My Beauty Best Teacher

If anyone in our political system has the courage, guts, moxie, and intelligence to stand up to Obama like Daniel Hannan stood up to Prime Minister Brown, it is Republican Congressman Thaddeus McCotter from Michigan's 11th District. This great Congressman is a joy to listen to- and when you turn him on, be prepared, because he evokes the fire and brimstone of our greatest orators of the past.

To promote McCotter, a website was created called McCotter Rocks. I'm not sure if it worth bookmarking, but there are some great articles on there, and also it has some great clips and transcripts of McCotter speeches. I saw the one where McCotter was on Red Eye- great. And I just read McCotter Comments on GM CEO Rick Wagoner’s Resignation- also good ("Earlier this week, the President and the Treasury Secretary met with the Wall Street Chieftains who crashed our credit markets and dragged us to the precipice of a global depression. will the Wall Street CEO’s receiving TARP funds summon the honor to resign? Will this White House ever bother to raise the issue? I doubt it.”) Check out the site!

UPDATE III: Be sure to check out Daniel Hannan's new book at The New Road to Serfdom: A Letter of Warning to America.

G. Pascal Zachary writes in The East African:

“If autocrats do not deliver prosperity any more reliably than democrats, then the romance with benign authoritarianism is probably misguided. Democratisation must be pursued wholeheartedly in Africa — but pursued without illusions. Elections inevitably heighten ethnic tensions, but these tensions can be managed. If democrats are to triumph over authoritarian populists, they must take more seriously the importance of balancing ethnic differences along with promoting economic growth. One without the other is unsustainable.”-[continue reading]

via Africa Works

From Africa Rising:

When a Western charity makes an appeal for funds with the photo of a seemingly helpless African child, the Western donor is cast in the role of the strong, generous, and righteous person helping the lowly and needy. Strength, generosity, and righteousness are all good things, but I fear that an unrighteous pattern has developed. The West and Africa have become type-cast into strong and weak, resourceful and helpless, giver and receiver, parent and child.
To cast whole continents and cultures in such starkly contrasting and fixed roles is an untruth and an injustice. There is strength in Africa, and there is resourcefulness, generosity, and righteousness...[continue reading]

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The headlines today are shocking- our should be shocking to a country raised on freedom and liberty- a President, one person, acting as a tyrant, is forcing a major business- one of the biggest privately held companies in the world- to fire their CEO in order to gain more power and control over this company. What happened to America?

I'm too stunned, shocked, and saddened to write more, although read these editorials if you want to read some good analysis- the story Obama forces Wagoner out at GM which talks about the situation, this editorial Rick Wagoner's ousting had more to do with politics than his ability to revive GM which provides interesting perspective, and this one by Daniel Howes about Wagoner takes the fall for GM.

By the way, inspired by a comment in General Motors Situation Boils Over, I am going to try to call GM Federal Motors to convey the sense that our government is now the true master of this corporation.

UPDATE: Daniel Howes had a great column in today's Detroit News. Link to it here. Here are some of the better parts of it:

But what the president didn't say Monday, as he detailed his administration's prescription for Detroit's two sickest automakers, is what he actually did -- oust a sitting CEO, GM's Rick Wagoner, and begin the process of remaking a board of directors...

In one swift act, the president effectively overruled the oversight and fiduciary responsibilities of GM's directors, duly elected by the automaker's shareholders, because he could -- and the federal government, officially a lender of $13.4 billion to GM, doesn't own a single share of the automaker.

A chilling message?

"Firing a CEO is usually what a board does," says Peter Henning, a law professor at Wayne State University who worked in the enforcement division of the Securities and Exchange Commission. "We now have a CEO-in-chief ... overseeing large sectors of the economy. We are certainly in a brave new world."

And it looks like this: the federal government, in a bid to "save" companies determined crucial to the economy, is prepared to use whatever thin financial connections it has to them to broom management, void employment contracts, reload boards of directors and, if necessary, force bankruptcies.

The issue is principle and the lengthening arm of government into commerce. How can corporate governance and the fiduciary responsibility of directors to shareholders be so easily usurped to satisfy the political exigencies of the day? Stunning is too mild a word to describe the precedent set here.

4/8/08 quote from Chancellor Rhee's City Council testimony "Sixty of our schools are either in corrective action or restructuring status for failure to consistently meet AYP. The only humane response to such a number includes a significant financial investment to find out what is going wrong in these schools, and correct it. By adding (increased aid) 4 million to create a school improvement cluster and 7 million increase to support reconstituted schools FY 09 funding will help us identify and correct problems that are blocking student achievement in these schools."

On Saturday, the WaPo featured a story- "Study Questions Disparities in Funding Among Some Schools" by reporter Bill Turque." This article was based on a study of 112 DC public schools conducted by Mary Levy, Education Finance Specialist from the Wash. Lawyers Comm. on Civil Rights. Turque's story featured several elementary schools and middle schools to make the illustrations of financial disparities that existed in DC schools '08-09 budget. Shaw middle school at Garnett Patterson received $12, 383 in tax dollars for each of its 257 students while Hart middle school only received $7,128 per pupil for its 619 students. It was noted that both schools have high concentrations of children from low-income families.Typically funding is provided to DC schools based on a per pupil rate between $8,700 and $10,000. Of course some of the funds go to the central office functions and the rest typically get distributed to local schools.

