“Carl’s Corner” on Radio Tropicale , New York . www.radiotropicale.com from 11 a.m. to 11.30 a.m every Sunday.
“Carl’s Corner” on RADIO OCCIDENTALE, 99.3 FM ,SCA,www.radiooccidentale.com.Alors Fort Myers, Florida every Sunday at 9.00 a.m. For additionnal information please call URBAIN JOSEPH 239 810 6549.Email urbainjoseph2000@yahoo.fr
The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high and heroic temper.
Aristotle
384-322 BCE
RECEIVED FROM
ANTHONY D. BOX, ESQUIRE
Dear Carl,
Wishing you a Happy Holiday and thanking you for being you, a friend and a model. You are now an icon in our community or should I say the pulse of it. Your success is not only due to the news or the issues being debated on your BLOG but it is mainly due to your persona. A persona in whom we all find ourselves or wish we could emulate. You are a bridge between black and mulatto, rich and poor, "Haitian-Haitian and Haitian-American" or other Diaspora. You are what our people should be or aspire to be, but we are not there yet, because of our multiple idiosyncrasies. You transcend “le mal qui nous fait mal comme une société.” As such, I am looking forward for another year with you in my life as a friend, moreover, to read your e-mailed BLOG every morning with my coffee.
Anthony D. Box
MY ANSWER
Dear Anthony,
You have touched my heart and considering the source of the above comments, I am humbled and at the same time proud and grateful. Whatever success I may have had in the Haitian community is primarily due to the influence of my father, Charles Fombrun, a prominent figure in Haitian politics for almost half a century, who had a deep commitment to his country and all its people. I can only try to emulate his qualities at this late stage in my life.
Thanks again, Anthony, for your comments. I will keep them as a reminder to always walk a straight line.
All the best,
Carl
RECEIVED FROM
JEAN-EDDY CRÉPIN
New York
Merry Christmas Carl, and Happy New Year 2008.
Eddy
RECEIVED FROM
YOURRY DESNOYERS
Carl, Happy Holidays.
Truly yours,
Yourry
ON THE RIGHT
Iraq: the good news story
Simon Tisdall
December 2007
If Iraq were a hospital patient, the Bush administration would be tempted to take it off the critical list and send it home for Christmas. US officials say a wide range of indicators show steady improvement.
After years of chaos and the near-death experience of all-out sectarian warfare in 2006, hopes of a remarkable recovery are rising.
Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, carried the political equivalent of flowers when she did the rounds in Kirkuk and Baghdad this week. The Kirkuk leg was intended to demonstrate that this Kurd-Sunni Arab-Turkman flashpoint is treatable. Her message was aimed at the worried Turks of Ankara , Washington 's friends in the north. Rice's lunch with President Jalal Talabani in Baghdad's Red Zone, outside the government's fortified Green Zone compound, was an ostentatious celebration of improved security. Not so long ago, she would not have got past the soup course without a suicide bombing or three.
"We're continuing discussions about how to build on the security and economic progress that is being made here and on the significant developments at the local and provincial level, to make certain that national reconciliation takes place," Rice cooed.
Statistics famously lie, but current figures, spurious or not, are finally favouring Washington and its Iraqi clients. Since the US military surge began, civilian deaths have fallen by roughly two-thirds across Iraq . The latest Pentagon assessment recorded 600 killings in November, compared with more than 2,500 in January. At least 3,600 members of al-Qaida in Mesopotamia were killed or captured in the same period.
A key factor is said to be the so-called Sunni Awakening. The Pentagon says the decline in sectarian conflict has been matched by the recruitment of 69,000 mostly Sunni volunteers hostile to foreign jihadis and determined to reclaim their communities.
The ceasefire by the Iranian-backed, Shia Arab Mahdi army, wisely adopted as the surge troops advanced, has helped cut the killing, too.
Economic indicators also colour Washington 's rosy picture. The Pentagon chief, Robert Gates, says Iraq 's Saddam-era debt has been significantly reduced and the economy is growing by 5-6% annually, buoyed by oil receipts. In this developing US narrative, the thousands of returning exiles, and Iraq 's improved relations with its neighbours, tell their own story.
Many of these developments may be attributed to General David Petraeus's thoughtful military and non-military approach to counter-insurgency. The US commander has stressed decentralised control (what is called "soft partition"), self-help among local and tribal leaders, accelerated training of army and police forces, and a tighter focus on what his aides call the "real bad guys" - al-Qaida and its emulators.
Using the troop reinforcements, Petraeus succeeded in crushing a summer offensive by Sunni and Shia groups north and west of Baghdad , with casualties peaking in June. His overall strategy has contrasted sharply with the previous top-down approach to policymaking, and an undirected, scattergun approach to counter-terrorism.
All the same, the " Iraq rising" scenarios plotted in Washington could flop as quickly as an over-egged soufflé. The Pentagon admits that, militarily and politically, things remain fragile, that reform remains elusive, and that genuine national reconciliation is still an aspiration.
Some provinces, such as Nineweh, remain just as violent as before the surge. In Basra , organised crime and religiously inspired social intolerance have soared. Inadequate essential services are another continuing bugbear. Electricity supply fell short of demand by 42% last month, only a 5% improvement in 18 months.
Concerns about a relapse lie behind the US military's current debate over how quickly post-surge troops reductions can be carried out. Gates is said to want to go down to 100,000, or 10 combat brigades, by the end of 2008. Planners know that if they get the timing wrong, the insurgents will pounce, claim a great victory and try to plunge the country back into mayhem.
But for now, after some very tough years, the official mood in Washington is approaching upbeat. And the US public is catching on. According to the Pew Research Centre, 48% now believe Iraq is going either fairly or very well, compared with 34% in January.
That shift in opinion may or may not accurately reflect realities on the ground. Under any scenario, the "new Iraq " will be a long time a-building. But if optimism continues to grow, it could radically change both Iraq , and the way US voters view their presidential candidates. The doggedly pro-war Republican John McCain, another political hospital case not so long ago, is positioned to benefit most.
HAITIAN AMERICAN
PROFESSIONALS COALITION, INC.
“OUR COMMUNITY -- OUR SOLUTIONS -- OUR COMMITMENT”
Annual Holiday Ball
Saturday, December 29, 2007
6:30 pm – 2:00 am
Haitian American Professionals Coalition
Haitian Lawyers Association
Haitian American Engineers and Scientists
Haitian American Nurses Association of Florida
Association of Haitian Educators of Dade
Association of Haitian Social Workers
Haitian American Law Enforcement Fraternal Organization
HaitianAmericanCenter for Economic & Public Affairs
1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can and quickly. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an 'eggnog-aholic' or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it! Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think.
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand-alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a be autiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple, pumpkin and mincemeat - have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert -- Labor Day?
9. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips: Start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.
Happy Holidays Darci Pappano
NEW WEBMASTER
EDDY ST. PREUX
ON Carl’s Corner
Since the 14th of December 2007 CARL’S CORNER has a new and young WEBMASTER by the name of EDDY ST. PREUX. Eddy, 23 years old, lives in New York and is the younger brother of Woodring. From now on, for those not reading or receiving CARL’S CORNER on a daily basis they can visit us on www.fombrun.com where the same newsletter will be posted entirely with photos, etc, through the gracious help of EDDY ST. PREUX.
CARL’S CORNER highly recommend EDDY for all your internet needs at a reasonable price. EDDY can be reached directly at : 845.704.7475 or at:
