Sorry I have not been keeping all of you up to date on the goings on here in Nicaragua. The Rotary delegation has had me jumping around for the last week - but joyfully so. I met a small band of wonderful people and some of their children and grandchildren, and we traipsed about Nicaragua.
We did some of the same things I have done before - visited the silhouette of Sandino on the hill overlooking Managua, visited the old cathedral, heard the story of the earthquake aid that Somoza stole which tripped the balance on what people would put up with, listened to Ayn Setwrite's history lesson, and description of the current crop of election craziness, and drove about in the rain!
We had planned a trip up a mountain, but the constant rain had closed many places, and damaged roads all over. The rain let up a bit here in the center of the nation over the weekend. On the way back from the beach, we passed many clotheslines strung out for the sun! But now a tropical storm is forming just above Nicaragua - but it looks like it may move to the north - leaving just some residual rain down here. The lake here in Managua is a few centimeters below its historic high.
I have now been to 4 "real" Rotary meetings, 2 of a new club being born, and one fund raising dance and dinner here! I have to confess that I like the Nicaraguan version of Rotary meetings a bit better. They have more fun and music. Although the music here last night was just a LITTLE LOUD! We were in a pretty small place, with an amplified marimba, keyboard, drums - and something that the drummer kept wacking that sounded just like a cowbell!! If you haven't seen the Christopher Walken piece on Saturday Night Live - you can find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRzds1HHkas&feature=related
But we all danced, and we had nacatamales, and especially the young people had a great time. I took a few videos, etc.
Our reflection period was stellar - what a fine bunch of human beings these folks are. I am typing up the notes from it. I don't think I can share those with the world - so I'll just give you a bit of my own - I think that is legitimate. I had two insights - they are both recurring ones.
When I had just finished graduate school, and I was wandering the streets looking for full time work. I thought that with 12 years of college under my belt, SOMEONE would want to hire me. To hold my finances together, I got a job one month as a Good Humor man. It was without a doubt, the toughest job I ever had. It was 10 hours a day. I was an independent contractor. I bought the ice cream in the morning, rented the company's truck, and rented their uniform, and headed out on my assigned route to sell ice cream. Needless to say, you have to sell quite a bit to pay for the gas, truck, uniform and investment in the ice cream, before you start to show a profit! I would come back every night beat to death, pulling the bell, starting and stopping the truck, jumping out and serving 500 or more pieces of ice cream to kids. I was tired and filthy by the time I got home.
Here on the streets of Managua, there are hundreds of guys pushing these little carts of Eskimo ice cream. I am sure they are not the owners, and I am sure they are all just trying to get by. The other day, I was just struck by one young man - tan, intent, creased lines on his forehead, working hard, pushing his cart on the side of the road, looking for a sale. When I did it, I knew I had something better waiting for me - but this guy, and the other hundreds like him, may be doing this forever. Just getting by. Needless to say, I buy some whenever I can.
The other insight I have every time I come here goes like this. I see the run down infrastructure, bad roads, poorly maintained fields, tin and plastic housing, litter and trash everywhere. I learn about the corruption, the broken political system, the courts and police that do not work, the difficulty in getting a loan to do anything, etc., etc. And I think, man, this is a disaster. Who can anything here? I would be better off just going home and forgetting about it. I asked Luis once how he handled that after all these years. He said, he goes and talks with the people. They have hope. They are raising their kids, doing their jobs, trying to make a better world for their families, trying to fix the problems, grow the crops, make a buck - anything to get ahead. And when you meet the people, they are so welcoming, they are working so hard, they are so filled with hope. As Luis says, if THEY have hope, given where they are, then I HAVE to have hope. So I do - and I hope you do too.
Don't give up on Nicaragua- or any of these lovely places with economic distress. When they get it figured out and working right, the hope is that they will teach us something about how to do it! It's not like we have it perfected or anything.
Remember, we're all in the together - and I'm pulling for you. (Red Green)
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Rain and More Rain - and Rotary
I am sorry that I have not been updating this - we have been busy. And you are probably saying - thank heavens he is not writing a long epistle again.
Long and short of it - it continues to rain, and the forecast as far out as it exists is for more rain. Not good. The main lake here continues to rise past historic levels. The rivers are all swollen. Many towns are cut off because of flooding or bridges that were washed out. At least one part of the Pan-American highway has been destroyed. I do not know if I am going to get out of Managua next week even, to go to Esteli to join Ned. We'll see.
