Africa is Penniless and Broke

The same old guards of the sixties continue to rule Africa unabated. The modes of leadership they impose on their people are multi-faceted. Some practice kleptocracy. These group devour their nation's resources without measure while millions of their loyal citizens perish for lack of food and water. Some are dictators who either kill, maim, or jail the opposition without legal justifications. Others have enthroned themselves kings. These bunch have created gloomy pictures of destitution which are visible in the eyes of their subjects while they live lavish lives in palaces surrounded by loyal, well-fed mistresses and bodyguards.

Africa has every kind of natural resource enough for the entire continental population. Africa prides to have great rivers, lakes, oceans, forests, minerals, culture of tolerance, and a wonderful sunny tropical weather all-year-round. Yet, Africa is poor and penniless because her leaders have decided to keep to themselves every shining dime and nickel. African leaders wear the best woolen, cotton, and silken three-piece-suits bought in Paris, London, Rome, and New York. These leaders drive the most expensive imported cars in the world. They cherish custom-made Mercedes Benz, BMW, Volvo, and Audi limousines that are bullet-proof and well-furnished. They ride the most expensive rodeos, barbecue in expansive ranches surrounded by vineyards, exotic plants and wildlife. They swim in crystal clear waters surrounded by mademoiselles clad in bikinis. Yet, a few miles from their palaces their subjects remain destitute, naked, and sickly.

The children of African leaders abhor local education systems. Instead they prefer to enroll in the best educational institutions located overseas. Upon graduation, they return to their countries of origin where they are ushered in to a world of splendor and merrymaking. Millions of dollars, gold and jewelery looted by their parents-in-power await them upon their return. Had African leaders embarked on philanthropic purposes by dispersing the monies they spend on expensive regalia and lavish lifestyles, millions of their countrymen could be saved from abject poverty.

Africa is penniless and broke as depicted in the world Economic Freedom Index (EFI). The continent lags behind in labor freedom, freedom from corruption, investment freedom, financial freedom, monetary freedom, government size, fiscal freedom, trade freedom, business freedom, and property rights. Africa is being devastated by HIV/AIDS, malaria, sexually transmitted diseases or STD, diabetes, hypertension, and hazardous wastes that contribute to the spread of deadly diseases.

The continent suffers from poor infrastructure; vital medical and educational facilities are scarce if not nonexistent in many rural and remote areas; many regions remain impassable due to lack of reliable roads and bridges; scarcity of food and water shortages afflict millions in the countrysides and even in many major cities; insecurity and corruption remain the biggest obstacle to good governance. Africa has no one else to blame. It is the leaders' old habits that is dragging the continent to unpredictable disaster.

Meles Ought to Resign with Dignity

Since coming to power in Ethiopia in the early nineties, Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia's Prime Minister, has done more harm than good to the people of the Horn of Africa. Meles Zenawi went to war with Eritrea over Badme and Zalambesa-two dusty towns located between the two nation's borders. Hundreds of thousands died on both sides by the time the war ended. Under Meles Zenawi political parties remain suppressed and supporters either exiled, killed, or given long-term torturous sentences in dirty dungeons manned by Tigreyans-his clansmen.

Meles Zenawi had armed conflict with the nation of Sudan during his tenure of power. Under Meles Zenawi Ethiopian army invaded neighboring Somalia with the pretext of fighting Islamists who took over power. After a humiliating defeat by the Islamists who fought guerilla-style street fights, the Ethiopian army suddenly left Somali soil altogether. Thousands of Ethiopian Army soldiers remain unaccounted for in Somalia's conflict as the dead remain concealed from the public for political reasons.

There are a score of liberation movements fighting for separation from Ethiopia. The Ogaden and the Oromo Liberation fronts are fighting devastating wars to overcome Ethiopian government's colonialist designs. In the altercation between the guerrilla armies and the Ethiopian armed force, innocent civilians are caught in the quagmires. The scarcity of food, medicine, shelter, and water adds to the miseries of the poor of Oromia and Ogadenia.

Grinding poverty coupled with a devastating drought that is sweeping all corners of Ethiopia is taking a heavy toll. There is much suffering in the entire country and the much-awaited election in 2010 will not alleviate the problems the country now faces. There is a feeling in the public the coming election will be rigged giving the ruling party the upper hand. Just as in the rest of Africa, Ethiopia's case is no exception. The best Meles Zenawi can do for his people is to resign with dignity to save his people and his country from further disintegration,

Kenya Must Eradicate Corruption to Flourish

The major factor hindering development in Kenya is the widespread corruption visible in every sector of the economy. Corruption is so prevalent in this East African nation such that it has become an eyesore that refuses to heal because government officials remain behind its proliferation. Transparency International regards Kenya to be in the top list of the most corrupt countries in the world. Kenya's Economic Freedom Index (EFI) is also at its lowest ebb. The Kenya Human Rights Commission and the Anti-Corruption arm have voiced concern at how corruption is eating away the vital fibers of the economy. Kenya's poorly paid police are at the forefront of spreading corruption.

The most eye-catching incident involved the arrest of traffic police officers caught in the act of receiving bribes from motorists. The men and women who took the oath of allegiance to the constitution to maintain law and order fell to the dragnet after being caught red handed soliciting bribes on major highways. Some of these officers were caught on tape and are now awaiting sentencing before a court of law.

Al-shabaab Bans Wearing of Bra

Recent developments in Somalia have been part amusing and part dehumanizing. Al-shabaab, Somalia's extremist group that evolved after the departure of the Ethiopian army has come up with a decree that is causing much harm to the women of Mogadishu. Any woman found to show a bust of flesh on her chest risks harassment, humiliation, and even whipping in public. While women accused of witchcraft in India risk being forcefully fed with human excrement or animal culae, those of Somalia suffer novel fatwas issued by zealots whose agendas remain a mystery.

The fatwas of Al-shabaab have become so agonizing that it is the residents of Mogadishu who mostly bear the brunt of every new decree. Recently, the extremist group ordered all women to wear a specially designed hijab available from select stores or else suffer the consequences. The stores where these types of veils are available are owned by Al-shabaab businessmen and obviously there is a brisk hijab business.

Often women find themselves stopped along alleyways, in the markets, in public transportation, even within the vicinity of their own premises by masked men serving as Al-shabaab's law enforcers. They find themselves humiliated in front of their brothers, children, fathers, and even husbands without just cause. The crimes Somali women commit today has nothing to do with felony or misdemeanor. It always has to do with mode of dress and nothing else.

Kenya: Time is Ripe to Bring Election Culprits to Book

The election fiasco that brought President Mwai Kibaki to power in 2007 remains one of the worst unsolved political injustices in Kenya's recent history. Despite the intervention of the international community, the final judgment is yet to come. The disgraceful election fraud that brought Mwai Kibaki to power saw the slaughter of 1000 innocent civilians-a vicious war instigated by big fishes currently in the Kenya cabinet. Surprisingly, these killers are unknowingly awaiting indictment by the International Court of Justice.

Revealing the names of those involved in the massacre of innocent civilians is like opening a can of worms. The man who will preside over the indictment of these criminals is Luis Moreno-Ocampo of the International Court of Justice. He is a man who played a great role in putting behind bars the generals who wrecked havoc in his native country of Argentina when that nation was held hostage by a pathetic military regime.

Obviously, it will be great news for Kenya and the rest of the world when the names of Kenya's killers are revealed and a sigh of relief for the relatives of those who suffered the unjustified and unsolved brutality and massacre. Just as the Killers of Sarajevo and Kigali have been apprehended with some behind bars and others awaiting trial, it is time the Kenya government brought to book the much anticipated killers on the loose. Since Luis Moreno-Ocampo is expected to be in Kenya next week, all eyes and ears will turn to how events unfold thereafter.

Criticism Advances a Nations Interests

Criticism is a healthy way of correcting things. In healthy democracies, there are people called critics. These people keep an eye on every single negative action of the government and its sectors. There are government critics, book critics, movie critics, corporate critics and so on. The reason these people are there is to put a cap on the wrongs being committed. Wrongs can mean election irregularities, embezzlement or emptying of state coffers, corruption of all kinds, bribery and other unethical and immoral acts that are a handicap to a nation's interests. The work of a critic is to uncover a wrong so it may be corrected before things get out of hand. But please remember, men like ex-president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, General Mohamed Farah Aideed, and Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess were rebels instead.

