Why I love the Economist

This is a brilliant leader article on the drug and crime problems of Central America.  Brilliant.

Internal Brain Drain?

This is something I've been thinking about recently.  Brain drain as we typically talk about it is "the large-scale emigration of individuals with technical skills or knowledge" from one country to another.  But, I feel that it occurs within a country as well.  Some others agree with me but this isn't a widely accepted idea, that I can tell.

Also, this thought deserves much more writing than I have the patience for at the moment so here is the abbreviated version.

Well paid, stable jobs with NGOs (and to some extent, the government) lure some of the most capable people away from the private sector, depriving a country of a dynamic driver of growth, entrepreneurs.

I've seen this in a number of situations: 

• My co-workers are experts in growing specialty coffee and fine cocoa but don't do it themselves, leaving it to subsistence farmers
• A beekeeping contact, instead of using his PhD in queen bee rearing to start a much needed queen-rearing facility, works for the government
• A very competent potato grower quit producing to work for the government, planning potato growing instead

The NGO and governmental jobs are very attractive to them.  They are well paid.  They are stable and accountability is not linked to profit-making.  They are esteemed.  They have perks (company truck, computer, phone, expenses).  They are serving a greater purpose.  These are  compelling reasons and if I were a skilled Honduran with a wife and kids to feed, I'd probably pursue an NGO as well.

However, Honduras needs entrepreneurs to drive growth.  NGOs and government can't create wealth, they can only enable its creation.  The average Honduran beekeeper (<3rd grade education, <5 years of beekeeping experience, little financial resources) is most likely not going to make an efficient business.  But Honduras needs this.  Beekeeping can be profitable here.  A highly successful operation here would employ many and teach them valuable skills. 

If I were given $100,000 for development in Honduras, I wouldn’t give the money to anyone.  I would use it to start my own beekeeping operation.  I would start with the local market where prices are high and demand unmet.  I would do some aggressive advertising so that my brand and quality are known.  Then, increase my capacity and improve my processing and value add.  From there I'd create a second brand for US export.  Get organic certification.  Use a single source of nectar and vary by season.  Make honey produced purely from mangoes, oranges, or coffee plants.  Obviously, I'm glossing over the difficulties that one would encounter but the potential is there.  However it won’t be captured by someone that isn’t skilled and motivated.  Right now the people that fit this bill are being picked off by NGOs.

How is it that non-profits and government are able to offer better wages than the private sector?  Even a friend I made that works for Cervecería Hondureña (one of the most successful companies in Honduras) was looking for a job with an NGO.  Something is off.

Mozambican (sp?) Ministry of Health salaries vs. NGO salaries. 

Oh, by the way, shout out to my boy BM who is heading to Mozambique (coincidentally) in a few weeks to test a new development concept with maize processors.

Viva la Maquina!

Back in December I went with Omar to the final of the Honduran soccer league.  His (and my adopted) team Real España (aka La Maquina) was playing the Honduran soccer equivalent of the Yankees.  Dirty, cheating Olympia.  The game was on the Maquina's home turf in San Pedro and we were pumped.

 The game got off to a tense start when the Olympia fans threw a firework at our goalie with it exploding just next to his head.  I thought he had been shot but after five minutes he was up again and ready to play.  The game was exciting and went back and forth.  Olympia scored first but then received a red card (dirty cheaters).  With a one man advantage, the Maquina surged forward putting in one goal and then another!  We were up!  At the 90 minute mark the fans went nuts.

Que viva la Maquina!  Later that night I tuned in to the main Honduran channel to catch the highlights but was surprised to find a telethon-like program running.  Apparently the owner of the channel is an Olimpista and his channel decided not to show the unfavorable outcome.

Shouts and Murmurs From a Bus

Shout out to the New Yorker!  Thoughts from a bus ride.

I'm on the bus on my way to La Esperanza when we pull over to the side of the road, nearest town of any size 1.5 hours away.  A girl gets off the bus and walks off the side of the road to a small concrete house wearing heels and jeans with sequined pockets.

Still on the bus and I see some Honduran graffiti.  Carved into the clay face of the hill along the roadside someone has etched out two donkeys getting frisky.  On the back of one of the donkeys they carved a Nike swoosh.  What?

Getting close to La Esperanza now.  We are navigating our way around a small landslide that has covered part of the roadway.  I look out my window and see three kids breaking rock.  Kids. Breaking. Rock.  One carries a torso sized rock to the other who hits it with a hammer until it breaks into smaller pieces.  A third kid then moves the chunks to a new pile.  Why are kids doing inmates' work?  Why do they need to move the rock to the hammer kid?  They could save 30% on labor.

Geez, long bus ride.  Political ads and company ads painted on to the hillsides along the road.  I guess they are taking advantage of the free advertising space just like Nike.

Last murmur, promise.  The small Toyota pickup in front of me has four cops sitting in the back bed with three... prisoners?  Yep, they are handcuffed and headed to jail.  The little yellow truck is official since it says, "Propiedad de Honduras" on the side.  One of them waves as we pass.

Honduran Style

Hondurans got style.  No denying.  From mohawks, to machetes, to cool boots; we gots it.

I really enjoy my Honduran friends with machetes.  Especially in the more rural areas, machetes are carried by almost all adult males.  It's sort of like a pocket knife / shovel / crowbar all rolled into one.  

"Leaving for the day, honey?  Don't forget your machete!"

Anyways, I like it and wish I could pull it off myself.  One interesting thing about it though is how elaborate their sheaths are.  Lots are carried loose but some have heavily tasseled, leather affairs.  I'll admire them on the long bus rides or spy them on my moto adventures.  Not sure what the rationale is but oh well.

But leather sheaths aren't all we do down here.  My boys are all over the Hunter boots craze that has been driving girls crazy up north.  Interesting contrast.

vs.

Incidentally this is where I buy my breakfast in the morning.  36 lempiras ($2), not bad.

Thirsty?

So, after a good vball practice or match down here, I get thirsty.  What to reach for in this instance?  A bag of water, that's right.  We don't do water bottles down here nearly as much as we do bags.  Check out the photo.

These little guys are actually pretty good.  You just tear off a corner and drink away.  You can even set the bag down and not spill the water as long as the open part is facing up.  Pretty amazing technology down here.

Or, if you want to drink from one of the large, five gallon guys, you can use a twisted piece of paper.  You can't drink from the tap of course.  These little guys are so insubstantial they feel like they are about to disintegrate in your hand.

What are we doing in the US? Disposable bottles, give me a break.  Oh, and on a recent trip back to the US I had water from individually wrapped disposable plastic cups!  What a luxury.  I wonder if they thought of getting rid of the cup and just using the bag?

Hmm, I wonder which country contributes more water related trash per capita to the giant island of garbage in the Pacific.

Questionable Actions

The UN imposed a no-fly zone on Libya, which I think (and I'm guessing Libyans would agree with me) is a good thing.  See short article here.

However, what troubles me, aside from Gaddafi / Qaddafi / Ghadafi being a crazy person is that Brazil, Russia, India, and China all abstained from voting on the issue (along with Germany).  As the BRIC countries have grown, they've been asking for a greater say in world affairs, from the IMF, to the G-20, to the UN.  If you want more responsibility, you need to be worthy of it.  Vote yes or vote no and then explain why.

A pessimist's take: