The Price of Polygamy In Ethiopia

The Price of Polygamy In Ethiopia:

12 Wives + 78 Children = Trouble

OROMIYA, Ethiopia -- If you were to visit 65-year-old Ayatu Nure and his family at their compound in the Oromiya region of Ethiopia, you would probably find eight of Ayatu's 12 wives harvesting banana roots for dinner, while chasing after their combined 78 children. At first glance, this unlikely family appears carefree -- but a closer look reveals that many of Ayatu's children are hungry, possibly even malnourished. Their main source of food -- banana roots -- doesn't provide much nutrition, but unfortunately this is the only thing Ayatu can afford.

In this remote, densely-populated region of Ethiopia, it is common for men to have multiple wives. In Ayatu's case this tradition has backfired. Years ago, he had enough land and food to satisfy everyone's needs. This changed when Ayatu had to sell land or cattle to make the dowry payment for each new wife he took, usually a sum of between $500 and $1,000. Now, the family compound is almost bare from overgrazing, two of his wives have moved with cattle in search of greener pastures, and two others died from unknown illnesses in the 1990s. The situation is so desperate that Ayatu cannot afford to send his children to secondary school, and he is marrying off two of his 15-year-old daughters to ensure they are fed. Thirteen others are living with their married siblings.

Living with two wives and eight children in a neighbouring town is Ayatu's eldest son, Dagne. Dagne said he and his father made a mistake by taking more than one wife and blames it on a lack of education, "Men and women don't have the knowledge of birth spacing or the desire to seek this information," said Dagne.

Ayatu's family is enormous by any standards. In Ethiopia, having at least five children per mother is the norm. "The population is growing at a rate of 2.7 percent annually, said Dr. Monique Rakotomalala, the Ethiopia representative for UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. With the population of the country now at 73 million, she is concerned. "That means two million new people every year." At this rate, the population could double over the next 24 years, severely stretching existing resources. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Ethiopia's Minister of Health, says the secret is smaller families. "We have to educate our communities and tell them the benefits of smaller families because it will bring a better quality of life to each household."

Ayattu Nure says he regrets having so many children - he cannot remember all their names.

To assist families like Ayatu's, the Government of Ethiopia has launched a network of 29,000 health extension workers to teach both men and women about family planning and provide contraceptives to those who want to delay childbearing. So far, two of Ayatu's wives are using long-term implants. Many women in remote villages opt for this method because of the distance between their homes and health centres. Yet, health extension workers visiting families in this pastoral landscape also face difficulties as they have to walk long distances to reach one household, and sometimes lack sufficient stock to meet the demands of many communities.

Ayatu admits he failed to acknowledge the consequences of having such a large family, and wants to be a role model for young people so they will not make the same mistake. "I wasn't educated," said Ayatua. "Nobody asked me. Nobody told me of the consequences".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygamy

UN world digital library goes live online

http://www.wdl.org/en/

The earliest written works in humanity can now be viewed online thanks to a project supported by UNESCO, the UN educational arm, and the effort of libraries from around the world.

The World Digital Library went live on Tuesday, aiming to provide a one-stop shop for researchers, teachers and schoolchildren seeking to find items on one topic together in one place.

"It brings together cultural heritage that's scattered around the world," said U.S. Librarian of Congress James Billington.

Among the works that can be viewed are a 1562 map of the New World, the first book published in the Philippines (in Spanish and Tagalog), mathematical texts in Arabic, Chinese oracle bones inscribed with writings and the world's first novel, The Tale of Genji, written in Japan in the 11th century.

"These are primary documents of culture," says Billington. "These pieces are one of a kind, or available in just a very few places."

The website has seven languages — Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian.

There are also early photographs, film and audio tracks on the site, created with the help of some 32 libraries and research institutions from 19 countries.

Billington says the site, which currently holds some 1,200 artifacts, will continue to grow as more libraries and institutions join the project.

The site is modelled after the Library of Congress's American Memory project, which now has 11 million history-related items online.

Hostage-takers steal millions from bank

Police won't confirm precise sum stolen

( Updated: Friday, 27 Feb 2009, 9:09 AM CST )

DUBLIN (AP) - Police say a Bank of Ireland employee has stolen millions of euros from his own branch after a gang took his family hostage and threatened to kill them unless he cooperated.

Kidnappings of bank officials' families are common in Ireland but usually involve much smaller cash losses. Police say the banker's family was freed uninjured Friday after he delivered the money.

Police have refused to confirm the precise sum stolen. Irish media are putting it at euro7 million ($9 million).

If confirmed, this would be the second-biggest kidnapping of its kind in Ireland. In 2004, two Northern Bank employees were forced to help a gang take more than 26 million pounds ($50 million) from the bank's central Belfast vault.

Abortion Memorial

Memorial: 50 million pennies for 50 million babies aborted

From the Clarion-Ledger, December 2:

( http://www.lifenews.com/state3676.html )

There's a half million dollars sitting on the corner of Mississippi and President streets [in Jackson, MS], but no one could possibly steal it.

That's because the cash is in the form of pennies - 50 million of them - that collectively weigh 156 tons.

The coins, which fill a glass house on the grounds of the Mississippi Baptist Convention building, provide a visual reminder of the number of abortions performed in the United States since the Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973. [Photo above shows memorial with only 26 million pennies in 2007.]...

"We just needed something to memorialize and help people see the magnitude of abortion over the last several decades," said the Rev. Jimmy Porter, executive director of the Mississippi Baptist Convention's Christian Action Commission.

Called the "Memorial to the Missing," the penny-filled structure is a project of the Mississippi Baptist Convention, which set out more than two years ago to collect one penny for each child who would have been born were it not for legalized abortion.

