My Beauty Best Teacher

Africa has long been saddled with poor,even malevolent, leadership: predatory kleptocrats, military-installed autocrats,economic illiterates, and puffed-up posturers. By far the most egregious examples come from Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zimbabwe—countries that have been run into the ground despite their abundant natural resources. But these cases are by no means unrepresentative: by some measures, 90 percent of sub-Saharan African nations have experienced despotic rule in the last three decades. Such leaders use power as an end in itself, rather than for the public good; they are indifferent to the progress of their citizens (although anxious to receive their adulation); they are unswayed by reason and employ poisonous social or racial ideologies; and they are hypocrites, always shifting blame for their countries’ distress. Under the stewardship of these leaders,infrastructure in many African countries has fallen into disrepair, currencies have depreciated, and real prices have inflated dramatically, while job availability,health care, education standards, and life expectancy have declined. Ordinary life has become beleaguered: general security has deteriorated, crime and corruption have increased, much-needed public funds have flowed into hidden bank accounts, and offcially sanctioned ethnic discrimination—sometimes resulting in civil war—has become prevalent. This depressing picture is brought into even sharper relief by the few but striking examples of effective African leadership in recent decades. These leaders stand out because of their strength of character, their adherence to the principles of participatory democracy, and their ability to overcome deep-rooted challenges. The government of Mozambique, for example, brought about economic growth rates of more than ten percent between 1996 and 2003, following the economic catastrophe wrought by that country’s civil war (which ended in 1992). And in Kenya, President Mwai Kibaki has strengthened civil society, invested in education, and removed barriers to economic entrepreneurship instated during the repressive rule of Daniel arap Moi.The best example of good leadership in Africa is Botswana. Long before diamonds were discovered there, this former desert protectorate, which was neglected by the British under colonialism, demonstrated a knack for participatory democracy, integrity, tolerance, entrepreneurship, and the rule of law. The country has remained democratic in spirit as well as form continuously since its independence in 1966—an unmatched record in Africa. It has also defended human rights, encouraged civil liberties, and actively promoted its citizens’ social and economic development.
GOOD APPLES
What has enabled Botswana to succeed where so many other African nations have failed? Some observers point to the relative linguistic homogeneity of the country. But Somalia, which remains unstable despite a similar uniformity, shows that this factor is far from sufficient.Others point to the century-old teachings of the congregational London Missionary Society—the peaceful, pragmatic outlook that is inextricably bound up in the country’s political culture. But this explanation also fails to explain why the same positive effects have not been witnessed in other countries with a history of Christian teaching, such as in neighboring Zambia. Nor are Botswana’s plentiful diamond reserves responsible:Angola, Gabon, and Nigeria all have abundant natural resources, but none has seen comparable returns for its people.It is Botswana’s history of visionary leadership, especially in the years following independence, that best explains its success. Sir Seretse Khama, Botswana’s founding president, came from a family of Bamangwato chiefs well regarded for their benevolence and integrity.
When Khama founded the Botswana Democratic Party in 1961 and led his country to independence, he was already dedicated to the principles of deliberative democracy and market economy that would allow his young country to flourish. Modest, unostentatious as a leader, and a genuine believer in popular rule, Khama forged a participatory and law-respecting political culture that has endured under his successors, Sir Ketumile Masire and Festus Mogae. Although operating in very differerent circumstances, Mauritius’ first leader,Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, held to the same leadership codes as Khama.Ramgoolam gave Mauritius a robust democratic beginning, which has been sustained by a series of wise successors from different backgrounds and parties.Both Khama and Ramgoolam could have emulated many of their contemporaries by establishing strong, single-man, kleptocratic regimes. But they refused to do so.Effective leadership has proved the decisive factor in South Africa, too: without Nelson Mandela’s inclusive and visionary leadership, his adherence to the rule of law, his insistence on broadening the delivery of essential services, and his emphasis on moving from a commandeconomy toward a market-driven one, South Africa would probably have emerged from apartheid as a far more fractured and autocratic state than it did.Too few African leaders have followed the examples of Mandela, Khama, and foreign affairs . Ramgoolam. Ghana, Lesotho, Mali, and Senegal are all showing promise. But in many other African countries,leaders have begun their presidential careers as democrats only to end up, a term or two later, as corrupt autocrats: Bakili Muluzi of Malawi, Moi of Kenya,and, most dramatically of all, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. Other leaders, such as Sam Nujoma of Namibia and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, may be heading in the same direction.
A BOLD INITIATIVE
To build on the positive leadership examples, a select group of prominent past and present African leaders who met over the last year decided to confront the continent’s pathology of poor leadership with deeds as well as words. At the conclusion of a series of private meetings(the final one of which was held in Mombasa, Kenya), they established the African Leadership Council, promulgated a Code of African Leadership with 23 commandments, issued a Mombasa Declaration promoting better leadership,and proposed a series of courses to train their political successors in the art of good government.Members of the council believe that absolute standards of leadership are both appropriate and attainable. Good leaders deliver security of the state and of the person, the rule of law, good education and health services, and a framework conducive to economic growth. They ensure effective arteries of commerce and enshrine personal and human freedoms. They empower civil society and protect the environmental commons. Crucially, good leaders also provide their citizens with a sense of belonging to a national enterprise. Conscious that Africa’s poor are getting poorer and that good governance is essential for successful economic development, the council sees itself at
the vanguard of fundamental reform in the continent. Its approach certainly goes far beyond the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (nepad) and proposals for the African Union. The Code of African Leadership, for example, says in its first commandment that leaders should “offer a coherent vision of individual growth and national advancement with justice and dignity for all,” implying that most leaders today do not. Other commandments demand that African leaders encourage “broad participation,” adhere to the letter and spirit of their national constitutions (especially term limits), encourage dissent and disagreement, respect human rights and civil liberties, strengthen the rule of law, promote policies that eradicate poverty and improve the wellbeing of their citizens, ensure a strong code of ethics, refuse to use their offices
for personal gain, oppose corruption, and bolster essential personal freedoms. This uncommonly bold agenda seeks to avoid renewed patrimonial leadership debacles, such as those presided over by Mobutu Sese Seko in Zaire, Moi in Kenya, Idi Amin in Uganda, and Jean-Bedel Bokassa in the Central African Republic. The council is highly conscious,too, of the hijacking of Zimbabwe’s government by Mugabe, which has resulted in starvation and drastically reduced living standards.The council is chaired by former President Sir Ketumile Masire of Botswana and includes former Nigerian head of state General Yakubu Gowon,Vice President Moody Awori of Kenya, former Prime Minister Hage Geingob of Namibia, and a dozen other present and former prime ministers and cabinet ministers from Sierra Leone to Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda. All are regarded throughout Africa as men of unusual personal probity and esteem and as accomplished proponents of good governance. The council intends to recruit additional members from the ranks of Africa’s outstanding democratic leaders, Francophone and Anglophone, female and male. Together they will serve the continent by advising international organizations, individual countries, and donor agencies on how to improve leadership. The group stands ready to assist civil societies in countries undergoing serious leadership crises. It will also urge greedy national leaders to attack corrupt practices and adhere to term limits (the current presidents of Gabon, Malawi, Namibia,Uganda, and Zambia, for example, have all had pangs of desire for illegal third terms). Next year(2005), it expects to begin holding special seminars for cabinet ministers and others. The council’s curriculum emphasizes constitutionalism, the rule of law, ethics, accountability,diversity, good fiscal management, coalition building, and the fundamentals of modern micro- and macroeconomics. Training courses will soon be launched.Whether the efforts of the African Leadership Council will reduce bloodshed,diminish corruption, and encourage more prosperity for citizens across Africa is by no means certain. But as a unique African response to the continent’s immense needs, this innovative endeavor is a promising, dramatic step forward.

