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Employers Prefer White Felons Over Blacks With No Criminal Record; So, How Will Blacks Feed Their Families?
You may remember the 2003 University of Chicago study by Devah Pager that sent young white and black “testers” with randomly assigned “felony convictions” to apply for low-wage jobs. The study found that whites with felonies were more likely to be called for interviews than black applicants without criminal records.
Nine years later, black male unemployment has hit the highest rate since the government began keeping track in 1972. It is estimated that only 56.9 percent of black men over age 20 are working, and the prospects for them to earn an honest living anytime soon in this crumbling economy are not good.
While Obama battles the GOP over raising the debt ceiling and preserving “sacred cow” tax cuts and entitlement programs, the unemployed poor are becoming increasingly desperate. Of particular concern is the reality that the once-supportive family members who used to serve as safety nets for struggling felons are now losing their jobs and homes in record numbers. The safety net exists no more.
According to an analysis of Federal Reserve data by the Economic Policy Institute in 2004, the median net worth of white households was $134,280, compared with $13,450 for black households. By 2009, the median net worth for white households had fallen 24 percent to $97,860; the median black net worth had fallen 83 percent to $2,170. And, no, that is not a typo. Algernon Austin, director of the Economic Policy Institute’s Program on Race, Ethnicity and the Economy describes the wealth gap like this, “In 2009, for every dollar of wealth the average white household had, black households only had two cents.”
Two cents. Really? If anyone has the audacity to suggest to me that having a black president means America is now “post racial,” I will have to hold myself back. And, speaking of remaining nonviolent in the face of violent oppression… If there has ever been a reason to march on Washington, it is right the hell now.
Zombies, Deniers, Sociopaths, Schemers and Protectors: The five dominant personalities you'll encounter.
What the heck is going on with our world? Why are people such lying betrayers? Why do the most evil people (like Eric Holder) rise to the top of the corporate-run fascist government? Why are homeless zombies eating human flesh?
In answering those questions, I've assembled the five archetypes of a society in collapse. These are the five dominant personalities we all see around us right now:
Check the descriptions below to find out. You may also come to discover the true archetype of your boss, your spouse, your coworker or even your Congressman!
Zombies
Zombies are the brain dead masses, the TV-watching fluoride heads who believe the mainstream media and dutifully vote for the next globalist puppet President. They live their lives without consciousness or awareness, sleepwalking through day after day, job after job, drinking diet soda and eating GMO.
Most zombies are incapable of holding down paying jobs, although a few have managed to find employment at the local DMV. The lower strata of zombies tend to be unemployed and even homeless, wandering the streets and snorting "bath salts" designer drugs that make them want to snack on each other's flesh.
When not snarling at police and barbequing their best friends, these zombies are frequently panhandling at street intersection, holding signs that read, "Out of work. God bless" or whatever text best works to get them more money for booze and drugs. Four years ago, their signs read, "Hope and Change." Change did come, of course, but not the kind of change they had hoped for.
The Zombie population is rapidly growing in America, thanks to the economic implosion and the continued assault on cognitive sanity via chemicals found in food, water, air and medicine. Many gun owners are locking and loading with Hornady's "ZombieMax Ammo" in preparation for the coming Zombie apocalypse. Remember: If it's eating the face off another person, it's okay to shoot it.
Summary of the Zombie Archetype: Cognitive capabilities: Insane. Moral compass: Non-existent. Desired agenda: Self-entertainment. Worships: Nothing. Typical dress: Rags. When you're not looking, they will: Eat your face.
Deniers
With slightly more cognitive capability than Zombies, Deniers are the functional but ignorant masses who live out their meaningless lives in total denial of reality. They can still manage to hold down jobs and even dress themselves, so most Deniers are middle-class working people you might find employed at the local Wal-Mart, insurance company or TSA hub. Unlike Zombies, Deniers can speak in partial sentences and order from fast food menus. ("Idiocracy" speak.)
Astonishingly, Deniers watch network news and literally believe what they are watching. To the Deniers, there are no "conspiracies." All governments are good. Drug companies are trying to helppeople, not exploit them for profit. U.S. Senators are "honorable" and the War on Drugs is a huge success!