What is significant about Levy's study which by the way came out at the end of last school year is that it revealed that "gaps in support grew substantially over last year.... 31 schools ended up with less money than they were due." It was reported that this funding disparity is due to a failure to adhere to a new funding formula initiated by Rhee at the end of last school year which promised art teachers, librarians, school social workers, etc.

Unfortunately in schools where there are high needs, financial inequities such as those noted in the article adversely impact student achievement. Without the needed funding, schools like Hart faced teacher and staff shortages and over sized classrooms amongst a host of other ills. Of course the ripple effect as we have read about in the news and watched on television are school-wide safety issues, student discipline problems, students being taught by uncertified substitutes, and assaults on teachers. The news about financial disparities is too little too late for this school year. Noah Wepman, DC Schools CFO promises us that these anomalies will now be corrected in the proposed school budget before next school year. You tell me what is wrong with this picture. (Posted by The Washington Teacher). Story courtesy of www.washingtonpost.com , picture courtesy of flicker.com.

Everyone laughed at me when I predicted that electing Barack Obama would bring changes to college football- you all thought that I was just being silly- there was no way our federal government would order college football teams sponsored by private and public education to switch from the BCS system to a playoff system. You thought I was just joking when I said that Obama wants to rule every aspect of our country, and wants to use his power to make everything 'fair', provide 'hope', for all, and 'change' everything. Oh yes, read this post from last November "Overlord Obama Dictates that Change Must Come to College Football", and see what I predicted.

Then read this- today over at cbssports there is a story about Obama and some members of Congress favor a playoff-type system to determine the national champion, and are looking at introducing legislation that will force college football to adopt this system. They claim that the government can do so, using antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights powers.

Now, I know that the story highlights that there are two Republicans involved with this bill (both RINO's), but the Democrats control the Senate and House, and they control the agenda- they determine what is talked about when. Sure, an occasional Republican might jump on the cruise ship too- but this is the Democrat cruise ship, and any bill that their Congress passes and that Democrat Obama supports and signs is on them, not on the RINO's in the Republican party.

So yes, our overlords are going to change the college football system to one that is more 'fair'- and you heard it here first.

From Powell's:

In Something Torn and New, Ngugi explores Africas historical, economic, and cultural fragmentation by slavery, colonialism, and globalization. Throughout this tragic history, a constant and irrepressible force was Europhonism: the replacement of native names, languages, and identities with European ones. The result was the dismemberment of African memory.
Seeking to remember language in order to revitalize it, Ngugis quest is for wholeness. Wide-ranging, erudite, and hopeful, Something Torn and New is a cri de coeur to save Africas cultural future...[continue reading]

via Africa's Turn

EducatingAfrica is a Foundation that was formed to support cost effective, relevant and sensible education initiatives and assist them to become self sustainable wherever possible...they are committed to supporting cost effective and financially self sufficient education initiatives across all levels of education in each country in Africa.

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Last week I heard a speech from this guy on Sean Hannity, and it was great. Daniel Hannan is a Troy Member of the European Parliament (MEP) who represents South East England, criticised British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to his face in a stirring speech, and now the clip of this speech is one of the top clips on youtube.

From Mail Online:

Mr Hannan's assault came after the Premier had given a keynote speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. As Mr Brown looked on through gritted teeth, shaking his head, the Tory lambasted him as a 'Brezhnev era apparatchik' who was ' pathologically incapable' of taking responsibility for his role in the financial crisis. The clip features Mr Brown looking on with a frozen smile, while Mr Hannan warned how Britain was entering the recession in a 'dilapidated condition' with an 'almost unbelievable' deficit. After accusing Mr Brown of losing his moral authority, he finished with the pay-off line: 'You are the devalued Prime Minister of a devalued government.'

The speech is not long- I encourage you to take 3 minutes out of your day to watch it here. It will encourage and excite you. Now one can only hope that a US Congressman will say the similar thoughts to our Brezhnev era apparatchik who is running up an unbelievable deficit in our nation.

UPDATE: Powerlineblog also posted on this today.

UPDATE II: If you haven't already, check out the interview of Daniel Hannan over at Vox Popoli- it is very interesting.

UPDATE III: Be sure to check out Daniel Hannan's new book at The New Road to Serfdom: A Letter of Warning to America.

This week has been a slow week for posting. I could blame it on the fact that I have been really busy, but that's honestly not it- the real reason is that every day it seems to be getting worse and worse around here, and I'm starting to get annoyed.

For example, I read in the Detroit News two stories- one that says that the Democrats in Congress and the President is going to do everything it can do to help the domestic auto company, and than another that says that the Democrats in Congress and the President are going to slap the auto industry with new fuel efficiency standards that will cost $1.5 billion. What the f&%$ is that?

