Tag: constantin

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Pause and Reflect, . . . How do we get to fascism?

Reflect

Pause and reflect as this can happen here. The following passage from our esteemed colleague Wayne Michael Hall highlights a critical lesson. “Still, people didn’t believe it could get too bad; Germany was highly educated, and a cultural epicenter after all, home to Goeth, Schiller, Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, Rilke and Hegel, among other great minds. It wasn’t until the night of the broke glass, Kristallnacht, when Goebbles and Hitler turned their nazi stormtroopers loose to murder, plunder, imprison and destroy Jews and their property that the nazi state’s bureaucracies, occupied by the wrong people and focused in the wrong direction, allowed the beast loose and with it came ferocity and savagery on a scale rarely seen. Then, the alternatives for the oppressed, primarily Germany’s Jews, became quite limited, particularly for people with little money. Soon the only alternative became to “go with the flow” and hope for the best. Their collective wills acquiesced because they saw no other alternatives. This too, would pass, they thought. The giant nazi nation-state run by powerful bureaucracies, brought home to the Jews of Germany and to homosexuals, communist, mentally disabled people, gypsies or anyone deemed non-Aryan what the the beast turned loose could be capable of doing to humanity; as the destroyer of alternatives and a destroyer of hope and, ultimately, mankind. By the time the German people fully understood the bureaucracy’s evil ways, it was too late to do anything. All of the feasible alternatives had been closed off by the nazi bureaucracy which had seeped into every nook and cranny of society. The beast’s masters at work in the bureaucracies faced no punishment and did not take responsibility for their actions, until they lost the war. Even then, most of them did not feel the pangs of guilt for the crimes that they conducted, even those people going to the gallows at the Nuremburg Trials except for one person, . . . Albert Speer. The beast had gone mad and the result was World War II; fifty million dead, including six million Jews murdered in death camps, hundreds of concentration camps, disrupted and dislocated people all over the world, and misery and pain to innocent men, women and children. Visit Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C, sometime to get an education in what the beast is capable of doing.” (Hall, 2018)

The lesson is self-explanatory however I will leave you with these thoughts, thoughts that I perceive as prescient and instructive.

The Illusion of Immunity in Advanced Societies

Germany’s cultural and intellectual milestones were perceived as a safeguard against barbarity, yet they failed to prevent the descent into Nazism. In 2025, similarly advanced societies may assume they are immune to tyranny due to their democratic traditions, legal frameworks, or cultural sophistication. The frightening fact is that full faith in those qualities foments complacency, making it easier for authoritarian tendencies to take root. The erosion of civil liberties, normalization of hate speech, and consolidation of power under populist leaders are illustrative.

Bureaucracies as Tools of Oppression

The Nazi state weaponized its bureaucracies to enforce policies of exclusion and extermination, embedding discrimination into every level of German government and society. Politicized bureaucracies, misused A.I. and social media, or systems designed to exclude marginalized groups can and will serve as instruments of oppression. Discriminatory immigration policies, surveillance abuse, or gerrymandering to entrench power are clear examples.

The Role of Scapegoating and Polarization

The Nazis targeted Jews, LGBTQ+ individuals, Romani people, mentally handicapped and others, creating the perception of “enemies within: to consolidate power and distract from economic or political failings. Statements like “enemy of the people”, is characteristic. Political leaders may use similar tactics, scapegoating minority groups or political opponents to inflame their base and distract from systemic issues like economic inequality, inlusion, civil rights abuses or climate crises.

The Destroyer of Hope and Alternatives

The lack of viable options for Germany’s oppressed populations made resistance seem futile, forcing many to surrender or flee. Systemic disenfranchisement, disinformation, the restriction of voting rights or peaceful demonstration similarly erode hope and stifle dissent, leaving vulnerable populations without alternatives.

The Danger of Inaction and the Cost of Ignorance

Germans as a whole underestimated the threat of Nazism until it was too late. Apathy and denial allowed Hitler to consolidate power unchallenged. Right now, democracies face homogeneous risks if citizens fail to recognize or act against the encroachment of authoritarianism, misinformation and disinformation campaigns driven by unregulated social media platforms, and restrictions on civil freedoms. In the presence of silence and inaction, harmful ideologies to take root and flourish.

