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Black Image – Colorism: The Stain of Whiteness – Encore

Posted on July 26, 2020 in Ethos, Planning, Social

This series of commentaries assert that the issue of Black Image is unique to the global Black Community; there is never a concern to White Image. Why is that? Well, as related in a previous Go Lean commentary, the perception is that …

White is right?!
… in many circles around the world in general and the Caribbean in particular, there is the impression that “White is Right“.

Why does this fallacy proliferate and how can we dispel this false notion?

… “Whiteness” is only a social construct, a product of a bad history in social development. Though it is a different world today, some things still linger; think Colorism where “White is Right” on one end of the spectrum, while all things non-White is … “Less Than“.

So this answer relates to the historicity of European imperialism … over the centuries, as “they” wielded absolute power over the world. Looking back at this history means that we must consider the impact of the “White Western” / Imperial Conquests, through their experiences of the Slave Trade, Slavery, Colonialism and Post-Colonialism. It had an impact on social norms as to what is right and what is wrong.

This visual of a “Shades of White” spectrum is the continuation of this Teaching Series for July 2020 from the movement behind the 2013 book Go Lean … Caribbean; this is entry 3-of-6 on Black Image. The Go Lean movement presents a series every month on issues germane to Caribbean life and prospects. The full catalog on Black Image is presented as follows:

Black Image: Corporate Reboots
Black Image: Pluralism is the Goal
Black Image: Colorism – The Stain of Whiteness – Encore
Black Image: Slavery in History – Lessons from the Bible
Black Image: 1884 Berlin Conference – Beyond Slavery
Black Image: The N-Word 101

“Shades of White” or the “Stain of Whiteness” has had another affect; it has ushered in a variant of Tribalism, as related in another prior Go Lean commentary:

Tribalism is the state of being organized by, or advocating for, tribes or tribal lifestyles. Human evolution has primarily occurred in small groups, as opposed to mass societies, and humans naturally maintain a social network.
In popular culture, tribalism may also refer to a way of thinking or behaving in which people are loyal to their social group above all else,^[1] or, derogatorily, a type of discrimination or animosity based upon group differences.^[2]

In fact, the “Stain of Whiteness” have literally created tribes, and many bad consequences there-in.

Remember, Rwanda …

Remember the Tutsi and Hutus.

These are only social classes or ethnic groupings of the peoples of the African Great Lakes region.

The definitions of “Hutu” and “Tutsi” people may have changed through time and location. Social structures were not stable throughout Rwanda, even during colonial times under the Belgian rule. The Tutsi aristocracy or elite was distinguished from Tutsi commoners, and wealthy Hutu were often indistinguishable from upper-class Tutsi.

When the Belgian colonists conducted censuses, they wanted to identify the people throughout Rwanda-Burundi according to a simple classification scheme. They defined “Tutsi” as anyone owning more than ten cows (a sign of wealth) or with the physical feature of a longer nose, or longer neck, commonly associated with the Tutsi. …

The [Rwanda-Burundi] area was ruled as a colony by Germany (prior to World War I) and Belgium. Both the Tutsi and Hutu had been the traditional governing elite, but both colonial powers allowed only the Tutsi to be educated and to participate in the colonial government. Such discriminatory policies engendered resentment.

When the Belgians took over, they believed it could be better governed if they continued to identify the different populations. In the 1920s, they required people to identify with a particular ethnic group and classified them accordingly in censuses. … – Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutsi retrieved July 26, 2020.

Click here to see related VIDEO

It would be nice to say that this visual – European standards used to judge native people – is only in the past. Nope! We have recorded time and again, that Colorism or the “Stain of Whiteness” continue to persist. Colorism and the resemblance of Whiteness still have lots of impact, even today.

We have addressed Colorism previously. The ongoing threat in our society had been published in this previous Go Lean blog-commentary relating this title: Colorism in Cuba … and Beyond.

“Lighter-skin” Cubans versus “Darker-skin” Cubans is a bigger problem there.

Let’s re-examine this discussion by presenting this Encore from March 10, 2015, here and now:

—————-

Go Lean Commentary – Colorism in Cuba … and Beyond

Image is a problem for Cuba. Most people in the Western Hemisphere may only know of one Cuban, perhaps Fidel Castro. What’s more, most people only knew of one Cuban before the Castro era, that was “Rickie Ricardo” of I Love Lucy fame. Unfortunately this demographic is not fully representative of Cuba’s population. Cuba has always had a large Black population; (though as a minority group during the Rickie Ricardo era). After the Cuban Communist Revolution, and the wholesale abandonment of most of the White community, today, Cuba is a majority Black nation … by far.

… and yet Majority Rule has eluded them.
… economic power has also eluded this population.

Change is now afoot!

This subject of managing change has been a familiar theme in the book Go Lean…Caribbean. Also the theme of preparing for and rebooting Cuba has been frequently detailed in previous blog commentaries. Now, the consideration is the unavoidable clashes regarding race that will surely take place in a post-Castro Cuba.

Many other societies have had these clashes. Whether violent or just political; change in the area of race has been hard-fought. Consider the upheavals for the US during the 1960’s. (See Photo below). Cuba did not benefit from this American civil rights movement; they did not sow, so they have not reaped. They were fresh into their own political revolution with the embrace of communism, alienation of American society and mass exodus of so many citizens.

This is the assertion of a prominent Cuban-American politician in Miami, Florida – a strong-bed for the Cuban Diaspora and Cuban-American communities. See his editorial here:

Title: Blacks in Cuba are poised to make gains
By: Ricardo Gonzalez

For the first time in more than a century, black Cubans might have a real opportunity to gain the enfranchisement and equality for which our ancestors fought so hard — and were on the verge of winning — only to see their hopes and aspirations frustrated when a U.S. naval ship was blown to pieces in the port of Havana in 1898.

The blood and sweat of our forefathers in the overwhelmingly Black Mambi army was shed for naught as our nation and the 20th century were born. Since Cuba’s inception in 1902, its black citizens never truly gained equal footing in that troubled country. Despite their decisive role in the struggle for independence from colonialism, blacks were almost totally excluded from all levels of power and denied full participation in the everyday life in the fledgling nation.

Unhappy with their exclusion and seeking a better compact, black Cubans were once again prevented from gaining the equality they thought they had earned in the battlefield when their nascent racial movement seeking social justice was violently decapitated — literally, in some cases — a decade later. What followed was a long, hard procession of years of drudgery — sprinkled with a few, incremental gains — under the suffocating hardships of Cuba’s tropical version of Jim Crow.

In 1959, the Cuban Revolution artfully gained control of every aspect of Cuban life and promised to eradicate all vestiges of racial injustice in the island. Shortly thereafter, la Revolución, loudly, proudly and unilaterally, proclaimed victory in its self-declared fight against racism and promptly proceeded to label anyone who dared bring up the topic of racial inequality as a counter-revolutionary and applied “revolutionary” punishment and penalties to those who dared to transgress.

More than half a century later, however, whether by government intent or simply as a result of misguided policies, black Cuba is immersed in its most difficult juncture; at a disadvantage economically (reduced access to foreign currencies), politically (little to no representation in government) and sociologically (i.e., marginalized, racially profiled, disproportionally incarcerated, etc.).

Truth be told, throughout its history, Cuba has never been kind to its darker citizens, regardless of who has been in power or his political ideology. It is time for that elephant in the room to be both acknowledged and dealt with.

Now the catastrophic dynasty that has afflicted our nation for almost 60 years finally appears to be near its end — Father Time and biology proving to be our only true and reliable friends. Add the surprising announcement of an attempt to normalize relations between Cuba and United States, and Cubans — black, mulatto and white — might soon have the opportunity to “reboot,” to recreate a new, more inclusive nation; a nation “with all and for the wellbeing of all,” as dreamed by Jose Marti.

Skeptics will say that nothing will change, that the Castro clan will never relinquish power, or that the generals and/or other parasites will cling to their perquisites by any means necessary. But the fact is that in the not-too-distant future, we can envision both brothers leaving the scene, either in a pine box or to convalesce at a well-appointed home for retired dictators.

With those two out of the picture, and with whatever new relationship that evolves from the recent rapprochement with the United States, there is little doubt that our nation is headed to a new dawn, a different way of doing business.

Black Cubans, who by all measurable accounts have borne the brunt of the damage wreaked by the regime, are well positioned to finally savor their rightful — and so far elusive — share. By essentially heaping misery and squalor on the entire population and thus somewhat “leveling the playing field,” the Cuban Revolution has given Cubans of color, for the first time, the ability to compete academically, culturally and socially with their white compatriots. It is not an accident that a good percentage of the most prominent dissidents in the island are people of color.

And let us not forget that, contrary to the Cuban government’s official numbers, Afro-Cubans are no longer the minority. Malcolm X once said: “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.” I will simply follow the advice of an old wise man who once said to me; “Stick always with the optimists, because life is hard even if they are right.”
Miami Herald Editorial – South Florida Daily Newspaper – Posted 03/07/2015; retrieved 03/10/2015:
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article12875840.html

The Cuban revolution occurred in 1959 and the political intrigue (Cold War, Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs, Embargo, Pedro Pan Exodus, etc.) was heightened all during the 1960’s. While the US and many other Western countries confronted their racial past and effected change accordingly, Cuba was on the sidelines. So now that Cuba may soon be graduating from alienation to participation in the world’s economic order, a lot of the changes that their society would have to assimilate are really questions at this time:

Did Cuban society formally end their pre-revolution segregation policies voluntarily or were they forced into compliance by the Communists Military Might?
Will Cuba immediately accept the new human/civil rights standards for race and gender equality that is the best-practice in Western society (North America and Europe)?
Will the Cuban Diaspora still long for the days of a Cuba segregated by the races or has the transformation of Western society really taken root?
Will the still-present US practice of colorism (see below) in the Black community – very much prominent in the Latin world – be even more heightened in a new Cuba?

These are valid and appropriate questions. Everywhere else when Communism fell, sectarian divisions and violence erupted; many times fueled by the same prejudices that predated the Communist revolutions; (think ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia: Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Macedonia). There will truly be a need for earnest reconciliation in Cuba.

The issues of race reconciliation and Cuban reconciliation collide in this commentary. These have been frequently detailed in these Go Lean blogs. Consider these previous entries:

https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=4487	Historical Black College most effective with Social Mobility
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=4447	Probe of Ferguson-Missouri finds bias from cops, courts
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=3662	Migrant flow into US from Caribbean (i.e. Cuba) spikes
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=3455	Restoration of Diplomatic Relations with Cuba
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=3354	CARICOM Chair calls for an end to US embargo on Cuba
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=2547	Miami’s Success versus Caribbean Failure
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=1609	Cuba mulls economy in Parliament session
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=2222	Sports Role Model – Playing For Racial Pride … And More
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=1918	Philadelphia Freedom – Community Model for Forging Change
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=1773	Miami’s Caribbean Marketplace Re-opens as a Welcome Mat
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=1531	A Lesson in History: 100 Years Ago Today – World War I
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=1020	Sports Revolutionary Issues Re: Racism against Black Athletes
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=789	America’s War on the Caribbean

The book Go Lean…Caribbean serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU); an initiative to bring change and empowerment to the Caribbean region, including Cuba. Since Cuba is the largest country – land-wide and population – in the Caribbean region, any changes there will have an impact on the rest of the region. The goal of this roadmap is to anticipate the change, forge the change and guide the changes in our society for positive outcomes. We want to make the Caribbean region a better homeland to live, work and play for every island, every language group; just everyone. There is some degree of urgency and imminence to this cause as Cuba’s current President, Raul Castro has announced that he will retire in 2017. At that point, there will be no more “Castros” at the helm of Cuba.

To accomplish this audacious goal, this Go Lean roadmap has the following 3 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.

The book describes the CU as a technocratic administration with many missions to elevate the Caribbean homeland. The underlying goal is stated early in the book with this pronouncement in the opening Declaration of Interdependence (Page 12):

xii. Whereas the legacy in recent times in individual states may be that of ineffectual governance with no redress to higher authority, the accedence of this Federation will ensure accountability and escalation of the human and civil rights of the people for good governance, justice assurances, due process and the rule of law…

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.

Change has come to the Caribbean. But as depicted in the subsequent VIDEO, this same change came to the US, and yet strong feelings about skin color persist. The Go Lean book declares that permanent change is possible, but to foster success, a community must first adopt new ethos, the national spirit that drives the character and identity of its people. The community ethos of sharing, tolerance, equality and the Greater Good were missing from pre-revolution Cuba. It is a mission of the Go Lean movement to ensure these inclusions for the new Cuba. The Go Lean roadmap was constructed with these community ethos in mind, plus the execution of strategies, tactics, implementation and advocacies to forge the identified permanent change in the region. The following is a sample of these specific details from the book:

Community Ethos – Deferred Gratification	Page 21
Community Ethos – Economic Principles – People Choose	Page 21
Community Ethos – Economic Principles – All Choices Involve Costs	Page 21
Community Ethos – Economic Principles – People Respond to Incentives in Predictable Ways	Page 21
Community Ethos – Economic Principles – Economic Systems Influence Individual Choices	Page 21
Community Ethos – Economic Principles – The Consequences of Choices Lie in the Future	Page 21
Community Ethos – Security Principles – Anti-Bullying and Mitigation	Page 23
Community Ethos – Governing Principles – Minority Equalization	Page 24
Community Ethos – Governing Principles – Lean Operations	Page 24
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact the Future	Page 26
Community Ethos – Ways to Manage Reconciliations	Page 34
Community Ethos – Ways to Improve Sharing	Page 35
Community Ethos – Ways to Promote Happiness	Page 36
Community Ethos – Ways to Impact the Greater Good	Page 37
Anecdote – LCD versus an Entrepreneurial Ethos	Page 39
Strategy – Vision – Confederation of the 30 Caribbean Member-States into a Single Market	Page 45
Strategy – Mission – Celebrate the Music, Sports, Art, People and Culture of the Caribbean	Page 46
Tactical – Confederating a Permanent Union	Page 63
Tactical – Fostering a Technocracy	Page 64
Tactical – Separation of Powers: Federal Administration versus Member-States Governance	Page 71
Implementation – Ways to Pay for Change	Page 101
Implementation – Ways to Deliver	Page 109
Planning – 10 Big Ideas for the Caribbean Region	Page 127
Planning – Ways to Make the Caribbean Better	Page 131
Planning – Ways to Better Manage Image – On guard against defamations	Page 133
Advocacy – Ways to Grow the Economy	Page 151
Advocacy – Ways to Create Jobs	Page 152
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Education	Page 159
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Governance in the Caribbean Region	Page 168
Advocacy – Ways to Better Manage the Social Contract	Page 170
Advocacy – Ways to Mitigate Terrorism	Page 181
Advocacy – Ways to Improve Communications – To message for change	Page 186
Advocacy – Ways Impact the Diaspora	Page 217
Advocacy – Ways to Preserve Caribbean Heritage	Page 218
Advocacy – Ways to Re-boot Cuba	Page 236

The lessons in race relations and colorism are not perfected in the rest of the Caribbean. In fact, there are many human rights and civil rights abuses in the region. There is not one regional sentinel to be on guard against bad developments in race relations and work towards mitigating the effects. This is the charge of the CU. Nor, can the Caribbean region expect the US to lead in words or action for this serious issue. This VIDEO here demonstrates many negative traits that still exist in the American homeland, and by extension, the rest of the Western Hemisphere:

VIDEO: Colorism – https://youtu.be/xD2WYJTG8ig

BlkGrlOnline
December 11, 2011 – I know you all have heard of the whole “Light Skin vs. Dark Skin” debate. Tyra Banks has discussed this and associated topics on her talk show, The Tyra Show. What do you think about this subject? And more importantly, why is this still an issue TODAY?
Note: I do not own or claim rights to the featured material.

There is still clash-and-conflict in the African-American communities, dating back to the days of Booker T Washington versus the W.E.B. Du Bois. Some modern labeling may be “Old-School versus Nu School”, “Hip-Hop versus Bourgeois”, even “Thugs versus ‘Acting White'”; the underlying conflict often times is a reflection of colorism in the Black Community. While these are all informal divisions, the formal (legal) institutions in America also have hardened lines involving Black-White race relations. Despite the presence of the country’s first Black President, Barack Obama, there is hardened opposition of any efforts he tries to make; consider the reality of the Tea Party opposition to Obama’s initiatives (like his signature ObamaCare Universal Health Program) just because they are his originations. Many times, this opposition is willing to sacrifice the Greater Good with the Federal Budget and Foreign Policy just to be contrarian.

Many question whether in the deep trenches of their hearts if many Americans have not really matured from the racial mindsets of the America of 1908, or 1958 (the era before Cuba’s revolution). We have our own problems in the Caribbean to contend with, many which we are failing at. But our biggest crisis stem from the fact that so many of our citizens have fled their Caribbean homelands for foreign (including American) shores. Therefore the quest for change must come from us in the Caribbean, by us and for us. We are inconsequential to the American decision-makers, so the US should not be the panacea of Caribbean hopes and dreams.

The Go Lean movement seeks to be better than even our American counterparts. We must be vigilant. We have seen post-Communist evolution before. It’s a “familiar movie”, we know how it ends.

We welcome the imminent change in Cuba, but we are on guard for emergence of new negative community ethos … or a return to old ones. 🙂

Download the book Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

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Cuba, History, Image, Model, Transform

Black Image – Pluralism is the Goal

Posted on July 25, 2020 in Ethos, Planning, Social

Go Lean Commentary

Believe it or not, there are people who object to the notion that Black Lives Matter (BLM) …

… no, they are not White Supremacist who believe that “Black” is “Less Than”, but rather those that believe BLM is saying “Only Black Lives Matter”.

Let’s clear the air – once and for all:

All Lives Matter … only after Black Lives Matter!

This is the reality of governance: One size does not fit all. Some people have greater and lesser needs for empowerment efforts by their government. Every society have both Strong and Weak constituents. There have always been the Haves and the Have-Nots. Lastly, the legacy of racial disenfranchisement and oppression is not to be dismissed or ignored.

This has always been the assertion of the movement behind the 2013 book Go Lean…Caribbean. This is a relevant statement among the opening Declarations of Interdependence (Page 13):

xviii. Whereas all citizens in the Federation member-states may not have the same physical abilities, reasonable accommodations must be made so that individuals with physical and mental disabilities can still access public and governmental services so as to foster a satisfactory pursuit of life’s liberties and opportunities for happiness.

So, the goal for Good Governance must be to promote equity … as opposed to equality. This is the explanation from a previous Go Lean commentary:

Yes, in the Caribbean, we can have Gender Equity without a ‘Battle of the Sexes’. Notice, we want equity, more so than equality! We recognize that there is and will always be differences between men and women – think maternity. Each gender have different needs, the solution is not the “same” for everyone, but rather the relevant empowerments, so that everyone can “be all they can be”.

Despite the actuality of 29-of-30 member-states in the political Caribbean having a majority Black population, our goal in the Go Lean movement is not Black Nationalism, rather the goal is pluralism:

… the recognition and affirmation of diversity within a political body, which permits the peaceful coexistence of different interests, convictions and lifestyles.^[1] While not all political pluralists advocate for a pluralist democracy, this is most common as democracy is often viewed as the most fair and effective way to moderate between the discrete values.^[2] – Wikipedia retrieved October 19, 2017.

