Category: Locations

Restoration of Diplomatic Relations with Cuba

Posted on December 18, 2014 in Government, Locations, Social

Go Lean Commentary

The subject matter in this blog’s title does not mean the end of the Castro regime, but rather the beginning of the struggle to integrate Cuba with the rest of the Caribbean.

Let’s get started!

The book Go Lean…Caribbean was designed with this intent: integrate and unify all of the Caribbean into a Single Market with technocratic stewardship and oversight. This stewardship is the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU). The book describes the process of working for Cuba as heavy-lifting, including all the economic, security and governing engines. The article here describes the catalyst for these changes:

Title: US to Normalize Relations With Cuba
By: Alexander Britell

CU Blog - Restoration of Diplomatic Relations with Cuba - Photo 1The Caribbean changed forever on Wednesday morning.

United States President Barack Obama announced a major shift in more than half-century of American politics, signaling the two countries’ desire to work toward normalizing relations.

The announcement came alongside a high-level prisoner swap of Alan Gross, a USAID contractor jailed for five years on espionage charges, for three Cubans convicted of spying on the United States.

Gross was released alongside an unnamed agent whom Obama called one of the most important intelligence agents the US has ever had in Cuba, who had been imprisoned for nearly two decades.

The imprisonment of all parties had been a point of major contention between the two countries.

In an address Wednesday, Obama said he had ordered US Secretary of State John Kerry to immediately begin discussions with Cuba to reestablish diplomatic relations severed since January 1961.

The US will also reestablish an embassy in Havana and “high-ranking officials will visit Havana.”

Obama said he had also asked Kerry to review Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

He said the US was taking steps to increase travel, commerce and the flow of information to Cuba.

The plan includes the aforementioned re-establishment of diplomatic relations, a change in travel and remittance policies to increase people to people contact and the overall expansion of travel to Cuba.

That also includes expanded sales and exports of certain goods and services from the US to Cuba, along with the authorization of American citizens to import $400 goods from Cuba, with a maximum of $100 on alcohol and tobacco.

The White House also said US telecom providers will be allowed to establish “the necessary mechanisms, including infrastructure, in Cuba to provide commercial telecommunications and internet services,” in a country that has one of the lowest rates of Internet penetration on earth.

Obama said he would end an “outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests.”

In a statement to the Cuban people, Cuban President Raul Castro said he and Obama had spoken by telephone on Tuesday to address “issues of interest to both nations.”

He also thanked Pope Francis and the government of Canada, who reportedly helped facilitate high-level talks between the two countries.

Of course, much of the President’s actions will take time and face roadblocks, with the biggest impediment, the Cuban Embargo, one that can only be changed with approval by the US Congress.

Indeed, the announcement was immediately met with criticism from a number of US lawmakers and the Cuban diaspora community, including US Senator Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban exiles who criticized the prisoner exchange and said Obama’s actions had “vindicated the brutal behavior of the Cuban government.”

Raul Castro himself confirmed the agreement, but noted the tough road ahead and that the announcement was by no means decisive.

“This does not mean the main matter is resolved,” Castro said. “The economic, commercial and financial blockade that causes enormous human and economic damage to our country must cease.”

“Recognizing that we have deep differences, mainly on national sovereignty, democracy, human rights and foreign policy, I reaffirm our willingness to discuss all these issues,” Castro said.

Castor said he urged “the government of the United States to remove obstacles that prevent or restrict the links between our peoples, families and citizens of both countries,” Castro said. “In particular, those relating to travel, direct mail and telecommunications.”

But what does a normalized relationship mean for the wider Caribbean?

Cuba welcomed around 2.85 million tourists last year, the vast majority from Canada and Europe, and a number that, with the proper development of tourist infrastructure and the like, could surpass the Dominican Republic, the current regional leader.

Indeed, that number will certainly increase if and when American travel becomes formally legalized; but will that mean travelers choosing Cuba over Jamaica or the Dominican Republic?

Or will a renewed Cuban tourism sector mean a larger tourism pie for the whole Caribbean?

There is another issue — notably, the impact of the massive size of the Cuban market on the rest of the region’s economy — how will potential Cuban exports to America impact Caribbean exports to Cuba?

The answers will soon become clear.
Caribbean Journal Regional News Site – December 17, 2014 (Retrieved 12/11/2014) –
http://www.caribjournal.com/2014/12/17/us-to-normalize-relations-with-cuba/#

After news broke that President Obama would use Executive Powers to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba, members of Miami’s Cuban and Cuban-American communities have “screamed in agony, cheered with joy, or vowed angrily to dismantle the decision”.

Here are some other headlines from the Miami Herald Daily Newspaper associated with this historic news:

Miami would be a natural choice should Havana want a consulate outside of Washington, D.C., but some elected officials expressed their opposition to such a move.

According to the Miami Herald, the public response was a mix of the opinionated, the emotional and the thoughtful.

“Depending on how old you were or how long you had lived in the United States, especially if you were U.S.-born, your view on Cuba and its politics might have been shaped generationally. [The Herald] asked South Florida Cubans and Cuban Americans for their thoughts on social platforms. This is some of what they shared:”

@Miamiblues – 1st gen immigrants are too stubborn and proud to admit that embargo was epic fail. In complete denial with blinders on.

@PedazosdelaIsla – It’s not a division of young/old, it’s a division of those who want 2 legitimize a brutal dictatorship & those who don’t #Cuba

@mannyafer  – Divide in Cuban-American community– old who lived thru Castro regime want embargo, while young gen wishes to do away with it.
(Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article4623942.html)

The foregoing article stressed the potential of an imminent re-integration of Cuba. The current regional construct CariCom wants to consider the inclusion of Cuba as a member-state. But the Go Lean book asserts that CariCom is a failed institution and need to correct its own structural defects – they are in no position to claim the burdens of Cuba. The CU on the other hand is designed as a lean technocracy, mastering Delivery Arts and Sciences. This Go Lean book details the step-by-step roadmap for including Cuba in with the rest of the Caribbean to form a confederation of the 30 member-states of the region into the integrated Single Market. The prime directives of the CU are pronounced in these statements:

  • Optimization of the economic engines in order to grow the regional economy to $800 Billion & create 2.2 million new jobs.
  • Establishment of a security apparatus to protect the resultant economic engines.
  • Improve Caribbean governance to support these engines.

This re-boot roadmap commences with the recognition that Cuba and the rest of the Caribbean are in crisis; they are in the “same boat” despite their colonial heritage or language differences. One crisis is associated with the societal abandonment that has crippled so much of Caribbean societal engines. In Cuba, this transpired in mass, while the other countries experienced a steady draining. The CU member-states need to confederate, collaborate, and convene for repatriation and reconciliation. This pronouncement is made in the Declaration of Interdependence, (Page 12) is included as follows:

xiii.      Whereas the legacy of dissensions in many member-states (for example: Haiti and Cuba) will require a concerted effort to integrate the exile community’s repatriation, the Federation must arrange for Reconciliation Commissions to satiate a demand for justice.

The Go Lean book details the series of community ethos, strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies designed to re-boot and integrate Cuba to the region:

Anecdote – Caribbean Single Market & Economy Page 15
Community Ethos – Economic Systems Influence Individual Choices & Incentives Page 21
Community Ethos – Job Multiplier Page 22
Community Ethos – “Crap” Happens Page 23
Community Ethos – Lean Operations Page 24
Community Ethos – Cooperatives Page 25
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact the Future Page 26
Community Ethos – Ways to Manage Reconciliations Page 34
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact the Greater Good Page 37
Strategic – Vision – Integrated Region in a Single Market Page 45
Strategic – Vision – Agents of Change Page 57
Tactical – Confederating a Non-sovereign Union Page 63
Tactical – Fostering a Technocracy Page 64
Tactical – Growing to $800 Billion Regional Economy Page 67
Tactical – Separation of Powers Page 71
Tactical – Separation of Powers – Office of Trade Negotiations Page 80
Tactical – Separation of Powers – Federal Courts – Truth & Reconciliation   Commissions Page 90
Anecdote – Turning Around CariCom Page 92
Anecdote – “Lean” in Government Page 93
Implementation – Assemble & Create Super-Regional Organs to   represent all Caribbean Page 96
Implementation – Ways to Pay for Change Page 101
Implementation – Foreign Policy Initiatives at Start-up Page 102
Implementation – Ways to Deliver Page 109
Implementation – Reasons to Repatriate to the Caribbean Page 118
Implementation – Ways to Benefit from Globalization Page 119
Planning – 10 Big Ideas – Cuba Page 127
Planning – Big Ideas for the Caribbean Region Page 127
Planning – Ways to Model the EU Page 130
Planning – Ways to Improve Failed-State Indices Page 134
Advocacy – Ways to Grow the Economy Page 151
Anecdote – Governmental Integration: CariCom Parliament Page 167
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Governance Page 168
Advocacy – Ways to Impact the Diaspora Page 217
Advocacy – Ways to Re-boot Cuba Page 236
Appendix – New CariCom Model Urged Page 255

The foregoing news article relates the bilateral move to re-instate Cuba’s diplomatic relations with the US; this was 55 years in the making – far too long. The next step: the Cuban Trade Embargo. Good luck with Congress … until the Castros (Fidel and Raul) are all gone from Cuban public life – expected for 2017.

This point is the strong theme of so many of these previous Go Lean commentaries/blogs that featured issues on Cuba’s eventual integration into the world’s economic networks; detailed here:

CARICOM Chair calls for an end to US embargo on Cuba
Miami’s Success versus Caribbean Failures
‘Raul Castro reforms not enough’, Cuba’s bishops say
Cuban Cigars – Declared “Among the best in the world”
Cuba mulls economy in Parliament session
America’s War on the Caribbean
Cuban cancer medication registered in 28 countries
Cuba Approves New “Law on Foreign Investment”

The news of President’s Obama Executive Order on Cuba is causing upheaval in the Cuban Diaspora, especially in Miami. But they are not the only stakeholders on guard of these pending changes. Another stakeholder of note is the US business community. What are their expectations? What are their fears? What is their hope? See Appendix–VIDEO for a comprehensive report.

The Go Lean roadmap addresses the concerns of all Cuban and Caribbean stakeholders. The book posits that challenges that Cuba must face are too insurmountable for Cuba alone to contend with; there must be a regional solution, a super-national, professionally-managed, deputized technocracy to impact greater production and greater accountability than a re-invigorated Cuba can do alone. This deputized agency is the Caribbean Union Trade Federation. This CU structure is especially inviting to the Cuban and Caribbean Diaspora; it presents a workable plan for the contribution of their time, talents and treasuries in the repatriation to their homeland.

Now is the time for all Cuban stakeholders, the people, business community and governing institutions, to lean-in for the Caribbean/Cuban integration and re-boot. Now is the time to make this region as a whole, and Cuba specifically, a better place to live, work and play. 🙂

Download Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

——————

APPENDIX – The Nightly Business Report

The “Nightly Business Report produced by CNBC” (NBR) is an award-winning and highly-respected nightly business news program that airs on public television. Television’s longest-running evening business news broadcast, “NBR” features in-depth coverage and analysis of the biggest financial news stories of the day and access to some of the world’s top business leaders and policy makers.

Referenced Video – Nightly Business Report — December 17, 2014 – http://youtu.be/dnIEYPQ8K2A?t=8m43s

President Obama announces sweeping changes to U.S. policy with Cuba and it could, eventually, create opportunities for both investors and business.

 

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CARICOM Chair calls for an end to US embargo on Cuba

Posted on December 12, 2014 in Locations, Strategy

Go Lean Commentary

Welcome to the fight Mr. Browne; welcome to the struggle to elevate Caribbean society.

The publishers of the book Go Lean…Caribbean monitor the organizational developments of the Caribbean Community super-national organization. The Chairman position rotates among the Heads of Government for the 15 member-states. This year’s turn at the helm is Antigua & Barbuda; just in time after the June election of Gaston Browne as the new Prime Minister. This is a “baptism in fire” for Mr. Browne, as he is new in the leadership role for Antigua and also new for the CariCom. His latest regional salvo is a “shot across the bow” of American foreign policy, calling for the end of the US embargo on Cuba. See full article & VIDEO here:

 CU Blog - CARICOM chair calls for an end to US embargo on Cuba - Photo 1HAVANA, Cuba — Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda called on the United States president and congress to end its “senseless embargo of Cuba now.”

Browne was speaking at the opening ceremony of the fifth CARICOM-Cuba Summit in Havana, Cuba, on Monday. He said that CARICOM’s solidarity with Cuba was manifested by the region’s repeated calls “in every council in every part of the world” for an end to the embargo.

The CARICOM chairman also took the opportunity to express profound appreciation to the host for its role in the fight against Ebola disease.

“Cuban doctors, nurses and technicians have not only put their lives at risk to save lives in West Africa; they have saved lives around the world by helping to contain and control the spread of Ebola. They deserve our deep respect, our great gratitude and our enduring thanks,” he stated.

The prime minister noted that trade between the two sides had grown but was mindful of the challenges that existed for its expansion. He referred to the work being done on a protocol to widen the existing trade and development agreement and stated he had no doubt that a mutually satisfactory result would be achieved.

