The Tonton Macoutes

About the NSV
The Tonton Macoutes, also known as MVSN, or National Security Volunteers, were a Haitian secret police forcethat was created in 1959. It was lead by Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier and the Macoutes were reporting directlyto him until his death in 1971. The army was disbanded in 1986 but some of the members turned into rebelsin 2000 because of the political turmoil.The name, Tonton Macoutes, was brought up from the Haitian Creole mythology. If you translate it word for word, itmeans "Uncle Gunnysack." A Gunny Sack is a bag made of burlap and is used to transport grains. Tonton Macoute wasthe name of a boogeyman (a folkloric word for a demon creature that goes from kids to kids house's and scares them.) In the Haitian mythology, the bogeyman walked in the dark streets at night, kidnapping children who stayed out too late and stuffed them into a gunnysack, never to return again. This is when the Tonton Macoutes were born. Anyone whoopposed Papa Doc would be taken in the night and no one would ever see them again. The people were too afraid to talk about the MVSN so they adapted the name, Tonton Macoute, to reffer to them.




About their leader

Early Life

Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier was born on the 15th of April in 1907 Port au Prince, Haiti. Unlike most Haitians, Francois had the privilege to an education, after which he studied in the University of Haiti, completing a degree in medicine. He worked in several hospitals in Haiti until 1943 when he joined the active campaign in the USA, to stop the spread of diseases many of which are common in Haiti. 1946 he became the Director of Public Health of Haiti.
Following that in 1949 he served as both the Minister of Health and the Minister of Labor. After the coup d’etat of the government of Paul Magloire he was sent into exile until 1946 when he returned after an agreement.

Presidency

For the election of 1957, Duvalier ran against Louis Dejoie, an individual from the richer “whiter” part of Haiti which Duvalier used against him, telling people he had no concerns for the poor black population. Duvalier won presidency but the army and many others believed the votes were rigged.
After the attempted coup of 1958, Duvalier set up a small “group” called the National Security Volunteers, commonly known as the Tonton Macoutes or the Boogeymen. Since they were volunteers, they made their living from crime and theft against the people of Haiti.
By 1961, this group had more power than he Haitian Army, loyal only to Duvalier; they tortured, terrorized, or murdered any who stood against Duvalier’s dictating regime.
Ironic to the fact that throughout his early career, Duvalier was fixed on helping the people (or so it seemed), the Tonton Macoutes threatened the unauthorized social aid and community organization. By 1961 the world knew of Haiti’s governments’ corruption and the US cut off all economic assistance in order to press Haiti into becoming more democratic. Adversely, Duvalier rewrites the constitution to his liking, and then posed a one-candidate election showing off its corruptness, when Duvalier won 1.3 million to none. By 1964, Duvalier declares himself President for life and like monarchy; it would be passed on to his son in 1971.
With the Tonton Macoutes imposing, the strict Duvalier regime on the people killing anyone in their way, a serious drain of qualified professionals begins, hurting the country horrendously, as hundreds of doctors, lawyers, and teachers leave the country.

Tonton Macoutes

Among the 30,000 killed by Duvalier’s secret army, and many more sent into exile, this case is purely sick. In 1959, Duvalier suffered from a heart attack. During his heart attack he was unconscious for 9 hours. Many believe this is the reason for his behavior in the future as it could have affected his mental health. While recovering Duvalier left the power in the hands of the leader of the Tonton Macoutes, Clement Barbot. After recovery, Duvalier accused Barbot of trying to overthrow him as President and had him imprisoned.
In 1963 he released Barbot from prison. Barbot devised a plan to remove Duvalier from power by capturing his children. Duvalier ordered a search for Barbot. An example of one of his irrational acts, Duvalier had heard that Barbot had transformed his self into a black dog. This led him having all black dogs in Haiti put to death. The last heard of Barbot was when he was shot dead by the Tonton Macoutes in July, 1963.