The Rotary delegation has been doing things, and I am tagging along. Because of the rain, the places we were going to visit in the mountains have been closed, so we are staying in Managua. Yesterday we went to see some artisan products - very nice stuff - and hear about how this outfit is organized, how they train and provide incentives - etc. I'll do more on that later. But when we tried to drive to visit one of the women's pottry workshops - the road was completed blocked by some form of student protest at the University. Several hours later, we finally turned around and headed back.
But, the good side of that, being here gave us an opportunity to visit the Masaya Rotary Club last night. They had a wonderful presentation on the cultural heritage of the town, and some dancing - by a couple of young people, and by two of our hosts! There is a video - you will get to see it eventually.
And today, after a visit to a honey farm - in the rain - we are going to attend the second meeting of an incipient Rotary club. Should be another amazing event.
I have lots of thoughts about all of this - but no time now. We are heading out in a few minutes. But french toast for breakfast - with honey. Works for me!!
To my lovely wife - I am fine - no problems. To Rotary - team is good - lots of good things even in the midst of this downpour.
Long and short of it - it continues to rain, and the forecast as far out as it exists is for more rain. Not good. The main lake here continues to rise past historic levels. The rivers are all swollen. Many towns are cut off because of flooding or bridges that were washed out. At least one part of the Pan-American highway has been destroyed. I do not know if I am going to get out of Managua next week even, to go to Esteli to join Ned. We'll see.
The Rotary delegation has been doing things, and I am tagging along. Because of the rain, the places we were going to visit in the mountains have been closed, so we are staying in Managua. Yesterday we went to see some artisan products - very nice stuff - and hear about how this outfit is organized, how they train and provide incentives - etc. I'll do more on that later. But when we tried to drive to visit one of the women's pottry workshops - the road was completed blocked by some form of student protest at the University. Several hours later, we finally turned around and headed back.
But, the good side of that, being here gave us an opportunity to visit the Masaya Rotary Club last night. They had a wonderful presentation on the cultural heritage of the town, and some dancing - by a couple of young people, and by two of our hosts! There is a video - you will get to see it eventually.
And today, after a visit to a honey farm - in the rain - we are going to attend the second meeting of an incipient Rotary club. Should be another amazing event.
I have lots of thoughts about all of this - but no time now. We are heading out in a few minutes. But french toast for breakfast - with honey. Works for me!!
To my lovely wife - I am fine - no problems. To Rotary - team is good - lots of good things even in the midst of this downpour.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
And Now For Something Completely Different
You do remember Monty Python, don't you. This note will be a tad different. It's the weekend, and I'm sitting here catching up on my reading - it is still raining, by the way. Some time ago I subscribed to a blog about society and economics. And the post today is stellar - just stellar. So I am anxious to share it with the 4 people who seem to be reading this!!
If you are unhappy with the current economic system, and with the left and right handed criticism of it - read this. Outside of a little bit of polemic against the selfishness and greed of human kind, it is really good. It is full of an understanding of the current problems of our economic system, and a raft of really brilliant ideas. I like almost everything in here - and that is hard for me to find these days. It has none of the simplistic criticisms of either the right or the left.
For example, I am working on a piece to explain the futility of "make work" jobs as a means of contributing to the economy, or sharing the wealth. He sees the same problem I do, and he has a VERY creative solution. I am certain that all of these ideas are being discussed elsewhere, but this is one of the nicest, shortest collections I have found. Read it, please. It isn't that long. It IS about economics, but nothing esoteric. And then tell me what you think - or better, tell the author.
And it does relate to Nicaragua. One of the criticisms I have gotten to my "culture" approach is that I am just trying to make people wealthy - well, yes! Because of the human benefits that flow from that. This author has a full understanding of those benefits. See if you do not agree. Yes, this is not about the developing world - there are other problems there - but it would be a running start to fix the real problems in the so-called "developed" world.
http://www.oftwominds.com/blogoct11/making-a-living-Zeus-pt1.html
If you are unhappy with the current economic system, and with the left and right handed criticism of it - read this. Outside of a little bit of polemic against the selfishness and greed of human kind, it is really good. It is full of an understanding of the current problems of our economic system, and a raft of really brilliant ideas. I like almost everything in here - and that is hard for me to find these days. It has none of the simplistic criticisms of either the right or the left.
For example, I am working on a piece to explain the futility of "make work" jobs as a means of contributing to the economy, or sharing the wealth. He sees the same problem I do, and he has a VERY creative solution. I am certain that all of these ideas are being discussed elsewhere, but this is one of the nicest, shortest collections I have found. Read it, please. It isn't that long. It IS about economics, but nothing esoteric. And then tell me what you think - or better, tell the author.
