April 27, 2007
The New York Times reports today that M.I.T. admissions dean Marilee Jones has resigned after admitting she fabricated her educational résumé. Apparently, she did not even have an undergraduate degree. M.I.T. is, according to Chancellor Philip Clay, "taking a big lesson from this experience," in which it made little effort to check her credentials. Hmm. There is a big lesson here all right, but I think it is almost the opposite of what Dr. Clay thinks it is.
Reading the article, what stands out is that Ms. Jones was obviously doing an outstanding job. The recipient of M.I.T.'s highest honor for administrators, "The M.I.T. Excellence Award for Leading Change," she was a major force in the movement to reduce the pressure on high school students. She was very accessible, well-known and well-liked by the students; as the NYT put it, "widely admired, almost revered, for her humor, outspokenness and common sense."
Yet, if she had been honest about her educational background (or lack thereof), there is no way she would ever have risen to the position of Dean. Why? After all, her own accomplishments prove that a degree is not necessary to do a great job. The reason that no university would make a degree-less person Dean is that to do so would undermine one of the key ideological pillars of the university system. It goes something like this: "University education prepares people to be effective in their vocations. A university diploma demonstrates that someone is capable of handling positions of responsibility." It is because of these widely held beliefs that a college education is considered a "good investment" in the future.
I have little problem with Ms. Jones' supposed lack of integrity. I think the lack of integrity is in the system she engaged. Her own story demonstrates its unsoundness. She did what she had to do to thrive in a system that is fundamentally unfair. I see no lack of integrity; in fact I commend her for her courage. She has had a positive impact on thousands of young people, and she could not have done that if she'd been honest about her background.
Now I suppose someone is going to say, "She should have completed her degree; then she could have accomplished all she did with integrity." I disagree. I see little integrity in wasting years on an unnecessary education that you pursue merely to acquire a qualification that the powers-that-be demand. The kind of person who does that is not the kind of person predisposed to "humor, outspokenness, and common sense." Outspokenness is usually a liability in the degree game, which also tends to deaden humor and replace common sense with institutional values. That's the real reason why a degree "qualifies" you for a position of authority. A degree certifies that you will play along with the game.
Ms. Jones is being fired because she did not play along with the academic game; in fact she flouted one of its most basic rules. She is living proof of the vacuity of some of its basic assumptions.
In her public statements upon resignation, Ms. Jones made every effort to appear contrite. No doubt she is feeling a painful humiliation. But I wonder if, deep down, there is still a spark of protest within her that believes she did nothing wrong. If you ever read this, Marilee Jones, I hope it awakens within you the knowledge that you possess a kind of integrity that is deeper than merely following the rules. You said, unconsciously perhaps, "No, I will not participate in that silly charade." There is no dishonor in gaming a corrupt system in order to achieve the beautiful results you achieved. Don't capitulate. Instead, let this experience radicalize you, so that you can teach others to create their own lives too, and not live out the programmed lives to which our schooling conditions us.
11/16/2008
The Republic of South Africa's measures against terrorism,with emphasis on public safety in Urban areas.