Deniers believe there is no such thing as black market organ trafficking, child sex slave trafficking in the USA, child kidnapping by CPS workers, or government-run false flag attacks on civilian populations. Deniers are completely unaware that U.S. troops literally help grow the opium crops in Afghanistan, that vaccines are laced with cancer-causing stealth viruses, or that the so-called "fluoride" dumped into the municipal water supply is actually a deadly cocktail of industrial chemicals and neurotoxic heavy metals.
Deniers like to think of themselves as "trendy" and they worship trendy pop culture figures like Steve Jobs. Deniers are driven primarily by the desire to be assimilated into the group think by speaking, behaving and even dressing exactly like everyone else around them. Their need for social acceptance outweighs their need for critical thinking. To them, individuation is horrifying.
As a result, Deniers have become surprisingly competent at burying their heads in the sand and pretending no problems exist, even while they are being soft-killed by the governments and corporations all around them. What, me worry? What global debt Ponzi scheme? What national debt? What Fukushima fallout? Look, another football game is on! Another TV show is on! My girlfriend is texting me! Who has time for reality when living in a delusional world is so entertaining and trendy?
Summary of the Denier Archetype: Cognitive capabilities: Medium-Low. Moral compass: Malleable. Does whatever the group tells them. Desired agenda: Get along and fit in. Be popular. Worships: Material wealth. Fashion. Cars. Typical dress: Business casual. When you're not looking, they will: Spread false gossip about you.
Sociopaths
Sociopaths are the heavy-metals-poisoned, brain-fried human monsters who rage through society, threatening others, running scams and committing fraud. They are the quacks, the hucksters, and the killers. In the medical industry, they're the doctors who enjoy delivering electroshock therapy to children. In the dental industry, they're the dentists who put patients under with anesthesia and then rape them in their chairs. In the natural health industry, they're the hollow-eyed monsters selling toxic "miracle" products that poison your brain with aluminum or mercury.
Do not confuse Sociopaths with Zombies. Sociopaths are usually brilliant wordsmiths and often acquire powerful skills of social influence. Many are even able to attract a kind of cult following, which they often exploit for their own mass death agendas (Jim Jones, Charles Manson, Marshall Applewhite, etc) (http://www.naturalnews.com/036112_sociopaths_cults_influence.html).
Sociopaths are completely incapable of feeling remorse, compassion, guilt or shame. This allows them a surprising tactical advantage for gaining power in both the corporate and government worlds, where being a backstabbing psychopath is the fastest way to get ahead. This is why Sociopaths often rise to the top of government agencies and globalist corporations.
Sociopaths are fantastic liars. They lie just as easily as putting on a pair of sock in the morning. They lie so well that they often fool themselves into thinking they are telling the truth. Their lies are skillfully woven around a tiny shred of proof to make them believable. Sociopaths believe that whatever they say becomes reality merely because they say it. Weak-willed people are easily fooled into thinking that sociopaths are "gurus" or prophets.
In The Sociopath Next Door, Harvard psychologist Martha Stout reveals that a shocking 4 percent of ordinary people -- one in twenty-five -- has an often undetected mental disorder, the chief symptom of which is that that person possesses no conscience. He or she has no ability whatsoever to feel shame, guilt, or remorse. One in twenty-five everyday Americans, therefore, is secretly a sociopath. They could be your colleague, your neighbor, even family. And they can do literally anything at all and feel absolutely no guilt.
How do we recognize the remorseless? One of their chief characteristics is a kind of glow or charisma that makes sociopaths more charming or interesting than the other people around them. They're more spontaneous, more intense, more complex, or even sexier than everyone else, making them tricky to identify and leaving us easily seduced. Fundamentally, sociopaths are different because they cannot love. Sociopaths learn early on to show sham emotion, but underneath they are indifferent to others' suffering. They live to dominate and thrill to win.
Sociopaths are found everywhere. Bad cops are Sociopaths with a badge. Many regulations agencies are staffed with power-tripping Sociopaths who get off on the misuse of their power (TSA being the classic example).
Sociopaths almost always have a history of child abuse, and / or mutilating small animals.
Summary of the Sociopath Archetype: Cognitive capabilities: High. Moral compass: Chaotic. Varies wildly from saintly to demonic. Desired agenda: Mass death. Worships: Himself. Typical dress: "New Agey" or ragged clothing. When you're not looking, they will: Molest your daughter.
