Saturday, October 15: We Should Talk About Haiti
Our island neighbors to the south on the brink of complete collapse
Haiti has been in the grips of an extreme fuel shortage for months, causing the shutdown of most of the island’s hospital services and making it impossible for millions of Haitians to find fuel or affordable food. The island’s main fuel terminal has been blockaded by a federation of local gangs, adding an element of danger to an already desperate situation.
Millions of Haitians already faced food insecurity before the current crisis, but now prices are going up, shelves are bare, and many people can't even work due to the fuel shortage and general state of insecurity. Protesters and gang leaders have demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who has conveniently been in power since the assassination of President Jovernel Moise last summer. The gangs decided to block fuel distribution in response to Henry announcing an end to fuel subsidies, which he claimed were unaffordable.
"We can survive for one or two weeks. If this situation stays the same, it will be a catastrophe."
-Judes Jonathas, senior program manager for the humanitarian group Mercy Corps
The shortages are reaching a breaking point, as the black market price for a single gallon of fuel is around $30. Haitians trying to get groceries this week very likely encountered empty shelves. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is satisfied sending weekly blank checks to the other side of the world to keep funding a war. Priorities.
Side Items
Farewell Sweet Hagrid: Robbie Coltrane, the actor who played the lovable half-giant in the Harry Potter series, passed away yesterday at the age of 72. Performers like Robbie are rare, with his remarkable ability to make viewers feel at ease, even when watching through a screen years later. RIP king
Soup Season: A pair of climate activists in Amsterdam threw a can of soup on a Van Gogh painting, causing temporary massive uproar within the Van Gogh-appreciating community. Once everyone realized the precious painting was actually behind a pane of glass and thus unperturbed by the soup slinging, they quickly forgot to ask why these climate activists would do such a thing. This sort of “stuntivism” has recently become more popular, with sports fans tying themselves to goalposts or glueing themselves to basketball courts to make themselves heard. In this case, the organization Stop Big Oil is attempting to draw our collective attention to the impending fuel shortage in Europe and the cold, long winter ahead for many on the continent
Crabs All Died? Probably Nothing: For the first time in state history, Alaska has cancelled the annual winter snow crab season due to the strange disappearance of the creature. An estimated one billion (with a B) crabs have mysteriously evaporated in two years, which would equate to about a 90% drop in their population. It’s a major blow to the seafood industry, but I’d be more concerned with what it indicates for overall aquatic health
Today’s Edition of ACAB: Remember that Los Angeles police officer that died in an “accident” during a “training simulation” a few months ago? Turns out he may have been killed for investigating other officers for a crime against a female victim