(CFD.net.au – Contract for Difference, Share, Forex, ETFs, Commodities Traders) –

Monday October 26, 2009, 3:30 pm

The

Asbestos Diseases

Foundation believes the fund is months away at most from declaring insolvency, allowing it to delay payments to

dying victims

.

The foundation’s president, Barry Robson, says he met with

Kevin Rudd

in Sydney in April and asked him to underwrite the fund or make an

emergency payment

of $156 million.

But Mr Robson says he has heard nothing from the Government since Mr Rudd promised his support at the meeting.

“They have been very vocal in supporting victims. It’s frustrating that nothing’s happening and, in the meantime, the money’s just going and going and going,” he said.

“We’re nearly at the point where the fund will have to go to the Supreme Court in

New South Wales

and seek to start paying victims in an

instalment plan

.

“The problem is if you’re a mesothelioma victim, your life span is very, very short and to be put on a financial

drip feed

- like $100 one month, $200 the next – that’s not conducive for victims.

“They need to know that their family, their loved ones are financially secure when they pass away. It just puts more pressure on and at this stage in their suffering, they don’t need this extra worry and stress.”

Urgent action wanted

KPMG accountants

expect future compensation payments to reach almost $1.8 billion, including $110 million for the year to March 31.

The fund had $143 million at the end of March this year and about $115 million on June 30. KPMG predicts the fund will have just $33 million for administration costs.

James Hardie

will not top up the fund until at least July next year because it is only required to contribute when it has extra cash flow.

The company says its move from The Netherlands to Ireland will reduce its ability to pay victims the following financial year.

Mr Robson says he proposed two solutions to Mr Rudd six months ago.

“The Government could underwrite the fund, like they did with the ABC Learning centres,” he said.

“They underwrote that and when the company was up and running again, then the Government got its money back. The Government could quite easily do that.”

He says the Government could also lend the fund $156 million in back Taxes paid by

James Hardie

last financial year.

The

Asbestos Diseases

Foundation’s lawyer, Tanya Segelov, has been in talks with the fund, the Federal Government and the NSW Government this month.

Ms Segelov has asked the NSW Government to freeze third-party claims to the fund for two years. She says the State Government has offered its support but its budget is too stretched to stem the crisis.

“There’s no way they can be expected to fix this on their own,” she said. “Forty-nine per cent of the victims are in NSW. It’s not up to the State Government to fix this alone.”

No word

The Federal Government has refused to say whether it is considering an

emergency payment

.

A spokesman for Corporate Law Minister Chris Bowen says the Government shares the community’s concern about the plight of

asbestos victims

.

He says the Commonwealth is meeting key stakeholders and assessing its options.

The compensation fund’s chief executive, Dallas Booth, has refused to say how much money is left. However, he has confirmed he has recently discussed the problem with the federal and NSW governments.

James Hardie

’s pockets were drained last year by a landmark case brought by ASIC, the payout to the Tax Office and the struggling US housing market.

It recorded a net profit of $176 million for the year to March 31 and a loss of $94 million for the following three months.

The company is required to pay 35 per cent of its extra “net operating” cash flow to the compensation fund each year.

More Quotes and Company Information:

JAMES HARDIE (ASX:

JHX.ax

)

Source: Hardie fund "close to bankruptcy"

Hazardous to your health

Ok, maybe it doesn’t exactly KILL — but new research in Japan suggests that spermies can shorten the lifespan: “female mice produced by using genetic material from two mothers but no father live significantly longer than mice with the normal mix of maternal and paternal genes. Their findings provide the first evidence that sperm genes may have a detrimental effect on lifespan in mammals“.

So in addition to being icky, sperm’s kinda harmful for your health. Wow, what implications does this hold for the future of human reproduction? Maybe by 2050 we’ll just do away with men altogether, and Amazonian ladies will be charged with procreating a new breed of bionic superhuman supermodels. Another good argument for having two moms.

Suitcases, ribbed cages, closets

Protectorates of folded life span

Unpacked piece by piece

Stretched out, contorted

All seams of connectedness

It is the case that holds all!

Contained within is only part-formed

Holding mirrored sides to subtle invention

As we see its strength

We also sense its masquerade

Encased as others view its limitations

Not yet fully framed

The shell that compacts us

Holds us safe

But lets no-one in or out.

Copyright ©01/11/2009 Beth Stratton

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.

— Henry David Thoreau

In “The New Untouchables “, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman argues that in this downwardly mobile economy there is no room for average. Extraordinary is what it takes to survive and thrive in the modern workplace.

I get that.

Yet for all my appreciation for education — I hold two degrees so I do, in fact, lean in favor of Friedman’s premise that education is key to American competitiveness — his education-as-a-panacea argument oversteps its reach.

Most strikingly, Friedman’s description of a successful “untouchable” American worker isn’t a portrait of educational endowment at all. Friedman’s favorite descriptors, instead, refer to personality attributes: entrepreneur (risk taker), creative (visionary), analytical (critical thinker), and persuasive (charismatic). The obvious problem with Friedman’s pin-the-tail-on-the-wrong-donkey premise is that temperament is inborn — teachers, let alone parents, cannot instill personality characteristics that are not there to begin with.

Friedman’s eagerness to finger the usual suspects — schools — also ignores six reasons why Americans are at a competitive disadvantage in the global era. Here we examine those realities, and the future these changing times have in store.

First, there are more of us occupying this country — and this planet at large — than ever before. At some point, the mathematics of population growth have to matter. The sheer number of people in today’s workforce suggests more and more people are competing for the same jobs even as we adopt more and more technology to displace human hands. That’s not a sign of a lack of education; it’s a sign that business owners comprehend that productivity gadgets and gizmos don’t require breaks, a salary or workers’ compensation.

It comes down to the numbers.

Second, I would argue the inverse in response to Friedman’s suggestion that there just isn’t enough talent to be had here in the States. Over the past 50-some years there are more colleges turning out more graduates on an annual basis than employers of the past had access to. Many foreign nationals, in fact, come to the US for higher education opportunities. On the flip side, there are only so many engineers, M.B.A.s, lawyers, scientists and the like universities can churn out before higher-end fields become saturated in much the same way low-end jobs are chalk full of contenders.

It’s no longer merely a question of whether there are clear winners and losers on the academic front.

Job scarcity is a threat, in part, because of the decades-long trend of mergers, acquisitions and a globalized labor pool. Consider: There are generally fewer than a dozen heavyweights in a given industry — everything from mainstream media to appliance manufacturing. This trend does not bode well for domestic job expansion. And if jobs aren’t available to begin with, it is tough to gain a competitive advantage even with above-average potential. So what we are seeing, in this author’s opinion, is an over-supply of talent.

But that doesn’t mean the proponents of Friedman’s dire self-fulfilling prophecy won’t get their wish.

With less competition in a given industry there is less demand for the eager young grads institutions of higher learning infuse into the job market each year. With shrinking demand and a greater supply of contenders, salaries may also take a nosedive. America at large may become competitively disadvantaged in the years ahead precisely because the “good jobs” of today are no longer perceived as a source of steady employment or adequate pay thereby diminishing American college students’ willingness to pursue them.

Already, the very cure that causes the “employment insecurity” disease is well underway: Calls for immigration reform permitting more foreign grads to take up permanent residence in the U.S. as a form of “insourced talent” are originating from Google, Microsoft and Susan Hockfield, MIT president and author of an October 19, 2009 Wall Street Journal opinion piece ironically titled “Immigrants Create Jobs and Win Nobels“.

Sure there are a lot of average people who aren’t cut out for the highest levels of business, government and academia. Just the same, there is also an ample supply of bright, talented American citizens who, for all their desirable qualifications and qualities, will nevertheless find themselves competing toe-to-toe against peers who are just as capable and “deserving” of a career break as they are.

Somebody has to lose.

Third, failure to thrive in this Brave New Economy isn’t always linked to failing schools, as Friedman argues. Good health is arguably the number one prerequisite to productivity. Healthcare is such a hot topic precisely because we cannot remain competitive if, as a country, businesses and individuals are increasingly diverting money out of the real economy just to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of healthcare.

Beyond that, few esoteric explanations matter when perfectly down-to-earth explanations suffice. When an individual charged with hiring decisions has too many promising applicants to choose from among, what assets wins out on the last round of interviews? That extra year or two of experience? Those additional GPA points? Or would it be more honest to conclude that it comes down to how well an applicant clicks with his or her interviewers? Hands-on experience, even a social or physical attribute — whatever it may be that fits a manager’s self-styled view of the proper candidate — is just as likely to make the deciding difference.