Schemers
Schemers are plotting mid-level minions (and sometimes high-level achievers) who make up the bulk of government, finance and war industries. These are the people who scam you out of your pensions, steal trillions through the criminally-run banking system, bribe their way into positions of influence and often end up running the world's most powerful organizations right alongside Sociopaths. You'll find them at the top of drug companies, weapons manufacturers, spy grid technology giants and of course governments.
Schemers are different from Sociopaths in that Schemers are not insane... they're just evil. They tend to be very intelligent, very well educated (Harvard, Yale, etc.) and extremely well-connected into the corporate and government elitist circles. Their code of ethics only applies to their own family members, but anyone outside their immediate family is fair game for scams, threats and even murders. Organized mobs and Chicago-style gangs are all led by high-level Schemers.
Today, Schemers run the worlds of banking and finance. Bilderbergers are Schemers. The Fed is run by Schemers. They will introduce new products that kill your babies if it earns them an extra nickel on their share price. Schemers routinely conduct insider trading scams to steal money from honest investors. Enron was run entirely by Schemers.
Schemers will exploit loopholes, flaunt the law, conspire with others and then stab them in the back after their usefulness is spent. Virtually all politicians are schemers. Eric Holder is a classic Schemer, as was Clinton. All high-level members of secret societies are schemers. The Rockefellers and the so-called "global elite" are all schemers. The world is dominated by schemers because they plan ahead, they conspire, they work in darkness, and they relentlessly seek power and control. Schemers are experts at manipulating Deniers and encouraging Sociopaths.
Summary of the Schemer Archetype: Cognitive capabilities: High. Moral compass: Loyal to blood and family, cares nothing about everyone else. Desired agenda: Total domination by any and all means. Worships: Power and control, weird rituals, occult symbolism, money. Typical dress: $2,000 business suit. When you're not looking, they will: Steal your pension.
Protectors
Protectors are the honest citizens in society; the people who actually give a damn about others. They are the truth seekers and truth-tellers. They know the difference between wrong and right, and when they see something wrong, they actively seek to expose it.
Protectors are the modern-day info-warriors; the defenders of the village. They are the liberty movement advocates, the whistleblowers and the independent thinkers.
Protectors are also preparedness strategists. They enjoy being safe and well prepared for an unknown future. They help protect their children, their families, and sometimes their entire communities from uncertainty. They are survivors.
Protectors are long-term thinkers who want to leave behind a better world for their children. They advocate total transparency in government and fight for honest labeling of GMO foods. They're strong advocates for true environmental protection, and they fight against criminal corporations. They demand accountability from others just as they do from themselves.
Protectors are loyal friends, capable defenders of life and property, and often surprisingly well versed in realms of spirituality, ethics and practical life skills. Many Protectors are members of churches or spiritual organizations, but they may also be journalists, self defense instructors, truck drivers or open-source technology advocates.
Beware of false Protectors who are actually Sociopaths pretending to be Protectors. Many Schemers also attempt to act like Protectors by running non-profits and foundations that are actually designed to further dominate humanity.
Only about 2% of the population are true Protectors. You can't normally identify them until they are tested in a real crisis.
Summary of the Protector Archetype: Cognitive capabilities: Varies widely. Moral compass: Follows the Golden Rule. Often has a religious background. Strong moral compass, strong sense of identity, purpose and self esteem. Desired agenda: Ending suffering. Restoring liberty, justice, peace. Worships: A universal force of good: God, karma or other spiritual force. Typical dress: Varies widely. When you're not looking, they will: Secretly donate food to the local food bank.
Memphis talk radio host Thaddeus Matthews aggressively challenged tea party Republican congressional candidate Charlotte Bergmann during a recent interview. He ended the interview by saying, "get your stupid, ignorant ass up out of my studio." As Bergmann was leaving the studio she extended her hand to the host and Matthews refused to shake hands because he didn't want the "whiteness" to "rub off" on him.
Megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar has taken to his pulpit to deny punching and choking his 15-year-old daughter, telling his congregation the allegations made in a police report are nothing but "exaggeration and sensationalism."
"I will say this emphatically: I should have never been arrested," Dollar said Sunday in his first public appearance two days after police charged him with misdemeanor counts of simple battery and cruelty to children.
