My Beauty Best Teacher

The issue of Global Warming has sort of faded away right now- probably because it is the middle of winter, and it is very cold, and when it is cold, it is a tough sell to convince people that the whole planet is uncontrollably warming because of human actions and the only solution is massive government control over every aspect of our lives. Don't worry though- when summer gets really hot, idiots will parrot this idea again and government will take away more of our liberty.

I've written about this twice before- my first post was called Global Warming Melted my Ice Cream Cone, and mocked Global Warming Believers by using some science (in this case, the fact that the ice sheet in Greenland melting was not due to my driving an SUV but rather the emergence of a hot spot of liquid hot magma emerging under Greenland). In this post, I hint that I think that global warming is less about science and more about pagan beliefs in mother nature (with government officials playing the role of shamans!).

To prove that this is not some nutty theory of mine, I also posted several days later an article by Australian writer Arthur Herman called Climate hysterics v heretics in an age of unreason, based on his article of the same name. In his article, he says that the reason why logic and reason is rejected in the global warming debate is that they are believers, not scientists. It's a good article in its entirety- check it out by looking at the post.

Why do I bring these points up today? Over at Ace of Spades there was a link to another Aussie writer talking about global warming, and I really think for some reason down under they understand the nature of the beast. The article is called "Beware the church of climate alarm"- here is a snippet from it:

But the real fear driving climate alarmists wild is that a more rational approach to the fundamentalist religion of global warming may be in the ascendancy.

"We're dealing with dogma and people who, when challenged, become quite vicious and irrational" (said one expert about people who believe in the myth of global warming.) Human-caused climate change is being "promoted with religious zeal … there are fundamentalist organisations which will do anything to silence critics. They have their holy books, their prophet [is] Al Gore. And they are promoting a story which is frightening us witless [using] guilt [and urging] penance."

It is difficult for non-scientists to engage in the debate over what causes climate change and whether or not it can be stopped by new taxes and slower growth, because dissenting voices are shouted down by true believers in the scientific community who claim they alone have the authority to speak.

A couple good books if anyone wants to know more are Science, Politics, And Gnosticism by Eric Voegelin and Blue Planet in Green Shackles by Vaclav Klaus.

UPDATE: Here is a good website that pulls together a lot of stories of those who are skiptical about the claims made about global warming. Check it out!

As team captains, Julie and I were asked to bring forth our comments about leading global collaborative projects and we have some very current comments on what we're doing now in there. Look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback.

Presenters:

Vicki Davis, Julie Lindsay with Curt Bonk, Anne Mirtschin, Judy O'Connell, Dean Shareski, Don Tapscott, David Warlick, Flat Classroom conference students - Doha Qatar, Suffern Middle School (Peggy Sheehy and Marianne Malmstrom), Mt. Carmel High School (Suzie Nestico), Phoenix School (Betsye Sargent), West Tisbury (Valerie Becker), and Flat Classroom Students

Description:

Students are the greatest textbook ever written for each other, yet, many schools close the book on learning outside classroom walls. After five years of global collaborative classroom excellence, this presentation first uses voices from the keynoters, students, and teachers around the world that have been part of the Flat Classroom projects and conferences to share how education has fundamentally changed through a beautiful medley of voices.

Then, hear from Vicki Davis, co-founder, about the 7 principles that can take your classroom global and the current challenges and misconceptions surrounding what it means to globalize your classroom. (Read more about these in Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds by Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay)

We hope you'll join this journey of learning and thank all of our keynoters, students, and teachers, for sharing their voice in this move towards excellence in global education.

Credits:

Video has been used from past Flat Classroom project keynotes, student presentations, and the Flat Classroom conference. The full videos have been linked below and we encourage you to view all of these videos. All keynote videos of our projects have been linked. Due to some technical difficulties 2-3 videos were not able to be incorporated into this k12 online presentation and for that, Vicki Davis, producer of this video sincerely apologizes. We are working to download and process the full version of your videos so that this will not be a problem should this style be used in the future.