Bibliography-

Tonton Macoute. (2009). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Retrieved February 13, 2009, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonton_Macoute

François Duvalier. (2009). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Retrieved February 15, 2009, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francois_Duvalier

Videos-

Photography Essay

A Day, or 2 Days, on my weekend.

I get ready to leave my house and head on my adventure to Kevin's house. I pack my bag with some clothes, my laptop, and a movie, and off i go! My house is about 2 minutes from Kevin's house so its walking distance. I say bye to my mom and leave the house.

This is the pathway to Kevin's house. It is pretty much made up of shrubs but there are some olive trees, lemon trees, eucalyptus trees, and various species of bushes. I walk up the hill and come across a fallen windmill. Some guy had a huge house before here and he had a big farm with a windmill. After he left, he didn't bother, so he just left it there. Also, on the way up, I find some sort of animal trap that the local Cypriot kids made earlier that day. It was for cats so I immediately destroyed it.

I finally get to Kevin's house. I walk in and I see Shaun sitting on the couch watching some Man vs. Wild on Discovery Channel. Me and Kevin go to the kitchen to see if there is something to chow down on. Oh! Guess what? There is no food, only one cookie, and some crisps left. I take the cookie and we go upstairs. As we go upstairs, Shaun rushes up the stairs at the same time and goes into his room.

We set up our gaming station in Kevin's room, and turn on the DJ set. Kevin inserts his favorite disk in, DJ Mondo's Mix, and we start gaming. About 5 minutes into our gaming session, we hear Shaun say, "Abeedoooo! HEADSHOT!" We wonder why he is shouting that loud so we go inside in his room and investigate. Shaun killed 24 people and died only once! I am amazed but Kevin is not. Kevin sits down and buys his weapons. About 10 mintues later Shaun calls it. Kevin got 5 kills and 19 deaths. Kevin says he is tired but we all know he cant play FPS's.

We play World of Warcraft throughout the night but at about 2:30 we decide to watch the movie I brought. The dvd was called "Balls Out." It was about an old tennis star who quit tennis and joined a school as a janitor. He later gets the opportunity to coach the tennis team of the school. At the end, they win the state finals but with many funny moments in the movie. The next day I wake up really early because I have training. I walk down the path and back to my house where I take a shower and head to The Hilton.

I meet up with my coach and start practicing untill my opponent comes. We practice all my shots, serves, and running excercises. About 30 minutes into the practice, she comes. Her name is Nathalie and she is from Serbia, like my coach. We usually play tennis together each Sunday for tournament practice because she is a good sparring partner.

We start our set. I serve first. My game is looking good at this point in time, and so is hers aswell. I put all my first serves in and two of them were aces strait to her body. No one i know, except my coach, can return my fully concentrated, accurate, hard-hitting serve. He says it's around 175-200 kph.

The score was now 4-1 with me winning. Nathalie was getting really nervous, always twitching and jumping and spinning her racket. So this was my chance to shine. I hit a first serve strait down the line, ace. She had some pretty good shots aswell, but I got enough time to run around them and hit much harder so she had no chance of hitting them back. The score now was 5-2, one more game for me and I won it.

It was Nathalie's turn to serve. She has a pretty decent first serve but the % of it going in, is extremely low. Let's say of about 20 balls, she would get 7 in. She serves her second serve (slice) very good on the contrary. So we have a long first rally on the first point, about 2 minutes, and then she wips this huge backhand down the line. It hit the line for about 2 centimeters. The score for this last game was now Deuce, which means 40-40.

The game ended. The score was 6-2 me. We shaked our hands and practice was over. I went home, rested, played some Call of Duty- World at War, and the usual stuff. After some World of Warcraft, Kevin and Zak came to my house, and we went to the cinema to see, I think it was The Spirit. I do not recommend this movie. It was "two thumbs down." After that we went home and slept for school the next day. This is were I end my photography essay of a Day(s) in my life.