By
Robert I. Rotberg

Reprinted with permission
Copyrighted 2004 Council on Foreign relations Inc. All Rights Reserved

Image via Wikipedia

The attraction and intrigue about Africa's most vibrant but chaotic city continues to elicit interest. Two pieces unfold the varying layers of Lagos, firstly James Meek in the Guardian writes:

The rate at which Nigeria's population has increased, and continues to increase, is staggering. In 1950, 10 years before it gained independence from Britain, 34 million people lived here. The UN believes there are now almost 150 million Nigerians; it has become the world's eighth most populous country, bigger than Russia or Japan. Between now and the middle of the century, only India will add more people to the world's population. If you want to see what it means to live in the middle of a population explosion - the kind of generational leap in size that happened in London in the 19th century and New York in the 20th - Lagos is the ideal place. Where, I wondered, do all the extra people go?...[continue reading]

Meanwhile in the Economist's 'The City of More' travelogue piece, the writer states:

...my first impression of the verdant city was of explosive energy tempered by impressive urban development...The government fails to provide essential services, from infrastructure to education, so the market fills the gap. Lagos is a highly-functioning libertarian dystopia where you can get anything if you have the naira, and the tens of thousands streaming from the country can eke out a living alongside prospecting multinational yuppies. The Wild West model will never yield sustainable social or economic development, but in Lagos it’s the only game in town.

