Haiti Aftershocks Continue as Hope for Haiti Movement Catches
As Hollywood and the entertainment world embrace the people of Haiti with their kindness and generosity, after shocks still torment the impoverished people of that Island nation. News today reveals stories of ´monumental generosity from celebrities like Leonardo Di’Caprio who donated $1 million to relieve the torment of Haitians. Madonna, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Sandra Bullock, and many others are contributing huge sums of money and time to make a difference.
Still, Haiti is being shaken daily with powerful aftershocks according to the USGS. One today just offshore of magnitude 4.4 was surely felt.
We have been monitoring the USGS site 24/7 for any sign of peril for Haitians or people in the surrounding Caribbean basin. Since yesterday a total of 16 fairly significant aftershocks have been recorded in magnitudes from 2.6 to 4.9 (below image). Many of these would surely have caused great concern for the people there, but no damage or injuries have been reported.
We will continue to keep you posted on any developments. On the “hope” end of the spectrum, things appear to be looking better, at least in the monetary department. The Hope for Haiti Now benefit is gaining widespread momentum, with everyone from Wyclef Jean to George Clooney doing their best for Haiti.
These performances to aid relief efforts for Haiti include the best of the best from Music, Hollywood, and every other corner of the entertainment world. The list of networks which will air these performances is a vast as media itself, and includes the following networks:
“ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1, CMT, PBS, TNT, Showtime, Comedy Central, Bravo, E! Entertainment, National Geographic Channel, Oxygen, G4, CENTRIC, Current TV, Fuse, MLB Network, EPIX, Palladia, SoapNet, Style, Discovery Health, Planet Green, CNN en Español, HBO Latino and Canadian networks, including CBC Television, CTV, Global Television and MuchMusic. The event will be live streamed online globally across sites including YouTube, Hulu, MySpace, Fancast, AOL, MSN.com, Yahoo, Bing.com, BET.com, CNN.com, MTV.com, VH1.com and Rhapsody, and on mobile via Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and FloTV. “Hope for Haiti Now” will also air internationally on BET International, CNN International, National Geographic and MTV Networks International, which is available in 640 million homes worldwide. “Hope for Haiti Now” will be available non-exclusively to all terrestrial radio stations around the globe and SIRIUS XM Radio as a one-time-only radio broadcast via the MTV Radio Network and Westwood One.
Haitians have suffered the biggest catastrophe in the Western Hemisphere in modern times. Various authorities have reported the death toll due to this catastrophic event to be 200,000 or more, with a like number injured. Some experts suggest the real numbers may never be known, and health experts say many more may die from disease. Something on the order of 80,000 bodies have already been buried, and not exactly under the best conditions. The horror (as evidenced by the image upper left) of just writing this brings to mind all those still under the rubble – a ghastly reality for the poor people there.
The world seems to be catching up in rendering aid now. Initially we criticized President Obama and government agencies for dragging their feet with people in so much peril at America’s back door. Some of this criticism is still valid obviously. Obama and his wife made the news big when they took out their own checkbook after the President took out the taxpayer’s.
In the light of all these entertainers doing so much, how significant is $100 million from the empty coffers of America, and $15,000 from Obama’s treasury? Better than nothing is the catch phrase, but why is it that Hollywood, Nashville, and the airwaves have to lead?
In any event, the aftershocks maintain a certain frequency which is disturbing, if not lethal or damaging. The images in the article are recent from USGS. Our government’s efforts do not shed nearly as positive a light on the most powerful nation on Earth, as her entertainment community does. Even the venerable 82 Airborne arrived to help the people of Haiti with little more than the packs on their backs a week ago. If we are that poor these days, Obama should just tell everyone. Otherwise, he and his administration should step up this game further. Hollywood has not been tasked with defending the faithful you know?
Readers should visit MTV’s website here for links to more information about performances, but more importantly how they can help.
About the Author
Phil Butler is editor-in-chief of Everything PR and senior partner at Pamil Visions PR. He’s a widely cited authority on beta startups, search engines and public relations issues, and he has covered tech news since 2004. Phil wrote in the past for ReadWriteWeb, Mashable, Profy, SitePoint, Search Engine Journal, AltSearchEngines. Follow Phil on Twitter or send him an email at phil [at] pamil-visions [dot] com.
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