Monthly Archives: October 2012

U.S. Elections: Your Vote Counts

28 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by in United States

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This is the second U.S. presidential election that grabbed my attention. Election 2008 was magical: the possibility of America’s first female or black president. Four years later, the magic is gone. Many promises for change remain unfulfilled. Middle Class America floundered while our elected representatives failed to work together for our interests. A vocal minority group of extreme religious conservatives launched a war against women’s rights. Using their vast wealth and new status of personhood, big corporations have compromised a faction of our officials and can now finance candidates for public office.

The U.S. electoral system is so complex and costly that there is no level playing field for all participants. We have more than ten political parties, yet only the Democratic and Republican parties enjoy prominence. Third Party and Independent candidates lack the financial clout and coverage by mainstream media to appear in the national polls. Without the minimum of 15 percent ratings, as stipulated by the Commission on Presidential Candidates, no Third Party candidate participated in the national presidential debates.

After raising over a billion dollars each in campaign funds, presidential candidates face another challenge to win the election. Gaining the national popular vote is not enough. The favored candidate and his running mate must each obtain 270 or more votes from the Electoral College. Every state, based on its population size, has at least three electors on the Electoral College. California, a state with a strong Democratic base, has the highest number with 55 electors.

On October 24, President Obama visited Los Angeles for an appearance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” His few, brief visits to Southern California, to energize his base and raise campaign funds, are costly events for selected participants. The closest I have come to seeing him is watching his helicopter and its escorts fly overhead.

President Obama and the Republic candidate, Governor Mitt Romney, focus their campaign trips on the nine so-called swing or battleground states where neither party has dominant support, courting them with frequent public appearances. In what I consider a quirk in the U.S. electoral system, the voters and electors in these states get to decide who will become our next Commander-in-Chief.

The top two swing states by number of electors are Florida and Ohio. But it is Ohio that stands out as the most favored electorate. Electoral pundits have noted that no Republican presidential candidate has ever won the White House without winning Ohio.

While the voters in Ohio and the other swing states are doing their part, the rest of us must also get out and vote for senators who will give priority to working for the good of all Americans and not for the interests of third party handlers. A head without a functioning body is impotent.

Our vote counts. Whatever your choice – whether it is one of the major candidates or a Third Party candidate – be counted. Be engaged.

Guyana: Violence in Conflict Resolution

21 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by in Economy and Finance, Guyana

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Excessive Use of Force by Police – Guyana

Source: http://www.barbadosgazette.com

 

Guyanese continue to use violence to resolve persistent political, socio-economic conflicts facing our nation. Roman Catholic Bishop Francis Alleyne, in an opinion column published in Demerara Waves on 17 October 2012, wrote: “There has to be another way…to address honestly the sharp disagreements and roiling controversies that plague (the nation).” He called on all Guyanese to “share in the uplifting and the progress of this nation of ours…in a spirit of genuine commitment and steadfast dedication…”

The World Health Organization defines violence as “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation.”

I grew up and came to adulthood during a period of continual violence when, as a nation, we maimed and killed each other in our fight for independence from Great Britain and in the turbulent years following independence. We secured our homes from kick-down-the-door bandits with wrought iron grills and guard dogs. My psyche has especially been scarred by the rape of young girls and women in Wismar (May 1964); the burning of the home of the Abraham family, killing the father and seven of his nine children ages 6 to 19 (June 1964); the killing of Father Bernard Darke SJ (July 1979); and the assassination of Dr. Walter Rodney (June 1980). You, too, may have your own scars from violence propagated against you, your family or neighbors. Guyana’s rum culture – a legacy of our colonial past as sugar and rum producers – perpetuates the violence in our homes and beyond.

Somewhere along our journey in nation-building, we learned that violence is the best solution for resolving our differences. Violence begets fear. Fear begets control. Control begets power. Power begets omnipotence.  Omnipotence begets entitlement. The omnipotent plutocrat, oligarch or dictator lives in a bubble of his own creation. He loses sight of the real world and of his inherent frailties as a human being.

Instigated by excessive force and brutality of the police and hired thugs, collective violence for conflict resolution between factions of government destroys property; reduces production; hinders the movement of people and goods; disrupts business transactions; scares visitors, tourists, and investors; drives away local talent and skills; and deters involvement by qualified professionals in the Diaspora. Ultimately, violence adversely affects our economy and our place in the regional and world economies. Violence prevents us from moving forward.

I agree with Bishop Alleyne: “There has to be another way.”

