Garvinism, by Garvin Gray

Correcting The Corporate Greed Misnomer

2011-10-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

There is no such thing as corporate greed. Kinda sorta like the argument that there is no dangerous gun. Corporations are legal people, but unlike real people, they can’t steer themselves. They rely on real people to lead and direct them, which brings us to the reason for this note.

Whenever corporations go rouge and become heartless, they are simply reflecting the behavior of the people who are directing them. These directors and officers often lose their way while in pursuit of maximum profits, so that they can give their shareholders maximum return on the investments that have been made in them. Who are these shareholders? Well, they are often you and me. And when shareholders are unhappy heads usually roll at these corporations. So directors and officers often work under the pressure of having to increase value so that shareholders can be happy. For some unknown reason, shareholders are never happy with the same or with less. They are usually happiest with more than what they got the last time. This push for more has led to practices that are inhumane, especially for the workers who do not fall into the category of top management at these corporations. This has also caused corporations to resort to cost saving tactics that are often unfair and inhumane to both the workers and the public. But never forget, whenever corporations do the things they do it is usually done for the welfare and benefit of the shareholders, you and me.

So based on the foregoing, it is safe to say that there is no corporate greed. The greed belongs to the shareholders, you and me.

Rogue Lover, A Garvin Gray Poem

2011-09-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

A swim across a wide and dangerous ocean
To rescue a lover who was taken by a rogue
Only to find that the love is lost, forever
Replaced by a new and different kind of love
Made not for swimmers, but for rogues.

The Voice of a Child, A Garvin Gray Poem

2011-06-30T06:07:00.000-07:00

The Voice of a Child, A Garvin Gray Poem

From goo-goo gaga to poorly or properly coined sentences
Every word uttered by a child in any language is sacred
Fresh unique sounds from a mighty source not understood
Pure utterances of praise that are meant to minister to us
And to speak to the audience of the universe that listens.

Take time to appreciate the voice of a child
Speak to the child who remains silent.

Predators and Preys, A Garvin Gray Poem

2011-06-06T05:23:00.000-07:00

Predators and Preys, A Garvin Gray Poem

Rich man
Beautiful poor girl
He wants her love
She wants his money
Together they are perfect
Two predators and preys.

Bob Marley, 30 Years Later - by Garvin Gray

2011-05-11T07:43:00.001-07:00

Bob Marley, 30 Years Later - by Garvin Gray

Thirty years after Bob Marley's departure and his message, of love, peace, human rights, unity, and justice, is still being heard but not always heeded. Bob was firm and consistent in his position on these very important issues. He predicted that all systems of government (and economics) that are not about love for one another in theory and in practice will fail. He believed that the most important gift is life and that life is sacred. He preached against the love of material possession over the love and respect for human life. He implored us to love God by loving one another and being fair and reasonable in dealing with one another.

Bob Marley had a very interesting relationship with his maker, what appeared to have been a vertical one. He did not believe he needed to follow the world to get approval because he thought the only true approval was from God. He was against greed and exploitation. He was not materialistic and he was a strong believer in sharing. He also believed that the best gifts were things that were created by God, say a mango, and that man-made gifts are of little or no value. He also believed humankind is in the habit of taking God’s gifts for granted. He lived in a place and at a time when he should have been fearful for his life because of the issues he was addressing, but he lived without fear. For him, people should fear God, not man. He ridiculed nuclear weaponry, prisons, and other man-made threats that are designed to instill fear into us for purposes of control. He would not be controlled.

Bob Marley knew the right thing and did the right thing, for the most part. He was not perfect. He was a womanizer, for example, which shows his imperfection. But when all is said and done, Bob Marley challenged us, citizens of earth, to love one another and to do onto others as we would have others do onto us. He also challenged us to be thinkers and not act like sheep being led by shepherds, who do not always have our best interest at heart. He implored governments to battle poverty and to make justice accessible to all. He was a proponent of respect and dignity for all. He was a true humanist.

I believe he became a global icon because he used his music to spread messages of love and hope, among other things. He was a great messenger who came into this world to deliver a bold and courageous message, then went his way. He lived by rules that he thought were of God and spent his life doing his part, through music, to help to make this world a better place.

Rest on Bob Marley.

Broken Branch, A Garvin Gray Poem

2011-04-26T06:23:00.000-07:00

Broken Branch, A Garvin Gray Poem

A branch broke on a sacred tree in a forsaken city
Ambushed by the force of a wild and powerful wind
But the branch made not its way to the ground
It fell onto another branch that stood stronger below
Delaying decay and trying to remain relevant
On a sacred tree in a God forsaken city.

Wide Awake Asleep, A Garvin Gray Poem

2011-04-12T05:32:00.001-07:00

Wide Awake Asleep, A Garvin Gray Poem

Off goes the alarm that says ‘wake up’
But it’s not a good another morning
For I went to bed early expecting peace
But something happened during the night
That kept me wide awake asleep.

So today will be one of those days.

One, A Garvin Gray Poem

2011-03-18T08:25:00.000-07:00

One, A Garvin Gray Poem

David used one sling and one stone to kill Goliath
In a story that is, for me, about the amazing power of one
So I’ve developed a huge admiration for the first number
Even though one of anything leaves us with no real option.
But one is really about confidence, discipline, and dedication
One earth, one sun, one moon, one set of stars, all in one universe
Under the direction of one God who is about one word called ‘love’
It is the beginning of plenty and a source for courage and motivation
Do it one time and you are well on your way to doing it again
And yet one has a certain simplicity to it and is found in humility
Our very existence depends on it and nothing is anything without it
So one day something will happen that will change everything forever
Or we will find that we are unable to stop thinking about this one thing
Because one is the powerful force that bonds and governs all humankind
In a world in which we are all so very similar and yet all so one of a kind
Molded and made and put here with a mandate to love and live as one.

God will have it no other way.

Art, Life, and Buju Banton

2011-03-02T12:19:00.000-08:00

Art, Life, and Buju Banton, by Garvin Gray, MBA

Round two of the Buju Banton trial has come to an end and the jury has spoken. For me, the jury said ‘since we do not know for sure if Buju Banton conspired to deal/distribute cocaine, let’s give the prosecution the benefit of the doubt’. Jurors do this sort of thing all the time, even though they are instructed not to do so. The ruling has left me rueful but I am not faulting the jury system. It is still the best system.

I could not be a juror in a drug case, dealer or user. The fact of the matter is that people all over the world love drugs. Why? Well, this world is not always a nice place, so people rely on drugs to leave earth (get high) and/or to calm their nerves. And for whatever reason, people don’t always feel nice, so they rely on drugs to help them to feel nice. And even when people are feeling nice, they sometimes use drugs to feel even nicer. And some drugs, for example alcohol (yes, that’s a drug), make social events and other things spicier. Unfortunately, the world has moved in the direction of persecuting the sellers of some drugs and labeling the users as victims. This is hypocrisy. Both sides should be treated equally. Some people even get into classifying and categorizing drugs, legal regulated drugs vs. illegal substances. But a drug is a drug, and all drugs are used to adjust mental state. And since so many people hide to use and sell drugs maybe decriminalizing and regulating all drugs is the best solution. More and more denying people legal access to drugs is turning out to be some sort of a human rights issue. It affects people across all classes and ethnicity. Otherwise decent law-abiding citizens are being incarcerated for selling or using drugs. Because I know and understand all this, I would never convict anyone for using or selling drugs. So I will never be a member of a jury that hears a drugs case. And I won’t even get into the waste of the resources that have been committed to fight drugs for years all over the world. Nothing will ever prevent humankind from using drugs.