On the flip side of the coin, there is a perverse disincentive to hire the best qualified candidates. For one, they tend to be more experienced and/or highly educated, thereby commanding greater salaries. For another, few people in the position to do so hire individuals with the obvious capacity to perform so impressively that it will ultimately threaten their own job security. Friedman is right in the sense that education and talent ought to insulate Americans from the pitfalls of a failing global experiment.

Unfortunately, it does not.

Fourth, where one lives also figures largely into one’s ability to compete. Like the tough-luck stories that abound on the streets of Hollywood, those who flock to saturated markets — Los Angeles, New York, etc. — may, ironically, find fewer opportunities to leave a lasting, positive impression due to the sheer number of people in the area who are equally worthy of consideration. An over-supply of applicants for a given position, in turn, may make it more challenging for employers to select optimal talent vs. expedient talent. Translation? Being a big fish in a vast ocean still makes you a little fish. To argue, therefore, that education can somehow imbue success and that lack of it underlies a failure is a misnomer.

It’s impossible to underestimate the economics of supply and demand.

Fifth, it’s a mistake to assume that a Third World factory worker is more “competitive” as Todd Martin, former PepsiCo and Kraft Europe executive, suggests to Friedman. Third World workers come inexpensively, and that’s one competitive disadvantage that will only heighten the more educated the American workforce becomes. Why? Because talent doesn’t come cheaply — nor do the salaries of increasingly educated job seekers struggling to repay oppressive student loan debts as a direct result of their herculean efforts to rise head-and-shoulders above the crowd.

Getting noticed in an increasingly competitive job market only ups the ante — and the price tag of success.

Sixth, the assumption that Third World products are better made by virtue of their “efficiency” is also flawed. When frequent replacements and upgrades are factored into the cost of ownership, inexpensively manufactured Third World goods are, ironically, quite pricey. Case-in-point: In 2005 I replaced a 30-some-year-old GE refrigerator made in the US as well as an old but functioning washer and dryer. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t trade anything old and working for something new, sleek and modern. Why? Because the major appliances I purchased new in 2005 — all have had repeated major breakdowns requiring multiple service calls, dozens of hours on the phone, weeks waiting for parts.

Even when consumers spend top dollar, the manufacturing source and quality of today’s big-ticket items are often quite similar — with merely a change of window dressing to imply otherwise. That’s what happens when there are so many market consolidations that an appearance of choice is just that: little more than a dozen or so name badges owned, in truth, by the same handful of Big Players. It is almost laughable the degree to which consumers on complaint websites proclaim that they will never buy brand “X” again, only to unwittingly state that they intend to replace such-and-such item with brand “Y” — yet another brand or subsidiary of the very same company who manufactures brand X!

Market concentration doesn’t grow jobs any more reliably than it promotes healthy competition.

Sparing one another the hassle and headaches of poor quality goods isn’t the only reason to care, however. The build-it-to-last ethic of decades past was, perhaps, the ultimate expression of “Green“. Why? Because durable goods were seemingly less likely to break down, destined for a landfill in an absurdly short timeframe. By contrast, “planned obsolescence” is the new norm, with a trend of shrinking manufacturer warranties to attest to the low vote of confidence manufacturers assign to their own products. Longevity isn’t a valued trait in a disposable society, but if we really want to go Green perhaps we should rethink the “dept-trap consumerism” cheaply designed and manufactured products facilitate. Sadly, modern rhetoric would have us believe that pride in one’s workmanship — a refusal to sell junk to unsuspecting consumers — is “uncompetitive”.

All talk of going Green aside, standardized manufacturing processes have made it difficult to make the case that company “A” is making a better product than “B” or “C”. Consequently, the maxim “You get what you pay for” has never been more suspect. True, you may get more for your money, but that does not necessarily translate into significantly better quality. What differs most dramatically is the amount of money corporations throw into slick ad campaigns, and the perception consumers have of branding and value.

It would be one thing if high-end boutiques were selling products made by First World craftspeople with higher price tags thanks to First World production costs. But when both low-end retailers and high-end retailers are selling inexpensively made foreign goods, who, exactly, are they fooling? Fairly or not, Third World origination suggests that income and human rights disparities favor corporate bottom lines. In the Third World, after all, it is not uncommon for workers to be denied bathroom breaks, sick days, maternity leave and most of the other benefits and protections Americans consider “civilized”. It is not surprising, then, that workers are more productive when they spend most of their lives in the confines of a factory, fearful that their only other option is a life of abject poverty and/or prostitution.

In short, the Third World is the modern-day economic equivalent of the pre-Civil War Old South: a place for slave-like child and adult labor, often conducted under sweatshop conditions. As if that weren’t questionable enough, outsourcing trends pose an unacceptable risk to national security as well.

So how does all of this tie in?

Unless Americans are willing to stoop to similar lows to compete with workers abroad, it’s not possible to rationally conclude that education, talent or entrepreneurship on the part of American workers will level the economic playing field anytime soon. America’s competitive disadvantage, rather, speaks to corporate opportunism — and to the politicians in recent decades who have crafted immigration, economic, trade and taxation policies that have enabled such heavily skewed commerce to become the norm.

Moreover, if being properly educated, creative or analytical adequately described, as Friedman suggests, the entirety of American competitiveness, I suspect we would see fewer reckless gambles on Wall Street and more evidence of long-range thinkers putting the brakes on short-term gain (scams) in the lead up to the Great Recession. In the real world, however, the “right reasons” are not always the cause for getting ahead — or, conversely, for falling behind.

THE WAKE UP CALL

So why care whether or not a newspaper columnists gets it so wrong? Because generalizations and simplifications aren’t a starting point for progress. Economists are projecting a ~10 percent national unemployment rate that’s here to stay for the foreseeable future. That can only mean more bankruptcies, more foreclosures and a greater amount of “dead weight” on America’s ability to compete. Only by taking a long, hard look at the unvarnished truth do we have any hope of fingering the right culprits, crafting the right solutions and ultimately reviving Main Street before the American Dream becomes a distant memory of a bygone era.

Doing nothing is not an option.

If Middle Class wages continue to decline as we move further into the 21st Century, who will consume the products and services entrepreneurs on both sides of the oceanic divide offer? Will young Americans, contemplating the grimness of their economic future and/or the need for ever-more costly and impressive academic résumés opt for traditional marriage and family life — the nation’s greatest driver of new purchases, everything from strollers and diapers to single family homes and minivans? Should Main Street’s economic House of Cards continue to crumble, will Third World workers have their own Friedmans urging them to blame themselves when factory orders dwindle and the newly affluent in Asia and India begin to see their own hopes and dreams falter? Or will they see it — we see it — for what it is: globalized economic forces beyond any single individual’s immediate control?

As kind-hearted as sweatshop proponents paint it — that throwing out more life preservers will rescue Third World residents from a life of “primitive agriculture” — building more life preservers than boats is a plausible scenario. Economic growth, after all, relies on expansion. For much of the world’s history markets were local, national, then regional. Globalization isn’t a sure-fire path to success: It’s an experiment that presupposes that natural resources will support endless growth. And it begs a simple but profound question: What happens when all markets are tapped out?

Working and Middle Class people — the majority of us — may not be the most educated, creative or adequately prepared lot, to hear Friedman and his corporate pal, Todd Martin, hash it out. But that doesn’t change the reality that the American Middle Class must earn a living wage in order for the economy — ours and theirs — to thrive. Yet it is telling that in Louisiana, a state with fewer college grads to begin with, Curt Eysink, director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, indicates that there is an oversupply of degreed residents “we cannot employ” because job growth projections favor vocational trades and the service sector — primarily low-wage occupations such as ticket-takers, cashiers and customer service representatives that are not so prone to the insourcing/outsourcing phenomena.

Is this a sign of things to come?

Without the discretionary income Middle Class Joes and Janes inject into the marketplace, globalized economies may become relegated to a small percentage of elite income earners pitching their products and services to other elite individuals. This may be a recipe for modern-day feudalism, but it’s no way to protect and preserve the merits of free-market capitalism, let alone a profitable market share.

As dire as it all sounds, this isn’t about being pessimistic. Opening our collective eyes is the first step in defending what matters most: family, community, culture — the United States itself. If that means rethinking our definition of progress in the 21st Century sans the usual set of partisan blinders, so be it.

This is no time for subterfuge.

If Friedman wishes to talk about education, he ought to contemplate the wisdom no book learning apparently can impart in America’s best and brightest CEOs and newspaper columnists: The foresight to realize one’s employees/coworkers are also one’s customers/consumers. That means that success at the top of the economic pyramid is only as long-lived as the Middle Class foundation upon which it rests. Excuse it, deny it, defend it, ignore it: the race to the bottom is a very real risk when good intentions go too far.

