Democracy in America & the World [I ADD]

Mr Sumner's illuminating diagram highlights the absence of pragmatic but non-corrupt, non-idealistic conservatives and progressives. If it suggested that they exist, then it would mean that there is room for perfection in human conceived forms of governance. For me it is complete as it is, as it depicts humanity as it is, without trying to complete possible configurations that are not humanly possible.

Amplify’d from www.economist.com

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American politics Democracy in America

Sumner's wheel of ideology

SCOTT SUMNER isn't just one of the internet's finest economic commentators. He's also a crack gentleman amateur political theorist. In a recent post, Mr Sumner offers a fresh and intriguing political typology. Behold:

And here's how Mr Sumner describes his classificatory scheme:

My goal here is to set things up in such a way that each group has a values affinity to those on one side, and an ideological affinity to those on the other side. So you could circle any two adjoining groups, and describe a common feature: 1.  Progressives/Pragmatic libertarians:  Both tend to be secular utilitarians, or at least consequentialists 2.  Pragmatic and dogmatic libertarians:  Both favor very small government 3.  Dogmatic libertarians and idealistic conservatives:  Both are nostalgic for the past, and revere the (original intent of) the Constitution. 4.  Idealistic conservatives and corrupt Republicans:  Both are Republicans. 5.  Corrupt Republicans and corrupt Dems:  Both believe in realpolitik, are disdainful of fuzzy-headed, idealistic intellectuals. 6.  Corrupt Democrats and idealistic progressives:  Both are Democrats Thus on values there are three pairings:  utilitarian, natural rights, and selfish.  On ideology there are three different pairings:  Democrat, Republican and libertarian.

Indeed, Mr Sumner argues that policy-minded intellectuals of all ideological stripes have arrived at rough consensus on a number of issues ranging from occupational licensing to urban policy, but I don't think we'd want to say that this makes the conservatives and progressives among them honorary pragmatic libertarians. Mr Sumner's illuminating diagram would make more sense to me if it made room for pragmatic but non-corrupt, non-idealistic conservatives and progressives. Maybe somebody can figure out how to draw that. Read more at www.economist.com

 

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VIDEO: How to steal passwords from a locked iPhone | Naked Security

URL:  http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/02/10/video-how-to...

German researchers say that they have found a way to steal passwords stored on a locked Apple iPhone in just six minutes. Even if they don't know your iPhone's passcode. Learn more and understand the implications if users have iPhones inside your business.

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Motswana is a calabash

Nkgwana, the calabash, iselwa (in isiXhosa), ukhamba (in isiZulu), is expressed here as the epitome of the Motswana. All the way from the careful selection of the mix, the moulding thereof, and the baking, to produce a container that is resilient, that can withstand the heat of the sun, the torrent rains of the skies opening up, and possibly the accidental fall (I add).



For me it is the description of how the Motswana leads, and interacts with others, as well as how they pass judgement, and decide on issues of fairness and justice, resonating more with how I have always been taught, how best to lead.



I ask- it an authentic, African way of leading?- I find the above to be the common thread that runs across authentic African Leadership- What do you think?

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Motswana is a calabash

RAMPHOLO MOLEFHE Correspondent

You might liken the Motswana to the African gourd or calabash, otherwise, the 'nkgwana' in Setswana.

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Muslim Brotherhood After Mubarak

Founded by Hasan al-Banna in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood has had the longest continuous existence of any contemporary Islamist group. It was initially established not as a political party but as a da'wa (religious outreach) association that aimed to cultivate pious and committed Muslims through preaching, social services, and spreading religious commitment and integrity by example. The group saw its understanding of Islam as the only "true" one and condemned partisanship as a source of national weakness. It called on Egyptians to unite to confront the forces of Zionism and imperialism and pursue economic development and social justice.

Amplify’d from www.foreignaffairs.com

Summary:  Portraying the Muslim Brotherhood as eager and able to seize power and impose its version of sharia on an unwilling citizenry is a caricature that exaggerates certain features of the Brotherhood and underestimates the extent to which the group has changed over time. CARRIE ROSEFSKY WICKHAM is Associate Professor of Political Science at Emory University.

Founded by Hasan al-Banna in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood has had the longest continuous existence of any contemporary Islamist group. It was initially established not as a political party but as a da'wa (religious outreach) association that aimed to cultivate pious and committed Muslims through preaching, social services, and spreading religious commitment and integrity by example. The group saw its understanding of Islam as the only "true" one and condemned partisanship as a source of national weakness. It called on Egyptians to unite to confront the forces of Zionism and imperialism and pursue economic development and social justice.

Individuals affiliated with the reformist faction of the Brotherhood, whether still active in the group or not, appear to be the most involved in leading Egypt's popular uprising. Read more at www.foreignaffairs.com

 

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