October 7, 2009
“My Story” by Randall Butisingh
“My Story” – by Randall Butisingh.
(Reminiscences during my life beginning 1914)
PREFACE
My aim in writing this book is to leave a first hand account of my experiences of events which occurred from eighteen months after I was born to the year 1972 when I retired as a teacher after serving for more than forty years.
This is a legacy I would like to leave to posterity, as I am sure many would be interested to know how they came to be living in this land and the life and work of their forefathers..
I call this work Reminiscences because I want to include more than my own life. I want to include events which would give a broader picture of a people who emerged from semi-slavery and, with other people, helped to build this nation which was once the Pride of the Caribbean, the Bread basket of the West Indies and a Haven for foreigners who enjoyed its equable and salubrious climate, and its freedom from natural disasters..
British Guiana as it was known for a long time, since the days of slavery, was called the Magnificent Province,. Georgetown, its Capital was known as the Garden City, But time and changes have left their baneful effects – Ethnic rivalry, brain drain, corruption and economic failure.
I trust this book will help, in whatever little way, to see ourselves as one people, whose survival depends on unity, not division, on cooperation not competition, on peace not war.
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INTRODUCTION
As we approach the second anniversary of our Weblog this month: (October 21, 2009), I think that it is an opportune time to release my book promised some time ago.
I wrote the chapters of this book over the years, and revised it a bit over the last couple of years. It is titled “My Story”, and it contains the reminiscences of my life beginning in 1913. I have tried to write it in a chronological order as my life has spanned over nine decades, however this was not always possible. I may have repeated myself in some places, but this was done mostly for clarity as this book could be read as separate chapters and still makes sense to the reader.
To date, I have written 30 chapters and I will post the chapters as they are finally edited. As an online book I will be able to make changes and corrections if some information is incomplete or found to be incorrect. .. So this is still a work in progress!
Your input as readers is therefore important to me…. so please comment!
My thanks to Mr. Cyril Bryan who has helped me over the last two years with technical matters relating to the suggestion and the establishment of this Weblog, and for the editing of this document.
Today, October 07 2009, I started the posting with this Introduction and the first three chapters. The rest of the 30 chapters will follow shortly. Please look above, or on the sidebar, for the links to the various chapters.
I look forward to your comments, and please pass my weblog link to others who may be interested in my writings.
Thank you all!
Randall Butisingh
October 7, 2009.
October 1, 2009
The Extra Degree
The Extra Degree
As a leader in a company, how would you like to create a culture of excellence; where your people serve each customer with passion and serve each other with respect? Would you like to have a culture where the team worked together to achieve common goals and each employee consistently strived to get better; where smiles and positive attitudes were the norm and not the exception?
It would be a safe bet to guess that your answer would be…where do I sign?
One thing that has been proven many times is…a culture of excellence will not happen on its own! It takes a lot of work and a lot of continuous reinforcement. It starts at the top and answering these 3 questions is a first step for success:
- How do I keep it simple? Less is always more.
- How can I make it memorable?
- How many times can I communicate it, on a daily, weekly and monthly basis?
To some this may sound like simple, common sense stuff. But to do it right, it’s anything but simple. It takes a plan, a commitment, and a call to action. Enter 212°: The Extra Degree:
At 211 degrees…water is hot.
At 212 degrees…it boils.
And with boiling water, comes steam.
And steam can power a locomotive.
And, it’s that one extra degree that…
Makes all the difference.
And, of course, so many times, in business and in life, it’s that one extra degree of effort that separates the good from the great. What I love about the 212° idea is that you can use it to fit your own needs. It may be 212° service that you’d like to reinforce, or 212° attitude, leadership, or quality. Or maybe, you’ll choose to build your entire company culture around the 212° concept…to differentiate you from your competition.
However, what makes the 212° concept #1 in my mind is this: It’s very simple, but more importantly, it’s MEMORABLE! If you’re trying to create a 212° culture your people will get it! And, not only will they get it – they’ll remember it! When you say 212° service, they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about; when you say 212° attitude, teamwork, leadership; they’ll understand.