And it does relate to Nicaragua. One of the criticisms I have gotten to my "culture" approach is that I am just trying to make people wealthy - well, yes! Because of the human benefits that flow from that. This author has a full understanding of those benefits. See if you do not agree. Yes, this is not about the developing world - there are other problems there - but it would be a running start to fix the real problems in the so-called "developed" world.
http://www.oftwominds.com/blogoct11/making-a-living-Zeus-pt1.html
Rain and More Rain - and FOOD!
FOOD
It is raining, of course, although I see a bit of sun. My laundry will never dry. We went out to the farm yesterday. The occasion was the Celebration of World Food Day on Oct. 16. We are going to be busy that day, so we did it yesterday. Each team was to prepare something to share - a pot luck! That is a novel idea in this world. How much does one bring? There were 20 people - just imagine what would happen if each brought enough for 20!
I teamed up with our "fearless leader" to produce one of my favorite pastas - tuna rustica. I'll put the recipe at the end if you are dying to know. We actually did make enough for 20! There was also a wide variety of other interesting things. Plantains, of course, and a squash with mozzarella on it - enough for 20. I also happened to have 10 Pearson's salted nut rolls, which I cut in half!
As we were getting our food, and I'm thinking about food - why not - it occurred to me as I was standing there that I was the tallest person in the room - except for one young man. And I am not that tall to start with - and I have been shrinking of late. Today, in the international news, I see that the World Food Program is dedicating a large contribution to the children of Nicaragua. On one of my prior visits, we went to a small one room school house with the teacher. Another marvelous experience. The teacher was our friend, Sebastian, of course. We learned that the government provides a small subsidy to provide a basic meal for the children at noon each day. The parents take turns preparing it, and the children eat it at noon. You want to look up the studies on the correlation between development and childhood nutrition. The same phenomenon happens to new immigrants in the states. The children born there tend to be taller - and healthier. There are genetic factors of course - my lovely wife is only 5'2", and I KNOW her parents fed her well - she was the princess!! But the point is, people do NOT reach their full potential if they do not have sufficient nutrition in early childhood. Talk about a good investment.
Dramatics
We also did some preparation for the delegation, which is arriving TODAY!! The two groups, farm and team, are going to do some "social dramas" - nearest translation I can come up with. It is a bit of role playing, and puppets, with audience interaction - explaining how the farm school works, and how the team interacts with villages when they go to visit. It was excellent fun, and the next version will be even better.
One of the minor problems was whether to do it in Spanish or English. Since most of the drama cast speak only Spanish, that part is set. It was the puppets that raised the question. I think, as much as I understood the conversation, that they decided to engage the target audience - the delegation - and do it in English, with a Spanish translation for the team. Turning the tables a bit, as well.
Learning Spanish
This Spanish stuff is a continual bit of work. At the stage I am at, I really have to pay attention and my brain is going a mile a minute. I KNOW the words, I just can't hear them go by! If I work at it, I can guess the sense and that helps me find the words. I've been listening to the local news in the morning on my iPod. They speak more clearly than most, so it helps. I also read the paper daily - and it is about rain- it continues - and politics - the election is early November - and crime and sports! A limited but useful vocabulary in this context.
Noises in the Night
Our night watchman is just leaving and stopped to tell me what happened last night. To my untrained ear, he hardly seems to speak Spanish! There were three LOUD explosions just as I was getting ready for bed. Scared the bleep out of me. They were about 5 minutes apart. He said it was the place across the street - and the police were called, and they were everywhere. It didn't sound like gunshots to me - but what do I know. He had reassured me last night that it was outside our property.
More later. We will traveling about parts of next week - so I will be without Internet access. I have to decide whether to keep up these ramblings off line and inundate you when we connect - or just let you rest a bit. I think the latter!
Tuna Rustica
4 tomatoes - cubed
1/3 cup sliced green olives
1/3 cup sliced black olives
1/3 cup green onions chopped
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
2 cans albacore tuna
1 sm can capers
1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro - I much prefer the cilantro
12 oz pasta - ziti, rigatoni, penne
Salt & pepper to taste - important
It is raining, of course, although I see a bit of sun. My laundry will never dry. We went out to the farm yesterday. The occasion was the Celebration of World Food Day on Oct. 16. We are going to be busy that day, so we did it yesterday. Each team was to prepare something to share - a pot luck! That is a novel idea in this world. How much does one bring? There were 20 people - just imagine what would happen if each brought enough for 20!