One of Somalia's most critical opponent of the regime headed by Siyad Barre was the novelist Nurudin Farah who is regarded as one of the best novelist of our time. The junta gave him a hard time because of the wrongs he wanted corrected. The end result was his voluntary exile. Besides Nurudin many other critics of Somali origin became victims of the ruling junta. Some ended up getting extended jail terms. Somali academics who left three decades and over ago still remain in exile. It is nonsensical that someones life is put in danger because of having different views? Thus, it is important for our readers to differentiate who is a rebel and who is a critic.

The irony is that many African governments don't entertain criticisms and healthy debates. Adopting a watch and see policy while inhuman acts like massacres or genocide, corruption and theft, arbitrary arrests without valid reasons are committed in front of your eyes without saying a word is against human conscience. If you see a woman being raped without commenting then wait until your sister, your mother, your aunt or a female relative of yours becomes the next victim. Those who stand by the sidelines without raising a word while having a clear picture of the ills and gravity of crimes committed against innocent civilians has no iota of mercy and thus belongs to the dogs.

Managing Effectively while Inculcating Equality

All cruel people describe themselves as paragons of frankness-Tennessee Williams
We now learn from the scientific and biological fraternity that all humans are a product of X and Y chromosomes. Geneticists can now reveal to us that there are 35,000 genes in the human DNA and 3 billion chemical base pairs in the human DNA. This is a testament to human equality. Overemphasizing differences hides prejudices that are disgracefully inappropriate in context. Overemphasizing similarities is the best tool to attaining accomplishments in the workplace. The belief that “all men are created equal” should be the best applicable emphasis.

The first thing to have in a modern workplace is a balanced culture, if not code of regulations to be equally observed by all regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, political affiliation or sex. Rules that call for tolerance and harmony in the workplace must be applied to ensure tranquility and serendipity. A good leader is the one who discourages negative behaviors like incivility and other detrimental actions that are appalling in perspective.

Self-reliance Criterion
Having close affinity to employees of like racial group sets a bad precedent as it is a harbinger for discrimination and favoritisms. Here is a parable of two managers: One would always speak in his native tongue to some select employees he/she shared cultural background with while the other discouraged speaking in his native mother tongue. The later is the kind of leader ripe for multicultural leadership. Organizations can discourage leaders not to rely solely on self-reliance criterion when making strategic decisions by acknowledging the cultural backgrounds of individuals and groups by first using the golden rule that states: “do unto others as they would have them do unto them.” It is equally important to empower the leader to learn contrasting cultures even though the implied cultures may disagree with one’s values. Leaders must instill social justice, harmony, and moral development and also have contact with different cultural groups so as to create a healthy atmosphere through a succession of cultural exchanges.

The Monitor Role
The monitor role has long appeared less interesting to many people because of their futile beliefs that it entailed keeping a watchful over other people’s daily activities or mode of operations. But to a leader or manager with modern thoughts and processes, it carries much weight in “maintaining high performance in both individuals and groups (Quinn, Faerman, Thompson, and McGrath, and St. Clair, 2006, p.113).”

The Mentor Role
The mentor and facilitator roles are the two most important key managerial leadership roles as they are tasked with establishing effective relationships. The mentor role, also called the concerned human role, is reflected in the science of caring and empathy where the manager is supposed to be thoughtful, selfless, and responsive and open to discussions and not shunning ideas, be friendly, openhearted, and reasonable. A mentor is a good listener who attracts new ideas, is appreciative, rewarding, and influences employee actions by motivating. Failure to observe the mentoring role leads to derailment, pseudo-transformational leadership, dictatorship, arrogance, and intolerance. Understanding self-worth opens the door for understanding others. Delegating effectively and developing employees is part of mentoring. In the real sense of the word, the remark “mentor” has its meaning rooted in Greek, which may mean trusted counselor, coach or guide and therefore derives its true meaning from The Odyssey, a poem written by Homer and addressed to Odysseus asking him to tutor his son Telemachus. Understanding the keys to effective delegation involves conscientiousness, influence, and answerability. Thus, the mentor role is about understanding self and others, communicating effectively, and developing employees.

The Facilitator Role
The Facilitator role rests on three important pillars namely: building teams, using participative decision making, and managing conflict-all part of the organizational improvement process. Furthermore, group work means having a commitment to a common goal or purpose, having a concrete sense of mutual responsibility, sharing information and having common communication structure, and setting clear roles and responsibilities that are equally interdependent in outlook. Roles are sets of expectations relevant to the individual and others in a given situation. With role clarity implying the absence of two demanding conditions notably role ambiguity and role conflict-role ambiguity entails interacting with others while role clarity leads to inconsistency or contradiction of information. Sending conflicting information is cause for role conflict. The facilitator role requires knowledge of the levels, sources, and stages of conflict. Differences in values, attitudes, beliefs, needs, or perceptions have been shown to cause conflicts.

Handling Communication Overloads
Ironically, the flow of information has transformed tremendously over the years and taken major leaps and bounds since the discovery of microchips and other technological advancements such as nanotechnology. Our capability to store and retrieve information through optical scanning and “data compression” and our ability to do research without resorting to the olden ways of searching through library shelves, is a clear testimony of how we have advanced “two steps forward” and “one step back” though we have heavy responsibilities of “taming the electronic tiger” as we advance towards new innovations and immeasurable outputs. Thus, it is imperative for today’s managers to grasp the importance of modern office keeping by observing the TRAF system-which connotes to mean Toss, Refer, Act, and File-a novel way of overseeing the predicted modern paperless office.

On the other hand, recurrent work interruptions and overloads caused by excessive messages such as telephone calls, voice mails, cell phones, Personal Digital Assistants or PDAs, faxes, the intranet and internet, and e-mails should not instill fear or cause alarm but rather create challenges and enhanced momentum if effective management is to be observed in the workplace. Today’s managers are emboldened by their fervent desire to exploit the universally accepted sets of procedures known by the acronym OABC which stands for Opening, Agenda, Body, and Closing-four valuable tools for deciphering written messages regardless of whether they are in the form of a memo, circular or other regular correspondences. Likewise, face-to-face meetings are as essential as other forms of communication and should not be taken off the table. Teleconferencing, a contemporary hi-tech inclusion invented as result of human necessity, has been found to be in conformity with the international superhighway. Monitoring demands analyzing core processes, monitoring the value chain and output like judgments and opinions given, resources allocated, decisions made, mistakes detected, products planned, commitments negotiated, and courses taught.

The Myers-Briggs Type Inventory
The Myers-Briggs Type Inventory which is based on Carl Jung’s works highlights the five-factor model or basic tendencies with each factor named for one of two ends of a continuum namely neuroticism, extraversion, open to new experiences, agreeableness and conscientiousness. Agreeableness and extraversion are interrelated in that with no explicit leadership, the one who emerges with extraversion, agreeableness, and emotionality emerges the informal leader.

Johari Window
Named after Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, the Johari window is another exemplary framework that helps increase one’s self-awareness. The Johari window is divided into four compartments namely: open, blind, hidden, and unknown. Hidden inconsistencies and hypocrisies including hiding, rebuffing, and evading learning about themselves, has been found to be a common attribute of many people. Sadly though, popular television shows, movies, and books are acted in such a way that the end results, because of concealment of true feelings or lack of self-awareness, characters may end up skeptical or tolerant.


Effective Interpersonal Communication
With acute logjam to effective interpersonal communication evolving as a result of inarticulateness, hidden agendas, status meant to impress and not offend, hostility due to lack of trust, and differences in communication styles, Chris Argyris of the Harvard Business School implemented what became known as “the left-hand column issues” which implies “what is thought” and “the right-hand column” in reference to “what is said” so that “discussables” can be differentiated from “undiscussables”.
The golden saying, “nature has given men one tongue but two ears that we may hear from others twice as much as we speak”, as noted by the Stoic philosopher Epictetus, is a superior contemplation in the real sense which requires that we understand what is being said by others. The use of reflective listening helps us understand what others are saying and instills empathy in our inner souls.