What should we observe? What must we see to stop authoritarianism in its tracks? Leaders who consolidate power and any cost, undermine judicial independence, attack the free press, appoint unqualified cronies to senstive judicial, defense and intelligence positions, threaten member of their own political parties with banishment should they dare to “take sides” against the “leader”. These actions echo the bureaucratic centralization and propaganda tactics used by the Nazis. Surveillance tools, artificial intelligence, and digital platforms can be weaponized to track “the enemy withing”, spread disinformation and deepen societal divisions. THESE are the tools of modern bureaucracies of mass control. Efforts to restrict voting rights, limit freedom of assembly, limiting the free press by threatining the revocation of FCC licenses, lawsuits against or flagrant harassment of newspapers, and discriminatioin against specific groups will appear to be incremental but snowball into systemic oppression. The inability to address global crises like climate change, pandemics, commerical trade controversies or geopolitical conflicts can lead to mass displacement, economic collapse, and extremism, mirroring the chaos of the interwar period that fueled the rise of the Nazis.

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Charitable Love on Thanksgiving

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There is no better time than Thanksgiving to remember that reaching out to those less fortunate is a blessing, . . . a blessing to both the receiver and the giver for there is no more pure expression of love than beneficent giving. It doesn’t have to be monetary or tangible, of oneself can be the greatest gift. A wise man believes, “give and make haste of it because the last moment may be upon YOU without you knowing so. Those that give food to the hungry, clothing to the unclothed, mentorship teaching to the less informed are numbered among the blessed.”

As we enter the holiday season it is right and a duty to think of those less fortunate than oneself. Charitable acts live LONG after the giver of charity is gone from this world.

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Bien Agradecido, Querido Dios

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Fulton Oursler, un pastor algo reconocido pasó la mayor parte de su vida recordando a sus feligreses la importancia del “agradecimiento” personal para con el Gran Arquitecto del universo. Cuenta la historia de “Anna”, la criada negra que le cuidó como niño y le proporcionó la lección más importante de su vida. Así contó, . . .

Un día cuando tenía siete u ocho año me encontré en la cocina con Anna, termiando la preparación de una humilde cena.  Al sentarse a la mesa dijo ella, “Bien agradecida, mi querido Dios por mis viandas.” A tal cual respodió el niño, “¿Anna, qué es una “vianda”?” Ella explicó que vianda era lo que tenía para comer y beber. El niño, siendo niño dijo, “Pero, usted tendrá de qué comer y beber si a Dios le diera las gracias o no.” Anna, vió la oportunidad para enseñar algo importante al joven.

Dijo Anna, “Usted tiene la razón pero todo sabe mil veces mejor cuando usted es una persona agradecida.” Procedió a contar el sermón de un pastor que le había enseñado a Anna un juego de “agradecimiento”. Se trató de buscar siempre razones para ser un alma agradecido. Contó ella, “Un día fui al mercado para comprar pan para la casa y al pasar por el lado de una tienda de ropa exclusiva noté qué tan lindas eran las blusas.” Respondió el niño, “Pero Anna, usted no tiene recurso para comprar cosas así de caras.” Anna le explicó, “Yo lo sé pero en mi mente, juego muñecas con esas blusas.  Sueño ver a su mamá y su hermana vestidas en cosas de semejante belleza. En esos momentos  le digo, “Muy agradecida, mi querido Dios, por jugar lindo en la mente de esta vieja.” Continuó Anna, “Como el otro día al volver de compras una fuerte lluvia me cayó encima. Había escuchado de las duchas de los baños modernos, y hasta les he visto a usted y su hermana en la suya. Pensé, ‘ahora tengo mi PROPIA ducha’ y en ese momento le dije, “Muy agradecida, querido Dios, porque usted me regala un pedazo del cielo cada día.”

Pasaron los años, el niño llegó a ser hombre y la vejez llegó a Anna. Le llamaron un día para decirle que Anna estuvo a punto de la muerte y el joven volvió a su ciudad natal para estar con ella en los últimos momentos. Le vió a ella en cama, sufriendo de dolor insoportable y el joven se preguntó, “¿Me pregunto de qué tenía Anna en aquel momento para estar “agradecida”.

Anna abrió los ojos por última vez, viendo todos sus seres queridos, y los muchachos que ella había criado a todo su alrededor. Cruzó las manos sobre su pecho, sonrió y dijo, “Muy agradecida, mi querido Dios por tan buenos amigos y familia.”

 

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Texas Needs Help Desperately, Winter 2021 Crisis

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The State of Texas is near and dear to my heart. This week has seen the arrival of unprecedented suffering of a broad population of Texas. Already overburdened by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the winter inclement weather has left tens of thousands of families without power, running water and many with homes ruined by bursted water lines. There are MANY ways to help. I urge ALL that are economically able to contribute to the relief of our fellow citizens. As most things recently the current disaster has been politicized. It is frankly irrelevant who is to blame. There are people that point fingers, and there are people the fix problems.  I humbly and earnestly plead with you to help. The following are some links to excellent ways to help your fellow citizens.

