Dear Editor,
I believe that lack of transparency could be among others the cause for assumption and speculation. It is a while now that we have not heard much about the kingdom relations between St. Maarten and Holland and about the financial regulations. The term is “when you put two and two together” so because I, as a citizen of the Dutch kingdom, am curious to know why the silence? I did not write “hush hush”. I wrote “silence”. So yes, why the silence?
I put two and two together and then I did like we all do, I asked questions and one person suggested that it could be possible because they closed down the phone in each other’s ear. That was news to me, but it made sense even though it is petty and childish, if that is so.
I am writing this because I am inclined to believe that it is something personal. Why would Curaçao get all that and more to come, whereas the rest of the equal partners are not talking about each other? Could this be a way of paying back and showing each other who is who because of that phone-in-ear-closing, while making use of the CFT?
Again I’m thinking is this really that deep? Was the urgency to “get back at you” so strong? There is no way anyone could convince me that all of this was not already prepared, and that hardball was not played? Even though I know that such an act is clearly the lack of professionalism, I believe that that phone-in-ear-closing unleashed the tiger and the urgency to pay back was too strong.
At least now we have an idea of what we can get. But I would be cautious, because there are many roads which lead to Rome. Good boxers do not close the phone in each other’s ear, they continue fighting while keeping their guards up.
By the way I read something about A.O.W. [old age pension – Ed.] and one of the reactions in the social media was that the Dutch are going to stall its execution until all eligible pensioners are dead and then they will not have to pay anyone, anymore.
Russell A. Simmons
“Only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked,” Warren Buffet, an American business tycoon who is considered one of the most successful investors in the world, was quoted to have said. The less affluent ordinarier would say that “you miss the water when the well goes dry.” Either way, that’s pretty much where we are right now. So, what to do and what alternatives are available for a region that is heavily depending on tourism. Hybrid conferences!
A conference delegate generates an average economic impact of US $2,229 according to the Convention Center Annual Report of Orlando’s Orange County in Florida. Assuming that such relates to 3-day conferences whereby delegates spend on average five nights on location, it would mean at least US $446 per person per day. The Caribbean may not be Orlando, nevertheless, it may give a hint to suggest what number might be proper for the region here.
It is fairly realistic to say that conferences that gather more than 500 people will be out of the question for the next six to twelve months. That is what conference organizers are confronted with when doing their planning. What lies beyond that, is foggy. Persons in charge of conference and event participation at companies are dealing with the same dilemma. On top of that, budgets may be shrinking because of the impact of a global recession. Although, some may argue that sponsors are shifting funds from 2020 to next year.
Usually those major conferences are held in metropolitan locations abroad with the appropriate large conference facilities and hotel capacity. Not typical for the Caribbean region. Organizers of those major conferences on their defense will argue, that social contact, seeing face-to-face and a handshake are crucial for doing business. However, at this time and for the foreseeable future, the trend is social distancing, looking mask-to-mask, and elbow-to-elbow instead of a handshake.
Is there a new-normal in sight here, or are the changes just temporary until who knows when? For one, planning meetings of less than 500 participants should be targeted at this time. Maybe 250 is even less risky. Companies will be looking for alternative methods of product and service marketing. They will explore new metrics for success. They are willing to invest in participating in an event model that offers a near-guarantee to reach their target audiences.
A true opportunity for the Caribbean! There is a dire need to develop new event models. Hybrid conferences, combining a humble in-person conference experience on location and a robust virtual component for remote audiences. The latter means that event organizers may need new additional expertise. They are confronted with the fact that they are managing two different types of events wrapped into one which results in some unique challenges. Stakeholders with different backgrounds should put their heads together.
A new rhythm of conferencing that puts the tingle in the fingers and a tingle in the feet of participants will be in demand. The number of virtual online event platforms as an alternative have fast grown recently, but virtual conferences are just not the same as the “real McCoy”. Plus, patience and interest are wearing out after a period of Webinars, and Zoom meetings with a series of boxes on a screen where it is hard to replicate the value and experience for attendees, speakers and marketers/sponsors.