Browne said a practical machinery had to be established to expand trade and investment.

“Central to such machinery is effective and affordable transportation for the movement of goods and people between our countries. In this connection, I call on this summit meeting to place high priority on creating mechanisms to move goods, services and passengers throughout our countries. I am convinced that if Cuba and CARICOM countries can jointly build a transportation network, all our economies will benefit,” he added.
He pointed to the advantages particularly in the field of tourism that such a network could bring.

“If Cuba and CARICOM countries can establish the air transportation links and a network of collaboration between our hotels, multi-destination tourism — that offers the distinctiveness of our culturally-rich countries — could be a winner for all of us,” he said.

The CARICOM chairman suggested that CARICOM and Cuba share their knowledge and experience in sports, particular athletics.

He joked that “if we teach Cubans to play cricket, we might produce a Caribbean cricket team that would restore West Indian cricket to the heights it once majestically enjoyed.”
Browne said that areas for co-operation between CARICOM and Cuba existed at a broad level and it was up to “us to be creative and ingenious in the ways in which we bolster each other.”

“On matters such as climate change and global warming; on financial services and the dictates of the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and development; on the marginalization of our concerns by the G20, we should be coordinating our positions and acting in unison. We may not be able to stand-up to them alone, but they cannot ignore us if we stand-up together,” the prime minister said.
Caribbean News Now – Regional News Source (Posted 12/11/2014) –
http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-CARICOM-chair-calls-for-an-end-to-US-embargo-on-Cuba-23985.html

———-

VIDEO – Has the US-Cuba trade embargo reached the end of the road? – BBC News – http://youtu.be/SR8CPBO6C8Q

Published on May 20, 2014 – America’s long-standing trade embargo with Cuba is facing calls to be eased from an unlikely source. President Obama’s administration has relaxed some of its provisions but there are growing calls to lift it completely.

The “acting in unison” rallying cry from Mr. Browne aligns with the assertions of the Go Lean book, that the challenges the Caribbean face are too big for any one Caribbean member-state to tackle alone. Rather, shifting the responsibility to a region-wide, professionally-managed, deputized technocracy will result in greater production and greater accountability. This deputized agency is the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU). The Go Lean book is a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the CU.

Though this CU effort shares some similar goals, there is no association of the Go Lean publishers to the CariCom. Instead, the Go Lean movement is external to CariCom. In fact, the book assesses that most of CariCom executions have failed – Pages 92, 167, 255 – and proposes the CU as the next step of integration evolution for the Caribbean region.

In addition to the book, the publishers have previously addressed CariCom’s efforts and mis-firings in the following Go Lean blogs entries:

CARICOM calls for innovative ideas to finance SIDS development
EU willing to fund study on cost of not having CARICOM
The Future of CariCom
Grenada PM Urges CARICOM on ICT
CARICOM Chairman to deliver address on reparations
Caribbean leaders convene for CARICOM summit in St Vincent

The foregoing article stressed the potential for Caribbean elevation with the imminent re-integration of Cuba. The CariCom Chairman’s urging for the US to end the trade embargo is a great start – just talk – but the actions associated with Cuba’s full integration are weighty. The Go Lean book describes the heavy-lifting associated with this quest.

This book, Go Lean… Caribbean, details the step-by-step roadmap for elevating the entire Caribbean, including Cuba, into a confederation of 30 member-states of the region into a “single market”. Thusly, the prime directives of the CU are pronounced in these statements:

  • Optimization of the economic engines in order to grow the regional economy to $800 Billion & create 2.2 million new jobs.
  • Establishment of a security apparatus to protect the resultant economic engines.
  • Improve Caribbean governance to support these engines.

The Go Lean book details the series of community ethos, strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies designed to re-boot and integrate Cuba in to an optimized Caribbean brotherhood:

Anecdote – Caribbean Single Market & Economy Page 15
Community Ethos – Economic Systems Influence Individual Choices & Incentives Page 21
Community Ethos – Job Multiplier Page 22
Community Ethos – “Crap” Happens Page 23
Community Ethos – Lean Operations Page 24
Community Ethos – Cooperatives Page 25
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact the Future Page 26
Community Ethos – Ways to Manage Reconciliations Page 34
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact the Greater Good Page 37
Strategic – Vision – Integrated Region in a Single Market Page 45
Strategic – Vision – Agents of Change Page 57
Tactical – Confederating a Non-sovereign Union Page 63
Tactical – Fostering a Technocracy Page 64
Tactical – Growing to $800 Billion Regional Economy Page 67
Tactical – Separation of Powers – Office of Trade Negotiations Page 80
Tactical – Separation of Powers – Federal Courts – Truth & Reconciliation   Commissions Page 90
Anecdote – Turning Around CariCom Page 92
Anecdote – “Lean” in Government Page 93
Implementation – Assemble & Create Super-Regional Organs to represent all Caribbean Page 96
Implementation – Ways to Pay for Change Page 101
Implementation – Foreign Policy Initiatives at Start-up Page 102
Implementation – Ways to Deliver Page 109
Implementation – Reasons to Repatriate to the Caribbean Page 118
Implementation – Ways to Benefit from Globalization Page 119
Planning – 10 Big Ideas – Cuba Page 127
Planning – Big Ideas for the Caribbean Region Page 127
Planning – Ways to Model the EU Page 130
Planning – Ways to Improve Failed-State Indices Page 134
Advocacy – Ways to Grow the Economy Page 151
Anecdote – Governmental Integration: CariCom Parliament Page 167
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Governance Page 168
Advocacy – Ways to Impact the Diaspora Page 217
Advocacy – Ways to Re-boot Cuba Page 236
Appendix – New CariCom Model Urged Page 255

The foregoing news article and this commentary is not the first call for the re-instatement of Cuba – 55 years is long enough. In a recent blog about the Big 3 automakers of Detroit, reference was made to the expansion of auto assembly plants of General Motors and Ford Motors in global cities. Both companies now have installations in Vietnam, a country that fought a bloody unpopular war with the US 40 years ago; (65,000 American deaths). Cuba has never shed American blood, and yet their embargo persists – this defies logic. This is why these previous blogs posit that it is only a matter of (short) time for this change, and so the blogs/commentaries feature subjects on Cuba’s eventual integration into the Caribbean brotherhood. These are detailed here:

‘Raul Castro reforms not enough’, Cuba’s bishops say
Cuban Cigars – Declared “Among the best in the world”
Cuba mulls economy in Parliament session
America’s War on the Caribbean
Cuban cancer medication registered in 28 countries
Cuba Approves New “Law on Foreign Investment”

CU Blog - CARICOM chair calls for an end to US embargo on Cuba - Photo 2Many entities in the international community have heralded a normalization of Cuban-American relations; see foregoing VIDEO and Appendix below.

The book Go Lean … Caribbean recognizes the historicity of Cuba and the polarization of the Castro Brothers (Fidel & Raul). But now that the current President, Raul, has announced that he will retire/step-down in 2017, it is reasonable to expect that the long-awaited change is imminent for the Republic of Cuba.

The CU roadmap is especially inviting to the Cuban and Caribbean Diaspora; it presents a comprehensive plan (370 pages) for the contribution of their time, talents and treasuries in the repatriation to their homeland.

Now is the time for Caribbean stakeholders, the residents, Diaspora, trading partners and governing institutions, to lean-in for this regional re-boot plan. Now is the time to end the embargo, re-instate Cuba and make all of the Caribbean a better place to live, work and play. 🙂

Download Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

———-

Appendix: UN Blasts US Embargo of Cuba – http://youtu.be/S5sZ5ZBlv4M
Published on Nov 6, 2013 – The US embargo against Cuba is being criticized by the UN, who are taking issue with the 50 year old sanctions against the socialist island nation just 90 miles from Florida’s southern shore. On October 29th, [2013] the UN voted 188-2 for a resolution to end the embargo, which it said “…lacks every ethical or legal ground.” We discuss the vote on this Buzzsaw news clip with Tyrel Ventura and Tabetha Wallace.

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Local Miami Haitian leaders protest Bahamian immigration policy

Posted on November 13, 2014 in Locations, Planning

Go Lean Commentary

“Why’s everybody always pickin’ on me?” – The Coasters – Charlie Brown Song; (see Appendix A).

It would seem that Haitians all around the world can sing the chorus to this above song. The history of Haiti is frequented with hardships in their own country and they have understandingly pursued a better life abroad. However, the Haitian Diaspora have also experienced oppression, discrimination and exclusionary treatment abroad and have had to endure a “hard welcome” in most foreign countries.

The book Go Lean…Caribbean serves as a roadmap for elevating Caribbean society, for all 30 member-states, including Haiti. As such there are direct references in the book regarding Haiti’s historicity; (Pages 238 & 306).

In addition to history, Haiti also has a different geography compared to most Caribbean nations. They share the same island with the Dominican Republic. The oppression, discrimination and exclusionary treatment of Haitians started on that island. Over the years, the governmental administrations of the Dominican Republic have favored “white” immigrant refugees over other races; Dominican troops often forcibly expelled illegal Haitians. Most notably, the 1937 Parsley Massacre of Haitian immigrants, a government-sponsored genocide in October 1937, at the direct order of then President Rafael Trujillo. He ordered the execution of the Haitian population living in the borderlands. The violence resulted in the killing of 20,000 ethnic Haitian civilians during approximately five days. (See Appendix B for additional historic references and inferences).

The US and other countries in the Caribbean neighborhood have also been harsh in their treatment of Haitian refugees. Consider this story of a conflict with the Bahamas, and the protests from the Haitian Diaspora in Miami:

1. News Article Title: Local Miami Haitian leaders protest Bahamian immigration policy
http://www.wsvn.com/story/27344225/local-haitian-leaders-protest-bahamian-immigration-policy – Posted: November 10, 2014

Miami Haitian Protesters 1

MIAMI (WSVN) — Local leaders are stepping up to stop a deportation dilemma regarding an immigration policy.

The policy forces families of Haitian descent out of the Bahamas.

Florida State Representative Daphne Campbell spoke out on the issue at a press conference in Little Haiti Monday morning. “I’m asking all, all cruises and all tourists, to make sure every industry boycotts the Bahamas to end discrimination against Haitian children,” Campbell stated. “Boycott Bahamas! Boycott Bahamas! Boycott Bahamas!”

Activists are now asking for the public’s support in helping to protect the future of Haitian families.
————

Video: WSVN Newscast – http://www.wsvn.com/story/27344225/local-haitian-leaders-protest-bahamian-immigration-policy?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=10832494

Though the leader of the accusing team has her detractors/problems, (South Florida state Rep. Daphne Campbell faces IRS investigation and she is already facing a Florida Medicaid fraud probe), the subject of her accusation may still have merit. What are the facts of the case regarding Haitian children in the Bahamas?

The Bahamas does not automatically grant citizenship to people born of foreign parentage in its homeland. There are special provisos even if one parent is a Bahamian citizen; many details of which are gender-biased. (There were attempts to correct these provisos in Parliament this past year, but this legislative reform was stalled).

This citizenship criteria is not standard … compared to the US, Canada, and most western European countries. Ironic as these countries are also the source of most tourists visiting the Bahamas, the #1 economic driver for the country. So any traction in this Boycott Bahamas campaign can potentially have a negative impact – remember “Boycott Apartheid in South Africa”.

What’s worse, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or UDHR (as related in Go Lean book Page 220) have specific prohibitions against national governments enforcing laws that effectuate discrimination against minority groups.

(The UDHR was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, partly in response to the atrocities of World War II, composed by a committee led by former American First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Although the UDHR was a non-binding resolution, it is now considered by some to have acquired the force of international customary law which may be invoked in appropriate circumstances by national and other judiciaries. The UDHR urges member nations to promote a number of human, civil, economic and social rights, asserting these rights as part of the “foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world”).

This means you Bahamas! Are you ready to receive the onslaught of darts from the international community? Economic sanctions, formal or informal, are debilitating!

This is not just a Haitian -versus- Bahamian issue. The same immigration-border-encroaching issues are trending with the US, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. This following news article relates this controversy:

2. Title: Haitian Illegal Immigration Through Puerto Rico Is Skyrocketing Too  – http://news.yahoo.com/haitian-illegal-immigration-puerto-rico-skyrocketing-too-021611125.html;_ylt=AwrBJR6DB9dTyzoAHyzQtDMD – Posted: July 26, 2014

Haitians to PRWhile U.S. immigration agencies grapple with a recent surge of tens of thousands of illegal immigrants at the Mexican border, the number of Haitians trying to enter the U.S. illegally through Puerto Rico has skyrocketed as well.

In 2011, only 12 Haitians made the trek through the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory in the Caribbean Sea. That number had ballooned to 1,760 as of last year, according to U.S. Coast Guard statistics, CBS News reports.

“That’s new, and that’s something we’re trying to target,” Capt. Mark Fedor, the Coast Guard’s chief of response for the Southeast and Caribbean, told CBS.

“Organized smugglers in the Dominican Republic are advertising their services to Haitians and saying, ‘We’ll smuggle you through the Dominican Republic, put you on a boat to Puerto Rico or to one of the islands in the Mona Pass – a much shorter journey and we can get you to the United States that way.’ And I think people are responding to that,” he said.