A lot of my students express similar frustrations- I was trying to teach them today about bills of attainder and ex post facto laws, and one of them raised a hand and asked what the point of it was if you could just ignore or re-interpret those clauses whenever you wanted to? I mean, come on- how am I supposed to do my job and teach these students the core beliefs of our country, how am I supposed to teach them to be proud of our rights and liberties, when the freaking government keeps undercutting me by violating them so openly?

So my brother passed me this site to look at, called I Am Simon Jester. I like it. The reference of course is to The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, where in the book those who decide to break free of their earthly rulers would often scrawl anti-authoritarian graffiti on walls, signing it "Simon Jester". Some have have suggested that those who find the American government oppressive do the same, and I like it. From I Am Simon Jester:

We are not anarchists. We are not Far-Right or Far-Left. We are the seventy percent in the middle. We are not Capital “L” libertarians, although we do have sympathies with their platform. We are neither bitter clingers nor conspiracy nuts.

What we are is a group of folks that think we see liberty and freedom eroding in our beloved United States. We see the policies and agendas of the hirelings in Washington D.C. heading toward an abbreviation if not outright abrogation of the Bill of Rights.

We think the Federal government, not just this administration, is more interested in self-serving personal, political, and party power than it is in actually doing its best to do the least.

For almost a hundred years, our country has been heading towards becoming a Socialist, centrally planned, Nanny State where the Federal Government tells it citizens how to conduct business, what they could grow in their own gardens or on their own farms, and now even how much a private citizen is allowed to earn before punitive and illegal taxation takes it away.

Now is the time to make it stop.

There are many ways for you to be Simon Jester. Wear a t-shirts that says "Simon Jester," or "I Aim to Misbehave," or "Don't Tread on Me." Go to a Tea Party- there are some coming up on April 15. Write your government officials. And take action, however, whenever you can to show our government officials that we are not going to stand for it anymore, we will not take it anymore, and we will not go into the night quietly.

Laila Lalami writes in Farafina:

I have often noticed that whenever one hears about “Africa,” whether on the news, or in music, or in arts, or in literature, the inevitable focus is always the portion of the continent that is geographically south of the Sahara desert. For instance, the “plight of Africa,” that favourite headline of European and American newspapers, usually refers to AIDS or child soldiers or foreign debt or whatever new cause hipsters find fit to embrace at the moment...I want to reclaim North Africa for Africa. In his article “Remapping Africanness”, the novelist and academic Anouar Majid shows how North African and sub-Saharan novels in fact share many common themes and concerns...[continue reading]

Damibisa Moyo on Charlie Rose, echoing Andrew Mwenda and others:

Patrick Mureithi is the director of ICYIZERE: hope A documentary about trauma, reconciliation and forgiveness in Rwanda after the genocide.

Bryan Mukandi writes in the Mail & Guardian:

...the continent is notable for its underdevelopment. It is the focus of the bulk of the workings of the “development industry”. No other continent has as many development NGOs giving aid, conducting research, formulating policy and so forth. Africa also has a good number of solid universities, as well as some very good ones, many of which are staffed by people who could hold their own anywhere in the world. These thinking communities are meant to dwell on society’s problems and offer solutions. A huge problem in their immediate environment is underdevelopment. Why then doesn’t more original thought on development and economics (as well as other social sciences) come from Africa?

Asserting that solutions must be largely self-generated:

The sad thing about the bulk of sub-Saharan Africa is that very few of the ideas that are lying around at any given time come from within the region. Perhaps it is time that African institutions of learning stopped seeing themselves as being in the business of “training” people so they can find work in some company or another. Maybe their basic function should be to inspire thinking and alternative solutions to local and regional problems...[continue reading]

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Many of you are reading my blog and thinking about how bad things are getting, and I can't argue with you- when you hear that we might go bankrupt as a nation and yet Democrats spend your taxpayer money to remove tattoos from gang members in California (200K) and spend 2 million hard-earned dollars to study pig odour and manure management in Iowa, it is hard to stay positive. Heck, even listening to Obama umm and ahh his way through a very important speech doesn't cheer me up anymore. That's why I am linking to this- you'll feel a lot better after spending 2 minutes watching this clip.

Sadly, I turned in a couple minutes late, and missed all the stuff on how he is going to help the economy, provide jobs, control the deficit, shore up the banking industry, and steady the stock market. I did hear a lot of stuff about global peace, stopping global warming, getting Muslims and Jews to love one another, making me a criminal for raising my air conditioning, dumping money into failing schools, and other such garbage. Did I have on the wrong channel?