In the Caribbean, the new conference model could be branded “Retreat” or “Summit”. Either one sounds appealing. A Retreat is like a sanctuary which gives a safe feeling. Presently Spot-on. A Summit is high-level meeting. Always Spot-on. These are appropriate brand names that suggest safety and excellence and just fit in nicely with the relaxing atmosphere and environment of the region. Hybrid not good? Hybrid means a crossbreed, thus not a thoroughbred.
Get in the groove and let some good professional discussions roll at a Retreat or Summit in the tropical zone which will be the “live hub” of the event. The goodies will also be made available via the Internet to broaden the audiences. Trying to blend in-person and virtual may be challenge. Yet, modern technology allows for various types of interactions to better replicate in-person events online. For the Caribbean region that is in need for economy diversification, there may be an opportunity for existing local entrepreneurs in the field of media production and for savvy young talent with creativity ambitions to provide the needed assistance.
Will the big trade show business fully recover at some time? At some time, yes. However, the number may not be anywhere near pre-pandemic levels. In the meantime, a newly-developed hybrid model will have shown its advantages and will remain to stay. It may turn out that such hybrid model is more targeted and cost-effective and has an enduring value for participants in distant locations. Lots of marketing money is wasted to show off and trying to be more impressing than the competitor at major events. The hybrid model offers more of a focus on exclusiveness, opening for a more moderate marketing budget.
Looking at it from various angles, this is a chance for a Caribbean region that is looking for new forms of sustainability; creating an annual hybrid conference model that will last. Conferences are not just organized by industry organizations. Many are private initiatives for a particular purpose. Such initiatives may be developed here locally in the region.
Commander Bud Slabbaert
Dear Editor,
The island is swiftly becoming a concrete jungle, as uncaring financiers are pursuing every square meter of land to construct more and more buildings. How much longer can the environment endure the slaughter of greedy investors – the ones who are controlling the government and dictating the direction of the country?
How sad it is to see that the very attributes that define and attract the visitors are the exact features that they are continuously destroying. Where is the balance between erecting buildings versus preserving the greenery and the island’s natural beauty?
Even though there are demands to build more hotels, the ultimate decision lies with government and not the investors. If the evaluation of these requests was thorough, and done with the purpose of putting the people first, government will not surrender to their demands. But as usual, this happens when there is weak leadership, and when government has no clue as to where it is taking the country.
It is not surprising to learn of the request to construct a hotel at Indigo Bay. It was their intention all along. The real intent was camouflaged by putting up these ugly looking condos as a precursor. After they have spoiled the hill, when they chopped it up like amateurs, now they want to block the view with another unsightly building. Why destroy the natural view and cut off the fresh breeze, to accommodate slabs of concrete?
Why do investors have to occupy every beach on the island? Are the seashores too valuable for the local people? As it stands, very soon only the tourists will have direct access to all of the beaches. So, Cousin Russell Simmonds, you are so right. There is absolutely no need for any more hotels, because these types of investments are just burdening the environment and keeping the workers on slave wages.
Apart from hotels being located by the beachside, government has issued a building permit to construct a hotel and casino close to the border in Cole Bay. Can the population visualize the chaotic traffic situation that this business is going to create next to an immediate roundabout? And, is it not that the hotel is attached as a disguise regarding the policy on standalone casinos?
Besides destroying the environment with excessive hotels, another goal is to plaster the island with casinos. More gambling dens fuel the addiction of patrons, which is bound to escalate the level of poverty to the point where the majority of the population will become beggars. Pay attention to who the impending business belongs to. These investments are strategically designed, and government knows it, because they too are part of conspiracy.
The poorer the population, the more dependent they would be on the politicians to assist them. Every government has failed to protect the people from these investors, who behave like vultures. All have refused to uphold the law that restricts the amount of times locals can visit the casinos on a monthly basis. So then, government is just as guilty as the investors, whose sole intention is to exploit the vulnerable gamers.
This is why the gas station was deliberately placed by the Causeway Bridge, as a supplement to this new investment. It was a plan in the making a long time. Have the population paid attention to the names of businesspersons that one MP mentioned in recent times; some of whom are with questionable characters? All of a sudden, they have become credible, and were recommended as a source of financiers to government.
Now it is easy to calculate why certain politicians don’t want the Dutch money, and at the same time are insisting that the Dutch money that they are refusing be transferred directly to government. It is also very easy to determine why the environment is not their priority.