Understanding Conflict Resolution
Understanding conflict resolution in the intrapersonal and interorganizational levels could be an added advantage. Avoiding approaches, accommodating approaches, competing approaches, compromising approaches, and collaborating approaches are some of the dimensions used in conflict management strategies. However, there are advantages and disadvantages of conflict management approaches. Also, as research has shown, allowing some degree of conflict could propel new ideas, innovation, and change. Conflicts can be stimulated and agreements managed by introducing guidelines for advocacy groups.

Team Building Strategies
There are informal approaches to team building and barriers to team building. Team building is an ongoing process and not an event. One approach to team building is for the team members to understand each other and have the willingness to observe each other consistently so as to generate substantial results. Social interaction among members like sharing a meal after work, holding annual holiday celebrations, and other important events opens a plethora of opportunities and other out of the ordinary accomplishments. Ironically, barriers to team building resurface due to not having the knowledge or experience of team building. One major factor that hinders team building is the lack of planning and coordination. Creating incentives to reward employees with exceptional performance emboldens employee resolve and attitude, increases social and economic standings, and lowers tardiness and the impervious “free will” attitude. Autocratic, consultative, and group decision making are some of the strategies used to define who should participate and when.

Effective Meeting Management
Meetings may be horrifying and end in disasters because of poor facilitation or they may be well managed, heartening, and all-inclusive. Understanding the rules of effective meeting management, coming up with the required tools, and setting the stage with certain objectives in mind is a prerequisite for modern management. Understanding the meeting objective, creating appropriate participation, selecting the time and place of the session, and preparing and distributing the agenda in advance is a requirement if pitfalls are to be avoided. However, running the meeting with sets of priorities in mind is a good way of giving the attendants a new lease of life. For a meeting to be professional it is essential to have someone take the minutes; the leader should review the agenda; make certain participants know each other; do not diverge from the agenda; ease interruptions; promote overall membership; and bring to a close the meeting by reviewing decisions reached.

Understanding Four Dimensions of Leadership
Influencing others depends on having a concrete understanding of the values, assumptions, beliefs, and expectations (VABEs) of the people involved. Having the feeling that it is a God-given responsibility to change how others feel and believe leads to underestimation of those under your command. Those endowed with authority should grasp the benefits of morality, ethics, legality, and cultural context. Individually determining what’s right and wrong is known as morality; ethics is a body of knowledge and established and conventional guiding principles of conduct created for groups of people or organizations; legality implies acting upon the established laws of humanity; while cultural context refers to observing the cultural values of others in the workplace. In public and professional conduct it is best to apply ethics and in private and for personal values wrap yourself around the garb of morality. When dealing with those under your authority, always keep in mind that what goes around comes around. It was Charles Grodin who once said, “It always surprises me that otherwise intelligent people don’t realize that if you treat people badly, it will eventually come back to you”. To give you an example of what goes around comes around, it is worth looking back what history has to tell us. “In the year 260 C.E., the Roman Emperor Valerian fell captive to Sasanid forces. He spent his last years at the Sassanid court in Ctesiphon, where his captors forced him to stoop and serve as a mounting stool when the Sasanid king wanted to ride his horse. (After his death, the Sasanids preserved Valerian’s skin as a memento of their victory over the Romans), (Jerry H. Bentley and Herbert F. Ziegler ). One’s leadership qualities should not be repugnant to justice and to the subjects providing essential services or else there could be serious ramifications resulting in the dissolution of the entire enterprise. For example, a medial law stated that “if two persons fell under suspicion of crime, the uglier or more deformed was to be regarded as more probably guilty” (Wilson and Hernstein, 1985).

Fifty-two Years Later

After bitter struggles with the manipulative and intoxicating political, social, and economic concoctions spread and sprinkled over Africa by the callous forces of imperialism and colonialism, Ghana and Libya proclaimed independence in 1957 from Britain and Italy respectively. Thereafter, a succession of African colonies felt a sigh of relief after being released from the shackles of bondage and indignity. The major European powers responsible for Africa's demise included Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Portugal who collectively depopulated Africa's human population and also emptied its natural resources. Upon vacating the disastrously misused continent, the European powers embarked on a new form of mental subjugation that continue to bite the poor continent to the core to this very day. The harrowing legacies of imperialism and colonialism and the misguided principles espoused by Africa's apprentice leaders culminated in the creation of utterly misguided leadership qualities that ultimately displaced the authority and institutions known inherent in Africa since time immemorial. The aftermath saw the mighty continent plunge into protracted corruption spearheaded by kleptomaniacs, dictators, and outrageous kings.

Historically, emerging empires or classical societies copied nations that preceded them in mode of governance, in specialization of labor, in agriculture, and in techniques related to better trade and commerce. They did so so they could apply and inculcate new governing styles that would be acceptable to those under their domains. "The greatest asset of any nation is the spirit of its people, and the greatest danger that can menace any nation is the breakdown of that spirit" (George B. Courtelyou). Alas, not a single African leader went a step ahead of his comrades to try to emulate European governing styles. On the contrary, the continent underwent drastic changes with the creation of 'presidents-for-life' who ruled until the pangs of death caught up with them as was the case of Omar Bongo of Gabon, Hastings Kamuzu Banda of Malawi, and Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire to mention but a few. The absence of constitutional compromises, the denial of the minority to have a voice in the government, unbalanced land distribution, and failure to create political and economic development impede Africa's solidarity with the rest of the international community.

While African leaders fight each other to death over flimsy election irregularities in this 21st century, in 509 B.C.E., the Roman Republic witnessed similar political altercations between the ruling Patricians and the common people who were known as Plebeians. Amazingly, the Patricians granted Plebeians the right to elect officials who were known as tribunes. Why can't African leaders learn to compromise by borrowing a leaf from history? The principle that defendants remain innocent until proven guilty has been copied from the Twelve Tables promulgated by the Romans in the era known as Pax Romana ("Roman peace") corresponding to the time of Augustus.

Africa is lacking philosophers to guide it to its right course. What's good for Africa is good for its people, and what's good for the people is good for Africa. "It may be argued that peoples for whom philosophers legislate are always prosperous"-Aristotle. Perhaps, the greatest danger to Africa today is the combination of poor leadership and massive brain drain.

Somalia: Nothing to Celebrate on the 21st of October

Somalia gained independence in 1960 after the former colonies known respectively as British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland united on the 1st of July of that same year to form a single homogeneous nation. The northern part of Somalia was formerly known as British Somaliland and the southern part of the country was referred to as Italian Somaliland. But please remember, no borders existed in the African continent before the European powers divided Africa among themselves.

After the assassination of President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke at Las Anod airstrip, Major General Mohamed Siyad Barre engineered a coup that brought him to power on the 21st of October, 1969 until the breakout of hostilities in 1991 when he was deposed by the United Somali Congress (USC) headed by General Mohamed Farah Aideed. Under Siyad Barre Somalia progressed militarily and many sectors of the economy saw tremendous growth despite bad politics tarnishing the regime's image.

Thus, the 21st of October was a major holiday during the tenure of Siyad as president of the Somali republic. Besides the two Islamic festivities of Eid-ul-fitr and Eid-ul-adha, Somalis have forgotten national celebrations altogether.

Somali Government: Don't Give Asyllum to Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys

Somalia's mass murderer, warlord, and extremist Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys is almost to surrender to the Somali government after a contingent of his militia surrendered to officers stationed at Villa Somalia, Somalia's Presidential Palace.

It all started after the forces of the Sheikh exchanged bitter gunfire with the forces of Al-shabab in the port city of Kismayu located in southern Somalia. Reports from Mogadishu indicate that the Sheikh is in constant contact with some of his clan members currently in the Somali cabinet of ministers so as to be given asyllum.