It’s foolhardy — and a threat to democracy itself — for a transnational conglomerate, an economy, a nation, to conduct business using the lowest common denominator as a competitive yardstick. And yet, globalization promises to outsource gain even as it insources pain. At best, this implies that if and when international economic and trade equilibrium is achieved Third World laborers will nevertheless be unable to sustain the lifestyle Americans have taken for granted — if only by virtue of how thin finite natural resources are stretched — whereas Americans should anticipate “economic insecurity” as a way of life. That’s why Friedman and friends argue so passionately that being wildly successful — untouchable thanks to one’s creativity, innovativeness and education — is the only position of safety (familiarity). The rest of us, apparently, are destined for a mediocre economic melting pot in a neocapitalist New World Order.

Cliché though it may sound, the proactive response to an uncertain future is civic engagement: voting wisely with one’s ballot and one’s pocketbook in support the kind of economy one wishes to see. For if there’s any silver lining to this Great Recession, it’s in bringing an abstract global issue close enough to home that we can reach out, touch it — and change it.

It’s not too late.

###

Resources:

America Out of Work: Is Double-Digit Unemployment Here to Stay?/TIME

Obama Adviser Summers Rejects ‘New Normal’ of Slow U.S. Growth/Bloomberg

U.S. Job Seekers Exceed Openings by Record Ratio/NYT

Are You Prepared for a Jobs Depression?/ere.net

How Long will America Lead the World?/Newsweek

Cap and Trade Dementia/The American Spectator

Schools As Scapegoats/The American Prospect

Is it Time to Retrain Business Schools?/NYT

Go Global, Young Manager!/Financial Post

Is a College Degree Worthless?/MSN Money

Don’t Get That College Degree!/NY Post

Cat Gets GED: Why GPAs, Degrees and Job Titles May Be Worthless/ITBusinessEdge

Too Many Doctorates Chase Too Few Jobs/San Francisco Chronical

The Three-Year Solution/Newsweek

Asking for Student Loan Forgiveness/Businessweek

Middle Class Facing Decline in Expectations, Economic Power/Retail Traffic

21st Century Skills, Education & Competitiveness/PDF

Jay Mathews: Why I don’t Like 21st Century Reports/Washington Post

Friedman: U.S. Education System Endangering Global Competitiveness/Education Futures

A New Look at American Competitiveness/Entrepreneurship

The World’s New Superpower/Salon

The Almighty Renminbi?/NYT

The End of the Dollar Spells the Rise of a New Order/The Independent (UK)

China will Overtake America, the Only Question is When/The Independent (UK)

China’s Economy/Brookings Institution

Lax Oversight, Globalization Erode Product Safety/CNN

Technology Made to be Broken/CSMonitor

Appliance Anxiety — Replace It or Fix It?/NYT

The age of gluttony as we know it may be coming to a timely end, partly due to dwindling resources  and a new sensitivity about what we need versus what we can afford. This attitude of “less is more” has creeped into our culture and may be the best thing for our health.  Living large should not include living fat, or so I finally came to realize after decades of abusing food and drink.

When I was a kid, my family moved to Germany. One of the first things that impressed me when I got there was how Germans eat dessert. As a girl in love with all things sweet, imagine my excitement when I was invited to visit the dessert bar that first night out in a restaurant. To my delight, I was  encouraged by the waitress to take as much as I wanted. I could not believe my good fortune. My eyes caught fire with each swirl of icing I considered on every cake and pie in front of me. In my mind, why eat just one dessert when there were five I could have. The word heaven popped to mind as I raided the restaurant’s dessert table.

When I got back to the table, my Mother nearly shrieked as she noted the five different desserts I had piled on my plate. She leaned over and whispered in my ear. “If you eat all that you’ll be sick.”  Hurt by her disapproving tone, I explained that the waitress said to take as much as I wanted. Mom replied, “that doesn’t mean you should.” I shrugged, too naive at the time to truly grasp the significance of my mother’s words.

Like so many of the subtleties in life, it has taken me over three decades to fully accept the quality versus quantity issue as a relevant consideration for living well. In my twenties, I wanted to pack as much of all the so-called good things into my life as humanly possible. I wanted all the sex, all the fun, all the money and all the pretty things I could get my hands on. By thirty-five, I was ten pounds heavier, deep in debt, with nothing much to show for my life but a whirlwind of experience, a drinking problem, and several failed relationships.

One day I looked in the mirror and almost shrieked as I realized I looked older than my thirty-five years with a protruding stomach and arms showing the first signs of cellulite. As it turns out, vanity can be a good thing, a wake-up call of sorts. Too bad it took me almost two decades to finally embrace the sheer elegance to be found in the “less is more” concept. As chance would have it, it was the 1980s at the time, and the rule on the street was “more is better” and decadence equals success. It’s no surprise that Americans grew fatter everyday, exploited by our own greed for whatever our taste buds demanded.

I started jogging to combat my expanding waistline and actually learned to understand such simple diet tips, as eating smaller portions and sleeping more. I cut my drinking back, realizing finally that you don’t have to finish the entire bottle of wine to have a good time. Cutting back on wine and sugar got me back on track. I started feeling better immediately. I lost weight and started liking what I saw in the mirror.

Scientific studies are showing that people who purposely and consistently restrict their calories live longer. Now there is something to consider. How many pieces of cake do I want to give up in order to live another year. And is it worth it? These are the questions we are all forced to answer each and every day. 

The choice at hand is intellectually clear, but it’s the vague notion of living a little shorter life that gets me in trouble. I want hard facts. How much time will I lose with every pound I gain. And can’t cancer get me just the same, whether I’m fat or skinny. The big “C” seems to reach out and grab everyone regardless of weight. If it’s in my genes, then it’s my destiny. So….shouldn’t I go ahead and enjoy life if I have so little control over my fate.

With all the new scientific data staring me in the face about the effects of diet on health, I’ve learned to compromise. Being a grown-up is certainly complicated and takes some getting accustomed to, particularly if you put it off as long as I did, until you’re in your late thirties or forties. 

I eat less cake than I did in the past, but I refuse to give it up altogether. Somewhere inside me there is still a little girl who wants to raid the dessert tray and try out as many desserts as I am allowed. But fortunately, my years of feeling bloated and sluggish have halted much of my excessive eating and drinking, proving that you can truly decide to be healthy by choice.

POLYGAMY

Question:

Why is a man allowed to have more than one wife in Islam? i.e. why is polygamy allowed in Islam?

Answer:

Definition of Polygamy

1. Polygamy means a system of marriage whereby one person has more than one spouse. Polygamy can be of two types. One is polygyny where a man marries more than one woman, and the other is polyandry, where a woman marries more than one man. In Islam, limited polygyny is permitted; whereas polyandry is completely prohibited.

Now coming to the original question, why is a man allowed to have more than one wife?

2. The Qur’an is the only religious scripture in the world that says,”marry only one”.

The Qur’an is the only religious book, on the face of this earth, that contains the phrase ‘marry only one’. There is no other religious book that instructs men to have only one wife. In none of the other religious scriptures, whether it be the Vedas, the Ramayan, the Mahabharat, the Geeta, the Talmud or the Bible does one find a restriction on the number of wives. According to these scriptures one can marry as many as one wishes. It was only later, that the Hindu priests and the Christian Church restricted the number of wives to one.

Many Hindu religious personalities, according to their scriptures, had multiple wives. King Dashrat, the father of Rama, had more than one wife. Krishna had several wives.

In earlier times, Christian men were permitted as many wives as they wished, since the Bible puts no restriction on the number of wives. It was only a few centuries ago that the Church restricted the number of wives to one.

Polygyny is permitted in Judaism. According to Talmudic law, Abraham had three wives, and Solomon had hundreds of wives. The practice of polygyny continued till Rabbi Gershom ben Yehudah (95% C.E to 1030 C.E) issued an edict against it. The Jewish Sephardic communities living in Muslim countries continued the practice till as late as 1950, until an Act of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel extended the ban on marrying more than one wife.

3. Hindus are more polygynous than Muslims

The report of the ‘Committee of The Status of Woman in Islam’, published in 1975 mentions on page numbers 66 and 67 that the percentage of polygamous marriages between the years 1951 and 1961 was 5.06% among the Hindus and only 4.31% among the Muslims. According to Indian law only Muslim men are permitted to have more than one wife. It is illegal for any non-Muslim in India to have more than one wife. Despite it being illegal, Hindus have more multiple wives as compared to Muslims. Earlier, there was no restriction even on Hindu men with respect to the number of wives allowed. It was only in 1954, when the Hindu Marriage Act was passed that it became illegal for a Hindu to have more than one wife. At present it is the Indian Law that restricts a Hindu man from having more than one wife and not the Hindu scriptures.

Let us now analyse why Islam allows a man to have more than one wife.