The Dominican smugglers often drop their Haitian charges off at Mona Island, an uninhabited Puerto Rican island 40 miles off of the Dominican coast in the Mona Pass.

“As soon as you’re in Puerto Rico, it’s like you’re in the United States,” Lolo Sterne, coordinator for Haiti’s Office of Migration, told the Associated Press last year.

Once in Puerto Rico, the illegal Haitian immigrants are able to fly to destinations in the U.S. without having to show a passport. All they need is a driver’s license, according to the Associated Press.

The new route through the Mona Pass is seen as more desirable as the U.S. Coast Guard has increased patrols of normal routes taken by immigrants from Haiti and the Dominican Republic. As the AP points out, it has become more difficult to travel directly to the U.S. mainland or through Miami, which has historically served as the choice destination for illegal immigrants from the Caribbean.

Haiti and its 9+ million residents need change. In fact, all of the Caribbean’s 42 million people need change/empowerment.

The purpose of the Go Lean roadmap is to turn-around the downward trends in the Caribbean today, to reverse course and elevate society in the Caribbean as a whole and Haiti in particular. The CU, applying best-practices for community empowerment has these 3 prime directives, pronounced as follows:

  • Optimization of the economic engines in order to grow the regional economy to $800 Billion & create 2.2 million new jobs.
  • Establishment of a security apparatus to protect the resultant economic engines.
  • Improve Caribbean governance, with consideration for minority equalization, to support these engines.

How exactly can the CU impact Haiti to reboot that failing state? The answer can be found in the history of post-war Europe, where the Marshall Plan was instrumental in rebooting that continent. The book Go Lean…Caribbean details a Marshall Plan-like roadmap for Haiti, and all other failing Caribbean institutions.

The related subjects of economic, security and governing dysfunction among European and Caribbean member-states have been a frequent topic for blogging by the Go Lean promoters, as sampled here:

https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=2809 A Lesson in History: Economics of East Berlin
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=2480 A Lesson in History: Community Ethos of WW II
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=2330 ‘Raul Castro reforms not enough’, Cuba’s bishops say
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=1531 A Lesson in History: 100 Years Ago Today – World War I
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=1433 Caribbean loses over 70% of tertiary educated citizens to the brain drain
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=1014 All is not well in the sunny Caribbean
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=623 Only at the precipice, do they change
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=599 Ailing Puerto Rico open to radical economic fixes
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=451 CariCom Chairman to deliver address on slavery/colonization reparations

The goal of the Go Lean roadmap is simple: to make Haiti (and by extension the rest of the Caribbean) a better place to live, work and play so that citizens would not feel compelled to risk life-and-limb to flee for foreign shores. The goal extends further in the mission to reverse course and encourage the repatriation of the Haitian/Caribbean Diaspora. To accomplish these goals, the book details a series of community ethos, strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies to empower all the factions of Haitian life in the Caribbean region and in the Diaspora:

Community Ethos – Economic Systems Influence Choices & Incentives Page 21
Community Ethos – Consequences of Choices Lie in the Future Page 21
Community Ethos – Anti-Bullying and Mitigation Page 23
Community Ethos – Minority Equalization Page 24
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact the Future Page 26
Community Ethos – Ways to Manage Reconciliations Page 34
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact the Greater Good Page 37
Strategy – Vision –  Integrate region into a Single Market Economy Page 45
Strategy – Agents of Change – Globalization Page 57
Tactical – Separation of Powers – Department of Homeland Security Page 75
Implementation – Ways to Foster International Aid Page 115
Planning – 10 Big Ideas … for the Caribbean Region – Haiti & Cuba Page 127
Planning – Ways to Ways to Model the EU Page 130
Planning – Reasons Why the CU Will Succeed – Germany Reconciliation Model Page 132
Planning – Ways to Improve Failed-State Indices – Haiti – first on the region list Page 134
Planning – Lessons from East Germany – European post-war rebuilding Page 139
Planning – Lessons from Canada’s History Page 146
Advocacy – Ways to Grow the Economy Page 151
Advocacy – Ways to Create Jobs Page 152
Advocacy – Ways to Foster Empowering Immigration Page 174
Advocacy – Ways to Impact Justice Page 178
Advocacy – Ways to Enhance Tourism Page 187
Advocacy – Ways to Impact the Diaspora – Haitians in Miami Page 217
Advocacy – Ways to Protect Human Rights Page 220
Advocacy – Ways to Help Women Page 226
Advocacy – Ways to Impact Youth Page 227
Advocacy – Ways to Impact the Dominican Republic Page 237
Advocacy – Ways to Re-boot Haiti Page 238
Advocacy – Ways to Impact US Territories Page 244
Appendix – Dominican Republic – Rafael Trujillo Regime Page 306

The conclusion of the Go Lean book relates the experiences and motivations of the US Supreme Court for the 1954 landmark decision Brown versus Board of Education. The unanimous wisdom of the 9 Justices on the Court should not be ignored, it was strewn from the experiences of modern society waging two world wars; they saw the rampage, devastation of 60 million deaths around the world and appreciated the wisdom that a downtrodden people would not stay down, that they would rise and revolt, that they would risk their lives and that of their children to pursue freedom.

How impactful is the Haitian Diaspora in the Bahamas? With a total national population of 320,000 and one estimate (July 2013) of 50,000 Haitian and/or Haitian-Bahamians, there is an imminent wave of dissent for the Bahamas to contend with. Don’t wait Bahamas, deal with your domestic issues now! Learn from the experiences of your neighbors, as depicted in the Go Lean book:

US: Lessons from the US Constitution (Page 145)
Canada: Reconciliation with First Nations (Page 146)
Guyana: Indo-Guyanese versus Afro-Guyanese (Page 174)
Trinidad: Indo-Trinidadians versus Afro-Trinidadians (Page 240)

Now is the time for all of the Caribbean to learn the lessons from [economic] history of other successful (US & Canada) and unsuccessful societies. The Go Lean book posits that the Caribbean is in a serious crisis, but asserts that this crisis would be a terrible thing to waste. The people and governing institutions of the Bahamas, Haiti and the region as a whole are hereby urged to lean-in for the empowerments described in the book Go Lean … Caribbean. This is a big deal for the region, we can all strive to make our Caribbean homeland a better place to live, work, and play.

Download the free e-book of Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

———–

Appendix A – The song: Charlie Brown by The Coasters – http://youtu.be/_UnPzp2lmNk

———–

Appendix B – Homework for additional credit: better understand the history of Haiti and its consequential impact on the world.

Video Title: Black In Latin America (Episode 1): Haiti and The Dominican Republic- The Roots of Division

This scholarly work was produced and narrated by noted Professor Henry Louis Gates. This was part of a series developed for the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) , a network of public TV stations in the US. The other features in the series, include:

Black In Latin America (Episode 2): Cuba: The Next Revolution
Black In Latin America (Episode 3): Brazil: A Racial Paradise?
Black In Latin America (Episode 4): Mexico & Peru: The Black Grandma in the Closet

 

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Jamaica’s Public Pension Under-funded

Posted on November 10, 2014 in Economics, Locations

Go Lean Commentary

“Stealing from Peter to pay Paul” – Old Adage.

This above statement does not need to be explained; every reader fully understands and appreciates the meaning of this expression. It reflects a practice in financial management when revenue resources are out-paced by financial obligations. This is when reorganization becomes necessary. In fact, the publishers of the book Go Lean … Caribbean, SFE Foundation, is well suited to comment on these practices, as their charter is portfolio reorganizations for individuals, families and institutions.

On Page 8 of the book, the detailed profile of the foundation features influences from a noted American Economist Paul Romer by listing two of his famous quotations:

1. “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste”
2. “Economic growth occurs whenever people take resources and re-arrange them in ways that are more valuable”

The foregoing article relates a need in Jamaica to reorganize the pension program for retired civil servants. The system is broken! This subject of retirement is therefore important for retired people (old) and active workers (young), as every civil servant is either retired or want to be … someday:

Title: Public pension reform programme won’t work – Unfunded obligations at J$680B and growing
Sub-Title: Public-sector employees now enjoy very generous pension benefits that Government pays from current revenue.
By: A.C. Countz, Guest Columnist

s Public Pension Under-funded - Photo 2The Jamaican Government does not put aside the necessary funds to finance pension obligations as they are incurred, as would be done in a private-sector scheme. It has a planned ‘reform’ that will further increase the pension fund deficit. This is irresponsible.

If past pension benefits were funded, as in most private-sector firms, that is, in a special segregated fund with an adequate balance to pay for the pension obligations relating to past service, then the Government (taxpayers) would have to find, right now, about J$680 billion to put into this fund.

Additionally, Government would have to put in 5.0 percent of pensionable annual salary for the public service in years going forward.

Currently, there are many members of the public sector, those of pensionable age, who receive pensions totaling J$23 billion per annum, while employee contributions amount to J$4.4 billion per annum.

In other words, Government is paying out annually almost J$19 billion more in pensions than incoming employee contributions.

Government now plans to reform the pension plan by April Fool’s Day 2016.

CURRENT PROPOSALS
The reform hopes to achieve:

1. Unification of all the different legislations that deal with these pensions and, as far as possible, standardise pensions terms across the whole public sector;

2. A defined benefit scheme would continue, though moderated;

3. An increase in retirement age to 65, gradually for existing employees – apparently lower retirement age for soldiers, policemen and maybe national and local politicians;

4. Calculate pensions based on average last five year’s service (calculation now based on final salary);

5. Calculate pensions based on 1.8 percent of average last five year’s service for every year served. There would be transitional arrangements whereby persons over 54 years old at the start of reform would get a higher percentage of between 2.0 per cent and 2.2 percent.

6. Pensions would not be indexed although the Government might increase pensions if a ‘surplus’ in the scheme is produced – as there is no segregated fund, one cannot imagine how this surplus is to be calculated; and

7. A lump sum of 25 percent of pension benefits payable on retirement and ongoing pension reduced – presumably the reduction will be actuarially calculated.

The Government proposals in the White Paper are faulty and, if implemented, will not make the public-sector pension plan affordable in the future. It is a Band-Aid when strong reform is needed.

The finances of the country are in a disastrous, although possibly better managed, condition.

RIGHT WAY FOR REFORM
Here are some suggestions for pension reform that are more appropriate than those in the White Paper:

1. Terminate the existing defined benefit scheme. Honour past service with existing benefits;

2. Commence a defined contribution scheme at once for ALL public servants, including statutory bodies and executive agencies. All future service for existing employees and all new employees to go into the defined contribution scheme. All employees to start paying a basic contribution of 5.0 per cent of pensionable salaries – these should be defined to exclude non-salary benefits. Employees should be encouraged to make further voluntary contributions to become entitled to a larger pension on retirement. Government to seek a waiver from IMF to allow them to fund the employer’s contribution of 5.0 per cent per annum from now;

3. Defined Contribution (DC) scheme to be operated in a properly managed and transparent segregated fund;

4. Government should face the issue squarely and acknowledge that they have debts, not accounted for in the national debt, of say J$700 billion representing the present day value of unfunded obligations. This amount should be properly accounted for in the national debt and arrangements made to fund it;

5. It is irresponsible for Government to reform the public sector pension scheme in a way that is certain to continue to increase the size of its unfunded obligations. Proper reform will be difficult to deal with, especially coinciding with the end of the pay freeze, but to do otherwise is once again not to face reality.

The basis of any reform must be to halt the growth of the unfunded obligation of the scheme in respect of past service and to fund on a current basis future service obligations.

Jamaica is badly served if EPOC, civil society and private sector organisations – to say nothing about the IMF – allow this pusillanimous approach to be followed.

Government reform must at a minimum stop the growth in the unfunded obligations of the scheme and include a plan to fund what is due for past service over a committed period of time.

A defined contribution scheme should be introduced for all future service.

This will be impossible for government to do unless there is public pressure on them to counterbalance the civil service lobby.

This column reviews the audited and in-house accounts and reports of companies and entities owned or influenced by Government.
Jamaica Gleaner Newspaper Online Site (Posted 08/20/2014; retrieved 03/06/2014) –
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20140820/business/business6.html

s Public Pension Under-funded - Photo 1

The book Go Lean … Caribbean serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU). The technocratic CU is proffered to provide economic, security and economic security solutions for the 30 Caribbean member-states, including Jamaica. This mandate is important for retirement planning for current and future generations. This is detailed early on in the book’s Declaration of Interdependence, as follows on Page 13:

xxiv. Whereas a free market economy can be induced and spurred for continuous progress, the Federation must install the controls to better manage aspects of the economy: jobs, inflation, savings rate, investments and other economic principles. Thereby attracting direct foreign investment because of the stability and vibrancy of our economy.

The roadmap posits that retirement is a community issue, and that the mandate for the CU to manage economic security issues must encompass retirement planning as well. Applying lessons from the US and other western democracies, the key to technocratic retirement planning is the time-value-of-money; the ability to invest small amounts when young so that compounded returns can grow exponentially to benefit the saver when they are old; this is depicted in the VIDEO below. This is based on one assumption, that there is a capital/security market to facilitate the investment. This is where the Caribbean status quo is most lacking.

