January, 2010:

Update on Haiti from Compassion

Things were already extremely difficult for Haiti’s desperately poor population of over nine million but yesterday’s earthquake has now brought about further untold suffering. Estimates say that over a hundred thousand people may be dead and that well over three million people will be affected by the magnitude 7 quake and strong aftershocks.

This morning during my radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM I spoke to Edouard Lassegue about the devastation in Haiti.

Edouard is Compassion’s Vice President, Latin America and Caribbean Region. He is based in Miami where he is trying to gather information so that he can coordinate Compassion’s immediate relief efforts.

The tragedy has struck very close to home for Edouard who is Haitian and was once the Compassion Country Director for Compassion in Haiti. He has family and friends in the country and his heart is breaking with the current tragic situation.

Listen to what he had to say by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

You can donate to the emergency appeal set up by Compassion Australia by clicking here.

Edouard was in Haiti with our Australian team in April 2008 when we had to exit the country rather quickly as rioting and looting took hold in Port-au-Prince.

When we made our somewhat risky trip to the airport to leave Haiti, Edouard was the one who stepped out of the ‘safety’ of our vehicles to try to find a way forward. He’s a very brave man who quite possibly saved our lives.

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Deathtoll likely to be in the thousands

Jan 13th, 2010

by Rodney Olsen.

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Following on from my last post, reports are now saying that around three million people are likely to be affected by the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti and the deathtoll is expected to be in the thousands.

As previously mentioned, I visited Haiti in April 2008 at the time when there were riots in the streets over skyrocketing food prices. I was there with Compassion Australia to see the work they are doing in Haiti. Leading that tour was DJ Konz from Compassion. He joined me on the phone this morning during my radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM.

While details are still sketchy, DJ gave listeners a better understanding of the enormity of the disaster in Haiti. You can hear what DJ had to say by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

Compassion will endeavour to keep sponsors up to date with the situation for those children sponsored through Compassion on their website. They will also put a disaster relief plan in place as soon as possible. Your donations will make a huge difference.

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Catastrophic Earthquake Rocks Haiti

Jan 13th, 2010

by Rodney Olsen.

3 comments

A magnitude 7.0 quake has struck about 15 kilometres southwest of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. A magnitude 5.9 aftershock followed soon after, followed by a magnitude 5.5 aftershock closer to the location of the first quake.

Haiti’s ambassador to the United States, Raymond Joseph, has been quoted as saying it is a catastrophe of major proportions.

The tsunami watch that was posted for Haiti and parts of Cuba, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, has now been cancelled.

I visited Haiti in April 2008 at the time when there were riots in the streets over skyrocketing food prices. We travelled a rather scary journey to the airport to leave the country when the riots escalated. Roads were blocked everywhere and we’d already seen the damage that the rioters could cause. Thankfully we were able to get an armed police escort for the last part of our journey. As our plane took to the air I felt relief for myself and the group with which I was travelling, but my heart sank for those left behind in the poorest nation in the Americas.

Many of the buildings there are less than safe to begin with so an earthquake of this magnitude will have devastating effects. There’s a report already of a hospital collapsing.

I was there with Compassion Australia to see the work they are doing in Haiti. I’m now wondering if the staff of Compassion Haiti are safe. I’m wondering about the projects they serve. I’m praying for Collens, our Compassion child in Haiti.

Can you please spare some time right now to pray for the people of Haiti?

You can stay up to date with further developments through CNN.

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How do you kickstart your morning?

Jan 12th, 2010

by Rodney Olsen.

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Drink Coffee What do you need to do to get your day underway?

I know that some people just bounce out of bed and they’re instantly ready for whatever the world throws at them. Those people worry me.

When I get out of bed it’s a much slower process. My body argues with me on the merits of leaving my comfortable mattress. My mind demands that my body gets mobile, but I’m quite sure that if my body forced the issue just a little bit more, it’d win the argument far more often.

For many people the day doesn’t begin until they’ve downed a fairly strong hit of caffeine. I do enjoy a strong, black coffee once I get to work but it’s not the thing that gets my day started.

A lot of people start their day in conversation with God. They read their Bibles, seek direction, and hand the day over to the Almighty. I envy those people.

I do converse with God in short bursts at that time of the day but my head really isn’t in the right place to be discussing the big picture issues when I first tumble out of bed. Those things come later in the day for me after my brain is a little more engaged.

The big kickstart for me is generally my ride to work. At the moment my morning ride is just over 30 kilometres. The first few kilometres have me wondering what on earth I’m doing. The next few have me thinking about taking the direct route to work so that I don’t have to ride quite so far. At around the ten kilometre mark everything starts to click. I get into ‘the zone’ and start really enjoying my morning ride. By the time I hit the twenty kilometre mark I start to wonder if I really need to go to work or if, perhaps, I could spend the rest of the day on my bike.

Over the last few years I’ve very rarely taken a car to work. On the handful of occasions that I have driven or been driven, I’ve felt lethargic all day. I need the kickstart that cycling gives me.

How about you? What kickstarts your day?

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United State of Pop 2009

Jan 11th, 2010

by Rodney Olsen.

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I don’t know where you’d even begin to put something like this together.

DJ Earworm has created one song from a mashup of the top 25 Billboard songs of 2009. Even if you don’t know all the songs reperesented you’ve got to admire the talent it would have taken to create this piece musically and then putting together the video. Incredible.

Artists featured in the video include:

* The Black Eyed Peas – BOOM BOOM POW
* Lady Gaga – POKER FACE
* Lady Gaga Featuring Colby O’Donis – JUST DANCE
* The Black Eyed Peas – I GOTTA FEELING
* Taylor Swift – LOVE STORY
* Flo Rida – RIGHT ROUND
* Jason Mraz – I’M YOURS
* Beyonce – SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT)
* Kanye West – HEARTLESS
* The All-American Rejects – GIVES YOU HELL
* Taylor Swift – YOU BELONG WITH ME
* T.I. Featuring Justin Timberlake – DEAD AND GONE
* The Fray – YOU FOUND ME
* Kings Of Leon – USE SOMEBODY
* Keri Hilson Featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo – KNOCK YOU DOWN
* Jamie Foxx Featuring T-Pain – BLAME IT
* Pitbull – I KNOW YOU WANT ME (CALLE OCHO)
* T.I. Featuring Rihanna – LIVE YOUR LIFE
* Soulja Boy Tell ‘em Featuring Sammie – KISS ME THRU THE PHONE
* Jay Sean Featuring Lil Wayne – DOWN
* Miley Cyrus – THE CLIMB
* Drake – BEST I EVER HAD
* Kelly Clarkson – MY LIFE WOULD SUCK WITHOUT YOU
* Beyonce – HALO
* Katy Perry – HOT N COLD