4. Qur’an permits limited polygyny

As I mentioned earlier, Qur’an is the only religious book on the face of the earth that says ‘marry only one’. The context of this phrase is the following verse from Surah Nisa of the Glorious Qur’an:

“Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one.”

[Al-Qur’an 4:3]

Before the Qur’an was revealed, there was no upper limit for polygyny and many men had scores of wives, some even hundreds. Islam put an upper limit of four wives. Islam gives a man permission to marry two, three or four women, only on the condition that he deals justly with them.

In the same chapter i.e. Surah Nisa verse 129 says:

“Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women….”

[Al-Qur’an 4:129]

Therefore polygyny is not a rule but an exception. Many people are under the misconception that it is compulsory for a Muslim man to have more than one wife.

Broadly, Islam has five categories of Do’s and Don’ts:

‘Fard’ i.e. compulsory or obligatory

‘Mustahab’ i.e. recommended or encouraged

‘Mubah’ i.e. permissible or allowed

‘Makruh’ i.e. not recommended or discouraged

‘Haraam’ i.e. prohibited or forbidden

Polygyny falls in the middle category of things that are permissible. It cannot be said that a Muslim who has two, three or four wives is a better Muslim as compared to a Muslim who has only one wife.

5. Average life span of females is more than that of males

By nature males and females are born in approximately the same ratio. A female child has more immunity than a male child. A female child can fight the germs and diseases better than the male child. For this reason, during the pediatric age itself there are more deaths among males as compared to the females.

During wars, there are more men killed as compared to women. More men die due to accidents and diseases than women. The average life span of females is more than that of males, and at any given time one finds more widows in the world than widowers.

6. India has more male population than female due to female foeticide and infanticide

India is one of the few countries, along with the other neighbouring countries, in which the female population is less than the male population. The reason lies in the high rate of female infanticide in India, and the fact that more than one million female foetuses are aborted every year in this country, after they are identified as females. If this evil practice is stopped, then India too will have more females as compared to males.

7. World female population is more than male population

In the USA, women outnumber men by 7.8 million. New York alone has one million more females as compared to the number of males, and of the male population of New York one-third are gays i.e sodomites. The U.S.A as a whole has more than twenty-five million gays. This means that these people do not wish to marry women. Great Britain has four million more females as compared to males. Germany has five million more females as compared to males. Russia has nine million more females than males. God alone knows how many million more females there are in the whole world as compared to males.

8. Restricting each and every man to have only one wife is not practical

Even if every man got married to one woman, there would still be more than thirty million females in U.S.A who would not be able to get husbands (considering that America has twenty five million gays). There would be more than four million females in Great Britain, 5 million females in Germany and nine million females in Russia alone who would not be able to find a husband.

Suppose my sister happens to be one of the unmarried women living in USA, or suppose your sister happens to be one of the unmarried women in USA. The only two options remaining for her are that she either marries a man who already has a wife or becomes public property. There is no other option. All those who are modest will opt for the first.

In Western society, it is common for a man to have mistresses and/or multiple extra-marital affairs, in which case, the woman leads a disgraceful, unprotected life. The same society, however, cannot accept a man having more than one wife, in which women retain their honourable, dignified position in society and lead a protected life.

Thus the only two options before a woman who cannot find a husband is to marry a married man or to become public property. Islam prefers giving women the honourable position by permitting the first option and disallowing the second.

There are several other reasons, why Islam has permitted limited polygyny, but it is mainly to protect the modesty of women.

POLYANDRY

Question:

If a man is allowed to have more than one wife, then why does Islam prohibit a woman from having more than one husband?

Answer:

A lot of people, including some Muslims, question the logic of allowing Muslim men to have more than one spouse while denying the same ‘right’ to women.

Let me first state emphatically, that the foundation of an Islamic society is justice and equity. Allah has created men and women as equal, but with different capabilities and different responsibilities. Men and women are different, physiologically and psychologically. Their roles and responsibilities are different. Men and women are equal in Islam, but not identical.

Surah Nisa’ Chapter 4 verses 22 to 24 gives the list of women with who you can not marry and it is further mentions in Surah Nisa’ Chapter 4 verse 24 “Also (prohibited are) women already married”

The following points enumerate the reasons why polyandry is prohibited in Islam:

1. If a man has more than one wife, the parents of the children born of such marriages can easily be identified. The father as well as the mother can easily be identified. In case of a woman marrying more than one husband, only the mother of the children born of such marriages will be identified and not the father. Islam gives tremendous importance to the identification of both parents, mother and father. Psychologists tell us that children who do not know their parents, especially their father undergo severe mental trauma and disturbances. Often they have an unhappy childhood. It is for this reason that the children of prostitutes do not have a healthy childhood. If a child born of such wedlock is admitted in school, and when the mother is asked the name of the father, she would have to give two or more names! I am aware that recent advances in science have made it possible for both the mother and father to be identified with the help of genetic testing. Thus this point which was applicable for the past may not be applicable for the present.

2. Man is more polygamous by nature as compared to a woman.

3. Biologically, it is easier for a man to perform his duties as a husband despite having several wives. A woman, in a similar position, having several husbands, will not find it possible to perform her duties as a wife. A woman undergoes several psychological and behavioral changes due to different phases of the menstrual cycle.

4. A woman who has more than one husband will have several sexual partners at the same time and has a high chance of acquiring venereal or sexually transmitted diseases which can also be transmitted back to her husband even if all of them have no extra-marital sex. This is not the case in a man having more than one wife, and none of them having extra-marital sex.

The above reasons are those that one can easily identify. There are probably many more reasons why Allah, in His Infinite Wisdom, has prohibited polyandry.

Source: Islamaccess.com

You know, I had been blogging a lot up about health care reform until recently. I chose to lay off for a while as the congress debated the next version of a reform bill. I used the opportunity to do a little research into population trends, health care life expectancy and the sustainability of the human race. Taking the lead from an essay posted on this site I want to share with you what I’ve gathered and what I think this information means  in regard to where we should be going in health care reform.

In the before mentioned essay, the writer likens the world to his natural fish tank that is in such balance that all he need do for maintenance is replenish evaporated water. He suggests that if his fish suddenly became smart enough to cure their diseases and stop eating their young they would over populate the tank and kill themselves off by exhausting resources and accumulating wastes. The scary thing is that many scientists have claimed this is the likely fate for the human race in time. Worse yet, some are saying we may be within 2-3 generations of this happening. That’s within the life span of our grand children or great grand children. It could happen in the same amount of time the U.S. has been a country. Worried yet?

We hear a lot about birth control as a method of population control, and we’ll address this at some point, but did you know that recently the average life span for those in the US has been adjusted up to just under 80 years of age. Now that means you and I have been given a couple more years, but what about those born today, 10/7/2009? It is thought they may live on average to 100 (104 I believe the number was). WOW, where are we going to put all the old people, huh?

Today we have nearly 7 billion people on this rock. If you look strictly for a place to rest your rump, that’s not too bad. In the US we have about 31 people for every square kilometer of land; Japan’s population density is over 10 times that. If you apply Japan’s example to the rest of the world we easily have enough room for 50 BILLION people. Like the fish tank example however, room is not the issue. The issue is sustainability; that is, how many people can the earth support without suffering unsustainable loss in resources or toxic accumulation of waste?

That question has been asked for years. Thomas Malthus proposed a theory that had us all dead by the year 2000 but he failed to take into consideration advances in agricultural and food preservation technology.  Today scientists are warning there are limits to technology and our ability to financially sustain our less than modest life style.

The UN has been watching this pretty closely for years via a group of international scientists, many of which predict world population will reach 9 million by mid century. Problem is, for the world to be sustainable with this population, our economics and resource utilization would need to be scaled back to that of ETHIOPIA today. Apparently we have over 3 times the population right now that the earth is capable of sustaining at our current rate of resource utilization and waste production.

So, does this mean the world comes to an end in 50-75 years? No. I am sure we can squeeze more out of science in regard to food and waste management. We certainly have room on the planet. Things will change however; we’ll be out of oil and other natural resources will be depleting and our economies will necessarily have changed dramatically. Many learned individuals say we can keep pushing the envelope to 2150, maybe 2250 but what then. Does God wake up and find all his fishies floating at the top of the tank?

It bothers me that with this legitimate concern supported by scientists and economists alike we continue our efforts to defeat death and live forever instead of considering how this attitude might be contributing to unnecessary tribulation for the human race and possibly its demise in the future. One of the scariest things I realized is that it is not some nameless and faceless people that will suffer from our actions today. It is people we will likely see and touch in our own lifetime, our grand children and great grandchildren.

