Botswana has been dubbed an “African miracle.” The country has been praised not only for maintaining a multiparty system and high growth rates since independence but also for its good governance record. In contrast to other African countries, the extent of neopatrimonialism, which runs counter to good governance, is said to be low. The paper finds that there have always been neopatrimonial tendencies in Botswana, though they have been largely overlooked by mainstream analyses. The crucial difference is the limited nature of these tendencies relative to other African countries. This can be attributed to the independence period, characterized by the homogeneity of political, economic, and administrative interests in safeguarding private property rights through a “strong” rational-legal state, that is, by limiting neopatrimonialism. Financed by massive revenues stemming from diamonds, the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), and the Bank of Botswana, the government of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) was able to secure its reign through the provision of public goods and limited neopatrimonial exchange relations. However, due to decreasing electoral dominance and elite cohesion, the ruling party is now reverting to some neopatrimonial and authoritarian means in order to safeguard its rule.
Later, an article in American Scientist by Brian Hayes, in their September-October 2014 issue, continued the analysis, finding additional details of the errors, but not all the discrepancies have been accounted for, so it is not yet possible to re-calculate the erroneous value of pi that Shanks would have produced to more places. Doing so might be of interest for this reason: his 707 digits of pi contained the digit 7 less often than might be expected from random chance, unlike the actual value of pi, which so far has given no indication that its digits are not statistically like a random sequence. If this anomaly were to continue in subsequent digits, it might provide an insight into the conditions under which a mathematical transcendental number like pi could have a digit sequence that is not normal. Although faster methods for computing pi to a large number of places are now known, arctangent formulas have continued to be used in the calculation of pi even fairly recently.
Only a few decades ago, the 4 agreements idea that we are living in an illusion was considered preposterous by many. However, as time has gone by, a number of research projects focusing on the different aspects have concluded that we are indeed living in an illusion. To which, there is now a growing acceptance from the scientific community and the public at large. Having said that, the idea that our world (universe) is illusory is not new. Consider, for example, the ancient Christian Gnostics with their accounts on the origins of the world (universe) simulation and how it came about. There are other ancient accounts from all over the world that are remarkably similar describing the origins of the simulation. In retrospect of the above, here are 4 aspects duly confirming that we are living in an illusion. What insights can you get from these aspects? Will the illusion continue to control you? Or, after reading, will you control the illusion?
Exactly why tax protesters continue to believe that Form 1040 does not comply with the PRA is often unclear. One argument seems to be that the OMB control numbers on the current tax forms are invalid because they are the same numbers as was printed on the forms in previous years. However, these are the numbers that have been approved by the OMB and there is nothing in the statute or regulations to require that a form that is revised or re-issued each year must have a new control number each year. Several courts have therefore confirmed that the continuing use of the same control number is valid if approved by the OMB. 1981 does not imply that OMB has shirked its duty. United States v. Denny R. Patridge, 507 F.3d 1092, 1094-95, 2007 TNT 221-11, Nos. 06-3635 and 06-3785 (7th Cir. 11/14/2007), cert. den., No. 07-1045 (U.S. 3/24/2008) (conviction for tax evasion affirmed); Lewis v. Commissioner, 523 F.3d 1272, 1276-77, No. 07-9006 (10th Cir.
It was back long before the government would have sent in the guard to close me down for not having a proper license. I found old boxes and some scraps of wood, and used them to build a dilapidated looking lemonade stand. A big paper cup filled with ice, a straw, and the world’s best lemonade for only a dollar had great appeal on a 90-degree day. I could hardly keep up. The line that formed seemed endless, but it did end. When the rush was over and things quieted down, a guy drove up, got out of his car, and said, “I’d love a glass.” I smiled, and was filling a cup with ice from my cooler when he added, “But a dollar is a little steep. As politely as possible I said, “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to lose a customer.