Agree or Disagree

Statement 1. Agree because adults generally have a better knowledge of the world and understand things much easier than a child who would not know as much. Also you need to study politics in college and have a background of international affairs. Next, adults watch alot more news than children, I know its the stereotype, but most do.

Statement 3. Agree because when you want to pursue something and really achieve something, and you do it with a lot of passion it will come true. For example, a bully came up to your friend and punched him and he became unconcious. Meanwhile, you feel really bad because you knew you could do something but you didn't. If you plan to beat up the bully or talk some sense into him you would have to work along time on your mental skills and physical skills. You could punch the bully back and feel good that you are defending your friend, or convince him not to beat up on people and still feel good that he wont do it again. On the other hand, I disagree because if your parents pass away, it would or could be very hard to become happy again, but anything is possible if you just believe.

WoW Chron Podcast Review

Episode - World of Warcraft Chronicles

Episode 34

Date - 02/08/2008

Time - 33:31

Website - Itunes Podcast Directory

Description of Episode - So it's been a while, I know. But, I'm hoping that I can continue the show in small doses every couple weeks to a month and try and keep that schedule going. I got a lot of emails from people saying they want a show, even if it's short and only once a month, so I'll give it a shot. I love, and always have loved making Wow Chronices for all of you, so thanks for all the kind emails I continue to get to this day. In episode 34, I chat a little about the latest on Wrath of the Lich King. Guest host on this episode is Will, whom you may remember from Episode 26 for the Warrior interview. Enjoy the show!

Why I picked this podcast? - This podcast is all me. I love playing video games. Currently the most game i play at the moment is, the most played online role-playing game in the world, World of Warcraft. This podcast series is about that.World of Warcraft is a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) that has 11 million players online at this point in time. These podcasts that are released, cover the basics of the game and alsothe next expansion packs and also interviews with WoW (World of Warcraft) players. This is the reason I lovethis podcast. I cannot wait for the new expansion pack and I always want to know what it will be like.
In this epidsode,the host, is describing in detail the latest information on the upcoming expansion, Wrath of the Lich King or WotLK. In WotLK the level has been increased to 80 from 70. Many players around the whole world are eagerly waiting for this game to be released and start to level their virtual characters. The host in the show explains that in WoW there are these badges called Badge of Justice that drop from a boss in a raid and you can use them to hand into special vendors who will in return, give you a specific gear that you have chosen. But now, because of the new expansion pack, these Badges of Justice are no longer useable for level 80 gear. You can still use these badges now for level 70 gear to make your leveling from 70-80 easier than if you would have worse gear.After the host starts to talk about each class in World of Warcraft and their new abilities, he starts of with the warrior class and says that Blizzard (The creators of WoW) will be increasing the warriors damage so it will be a little more fun to play for the people who chose a warrior as their character. Proceeding after thewarrior class, he talks about the mage character. The man talks about Blizzard and their thoughts of creating anew spell for mages. It will be called living bomb and it should deal damage over time, and also at the end, it should "blow up" the target by pushing the other character. Although this sounds like a good spell, Blizzard is still thinking about changing the effect of the spell. Next is the Paladin class. He explains that the class isgetting a whole new set of spells and abilities to make the class, again, a little more fun for people to play as.Supposedly, there is a new spell that has been discussed in the Blizzard Halls called Beacon of Light and they aretrying to fit the spell as much as possible with the paladin class. Next up is the hunter class that is talked about.The hunters now can tame much bigger pets for example devilsaurs (Huge t-rex kind of looking dinosaurs) thatwill deal much more damage than average pets and also, look much cooler than normal pets. This is all the classesthat the host talks about in this episode. Then he gets really exited about the new calendar feature that will ablepeople to see events that are happening and their time and dates. Also, this new feature will let guilds plantheir raids for example what time and what day. Another feature is the new quest sharing ability. Before this patch, you could only share a quest (when you give the quest to someone else who doesnt have the quest) when another character is next to you. Well the new thing is that now, you can share quests where ever the other people areso it gets rid of all the hastle. Also, you can link the quest in the chat box so that other people can click on it and it will show the details. Many people are very happy and satisfied that Blizzard has done this. This is the part that everyone in the world has been waiting for and the reason that people have subscribed to this podcast.Blizzard has finaly showed in public, the new mounts! There will be alot more that these that he talks about but here they are. A very fast flying mount that you can only get at level 80 which is the Winged Steel of the EbonBlade. This is a skeletal gryphon that can only be summoned in Outland and Northrend. Also there are variationsof this mount that look the same but different names such as Swift Skeletal Gryphon and the normal Skeletal Gryphon (swift is faster). As for mounts that run on ground, there is a very fast Polar Bear with very cool armor and spikes. This is all he has to talk about this week on WoW Chronicles, but he still has one more surprisefor us. A guest speaker that has spoken on episode 26 about the Warrior class.The guy speaking to us is named Will. Will tells us the thing that every WoW player has been talking about and waiting for. The new class, Death Knight. Death Knights will have 3 different talent trees where you put your talentpoints each level. There will be Blood, Frost, and Unholy. Death Knights will be able to be a damage class and also a tank. What a tank is, is a character that attacks a enemy first and gets a hold on that enemy so that everyone else can do damage to it and kill it. Will then goes on to explain the new achievemnt system. This willenable people to do certain stuff and get achievements, sort of like medals, for what they have done. For example:Exploring the whole of Northrend or all the lands of World of Warcraft. Also, having a certain number of kills willgrant you an acievement.

