On monday night I have an exam for my masters in international studies. The subject I am studying is American Exceptionalism. Below are a a few scattered thoughts post a day of study and reflection.So how is America exceptional? Here are some thoughts that I have pulled together during my study and in prep for the exam:1: America’s founding is exceptionalFrom the 1620s with the Mayflower Compact, the first social contract concept, something special was happening in how America was founded and the devices that were put in place to support it. These early ideas and documents, supported by Puritain thinking about starting the world over again and being the “City on a Hill” (Matt 5:24), were supported more formally by three key documents:a: The declaration of independence written in 1776, set in train a thinking of republic that would be answerable to “we the people”.b: The Constitution – This is the “we the people” document that sets out the limits on executive power and puts the focus on individuals to make of it what they will in the land of great opportunity.c: The Bill of Rights – reflecting what was already held to be truths, that were for once documented and available for all.Worth reflection is the Manifest destiny idea, developed by John O’Sullivan in 1845 that says it is America’s devine destiny to sweep across the continent and with the annexation of Texas (and all the way to California) this destiny certainly seemed to be supported by God!2: The belief in America’s role in the worldAmerica has a special view on its role in the world. For a while there, American’s showed little interest in world affairs, even Woodrow Wilson talked of staying independent of WW1 and when finally the did join, did so with “no selfish ends to serve”. Following Wilson, it is not until Truman that we start to see a sense of global engagement with the $400m rescue package to Greece / Turkey to stop the rise of left-leaning movements and in what has been called the first steps of the containment policy that would drive the Cold War.Today we think America has always had a view of itself as the World’s sheriff, but is that really the case or is it a response to their economic position (relative strength) post both WW1 and WW2? I suspect it is a post WW2 held belief, so it is therefore a relatively recently held view. Under Bush, however, it may be hard to reflect on how this is relatively new, he seemed to enjoy his time in the captains chair!So is America Exceptional?The answer has to be yes in certain areas and no in other areas. However, the areas where America is exceptional are truly significant.Thoughts?

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I am a student at University of Sydney, studying a Masters in International Studies. Recently we looked at leadership. Now there are many thoughts on leadership, here are five of my own.Leadership is not always formalThink Jesus, Ghandi or Mandela. If anything, their formal roles were consistently reduced, yet their leadership grew. Leading from a position is easy leadership, leading without the formality requires deeper reserves of leadership.Leadership requires some level of personal gravitasPeople like being led by a leader who has that special something. You may need to first identify, then polish that special something.Leadership can be developedAs an individual we can identify personal weak areas that need strengthening. Leadership could be one weak area for you, but don’t loose hope, leadership can be learnt (or enhanced) through development. Reflect on how Obama’s leadership has developed since he stepped (in a big way) into the public spotlight in 2006.Leadership can be collaborativeAs a leader, it is not always about having all the answers or making the right decision. Rather leadership is about being discerning with the information that you are given and making the best decision possible given the situation that confronts you. Collaboation can add leverage to your leadership abilities.Leaders need to lead and not simply be blown along by opinionGreat leaders sometimes need to encourage (challenge) their followers to think in a different way. However, challenging followers to think in a different way requires leaders often to take a long-term view on issues. Whilst most politicans are driven by the 3 year (short-term) election cycle, in gerneral the public want leaders who lead, not simply leaders who look to respond fastest to swings in public opinion.

WordPress 2.7 admin is really quite easy to use. WordPress has come a long way, thats for sure. With some many widgets and plugins available, the challenge is working out what should be used rather than just what could be used. So far I am loving adding and building and creating, i just wish i had a little more time to play and develop a little more content. That will happen!Oh, and I loved all the iPhone adverts on channel 10 tonight. Apps are a billion dollar business….well soon will be considering over 1 bn apps have been downloaded. Thats a serious new market that Apple have been able to create and capitalise on. Good value for customers as well. Maybe the new questions is not “will you have fries with that?” but rather “will you have apps with that?”

Ignite Sydney is looking to go for round two. Here is the conecpt:“What would you say if you had just 5 minutes to give your presentation? You get 20 slides, and each slide lasts 15 seconds.”So far people have talked about how to buy a ued car ( http://bit.ly/BtDbd) and other interesting and unique ideas.To register for a free ticket or to opt in to become a speaker, check out the site – Ignite SydneyI would like to see some new blood, or just the same people continuing to do a good job.