So where am I going with this series of blogs? I want to make a case for redirecting our cultural attitude to accepting individual death as a design requirement for the human race’s survival, not a design flaw. I think its time to take another step from the cave and refocus our attention on improving quality of life for all instead of wasting resources on longevity. I’m over 50 and I will happily pass to that undiscovered country with the knowledge that my future is secure in the future of my children and my children’s children.

Next time I’m gonna concentrate on population growth in the past, predictions for the future and what is the “natural” life expectancy for humans. At some point we’ll bring the conversation back to implications for America and health care reform: our financial system is far less sustainable in the short term with this live-forever mentality than the race itself is–and we’ll be feeling that pain ourselves.

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that children who deal with multiple traumatic events might suffer the consequences later in life. Children who experienced at least six adverse events during their childhood died approximately twenty years earlier than children who had not dealt with multiple stressful events.

The children with the most adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) died on average at age 60, while children who did not experience a high number of ACEs lived to about 79.

According to Science Daily, the study consists of data from 17,337 adults between 1995 and 1997. Each participant completed a standardized medical survey that included questions about adverse experiences in childhood, such as whether they had been verbally or physically abused, lived in a household with substance abuse, or have divorced parents.

At the end of 2006, the researchers used the National Death Index to discover who had passed away. Dr. Robert Anda, co-primary investigator of the study, tells ABC News:

“The stressors tend to accumulate in people’s lives, and it appears that affects the way they develop and can affect the way they think and their emotional control.”

Dr. Anda goes onto explain that children who experience trauma are more likely to smoke, drink, use drugs, and be overweight – all risk factors that lead to health issues.

The researchers point out that causation cannot be determined from this one study; however, the association they found between ACEs and shorter life span deserves further investigation.

The study will be published in the November issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Shea butter comes from the fruit of the shea tree. He is originally from Sudan and grows throughout West Africa.
The shea tree is robust and can reach 20 meters in height. It takes 25 years to produce fruit and reaches full production to 45-50 years. It has a life span of three centuries.

The collection mainly performed by women, is done from May to October. Shea butter does not grow in the wild and has never been “domesticated.” The production is fluid and varies considerably from one region to another, from one year to another. The weather, bush fires, the scattered trees, etc.. are all factors that may limit production. In addition, the collection can be dangerous for women because of the snakes that abound in the locations of trees (large areas of tall grass).

The fruit of the shea tree are used in the diets of local people. It is composed of pulp, a walnut and an almond. It is the latter that contains fat (42 to 48% of whole fruit), shea butter.

For butter, the almond is pressed after heated: to make 1 kg of butter, it takes 4 pounds of almonds. Butter crude thus obtained is then refined to remove impurities and its pesticide for bleaching; to give it a more pleasant odor.

Shea butter has very interesting properties, both in terms of therapeutic and culinary.

It has been used for centuries in Africa.
It is used to treat sprains, colds and sores. It would have a beneficial effect on joint and muscle pain.
Its soothing properties, moisturizing and protective also make a good cosmetic product. He mixed easily with other ingredients of cosmetics.
In Africa, the main product of dress for women and men.
It helps protect the skin against weather and sun (it is an excellent balm against the effects of cold), he fought against cracks, he serves as balm for dry hair, it nourishes the skin diminishing aging. The major cosmetics groups in Europe have understood the virtues of shea and introduce more and more in their products.
Shea butter is used as fuel and detergent in Africa.
Shea is finally used by Africans in their diet: it is sometimes the only fat they have.
It is also for its culinary properties that shea butter is imported into Western countries for making margarine, puff pastry, for example. But is the candy and chocolate that use the most. It is a good substitute for cocoa butter (only taste good but diverges refinery will limit the differences).

The shea virtues exceptional richness for African women. This is a good supplementary income. However, production is mainly traditional, but the African women have organized themselves and created groups (community groups) who aim to pool their resources in order to buy more powerful presses, for example. At the same time, these women are educated and literate.

Thus, shea butter has a significant impact in Africa. It is a bonanza of a business perspective but also social and human development.

Shea butter comes from the fruit of the shea tree. He is originally from Sudan and grows throughout West Africa.
The shea tree is robust and can reach 20 meters in height. It takes 25 years to produce fruit and reaches full production to 45-50 years. It has a life span of three centuries.

The collection mainly performed by women, is done from May to October. Shea butter does not grow in the wild and has never been “domesticated.” The production is fluid and varies considerably from one region to another, from one year to another. The weather, bush fires, the scattered trees, etc.. are all factors that may limit production. In addition, the collection can be dangerous for women because of the snakes that abound in the locations of trees (large areas of tall grass).

The fruit of the shea tree are used in the diets of local people. It is composed of pulp, a walnut and an almond. It is the latter that contains fat (42 to 48% of whole fruit), shea butter.

For butter, the almond is pressed after heated: to make 1 kg of butter, it takes 4 pounds of almonds. Butter crude thus obtained is then refined to remove impurities and its pesticide for bleaching; to give it a more pleasant odor.

Shea butter has very interesting properties, both in terms of therapeutic and culinary.

It has been used for centuries in Africa.
It is used to treat sprains, colds and sores. It would have a beneficial effect on joint and muscle pain.
Its soothing properties, moisturizing and protective also make a good cosmetic product. He mixed easily with other ingredients of cosmetics.
In Africa, the main product of dress for women and men.
It helps protect the skin against weather and sun (it is an excellent balm against the effects of cold), he fought against cracks, he serves as balm for dry hair, it nourishes the skin diminishing aging. The major cosmetics groups in Europe have understood the virtues of shea and introduce more and more in their products.
Shea butter is used as fuel and detergent in Africa.
Shea is finally used by Africans in their diet: it is sometimes the only fat they have.
It is also for its culinary properties that shea butter is imported into Western countries for making margarine, puff pastry, for example. But is the candy and chocolate that use the most. It is a good substitute for cocoa butter (only taste good but diverges refinery will limit the differences).

The shea virtues exceptional richness for African women. This is a good supplementary income. However, production is mainly traditional, but the African women have organized themselves and created groups (community groups) who aim to pool their resources in order to buy more powerful presses, for example. At the same time, these women are educated and literate.

Thus, shea butter has a significant impact in Africa. It is a bonanza of a business perspective but also social and human development.

Shea butter comes from the fruit of the shea tree. He is originally from Sudan and grows throughout West Africa.
The shea tree is robust and can reach 20 meters in height. It takes 25 years to produce fruit and reaches full production to 45-50 years. It has a life span of three centuries.

The collection mainly performed by women, is done from May to October. Shea butter does not grow in the wild and has never been “domesticated.” The production is fluid and varies considerably from one region to another, from one year to another. The weather, bush fires, the scattered trees, etc.. are all factors that may limit production. In addition, the collection can be dangerous for women because of the snakes that abound in the locations of trees (large areas of tall grass).

The fruit of the shea tree are used in the diets of local people. It is composed of pulp, a walnut and an almond. It is the latter that contains fat (42 to 48% of whole fruit), shea butter.

For butter, the almond is pressed after heated: to make 1 kg of butter, it takes 4 pounds of almonds. Butter crude thus obtained is then refined to remove impurities and its pesticide for bleaching; to give it a more pleasant odor.

Shea butter has very interesting properties, both in terms of therapeutic and culinary.

It has been used for centuries in Africa.
It is used to treat sprains, colds and sores. It would have a beneficial effect on joint and muscle pain.
Its soothing properties, moisturizing and protective also make a good cosmetic product. He mixed easily with other ingredients of cosmetics.
In Africa, the main product of dress for women and men.
It helps protect the skin against weather and sun (it is an excellent balm against the effects of cold), he fought against cracks, he serves as balm for dry hair, it nourishes the skin diminishing aging. The major cosmetics groups in Europe have understood the virtues of shea and introduce more and more in their products.
Shea butter is used as fuel and detergent in Africa.
Shea is finally used by Africans in their diet: it is sometimes the only fat they have.
It is also for its culinary properties that shea butter is imported into Western countries for making margarine, puff pastry, for example. But is the candy and chocolate that use the most. It is a good substitute for cocoa butter (only taste good but diverges refinery will limit the differences).

The shea virtues exceptional richness for African women. This is a good supplementary income. However, production is mainly traditional, but the African women have organized themselves and created groups (community groups) who aim to pool their resources in order to buy more powerful presses, for example. At the same time, these women are educated and literate.

Thus, shea butter has a significant impact in Africa. It is a bonanza of a business perspective but also social and human development.

Shea butter comes from the fruit of the shea tree. He is originally from Sudan and grows throughout West Africa.
The shea tree is robust and can reach 20 meters in height. It takes 25 years to produce fruit and reaches full production to 45-50 years. It has a life span of three centuries.