The stewards of the new Caribbean wants to foster a pluralistic democracy. We will improve Black Image with elevating the image of all peoples in our society, not just some, but all.

We are not seeking Black superiority nor White superiority. We are seeking a society where all men, because they are created equal, have equal opportunities for protection and prosperity.

That is our whole quest: jobs and justice for all.

This is the continuation of this Teaching Series for July 2020; this is entry 2-of-6, on Black Image. The Go Lean movement presents a series every month on issues germane to Caribbean life and prospects. The commentary asserts that while the majority demographic in the region is Black (descended from Africans), we have many different minority groups that need to always be empowered – and never repressed. The full catalog on Black Image is presented as follows:

Black Image: Corporate Reboots
Black Image: Pluralism is the Goal
Black Image: Colorism – The Stain of Whiteness – Encore
Black Image: Slavery in History – Lessons from the Bible
Black Image: 1884 Berlin Conference – Beyond Slavery
Black Image: The N-Word 101

What exactly would pluralism look like in our Caribbean region?

Imagine a confederacy where no one colonial legacy lauds over another. We have 5 different colonial legacies in the region: American, British, Dutch, French and Spanish.

None favored over another.

The language used in the region would be: Dutch, English, French, Spanish and any Creole variations spoken by a mass of people; think Haiti. The focus of the Caribbean Image is not to conform to any European orthodoxy, but rather to communicate with all of the people in the homeland.

We have 5 different racial ethnicities: African, Amer-Indian, European, Chinese and East Indian. None should be favored over another.

A pluralistic democracy is the quest of the Go Lean movement, embedded in the introduction and implementation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU). This is one of the 10 Big Ideas for the Caribbean region (Page 127):

1	Lean-in for the Caribbean Single Market & Economy Initiative
2	Currency Union / Single Currency
3	Defense / Homeland Security Pact
4	Confederation Without Sovereignty
5	Four Languages in Unison Dutch, English, French, and Spanish in parallel treks for all government and CU communications. This applies to printed communiqué and electronic media output. Therefore, the public/private websites in the region should publish in all 4 languages and TV-film productions broadcast with SAP-like options.
6	Self-Governing Entities (SGE)
7	Virtual “Turnpike” Operations
8	Cyber Caribbean
9	e-Learning – Versus – Studying Abroad
10	Cuba & Haiti

Having a pluralistic democracy is the Caribbean Image we want to project. Pluralism is more than just a plurality of languages; it also encompasses races, religions, national origin, gender, sexual orientation and other demographic attributes. We “widen out the tent” to bring more in.

We are not there yet; we still have inclusion and diversity issues for our Indo-Caribbean – see Appendix VIDEO – and Chinese-descended (or Sino-Caribbean) people.

This focus, diversity and inclusion, has always been a motivation for this Go Lean movement. In fact, the points of fostering a pluralistic democracy is a familiar topic for this commentary. There are many previous blog-commentaries that elaborated on this subject; consider this sample here:

https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=19217	Brain Drain – ‘Live and Let Live’: Introducing Localism
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=18963	Happy Chinese New Year – Honoring Sino people worldwide
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=18749	Good Example of Diversity and a ‘Great Place to Work’: Mercedes-Benz
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=18410	Refuse to Lose – Remediating ‘Columbus Day’ to not honor “Conquerors”
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=17820	Caribbean ‘Pride’ – “Can we all just get along”
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=16803	Barbados Ready for Pluralism and ‘Free Movement’ of People
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=16102	Diwali 2018 – A Glimpse of our Pluralistic Democracy
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=15664	Good Example of Pluralism – Naomi Osaka: Caribbean Meld
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=15567	Caribbean Unity Needs French Antilles
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=13321	Making a ‘Pluralistic Democracy’ – Multilingual Realities
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=13319	Making a ‘Pluralistic Democracy’ – Freedom of Movement
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=9552	Indo-Caribbean Heritage – A Long Legacy Adds to Regional Image
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=9550	Sino-Caribbean Heritage – A Long Legacy Adds to Regional Image

The United States of America is battling with the basic concept that Black Lives Matter.

But here in the Caribbean we are beyond that, we are trying to ensure that All Lives Matter. We are not trying to be like America; we are trying to Be Better.

While we promote a liberal acceptance of religion, despite the plurality, we are hereby doubling-down on these Judeo-Christian concepts:

Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. – Matthew 7:12
³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism, ³⁵ but welcomes those from every nation who fear Him and do what is right. – Acts 10: 34-35

Say it loud: “I am Black and I’m Proud”!

But here in the Caribbean all the other races can be proud too.

This is what Caribbean Image means Black Image, White Image, Indo-Caribbean Image and Sino-Caribbean Image … all working together in harmony and unity to make our homeland a better place to live, work and play.

We hereby urge all stakeholders in the region to lean-in to this roadmap to empower and elevate the people of the Caribbean. Yes, we can!

It is conceivable, believable and achievable! 🙂

About the Book
The book Go Lean…Caribbean serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the technocratic Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU), for the elevation of Caribbean society – for all member-states. This CU/Go Lean roadmap has these 3 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 ensure public safety and protect the resultant economic engines.
Improve Caribbean governance to support these engines, including a separation-of-powers between the member-states and CU federal agencies.

The Go Lean book provides 370-pages of turn-by-turn instructions on “how” to adopt new community ethos, plus the strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies to execute so as to reboot, reform and transform the societal engines of Caribbean society.

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

Who We Are
The movement behind the Go Lean book – a non-partisan, apolitical, religiously-neutral Community Development Foundation chartered for the purpose of empowering and re-booting economic engines – stresses that reforming and transforming the Caribbean societal engines must be a regional pursuit. This was an early motivation for the roadmap, as pronounced in the opening Declaration of Interdependence (Pages 12 – 13):

xi. Whereas all men are entitled to the benefits of good governance in a free society, “new guards” must be enacted to dissuade the emergence of incompetence, corruption, nepotism and cronyism at the peril of the people’s best interest. The Federation must guarantee the executions of a social contract between government and the governed.

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. …

xxii. Whereas the heritage of our lands share the distinction of cultural tutelage from European and American imperialists that forged their tongues upon our consciousness, it is imperative to form a society that is neutral and tolerant of the mother tongue influences of our people to foster efficient and effective communications among our citizens.

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.

Sign the petition to lean-in for this roadmap for the Caribbean Union Trade Federation.

———————–

Appendix VIDEO – You’re Never Indian or Caribbean Enough (BBC News) – https://youtu.be/3eKd70M8SKg

Matthew Williams
Posted Sep 10, 2019 – Indian people have been living in the Caribbean for more than 180 years, but Chandani Persaud, founder of Indo-Caribbean London, says that their contribution to the West Indies is overlooked, and they are often excluded by the Asian community. Fearing that young British Indo-Caribbeans are turning away from their culture, she is single-handedly organising the UK’s first Indo-Caribbean festival.

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Black Image – Learning from ‘Corporate Reboots’

Posted on July 23, 2020 in Economics, Ethos, Industries, Planning, Social

Go Lean Commentary

All lives matter …

For those of you in the Caribbean, your initial response to this statement may be “Duhh!!!” This is due to the fact that most Caribbean countries have a majority Black population.

But for those in the Diaspora who live, work and play in the US, Canada and Western Europe, you know that this “simple 3-word” statement cannot be taken for granted. This is due to the actuality of this recent movement, which has become a new Civil Rights struggle:

Black Lives Matter.

This is a timely discussion to have today. There are a number of Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests that have taken place … in the US and in other countries around the world. So this is not just an American issue. This is a global issue for Black Image. The need for this message – and movement – is that many times, Black Lives have NOT mattered. The disenfranchisement, repression, oppression and suppression cannot be ignored. Many non-Black people are engaged in this struggle.

Many companies – corporate institutions – have engaged too. There are a lot of lessons we can learn from this actuality.

Yes, Big Companies – think Corporate America – can help to impact Black Image. This process has commenced; this is just another example of corporate vigilantism, but this is a good thing. In the last few months – especially after the atrocious death of the Black Man George Floyd by the hands of a White Police Officer – corporate entities have stepped-in, stepped up and stepped forward. We have these published examples of Corporate Reboots:

Aunt Jemima brand to change name, remove image that Quaker says is ‘based on a racial stereotype’
The 130-year-old brand features a Black woman named Aunt Jemima, who was originally dressed as a minstrel character.
The picture has changed over time, and in recent years Quaker removed the “mammy” kerchief from the character to blunt growing criticism that the brand perpetuated a racist stereotype that dated to the days of slavery. Quaker, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, said removing the image and name is part of an effort by the company “to make progress toward racial equality.” …
Aunt Jemima has come under renewed criticism recently amid protests across the nation and around the world sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. – Source: NBC News posted June 17, 2020; retrieved July 20, 2020.
———–
See the VIDEO in the Appendix below.
Uncle Ben’s is a brand name for parboiled rice and other related food products. The brand was introduced by Converted Rice Inc., which was later bought by Mars, Inc. It is based in Houston, Texas. Uncle Ben’s rice was first marketed in 1943 and was the top-selling rice in the United States from 1950 until the 1990s.^[1] Today, Uncle Ben’s products are sold worldwide. …
On June 17, 2020, Mars, Inc. announced that they would be “evolving” the brand’s identity, including the brand’s logo. The move followed just hours after Quaker/PepsiCo acknowledged its Aunt Jemima brand is based on a racial stereotype and it will change the name and logo.^[16][17]
DSW
Designer Brands Inc. is an American company that sells designer and name brand shoes and fashion accessories. It owns the Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) store chain, and operates over 500 stores in the United States and an e-commerce website.^[5] The company also owns private-label footwear brands including Audrey Brooke, Kelly & Katie, Lulu Townsend, and Poppie Jones.
On June 6, 2020, the company published these statements: “We believe Black lives matter. But words are not enough. Now is the time for action. Here’s what we’re doing to help create meaningful change, in our nation and in our company.” – Source: Retrieved July 20, 2020 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Designer_Brands.

Wells Fargo
CEO Charlie Scharf announced on Tuesday (July 14, 2020) a series of commitments to ensure the company’s ongoing diversity and inclusion efforts result in meaningful change. [He stated]:
“‘Black Lives Matter’ is a statement that the inequality and discrimination that has been so clearly exposed is terribly real, though it is not new, and must not continue,” Scharf said in a letter to employees. “The pain and frustration with the lack of progress within both our country and Wells Fargo is clear. I personally, and we as a senior team, are working to develop actions that will meaningfully contribute to the change that is necessary. This time must be different.” – Source: WellsFargo.com retrieved July 20, 2020.

The movement behind the 2013 book Go Lean…Caribbean produces a Teaching Series every month on issues germane to Caribbean life and prospects. The commentary this month presents this 6-part series on Black Image; considering that this is the majority demographic for 29 of the 30 countries and territories that constitute the political Caribbean. This first entry, 1 of 6 in this July 2020 series considers corporate entities that have stepped up to engage this discussion. This is vigilantism; these companies may not have currently been asked for these empowerments but they have responded to the need to elevate Black Image. The full catalog of the series is listed as follows:

Black Image: Corporate Reboots
Black Image: Pluralism is the Goal
Black Image: Colorism – The Stain of Whiteness – Encore
Black Image: Slavery in History – Lessons from the Bible
Black Image: 1884 Berlin Conference – Beyond Slavery
Black Image: The N-Word 101

All of these commentaries relate to “how” the stewards for a new Caribbean can elevate image for the people and institutions of the region. We can and must reboot. But this first entry, the foregoing, conveys an American drama, not Caribbean. Alas, this is the actuality of Black Image: success or failure of one group of Black people in one part of the world have a direct bearing on the image of Black people in other parts of the world.

This was the assertion in the Go Lean book – Page 133 – as it provides this tidbit on Black Image:

The Bottom Line on Martin, Malcolm, Mandela, Muhammad and Marley
The majority of the Caribbean population descends from an African ancestry – a legacy of slavery from previous centuries. Despite the differences in nationality, culture and language, the image of the African Diaspora is all linked hand-in-hand. And thus, when Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali and Bob Marley impacted the world with their contributions, the reverberations were felt globally, not just in their homelands. It is hard for one segment of the black world to advance when other segments have a negative global image. This is exemplified with the election of Barack Obama as US President; his election was viewed as an ascent for the entire Black race. ^[²⁰⁵^]

Over 100 years ago, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) came to understand the power and influence of the then new medium of film ^[201] and added the mandate to their charter to confront the misuse of media to influence negative public attitudes toward race. As early as 1915, the group organized a nationwide protest against the negative portrayals of African Americans in the early film, “Birth of A Nation”. Today, the NAACP Hollywood Bureau continues to monitor the industry for offensive and defamatory images in film and television. It also sponsors the Image Awards Show to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature, as well as those individuals or groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors. A landmark Memorandum of Understanding was signed in 1999 between the NAACP and the major movie studios and TV networks that greatly advanced the cause of diversity in the entertainment industry and created a milestone by which to measure future progress in Hollywood.

We must be concerned about Black Image and Caribbean Image, independently and collectively. This is not new for this Caribbean effort; we had been advocating for image promotion long before the Black Man George Floyd was killed in Minnesota USA in May 2020. The timing of this death was heightened by the reflections afforded by the societal shutdowns from the Coronavirus COVID-19 crisis. But we have had this need from before this pandemic; we have the need now and we will continue to have this need after this pandemic.

There are no Ands, Ifs or Buts; we need to reboot Caribbean image, the same as those companies need to reboot their corporate image:

Aunt Jemima has always been a bad stereotype of Black Image (female).
Uncle Ben has always been a bad stereotype of Black Image (male).

Those companies did not just up and correct their bad stereotypes at the first request from the affected groups or the general public. No, it was a long-drawn struggle over many decades. In fact, “only after a long train of abuse” is usually the roadmap for minorities to get toleration, acceptance, equality and finally equity from their adjoining majority groups. So there are lessons that we can learn and apply here in the Caribbean from this historicity. Among the lessons:

the strategies, tactics and implementations that can accelerate change in society, change among the minority groups and the majority groups.

The Go Lean book, as a roadmap for the introduction of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU), presents an actual advocacy to present the strategies, tactic and implementation to Better Manage Caribbean Image. See here some of the specific plans, excerpts and headlines from Page 133, entitled:

10 Ways to Better Manage Image

1	Lean-in for the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU). This will allow for the unification of the region into one market of 42 million people across 30 member-states, with a GDP of $800 Billion (according to 2010 figures). In addition, the treaty calls for collective bargaining with foreign countries and industry representatives for causes of significance to the Caribbean community. There are many times when the media portray a “negative” depiction of Caribbean life, culture and people. The CU will have the scale to effectuate negotiations to better manage the region’s image, and the means by which to enforce the tenets.
2	Media Industrial Complex The Caribbean Central Bank will settle electronic payments transactions; this will allow electronic commerce to flourish in the region. With the payment mechanisms in place, music, movies, TV shows and other media (domestic and foreign) can be paid for and downloaded legally. For a population base of 42 million, this brings a huge economic clout.
3	Respect for Intellectual Property
4	Sentinel in Hollywood Like the NAACP, the CU will facilitate a Hollywood Bureau. It will monitor the industry for offensive and defamatory images in film, television, video games, internet content and the written word. Though the Hollywood Bureau is based in California-USA, their focus will be global, covering the media machinery of Europe, Asia (Bollywood) and elsewhere.
5	Anti-Defamation League This Pro-Jewish organization provides a great model for marshalling against negative stereotypes that can belittle a race. ^[200] The CU will study, copy, and model a lot of the successes of the Anti-Defamation League. This organization can also be consulted with to coach the CU’s efforts. (Consider the example of Uptown Yardies Rasta Gang in the game Grand Theft Auto ^[206]).
6	Power of the Boycott
7	Freedom of the Press
8	Libel and Slander Litigation and Enforcement
9	Public Relations and Press Releases
10	Image Award Medals and Recognition Following the model of the NAACP Image Awards ^[²⁰²^], the CU will recognize and give accolades for individual and institutions that portray a positive “image” of Caribbean life and CU initiatives. This would be similar to the Presidential Medal of … / Congressional Medal of …

The points of fostering best-practices in Image Management is a familiar topic for the Go Lean movement. There are many previous blog-commentaries that elaborated on this subject; consider this sample here:

https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=16944	Women Empowerment – Accepting Black Women ‘As Is’
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=15858	A Caribbean Network to Better Manage our Image
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=18566	Lessons Learned – JPMorganChase Rebooting to make ‘Change’ happen
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=11420	‘Black British’ and ‘Less Than’
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=10532	Learning from Stereotypes – Good and Bad
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=8099	Caribbean Image: ‘Less Than’?
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=6434	‘Good Hair’ and the Strong Black Woman
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=5088	Immigrants account for 1 in 11 Blacks in USA
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=4058	Bad Image: New York Times Maledictions on The Bahamas
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=2547	Bad Image: Miami’s Success Due to Caribbean Failure
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=2251	Bad Image of Ethnic Sounding Names
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=2025	Image of the Caribbean Diaspora – Butt of the Joke
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=857	Lesser Image of Caribbean “Dreadlock hairstyles”

The motivation of For-Profit companies have always been to make a profit. The foregoing corporate examples demonstrate good corporate vigilantism to change society, while not abandoning the profit goal. These companies, and the Go Lean movement, accept that both goals can be pursued simultaneously … with gusto.

Recognizing the merits of this strategy is not new; (this was conveyed in the 2013 Go Lean book); it is the universal execution that is new! Yippee! Let’s keep this going!

Now it the time to double-down on improving Black Image around the world.

Now is the time to exert the effort on improving Caribbean Image around the world. (They are not mutually exclusive).

Yes, we can …

This is the heavy-lifting that we must do. This is how we will make our homeland a better place to live, work and play. 🙂

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 ensure public safety and protect the resultant economic engines.
Improve Caribbean governance to support these engines, including a separation-of-powers between the member-states and CU federal agencies.

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

xi. Whereas all men are entitled to the benefits of good governance in a free society, “new guards” must be enacted to dissuade the emergence of incompetence, corruption, nepotism and cronyism at the peril of the people’s best interest. The Federation must guarantee the executions of a social contract between government and the governed.

xvi. Whereas security of our homeland is inextricably linked to prosperity of the homeland, the economic and security interest of the region needs to be aligned under the same governance. Since economic crimes … can imperil the functioning of the wheels of commerce for all the citizenry, the accedence of this Federation must equip the security apparatus with the tools and techniques for predictive and proactive interdictions.

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.

Sign the petition to lean-in for this roadmap for the Caribbean Union Trade Federation.

——————————————

Appendix VIDEO – Aunt Jemima Image To Be Removed And Brand Will Be Renamed, Quaker Oats Announces | TODAY – https://youtu.be/BdH3tmf0tGs

TODAY
Quaker Oats has announced that the image of Aunt Jemima will be removed from all packaging and the brand’s name will be changed. The move comes amid rapid cultural change in the wake of nationwide protests. TODAY’s Sheinelle Jones reports. » Subscribe to TODAY: http://on.today.com/SubscribeToTODAY

» Watch the latest from TODAY: http://bit.ly/LatestTODAY

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#QuakerOats #AuntJemima #TodayShow

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Civil Rights, Image, Model, Transform

[Top]

Hamilton – Comes to the Masses – Encore

Posted on July 15, 2020 in Ethos, Government, Industries, Social

“Not throwing away my shot … young, scrappy and hungry” – Hit song from Broadway musical Hamilton; see link here.

