Research Finds Parallels in Exclusive Writings of Joe Issa and Justin Trudeau

There are striking similarities in how Jamaican businessman Joe Issa and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau view inequality in society and in particular, gender-based discrimination, research has shown.

The comparison is based, among others, on an exclusive essay which Trudeau wrote recently for MarieClaire.com, and a recent ‘88 Holy Cross Class Letter penned by Issa to his fellow Crusaders in the United States.

Trudeau, in his piece opened up about wanting his sons to “escape the pressure to be a particular kind of masculine that is so damaging to men and to the people around them.”

Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau 

“It is maddening that my brilliant, compassionate daughter will grow up in a world where, despite everything she is as a person, there will still be people who won’t take her voice seriously, who will write her off simply because of her gender,” he wrote.

Issa, who once played host to Trudeau before he became Prime Minister, has also expressed concern for his children – a boy and a girl – in a world where violence against women, as well as men who defend women, have become rampant.

Although broadbased in his criticism of inequality, Issa found reason to be specific when it comes to gender-based discrimination, when he added “women” to a famous quote that refers to “man”, which he used in his valedictory speech in 1988 and repeated in the recent letter to his classmates of College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.

“For it was Edward Bulwer-Lytton who told us then, and we can confirm it today, that only ‘when intelligence is equalized and flows harmoniously through all society, then one man’ – and I would add one woman – ‘can possess no bleeding and dangerous power over the minds of another’,” Issa wrote.

In lamenting the impact of present-day inequalities in his class letter, Issa said, “When we left Holy Cross issues of racism, inequality and injustice were highest on the agenda…, and only liberation and universal education were seen as the ultimate solution. But 30 years later, we’ve acquired new problems on top of the old ones; … while universal education to this day remains a dream.”

In Trudeau’s essay last October, he also criticised the impact of gender based discrimination: “It’s 2017, yet in Canada and around the world women and girls still face violence, discrimination, stereotypes that limit them and unequal opportunities that keep them from achieving their dreams.”

In extoling the virtues of education and the rewards of advocacy – even only among his classmates – Issa told his largely female class of ’88, “We busted out into the world that Holy Cross had prepared us for and we vowed, among other things, to use the powers of our minds and talents to harmonize, not tyrannize; and by our continued friendship and renunion, we have made Holy Cross proud.”

Trudeau, for his part, was equally impressed with his team for the work it is doing “to make Canada more open, more inclusive, more just—and gender equal.” He wrote: “Feminism is not just the belief that men and women are equal. It’s the knowledge that when we are all equal, all of us are more free, a point underscored by Issa.”

Issa called upon his fellow Crusaders to “re-commit to continue building greater resilience in our own communities and making them better places to live, work, do business and have fun and families.”

Trudeau put it this way: “It’s a relentless commitment to look for ourselves in each other, because that’s how we start to build a world where everyone is treated with respect and recognition.”

Both men are said to exhibit great concern about the future of their children in a world of macho anti-feminists where women are suppressed and men with opposing views chastised, thus the need to “nurture empathy, compassion, self-love, and a keen sense of justice in today’s kids”, as Trudeau put it in his essay.

Record-Breaking Blast of Arctic Air More Evidence of Global Warming – Joe Issa

The blast of arctic air that engulfed portions of the East Coast United States in the first week of the year and broke more cold temperature records in several cities must have been driven by global warming, according to extreme-weather enthusiast Joe Issa.

“I think global warming is at play here. I spent three years at university in Worcester hoping I would not experience minus five-degree temperature such as the city recorded over four decades ago.

“I couldn’t believe that three decades after leaving Worcester, it would experience temperatures twice as low. This seems to be a global phenomenon driven by rising surface temperatures caused by burning fossel fuel.

“I really feel it for the people of my almar mater city and wish them well,” said Issa, who attended College of the Holy Cross in the state of Massachusetts in 1985-1988 and graduated valedictorian, having broken academic records.

Issa was commenting on an AP report in which the city of Worcester in Massachusetts was reported to have experienced record-breaking temperatures not seen since 1942. Record-Breaking Blast of Arctic Air More Evidence of Global Warming – Joe Issa

Although the report did not mention global warming as a contributory factor, VOA reports have ascribe the many devastating natural events last year to global warming, which Issa is said to have spoken on before, especially during the last two global warming conferences.

According to the National Weather Service the temperature in Worcester, Massachusetts, fell to minus 9 on Sunday, breaking a record of minus 5 set in 1942. (All temperatures are listed in Fahrenheit).