The pastor got an enthusiastic ovation from the packed church as he took the pulpit at the World Changers Church International in the Atlanta suburb of College Park. He addressed the criminal charges head-on for several minutes before moving on to his sermon.
"I want you all to hear personally from me that all is well in the Dollar household," Dollar said.
The 50-year-old Dollar is one of the most prominent African-American preachers based around Atlanta, with 30,000 members in the Atlanta area and a ministry of satellite churches across the U.S.
He was arrested after his 15-year-old daughter called 911 at about 1 a.m. Friday and told a Fayette County sheriff's deputy that she and her father argued when he said she couldn't go to a party. A police report says the girl told a deputy her father charged at her, put his hands around her throat, began to punch her and started hitting her with his shoe. The deputy noted a scratch on her neck.
The report said the deputy also interviewed Dollar's 19-year-old daughter, who said her father grabbed her sister's shoulders and slapped her in the face and choked her for about five seconds. She said her sister tried to break free, but did not fight back. When her father threw the 15-year-old on the floor, the older girl ran to get her mother. Dollar's wife, Taffi, told the deputy she did not see the fight.
Dollar launched into a lengthy denial of the allegations from the pulpit.
"The truth is that a family conversation with our youngest daughter got emotional," he said. "And emotions got involved and things escalated from there."
He said the mark on his daughter's neck had been there for about 10 years and was caused by a skin condition, eczema.
"The truth is she was not choked, she was not punched. There were not any scratches on her neck," Dollar said. "But the only thing on her neck was a prior skin abrasion from eczema.Anything else is exaggeration and sensationalism."
Dollar didn't publicly display any anger toward his children.
"I will never put any fault on my children, as Jesus would never put any fault on me," he said.
Dollar's wife is a co-pastor at the church. She addressed the congregation before her husband but did not touch on the allegations.
Dollar's congregation appeared supportive Sunday, giving him sustained applause as he took the stage. As he spoke, people in the sanctuary yelled encouragement: "We love you!" and "We've got your back!" As he talked about the difficulty dealing with teenage children in a "culture of disrespect," many in the crowd nodded in agreement.
Members of the church seemed to close ranks around Dollar even before he addressed them. Dozens of people approached by The Associated Press as they arrived for the service declined to comment, and the few who did expressed support. After the service, many were still reluctant to comment, but those who did said they were satisfied with their pastor's comments.
"When I first heard what he was accused of, I didn't believe it. I knew there had to be more to the story," said Phyllissa Wolley, 23, a daycare worker who has attended the church for about five years. "I felt like he addressed the accusations today, and I believe what he said. To hear from him personally, I really appreciated that. I was glad to hear his side of the story."
Others said the media blew the accusations out of proportion without having all the facts and they felt vindicated after hearing Dollar speak.
"I think you're looking at a bunch of sensationalism," said George Blake of Ellenwood, adding that he thought the media rushed to tell the story without knowing the full story. The 49-year-old said he never questioned his pastor of eight years.
"It's not up to me to me to be satisfied with what he had to say," Blake said. "This is a man of God spreading the word of God."
Dollar, who has five children, is a native of College Park and says he received a vision for the church in 1986. He held the first service in front of eight people in an elementary school cafeteria. His ministry grew quickly and the church moved into its present location, an 8,500-seat sanctuary, on Dec. 24, 1995.
Along with Bishop Eddie Long, Dollar is one of the most prominent African-American preachers based around Atlanta who have built successful ministries on the prosperity gospel, which teaches that God wants to bless the faithful with earthly riches. Ministers in this tradition often hold up their own wealth as evidence that the teaching works
Dollar said in a 2007 interview with The Associated Press that he renounced his church salary, and his income only comes from personal investments, including a real estate residential property business and horse breeding company called Dollar Ranch. He's also published more than 30 books, focusing mostly on family and life issues, including debt management.
He said he also sometimes got up to $100,000 for a single appearance on his packed schedule of speaking engagements.
In the summer of 1992 well living in Atlanta;At the age of 20,I journeyed with a close friend of mine to her hometown of Baltimore Maryland to witness a concert like no other;The Feature performer was Chuck Brown and The Soul Searchers.That was my first time hearing Chuck and after that my life and style of music was never the same.