It is my strongest desire to see the sheikh extradited to the Hague, in the Netherlands, in order to face charges of genocide, rape, and mass murder of innocent Somalis before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

MEASURING PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY

In the past two decades, little did institutions or organizations care about measuring performance and equality until the skyrocketing of technological innovations that saw human beings come up with diverse, state-of-the-art, and reliable measures to counter the threat of work related underperformances and general disproportions. Since every institution, corporation or organization was scrambling for a solution to overcoming huddles in the workplace, researchers in the fields of work management were busy devising plans to stabilize inconsistencies and other hard to crack issues that caused handicaps in the workplace. Looking at a patient’s visit to a medical institution, we find that doctors take some of the most essential measures to bring to light the patient’s overall medical condition like blood pressure monitoring, blood sugar levels, urinalysis, and gynecological procedures to assess pregnancy and also reveal other biological defects in the making before jumping on any sort of prognosis. Likewise, it is equally important for organizations to apply measures that will enforce a healthy environment and a productive workforce not only for the present but for posterity.

Dozens of books have been written on issues pertaining to measuring performance and quality. One such book is John Elkington’s Cannibal with Forks: the Triple Bottom Line of the 21st Century (Norman and McDonald, 2004). Those who support triple bottom line would like financial performance, social/ethical performance, and environmental performance to be on the same road in order to achieve organizational success. Another important book that has captured the hearts and minds of business magnates is the bestseller In Search of Excellence by Peters and Waterman (1982). The authors base their research on top major U.S. corporations of the 1980s that outperformed other business corporations while ripping long-term profitability and continuing innovation. They found eight common themes that attributed to the growth and success of the chosen corporations as outlined below:
1. A bias for action, active decision making - 'getting on with it'.
2. Close to the customer - learning from the people served by the business.
3. Autonomy and entrepreneurship - fostering innovation and nurturing 'champions'.
4. Productivity through people- treating rank and file employees as a source of quality.
5. Hands-on, value-driven - management philosophy that guides everyday practice - management showing its commitment.
6. Stick to the knitting - stay with the business that you know.
7. Simple form, lean staff - some of the best companies have minimal HQ staff.
8. Simultaneous loose-tight properties - autonomy in shop-floor activities plus centralized values. [1]

“The last two decades have been marked by the rise of performance-related considerations and a focus on increased efficiency in western societies. Initially these changes seemed not to affect public sector employment. The traditional conception of public sector employment where organizational performance was equated with efficacy (organizational goals were achieved steadily) rather than efficiency (organizational goals were cost effective) theoretically enabled the application of democratic values of meritocracy and social equality.” [2]

The authors whose works I read discussed and devised several factors for measuring performance and quality by having a breakdown of the deciding factors that include:
1. What is right versus what is easy; this pertains to measuring what is easy to measure rather than what is important to measure.
2. Developing a hierarchy of measures; here the authors take a leaf from Walsh’s (2005) comprehensive set indicators that measure progress and achievement by outlining a measurement hierarchy.
3. Tailoring measures to the organization and its mission; they use the balanced scoreboard approach (Kaplan and Norton, 1992) to base their arguments.
“The Balanced Scorecard provides a framework for developing a strategy map for an organization. First, the strategic objectives are organized into four categories:
1. Financial – strategy for growth, profitability, and risk from the shareholder’s point of view.
2. Customer – strategy for creating value and differentiation from the customer’s point of view.
3. Internal business process - strategic priorities for various business processes that create customer and shareholder satisfaction.
4. Learning and growth - priorities that create a climate that supports organizational change, innovation, and growth. The foundation for the strategy.”

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Search_of_Excellence

[2] Journal article by Rita Mano-Negrin; International Journal of Public Administration, Vol. 26, 2003

[3] Kaplan, R. S. and D. P. Norton. 2001. Transforming the balanced scorecard from performance measurement to strategic management: Part I. Accounting Horizons (March): 87-104.

The Homeless Warlord Sheikh

Somalia's once powerful warlord, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, is now a bitter man and a homeless vagabond. Evey night, in the midst of dark ramshackle Mogadishu,the sheikh begs for shelter from various international organizations including television news outlets. Having fallen off with Al-Shabab, southern Somalia's most powerful extremist organization, the sheikh hardly sleeps every night because he fears Al-Shabab may catch him unawares. For now the sheikh has nothing else to fear but fear itself. And going by the old adage, "a coward dies many times before his real death", those pursuing the sheikh should not give much thought because his conscience tells him he is already a dead man.

I don't understand why every communist-trained religious zealot aspires to lead so as to mislead through the use of infected mental faculties. It is idiotic and out of context for someone to support the likes of Al-Shabab and Xizbul Islam who, even when given the reigns of power will ultimately end up stealing state coffers, annihilate multitudes of innocent civilians, and finally leave everything overturned and irremediably beyond repair.

Somalia: Killings that never end

Even after almost twenty years searching for peace for volatile Somalia, extremists continue to amputate limbs in the absence of a unified central government. Shockingly, in southern Somalia, Al-Shabab and Xizbul-Islam are out to finish each other. Hardly a day passes by without gruesome incidents and deadly altercations. Moreover, the men who are holding the banner of war regard themselves as pious Muslims fighting for a just cause yet those caught in the quagmire are unarmed women, children, and the elderly who, besides the bloodshed, suffer the pangs of hunger. Peace, in the real sense, has dissipated from entire southern Somalia.

The government of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has its hands tied because it is not getting the necessary attention and assistance from the international community. On the other hand, foreign fighters continue to wreck havoc on peace loving innocent Somali civilians. Because these foreign fighters or jihadists are in Somalia at the invitation of Somali extremists, they have no other option but to defend their very existence as they have no homes to return.

I think the bloodshed in Somalia can only be stopped by Somalis themselves with the assistance of the international community. Since all reconciliation efforts have been exhausted, the world must fully arm a reliable party in order to rout the rest who refuse to tow the line.

Sorry for the inconveniences

The author of this blog wishes to apologize to his esteemed readers for the duration the blog remained inactive. However, all is well and rest assured we'll swing into action with more stuff coming soon by the grace of God. Once again, sorry for the inactivity.

Al-Shabab: Somalia’s New Kharijites and Masters of Death and Destruction

Ever since Al-Shabab rose to power in the Horn of Africa nation of Somalia, the rate of human decimation has been skyrocketing enormously such that no human being is immune from death, terrorism, chaos, violence, and insecurity. Al-Shabab is brandishing a perilous novel religious ideology that will engulf many places in the African continent and even beyond if not restrained in time. To countless fundamentalist-minded people and their sympathizers, the leaders of Al-Shabab are “saviors of Islamic spirit”. To those opposed to Al-Shabab’s religious extremities, the group is nothing more than a replica of Al-Qaida and the Taliban of Afghanistan struggling to overcome the threats of democracy and human freedom. The main reason Al-Shabab is waging a bitter war in Somalia is to ensure Western influence does not get a foothold in the Horn of Africa. It has indoctrinated thousands of Somali youth and attracted Islamic fighters from almost everywhere in the world. These "foreign guests" provide training to the forces of Al-Shabab in arms handling, mine laying, suicide bombing, and enemy surveillance. Western intelligence sources believe there is credible evidence to suggest the presence of 300 foreign Jihadi fighters in Somalia. Now we hear of an ex-Pakistani general leading the onslaught against Somalia's lame duck government. If such information is to be believed to the fullest, then, Somalia has obviously become a safe haven for terrorists from all walks of like. Unashamedly, the leaders of Al-Shabab have in the past mentioned the presence of these "guest fighters" in their domains.