I teamed up with our "fearless leader" to produce one of my favorite pastas - tuna rustica. I'll put the recipe at the end if you are dying to know. We actually did make enough for 20! There was also a wide variety of other interesting things. Plantains, of course, and a squash with mozzarella on it - enough for 20. I also happened to have 10 Pearson's salted nut rolls, which I cut in half!
As we were getting our food, and I'm thinking about food - why not - it occurred to me as I was standing there that I was the tallest person in the room - except for one young man. And I am not that tall to start with - and I have been shrinking of late. Today, in the international news, I see that the World Food Program is dedicating a large contribution to the children of Nicaragua. On one of my prior visits, we went to a small one room school house with the teacher. Another marvelous experience. The teacher was our friend, Sebastian, of course. We learned that the government provides a small subsidy to provide a basic meal for the children at noon each day. The parents take turns preparing it, and the children eat it at noon. You want to look up the studies on the correlation between development and childhood nutrition. The same phenomenon happens to new immigrants in the states. The children born there tend to be taller - and healthier. There are genetic factors of course - my lovely wife is only 5'2", and I KNOW her parents fed her well - she was the princess!! But the point is, people do NOT reach their full potential if they do not have sufficient nutrition in early childhood. Talk about a good investment.
Dramatics
We also did some preparation for the delegation, which is arriving TODAY!! The two groups, farm and team, are going to do some "social dramas" - nearest translation I can come up with. It is a bit of role playing, and puppets, with audience interaction - explaining how the farm school works, and how the team interacts with villages when they go to visit. It was excellent fun, and the next version will be even better.
One of the minor problems was whether to do it in Spanish or English. Since most of the drama cast speak only Spanish, that part is set. It was the puppets that raised the question. I think, as much as I understood the conversation, that they decided to engage the target audience - the delegation - and do it in English, with a Spanish translation for the team. Turning the tables a bit, as well.
Learning Spanish
This Spanish stuff is a continual bit of work. At the stage I am at, I really have to pay attention and my brain is going a mile a minute. I KNOW the words, I just can't hear them go by! If I work at it, I can guess the sense and that helps me find the words. I've been listening to the local news in the morning on my iPod. They speak more clearly than most, so it helps. I also read the paper daily - and it is about rain- it continues - and politics - the election is early November - and crime and sports! A limited but useful vocabulary in this context.
Noises in the Night
Our night watchman is just leaving and stopped to tell me what happened last night. To my untrained ear, he hardly seems to speak Spanish! There were three LOUD explosions just as I was getting ready for bed. Scared the bleep out of me. They were about 5 minutes apart. He said it was the place across the street - and the police were called, and they were everywhere. It didn't sound like gunshots to me - but what do I know. He had reassured me last night that it was outside our property.
More later. We will traveling about parts of next week - so I will be without Internet access. I have to decide whether to keep up these ramblings off line and inundate you when we connect - or just let you rest a bit. I think the latter!
Tuna Rustica
4 tomatoes - cubed
1/3 cup sliced green olives
1/3 cup sliced black olives
1/3 cup green onions chopped
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
2 cans albacore tuna
1 sm can capers
1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro - I much prefer the cilantro
12 oz pasta - ziti, rigatoni, penne
Salt & pepper to taste - important
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Starting a New Rotary Club
I have been to a couple of Rotary meetings. This initiative in Nicaragua is funded by Rotary. And a group of Rotarians arrive Saturday for an update and some education with their partners here in Nicaragua. But last night was an exceptional experience.
One of Rotary's rules is that there has to be a local club on the ground to partner with the international effort. It makes sense. They are the eyes and ears to watch out for problems, and they guarantee some level of local initiative and involvement. Rotarians the world over commit to a set of values, and a set of rules. The values are good ones. Their motto is "service above self". How can you go wrong with that? Their current major initiative world wide is the eradication of polio. Their mission is to create a network of professionals who are engaged in service oriented projects, both at home and abroad. Their areas of focus are:
Their rules state that they must hold a weekly meeting, and the members must attend a certain percentage of the meetings to remain in good standing. They must also contribute something to the general fund of Rotary, and to their local club. This group of individuals becomes a small community of common interest, and they reach out to their neighbors, and to other clubs around the world. It's Putnam's rule: Don't Go Bowling Alone. (Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone) Communities that have a lot of networking fare much better than those with little. They have better employment, better health, better crime rates - a whole gamut of things. It's why small towns tend to work so well. As Putnam found, even a bowling league builds up a supportive network.