Joslyn Morton
Dear editor,
Today, November 3, 2020, the world will find out later today, or tonight or tomorrow, or in the next coming days if Globalism or Nationalism rules the day.
The United States election will shape the world for the future to come.
Can President Donald Trump overcome all odds again against the biased left-wing media and corrupt Democratic party who try to overthrow him along with some wicked people in the Republican party and all the majority billionaires who are against him? It is the (deep state) the establishment against the everyday hard-working Americans.
That verdict is in the people of the United States’ hands.
This election is about American patriotism against the people who want to change the USA into a globalist country. This election is about hope versus freedom.
This is election is the first time the unthinkable is happening where the Democratic socialist is competing against real American values (Republican) American capitalism and democracy. America as we know it can be changed forever.
The evangelicals are scared that the country may shift to the radical left. The radical left is scared that America will remain with the status quo.
The clash of ideologies is real. This election is really about capitalism and freedom right-wing versus socialism and government power grab which is left-wing.
This election is about law and order over tyranny. It is about American culture against the New World order.
Today November 3, 2020, the world will find out later today, or tonight or tomorrow, or in the next coming days if globalism or nationalism rules the day. Will it change for the better or for worst?
In God we trust. America, please choose wisely.
The Patriot Miguel Arrindell
Dear Editor,
Human beings are an inexplicable mix of contrast. Our reservoirs of human activities and ways of being are populated with copious amounts of polar opposites and mysterious contradictions. We experience internal conflicts, which at times are so intolerable and unbearable we would rather discontinue self-insistence and self-preservation, opting instead for self-erasure. We hope with optimistic fervour for desirable and favourable outcomes in our lives, only to be reminded ever so often by bouts of despair that hope is its binary opposite.
We endeavour to love and not to be deluded by the subterfuge of love, but our minds ceaselessly fall prey and victim to love’s cunning trap. The very object of our love suddenly ceases to be beautiful for reasons we often cannot explain hastening us to aim arrows of hate at its heart. We mistakenly love an object because it is beautiful but seldomly find an object beautiful because we love it.
Our perennial need to be authentic, to discover the “I”, to be an individual, to gain freedom from being helpless slaves of circumstances is constantly in conflict and tension with our sense of belonging, our need to be social creatures forever seeking to be a part of the herd.
Humans establish strict moral and legal codes to control and censor their behaviour, which so often militate with and prick their conscience. We commit an unimaginable amount of resources and authorise the use of institutional violence to slaughter and maim fellow members of our species, but pay scant regard to the suffering and destitution of many.
We enter into social contract with the state, trading aspects of our freedom for security and order only to be rudely reminded that we are forever at the mercy and discretion of the state. We choose government and its politics of representation over anarchy but instead receive the oppressive boot and shackle of the law.
We claim to have the luxury of free will but continue to apportion blame to others whenever misfortunes and unwanted circumstances befall us. We attribute the misfortunes of others to bad character but blame circumstances for our own. We aspire to live long, rewarding, happy and fulfilled lives but simultaneously engage in activities that hasten and threaten our existence.
We accord immense value to capital and profit, ends for which we become subordinated to the means. We subject our bodies to severe levels of wear and tear to acquire material possessions only to be left with irreparable bodily damage, which we somehow hope can be medicated with the objects in our possession.
We condescendingly and snobbishly accord superior and pedestal-like status to those of high social and economic standing this very moment, but withdraw our snobbishness and condescending ways when they plummet from grace the next. We conceptualise ideals and ideologies to orient and guide us as to how we should live but constantly stumble as we approach their signposts.
We cultivate rational minds to help us navigate our treacherous lives but so often suffer betrayal when our faculties of reason have been exhausted by all known logical deductions. We create works of art as an act of the imagination, imagining alternative ways of being and new realities only to have our imaginative liberation insulted and fiercely criticised when our invented realities are at variance with the status quo.
We satirise and hold up to great scorn and ridicule our vices and follies, deriving humoristic pleasures from our limitations but scarcely recognise the absurdity of our foibles before we have done harm to others and ourselves. We try, almost all of us, to mentally overleap moments we are not desirous of experiencing, but remain totally unaware we are drawing closer to us the moment when we will cease to be.
Humans remain a strange collection of subjects filled with conflicts and contradictions some of which we are unable to harmonise and reconcile.
Orlando Patterson