In Providence, Rhode Island, temperatures fell to minus 3, breaking a record low of minus 1 set in 1912. In Hartford, Connecticut, the temperature dropped to minus 9, smashing the previous record of 1, also set in 1912. And Boston tied a low-temperature record set more than a century ago in 1896 of minus 2.

“The good news is the bone-numbing air is set to push out of the region. By Monday, Boston temperatures should return to a more seasonable low 30s. The mercury will continue to rise and Boston could see temperatures in the mid-40s by Thursday and as high as the low-50s on Friday.

“Many Northeast residents endured jaw-clenching temperatures and brutal wind chills on Saturday as cleanup continued from the storm that dropped as much as 18 inches (46 centimeters) of snow in some places on Thursday.

“The temperature registered minus 37 Saturday at the Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire, one of the coldest places on the planet. The wind chill was minus 93. It tied for second place with Armstrong, Ontario, as the coldest spot in the world,” the news agency reported.

Issa is believed to have embraced life on both campus and in the city. He is said to have hosted a radio programme on campus informing students of Jamaica’s culture and heritage, founded an economics magazine, and played Reggae music in the city’s nightclubs.

As part of the degree programme at Holy Cross Issa had to spend a year at the London School of Economics (LSE) in the United Kingdom doing a major in economics, It was there that he founded his first charity to help buy books for underprivileged Jamaican children.

Joe Issa Wishes Merry Christmas in Several Languages

With many countries such as the Caribbean battered by hurricanes and other bad weather-systems this year, Joe Issa who founded the Cool Group of over 50 companies that are being leveraged globally, is wishing the international community Merry Christmas in their own languages, including English, French, and Spanish.

Picture: Jakub Marian

“I hope they all have an enjoyable Christmas to make up for the sufferings they may have endured this year; they deserve it…I say Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noel, Feliz Navidad.

“These are the most internationally recognised Christmas greetings I know of but our world has many more that need to be embraced, especially those countries with which we trade and have diplomatic relations.

“Several of their nationalities may be living, working and investing in Jamaica, so I think it’s a good idea if we can wish them Merry Christmas in their own language,” said Issa, citing the Dutch, German, Italian, Chinese and Indian, among others.

Issa was commenting on an article which highlighted the many ways in which Merry Christmas can be said other that English, but agreed that “no matter what language you speak, the phrase ‘Merry Christmas’ warms the heart”.

The article said although the English, French and Spanish ways of saying the greeting are fairly well known, one might be interested in learning how to say it in Portuguese, Italian or German this year.

But “thankfully,” it said, “you don’t need to consult a dictionary or a translation app – a map can do the job for you…Cartographer Jakub Marian has created a unique map that details how people greet each other at Christmas across the continent.”

Just in case one prefers to read the languages in list form, the article provided onr with all of those which Jakub included on the map.

The list includes Spanish: Feliz Navidad, Albanian: Gëzuar Krishtlindjet, Basque: Eguberri on, Belarusian: з Калядамі or з Божым Нараджэннем, Breton: Nedeleg laouen, Bulgarian: Весела Коледа or Честито Рождество Христово, Catalan: Bon Nadal, Croatian: Sretan Božić, Czech: Veselé Vánoce, Danish God jul or Glædelig jul, Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest, English: Merry Christmas or Happy Christmas, Estonian: Häid jõule, Finnish: Hyvää joulua, Galician: Bo Nadal, German: Fröhliche Weihnachten or Frohe Weihnachten, Greek: Καλά Χριστούγεννα, Hungarian: Boldog karácsonyt, Icelandic: Gleðileg jól, Irish: Nollaig Shona + Dhuit (singular) or Daoibh (plural), Italian: Buon Natale, Latvian: Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus, Lithuanian: Linksmų Kalėdų, Luxembourgish: Schéine Chrëschtdag, Macedonian: Среќен Божиќ or Христос се роди, Maltese: il-Milied it-Tajjeb, Norwegian: God jul, Northern Sami: Buorre juovla, Romanian: Crăciun fericit, Occitan: Bon Nadal, Polish: Wesołych Świąt (Bożego Narodzenia), Portuguese: Feliz Natal, Russian: с Рождеством (Христовым), Scottish Gaelic: Nollaig Chridheil, Serbian: Srećan Božić or Hristos se rodi, Sardinian: Bona Pasca de Nadale, Slovak: Veselé Vianoce, Slovene: Vesel božič, Swedish: God jul, Ukrainian: з Різдвом (Христовим), and Welsh: Nadolig Llawen.

Protect Our Kids’ Reality: Joe Issa Weighs In On Child Traumatised in UK Shopping Centre

When a shopping centre in the English county of Kent mounted a plastic reindeer head on a wall as part of its festive decorations, it had no idea it had set itself up to make the news for all the wrong reasons.