FOOD BANKS + SNAP BENEFITS

WARMING STATIONS

North Texas Warming Centers

Central Texas Warming Centers

Montgomery County Warming Centers

“We are taught that Faith, Hope, and Charity are our direct link to the Celestial Father above through that “theological ladder” which Jacob, in his vision saw reaching from earth to heaven,  the greatest rung of which is Charity. Our Faith may be lost in sight, Hope ends in fruition, but Charity extends beyond the grave through the boundless realms of eternity.”

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Duke Cancer Center for Kids

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Per Duke Pediatric Cancer, “Although pediatric cancers are less common than  adult malignancies, the impact of cancer on children and their families is nothing short of devastating. Over the past 40 years, cooperative research efforts (primarily through the Children’s Oncology Group) have resulted in dramatic increases in cure rates for most pediatric cancers. Nevertheless, substantial numbers of children with cancer still succumb to their disease, and even larger numbers of pediatric patients suffer significant long-term late effects because of the intensity of the therapies required to achieve cure. Research into the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying pediatric tumors is essential to develop novel therapeutic approaches that will yield higher rates of cure and fewer side effects.

I humbly request that you follow my lead and give to this most worthy institution. I did and Surety One, Inc. matched. Check with your employer as it may be on a matching program as well! visit them here.

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Haitianos Entre Nosotros

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Según las cifras del Departmento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS por sus siglas en inglés), durante el mes de enero del presente año, los EEUU deportaron 2,185 nacionales haitianos hacía su país. ¿Por qué es entonces que el gobierno americano condena le repatriación de haitianos ilegales por la República Dominicana? ¿Acaso nuestra soberanía y el respeto por nuestras leyes tienen menos valor que las de nuestro vecino al norte?

El haitiano NO ES de ni parte de nuestra cultura. Es irrelevante que compartimos una isla y mucho menos que Almagro y su estirpe en la ONU imaginan una fusión de los dos pueblos. No hablamos patois aquí y  no hemos olvidado los atropellos de los haitianos durante su ocupación de nuestra tierra. Fusión. Jamás NUNCA aceptaremos una pendejada de semejante jaez. Fue un acto demasiado bondadoso la Ley 169-14 que oferta una vía legal para habitar en la Dominicana el haitiano. Los que no se aventajan de dicha ley merecen ser deportados sin demora. Igual, tampoco podemos tolerar que mujeres haitianas embarazadas entren el territorio nacional con el único fin de dar a luz. O sea para parir niños “ancla” que gozan de ciudadanía (cosa en contra del TC) o para aprovechar del sistema de salud dominicano, irregular es IRREGULAR y el aprovechmiento es otro atropello haitiano. La República Dominicana tiene sus propios problemas graves con la pobreza, falta de oportunidad educativa y profesional. No queremos NI PODEMOS encargarnos de Haiti

Danilo, manos a la obra, señor.

 

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Insurance Firms Benefit When Women Lead

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The insurance industry employs about 2.7 million people in the United States alone. Women comprise about sixty percent of the industry. When insiders consider the history of insurance, many of us think of the Lloyd’s Coffee House in London, where groups of men gathered to discuss and later insure the ships that passed through maritime ports. By the early 1700s, Lloyd’s had become a thriving center for ocean marine insurance. It was however not until the mid-1800s that Lloyd’s considered opening itself to women’s participation.

A recent speech given by Inga Beale, Lloyd’s current CEO, describes her experience in insurance like this: “When I started my career in insurance over thirty years ago in London, I was one of very few females in the ‘City’ (the financial district of London) and women were not allowed to wear trousers!” While Beale believes that much has changed in thirty years, women still make up only a small percentage of the top tier management roles in the industry.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, women entrepreneurs now own one-third of the world’s businesses. A recent report by several big names in insurance estimates that spending on insurance by women will grow to between $1.45 trillion and $1.7 trillion by 2030, with half of those expenditures coming from ten emerging economies. Many of today’s female business owners are aware and sensitive to this fact. They look beyond the producer or broker that they work with to ask, “Does this insurer truly embrace and promote diversity?”

While many consider insurance a male-dominated industry, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics about sixty percent of the industry’s employees in the United States are female. Although this is a significant percentage a 2012 study conducted by Saint Joseph’s University Academy of Risk Management and Insurance found women held only six percent of the top C-suite positions and 12.5 percent of board seats in the 100 insurers studied. Eighty five percent of the companies had no female representation in their top management positions and twenty eight percent had no women on their boards.