James Stanfield writes in Economic Affairs:

Although education may be important for economic growth, this does not mean that nationalising and centrally planning the whole sector is the best way forward, as this will restrict total investment in education (public and private) and will often result in education being provided which is of a low quality and of the wrong type. Increasing government investment in this type of education is likely to restrict growth by diverting scarce resources away from more productive uses...[continue reading(PDF)]

Greatness, Reagan, Churchill & The Making of Exraordinary Leaders, by Steven F. Hayward, is an excellent character study of two great men in recent history- Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill. What the book does is lay out the similarities and differences between these two by looking at their upbringing, faith, private lives, domestic policy, and international policies. The book then ends with some speculation about what it takes to be a great leader. It is a good read, and an easy read, and I found it to be a good introduction to these two leaders- and it left me wanting to know more, a lot more, about Reagan. I might pick up Hayward's The Age of Reagan books to continue reading more about this great man. Check out my post "Let Them Go Their Way, while The Oakland County Republican Party Holds its Convention" from 11.19.08 for more inspiration by the great Ronald Reagan.

Today, Tuesday, March 24, Bill Ayers will be at the Oakland Center, on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, in the Gold Room. If you would like to go to the event, click on the link for the the address for Oakland University which is 2200 N. Squirrel Road, Rochester, Michigan 48309-4401, and here is a link for a map of campus.

He will be speaking from 10:00 AM- 11:45 AM about Democracy and Education. There are no tickets for the event- everyone is welcome as seating permits. His books will be sold at the event, and there is the possibility for some book signing to take place. The event is being hosted by the Oakland University Communications and Journalism department, so contact that department for more details if needed.

From the dozen or so people that have contacted me, I assume there will be several people down there- bring a sign or just show up and look for the crowd. Not sure what kind of police presence Bill will bring with him, but I wouldn't worry too much. If you are a student, unemployed, or just can get away that morning, show up and show what you think of this unrepentant terrorist and friend of Barack Obama.

Patrick Smith at the FT reviews Michela Wrong's It’s Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistleblower:

These are hard times for anti-corruption campaigners, and harder still in Africa where activists face harassment and sometimes death. According to United Nations and World Bank estimates, corruption and transfer pricing cost Africa more than $150bn a year.Michela Wrong’s compelling book, It’s Our Turn to Eat, charts the career of a doughty opponent of this corruption: Kenyan anti-graft campaigner, John Githongo. By describing Githongo’s efforts, Wrong explains the mechanics of corruption within government and business circles and why so much western development policy in Kenya fails.

Apparently the Situation Room, a room in the White House used for national security, is now being used by the Obama administration to plan political attacks against conservatives and Republicans. According to wikipedia:

The White House Situation Room is a 5,000-square-foot conference room and intelligence management center in the basement of the West Wing of the White House. It is run by the National Security Council staff for the use of the President of the United States and his advisers (including Homeland Security and the White House Chief of Staff) to monitor and deal with crises at home and abroad and to conduct secure communications with outside (often overseas) persons. The Situation Room is equipped with secure, advanced communications equipment for the President to maintain command and control of U.S. forces around the world.

Someone needs to update wikipedia-

The Weekly Standard reported last week that Democratic congressional candidate Scott Murphy claimed to have met with White House political operatives “in the situation room.” The White House has been non-responsive to inquiries as to whether the Situation Room--previously reserved for national security-related meetings--is now being used for political get togethers. Now we learn in today’s Washington Post that Rahm Emanuel called a group of veterans' group leaders together to discuss a budget controversy "in the Situation Room," with "Emmanuel seated in the President's chair." The article notes that the vets made a political pitch to Rahm--"We said 'look, don't give Republicans an opportunity to slam you.'"

So it seems that the Obama White House is using the Situation Room for meetings in a way no previous administration did. Such a meeting would have been held either in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, or maybe in the Roosevelt Room in the West Wing (which is where the article says Obama himself met with the veterans 48 hours earlier)--but never in the Situation Room.

Obama is at war- war with conservatives and Republican allies.

From Pambazuka, The Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Kenya) and the Konrad Adenaur Foundation invite contributions to be published in a Special Issue on Electoral Systems Reform in Sub Saharan Africa:

It is increasingly becoming a trend in Africa, that, whilst elections are supposed to anchor and ensure sustainable growth in democracies, in countries such as Kenya and Zimbabwe, elections have become a liability. Instead of institutionalising democracy, they have fueled political instability. Consequently, the essential question is: to what extend do electoral systems and institutions in Sub Saharan Africa turn into political assets and / or liabilities?

My minister always says if you passed a test then you have a testimony. I am sharing this very personal story because recently I passed a test. One of my favorite biblical passages is aptly titled "For Everything There Is A Season." I have written about it here on my blog before. I hope that none of you will comment negatively on my blog this morning because today I am celebrating . Today is my season, my little boy, Blake (now five years older and a grown young man of 19 years) returned back home to his family of origin.

Blake was abducted from me almost five years ago this year. Many lies were told by a vindictive ex which propelled me into a legal court battle that defied reason. To fight this battle in court it cost me thousands and thousands of dollars and appearances before more than 12 judges . I was willing to pay whatever the cost so that I could continue to have a relationship with my son. Every legal door I opened somehow was closed on me despite the obvious evidence. In one instant of a judge's ruling- it felt like I had lost everything. I remember thinking in the parking lot that day- what is to become of me ? After all I had a full-time job but I also had spent the last 15 years being someones mommy. I imagined- what will I do now ?