The purpose of this blog post is to share with you six reasons I started with Blogger in 2005 and am here six+ years later, a view under the hood of blogger today (and some some upcoming changes that Google annouced at SXSW), and eleven things all of you who blog (especially Blogger) should do NOW. I know that my wordpress friends have access to lots of goodies and certainly that is a good platform, but Blogger is what I use.

Let's start with the ten things bloggers should do today. If some of them don't make sense, keep reading for screenshots and details on how this feature is used.

11 Things Bloggers Should Do Today:

1. Log in to Blogger in Draft - http://draft.blogger.com - this is the ONLY place I log in. It gives you access to the newest features including the ability to mobilize your site. (If you are on another platform, look on their blog to see if there is a way you can access beta features.)
   
   
2. Review your settings. All of them.  (Do this again when the new interface is released.)
   
   
3. Make sure you've made your blog go mobile. (Click on Design and Mobile in blogger.) Every website and blog should be mobile compatible and no, it is not automatic. I've tried Mobify and had a hard time with it so I like the automatic way Blogger does this for me.
   
   
4. Control your own feed. I recommend Feedburner but there are other services out there as well. This means you can "port" your subscribers over if you ever have to. (Make sure you go into your settings and redirect your feed.)
   
   
5. Activate an email subscription service. If you are a school this is essential. This is a feature of Feedburner but right now I use Feedblitz for this which interfaces with Feedburner. Many people still read email and with over half of adults in their email daily, this is coveted screenspace. Just make sure it is EASY to unsubscribe and that you follow the CAN-SPAM Act here in the US.
   
   
6. Backup your blog - Look at how you are backing up. Certainly, your blog is there on the server, but what if someone hacked your account and deleted your blog? Could you get it back without having to call the company? I use Backupify.
   
   
7. Syndicate your Blog to Twitter - Your blog should autopost a tweet when you update. You might forget and many people use Twitter as their RSS reader. I use Twitterfeed.
   
   
8. Syndicate your Blog to Facebook - I use Networked Blogs but you can use any service that sends your Blog online. I highly recommend you make a Facebook Fan page for this service.
   
   
9. Make it easy to send your blog to Facebook, Twitter, Wherever - I use Tweetmeme for the badge on my blog and the blogger widget for the bottom. I'm planning on adding a Facebook "Like " button. Make it easy to share your blog.
   
   
10. Look at Other Blogs and make a List of Features to Try. I get "under the hood" of my blog at least once a year for one to two days. I start by looking at other blogs and making lists of what I like and don't like to decide what I will do. Right now, I have several issues on my own blog: load time of widgets, want to customize background, make easier to share to Facebook, etc. I keep a list in my Paperless app on my itouch so when it is time I'm ready to go.
    
    
11. Be Real. Finally, blog well. Perhaps some of the best thoughts on the transparency and authenticity required to be a good blogger are in Guy Kawasaki's new book, Enchantment. Great read for everyone, especially bloggers.

Why I Started Using and Still Use Blogger
So, why would anyone use blogger? Here are my reasons. Look at your platform to make sure you've considered these issues.

1. Google Search Optimization
   When I started blogging in 2005, I was a noob at blogging but had been doing the search engine optimization thing since I started hand coding websites in 1995. Staying optimized for Google's search engine was a headache but I knew that if I went with Google for blogging that it would be optimized for Google. I've not been proven wrong in that my blog comes up quickly in searches of all kinds and doesn't have issues with the Google bot crawling, etc. that I've experienced with the sites that I've hand coded.
   
2. Ability to Customize using HTML
   For many years I had hand coded my blog into three columns and yes, I wrote it by hand in notepad. It is nice for a blogging platform to "do it for you" (like wordpress) but I didn't HAVE to have that feature. The fact that I can have direct access to my HTML and copy and paste it into wordpad is a benefit.
   
   So, when I see something on Timothy Ferris', Guy Kawasaki's, or even Techcrunch, I can look at their code (Go to View--> source in your webbrowser), figure out how they did it, and then do it on my own blog.
   
   The good news for those who didn't understand a thing I just said is that you don't have to do this anymore to have a sweet site on blogger. You can just go into templates and use their widgets and have almost anything. Feed services like feedburner (now owned by Google) can easily add widgets as well.
3. Ability to Backup
   I use Backupify to back up my Picasa web albums, blogger blog, and my gmail every week. If it is worth having, it is worth backing up. No, this feature isn't FROM blogger but is just one example of how many "plug ins" are available for the platform.
   