Chuck Brown, who styled a unique mix of funk, soul and Latin party sounds to create go-go music in the nation's capital, has died after suffering from pneumonia. He was 75.
Brown, widely acclaimed as the "Godfather of go-go" for his pioneering sound, died Wednesday at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore. Hospital spokesman Gary Stephenson confirmed Brown had died after a hospital stay that began April 18.
Thanks to Brown and his deep, gravelly voice, go-go music was uniquely identified with Washington. That's where he continued to play the city's club circuit to a loyal audience late in life.
Mayor Vincent Gray said the nation's capital will be a different place without him. Mournful admirers of the musician were called Wednesday evening to an impromptu candlelight vigil in Washington, where a sound truck was to blast a special Chuck Brown music mix to the crowd before a prayer session for him.
"Go-go is D.C.'s very own unique contribution to the world of pop music," he said. "Today is a very sad day for music lovers the world over."
In 2007 Brown told The Associated Press that go-go was influenced by sounds and fast beats he heard early in life, growing up in North Carolina and Virginia, combined with his experience later, playing with a Latin band.
"Go-go is a music that continues on and on, and it's a call and response communication with the audience," Brown said.
Go-go was heavy on percussion with drummers as lead players, accented by guitar riffs, keyboards and horns. Sometimes the musicians would play for two or three hours without stopping. In between tunes, Brown would keep the thunk of percussion going and talk to the crowd.
Brown's hit "Bustin' Loose" with his group, the Soul Searchers, helped define go-go's sound. It spent several weeks atop the R&B chart in 1979. Rapper Nelly later sampled Brown's "Bustin' Loose" in 2002 for his massive hit "Hot in Herre," which won Nelly a Grammy.
Brown didn't get credit at first, though, and "had to go through some legalities to get it right, but we knew, once we heard the song, that's Chuck Brown," said Gregory "Sugar Bear" Elliott, lead singer of the go-go band EU (Experience Unlimited.)
In 2007, rapper Eve sampled Brown's song, "Blow Your Whistle," in her hit single "Tambourine."
"Go-Go had some influence on rap because a lot of rap musicians come to my shows," he said. "Some of them were students at Howard University. People like Puff Daddy, he's been to see us when he was a young Howard University student."
Spike Lee, a fan of Brown's, used go-go for his movie "School Daze."
"Chuck Brown Will Always Be 'Bustin' Loose' — the Godfather of Go-Go," Lee said through a spokeswoman.
Elliot said Brown had been a father figure since he was a teen when he aspired to be a rocker like Jimmy Hendrix but realized he wouldn't make it that way as a young black man. When he saw Brown perform, he said he "instantly knew" what he wanted to do.
"Chuck Brown is going to live on forever. I'm going to make sure of that," Elliott said. "When they see me, I want them to see a reflection of Chuck because he inspired me so much."
He added: "The go-go sound is still going strong."
When Brown was younger, he spent some time in jail. While behind bars, he traded five cartons of cigarettes for his first guitar. After he was freed in 1962, Brown played with several bands and then formed the Soul Searchers. To comply with terms of his parole, they couldn't play where alcohol was served, so they went to churches, recreation halls and youth centers.
Brown's daughter, Cherita Whiting, said he had died from complications with pneumonia and was gone too soon.
"I just want to tell all his fans, thank you, for lovin' our dad," she said. "He had the best fans in the world."
During the crack epidemic of the 1980s, violence in some clubs affected go-go's reputation. Brown said "we can't blame the go-go for that," though.
More recently, he said he had seen more grandparents at his shows, with an audience ranging in age from 18 to 60.
In 2005, he was named a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts.R.I.P God Father of Go Go.
DRINK WATER ON EMPTY STOMACH
It is popular in Japan today to drink water immediately after waking up every morning. Furthermore, scientific tests have proven its value. We publish below a description of use of water for our readers. For old and serious diseases as well as modern illnesses the water treatment had been found successful by a Japanese medical society as a 100% cure for the following diseases:
Headache, body ache, heart system, arthritis, fast heart beat, epilepsy, excess fatness, bronchitis asthma, TB, meningitis, kidney and urine diseases, vomiting, gastritis, diarrhea, piles, diabetes, constipation, all eye diseases, womb, cancer and menstrual disorders, ear nose and throat diseases.