Dancehall reggae music, hip hop, rock, and pop are some of the known genres that promote drug use. Just take a moment to listen to the lyrics of some of the more popular songs from these genres. But since Buju Banton is a dancehall reggae artiste let’s stick with the dancehall reggae genres. Most popular dancehall reggae artistes, past and present, to include Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jacob Miller, Sean Paul, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Vybz Kartel, and Mavado, have recorded songs that promote marijuana (weed) use. Some have also done songs promoting the use of alcohol. But for the most part, dancehall reggae artistes love singing what has come to be known as ‘weed songs’. They do it because many of them use weed and because they know many dancehall reggae fans love weed songs. And the truth be told, the genres of reggae and dancehall are married to marijuana, and a divorce is not expected any time soon. Reggae is connected to Rastafarianism, a religion that uses marijuana for a spiritual purpose. I am not sure how marijuana came to be the drug of choice for dancehall artistes, but it is. Many artistes from a variety of music genres rely on the use of drugs (usually weed) to help them when they are creating and/or perfecting new content. Some need it before they perform on stage. That is just the way it is.

While many dancehall reggae artistes sing songs about using and/or promoting the use of weed, only a few of the popular artistes have crafted songs about selling and/or distributing weed. Buju Banton is one such artiste and people everywhere have opinions from now until eternity about Buju Banton’s decision to do so. The song, titled Driver A, is a great artful song that is masterfully crafted and rich in imagery. The music video, a sort of short film, was also well done and stays close to the imagery depicted in the song. The song is about a drug boss who meets with a hired driver/transporter and gives him a package (of weed) to deliver. The drug boss gives the driver stern instructions about dos and don’ts while transporting the drugs, so as to avoid contact with law enforcement. The driver successfully delivers the package at an address on Albemarle Road, in Brooklyn, NY. Buju Banton plays the role of the drug boss in the music video/short film. Because of this, some of what people have been saying since Buju Banton’s arrest in the Florida case is that he is a real-life drug boss. Some have been quietly saying this since the song was released but now that Buju Banton has been found guilty more and more people are coming out to suggest that he is drug dealer, based on the song and/or based on whatever else they know or heard that the rest of us have no knowledge of. But let us assume that Buju Banton was not arrested and convicted of a crime in Florida. These sorts of things, where in people’s minds actors are never able to move away from the roles they play, happen all the time. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the terminator. But if people take the time to really think about it they will find that there is a big difference between art and real life and they will also understand that there is no terminator. And by the way, Driver A is about transporting weed, while the real life Florida case was about conspiracy to possess/distribute cocaine.

Buju Banton, and Buju Banton alone, is the author of his fate. And all the obvious lessons to be learnt from the Buju Banton case have been written about and are posted on the internet for the world to see. Buju Banton remains in my thoughts and prayers and I am happy to hear that he took the news of the guilty verdict humbly and without a murmur. It makes it easier for us, his supporters, to know that he is psychologically strong to face whatever his fate is. Of course, I am hoping that his post-trial attempts will go well and that he will return to full unfettered freedom very soon. Until then, we love you Mark ‘Buju Banton’ Myrie and we remain your loyal supportive fans.

p.s. – A message to potential jurors in criminal cases everywhere. The benefit of the doubt should always go the accused.

Fateful Family Man

2011-02-25T07:58:00.001-08:00

Fateful Family Man, A Short Story by Garvin Gray

A man visits an Oracle to find out if having a family was in his future. The Oracle told him that he would marry a beautiful woman after dating her for a short while and that they would have two lovely children. And that seven years into the marriage she would leave him for another man. The Oracle made clear that he will be devastated and would have to pay child support for the children who would come to love their stepfather more than him.

The man left the Oracle with the smile of disbelief on his face and went to see a priest. He asked the priest to teach him how to pray and to give him direction regarding lessons of love and patience in the Bible.

Three months after completing his spiritual counseling he met and fell in love with a very beautiful lady. Six months later after taking her to dinner, he took her up to a romantic look-out and with the moon and the stars watching he fell to his knees and asked her to marry him.
She said yes. Two months later they were married and a year later she was pregnant.

The man was happy and pleased so far with the unraveling of his fate. His plan was to savor every moment as he braced himself and prepare spiritually for the disaster that awaited him. He loved her like there was no tomorrow and made sure she knew it.

By year five into the marriage the second child was already born. They have been blessed with two beautiful children, and he took the time to care for them and nurture them.

Seven years of marriage came and went and his wife had not announced that she was leaving him. The man figured that perhaps things were a little delayed so he continued to wait. After celebrating nine years of marriage, the man returned to the Oracle and asked why the prediction had not come to pass. The Oracle told him that it really did not know why but that love and patience have a way of changing people's fate for the better. The man left the Oracle with the smile of disbelief on his face and went to see the priest.

Alternate Ending

The man left the Oracle terribly disappointed because he had made all the right preparations and was ready to face his miserable fate.

Sorrowful Souls, A Garvin Gray Poem

2010-11-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

Sorrowful Souls, A Garvin Gray Poem

Tragedy strikes and the news of it breaks us
Hazy eyes, shattered hearts, and misaligned feelings
We mourn forever, individually and collectively
Our souls sorrowful.

My Question For The Oracle

2010-10-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

My Question For The Oracle

When I was a child I went to visit the great Oracle.

Me: O great Oracle, when I die, will I be poor or rich?
Oracle: You will not die, you will live forever.
Me: Sweet!

Unbelievable Triple Tragedy

2010-10-14T05:26:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable Triple Tragedy, A Garvin Gray Skit

Two cars are racing. The race started because the two male drivers are on an ego trip. Their cars are not racing cars, but are suitable for their purposes. The car in the lead dives into a bend and is surprised by a jackknifed tractor trailer. The car careens and slams into the tractor trailer. The driver dies instantly. The second car hits the bend also at rip speed and is surprised by tragedy number one. It's too late to take evasive action. The car slams head-on into car number one. The driver in car number two dies instantly, and the driver in car number one dies again.

Alternate Ending

The car slams head-on into car number one. The driver in car number two dies instantly. The driver of the tractor trailer, already shocked by accident and death number one, is horrified. He shouts out 'WTF' then drops dead of a heart attack.

Moral of the story
Avoid ego trips.

Gone, For Good

2010-09-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

Gone, For Good, A Garvin Gray Poem

I asked her if she could find it in her heart to reconsider
And she said no
So I waited for a few days to pass then called and ask again
And she said no, again
Then she gave me a thousand reasons why she wouldn’t, and couldn’t
As I listened and cried deep on the inside
I was reckless with her heart and had squandered her love
And somehow she found the courage to break and was gone, for good.