Hiding under the banner of bringing pure Islam to the entire globe, a distance spanning from Alaska to Cape Town, the group whose name means “youth” in Arabic, invented innovations alien to the Muslim Somali: Khariji thoughts that deserve absolute rejection. Al-Shahrastani defines a Khariji as: “Anyone who walks out against (seeking to overthrow) the true appointed Imam (leader) upon whose leadership the Jamaa'ah is in agreement is called a Khariji. This is the case, despite whether the walking out (against the Imam) occurred in the days of the Rightly-Guided caliphs or other than them from the Tabi'een.” [1] (Wikipedia)

"According to Kharijite doctrine, not only descendants of the Prophet Muhammad and members of the Muslim aristocracy but anyone—even a slave—could become a caliph if morally and religiously pure. A caliph, to be legitimate (in accord with God’s will), had to be elected as the free choice of the entire Muslim community. An unsatisfactory caliph could be deposed or put to death. The Kharijites, both extremely pious and puritanical in religious practice and theory, also accepted only a literal interpretation of the sacred Qur'an (Koran). They developed their own laws and collections of Hadith—the Traditions, or Muhammad’s actions and utterances witnessed by his companions and transmitted by reliable authorities. Today a few hundred thousand Kharijites, usually referred to as Ibadites, dwell in North and East Africa, Oman, and Tanzania. Their puritanism and idealism have greatly influenced the present-day Wahhabi movement, which includes the majority of Saudi Arabians."[2]

Since rising to stardom in 2008 when Ethiopian occupation forces departed Somalia after being bogged down in the capital city of Mogadishu, Al-Shabab has carried out on a wider scale assassinations of senior Somali government figures, tribal heads, and journalists it perceives as a threat to its existence. Just recently, a reputed government minister, Colonel Omar Hashi and Abdikarim Laqanyo, an astute 39-years old rising diplomat who was Somali ambassador to South Africa and former Somali ambassador to Ethiopia in Colonel Yusuf’s government, met their untimely deaths in the city of Beletweyne when a vehicle loaded with explosives and commandeered by a suicide bomber destroyed the hotel they were residing in. The explosion, as claimed by Al-Shabab, killed several dozen government soldiers and unsuspecting civilians that were caught in the predicament. A spokesman who spoke for Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing. Al-Shabab claimed to have carried out the suicide bombing after obtaining credible evidence from its intelligence sources that the current government headed by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was hosting Ethiopian military officers planning strategic military operations against its areas of influence.

This gruesome and wanton incident that cut short the lives of many Somalis, surprisingly, utterly left Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys devastated, a man wanted in the West for crimes related to terrorism. A former colonel in the defunct Somali army, Sheikh Hassan Dahir was the former head of the rebel group al-Itihaad al-Islamiya, an Islamic militant group linked to terrorism in the 1990s. The former colonel is currently the head of Hizbul Islam that is opposed to the presence of foreign troops in Somali soil. Narrated Aisha: Allah's Apostle said, "If somebody innovates something which is not in harmony with the principles of our religion, that thing is rejected." Volume 3, Book 49, Number 861 of Al-Bukhari. “Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "There is a Sadaqa to be given for every joint of the human body; and for every day on which the sun rises there is a reward of a Sadaqa (i.e. charitable gift) for the one who establishes justice among people." Volume 3, Book 49, Number 870 of Al-Bukhari.

The Somali Government of National Unity decried the collective atrocities being committed by Al-Shabab such that the Speaker of Somalia’s Parliament appealed to neighboring countries that include Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Yemen and the member states of IGAD to send in military reinforcements within 24 hours to deter Al-Shabab aggression. Local media houses in Somalia reported seeing Ethiopian forces pouring in to Somalia upon receiving Somali parliamentary speaker’s pleas for immediate help. On the contrary, the Ethiopian has reiterated its stand in Somalia: that it can only intervene in Somalia with international mandate. On the other hand, the Kenya government is said to be amassing heavily-armed troops alongside its border with Somalia. Both Kenya and Ethiopia are host to thousands of Somali refugees displaced by Somalia's internal strife and both have territorial disputes with Somalia over the former Northern Frontier District in Kenya and the Ogaden region in Ethiopia claimed by Somalia.

Currently, the Kenya government feels the brunt of Al-Shabab aggression. The jihadi group made several incursions in to Kenya in the past. The downing of a military helicopter belonging to the Kenya military in the not so distant past has angered a section of Kenyan's and parliamentarians with many calling for Kenya's direct involvement in Somalia. While the intention of Kenya's military buildup along the long porous border it shares with Somalia may not be speculated, there is a great possibility Kenya may this time land troops inside Somalia. Both Kenya and Ethiopia have sizable military personnel of Somali decent in their military ranks. Supposedly, by borrowing a leaf from the saying, "send a thief to catch a thief" both nations could tactically utilize the strengths of their Somali citizens to overcome the fundamentalist aggression perpetuated by Al-Shabab.

The refusal by Al-Shabab to negotiate with any entity has further diminished the prospect for peace in Somalia. Despite the Somali government calling for moderation and reconciliation, Al-Shabab continues to kill, maim, and mutilate in the absence of a sovereign authority. Despite modern leadership qualities entailing communication, delegation, selection, and training, Al-Shabab’s mode of leadership rests on perpetrating pseudo-anarchism and territorial expansionism and unwarranted psycho-politico-socio-economic annihilation of human population and properties.

Consequently, the otiose Somali government lacks influence tactics and impression management techniques. Perhaps, the newly inaugurated moderate Sheikh Sharif is too inexperienced to win the hearts and minds of the opposition. Lack of horizontal thinking; the absence of theories and practice; the President’s inability to macro and micro manage the volatile Somali environment has left him in the lurch. Conceivably, majority of the men and women holding ministerial positions in the current government hold foreign citizenship which makes them unfit to govern a nation in a chaotic and frustrated atmosphere. One may may ask: do these leaders have mission and value statements and do they espouse concrete statements of intentions?

Undoubtedly, a nation is a massive organization that demands concrete planning and conceptualized responsibility. Failing to realize the motivational components of human behavior is cause for disaster. Factors that apply to leadership include communication, delegation, selection, and training. All attempts to have a fully-trained armed force have been shattered either because the government was unwilling to pull resources together or because the financial resources to deliver the projected figures were hard to secure. Why is it that every created government collapses before completing term of office? Those of you who follow Somali politics will recall how the previous governments headed by Ali Mahdi, Abdiqasim Salat, and Abdullahi Yusuf collapsed due to imprudent tribal politics and gerrymandering. All these political fiascos happened due to lack of religious and ethical considerations and the absence of organizational structure and culture.

In the Somali vernacular language, the word "Khariji" denotes to mean "to exterminate, to kill, to silence". Perhaps, it could be a good description that fits the callous actions of Al-Shabab because of the way they kill with impunity. For the two years Ethiopian troops were in Somalia beginning in 2006 until last January, majority of Somalis who were opposed to the dreaded Ethiopian presence, gave Al-Shabab a standing ovation because they brutally defeated them in street battles.

Ironically, the international community is not doing enough to overcome the growing threats of anarchy in Somalia. Instead of training a strong and reliable defense force that would secure Somali borders, all it has done is sending naval warships that protect Somalia’s coastline from the threats of piracy that cripple international maritime shipping. What they don’t realize is that piracy can only be overcome when Somalia gets a strong civil and national defense. As long as the international community is not fully committing itself to the problems inland and inside of Somalia, piracy and terrorism will continue to flourish unabated.


http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761558674/kharijites.html

Termination: Know Your Rights

The legal definition of termination “…is the discharge of an employee by an employer with or without cause.” [1] There are several factors that could lead to termination of employment: employment at will, agreement, and fulfillment of purpose. Employment at will refers to the ending of employment by either the employee or the employer upon giving proper notice. In legal terms, proper notice refers to the duration of the pay period, i.e., 1 week, 2 weeks, or one month. Hence, the phrase “two-week notice” is derived from this policy. To avoid legal ramifications, an employer should give the reason that led to the termination. That is, the reason for the discharge should be related to the job. The reason for the termination should pertain to job performance, attendance, theft, drug use, harassment, negligence and things of like nature. “Additionally, it might be wrongful termination if an employer discharged an employee in retaliation for:
• Reasonably exercising employee rights under relevant employment and labor laws
• Reasonably exercising union rights
• Legitimately taking leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act
• Serving in the military
• Wage garnishment
• Whistleblowing”. [2]

