Shared Power?

On 9/13,a deal was struck that would allow President Mugabe to keep power but the opposing party inZimbabwe would be granted more positions of power.

I am not really sure what this will do. It seems like Mugabe has been the non-officially-recognized Dictator of Zimbabwe for awhile now. How is putting the opposition party in seats of power going to change what a dictator does?

What exactly will this do for the economy? To enhance the ability to help those who need food and medical care? I was interested in seeing what others would say about this in the press. Widespread caution among commentators over how this will fare was the overwhelming response. Exactly how quickly the deal could end the crisis or persuade Western powers - deeply opposed to Mugabe - to step in with massive financial support to aid recovery?

There is still much to be done but I am not sure this is the right next step. Mbeki is next it seems....

Whatever Happened to Visionary Leadership

Looking at the landscape of Africa, I think we see a dearth of leaderhip to say the least. Non-profit organizations, usually groups from outside the continent, have taken the lead in distributing food, medicine and other essentials of life.

This got me thinking about what leadership truly is. At one point, it was a visionary person who had an idea that somehow, someway people believed in. The common practice of leadership is the leader convenes a group, gathers ideas from the group and lets the group set the course. Is that really leadership?

If I remember my research correctly, humans in a group score six points lower on intelligence tests than individuals. Does group think dumb down ideas?

In my experience, it does.

Visionary leaders needed. Does anyone have a job description?

A New Hockey Mom Sheriff is in Town

I was interested to see what Sarah Palin was going to say last night. While I missed some of the best lines of the night walking the dogs, I think she proved herself to be a formidable force in the McCain campaign. I chuckled out loud a few times and thought she made some good points.

Unfortunately, some of her good points could be pointed directly back at her. Especially her criticism of Obama as a person who doesn't have the experience to lead.

What did everyone else think? Did you like her or her ideas better?

Marriage and Bristol Palin

First and foremost, I want to say that I am a big fan of marriage. After getting married this past February, I cannot imagine my life without being married to Marybeth. She is patient, kind and caring (she had to be to, in her words, "hitch her wagon to my star". I am not saying marriage is easy but it is totally worth it!

Reading the media coverage about Bristol Palin's pregnancy, I don't want to concentrate on her pregnancy because well, that is already done. What bothered me was Sarah Palin announcing that Bristol and the boyfriend(Levi?) would be getting married. I didn't read a date announced on that though.

What?

While the birth of a child is a wonderful event no matter the circumstance that surrounds the birth, a child, at least in my opinion, is NOT a good enough reason to get married especially at age 17!

Two of my friends were seriously dating and she became pregnant. He proposed and she said no because she wanted to make sure he was going to be faithful to her before she would get married. I think she had the right idea.

I hope Bristol Palin gets married because she loves her boyfriend not because of being pregnant. Marriage is wonderful and difficult and should be entered into soberly not as a reaction.