Let's Build Gonave, Haiti!

I metnioned a few blogs ago that I am creating a video sharing site that will allow users to view, share, and upload their own videos, and even upload videos from YouTube.  While the site will be the same concept as YouTube, it is designed for the Haitian viewer, yet anyone from anywhere in the world can join. Well I'm here to give an update.  While the site is mostly done, we have found an issue.  While you can upload videos from YouTube and other sites, uploading your own videos is showing a few bugs.  We have to work it out so that your video will not be so pixelated. The podcast portion of the site is perfect, and we are putting the final touches on, and the site is almost completely functional. Stay tuned! Go Gonave

June 26th of this year a large concert that was organized by mega producer Swizz Beats was done, and Chris Brown, and Lil Wayne performed.  Swizz Beats did as well, but obviously the two star attractions were Lil Wayne and Chris Brown.  Some say the Haitian government paid money to bring these folks over to give a free concert, others, such as Swizz Beats claims the artist paid for it themselves.  People were saying that the President, who is a musician, paid for this concert to possibly win a re-election.  The government stated that this will boost tourism to Haiti and will be a boost to the economy.  People were saying if the concert cost $2 million US, then imagine how many people that could have been feed, or housing, etc. Here is my take. In the large scale of things, $2 million is a drop in the bucket for what Haiti needs.  Sure $2 million is nothing to sneeze at, but if the thought of buying food aid or giving food to people is right, then I w...

The design and build of La Gonave's honeybee nuc hive boxes will be done by Hurko Co.  The company will manufacture the nuc boxes in America, but could potentially build the boxes in Haiti, hiring Haitians.  The number of nuc boxes has not been determined due to a current fodder assessment that is on-going on the island of La Gonave. I will have more about this as we work out more details. Go Gonave!

So working with three different organizations to bring honey bee production to La Gonave Island.  An initial assessment will happen in Feb 2015.  So there will be someone personally that we will have that will go to the island to see if the island can support a bee colony.  The biggest obstacles are the correct plants that will provide enough nectar for the bees.  If the assessment comes back negative, meaning that the island isn't suitable, that isn't the end of the project.  What will happen is plants will be brought to the island from Haiti, or seeded into the soil.  These plants will have to survive on the island successfully before another assessment can be done.  When that assessment is complete and successful, then honey bees will be installed on the island.  The bees will be from a farm on the Haitian mainland.  Also beekeeping will be taught to a farmer or two on La Gonave as well.  This training is very important to keep the...

I was contacted late Friday afternoon from a company that had expressed interest in Gonave before.  After not hearing from them for about 4 months, I assumed they were waiting for further organization on their part, or to see if Gonave would turn into a SAR (Special Administrative Region). Well later Friday I got a phone call which lasted for about 2 hours.  I then had to make additional calls yesterday.  A company which chooses to remain unnamed, wanted to donate $100,000 US to get the Gonave ID program started.  They would have to have several things in place before donating the money.  One would be that a clear path of having Gonave autonomous with the Haitian government approval.  The second one would be that housing and basic infrastructure is funded, and a detailed plan is ironed out. This is great news, and a big push towards actual movement on Gonave.  I started this project almost a year ago, and it seems to be moving.  While we stil...

I have attached a YouTube video from RECON-Digital.  They are an animation company from Nigeria, that has recently been on CNN due to their unique commercials that use animation. In Africa animation is a big thing that helps push products and services.  Could something like this be used on Gonave?  Possibly creating characters and shows that reflect on Haitian culture and life on Gonave?  Creating an animation studio isn't very expensive, and as you can see in the video below, the quality is decent. The below video is a spoof on the American Idol, and is titled Africa's Top Poet. Go Gonave!