This expensive Broadway play ($450 for two tickets for me) has now come down in price – but only in this new medium of streaming video – the masses can now consume it for $6.99 … for the entire household.

According to a recent Forbes Magazine (June 8, 2020) article:

After opening on Broadway in 2015, competition for a seat became so hot that scalpers at one point were reportedly getting close to $11,000 in the aftermarket. In anticipation of Broadway re-opening on Sept. 8, face-value tickets start at $149 but go for as much as $2,200 a seat in the resale market.

This is the reality of the economics of Supply-and-Demand.

Despite the drop in prices, the production quality is still valued and the producers will make even more money.

Size does matter when it comes to Hollywood.

Hamilton: $1 Billion Franchise
And it did so far faster than other Broadway phenoms. The top three grossing musicals are all more than 16 years old. Hamilton, which turns 5 this year, was on track this year to surpass another smash hit, The Book of Mormon, before Covid-19 forced Broadway’s theaters to close. – Source: Forbes.June 8, 2020

Truly, the stakeholders for Hamilton have not “thrown away their shot’. See this conveyed in this related story here, about the Hamilton blockbuster movie – visualizing the stage play – that was just released to the streaming-media site DisneyPlus:

Title: Why the ‘Hamilton’ Film Works — and Joel Schumacher’s ‘Phantom’ Didn’t
By: Marina Watts

Turning a Broadway musical into a movie is no easy task. Bringing the excitement that was onstage to the silver screen is a challenge, from sets and songs to simply making sure the musical translates to the screen. West Side Story (1961), My Fair Lady (1964) and Cabaret (1972) were all successful shows that were adapted for the silver screen with similar success.

Filmed Broadway shows such as Peter Pan (1955), She Loves Me (2016) and Newsies (2017) were also massive hits which opted to shoot a staged performance. So was Hamilton (you may have heard of it).

Hamilton, which premiered on Disney+ on July 3, has been an absolute hit. Between the acting, singing, dancing and songwriting, the filmed version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning show has many viewers obsessed. Disney+ even saw a 74% spike in streaming subscriptions the weekend it premiered, as per Forbes.

What also makes this film adaptation of the staged show work is how it was made. Director Thomas Kail recently revealed exactly how he filmed and edited Hamilton. He used 30 cameras to shoot the musical in three days in 2016 (June 26, 27 and 28, Sunday through Tuesday) and spent three years piecing it together. On the 26th and 28th, Kail shot straight through with an audience. On the 27, he had no audience, allowing him to focus on closer shots of the show.

“I had six cameras that were shooting on the Sunday with different operators and then three fixed cameras or nine total,” Kail explained to Inquirer.net. “Then, I changed all the positions for the fixed cameras for the Tuesday so the multiple gets high really fast, but that’s how we made it.”

This movie musical was an incredible example of converting a stage musical to screens with only three days of footage, unlike Joel Schumacher’s 2004 adaptation of Phantom of the Opera whichtook four months to film.

The big-budget adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musical was a cinematographic mess, despite the fact that it had been in development since 1989. Schumacher’s focus on making other films and Weber’s divorce were just two events which added to the delays.

Schumaker starred Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Minnie Driver and Gerard Butler as the Phantom, and was nominated for three Academy Awards. But those noms didn’t translate to critical acclaim.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 33% approval rating. “The music of the night has hit something of a sour note: critics are calling the screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s popular musical, histrionic boring and lacking in both romance and danger,” the consensus read. Although critics didn’t like the movie, audiences loved it.

What threw critics appeared to be the movie’s…cinematography and direction. Shots failed to make the sound stages of Phantom look cinematic. The scenes felt like an overstuffed painting, and though that type of spectacle would have translated well onstage for the suspension of disbelief, it felt exhausting onscreen and lacked dimension. The sweeping camera shots and long takes didn’t add anything either, especially when showing off the mostly computer generated sets.

The film’s color schemes were also deemed dull. In the “Masquerade” scene, for example, many colors and bright images are mentioned throughout the song. However, the main colors of the costumes were black and white, a stark contrast to the lyrics.

The set of Hamilton, meanwhile, was simple yet effective. Since they were also using the costumes and the set directly from the show, nothing got lost in translation as far as spectacle went.

Weber was granted full artistic control. When it came to his intentions of adapting Phantom, he said, “We did not want to do a film version of the stage show,” as per Playbill. “We wanted to make a film in its own right.”

Kail, meanwhile, wanted to recreate the theater experience for viewers at home. “I was just interested in trying to create an experience with the film of Hamilton that would let you know what it felt like to be in the theater in June of 2016 in New York City at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. That was the intent,” he explained.

Kail explained that they way they shot the staged musical, they were able to get as close as possible to the actors for an immersive and intimate experience. These close-up shots gave viewers the best seat in the house, unlike Phantom.

“So much of our storytelling is done in the physical vocabulary,” he noted. “If I’m going to close up, it means I’m not on that dance step. It’s very hard to do both those things. So, it was a real balance of making sure that I wanted to give intimacy and proximity, which you have in cinema.”

Additionally, throughout Phantom of the Opera, many of the actors’ mouths don’t appear to match up with the music. There are also many continuity issues, from moments where the Phantom takes off his cloak, to candles being lit and unlit, and masks disappearing and reappearing during the “Masquerade” number, just to name a few errors. These tiny details made a huge difference, and audiences felt like it was sloppy.

Since Hamilton was performed and filmed live without any dubbing, these continuity issues didn’t occur.

That being said, filming the staged musical was not a simple task. “It is a little more challenging in the theater,” Kail noted, “You must also get the stage picture and make sure that the storytelling of the entire group was represented.”

Kail also mentioned how he and Miranda wanted to preserve this particular performance with the original cast of Hamilton. “Theater always disappears. It goes away as soon as the lights come down, whereas cinema, film and television can live on.”

Maybe Phantom of the Opera should be the next musical to get the Hamilton treatment.

Hamilton is available to stream on Disney+. Phantom of the Opera is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

REQUEST REPRINT & LICENSING, SUBMIT CORRECTION OR VIEW EDITORIAL GUIDELINES

Source: Posted Newsweek Magazine July 13, 2020; retrieved July 15, 2020 from: https://www.newsweek.com/why-hamilton-film-works-joel-schumachers-phantom-didnt-1517030

Yet still, this is not a commentary about Broadway or New York; no, this is about the Caribbean. Hamilton was born and raised in the Caribbean (St Croix and Nevis respectively); writer-producer-actor Lin-Manual Miranda is of Caribbean (Puerto Rico) heritage and a lot of the cast and crew hail from the Caribbean homeland. Hamilton is about more than history, culture and politics; no, it is relevant for an economic discussion as well.

This was the theme of a previous blog-commentary from the movement behind the 2013 book Go Lean…Caribbean. That submission was on January 2, 2019 and it asserted that the arts can truly empower a community – “that a community rallies around art creating a unique energy; and art ‘dynamises’ the community, in a very unique way”. Economic opportunities are the natural progression from organizing the arts and artists. While we cannot be Broadway in the Caribbean, we can better harness (and monetize) the natural talents and genius-qualifiers in our region.

This is where the money and the jobs are …

It is only apropos to Encore that previous commentary, from January 2, 2019, here and now:

—————-

Go Lean Commentary – Hamilton – “History has its eyes on you”

This is a memorable line from the hot Broadway play Hamilton:

Immigrants, we get things done!

This is what all the rave is about with this fascinating play; it tells the story of America’s founding fathers through the eyes of the immigrant experience. (This writer saw Hamilton on December 28, 2018 at the Broward Performing Arts Center in Ft Lauderdale, FL).

As was true with all these founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton was White; (“Bastard son of a Scotsman”); Aaron Burr was White; so too George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and others portrayed in this song-and-dance production. But all the participating actors – in the Broadway edition, plus all the other touring companies – are Black-and-Brown minorities – many of them immigrants themselves.

The theme of Hamilton – historic immigrants thriving in America – aligns with the 2013 book Go Lean…Caribbean. The book was written and published by members of the Caribbean Diaspora living and thriving in America. There is a full acceptance that Caribbean immigrants can thrive in the US, as did Hamilton in his historical context. But many more immigrants arrive everyday, and there is now less tolerance for them, especially for those of the Black-and-Brown populations from the Caribbean. In fact, the current President of the US, Donald Trump, even derisively referred to Haitians as coming from a “shit-hole” country.

So while we can thrive, the question – by the movement behind the Go Lean book – is whether we should. The Hamilton play makes this point, as was related in a previous Go Lean blog-commentary:

When the word got around, they said “this kid is insane, man”
Took up a collection just to send “him” to the mainland
“Get your education, don’t forget from whence you came”
And the world gonna know your name …

It is an established fact that any difficult topic can be more easily communicated if backed-up by a catchy melody and rhyming words. An underlying theme of Hamilton is that nobody does it alone, there must always be community help and support; its like a community investment. There should also be a return on the investment. This point was communicated brilliantly in this news-commentary by a Social Justice Advocate; she stated that “self-made men are never independent of others’ help”. See the full article here:

Title: History Has Its Eyes On Us: Lessons from Hamilton the Musical
By: Courtney Kidd LCSW
Obsession. That’s the only way to describe the feelings of Hamilton followers, and once you’ve seen the show you’d understand why. Hamilton is a punch in the face, spellbinding transport through the life of one of the least well-known founding fathers, but by far one of the most interesting. And the best part? It’s done through the lens of hip-hop music and a cast of almost exclusively non-white actors-including our own dear Alexander Hamilton. While this caused confusion for some, who began to question their 8^th grade history memory, it stands as one of the most powerful examples of today’s racial divide and the movements to correct it.

I’ll admit, I was skeptical going into the play. My friend and I had gotten tickets when they first went on sale almost 9 months before opening night. We saw it in its first month on Broadway after the success off-Broadway. I remember sitting in my chair prior to the curtain rise, uncertain of whether I’d like a modern take on a history. Could it reach across the aisle of race? Could it hold attention of a subject most forget about? Would I get it? Did I really wait 9 months and spend hundreds of dollars for something that might just be weird? It took exactly 1 minute until those questions left my mind and instead I was entrapped, enamored, enthralled with this play that lives up to one of the numbers “non-stop.” It was a non-stop journey, filled with humor, and anguish, and longing. I was converted. I was in love.

I went to see it a second time a few months, later, unable to wait until the soundtrack was finally released, I bought a resale ticket at far too high of an amount for my poor social work status. But I had to go, the play had brought about a plague within me; this wasn’t just a good show, it was something far beyond. Much like its creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, I began what has still been obsessive task of reading book after book on Hamilton, and the rest of those influential individuals who shaped the country. I wake up with the music in my head, and despite my best efforts, can’t stop listening to the songs. And then it hit me. This isn’t just a great musical and it’s not just because it is new and different, it’s because despite almost 300 hundred years since this man stood with the revolution, its relevant. And not in the way you think.

Over the past few years we have seen a second wave of the civil rights movement in America. Sadly, Despite the year, minorities, immigrants, and even women are still seen and treated differently than the white male counterpoint. Feelings and reactions peak and overspill in areas like Ferguson and Baltimore. Huge movements such as Black Lives Matter rise up demanding justice in the country that fought and promised a land of freedom and equality. Hamilton isn’t just play to see, it’s a needed reminder. Alexander Hamilton was an immigrant who fought for the revolution, becoming one of Washington’s most trusted aides, rising to one of the highest positions in our military and later our government. From a remarkably young age, he was an abolitionist in a time when that word would be as shocking as to claim you’re an alien. He never allowed his birth and his circumstances to define him, and instead fought his entire life for the beliefs he had, including a strong central government and financial plan that allowed America to be self-sufficient and play with the “big boys” for trade and commerce. Hamilton saw first-hand the potential risks of weak governments while dealing with the military forces. He understood even then that we had to be the United States in order to succeed in this revolutionary experiment. And he wanted those rights for every individual who was here.

Hamilton was a true American Dream hero, but despite what a lot of modern people claim, self-made men are never independent of others’ help. Many wish to believe that they rose to where they are because only due to their remarkable abilities, and for some that is true, but much more often than not there was help along the way. Our founding father is no exception. Although known as a uniquely bright youth on the island of Nevis where he was orphaned at a young age, Hamilton might never have risen to the station he once held without the help of many. Yes, he showed himself to be a studious and adept learner when put in charge of the local trading company-and may have stayed on as a success employee had the Hurricane not hit Nevis with a colossal force. Hamilton, always a writer, penned a poem of what he witnessed, and a local man who believed Hamilton had the capacity for more forwarded it to the influential of the island. Despite the devastation they made an investment in one of their own, raising enough to send our future Secretary of Treasury and war hero to the colonies(America) to pursue a real education. To sum up, if those with means didn’t decide to put forward an investment for an orphan with potential Alexander Hamilton would have mostly likely lived his life and died having never left a small, impoverished island. For a poor, orphan of questionable birth and heritage, that would not have left many surprised, and yet the island rose together to support him.

We’re looking at a similar issue in today’s world. Do we invest in the future, on education, on sustainability for those who can go on to do greatness despite the circumstances of their birth, or do we claim that we got to where we were without assistance from anyone? Hundreds of years after Hamilton discussed the need for equality we are still in the midst of revolutions to save the ideals of our nation. Each person is shaped by those around them, and it is of no surprise that the haves are able to gain a lot more opportunity than the have-nots. For this reason, many assume it is laziness that prevent people from working their way up. Hamilton was the antithesis of lazy, but if it wasn’t for one influential patronage who connected him to the elite, our country may never have gained the footing it needed to be a competitive economy.

We have a responsibility to those around us and who come next to shape the world into a better place for us all, not just for ourselves. We saw yesterday what happens if we don’t stand against those who would spread hatred, and instead hold onto love. As Mr. Manuel so eloquently put:

“…We chase the melodies that seem to find us until they’re finished songs and start to play when senseless acts of tragedy remind us that nothing here is promised, not one day. This show is proof that history remembers. We live through times when hate and fear seem stronger. We rise and fall, and light from dying embers, remembrances that hope and love last longer and love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love cannot be killed or swept aside…”

And if you need more convincing, join me in line for some tickets to Hamilton, you won’t be disappointed(seriously if you know how to get reasonable tickets you know how to contact me).

“I consider civil liberty, in a genuine unadulterated sense, as the greatest of terrestrial blessings. I am convinced, that the whole human race is intitled(entitled) to it; and, that it can be wrested from no part of them, without the blackest and most aggravated guilt.”- Alexander Hamilton

*Authors note*- Should Mr. Miranda see this, congrats on the Grammy, call me for unlimited praise and begging for interviews. Your PR man is too good at polite declines.

**Update- And your UNREAL number of Tony nominations and wins!! [See Appendix below].

Source: Social Justice Solution Online Site – posted February 23, 2016; retrieved December 30, 2018 from: http://www.socialjusticesolutions.org/2016/02/23/history-has-its-eyes-on-us-lessons-from-hamilton-the-musical/

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VIDEO – 70th Annual Tony Awards ‘Hamilton’ History has its eyes and Yorktown – https://youtu.be/5upLudfimso

Undercover Celebs
Published on Nov 4, 2016 – 70th Annual Tony Awards ‘Hamilton’ History has its eyes and Yorktown by the cast of Hamilton at the 2016 Tony Awards where the musical won 11 awards.

Category: People & Blogs

Music in this video: Learn more; Listen ad-free with YouTube Premium

Song: Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)

Artist: Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton

Album: Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Licensed to YouTube by: WMG (on behalf of Atlantic Records); UBEM, ASCAP, Warner Chappell, CMRRA, PEDL, and 3 Music Rights Societies

The prime directive of the Go Lean book is to empower, elevate and facilitate a better Caribbean society. We want to be able to thrive right here at home – to prosper where planted – thus lowering the motivations to emigrate. In fact, the declarative statements of the prime directive are as follows:

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

Puerto Rican descendant Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator, writer and original cast member as Alexander Hamilton is well-known for his advocacy for the Caribbean region in general and Puerto Rico in particular. He accomplishes his mission to effect change in the American eco-system through music/song and entertainment. The book Go Lean…Caribbean strives to accomplish its mission with the introduction and implementation of the technocratic Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU). Lin-Manuel Miranda is hereby recognized as a role model that the Caribbean can emulate. He has provided a successful track record of forging change, overcoming incredible odds, managing crises to successful conclusions and rebooting failing institutions. See these previous blog-commentaries that detailed his accomplishments:

https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=14101

Wait, ‘We Are The World’
In September 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated several Caribbean member-states; Puerto Rico was gravely impacted. In the mode of ‘We Are The World‘, many artists – led by Lin-Manuel Miranda – assembled and recorded a song to aid Puerto Rico, entitled ‘Almost Like Praying‘ by Artists for Puerto Rico.

https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=7963

‘Like a Good Neighbor’ – Being there for Puerto Rico
The US Territory of Puerto Rico needs a Good Neighbor right now. They do not need State Farm; they need the US Government to change the laws to allow them to re-structure their heavy debt “load”. In effect, this community is in crisis, facing financial disaster and needs a helping hand. Lin-Manuel Miranda was on a mission to help Puerto Rico by getting Congress to change Bankruptcy Laws to apply to PR again.

Mr. Miranda has now retired from performing in Hamilton …

… but atlas, he will reprise his role for the highly acclaimed Puerto Rico run in January 2019. See more on that story here:

Title: Puerto Rico Engagement of Hamilton, Starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Will Sell $10 Tickets Through Lottery and Rush

Sub-title: Over 10,000 tickets will be released through the popular #Ham4Ham initiative, exclusively to island residents.

The upcoming Puerto Rico premiere of Hamilton, in which Tony- and Pulitzer-winning creator Lin-Manuel Miranda will reprise his performance in the title role, will offer island residents a chance to purchase tickets priced at ten dollars.

As previously reported, the blockbuster musical will play San Juan’s Teatro UPR at the University of Puerto Rico (Río Piedras Campus) January 8 through January 27, 2019, before the company (sans Miranda) embarks on a third national tour. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

A total of 10,000 tickets will be sold at the low price in Puerto Rico as an extension of the blockbuster musical’s popular #Ham4Ham initiative, with 1,000 going to college students (with valid ID) for the January 9 matinee. All remaining tickets for that performance and two subsequent Wednesday matinees will be sold for $10 via digital lottery. Over 200 tickets will be sold to residents via lotto for all other performances.

“Bringing [Hamilton] to Puerto Rico is a dream that I’ve had since we first opened at The Public Theater in 2015,” Miranda said at the time of the initial announcement. “When I last visited the island, a few weeks before Hurricane Maria, I had made a commitment to not only bring the show to Puerto Rico, but also return again to the title role. In the aftermath of Maria we decided to expedite the announcement of the project to send a bold message that Puerto Rico will recover and be back in business, stronger than ever.”