The collection mainly performed by women, is done from May to October. Shea butter does not grow in the wild and has never been “domesticated.” The production is fluid and varies considerably from one region to another, from one year to another. The weather, bush fires, the scattered trees, etc.. are all factors that may limit production. In addition, the collection can be dangerous for women because of the snakes that abound in the locations of trees (large areas of tall grass).

The fruit of the shea tree are used in the diets of local people. It is composed of pulp, a walnut and an almond. It is the latter that contains fat (42 to 48% of whole fruit), shea butter.

For butter, the almond is pressed after heated: to make 1 kg of butter, it takes 4 pounds of almonds. Butter crude thus obtained is then refined to remove impurities and its pesticide for bleaching; to give it a more pleasant odor.

Shea butter has very interesting properties, both in terms of therapeutic and culinary.

It has been used for centuries in Africa.
It is used to treat sprains, colds and sores. It would have a beneficial effect on joint and muscle pain.
Its soothing properties, moisturizing and protective also make a good cosmetic product. He mixed easily with other ingredients of cosmetics.
In Africa, the main product of dress for women and men.
It helps protect the skin against weather and sun (it is an excellent balm against the effects of cold), he fought against cracks, he serves as balm for dry hair, it nourishes the skin diminishing aging. The major cosmetics groups in Europe have understood the virtues of shea and introduce more and more in their products.
Shea butter is used as fuel and detergent in Africa.
Shea is finally used by Africans in their diet: it is sometimes the only fat they have.
It is also for its culinary properties that shea butter is imported into Western countries for making margarine, puff pastry, for example. But is the candy and chocolate that use the most. It is a good substitute for cocoa butter (only taste good but diverges refinery will limit the differences).

The shea virtues exceptional richness for African women. This is a good supplementary income. However, production is mainly traditional, but the African women have organized themselves and created groups (community groups) who aim to pool their resources in order to buy more powerful presses, for example. At the same time, these women are educated and literate.

Thus, shea butter has a significant impact in Africa. It is a bonanza of a business perspective but also social and human development.

Shea butter comes from the fruit of the shea tree. He is originally from Sudan and grows throughout West Africa.
The shea tree is robust and can reach 20 meters in height. It takes 25 years to produce fruit and reaches full production to 45-50 years. It has a life span of three centuries.

The collection mainly performed by women, is done from May to October. Shea butter does not grow in the wild and has never been “domesticated.” The production is fluid and varies considerably from one region to another, from one year to another. The weather, bush fires, the scattered trees, etc.. are all factors that may limit production. In addition, the collection can be dangerous for women because of the snakes that abound in the locations of trees (large areas of tall grass).

The fruit of the shea tree are used in the diets of local people. It is composed of pulp, a walnut and an almond. It is the latter that contains fat (42 to 48% of whole fruit), shea butter.

For butter, the almond is pressed after heated: to make 1 kg of butter, it takes 4 pounds of almonds. Butter crude thus obtained is then refined to remove impurities and its pesticide for bleaching; to give it a more pleasant odor.

Shea butter has very interesting properties, both in terms of therapeutic and culinary.

It has been used for centuries in Africa.
It is used to treat sprains, colds and sores. It would have a beneficial effect on joint and muscle pain.
Its soothing properties, moisturizing and protective also make a good cosmetic product. He mixed easily with other ingredients of cosmetics.
In Africa, the main product of dress for women and men.
It helps protect the skin against weather and sun (it is an excellent balm against the effects of cold), he fought against cracks, he serves as balm for dry hair, it nourishes the skin diminishing aging. The major cosmetics groups in Europe have understood the virtues of shea and introduce more and more in their products.
Shea butter is used as fuel and detergent in Africa.
Shea is finally used by Africans in their diet: it is sometimes the only fat they have.
It is also for its culinary properties that shea butter is imported into Western countries for making margarine, puff pastry, for example. But is the candy and chocolate that use the most. It is a good substitute for cocoa butter (only taste good but diverges refinery will limit the differences).

The shea virtues exceptional richness for African women. This is a good supplementary income. However, production is mainly traditional, but the African women have organized themselves and created groups (community groups) who aim to pool their resources in order to buy more powerful presses, for example. At the same time, these women are educated and literate.

Thus, shea butter has a significant impact in Africa. It is a bonanza of a business perspective but also social and human development.

Shea butter comes from the fruit of the shea tree. He is originally from Sudan and grows throughout West Africa.
The shea tree is robust and can reach 20 meters in height. It takes 25 years to produce fruit and reaches full production to 45-50 years. It has a life span of three centuries.

The collection mainly performed by women, is done from May to October. Shea butter does not grow in the wild and has never been “domesticated.” The production is fluid and varies considerably from one region to another, from one year to another. The weather, bush fires, the scattered trees, etc.. are all factors that may limit production. In addition, the collection can be dangerous for women because of the snakes that abound in the locations of trees (large areas of tall grass).

The fruit of the shea tree are used in the diets of local people. It is composed of pulp, a walnut and an almond. It is the latter that contains fat (42 to 48% of whole fruit), shea butter.

For butter, the almond is pressed after heated: to make 1 kg of butter, it takes 4 pounds of almonds. Butter crude thus obtained is then refined to remove impurities and its pesticide for bleaching; to give it a more pleasant odor.

Shea butter has very interesting properties, both in terms of therapeutic and culinary.

It has been used for centuries in Africa.
It is used to treat sprains, colds and sores. It would have a beneficial effect on joint and muscle pain.
Its soothing properties, moisturizing and protective also make a good cosmetic product. He mixed easily with other ingredients of cosmetics.
In Africa, the main product of dress for women and men.
It helps protect the skin against weather and sun (it is an excellent balm against the effects of cold), he fought against cracks, he serves as balm for dry hair, it nourishes the skin diminishing aging. The major cosmetics groups in Europe have understood the virtues of shea and introduce more and more in their products.
Shea butter is used as fuel and detergent in Africa.
Shea is finally used by Africans in their diet: it is sometimes the only fat they have.
It is also for its culinary properties that shea butter is imported into Western countries for making margarine, puff pastry, for example. But is the candy and chocolate that use the most. It is a good substitute for cocoa butter (only taste good but diverges refinery will limit the differences).

The shea virtues exceptional richness for African women. This is a good supplementary income. However, production is mainly traditional, but the African women have organized themselves and created groups (community groups) who aim to pool their resources in order to buy more powerful presses, for example. At the same time, these women are educated and literate.

Thus, shea butter has a significant impact in Africa. It is a bonanza of a business perspective but also social and human development.

I titled this post Nikola’s Newest Incarnation to tip my hat toward old Nikola Tesla, who changed all our lives, and to pull out a terrible pun. See, this is about the upstart automobile manufacturer Tesla Motors (hence the Nikola). And since they build cars… Incarnation = in”car”nation. Get it? (I told you it was terrible.)

Anyway, I got in a discussion about cars and MPGs with a few family members and, amid talk of dismal hybrids and costly conversions, I suddenly remembered a bright spot in the world of automotive technology: Tesla Motors. Or rather, I remembered rumors of their exciting (but expensive) Roadster that had raised eyebrows a few months ago. To refresh our memories, the Roadster is a two-seater sports car with acceleration to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds with a top speed of 125 mph (electronically limited) and maximum 248 horsepower at 6,000 to 8,000 rpm (it redlines at 14,000 rpm). It has a range of over 200 miles on a single charge and can re-charge in three and a half hours with the high power connector (also from Tesla). It’s just over nine and a half feet long and six feet wide, has independent front and rear suspension, a clean and uncluttered interior, all the amenities one expects in a car (air-conditioning, power windows and doors, spiffy stereo system, cruise control, etc.), and – most importantly for a sports car – is a convertible. For an electric car, it’s pretty impressive.

But when I visited Tesla’s homepage to check the specs I discovered a more interesting feature: three new models. Okay, one’s not exactly “new” since deliveries are already being made but it was new to me. So, first up, the Roadster Sport, a beefier (288 horsepower), faster (0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds) and more performance-minded car with, unfortunately, a price tag to match ($121,000). The other two are sedans, the Model S and Model S Signature (which is presumably a slightly beefier version of the former, as with the Roadster and Roadster Sport), scheduled for delivery next year.

So let’s run the new specs. The Model S can go 160 miles on a charge or, if you want to upgrade, 230 miles … or if you want to upgrade more, 300 miles. It can charge to 80% capacity in 45 minutes, accomodate 5 adults and two children, and goes from 0 to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds with a maximum speed of 120 mph (also electronically limited). It has a small rear hatchback for storage, as well as a full trunk under the hood (Volkswagen, eat your heart out). The rear seats fold flat to increase storage area if needed and it can purportedly haul a 50″ flatscreen TV or a full set of drums. The base model comes with all the usual amenities (like the Roadster) as well as a 17″ touchscreen with in-car 3G connectivity. I’m no techie but that sounds pretty cool. It costs about $4 to fully charge the battery pack, which has an estimated life span of five to seven years (although it noted ten years was not uncommon with proper maintanence). Best of all, it starts under $50,000.