METHOD OF TREATMENT
1. As you wake up in the morning before brushing teeth, drink 4 x 160ml glasses of water
2. Brush and clean the mouth but do not eat or drink anything for 45 minute
3.. After 45 minutes you may eat and drink as normal.
4. After 15 minutes of breakfast, lunch and dinner do not eat or drink anything for 2 hours
5. Those who are old or sick and are unable to drink 4 glasses of water at the beginning may commence by taking little water and gradually increase it to 4 glasses per day.
6. The above method of treatment will cure diseases of the sick and others can enjoy a healthy life.
The following list gives the number of days of treatment required to cure/control/reduce main diseases:
1. High Blood Pressure (30 days)
2. Gastric (10 days)
3. Diabetes (30 days)
4. Constipation (10 days)
5. Cancer (180 days)
6. TB (90 days)
7. Arthritis patients should follow the above treatment only for 3 days in the 1st week, and from 2nd week onwards – daily..
This treatment method has no side effects, however at the commencement of treatment you may have to urinate a few times.
It is better if we continue this and make this procedure as a routine work in our life. Drink Water and Stay healthy and Active.
This makes sense .. The Chinese and Japanese drink hot tea with their meals ..not cold water. Maybe it is time we adopt their drinking habit while eating!!! Nothing to lose, everything to gain...
For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you.
It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion.
Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine.
Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.
A serious note about heart attacks:
· Women should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting,
· Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line.
· You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack.
· Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms.
· 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up.
· Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we could survive...
A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this mail sends it to everyone they know, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life.
Please be a true friend and send this article to all your friends you care about.
Haiti – Its capital is blighted with earthquake rubble. Its countryside is shorn of trees, chopped down for fuel. And yet, Haiti’s land may hold the key to relieving centuries of poverty, disaster and disease: There is gold hidden in its hills — and silver and copper, too.
A flurry of exploratory drilling in the past year has found precious metals worth potentially $20 billion deep below the tropical ridges in the country’s northeastern mountains. Now, a mining company is drilling around the clock to determine how to get those metals out.
In neighboring Dominican Republic, workers are poised to start mining the other side of this seam later this year in one of the world’s largest gold deposits: 23 million ounces worth about $40 billion.
Haiti’s annual budget is $1 billion, more than half provided by foreign assistance. The largest single source of foreign investment, $2 billion, came from Haitians working abroad last year. A windfall of locally produced wealth could pay for roads, schools, clean water and sewage systems for the nation’s 10 million people, most of whom live on as little as $1.25 a day.
“If the mining companies are honest and if Haiti has a good government, then here is a way for this country to move forward,” said Bureau of Mines Director Dieuseul Anglade.
In a parking lot outside Anglade’s marble-floored office, more than 100 families have been living in tents since the earthquake. “The gold in the mountains belongs to the people of Haiti,” he said, gesturing out his window. “And they need it.”
Haiti’s geological vulnerability is also its promise. Massive tectonic plates squeeze the island with horrifying consequences, but deep cracks between them form convenient veins for gold, silver and copper pushed up from the hot innards of the planet. Prospectors from California to Chile know earthquake faults often have, quite literally, a golden lining.
Until now, few Haitians have known about this buried treasure. Mining camps are unmarked, and the work is being done miles up dirt roads near remote villages, on the opposite side of the country from the capital. But U.S. and Canadian investors have spent more than $30 million in recent years on everything from exploratory drilling to camps for workers, new roads, offices and laboratory studies of samples. Actual mining could be under way in five years.
“When I first heard whispers of this I said, `Gold mines? There could be gold mines in Haiti?’” said Michel Lamarre, a Haitian engineer whose firm, SOMINE, is leading the exploration. “I truly believe this is our answer to taking care of ourselves instead of constantly living on donations.”
On a rugged, steep Haitian ridge far above the Atlantic, brilliant boulders coated with blue-green oxidized copper jut from the hills, while colorful pebbles litter the soil, strong indicators that precious metals lie below.
“Just look down,” said geologist John Watkins. “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”
Nearby, 8-year-old Whiskey Pierre and his barefoot buddies stared at a team of sweat-drenched men driving a narrow, shrieking diamond bit 900 feet into the ground.