The World Health Organization makes the following recommendations for preventing collective violence: reduce poverty, inequality, and access to weapons; accountability from decision-makers; and government adherence to human rights.

In the case of the “roiling controversies that plague” Guyana, I believe that the ruling party must first look beyond the bubble and acknowledge that there is need for change. Only then can our government and its people work together towards bringing about change.

Brazil Business: Entrepreneurial Women

14 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by in Brazil, Economy and Finance, Working Life

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Brazilian Entrepreneur Vanessa de Figueiredo Vilela Araújo: Among top ten entrepreneurs to receive UNCTAD Women in Business Award 2010                 Source: http://www.administradores.com.br

In 2010, Brazilians elected their first female president, Dilma Vana Rousseff. That a woman should rise to the top government seat is not surprising. Women were the sole providers of 72.7 percent of households (IBGE Population Census 2010). Women also play an important role in the economy where, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2010, they ran 53 percent of Brazilian business enterprises during the study period (www.gemconsortium.org).

While Melon Exporters S.A. faced bankruptcy in 1994, Ceará Importers Ltda. (fictitious name), started in November 1992 by two entrepreneurial women, was on the rise. Their father, an import-export consultant who had worked on a contractual basis for Melon Exporters, invited me to join their professional team.

Ceará Importers occupied a building with a small depot and office space. In an upscale area of Fortaleza, capital of Ceará, they also operated two retail stores for their imported consumer goods. On visiting the stores, I was impressed with the design, quality, and variety of the household, gift, and other items on sale.

The empresárias brasileiras, sisters in their thirties and married with children, complemented each other with their contrasting personalities. I judged Marisa, a brunette with brown eyes who spoke softly with an easy smile, to be well-grounded. Luciana, blond with green eyes, electrified the room with her exuberance and dynamism, scattering the gloom that had settled around me at Melon Exporters.

I began working in the afternoons at Ceará Importers, while I continued working in the mornings at Melon Exporters. After three months, with growing volumes in shipments, I joined them full-time on their expansion from having a small representative office in Miami, USA, to new alliances in Europe.

The empresárias took turns visiting manufacturers and suppliers in the USA and Europe, in the company of their respective representatives, to select and place orders for goods to be packed and shipped by representatives. They kept an eye out for new products and trends, and innovations in American and European high-end retail stores.

During the next five years, their business moved to a new location near the port – providing three large warehouses, a Show Room for wholesale clients, and administrative building. They opened four more retail stores, working closely with contractors and store managers on layout and product displays. Their stores and product lines attracted the attention of other female entrepreneurs in Ceará and neighboring states, resulting in further expansion through franchise operations. Their energy, enthusiasm, and attention to detail were infectious.

Their individual success stories appeared in the society column of a major local newspaper. In recognition of their contribution to the economy of Fortaleza, the business community awarded them, for three consecutive years, the Destaque Empresarial do Ano for outstanding entrepreneurship in the retail sector.

Continually expanding their operations to include the importation of new products lines, they pushed me beyond my comfort zone, increasing my proficiency in the importation of a wide range of consumer products. Their success in entrepreneurship made possible my own achievements as their import manager.

 

Autumn: A Time for Letting Go

07 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by in About Me, Human Behavior, Nature and the Environment, Relationships, United States

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Carpet of Fallen Autumn Leaves

Source: shinywish.deviantart.com

Autumn has arrived in the northern hemisphere. Deciduous trees transform from hues of green leaves to blazes of yellow, orange, red, and brown. Fallen leaves carpet the earth with gold.

While the vibrant colors brighten my day, the shorter daylight hours and longer nights dampen my spirits. The fallen leaves remind me of all that I have had to let go of along my journey through life. Each leaf: a person who, for good or for bad, has touched my life. Very few friendships have survived the distance and time.

I have learned to let go of the pain of losing the people I love. I have learned to let go of places that held special memories and happy moments spent with family and friends. But I am a long way from shedding the dead leaves that drain my energies and rob me of joy and peace of mind.

I am learning to let go of toxic predatory relationships that feed on my goodwill. I am learning to let go of the fear of losing what I had already lost or never was mine to lose. I continue to struggle to let go of disappointments, resentments, making assumptions, and passing judgments.

Letting go requires courage, a willingness to change the direction of my life, and acknowledgment that I do not live in a vacuum. I connect with others who connect with others. My actions or non-action have consequences in the grand scheme of life.

Autumn is upon us. It is a time to let go of our fears, prejudices, and ignorance that divide us, lest the approaching winter of austerity, desolation, and isolation find us unprepared.