Although all of Tesla’s products are out of reach for many Americans at this point, I think the progress they’ve made is huge. And if these are any indication, the electric car may not be just an idealistic dream for much longer.

To find out more, visit the Tesla Motors homepage.

All photos courtesy of Tesla Motors.

Paris, NY, London and Milan – the fashion capitals of the world. Exciting hubs of cutting edge design and stylish good taste. Where the beautiful flock to see and be seen, and designers fight to outdo each other, sending one unwearable outfit after another down the catwalk.

Perth on the other hand – not so much a hub as a gaping hole. The universal dumping ground for the last 3 decades worth of dodgy trends. A place that shops everywhere send their unwanted stock to, and the fashion police earn more in a weeks overtime than your average divorce lawyer would in a year.

Lord only knows why some of the clothes shops are so bad here, it’s not like there isn’t online access to the rest of the world and a constant supply of current fashion magazines. Perhaps it’s because the city is so isolated that it’s inhabitants just don’t care, or because the over zealous customs officials are rooting out all the best stuff and selling it off on Ebay. Whatever the reason, I’d have to say trends here seem to be at least a good 20 years behind the rest of the world.

Think ‘Hillbilly Chic’. A sort of trucker meets 80’s Chav meets unwashed backpacker.

Of course the limited choice of shops really don’t help. They are enough to turn even the most fashion conscious into the worst sort of fashion victim – or phobic. The options range from the likes of Kmart, Target and BigW for your cheap and cheerful basics – with basic being the operative word. Most garments seem to fall apart in the wash, beg for mercy under the heat of a gentle iron or change several dress sizes hours after being removed from the hanger. You get what you pay for of course, so for kids clothes, which have a shorter life span than the average family camera, these shops are great.

At the other end of the rather abysmal spectrum is Myers and David Jones. Both shops are supposedly the ‘Creme de la creme’ of Aussie shopping. Say no more. I’ve been into each a few times, but have never seen anything either particularly special or stylish, let alone affordable. I had a voucher to use up for David Jones recently, and it took me several visits to try and find anything that I even wanted to buy. In the end I settled for a pyjamas top. I only managed half an outfit as the top alone came to more than the voucher, and I was loathed to fork out even more for something I didn’t actually need.

Several washes later and the stitching on the top had all but unravelled. The fabric had also stretched so much on the sides that if I’d leapt off our roof, I could probably have coasted all the way out to Rottnest on a wind current.

Funnily enough a set of pyjamas I bought from Big W 3 winters ago are still going strong.

When talking to other POMS here, the one shop that most seem to miss is NEXT. If I had a decent pair of well fitted jeans for every time someone asked why they can’t open a store in Perth, my wardrobe would be overflowing with denim.

Clothes aside, there also seems to be an underlying scruffiness ingrained into the WA culture. The mullet for instance is incredibly popular over here, and it’s not uncommon to see an entire family out and about, all sporting matching scraggly rats tails down their backs. I think that like the fashion, photos in mens barbers over here must be somewhat outdated.

The other trend, one that never ceases to amaze me, is the notion that footwear is entirely optional. Now I’m not talking about going barefoot to the park or the beach – that would be understandable. I’m referring to those I’ve seen without shoes in IKEA, the city centre, restaurants, supermarkets, the cinema and the most dangerous of all, or so you’d think, Bunnings.

Revolting, dirty looking feet aside,  surely there have to be some serious health and hygiene laws being broken as kids run across the urine soaked floors of the public toilets and straight down the fresh produce aisle of the neighbouring supermarket.

And needless to say, if such people don’t ever wash their feet, it’s highly unlikely they’d wash their hands..

I followed one such woman and her snot encrusted child around Coles last week, and snapped her for with my phone for proof. Given that she looked like she was probably capable of beating me to death with one of those blocks of cheese, I’ve airbrushed her features slightly. But to be honest, I very much doubt she’d ever stumble across my blog, or be able to read this post.

This shoeless woman I have to say was certainly not alone. I spotted several others, overgrown toe nails and all, hot footing it through the freezer section.

asfa

asfa

Perhaps people in WA feel there’s no point bothering with their appearance, because there’s really nowhere to dress up and go. I can relate to this, and know from experience it’s a very easy and highly dangerous trap to fall into. Before you know what’s happened, you can find that you’ve metamorphosed into a homeless bag lady, wearing the same old tracksuit for 6 days in a row and have forgotten to change out of your PJs on Sunday.

Now I’ve never been one for making a huge effort with clothes, or really caring that much about how I look, but a while back I realised I was starting to stoop to such a level. This was around the time I arrived at the school to collect my daughter and realised, as I went to get out the car, that I’d left the house in my slippers.

So the following weekend, when heading out to Coles to do the weekly shop, I dug around in the back of my wardrobe and put on a jacket, a scarf and my high-heeled boots – the sort of clothes I’d have once worn in the UK when popping out to fill the car up with petrol. Taking it one daring stop further, I took my hair out of a pony tail and dusted off my mascara,  pumping the tube vigorously to break the old clumps off the brush.

My son walked straight past me in the hallway, and then did a double take as he disappeared around the corner. I don’t think he actually recognised me. How sad is that.

“Oh you do look pretty Mummy” my daughter said as I appeared from the bedroom, clearly impressed with my ‘Extreme Makeover’. I loosely translated this compliment to mean that I normally didn’t.

“So where are you off to then, seeing as you’re all dressed up?” enquired my slightly suspicious husband.

With that I realised that I had better start making more of an effort, before I reached the day where I would think nothing of going to the shops still wrapped in my duvet, or end up with skin as thick as a rhinos hide on a pair of black and scaly feet.

One primary thing that we adults need to recognise is that our life span is very short compared to the life of this planet and the universe as a whole.

Technological advancements are making our lives easier by way of communication, automation, transportation, medical treatments etc, but they are making the system extremely complex. We become dependent on electric power, natural resources such as petroleum, coal, agricultural produce etc. in our day-to-day life. We also get used to a large gamut of services available on payment. This complicates things further.

Imagine life in the century 1200 AD. Electric power was unheard of. Transportation methods were limited and communication was more by word of mouth or other simple methods. Time was fixed by the position of the Sun, Moon and Stars. Money circulation and accumulation was also limited. People waged wars, travelled across land and the seas, carried out trade even then.

The evolution of man from living off the land to hunter to agriculturist to industrial worker to the current computer nerd has been significant. A comic version is depicted in the image obtained from http://www.naute.com.

How many of us can even imagine using public transportation to a nearby store to make our purchases, let alone venturing to walk or cycle all the way for it. We would rather purchase online and set in place a chain of service elements including that of your computer, to consume a whole lot of energy until the items are delivered at your doorstep. We waste energy for our convenience.

Simple activities such as walking or cycling to work, working with our own hands and legs, carrying reasonable loads etc. would give enough exercise for our body and keep us healthy. Instead of that we’d rather exercise (walk) on a powered treadmill, do weight lifting and other exercises in an air-conditioned gym etc., thus increasing the energy consumption further.

We have been steadily and seriously damaging the very environment on which we depend for our food, water and oxygen. Global warming, ozone layer damage, dying coral reefs, shrinking arctic ice cover, dwindling forest cover, vanishing species of animals, climate change, devastating earthquakes and other vagaries of nature, are all indications of the impending disaster.

We do not own this world; we are only its keepers as long as we live. The world belongs to the generations yet to be born. How well we maintain the environment for our successors is in our hands. Let us do our bit.

Save energy, stay healthy, save the environment.

]]> http://lifespanofahamster.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/hamsters-life-span/ Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:30:36 +0000 reubenburns4863 http://lifespanofahamster.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/hamsters-life-span/

If you desire information on hamster life span you have found the right place. Keep reading to discover the facts regarding hamster life span.

Click here for the dwarf hamsters secrets vets don’t want you to know!

All little rodents have short lives.

The typical life span of a hamster is 2 to 3 years, but under great care sometimes five years. If your hamster is a small hamster, like a robo or a dwarf, it will live normally close to one year. The smaller the hamster, the shorter the life span.

Moreover a lot of people ignore the exact age of the hamster when they buy it and suppose an age.

The most popular pet hamster is the golden hamster or syrian, which is also the greatest type of pet hamster. They live an average of 3 to 4 years, but can on occasion live longer.

How to extend the life span of a hamster?