Without question, the role model for Caribbean capital/security markets would be New York City’s Wall Street. This ‘metonym’ refers to more than just the ‘street’, but rather the entire eco-system for financial investing in the US. While, the Caribbean region cannot rival Wall Street (for liquidity), we can reorganize and optimize the existing financial markets  – the current 9 Stock Exchanges – with the introduction of the Caribbean Dollar, managed by a technocratic Caribbean Central Bank.

Liquidity refers to the availability of money, therefore the Go Lean roadmap portrays the need for public messaging to encourage more savings/investments. This messaging pronounces the need for Caribbean stakeholders to “steal from Peter to pay Paul”, where “Paul” is their future selves; see VIDEO below. The book describes this “deferred gratification” as a community ethos that is required to forge permanent change; this is advantageous for the entire Caribbean, and individual member-states like Jamaica.

There are some realities for Jamaica that must not be ignored. This country has experienced numerous currency devaluations and hyper-inflation episodes that has undermined the good habit of savings. These realities were detailed in the Go Lean book (Pages 239 & 297), depicting the “misery index” that Jamaicans had to endure. No wonder the societal abandonment rate in Jamaica is among the highest in the region. A previous Go Lean blog/commentary listed an abandonment rate of 85% among the college educated population.

The Go Lean roadmap addresses pension reorganization by first rebooting the region’s currency, economic and governing engines.

Related subjects on currency, economic, and governing dysfunction in the region that may affect the management of pensions have been previously blogged by the Go Lean promoters, as sampled here:

Inflation Matters – A factor in ‘Pensions’
Canadian Retirees – Florida’s Snowbirds Chilly Welcome
US Federal Reserve releases transcripts from 2008 meetings regarding mitigations of the financial crisis
Dominica demonstrates Caribbean liquidity by raising EC$20 million on regional securities market
Time Value of Money – basis for retirement planning
Book Review: ‘Wrong – Nine Economic Policy Disasters and What We Can Learn…’
What’s Holding Back Jamaica’s Reforms

The purpose of the Go Lean roadmap is to turn-around the downward trends in the Caribbean today, to reverse course and elevate Caribbean society. The Go Lean roadmap, applying lessons from the currency, economic and governing dysfunction of past years, has envisioned the CU with the following prime directives:

  • Optimization of the economic engines in order to grow the regional economy to $800 Billion & create 2.2 million new jobs.
  • Establishment of a security apparatus to protect the resultant economic engines.
  • Improve Caribbean governance to support these engines with Executive branch facilitations & legislative oversight.

The Go Lean book details a series of assessments, community ethos, strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies to optimize financial/retirement planning and performance:

Assessment – Caribbean Single Market & Economy – need for integration Page 15
Assessment – The Greece of the Caribbean – dysfunctional debt policies Page 18
Community Ethos – Deferred Gratification Page 21
Community Ethos – Consequences of Choices Lie in the Future Page 21
Community Ethos – Money Multiplier – Control of Local/Regional Currency Page 22
Community Ethos – Return on Investments Page 24
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact the Future Page 26
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact the Greater Good Page 37
Implementation – Ways to Better Manage Debt Page 114
Implementation – Reasons to Repatriate Page 118
Planning – Lessons from 2008 Page 136
Advocacy – Ways to Control Inflation Page 153
Advocacy – Ways to Better Manage Foreign Exchange Page 154
Advocacy – Ways to Manage Federal Civil Service – Pension -vs- 401K Page 173
Advocacy – Reforms for Banking Regulations Page 199
Advocacy – Ways to Impact Wall Street Page 200
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Elder-Care Page 225
Advocacy – Ways to Impact Retirement Page 231
Advocacy – Ways to Re-boot Jamaica Page 239
Appendix – Jamaica’s International Perception Page 297
Appendix – Lessons Learned – Floating a Currency Page 316
Appendix – Controlling Inflation – Technical Details Page 318

In most Caribbean countries, the largest employer is the government. Therefore public-sector employees are the largest group of workers. The foregoing news article was written as an audit-analysis to an audience of two, the Responsible Government Ministers for the Jamaican public-sector employees’ pension. The article specifically identified them as:

Dr. Peter Phillips – Ministry of Finance and Planning
Derrick Kellier – Ministry of Labour and Social Security

The Go Lean roadmap, on the other hand, was written for a different audience, all Caribbean stakeholders: citizens, Diaspora, government officials, civil servants, retirees and the youth. This is an empowerment plan for most aspects of Caribbean life, in fact there are 144 different advocacies in the Go Lean book. This is heavy-lifting; an investment in the people of the Caribbean for the elevation of the Caribbean.

The requisite investment of the resources (time, talent, treasuries) for this goal to elevate society may be too big for any one Caribbean member-state alone. Rather, shifting the responsibility to a region-wide, professionally-managed, deputized technocracy will result in “greater” production and greater accountability. Retirement planning and pensions are not optional, they need “greater” production and “greater” accountability; they need a “greater” return on investment – see VIDEO below on the slow-but-steady basics of “compound” investing.

Retirement planning for the Caribbean needs to “Go Lean“.

All Caribbean stakeholders are hereby urged to lean-in to this roadmap to make our Caribbean homeland a better place to live, work, and play.

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

———

Video: Retirement Basics: The Power of Compounding – http://youtu.be/immQX0RKFY0

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DR President Medina on the economy: ‘God will provide’

Posted on November 8, 2014 in Economics, Locations

Go Lean Commentary

The Caribbean is in crisis!

For many, “success is measured by the successful exodus from their Caribbean homeland”. So declares the foreword of the book Go Lean … Caribbean (Page 3).

The Dominican Republic is in crisis! According to the foregoing news article, the island nation have lots of issues, stemming primarily from economic dysfunctions, and the solution, according to the President of the Republic is only “Faith, Hope and Prayer”:

President Medina PhotoSanto Domingo – President Danilo Medina says that the Dominican state has a very high level of debt, because it is dragging a vital execution deficit with the income it receives and has to spend, which has prevented the economy from recovery over the past few years.

“When a country does not receive enough resources to fund its spending, the only way of financing it is to use state money. In all these years the country’s average fiscal deficit since 2000 to date has been 4.5% of the annual Gross Domestic Product,” said Medina

He said that the state will have to pay US$11 billion in debt between 2013 and 2015, and for the deficit to be reduced an effort must be made to reduce its essence, in order to take it to 2.8% of GDP.

The President warned that this reduction is behind the importance of building coal-fired plants to supply the country with energy, and that he does not understand why “there is a conspiracy against these plants that should be defended by the whole country, if we want sustainability in public finances.” He said that these plants, which will come into operation in 2017, would mean the state would save 1.7% of the GDP, by paying the Dominican Corporation of State Electricity Companies (CDEEE) debt, thus putting the national economy on a good path within a few years.

When he was asked where he would obtain the resources for governing over the next years, Medina answered, “God will provide.” He said that the budgetary spending restructuring meant the government was investing where people needed it and that this was being reflected in economic development.
Dominican Today – Online Community – Posted 08-20-2014; Retrieved 11-08-2014:
http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/economy/2014/8/20/52502/President-Medina-on-the-economy-God-will-provide

The publishers of the Go Lean book recognize and respect religious faith and devotion. In fact, the book examines the Bible’s record on economic empowerment, listing 10 Lessons from the Bible (Page 144). For the consideration of this commentary and the President’s “easy” secession in the foregoing article, a fitting lesson is derived from the Bible Book of James Chapter 2:14 – 26; (see Appendix*):

James 2:26 – “Faith without works is dead”.

The required “works” is described in the Go Lean book as heavy-lifting.

The publishers of the Go Lean book humbly submit a plan for heavy-lifting, one so comprehensive that it is considered a roadmap, turn-by-turn directions to move the Dominican Republic from Point A (status quo), to Point B (destination of societal elevation). This roadmap is set to re-boot the island’s economy, security and governing engines, highlighting 144 different advocacies designed to impact society. The book asserts that the problems of the Dominican Republic (and by extension, the entire Caribbean) are too big for any one member-state to solve alone. Rather, the focus of the roadmap is the region-wide professionally-managed, deputized technocracy of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU).

The Dominican Republic needs the strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies of the CU.

The CU needs the Dominican Republic!

The CU requires the full participation of all 30 member-states in the region, including all 4 language groups (Dutch, English, French and Spanish). With this approach, the CU benefits from the economies-of-scale of 42 million people.

The CU expects NO MONEY from the Dominican Republic. This is good as the country’s treasuries are strained, maintaining the national debt of US$11 billion, plus a budget deficit reflecting 4.5% of GDP. To cure a deficit a government needs combinations of two things: more revenues and/or fewer expenses.

The Go Lean roadmap features both. The roadmap is a complete re-boot: new revenue streams and a separation-of-powers, thereby delegating some governance to CU agencies.

The Go Lean … Caribbean book introduces the CU to take oversight of’ much of the Caribbean economic, security and governing functionality. In summary, this plan’s execution makes the Dominican Republic, and the Caribbean, a better place to live, work and play.

This Go Lean roadmap assesses the Dominican Republic human flight/brain drain crisis, where large percentages of the island’s populations have fled to American shores, with estimates of up to 1.3 million in the Diaspora as of 2006 (Page 237 & 306). This plight makes the task of building a functioning society difficult, as often the brightest and best talents are the ones that flee; plus entitlement programs simply need populace retention.

The CU will fix the Dominican Republic! Look here at the solutions; (sorted by Economic/Security/Governance). The book Go Lean … Caribbean details these specific curative measures (advocacies, strategies, tactics, and implementations):

Economic:

Community Ethos – Money Multiplier Page 22
Help Entrepreneurship Page 28
Impact Turn-Around Strategies/Tactics Page 33
Tactics to Forge an $800 Billion Economy Page 67
New Ways to Pay for Change Page 101
Improve Energy Usage Page 113
Better Manage Debt Page 114
Foster International Aid Page 115
Improve Trade Page 128
Improve Interstate Commerce Page 129
New Ways to Grow the Economy Page 151
Create Jobs Page 152
Control Inflation Page 153
Improve Credit Ratings Page 155
Improve Education Page 159
Mitigate Black Markets Page 165
Enhance Tourism Page 190
Impact Wall Street Page 200

Security:

Separation of Powers – Homeland Security Page 75
Security Initiatives [stemming from the Start-up] Page 103
Impact Justice Page 177
Mitigate & Reduce Crime Page 178
Improve Intelligence [Gathering & Analysis] Page 182
Impact the Prison-Industrial Complex Page 211

Governance:

Community Ethos – Deferred Gratification Page 21
Improve Negotiations Page 32
Impact the Greater Good Page 37
Tactics to Foster a Technocracy Page 64
Implement Self-Governing Entities Page 105
Strong Reasons to Repatriate Page 118
Promote Independence Page 120
Improve Healthcare Page 156
Impact Entitlements Page 158
New [Governmental] Revenue Sources Page 172
Impact Public Works Page 175
Better Manage Natural Resources Page 183
Improve for Natural Disasters Page 184
Improve Emergency Management Page 196

The people of the Dominican Republic are calling for change, for help, for some mitigations. They need prayer, yes, but they need workable solutions too. See the VIDEO below, produced by young students in line with a “poverty” theme; this assessment is “from the mouth of babes” – Bible Quote (Matthew 21:16).

With the Go Lean roadmap, change has come to the Caribbean. The people and institutions of the Dominican Republic are all urged to “lean-in” to this roadmap.

In fact, now is the time for the whole Caribbean region to lean-in for this change, described in the book Go Lean … Caribbean. The benefits of this roadmap are too alluring to ignore: emergence of an $800 Billion regional economy, 2.2 million new jobs and an end to the economic dysfunction. This will result in Dominicans repatriating from the US, not fleeing to the US. 🙂

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

————-

Appendix – Bible Reading – James Chapter 2:14 – 26 (New International Version)

*Faith and Deeds

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless ? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

————-

Appendix – Video: Why the Dominican Republic is poor?  http://youtu.be/pCVR-kdc0ss

Published on May 15, 2013 By YouTube Contributor: “camilalovescupcakes” (Sharen Sosa)
The prologue included this verbiage: “In my school, as final exam in English classes, told us to do a video of ‘Why the Dominican Republic is poor?’ We had to make groups and make a video, talking about it, and also focus on the cause, which was the “Corruption”, we made a documentary and here is the whole video, hope you love it”.

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Caribbean Role Model – Oscar De La Renta – RIP

Posted on October 22, 2014 in Industries, Locations

Go Lean Commentary

The world mourns the passing of Oscar De La Renta (1932 – 2014; age 82), the Dominican American fashion designer that became internationally known in the 1960s as one of the couturiers who dressed First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. He was an award-winning designer who worked for Paris fashion houses Lanvin and Balmain; but is better known for his eponymous fashion house as he continued to dress leading figures, from film stars and world leaders to royalty [19], right up to weeks before his death – he dressed Amal Alamuddin for her September 27th wedding to George Clooney.