I vowed to never become bitter or take out my anger on anyone because of what happened to me. I turned to God for guidance even though I didn't have a strong spiritual connection. I asked the question if not be a mother, what is it that you would have me do ? The answer to this question became my quest. I read the bible over and over again and even purchased many soul searching books. The answer eventually became clear to me symbolically. I was to use my talents to help others in need . I also developed a closer spiritual connection and joined a church.

Somehow many problems have landed conveniently at my doorstep. I use to say out loud- nobody's home, my plate is full, can't you see I 'm busy God ?

I remember thinking, what next? First my cousin Brice asked me to sign legal papers to be his medical power of attorney (MOA). I thought why not, we aren't going to get really sick before we are at least 90. Little did I know within 6 months, Brice was in a coma. Had I really took the time to understand my role as a MOA- I would have never signed onto this job at least not in my right state of mind. I made the decision that Brice would not be taken off a ventilator when the hospital and his grown daughters urged me regularly to pull the plug. I vowed to the hospital that like the legal agreement I signed, they would have to kill me or die trying to prove to me that there is not even a remote chance that Brice could regain consciousness ever. I studied the Internet on ventilator statistics . I became a resident expert on Brice's condition and questioned many of the doctors' questionable practices. They hated me but eventually came around to my way of thinking that there was a possibility that Brice would wake up. I think the medical staff only tolerated me really until one day I came to visit and there Brice was sitting up in bed. He winked at me and mouthed the words I love you. Later he told me this is why I picked you to be the MOA- you are fanatical in everything you do. I responded - I am, I didn't know that. I reasoned had I been a parent I would not been able to assume such a responsibility and help save Brice's life or develop a much closer relationship with him.

Even though I worked with Brice until he got released back home, the sad news is that Brice decided to give up on life without even telling me. He stopped taking his medication and all therapies unbeknownst to me, even though he had come such a long way. I was Brice's biggest cheerleader and he was mine. When I doubted my son would return home, Brice would light into me like I into him when he tried to stop believing that he would get better. I hope Brice is smiling down on me this morning. My only regret is he didn't live to see what he already knew would be.

Next came another challenge, I was asked to run on the union executive board slate on the Hicks/Nicholson campaign. Actually the race was quite close and we lost. I thought that was probably it for me as far as being a union officer. I convinced myself to believe I tried my best and it didn't work out. I had planned to spend some more time being a long earned couch potato. That didn't happen.

Challenge number 3- a colleague asked me to become the WTU Building representative after all she was retiring. I thought- hmmf are you kidding me ? She gave me a litany of reasons why I was the only one and I would be good for this job. At the time we had a lot of issues with one crazy, crazy boss. I knew that it could easily become another full time job. I longed for something to do while I mourned losing Brice. I was swamped with complaints from our members. I wrote emails into the night on members behalf. While I was burning the midnight oil, I enjoyed it immensely and ran 2 more times successfully. I was quite content just being a building rep. Then I was approached about running on another union slate as a board of trustee. I thought perhaps this would be a great opportunity to help our union, teachers and school related staff in a broader capacity. Of course we won and the rest is history. It lead to me writing this blog. Destiny ?

This past Friday, I was given an award titled 'Visionary' by my colleagues and program managers. While some other colleagues were given other awards- somehow the distinction of being a visionary humbled me. I was touched because I think that all that I have done for others was not of my own doing. I truly believe I was destined to be just who I have become. I had to lose my son for a reason so that I could be in this place. What's odd is that while I was just passing time awaiting Blake's return- I really wasn't waiting because I embraced my role and accepted my lot telling myself- it's not your season to be a mother. Time has really flown by fast. I cried through my pain the first 3 years of this ordeal. Sometimes, I didn't know if I was crying for Brice, crying for Blake or crying for myself. Heaven has many of my tears in a bottle to prove this. Little did I know while-I became engrossed in order to save my own sanity I found my true passion- the labor movement, albeit late.

This Saturday night I got a call from my aunt. Blake left of his own volition on Wednesday night from the controlling imprisonment of an alienating father. For those of you who don't know- there is a syndrome called parental alienation syndrome known as PAS where one parent tries to erase the other parent from a child's life by denigrating the other parent and brainwashing the child into a spiral of hatred against the targeted parent. In studies of thousands of custody cases, psychiatrists and psychologists have compared this syndrome to being in a cult. What we know about cults is that the cult leader (the father in this case) tries to deny contact from almost anyone from the outside world. The child complies in order to survive as well as others who reside with the cult leader. It leads to the child's virtual imprisonment and ultimate control by the leader or father in this case. This is what happened to us. After extensive research, PAS support groups, my participation in clinical studies , talks with my lawyers, I have better come to understand this syndrome.

I did not sleep at all last night. In fact I am still up and its 5:30 in the morning. I am not losing sleep for the same reasons that I did in the past. Tonight is the answer to a mother's long awaited prayers. Welcome home Blake! Thank you God- you're awesome ! I love and miss you too Brice- you will always be in my heart. For all of you who stood by me during these difficult times you know who you are and what you have meant to my survival. A 'special thanks' to my family. I thank you for all the times you listened and encouraged me to persevere. The names of my family members have been changed to protect them. (Posted by The Washington Teacher).