Dean Shareski FCP2007
Terry Freedman FCP 2008
John Turner FCP 09-01
Richard Roth FCP 09-02
Curt Bonk FCP 09-03
Judy O'Connoll FCP 10-01
Mount Carmel FCP 10-02
David Warlick FCP 10-03a
David Warlick FCP 10-03b
Cultural Connect FCP 11-01
Anne Mirtschin FCP 11-03
Karl Fisch Horizon 2007
Tapscott Horizon 2008
Peggy Sheehy & kids NetGen 09
Mumbai Conference Video NetGen 2010


This video is chock full of global leaders and students. I've added a few thoughts at the end. (And yes, if you look closely, you can see a fly that is dive bombing me during the filming - but it could not be helped. ;-)

Saharan Vibe profiles the work of Yinka Shonibare:

Whilst in art school, he began with life drawing and later his art work became politicized focusing on global issues. One of his teachers once asked him why he made art work that addressed Western society and events and not authentic African art.
As a joke, Shonibare began to ask himself what is authentic African art. What does it constitute? What does it mean? He grew up in Lagos and felt that he had no special key into ethnic or authentic art as he sees himself as a cosmopolitan citizen...[continue reading]

via Global Voices

Firstly over at CIPE:

Betty Maina and others on developing "a link between fighting corruption and strengthening democracies."

In addition Global Voices on The Scandal of the “Ill-gotten Gains”:

On November 9, 2010, the French Supreme Court of Appeals overturned a decision rendered a year ago by the Paris Court of Appeals, agreeing to hear the case brought by the French section of the NGO Transparency International [fr] called “the ill-gotten gains” of the heads of state of Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinee and members of their entourage...[continue reading]

Dumisani Nyoni takes issue with the focus on leaders and institutions he states "...You can’t reduce the leadership challenges of Africa to just ‘leaders’ and institutions. Institutions can be manipulated, no matter how strong they are...Good leaders and institutions are important yes. But also understanding the underlying, fundamental issues is important as is having the guts to be fair and objective in dealing with the governance challenges in Africa across the board, not in isolated cases country by country while we pretend that other villains are the “hope for our continent’s future!”..."
Via Global Voices

Sex and sensibilities in Africa-Economist
Industrial Capitalism to a Financialized Bubble how America lost its way.
"Spellbound": Inside the witch camps of West Africa-Salon
Zoning: Lesson from Cote d’Ivoire-Global Voices
Booming Ethiopia...the New Face of Africa?

In Global Voices:

...the International Press Institute (IPI) granted the “Free Media Pioneer” to Okapi Radio, the UN radio in the Democratic Republic of Congo, created by the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the D.R. of Congo MONUSCO and the Swiss NGO Fondation Hirondelle. The radio has been broadcasting since 2002 in an effort to contribute to the peace building process in the country...[continue reading]

In Global Voices:

Making a video to protect human rights might backfire and end up threatening the rights of those who appear or participate in the video. WITNESS' The Hub shares with us how we can make a human rights video that gets the message across while minimizing the risk to those involved...[continue reading]

Watch related video:

Cameroon becomes a tourism destination-Global Voices
"Copycat Dictators and Cartoon Democracies..." Alemayehu G. Mariam in Ethiopian Review
"Formal education is not advancing Africa"-Nana Yaw Asiedu
Ivory Coast's descent into madness-Richard Dowden
Taking a look at Land 'Grabs' in Africa-African Arguments
African Export Successes by William Easterly & Ariell Reshef

Eremipagamo Amabebe of Global Voices reports:

Yar'Adua's absence created a leadership vacuum which  frustrated many Nigerians,  particularly in the wake of crises such as  Umar Abdulmutallab's attempted terror attract and the religious conflict in the central Nigerian city of Jos. Many Nigerians called for Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to step into Yar'Adua's shoes, but the situation was complex: As a southerner, Jonathan's assumption of the Presidency would threaten to destabilize the delicate power-sharing arrangement between Northern and Southern Nigeria. Further, without written instructions from the President himself, the legal extent of Jonathan's position were unclear.

More here

Jen Brea at Global Voices reports on a "new provision that would reduce taxes for French companies that invest in developing countries, “especially in Africa.”..." not so says "...Musengeshi Katata, who blogs at Le Pangolin, is skeptical. He calls the new measure “an open door” for French companies and African governments to defraud the public..."