De La Renta was born in the Dominican Republic’s capital city of Santo Domingo; he remained committed and impassioned to assist his homeland, despite his permanence in the New York metropolitan area. He was a stalwart of the NYC fashion scene.

The world’s media duly recognized his passing yesterday (Monday October 20) and the contribution of his life. The following productions feature a news story and a newscast of his passing and obituary of his legacy:

1. Title: Oscar De la Renta, legendary designer, dead at 82
CU Blog - Caribbean Role Model - Oscar De La Renta - RIP - Photo 1NEW YORK (AP) — At his Fashion Week runway show in September, Oscar De La Renta sat in his usual spot: in a chair right inside the wings, where he could carefully inspect each model just as she was about to emerge in one of his sumptuous, impeccably constructed designs.

At the end of the show, the legendary designer himself emerged, supported by two of his models. He didn’t walk on his own, and didn’t go far, but he was beaming from ear to ear. He gave each model a peck on the cheek, and then returned to the wings, where models and staff could be heard cheering him enthusiastically.

De La Renta, who dressed first ladies, socialites and Hollywood stars for more than four decades, died Monday evening at his Connecticut home at age 82, only six weeks after that runway show. But not before another high-profile honor was bestowed on him: The most famous bride in the world, Amal Alamuddin, wore a custom, off-the-shoulder De La Renta gown to wed George Clooney in Venice. Photos of the smiling designer perched on a table at the dress fitting appeared in Vogue.

De La Renta died surrounded by family, friends and “more than a few dogs,” according to a handwritten statement signed by his stepdaughter Eliza Reed Bolen and her husband, Alex Bolen. The statement did not specify a cause of death, but De La Renta had spoken in the past of having cancer.

“He died exactly as he lived: with tremendous grace, great dignity and very much on his own terms,” the statement said. “While our hearts are broken by the idea of life without Oscar, he is still very much with us. … All that we have done, and all that we will do, is informed by his values and his spirit.”

The late ’60s and early ’70s were a defining moment in U.S. fashion as New York-based designers carved out a look of their own that was finally taken seriously by Europeans. De La Renta and his peers, including the late Bill Blass, Halston and Geoffrey Beene, defined American style then and now.

De La Renta’s specialty was eveningwear, though he also was known for chic daytime suits favored by the women who would gather at the Four Seasons or Le Cirque at lunchtime. His signature looks were voluminous skirts, exquisite embroideries and rich colors.

Earlier this month, first lady Michelle Obama notably wore a De La Renta dress for the first time. De La Renta had criticized her several years earlier for not wearing an American label to a state dinner in 2011.

Among Obama’s predecessors favoring De La Renta were Laura Bush, who wore an icy blue gown by De La Renta to the 2005 inaugural ball, and Hillary Rodham Clinton, who wore a gold De La Renta in 1997.

“We will miss Oscar’s generous and warm personality, his charm, and his wonderful talents.” Bush said in a statement. ” We will always remember him as the man who made women look and feel beautiful.”

A statement from former President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky, said: “Oscar’s remarkable eye was matched only by his generous heart. His legacy of philanthropy extended from children in his home country who now have access to education and health care, to some of New   York’s finest artists whose creativity has been sustained through his support.”

De La Renta made just as big a name for himself on the Hollywood red carpet — with actresses of all ages. Penelope Cruz and Sandra Bullock were among the celebrities to don his feminine and opulent gowns. His clothes even were woven into episodes of “Sex and the City,” with its style icon, Carrie Bradshaw, comparing his designs to poetry.

One actress who wore a De La Renta gown to this year’s Oscars was Jennifer Garner.

“Mr. De La Renta loved women,” she said on Monday evening, wiping away tears. “And you saw it in every design that he did. He honored women’s features, he honored our bodies. He wasn’t afraid to pull back and let the woman be the star of the look.”

De La Renta was also deeply admired by his fellow designers. “He set the bar,” designer Dennis Basso said on Instagram Monday night. “But most of all he was a refined elegant gentleman.”

The designer’s path to New York’s Seventh Avenue took an unlikely route: He left his native Dominican Republic at 18 to study painting in Spain, but soon became sidetracked by fashion. The wife of the U.S. ambassador saw some of his sketches and asked him to make a dress for her daughter — a dress that landed on the cover of Life magazine.

That led to an apprenticeship with Cristobal Balenciaga, and then De La Renta moved to France to work for Lanvin. By 1963, he was working for Elizabeth Arden couture in New York, and in 1965 he launched his own label.

He told The Associated Press in 2004 that his Hispanic roots had worked their way into his designs.

“I like light, color, luminosity. I like things full of color and vibrant,” he said.

While De La Renta made Manhattan his primary home, he often visited the Dominican Republic and kept a home there. Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour was a frequent visitor.

CU Blog - Caribbean Role Model - Oscar De La Renta - RIP - Photo 2“His designs reflected his extraordinary personality: optimistic, fun, sunny, romantic,” Wintour wrote in a remembrance on Tuesday. “He always said accept your friends for who they are, not for who you want them to be. Oscar was everything you could want a friend to be. ”

He also had a country home in Kent, Connecticut, where he died Monday. Gardening and dancing were among his favorite diversions from work. “I’m a very restless person. I’m always doing something. The creative process never stops,” he said.

As a designer, De La Renta catered to his socialite friends and neighbors — he and his wife, Annette, were fixtures on the black-tie charity circuit — but he did make occasional efforts to reach the masses, including launching a mid-priced line in 2004 and developing a dozen or so perfumes.

He was an avid patron of the arts, serving as a board member of The Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall, among others, and he devoted considerable time to children’s charities, including New Yorkers for Children. He also helped fund schools and day-care centers in La Romana and Punta Cana in his native country.

The Dominican Republic honored de la Renta with the Order of Merit of Juan Pablo Duarte and the order of Cristobol Colon. In the United States, he received the Coty American Fashion Critics Award twice, was named womens-wear designer of the year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2000 and also received a lifetime achievement award from the CFDA — an organization for which he served as president in the 1980s.

Besides his own label, De La Renta spearheaded the Pierre Balmain collection from 1993-2002, marking the first time an American designed for a French couture house, and he was awarded the French Legion of Honor with the rank of commander. He also received the Gold Medal Award from the King and Queen of Spain.

De La Renta gave up the title of chief executive of his company in 2004, handing over business duties to the Bolens, but he remained active and continued to show his collections during New York Fashion Week.

De La Renta also is survived by his son, Moises, a designer at the company.

De La Renta’s first wife, French Vogue editor Francoise de Langlade, died in 1983.

Associated Press Entertainment Writer Ryan Pearson in Los Angeles also contributed to this report.
AP News Source (Retrieved October 21, 2014) –
http://news.yahoo.com/oscar-la-renta-legendary-designer-dead-82-063208260.html

——-

2. Video: NBC News Video – http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/56275679/#56275679:

Oscar De La Renta impacted the fashion world with his contributions. He was awarded numerous honors and awards from around the world. This man of Caribbean heritage impacted the whole world.

In 1977, De La Renta launched his fragrance, OSCAR,[20] followed by an accessories line in 2001[21] and a home-wares line in 2002.[22] The new business venture included 100 home furnishings for Century Furniture featuring dining tables, upholstered chairs, and couches. In 2004, he added a less expensive line of clothing called O Oscar. De la Renta said he wanted to attract new customers whom he could not reach before.[23]

In 2006, De La Renta designed Tortuga Bay, a boutique hotel at Punta Cana Resort and Club. Tortuga Bay is a Leading Small Hotel of the World.[24] and a member of Virtuoso.[25]

The publishers of the book Go Lean…Caribbean recognize the life contributions of Oscar De La Renta as an artist, entrepreneur, industrialist and advocate for many causes that align with our quest for empowerment and elevation of Caribbean life and culture. The book serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU). The CU seeks to also empower the people of the Caribbean to lead more impactful lives in which they are better able to meet their needs and plan for a productive future. The Go Lean roadmap seeks to put Caribbean people in a place of better command-and-control of their circumstances, to develop the community ethos of assisting each other to advance in our own lives, in our individual communities and in the Caribbean as a whole.

Like Oscar De La Renta, the prime directive of the Go Lean book is also to elevate society, but instead of impacting America, the roadmap focus is the Caribbean first. In fact, the declarative statements are as follows:

  • Optimization of the economic engines in order to grow the regional economy to $800 Billion & create 2.2 million new jobs.
  • Establishment of a security apparatus to protect the resultant economic engines.
  • Improve Caribbean governance to support these engines.

Oscar De La Renta is hereby recognized as a role model that the rest of the Caribbean can emulate. He has provided a successful track record of forging change, overcoming incredible odds, managing crises to successful conclusions and paying forward to benefit the next generation. The Go Lean book posits that while economics, security and governance are all important for the sustenance of Caribbean life, pursuits like fashion, poetry, art, and beauty are the reasons we want to live. Oscar De La Renta stood as a vanguard for many of these pursuits.

The book posits that one person, despite his/her field of endeavor, can make a difference in the Caribbean, and its impact on the world; that there are many opportunities where one champion, one advocate, can elevate society. In this light, the book features 144 different advocacies, so there is inspiration for the “next” Oscar De La Renta to emerge, establish and excel right here at home in the Caribbean.

The roadmap specifically encourages the region, to lean-in and foster this “next” generation of Oscar De La Renta’s with these specific community ethos, strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies:

Community Ethos – Minority Equalization Page 24
Community Ethos – Ways to Foster Genius Page 27
Community Ethos – Ways to Promote Intellectual Property Page 31
Community Ethos – Ways to Promote Happiness – Cultural Promotion Page 36
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact the Greater Good Page 37
Anatomy of Advocacies Page 122
Planning – Ways to Improve Trade Page 128
Planning – Ways to Better Manage Caribbean Image Page 129
Planning – Lessons from New York City – Fashion Industry Impact Page 137
Advocacy – Ways to Better Provide Clothing Page 163
Advocacy – Ways to Impact Hollywood – Image Management Page 203
Advocacy – Ways to Impact Beauty Pageants – Fashion & Economic Output Page 204
Advocacy – Ways to Preserve Caribbean Heritage Page 218
Advocacy – Ways to Improve the Arts Page 230
Appendix – New York City Economy – Fashion Economic Impact/Jobs Page 277

Fashion and clothing are priorities in the Go Lean roadmap. While food, clothing, shelter and energy are vital essentials of life, finding efficient solutions for home-spun delivery of these needs is a basis for generating wealth. The change stemming from this roadmap constitute a commitment and facilitation to provide many of our basic needs ourselves. This vision creates a lot of opportunities for contributions from a lot of different people. This quest is pronounced early in the Declaration of Interdependence at the outset of the book, pronouncing this need for regional solutions (Pages 13 & 14) with these statements:

xxi. Whereas the preparation of our labor force can foster opportunities and dictate economic progress for current and future generations, the Federation must ensure that educational and job training opportunities are fully optimized for all residents of all member-states, with no partiality towards any gender or ethnic group. The Federation must recognize and facilitate excellence in many different fields of endeavor, including sciences, languages, arts, music and sports. This responsibility should be executed without incurring the risks of further human flight, as has been the past history.

xxx. Whereas the effects of globalization can be felt in every aspect of Caribbean life, from the acquisition of food and clothing, to the ubiquity of ICT, the region cannot only consume, it is imperative that our lands also produce and add to the international community, even if doing so requires some sacrifice and subsidy.

With the participation of many advocates on many different paths for progress, the Caribbean can truly become a better place to live, work and play.

Rest in Peace Oscar De La Renta. Thank you for making “us” look good.

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

————

Referenced Sources:

19. Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia on Oscar De La Renta. Retrieved October 21, 2014 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_de_la_Renta
20. “Óscar de la Renta 1977”. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
21. “Óscar de la Renta 2001”. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
22. “Óscar de la Renta 2002”. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
23. Biography.com Feature. Retrieved 26 Sep 2013.  from http://www.biography.com/people/oscar-de-la-renta-9270239
24. “Luxury Hotels of the World at The Leading Hotels of the World”. Lhw.com. 29 December 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
25. “Specialists in the Art of Travel, Luxury Travel Advisors”. Virtuoso (Luxury Travel Advisory). Retrieved 13 August 2012.

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The ‘Great ShakeOut’ Earthquake Drill

Posted on October 16, 2014 in Locations, Social

Go Lean Commentary

At this moment (Thursday October 16), there is a Category 4 Hurricane (Gonzalo) bearing down on a Caribbean member-state (Bermuda), and yet this commentary is focusing on another type of natural disaster: Earthquakes.

January 2010 saw a devastating tremor hit Haiti. The whole world came to a halt – from Haiti’s perspective – the island nation has still not recovered.

Hurricanes. Earthquakes. This is the reality of Caribbean life – we have to contend with natural disasters; some with advanced warnings, some with no warnings at all.

In the past, our region has not done well managing the crisis associated with natural disasters. In fact, this was a motivation for the origination of the book, Go Lean … Caribbean. We do not have the luxury of “sticking our head in the sand” and pretending that there is no problem. Rather, we must prepare.