Maintain their cages clean, avoid stress them out, hold them softly, respect their {rest|sleep time, provide them a great quality hamster mix. Hamsters need only about 5 grams of food a day, so try not to overfeed them. Maintain water fresh.

About water, you should provide a fresh suppy of water for your hamster. If you have a bowl of water, make sure that it is weighty enough to not get kicked over. If you have a water bottle make sure that it is not plastic. You don’t want them chewing plastic because it can cause serious damage and even death.

The cage should have an exercise wheel. Just like humans, the hamsters have to get exercise or they will get fat. In their natural habitat, these littles are able to running 5 miles a day!

Click here for the dwarf hamsters secrets vets don’t want you to know!

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If you are looking for information on hamster life span you have come to the right place. Keep reading to discover the facts regarding hamster life span.

Click here for the dwarf hamsters secrets vets don’t want you to know!

All rodents have short lives.

The average life span of a hamster is 2 to 3 years, but under great care sometimes five years. If your hamster is a small sized hamster, like a dwarf or a robo, it will live commonly close to one year. The smaller the hamster, the shorter the life span.

Furthermore some people are not aware of the exact age of the hamster when they buy it and assume an age.

The most common pet hamster is the golden hamster or syrian, which is also the greatest type of pet hamster. They are expected to live an average of 3 to 4 years, but can at times live longer.

How can you prolong the life span of your hamster?

Keep their cages clean, avoid stressing them out, hold them softly, respect their {rest|sleep time, give them a great quality rodent mix. Hamsters need only about 5 grams of food a day, so try not to overfeed them. Keep water fresh.

About water, you must provide a fresh suppy of water for your hamster. If you have a bowl of water, make a point that it is weighty enough to not get kicked over. If you have a water bottle make a point that it is not plastic. You don’t want them to chew plastic because it can make major damage and even death.

The cage must have an exercise wheel. Just like humans, your hamsters have to get exercise or they will gain weight. In their natural habitat, these littles are able to running 5 miles a day!

Click here for the dwarf hamsters secrets vets don’t want you to know!

Alligators have been around for over 200 million years.  Yep, that’s right!  Cousin to the dinosaur. 

Their average length is 13 feet and their average weight is 800 pounds.  (That’s a big hunk of meat!)  BUT they can get larger.   Some have been known to be over 17 feet in length.

Their average lifespan is 50 years, but again some, in captivity, have lived into their 70’s.

They are capable of short bursts of speed when necessary, as when grabbing their “food”.  They have bone crushing jaws, with powerful muscles that snap the jaws shut.  They usually perform a death roll, to rip off chunks of meat or drown their prey.  Sometimes they “store” their food in their lairs allowing it to rot and be eaten at a later time.

There are over a million alligators in the state of Florida…maybe I should move?!

I’m the oldest of my siblings born to my mother and the only girl.  (My father has more kids than can be counted on 1 hand, but I digress.)  I think that under the circumstances, I’ve done allright for myself.  I’ve been on my own for quite some time – job/career, automobile, place to live, finished school, child-free, solo traveler, etc.  I would think that many parents would be happy that their son or daughter was able to live out in the world and be self-sufficient, no matter whether they’re aged 21 or 61.

Apparently not.  :-|

My oldest younger brother could be doing worse, but he’s definitely not doing stellar.  He’s very intelligent but he doesn’t utilize it very much.  Once he hit high school, he seemed to be more concerned with popularity than passing classes.  He made it out of high school by the skin of his teeth but of course he looked good doing it, because goodness forbid he didn’t look good before he left the house.  :-|  During high school, he was offered a chance to get into a well-known medical school program in which students were accepted upon high school graduation and finished everything in 7 years, becoming doctors in their 20s.  He did excellent on certain tests, but his class grades didn’t match the tests and were so bad that the school couldn’t accept him.  His grades were bad because it was more important to be cute and popular.

He graduated and went on to college out of state.  He only lasted 1 year.  He was cute and popular there too – to the point that he had zero credits.  Oh, I forgot to mention – toward the end of his high school career, he met a girl and had sex with her within hours of meeting her.  She got pregnant and decided to carry the pregnancy to term, my nephew.  Isn’t life grand.

He returned home and tried community college.  He only did 1 semester before deciding to quit.  Instead, he met a woman, married her 6 months later, and joined the military without telling anyone until a couple days before he left for training.  He cheated through their whole marriage, but they still had a son.  Toward the end of the marriage, he met another woman, lied about his marital status, and ran off with her while filing for divorce.  He got the other woman pregnant before the divorce was finalized and they had a son.  They got married and later, had another son.  But you get what you ask for because she didn’t leave after he admitted his true status, and he cheated on her too.  Now he has a new girlfriend.

Please note that this is a very short version of the story.  :-|

You would think that any parent in their right mind would not condone this behavior because, after all, “I didn’t raise my child this way!”  But there are plenty of mothers who support this behavior….. whether knowingly or unknowingly, whether explicitly or implicitly, whether overt or covert.  Our mother in particular blames the women for his troubles because, after all, he tripped and fell in the p—y.  Or the women seduced him.  Right mothers?  Isn’t that why your sons have “baby muhva/mama drama”?  :-|

This is more common than many want to believe.  Mothers place their sons on pedestals and enable all kinds of dysfunctional behavior.  Then the cycle continues and the ones who are most affected are the innocent children.

Have any of you had the same experiences?  If you’re a man, have you experienced mommy dearest doting on you, spoiling you?  How has it affected you?  How has it affected the relationships between you and your parent(s) and between you and your siblings?

“Boys are loved and girls are raised.”

Discuss…..

Here I am, an 80+year-old, wont to gloat over my years, which is considered a great old age today. But if it were 20 years hence, I’d be a hundred-plus, and then an 80 year-old would be considered a youngster. Our years on earth are getting more and more numerous.  I wonder how old we then should be to be considered really old? Will medicine keep us healthy?

Alexander Pruss thinks life is either like a painting or a puzzle. This, he says, is “not … unattractive.” Sure, but it’s also not accurate.

I have developed a maximally accurate diagram of the structure of the human life span.

Please see my glossary of terms for a working definition of the “Conveyor Belt Model of Human Existence.”

How long should a Mac last? Mac360’s Alexis Kayhill posed the question recently, and it got me thinking on the topic, especially since Alexis framed her column around the experience of a co-worker who had purchased a new unibody MacBook (on her recommendation) only to have Apple (s aapl) upgrade the 13″ unibody to Pro status with feature enhancement and a lower price a few months later.

I’m in the same boat, having also bought a unibody MacBook last February. Alexis says her friend “got burned,” though I think that’s a bit harsh. I don’t feel “burned” at all — more like a bit disappointed that I didn’t wait four more months, but you can drive yourself nuts second-guessing such things. I love the MacBook, and am already becoming convinced that it’s going to be one of my all-time favorite Macs. I just wish it had a FireWire port, which the new 13″ MacBook Pro does have.

My target for intervals between upgrading my main workhorse systems has been three years ever since I bought my first Mac back in 1992, and I’ve done pretty well at adhering to it. That would put replacement time for my MacBook in early 2012, which seems a long way off.

The way it usually plays out for me is that the first year I revel in the greater power and storage capacity of my new machine compared with whatever it replaced. At 18 months, twinges of slight frustration and dissatisfaction start to set in, especially after upgraded models have been introduced, but I really have nothing to complain about. However, by the beginning of year three, the aging Mac is usually beginning to feel compromised in some respects, and the hunt begins, although for the last three machines I’ve managed to reach or beat the three-year replacement benchmark.

Of course it helps that I like the challenge of getting useful service out of antiquated hardware. We still have two nine year old Pismo PowerBooks in very active service, and they’re great for what we do with them — text-crunching, email, Web-surfing, and so forth — “netbooks” of a sort, I suppose.

Actually, I still have most of the Macs I’ve ever owned, and only a very few are not in working order. Our six year old iBook G3 died suddenly last winter, but had been a virtually flawless performer up to the day it completely refused to respond to the power button — presumably a terminal motherboard issue. One of my daughters is still using my old 1999 WallStreet PowerBook, and the 17″ PowerBook that served as my primary workhorse between the iBook and MacBook is still in fine fettle.

As Alexis Kayhill observes, there’s a line somewhere between the disappointment that occurs when a newer, power and feature-enhanced, and possibly cheaper revision is unveiled, especially if it’s only shortly after you buy a new Mac. But there’s also the pride you feel when your Mac still looks good and works well five years (or nine years!) after you bought it.

Macs being generally more expensive than typical Windows PCs, at least up front, it logically stands to reason that they should have longer useful lives.

How about you? How often do you usually upgrade your system, and what do you consider a reasonable service life for Macs?