Just for the layman what I have just written might be read as another language... indeed you have to know what I am talking about, WoW is a very advanced online game that is shared by lots of people like me, not quite obsessed by it but really into it and always trying to be at the top of the game. This podcast helps me keeping in touch with what's happening and what's new with this MMORPG.

I really reccomend this podcast to anyone who plays WoW to always know the upcoming news and also, even if you don't know WoW, you can start this podcast to get to like it.

Thorin asks, "Is there anyone out there for me?"

Thorin
1. Bold
2. You can see that he is bold in the story because he leads the group and he fights a lot of goblins.
3. Likes. Strength- He is strong and he wants everyone else to be strong and wants to make Bilbo a “man.”
4. Likes. Weapons- Always fights with an axe to kill goblins.
5. Dislikes. Cowards- He hates Bilbo who is a coward.
6. Dislikes. Hobbits- Bilbo is a hobbit and he hates him.

Username= Dwarfladyman212

Big hunk of junk looking for a female beard.

Hello my name is Thorin,
I am approximately 180 years old or somewhere near that. I am height challenged, buff, and a male dwarf looking for a strong female bearded dwarf. Preferably one from the Mines of Moria. You must be able to withstand my axe slashes in a duel and also my trance of rage. In my free time I like going to taverns and making announcements. Usually I just stand on the main table and compliment women. Also, I love killing and poking the eyes out of goblins and you might as well cancel your application to date me if you can’t kill a goblin.
I like playing my flute and listening to Janet Jackson. On a Sunday night, I like watching West-Side Story, alone. Only looking for females with heavy and long beards. There is an exception for non-beards and hairy backs are an advantage!

The Secrets to America's Long Lost Treasure

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (December 21, 2007)
Reviewed by Tom

Whenever you want to watch a movie, do not watch it just because it had a great rating or do not not watch it because it had bad ratings. Movies are a mixture of emotions, excitement, happiness and good feelings. They stick to your memory forever or you just simply forget them.

At the beginning I thought Disney movies were just for young kids and I thought I was now older than a young boy. But then someone recommended National Treasure 1 and 2. This is when I realized this was my movie. I have watched both now about 50+ times and National Treasure 2 is by far my favorite movie of all time, including the first one as well since it opened for me the door to appreciating the adventure movie genre.

