ramdisc

Sorry again for the long post; didn't realise it was at such extent. And And Since ultrasound is banned for gender detection in many parts of the world. My best guess is: In places like Taiwan or S. Korea, when a family has a girl, they will try again in a few months later. As opposed to China, they will wait 8 years later, then try again. Assuming they want the benefits. I feel sorry for the mothers that are treated like a birth machine for boys... I also read there are wild plants in many parts of India that carries a poisonous sap. Families who has an undesireable child would use the plant's sap and make the child drink it. I don't think it happens at a significant scale. Probably just stories magnified for media ratings.

Well, for starters, from the popularity point of view, the Policy is very unpopular. Since it only "limits" Chinese population to have "only one" child. Perhaps this is just a misunderstanding since not many people outside of China knows the full details of the Policy. And think of it as a evil plan to control the population. Then again, what we want and what we can afford are two differnt things. How many scientists can say Earth can afford 10 billion people!? Or even more as the centuries goes on? There are malnourishment and starvation happening now. And we cannot even solve it, or solve it fast enough. Just how are we going to support a much larger population in the future? I think it is time we start doing something for the future. The first step is always hardest. China maybe receiving a lot of criticism now. But probably decades or centuries from now, scientists might be praising China for doing the world population a favour. I personally think it is scientific. Probably 50 years from now, other countries with a large population might face the same crisis over their numbers. They might regret on not doing something about it earlier. India is believe to surpass China's population in 30-50 years. Everyone here will probably live long enough to see how will India handle it without a "One-Child Policy." Just how is India suppose to support that kind of number? India cannot feed all its mouth at the moment. Then there is the US, 340 million. The US cannot even given enough jobs to the people now. How will it in the future? Indonesia 200 million, expected to surpass the US in probably 50 years. Nature has its way of controlling population by means of balancing the population with food and space. But humans live outside of that law. We cannot just allow people to die because there is not enough food. Virtually, everyone is just thinking how wrong it is to control the population. But they are not aware there is such a thing as "carrying capacity." From the looks of it, Earth probably has already surpassed this capacity. And not many is caring to do something about it. China consists of 18-20% of the world's population; that's 1/5 people on Earth lives in China. China is being scientific by doing something about it. Supposely, China didn't do anything about its population and continue to populate like rabbits. What will happen? Mass refuge to neighbouring areas? Like where? N. Korea? They can barely recover after the drought a few years back. Mongolia? A big brownish yellow area from the satellite photos. Russia? They are still dealing with what happened in 1991 today. Central Asia? Same colour as Mongolia. India? Already full. Southeat Asia? Already full too. How about overseas, Canada and Australia!? Plenty of space, and has food for export. Perhaps Canada and Australia is willing to accept a "few" tens of millions of Chinese and feed them. Really, how rational is that!? The world closed its doors to the 6 (?) millions Hebrews after WW2. What makes the world want to accept the double million digit of Chinese who needs a new home? If China is reaching or has reached its carrying capacity, what are China's choices? 1. Population control. 2. Mass refuge to bordering states. 3. Immigration overseas. Who wants refugees at double million digits pouring over the borders!? Who wants double million digits immigrating to their country!? The only choice left is population control. Sure, some say, China can solve all its problems if it just built more homes and research genetic modified food. China happens to be one of the top 3 countries in genetic modification. And they are always threatened by a possible hunger crisis. Each flood that happens in China puts the devastated regions into panic and loss of mass crops. Aside from fears of food shortage in China, there is a water shortage. Despite having 2 large rivers, the Yangtze and Yellow River, China has a water shortage in the northern areas. China happens to be one of the countries in the world who are most in need of more water. For crying out loud, even their capitol, Beijing, barely has enough water. That is how desperate China is for water. But having not enough water is not the only problem too. The water they have now is populated by the mass industrialisation and rapid growth. If they put a stop to the mass industrialisation and rapid growth, the livelihood of peole will drop dramtically. And mass deaths will be behind it. Controlling the population growth is a must in a country that hold one-fifth of the world's people. What China is going through now to support its people isn't easy. The policies they make are not popular in or outside of China, but they still have to make one. No other country in the world is going through the same problems as China now. It is much easier to criticise when its not their problem. Some of these countries that criticise now might face the same problem in the coming decades. And will feel awkward if they should seek China's help on the same problem in the future. So, unless China could find a very safe formula to genetic modify crops to yield a radical number of food, and make Mother Nature rain in its northern areas. And their massive hinterlands becomes more livable. I think what China is doing now is quiet effective and practical. Oh, don't mean to get off topic, but here some interesting read: http://www.water-technology.net/projects/south_north/ China is planning a south-to-north water diversion project to ease their water shortage in the northern areas. Each river that branches off will cost tens of billions of dollars. More water, more farmland, more food. Looks like China is spending a lot to help its people. By then, the population policies will probably relax much more.