In an Africa Science Development Initiative conference presentation Patrick Amuriat Oboi stated:

African Science Academies and other organizations offering independent advice have an evident role to play in advancing national socioeconomic aspirations. To fully apply their potential, the Academies should be effectively linked into government policy implementation framework both at macro and micro levels. Their programs and activities should be designed more and more to complement rather than compete with those of government ministries and institutions.

From the Moor Next Door:

The Africans are increasingly disappointed with Qadhafi’s performance as AU President. He antics and rhetoric in Mauritania, Niger, Guinea-Bissau and elsewhere have caused embarrassment to many AU statesmen...[continue reading]

Do not tell me they are not surprised, meanwhile we have Meles Zenawi representing Africa at the G20. How can we expect to be taken seriously?
More Qadhafi eccentricity

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More on the travelogue space. The mission of Chioma and Oluchi Ogwuegbu's Celebrate Africa is to:

Celebrate all that is beautiful on the continent from her peoples to her cultures, languages and religions. Contribute to changing the negative image of Africa and encourage Africans and the world to begin to see the beauty in the continent. Promote a sense of identity and unity for Africa’s people.

photo courtesy of Celebrate Africa
via Mootbox

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If your high school government teacher did his/her job, you learned that the Constitution prohibits bills of attainder. A bill of attainder is an act of legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime and punishing them without benefit of a trial. Bills of attainder are forbidden by Article I, section 9, clause 3 of the United States Constitution.

The Democrats in Congress are now upset that the money that they gave AIG was used to provide bonus' for executives, and are going to be introducing legislation in Congress soon that will target these specific executives for punishment. As Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill wrote:

Legislation Will be introduced in the next 48 hours or so that will tax these companies and the bonus recipients. The tax will be aimed at executives at companies that have received significant taxpayer assistance through the TARP funds and will recover almost all of these funds for taxpayers. I feel better. We are taking action. It’s time we right this wrong on behalf of hard working Americans everywhere.

In other words, our government is targeting persons or groups of persons, declaring them guilty of a crime (giving out a retention bonus agreed on in contracts), and punishing them by taxing them to reacquire the money that Congress gave them. Doing this, which even though I'm no lawyer, appears to violate the Constitution, makes her 'feel better.'

Things are spiraling out of control very quickly now, and you can pick virtually any clause in the Constitution, no matter how obscure, and I bet the Democrats are at work right now trying their best to violate it. I'm not happy about executives getting a bonus during these tight times, especially when they may have played negative role in their business, but I still believe in a limited government. Democrats apparently don't, and if they don't believe in those ideas in the Declaration of Independence, you have to wonder what other ideas in the Declaration do they not believe in.

More on the legality of a legislative bill that would tax the AIG executives bonus' can be found at The Heritage Foundation's website.

UPDATE: If you were expecting the Congress to respect the Constitution or the Courts to step in and make sure we are still following the Constitution, prepare to be disappointed. Apparently, contemporary legal minds trained in our top law schools now feel that the national government does have the power to single out groups of people it doesn't like and tax them money they earned in the past because it doesn't like them. For more details evaluating the legal arguments here, I direct you to The Volokh Conspiracy and this post.

As initially reported by theblogprof and RightMichigan.com, Bill Ayers is going to be coming to Michigan next week, appearing in the Oakland County area. What these websites did not provide though were the details for this event, so I would like to pass those on you so that if you wanted to show up and hear what Bill Ayers talks about, or talk to Bill Ayers about what you think of his policies or past, you can do so.

Next Tuesday, March 24, Bill Ayers will be at the Oakland Center, on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, in the Gold Room. If you would like to go to the event, click on the link for the the address for Oakland University which is 2200 N. Squirrel Road, Rochester, Michigan 48309-4401, and here is a link for a map of campus.

He will be speaking from 10:00 AM- 11:45 AM about Democracy and Education. There are no tickets for the event- everyone is welcome as seating permits. His books will be sold at the event, and there is the possibility for some book signing to take place. The event is being hosted by the Oakland University Communications and Journalism department, so contact that department for more details if needed.

From what I gather, people will be showing up to protest the event, either in the Oakland Center or around it. It is during the day, but if you are a student, unemployed, or just can get away that morning, show up and show what you think of this unrepentant terrorist and friend of Barack Obama.

Jeremy at NaijaBlog rails against the conservatism of Nigerian Youth:

The assumption in the West is that youth culture is all about rebellion, resistance and challenging the status quo set by the previous generation. Henceforth, irruptions of angst, malcontent, anger, extreme fun and quirkiness are expected in the music, art and words of the 18-30's. In Nigeria, things are quite different. Young people are often more conservative and prudish than their parents, avoiding any kind of experiment with life, whether it be sexual, hallucinogenic, expressive or otherwise, spending their free time in the church or the mosque or 'gisting'. How is a society expected to challenge its own assumptions without a Rocknrolla spirit amongst the yoof?...[continue reading]

As government becomes more and more involved with controlling the economy, specifically economic development, one has to wonder what this leads to. For example, Democratic Governor of Michigan Jennifer Granholm recently announced that her personally controlled economic council has decided to award $28 million dollars in tax payer credits for firms and businesses that her bureaucrats like and favor. This is all deemed 'economic development', and supposedly will 'bring in' $151M and create 1,254 jobs. How does this work in reality?

