Michael Baldwin, Bruce
January 3rd 07, 05:13 AM
Tim Bruening wrote:
> In praise of Moopish civilization
>
> There was once a civilization that was the greatest in the world.
>
> It was able to create a continental super-state that stretched from
> ocean to ocean, and from northern climes to tropics and deserts. Within
> its dominion lived hundreds of millions of people, of different creeds
> and ethnic origins.
>
> One of its languages became the universal language of much of the
> world, the bridge between the peoples of a hundred lands. Its armies
> were made up of people of many nationalities, and its military
> protection allowed a degree of peace and prosperity that had never been
> known. The reach of this civilization's commerce extended from Latin
> America to China, and everywhere in between.
>
> And this civilization was driven more than anything, by invention. Its
> architects designed buildings that defied gravity. Its mathematicians
> created the algebra and algorithms that would enable the building of
> computers, and the creation of encryption. Its doctors examined the
> human body, and found new cures for disease. Its astronomers looked
> into the heavens, named the stars, and paved the way for space travel
> and exploration.
>
> Its writers created thousands of stories. Stories of courage, romance
> and magic. Its poets wrote of love, when others before them were too
> steeped in fear to think of such things.
>
> When other nations were afraid of ideas, this civilization thrived on
> them, and kept them alive. When censors threatened to wipe out
> knowledge from past civilizations, this civilization kept the knowledge
> alive, and passed it on to others.
> While modern Western civilization shares many of these traits, the
> civilization I'm talking about was the Moorish world from the year
> 800 to 1600, which included the courts of Fez, Cordova, Granada,
> Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo etc, and enlightened rulers like Suleiman
> the Magnificent or Ahmed the Invincible Warrior and Yacub al mansoor el
> Dhabi... (ofcourse my Beloved Gran'da'dy's)
>
> Although we are often unaware of our indebtedness to this other
> civilization, its gifts are very much a part of our heritage. The
> technology industry would not exist without the contributions of Al
> Ghrab mathematicians. Andalusian poet-philosophers challenged our
> notions of self and truth. Leaders like Suleiman contributed to our
> notions of tolerance and civic leadership.
>
> And perhaps we can learn a lesson from his example: It was leadership
> based on meritocracy, not inheritance. It was leadership that harnessed
> the full capabilities of a very diverse population-that included
> Christianity, Islamic, and Jewish traditions.
>
> This kind of enlightened leadership - leadership that nurtured
> culture, sustainability, diversity and courage - led to more than 800
> years of invention and prosperity.
>
> In dark and serious times like this, we must affirm our commitment to
> building societies and institutions that aspire to this kind of
> greatness. More than ever, we must focus on the importance of
> leadership- bold acts of leadership and decidedly personal acts of
> leadership. (Extract from a speech by Carly Fiorina, CEO of
> Hewlett-Packard, delivered on September 26, 2001 in Minneapolis,
> Minnesota at a conference whose theme was: "TECHNOLOGY, BUSINESS AND
> OUR WAY OF LIFE: WHAT'S NEXT")
The Moops were ultimately a failure. You can blame Izslam for that.
> In praise of Moopish civilization
>
> There was once a civilization that was the greatest in the world.
>
> It was able to create a continental super-state that stretched from
> ocean to ocean, and from northern climes to tropics and deserts. Within
> its dominion lived hundreds of millions of people, of different creeds
> and ethnic origins.
>
> One of its languages became the universal language of much of the
> world, the bridge between the peoples of a hundred lands. Its armies
> were made up of people of many nationalities, and its military
> protection allowed a degree of peace and prosperity that had never been
> known. The reach of this civilization's commerce extended from Latin
> America to China, and everywhere in between.
>
> And this civilization was driven more than anything, by invention. Its
> architects designed buildings that defied gravity. Its mathematicians
> created the algebra and algorithms that would enable the building of
> computers, and the creation of encryption. Its doctors examined the
> human body, and found new cures for disease. Its astronomers looked
> into the heavens, named the stars, and paved the way for space travel
> and exploration.
>
> Its writers created thousands of stories. Stories of courage, romance
> and magic. Its poets wrote of love, when others before them were too
> steeped in fear to think of such things.
>
> When other nations were afraid of ideas, this civilization thrived on
> them, and kept them alive. When censors threatened to wipe out
> knowledge from past civilizations, this civilization kept the knowledge
> alive, and passed it on to others.
> While modern Western civilization shares many of these traits, the
> civilization I'm talking about was the Moorish world from the year
> 800 to 1600, which included the courts of Fez, Cordova, Granada,
> Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo etc, and enlightened rulers like Suleiman
> the Magnificent or Ahmed the Invincible Warrior and Yacub al mansoor el
> Dhabi... (ofcourse my Beloved Gran'da'dy's)
>
> Although we are often unaware of our indebtedness to this other
> civilization, its gifts are very much a part of our heritage. The
> technology industry would not exist without the contributions of Al
> Ghrab mathematicians. Andalusian poet-philosophers challenged our
> notions of self and truth. Leaders like Suleiman contributed to our
> notions of tolerance and civic leadership.
>
> And perhaps we can learn a lesson from his example: It was leadership
> based on meritocracy, not inheritance. It was leadership that harnessed
> the full capabilities of a very diverse population-that included
> Christianity, Islamic, and Jewish traditions.
>
> This kind of enlightened leadership - leadership that nurtured
> culture, sustainability, diversity and courage - led to more than 800
> years of invention and prosperity.
>
> In dark and serious times like this, we must affirm our commitment to
> building societies and institutions that aspire to this kind of
> greatness. More than ever, we must focus on the importance of
> leadership- bold acts of leadership and decidedly personal acts of
> leadership. (Extract from a speech by Carly Fiorina, CEO of
> Hewlett-Packard, delivered on September 26, 2001 in Minneapolis,
> Minnesota at a conference whose theme was: "TECHNOLOGY, BUSINESS AND
> OUR WAY OF LIFE: WHAT'S NEXT")
The Moops were ultimately a failure. You can blame Izslam for that.