Concert benefit set

Disproving the stereotypes that neither hip-hop nor Facebook can amount to much good, Minneapolis rapper Unicus of the group Kanser has hastily assembled the Twin Cities' first major benefit concert for his native Haiti, and he has the ubiquitous social-networking website largely to thank for it.

The event, dubbed Hip-Hop for Haiti, is set for Tuesday at the Nomad World Pub, 501 Cedar Av. S., in Minneapolis' West Bank. Performers will include Desdamona, Illuminous 3, DJ Snuggles, Ernie Rhodes, More Than Lights, Aquafresh and Young E.

"I just posted a note on Facebook about wanting to do a show, and the response was immediate and very positive," said Unicus, whose real name is Harry Philibert.

He emigrated to the United States with his family in 1985 and still has relatives in Haiti, whom he believes are all alive but in great need after the quake. Putting together the concert, he said, "was the obvious thing to do."

Many local organizations are accepting donations:

Churches: All 217 Roman Catholic parishes in the Twin Cities will take a second offering this weekend specifically for the relief effort. Other churches will tell members that donations marked for Haitian relief can be added to the general offering.

American Refugee Committee: Accepting donations at www.arcrelief.org

Catholic Relief Services: crs.org or archspm.org , 226 Summit Av., St. Paul, MN 55104

Red Cross: redcrosstc.org or 1201 W. River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55454

Houses for Haiti: 1411 Deerwood Court, Eagan, MN 55122 or housesforhaiti.org.

Friends of the Orphans: friendsoftheorphans.org

Law enforcement agencies warn of fraud and advise you to verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations and donate only to known groups.

On Thursday, the American Red Cross had received more than $35 million since the earthquake, a record for the organization in a 48-hour period, an official said. That included more than $5 million through text messages, an amount that eclipsed the previous total for a campaign using that technology.

"I think it's an incredible story," said Rachel Wolff of World Vision, which had raised several million dollars. "It's unprecedented giving in a recession."

A weeping former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, living in exile in Africa since he was ousted in a rebellion five years ago, said Friday he wants to return to his country and is prepared to leave immediately, but did not indicate any concrete plans to do so.

In a rare public appearance, Aristide said in Johannesburg, South Africa, of him and his family: "We are ready to leave today, tomorrow, at any time to join the people of Haiti, share in their suffering, help rebuild the country."

If Aristide does return, political instability could result. Aristide was beloved by many of Haiti's majority poor but opposition to his rule grew after he was accused of masterminding assaults on opponents and allowing drug-fueled corruption.