Artfelt Tears, A Garvin Gray Poem

2010-09-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

Artfelt Tears, A Garvin Gray Poem

And even though I made her cry
I hardened myself against it
Showing no remorse and acting cold
To prolong her tears and feed my sickness
For making a woman cry is the perfect art.

What if (I Lose My Mind)?

2010-08-13T06:29:00.000-07:00

What if (I Lose My Mind)?, A Garvin Gray Poem

What if I lose my mind and can no longer find my way
Forgetting or misremembering everything that meant anything?
What if I lose me in a collision or slip into some sort of oblivion
Dangled and dazed with no way of even knowing that I’ve lost it?

Onward forward steadfast and strong with good reliance on fate and God.

Go Away Sleep

2010-07-01T14:17:00.001-07:00

Go Away Sleep, A Garvin Gray Poem

Sleep is a luxury that I can’t afford
For if I sleep now I’ll suffer later
So I suffer now and hope to sleep later
Burning eyes powered by pain and passion
Positive energy in pursuit of permanent change.

Sleep is a luxury that I can’t afford
So go away sleep.

Life In A Backlog

2010-05-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

Life In A Backlog, A Garvin Gray Poem

The world turns and the backlog continues
Way too many things with far too little time
‘Tis the price we pay for chasing dreams
Mentally strong but physically weak and weary.

The world turns and we fight on, in good faith.

Unanswered Prayer

2010-02-18T11:46:00.000-08:00

Unanswered Prayer, A Garvin Gray poem

I pray that I will find a vacant seat on the train today
So that I can take a catnap to give relief to my burning eyes
For I go long and hard; my spirit powered but my body punished
I prayed this very prayer yesterday to no avail, but I'm still praying.

Losing (Something)

2010-01-21T05:26:00.000-08:00

Losing (Something)

You won’t know you are going to lose it.
So until you lose it, it will not be lost.
It will somehow occur to you that you’ve lost it.
Your reaction is always to see if you can find it.
And sometimes you will find it.
Other times someone finds it and may or may not keep it.
Oftentimes it is brought to lost and found, never to be collected.
But losing something is not a nice thing.
Especially when it has sentimental value.

p.s. - The same holds true for losing someone.

Beautiful Defiance

2009-12-30T06:06:00.000-08:00

Beautiful Defiance, A Garvin Gray Poem

Beautiful Defiance is a poem about humankind's will and determination to defy the laws of nature. The poem uses downtown New York City (Manhattan), in transition from day to night, as an illustration to make its point. The poem is not about New York City, or about any (particular) city. Again, the poem is about humankind's will and determination to defy the laws of nature.

We defy the laws of nature beautifully, and have even made laws against obeying the laws of nature. All a part of the long battle between humankind and nature. Of course, even though it appears nature is losing, eventually, nature will win. Until then, we are best advised to enjoy our beautiful defiance.

The Courageous Salute

2009-12-30T06:04:00.000-08:00

The Courageous Salute, A Garvin Gray Poem

A lot will forever be said about the courageous
Those who don’t just say, but do
People who defy their own strength and purpose
Through thinking, tinkering, and a great many sacrifices
To do good and to help make the world better.

Salute!

Culmination

2009-12-11T14:59:00.000-08:00

Culmination, A Garvin Gray Poem

Fears, hopes, and dreams keep the journey elusive and interesting
Some days clarion clear and some, perhaps way too foggy
Steps forward sometimes become steps in the wrong direction
And searches for the right answers are often fruitless.

But the pursuit of our purpose is paramount to our survival
And the story that we are here to tell must be told
So we brush uncertainty aside and step on with courage and confidence
Knowing that some day we will have a beautiful and grand culmination.

The Human Reaction

2009-11-04T10:04:00.000-08:00

The Human Reaction, A Garvin Gray Poem

A man boards a crowded train and pulls a gun
What happens next is the human reaction
The captain of an airplane that’s in mid-flight announces that he just lost one of the engines
What happens next is the human reaction
A group of people are going up a high-rise in an elevator when suddenly the cable breaks
What happens next is the human reaction
On a fine summer day at the beach a shark buzzes a group of swimmers
What happens next is the human reaction
She steps to the podium and delivers a brilliant and stunning performance
What happens next is the human reaction.

We are all so very different and yet we are pretty much the same, bonded beautifully by blood.

The Leniency Question

2009-03-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

The Leniency Question, A Garvin Gray Parable

A man walks into a bank with a Uzi (gun). He shoots teller no.1 dead. Got full cooperation from teller no. 2, who gives him the loot. On the way out, he shoots and injures the bank guard and shoots a customer in the head dead. He is surprised by a rookie cop waiting outside with a mickey mouse six-shooter. The cop shouts ‘freeze’ but quickly takes cover behind a parked car to avoid getting hit. Bullets galore are being fired at the cop as the gun-slinging murderer bank robber walks over to take out the cop. He gets to the car and sees the shaking cop kneeling and begging for his life. ‘I’m sorry I said freeze, please, I’m begging you please, don’t kill me’. Murderer bank robber points the gun in rookie cop’s face, looks him dead in the eye, then press the trigger. Nothing happens. He presses it again. Still nothing happens. Murderer bank robber’s Uzi is out of bullets. The cop realizing this rises to his feet with his mickey mouse six-shooter in hand. Murderer falls to his knees bawling and begging for his life.

The world waits to see what the cop will do. Will he simply cuff him and gets him an appointment with a judge, or will he send him home to the devil?

The Good Gone

2009-01-30T07:19:00.000-08:00

The Good Gone, A Garvin Gray Poem

A bitter sweet culmination to an extraordinary episode
Curtains drawn at a grand and final farewell
The time has come for yet another journey
God be with us as you go your good gone.

I wrote this poem as a farewell tribute to my dear friend, Sir Kenneth George Lynch, who retired on January 30, 2009 and will return to his home country (and mine), Jamaica.

Smart Thoughts

2008-12-01T07:49:00.001-08:00

*Smart people have a tendency to think they are the only smart person in the world.

*Not everyone is articulate. But not being articulate does not mean someone is not smart, and vice versa.

The Parable of the Rich Fool

2008-11-21T12:06:00.000-08:00

Love this parable, taken from The Holy Bible. Live and love life. Bim!

15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

The Aborted Curse

2008-11-20T15:40:00.000-08:00

The Aborted Curse, A Garvin Gray Poem

As I drove through a four-way intersection
I was surprised by a red car on my right
It seems someone is trying to kill me, I thought
But quick action and a careen spared me a power pole.

Dazed and a bit shaken, I sat there processing solemn thoughts
When I saw a woman walking over toward the passenger side
She was tall and wore a pretty yellow and white dress
With a gait that was part confidence and perhaps part confusion.

It was clear that she too was shaken as she mumbled apologies
Something about being new to the area and being in a hurry
I had every intention to curse at her for trying to kill me
But I saw that she truly was sorry so I decided against it.

Counting My Blessings

2008-11-14T06:56:00.000-08:00

So much time spent on what's wrong with our lives. Too little time spent on counting our blessings. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6....