Besides acts of God, strikes, and layoffs, employers that have 100 or more employees, who intend to lay-off or close a plant or office, are required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) of 1988, to give their employees 60 days notice so that the affected employees can have the opportunity to retrain or seek other work. In order to deter confusions and ignorance at the work, employers should create an employment handbook that outlines company procedures and policies. The language outlined in the handbook should be to the point and understandable to all employees. Policies in the handbook should include general rules of conduct; it should plainly delineate anti-harassment policies, describe factors that can lead to at-will termination, and policies regarding computer usage among other things. Breach of contract occurs when an employee fails to fulfill the reasonable expectations as stipulated in the initial contract of employment. Often, breach of contract arises in the following circumstances: (1) an employer will be liable for the duration of contract if the employee is terminated without a just cause before the expiration of the definite period of contract. (2) If an employee performs contrary to the policies contained in the employment handbook, the employer will be bound to what the handbook has stipulated. (3) If in an interview, employer specifies reason for employee’s termination, then discharge will be limited to those reasons. A claimant is ineligible for unemployment benefits if the claimant was discharged for “just cause”. Culpability, knowledge, and control are the three factors that must be present to establish a just cause. In Autilov Asp, Inc. v. Department of Workforce Services 29 P. 3d (UT 2001), Judge Billings representing the Utah Supreme Court ruled in favor of the employer by categorically refusing to the drawing of unemployment benefits by Christopher Guzman and Thomas King because the two complainants flagrantly violated universal standard of behavior by transmitting sexually explicit and offensive materials such as jokes, pictures, and videos which were in contravention of employer policy against sexual harassment contained in its employment handbook. An employee who successfully wins a wrongful termination battle in a legal court, upon justifying beyond reasonable doubt how his/her employer breached existing contractual underpinnings, and after establishing breach of contract theory that include (1) the existence of a contract; (2) its performance of the contract; (3) breach by the other party; and (4) damages, may be entitled to packages that could include severance pay, court fees, and attorney’ fees as damages for the untold suffering inflicted in the cause of the termination and the duration of the court proceedings.

Often, severance pay may be given upon an employee’s promise to forgo a proceeding under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act. There are limits for filing a charge of discrimination. The duration for filing a complaint with the EEOC-the agency charged with overseeing employment rights-is 180 days from the day of the alleged violation. “This 180-day filing deadline is extended to 300 days if the charge also is covered by a state or local anti-discrimination law. For ADEA charges, only state laws extend the filing limit to 300 days. The federal EEO laws enforced by the EEOC are Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Equal Pay Act (EPA). These laws prohibit covered employers from discriminating on the bases of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, and disability. Examples of conduct prohibited include: Discriminatory employment decisions, discrimination in employment and benefits, harassment and retaliation.” [3] In many cases, employee and employer may opt to resolve a charge early in the process through mediation or settlement. According to the EEOC web site, mediation and settlement are voluntary resolutions.
Mediation, settlement, and conciliation are three factors to resolving charges of discrimination. Despite the proliferation of termination related litigations against employers by grieving employees, Daniel T. Berkley, Gordon & Rees, LLP, in a teleconference titled “Avoid Wrongful Termination Lawsuits: Strategies to Keep Your Managers Out of Legal Trouble” and designed for “human resource managers, personnel managers, employee relations managers, presidents, vice presidents, business owners and managers, supervisors, compliance officers and attorneys”, detail four appealing factors that could serve as a deterrence against unnecessary legal actions for those managing workplaces. In their sub-title “Training for Effective Workplace Policies and Practices”, the duo provide educational materials that come in the form of CD and manual together with a podcast containing 89-minute MP3 with 90-page electronic manual. Some of topics covered in their management lectures include:
I. Progressive Discipline
II. Investigations
III. Retaliation
IV. Termination”. [4]

In conclusion, since the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Labor courts in the United States continue to be inundated with civil law suits. Consequently, Congress has been rationally making amendments to the U.S. Constitution since the proclamation of Independence from England in 1776. Despite the hardships and arduous contests in the stipulation of U.S laws by the Judiciary, Legislature, and the Executive, profound promulgations have been made to pave way for the reclamation and restoration of human independence and dignity.

[1]John Jude Moran. Employment Law: New Challenges in the Business Environment. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. 2008.
[2]http://employeeissues.com/wrongful_termination_2.htm
[3]http://www.eeoc.gov/charge/overview_charge_filing.html
[4]http://www.lorman.com/teleconference/384409?affiliate=WorkersCompensation&cd=16196:0:1:4:13&discount_code=

Leadership and Economics

Going by the expanding nature of global economics and varying national economies, today’s leaders should be compelled to understand that the best, much-applauded, and unanimously accepted form of fundamental economics is the capitalist market economy which contains many buyers and sellers of numerous goods and services where all of them are interested primarily in their own well-being. From the Greek word oikonomos, economy denotes to mean “one who manages a household.” However, according to the great 19th-century economist Alfred Marshall, “economics is a study of mankind in the ordinary business of life.” In essence, economics is the study of how society manages its scarce resources. [1]

Two prominent economists, Adam Smith and David Ricardo inspired the modern economics we cherish today. Adam Smith’s 1776 book titled An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, shed light on the subject of trade and economic interdependence. Likewise, inspired by Adam Smith’s writings, David Ricardo, millionaire broker turned economist, in his 1817 book Principles of Political Economy and Taxation, developed the principle of comparative advantage as we know it today. The principle of comparative advantage explains interdependence and the gains from trade. As a member of the British parliament of the day and in his defense of free trade and his opposition to the Corn Laws which restricted the import of grain, Ricardo put his economic beliefs to work by displaying total rejection and repugnance at the British government’s infringement on free trade. Undoubtedly, the legacies left behind by Smith and Ricardo continues to empower the values and ideals of today’s capitalist economies.

Based on decentralized control and delegation, a leader who has the will and commitment to steer a nation to its right course must understand that micromanaging economies, people’s lives or jobs is nothing but a futile enterprise. Likewise, a leader cannot save, motivate, and satisfy everyone. Leaders must understand that when people associate no risk or cost to something, they will abuse it. That is why all social programs like welfare, social security, and Medicare fail to have rigid foundations despite concerted government efforts at their resuscitation. With markets being a good way to organize economic activity, boosting trade makes everyone better-off. Though not always positive, governments can sometimes improve market outcomes. During the Cold War era, the former Soviet Union and her Communist allies in Eastern Europe experienced retarded economies because their economies were based on outdated centralization systems managed by irrational central planners which culminated in their collapse in the 1980s. Because of corruption, insecurity, coup d’états, political obscurantism, dictatorships, and a host of other natural and human calamities, Africa, a continent abundant in natural resources, remains entangled in a protracted economical mess that make it a laughing stork in every sector of the economic scale and a burden to international financial institutions like the IMF and the World Bank. Lack of human capital, grinding poverty and diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria, and the collective theft of state coffers, has diminished the continent’s prospects for economical prosperity and political maturity. Despite minor modifications, the economic principles left behind by Adam Smith and David Ricardo continue to drive the nerves and fibers of many nations including the United States while resourceful African nations continue to suffer from self-inflicted economic woes without any prospect for recovery.
Some important aspects of managing a capitalist economy include:
(1) A strong national defense-if people do not feel safe, economic growth will be retarded and suffering and destitution will reign.
(2) Property rights-when people own something, they have the tendency to invest and protect it.
(3) Judicial system to handle disputes.
(4) Low taxes and low regulatory environment.
(5) Few entitlement programs like welfare, social security, and Medicare. These programs are inefficient and wasteful (transfer payments-taking money from one citizen and giving it to another is always counterproductive). A program like welfare falls under what economists refer to as “the Law of unintended consequences” which occurs when government actions or policies fail to produce the desired results. Initially, welfare was intended to help the poor but only created more poverty and an underclass that grew reliant on government. We have to be careful what behaviors we reward because if people associate no cost or risk to something they will abuse it.

Said another way, production possibilities curves can be expanded with the following in mind: (1) movement towards capitalism and free trade (India, China), (2) education, (3) technological advances, and (4) discovery of new natural resources. By raising taxes, consumer and producer surplus is destroyed beyond measure and automatically the standard of living of the ordinary citizen is lowered. Leaders need to understand that people get what they earn and that there are no other solutions except trade-offs. Thus, growing economies need energy to safeguard and maintain their demand and supply. A country’s standard of living depends on its ability to produce goods and services.