   
4. New Features Have Been Coming
   If Bing has taught Google anything it is that competition can come from nowhere and quickly. We've seen super-fast improvements to Google Docs as well as blogger. I no longer have to link all of my about information to www.coolcatteacher.com and statcounter.com has become less vital to tracking my stats. Yes, I sometimes get things later than other people, but that is OK.
   
   The new user interface announced at  SXSW looks cool and you can see it in their video below. (You'll have to watch a bit of a pitch about how great blogger is at the beginning.)
   
   
   
   
5. Cool Tools Interact with Blogger
   
   I love Zemanta (helps quickly add links and photos to posts), Tweetmeme (the cute Twitter button on the top left), Disqus (my comment moderation service), Twitterfeed (feeds my blog into Twitter), and Networked Blogs (feeds my blog into Facebook), Kindle Publishing (to feed my blog onto the Kindle), Diigo (the bookmarking service that feeds my links into my daily news blog post) and several other tools that don't come to me right now. Because blogger is one of the leading services, I have few compatibility issues. Yes, sometimes wordpress people get things before me, but if I can't hack my site, usually I know the service will be coming to me soon.
   
   
6. Moving Your Blog Takes You Backwards.
   Some people like change for the sake of change. When you're dealing with a blog - even if you know how to move your subscribers using a service like Feedburner - you're leaving all that traffic and conversation behind. It is literally like splitting off part of you. I know people like Doug Belshaw who have had to move but still have issues with links to old posts.  If you do it and have your reasons - do it ONCE but if you keep moving, you'll just not make best use of yourself.
   
   I don't move because every link and every subscriber are precious. I've spent six years of my life building up the conversation and sharing things that are very important to me. My family has given up time with me for this blog and I'm not going backwards. This blog is very important to me and my life, not just monetarily, although certainly I've received some excellent speaking offers from my work here. Blogging is important to me because it is what I do and who I am. Onwards and upwards - don't go backwards. In this case, moving would be moving backwards. Not going there.
   
   
7. I don't have to advertise.
   
   Lots of free services are supported with Google ads. I do use Amazon affiliates when appropriate, however, I've made a decision not to sell links nor use Google adsense at the present time. I'd like you to know that I am writing about what I share because it is something I like or believe in. The fact that Google doesn't force me into doing their adsense service is a positive for me. I know the traffic I get means that I'm giving up money, however, I hope that those who read my blog will come see me speak and buy my books when they come available.
   
   I don't hate Google ads, it is just that contextual ads mean that things contrary to the message of a post can easily appear. For example, when I tested it, I had a page on term papers and had ads selling term papers come up. Sure, I can exclude certain types of ads, however, as an educator, I have decided this is the right move for me, who I am, and the message I carry.

No, I'm not 100% Google or 100% Microsoft or 100% Apple or anything. No zealotry here. I am attracted to whatever works the best and the most affordable price. I don't mind spending money if it is necessary, however, Blogger just works.


New Blogger Features "Under the Hood"
For those of you who want to "compare" - let's look at the back end of my blogger blog today, knowing that some of these will change.
 
Blogger Posts and Pages
I can post blogs or "pages."Blogs, like the one shown below are individual blogs. You can add up to 10 standalone "pages" like the one I have on the top bar of my blog including Freebies and About Me.

The current blogger interface. The "in text links" and "context recommendations" are from the Zemanta plug in for Firefox that I use to generate links.

New blogger interface announced by Google.

Blogger Statistics
I've been using statcounter for years and have also recently used some alert services, but the new statistics tracking is a START. The most important thing to me is the backlinks. It is important to me to comment when people link to my blog. This has become a bit more challenging now that my blog is distributed over so many platforms, however, I like how statcounter lets me see just about every place I'm getting traffic to my blog. Then, I can go comment and read what they are writing. You can see that the referring URL's that I'm getting now are limited. I care about even the 1's and 2's and don't get that as much.

Current statistics tracking page for one aspect of stats - links.

Blogger Templates
There are many more templates and the ability to customize the web fonts that you use. Still, for me, there aren't quite enough choices and the ability to customize templates is a feature most named by my wordpress friends. This is an area where I'll need to do some customization work over the summer. I and most of you like to look different and personal to who we are. I like the colors of my blog but have some work to do.

I do, however, like the widgets that we have now which requires less "geekiness" on my part as I can modularly edit HTML instead of getting into the code.

Current back end of my blogger template. You can see the gadgets or "widgets" as some call them.

Mobile Sites

It is vital to "mobilize" your site. This is one reason I have our school news on blogger and then feed it into the website. Deploying via email subscription and mobile sites is important to me. It is easier to let Google handle the work. This is something you have to go into Google draft and activate, however.