In a recent poll conducted by the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF), 98 percent of both male and female respondents felt there was gender bias in the industry. Though this may be true, women are slowly inching their way into positions of power. Companies that interface daily with customers, such as insurance brokers and individual producers, tend to advocate and further gender diversity. Further, as women increasingly become entrepreneurs or buy businesses, they may seek female insurance professionals to assist them with their risk management needs. A recent American Express study of businesses in the United States revealed that there were nearly 9.1 million women-owned businesses in 2014. These enterprises employed 7.9 million workers with over $1.4 trillion in revenues. The industry cannot afford to ignore gender. The Harvard Business Review in 2009 estimated women made the decision in sixty percent of motor vehicle purchases. This is just one example of women’s significant influence on consumer buying power. Insurance coverage decisions will not be an exception.

A significant concern facing insurance carriers and brokerages is the aging demographic of today’s insurance professionals. Two recent studies found that the average age of insurance producers and brokers is between 56 and 59 years of age. Adjusters, who handle the industry’s claims are also aging with an average age of over forty. Young women are entering the industry in high numbers however to retain the “best and brightest” among these new entrants the industry must create incentives for this more diverse candidate pool.

The insurance sector has not been deaf to the diversity issue. It has responded with efforts to increase the number of women in management and support the development of talented women in the industry. In 2013, the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation began the ‘Women in Insurance Conference Series’. The IICF holds regional forums focused primarily on female participation. The forums provide venues for participants to learn and network within insurance professionals. Leadership, business best practices and gender issues are the central topics. The forums also provide an opportunity for women businesspersons to meet other women who hold power positions in insurance.

Inga Beale advised women in her Lloyd’s speech, “Be bold! I’ve learned in my own career that quietly getting on with work is just not enough. Three elements are essential for your career development…PIE – that is Performance, Image and Exposure.” Further, “we know that to progress we must “Perform” and most firms around the world measure and give feedback on people’s performance at work. But there’s also the ‘Image’ element, how others perceive you, how you come across in business situations. Then there is the ‘Exposure’ piece, which is equally important for your career progression, It means getting exposure to the right people and situations within your organization and outside of your organization.” This is good counsel for businesswomen desiring to advance.

The pathway to deeper gender diversity and inclusivity in the sector continues to evolve at its own pace. As one insurance professional said recently, the women who enter the insurance industry today will not rise to the C-suite overnight. It will take time and hard work to change the industry’s entrenched management thinking that may, when deciding whom to promote, overlook women in favor of possibly less-qualified men. Many industry females feel they lack opportunities for advancement and confront significant obstacles to promotional opportunities. Through proper preparation and mentorship, assigning women to key roles where they gain valuable experience, having the opportunity to meet the right people in the right places, and as Inga Beale said, “encouraging women to continue their insurance education”, we will see more women break into the ranks of senior management.

~ Constantin Poindexter

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Scholarships for Deserving Students, One of My Most Important Missions

“Evey year tens of thousands of high school students graduate and wish to pursue higher education in our university systems. Unfortunately, the costs of attending college can be overwhelming. Statistics demonstrate that only 52.9 percent of enrolled students graduate. Many of those graduates fail to continue with their studies simply because the financial requirements are too burdensome. I believe that every candidate for a post-secondary degree should be entitled to advancing their education and in turn their careers. Scholarships tend to be available to individuals that demonstrate a specific talent, interest in a select area of study, have obtained superlative grades or scores on subjective bases or are members of an underrepresented group. I have decided that we will offer two scholarship opportunities per year to deserving recipients regardless of field of study, national origin, race or any other arbitrary factor.”

“Cada año miles de estudiantes se graduan de las instituciones preparatorias y secundarias con mira hacía la persecución de un título universitario. Lamentablement los costos asociados con un curso de estudios pueden ser prohibitivas. Las estadísticas estadounidenses comprueban que un sólo 52.9% de los postulantes consiguen su metas. En gran parte, son obstáculos financieros que previenen su avance. Creo firmemente que cada individuo merece la oportunidad para perseguir un diploma de aprendizaje superior. Generalmente las becas se otorgan a alumnos que demuestran una predispoción o talento especial en una materia específica, afición de una carera específica, ha sacado exelentes notas o pertenecen a un grupo de personas de baja representación entre las filas estudiantiles. He decidido que Surety One, Inc. ofertará dos becas anuales que daremos a postulantes universitarios irrespetivo de su elección de carrera, origen, raza o cualquier otro factor arbitraria.”

See more about this opportunity on SuretyOne.com ‘s scholarship page at http://suretyone.com/scholarships

~ Constantin Poindexter Salcedo