According to Sky News, “a shopping centre has apologized and pulled a reindeer decoration from its Christmas grotto after a “mortified” child asked whether it had been killed.”

In commenting on the decision to remove the offending object Issa, who has two young children and is considered marketing savvy said, “Santa Claus bringing Christmas presents is a reality for kids in many countries including Jamaica, and you can’t spoil their thrill by telling them otherwise. When they grow up they will believe otherwise.

“I think the removal of the plastic reindeer’s head, which I have no doubt looked real to the kid, was a wise move; one unhappy customer is enough reason, especially as it had hit social media. You don’t want that negative publicity hanging over your business although I don’t blame the shopping centre for putting it up in the first place.”

The article cited the child’s mother, Adele Keen, who forced the removal of the decoration – mounted on a wall – from the festive attraction at The Mall shopping centre in Maidstone, Kent, after complaining on social media.

She wrote on social media that her son had been left “traumatised” and even asked whether Santa “had killed his reindeer”.

“I tried to move on quickly so he was not too scared and his Christmas reindeer beliefs weren’t crushed,” she said.

Another less than impressed shopper is said to have tweeted that the display was “inappropriate”.

“But although the shopping centre has taken the decoration down, it said it had been put up to complement the fundraising grotto’s medieval theme,” the article said.

Marketing manager of the shopping mall Suzie Brindle is said to have told Sky News: “Each year the grotto features a different theme and this year is medieval castle and the plastic deer’s head formed part of this.

“Having heard that the display was causing concern, we took steps to remove the decoration after opening hours which complies with health and safety regulations. We apologies for any upset caused.”

The shopping centre’s annual Christmas grotto is said to have raised more than £200,000 for various charities, and other visitors have been less than impressed by the need to alter the attraction just over a week after it opened.

One woman posted on The Mall’s Facebook page: “She doesn’t need to shatter his dreams, but take parental responsibility for explaining it rationally. Insisting it is taken down is a sign of the daft PC society we live in.”

 

Support Coming Fast and Furious: Joe Issa Suggests new Wave Could Build Greater Climate Change Resiliance in Caribbean

St Ann businessman and philanthropist Joe Issa, who misses few chances to raise awareness of the harsh reality of global warming, is upbeat about the recent wave of International testimonies, stating that perchance the Caribbean will get well deserved attention, in terms of building resiliance to climate change.

                               

Cool Group chairman Joe Issa            IMF managing director Christine Lagarde

“I am not a scientist and I don’t think you need to be one to accept that global warming is impacting the kinds of disasters we are seeing today the world over and here in the Caribbean; the information is all over, and I mean from credible sources.

“I am glad the scientific, economic and social development communities are turning up their belief that climate change is impacting all countries and are raising awareness of the critical importance of disaster mitigation nitiatives for greater resiliance.

“Some times what is said is not half as important as who said it. Either way I think with so many scientists coming on board and the IMF (International Monetary Fund) supporting their claims, funding agencies will be more willing to listen and support disaster mitigation projects around the world especially in the Caribbean.

“As for our own advocasy I don’t think we make enough of the fact that the Caribbean islands are not only in the line of fire of weather systems from the Atlantic, but as a basin it is also the first line of defense for the US (United States) mainland and its Caribbean territories, as well as the UK (United Kingdom) territories in the region.

“I think the Caribbean basin can argue the case for more funding support from the major doner countries in light of the fact that it actually shields the US mainland from hurricanes. Many of them die out by the time they have wrecked the islands,” said Issa, in an interview, as he puts his own spin on the region’s strategic value.

Issa was commenting on utterances by heads of the world association of scientists and IMF about the reality of global warming and the need to take it seriously and mitigate its impact.

A recent Independent UK article reported that 15,000 scientists from around the world have given catastrophic warning about the fate of the world in a new ‘letter to humanity’, stating “time is running out.” The message is said to be an update of the 25-year-old original warning sent from the Union of Concerned Scientists that was backed by 1,700 signatures.

More recently, managing director of the IMF Christine Lagarde has come out with a call for funding agencies to support reconstruction and disaster management and mitigation efforts in the Caribbean especially those ravished by recent hurricanes, citing that global warming is at play.

Just earlier, while blaming climate change head of the United Nations called for the removal of impediments to the Caribbean islands’ access to aid funding, in light of the recent destruction.

‘Fascination with Science’: Joe Issa Sees Largest Asteroid Whizing past Earth as Rare Opportunity to Glean New Knowledge

On Friday September 1, the largest asteroid in more than a century will whiz past earth, and science enthusiast Joe Issa is not worried, viewing the event as a rare opportunity to learn more about the space phenomenon, which will not happen again in a few million years.