Determined Destiny

2008-11-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

Determined Destiny, A Garvin Gray Poem

If it is to happen it will happen
And when it is ready to happen
Nothing or no one can stop it from happening
All part of an already determined destiny.

The Profit-Sharing Act

2008-10-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

The Profit-Sharing Act
To Correct a Flaw in Capitalism
October 6, 2008

Consider this scenario
I have an idea for a business. However, to guarantee a successful launch, I need four employees. I reach out to some friends and successfully convince four of them to come work for me. My best friend is my right hand man. He is paid $1,000 per week. One of the other three employees is paid $750 per week, and the other two employees are paid $500 per week. I sit them all down on the morning of the launch and beg of them to work hard and to do everything in their power to ensure that we succeed. I tell them they are stakeholders and that we are a team. I also tell them that for year one our targeted profit is $75,000. I watch them work hard throughout the year and at the end of the year the business makes a whopping net profit of $1.5 million. We throw a party and pop champagne to celebrate. At the end of the party my four employees come to me and ask me how much of the $1.5 million profit I will share with them. I tell them none of it, and I remind them that I owe them nothing, since they have all been paid their wages.

Questions
Why am I so wicked? And why has capitalism not been busy about correcting this obvious unjust flaw that negatively affects so many people all over the world?

Answers
Humankind is by nature evil, so we need laws to keep us in check and to protect us from each other. These laws usually apply to businesses too, since a business is considered a legal person. The world has grown accustomed to an unfair system of conducting business, where shareholders and executive management get rewarded and the worker gets exploited. This is a flaw in capitalism that urgently needs to be corrected. All the players in a business should be fairly rewarded. If a business is profitable all the employees should receive a share of the profits, in addition to their wages, since they are the ones who presided over the profit. If a business makes a loss, the employees should not expect anything more than their wages.

Solution
Businesses should be compelled by law to share at least 10% of net profits each year with employees, to be apportioned evenly among the employees. This should be required whether the business makes ten dollars or one zillion dollars. If businesses wish to give employees additional rewards and bonuses, based on say performance measurements, businesses should do so in addition to their employees' share of the 10% net profit. History has shown us that we cannot leave it to businesses to be fair and reasonable in compensating and sharing profits with employees. That is why we need legislation to ensure this. It is long overdue and now is the time for the world's working class to demand it.

Conclusion
Stop for a minute and think about how much better off this world would be if each year businesses were to share at least 10% of their profits with their employees, no matter how large or small that profit is. All employees would now have a real incentive to be productive and employees would become genuine stakeholders in businesses. The working class would no longer live from pay check to pay check and we would all have a better shot at creating secure safety nets for our future. Why should we work all the days of our lives for businesses that are very profitable then retire on a minuscule pension and a stipend from social security?

The time has come for the working class worldwide to reject this system and to call on our elected representatives to enact laws to protect us from the legal persons called businesses. No business can seriously argue that sharing 10% of profits with employees each year will put it at risk of extinction. Many problems in this world will be solved after this is done. Many of us will be able to do so much more to improve our lives, and to help the needy and marginalized all over the world.

The Profit-Sharing Act is what the world needs now. Who will lead the charge?

I'm no good at thinking, so I thinker.
Garvin G. Gray, MBA

For the Love of Money

2008-07-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that when I die I will not be taking any money with me. So I will not live my life chasing and stockpiling money.

Dirty Distractions

2008-07-24T07:59:00.000-07:00

Dirty Distractions, A Garvin Gray Poem

I had to take a break from you
To rethink my purpose and rebuild my strength
For I am here on a mission that must be executed
And I can no longer surrender to your dirty distractions.

Thoughts in a Tumble

2008-06-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

Thoughts in a Tumble, A Garvin Gray Poem

Sudden impact, and time freezes to accommodate many quick mind-boggling thoughts
Tossed sky high from a collision with a truck made for an accidental purpose
Helmetless daredevil driver and pillion awaiting the outcome of an everlasting tumble
So many questions about so many things, with no time for answers.

Is this where it all ends, or do we survive to speak of near-death?
Two men burning with anxiety as skin tear on asphalt alongside metallic sparks
And in that moment, the sun, the moon, the stars, illuminate the world beautifully
Then the silence of anticipation takes over as the tumble ends.

***My friend Joe and I were hit off a motorcycle in Jamaica (I think in 1998). We were not wearing helmets. We were very lucky to walk away barely bruised.

A Better Me

2008-04-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

A Better Me, A Garvin Gray Poem

I want to be a much better person than I currently am
To be more confident, more considerate, and a lot more compassionate
With a special kind of smart and the wisdom of a thousand oracles
Anointed with the moral courage to stand strong in a world of weaklings.

I desperately would like to be a better me.

Parallels and Perils

2008-04-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

Parallels and Perils, A Garvin Gray Poem

We are duplicates of each other in a world that has been blind for way too long
For we fail to see that we are all interconnected by ambitions, wants, and needs
In a dash to nowhere, we trample and destroy our very own reflections
With a foolish failure to fathom the most important human comprehension.

We refuse to hold hands and together stand against the looming perils of nature
Acting as independent towers until we are struck by the bolt that strikes wherever
Or awakened by diseases that sneak into our flesh with the determination to kill us all
Never benefiting from the eternal protections that come from standing together in love.

So many missed opportunities and so much wasted time in a world that will not wait forever.

I Go In Peace

2007-12-13T05:47:00.000-08:00

I Go in Peace, A Garvin Gray Poem

I go in peace with a quiet and calm surrender
Back to a just welcome that is fitting for a rogue
For I’ve failed to fulfill what ought to have been my purpose
Falling victim to lust, greed, materialism, and waywardness.

I go in peace ashamed that I was unable to be purposeful
A muscled man weakened by a wretched and wrongful focus
Leading a life tangled in the web that was made for the foolish
Lacking the strength and moral courage to overcome fear’s mirage.

I go in peace with many regrets and mixed emotions
Because I never answered the call of the poor and marginalized
And I did nothing to steer the world away from its misdirection
My time is up and my stewardship has been inaction and abdication.

I feel great relief that this all occurred in my dream
And from now on I will spend my time cleaning up my act.

You should too.

Scarred For Life

2007-12-10T06:24:00.000-08:00

Scarred For Life, A Garvin Gray Poem

Two teenagers are playing in a park
Suddenly, they are having a dispute
over something nonsensical
The older kid takes a knife and slashes
the younger kid across the face
Now we are all scarred for life.

Poem: Quiet Salute

2007-08-22T06:15:00.000-07:00

A quite salute to every person who ever did a noble deed quietly
Be it for the poor and destitute or for the sick and indigent
Your selfless deed mattered meaningfully and will forever flourish
Far beyond the earnest of your intent to do your part for humandkind
You deliberately took the time to help alleviate the sufferings of the earth
And you sought refuge in the shadows of the walls of humility as you did it.

Thank you for your graciousness and keep doing what you can whenever you can
Abundant blessings are yours and will be bestowed upon your seeds for generations.

Human rights are equal.

Note: I wrote this poem as a tribute to my friend Sir Kenneth George Lynch.