Commenting 
I still use disqus for a multitude of reasons, including the ability to moderate through email, however I set up disqus to sync my blogger comments. This way I can go back if and when blogger catches up to the robust features of disqus. It is a pretty simple setup and worth it. For most people, though, blogger comments with improved spam are doable.


I do not believe in "closing" posts as I think that this is a bit of legacy snobbery. Do we think that those who come later to a blog post do not deserve to be heard. I still get great comments on old posts and sometimes older posts just go active for some reason - let the conversation continue! Disqus is great at zapping the spam that hits older posts.
 

Current blogger commenting system which is improved, however, I still use disqus.com.

Disadvantages
Blogger isn't perfect. No blogging service is. My biggest issues right now are:

• Limitations in China - In the last month even when using a VPN, the google blocking situation in China has become almost impossible to get around. My friends are reverting to yahoo mail and shunning google docs for things like Zohowriter. This is why it is important that I syndicate my blog in other places including Kindle. I don't have a complete answer to this as the situation in China and filtering Google has become HUGE.
  
• Glitches - Little glitches like the linking problem that I've been having while posting today can become annoying. What blog doesn't have glitches.
  
• Crash - I did crash halfway through this post, however, I've found that most often it happens in new browsers (I'm using Firefox 4) and with plug ins (Zemanta caused the last one.)
  
• Scheduled Posts -I schedule many of my posts. I have to be careful because at least one time out of three the scheduled post DOESN'T happen. I'm not sure why.
  
• Beauty. OK, Wordpress friends - your blogs are prettier. They just are, but if you can't be found then it is kind of like a flower in a box. (I'm not saying you can't be found but it does take some intentional work on your part.)
• Blogger Bar - You have to remove this manually.
  
  

Mutumwa Mawere recently addressed the Nigerian diaspora he stated:

...There are countless examples of African entrepreneurs and professionals who have substantial amounts of money in Africa but it is evident that the prosperity has not been democratized to the extent of creating an African ownership class able to take the continent’s majority into a new and dynamically positive direction underpinned by new values of work, combined with saving, investment and an ownership mentality. It is also important to underscore that there is a distinction between being “rich” and being “wealthy”.
Yes, some Africans have made money but because financial literacy and “platinum rights” was not stressed as much as a sense of public justice and civil rights were by our founding fathers and we did not keep it (the money) and we certainly we did not grow it.
Many have made money but no one has really taught us how to keep it in our communities.
Imagine, after 13 years of South Africa’s democratic dispensation, we still do not have a new mutual for blacks? No one taught us about financial literacy and the basic tenets of a free enterprise system that appears universally to capture the imagination of many progressive and successful nations.
The challenge of understanding the free-enterprise system and making it work for the majority of Africans has to become a core part of any conversation among Africans concerned about wealth creation and creating sustainable wealth addresses for Africans. Most of our wealth addresses are not assignable and transferable let alone from one African generation to the next.
Any successful nation building enterprise must necessarily be sustained by a healthy, robust and growing tax base and not foreign aid. Africa’s post colonial budgets still remain principally funded by bilateral and multilateral sources of finance.
Africa must create its own dominant class of very successful entrepreneurs, at all levels. We should have our own wealth builders and not become a continent specialized in distributing other people’s wealth.
As we approach the 47th birthday of Nigeria, we must focus on converting ourselves from cash economy customers into banking (our own banks), tenants into homeowners, small business dreamers into small, medium and large scale business owners, minimum wage workers into living wage workers, economically illiterate into economically empowered citizens.
Many of us are consumed with directionless conversations that are primarily focused on what governments can do for us and not what we can go for ourselves. We tend to be good at being against something and not for something.
Literacy can be a sustainable instrument for poverty eradication. They often say that when you know better, you tend to do better.
Any when Africans know better, I have no doubt that we can transform ourselves from islands of affluence to oceans of hope and prosperity. We have not invested much in literacy and integrated the literacy challenge in our post colonial agendas.

Any nation is as good as the interests that inform it. The only power we have as Africans in any field on endeavor whether it is in politics or the wealth game is the power to organize ourselves. One hand cannot clap but two hands can surely make a noise.
Why then is it the case that we have not been able to use our collective spent to our advantage? Many of our African governments have benefited from the financial illiteracy of Africa’s intellectuals. Africa has invested in human capital and yet such investment has not been able to provide any leadership on the bread and butter issues.
Surely, it is evident to all of us that any consolidation of our pain and opportunities can create a critical mass that is missing in action. Imagine if all Nigerians resident in South Africa could consolidate their mobile phone expenses into one pool, how much impact would they have in the South African economy.
Equally, if all Zimbabweans resident in South Africa chose to use one bank, how much would that bank be worth? Even the obvious things that Africa needs to do are not so obvious to our leaders.
I think it is self evident that the poor need the rich in as much as the rich need the poor. Can you imagine a nation of only poor people with the same means and possibilities? On the key ideological questions, we have heard many people argue that a free enterprise system is not suited for Africa and many of our governments in Africa have perfected the skill of creating ideological and theoretical entrepreneurs/bureaucrats without asking the question whether in fact if all the rich people were eliminated, Africa would be any better.
The post colonial experience has confused many of us to the extent that we are now looking for intelligent leaders to govern us when leadership may have little to do with intelligence. Even in a family, it would not be normal for all the children to be the same. Those who do well in one generation inspire the next generation to do better.