The foregoing news article/VIDEO is an example of earthquake preparation around the world, but especially in a region (US Eastern Seaboard) that usually do not have to contend with the threat of earthquakes; and yet got a surprising “shake” in August 2011:

Title: Damaged National Cathedral Hosts ‘Great ShakeOut’ Earthquake Drill
By: Alex DeMetrick, General Assignment Reporter

WASHINGTON (WJZ) – There’s nothing like an earthquake to get your attention, and the large quake Maryland felt three years ago is helping to spread the word to prepare for another.

Alex DeMetrick reports it’s all part of the great shakeout campaign.

Earthquake Drill - Photo 1

Depending on where you were three years ago, experiencing a 5.8 magnitude earthquake made an impression.

And you didn’t have to be scrambling out of the Washington Monument.

Maryland rocked all over.

“The Earth’s crust here is old; it’s cold. It transmits energy very effectively. Sort of rings like a bell,” said Dr. David Applegate, U.S. Geological Survey.

And because it could ring again, the Mid-Atlantic region is now part of the Great ShakeOut.

With the National Cathedral as a backdrop, the day is used to promote “drop, cover and hold on” in a quake.

“Something as simple as a book could hurt you, or a bookshelf could hurt, so you don’t want to try and run out, especially in our area here,” said Wendy Phillips, FEMA program specialist.

Bricks and masonry can fall. Thousands of pounds worth fell from the top of the National Cathedral.

“Top of the tower is the absolute worst,” said James Shepherd, director of preservation at the National Cathedral. “So those are the areas that really released the energy. Those are the areas we have the most damage.”

Repairs made the inside safe, although work still continues at the rear of the cathedral.

Just this reinforcement effort has cost $10 million.

Another $22 million will have to be found to strengthen the structure’s flying buttresses.

If it isn’t done, “what that means if there’s an earthquake, the stones move,” Shepherd said.

While repairs may still take years, the cathedral is a reminder the next earthquake could happen any time.

“Absolutely, earthquakes have defied efforts to give a short term prediction, so an earthquake in the east, less frequent, but the shaking can be a real issue over a wide area,” Applegate said.

The Great ShakeOut campaign began in California, and worldwide an estimated 25 million people, including 1 million in the Mid-Atlantic, practiced drop, cover and hold-on drills Thursday.
Baltimore Local CBS Station WJZ Newscast  (Retrieved 10-16-2014) – http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2014/10/16/damaged-national-cathedral-hosts-great-shakeout-earthquake-drill/

CBS Baltimore Video: http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=10700214

The Go Lean book posits that earthquakes are outside of our control and can easily wreak havoc on one Caribbean island after another. This regional threat is due to the active Enriquillo fault-line in the Greater Antilles (Jamaica, Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico) and the Lesser Antilles subduction zone (also known for volcanoes) along the rim of the Eastern Caribbean basin. Already there have been a number of small quakes in a few Caribbean islands for 2014, including Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Martinique, Barbados and others.

So the earthquake threat is real. The foregoing article/VIDEO advocates preparing people in the region to survive quaking and shaking. The Caribbean has to be on guard for danger from seismic activities – we have failed miserably in the past, as in Haiti.

Earthquake Drill - Photo 2A previous blog/commentary asserted that the risk of earthquakes plus the constant threats during the annual hurricane season creates the need for a full-time sentinel to monitor, mitigate and manage the risks of natural disasters in the region. This is the mandate for the technocratic Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU) for the 30 member-states of the Caribbean region. The Go Lean … Caribbean roadmap describes the CU’s prime directives as empowering the region’s economic engines, providing homeland security assurances and preparing/responding the region’s governance for natural disasters.

The point of natural disaster preparation, especially in the era of climate change, is pronounced early in the book with this Declaration of Interdependence (Page 11), with this opening statement:

i.        Whereas the earth’s climate has undeniably changed resulting in more severe tropical weather storms, it is necessary to prepare to insure the safety and security of life, property and systems of commerce in our geographical region. As nature recognizes no borders in the target of its destruction, we also must set aside border considerations in the preparation and response to these weather challenges.

The Go Lean book details the economic principles and community ethos to adopt, plus the executions of the following strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies to prepare for the eventuality of earthquakes and hurricanes in Caribbean communities:

Economic Principles – People Respond to Incentives Page 21
Economic Principles – Economic Systems Influence   Individual Choices Page 21
Economic Principles – Consequences of Choices Lie in the   Future Page 21
Community Ethos – “Crap” Happens Page 23
Community Ethos – Lean Operations Page 24
Community Ethos – Return on Investments (ROI) Page 24
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact the Future Page 26
Community Ethos – Ways to Improve Sharing Page 35
Community Ethos – Impact the Greater Good Page 37
Strategy – Vision – Confederating 30 Member-states in a Union Page 45
Strategy – Agents of Change – Climate Change Page 57
Tactical – Fostering a Technocracy Page 64
Tactical – Separation of Powers – Emergency Management   Agency Page 76
Implementation – Ways to Deliver Page 109
Implementation – Ways to Foster International Aid – Haiti’s   Earthquakes Page 115
Planning – 10 Big Ideas – Homeland Security Pact Page 127
Advocacy – Ways to Grow the Economy Page 151
Advocacy – Ways to Improve for Natural Disasters Page 184
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Emergency Management Page 196

This is the change that has come to the region: the Caribbean is accepting that it is undoubtedly an earthquake zone.

There is the need for a regional sentinel to coordinate the preparation for earthquakes among the Caribbean member-states. There is the need for participation in the ‘Great ShakeOut’ Earthquake Drill, as related in the foregoing article and VIDEO, for this year (but its too late) and next year, and henceforth.

Natural disasters are unavoidable in the Caribbean. But we can prepare for them, we can make the Caribbean a better place to live, work and play. These elevations are identified, qualified and proposed in the book Go Lean…Caribbean; the mitigations are not just reactive, but also proactive.

All of the Caribbean, the people and institutions, are urged to lean-in to the roadmap from this book – and to “drop, cover and hold-on”.

Download the book Go Lean…Caribbean now!

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Guyana and Suriname Wrestle With High Rates of Suicides

Posted on October 16, 2014 in Locations, Social

Go Lean Commentary

This Caribbean member-state, Guyana, is Number One …

Not Number One on the list of most productive countries, but Number One on this infamous list: as the country with the highest rate of suicides in the world, according to the latest WHO report. (Suriname is also in the Top 10, at Number 6).

This is a tragedy!

The book Go Lean… Caribbean claims that this region is the best address in the world…physically. And yet this below article asserts that per capita, more people voluntarily “check-out permanently” here than anywhere else in the world. In a previous blog, this commentary presented that this same country Guyana is also Number One in the region with a 89% brain drain among college graduates.

This is not a coincidence, this is a crisis!

Title: Sleepy Guyana Wrestles With High Rate of Suicides
CU Blog - Guyana Wrestles With High Rate of Suicides - Photo 1
Lesbeholden, Guyana – The young man responds all too easily when asked whether he knows anyone who has committed suicide in his village, a sleepy cluster of homes and rum shops surrounded by vast brown fields of rice awaiting harvest.

Less than a year ago, Omadat Ramlackhan recalls, his younger brother swallowed pesticide after a drunken argument with their father and died five days later. “I don’t know what got into him,” the 23-year-old said. “It just happened like that.”

It wasn’t the family’s first brush with suicide. His stepmother, Sharmilla Pooran, volunteers that her brother hanged himself and the man’s son tried to do the same but survived, with rope marks on his neck to remember it. She once contemplated killing herself.

The fact that self-inflected harm is such a presence in the lives of this family is not surprising given that they live in an area that Guyana’s Ministry of Health has designated the “suicide belt,” in a country that the World Health Organization says in a new report has the highest rate of suicide in the world.

Guyana, a largely rural country at the northeastern edge of South America, has a suicide rate four times the global average, ahead of North Korea, South Korea, and Sri Lanka. Neighboring Suriname was the only other country from the Americas in the top 10.

There seem to be a number of reasons that Guyana tops the list, including deep rural poverty, alcohol abuse and easy access to deadly pesticides. It apparently has nothing to do with the mass cult suicide and murder of more than 900 people in 1978 at Jonestown, the event that made the country notorious.

“It’s not that we are a population that has this native propensity for suicide or something like that,” said Supriya Singh-Bodden, founder of the non-governmental Guyana Foundation. “We have been trying to live off the stigma of Jonestown, which had nothing to do with Guyana as such. It was a cult that came into our country and left a very dark mark.”

Just before the WHO published its report last month, the foundation cited rampant alcoholism as a major factor in its own study of the suicide phenomenon, which has been a subject of concern in Guyana for years. In 2010, the government announced it was training priests, teachers and police officers to help identify people at risk of killing themselves in Berbice, the remote farming region along the southeast border with Suriname where 17-year-old Ramdat Ramlackhan committed suicide after quarreling with his father, Vijai.

More recently, the government has sought to restrict access to deadly pesticides, though that is difficult in a country dependent on agriculture. In May, authorities announced a suicide-prevention hotline would be established and Health Minister Bheri Ramsarran said he would deploy additional nurses and social-service workers in response to the WHO report.

Some countries have had success with national strategies in bringing down the number of people who take their own lives, according to the WHO. The number of suicides rose rapidly in Japan in the late 1990s, but started to decrease in 2009 amid government prevention efforts and as discussion of the subject became less taboo.

It has declined in China and India as a result of urbanization and efforts to control the most common means of suicide, said Dr. Alan Berman, a senior adviser to the American Association of Suicidology and a contributor to the WHO report.

“A certain proportion of suicides are rather impulsive and if you can restrict access to the means of suicide, whether it’s by pesticides, or by firearms or by bridge, you can thwart the behavior and give people an opportunity to change their minds,” Berman said.

The WHO estimates there are more than 800,000 suicides around the world per year. Statistics on the subject are unreliable because in some places the practice is stigmatized, or illegal.

The agency found Guyana, which has a population of about 800,000, had an age-adjusted rate of just over 44 per 100,000 people based on 2012 data. For males alone, it was nearly 71 per 100,000. In raw numbers, there are about 200 per year and 500 attempts, according to local health authorities. The U.S. overall rate was 12 per 100,000.

Most occur in Berbice, a flat, sun-baked expanse of farmlands along the river that forms the border with Suriname, where similar social and economic conditions prevail and which was 6th on the WHO list, just ahead of Mozambique.

“Suicides tend to be higher in rural areas than urban areas,” Berman said. “If I’m living in rural Montana, or if I’m living in rural India or in rural Suriname the question then is if I need help for whatever is going on with me how am I going to get it?”

It is a touchy subject in Guyana. The country is divided politically and ethnically between the descendants of people brought from Africa as slaves and the descendants of people brought from India, both Hindus and Muslims, as indentured workers to replace them.

Berbice has many people of Hindus of Indian descent and, as a result, suicide is often portrayed in Guyana as a largely Hindu phenomenon. But Singh-Bodden of the Guyana Foundation said that may be because self-inflicted death among the Hindus of Berbice is more likely to be reported as such. Their study, for example, found little reporting of suicide among native Amerindians who live in the country’s rugged interior.

“I don’t buy into the argument necessarily that it’s an ethnic thing, that Indo Guyanese are more susceptible to suicide,” she said. “There has been a lot of suicide among mixed people as well. I honestly believe it’s the hopelessness.”

Pooran, describing her family’s experiences, said her brother apparently killed himself after struggling with health problems for years and difficult home life. She said she thought about taking her own life while cleaning her house after a day’s work at a local sawmill.

“One day, I picked up the poison and thought about drinking it but I called God’s name and then realized my husband would just get another woman and soon forget me,” she said. “Don’t think I would do that today.”
———
By Bert Wilkinson in Guyana and Ben Fox reported from Miami.
Associated Press News Wire Service (Retrieved 10-15-2014) – http://abcnews.go.com/international/wirestory/sleepy-guyana-wrestles-high-rate-suicides-26174156

There is something providential about this crisis as the Go Lean… Caribbean book also asserts that “a crisis is a terrible thing to waste”. The book declares (Page 36) that a man/woman needs three things to be happy:

Deficiency Mitigation
1. Something to do Jobs
2. Someone to love Repatriation of Diaspora
3. Something to hope for Future-focus

The book serves as a roadmap to mitigate these 3 deficiencies within Caribbean life, rural communities and also in The Guianas (Guyana & Suriname).

The subject of suicide is not a light matter and should not be ignored. It addresses one of the most serious aspects of the science of Mental Health. The Go Lean book is not a reference source for science, but it does glean from “social science” concepts in communicating the plan to elevate Caribbean society. The book thusly serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the technocratic Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU). The complete prime directives are described as:

  • Optimize the economic engines of the Caribbean to elevate the regional economy and create 2.2 million new job.
  • Establish a security apparatus to protect the resultant economic engines.
  • Improve Caribbean governance to support these engines.