Now that the convention reached its goal of collecting 50 million pennies, it plans to invest the money in a fund dedicated to anti-abortion causes.

"I think it's been real effective," said the Rev. Clarence Cooper, who was president of the convention when the memorial was erected on Mother's Day weekend in 2006, "especially to those who have taken the time to read the large plaque that is there."

The plaque says the coins not only represent aborted babies but "the difficult process of decision-making, fear and loneliness" involved with abortion. It asks passersby to "stop, pray, consider what we are doing as a nation, ask God to forgive us, seek ways to help those who are struggling with the decision and look to the Lord to restore each of us."

Convention spokesman William Perkins said people often stop at the container to pray and insert their own coins into the structure's penny slot.

"There are a number of stories we've heard about grandparents who walk by and saw it and read the plaque and dug in their pockets and put pennies in the memorial for grandchildren who have been aborted," he said. "It's been an interesting couple of years."

Meanwhile, continued contributions can be made to the Mississippi Baptist Christian Action Commission.

Removing the pennies from the container will be no easy feat.

"It will be interesting to see how that's done," Perkins said. "There's no clear-cut way to do that."

The coins are piled 6 feet deep in the 13-by-7 glass house.

The structure weighs more than 300,000 pounds - or the equivalent of 100 sedans stacked on top of each other.

The container is made of steel and bullet-proof glass and is reinforced by five concrete pilings buried 14 feet into the ground.

The first batch of 20 million pennies were poured into the container when the memorial was dedicated in 2006....

Perkins said the memorial's position facing the MS State Capitol sends a message to legislators that MS Baptists support laws that oppose abortion.

"This is one of the most pro-life states in the country as far as our Legislature goes," he said.

There is only one abortion provider in MS, and the state has some of most restrictive abortion laws in the country....

Rare supercar found in English garage

LONDON – It was the equivalent of finding an old Picasso or an unknown Beatles tape hidden away in your uncle's attic.

Relatives of Dr. Harold Carr found an extremely rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante — a Holy Grail for car collectors — as they were going through his belongings after his death.

The dusty two-seater, unused since 1960, didn't look like much in the garage in Gosforth, near Newcastle in northern England.

But only 17 were ever made, and when it's cleaned up and auctioned in Paris next month, experts believe it will fetch at least 3 million pounds ($4.3 million) and possibly much more.

Bugatti once represented the height of motoring achievement. The supercar was so ahead of its time it could go up to 130 mph (209 kph) when most other cars topped out about 50 mph (80 kph).

This particular car is even more valuable because it was originally owned by Earl Howe, a prominent British race car driver, and because its original equipment is intact, so it can restored without relying on replacement parts.

"It has all the finest attributes any connoisseur collector could ever seek, in one of the ultimate road-going sports cars from the golden era of the 1930s," said James Knight, head of the international motoring department at Bonhams, which will auction the car Feb. 7.

Knight and a small number of Bugatti enthusiasts knew of Carr's proudest possession, but not the eight relatives who inherited Carr's estate.

The orthopedic surgeon, who died at age 89, was described by relatives as an eccentric hoarder who never threw anything out. He also left behind an Aston Martin, which was sold, and a Jaguar sports car that was scrapped because it was in such poor condition.

The Bugatti marque is famed for its speed and handling and was a frequent race winner in the 1920s and 1930s. The 57S Atalante was one of its most successful models, each one made by hand with unique details.

The company founded in 1909 by Ettore Bugatti collapsed in the 1940s after a long string of racing victories.

The rights to the legendary Bugatti name were purchased in 1998 by Volkswagen, which has built the Bugatti Veyron, one of the world's fastest and most expensive cars.

Lady Finger For Sugar (Diabetes) Patients

Please note that another name for Lady Finger is "OKRA ".

Last month in one of TV program I learnt of a treatment of Sugar (Diabetes). Since I am diabetic, I tried it and it was very useful and my sugar is in control now. In fact I have already reduced my medicine.

Take two pieces of Lady Finger and remove/cut both ends of each piece. Also put a small cut in the middle and put these two pieces inglass of water. Cover the glass and keep it at room temperature during night. Early morning, before breakfast simply remove two pieces of Lady Finger from the glass and drink that water.

Keep doing it on daily basis.

Within two weeks, you will see remarkable results in reduction of your SUGAR.

My sister has got rid of her diabetes. She was on Insulin for a fewyears, but after taking the Lady Fingers every morning for a few months, she has stopped Insulin but continues to take the Lady Fingers everyday. But she chops the Lady Fingers into fine pieces in the night, addsthe water and drinks it all up the next morning. Please. try it as itwill not do you any harm even if it does not do much good to you, but you have to keep taking it for a few months before you can see the results, as most cases might be chronic...

UroClub

I have never understood golf courses. They love to send cute chicks around to sell you beer, but if they catch you watering their foliage after you've had 4 or 5 beers, they get their panties all in a twist. As a result, booze loving golfers end up in a jam. You can't pee outside, and you sure as hell can't trek all the way back to the clubhouse to pee inside. Well, the UroClub is here to save the day. The UroClub looks exactly like a 7-iron, but it is hollow and comes with a nice privacy towel. Simply pop the top, attach the towel to your belt, drop your zipper and then get down to business.

The UroClub is intended to eliminate anxiety and any feeling of uneasiness on the course. It can be emptied at the nearest restroom or later on when the golfer returns home.

Capacity: Over half a liter, twice the volume commonly urinated.

Length: Like a standard 7 Iron

Only $49.95.
Order two for only $74.92!!!

To order, call UroClub now at 866-999-4URO; that's 866-999-4876 ...

Or visit:

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