Go Lean Commentary
There’s “Gold in dem there hills” – Legendary exclamation of the discovery of gold in 1848/49 California – the “Forty-niners”.
Thus started the California Gold Rush. Now there is a new rush … or quest; this time for alternative minerals to be extracted from the earth – all over the planet – that are considered even more valuable than gold: Rare Earth.
This class of minerals was recently depicted in an exposé by the CBS News Magazine 60 Minutes:
Video Title: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/modern-lifes-devices-under-chinas-grip – Modern life’s devices under China’s grip?
From smartphones to cars and defense missiles, modern U.S. life depends on rare earth elements but China dominates the industry. (VIDEO plays best in Internet Explorer).
The summary of the VIDEO portrays that the United States initially had the lead in this field of Rare Earth extraction and sourcing; but the US de-prioritized this substance, while China transcended it and now exploits the market to near-complete domination.
The urgency of Rare Earth is not so unfamiliar to this commentary. This point was declared emphatically in the book Go Lean … Caribbean in numerous references:
o Ways to Impact Extractions (Page 195) – There is a “rush”/quest to harvest rare earth elements. [159] These include lanthanide elements (fifteen metallic chemical elements with atomic numbers 57 through 71, from lanthanum through lutetium) for metals that are ferromagnetic, this means their magnetism only appear at low temperatures. Rare earth magnets are made from these compounds and are ideal in many high-tech products. The CU will foster the regional exploration and extraction of these pricey materials.
o Start-up Benefits from the EEZ (Page 104) – The new Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) powers allows for the administration of mineral extraction (mines) and oil/natural gas. Risk management and disaster mitigation plan must therefore be embedded into every drilling permit/license, as a CU mandate is to protect tourism product – a “bird in hand is better than two in the bush”. In addition, there is the harvest possibility of rare earth elements, like lanthanide and lutetium. Recently (2010), these minerals were priced even higher than gold at $2,200/kg.
o Reference footnote # 159 (Page 361) – The Economist Magazine. “The Difference Engine: More precious than gold”. Posted September 17, 2010; retrieved for the book in September 2013 from: http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2010/09/rare-earth_metals. This news article stressed this point:
- … the recent moves by the Chinese to restrict their exports of rare-earth elements—scandium, yttrium and lanthanum, plus the 14 so-called lanthanides. Today, China supplies 97% of the world’s demand for rare-earth metals, thanks to a far-sighted government policy going back to the 1960s that envisaged the rare earths as “the oil of the twenty-first century”.
The foregoing VIDEO depicts the need for technocratic management of the extraction process for Rare Earths. There is now a great demand for these minerals; but the supply source is rather limited. Yet they are not so rare; they may even be found in the Caribbean region. Thus the need to explore these opportunities. The Go Lean book serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the technocratic Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU), for the elevation of Caribbean society. This CU/Go Lean roadmap has these 3 prime directives:
- Optimization of the economic engines in order to grow the regional economy to $800 Billion and create 2.2 million new jobs.
- Establishment of a security apparatus to protect the resultant economic engines and the environment.
- Improvement of Caribbean governance – including oversight of Self-Governing Entities and the Exclusive Economic Zone – to support these engines.
The Go Lean roadmap seeks to promote and oversee the effort for the exploration and extraction of these minerals, recognizing that modern life needs the efficiency that comes from science. The “brick-and-mortar” of a lot of today’s electronic equipment and computer components depend on the magnetic properties associated with Rare Earth minerals. The progress that the CU envisions in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine (STEM) will require engagements with the metallurgy of electronics. We need full exploration of the Caribbean homelands and waters for natural sources of these minerals. Plus with “prices higher than gold”, there is the economic incentive to push forth investments in this industry space.