The Go Lean roadmap immediately calls for the establishment of a regional sentinel, a federal Health Department, to monitor, manage and mitigate public health issues in the region. This focus includes mental health in its focus, just as seriously as any other health concern like cancer, trauma, bacterial/viral epidemiology. This direct correlation of physical/mental health issue with the Caribbean (and American) economy has been previously detailed in Go Lean blog/commentaries, as sampled here:

Public Health Economics – The Cost of Cancer Drugs
Antibiotics Misuse Associated With Obesity Risk
Regional Health Sentinel – Stopping Ebola
Recessions and Public Health in the Caribbean Region
Health Concern – Climate Change May Bring More Kidney Stones
New Hope in the Fight Against Alzheimer’s Disease
For Diabetes Mitigation, Google and Novartis to develop “smart” contact  lens
Health-care fraud in America; criminals take $272 billion a year
Painful and rapid spread of new Chikungunya virus in the Caribbean
Cuban Cancer Medication registered in 28 countries

Being first on a list is not uncommon for the Caribbean – Cuba’s famous tobacco-cigar is already declared “Among the Best in the World”. This is the kind of notoriety we want with our global image; not suicides. No one wants to live in a society where these mental health crises remain unmitigated. But the foregoing article relates that suicide rates in Guyana (and Suriname) needs to be arrested.

A lot is at stake.

The Go Lean roadmap immediately calls for the coordination of the region’s healthcare needs. This point is declared early in the Go Lean book, commencing with this opening pronouncement in the Declaration of Interdependence (Page 12), as follows:

ix.  Whereas the realities of healthcare … cannot be ignored and cannot be afforded without some advanced mitigation, the Federation must arrange for health plans to consolidate premiums of both healthy and sickly people across the wider base of the entire Caribbean population. The mitigation should extend further to disease management, wellness, mental health, obesity and smoking cessation programs.

The Go Lean … Caribbean roadmap constitutes a change for the region, a plan to consolidate 30 member-states into a Trade Federation with the tools/techniques to bring immediate change to the region to benefit one and all member-states. This includes the monitoring/tracking/studying the physical and mental health trends. This empowerment would allow for better coordination with member-states, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The book details Happiness as a community ethos that first must be adopted; this refers to the appropriate attitude/spirit to forge change in the region. Go Lean details this and other ethos; plus the executions of the following strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies to impact the region’s public [mental] health:

Community Ethos – Deferred Gratification Page 21
Community Ethos – Economics Influence Choices Page 21
Community Ethos – “Crap” Happens Page 23
Community Ethos – Lean Operations Page 24
Community Ethos – Cooperatives Page 24
Community Ethos – Non-Government Organizations Page 25
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact the Future Page 26
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact Turn-Around Page 33
Community Ethos – Ways to Promote Happiness Page 36
Community Ethos – Impact the Greater Good Page 37
Strategy – Vision – Confederate 30 Member-States Page 45
Strategy – Mission – Reform our Health Care Response Page 47
Strategy – Agents of Change – Aging Diaspora Page 57
Tactical – Fostering a Technocracy Page 64
Separation of Powers – Department of Health Page 86
Implementation – Ways to Deliver Page 109
Implementation – Reasons to Repatriate Page 118
Planning – Ways to Make the Caribbean Better Page 131
Planning – Ways to Improve Failed-State Indices Page 134
Planning – Lessons from Indian Reservations – Suicides Page 148
Advocacy – Ways to Grow the Economy Page 151
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Healthcare Page 156
Advocacy – Ways to Better Manage the Social Contract Page 170
Advocacy – Ways to Foster Cooperatives Page 176
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Emergency Management Page 196
Advocacy – Ways to Impact Rural Living Page 235
Advocacy – Ways to Impact/Re-boot The Guianas Page 241

Guyana is a “failing” state, economy-wise. The CU mitigation to re-boot the economy there (& the region) is Step One for minimizing the risk of suicide. The foregoing news article links economic downturns and rural poverty to suicide risks. All in all, there is the need for better stewardship for Caribbean society, the economy, security and governing engines.

Who will provide this better stewardship? Who will take the lead? The book Go Lean…Caribbean provide 370 pages of turn-by-turn directions for how the CU is to provide this role for the region. The people are hereby urged to lean-in to this Go Lean roadmap, to make the Caribbean a better place to live, work and play. 🙂

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

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Miami’s Success versus Caribbean Failure

Posted on October 11, 2014 in Locations, Social, Strategy

Go Lean Commentary

The Greater Miami Metropolitan Area has provided refuge to many of the Caribbean Diaspora.

Thank you Miami.

But make no mistake: Miami has benefited as well.

s Success versus Caribbean Failure - Photo 1

This fact is based on a proven economic principle that growth in population means growth in the economy. In parallel, declines in populations could lead to declines in economic growth. This point was vividly depicted in this previous blog commentary: Having Less Babies is Bad for the Economy; with this quoted reference:

We tend to think economic growth comes from working harder and smarter. But economists attribute up to a third of it to more people joining the workforce each year than leaving it. The result is more producing, earning and spending. – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/07/birth-rate-economy_n_5281597.html

According to the below article (Appendix and VIDEOS below), the Miami Metropolitan Area has benefited greatly from the infusion of Caribbean refugees into its population. The benefits to the metropolitan area have been economic, cultural and also in governing leadership. This brings to the fore a compelling mission of the book Go Lean…Caribbean, to elevate Caribbean society so as to encourage the repatriation of the Diaspora back to their homelands.

Title: South Florida Caribbean’s – November 2006
The Caribbean Island Nations, has an overall population of over 40 million.
…
In the US, they number over 25 million (Strategy Research Corporation). The Caribbean population in the U.S. Diaspora has grown by over 6.4 million in the last decade.

SOUTH FLORIDA CARIBBEANS – November 2006
• An estimated 400,000 Caribbean nationals live in South Florida.

• More than 92,000 Jamaicans live in BrowardCounty and more than 32,000 Jamaicans live in Miami-Dade.

• Haitians make up the second-largest ethnic group in Miami-DadeCounty —109,817 — after Cubans, and are second to Jamaicans in Broward with 88,121.

North Miami, Dade County, Florida according to the 2000 census, has a population of 60,036 and is home to 18,656 Haitians, the most of any city in the county.

As at May 4, 2007 there are 10 Haitian elected officials now serving in the Florida Legislature and Miami-Dade municipalities. Another Haitian politician, North Miami Beach Councilman John Patrick Julien, won the primary but faces a runoff May 15, 2007 with developer Gary Goldman.
…
• Broward County added more new black residents (92,378) than any other county between 2000 and 2005, while Miami-Dade County added about 10,528, The surge is driven by Caribbeans.
• Broward’s black population grew 22 percent from 2000 to 2005; 34 percent among Caribbeans.
• Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties are home to about one-fifth of the 785,771 Jamaicans living in the  United States.
…
Just as we argue that Cubans go to Miami and Mexicans to Texas for geographic and cultural blending in, we can make the same argument for West Indians in South Florida. It’s a natural habitat.”
…
SOURCE: U.S. Census
Editors note: The above figures are very conservative
Caribbean Business Community (North America) Inc.  (Retrieved 10-10-2014) –
http://www.caribbeanbusinesscommunity.com/newsletters/caribbeans_abroad.html

The book Go Lean…Caribbean champions the causes of retaining Caribbean citizens in the Caribbean, and inviting the Diaspora back to their homelands. These intentions were pronounced early in the book with these statements in the Declaration of Interdependence (Pages 13):

xix.      Whereas our legacy in recent times is one of societal abandonment, it is imperative that incentives and encouragement be put in place to first dissuade the human flight, and then entice and welcome the return of our Diaspora back to our shores. This repatriation should be effected with the appropriate guards so as not to imperil the lives and securities of the repatriated citizens or the communities they inhabit. The right of repatriation is to be extended to any natural born citizens despite any previous naturalization to foreign sovereignties.

xx.      Whereas the results of our decades of migration created a vibrant Diaspora in foreign lands, the Federation must organize interactions with this population into structured markets. Thus allowing foreign consumption of domestic products, services and media, which is a positive trade impact. These economic activities must not be exploited by others’ profiteering but rather harnessed by Federation resources for efficient repatriations.

Looking at this quest from the point-of-view of Miami introduces a paradox: Miami’s success versus Caribbean failure.

According to Miami’s history, the metropolitan area has benefited, population-wise, with every Failed-State episode in the Caribbean. This is describing a win-lose scenario, where the Caribbean losses resulted in Miami’s gains. The following list describes the Caribbean countries that experienced near-Failed-State status, detailed in the Go Lean book, that effected change (growth) in Miami:

Cuba (Page 236)
Dominican Republic (Pages 237, 306)
Haiti (Page 238)
Jamaica (Page 239)
Trinidad (Page 240)
US Territories – Puerto Rico & US Virgin Islands (Page 244)
British Caribbean Territories (Page 245)
Dutch Caribbean Territories (Page 246)
French Caribbean Territories (Page 247)

s Success versus Caribbean Failure - Photo 2

With Miami’s location at the bottom of the Florida peninsula, it protrudes into the tropics – 50 miles West from the Bahamas and 90 miles North from Cuba. For the local community, this Caribbean proximity was perceived as a disadvantage, a misfortune, but the Caribbean infusion instead has proven to be an asset, a win for Miami. As many Caribbean member-states flirted with failure, Miami succeeded, despite being on the frontlines and having to absorb many incoming refugees.

But now, change has now come to the Caribbean … as detailed in the Go Lean book.

The Go Lean book serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the technocratic Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU) to bring positive change. The CU‘s prime directives are identified with the following 3 statements:

  • Optimization of the economic engines in order to grow the regional economy to $800 Billion & create 2.2 million new jobs.
  • Establishment of a security apparatus to protect the resultant economic engines.
  • Improve Caribbean governance to support these engines.

Will these changes reverse the patterns of success for Miami? Will more for Caribbean member-states mean less for Miami? Will Cuba’s return to democracy cause a crash for the Cuban-American investments in Miami? Will a stabilization of Haiti finally shift the successes of Haitian-Americans back to their homeland? Will an end of Caribbean Sclerosis (economic dysfunction) finally mean the English-speaking Caribbean will abandon Miami as their destination of hopes-and-dreams (see Appendix and VIDEOS below)? Will a successful execution of the Go Lean roadmap reverse the patterns of success for Miami? These ill-fated scenarios do not have to be the conclusion. The Go Lean roadmap for an elevated Caribbean, can be a win-win for Miami and the Caribbean.

The Go Lean book defines “luck” as the intersection of preparation and opportunity (Page 3). With the execution of the Go Lean roadmap, the change that comes to the Caribbean, and accompanying success should not mean failure for Miami. No, Miami can get “lucky” … purposely, with these impending changes. With Miami’s physical location it can continue to facilitate a lot of  trade and logistics for the Latin America and Caribbean region.

The Go Lean roadmap calls for elevating the Caribbean’s GDP from $378 Billion (2010) to $800 Billion. The Miami community can benefit from this regional growth, with some shrewd strategies on their part. (The Go Lean roadmap includes shrewd strategies for elevating the Caribbean, not Miami).

Caribbean stakeholders are hereby urged to lean-in to the community ethos, shrewd strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies to finally re-boot Caribbean society; as detailed in the book Go Lean…Caribbean, sampled here:

Assessment – Anecdote – Caribbean Single Market & Economy Page 15
Assessment – Anecdote – Dutch Caribbean – Integration & Secessions Page 16
Assessment – Anecdote – French Caribbean – Organization & Discord Page 17
Assessment – Anecdote – Puerto Rico – The Greece of the Caribbean Page 18
Community Ethos – Economic Systems Influence Individual Choices & Incentives Page 21
Community Ethos – Voluntary Trade Creates Wealth Page 21
Community Ethos – Consequences of Choices Lie in the Future Page 21
Community Ethos – Minority Equalization Page 24
Community Ethos – Lean Operations Page 24
Community Ethos – Return on Investments Page 24
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact Turn-Arounds Page 33
Community Ethos – Ways to Manage Reconciliations Page 34
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact the Greater Good Page 37
Strategic – Vision – Integrating Region in to a Single Market Page 45
Strategic – Agents of Change – Globalization Page 57
Tactical – $800 Billion Economy – How and When Page 67
Tactical – Separation of Powers – State Department – Culture Administration Page 81
Implementation – Ways to Pay for Change Page 101
Implementation – Foreign Policy Initiatives at Start-up Page 102
Implementation – Ways to Deliver Page 109
Implementation – Trade Mission Objectives Page 117
Implementation – Reasons to Repatriate Page 118
Implementation – Ways to Benefit from Globalization Page 119
Planning – 10 Big Ideas – Cuba/Haiti Page 127
Planning – Ways to Make the Caribbean Better Page 131
Planning – Ways to Improve Failed-State Indices Page 134
Advocacy – Ways to Grow the Economy Page 151
Advocacy – Ways to Impact the Diaspora Page 217
Advocacy – Ways to Preserve Caribbean Heritage Page 218
Advocacy – Ways to Improve the Arts Page 230
Advocacy – Ways to Promote Music Page 231

This commentary previously featured subjects related to the Caribbean Diaspora in the Greater Miami Metropolitan Area. The following is a sample:

‘Raul Castro reforms not enough’, Cuba’s bishops say
Continued Discrimination for Latins/Caribbeans in Job Markets
Miami’s Caribbean Marketplace Re-opens
Caribbean loses more than 70 percent of tertiary educated to brain drain
Miami Sports – Franchise Values and Sports Bubbles in Basketball
eMerge conference aims to jump-start Miami tech hub

Today, Miami is a better place to live, work and play … due in many ways to the contributions of the Caribbean Diaspora. The Cuban, Dominican and Afro-Caribbean (Haitian, Jamaican, Bahamian) communities dominate the culture of South Florida, resulting in a distinctive character that has made Miami unique as a travel/tourist destination; see VIDEOS below that vividly describe the positive input of the Caribbean culture on Miami:

Video Title: The Miami Sound Machine – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZkjeJKBI0M:

This is now a new day for the Caribbean; with the empowerments identified, qualified and proposed in the Go Lean book, the region will also be a better place to live, work and play. We urge all to lean-in to this roadmap, those residing in the region and the Diaspora, especially those in Miami.