Consequently, leaders and politicians have caused extensive miscalculations to numerous national economies by thinking that they know more about economics than economists. In broad terms, this is what is referred to as “fatal conceit” by economists. Both golden rule and fatal conceit, malevolent in context, are based on self-interest and are detrimental to the economic well-being of any nation and must be shunned at all cost.

One other form of unwarranted government exploitation or practice that places unnecessary hardships on businesses is price gouging. A firm’s costs are a key determinant of its production and pricing decisions. This practice is outlandish and absolutely authoritarian in nature. Leaders fail to grasp the theory that demand is based on ability and willingness to pay. On the ability notion, one may have the ability to pay but unwilling to pay for the product either because the product is inferior or exorbitant. Apparently, wary consumers understand the implications of buying cheap and inferior Chinese products that flood the markets. Everything, regardless of make or model, has a price attached to it. Unquestionably, above that price, no one is willing to pay. Supply and demand of goods and services determine price. As a result, when the price of a commodity goes up, demand goes down; when price goes up it provides an incentive for suppliers to supply more of the goods or services if they can. One other principle why prices rise is when government prints too much money. Nations experience inflation when there is an increase in the overall level of prices in the economy. An observable fact where prices in the economy rose by similar standards was experienced by Germany in January 1921 when the price of a daily newspaper that cost 0.30 marks rose to 70,000,000 marks in less than two years later. The best tool to defeat inflation is to limit the growth in the quantity of money. The U.S. experienced high inflation in the 1970s and high inflation in the 1980s because of high and slow growth in the quantity of money. Despite the U.S. experiencing “Every time we break down barriers to trade and investment, we open up new markets for American ranchers, farmers, workers, and entrepreneurs. ...” [2]

Economics and leadership are two inseparable and intertwined subjects with significant advantage and contributions to free market economies. To have an effective economy, it is of vital importance for a leader to come up with effective planning and implementation. Economists are of the view that planning is never perfect and that plans are absolutely nothing without action and that at all times the trickiest thing to do is executing a plan.

There is a popular consensus among economists which affirms that in economics demand is easy and there is no limit to the wants and needs of human beings. The most difficult thing is meeting the supply of goods and services. What a country can do to encourage its people and how corporations and businesses can supply the necessary products and services demanded by the people is a pressing issue and a daunting task in the science of economics. As mentioned earlier, the answer of course is capitalism as reflected in the decentralized economy. An important resolution could be the 70 % solution adopted by the US military and corporations which states that if you feel that you have 70% of a problem covered –take action!! Because of the law of diminishing returns, trying to make a plan perfect is futile. The art of economics consists not merely looking at the immediate but at the longer effects of an act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups.

Because people respond to incentives, leaders must remain rational by weighing or comparing benefits and costs just as those they govern perceive it to be so. A situation in which the market price has reached the level at which quantity supplied equals quantity demanded, is called equilibrium. Also called market-clearing price, equilibrium is found where the supply and demand curves meet. At the equilibrium price, the quantity supplied equals the quantity demanded. In free markets, a so pervasive phenomenon that brings into balance the quantity of goods supplied and the quantity of goods demanded is referred to as the law of supply and demand-meaning the price of any good adjusts to bring the quantity supplied and quantity demanded for that good into balance. In economics, deadweight loss is referred to as the fall in total surplus that results from a market distortion, such as a tax. Because taxes cause deadweight losses, they prevent buyers and sellers from realizing some of the gains from trade. What determine whether the deadweight loss from a tax is large or small are the price elasticities of supply and demand. Henry George, the 19th century American economist and philosopher, in his 1879 book, Progress and Poverty, argued that the government should raise all its revenue from tax on land. To him, this “single tax”, was both equitable and efficient. However, not many economists of our era and age support George’s proposal for a single tax on land. Because governments have no money, the only way they can obtain it is through taxation which carries with it a deadweight loss to society as a whole.

With rigorous debate mounting in the U.S. regarding immigration, opponents and proponents of this contentious issue base their arguments on the supply of labor. Some factors that would cause the labor supply curve to shift include changes in tastes, changes in alternative opportunities, and immigration. For instance, when immigrants come to the United States, the supply of labor in the United States increases and the supply of labor in the immigrants’ home countries contracts. The never-ending policy debate about immigration centers on the effects of immigration and its effect on labor supply-equilibrium in the labor market.

A new field of economics known as behavioral economics has made basic psychological insights into human behavior. Some exclusive studies on human decision-making have come up with the following findings:
 People are overconfident.
 People give too much weight to a small number of vivid observations.
 People are reluctant to change their minds.
Because economists have differing views regarding the imperfections of Homo sapiens, some economists have suggested that humans are “near rational” or that they exhibit “bounded rationality”. It was Herbert Simon, a social scientist who worked at the boundaries of psychology, who suggested that humans should best be viewed as satisficers and not rational maximizers. Thomas Sowell, an African American economist stated that the mark of a good economist is "thinking beyond stage one". In essence, this is part of leadership. Professor Richard Epstein University of Chicago Law School, commenting on Thomas Sowell’s book Applied economics: Thinking beyond Stage One, had this to say, “In Applied Economics, the companion volume to his earlier work, Basic Economics, Thomas Sowell uses rudimentary economic theory to unmask the cant that surrounds too many policy debates.” [3] To further add more weight to Sowell’s book, the Publishers Weekly had a commentary that read: “The great achievement of Sowell's book is its simplicity. His writing is easy and lucid, an admirable trait considering the topic at hand. . .His target audience is the average citizen who has little or no economics background, but would like the tools to think critically about economic issues.” [4]

In broader terms, economics is an appealing subject, informative, and educative to the core. It is part sociology, part philosophical, and undoubtedly a subject meant for every human being seeking to overcome barriers in daily financial and economical handicaps.

N. Gregory Mankiw: Principles of Microeconomics (2007). Thomas Higher Education, 5191 Natorp Boulevard, Mason, OH 45040.
http://www.ustreas.gov/
http://www.tsowell.com/Appliedecon.htm
www.publishersweekly.com