Last night, I was invited to a unique event - the beginning of a new Rotary Club - if it all works out. Think about this a minute. You live in a town of 100,000 people, and your services and sense of common interest need a lot of help. How would you go about forming a group of people together to work on this? How does one invite people to an initial organization of a Rotary Club? The way this happened here - a "fearless leader" gathered five friends and explained the goal: establish a Rotary Club that can help us build community and also attract resources from outside to help us. Those 5 individuals each invited 5 more people. So we had an initial meeting of 25 people. The "fearless leader" started with a brief introduction of each person, where they live, and what they do. It kind of lays the ground work for them to value each other. Then she asked each of them to take a minute, and think about their dream for their community. What would they like to see happen in the future.
We had a wide variety of people - young and old. The group included the head of the local fire department, a teacher, some social worker types, some young people with amazing ideas and energy, and a couple of high school students with their own dreams. They were clearly focused on their community - how to draw it together, heal some of their divisions, solve some of their problems. Some of them had a truly global perspective on the issue. One was clearly interested in this "outside help" - which is perfectly fine in the Rotary world. By the end of the round, I was pretty excited for this group. What a fine group of engaged human beings. They could do anything!
The leader then asked if anyone had any experience with Rotary, or knew anything about them. One individual had some stories - which were not all positive! Our leader accepted those, with the comment that each Club has a very different character. She then introduced the basics about Rotary, their mission and world wide impact. She also explained the basic rules - how one becomes a Rotary Club. There are some numbers of members, and contributions, etc. She also talked about her personal experience with Rotary Clubs in the US and in Nicaragua.
After some give and take on that - our leader asked if everyone would be willing to meet a week from this evening, and bring a few more people who might be interested. Almost everyone volunteered to do this. One individual had a problem with the day of the week. Our leader explained that the actual day for meetings, etc., was something that the entire Club could establish on their own. Some Rotaries meet for a meal, others not, etc.
We departed with a really UP feeling - this could work! As I thought about how one would do this - it made perfect sense in retrospect. But I would not have had a clue how to begin. I'll tell you next week what happens with the Rotarians in attendance. This might be a different kind of Rotary Club from the normal one in the states, but I am sure that around the world, there are many, many different kinds of Clubs. We will see how this works out next week!
One of Rotary's rules is that there has to be a local club on the ground to partner with the international effort. It makes sense. They are the eyes and ears to watch out for problems, and they guarantee some level of local initiative and involvement. Rotarians the world over commit to a set of values, and a set of rules. The values are good ones. Their motto is "service above self". How can you go wrong with that? Their current major initiative world wide is the eradication of polio. Their mission is to create a network of professionals who are engaged in service oriented projects, both at home and abroad. Their areas of focus are:
- Peace and conflict prevention/resolution
- Disease prevention and treatment
- Water and sanitation
- Maternal and child health
- Basic education and literacy
- Economic and community development.
Their rules state that they must hold a weekly meeting, and the members must attend a certain percentage of the meetings to remain in good standing. They must also contribute something to the general fund of Rotary, and to their local club. This group of individuals becomes a small community of common interest, and they reach out to their neighbors, and to other clubs around the world. It's Putnam's rule: Don't Go Bowling Alone. (Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone) Communities that have a lot of networking fare much better than those with little. They have better employment, better health, better crime rates - a whole gamut of things. It's why small towns tend to work so well. As Putnam found, even a bowling league builds up a supportive network.
Last night, I was invited to a unique event - the beginning of a new Rotary Club - if it all works out. Think about this a minute. You live in a town of 100,000 people, and your services and sense of common interest need a lot of help. How would you go about forming a group of people together to work on this? How does one invite people to an initial organization of a Rotary Club? The way this happened here - a "fearless leader" gathered five friends and explained the goal: establish a Rotary Club that can help us build community and also attract resources from outside to help us. Those 5 individuals each invited 5 more people. So we had an initial meeting of 25 people. The "fearless leader" started with a brief introduction of each person, where they live, and what they do. It kind of lays the ground work for them to value each other. Then she asked each of them to take a minute, and think about their dream for their community. What would they like to see happen in the future.
We had a wide variety of people - young and old. The group included the head of the local fire department, a teacher, some social worker types, some young people with amazing ideas and energy, and a couple of high school students with their own dreams. They were clearly focused on their community - how to draw it together, heal some of their divisions, solve some of their problems. Some of them had a truly global perspective on the issue. One was clearly interested in this "outside help" - which is perfectly fine in the Rotary world. By the end of the round, I was pretty excited for this group. What a fine group of engaged human beings. They could do anything!