Thoughts of Heaven

2007-07-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

There has to be a Heaven; a place where the people who have had to endure nothing but suffering in this world will go after death for their redemption. And it has to be huge to accommodate billions. Because, for the most part, the majority of the peoples of the world have always lived in constant hardship and pain without ever tasting the fruits of prosperity before they perish. It is seemingly one of the innate characteristics of the world that will never change.

So there needs to be a heaven to bring deliverance to the many who have had to endure this cruel incarceration that I am hoping was not designed to be this way.

There, I said it!

Garvin

Human rights are equal.

The Voice That Guides (me)

2007-07-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

I’ve had to wait and listen carefully for the voice that guides me; and I still do
For without it I am marooned, directionless, and doomed by desperation
It is a voice that first spoke to me when I knew not who I was
And has been speaking to me continually with loyalty and devotion since then.

The voice that guides me keeps me unafraid and worry-free
Because it tells me where, when, how, and sometimes it even tells me why
It wears a whisper that is distinct and cannot be disregarded
Keeping me on track and in touch with the fate that was made for me.

I’ve been pained and punished by the voice that guides me
For it beats to its own drum and it exposes me to the temptations of impatience
But I hold steadfast and listen in reverence for my sure and solid sustenance
And I walk with the stride of confidence, wearing the armor of peace of mind.

The voice that guides me is the voice that guides you
Listen in humility for it, and obey.

Human rights are equal.

A Few Questions About Crude Oil

2007-06-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

Ask yourself these questions:

Why does the earth has oil embedded in it? In other words, what is the original purpose of having oil beneath the earth's surface?

Could it be that there are consequences for extracting the oil from the earth? And if there are consequences, what are they?

Certainly, we cannot seriously argue that oil was deposited beneath the surface of the earth for humankind to discover and use for our energy needs. Water is also found underground, but water is also in abundance above the ground. Oil on the other hand, is only found beneath the earth's surface, and sometimes require digging way beneath the earth's surface to tap into it and extract it.

How do we know for certain that extracting the earth's oil is not negatively impact the functioning of the earth?

These are just a few questions that ran through my mind today.

Prediction: There Will Be A New And Different America By 2020

2007-04-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

Prediction: There Will Be A New And Different America By 2020
The Underprivileged In America Can Start Wearing That Shawshank Redemption Smirk
by Garvin Gray, mba

Senator John Edwards said there are two Americas. He knows exactly what he is talking about. One is made up of (or a combination of) people who are properly educated, have the right color, or have lots of money, and the other is made up of people with the right color and the wrong circumstances, and everybody else. Americans like things big and America has been a big squanderer of its human capital. All that will change by 2020. It is an inevitable change that is already being demanded by an information and ideas-driven world.

For many years leading up to now, America has been pursuing policies that maintain the status quo of two Americas. The result has been alarming. Two million Americans imprisoned, one set of Americans having access to a decent education, quality healthcare only for those who can afford it, and many other social ills. If you fall in the category of the underprivileged in America, start wearing that Shawshank Redemption smirk (the smirk that the main character wore throughout the movie The Shawshank Redemption because he knew something significant that only he knew) and do all you can to hold on until 2020. You will be a witness to an America that is new and different and far from what it is today. And you will have your rightful place in it. That famous dream that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had for America will finally come through and it will be beautiful.

Today, the world desperately seeks ideas to tackle terrorism, global warming, diseases, so many other things that are important to human life and life expectancy. The world also needs new technology and additional advances in existing technology. Where will these ideas come from? And who will be the people with these ideas? No one knows the answers to these questions and this makes everyone a potential source. So by default, everyone in America, and the rest of the world, is an asset and America, like the rest of the world, will have to protect and develop all its assets. Human capital development holds the key to the prosperity of countries in the future. The owner of the big idea on how to counter the effects on global warming, for example, will surpass the worth of Microsoft’s Bill Gates. It would be to America’s benefit to own that. If America fails to protect and build its human capital, the consequences will be severe.

Right now, America is tied up and is heavily invested in munitions of war that will never be unleashed on anyone anywhere. Gone are the days when two armies meet in the open seas or on a remote land to do battle. And gone are the days when American fighter jets can fly over a country and drop a bomb or two and return to a faraway base. The new enemy and the potential new enemy are ghostly and un-fightable and must be engaged and negotiated with. And if the negotiations fail, the parties (countries) have no choice than to set a new date and perhaps change the venue and keep negotiating, until there is a resolution. This is the coopetition (cooperative competition) era, and in this era your enemy is your friend and your friend your enemy, and the new war is a war of information and ideas. Of course, better ideas and information will always win or, since there is really no longer a winner or a loser, dominate. Terrorism as we know it today will be eliminated because of coopetition and tolerance, and because of the interconnectivity of countries and peoples. This makes it foolish to practice terrorism, since harming others may mean severely hurting you.

Countries and companies that are serious about competitive advantage must embrace coopetition, since the world will experience an unprecedented spread in competences that will make all players, wherever they are in the world, relevant. The great management scientist Frederick Taylor foresaw this when he wrote about the need for cooperation between management and employees. Now his theory has been expanded to be cooperation between workers, management, companies, and countries and simultaneous competition at every level every step of the way, in order to survive. The most important property is already intellectual property. The more of it you own, the better shot you will have at domination. Of course, America will continue to be the world leader in terms of GDP ($13.1 Trillion, with China being its closest rival at $2.23 trillion for 2006). But in the future, real power will not be determined based on GDP and on what the world currently calls wealth. The new rulers of the world will be the people who own intellectual property that the world needs and who are able to generate information and ideas at a rate that keeps them on the cutting edge, and in effect keeps the world at their mercy.

Most countries have clearly gotten a glimpse of the future and are busy making preparations. China, India, and Vietnam, to name a few Asian countries, are moving at a pace that is astounding. Most of Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central and South America are doing likewise. All over, countries are making deals around America and are sharing and trading competences. These countries are holding major talks and are openly announcing, without fear, that America is not welcomed. Some countries are even bartering scarce and enviable natural resources as a means to properly posture themselves for the future. In Dubai, development is taking place in a way that is simply unimaginable and even Bermuda is now a major world force to recon with. Most of these countries are investing heavily in education and social programs (their human capital) that will enable them to have a chance in the jostle for prominence and dominance in the future.

At the individual company level, so much is happening. Toyota looked into its crystal ball long ago and made significant investments in America along with a timetable to take over automobile in America. Any day now GM will bow to a new king named Toyota. Sony Corporation shocked the world in 2005 by naming a non-Japanese, Sir Howard Stringer (British), CEO. This appointment was made based on Sir Howard Stringer’s demonstrated abilities and to help fortify Sony against rivals such as Samsung, who are serious about dominating the market for all things powered. Pepsi got banned in India (along with Coke) and Pepsico retaliated by appointing Indian-born Indra Nooyi as its CEO. Pepsico is currently planning its final assault on Coke, and pretty soon The Coca Cola Company will be second to Pepsico. So many companies are ending their long and lasting prejudices against minorities and women and are making appointments based on talent. This is an inevitable consequence of a fast-becoming borderless job market. Employees who are talented don’t need to sit around and be at the mercy of blind or prejudiced bosses. There is an employer somewhere in the world who is willing to pay handsomely for their talent, plus all the expenses that come with the relocation, including a bonus and an apology for the inconvenience that comes with relocation. Companies that fail to promote based on talent and competence will perish.