— An excerpt from 212°: The Extra Degree by Mac Anderson and Sam Parker
Submitted by Cyril Bryan – Guest Contributor.
Comment:
Although this entry which has been posted by me is focused on business and the attitude of employees within the business, I thought it was a good entry for this Blog.
In life, we should not separate business from other aspects of our life … Why?
Because everything is connected. You cannot fake your personality at work for long… eventually your real self will be revealed. It is the same with all aspects of daily life. Faking a persona may make you ego feel important as you present a personality package that is really not your real self. This is a tiring process as it takes real energy to keep such a facade up on a daily basis. It is therefore much better to look inward and “find your real self ” and project that as YOU. Life would become so less stressful!
Maybe you are ashamed of the real YOU. Well, if you are, then do something about it to make that YOU a more perfect YOU as time goes by. Remember we all have positive and negative aspects in our persona… the Ying and the Yang, so we have to accept both as no one is perfect. However we should all try to be more emotionally intelligent. We must try to be better persons each day and promote the positive values that would aid in the making of a better world during our relatively short sorjorn here.
– Cyril Bryan
September 17, 2009
Pres. Carter Video on Racism in the USA
President Carter Video on Racism in the USA
Comment:
This video is an excerpt from an upcoming detailed TV interview with former President Carter who would soon be celebrating his 85th birthday.
In this video he says that the vitriolic outbursts and heated debate that surrounds the Obama presidency is based on racism, especially from the “Southern States”. He should know what he is talking about as he is from Georgia, a southern state.
The tough economic times in the USA is not the making of the Obama administration. President Obama’s efforts to get a sustainable and efficient health care system in place has been opposed by the lobbyists who try to control the Congressional members with their financial and other support. President Obama’s recent speech to Congress on Health Care clearly stated the various options and points of view, and these were not radical proposals. However, there are those who are committed to oppose the changes he has in store for the USA, beginning with health care, which he believes must be fixed for America to progress as a modern nation.
It would be quite interesting to see if the USA will change or at least control its underlying racist behavior and address its problems realistically in this amazing than the technology, worldwide communications and science than we have already witnessed in the last 20 years. An unhealthy and relatively expensive USA, with high health care costs that could financially cripple individuals and families, physically and economically, does not prepare the USA for this new global reality.
Racism has to be discarded – knowledge and efficiency and commitment has to be promoted for that country to compete, so the USA has to make a choice. They did so by electing President Obama, but there are those bent on seeing him fail without realizing that their actions may make the USA less powerful nation in the future as this 21st century unfolds.
– Cyril Bryan
– Post submitted by Cyril Bryan – Guest Contributor
June 27, 2009
What is Happiness?
What Is Happiness?: tips from a comprehensive study.
“Is there a formula—some mix of love, work, and psychological adaptation—for a good life? For 72 years, researchers at Harvard have been examining this question, following 268 men who entered college in the late 1930s through war, career, marriage and divorce, parenthood and grandparenthood, and old age. Here, for the first time, a journalist gains access to the archive of one of the most comprehensive longitudinal studies in history. Its contents, as much literature as science, offer profound insight into the human condition—and into the brilliant, complex mind of the study’s longtime director, George Vaillant. (The Atlantic – June 2009)
.Atlantic Magazine published an article in June 2009, which features the results of an interesting and comprehensive 72 year old study, that began way back to 1937 and continues up to now, of the lives of 286 Harvard university graduates. Many of the study members have passed on as the study group advances in age, but the study highlights some interesting insights on their lives that we can all learn from.
What HAPPINESS is all about is the main theme of the study. Journalist Joshua Shenk, who wrote the article in Atlantic Magazine summed up the findings as: “Herein lies the key to a good life–not rules to follow, nor problems to avoid– but an engaged humility, an earnest acceptance of life’s pains and promises.”
.You can read the whole article and also look at a very interesting video with the article by going to this link : Atlantic Magazine. or clicking on the following address:
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200906/happiness
If you would like to see the video that is in the article, then click on this link:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1460906593?bctid=22804415001
I do hope that you enjoy the article and the video and that it does give you some insights as to what is really important in our life journey here on Earth.
– Cyril Bryan, Guest Contributor