Source: PlayBill Magazine – Posted August 28, 2018; retrieved January 2, 2018 from http://www.playbill.com/article/puerto-rico-engagement-of-hamilton-starring-lin-manuel-miranda-will-sell-10-tickets-through-lottery-and-rush

In the CU/Go Lean roadmap to change the Caribbean, music and theater gets it’s due respect. This point is detailed in the Declaration of Interdependence at the outset of the book, pronouncing this need for regional solutions (Page 14):

xxxii. Whereas the cultural arts and music of the region are germane to the quality of Caribbean life, and the international appreciation of Caribbean life, the Federation must implement the support systems to teach, encourage, incentivize, monetize and promote the related industries for arts and music in domestic and foreign markets. These endeavors will make the Caribbean a better place to live, work and play.

We are looking forward to more art-based accomplishments: the arts can truly empower the community – “the community rallies around art creating a unique energy; and art ‘dynamises’ the community, in a very unique way”. What more can the stewards of the Caribbean do to effect change in the region using the arts and music? The Go Lean book provides a lot more details on Page 230 under the title “10 Ways to Improve the Arts“; see one detail here:

#1: Lean-in for the Emergence of the Caribbean Union
Embrace the advent of the CariCom Single Market Initiative and the Caribbean Union Trade Federation. This will allow for the unification of the region into a Single Market of 42 million people. This size supports the proliferation of ‘art’ (visual/fine, music, performance & film) as an industry. The CU will promote the art exhibition eco-system – allowing marketplaces for artists to congregate and monetize their talents. Structures will also be deployed for media companies to monetize film & performance art. The CU will facilitate the marketing of travelling exhibitions, and touring companies of stage productions. For the region, art can be a business enabler, and expressions for civic pride and national identity.

“History Has Its Eyes On Us” is the title of a song in the Hamilton Play – see Appendix VIDEO – and also a truism. There are lessons we must learn from the history of Alexander Hamilton. We must, like he did, fight for change and progress; as conveyed in the foregoing article:

From a remarkably young age, he was an abolitionist in a time when that word would be as shocking as to claim you’re an alien. He never allowed his birth and his circumstances to define him, and instead fought his entire life for the beliefs he had, including a strong central government and financial plan that allowed America to be self-sufficient and play with the “big boys” for trade and commerce. Hamilton saw first-hand the potential risks of weak governments …

The Go Lean roadmap accepts that the burden is too big for any one Caribbean member-state alone to effect change, thusly it advocates for a collaboration among all member-states. The strategy is to confederate all the 30 member-states of the Caribbean despite their language and legacy, into an integrated Single Market. The Go Lean/CU roadmap details all the strategies, tactics and implementation to forge the Single Market solutions. With these efforts and investments, the returns will be undeniable. We can dissuade our people from leaving in the first place – Alexander Hamilton never returned to British-controlled Nevis after leaving for college. (He did revolt against the British).

We want change in the Caribbean without a revolt. This was proclaimed from the outset of the Go Lean book:

This movement was bred from the frustrations of the Diaspora, longing to go home, to lands of opportunities. But this is not a call for a revolt against the governments, agencies or institutions of the Caribbean region, but rather a petition for a peaceful transition and optimization of the economic, security and governing engines in the region. – Go Lean book Page 8.

The Go Lean roadmap has a simple quest: make the Caribbean a better place to live, work and play. One man, or woman, can make a difference in this quest. Thank you for that model Hamilton. Thank you for that model Lin-Manuel Miranda. Now to foster the next generation of movers-and-shakers, whether it is politically, economically or in “song-and-dance”. We can impact our homeland with many fields of endeavor.

We urge all Caribbean stakeholders – artists and patrons alike – to lean-in to this roadmap to elevate Caribbean society. Yes, we can! Our quest is conceivable, believable and achievable. 🙂

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

Sign the petition to lean-in for this roadmap for the Caribbean Union Trade Federation.

————–

Appendix VIDEO – Why History Has Its Eyes On Hamilton’s Diversity | TIME – https://youtu.be/xWrRP6vRGhQ

TIME
Published on Dec 15, 2015 – In 2015, Lin-Manuel Miranda, a man once not known to many outside his circle of Broadway legions, shed light on another man once not known to many outside a circle of knowledgeable historians. But Miranda took one of America’s founding fathers and turned him “and thus, himself” into a star. The Broadway show Hamilton uses rap and hip-hop to tell the story of Alexander Hamilton’s rise to power during the American Revolution. The show broke multiple records for its cast recording and notched record-breaking sales of $32 million before it even hit Broadway. But the cast makes history in different ways, too, with men and women of color playing characters who were all white. There’s an African-American Vice President Aaron Burr, a biracial George Washington and a Chinese-American Mrs. Alexander Hamilton. Subscribe to TIME ►► http://po.st/SubscribeTIME

Category: News & Politics

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Appendix – 70th Tony Awards

The 70th Annual Tony Awards were held on June 12, 2016, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2015–16 season. The ceremony temporarily returned to the Beacon Theatre in New York City after three years at Radio City Music Hall and was broadcast live by CBS.^[1] James Corden served as host.^[2]

Hamilton received a record-setting 16 nominations in 13 categories, ultimately winning 11 total.^[3] The revival of The Color Purple won two awards. The Humans won four awards, and the revival productions of plays Long Day’s Journey into Night and A View from the Bridge each won two awards.

…

Source: Retrieved December 31, 2018 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/70th_Tony_Awards

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Rise from the Ashes – Learning from the ‘Great Depression’

Posted on July 11, 2020 in Economics, Government, Planning

Go Lean Commentary

This is Summer 2020, the whole world is reeling from the effects of the Coronavirus COVID-19 crisis. There are health and economic repercussions – systemic threats – as the world has never seen.

Or has it?

Have we been here before, where the economic systems completely imploded and there was the need to reboot, rebuild and re-start the economic engines in the global economy?

Yes, indeed. There was the Great Depression.

How bad was the Great Depression?

The Great Depression was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world, lasting from 1929 to 1939. … By 1933, when the Great Depression reached its lowest point, some 15 million Americans were unemployed and nearly half the country’s banks had failed. – Source: History.com.

Traders rush, 1929, October in Wall Street as New York Stock Exchange crashed sparking a run on banks that spread accross the country. – October 1929 was the beginning of the 1929 Stock Market Crash. Within the first few hours the stock market was open, prices fell so far as to wipe out all the gains that had been made in the previous year. The Dow Jones Industrial Index closed at 230. Since the stock market was viewed as the chief indicator of the American economy, public confidence was shattered. Between October 29 and November 13 (when stock prices hit their lowest point) over 30 billion USD disappeared from the American economy. It took nearly twenty-five years for many stocks to recover. (Photo by – / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Considering the years 1929 to 1939 means that most of us were not alive to remember this crisis. Fortunately, there are lots of media material to consume, consult and contemplate about that crisis’s origin, duration and resolution. In effect, there are lots of Lessons to learn from the Great Depression.

These desperate times calls for us to open “every cupboard” for knowledge and wisdom to survive this crisis.

There is this urgency for the Caribbean member-states to reform and transform. The 2013 book Go Lean…Caribbean had previously asserted that “a crisis is a terrible thing to waste” – referring to the 2007 – 2009 Great Recession. This urging is even more acute now, with this Coronavirus COVID-19 crisis. We must forge permanent change on our Caribbean society, if we want to survive in the near future – otherwise, our citizens will abandon us further. Despite how monumental a task this sounds, it is conceivable, believable and achievable. We can Rise from the Ashes of this crisis and build a better society from the ashes.

We just completed a 6-part series in June on Rising from the Ashes where we considered these dimensions:

Rising from the Ashes – The Phoenix rises from the Pandemic
Rising from the Ashes – One person – Dead or Alive – can make a difference
Rising from the Ashes – Natural Disasters – The Price of Paradise
Rising from the Ashes – Political Revolutions – Calling ‘Balls and Strikes’
Rising from the Ashes – War – “What is it good for?”
Rising from the Ashes – Wrong Ethos could also rise – Cautionary tale of patriotic German Jews

Now for this continuation, a 7^th edition, we consider the lessons from the Great Depression. Let consider this excellent media production:

Title: Looking Back To The 1930s: Lessons From The Great Depression

Looking back to 1930, the year after the start of the Great Depression. What lessons did we learn about how best to move forward with a suffering economy? We look at our current crisis now through the lens of American history.

Guests [for this show]:

David Kennedy, professor emeritus of history at Stanford University. Founder and former director of the Bill Lane Center for the American West. Author of “Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945.”

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst. (@JackBeattyNPR)

From The Reading List

Futurity: “The Great Depression proved we need government in a crisis” — “As the world reckons with an economic crisis that the International Monetary Fund anticipates to be the worst recession since the Great Depression, what can we learn from history? How are these two events similar, and how are they different?”

NPR: “‘A Lot To Be Hopeful For’: Crisis Seen As Historic, Not Another Great Depression” — “With the U.S. economy in free-fall, a lot of forecasters have been digging deep into the history books, looking for a guideposts of what to expect. Often, they’ve turned to the chapter on the 1930s.”

Bloomberg: “How Bad Might It Get? Think the Great Depression” — “As the economic carnage from the coronavirus pandemic continues, a long-forbidden word is starting to creep onto people’s lips: ‘depression.'”

The New York Times: “The New Great Depression Is Coming. Will There Be a New New Deal?” — “Until very recently, Andrew Yang thought that the need for a universal basic income would be a big issue in the 2024 election, as ‘many of the trends that I campaigned on were going to become completely clear to more and more Americans’ over the next four years. He was arguing, for example, that between now and then, ’30 percent of our stores and malls were going to close because of Amazon.’ After more than a month of coronavirus lockdowns, Yang’s prediction looks quaintly optimistic.”

Vox: “Will the worst downturn since the Great Depression last as long?” — “Weeks of record job losses have left the United States with an unemployment rate that’s widely estimated to be higher than at any time since the Great Depression. That shocking reality naturally invites analogies and raises what is perhaps the most important economic question of our time: How long will the bad times last?”

The Philadelphia Inquirer: “Mounting job losses. Fear of the unknown. We’ve seen this before during the Great Depression. Here are some lessons learned.” — “The blunt headlines that appeared sporadically in The Inquirer throughout 1929 hinted at the dark menace of long-term unemployment, a condition that would worsen as the Great Depression unfurled over the next 12 years. ‘Jobless man ends life.’ ‘Man, ill and jobless, is suicide.’ ‘Jobless Darby man a suicide.'”

CNN: “We’ve overcome hard times before: What Americans who beat the Great Depression can teach us today.” — “A sudden crisis turns the world upside down. Millions are thrown out of work. People despair and dread the future. That was the grim scenario many Americans faced almost a century ago after the 1929 stock market crash triggered the Great Depression. And many people are experiencing it today as the coronavirus pandemic ravages the US and the rest of the world.”

Related:

On Point: What The 1918 Flu Pandemic Teaches Us About The Coronavirus Outbreak

Here & Now: ‘Keep Your Chin Up’: Lessons From Someone Born During The Great Depression

Here & Now: Looking At President Hoover’s Decision Against Government Intervention During The Great Depression

On Point: How To Rebuild The Coronavirus Economy

One For The History Books: 14.7% Unemployment, 20.5 Million Jobs Wiped Away

Source: On Point Posted May 18, 2020; retrieved July 11, 2020 from: https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2020/05/18/great-depression-how-did-we-recover

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AUDIO-PODCast – Looking Back To The 1930s: Lessons From The Great Depression – https://dcs.megaphone.fm/BUR6433954311.mp3?key=dae7f9a0936e0993c31cff98fdd7b44e

Looking back to 1930, the year after the start of the Great Depression. What lessons did we learn about how best to move forward with a suffering economy? We look at our current crisis now through the lens of American history. David Kennedy and Jack Beatty join Meghna Chakrabarti.

Alternative PODCast Broadcast on July 3, 2020: https://dcs.megaphone.fm/BUR6433954311.mp3?key=dae7f9a0936e0993c31cff98fdd7b44e

What was the resolution for the United States for the Great Depression?

The New Deal … (Truly, a reboot, “arising from the ashes” of the “Old Deal“).

See full details here …

Lessons from the New Deal. It wasn’t one big package wrapped in political consensus. We look at the real, messy process that pulled the U.S. out of the Great Depression.

What exactly are the lessons for the Caribbean?

We need efficient and effective governance.
We need economic security provisions – “Safety Nets”.
We need to protect the “Weak from being Abused by the Strong”.

Economics, Security and Governance – Yep; these are the 3 societal engines that have been the focus of the movement behind the Go Lean book. As related repeatedly, we must first have a plan …

Know where we are
Where we want to go
How to get there

Rather than a “plan” the Go Lean book call this approach a roadmap; step-by-step directions for taking the whole region – the political Caribbean of 30 member-states – to a destination: a better place to live, work and play.

This theme of organizing the region for a technocratic response – establishing New Guards – has been elaborated upon in a number of previous Go Lean commentaries, before and during this pandemic. Consider this sample list below; but first do realize that this is not just an American retrospective for “Learning from Economic Crises”. No, lessons abound from other countries as well. For example, there are good lessons and bad lessons from a number of European countries in their historicity of managing their recent crises:

——–

Iceland did the heavy-lifting to rebuilding their society and Rising from the Ashes of the Greet Recession. They did not put out the fire; they let it burn:

Lessons from Iceland – Model of Recovery; posted September 23, 2015
During the bad days of the Great Recession – at the precipice of disaster – the country deviated from other troubled regions …

“Iceland let its banks fail in 2008 because they proved too big to save.”

How does it relate to the Caribbean? The Caribbean is at the precipice … now; many of the member-states are near Failed-State status, while others are still hoping to recover from the devastating Great Recession of 2008. Turn-around should not take this long – 7 years. Strategies, tactics and implementations of best-practices to effect a turn-around must be pursued now.

Iceland has now recovered, and complaining about a 2% unemployment rate. What did they do that was so radically different than other locations? For one, they changed course regarding economics, security and governing policies. An ultra-capitalist movement had taken hold of the country and business communities; they pursued an aggressive “boom-or-bust” strategy, that ultimately “busted”, rather than continue on that road, the country – all aspects of society – altered course and returned to a path of sound fundamentals.

——–

Greece, on the other hand, did a poor job of managing their crisis, and suffered as a result:

Pressed by Debt Crisis, Doctors Leave Greece in Droves; posted July 1, 2015
Poor economic conditions are forcing a brain drain among a country’s professionals. Yes, we understand all too well.

This is the crisis for Greece! This is the crisis for the Caribbean, as well!

This is a consistent theme in the book Go Lean…Caribbean. The book posits that the events in Greece are relevant for the Caribbean, North America and the world economy as a whole. What’s worse is that many Caribbean member-states are in the same situation.

Greece is the weak link in the Eurozone; it is inching closer to defaulting on its debt. The country has been in a long standoff with its European creditors on the terms of a multibillion-dollar bailout. If the country goes bankrupt or decides to leave the 19-nation Eurozone, the Greek debt crisis could create instability in the region and reverberate around the globe.

——–

Other previous blog-commentaries referring to the New Guards for the Caribbean specifically are catalogued here as follows:

https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=19409	Coronavirus: Ready for the ‘Clear & Present’ Economic Threat/Danger
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=17358	Marshall Plan – A Lesson in History
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=15996	Good Governance: Stepping Up in an Emergency
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=13999	First Steps for Caribbean Security – Deputize ‘Me’, says the Caribbean Union
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=11759	Understand the Market, Plan the … Reboot and Recovery
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=10566	Funding the Caribbean Security Pact – Yes, we can!
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=10043	Integration Plan for Greater Caribbean Prosperity
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=9038	Caribbean Charity Management: Grow Up Already & Be Responsible
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=7896	The Logistics of Disaster Relief
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=5002	Managing a ‘Clear and Present Danger’

Yes, a New Guard, for Caribbean economic security is vital for our regional survival – we cannot survive on our beauty alone.

We must do the heavy-lifting to reform and transform. We must let the roof on our broken “House of Cards” burn down and then we must build a new stronger house from the ashes on a firmer foundation. Only then will we be able to promise (and fulfill) a viable future of progress and prosperity to our young people.

Yes, COVID-19 was not the first crisis for our region – we can learn so much from the Great Depression – and may not be the last one. So, we must have the New Guards in place to protect our people against systemic threats.

We urged all Caribbean stakeholders to lean-in to this Go Lean roadmap to elevate our regional society. This is how we will make our homeland a better place to live, work and play. 🙂

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 ensure public safety and protect the resultant economic engines.
Improve Caribbean governance to support these engines, including a separation-of-powers between the member-states and CU federal agencies.

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

Who We Are
The movement behind the Go Lean book – a non-partisan, apolitical, religiously-neutral Community Development Foundation chartered for the purpose of empowering and re-booting economic engines – stresses that reforming and transforming the Caribbean societal engines must be a regional pursuit. This was an early motivation for the roadmap, as pronounced in the opening Declaration of Interdependence (Pages 12 – 13):

x. Whereas we are surrounded and allied to nations of larger proportions in land mass, populations, and treasuries, elements in their societies may have ill-intent in their pursuits, at the expense of the safety and security of our citizens. We must therefore appoint “new guards” to ensure our public safety and threats against our society, both domestic and foreign. ….

xi. Whereas all men are entitled to the benefits of good governance in a free society, “new guards” must be enacted to dissuade the emergence of incompetence, corruption, nepotism and cronyism at the peril of the people’s best interest. The Federation must guarantee the executions of a social contract between government and the governed.

xvi. Whereas security of our homeland is inextricably linked to prosperity of the homeland, the economic and security interest of the region needs to be aligned under the same governance. Since economic crimes … can imperil the functioning of the wheels of commerce for all the citizenry, the accedence of this Federation must equip the security apparatus with the tools and techniques for predictive and proactive interdictions.

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.

xxv. Whereas the legacy of international democracies had been imperiled due to a global financial crisis, the structure of the Federation must allow for financial stability and assurance of the Federation’s institutions. To mandate the economic vibrancy of the region, monetary and fiscal controls and policies must be incorporated as proactive and reactive measures. These measures must address threats against the financial integrity of the Federation and of the member-states.

Sign the petition to lean-in for this roadmap for the Caribbean Union Trade Federation.

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Rise from the Ashes – Watch Out for the Wrong Ethos

Posted on June 30, 2020 in Ethos, Social

Go Lean Commentary

There is the need to build/rebuild Caribbean society on good Community Ethos.

Huh?!

This refers to the values and spirit that may permeate a community. In fact, this is the formal definition of Community Ethos … as defined in the 2013 book Go Lean…Caribbean Page 20:

noun – (www.Dictionary.com)

the fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society; dominant assumptions of a people or period: In the Greek ethos the individual was highly valued.

the character or disposition of a community, group, person, etc.

So what Community Ethos does the Caribbean need to address while considering the reboot of the regional society – our rising from the ashes? Let’s look at one:

Love

Everybody loves love; and want to love and be loved in return. Everybody …

In fact, the Greek language helps us to appreciate the different kinds and love, highlighting exactly what we expect to give and get from our loved ones; consider these excerpts:

Agápe ^[1] means “love: esp. charity; the love of God for man and of man for a good God.”^[2] Agape is used in ancient texts to denote feelings for one’s children and the feelings for a spouse, and it was also used to refer to a love feast.^[3]
Éros means “love, mostly of the sexual passion.”^[6] The Modern Greek word “erotas” means “intimate love”. Plato refined his own definition: Although eros is initially felt for a person, with contemplation it becomes an appreciation of the beauty within that person, or even becomes appreciation of beauty itself. Plato does not talk of physical attraction as a necessary part of love, hence the use of the word platonic to mean, “without physical attraction”.

Philia means “affectionate regard, friendship”, usually “between equals”.^[8] It is a dispassionate virtuous love, a concept developed by Aristotle.^[9] In his best-known work on ethics, Nicomachean Ethics, philia is expressed variously as loyalty to friends (specifically, “brotherly love”), family, and community, and requires virtue, equality, and familiarity. Furthermore, in the same text philos is also the root of philautia denoting self-love and arising from it, a general type of love, used for love between family, between friends, a desire or enjoyment of an activity, as well as between lovers.
Storge means “love, affection” and “especially of parents and children”.^[10] It is the common or natural empathy, like that felt by parents for offspring.^[11] Rarely used in ancient works, and then almost exclusively as a descriptor of relationships within the family. It is also known to express mere acceptance or putting up with situations, as in “loving” the tyrant. This is also used when referencing the love for one’s country or a favorite sports team.

Philautia means “self love” to love yourself or “regard for one’s own happiness or advantage”^[12]] has both been conceptualized as a basic human necessity^[13] and as a moral flaw, akin to vanity and selfishness,^[14] synonymous with amour propre or egotism. The Greeks further divided this love into positive and negative: one the unhealthy version is the self-obsessed love, and the other is the concept of “self-compassion”.

Xenia (meaning “guest-friendship”) is the ancient Greek concept of hospitality, the generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home and/or associates of the person bestowing guest-friendship.^[15] The rituals of hospitality created and expressed a reciprocal relationship between guest and host expressed in both material benefits (such as the giving of gifts to each party) as well as non-material ones (such as protection, shelter, favors, or certain normative rights).

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_words_for_love

What would be the opposite of Love? Hate …

… and maybe also Death or death-dealing. There is much for us to learn considering this discussion of Community Ethos while rebuilding a society. One extreme example to consider is that of the German scientist: Fritz Haber – see Appendix A below – his brand-reputation was that he was the “Father of Poison Gas Warfare”. What does that tell you of his ethos?

“He made a deal with the devil”!

The same people he aligned with to kill other people, then turned around to kill his people. He was Jewish and the Nazi Party came to power in Germany and slaughtered 6 million Jews, many who were loyal Germans.

The movement behind the 2013 book Go Lean…Caribbean hereby presents that we must learn from such lessons. So now, we seek to explore lessons on the subject of reciprocal love from antiquity, recent history and even from today.

Antiquity
Remember that great 19^th Century book by Alexandre Dumas – The Three Musketeers. The catch phrase for the book’s heroes spoke volumes regarding reciprocal love – as related in a prior Go Lean commentary:

All For One … and … One For All!
But someone might argue: “the needs of the many out-weight the needs of the few”. This is the principle of the Greater Good. Yes, this is true! This principle is very familiar to the publishers of the book Go Lean … Caribbean; the principle is foremost in the book (Page 37) as a community ethos, the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a society. The region needs to adopt this ethos to forge change in the Caribbean. But it turns out that the Greater Good is not just a priority on the majority, it is very much reflective of minorities. …

[This “All For One … and … One For All“ catch phrase] represents “art imitating life” in it’s meaning:

All the members of a group support each of the individual members, and the individual members pledge to support the group. Source: http://www.dictionary.com/browse/all-for-one-and-one-for-all

… Since everyone is unique, we may all be minorities in some respects.
—-
Recent History
There was no greater atrocity – during the 20^th century – than what was endured by the Jewish ethnicity in Germany and other European countries during World War II. This is branded The Holocaust and it is not to be rationalized, minimized or excused. Truth be told, the Jewish minority in Germany had always demonstrated their love for the Fatherland, many Jewish soldiers even fought for Germany during the Great War, World War I – (100,000 served; 12,000 killed).

They loved their homeland; but the homeland did not love them back. No reciprocal love!

Imagine the betrayal of those who sacrificed blood, sweat and tears for their homeland, then to be faced with extermination of self and family in the ovens of those Nazi concentration camps.

Consider too, the experience of this one German-Jewish Scientist catalogued in Appendix A below.
—-
Today
The American South still has loyalty and affinity for the Confederate emblems and artifacts from the US Civil War 1861 – 1865.

There is no moral high ground associated with the defense of the Pro-Slavery Confederacy; the motives are tied solely to White Supremacy. So for anyone of Black-and-Brown persuasion, participating in any before-during-after Confederacy would be counterproductive. (America double-downed on their bad community ethos toward minorities during World War II with their mistreatment of Japanese-Americans).

And yet, Caribbean emigrants to the US have often relocated to Southern cities; think:

Atlanta

Houston

Dallas-Fort Worth

Miami

Many Southern communities have Confederate statutes-monuments-memorials and wave the Confederate flags – some communities even have this branding as official signage and icons. Alas, these communities have large Caribbean Diaspora populations even now; our people show love to their new homeland, but rarely, if ever, does the community loves them back.

Reciprocal love – Fail!

—-

Still this is a discussion on Love; the proper-best Community Ethos for a rebuilding society and the Wrong Community Ethos to dissuade and avoid – or to Watch Out for any emergence.

This is the completion of the June 2020 Teaching Series from the movement behind the Go Lean book; this is entry 6 of 6. This movement presents a Teaching Series every month on a subject that is germane to Caribbean life. It is accepted that communities also make changes when recovering and rebuilding from a crisis, be it man-made, natural disaster and/or war.

The full catalog for this month’s series is listed as follows:

Rising from the Ashes – The Phoenix rises from the Pandemic
Rising from the Ashes – One person – Dead or Alive – can make a difference
Rising from the Ashes – Natural Disasters – The Price of Paradise
Rising from the Ashes – Political Revolutions – Calling ‘Balls and Strikes’
Rising from the Ashes – War – “What is it good for?”
Rising from the Ashes – Wrong Ethos could also rise – Cautionary tale of patriotic German Jews

There is the urgency to reform and transform. The Go Lean book asserted that “a crisis is a terrible thing to waste”; it sought to use the outstanding crisis – Coronavirus COVID-19 – to forge permanent change on Caribbean society. But caution is warranted, as many negative Community Ethos can be supplanted. We are looking at how-when to Rise from the Ashes for this and other crises. For this entry, we lament the emergence of many bad attitudes that creep in as a response to our Caribbean communities enduring the consequences of our crises:

Climate of Hate
Prejudice
Xenophobia
Blame-Gaming

We have seen this before. In fact, some of the indicators of Failed-State status are evident in situations like this; consider the indicators as reported in the Go Lean book Page 271:

In the Caribbean, we are no different! No better and no worst! When push comes to shove, our people will push and shove. It is therefore of utmost importance that we look, listen and learn from other people in other societies. We must Watch Out for the Wrong Ethos that could easily arise – in an evolutionary manner or suddenly in an revolutionary manner – here as they have arisen in other locales. Our history is littered with incidences of Bad Behavior when “Push came to Shove”.

We have addressed this previously; we have elaborated in full details in many prior Go Lean blog-commentaries; consider this sample:

https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=19568	BHAG – Need ‘Big Brother’ to Watch Out for Pandemics
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=19409	Coronavirus: ‘Clear and Present’ Threat to Economic Security
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=16534	Many suffered from White-Christian-European religious hypocrisy
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=15935	Learning from the Master: “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste”
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=14087	Opioids and the FDA – ‘Fox guarding the Henhouse’
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=11269	Managing the ‘Strong versus the Weak’ – An American Sickness
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=11048	Managing the ‘Strong versus the Weak’
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=10532	Learning from Japanese Americans Suffering from Bad Stereotypes
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=10201	Obama disbanded the Bad Policy of Wet Foot / Dry Foot
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=6103	Sum of All Fears – ‘On Guard’ Against Deadly Threats
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=5002	Managing a ‘Clear and Present Danger’

Rather than talk of hate or death-dealing, we would rather talk about the positive Community Ethos that we would rather see. We would rather talk about love.

Remember all of these Love Song lyrics:

Learning to love yourself is the Greatest Love of all – https://youtu.be/hRX4ip6PVoo
When I tell my Babe I love her, she said “… I love you back” – See Appendix B below
“The greatest thing You’ll ever learn Is just to love And be loved In return” – See Appendix C below

These songs entertain us and move us. They also remind us how important it is to make sure that we are loved by the people, institutions and homelands that we may love.

This is only common sense, but common sense is not so common.

If you love a community, and they do not love you back, this is the Wrong Ethos.

This commentary and this June 2020 series reminds us of the Cautionary Warning for societies to double-down on good community ethos, not the bad ones. It would be better for us to reform and transform our communities here in the Caribbean homeland than to try and impact a foreign land like the United States. So our urging is simple:

Stay home – But Watch Out for the Wrong Ethos creeping in here.

For those already in the Diaspora, lamenting the sad state of affairs, we urge:

Time to Go! – We can more readily Watch Out for the Wrong Ethos here.

We hereby urge everyone in the Caribbean to lean-in to this Go Lean roadmap to reboot and turn-around the Caribbean homeland. Yes, we must “burn down” the old bad ethos and then make permanent changes towards good ethos only, not allowing hate to seep in. This is how we will make the Caribbean a better homeland to live, work and play. 🙂

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 ensure public safety and protect the resultant economic engines.
Improve Caribbean governance to support these engines, including a separation-of-powers between the member-states and CU federal agencies.

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

xi. Whereas all men are entitled to the benefits of good governance in a free society, “new guards” must be enacted to dissuade the emergence of incompetence, corruption, nepotism and cronyism at the peril of the people’s best interest. The Federation must guarantee the executions of a social contract between government and the governed.

xii. Whereas the legacy in recent times in individual states may be that of ineffectual governance with no redress to higher authority, the accedence of this Federation will ensure accountability and escalation of the human and civil rights of the people for good governance, justice assurances, due process and the rule of law. As such, any threats of a “failed state” status for any member state must enact emergency measures on behalf of the Federation to protect the human, civil and property rights of the citizens, residents, allies, trading partners, and visitors of the affected member state and the Federation as a whole.

xvi. Whereas security of our homeland is inextricably linked to prosperity of the homeland, the economic and security interest of the region needs to be aligned under the same governance. Since economic crimes … can imperil the functioning of the wheels of commerce for all the citizenry, the accedence of this Federation must equip the security apparatus with the tools and techniques for predictive and proactive interdictions.

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.

Sign the petition to lean-in for this roadmap for the Caribbean Union Trade Federation.

————-

Appendix A – Reference Title: Fritz Haber

Fritz Haber (German: [ˈhaːbɐ]; 9 December 1868 – 29 January 1934) was a German^[4] chemist who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1918 for his invention of the Haber–Bosch process, a method used in industry to synthesize ammonia from nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas. This invention is of importance for the large-scale synthesis of fertilizers and explosives. The food production for half the world’s current population involves this method for producing nitrogen fertilizers.^[5] Haber, along with Max Born, proposed the Born–Haber cycle as a method for evaluating the lattice energy of an ionic solid.

Haber is also considered the “father of chemical warfare” for his years of pioneering work developing and weaponizing chlorine and other poisonous gases during World War I, especially his actions during the Second Battle of Ypres. …

World War I
Haber greeted World War I with enthusiasm, joining 92 other German intellectuals in signing the Manifesto of the Ninety-Three in October 1914.^[17] Haber played a major role in the development of the non-ballistic use of chemical warfare in World War I, in spite of the proscription of their use in shells by the Hague Convention of 1907 (to which Germany was a signatory). He was promoted to the rank of captain and made head of the Chemistry Section in the Ministry of War soon after the war began.^[7]:133 In addition to leading the teams developing chlorine gas and other deadly gases for use in trench warfare,^[18] Haber was on hand personally when it was first released by the German military at the Second Battle of Ypres (22 April to 25 May 1915) in Belgium.^[7]:138 Haber also helped to develop gas masks with adsorbent filters which could protect against such weapons.

A special troop was formed for gas warfare (Pioneer Regiments 35 and 36) under the command of Otto Peterson, with Haber and Friedrich Kerschbaum as advisors. Haber actively recruited physicists, chemists, and other scientists to be transferred to the unit. Future Nobel laureates James Franck, Gustav Hertz, and Otto Hahn served as gas troops in Haber’s unit.^{[7]:136–138} In 1914 and 1915, before the Second Battle of Ypres, Haber’s unit investigated reports that the French had deployed Turpenite, a supposed chemical weapon, against German soldiers.^[19]

Gas warfare in World War I was, in a sense, the war of the chemists, with Haber pitted against French Nobel laureate chemist Victor Grignard. Regarding war and peace, Haber once said, “during peace time a scientist belongs to the World, but during war time he belongs to his country.” This was an example of the ethical dilemmas facing chemists at that time.^[20] …

Between World Wars
… By 1931, Haber was increasingly concerned about the rise of National Socialism in Germany, and the possible safety of his friends, associates, and family. Under the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service of 7 April 1933, Jewish scientists at the Kaiser Wilhelm Society were particularly targeted. …

Haber and his son Hermann also urged that Haber’s children by Charlotte Nathan, at boarding school in Germany, should leave the country.^[7]:181 Charlotte and the children moved to the United Kingdom around 1933 or 1934. After the war, Charlotte’s children became British citizens.^{[7]:188–189}

Source: Retrieved June 29, 2020 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Haber

————-

Appendix B VIDEO – Luther Vandross: She Loves Me Back – https://youtu.be/125bcG9vnjs

Luther Vandross
Provided to YouTube by Sony Music Entertainment

She Loves Me Back · Luther Vandross

Album: Forever, For Always, For Love

℗ 1982 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment

Released on: 1982-09-21

Composer, Lyricist: L. Vandross
Background Vocal, Keyboards: Nat Adderley Jr.
Background Vocal, Bass, Producer: Marcus Miller
Background Vocal: Michelle Cobbs
Background Vocal: Cissy Houston
Background Vocal: Tawatha Agee
Background Vocal: Yvonne Lewis
Background Vocal: Fonzi Thornton
Guitar: Doc Powell
Percussion: Paulinho Da Costa
Drums: Yogi Horton
Auto-generated by YouTube.

————-

Appendix C VIDEO – Nat King Cole – Nature Boy (With Lyrics) – https://youtu.be/HQerH4nRTUA

Lyrics:
There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy
And sad of eye
But very wise

Was he
And then one day
A magic day he came my way
And while we spoke of many things, fools and kings
This he said to me
“The greatest thing
You’ll ever learn
Is just to love
And be loved
In return”

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Rise from the Ashes – War: “What is it good for?”

Posted on June 28, 2020 in Ethos, Planning, Social, Tactical

If only you could see what this city looked like before it was bombed in the war; and then compare it to now, the end product of restoring and rebuilding. Which city? It could be:

London
Berlin
Tokyo
Hiroshima
Saigon ==> Ho Chi Minh City
Sarajevo

The list could be extended to include one bombed-out city after another. Fortunately, that list will not include any Caribbean cities. This is fortunate for “no lost of life”, but unfortunate for no post-war restoration-rebuilding. Yes, the imagery of the mythical Phoenix Bird is best applied to a city that was bombed-out and then rebuilt after the war.

Nonetheless, we need that Phoenix Bird here in the Caribbean. We need to restore, rebuild and “rise from the ashes”.

Question: War – what is it good for?

Answer: Rebuilding after the war.

Consider this example of Dresden, Germany.

This is the continuation of the June 2020 Teaching Series from the movement behind the 2013 book Go Lean…Caribbean; this is entry 5 of 6. This movement presents a Teaching Series every month on a subject that is germane to Caribbean life. There is the accepted fact that it is OK to make changes – reform and transform – in response to any crisis; in fact there is the popular expression “a crisis is a terrible thing to waste”. Our focus this month is related to the current crisis – think Coronavirus COVID-19. We are looking at how-when to Rise from the Ashes from this and other crises. For this entry, we lament the absence of perhaps one of the greatest motivators for change, War.

The full catalog for this month’s series is listed as follows:

Rising from the Ashes – The Phoenix rises from the Pandemic
Rising from the Ashes – One person – Dead or Alive – can make a difference
Rising from the Ashes – Natural Disasters – The Price of Paradise
Rising from the Ashes – Political Revolutions – Calling ‘Balls and Strikes’
Rising from the Ashes – War – “What is it good for?” – ENCORE
Rising from the Ashes – Wrong Ethos could also rise – Cautionary tale of patriotic German Jews

There are other Agents of Change that we have had to contend with here in the Caribbean. The Go Lean book identified these 4 agents: Technology, Climate Change, Globalization and the Aging Diaspora. These crises – though not as impactful as a war – also allow us to make changes. We have presented this thesis in many other blog-commentaries; consider this sample:

https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=19694	Technology Assimilation: E-Learning Eco-system is finally mature
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=19669	Technology Assimilation: Work From Home options bring opportunities
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=19568	BHAG – Need ‘Big Brother’ for Global Pandemics
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=19351	Preparing Alternate Energy to abate Climate Change
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=18817	Deficiencies in Food Security have created a Plan for our ‘Bread Basket’
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=18243	After Hurricane Dorian, Regionalism is no longer optional
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=17878	Profiting from the Migration Crisis
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=16368	Aging Diaspora – Finding Home … anywhere.
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=15935	Learning from the Master: “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste”

The crisis of an active war in the region would be earth-shattering here in the Caribbean; there would be good, bad and ugly consequences. The theme of lamenting the absence of war in the Caribbean had been published in a previous Go Lean blog-commentary. It is only apropos to Encore that submission – from July 21, 2019 – here and now:

—————-

Go Lean Commentary – What Went Wrong? ‘We’ never had our war!

War … what is it good for?
Absolutely nothing! – Song: Edwin Starr – Motown 1969; see Appendix below.

Well, not so fast.

This started just as a “catch phrase”, but now it has emerged as a fact in Economic History:

A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.

So what is war good for? Providing a crisis that can be exploited to reform and transform society.

That’s it; wrap it up; we can now summarize so many changes in world history as they manifested as a result of war. Consider these examples:

War Conflict	Take-a-way
Napoleonic Wars \| 1803 – 1815 Spanish New World assumed independence from Spain. This was true in North America (Mexico), Central America and South America. But the Caribbean territories did not abdicate from “Mama Espana” at that time.	Latin America Independence
American Civil War \| 1860 – 1865 The New World was premised on Slavery, exploiting the African race as a free labor source in all the Americas. This abhorrent institution would have definitely ended, one way or another. “The arc of history leans towards justice”. After the US Civil War – 625,000 dead White Men – no other wars were necessary in the New World; all Euro-influenced governments whittled slavery into extinction, one way or another.	Abolition & Emancipation
Great War / World War I 1914 – 1919 This war addressed the boiling point of class-ism in Europe – the Haves versus the Have-Nots – the Nobility System (Dukes, Counts, Bourgeoisie, etc.) did not survive the reconciliation that led to the cessation of conflicts. Communism emerged as a manifestation of the demand for equality.	Gender Equality; Worker Rights; Egalitarianism
World War II / Cold War \| 1939 – 1955 This war was a sequel to WW I; whatever remaining issues that were deferred in the WW I reconciliations were pushed forward for reckoning; think: Colonialism (in Africa, Asia and the Americas), Racial Supremacy, Human Rights assurances.	Human Rights; Decolonization; Majority Rule / Universal Suffrage
End of Cold War \| 1991 – 2016 The return to Nationalism in Europe did not provide governing solutions or the needed multi-racial reconciliations. That bill came due, as demonstrated with the Balkans Conflict (Bosnia, Serbia, etc.). A Migrant Crisis emerged for all States that refused to transform: think Middle East Islamic Fundamentalism, Sovereign Debt Crisis (Greece, etc.), and Brexit.	Economic Liberalization; Free Trade; Free Movement

In no shape or form are we rationalizing, justifying or excusing war. But, it is what it is!