Google, YouTube (now a Google company), Myspace, Facebook, Wikipedia and all the other companies that have given people reason to love the computer, are doing things once thought to be unattainable and are reaching people wherever they are on earth. Many of the bosses at these companies don’t even own a business suit. If you have the skills they are looking for they don’t care about your ethnicity, religion, gender, and in some cases, your age. Even criminals (convicted hackers, for example) with ideas and know-how are being offered jobs.

Have you been noticing the popularity and the money of Private Equity Groups lately? Wherever in the world it is, if they want it they are going to buy it. They are making bountiful purchases and for the most part, no one really knows these individuals are. They are even offering countries funding, at high rates of interest, for things that only the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank once offered funding for. These IMF and World Bank monies were being made available to countries with conditions (termed Structural Adjustment Programs, or bad medicine) that were seemingly designed to strangle the borrowing countries or keep them in a chokehold forever. No more. This has left the IMF in a tailspin and in another five years the IMF will crash. The World Bank will survive but it will have to seriously clean up its act. Developing countries have long seen the IMF and the World Bank as agents of American policies. So now that these countries are not taking money from the IMF and the World Bank, militancy and defiance is at an all time high. The world has never been this unruly before. Nowadays, poor countries openly defy America fearlessly. It is a trend that is not expected to end any time soon.

By 2020, protectionism and monopoly in America will end. Cable companies will be in pain. Clear Channel will take a beating. Idiotic talk show hosts on radio and television, such as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, who for years preach division and misinform America, will become obsolete by way of lack of audience. It may be wise for them start setting up YouTube channels, since only YouTube will offer them an outlet for their irrelevant rants and mumblings. Viacom will fall to bits and pieces, since they will have a problem finding sponsors to fund BET, MTV, VH1, and all their other music video channels that show videos that nobody wants to see and have top ten and top twenty countdowns that are not in tune with what people are jamming to. Hip-hop and dancehall music will rule, because of their rhythmic beats. Rock will be gasping for breath.

All these global developments will force America to make significant changes. Hilary Clinton would have been President for two terms, followed by Vice-President Barack Obama taking over as President. By the time President Obama starts his new term the America that we see today would have long disappeared.

All schools in America will have to be funded equally, and perhaps federally, on a per child basis, adjusted for cost of living in each area. All Americans will have quality healthcare. Every woman will be proud to be a woman and will be empowered with a new breed of rights, including greater rights and respect for pregnant women. Religious tolerance and respect for religion will see new heights. America will be hospitable to immigrants, both skilled and unskilled alike. Sensible social programs will be implemented to guarantee economic and social improvements for all. There will be federal legislation that severely punishes racial profiling. Cops who are colorblind will have to get their vision corrected or put down their badges and guns. Trigger-happy cops will become extinct. Cops will have to ask questions first and shoot after, if they shoot at all. There will be no more police killings like that of Amadu Dialo, and Sean Bell’s two children, and all the children in America, will not be at risk. No race will feel superior and no race will feel inferior. The new cave men (and women) will be the good folks of whitelandia (exclusively white neighborhoods), who will be left behind in a world that will come to rely heavily on integration and understanding other cultures. The KKK will relocate to the mountains of Saskatchewan, Canada.

All these things must come to pass in order for America to continue to lead this new information and ideas-driven world. More and more countries are standing up to America with no fear. Threats of sanctions and embargo are responded to with giggles. Alliances and back door dealing between countries are increasingly popular and are here to stay. America will need brilliant ideas in order to remain the number one super power and in order to combat the forces that seek its demise. Some ideas will come from outside but America must develop its own idea reservoir. Every American mind is vital to this process and America’s longstanding bad habit of squandering its potentially beautiful minds, because of its failure to take the necessary steps that will eliminate racial and other divisions in America, will have to end. Like soldiers on a battle field who, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, religion, and the like, must rely on each other to successfully combat a common enemy, so must Americans unite and treat each other with the highest dignity and respect. If America fails to do this by 2020, America will not make it pass 2020 as the dominant power in the world. Look out for those Shawshank Redemption smirks.

04/10/07

Quotes, by Garvin Gray

2007-03-08T08:04:00.000-08:00

Poem: For the Fatherless

2007-02-21T20:01:00.000-08:00

For the Fatherless

Fatherlessly, I swam from my mother’s womb into the world to a cold reception
Born in a life of sin and poverty but fatherlessly too innocent to even know it
I remember running fatherlessly through the stony paths of my forgotten village
My bare feet often too fatherlessly bruised and battered to cope with my reality.

But there are angels who faithfully fend for the fatherless and for the forgotten
So I found freedom and the confidence to overcome my fatherless distractions
And I forged a future that would make my fatherless fact void and meaningless
As I wish I could free all my fatherless friends from this horrible incarceration.

For the pain of the fatherless is never-ending and in a way makes us all victims.

To take care of those who care about you is to take care of yourself - Garvin Gray

Poem: No Desire to Convince, by Garvin Gray

2007-02-21T19:57:00.000-08:00

No Desire to Convince

Spoken words are often ignored if the person who hears them is unconvinced
Sometimes the disbelief is because of the look or sound of the messenger
Or simply because the presentation of the message is not to the listener’s liking
But whatever the reason, you may want to always keep this in mind:

Skepticism is good but is best when used wisely
Messengers deliver messages and are not always very persuasive
The good messenger thinks his job is done after delivery
It may take too much effort to finally convince you
And, of course, there are those among us who have no desire to convince.

If the fight never begins then it will never end - Garvin Gray

Poem: Disappearing Lives

2007-02-21T19:53:00.000-08:00

Disappearing Lives

Hold on as you may
There will come a day
When you must set free
Your hold on life and take
The daunting dive of death
Never again to return real
But forever gone to a place
That may not even exist
And has never been seen
By anyone who lived to tell.

So live, love, and be happy
Make your life purposeful
Find a good cause to fight
Go places and see people
Enjoy it all in a savoring way
For the clock ticks uncaringly
Every second digging deeper
Into our fast disappearing lives.

If you try and fail, retry - Garvin Gray

Poem: Beyond You

2007-02-21T19:46:00.000-08:00

Beyond You

If you look beyond you, you’ll see me
And beyond me are many people to see
When you serve others you serve yourself
So be kind, be considerate, be that good elf
It is our first duty to lend a helping hand
To support each other and do what we can
Listen to your heart and be all you can be
For to look beyond you is to look at me.

If you really want to help yourself help someone - Garvin Gray

Mis-Civilization - The Disease That Has Infected The First World

2007-02-21T10:38:00.000-08:00

One of the loneliest places to be on earth is in a first-world city (and in some cases, country). In some cities in America, for example, many people are so lonely that they become very depress and end up having to pay a shrink for conversation. Others pay their doctors, or their cab drivers, or their personal trainers, for timed dialogue. And when the time is up, no more conversing. If you do something unknowingly to offend someone, don’t bet your bottom dollar on hearing from him or her about it. Chances are that you will find out about it when you are served with a cease and desist notice from a paid attorney. The things that come with being first world are tearing the social fabric of the first world apart. Indeed, the first world has gotten so civilized that it has become mis-civilized. Third world countries, be aware that very serious social consequences come with being first-world and do all you can to find a balance between being first and third world in your pursuit of first-world status.

