You're Jewish, right?

While waiting in the US Customs line yesterday in Miami, a gentleman in front of me was carrying a large carving.

Alan: "Do you mind letting me see? ... That's pretty nice... Where'd you get it?"

Gentleman: "Haiti."
Alan: "Oh, I just came from there myself"

Gentleman: "What is your last name?"
Alan, a bit baffled at the random question: "Bowling"

Gentleman: "Oh! I thought you were Jewish!", said with a bit of disappointment.

Alan: "No, but I get that a lot, especially from my mother-in-law."

It's about from here to there (Haiti, Day 4)

The government is required to perform a survey for the buyer of a property before purchase, all for the generous price of $250 / acre (the daily wage for a laborer is less than $10.)

Grace was given the Lambi property that we have been designing as long as they paid for the survey, which showed 7 acres, was obviously done in an office without a sight visit, and bore no resemblance to anything on the ground. As we performed a site survey based upon the marker description (painted tree, painted bush, old concrete column, and another painted tree), we found the site contained 4 acres. Having the government surveyor come out (for possibly the first time) to discuss the discrepancy, our project surveyor NEGOTIATED the land until we ended up with 6 acres:

Grant (our Surveyor): "With these markers, we only have 4 acres"

Gov't Surveyor: "Oh, well, how about you extend that line from here to there."
Grant: "That gets us about 5 acres"

Gov't Surveyor: "Hmmm, maybe you ignore this fence line and take that portion over there. That should get you your 7 acres"

Neighbor, standing to the side: "NO, that's my property!!!"

Gov't Surveyor: "Good Point, well, how about we just move the line to here. Will that be OK?"

Grant: "It's 6 acres, but we can live with it."

The ministry folks know this property (one of many they are master planning for permanent homes to re-house the 20,000 people on the front lawn) as the "7-acre tract". Tonight, in our presentation of the site design of the tract, we clarified: "The 7-acre tract has 6 acres".

They are still calling it the '7-acre tract'.

This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land (Haiti, Day 3)

Property Rights are a fundamental right in the United States. Our first President was a Surveyor, our third was a major proponent of the Land Grant College system and sent two men into the pantheons of boyhood lore via the traversing of a newly purchased half-continent.

We do not generally conscious of the legacy of the our forefathers' priority in this matter. Without thought, we intuitively recognize our own right to 'our land', 'our house'. We bought it, we inherited it, we have enduring markers embedded in the ground displaying to others the extents of our ownership. We have deeds, records, courthouse filings. We have Clerks, Judges, Surveyors. All of these entities there to provide a proper security over our Title as Land Owner. And in the rarest of circumstances when even these features fail to protect, we have Chicago Land & Title company providing us a low-cost insurance plan in case some indiscretion is found later.

This is not true in many countries throughout the world, even some first world countries. This plays havoc on the poor of the world. If you do not have a proper title and legal system to uphold its validity, then land ownership is based upon 'power', and the weak, the poor, the orphans and widows of the world are forever prevented from obtaining land.

Such conditions deteriorate an economy, or rather, prevent its growth. If a person cannot trust that what they have is their's to keep, they will, over time, disregard the property itself, will be too hesitant to invest in its upkeep, will allow it to descend into disrepair.

There are many issues surrounding the individual Haitian. This is one I have experienced this week and found very frustrating.