By Christopher McCollum

Out of the living tragedy that is Port-au-Prince, a miraculous rescue has been made, with a survivor pulled from the wreckage of a grocery store 11 days after the earthquake rattled Haiti.

Sky News reports that the lone survivor was trapped under a desk for a week and a half, and was able to survive by reaching for nearby groceries. Those nearby groceries happened to be cookies, canned soft drinks, and of course, cans of beer. Wismond Exantus is indeed a lucky individual, as the desk protected him from the building falling around him, and he was made even luckier as these items were intact and within reach of him. What makes the rescue of Exantus even better, is that the Haitian government officially called off the search for survivors earlier in the day. Working of their own accord, private rescue teams continued to scour the ruins of the capital city, until a Greek team was hailed by Exantus’ brother, who had heard a voice where the store used to stand.

The chance of finding anyone else alive in the rubble is incredibly small, but hopefully there are others who are in similar situations as Wismond. The time frame is getting smaller, and hope is dwindling as the death toll continues to sky rocket, and bodies are dumped into mass graves on the outskirts of the ruins. Any glowing bit of hope is good for the morale of the people on the island, as well as for those watching with baited breath around the world. Tens of millions of dollars have been raised to help Haiti, and several people I personally know have made monetary and material donations to help the survivors.

That one man can survive on beer, leads us to hope that perhaps two men could survive on beer, and perhaps even three. Keep digging, people. Keep digging, and hopefully more will be found before it’s too late. While I have many questions that I would love to ask Wismond Exantus, I think the one that would be first off my tongue given the opportunity, is what kind of beer was he living off of?

Here’s to you, Wismond. And here’s hoping there are many more like you.

Special thanks to Greg Le Guyader for contributing to this article.

By Christopher McCollum

In my previous ‘Diageo Dollars’ article, I wrote about Diageo departing Puerto Rico for St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, stirred on by their quest for greater profit margins. While that can be decried as being one of the evils of Capitalism, and the epitome of corporate greed, it must be remembered that one action can not condemn an entire group. Even though in Diageo’s case, many people think it’s actually two actions, as they closed down a 200 year old Johnnie Walker distillery in Kilmarnock, Scotland, as well as the grain depot Port Dundas, in Glasgow. Company restructuring aside, it could be easy for many people to view Diageo in a very negative light, thinking that they do not see the common man as anything more than a tool that can be discarded at the whims of whatever boss has monetary symbols in his or her eyes. However, it would be wise to take each action as it is, and remember that it does not reflect completely on the moral compass of those in charge of the company. Many actions over time can have the company begin to earn their reputation, but until that day comes, let’s also consider that terrific things can be done by those with the power and ability to do it.

For example, a couple of days ago, news broke that Diageo would be chartering a plane and sending relief supplies to Haiti, where they have part ownership in a brewery in Port-au-Prince. These supplies include medical kits, and 45,000 pounds of food that will reach tens of thousands of starving people who are still at this moment residing in the earthquake ravaged capital city. Many are still dying, adding to the potential total death toll of over 200,000 people. Food and water is still barely getting to the necessary places, and hopefully Diageo’s contribution will make it to the victims sooner rather than later.

The soft side of Diageo has been shown, and let’s hope that many others follow suit. The world is indeed a cruel place, but with the generosity of those who can manage it, it doesn’t have to be quite as cruel for some people.