National Treasure 2 (Book of Secrets) is about the treasure lost in North America called Cibola, or in English, The City of Gold. Benjamin Gates and Riley Poole are the treasure hunters in this movie. The opening scene is with Benjamin Gates and his father, Patrick Gates, in a conference hall explaining the assassination of President Lincoln. After they finish the explanation, a man stands up and declares that one of the Gates family members was the mastermind behind the Lincoln assassination. Of course Ben and his father automatically object to the statement. At this point, Benjamin’s main goal is to prove that his family member (great-great-great grandfather) is innocent. The only problem is that the man who stood up to say the statement has proof, Ben has none. The man’s name is Mitch Wilkinson. He is also a treasure hunter. Therefore Ben and Riley set off on their mission using clues that Ben’s relatives gave their children and the children of their children. This quest for innocence takes them to Paris, London, and then back to the States. Do they find Cibola? Or does Mitch beat them to it?

As in National Treasure 1, Ben is played by a very famous actor called Nicolas Cage, and Riley Poole is Justin Bartha. There are tons of reasons why I like this movie, but it would be too long to state them all in one review. The mixture of mystery and suspense, and also its action-packed scenes makes it all very attractive, without a minute wasted to give the audience an important clue. The movie always has you hanging off an edge, like you never know what’s going to happen and when something happens, something else is happening to make you want to watch it even further. In a way, you are as breathless as the characters. It is also thought provoking: for instance, revisiting history even if it is fictional, you can learn a whole lot about history in North America. It also reflects life situation through the relationship of the main character with his parents (we discover the mother who is also a treasure hunter and although the parents are divorced they are falling again for each other).

During the movie, Ben and Riley go to a lot of places around the world to find the next clue. I will not tell you more about it because that’s what makes this film interesting and excellent. They eventually find all the details they need, and it leads them to Mount Rushmore, supposedly where the City of Gold is kept. Ben, Mitch, Riley, and the parents are all present at this moment. They all go into a secret cave. Inside, there are relics of old Native American idols and also, lots of booby traps until all is revealed.

This movie really grasped me. I’m a huge fan of history movies but this one is a masterpiece. I really like the way the characters act in this movie because they sometimes act funny and they make jokes, but after they are all serious and their only aim is to prove Ben’s ancestors innocence. Also what I like is the action part: for example when they go to The Library of Congress with this intense car chase with a lot of special effects.

A movie can never be 100 percent good. There will always be some negative parts to it. The only thing that made me go, “Uh, how is that possible?” is the part when Ben kidnaps the President. The President of any country is never left alone so basically this is the only negative and untrue part to the movie. It was a bit farfetched but it's a movie, after all!

Nicolas Cage in this movie did a really good job. His character and he are one. He really had me of the edge of my chair at all times and at some points you can feel his emotions when something special happened. Also, Justin Bartha did a terrific job. He was always making me laugh. He was the “stupid” guy in the movie. Jon Voight was top notch as usual.

The film had a great cast and the director did a terrific job. The music was appropriate and the lighting was just fine. Every actor did their best and so did the director and to reward them it was a fantastic adventure movie.

This movie is in English.

Director: Jon Turteltaub
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha, Jon Voight, Diane Kruger, Helen Mirren, and Ed Harris. For the full cast go to : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465234/

NEWZFLASH!!!

NEWSBREAK : WORLD RECORD SET!

This article has been brought to you by LeBron James.

It’s been a glorious day in Uzbekistan. Mr. Hazaark Botekilyjue has broken a world record. Actually it is the first world record set in Uzbekistan. He has accomplished the impossible! He has actually, believe it or not, held himself in a wheelie for 2 hours! The current world record was just 20 seconds, so Mr. Botekilyjue has definitely made a mark in history. He wishes to thank everyone especially his wife, Mrs. Marsilando Botekilyjue.