Early in the book, the need is stressed to be on-the-look-out for opportunities to optimize the region’s economic-security-governing engines. These pronouncements are stated in the Declaration of Interdependence (Pages 11 & 13):
iv. Whereas the natural formation of the landmass is in a tropical region, the flora and fauna allows for an inherent beauty that is enviable to peoples near and far. The structures must be strenuously guarded to protect and promote sustainable systems of commerce paramount to this reality.
v. Whereas the natural formation of our landmass and coastlines entail a large portion of waterscapes, the reality of management of our interior calls for extended oversight of the waterways between the islands. The internationally accepted 12-mile limits for national borders must be extended by International Tribunals to encompass the areas in between islands. The individual states must maintain their 12-mile borders while the sovereignty of this expanded area, the Exclusive Economic Zone, must be vested in the accedence of this Federation.
xi. Whereas all men are entitled to the benefits of good governance in a free society, “new guards” must be enacted to dissuade the emergence of incompetence, corruption, nepotism and cronyism at the peril of the people’s best interest. The Federation must guarantee the executions of a social contract between government and the governed.
xxvii. Whereas the region has endured a spectator status during the Industrial Revolution, we cannot stand on the sidelines of this new economy, the Information Revolution. Rather, the Federation must embrace all the tenets of Internet Communications Technology (ICT) to serve as an equalizing element in competition with the rest of the world. The Federation must bridge the digital divide and promote the community ethos that research/development is valuable and must be promoted and incentivized for adoption.
This commentary previously discussed details of mineral/oil extractions in the Caribbean region. Here is a sample of earlier blogs:
| http://www.goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=4476 | Lessons Learned from Big Salt mining |
| http://www.goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=3743 | Caribbean Oil Producer – Trinidad – cuts 2015 budget as oil prices tumble |
| http://www.goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=3213 | Gas Prices Drop Below $2 due to global extraction policy |
| http://www.goleancaribbean.com/blog/?p=2857 | Recycling Rare Earths materials – Entrepreneurism in Junk |
The Go Lean roadmap details a series of community ethos, strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies to foster the progress in the wide fields of extractions for mining, materials and drilling administration. The following list applies:
| Community Ethos – Lean Operations | Page 24 |
| Community Ethos – Return on Investments | Page 24 |
| Community Ethos – Cooperatives | Page 25 |
| Community Ethos – Ways to Impact the Future | Page 26 |
| Community Ethos – Ways to Improve Negotiations | Page 32 |
| Anecdote – Pipeline Transport – Strategies, Tactics & Implementations for minerals | Page 43 |
| Strategy – Mission – Regulatory powers mineral/oil exploration and extraction in the EEZ | Page 45 |
| Strategy – Competitive Analysis – Businesses – Emergency Planning –vs- Litigation | Page 52 |
| Tactical – Fostering a Technocracy | Page 64 |
| Tactical – Growing the Economy to $800 Billion – Industrial Extractions Driver | Page 68 |
| Tactical – Separation of Powers – Environmental Control & Regulatory Commission | Page 83 |
| Tactical – Separation of Powers – Extractions (Mining, Materials, Drilling) Administration | Page 83 |
| Tactical – Separation of Powers – Transportation – Turnpike Operations – Pipelines | Page 84 |
| Anecdote – “Lean” in Government Permitting | Page 93 |
| Anecdote – Caribbean Energy Grid Implementation | Page 100 |
| Implementation – Ways to Pay for Change | Page 101 |
| Implementation – Start-up Benefits from the EEZ | Page 104 |
| Implementation – Steps to Implement Self-Governing Entities – Ideal for mines | Page 105 |
| Implementation – Ways to Develop Pipeline Industry – For Rare Earth Transport | Page 107 |
| Advocacy – Ways to Impact Public Works | Page 175 |
| Advocacy – Ways to Foster Cooperatives | Page 176 |
| Advocacy – Ways to Impact Monopolies – Environmental concerns, systemic threats | Page 202 |
| Advocacy – Ways to Improve Extractions – Mining, Materials, Drilling Optimization | Page 205 |
| Advocacy – Ways to Develop the Auto Industry | Page 206 |
| Appendix – North Dakota Extractions – Economic-Societal Effects of a Boom | Page 334 |
This commentary asserts that the need is undeniable for mineral exploration and extraction. This can help to build-up the economy and command more respect in the world’s industrial landscape. Shepherding the Caribbean economy – for Rare Earths extractions – is the job for technocrats, trained and accomplished from the battles of globalization and trade wars.
Industrial policy is among the heavy-lifting tasks for the lean, agile operations of the CU technocracy. Everyone, the people, businesses and institutions are hereby urged to lean-in to this roadmap to make the Caribbean a better place to live, work and play. 🙂