In reality, these politically connected companies were were successfully able to lobby government for special insider benefits will not bring in anywhere near that amount of money or jobs. In fact, I would question whether this $28M will bring in $28M in revenue for the state- I would be willing to give fair odds that the state will lose money on these investments, and the net result will be a transfer of wealth from honest tax-paying citizens to business interests, much as you see or saw in states as diverse as Syria (now), Germany (1930's), Italy (1930's), or Iran (now).

For example, Granholm was re-elected in 2006 on the strength of promises to rebuild Michigan's economy by supporting new and dynamic environmental companies. She said that under her direction, even though she had no experience in business or investing, she would direct state funds to build new environmental industries in our state by giving tax breaks to favored companies.

Take for example the solar energy company Energy Conversion Devices in Rochester Hills. This company makes solar fuel cells, and companies like this have had tax breaks and stimulus money thrown at it in spades. And yet, they are unsuccessful- which is why they weren't getting bank loans before the government stepped in. Today Energy Conversion Devices announced that it is laying off 70 employees and closing a plant. It's business plan, its means of being successful, it's only way to restore prosperity, is to get its hands on more government money and stimulus- not to be more efficient, not to produce goods that customers want, not to make our world better- but to get its hands on my money.

This is what the future looks like in a politically directed economy- it looks like Detroit. Look at these links for the sources for this post- here, here, here, and here.

UPDATE: This is what a political economy looks like- federal stimulus money is flowing into Illinois because the President of the United States is from that state. 12% of all federal stimulus money has been sent to the politically connected state of Illinois, which is probably the highest percentage (I would guess that California gets a lot too because Pelosi is from that state, and Nevada probably got a lot too since Reid is from that state). Political connections=money in today's political economy.

Months after Granholm promised to never again raise taxes on Michigan residents, admitting that the policy of raising taxes and spending that money on government projects does not create a better economy (actually, she just admitted that government taxing/spending was now at the magical proper level), she has proven herself once again to be a liar (liar: someone who is untruthful or misleads). She, like most liberals, is only true to one agenda- more government power over your life.

Two separate stories prove what happens when you support Democrats in politics- Granholm Supports Raising Gas Tax and Granholm Backs Graduated Income Tax. Now, Republicans aren't perfect and support increasing spending sometimes and debate within the party about how big the government should get. But Democrats focus always on raising taxes and increasing government. In these two stories, we see a big-government liberal Democrat Governor Granholm pushing to raise taxes on your travel and to raise taxes on you if you are more successful.

Don't be fooled by either of these taxes- Michigan's roads are poor because the state has chosen not to support them in favor of other policies (like money for seasonal workers to find homes, money for programs for minority groups, money for mansions and helicopters for the Governor, etc) and because our state supports polices that make road maintenance and construction expensive and cumbersome (sweetheart deals, living wage, etc)- not because they are 'underfunded and need more tax dollars.' Don't be fooled by the government mismanagement and corruption into giving them more money.

And don't be fooled by the proposal for a graduated income tax- the tax is not going to 'be more fair' or 'help our state be more equal' the reason the change in tax structure is being pushed is because if the government can make you envy your neighbors wealth, if the government can fool you into believing in class warfare, if the government can make you believe that just because you make less money than your neighbor you have some right to his property, than they can raise taxes on the rich. It is politically unpopular to raise taxes- but it isn't politically unpopular to raise taxes on the rich, so change from a flat tax to a progressive tax, and than it is easier for the liberal Democrats in government to raise taxes and transfer more wealth to them.

Open Access papers a boon for developing world scientists-SciDev
Supporting Nollywood the Directors Guild of Nigeria
Challenges for Craftspeople-BBC
Is Kenya teetering?-NYTimes
Challenges for the book industry-George Ngwane
Questioning the Nigerian Stock Exchange-Basil Enwegbara
The real Water Board-WashAfrica
South-South ties contd. Asian footsteps in the continent.
Power-sharing government is a recipe for “disaster”-FT
Leadership starts with you not him!-Joachim Ezeji
The Ghadafi virus-The Moor Next Door
Public-private investment partnerships in health systems-Output Based Healthcare
Examining Charles Soludo Nigeria's Central Bank Governor-234Next

Patrick Barta writes in the WSJ:

