or feedback.

FACTS and FIGURES

President: René Préval (2006)

Prime Minister: Jean-Max Bellerive (2009)

Land area: 10,641 sq mi (27,560 sq km); total area: 10,714 sq mi (27,750 sq km)

Population (2009 est.): 9,035,536 (growth rate: 1.8%); birth rate: 29.1/1000; infant mortality rate: 59.7/1000; life expectancy: 60.7; density per sq km: 323

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Port-au-Prince, 1,764,000 (metro. area), 1,119,000 (city proper)

Monetary unit: Gourde

Geography

Haiti, in the West Indies, occupies the western third of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. About the size of Maryland, Haiti is two-thirds mountainous, with the rest of the country marked by great valleys, extensive plateaus, and small plains.

Government

Republic with an elected government.

History

Explored by Columbus on Dec. 6, 1492, Haiti’s native Arawaks fell victim to Spanish rule. In 1697, Haiti became the French colony of Saint-Dominique, which became a leading sugarcane producer dependent on slaves. In 1791, an insurrection erupted among the slave population of 480,000, resulting in a declaration of independence by Pierre-Dominique Toussaint l’Ouverture in 1801. Napoléon Bonaparte suppressed the independence movement, but it eventually triumphed in 1804 under Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who gave the new nation the Arawak name Haiti . It was the world’s first independent black republic.

Unrest Stifles Development

The revolution wrecked Haiti’s economy. Years of strife between the light-skinned mulattos who dominated the economy and the majority black population, plus disputes with neighboring Santo Domingo, continued to hurt the nation’s development. After a succession of dictatorships, a bankrupt Haiti accepted a U.S. customs receivership from 1905 to 1941. Occupation by U.S. Marines from 1915 to 1934 brought stability. Haiti’s high population growth made it the most densely populated nation in the Western Hemisphere.

In 1949, after four years of democratic rule by President Dumarsais Estimé, dictatorship returned under Gen. Paul Magloire, who was succeeded by François Duvalier, nicknamed “Papa Doc,” in 1957. Duvalier’s secret police, the “Tontons Macoutes,” ensured political stability with brutal efficiency. Upon Duvalier’s death in 1971, his son, Jean-Claude, or “Baby Doc,” succeeded as ruler of the poorest nation in the hemisphere. In the early 1980s, Haiti became one of the first countries to face an AIDS epidemic. Fear of the disease caused tourists to stay away, and the tourist industry collapsed, causing rising unemployment. Unrest generated by the economic crisis forced Baby Doc to flee the country in 1986.

Despite Intervention, Haiti’s Infrastructure Remains in Tatters

Throughout the 1990s the international community tried to establish democracy in Haiti. The country’s first elected chief executive, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a leftist Roman Catholic priest who seemed to promise a new era in Haiti, took office in Feb. 1991. The military, however, took control in a coup nine months later. A UN peacekeeping force, led by the U.S.—Operation Uphold Democracy—arrived in 1994. Aristide was restored to office and René Preval became his successor in 1996 elections. U.S. soldiers and UN peacekeepers left in 2000. Haiti’s government, however, remained ineffectual and its economy was in ruins. Haiti has the highest rates of AIDS, malnutrition, and infant mortality in the region.

In 2000, former president Aristide was reelected president in elections boycotted by the opposition and questioned by many foreign observers. The U.S. and other countries threatened Haiti with sanctions unless democratic procedures were strengthened. Aristide, once a charismatic champion of democracy, grew more authoritarian and seemed incapable of improving the lot of his people. Violent protests rocked the country in Jan. 2004, the month of Haiti’s bicentennial, with protesters demanding that Aristide resign. By February, a full-blown armed revolt was under way, and Aristide’s hold on power continued to slip. The protests, groups of armed rebels, and French and American pressure led to the ousting of Aristide on Feb. 29. Thereafter a U.S.-led international force of 2,300 entered the chaos-engulfed country to attempt to restore order, and an interim government took over. In September, Hurricane Jeanne ravaged Haiti, killing more than 2,400 people. Lawlessness and gang violence were widespread, and the interim government had no control over parts of the country, which were run by armed former soldiers.

Political Turmoil Continues

After numerous delays, Haiti held elections on Feb. 7, 2006. The elections, backed by 9,000 United Nations troops, were seen as a crucial step in returning Haiti to some semblance of stability. Former prime minister and Aristide protegé René Préval, very popular among the poor, was seen as the favorite. But when the election count indicated that Préval’s lead over the other candidate was dropping and that he would not win an outright majority, Préval contested the election and charged that “massive fraud and gross errors had stained the process.” On Feb. 14, the interim government halted the election count, and the following day, after the votes were retabulated, Préval was declared the winner.

In April 2008, Prime Minister Jacques-Édouard Alexis was removed from office by the Senate, which held him responsible for the poor economy. President René Preval designated Ericq Pierre as the new prime minister, but the lower house of Parliament rejected Pierre. In July, Parliament approved the nomination of Michèle Pierre-Louis for prime minister and she became the second woman prime minister of Haiti.

The Senate voted in November 2009 to oust Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis, who was considered by international donors as a competent leader who could efficiently and effectively use aid to improve the infrastructure of Haiti and boost the economy. The Senate, however, claimed that she had not done enough to lift Haiti out of its near constant state of misery. She was replaced by Jean-Max Bellerive.

Devastating Earthquake Exposes Weaknesses in Infrastructure

The beleaguered country was dealt a catastrophic blow in January 2010 when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital. It was region’s worst earthquake in 200 years. The quake leveled many sections of the city, destroying government buildings, foreign aid offices, and countless slums. Assessing the scope of the devastation, Prime Minister Préval said, “Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed.” He called the death toll “unimaginable,” and fatalities are expected to near 100,000. The United Nations mission in Haiti was destroyed, 16 members of the UN peacekeeping force in Haiti were killed, and hundreds of UN employees were missing. International aid poured in, and the scope of the damage caused by the quake highlighted the urgent need to improve Haiti’s crumbling infrastructure and lift it out of endemic poverty—the country is the poorest in the Western Hemisphere.