Is Africa’s future safe with a system where the state thinks for its citizens or where the citizens think for themselves and act in their own self interest? Many believe that governments (created by the same citizens) can and should be expected to lead the anti-poverty crusade and yet human history has not given us any good examples of governments acting in the interests of citizens who are not in government.

We must take ownership of our destinies and we must be the change that we want to see in the continent. No one else is going to do it for us. We must sell ourselves as worthy of investment and we must change our attitudes because in the final analysis, our attitude to wealth determines our altitude.

Anyone can make money in a growing economy than can be stolen in a decaying and dysfunctional system. If we look at Africa’s unmet needs, then we can appreciate the possibilities that exist in the continent and yet we think and act in a fragmented and confused manner. Those who should ordinarily lead appear to be visionless preferring to focus on yesterday (which is gone) and not on actions that create a better Africa.
Before we can think of creating an African pool of wealth, we need to understand the meaning of wealth. Wealth has come to mean an abundance of items of economic vale or the state of controlling or possessing such items and encompasses money, real estate and any personal property.
In many countries wealth is also measured by reference to access to essential services such as health care or the possession of crops or livestock. Accordingly, an individual who has accumulated wealth relative to others is often described as wealthy.
Therefore, wealth refers to some accumulation of resources. In light of the above, Africa is not recognized as a wealthy continent because of the inferior relationship between the majority of us and items of economic value. We are generally challenged in the resource accumulation enterprise...

photo courtesy of ZimDaily

President Barack Obama says he wants projects helping specific states yanked from the health care bill Congress is writing. But since Obama's word means rather little (case in point, Obama said it is time to move on from healthcare and start talking about jobs and yet we're still on healthcare and not jobs) and because Obama is a rather weak President, the safe money is on the healthcare bill being filled with pork as no bill ever in this history our republic has been filled with pork. Look for hundreds of projects 'helping specific states' which were traded for votes on this corrupt and backroom-deal created healthcare bill.

The latest version, if one can keep track of what is what in this awful non-lawful process, includes some of the following projects. Although each of these projects may indeed be worthy, they should be judged in the context of available funds (none- in fact, we're already swimming in debt and deficits) and whether or not they are a necessary priority to be spending our scarce resources on as a nation. Here are some of the projects:

• $600 million will be given over the next decade to Vermont for Medicaid assistance, and another nearly $600 million will be to Massachusetts. The other 48 states will not receive this give-away, for reasons unknown.
• Connecticut would get $100 million to build a hospital. Hospitals in other states would receive no assistance because they lack the political connections to game the corrupt system the Democrats are running.
• 800,000 Florida seniors would be allowed to keep certain Medicare benefits. It is unknown why they were chosen for this gift, but in a tyranny, one does not expect rule of law and fairness to be the norm.
• Asbestos-disease victims in tiny Libby, Montana, and some coal miners with black lung disease or their widows would get help. Everyone else suffering these diseases will pay increased taxes and fees on a wide range of products and services to divert money to these chosen people, likely in exchange for a 'yes' vote on the final bill.
• Cash prizes are awarded for Louisiana, the Dakotas, and other states, because fake reasons couldn't even be invented to give these away, so instead Obama and the Democrats in Congress are just simply bribing people for their votes without even pretending it is for essential goals.
• Supposedly the Cornhuster Kickback is going to be removed- this specific bribe gave $100 million in extra Medicaid money to Nebraska to help win support from that state’s Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson. There will be discussion about removing this one piece (but not about the other 100 bribes), but I bet in the end, it's in the bill.
• Obama and the Democrats are not going to take out the extra $300 million for Louisiana because they really need Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu's vote on this bill, so that bribe will stay in, and the reason given will be 'Hurricane Katrina aid' or something.

This healthcare bill is what is wrong with America. It needs to be defeated. If you have been sitting on the sidelines during this process, shame on you- get off your butt, make some phone calls, send out some letters, and go to some tea parties.