Pick any big city in the first world (New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Paris, Tokyo), people are programmed to not see or hear each other. Rude and ill-mannered behaviors have become the norm, to the point where such conduct does not trigger outrage. In fact, most people don’t even know when they are being rude, which is a dilemma unto itself. Pick any large corporation in any first-world city, chances are that that company’s corporate culture is for employees to walk pass each other as if they don’t exist. Also, it is not unusual for two employees in cubicles next to each other to communicate via email only. Some employees don’t speak with anyone on their floor for days. Sure, at after-work client events when the alcohol starts flowing there is some conversation, but alcoholic conversation amounts to no conversation. So the next morning you will be return to an email communiqué from your colleague in the cubicle next to you, even those you were both engaged in bar talk the night before. Modernization and progress in science and technology have made us into robots and humanoids. We have lost what is supposed to be our innate human side. From the babe to the elderly, we are all infected. And so the people who are supposed to be the most civil have become the least.

Right before your eyes you see people lost in their newspapers, or magazines, or iPods, or BlackBerry(s), or a combination of the foregoing, to avoid human interaction. Everyone seems pre-occupied with something and those who aren’t perpetrate pre-occupation to ensure human avoidance. Buses and trains are filled with people who are busy head shaking, paper shuffling, cell phone chatting, podcast watching, videogame playing, and BlackBerry emailing. Of course, people still commute together; everyone seemingly in his or her own world and these worlds do not interact. Did we have any ideas that modernization and progress in science and technology would result in this kind of mis-civilization? Did we know that we would become a first world of cell phone-talking podcast-watching iPod-listening BlackBerry-emailing and PSP-playing people, who would abandon and disregard human interaction? Did we foresee that all this modernization and technology would come to cause us a reversal into the dark ages in our interaction and socialization?

The first world is experiencing a serious and significant change. If you are a woman, don’t expect a man to hold a door for you, if the door is not revolving or automated. If you are a man, don’t expect a woman to expect you to hold a door for her. And since you weren’t going to hold the door for her anyway, there’s no harm done. If you are a woman, you just may be playing the role of woman and man. You make more money than most men and this qualifies you to be both your own woman and your own man. If you are a man, you are simply existing without a real and defined purpose, since the new role of the mis-civilized man is still in its Beta stage. If you are a child, you skate around on your sneakers with wheels or jump around in your spring-sneakers (and watch too much television and play too many videogames) without a care in the world and with no one who has the time to give you one (a care that is).

Perhaps it is the Amish, and such groups of people, who got it right. From all accounts, they have not yet been consumed by selfishness and materialism. They still see people and still take the time to talk with and understand each other. No time for that in the first world. They (the Amish) reject (what can be termed as) modernization and use little or no (what can be termed as) technology. They still have communities and they know the names of their neighbors and share their neighbors’ joy and sorrow. The peoples of the third world, for the most part, are also still enjoying this quality of life; after all, they are not yet first world. The funny thing is that they (in third world) are breaking their necks to become first world. Forgive them Lord, for they know not what they are doing.

It is such a complicated world. Economic hardships strangle the third world while mis-civilization kills the first world. But all is not lost. Life goes on and perhaps one day soon the first world will reconnect with civilization. Until then, mis-civilization looms, which by default makes the first world, second, and the third world first. And that is too funny.

Amend the Millennium Development Goals

2007-02-21T10:35:00.000-08:00

Introduction

The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in their current form are very ambitious but unrealistic, and yet, they are not far reaching enough. This article will make two suggestions that will see the MDGs cover greater ground, and will make them more realistic. If the MDGs do not take into consideration and make accommodation for all the critical issues that are facing the world, and if they are unrealistic or impossible to implement, then 2015 will come without the world seeing or feeling the impact of the change that the MDGs intended. The future of the world depends heavily on the quality of the world’s children. In May 2006, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his State of the Nation Address, said that the greatest threat facing Russia is their falling or declining birthrate. Protecting the world’s children from all threats is therefore fundamental. Also, having a one-deadline-for-all-countries approach to the MDG’s is not prudent, since all countries are not faced with the same economic, social, and political challenges. Having a more tailored approach would be more effective.

1. Universal Protection for Children

If the future of the world depends on the quality of our children then the MDGs should explicitly offer them protection. I am therefore calling for an amendment to the MDGs to create a ninth one, which should offer Universal Protection for Children. This is an urgent issue. Of course, the challenges and dangers that children face across the world vary from country to country. In developing countries, the threats against children include child labor, the sale of children to be used as slaves and prostitutes, and forcing children to become soldiers. In developed countries, children are often victims of drugs and substance abuse, kidnapping, early exposure to sex, and all forms of abuse. The countries of the world must urgently address this assault on the future and the UN should encourage all its member countries to be seriously committed to this crucial issue. Making the protection of children an MDG is the best way to secure the necessary commitment from countries. The protection offered to children around the world today is simply unacceptable.

Of course, the UN has a body that is dedicated to children, The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), and some of the MDGs embrace some of the issues facing the world’s children. However, there is no explicit commitment through UNICEF or from any other organization that gives or guarantees the protection of the world’s children by a specified date. This should not continue and a ninth MDG addressing this issue is needed. Until this is done, the future of the world suffers and is at risk.

2. Three MDGs Deadline Dates

If the success of the MDGs on a country-by-country basis depends on each country’s economic capabilities, and social and political state, then it seems unrealistic to have one deadline date of 2015 for all countries. I am therefore calling for a revision of the current deadline date. It should be replaced with three different deadline dates that will be based on the ranking of countries in three categories. All developed countries should be in the first category. The second category should be made up of countries that are well on their way to development, while the third category should be made up of countries that have been failing the development challenge. Deadline dates of 2015, 2020, and 2025 should be given to each category of countries, respectively. Perhaps a country’s GDP measure could be used to develop and assign ranks. The World in 2006, a publication from The Economist magazine, gives a good breakdown of GDP per country for 2005. This ranking system will bring realism to the MDG deadline date issue and will give countries a greater opportunity to fulfill their commitment to the MDGs.

Conclusion

If the UN is serious about being a vehicle for change around the world, it is imperative that it promotes and advocates polices and strategies that are attainable on a country-by-country basis. Using a broad approach to execute and implement change will almost guarantee the alienation of some countries and will defeat the desired purpose. The aforementioned two suggestions will extend the reach of the MDGs, by protecting and securing the future of the world (children), and will give the MDGs a better shot of becoming successful, by using staggering deadline dates that are based on economic, social, and political capabilities. It is a mistake to have not made universal protection for the children of the world one of the MDGs. Making this amendment now will give countries sufficient time to right this wrong. Using a ranking system with three deadline dates will put the MDGs in touch with reality.

