Jamaican American Club Newsletter
Winter 2020 Economic Development, Bio refineries And the Carbohydrate Economy
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by Trevor Bogle Change is scientific. Progress is ethical. Bertrand Russell Jamaica sits battered and hopeless at a crossroad at the beginning of the 21 century. Its current leaders tenacious-
Trivia In 1994, Jamaica was the first Caribbean country to launch a website : Jamaica Travel www.jamaicatravel.com
ly hold on to an economic model hopelessly mired in the paradigm of the last century .The ship of state meanwhile is relentlessly buffeted by geopolitical waves while narrowly avoiding the shoals of the unfurling energy crisis. This author has seen a glimpse of the future and like Prometheus the one who brings light, I seeks to bring the light of the new century to the people, a new paradigm and the beginning of a prosperous future for our nation. The nation’s leaders, fixated on the dying remnant of the 20th century; the hydrocarbon century are hardly recognizing the nascent birth of the Carbohydrate century and the promise it hold for the nation. The hydrocarbon
century favored those nations who by luck of geography were endowed with the precious elixir, oil. The carbohydrate century favors all, for all are endowed with carbohydrate. All economies require an engine and fuel for growth. The preferred fuel that drove the worldwide engine and growth over the last century was inarguably oil, a hydrocarbon. Today it is consumed at an astounding and unsustainable rate of 1000 barrel per second, 80 million barrels per day, and 30 billion per year. Unsustainable in sheer quantity even without considering the deleterious environmental consequences now known as global warming and climate change. Continue on page 4
Inside this issue: Economic Development
1
Trivia
1
My major benefits the Jamaican community
4
Book Club
9
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JAMAICAN AMERICAN CLUB NEWSLETTER
Continued from page 1 This story can fit 150-200 words. One benefit of using your newsletter as a promotional tool is that you can reuse content from other marketing materials, such as press releases, market studies, and reports. While your main goal of distributing a newsletter might be to sell your product or service, the key to a successful newsletter is making it useful to your readers. A great way to add useful content to your newsletter is to develop and write your own articles, or include a calendar of upcoming events or a special offer that promotes a new product. You can also research articles or find “filler” articles by accessing the World Wide Web. You can write about a variety of topics but try to keep your articles short. Much of the content you put in your newsletter can also be used for your Web site. Microsoft Publisher offers a simple way to convert your newsletter to a Web publication. So, when you’re finished writing your newsletter, convert it to a Web site and post it.Jamaica, like all small island states, suffers all the physical , economic and social
vulnerabilities, that severe climate change will and has wrought and must in its national interest as well as moral and ethical ones, move expeditiously and boldly into the carbohydrate century ; the carbohydrate economy. What are carbohydrates and what is a carbohydrate economy? Plants takes carbon dioxide (CO2) from our atmosphere, water (H2O) from the soil and energy from the Sun and synthesize or bond them together in the presence of a cellular catalyst chlorophyll. The product CH2O is carbohydrate the cousin of hydrocarbons or CHn , Hydrocarbons are dead carriers of carbon and compact form of energy produced over millions of years in the earth’s crust, wherein the extreme heat and pressure have stripped the Oxygen away. Carbohydrates are living carbon and energy carriers. Carbohydrates are trees, plants, grasses, tubers, generically call biomass or living carriers of carbon and hence energy. While having much in common with their hydrocarbon cousin in that they can fuel our cars and trucks, our power plants and
stoves, they are also feedstock for a chemical industry. They do so without significantly polluting our environment and most importantly are sustainable, renewable and indigenous. Carbohydrates democratize the world. All are endowed. The key to the Carbohydrate Economy is the knowledge that every chemical and fuel produced from hydrocarbon can be produced from carbohydrates. Dow Chemical list at least 200 chemicals now produced from hydrocarbon that can be produced from carbohydrates. Fuels include Ethanol, Butanol, Methanol and Dimethyl- Ether or DME. DME and Butanol are touted as the fuels of the 21 century. DME, is a superior diesel fuel, cooking fuel and every manufacturer of gas turbines has endorsed its use in electricity generating power plants. Worldwide, current production is primarily from natural gas, a hydrocarbon. However, Sweden is pioneering the synthesis of DME from biomass, in particular from forest trees. Continue on page 5