Another school year is approaching, which means of course another year of sitting around lunch rooms listening to teachers complain about all the changes that are taking place in the education world. Let's take a moment to look back at all the changes that have taken place in education policy over the past year. Via the Detroit News:

Tenure law reformed: In a remarkably short amount of time, this Legislature passed long overdue reforms to the state teacher tenure law. It will now be more difficult for new teachers to achieve the protections from tenure. It will take five years and three consecutive effective ratings on annual evaluations before new teachers earn tenure. Under the new law, if a teacher earns three consecutive ineffective ratings on evaluations, districts can fire the teacher. And teachers now must be evaluated largely on how much their students learn, based on tests and other measures. Another important change is the elimination of seniority in determining teacher layoffs.

Proficiency standards raised: The state Board of Education approved raising proficiency levels on standardized tests earlier this year, a move that has created a lot of pushback from teachers unions and other educators. Yet these tougher standards should improve the level of learning in the state. Studies show that students rise to the challenge of higher benchmarks over time. The Michigan Department of Education is planning to set the new cut scores — the level at which a student is considered proficient in a subject area — in September. Scores on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program test and Michigan Merit Exam will surely plummet at first, but state Superintendent Mike Flanagan says these new standards are essential.

Best practices encouraged: When they cut school funding this year, the Legislature and governor offered schools a way to earn back lost funds. Schools meeting four of five specified metrics can gain an additional $100 per student. These best practices include developing a dashboard that measures district effectiveness, requiring districts to make competitive bids for services, ensuring that employees cover more of their health care expenses and producing a consolidation plan with cost reductions. Snyder supported $470 per pupil cuts as a way to balance the budget but also to increase accountability from districts.

New district for failing schools formed: The governor announced in June the creation of the Education Achievement System, a new statewide school district that will eventually operate of all Michigan's poorest-performing schools. Lawmakers are in the process of introducing legislation that will give the system more authority as it gets going. More than 30 failing schools in Detroit Public Schools will enter the new district in the 2012-13 school year. The system holds promise because it directs funds straight into classrooms and gives significant control to principals, teachers and parents.

Catherine A. Odora Hoppers asserts:

Africans need to move firmly towards acknowledging that knowledge primarily rests in people rather than in ICTs, databases or services, and thus that for Africa the challenge has to be that of how to build on local knowledge that exists in its people as a concomitant to working with global knowledge and information.
“As we survey the wreckage and note the unprecedented evacuation of billions of people from the arena of substantive innovation essential to their existence, we need to turn with force to the task of redefining key concepts such as ‘innovation’, its link with the goals of building sustainable societies and cognitive justice as key to the attainment of the long-term, and sustainable development,"...[continue reading]

William Easterly questions the role of "development experts" he asks?:

Where are the experts who guessed in advance that an obscure Indian company making edible oils would become a $10bn-plus company (Wipro) providing information technology services and call centres? Or that a lossmaking Brazilian state enterprise (Embraer) would go on to capture a lot of the world market for regional jets after being privatised? Or that South Korean entrepreneurs would create a carmaker (Hyundai) with greater market value than General Motors or Ford? Or that a schoolteacher named Dong Ying Hong, formerly earning $9 a month in Datang, China, would become a millionaire making socks?

What to do in a world of such unpredictability? There are some general principles and they do not require experts. Another Nobel laureate gave the crucial insight a long time ago – the answer is freedom for multitudinous individuals to figure out their own answers. Friedrich Hayek said: “Liberty is essential to leave room for the unforeseeable and unpredictable; we want it because we have learned to expect from it the opportunity of realising many of our aims. It is because every individual knows so little and ... because we rarely know which of us knows best that we trust the independent and competitive efforts of many to induce the emergence of what we shall want when we see it.”

Business Daily reported that:

Creating a strong Africa domiciled investment banking industry is an essential factor to ensure capital market rewards stay in Africa. The bond market is seen growing as more countries acquire sovereign credit ratings and float debt instruments.Eighteen countries across the continent have got a sovereign issuer rating from at least one International Credit Ratings Agency.In the equities markets, increasing local private and institutional participation and new issues have improved liquidity significantly, says Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, the executive chairman of Databank Financial Services.

• iPadApps-DigitalLearningFarm.jpg

  Incredible resource to find apps. This is from Silvia Tolisano as a digital apps farm for learning. It includes apps, websites, tools. Pretty ubiquitous tools but some specifically ipad/iphone.

  tags: education eduapp learning mlearning

• FutureMe.org: Write a Letter to the Future

  Email letters to yourself to remind you do to things. You can also write a letter to the future. All kinds of fascinating uses for this app and website.

  tags: education eduapp

• Academic Earth | Online Courses | Academic Video Lectures

  Named a top website in education, academic earth aggregates open content of all kinds into courses. Of the best use, I think, are the ratings that let you see the best lectures, etc. To subscribe to the best lectures in your field as a sort of podcast would be powerful.
  