The leader then asked if anyone had any experience with Rotary, or knew anything about them. One individual had some stories - which were not all positive! Our leader accepted those, with the comment that each Club has a very different character. She then introduced the basics about Rotary, their mission and world wide impact. She also explained the basic rules - how one becomes a Rotary Club. There are some numbers of members, and contributions, etc. She also talked about her personal experience with Rotary Clubs in the US and in Nicaragua.
After some give and take on that - our leader asked if everyone would be willing to meet a week from this evening, and bring a few more people who might be interested. Almost everyone volunteered to do this. One individual had a problem with the day of the week. Our leader explained that the actual day for meetings, etc., was something that the entire Club could establish on their own. Some Rotaries meet for a meal, others not, etc.
We departed with a really UP feeling - this could work! As I thought about how one would do this - it made perfect sense in retrospect. But I would not have had a clue how to begin. I'll tell you next week what happens with the Rotarians in attendance. This might be a different kind of Rotary Club from the normal one in the states, but I am sure that around the world, there are many, many different kinds of Clubs. We will see how this works out next week!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Work Detail
The rain has stopped. I had a cinnamon bagel for breakfast! Such a treat! Thank you Elena!! I had lunch with Luis - it felt pretty good to be able to talk with him a bit. I asked him how his health was - he said no problem, other than getting older. I asked him for the remedy for that!!
No-See-Ums
The major hazards of this climate are sneaky ones. You all know what no-see-ums are. I had to look them up. They are technically "biting midges", and there are more than 1,000 different species of the things. There appear to be a few here! When the air is still, they "pick" at my arms. No visible bug, no visible bite - but a definite "pick" or "picada". I have to find a spot where the air is moving or a fan is blowing. These things are under 1 mm in size, and don't fly in the wind very well!
"Real" Work
I used to tell people that once I got promoted to management, I never had a chance to do any "real work". I've been traveling about and eating and sleeping and reading and talking with people - mostly in Spanish. But now it looks like I may have to do some work! We have a minor problem that needs some painting. And I did NOT bring my painting pants. I should know better. Well, Jude, those jeans weren't that expensive!! And I'll be careful!
Employment and Wealth Creation - REAL Work
I had a chat last night with a few folk about unemployment and all that. Their view was definitely that we should be "making work" so that people can participate in the economy. Why use computers to replace all the people who could be doing these jobs? I actually wrote a piece on this in 1970 or so, which is still stuck out there on the WWW someplace - about the quality of work life. I was pretty naive back then - I know a little more now.
The thing is, we can't just make work to get ahead. If we create a job where we don't need one, we ALL pay for that from OUR wealth, through higher prices Of course, if we just pay someone unemployment, we ALL pay for that through taxes AND higher prices! Unemployment is not free -- companies contribute to that fund as well as the government. But the problem is that this is a job with NO GAIN - just expense. We could do it more cheaply, and we are not. Every time we do something better, faster, cheaper - we are creating wealth for everyone in the economy. That is what development IS. Highways work better than dirt roads, trucks better than donkey carts, trains better than walking, etc.
Creating a phony job would be the same as using public money to build a stadium so a professional sports team can remain here rather than go to Omaha and build their own stadium. That does not create any wealth - it just takes money out. Of course, it looks like wealth, because a bunch of people are employed to build the thing, and we use a lot of resources, etc. But all of the above could have been used to do something that actually generates wealth - not bribe a sports team!!
The only way to advance our standard of living - and not just for one country, but that of the planet - is to create something of value, or continue to provide some thing or some service of value with less expense. A better road does that - it reduces the cost to get something to market, to get people to the hospital, etc. That's called productivity, wealth creation, etc. Removing wealth, doing things less productively, does NOT create any wealth - it destroys it.
Yep - we have the problem of the dislocated worker - and I know we do not do enough for that. Every worker is a resource of incredible value. If that person does not have a concrete way to contribute, to create wealth, we all lose. But it doesn't help to just have them do busy work. Building infrastructure works, solving problems works -anything where something is actually improved. Training that allows them to contribute in another way works. But, my sincere hope is, that we eventually run out of work! What do we do then? There will always be interesting things to do - but we may not have to work so hard to do them! We all used to work 80 to 100 hour weeks - the standard now is 40. Some European countries have it at 35. That affects our competitiveness in world markets, but we seem to be able to still compete in some arenas - like heavy machinery, software, health, etc. Our higher standard of living is more of a competitive disadvantage than our hours.
