Tuesday, June 5, 2012
A Growing Problem
The number of births that occur in India each year is higher then the entire population of Australia.
China and India are two of the most populous countries on Earth, and
have the fastest growing population numbers, a fact that has brought
about some highly controversial practices in both countries.
India, with a population of just over one billion people, sees a birth rate of 2-3% per year, although the mean average has dropped over the last ten years. Still, that figure represents more new people each year, than live in all of Australia.
Part of the problem is that some 70% of the country's population is rural. That means farming for existence, and sons are highly desirable in order to provide labor, and security for parents in their old age. Many families will continue to have children until there are at least two sons, with women averaging 3.7 children each. Daughters are lost to a family when they marry, and thus of less value. Unfortunately, that has brought about a surge of infanticide in recent years, with estimations as high as 10,000 deaths of female infants every year. The average of female births to male births is dropping, with abortion and infanticide given as the reasons.
Only in one province, Kerala, which has a low birth rate, and also a low infant mortality rate, was the proportion of females to males, higher than anywhere else in India. It is also the province with the highest literacy rate.
Efforts directed at population control, are now targeting males in rural locations, partly because their literacy rate is higher on average than women, at 75% compared to 52%, and partly because contraception has become more acceptable in urban locales. Projects are now extending to the regions where population is rising faster, and where there is a significant number of educated males who will understand the consequences of a growing population problem.
India, with a population of just over one billion people, sees a birth rate of 2-3% per year, although the mean average has dropped over the last ten years. Still, that figure represents more new people each year, than live in all of Australia.
Part of the problem is that some 70% of the country's population is rural. That means farming for existence, and sons are highly desirable in order to provide labor, and security for parents in their old age. Many families will continue to have children until there are at least two sons, with women averaging 3.7 children each. Daughters are lost to a family when they marry, and thus of less value. Unfortunately, that has brought about a surge of infanticide in recent years, with estimations as high as 10,000 deaths of female infants every year. The average of female births to male births is dropping, with abortion and infanticide given as the reasons.
Only in one province, Kerala, which has a low birth rate, and also a low infant mortality rate, was the proportion of females to males, higher than anywhere else in India. It is also the province with the highest literacy rate.
Efforts directed at population control, are now targeting males in rural locations, partly because their literacy rate is higher on average than women, at 75% compared to 52%, and partly because contraception has become more acceptable in urban locales. Projects are now extending to the regions where population is rising faster, and where there is a significant number of educated males who will understand the consequences of a growing population problem.
Monday, June 4, 2012
All That Glitters Is Not Gold
The 1912 Olympics were the last Olympics to give out medals made entirely of gold.
The rewards from the modern Olympics are a far cry from the ancient
games, where first prize was an olive wreath to wear, and hang outside
your door afterwards, to signify a champion lived here. Now, the
champion's face appears on almost every conceivable kind of advertising
venue, because winning a gold medal is literally worth its weight in
endorsements.
But the gold is no longer real gold. And even the first gold medals were silver. That's because in 1896, when the game were revived, gold was considered an inferior metal, and the first place winners received medals made of silver. That was changed to gold in 1904 at the St. Louis' games, but given the price and paucity, it was changed once more, and the last pure gold medals were given out in 1912.
Today, Olympic medals must meet stringent requirements for content and size, with some flexibility in design. A gold medal must be a minimum of just under 2 1/2 inches wide, and 1/8 of an inch thick. The main form must be made of 92.5 percent pure silver, coated with at least six grams of pure gold. Silver medals are made of the same grade of silver, and bronze is made of...well, bronze.
But the gold is no longer real gold. And even the first gold medals were silver. That's because in 1896, when the game were revived, gold was considered an inferior metal, and the first place winners received medals made of silver. That was changed to gold in 1904 at the St. Louis' games, but given the price and paucity, it was changed once more, and the last pure gold medals were given out in 1912.
Today, Olympic medals must meet stringent requirements for content and size, with some flexibility in design. A gold medal must be a minimum of just under 2 1/2 inches wide, and 1/8 of an inch thick. The main form must be made of 92.5 percent pure silver, coated with at least six grams of pure gold. Silver medals are made of the same grade of silver, and bronze is made of...well, bronze.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
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