“That is a drill!” shouted Whiskey, bouncing on his toes. “The man drill to get gold!”
The workers periodically pulled up samples and knocked them into boxes. The first 40 feet yielded loose rocks and gravel. About 160 feet down, cylinders of rock came back peppered with gold. At 1,000 feet down, rocks were heavily streaked with copper.
Geologists extrapolating from depth and strike reports estimate at least 1 million ounces of gold at two sites. In April, prospectors found the first significant silver ever reported in Haiti: between 20 million and 30 million ounces. And in the end, it may be copper that is the most lucrative: geologists suspect that more than 1 million tons lay in just one of many areas under exploration.
The prices of precious metals have been volatile in recent years, with copper selling for about $8,000 per ton, silver at $30 an ounce, and gold at $1,600 per ounce.
“Ultimately, I think mining is going to dwarf anything else in Haiti,” says Michael Fulp, an Albuquerque, N.M.-based geologist who visited the drill sites. “Usually you’ve got about a one-in-1,000 chance of making a mine from the exploratory stage, but those odds are much better in Haiti because of the lack of any previous modern-day exploration and very, very promising samples.”
Gold was last gathered in Haiti in the 1500s, after Christopher Columbus ran the Santa Maria onto a Haitian reef. Spaniards enslaved the Arawak Indians to dig for gold, killing them off with harsh conditions and infectious diseases. When the Spaniards learned of even more lucrative deposits in Mexico, they moved on.
In the 1970s, United Nations geologists documented significant pockets of gold and copper, but foreigners weren’t willing to risk their cash in a country where corruption and instability has long discouraged outside investment.
Ironically, it was only after the catastrophic 2010 earthquake that investors saw real opportunity. Fifteen days after a seismic jolt brought down much of Port-au- Prince, a Canadian exploration firm acquired all of the shares of the only Haitian firm holding full permits for a promising chunk of land in the northeast.
“Investors want to get in at the bottom,” said Dan Hachey, president of Majescor Resources, the Canadian company, “and I figured after that earthquake, Haiti was as low as it could get.”
Hachey was also betting that the $10 billion in foreign assistance promised for earthquake recovery would force change and accountability.
“The eyes of the world will not allow the government to fool around,” he said.
Three firms are considering mining in Haiti, but so far only SOMINE has full concessions to take the metals out of the mountains. Those permits, for 50 square kilometers (31 square miles), were negotiated in 1996 under President Rene Preval and require the firm to hire Haitians whenever possible.
In exchange for minimal permit fees, SOMINE committed to spend $2.25 million in the first two years. In addition, it will pay $1.8 million after a feasibility study, according to the contract.
Bottom line: Haitians should get $1 out of every $2 of profits, compared with about $1 out of $3 that most countries get from mining firms.
Discoveries of rich resources, whether diamonds, oil or gold, often prompt great economic booms but come with great risk of environmental, health and social problems. Chile, one of the wealthiest nations in Latin America, is the world’s largest copper exporter, deriving a third of its income from the metal. Peru, with one of the fastest growing economies in the world, has privatized most of its mines in recent years, and now gets about 20 percent of its total revenues from the industry.
Though the contractual terms are generous for Haiti, there is plenty to be cautious about. Haiti’s government is repeatedly rated as one of the most corrupt in the world. The mines would ostensibly be regulated by government officials responsible for enforcing environmental, mining and corporate laws, but at this point those officials don’t exist and there are neither plans nor budgets to hire them.
Further, open pit mines, common around the world, are crater-like holes made up of a series of massive terraced steps that drop thousands of feet into the ground. When the resources are exhausted, usually after about 25 years, the pits can be refilled or converted into reservoirs. In many cases, the mines leave serious problems — environmental contamination, displaced communities and mountaintops torn asunder.
From Papua New Guinea to the Philippines to Brazil, mining accidents have allowed tons of waste to be spilled into rivers and lakes, creating environmental disasters.
“In low-income countries, the dangers are substantial,” said UCLA political science professor Michael Ross. “The great irony of mineral wealth is that those countries that most desperately need infusions of mineral revenue — low-income countries with weak governments — are also least likely to manage these resources wisely, for the benefit of the country.”
