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Thank you for your reply Tiba. I respectfully disagree with...

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Reply to Msg 25655

Thank you for your reply Tiba.

I respectfully disagree with you.

Go to my website and look at the blocks.

Here's why I think they're a good idea for Haiti as you describe it.

1. The plastic is a better insulator than the stone.

Keep in mind that the plastic blocks have to be plastered inside and out to be effective.

2. They're cheaper to make and easier to handle than concrete blocks.

3. They're safer because they're held together with wire. That means they will flex and not break in an earthquake.

And which would you rather have fall on you or your child?

a forty pound concrete block or a seven pound plastic block?

4. The other options being proposed to the NGO's and Haitian government involve rice straw bales and compressed earth bricks and bags. The plastic blocks are cheaper and easier to build with than either of the those options.

5. Probably most important of all is Haitians can build their own houses with their own blocks that they made. They don't have to settle for a house that some charitable foreigner thinks they need. They won't have to accept a shelter that's primary design involves making money for foreigners.

So please accept this challenge.

Look around and try to get a feeling of the problem of plastic debris.

Keep in mind that one house will remove approximately a shipping container's worth of plastic trash from the landscape and landfill.

Be my eyes on the ground.

I'm here in Texas.

But that doesn't mean I have to be blind about the truth in Haiti if I have someone acting as my eyes and local wisdom in Haiti.

Look at my website and study the machine.

Come up with flaws so we can fix them before anyone in Haiti tries to use the machine.

We can do this. harvey at harvey lacey dot com

Harvey Lacey, December 30 2010, 7:59 PM

Topic: Haitians Are The Most Ignorant People On Earth

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11 - 20 of 24 « First  ‹ Prev  1 2 3  Next ›  Last »
It is very hard to classify or judge them or say they are ignorant by the fact that the rate illiteracy is so high... read more >
Jean, 15-Aug-10 1:53 pm
I actually have been to Haiti. They have a lot of smart people and a lot more who are illiterate or just barely read... read more >
Brian Sitterley, 17-Dec-10 12:44 am
Brian, You started okay but then got to talk about something that you have very little to no understand about. For a... read more >
Tiba, 17-Dec-10 6:18 am
Dear Tiba, The worst that 20th centry foriegners did to Haiti was not the 1990's, but the 1920's and 1930's when... read more >
Brian Sitterley, 17-Dec-10 10:40 pm
Brian, You said, "In fairness to investors, it is dangerous to invest in places without stable government". The irony... read more >
Tiba, 18-Dec-10 5:13 am
Tiba, go to my website, An African architect challenged me to find a way to build holistic housing for the third world... read more >
Harvey Lacey, 29-Dec-10 9:55 pm
Houses and building made out of plastic seem to be a sensible and practical idea for locations that are susceptible to... read more >
Pierre F. Lherisson, 30-Dec-10 9:21 am
Harvey, I don't understand the meaning of this challenge you just gave me since I never mentioned anything about... read more >
Tiba, 30-Dec-10 12:52 pm
Thank you for your reply Tiba. I respectfully disagree with you. Go to my website and look at the blocks. Here's why I... read more >
Harvey Lacey, 30-Dec-10 7:59 pm
Harvey, We keep going in circle on this issue because each of us is talking about 2 different things here. You keep... read more >
Tiba, 31-Dec-10 7:25 am
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