Terrorism is a prevalent world trend and it is continuing to spread its wild entrapments in every corner of the globe possible. It is ludicrous- the common man knowing the truth about the hideous acts of terrorism and the state, expecting him to carry on his everyday life without much angst. The Republic of South Africa makes every attempt to understand its people and provide them with every safety measure,that ensures a cordial and healthy environment. In this regard, The Republic of South Africa has shown keen and sincere interest by being active in the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) during 2004-2005, which sought to promote the development of sustainable cities in Africa. The Republic of South Africa is known to house the greatest number of urban communities in the African Continent. It is therefore extremely important that we focus on our urban communities-their safety, development of infrastructure and communications; that are essential for us to continue our survival efficiently, as a thriving nation. The Government of South Africa, between January 31st - 4th of February 2005, hosted AMCHUD (The African Ministerial Conference on housing and urban development) which was jointly convened by UN-HABITAT and The African Union, in Durban. South Africa’s devoted interest in urban development and housing in Africa, fetched her the chairmanship. The initiatives that were brought to light via the above mentioned conference were provided with unrelenting support from The South African Government, UN-HABITAT and The African Union. Since Urban Communities across the world are the most affected during an occasion of bombing and the terrorists consider urban sites as the ripest for terrorist attacks, The republic of South Africa seeks to develop her infrastructure and the ambience of her civil society that guarantees her people not only realistic and uncomplicated infrastructure but also that which provides for public scrutiny and security at all times. Some of the ongoing ventures include the measures taken by the National Department of transport. The National Department of Transport has developed the Road to safety strategy, which seeks to promote and ensure safety on the roads; the NDoT has also developed programmes such as the ‘Arrive Alive programme’, ‘the Shova-Kalula programme’,’The Access Roads Development programme’, and ‘the National pedestrian business plan for hazardous locations’. In 1998,the NDoT launched ‘Moving South Africa :Towards a Transport strategy for 2020’- the purpose of this project being, the growth of a strategy for ensuring that the transportation system of South Africa meets the needs of the country in the 21st century, and that it would add to the nation’s growth and economic evolution.
Prevention is still the top logic of counter terrorism, and in this regard, the Republic of South Africa seeks to enact new anti-terrorism legislation, take stringent measures against assets used for criminal purposes, strengthen territorial control and request international cooperation.
An important stance The Republic of South Africa has taken is to encourage people across the globe to respect human rights, as the fundamental basis, for the fight against terrorism. We believe in the ideals of harmony and universal brotherhood. This is evident in South Africa playing a key role as a mediator, in the African conflicts over the last decade, such as in Burundi, The democratic republic of Congo, The Comoros, and Zimbabwe. In the recent years, The South African National defence force has become a major peace keeping force in Africa, and has been involved in Operations in Lesotho, The democratic republic of Congo and Burundi, amongst others. It has also actively participated as a part of multi-national UN peace-keeping forces. Our dedication to a peace filled world,with universal messages of impartiality and diversity has been ancient. South Africa is proud to be one of the founding members of the United Nations, and having, its then Prime minister Jan Smuts, contribute to the preamble of its Constitution
Prevention is still the top logic of counter terrorism, and in this regard, the Republic of South Africa seeks to enact new anti-terrorism legislation, take stringent measures against assets used for criminal purposes, strengthen territorial control and request international cooperation.
An important stance The Republic of South Africa has taken is to encourage people across the globe to respect human rights, as the fundamental basis, for the fight against terrorism. We believe in the ideals of harmony and universal brotherhood. This is evident in South Africa playing a key role as a mediator, in the African conflicts over the last decade, such as in Burundi, The democratic republic of Congo, The Comoros, and Zimbabwe. In the recent years, The South African National defence force has become a major peace keeping force in Africa, and has been involved in Operations in Lesotho, The democratic republic of Congo and Burundi, amongst others. It has also actively participated as a part of multi-national UN peace-keeping forces. Our dedication to a peace filled world,with universal messages of impartiality and diversity has been ancient. South Africa is proud to be one of the founding members of the United Nations, and having, its then Prime minister Jan Smuts, contribute to the preamble of its Constitution
11/13/2008
Building Accountability within the UNO
"Every day we are reminded of the need for a strengthened United Nations, as we face a growing array of new challenges, including humanitarian crises, human rights violations, armed conflicts and important health and environmental concerns. Seldom has the United Nations been called upon to do so much for so many. I am determined to breathe new life and inject renewed confidence into a strengthened United Nations firmly anchored in the twenty-first century, and which is effective, efficient, coherent and accountable."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
As the secretary general himself is well aware of the enormity and importance of strengthening the UN on the foundation of sincere accountability, the member nations and the functioning councils of the UN ought to second him. Possessing the integrity and credibility in being able to be answerable to each and every member of the civil society must become the mantra of every local government. It is at home, that we learn values of responsibility, authenticity and honesty. The qualities that do not come from the roots will seldom be reliable or steadfast. It is only when people are governed under an authority that makes every effort to remain consistent with its transparency, people can dream of a creditable and worthy government. And only nations with such governments, can be held accountable for and trusted by the international society.