Part of the goal here - at least in my understanding of it - is to raise the standard of living in Nicaragua. Just imagine for a moment what that would mean to everyone else on the planet! What would that world be like? Well, let's assume that it happens for all of Central America - they do function as kind of a joint economy. We now have a place on the planet in the tropics, with beautiful beaches, lakes, volcanoes, AND 7 million highly educated, highly productive, highly capable humans who are working hard to advance the knowledge and health of the planet! They have schools that are open to outsiders, that provide an education in a different world view, a different approach to research, to investment, to health care. They have art and music and poetry, and beautiful children. They could invent "THE NEXT BIG THING", whatever that is. It certainly improves the odds. I don't see this economic development stuff as a competition. If anyone advances, we all gain from that.
OK, I'll stop. I'm just thinking out loud - one of the benefits of some spare time on my hands - or one of the burdens you have to bear.
No-See-Ums
The major hazards of this climate are sneaky ones. You all know what no-see-ums are. I had to look them up. They are technically "biting midges", and there are more than 1,000 different species of the things. There appear to be a few here! When the air is still, they "pick" at my arms. No visible bug, no visible bite - but a definite "pick" or "picada". I have to find a spot where the air is moving or a fan is blowing. These things are under 1 mm in size, and don't fly in the wind very well!
"Real" Work
I used to tell people that once I got promoted to management, I never had a chance to do any "real work". I've been traveling about and eating and sleeping and reading and talking with people - mostly in Spanish. But now it looks like I may have to do some work! We have a minor problem that needs some painting. And I did NOT bring my painting pants. I should know better. Well, Jude, those jeans weren't that expensive!! And I'll be careful!
Employment and Wealth Creation - REAL Work
I had a chat last night with a few folk about unemployment and all that. Their view was definitely that we should be "making work" so that people can participate in the economy. Why use computers to replace all the people who could be doing these jobs? I actually wrote a piece on this in 1970 or so, which is still stuck out there on the WWW someplace - about the quality of work life. I was pretty naive back then - I know a little more now.
The thing is, we can't just make work to get ahead. If we create a job where we don't need one, we ALL pay for that from OUR wealth, through higher prices Of course, if we just pay someone unemployment, we ALL pay for that through taxes AND higher prices! Unemployment is not free -- companies contribute to that fund as well as the government. But the problem is that this is a job with NO GAIN - just expense. We could do it more cheaply, and we are not. Every time we do something better, faster, cheaper - we are creating wealth for everyone in the economy. That is what development IS. Highways work better than dirt roads, trucks better than donkey carts, trains better than walking, etc.
Creating a phony job would be the same as using public money to build a stadium so a professional sports team can remain here rather than go to Omaha and build their own stadium. That does not create any wealth - it just takes money out. Of course, it looks like wealth, because a bunch of people are employed to build the thing, and we use a lot of resources, etc. But all of the above could have been used to do something that actually generates wealth - not bribe a sports team!!
The only way to advance our standard of living - and not just for one country, but that of the planet - is to create something of value, or continue to provide some thing or some service of value with less expense. A better road does that - it reduces the cost to get something to market, to get people to the hospital, etc. That's called productivity, wealth creation, etc. Removing wealth, doing things less productively, does NOT create any wealth - it destroys it.
Yep - we have the problem of the dislocated worker - and I know we do not do enough for that. Every worker is a resource of incredible value. If that person does not have a concrete way to contribute, to create wealth, we all lose. But it doesn't help to just have them do busy work. Building infrastructure works, solving problems works -anything where something is actually improved. Training that allows them to contribute in another way works. But, my sincere hope is, that we eventually run out of work! What do we do then? There will always be interesting things to do - but we may not have to work so hard to do them! We all used to work 80 to 100 hour weeks - the standard now is 40. Some European countries have it at 35. That affects our competitiveness in world markets, but we seem to be able to still compete in some arenas - like heavy machinery, software, health, etc. Our higher standard of living is more of a competitive disadvantage than our hours.
Part of the goal here - at least in my understanding of it - is to raise the standard of living in Nicaragua. Just imagine for a moment what that would mean to everyone else on the planet! What would that world be like? Well, let's assume that it happens for all of Central America - they do function as kind of a joint economy. We now have a place on the planet in the tropics, with beautiful beaches, lakes, volcanoes, AND 7 million highly educated, highly productive, highly capable humans who are working hard to advance the knowledge and health of the planet! They have schools that are open to outsiders, that provide an education in a different world view, a different approach to research, to investment, to health care. They have art and music and poetry, and beautiful children. They could invent "THE NEXT BIG THING", whatever that is. It certainly improves the odds. I don't see this economic development stuff as a competition. If anyone advances, we all gain from that.