From the assassination of Guinea-Bissau's president:

Guinea-Bissau President Joao Bernardo Vieira was assassinated in the first hours of this morning, allegedly in an attack by renegade soldiers as he fled his home. The crime happened a few hours after his long term rival, the country's army chief General Batista Tagme, was killed by a bomb blast, late on Sunday. Although the reasons are still unknnon, the crimes have sparked alarm at instability in the young West African republic...Global Voices

To this past December's coup d etat in Guinea-Conakry:

Guinea's prime minister and some 30 other ministers have submitted to the leaders of a military coup.The government officials met Capt Moussa Dadis Camara, who has declared himself Guinea's new president, at a military base in the capital, Conakry.
The rebels staged the coup on Tuesday, just hours after the death of veteran strongman President Lansana Conte...BBC

...plus in February when MEND guerrillas attacked Equatorial Guinea adding a new twist to African based non-state actors:

Men in speedboats attacked the capital, Malabo, which sits on an island off the West African coastline in the Gulf of Guinea. They struck before dawn on Tuesday and were heavily armed, the government said in a statement, but the army, using boats and a helicopter, quickly repelled the attack.-NYTimes

The common thread is that these actions all occurred in countries on the verge of becoming failing and or failed states. With largely non-existent institutions and an attendant parasitic ruling class.What are the options? Don't expect much from the largely ineffectual African Union. Should we look to a Paul Collier inspired solution of more unilateral military intervention by neighbors or something else?

Global Voices reviews Chez Gangoueus (fr) A blog about French African literature by Réassi Ouabonzi. Answering a question about literary trends he declared :

...in Congo, a new generation of writers is budding, inspired by award-wining writer and intellectual Alain Mabanckou. In Sénégal, I'm struck by the current emergence (empowering) of women writers, in the wake of  best selling author Marie Ndiaye. I notice writers from Cameroon write with the same “in your face” directness and energy that they are are famous for. I must confess that I am in awe of Nigerian writers,  like the great Chinua Achebe. Among francophone writers, I could mention so many: Abdourahman A.Waberi from Djibouti,  Jimi Yuma from Congo, Patrice Nganang and Leonora Miano from Cameroon…

Positively Zambia writes about "pretend NGO's":

There are over 10,000 NGOs registered with the Zambian government. Almost all have a mission, vision, moto, logo, constitution and strategic plan. My experience is that only about 1 in 10 are implementing activities at any one time. In a country with over 50% unemployment, people seek the easiest route to employment. This is often starting a non-governmental organisation as Zambia is one of the countries which has received the most aid since independence.In Chipata, the fourth largest town, the UN are represented by the World Food Programme and UNAIDS volunteers. There are several large international development NGOs, World Vision, Care International, Plan and Africare. There are perhaps 50 medium-sized organisations with staff, premises and activities, and several hundred smaller organisations. Most upwardly mobile young people I speak to are trying to set up NGOs not businesses because of the easy money that comes with it.
There is a great deal of learnt dependency. People are used to getting money from willing donors so have tired of coming up with ways in which they can work themselves out of poverty. Of course I am working in an urban setting, and many rural Zambians would never have even seen a white person, never mind accepted donations. And its wrong to suggest that Zambians are lazy. They work incredibly hard tilling fields and cycling the produce to market.

via Global Voices

Run by a sit-tight dictatorship, Cameroon exemplifies much of what is wrong with Francophone Africa. A couple of posts via Global Voices provide us with a rare view.Firstly a post from Eduardo Tamba:

Cameroon’s human rights record remains poor and government continue to commit numerous human rights abuses year-in-year-out. Government backed security forces commit numerous unlawful killings; engaged in regular torture, beatings, and other abuses, particularly of detainees and prisoners with impunity. On the other hand, Prison conditions remain harsh and life-threatening while authorities arbitrarily arrested and detained anglophone citizens (SCNC) advocating secession, local human rights monitors and activists, other citizens and above all journalists. Furthermore, there are disturbing reports of prolonged and sometimes incommunicado pretrial detention and infringement on citizens' privacy rights...[continue reading]

And a further reference to the countries first “Liberation Theologian”:

Jean-Marc Ela’s theology was largely shaped by his 14-year stay among the non-Muslim Kirdi population of Northern Cameroon whose life was characterized by misery, marginalization and exploitation by the state. As a result, according to Sundkler, “no one else expressed the 'cry of the African' with as much prophetic pathos as Fr. Jean-Marc Ela”...[continue reading]

Related articles by Zemanta

• Cameroon prison guards kill 16 escaping inmates

Emmanuel Franklyne Ogbunwezeh writes about the arrest of Jonathan Elendu in Nigeria:

Mr. Jonathan Elendu, one must remember is a Nigerian-American online journalist and internet blogger. With his website Elendureports.com, this guy was among the pioneers who took it up themselves to liberate Nigerians from the massive dosage of falsehoods that our governments and men of power dish out on Nigerians on a daily basis. These online frontiersmen took their passion for their country seriously. The ferreted information that asked hard questions about the outright lies that the Nigerian government have been feeding Nigerians. That was his only crime...[continue reading]

Update: Read related Global Voices report.