Where there is conflict – blood on the streets – people tend to finally be motivated to remediate and mitigate the risks and threats for the conflict to ever rekindle. So this premise is true:

It is only at the precipice that people change.

This is why we can declare with such confidence that one of the things that went wrong in the Caribbean, is “we never had our war“. From the foregoing examples, all the reform and transformation that took place from these crises, did NOT benefit the Caribbean as we had “No War” here. (The Cuban Revolution ushered in Communism, but all the stewards of the Cuban people – culture, politics and commerce – simply fled; they left the island to the rebels, so the needed reform on societal values never took place – Cuba is still in “Freeze-Frame” from 1959).

This commentary continues the July series from the movement behind the book Go Lean…Caribbean. This submission, 2-of-6 on the theme “What Went Wrong?” focuses on Caribbean history and why we still have many of the same defects that other societies – think North America and Europe yes, but even India and China – have already remediated. The full catalog:

What Went Wrong? Asking ‘Why’ is Important
What Went Wrong? ‘We’ never had our war!
What Went Wrong? ‘7 to 1’ – Caribbean ‘Less Than’
What Went Wrong? ‘Be our Guest’ – The Rules of Hospitality
What Went Wrong? Failing the Lessons from Infrastructure 101
What Went Wrong? Losing the Best; Nation-building with the Rest

In this series, reference is made to the need for a comprehensive roadmap for elevating the societal engines of the Caribbean member-states. We do not want war! But we want to make the progress that is possible when society reforms and transforms. And we want to do this without a war. The movement behind the Go Lean book asserts that this progress is possible. See how this theme was developed in many previous Go Lean commentaries; see a sample list here:

https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=16477	Transforming Hindus versus Women – What it means for us?
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=15580	The Cause of Caribbean Disunity: Religion’s Role – False Friend
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=14633	Despite Embedded ‘Bad Nature’, Women Have Nurtured Change
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=14378	Legislating Morality – Yes, We Can
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=13063	Gender Equity without a ‘Battle of the Sexes’
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=13882	Managing ‘Change’ in California – Calm and Smooth Evolutions
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=5695	Repenting, Forgiving and Reconciling the Past
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=3090	Learning from Modern Europe – Evolution without Revolution

Most of the Caribbean profess the religious affiliation with Christianity. The Founder of the Church, Jesus Christ, taught his followers an important lesson about manifestation versus faith. See here relating the story of Doubting Thomas:

A doubting Thomas is a skeptic who refuses to believe without direct personal experience—a reference to the Apostle Thomas, who refused to believe that the resurrected Jesus had appeared to the ten other apostles, until he could see and feel the wounds received by Jesus on the torture stake.

The Holy Scriptures relates, from the Gospel account of John 20: 24 – 29 NWT:

… ²⁴ But Thomas,+ one of the Twelve, who was called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples were telling him: “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them: “Unless I see in his hands the print* of the nails and stick my finger into the print of the nails and stick my hand into his side,+ I will never believe it.”
²⁶ Well, eight days later his disciples were again indoors, and [this time] Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and he stood in their midst and said: “May you have peace.”+ ²⁷ Next he said to Thomas: “Put your finger here, and see my hands, and take your hand and stick it into my side, and stop doubting* but believe.” ²⁸ In answer Thomas said to him: “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him: “Because you have seen me, have you believed? Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe. While it is only at the precipice that people change, how much better it would be for Caribbean society to change (reform and transform) without being at the precipice, without enduring the pangs of war. It is the assertion here that despite the heavy-lifting, “we” can succeed in optimizing Caribbean society … without war.

Is this possible? Can we reboot our society? Can we ‘weed out’ the bad ethos – i.e. rent-seeking and domestic violence – in our communities and adopt new more positive ethos? Can we implement the strategies and tactics we need to optimize our society, without first going to the brink of self-destruction?

Yes, we can!

This is the urging of the book Go Lean…Caribbean and the resultant roadmap. We hereby urge all Caribbean stakeholders to lean-in to this roadmap. Let’s get busy and go to work. This roadmap is conceivable, believe and achievable. We can make our homeland a better place to live, work and play. 🙂

Optimization of the economic engines in order to grow the regional economy to $800 Billion and create 2.2 million new jobs.
Establishment of a security apparatus to ensure public safety and protect the resultant economic engines.
Improve Caribbean governance to support these engines, including a separation-of-powers between the member-states and CU federal agencies.

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

Who We Are
The movement behind the Go Lean book – a non-partisan, apolitical, religiously-neutral Community Development Foundation chartered for the purpose of empowering and re-booting economic engines – stresses that reforming and transforming the Caribbean societal engines must be a regional pursuit. This was an early motivation for the roadmap, as pronounced in the opening Declaration of Interdependence (Pages 12 – 13):

xi. Whereas all men are entitled to the benefits of good governance in a free society, “new guards” must be enacted to dissuade the emergence of incompetence, corruption, nepotism and cronyism at the peril of the people’s best interest. The Federation must guarantee the executions of a social contract between government and the governed.

xvi. Whereas security of our homeland is inextricably linked to prosperity of the homeland, the economic and security interest of the region needs to be aligned under the same governance. Since economic crimes … can imperil the functioning of the wheels of commerce for all the citizenry, the accedence of this Federation must equip the security apparatus with the tools and techniques for predictive and proactive interdictions.

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.

Sign the petition to lean-in for this roadmap for the Caribbean Union Trade Federation.

————-

Appendix VIDEO – Edwin Starr – War (What is it good for) – https://youtu.be/ztZI2aLQ9Sw

Matze 1987
Published on Aug 4, 2011 – Edwin Star – War

Lyrics:
War…huh…yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Uh ha haa ha
War…huh…yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutley nothing…say it again y’all
War..huh…look out…
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing…listen to me ohhhhh

WAR! I despise, ‘cos it means destruction of innocent lives,
War means tears to thousands of mother’s eyes,
When their sons gone to fight and lose their lives.

I said WAR!…huh…good God y’all,
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing…say it again
War! Huh…What is it good for
Absolutely nothing…listen to me

WAR! It ain’t nothing but a heartbreaker,
War. Friend only to the undertaker. Ohhh!
War is an enemy to all mankind,
The thought of war blows my mind.
War has caused unrest within the younger generation
Induction then destruction…who wants to die? Ohhh

WAR! good God y’all huh
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing…say it say it SAY IT!
WAR!…uh huh yeah huh
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing…listen to me

WAR! It ain’t nothing but a heartbreaker,
War! It’s got one friend that’s the undertaker.
Ohhhh! War has shattered many a young man’s dream,
Made him disabled, bitter and mean,
Life is much too short and precious to spend fighting wars these days.
War can’t give life, it can only take it away!

Ohhh WAR! huh…good God y’all What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing…say it again War!…huh…woh oh oh Lord
What is it good for? Absolutely nothing…listen to me

War! It ain’t nothing but a heartbreaker,
War. Friend only to the undertaker…woo
Peace lovin’ understand then tell me,
Is there no place for them today?
They say we must fight to keep our freedom,
But Lord knows there’s got to be a better way.

Ohhhhhhh WAR! huh…good God y’all…
What is it good for?…you tell me!
Say it say it say it saaaay it!
War! good God now…huh
What is it good for?
Stand up and shout it…NOTHING

Music in this video – Listen ad-free with YouTube Premium

Song: War
Artist: Edwin Starr
Album: Can You Dig It? The 70’s Soul Experience
Licensed to YouTube by: UMG (on behalf of Rhino); UMPI, AMRA, CMRRA, Sony ATV Publishing, UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA – UBEM, SOLAR Music Rights Management, LatinAutor – SonyATV, LatinAutor, EMI Music Publishing, UMPG Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing, and 13 Music Rights Societies

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Rise from the Ashes – Political Revolutions: Calling ‘Balls & Strikes’

Posted on June 27, 2020 in Economics, Government, Planning, Social

Go Lean Commentary

You will know the truth and the truth will set you free – The Bible; John 8:32

Over 100 years ago there was a Great Debate in the world:

Which form of government would be best for mankind to prosper where planted?

Capitalism or Communism?

People took sides …

Passions flared …

“They” stood their ground, on both sides; wars ensued – think the Cold War.

The debate has since ended! Most historians conclude this issue was settled in 1989 – 1991; think the Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall as depicted in Appendix VIDEO below.

Who won?!

Truth be told, the Communists lost! The biggest proponent of Communism was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Not only did the USSR lose that debate, but they do not even exist anymore. These 15 former republics that constituted the USSR are now all independent states, that now all embrace Free Market principles:

Do you see what we did there?

We just called “balls and strikes” for you. This is the only way to play and enjoy the great game of baseball. Someone has to be objective, impartial and technocratic. Depending on the strategy, “balls” could be good or bad; “strikes” could be good or bad; this is why it is important to just call/judge them correctly. Hooray for unbiased Umpires.

This commentary is not about baseball; this is about changing the Caribbean. Change comes about via two modes:

Revolutionary – sudden, immediate and forced on by a higher authority or external entities; think wars.

Evolutionary – slowly and gradually conforming to a new standard; building momentum.

These changes maybe for the good or for the bad. Sometimes, there is a Bad Orthodoxy that simply must be reformed or transformed. Sometimes there is a peaceful existence that is upended by external factors – think pandemics or natural disasters – so changes must be contended with.

For the 30 member-states that constitute the political Caribbean, all of these scenarios apply. We have participated in the Great Debates of “Capitalism versus Communism” and we have weighed-in and even voted for one course versus another. Sometimes, we may have only voted with our feet and fled the homeland to seek refuge in a society that we agreed with.

We have endured a lot of changes here in the Caribbean. We have seen the Agents of Change overcome our region: Technology, Climate Change, Globalization and an Aging Diaspora. We have also had political revolutions … over this same issue here in the region. In fact, we have the Republic of Cuba, an official Communist State and many other countries that have flirted with Pure or Extreme Socialism to the brink of favoring a Communist-style governance; consider:

Grenada flirtation with Communism led to an US Invasion in 1982

Guyana’s constitution have this country branded as the Co-operative Republic of Guyana

Jamaica’s previous Prime Minister Michael Manley overtly flirted with Communists regimes during the Cold War.

Political revolutions require a total reboot of the eco-system, normally requiring new constitutions. A new constitution is not just an amendment to the law, it is a total rebuild. A total rebuild reminds us of the Phoenix mythology; that from the “ashes of the old society, a new society can emerge”. So moving towards Communism or moving away from Communism requires revolution changes and rising from the ashes.

Which move would be best for the Caribbean?
Now is the time to call the “Balls and the Strikes”.

Those countries above that have flirted with Communism are all near Failed-State status. In addition, the professional classes in those countries all fled their homeland to evade the Pure Socialist policies; i.e. Guyana suffered a 89% brain drain rate.

This is the continuation of the June 2020 Teaching Series from the movement behind the 2013 book Go Lean…Caribbean; this is entry 4 of 6. This movement presents a Teaching Series every month on a subject that is germane to Caribbean life. Our focus this month is on Rising from the Ashes and we need to burn down the house of many Caribbean governing engines – especially those leaning towards Pure Socialism; for any hope to thrive in the future we must embrace Free Market ideals. By treaty, we can even install Self-Governing Entities (SGE) – think: industrial parks, research labs, commercial districts, shipyards, Entertainment Zones, etc. – in among Communist states. This is conceivable, believable and achievable!

The full catalog for this month’s series is listed as follows:

Rising from the Ashes – The Phoenix rises from the Pandemic
Rising from the Ashes – One person – Dead or Alive – can make a difference
Rising from the Ashes – Natural Disasters – The Price of Paradise
Rising from the Ashes – Political Revolutions – Calling Balls and Strikes
Rising from the Ashes – War – “What is it good for?”
Rising from the Ashes – Wrong Ethos could also rise – Cautionary tale of patriotic German Jews

There are no Ands, Ifs or Buts; Communism has not worked. Russia, the flagship country in the former USSR is much more successful now as a Free market economy that they had ever been as a Communist State. This is also true of Communist-led China, who only present “Communism” in name only; their economy had been rebooted since 1978 and they have succeed in elevating 1.3 billion out of poverty to become the 2^nd largest Single Market economy in the world; (behind the USA).

The Go Lean book posits that the Caribbean member-states can reform and transform without changing the sovereignty of the countries. The book explained (Page 127) this as a product of the confederation of the Caribbean Union Trade federation (CU). See here:

Confederation Without Sovereignty
The CU is only a trade and security bloc, so the sovereignty of island nations remains with its current possessors. So Puerto Rico remains with the US; the Caymans with the UK; Curacao with the Netherlands; Guadeloupe with France, etc. Yet there are still severe consequences for violating the mandates of the CU, that of economic sanctions. When a country’s currency is maintained by the regional bloc, they are less inclined to egregiously work against their best interest. (This is the EU model). For Cuba, a Communist country, their political structure remains their choice, as the CU is only the technocratic and economic engine that does their trade bidding.

The Go Lean movement advocates that all member-states do the heavy-lifting necessary to reform and transform the economic and governing engines of the Caribbean, individually and collectively. “Reform and transform” means being better and doing better. The status quo is flawed and defective; we do not need to simply fix or repair the broken governance; rather we need to replace it.

The roof is on fire we don’t need no water; let … [it] burn.

This subject – transforming and optimizing governance – has been a consistent theme in many previous Go Lean blog-commentaries consider this sample list:

https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=19833	Good Leadership: Hypocrisy cancels out Law-and-Order
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=19831	Good Leadership: Next Generation of ‘Agile’ Project Delivery
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=19741	Enough Already: The Mono-Industrial Economy Exhaustion
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=16317	Transforming the British Caribbean “When ‘Elizabeth’ Dies”
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=16309	Pearl Harbor Attack – One Act Changed the World
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=14596	Corporate Vigilantism Can Forge Sudden Change
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=13749	Government Revolution: Assembling the Region’s Organizations
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=13524	Launching the Administration of the Future: e-Government Portal 101
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=13063	Quest: Gender Equity without a ‘Battle of the Sexes’
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=789	A Lesson in History – America’s War on the Caribbean

Time to call “Balls and Strikes”. Consider these previous political revolutions that affected the Caribbean member-states; the call is they were Over-due:

1804 – Haitian Revolution and Independence – Which started as a slave rebellion in 1791 ended up as sovereignty for the previous enslaved people; 3 slavery-supporting empires (France, Spain, England) fought to deter the Haitians.
1807 – End of Slave Trade – The atrocity of the Slave Trade could not be justified, rationalized or minimized.
1834 – End of Slavery in British Empire – The British possessed 18 of the 30 Caribbean member-states, so ending slavery for a victory for human rights, ahead of other empires (US, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal & Spain).
1861 – US Civil War – A Demonstration of the Resolve of the “Pro” and “Anti” Slavery Camps. The only way to end slavery in the US homeland.
1898 – America’s War on the Caribbean – Spain continued atrocities in their Caribbean territories (Cuba & Puerto Rico) long after abolition was mandated elsewhere. This War gave Cuba their long-sought independence.
1917 – World War I was an explosive rejection of oppression by oppressive regimes. As a result, Denmark surrendered their Virgin Islands territory to the US.
1948 – United Nations Declaration of Human Rights – This was part of the post-mortem from World War II.
1959 – Cuban Revolution – The Institutional Racism and Crony-Capitalism in Cuba was ripe for revolt and revolution.
1962 – End of West Indies Federation – The weak foundation made this “country” unsuccessful and unsustainable.
2014 – Failure of CariCom – Don’t get it twisted! This regional construct does not work. It needs to be burned down …
2019 – Cuba’s New Constitution – The Communist Revolution failed. It is time to revert to a Free Market economy.

There is a lot of heavy-lifting for the Caribbean member-states to do, individually and collectively, to elevate the societal engines in the region. The absolute first thing is to be honest and call the “balls and strikes” accurately. Here is the call for the Caribbean actuality and reality:

The Caribbean is at the precipice.
The problems are too big for any one member-state alone to mitigate.
The whole region of 30 member-states, despite the colonial heritage, are in the same boat and need to come together – to confederate and collaborate – to effect change in the region:
“… more integration and better governance ‘hold the key’ to greater prosperity.”

That is the call! (The issue of Communism vs Capitalism is too simplistic, as the winning societal structure is actually a hybrid).

Anything else, is just putting “band-aids” on small abrasions, patching the roofs of our society, when actually we need to “burn the house down” and build a new society from the ashes of the old. This is our quest:

Rise from the ashes …

A crisis is a terrible thing to waste!

We hereby urge everyone in the Caribbean to lean-in to this Go Lean roadmap to reboot and turn-around the Caribbean homeland. Let’s “burn down” the old bad orthodoxy and make the permanent changes for good. This is how we will make the Caribbean a better homeland to live, work and play. 🙂

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 ensure public safety and protect the resultant economic engines.
Improve Caribbean governance to support these engines, including a separation-of-powers between the member-states and CU federal agencies.

Download the free e-Book of G those who have rebooted well and o Lean … Caribbean – now!

xi. Whereas all men are entitled to the benefits of good governance in a free society, “new guards” must be enacted to dissuade the emergence of incompetence, corruption, nepotism and cronyism at the peril of the people’s best interest. The Federation must guarantee the executions of a social contract between government and the governed.

xvi. Whereas security of our homeland is inextricably linked to prosperity of the homeland, the economic and security interest of the region needs to be aligned under the same governance. Since economic crimes … can imperil the functioning of the wheels of commerce for all the citizenry, the accedence of this Federation must equip the security apparatus with the tools and techniques for predictive and proactive interdictions.

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.

Sign the petition to lean-in for this roadmap for the Caribbean Union Trade Federation.

—————-

Appendix VIDEO – The rise and fall of the Berlin Wall – Konrad H. Jarausch – https://youtu.be/A9fQPzZ1-hg

TED-Ed
Posted August 16, 2017 – On August 13, 1961, construction workers began tearing up streets and erecting barriers in Berlin. This night marked the beginning of one of history’s most infamous dividing lines: the Berlin Wall. Construction continued for a decade as the wall cut through neighborhoods, separated families, and divided not just Germany, but the world. Konrad H. Jarausch details the history of the Berlin Wall.

Lesson by Konrad H. Jarausch, directed by Remus & Kiki.