Economists have long thought the underground economy -- the vast, unregulated market encompassing everything from street vendors to unlicensed cab drivers -- was bad news for the world economy. Now it's taking on a new role as one of the last safe havens in a darkening financial climate, forcing analysts to rethink their views...the "informal," or underground, economy, an enormous, vital and poorly understood segment of world commerce. It is becoming a lot more important now, as the global financial meltdown casts millions of people out of steady-paying jobs. Especially in developing economies, many of those people are landing in the informal sector, which has become a critical safety net as the economic crisis spreads...[continue reading]

photo courtesy of 234Next media

The One Childhood documentary tells the extraordinary story of how the nation of Eritrea supports the development of its children throughout their childhood - seamlessly linking early child development and school health programs, delivered in even the most inaccessible communities by a strong partnership between the education and health teams-World Bank

Once upon a time, in an apartment far, far away, I read an article that totally changed my view on Star Wars (which has been on Spike the last couple days). It is Jonathon Vast's article "The Case for Empire." Here are some excerpts-

But the truth is that from the beginning, Lucas confused the good guys with the bad. The deep lesson of Star Wars is that the Empire is good. It's a difficult leap to make--embracing Darth Vader and the Emperor over the plucky and attractive Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia--but a careful examination of the facts, sorted apart from Lucas's off-the-shelf moral cues, makes a quite convincing case....

....Like the United Nations, the Republic has no armed forces of its own, but instead relies on a group of warriors, the Jedi knights, to "keep the peace." The Jedi, while autonomous, often work in tandem with the Senate, trying to smooth over quarrels and avoid conflicts. But the Jedi number only in the thousands--they cannot protect everyone.

What's more, it's not clear that they should be "protecting" anyone. The Jedi are Lucas's great heroes, full of Zen wisdom and righteous power. They encourage people to "use the Force"--the mystical energy which is the source of their power--but the truth, revealed in "The Phantom Menace," is that the Force isn't available to the rabble. The Force comes from midi-chlorians, tiny symbiotic organisms in people's blood, like mitochondria. The Force, it turns out, is an inherited, genetic trait. If you don't have the blood, you don't get the Force. Which makes the Jedi not a democratic militia, but a royalist Swiss guard.

And an arrogant royalist Swiss guard, at that. With one or two notable exceptions, the Jedi we meet in Star Wars are full of themselves. They ignore the counsel of others (often with terrible consequences), and seem honestly to believe that they are at the center of the universe. ...

...Lucas wants the Empire to stand for evil, so he tells us that the Emperor and Darth Vader have gone over to the Dark Side and dresses them in black.

But look closer. When Palpatine is still a senator, he says, "The Republic is not what it once was. The Senate is full of greedy, squabbling delegates. There is no interest in the common good." At one point he laments that "the bureaucrats are in charge now."

Palpatine believes that the political order must be manipulated to produce peace and stability. When he mutters, "There is no civility, there is only politics," we see that at heart, he's an esoteric Straussian. ...

...Make no mistake, as emperor, Palpatine is a dictator--but a relatively benign one, like Pinochet. It's a dictatorship people can do business with. They collect taxes and patrol the skies. They try to stop organized crime (in the form of the smuggling rings run by the Hutts). The Empire has virtually no effect on the daily life of the average, law-abiding citizen.

Also, unlike the divine-right Jedi, the Empire is a meritocracy. The Empire runs academies throughout the galaxy (Han Solo begins his career at an Imperial academy), and those who show promise are promoted, often rapidly. In "The Empire Strikes Back" Captain Piett is quickly promoted to admiral when his predecessor "falls down on the job."...

...So under Imperial rule, a large group of regional potentates, each with access to a sizable army and star destroyers, runs local affairs. These governors owe their fealty to the Emperor. And once the Emperor is dead, the galaxy will be plunged into chaos.

In all of the time we spend observing the Rebel Alliance, we never hear of their governing strategy or their plans for a post-Imperial universe. All we see are plots and fighting. Their victory over the Empire doesn't liberate the galaxy--it turns the galaxy into Somalia writ large: dominated by local warlords who are answerable to no one.

Which makes the rebels--Lucas's heroes--an unimpressive crew of anarchic royals who wreck the galaxy so that Princess Leia can have her tiara back. I'll take the Empire.

Read the whole thing- it's great and there is more great arguments that will forever change your view of Star Wars.

By the way, the reason why I was thinking about Star Wars and the Empire as being the good guy was because I was really bothered by quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial powers that the Jedi Order appears to hold before their fall. The Jedi Order appears to be a regulatory commission, with sweeping powers and few limits, and those violates certain principles about good government that we know are essential, mainly a lack of separation of powers, little responsiveness to the popular sovereignty of the people, and no limits on their powers.

Yes, the Jedi Order is like the FCC or EPA with magical powers- able to come up with rules on what is acceptable and what isn't, able to enforce those rules, and then able to judge whether their rules were followed to their liking. Imagine a government agency with those powers, able to step in and say 'I think what you're doing isn't fair (it isn't balanced, it takes advantage of people, it isn't environmentally friendly, it hurts Ewoks), and I'm going to correct the situation and make it fair (wielding lightsabers or fountain pens or executive orders), and afterwards, punish you (fines, death by force lightening, whatever).' Yes, the Jedi Order are the bad guys.