Just to let you all know, the One-Child Policy in China is a so-called. Families in China could have more than one child. But the state would not fund the benefits for the second child. IIRC, there was an update, the state will fund the benefits for the second child if it was given birth 8 years from the first female child. Family in rural China are very likely to ignore the so-called One-Child Policy. Family in the country side need the labour to help out and can afford to feed the mouths. IIRC, that's 2/3 families that do not follow the Policy. Chinese ethnic minorities are not affected by the One-Child Policy. These forced abortion stories that is so tightly glued on people's mind is not enforced by the state/government at all. In fact, it is punishable to a very high degree. Using ultrasound to detect the gender and let the family know is also illegal in China. Doctors caught taking money under the table from families would lose their license, and be punished. Same goes for husbands pressuring/forcing their wives to get one. Looks like it is very popular to single out (mainland) China when it comes to births. Here are some interesting facts: Neighbouring regions that do not have One-Child Policy like Taiwan and South Korea and still have a higher gender ratio. Taiwan: 1.10 male/1.00 female S. Korea: 1.10 male/1.00 female Mailand China: 1.09 male/1.00 female Source: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/peo_sex_rat_at_bir Out of the whole list in the source above, only 3/223 countries have an even ratio. The others have males outnumber females. *** Someone mentioned standard of living as a way of solving the problem. This is not always the case. In most of Asia, it is culture. Centuries, even millenia, of culture have deep-rooted their minds into thinking more children is better. And many favouring males over females. Males by far are more valuable than females in terms of culture. In places like China, Vietnam, Korea, etc. The males acts as a social security, when parents gets old, it is the son that takes care of them. When the daughter marries, she leaves her family and lives with the husband's family. The family with the only a daughter is left with "no" social security. The reason I put "no" in quotations is because there is social security provided by the (Socialist) state. But they are just too deeply rooted in culture. And there is the clan name. Their surname represents a clan. To ensure the clan "survives," families tends to have more children. As silly as it may sound since there is tens of millions of Huang (Wong), Li (Lee), Nguyen, Kim, etc. out there. This plays an important role especially in the rural areas. A family is more likely to question their child's partner's surname/clan name than wanting to know their given name. The child born follows the father's clan name. *** So my opinion is, standard of living does play an important role. But I think better education on social securities as well as increase of it, and promotion of female equality is a better solution. As well as encouraging want-to-wed couples to marry later like in their late 20s or early 30s. Some regions in the world prefer to wed as young as possible. Sorry for long post, just a little more. You factored out the elders. The population will drop that way if elders passed away for each child born. But it doesn't work like that. Elders would probably live to 60 more or less. Assuming that a family gives birth to a child in their 20s or 30s. For every elder that passes away, 2 or 3 child is born.

Hello, I saw an episode of CSI: Miami. And this guy with a laptop was able to steal signals from across the building so he can go into the Net. So his company won't be able to catch him surfing the Net during work. Is this even possible!? People with laptop and wireless connection can easily steal signals by just being in range of the whatever-you-call-it!? There is no protection of any kind to prevent others from stealing it?

Thanks! If anyone else has something else to add or have a different opinion, please let me know. Oh, anyone know what that thing growing on the wall is? I want to do some reading on it since those guys were so serious that they needed to wear masks and stuff.

Hello, You know how you go to the refrigerator and take out the bottle of ketchup and it is cold and sealed tightly? So you think a little warm water would ease it. When you turn on the tap and stick the bottle neck onto the warm water, the bottle neck cracks! Here are my questions: 1. What is the term to describe this? 2. Why does this happen? 3. Can it happen vice versa? Say I stick a very hot stick of tempering metal into the ice-cold water as opposed to room temperature water. Would it crack!?

Hello, I was watching a documentary house repairs. There was one point in the programme where the host explained what happened to the house. The house was used as a marajuana grow ops. And I don't remember what it was called. But the walls of the house walls, especially corners, was infested with these things. That is why the house needed repairs and purging. These guys had like chemicals masks and stuff. Here are my questions: 1. What are those thing growing on the wall!? I know, I know, probably no one else saw the programme here. But in general, if plants are kept indoor at such scale, something will eventually happen to the walls. Such as the trapped moisture and such. 2. If you know what this thing is, is it exclusive to marajuana, or does it affect if other plants are grown indoors too!? The reason I am interested in knowing this is, I plan to grow some tomatoes and peppers indoors (I don't have a garden nor balcony), and I don't want my room to get infested with these things. Please help. Thanks in advance.