 “If what the scientists say is true, and I have no reason to doubt them, we will be alright in the morning and our civilization good for another few million years, as it will pass us at a safe, even if unusually close distance.

“I am more fascinated by the close encounter because of the rare opportunity it provides to gain new insights into our own world and its survival, given the abundance of near-earth objects roaming at high-speed,” said Issa, who at the time was reacting to news of the imminent passing of an asteroid close to earth.

NASA was reported as putting the distance at about 4.4 million miles (7 million kilometres) which it said is unusually close.

According to AFP, “the asteroid was discovered in 1981, and is named Florence after the famed 19th century founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale.”

“Florence is the largest asteroid to pass this close to our planet since the first near-Earth asteroid was discovered over a century ago,” NASA was reported as saying.

The report rated the coming asteroid as one of the biggest in the Earth’s vicinity, measuring some 2.7 miles (4.4 kilometres) wide — or roughly the size of 30 Egyptian pyramids stuck together.

Manager of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies Paul Chodas, said “while many known asteroids have passed by closer to Earth than Florence will on September 1, all of those were estimated to be smaller.”

Using ground-based radar imaging in California and Puerto Rico, scientists are planning to study the asteroid up close when it passes.

According to NASA, the radar images to be taken “will show the real size of Florence and also could reveal surface details as small as about 30 feet (10 metres).”

This pass will be Florence’s closest “since 1890 and the closest it will ever be until after 2500,” the US space agency was quoted as informing.

Asteroids are said to be small, natural rocky bodies that orbit the Sun.

Large asteroid collisions with Earth are believed to be rare, while a car-sized asteroid hits Earth’s atmosphere approximately once every year and burns up before it reaches the surface.

“About every 2,000 years or so, a meteoroid the size of a football field hits Earth and causes significant damage to the area…Finally, only once every few million years, an object large enough to threaten Earth’s civilisation comes along,” NASA reportedly said.

Scientists are said to be confident that Florence will not be one of them.

Transformative Research Visionary, Critical for Local Let Alone Global Corporate Success – Joe Issa

As academic research continues to provide the foundation for radical changes in organizations worldwide, founder of the dynamic Cool Group of over 50 companies Joe Issa, himself an academic with several firsts, is backing a UWI corporate transformation study to do the same for their counterparts in Jamaican.

Joey Issa

Stating in an interview, that the National Commercial Bank (NCB)-sponsored applied research is visionary, Issa suggests that the findings could be critical in transforming businesses that respond inappropriately to the challenges of small island states.

“It’s an interesting initiative and I hail NCB for coming up with the idea, which years from now could be viewed as one of the most significant developments to have taken place in Jamaica’s business landscape.

“I also commend Mr. Lee-Chin (head of NCB, Michael Lee-Chin) for his philanthropic gesture of not keeping the results to himself, but instead sharing them for the benefit of local and regional organizations, which face the same challenges of small market size and low economic growth.

“The extent to which business models take account of the business environment, its demands and processes, will determine the success level of organisations,” says Issa, whose Cool Group model has been likened to that of the UK-based Virgin Group headed by his colleague Sir Richard Branson.

Issa’s comments are said to be backed by his experience in developing the business model for the Cool Group, which has enjoyed immense success in the local market and is being leveraged internationally, with a view to becoming a global company.

The transformation research programme, which is said to be the first of its kind in the Caribbean and will benefit NCB, UWI and other organisations in the region, was initiated by NCB after observing that many companies in the Caribbean needed to radically change their behavior, in order to survive locally, let alone globally.

With a paucity of academic studies to cope with challenges such as small market sizes and low economic growth, it is believed that the research in business transformation could provide the foundation.

The research project is being undertaken in two phases with the first phase researching business models and business intelligence for corporate transformation, to provide the foundation for the second phase.

Phase 2 is said to involve the establishment of a Professional Chair at UWI to advance knowledge in corporate transformation, and the results will be published in a book and scholarly academic papers. The Chair will also develop curricula and cases for educational purposes, the Jamaica Observer reported.

Hard at work

SUPERCLUB’S GOES GLOBAL: Global education 2000 continues to flourish with the generous assistance of Sans Souci Lido and the personal support of its general manager, Joe Issa. This month Broward Elementary school teachers and business partners visited their ‘twin’, Three Hills All Age School in St. Mary. While the Broward Elementary school teachers taught lessons, business partners, Tony Fusco and the staff of San Souci Lido made book shelves for the library and repainted the school.