[Cob] COB: (a bit off colour) Haiti COB and Mixing

[Damon Howell]

Katherine,
	That is a very GOOD point you made about alternative builders  
trotting down there to show the survivors in Haiti how to build their  
homes back "cheap." I had the same thought when it came to Katrina  
disasterees. Building with mud may not be as convenient as moving a  
lot of trailers in, but it is definitely cost efficient. But, oh  
yeah, our government doesn't care how much money it takes to rebuild  
a city/country because it's American taxpayer money. It's Haiti!!!  
They are the poorest country in the world! Why would they need/want a  
$200,000 American home? Just as you said, our "expert" builders will  
not build an "outhouse" but instead ask our (American) government for  
more money to establish infrastructure to support indoor running  
water all over the island. They (the Haitians) don't even know what  
that is! Most islanders, I bet, use the rain catchment systems  
instead of a municipal water source. As a taxpayer, I don't want to  
rebuild Haiti because the crooks, thieves, and power mongers down  
there will just tear it down anyway. Geez! Many of us Americans build  
with cob because we're too poor to build and operate a conventional  
house. Are we gonna build them houses with climate control and power  
outlets? Yes. Why? They don't have electricity! I say show them how  
to build 24' circular mud huts like they do in Africa and be done  
with it.

Damon in GA, USA