Filed under: British Politics
1866. Talking about the role of statesmen:
The man who above all others was supposed to have stored his mind with all the riches of historical truth and political science, and constitutional lore, in order that he might see farther and soar higher than other men—that he might bring in a knowledge of principles, of precedents, of maxims, of legislative science, in order to foresee, to provide, to avert—and so far as the limitation of poor human faculties will allow it—to foretel and command the future.
Another good way to study for a Campaigns and Elections exam – read coverage of the British elections.
Via Andrew (the sources for all things British politics, especially as far as Stephen Colbert is concerned):
This just about sums up the state of play right now:
A hung parliament is virtually inevitable. With more than 500 seats counted, the BBC is predicting that the Conservatives will end up with 306 seats, Labour 262 seats and the Lib Dems 55 seats. The Conservatives are currently on 37% of the vote, Labour on 28% and the Lib Dems on 23%.
• Gordon Brown has said that it is his “duty” to try to form a stable government. Constitutionally, he is right. Given that the Tories do not have a majority, he is entitled to form a government and to try to get a Queen’s speech through the Commons. He only has to resign if the Queen’s speech is voted down. (Effectively it’s a confidence vote.) Although some reporters travelling with him think he seems gloomy about his long-term prospects, he claims to be “energised” by the result and Labour have started semi-public negotiations with the Lib Dems about a coalition. Ministers such as Lord Mandelson and Alan Johnson have indicated that they would like to do a deal over PR.
I can’t imagine Brown taking this as a mandate to carry on. But the intrigue is just beginning. Latest results here.
And from the CNN of Britain (given that title because of their impressive use of interactive features) – we have the Guardian’s results map.
Kensington, the constituency that I lived in while abroad has reelected a Conservative MP again in Malcolm Rifkind. Again, the Guardian tops all with it’s electoral coverage at the constituency-level. While yes, Britain is a much smaller country than the US, American news media should take note of the information the Guardian has included on the constituency pages: constituency profile, results for 2010, turnout for 2010, results from 1992 (a comparable election), national marginality, notional results from 2005 (what 2005 would have looked like if it had incorporated the redistricting changes that have affected the 2010 results), and party literature. Impressive.
The non-profit that I interned with last Spring, St. Matthew’s Children’s Fund Ethiopia is working on a new fundraising campaign, TwentyFive Ethiopia to mark 25 years since the famine. There’s a video that’s going to be launched this summer in coordination with the campaign. Check it out here.
Filed under: World Politics
Just heard some drastic news.
There’s a family (the mother’s) blog I follow all about a family in Iowa who recently adopted two children from Sierra Leone, bringing their total number of children up to 6. The father is a pastor and the mother works full time caring for the kids and house while also running an off-shoot of a major charity dedicated to work in Africa.
As the mother returned from a mission trip to Africa a couple days ago – she was confronted with her husband’s marital infidelity confession.
Soon, what seemed to be the most caring and faithful bond between two people was brought crumbling to the ground, with six kids lying in the middle of the ruins.
It breaks my heart to see another family torn apart by the selfish actions of one spouse. Regardless of whether it had been him or her that cheated, it is unfair to put those children through that. In a family that seems full of love and hope, it is almost unfathomable to believe that all of this actually transpired. I can only hope that things turn out okay for them, but in the meantime, Jackie’s words of wisdom (f*cking men, can’t keep it in their f*cking pants!) always come back to me.
I guess it goes to show you, things can sometimes look perfect, but you never know what is actually occurring inside the house (very Stepford Wife-ish, don’t you think?). It also drives home the point that it’s important to remember that each day is a miracle unto itself – know that things can change in an instant, be prepared for that change, but live in the present because that’s where your memories will be made.
Filed under: World Politics
The tweet that started it all (username absent to protect privacy):
There’s a slim chance I might be sent to Florida or Haiti to help with relief efforts as a transport EMT. Too bad I don’t speak Spanish.
Immediate thought: I know you’re smart. You must know that Haitians do not speak Spanish.
Next thought: Why would you think Haitians speak Spanish? Because they’re right next to the Dominican Republic? Come on!
Okay, so, how about a little lesson on Haitian ethnolinguistics.
Haiti’s regional, historical and ethnolinguistic position is unique for several reasons. It was the first independent nation in Latin America, the first post-colonial independent black-led nation in the world, and the only nation whose independence was gained as part of a successful slave rebellion. Despite having common cultural links with its Hispano-Caribbean neighbors, Haiti is the only predominantly Francophoneindependent nation in the Americas. It is one of only two independent nations in the Americas (along with Canada) that designate French as an official language; the other French-speaking areas are all overseas départements, or collectivités, of France.
Languages
One of Haiti’s two official languages is French, which is the principal written, spoken in schools, and administratively authorized language. It is spoken by most educated Haitians and is used in the business sector. The second is the recently standardized Haitian Creole,[98] which is spoken by virtually the entire population of Haiti. Haitian creole is one of the French-based creole languages, which also contains significant African influence, as well as influence from Spanish and Taíno. Haitian creole is closely related to Louisiana Creole. Spanish is also spoken by a good portion of the population, though it is not an official language.
Got it twitter buddy? Want to learn some?
| Family: Mother – maman Father – papa, pè Grandmother – gran-papa, grann Grandfather – granpè Son – fis, pitit gason Daughter – tifi, pitit fi Sister – sè Brother – frè Aunt – tant, matant Uncle – tonton, monnonk Numbers:
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Colours: white – blan gray – gri black – nwa red – rouj violet – vyolèt yellow – jòn green – vè, vèt pink – roz orange – zoranj brown – maron blue – ble gold – lò silver – ajan, lajan Other words and phrases: |
Filed under: World Politics
That would be Prof. Pritchett’s example of a Rwandan accent. I’m pretty sure that during the genocide, no one says “super cool,” but this video would definitely qualify for that saying:
Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne argues:
Sub-Saharan Africa, despite its long history of food insecurity, is one place where yields could increase dramatically; agricultural basics such as good seed and fertilizer would go far in a region that the green revolution bypassed. “We could increase yields in sub-Saharan Africa threefold tomorrow with off-the-shelf technology,” says Kenneth Cassman, a well-regarded agronomist who researches potential yields. The problem is the continent’s long history of corruption, poor infrastructure, and lack of market access.
Agricultural investment in Africa—and in a few other high-potential places such as Ukraine and Russia—may be the world’s best bet for keeping food plentiful and cheap.
Does anyone see the problem with both Shelburne and Cassman’s analysis?
To start with – the agricultural problems of sub-Saharan Africa cannot be entirely blamed on corruption, poor infrastructure, or lack of market access. It’s the weather stupid! The weather in Africa – mostly dealing with the rains – is highly unpredictable, with droughts being known to occur as often as once every 10 years. African soil is not like the rich soil of the American midwestern breadbasket- it is tough and hard to farm with because it lack inherent nutrients. Unless you want your food to be so filled with preservatives so that it doesn’t event taste like normal food – then stay clear of expecting an huge growth in agriculture output from Africa any time soon,
And if you are one of those venture capitalists looking for a new agriculture spot on which to invest your lifesavings -you can pick Africa if you want, but just wait until the first drought. Nothing in agricultural technology developed thus-far has been able to solve Africa’s drought problem, so you’ll be up against a hard enemy.
Filed under: World Politics
As Andrew puts it:
In the spirit of King and Ghandi
