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[1] From: kashif-ul-huda <kaaashif@gmail.com Date: Tue May 6, 2008 8:47 pm Subject: Harvard Study: Haj promotes tolerance Harvard Study: Haj promotes tolerance By IINA, Harvard : A study of Haj pilgrims by Harvard Kennedy School in the US has found that the Haj promotes tolerance among pilgrims and does not lead to an increase in negative attitudes toward the West. The study ??” entitled "Estimating the Impact of the Haj: Religion and Tolerance in Islam's Global Gathering" ??” said that the annual pilgrimage develops a tolerant attitude among pilgrims toward other religions and cultures. Researchers, David Clingingsmith, Asim Ijaz Khwaja and Michael Kremer, based their findings, which were published last month, on data collected from a 2006 survey of more than 1,600 Pakistani pilgrims. "Evidence suggests that the Haj increases tolerance, which seems to apply not just within the Islamic world but also beyond it," they reported, adding, that increased unity does not lead to antipathy toward non-Muslims. They also found that the Haj plays a significant role in the survival of Islam as a unified world religion. "Over time, religions with far-flung adherents tend to evolve separate strands which may eventually break away into different religions. Our analysis suggests that the Haj reduces dissent and splits in Islam by moving Haj pilgrims toward a common set of practices, making them more tolerant of differences among Muslims," they said. Pilgrims selected for the survey were also more likely to state that various Pakistani ethnic and sectarian groups are equal and that it is possible for such groups to live in harmony. ------------- [2] From: Sukla Sen <suklasenp@yahoo.co.uk Date: Tue May 6, 2008 8:59 pm Subject: EPA official ousted while fighting Dow EPA official ousted while fighting Dow By Michael Hawthorne Tribune reporter May 2 2008 SAGINAW, Mich. -- The battle over dioxin contamination in this economically stressed region had been raging for years when a top Bush administration official turned up the pressure on Dow Chemical to clean it up. The complete article can be viewed at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/green/chi-epa-official-resigns_\ webmay02,0,4655733. story ------------- [3] From: Abhiyya <abhiyya@yahoo.com Date: Wed May 7, 2008 2:20 pm Subject: Study shows breast-fed children are smarter "Children whose mothers breast-fed them longer and did not mix in baby formula scored higher on intelligence tests, the researchers in Canada and Belarus reported." Study shows breast-fed children are smarter By Will Dunham Mon May 5, 4:02 PM ET http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080505/us_nm/breastfeeding_dc_1 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new study provides some of the best evidence to date that breast-feeding can make children smarter, an international team of researchers said on Monday. Children whose mothers breast-fed them longer and did not mix in baby formula scored higher on intelligence tests, the researchers in Canada and Belarus reported. About half the 14,000 babies were randomly assigned to a group in which prolonged and exclusive breast-feeding by the mother was encouraged at Belarussian hospitals and clinics. The mothers of the other babies received no special encouragement. Those in the breast-feeding encouragement group were, on average, breast-fed longer than the others and were less likely to have been given formula in a bottle. At 3 months, 73 percent of the babies in the breast-feeding encouragement group were breast-fed, compared to 60 percent of the other group. At 6 months, it was 50 percent versus 36 percent. In addition, the group given encouragement was far more likely to give their children only breast milk. The rate was seven times higher, for example, at 3 months. The children were monitored for about 6 1/2 years. The children in the group where breast-feeding was encouraged scored about 5 percent higher in IQ tests and did better academically, the researchers found. Previous studies had indicated brain development and intelligence benefits for breast-fed children. But researchers have sought to determine whether it was the breast-feeding that did it, or that mothers who prefer to breast-feed their babies may differ from those who do not. The design of the study -- randomly assigning babies to two groups regardless of the mothers' characteristics -- was intended to eliminate the confusion. 'MOTHERS WHO BREAST-FEED ... ARE DIFFERENT' "Mothers who breast-feed or those who breast-feed longer or most exclusively are different from the mothers who don't," Dr. Michael Kramer of McGill University in Montreal and the Montreal Children's Hospital said in a telephone interview. "They tend to be smarter. They tend to be more invested in their babies. They tend to interact with them more closely. They may be the kind of mothers who read to their kids more, who spend more time with their kids, who play with them more," added Kramer, who led the study published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry. The researchers measured the differences between the two groups using IQ tests administered by the children's pediatricians and by ratings by their teachers of their school performance in reading, writing, math and other subjects. Both sets of scores were significantly higher in the children from the breast-feeding promotion group. The study was launched in the mid-1990s. Kramer said the initial idea was to do it in the United States and Canada, but many hospitals in those countries by that time had begun strongly encouraging breast-feeding as a matter of routine. The situation was different in Belarus at the time, he said, with less routine encouragement for the practice. Kramer said how breast-feeding may make children more intelligent is unclear. "It could even be that because breast-feeding takes longer, the mother is interacting more with the baby, talking with the baby, soothing the baby," he said. "It could be an emotional thing. It could be a physical thing. Or it could be a hormone or something else in the milk that's absorbed by the baby." Previous studies have shown babies whose mothers breast-fed them enjoy many health advantages over formula-fed babies. These include fewer ear, stomach or intestinal infections, digestive problems, skin diseases and allergies, and less risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that women who do not have health problems exclusively breast-feed their infants for at least the first six months, with it continuing at least through the first year as other foods are introduced. (Editing by Maggie Fox and Stacey Joyce) With Regards Abi -------------- [4] From: Abhiyya <abhiyya@yahoo.com Date: Wed May 7, 2008 4:50 pm Subject: A record food output? - Hindu Editorial A record food output? http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/25/stories/2008042555281000.htm For a government under great pressure to contain the rising prices of essential commodities, especially food items, the overall message from the third advance estimates of food production (2007-08) ought to be most welcome. The aggregate production will touch a record high of 227.32 million tonnes (MT), 10 MT more than the final estimate for last year. Domestic production of the two principal staples, rice and wheat, are also expected to set new records. The advance estima te covers a 12-month-period beginning May 2007 and takes into account standing winter crops of wheat, mustard, and rice due to be harvested in a month’s time. Wheat production, estimated at 76.78 MT, will exceed last year’s by 1 MT, while rice output, at 95.68 MT, will be 2 MT more. Several other crops of maize, pulses, tur and urad are also estimated to touch new highs. The latest assessment is more optimistic than the one released in February that had pegged total food production at 219.32 MT. The total crop area has remained static at 141 million hectares. The government attributes the higher production to favourable weather conditions, good monsoon, and distribution of quality seeds. Obviously the latest food production estimates have an enormous contextual significance. They will help the government in talking down prices even before a large part of the harvested crops reaches the market. The rise in food prices has become extremely sensitive politically, ahead of elections in many States. The government has taken several steps to ease supply side pressures such as banning export of non-basmati rice, oil seeds and so on. It has also reduced customs duties on a number of food and other essential items. News of a bountiful harvest will significantly help in dampening inflationary expectations. One hopes that the estimates of food production are proved right. As long as there are question marks over the methodology of data collection and interpretation, fears over inflation will not go away. Besides, even with bountiful harvests, it is not going to be easy for the government to procure enough stocks for public distribution. Even after announcing record minimum support prices for wheat and rice, the government by its own admission, is competing unequally with private trade that has the flexibility to pay more. News of a good harvest will send positive messages to international trade. Globally, food prices have risen steeply amidst strong demand and inadequate supplies. India, which has not ruled out imports of wheat and pulses, will be in a much better position to bargain. With Regards Abi --------------- |
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