The Caribbean and Miami. This can be a win-win!

Video Title: Miami-Broward Carnival – https://youtu.be/aT4hU85-lOk:

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

—————

APPENDIX – Miami Demographic Analysis – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_metropolitan_area

Demographics

Miami Metropolitan Area Historical population
Census Pop.   %±
1900 4,955 —
1910 17,510 253.4%
1920 66,542 280.0%
1930 214,830 222.8%
1940 387,522 80.4%
1950 693,705 79.0%
1960 1,497,099 115.8%
1970 2,236,645 49.4%
1980 3,220,844 44.0%
1990 4,056,100 25.9%
2000 5,007,564 23.5%
2010 5,564,635 11.1%

Ethnicity:
The racial makeup of population of the Miami Area [5,334,685] as of 2010 [43]:

  • White: 70.3% [3,914,239]
    • White Non-Hispanic: 34.8% [1,937,939]
    • White Hispanic: 35.2% [1,976,300]
  • Black or African American (many from the Caribbean): 21% [1,075,174]
  • Native American: 0.3% [16,108]
  • Asian: 2.3% [125,564]; (0.7% Indian, 0.5% Chinese, 0.3% Filipino, 0.2% Vietnamese, 0.1% Korean, 0.1% Japanese, 0.4% Other Asian)
  • Pacific Islander: 0.0% [2,356]
  • Other races: 3.5% [197,183]
  • Two or more races: 2.5% [140,000]
  • Hispanic or Latino of any race were 41.6% [2,312,929] of the population

The city proper is home to less than one-thirteenth of the population of South Florida. Miami is the 42nd most populous city in the United States. [But] the Miami Metropolitan Area, which includes Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, had a combined population of more than 5.5 million people, ranked seventh largest in the United States,[44] and is the largest metropolitan area in the Southeastern United States. As of 2008, the United Nations estimates that the Miami Urban Agglomeration is the 44th-largest in the world.[45]

The 2010 US Census file for “Hispanic or Latino Origin” reports[46] that: 34.4% of the population had Cuban origin, 8.7% South American ( 3.2% Colombian), 7.2% Nicaraguan, 5.8% Honduran, and 2.4% Dominican origin. In 2004, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) reported that Miami had the highest proportion of foreign-born residents of any major city worldwide (59%), followed by Toronto (50%).

As of 2010, there were 183,994 households of which 14.0% were vacant.[47] As of 2000, 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.6% were married couples living together, 18.7% have a female head of household with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.25. The age distribution was 21.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.

In 2009, the median income for a household in the city was $29,812, and the median income for a family was $33,814. The per capita income for the city was $19,846. About 21.7% of families and 26.3% of the population were below the poverty line.

In 1960, non-Hispanic whites represented 80% of Miami-Dade county’s population.[48] In 1970, the Census Bureau reported Miami’s population as 45.3% Hispanic, 32.9% non-Hispanic White, and 22.7% Black.[49] Miami’s explosive population growth has been driven by internal migration from other parts of the country, primarily up until the 1980s, as well as by immigration, primarily from the 1960s to the 1990s. Today, immigration to Miami has slowed significantly and Miami’s growth today is attributed greatly to its fast urbanization and high-rise construction, which has increased its inner city neighborhood population densities, such as in Downtown, Brickell, and Edgewater, where one area in Downtown alone saw a 2,069% increase in population in the 2010 Census. Miami is regarded as more of a multicultural mosaic, than it is a melting pot, with residents still maintaining much of, or some of their cultural traits. The overall culture of Miami is heavily influenced by its large population of Hispanics and blacks mainly from the Caribbean islands.

Source References:
43. American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau and Housing Narrative Profile: 2005. Factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved November 8, 2011.

44. “Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009” (XLS). 2009 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. March 19, 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2010. 

45. “Table A.12. Population of urban agglomerations with 750,000 inhabitants or more in 2005, by country, 1950–2015” (PDF). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2005 Revision. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division. Retrieved January 1, 2008. 

46. “Race and Hispanic or Latino Origin: 2010 more information 2010 Census Summary File 1”. American FactFinder. US Census Bureau. Retrieved 2014-08-18. 

47. American FactFinder, United States Census Bureau. “Miami city, Florida – Census 2010:Florida – USATODAY.com –”. USA Today. Retrieved January 12, 2012. 

48. “Demographic Profile, Miami-Dade County, Florida 1960–2000 ” (PDF). Miamidade.gov.

49. “Florida – Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990”. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved April 21, 2012.

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‘Raul Castro reforms not enough’, Cuba’s bishops say

Posted on September 11, 2014 in Economics, Locations

Go Lean Commentary

s bishops say - Photo 1

“Too little, too late.”

This seems to be the verdict of the observers in the foregoing news article on the subject of Cuba’s societal reforms. As a summary, Raul Castro serves as the President of Cuba, succeeding his brother, Fidel. The old economic models instituted by Fidel no longer work – the world has changed – so Raul has applied some reforms to alleviate the Failed-State status.

It is easy to criticize Cuba from afar, from outside looking in, so instead this commentary features the criticism from within, from stakeholders with some leadership, albeit religious, among the Cuban people. The below article highlights the assessment of the Roman Catholic Bishops serving the country:

HAVANA (AFP) —Cuba’s Roman Catholic bishops pressed the Americas’ only Communist government to deepen economic reforms and hinted at a desire for political opening in a document obtained by AFP Wednesday.

In a country with a centrally planned economy where opposition political parties remain outlawed, the Church is the only sizeable non-state actor that has an ongoing dialogue with President Raul Castro’s government.

And in its Pastoral Plan for 2014-2020, the first such document since Argentine-born Pope Francis’s papacy began last year, the bishops were blunt.

The government’s limited “economic reforms have not jump-started the economy in such a way that all Cuba’s people can feel,” the document reads in part.

During the more than five decades that the Communist government has been in power, health care, education and sports “experienced major progress” but are now “stagnant and in some cases in decline,” the document said, referring to what the government sees as its key achievements.

Castro — who replaced his brother, longtime president Fidel Castro who stepped aside in 2006 for health reasons — has ruled out the idea of any political opening.

And on the economic front, he has refused to embrace market economics as China or Vietnam have.

Instead, the former military chief has cut the government payroll and allowed more categories of self-employment.

But the cash-strapped economy depends heavily on Venezuela’s economic aid, and has no access to international loans. Most Cubans earn the equivalent of $20 a month.

“Despite the changes there have been,” the bishops said, “we sense that many citizens urgently want deeper and more appropriate reforms implemented to solve pressing problems generated by their being overwhelmed, plagued by uncertainly and worn out.”

While not aggressive, the document is more frank than some in the past which came as bishops were planning visits to Cuba by former and more conservative popes John Paul II in 1998 and Benedict XVI in 2012.

The new document broached the issue of political opening saying that many Cubans want their state to be “less bureaucratic and more participatory.”

Some “others who do not accept that way of thinking… are confusing the meaning of nationhood with an ideology, or with a party,” the document said.

“Dialogue among the various groups that make up our society is the only path toward achieving and maintaining social transformations that happen in Cuba,” the bishops said.

While Cubans’ everyday concerns have begun to emerge in the island’s state-run media and many political prisoners have been freed, new dissident arrests and violent attacks against them “continue to be worrisome and not constructive,” they added.

The bishops also reiterated longstanding opposition to the US trade embargo against Cuba in place for more than four decades.
Yahoo Online News Source (Posted and retrieved 09-11-2014) –
http://news.yahoo.com/raul-castro-reforms-not-enough-cubas-bishops-222531446.html

The issue of Cuba is very important from a macro Caribbean perspective. Theirs is a big island in the middle of the region and they possess a large population, the biggest in the Caribbean, 11,236,444 people as of 2010. Any plan to empower the Caribbean cannot be credible if it ignores Cuba. But there is the reality of the US Trade Embargo against Cuba. The US will not negotiate, bargain or trade with this country. So any viable plan must therefore emerge independent of the United States.

Here is that plan: the book Go Lean…Caribbean declares an interdependence with Cuba. The book serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the technocratic  Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU). This is a super-national federal government to administer and optimize the economic/security/ governing engines of the region’s 30 member-states – including Cuba.

At the outset, the Go Lean roadmap recognizes the value of significance of Cuban reconciliation into any Caribbean integration with this statement in the Declaration of Interdependence (Page 12):

xiii. Whereas the legacy of dissensions in many member-states (for example: Haiti and Cuba) will require a concerted effort to integrate the exile community’s repatriation, the Federation must arrange for Reconciliation Commissions to satiate a demand for justice.

The foregoing article recognized the fact that Raul Castro implemented economic, security, and governing reforms, to a failed consequence. This was inevitable! Go Lean takes a different approach. The book posits that the problems of Cuba, or the entire Caribbean for that matter, are too big for any one member-state to address alone, that there must be a regional solution, one agnostic of the colonial, language or political differences of the individual countries.

This is a tall-order; this is heavy-lifting.

The book maintains that confederating with Cuba is a “Big Idea” for the Caribbean. It therefore provides the turn-by-turn directions for elevating Cuban society and reconciling the 55 year-old rift in US-Cuban relations.

The premise of this roadmap is that Cuban President Raul Castro has announced that he will retire in 2017. We welcome a post-Castro Cuba.

This commentary is not the first to focus on Cuba. Previous blogs featured many subjects of Cuba’s eventual integration into the Caribbean brotherhood. See these points in the sample here:

https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=1847 Cuban Cigars – Declared “Among the best in the world”
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=1609 Cuba mulls economy in Parliament session
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=789 America’s War on the Caribbean
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=554 Cuban cancer medication registered in 28 countries
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=436 Cuba Approves New “Law on Foreign Investment”

The book Go Lean … Caribbean purports that anyone named “Castro” administering Cuba would be a guaranteed deterrent for international cooperation; especially so in American circles, and even more abhorrent in the Miami Cuban Exile community. But 2017 is not far away. Go Lean is the planning, with the community ethos, strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies to finally reform Cuba, and include “her” in the Caribbean brotherhood. See book samples here:

Community Ethos – Deferred Gratification Page 21
Community Ethos – Economic Systems Influence Individual Choices & Incentives Page 21
Community Ethos – Voluntary Trade Creates Wealth Page 21
Community Ethos – Lean Operations Page 24
Community Ethos – Return on Investments Page 24
Community Ethos – Cooperatives Page 25
Community Ethos – Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) Page 25
Community Ethos – Ways to Manage Reconciliations Page 34
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact the Greater Good Page 37
Strategic – Vision – Integrating Region in to a Single Market Page 45
Strategic – Core Competence – Specialty Agriculture Page 58
Tactical – Fostering a Technocracy Page 64
Tactical – Separation of Powers – Office of Trade Negotiations Page 80
Tactical – Separation of Powers – Federal Courts – Truth & Reconciliation Commissions Page 90
Implementation – Assemble & Create Super-Regional Organs to represent all Caribbean Page 96
Implementation – Ways to Pay for Change Page 101
Implementation – Foreign Policy Initiatives at Start-up Page 102
Implementation – Ways to Deliver Page 109
Implementation – Ways to Benefit from Globalization Page 119
Planning – 10 Big Ideas – Cuba Page 127
Planning – Ways to Improve Failed-State Indices Page 134
Planning – Lessons Learned from the Bible Page 143
Advocacy – Ways to Grow the Economy Page 151
Advocacy – Ways to Ways to Improve Governance in the Caribbean Region Page 168
Advocacy – Ways to Impact the Diaspora Page 217
Advocacy – Ways to Impact Foundations Page 219
Advocacy – Ways to Re-boot Cuba Page 236

The foregoing article addresses reform in Cuba from the point-of-view of religious leaders, the Roman Catholic Church. This is welcomed! While Go Lean is a roadmap for economic empowerment, it does highlight the wisdom gleaned from a study of the Bible. But, the CU declares a religious-neutral stance and invites participation from many aspects of society, including religious groups, civic agencies, social charities, foundations and other non-governmental organizations.

The roadmap is especially inviting to the Caribbean Diaspora; it presents a plan for the contribution of their time, talents and treasuries in the elevation of the entire region.

There will be the need for reconciliation of this Diaspora class, especially in Cuba. We invite that now!

This is a new day, it’s time now for change in Cuba and throughout the rest of the region. It is time to make the Caribbean a better place to live, work and play.

Cuba será libre!

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

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