My Major Benefits the Jamaican community by… written by Anna Whyte I have written several scholarship essays to date and each time I sit down trying to find the words that I think the evaluator wants to hear. This time will be different. This time I will be writing the truth from my heart because I have been unsuccessful in all scholarship ventures that I have undertaken for the
past year so I ask myself, " What do I have to lose by being completely honest with them?" and the simple answer is, "Absolutely nothing but just maybe, you can earn something great. Continue on page 5
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Continued from page 4 Locally it can be produced from indigenous biomass sources such as sugar cane stalks, bagasse, guinea grass etc. http:// www.vs.ag/ida/index_guete.htm via biomass gasification technologies being pioneered by Sweden. Butanol on the other hand is a superior fuel that can effectively replace gasoline. It has 1.5 times more energy per gal than ethanol. It is less volatile and thereby less hazardous to handle than either gasoline or ethanol. Moreover and most importantly it can be used in current automobile in high concentrations without costly engine modifications. While plant capital cost is significantly less than a similar capacity ethanol plant, in fact in the order of 35-50% cheaper. In addition to fuels, carbohydrates are natural feedstock for plastics, polymers, paints, detergents, tinctures, gels and too numerous consumer products to mention all (including textiles and apparel; construction materials including hemp fiber reinforced limestone that is superior and cheaper than cement blocks and steel), pharmaceuticals and medicines, a virtually endless compendium
of useful and exportable range of products made locally and from carbohydrate. Of the over 200 chemicals derived from sugars this author is recommending a pilot scale project to select a niche from which to launch a sugar based biotechnology industry in Jamaica. Foremost among these are the so called Polyol or sugar alcohols. Polyol can be recovered from molasses generated as a byproduct of sugar production. Polyols as non-nutritive sweeteners, find wide uses in low calories beverages, bake products and cosmetics. Polyols, although derived from sugars are not processed by the body like sugar and have many advantages such as reduced calories as compared to sugar; reduced insulin response; does not promote tooth decay and does not brown in bakery applications. Polyols can be produced from plant based sugars much more efficiently and cost effectively than from petroleum from which they are currently produced. Secondly furandicarbooxylic acid or FDCA from succinic acid derived from sugar cane to make biodegradable PET bottles a
US$12 billion industry worldwide as container for beverages and juices. Thirdly, other sugar derived organic acids i.e. levulinic acid for deriving methyl tetra hydrofuran as fuel oxygenate and solvent and numerous other industrial and cosmetic products. The carbohydrate economy represents the necessary paradigm shift to mobilize the entire Jamaican people and to revitalize the moribund Jamaican economy on a scale supplanting the 1950’s and 60’s, the period of greatest economic expansion in our history. It shifts focus from urban to rural; from primary production to value added; from low technology to high; from brawn to brain. The new economy conservatively has the potential to produce 200,000 direct, indirect and multiplier effect jobs. These are high skill and high value added enterprises. They will employ scientists of all disciplines (bio-physicist, biochemists, botanist, and agricultural sciences), engineers, technologist, technicians etc and last but by no means least farmers. Continue on page 10
Continued from page 4 My Major Benefits the Jamaican community by...
“For the past year my mind has been focused on the opposite of giving back to the Jamaican society. After each failed attempt to get help I end up thinking, "Why should I give back to a country that isn't doing anything for me and hasn't done anything for me in the past year when I desperately needed a glimmer of light
in my suddenly dark world?" As I sit here today writing these words on September 1, 2020 I think back to where I was on September 1, 2019 and desperately hope that September 1, 2021 will not find me in the same position.
Bay, Jamaica looking for an organization that I was told would be able to assist me with enrolling in medical school after contacting several local politicians only to be turned away countless times. Alas, this organization was no different.