For achieving a peaceful, secure and sustainable world, the accountability between the competitive member states is essential, for it cannot be achieved overnight and is a multi-year mission. For this to be implemented, the confidentiality between certain potent states and their sources, pertaining to their activities, which are of great impact to the rest of the world, must be made transparent and accessible to the other nations.
Inter-state ties should be acutely affected by cordiality and cooperation in a manner which, the habitual blame game eventually ceases between the member nations.
This has the potentiality of promises for better future ties between the member nations too. The accountability must stem its growth from ground level so as to sustain a strong escalation. The initiation must start with the individuals being accountable to their fellow beings; individuals to their local authority; one local authority to the other, these local authorities uniting and being liable to their centre, and this in due course leading to the member nations being liable to each other.
This establishes an infallible authenticity of each and every member nation of the UNO. It is also important that the UNO provides for full cooperation to its member nations in achieving legitimacy at an international echelon.
The mode of approach instigated by a member state along with its regional organizations should be a multi-tasking one, which enables the challenges at different levels to succeed proficiently and the interest of different sectors to be met suitably.
The model of establishing and building accountability does not end at the doors of the member nations. It should transcend to the functioning councils and organs of the United Nations. An Organization in which all the members are held accountable for upholding their responsibilities will be a noticeably strong one. The working organs and councils of the United Nations must implement greater transparency and ingenuousness in decision-making by involving the civil society in the work of the Organization as cohorts and regulators.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
As the secretary general himself is well aware of the enormity and importance of strengthening the UN on the foundation of sincere accountability, the member nations and the functioning councils of the UN ought to second him. Possessing the integrity and credibility in being able to be answerable to each and every member of the civil society must become the mantra of every local government. It is at home, that we learn values of responsibility, authenticity and honesty. The qualities that do not come from the roots will seldom be reliable or steadfast. It is only when people are governed under an authority that makes every effort to remain consistent with its transparency, people can dream of a creditable and worthy government. And only nations with such governments, can be held accountable for and trusted by the international society.
For achieving a peaceful, secure and sustainable world, the accountability between the competitive member states is essential, for it cannot be achieved overnight and is a multi-year mission. For this to be implemented, the confidentiality between certain potent states and their sources, pertaining to their activities, which are of great impact to the rest of the world, must be made transparent and accessible to the other nations.
Inter-state ties should be acutely affected by cordiality and cooperation in a manner which, the habitual blame game eventually ceases between the member nations.
This has the potentiality of promises for better future ties between the member nations too. The accountability must stem its growth from ground level so as to sustain a strong escalation. The initiation must start with the individuals being accountable to their fellow beings; individuals to their local authority; one local authority to the other, these local authorities uniting and being liable to their centre, and this in due course leading to the member nations being liable to each other.
This establishes an infallible authenticity of each and every member nation of the UNO. It is also important that the UNO provides for full cooperation to its member nations in achieving legitimacy at an international echelon.
The mode of approach instigated by a member state along with its regional organizations should be a multi-tasking one, which enables the challenges at different levels to succeed proficiently and the interest of different sectors to be met suitably.
The model of establishing and building accountability does not end at the doors of the member nations. It should transcend to the functioning councils and organs of the United Nations. An Organization in which all the members are held accountable for upholding their responsibilities will be a noticeably strong one. The working organs and councils of the United Nations must implement greater transparency and ingenuousness in decision-making by involving the civil society in the work of the Organization as cohorts and regulators.
10/13/2008
9/20/2008
Huaxia and her conquests..
The narrow cross and broad seas, the forts of history and the scars we see
What we fail to know is what truly we believe,
The little lotus bud and the pond so deep
With leaves so green but the fragrance lost she weeps within,
The drop of water that lay afloat, the hope they carry yet not to violence they resort…
When the world began a lot was there to receive(1), man lived in harmony with what was given. He cherished what was “ours”. Man learned to live with man but then, he found the key to Pandoras Box . The words that rhymed with anger and greed drew lines between the masses. The uncertainty that came along with the life of faith ceased to fancy him.