View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-rise-a…

Check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/teded

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Rise from the Ashes – Natural Disasters: The Price of Paradise – Encore

Posted on June 25, 2020 in Ethos, Planning, Social

Living in California for 10 years, there was a lamentable joke:

“Shake-and-Bake” – There is a Karma Tax for living in that beautiful locale: Earthquakes, Forest Fires and Mud-Slides.

This reality is magnified, not just in California but in the Caribbean too. Here we have the best address on the planet and so the Karma Tax is even more expensive. We have to pay this high price of tropical living … with the actuality of these natural disasters:

“Land of the Free; Home of the Brave”. Rather than for the US, this should be the regional branding for our 30 Caribbean member-states. Imagine enduring all these natural disasters …

… constant beauty; constant threats.

This is not just a problem today. No, for hundreds of years, the Caribbean region has had to contend with this Karma Price. But there was compensation and allowances, like a life of leisure in the slavery eco-system. But alas, as soon as the ease/leisure of Caribbean life lessened, then it was better to leave from here. Consider this historicity in our region, starting with the quick tendency for European colonizing citizens to leave these territories – it was never their home:

1804 Independence of Haiti – French citizens fled back to France, as prosperity and property in the island were taken away.

1833 Abolish of Slavery – British citizens fled back to Britain, as prosperity lessened and property (slaves) were bought out.

1848 Abolish of Slavery – French & Dutch citizens fled back to Europe, as prosperity lessened and property lost value.

1898 Spanish-American War – Spanish citizens fled back to Spain, as Empire (Cuba & Puerto Rico) ceased in the region.

1917 World War I, Denmark withdrawal from Caribbean; Danish citizens fled back to Denmark.

1948 World War II, UNHRC – End of War, start of decolonization; Whites lose power, returned to Europe.

1948 Societal Abandonment Began – Caribbean citizens now fled the homeland for less threatening life in Europe.

This thesis was presented in a previous blog-commentary by the movement behind the 2013 book Go Lean…Caribbean. That commentary asserted that the Enriquillo Faultline in the Greater Antilles makes it hard to ignore what some declare as a Curse in the region. This dictates a constant cycle of death and rebirth or destruction and re-building.

What a cycle?!

This is so similar to the mythical imagery of the Phoenix Bird – which depicts that – rather than trying to repair – at times we just need to let it burn … and then re-build from the ashes. This Phoenix mythology is no fiction; this is our reality because of the prevalence of hurricanes, earthquakes and believe it or not, volcanoes in our region.

It is what it is.

This is the continuation of the June 2020 Teaching Series from the movement behind the 2013 book Go Lean…Caribbean; this is entry 3 of 6. This movement presents a Teaching Series every month on a subject that is germane to Caribbean life. Our focus this month is on Rising from the Ashes. The constant threat of destruction and re-birth is our reality. We need to have the eco-systems for turn-arounds and reboots ready at all times.

The full catalog for this month’s series is listed as follows:

Rising from the Ashes – The Phoenix rises from the Pandemic
Rising from the Ashes – One person – Dead or Alive – can make a difference
Rising from the Ashes – Natural Disasters – The Price of Paradise – ENCORE
Rising from the Ashes – Political Revolutions – Calling Balls and Strikes
Rising from the Ashes – War – “What is it good for?”
Rising from the Ashes – Wrong Ethos could also rise – Cautionary tale of patriotic German Jews

The theme of the constant threat to our society have been published in many previous Go Lean blog-commentaries; in fact that prior commentary related this title: the Curse of the Enriquillo Faultline. It is only apropos to Encore that one, from January 29, here and now:

—————-

Go Lean Commentary – Cursed in Paradise – ‘Enriquillo’ Fault-line

The Caribbean is the “greatest address on the planet … “

We have said this repeatedly; the Creator has blessed this region with such beauty.

Yet, we must confess, considering a religious argument: “The Gods must be crazy” … putting such a beautiful place in the middle of a dangerous Earthquake Fault-line. This refers to the Enriquillo Fault-line across the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean archipelago – see Photo here:

This is not just a theory; this is actuality. We have this news headline now: “7.7 Earthquake north of Jamaica”. So, crediting Godly devotion again, maybe the earthquake activity is some kind of Divine Retribution?

Retribution of what?

Well, just like the Curse of Montezuma or Curse of the Bambino, there were some egregious atrocities that maybe had to be prosecuted-reconciled-remediated for justice from some higher authority (God). Therefore, the thesis is that there is a “curse on this landmass for retribution against the ‘powers that be’ for the inflictions against the indigenous people and their leader Enriquillo”. See those details here on the Enriquillo namesake and the encyclopedic reference of the Fault-line in the Appendix below:

Reference: Enriquillo
Good relations between Christopher Columbus and the indigenous Taíno of the large island Columbus called Hispaniola did not last more than a few days. The Taínos were forced into terrible conditions as laborers in gold mining operations, badly housed in the mountains, poorly fed, extremely overworked, and forced to live in close quarters with the Spaniards.^[5] Additionally, due to taking men away from the villages, the cycle of food production was disrupted, causing widespread malnutrition.^[5] This malnutrition further aided the Taínos’ vulnerability to deadly new types of diseases introduced by the foreigners.^[5] After Columbus tortured and killed many in his quest for gold, he turned to slavery and sugar cane plantations as a way to profit from his voyages.

Several revolts followed in the first half of the 16th century, the most famous began in 1519. Enriquillo, one of the few remaining caciques, or indigenous chiefs, started the revolt with a large number of Taínos from the mountain range of Bahoruco. The Tainos were able to continue the rebellion because of their better knowledge of the region.^[6] As the Spaniards were not able to control the rebellion, a treaty was signed granting to the Native population among others the right of Freedom and of Possession. It had little consequences, however, as by this time the Native population was rapidly declining due to European diseases.

Enriquillo, also known as “Enrique” by the Spaniards, was a Taíno cacique [(Tribal Chief)] who rebelled against the Spaniards between 1519 and 1533. Enriquillo’s rebellion is the best known rebellion of the early Caribbean period. He is also considered a hero in the modern day Dominican Republic and Haiti for his resistance in favor of the indigenous peoples.^[1] Dominican friar Bartolome de Las Casas, who documented and rallied against Spanish abuse of the indigenous, wrote sympathetically of Enriquillo.^[2]

His father, his aunt Anacaona, and eighty other regional chieftains were killed by Nicolás de Ovando while attending supposed “peace talks” with the Spanish in Jaragua. During the talks, Spanish soldiers ambushed the chieftains, also known as caciques, set the meeting house on fire, and then proceeded to kill anyone who fled the flames (causing his father’s death). Enriquillo, an orphan, was later raised in a Santo Domingo monastery and given the name of “Enrico” ^[3]. One of his mentors was Bartolomé de Las Casas. De Las Casas was a Spanish Roman Catholic Priest focused on the rights of Native Americans. ^[4]

Enriquillo also had a wife, called Mencía, later with the noble title Doña due to Enriquillo’s high standing and relations with the Spaniards. She was raped by a Spaniard named Valenzuela. When Enriquillo tried to take the issue to the Spanish courts, nothing could be done, since it was Doña Mencia’s word against the Spaniard’s word. This, according to some writers, was the tipping point for Enriquillo which led to his revolt in the Bahoruco mountains.
Source: Retrieved January 29, 2020 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enriquillo

Theory, thesis, religious inference – Yada Yada!

It is what it is – these earthquakes are real! We must simply prepare. This is quest of the movement behind the 2013 book Go Lean…Caribbean; the book stated (Page 23):

c-7. “Crap” Happens
Economic security is tied to the community quest to reboot the Caribbean region to ensure a better place to live, work and play. To ensure economic security, the economic engines must be protected to ensure their continuous operations despite natural or man-made deterrents. Bad things do happen to good people, so we cannot be caught unprepared. We must institute the process and provisions to respond, react, restore and recover. Any and everyone may need to dial “911”.

The Caribbean community ethos is to consider the facts and realities:

climate change cannot be dismissed – tropical storms are now more common and more ferocious;

there are two geologic fault-lines that run through the Caribbean region;

there is an active volcano on Montserrat.

It is not a matter of “if” but “when” emergencies will strike. The security principle therefore is to be prepared for all incidents, big and small, that involve all aspects of society: islands, institutions, companies, families and individuals.

As related in the foregoing headline – 7.7 Earthquake north of Jamaica – this is of serious concern. This seismic activity had its epicenter in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, away from land, but spurring the threat of a tsunami in one place after another. Everyone is On Alert. See this actuality depicted in this news story here:

Title: Mag 7.7 quake hits between Cuba and Jamaica, but no injuries
Sub-title: A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake has struck in the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and eastern Cuba
By: Michael Weissenstein, Associated Press
HAVANA – A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and eastern Cuba on Tuesday, shaking a vast area from Mexico to Florida and beyond, but there were no reports of casualties or heavy damage.

The quake was centered 139 kilometers (86 miles) northwest of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and 140 kilometers (87 miles) west-southwest of Niquero, Cuba, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It hit at 2:10 p.m. (1910 GMT) and the epicenter was a relatively shallow 10 kilometers (6 miles) beneath the surface.

Dr. Enrique Arango Arias, head of Cuba’s National Seismological Service, told state media that there had been no serious damage or injuries reported.

Gov. Carlos Joaquín González of Mexico’s Quintana Roo, which is home to Cancun, Tulum and other popular beach resorts, said the earthquake was felt in multiple parts of the low-lying Caribbean state but there were no early reports of damage or injuries.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially warned that the quake could generate waves 1 to 3 feet above normal in Cuba, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Honduras, Mexico and Belize, but issued a later message saying the danger had passed.

The initial tremor was followed by a series of strong aftershocks, including one measured at magnitude 6.1.

The quake was felt strongly in Santiago, the largest city in eastern Cuba, said Belkis Guerrero, who works in a Roman Catholic cultural center in the center of Santiago

“We were all sitting and we felt the chairs move,” she said. “We heard the noise of everything moving around.”

She said there was no apparent damage in the heart of the colonial city.

“It felt very strong but it doesn’t look like anything happened,’’ she told The Associated Press.

It was also felt a little farther east at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on the southeastern coast of the island. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damages, said J. Overton, a spokesman for the installation, which has a total population of about 6,000 people.

Several South Florida buildings were evacuated as a precaution, according to city of Miami and Miami-Dade County officials. No injuries or road closures were reported. No shaking was felt at the Hard Rock stadium in Miami Gardens, which will host the Super Bowl on Sunday.

The quake also hit the Cayman Islands, leaving cracked roads and what appeared to be sewage spilling from cracked mains. There were no immediate reports of deaths, injuries or more severe damage, said Kevin Morales, editor-in-chief of the Cayman Compass newspaper.

The islands experience so few earthquakes that newsroom staff were puzzled when it hit, he said.

“It was just like a big dump truck was rolling past,” Morales said. “Then it continued and got more intense.”

Dr. Stenette Davis, a psychiatrist at a Cayman Islands hospital, said she saw manhole covers blown off by the force of the quake, and sewage exploding into the street, but no more serious damage.

Claude Diedrick, 71, who owns a fencing business in Montego Bay, said he was sitting in his vehicle reading when the earth began to sway.

“It felt to me like I was on a bridge and like there were two or three heavy trucks and the bridge was rocking but there were no trucks,” he said.

He said he had seen no damage around his home in northern Jamaica.

Mexico’s National Seismological Service reported that the quake was felt in five states including as far away as Veracruz, on the country’s Gulf Coast.

————— Associated Press writer Kate Chappell in Kingston, Jamaica, contributed to this report.

Source: Posted & Retrieved January 28, 2020 from: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/powerful-earthquake-hits-cuba-jamaica-68592066

Considering the geological science of earthquakes, we know there are main shocks and after-shocks. Some geologists also credit pre-shocks, where minor seismic activities come as a prelude to main shocks. See more on the “Science of Earthquakes” in this VIDEO here:

VIDEO – What is an earthquake? – https://abcn.ws/2M4FtKM

An earthquake is caused when two blocks of earth slip past each other on a fault plane, according to the US Geological Survey.

The Richter Scale is exponential between the numbers 3 and 8, so 7.7 is very strong … and dangerous.

There truly have been pre-shocks leading up to this “7.7 Earthquake north of Jamaica”; consider this related story:

2020 Puerto Rico Earthquakes
At the end of December 2019 and in early January 2020, the southwestern part of the island of Puerto Rico was struck by an earthquake swarm,^[1] including six that were of magnitude 5 or greater.^[2] The largest and most damaging of this sequence occurred on January 7 at 04:24 AST (08:24 UTC) and had a magnitude of 6.4 M_w and a maximum felt intensity of VII (Very strong) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.^[3] At least one person was killed and several others were injured.^[4][5]

A 5.8 M_w  earthquake the previous day caused the destruction of a natural arch, a tourist attraction at Punta Ventana in Guayanilla.^[6] A 5.9 M_w  aftershock on Saturday, January 11, damaged many structures, including several historical buildings as well as modern high-rises in the city of Ponce.^[7]

Power was lost Island-wide immediately after the quake, and was increasingly restored over a period of a week. Damage to homes was extensive and, by 14 January, more than 8,000 people were homeless and camping outdoors in various types of shelters, with 40,000 others camping outside their homes, just in the city of Ponce alone.^[8]

Needless to say, the Enriquillo Fault-line has been very active in these recent days. To all Caribbean stakeholders, we urge:

Be afraid; be very afraid.

This is the same fault-line that devastated Haiti in January 2010 – almost 10 years exactly – plus many other times in the past. The Go Lean movement and organization originated in response to that unmitigated disaster. See this salient reference to it in the Go Lean book (Page 115):

The Bottom Line on the Haiti’s Earthquakes

As of 2010, the following major earthquakes have been recorded in Haiti, along the Enriquillo or Septentrional-Oriente faults:

1564: Quake destroyed Concepción de la Vega and Santiago de los Caballeros.
1701: On November 9, severe destruction occurred and “part of the area along the north shore of the Tiburon Peninsula from Logane to Petit Goave sank into the sea”.
1751 Port-au-Prince earthquake (18 October): According to French historian Moreau de Saint-Méry, “only one masonry building had not collapsed” in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital city.
1770 Port-au-Prince earthquake (3 June): The city was leveled in this magnitude 7.5 quake, killing over 200 people.
1783: A strong quake partially destroyed the church in Santiago.
1842 Cap-Haitien earthquake (7 May): An earthquake destroyed the city of Cap-Haïtien and other towns in the north of Haiti and the Dominican Republic; this earthquake also destroyed the Sans-Souci Palace. 10,000 people were killed. It has been estimated that its magnitude was 8.1.
1946 Dominican Republic earthquake (4 August): This 8.0-magnitude quake in Samaná also shook Haiti horrifically, producing a tsunami that killed 1,600 people.
2010 Haiti earthquake (12 January):. The epicenter of this magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake was near Léogâne, approximately 16 miles west of Port-au-Prince at a depth of 8.1 miles. The United States Geological Survey recorded a series of at least 33 aftershocks, 14 of which were between magnitudes 5.0 and 5.9. The International Red Cross estimated that about three million people were affected by the quake; the Haitian Government reports that over 316,000 people had been identified as dead, an estimated 300,000 injured, and an estimated 1,000,000 homeless.

Based on this observation, one can hypothesize the theory of: “An accursed land, indeed”!

Yet still, the Go Lean promoters assert – in a previous blog-commentary – that we do not want our people abandoning home, seeking refuge elsewhere. We can reform and transform the homeland to better prepare for the eventualities of Mother Nature. See that message here:

The movement behind the book Go Lean…Caribbean is standing up, stepping up and speaking up:

“… Here I am, send me” – The Bible; Isaiah 6:8 (New International Version: Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”)

The basic premise of the economic analysis in the Go Lean book is that we need our population to stay, remain and return to the Caribbean; the more people we have in the market the better.

What is it that we can do to reform and transform for earthquakes? The Go Lean book relates (Page 76), in introducing the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU) as a technocracy to plan and respond to natural disasters. See this excerpt here:

B4 – Emergency Management
This area is perhaps one of the most important functions of the CU. The Emergency Management Department will coordinate the planning, response, rebuilding and recovery before, during and after natural disasters and other emergency events. This is the risk management arm of the CU Trade Federation. As such, the scope of Emergency Management will also include education, mentoring, monitoring, mitigation, licensing and coordination of all volunteer activities.

The scope of this department also includes a number of proactive initiatives: (1). establishing and administering volunteer fire/rescue departments for sparsely populated areas; and (2). installing/maintaining emergency notification systems. In ancient cultures there is the practice of ringing a bell, a church bell or one at the town square, to alert the community of an imminent threat. A lot of western democracies embrace the same tactic with more modern technologies, such as audible alarms/sirens.

The imminent threat includes tornado landfall warning, tsunami, mudslide, volcano eruption, etc. The CU will extend this practice further by installing a standard audible siren system for any/all emergency events. A great lesson learned from the US Midwestern city of Omaha-Nebraska is the schedule for siren testing, the first Wednesday every month at 11:00am.

A best practice for Emergency Management is electronic notification. This includes an Emergency Broadcasting/Alert system for TV and radio. Plus now the latest advance is the use of telephone/internet and contact center technologies, allowing features like Reverse 911 – automated/robo calls to every active phone in a location – and text message blasting to every cell phone. With the embrace of www.myCaribbean.gov, the CU can target an alert message to any & every email address, social media screen names, or provide Pop-up Screens for internet browsing sessions for all IP addresses in the strike area.

As such, the scope of natural emergencies covered by this agency will cover more than hurricanes. As such, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, flooding, forest fires, and droughts will also be monitored, managed and responded to. (These have all been experienced recently in the Caribbean).

Emergencies also include the man-made variety as in industrial (oil spills, factory accidents, chemical spills), explosions, terroristic attacks and prison riots. The purpose of the Trade Federation is to enhance the economic engines of the region. While the #1 economic driver in the region is tourism, any poorly managed episode of “man-made” emergencies will have devastating effects on tourist bookings. Therefore, the CU must respond quickly, forcefully and professionally to contain the physical and image damage that can occur from these incidents.

Though not exclusive, this agency will coordinate its specialized services, skill-sets and occupations like Paramedic, EMT, Search-and-Rescue, Canine (K-9) with other governing (law enforcement) entities. Regional training will therefore be coordinated, licensed, and certified by this CU Emergency Management Department.

This Emergency Management agency will also coordinate the training and management of animal responders, in conjunction with the other federal agencies of Justice, Agriculture, Interior (Parks). The animals will include bomb sniffing dogs, cadaver dogs, drug dogs and mounted police horses.

There is also an economic/financial scope for this department. As the effort for a comprehensive property-casualty fund to cover the entire Caribbean region will also be coordinated by this agency. The classic solution is a large pool of premium payers and claims filed by the affected area. Beyond this model, there are also advanced products like re-issuance side-cars for market assimilation. The public can then invest and profit from the threat/realization of regional risks. This derivative product is a bet, a gamble, but in the end, the result is an insurance fund of last resort, much like the Joint Underwriters Agency (JUA) in Florida.