OK, I'll stop. I'm just thinking out loud - one of the benefits of some spare time on my hands - or one of the burdens you have to bear.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Rain and More Rain
RAIN
Tuesday morning here in Managua. Temperature is in the mid 70's, primarily because it has been raining since 10 last night - a real torrential downpour. The news on the local radio reports lots of flooding, and THE highway to the north is blocked by a large truck which turned over in the roadway - with some flammable cargo. According to the radio, the storm covers virtually all of Nicaragua. I can't find a weather radar, but it does not appear that it is going to stop anytime soon.
Most of the team here travel by public transit, and 2 have motorcycles. All are delayed in a major way by the storm and flooding. The power was also out last night in parts of the city.
Situation normal for here, I think, at this time of year.
The Farm
I had an opportunity to visit the Farm here yesterday. For most of you, this will not be something you are familiar with. The group I am staying with - and trying to be of some use - is called AKF. They have a web site, if you want to look it up. They currently describe themselves as a "farm school".
http://escuelaakf.org/Programs.html
This farm, a couple of hundred acres, is "nearby", but the unpaved roads are nearly impassable, with large portions with major challenges for even these "off the road" vehicles. They use the property to teach better methods of production, and more ecologically sound approaches to agriculture. Most of the communities they deal with are agrarian, and they depend on their crops for their livelihood. Increasing that production, in sustainable ways, increases their standard of living. Simple enough.
The problem with the farm has been that it has been occupied by squatters for a long time - more than a year. There are laws about this, to protect bona fide squatters, so there are some protections. Land records here are very complicated. At various periods, the government or some connected person has claimed any parcel with real value! This group of squatters has apparently made a deal with a local magistrate - similar to our common pleas court - that they will share some of the proceeds of their occupation with him. He has put off and delayed, and procrastinated with this thing forever. The police will not evict them without a court order, and the order has been delayed interminably. It would seem that he is looking for a payoff from one side or the other. It would clearly be illegal to offer him a payment - and AKF is not about to do that in any event. So it continues.
Lawyers
They did take a very creative step - they hired another lawyer. Like anyone needs more than one! They have a learned and capable gentleman who is guiding them through the normal processes. They also hired a connected young lady, who knows members of the Supreme Court. This seems to be a more fruitful approach, as those folks are amenable more to influence than payment. It's all in who you know! We are primarily social beings!
The Election
But there is an election coming up in November. And the "ruling party", the Sandanistas, do NOT want anything that looks like an offense to the common man to appear in the newspaper just prior to the election. So there is an official hiatus on all enforcement actions. Besides, 90% of the police are tied up in the political circus that is going on, so they are not available anyway. And if you think our elections methods are crazy, you should see these. I think our practice of lawn signs is silly - who would vote for someone because they have more lawn signs?! But here, the winning candidate may be the one with the most billboards, the most caravans through the city, the most sound trucks blasting their campaign songs, the most rallies with people bused in from elsewhere - etc. The bishop's conference has published a voter guide - which is not half bad. They listed a bunch of characteristics - honesty, integrity,commitment to the nation, etc. It reads pretty well. Of course, it also includes a ban on abortion and gay marriage - but that is at the end. They could not publish one without that. I am not sure, but I think NONE of the candidates meet their criteria, although all would agree with the last two requirements. One of the leading party candidates is Aleman who was arrested for corruption after his last term as president.
This is a Developing Country
More reasons why this is a "developing country". Amartya Sen has that part right - people will naturally generate wealth - it's called greed - but to make it work, we need some basic protections, or rights. Ownership and a legal system that will protect it is one of them. Ah, as always, es complicado!
OK - enough of that. It is very different reading about this stuff than it is sitting in a farm building with a group of people trying to make something work in the middle of this. The infrastructure to support wealth creation is one small part of the problem - but it is as essential as the culture or world view. Power, roads, courts, police, education, elections, news reporting - that actually work - are essential to development. Where does one begin?
Once when I was here, I was reading Howard Zinn - The People's History of the U.S. It gave me a better perspective. When the US was founded, the nation was in pretty bad shape as far as basic rights. Even basic things like free speech were seriously curtailed by the government until well after the Second World War. Sweat shops, political corruption, police brutality, discrimination and oppression are part of the US history. But we survived, and prospered - more or less. I still think that basic sense that "we are in charge of this" is the key. If people feel that they have the power, they have the power. And what is with that occupation of Wall Street, anyway?
Get back to work! One of the first Spanish words I learned was, "jubilado" - it means "retired", but what a wonderful way to say it - joyfully. You can also say "retirado", or "pensionado" - but I love being "jubilado".
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