The cruel rules that we humans follow, shows its colour in the silent valley of a Land named Tibet.
History(2) has it that the wheels of peace ran parallel to the tracks of the Manchu Civilization and the Tibetan Lamas. Acting as spiritual leaders and in turn holding faith in a promise once given for safety against all might they lived in unison.
Only to be followed by a plague. A plague of social unrest, a plague that shattered not only the tranquility of the valley but also uprooted the basic social and cultural integrity of two nations. Where kings and queens ruled lands so vast the arms of faith knew less of what was.
Communism was a disease that questioned the superiority of the Spiritual head and led to the ongoing hostility between the valley and the vast lands. The promises of Theocracy no longer satiated the games and lust for power. The people who were the gate keepers of faith and vowed to protect, the roof of the world, craved for their absolute recognition. The eternal battle within for identity and ego gratification led the millions of Chinese eventually to form strong rooted ideologies that counter acted what was followed age immemorial.
The meaning of life was undermined and the language of blood became normalcy. Then the world took turns to rule each other; in paper and on tables the leaders would meet.
The mother land(3) beckoned her reluctant child(4) to her ‘warm’ mantle..as countries became mere cards in the hands of the mighty only to be played, tossed and dealt with power permutations. The ‘seventeen fold path’(5) proposed by the Mother Land was based on sheer favourism and the deafening cries of the Child was treated with apathy.
The internal clash and battles within the anatomy of Tibet, proved to be catastrophic for its well being and resulted in the discord of Tibet’s Spirit, leaving Tibet befuddled than ever before. The Tibetans were given a piece of reality that proved to threaten their long standing faith in ‘ahimsa’, compelling the face of Tibet(6) to flee for refuge. Meanwhile the elements of man’s desire and nature’s course took a violent turn. Man’s voracity for material requisites and the inevitable quest for economic and political power led to undermining of the true values of human life. This was the apparent aftermath of the uninvited interference of a Super power(7) which completely ignored the possible solutions that could have worked out on humanitarian grounds. The Onward struggle for supremacy was taken to the fore and the formulations for such further expansion of China was masterminded by the elected Yuans.
The ‘World Police’(8) continue to make their abortive efforts in preventing China taking over the eastern world. The Chinese however strategically pacify the agitated sect of the world community over the Tibet and Taiwan Policies with their ever ambassadorial pacts(9), which are ensured to benefit the Mainland of China subsequently.
The wheel of Karma, the predictable course of life, the philosophy of ashes to ashes and dust to dust, the medium for transversal to the outer being and the reason for the acknowledgement of an outcast, these spells are those that cast a dark shadow on the survival of the human race. The question of man’s superiority over mother nature and the survival of the bridge of life over troubled waters, are those which are simply man made. Are these the reasons for us to wake up to a better tomorrow? Are these the ideals to be preached to our young? Are these the reasons for a truly better future or will this lead to the extinction of what remains? How long will it take for men to realize that the silent valley that once was, could serve as an ideal example of what could or could not have been done? These are not words penned by a great poet nor mouthed by a holy saint, if it took only a little reading then why still do we turn a blind eye!!
CITATIONS:-
(1)The Bible- Genesis 1:1
(2)A History of Chinese civilization --By Jacques Gernet,JR Foster and Charles Hartman.
(3)People’s Republic of China
(4)Tibet
(5)The 17 Point Agreement
(6)The Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso)
(7)The United States of America (President Richard Nixon)
(8) The United Nations Organization
(9)The PRC policy, The CPPCC and others.
What we fail to know is what truly we believe,
The little lotus bud and the pond so deep
With leaves so green but the fragrance lost she weeps within,
The drop of water that lay afloat, the hope they carry yet not to violence they resort…
When the world began a lot was there to receive(1), man lived in harmony with what was given. He cherished what was “ours”. Man learned to live with man but then, he found the key to Pandoras Box . The words that rhymed with anger and greed drew lines between the masses. The uncertainty that came along with the life of faith ceased to fancy him.