  So, now the best professors have the potential to have their message taken around the world.

  tags: eduapp education

• behindEars: Education Resources

  Very nice listing of open education resources for those of you looking for opencourseware. How long till schools start using these sites as their curriculum?

  tags: eduapp opencontent opensource education

• Rethinking How We Learn To Play Music With Innovative Software @PSFK

  So many things are being rethought in teaching including how we teach music. The new "playground sessions" from Zag invention is a system that uses gaming, popular songs, and the idea of play to improve musical ability. It sounds great but we'll have to see how well it is implemented. Never underestimate the power of a powerful app.

  tags: eduapp music arts education music_teacher

• Five free Kindle Fire apps everyone should sideload | ExtremeTech

  Dropbox tops this list from extremetech of the 5 free Kindle fire apps that owners of the hot new tablet should download. Dropbox rocks every platform because it is the glue that links us together -- much more ubiquitous than icloud, they must just have the killer app.

  tags: eduapp education kindlefire kindle technology

• Best Android Apps

  100 best Android apps (hat tip to Theresa Allen) if you have android, take a look here.

  tags: education eduapp

• New RockMelt socializes Chrome's Omnibox, new tabs | The Download Blog - Download.com

  Rock melt is still there. The social web browser with all kinds of sharing and Facebook goodness is now at Beta 5. rockMelt as a browser is used an overage of 7 hours per day and 60% of the users are under 25. I only use it when I'm feeling social as chats come up all the time. Interesting browser and worth a try if you stay up on this. It will be blocked for most schools that limit access to social media sites but what if you could have a built in portal like this linking you to your education networks?

  tags: education eduapp

• Gube Curates Kid-Safe YouTube Videos for iOS

  Another website (this one reviewed by lifehacker) for giving kid-friendly access to Youtube. There is a cost. Gube is $3.99 one time. (Some services have monthly costs.)

  tags: education youtube eduapp

• Eventgrabber.com

  A new website that matches events with your personality type. Of interest is how you can find self improvement events. what happens when such a site takes educational activities and recommends matches. Interesting concept.

  tags: eduapp education

• New Dropbox for Android improves productivity - AGBeat

  Nice tour of dropbox for android which has a lot of new features Android users will love.

  tags: eduapp dropbox education

• Cell and Cell Structure | Educational iPad App for Middle-School

  The website for cell and cell structure. This looks like a phenomenal app. How long till textbook companies will start grabbing these apps and integrating them into their books? This is an ipad only app. It is not free but because of the strong review is being included for you to review.

  tags: education eduapp

• I Education Apps Review - I Education Apps Review - Review of Cell and Cell Structure by Kathy Burdick

  Cell and Cell Structure by Punflay. 
  
  This reviewer says that it is an "essential app for high school and university level life science classes." Costs $1.99 but got a 5 star rating.

  tags: education science eduapp science_teacher scienceapp

• Easy Classroom Polling For Teachers and Students | ClassPager

  This is an easy, private, free, polling system used by cell phone expert Liz Kolb. With her thoughts on this, I'm willing to plan it in during January.

  tags: education eduapp

• From Toy to Tool: Cell Phones in Learning: ClassPager for SMS and Polling Students!

  Liz Kolb is using Class pager, a free tool that lets you create class alerts. There is no limit of students or parents for this private service. What is so cool is that you can also have free text polls. If you have an ipod touch you can use one of their free texting apps to interact with it as well. Here is Liz's review of the app.

  tags: eduapp education cellphone

• 15 Free Charlie Chaplin Films Online | Open Culture

  Charlie Chaplin was a film icon of the silent film era. I grew up watching these films when they were really films on a reel in the dining room. Now you can download these 15 free films from online. I showed some of these to my children just so they'd understand this small part of culture.
  
  When I taught digital film, I had the students create their own silent film and then add sound effects and musical scores so they could see the impact that sound has on their film.

  tags: education eduapp filmmaking

• Tizi app turns your iPhone into a pricey iPad remote, enlists Siri for channel surfing -- Engadget

  Further reinforcing the fact that ipads are becoming screens of choice. the Tizi app is a remote control for your ipad. So, if you have an ipad in your room hooked up to the projector, and want to control your ipad via your ipod touch or iphone, this app is for you. (We really don't know how these things will be used, do we?)

  tags: education eduapp

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.