Poem Name: Seylo - Saxansaxo

Heestan waxa ku qaada fanaanka caanka ah ee Xasan Aadan Samatar,

Seyloo guyaal badan

Soo baxa kaliishii

Seelseelna loo degay

Sannad geelu badi dhalay

Oo sidigtii Laalays

Nirguhu aanay socod baran

Reeraha sintoodiyo

Kaymo saar leh loo dhigay

Oo igadh mid yari sabo

Maqaar lagu salaaxay

Sameeshay gaawaha

Oo baarqab soohani

Isagoo ah laba sabar

Soofeeyey micidoo

Ka sanqadhiyey doobtii

Salaadiina roorsaday

Ugubkii usaniyo

Surmo dheer la tiigsaday

Saqdii dhexena roob helay

Subaxii bariisada

Sidoodaan jaleecada

Saxansaxo ugdoon badan

Sanka kuula raacaa



Sange subag idaadiyo

Sumal badhidii lagu shubay

Oo sabada ceelkiyo

Sohdu tahay agtiisoo

Loogu dhaansho sacabada

Oo Sud iyo Hawd sare

Saddex guure daaqoo

Weli aan sadyari arag

Oo seeto iyo dabar

Labadaba ka saahiday

Oo sallow dagaaliyo

Cidi geyn saraayaha

Oo sararta naaxdiyo

Timihu isku seexdeen

Oo seyngargoorkiyo

Loo salaaxay guudkoo

Saxarkii ku duuliyo

Laga maydho siigada

Loo saaray kooraha

Cigaalkiina loo sudhay

Sarajooga iyo muuq

Sanku-neefle kelidaa

Adaa suuradiisa leh



Sagal gaaxday roob subax

Seermaweydo soo gudday

Waaguna ku sare kacay

Sarajoog nin dhererkii

Cadceeduna la siman tahay

Nuurkuna sagootiyey

Oo waqal sindadabiyo

Guulaamo socotiyo

Kala soocday dhibicii

Oo midab sibaaqiyo

Madow suul dhalaal xiga

Saddexdaa miduun yahay

Qof suureeyey kala garan

Oo beel sanaagiyo

Ku surmiyey saraar godan

Saadaalineysoo

Sugayaan inuu helo

Subaxii bariisada

Sidoodaan jeelacada

Saxansaxo udgoon badan

Sanka kuula raacaa



Dhulka saacu wada gaadh

Waannu kala sedroonyee

Meel idaha seel u leh

Riyaha salool u leh

Oo geela saar u leh

Oo dirir sagaariyo

Sagaal gudcurkuna helay

Saga xareedaan

Biyuhuna sunsumayaan

Oo saawa-saawiyo

Saxal cudur lahaynoo

Salka looga degay nabad

Oo saraarta dixidiyo

Siman tahay dareemadu

Oo sabiga caanihii

Lagu siiyey golihii

Habluhuna sibraariyo

Dhiilo saabka loo tolay

Sinta bidix ku qaadeen

Subaxii bariisada

Sidoodaan jeelacada

Saxansaxo udgoon badan

Sanka kuula raacaa

Lyrics: Hooyooy La'aantaa by Mohamed Saleban

Hooyoy la'aantaa
Adduunyadu hubaashii
Habeen kama baxdeenoo
Iftiin lama heleenoo
Dadku uma hayaameen
Dayax heego joogoo
Sida haad ma fuuleen
Xiddig hawd ka lulatoo
hawo laguma gaadheen

Hubka laguma tureen
cirka hirar ka muuqdoo
ruuxaad hagaysiyo
dusha midho ku haystaa
hilin toosan waligii
ka habaabi maayee
Hooyoy addoomuhu
Halkay maanta joogaan
Adigaa u horseedee

Intaad hanad xambaartee
Haaneedka siisee
Horaaddada jaqsiisee
Habtay baan xisaabiyo
Tiro lagu helayn,
Marka aad nin hiilloo
Laga baqo hashiisiyo
Halyey diran dhashaa baa
Hooyo lagu xasuustaa.

Marka aad nin hoo-loo
marti hagar ka gelinoo
Gurigiisa habaqluhu
Isku soo halleeyoo
xayntiisa quudhoo
Hor ilaahay geystiyo
Lama hure dhashaa baa
Hooyoy lagu xasuustaa.

Marka aad nin himilada
Hilin toosan mariyoo
Hir markii la gaadhaba
Ku labaad hilaadshoo
haga maatadiisoo
La higsade dhashaa baa
Hooyo lagu xasuustaa.

Marka aad nin hooggiyo
Ka hor taga dagaalkoo
dabka hura baqtiiyoo
Garta hubin yaqaanoo
Xaqa hoos u eegoo
Halistiyo colaadaha
ku hagoogta dhiigoo
Dadka kala hagaajoo
Kala hage dhashaa baa
Hooyo lagu xasuustaa.

Markaad hoobal caanoo
sacabka iyo heelada
Labadaba hagaajoo
Hindisaha farshaxanoo
Hab-dhaca iyo luuqdaba
rabi hibo u siiyoo
Hawraarta maansada
Heensayn yaqaanoo
Hal-abuur dhasha baa
Hooyo lagu xasuustaa.

Dumar iyo haween baa
Nolol lagu haweystaa
Kuwa lagu hammiyayee
Sida hawd caleen wayn
Rag u wada hamuumee
Ishu halacsanaysaa
Hablahaaga weeyee.

Marka guur la haybshee
Gabadh heego dheeroo
Hoobaan la moodoo
Karti iyo hub-qaadloo
Quruxdana ka hodanoo
Hira laga aroostaa
Hooyo lagu xasuustaa.

Hooyoy la'aantaa
Higgaad lama barteenoo
Hooyoy la'aantaa
Hadal lama kareenoo
Ruuxaanad habinoo
Kolba aanad heesiyo
Hoobey ku sabinoo
Hawshaada waayaa
Hanaqaadi maayee
hooyo taftaada
dugsi laga helaayoo
Hooyoy dhabtaadaa
Hurdo lagu gam'aayoo
Hooyoy dushaadaa
Nabad lagu helaayoo
Waxa lagu hal-maalaa
Hooyo ababintaadee
Hayin lagu badhaadhaay
Hogol lagu qaboobaay
Gogol lama huraaneey
Dugsigi lagu hirtaayee
Hidde lagu arooraay.

Intaad hooyo nooshahay
Hambalyiyo salaan baan
Hanti kaaga dhigayaa
Hamrashiyo xaq-dhowr baan
Dusha kaa huwinayaa,
Hooyo dhimashadaaduna
Hooggayga weeyoo
Weligey hoggaagaan
Ka dul heesayaayoo
Hiyiga iyo laabtaan
Kugu haynayaayoo
Hengel baan u xidhayaa
Inta haadka duushiyo
Idil habar dugaaggee
Ifka hibo ku noolow
Aakhiro halkii roon
http://www.somalilyrics.net/music/mohamed-saleban-tubeec/hooyo/

Digging the heels for a new Battleground

They say "no news is good news". For the first three years after the collapse of the military regime in 1991, news from Somalia concurrently captured the world's media outlets such that all eyes turned on the multitudes of events unfolding in the impoverished and war-ravaged Horn of Africa nation. Then all of a sudden the world got bored with the horrible unending events of militarism, plunder, rape, killings, assassinations, and jostling for power. Then came 2006 with the rise of the Union of Islamic Courts that uprooted the strengths and mights of the dreaded warlords funded by the West.

Overnight, a young Koranic scholar by the name Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed received celebrity status simply because he led the uprising that ousted the unforgiving warlords. Six months later, Somalia's archenemy and neighbor, Ethiopia, jumped on the bandwagon under the pretext of fighting terrorism. Because of Ethiopia's involvement in Somalia's internecine war, world media coverage of Somalia proliferated once again. On the other hand, Somali Diaspora communities established grueling cyber-warfare that lasted until Ethiopia's exit. Bogus websites allied to particular warlords of interests appeared like peanuts.

As luck would have it, the Transitional Federal Government headed by Colonel Abdullahi Yususf instantly collapsed after a political Tsunami ripped through its poorly-designed political infrastructure. Then late last year, a reconciliation conference under the auspices of the international community, was held in neighboring Djibouti to bring all warring parties together . This time, Somalia became all news again. Funny enough, the former celebrity star, Sheikh Sharif, became head of a new Somali administration. His inauguration coincided with the opening of the African Union convention in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was here where he met the man who chased him through the streets of Mogadishu in December of 2006, atto Meles Zenawi, the man who rules Ethiopia with an iron fist.

Right along Somalia's coastlines and way further in the Gulf of Aden, a deadly virus
was growing dangerous tentacles. This virus came to be known as "piracy" though to many Somalis it was a form of preventing the depletion of Somalia's maritime resources from illegal fishing and dumping of noxious wastes. Again, Somalia became a news celebrity overnight. The world media houses exploded once again after the capturing of an American cargo ship and French luxury yacht. To make matters worse, the pirates held ransom the captain of the American cargo ship. The altercation between the poor pirates and the United States Navy resulted in the killing of all the pirates and the freeing of the captain. This time, the name Somalia was everywhere. Consequently, this incident did not diminish piracy activities. Instead, the piracy business has skyrocketed.

Then recently, after all was calm, the greatest Islamist arrived Somalia from Eritrea via Sudan. His name is Sheikh Dahir Sheikh Aweys; he is an unrelenting fundamentalist powered by religious zealotry and tribal hegemony. He is a former colonel of the defunct Somali Army and a former member of Al-Itihad Al-Ilsami, a religious fuction that had firm hold in some regions of Somalia. The Sheikh was in the same camp as Sheikh Sharif at the height of the ICU before parting ways after its collapse and defeat by the Ethiopian Army.

Currently, the build-up of western navies together with the forces of the "coalition of the willing" along Somalia's coastlines seem not to attract much media attention. Instead, all eyes are on the current developments in Somalia-a tough war between two former friends that is expected to drag on for an unknown time. It is a war between Sheikh Sharif and Sheikh Dahir Aweys. Unless the Hawiye elite and tribal leaders succeed a negotiated settlement between these two men, a penumbra of contested political absurdities will once again engulf Somalia's fragile social composition.