On September 1, 2019 I was walking the streets of Montego
Continue on page 8
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Continued from page 5 After waiting hours to speak to someone, I was only given the chance when I mentioned the name of the person who sent me which led me to thinking once again that even though everyone in this world tells you that education is very important, there is something standing in the way of several students and education. That is simply, connections, who you know and who knows and of course, money. So again, I ask, "Why should I give back to a country that isn't doing anything for me?” Let me tell you why I will and how I will even though I have been going through all of this. Becoming a medical doctor will be beneficial to the Jamaican society because several students are required to do medical examinations for their school. I can help parents to off-set back to school expenses by volunteering my time and services to do medicals free of cost. Some institutions also require a medical examination to be done every year. This may affect the school chosen by some students simply because they can't afford to do a medical examination every year. By knowing that the medical can be done free of cost the student will choose the school they wish to attend more freely. After completion of my Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree I will return to my homeland and devote my time to providing better health care to patients and improving the service at hospitals. Eventually I may pursue postgraduate studies in psychology or psychiatry because I wish to raise awareness about mental health. I believe that it is an issue that doesn’t get paid much attention. Person struggling with depression are oftentimes ridiculed and told that they are “weak” and “too soft”. I want to let everyone know that it is okay to show emotions and that depression doesn’t last forever. “An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward so when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it’s going to launch you into something great.” Lastly, I will give back to society because ten years ago there was a student seeking help to complete their education like I am today and the sad reality is that ten years from now there will be a student in the same position. I want to be able to put a smile on that person's face when I offer to help. This is a situation that no one should be faced with and it is bad for a nation when persons are forced to pursue other avenues simply because they lack the funds to carry out their heart's desire. A few months ago, I met someone at scholarship interview and we have maintained contact. She has a passion to become a doctor but unfortunately, she wasn't selected for the scholarship and I had to be the one to deliver that news since we didn't have the pleasure of being contacted by the organization. I had to hear from someone else that he received the scholarship and conclude that I didn't receive it and neither did she. It was very soul crushing to hear the defeat in her voice when I delivered the news. She has decided to settle for another degree that will not make her happy. An unhappy worker will not contribute to building a happy society. I want to be someone's joy when I can tell them that money will not stand in the way of their dreams. There are several things that I wish to do in this life time and at the forefront of that is creating an organization that can assist less fortunate students with tertiary school expenses. Doctors play a vital role in today's society.
I want to be the doctor that delivers health care to those who can't afford it by volunteering my time. At this stage in my life I wish that I could actually volunteer in certain activities at the local marine park and even marathons but unfortunately those activities require a payment that I don't have. After completing my studies and getting situated in my job, I will be able to take part in any number of marathons and even volunteer to be the doctor on site because I won't have to worry about paying the fee. I even wish to do relief work even outside of Jamaica because let's face it, contributing in other countries will strengthen the bonds between the nations. So, helping Jamaica means helping its neighbors as well. As I write these final words, listening to a song titled, "You're Gonna Be OK", I know that regardless of whatever happens from this venture, I will be okay. It may not happen right away, I may cry for a few days but I will be. I will not give up and I will leave my mark on this world with some ground breaking research and even if that doesn't happen, I just have to get up and keep on moving because my story will inspire someone somewhere someday. After all, "The greatest glory in living, lies not in never falling but in rising every time we fall." To help this young lady, email: annawhyte73@gmail.com
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This not for profit club's sole purpose is to create unity
Organization
among positive people who have passion; therefore,
Jamaican American Club
the Jamaican American Club will not align itself with any religious, political or social classes that are unwilling to respect an individual's choice for their interpre-
www.JamaicanAmericanClub.org Jamaican American Club PO Box 62 Elk Grove, IL 60009 USA
tation of the world.
Goal: Help the community remain viable.
JamaicanAmericanClub@yahoo.com Intended audience: Any individual who would like to help is welcome.
Continued from page 5 The carbohydrate economy elevates our farmers and farming to a status unprecedented in their long service to humankind. The farm becomes the engine of growth and the hub around which biorefineries and biochemical laboratories revolve, regenerating rural economies and rural life, the bedrock of the Jamaica soul. These are not cottage industries in the common sense but advanced production units located close to their feedstock. The carbohydrate economy would usher in a revolutionary electric age in Jamaica wherein married to other indigenous electricity generating technologies such as photovoltaic, wind energy
and ocean thermal energy conversion the cost of electricity generation can be reduced to US$0.06 per kw-hr instead of the currently prevailing US$0.23. With a cheap, renewable, sustainable and environmentally friendly energy base the Jamaican economy can at last provide for the well-being of its entire people. The carbohydrate economy is not only scientific it is ethical. I humbly urge our decision makers to consider and dream.