Closing the Divide - A Solution to Poverty in America

2007-02-21T09:14:00.000-08:00

The Crisis

Hurricane Katrina caused great destruction and ruined many lives, but it also brought exposure to the very serious problem of poverty in America. It was and still is well-needed exposure. America cannot (and should not) continue to advocate and promote policies that keep some people well off and some living in squalor. The time has come to put an end to the ‘two-America’ as we know it.

In America, if you have the right color or have access to proper education, then there is a strong possibility that you will ‘make it.’ On the other hand, if you are a non-white, a mis-fortuned white, or someone with little or no access to quality education, then there’s a strong possibility that you will be a member of the unfortunate and may remain there. Katrina showed what that unfortunate situation can look like. But there are many other areas in America that are like or worse off than New Orleans (LA). North Philadelphia (PA), sections of Cook County (IL), sections of Dade Country (FL), sections of Brooklyn (NY), sections of Compton (CA), sections of Detroit (MI), and sections of Camden (NJ) are examples of other such areas that are in need of urgent attention. There are so many people in America who are worse off than the people who are at the lowest level in some third world countries. Most of destitute America is trapped in a cycle or a situation that is very tough to get out of. The time has come for a real solution to address this very critical and urgent issue.

The Excuse

The states in which these unfortunate cities (or areas) are located will say they do not have the resources to solve the problem. And why should they find the resources? States are run by people who have the right color or who are fortunate enough to not know what it is really like in these areas. If your family and friends are not trapped in these areas then why would you make them your concern? The truth is, this should be everyone’s concern. It is our obligation to our fellow citizens to ensure that their situation is improved in a way that is sustainable. The solution therefore needs to be radical and far-reaching and it must come from the federal level. In the Bible, Jesus is quoted as saying ‘the sick needs a physician, not the whole.’ Give the sick the physician.

The Guaranteed Solution

The solution to this problem that will guarantee the desired change is strong federal commitment that is sustained for at least 50 years. This commitment must be massive and elaborate. It must be about providing the highest quality education to the kids in these areas and develop social programs that will protect these kids as best as possible from all forms of distractions. This means that all the schools in these areas should be equally staffed and equipped to the schools in affluent areas. It also means that specially tailored social programs would have to be developed to support this education campaign, so that homes are properly enabled to ensure that kids can participate with little or no distractions. It is an expensive idea but the federal government can afford it. And if America is serious about bringing change to these areas, the federal government should fund it.

There are two things that separate people in America, color and/or education. While we cannot do anything about color, we certainly can do a great deal about education. Education properly supports ideas and will give the citizens in these poor areas a launching pad from which they can permanently change their lives and pave a brighter path for their future generations.

Who will step forward and show some guts for a change and confront our problem in America? Who wants to be remembered in history as the person who pulled the trigger to close the divide?

The Fourth Arm of Government - An Economic Solution for Developing Countries

2007-02-21T08:56:00.000-08:00

The Problem

The world has grown accustomed to a three-arm system of government, namely the Executive, the Legislative, and the Judiciary. Both the British parliamentary system and the US model of government rely on these three as the foundation on which they operate, and this three-arm system has long become the standard that the rest of the world follows. But are developing countries doing themselves justice by following a system that clearly works in developed countries but is yet to bear fruits in any developing country? Over the past 25 years, there has been no developing country that has achieved developed status by following this model of government. My country, Jamaica, has been using this model from before I was born and something tells me that if it continues it still will not realize its goal of becoming developed even after I am dead and gone. This is very troubling to me because as a student of strategy, I know that it is unwise for a little up and coming outfit to follow the same business model that a big established business uses. Think about it for a moment.

If you think of a country as an organization and the branches of government as its structure then the point even becomes clearer. Why should all countries have the same structure when they are not the same? Structure should be determined based on vision, capability, resources, fit, size, among other things. It therefore seems to me that a one-structure system for all countries is absurd, and a continuance of this is will almost guarantee that the current status quo remains forever intact.

One Good Solution

The time has come for governments of developing countries to rethink their strategies in pursuing the status of being developed. One good solution is to add another arm to the current three-arm system of government. Imagine a fourth arm that I call the Business arm. It would be made up of a board or body of, say, nine people who together would be focused on pursuing entrepreneurial activities in the world market on their country’s behalf. The members of the board or body would be well qualified in the area of business and some could be hired from the world market. The Business arm would be similar to the judicial arm, in that it would be independent of the other arms with a clear objective that furthers the welfare of the country. It would owe a fiduciary duty to the citizens of the country and would be cleverly created to protect it from itself and in so doing avoid corruption. Each country would have the flexibility in creating this arm of government to suit its needs. The Business arm would not necessarily run any business but would act like a venture capitalist or entrepreneur, in the world market, who identifies profitable ventures and fund them, or look for partial or full stake in companies that are profitable.

The objective is to have a group of companies that are successful enough to consistently share their profits with the country that owns them, through the Business arm of government. If the Business arm of a particular country is clever in identifying or picking ventures then that country will reap benefits beyond belief. If it fails in pursuing or picking good ventures then there are consequences. So again, it must be cleverly created and must be tailored to meet a country’s needs. Just think about how much better off a developing country would be if it owned IBM, Citibank, or Exxon-Mobil. Just 10 years of consistent profit sharing with any of these companies would seriously reduce that country’s debt and would act as a supplement to all the other traditional ways that that country has been fending for itself. All developing countries are being strangled by debt and are relying on techniques that are not far reaching enough; due to the three-arm system of government. The Business arm frees developing countries of this restriction and brings originality and creativity to government. Here lies one real solution that will lead to development, without interfering with democracy.

An Opportune Time to Look Outside

It is a great time to pursue new ideas about government. The world today and the world 50 years ago are two different worlds. Many of the old rules of trade and economic development are still applicable today, but many have become obsolete. Technology and advances in science have made so much more possible. And of course, it is never too late to fix the problem of following a system that does not support your mission or purpose. Let developed countries do what work for them and let developing countries do likewise. The economies of developing countries are in most cases too small or too underdeveloped to fix the problem from within. Change in the structure of government will enable an outside solution should be seriously considered by countries that are serious about development. Nothing is wrong with a government pursuing external entrepreneurial activities. Like everyone else, they would just have to ensure that their companies comply with all the rules that govern the countries in which they operate and ensure that they are good socially responsible corporate citizens. Nothing is wrong with a country changing its structure of government to ensure that it becomes prosperous in as short a time as possible. Of course, a fourth arm of government may not be the solution for all developing countries, but developing countries should at least start looking for new ways to free themselves of a structure that will forever fail them. The failure to become developed resides in the structure because there is no fit. What is good for the goose is not always good for the gander. Always remember that.

Distracting Distractions To Get An Education

2007-02-21T08:44:00.000-08:00

It must have been after I got back home from the graduation, and sat staring at the certificate that I was awarded, that I realized that I completed a double-major at Rutgers Business School, Newark, New Jersey, USA. I had awaken from a dream that had me trapped for several years. I was stepping out of a cage that I built with a code and instructions to free me only after I complete graduate-level education.

I'm not sure how I did it, but somehow I was able to distract my many distractions to get an education. And it feels great.