The cruel rules that we humans follow, shows its colour in the silent valley of a Land named Tibet.
History(2) has it that the wheels of peace ran parallel to the tracks of the Manchu Civilization and the Tibetan Lamas. Acting as spiritual leaders and in turn holding faith in a promise once given for safety against all might they lived in unison.
Only to be followed by a plague. A plague of social unrest, a plague that shattered not only the tranquility of the valley but also uprooted the basic social and cultural integrity of two nations. Where kings and queens ruled lands so vast the arms of faith knew less of what was.
Communism was a disease that questioned the superiority of the Spiritual head and led to the ongoing hostility between the valley and the vast lands. The promises of Theocracy no longer satiated the games and lust for power. The people who were the gate keepers of faith and vowed to protect, the roof of the world, craved for their absolute recognition. The eternal battle within for identity and ego gratification led the millions of Chinese eventually to form strong rooted ideologies that counter acted what was followed age immemorial.
The meaning of life was undermined and the language of blood became normalcy. Then the world took turns to rule each other; in paper and on tables the leaders would meet.
The mother land(3) beckoned her reluctant child(4) to her ‘warm’ mantle..as countries became mere cards in the hands of the mighty only to be played, tossed and dealt with power permutations. The ‘seventeen fold path’(5) proposed by the Mother Land was based on sheer favourism and the deafening cries of the Child was treated with apathy.
The internal clash and battles within the anatomy of Tibet, proved to be catastrophic for its well being and resulted in the discord of Tibet’s Spirit, leaving Tibet befuddled than ever before. The Tibetans were given a piece of reality that proved to threaten their long standing faith in ‘ahimsa’, compelling the face of Tibet(6) to flee for refuge. Meanwhile the elements of man’s desire and nature’s course took a violent turn. Man’s voracity for material requisites and the inevitable quest for economic and political power led to undermining of the true values of human life. This was the apparent aftermath of the uninvited interference of a Super power(7) which completely ignored the possible solutions that could have worked out on humanitarian grounds. The Onward struggle for supremacy was taken to the fore and the formulations for such further expansion of China was masterminded by the elected Yuans.
The ‘World Police’(8) continue to make their abortive efforts in preventing China taking over the eastern world. The Chinese however strategically pacify the agitated sect of the world community over the Tibet and Taiwan Policies with their ever ambassadorial pacts(9), which are ensured to benefit the Mainland of China subsequently.
The wheel of Karma, the predictable course of life, the philosophy of ashes to ashes and dust to dust, the medium for transversal to the outer being and the reason for the acknowledgement of an outcast, these spells are those that cast a dark shadow on the survival of the human race. The question of man’s superiority over mother nature and the survival of the bridge of life over troubled waters, are those which are simply man made. Are these the reasons for us to wake up to a better tomorrow? Are these the ideals to be preached to our young? Are these the reasons for a truly better future or will this lead to the extinction of what remains? How long will it take for men to realize that the silent valley that once was, could serve as an ideal example of what could or could not have been done? These are not words penned by a great poet nor mouthed by a holy saint, if it took only a little reading then why still do we turn a blind eye!!
CITATIONS:-
(1)The Bible- Genesis 1:1
(2)A History of Chinese civilization --By Jacques Gernet,JR Foster and Charles Hartman.
(3)People’s Republic of China
(4)Tibet
(5)The 17 Point Agreement
(6)The Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso)
(7)The United States of America (President Richard Nixon)
(8) The United Nations Organization
(9)The PRC policy, The CPPCC and others.
6/09/2008
What a Wonderful World!
"...The colors of a rainbow...so pretty ..in the sky
Are also on the faces...of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands...sayin.. 'how do you do?'
They're really sayin...I love you."
: )
Are also on the faces...of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands...sayin.. 'how do you do?'
They're really sayin...I love you."
: )
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