The Go Lean movement has addressed the subject of Earthquakes and Emergency Management on many occasions. See this sample of the many previous blog-commentaries here:

https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=18182	Disaster Relief: Helping, Not Hurting
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=17373	A Marshall Plan for Haiti – Finally
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=15996	Good Governance: Stepping Up in an Emergency
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=15267	Industrial Reboot – Prefab (Earthquake Tolerant) Housing 101
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=13974	The Spoken and Unspoken on Haiti
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=2614	Modeling the ‘Great ShakeOut’ Earthquake Drill
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=87	6.5M Earthquake Shakes Eastern Caribbean

“Here I am send me”? That sounds similar to the mantra “To Change the World, Start With Me”!

While not subscribing to any religious dogma, “it is what it is”, the End of Days Prophecies in the Bible seem to have validity – Matthew 24: 3, 7:

³What will be the sign … of the Last Days?
⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

So we must simply be more resilient and responsive to earthquakes – and tsunamis. There is no reason to expect any less activity.

So let’s get busy … let’s prepare our homes, families, communities, nations and region for the eventuality of this Enriquillo Fault-line (and other geologic weak-points that are undeniable in our homeland).

Most importantly, let’s lean-in to this Go Lean roadmap – this is the Way Forward for Caribbean Disaster Preparation and Response – and finally make our region, each of the 30 Caribbean member-states, a better place to live, work and play. 🙂

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 ensure public safety and protect the resultant economic engines.
Improve Caribbean governance to support these engines, including a separation-of-powers between the member-states and CU federal agencies.

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

Who We Are
The movement behind the Go Lean book – a non-partisan, apolitical, religiously-neutral Community Development Foundation chartered for the purpose of empowering and re-booting economic engines – stresses that reforming and transforming the Caribbean societal engines must be a regional pursuit. This was an early motivation for the roadmap, as pronounced in the opening Declaration of Interdependence (Pages 11 – 13):

ii. Whereas the natural formation of the landmass for our lands constitutes some extreme seismic activity, it is our responsibility and ours alone to provide, protect and promote our society to coexist, prepare and recover from the realities of nature’s occurrences.

xi. Whereas all men are entitled to the benefits of good governance in a free society, “new guards” must be enacted to dissuade the emergence of incompetence, corruption, nepotism and cronyism at the peril of the people’s best interest. The Federation must guarantee the executions of a social contract between government and the governed.

xvi. Whereas security of our homeland is inextricably linked to prosperity of the homeland, the economic and security interest of the region needs to be aligned under the same governance. Since economic crimes … can imperil the functioning of the wheels of commerce for all the citizenry, the ccidence of this Federation must equip the security apparatus with the tools and techniques for predictive and proactive interdictions.

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. …

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.

Sign the petition to lean-in for this roadmap for the Caribbean Union Trade Federation.

——————

Appendix – Enriquillo–Plantain Garden Fault Zone

The Enriquillo–Plantain Garden fault zone (EPGFZ or EPGZ) is a system of active coaxial left lateral-moving strike slip faults which runs along the southern side of the island of Hispaniola, where Haiti and the Dominican Republic are located.^[1] The EPGFZ is named for Lake Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic where the fault zone emerges, and extends across the southern portion of Hispaniola through the Caribbean to the region of the Plantain Garden River in Jamaica.

Geology
The EPGFZ shares approximately half of the relative motion between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates with the Septentrional-Oriente fault zone which runs along the northern side of Hispaniola. Both faults merge into the Cayman Trench to the west. The fault accommodates about 20.6±1.66 millimeters of lateral motion per year (mm/yr).^[2] Additionally, a component of compression is present as the North American Plate pushes toward the southwest. This results in vertical deformation manifest in the mountainous terrain of Hispaniola. Some researchers believe that the EPGFZ and the Septentrional-Orient fault zone bound a microplate, dubbed the Gonâve Microplate, a 190,000 km² (73,000 sq mi) area of the northern Caribbean Plate that is in the process of shearing off the Caribbean Plate and accreting to the North America Plate.^[3]

[Prominent] Earthquakes

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck southeastern coast of Jamaica in 1692, almost destroying Port Royal
An earthquake struck along the southern coast of Hispaniola in 1751.^[4]
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Port-au-Prince in 1770.
The 1907 Kingston earthquake damaged every building in Kingston, Jamaica.^[1]
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred near Port-au-Prince, Haiti as a result of seismic activity along blind thrust faults associated with this fault zone on January 12, 2010.^[5][6]

Other historical large earthquakes in 1860, 1761, 1684, 1673, and 1618 are also likely attributed to the EPGFZ, though none of these have been confirmed in the field as associated with this fault.^[7]

Source: Retrieved January 29, 2020 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enriquillo%E2%80%93Plantain_Garden_fault_zone

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Rise from the Ashes – One person – Dead or Alive – can make a difference

Posted on June 24, 2020 in Ethos, Social

Go Lean Commentary

The death of George Floyd is changing the world.

While this is an American drama, the reverberations of an innocent Black Man being killed by a White Police Officer – again – is causing a reflection and reconciliation of race relations around the world.

George Floyd is not the first … and not the last. So why is this time, this instance, so different compared to other instances?

Answer: Coronavirus – COVID-19.

Thanks to the Coronavirus – COVID-19 crisis, the world is shuttered, sheltering-in-place and reflecting …
… and reconciling …
… and realizing …
… that there are blatant injustices that are tied to racial differences. It is unavoidable; the reflection is bringing the long-past-due reckoning to this drama.

This Coronavirus – COVID-19-forced reboot and protests for social justice, civil rights and police accountability remind us of the Phoenix mythology; that from the ashes of the old society, a new creation can emerge.

This is the continuation of the June 2020 Teaching Series from the movement behind the 2013 book Go Lean…Caribbean; this is entry 2 of 6. This movement presents a Teaching Series every month on a subject that is germane to Caribbean life. Our focus this month is on Rising from the Ashes. The social justice protests from the George Floyd killing is timely; this demonstrates that one person – Dead or Alive – can make a difference.

R.I.P. George Floyd; see the encyclopedic details in the Appendix below.

The full catalog for this month’s series is listed as follows:

Rising from the Ashes – The Phoenix rises from the Pandemic
Rising from the Ashes – One person – Dead or Alive – can make a difference
Rising from the Ashes – Natural Disasters – The Price of Paradise
Rising from the Ashes – Political Revolutions – Calling Balls and Strikes
Rising from the Ashes – War – “What is it good for?”
Rising from the Ashes – Wrong Ethos could also rise – Cautionary tale of patriotic German Jews

There are no Ands, Ifs or Buts; much of the world’s racial orthodoxy is “burning down” right now. There is a desire to shed the defective institutions and practices in the eco-systems for justice. This is not just an American concern, as many of the organized protests have occurred or is occurring in other countries, on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

So one person has spurred all of this reflection. George Floyd was not a willing advocate; he was just a victim, but one too many:

The straw that break the camel’s back – See Appendix VIDEO below.
It is the last feather that breaks the horse’s back ^[3]
The final terrible thing that makes a situation unbearable
The last drop makes the cup run over
“Getting on my last nerve”

George Floyd did not try to effect change in his homeland; he was not an activist nor an advocate.

Yet, in death, he is responsible for a lot of changes. This one man is causing the US – and other countries, think the UK – to reform and transform. As depicted in the following article, from the iconic Economist Magazine, Floyd’s big contribution is inspiration – “his death has inspired protests abroad, from Brazil to Indonesia, and France to Australia. His legacy is the rich the promise of social reform. It is too precious to waste”:

Title: The power of protest and the legacy of George Floyd
Sub-title: Don’t waste a rich chance for social reform
Column: Race and social change
George Floyd was not famous. He was killed not in the capital of the United States, but on a street corner in its 46th-largest city. Yet in death he has suddenly become the keystone of a movement that has seized all of America. Still more remarkably, he has inspired protests abroad, from Brazil to Indonesia, and France to Australia. His legacy is the rich promise of social reform. It is too precious to waste.

The focus is rightly on America (see article). The protests there, in big cities and tiny towns far from the coasts, may be the most widespread in the country’s long history of marching. After an outburst of rage following Mr Floyd’s death, the demonstrations have, as we hoped last week, been overwhelmingly peaceful. They have drawn in ordinary Americans of all races. That has confounded those who, like President Donald Trump, thought they could be exploited to forge an electoral strategy based on the threat of anarchy. What began as a protest against police violence against African-Americans has led to an examination of racism in all its forms.

The marches outside America are harder to define (see article). In Mexico and South Africa the target is mainly police violence. In Brazil, where three-quarters of the 6,220 people killed by police in 2018 were black, race is a factor too. Australians are talking about the treatment of aboriginals. Some Europeans, used to condemning America over race, are realising that they have a problem closer to home. Angela Merkel has asked Germans to take the chance to “sweep outside their own front doors”. Several countries are agonising over public monuments (see leader).

It is hard to know why the spark caught today and not before. Nobody marched in Paris in 2014 after Eric Garner was filmed being choked to death by officers on Staten Island—then again, hardly anyone marched in New York, either. Perhaps the sheer ubiquity of social media means that enough people have this time been confronted with the evidence of their own eyes. The pandemic has surely played a part, by cooping people up and creating a shared experience, even as it has nonetheless singled out racial minorities for infection and hardship (see Lexington).

The scale of the protests has something to do with Mr Trump, too. When Mr Garner was killed, America had a president who could bring together the nation at moments of racial tension, and a Justice Department that baby-sat recalcitrant police departments. Today they have a man who sets out to sow division.

But most fundamentally, and most happily, the protest reflects a rising rejection of racism itself. The share of Americans who see racial discrimination in their country as a big problem has risen from 51% in January 2015 to 76% now. A YouGov poll last week found that 52% of Britons think British society is fairly or very racist, a big rise from similar polls in the past. In 2018, 77% of the French thought France needed to fight racism, up from 59% in 2002. Pew Research found last year that in most countries healthy majorities welcome racial diversity.

America is both a country and an idea. When the two do not match, non-Americans notice more than when an injustice is perpetrated in, say, Mexico or Russia. And wrapped up in that idea of America is a conviction that progress is possible.

It is already happening, in three ways. It starts with policing, where some states and cities have already banned chokeholds and where Democratic politicians seem ready to take on the police unions. On June 8th Democrats in the House of Representatives put forward a bill that would, among other things, make it easier to prosecute police and limit the transfer of armour and weapons from the Pentagon to police departments. Congressional Republicans, who might have been expected to back the police, are working on a reform of their own. Although the general call for “defunding” risks a backlash, the details of redirecting part of the police budget to arms of local government, such as housing or mental health, may make sense.

There is also a recognition that broader change is needed from local and federal government. The median household net wealth of African-Americans is $18,000, a tenth of the wealth of white Americans. The ratio has not changed since 1990 (see Free exchange). An important cause of this is that many African-Americans are stuck in the racially monolithic neighbourhoods where their grandparents were allowed to settle at a safe distance from whites. Houses in these places are very cheap.

This separation helps explain why inequality endures in schooling, policing and health. The government has a role in reducing it. Federal spending worth $22.6bn already goes on housing vouchers. Schemes to give poor Americans a choice over where they live have Republican and Democratic backing in Congress. With better schools and less crime, segregated districts become gentrified, leaving them more racially mixed.

Business is waking up to the fact that it has a part, too, and not just in America (see article). The place where people mix most is at work. However, just four Fortune 500 firms have black chief executives and only 3% of senior American managers are black. No wonder anxious ceos have been queuing up to pledge that they will do better.

Firms have an incentive to change. Research suggests that racial diversity is linked to higher profit margins and that the effect is growing—though it is hard to be certain which comes first, diversity or performance. It has also become clear that a vocal share of employees and customers will shun companies that do not deal with racism. Platitudinous mission statements are unlikely to provide much protection. A first step is to monitor diversity at all levels of recruitment and promotion, as do Goldman Sachs and Intel—hardly known for being sentimental.

Large-scale social change is hard. Protest movements have a habit of antagonising the moderate supporters they need to succeed. Countries where the impulse for change is not harnessed to specific reforms will find that it dissipates. Yet anyone who thinks racism is too difficult to tackle might recall that just six years before George Floyd was born, interracial marriage was still illegal in 16 American states. Today about 90% of Americans support it. When enough citizens march against an injustice, they can prevail. That is the power of protest. ■

This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “The power of protest”

Source: Posted June 13, 2020; retrieved June 23, 2020 from: https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/06/11/the-power-of-protest-and-the-legacy-of-george-floyd

George Floyd has become a martyr!

The Go Lean book posits that one person – an advocate or an inspiration from a martyr like George Floyd – can make a difference (Page 122). It relates:

An advocacy is an act of pleading for, supporting, or recommending a cause or subject. For this book, it’s a situational analysis, strategy or tactic for dealing with a narrowly defined subject.

Advocacies are not uncommon in modern history. There are many that have defined generations and personalities. Consider these notable examples from the last two centuries in different locales around the world:

Frederick Douglas

Mohandas Gandhi

Martin Luther King

Nelson Mandela

Cesar Chavez

Candice Lightner

The Go Lean movement calls on every individual in the Caribbean to be an advocate themselves, and to appreciate the efforts of previous advocates. While we do not want George Floyd’s in our Caribbean communities – we want to be better with Cop on Black interactions – we do want our citizens to inspire each other to be better. This has been a consistent theme in many previous Go Lean blog-commentaries; consider this sample that depicts certain advocates and role models – Dead or Alive – and their achievements:

https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=19391	Chef Jose Andres – A Hero for “One Meal at a Time”
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=16944	Women Empowerment – Accepting Black Women ‘As Is’
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=16940	We need Sheroes Too!
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=14558	A Role Model of Being the Change – Linda Brown, RIP
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=14541	Viola Desmond – One Woman Made a Difference
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=14139	Carter Woodson – One Man Made a Difference … for Black History
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=13816	We Need Heroes!
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=12542	Dr. Thomas W. Mason – Role Model, Professor & STEM Influencer – RIP
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=10449	Patriarch of an ’empowering’ family – Mike Ilitch dies; RIP
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=7619	Sidney Poitier changed cinema by demanding and deserving a difference
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=5506	Role Model: Edward Snowden – One Person Making a Difference
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=3490	How One Entrepreneur Can Rally a Whole Community
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=1909	A Role Model for Music: Berry Gordy – No Town Like Motown
https://goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=1037	Humanities Advocate – Maya Angelou – R.I.P.

Individuals – and institutions – who make a difference, who reject the status quo and force change, could be likened to rising from the ashes, Just like the Phoenix Bird, there is the need to rebuild, reboot, repent and reconciled.

There are champions out there who have emerged for transforming society … in many walks of life. If we all show some patience, endurance and perseverance, we too can have an impact of our community. Many lessons have emerged from this George Floyd incident.

We needed patience, endurance and perseverance before Coronavirus-COVID-19 crisis; and we will need them even more now. Lastly we will need to double-down on these qualities to rise from the ashes further.

This is the quest of the Go Lean roadmap. Let’s lean-in to this roadmap to reboot and turn-around the Caribbean homeland. As protesters are expressing now in Minnesota and other cities in the USA and around the world, we have to simply ‘burn down” the old bad orthodoxy. This is how to make the Caribbean a better homeland to live, work and play. 🙂

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 ensure public safety and protect the resultant economic engines.
Improve Caribbean governance to support these engines, including a separation-of-powers between the member-states and CU federal agencies.

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

xi. Whereas all men are entitled to the benefits of good governance in a free society, “new guards” must be enacted to dissuade the emergence of incompetence, corruption, nepotism and cronyism at the peril of the people’s best interest. The Federation must guarantee the executions of a social contract between government and the governed.

xvi. Whereas security of our homeland is inextricably linked to prosperity of the homeland, the economic and security interest of the region needs to be aligned under the same governance. Since economic crimes … can imperil the functioning of the wheels of commerce for all the citizenry, the accedence of this Federation must equip the security apparatus with the tools and techniques for predictive and proactive interdictions.

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.

Sign the petition to lean-in for this roadmap for the Caribbean Union Trade Federation.

————-

Appendix Reference – George Floyd

George Perry Floyd Jr. (October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020) was an African-American man killed during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After his death, protests against police violence toward black people quickly spread across the United States and internationally.

Floyd grew up in Houston, Texas. He played football and basketball throughout high school and college. A blue-collar worker, he was also a hip hop artist and a mentor in his religious community. Between 1997 and 2005, he was convicted of eight crimes; in 2009, he accepted a plea bargain for a 2007 aggravated robbery, serving four years in prison.^[2]

In 2014, he moved to the Minneapolis area, finding work as a truck driver and a bouncer. In 2020, he lost his security job during the COVID-19 pandemic. He died while being arrested for allegedly using counterfeit money to buy cigarettes; Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on his neck for nearly eight minutes.^{[nb 1]}

… After Floyd’s death, protests were held globally against the use of excessive force by police officers against black suspects and lack of police accountability. Protests began in Minneapolis the day after his death and developed in over 400 cities throughout all 50 U.S. states and internationally.^[49][50]

Memorials and legacy
Several memorial services were held. On June 4, 2020, a memorial service for Floyd took place in Minneapolis with Al Sharpton delivering the eulogy.^[13][51] Services were planned in North Carolina with a public viewing and private service on June 6 and in Houston on June 8 and 9.^[52] Floyd was buried next to his mother in Pearland, Texas.^[53][54][55]

Colleges and universities which have created scholarships in Floyd’s name include North Central University (which hosted a memorial service for Floyd),^[56][57] Alabama State, Oakwood University,^[58][59] Missouri State University, Southeast Missouri State, Ohio University,^[60][61][62] Buffalo State College, Copper Mountain College,^[63][64] and others.^[65] Amid nationwide protests over Floyd’s killing, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and his wife Patty Quillin made a $ 120 million donation to be split equally among Morehouse College, Spelman College and the United Negro College Fund.^[66] The donation was the largest ever made to Historically Black Colleges and Universities.^[67]

Street artists globally created murals honoring Floyd. Depictions included Floyd as a ghost in Minneapolis, as an angel in Houston and as a saint weeping blood in Naples. A mural on the International Wall in Belfast commissioned by Festival of the People (Féile an Phobail) and Visit West Belfast (Fáilte Feirste Thiar) features a large portrait of Floyd above a tableau showing Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck while the three other officers turn their backs and each covers his eyes, ears, or mouth in the manner of the Three Wise Monkeys (“See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”).^[68][69][70] By June 6, murals had been created in many cities, including Manchester, Dallas, Miami, Idlib, Los Angeles, Nairobi, Oakland, Strombeek-Bever, Berlin, Pensacola, and La Mesa.^[71][72]

A bill proposed by US Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, the George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act, was designed to reduce police brutality and establish national policing standards and accreditations.^[73][74]

The length of time that Chauvin had his knee on Floyd’s neck, eight minutes forty-six seconds, was widely commemorated as a “moment of silence” to honor Floyd.^[75][76]

The Economist, which made Floyd its June 13 cover story, said that “His legacy is the rich promise of social reform.”^[77]

Source: Retrieved June 23, 2020 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Floyd

————-

Appendix VIDEO – The Straw that broke the Camel’s Back | Funny Animation – https://youtu.be/YFtP2XPLd4Q

DynoStorm
Posted Aug 9, 2019 – Made with OpenToonz! The Straw that broke the Camel’s Back | Funny Animation