The idea of a man getting pregnant and giving birth is fabulously provocative. It implies some kind of biological miracle. No wonder America has been a little bit obsessed with Thomas Beatie, the “pregnant man,” the guy in the People magazine photos with a hairy belly and a massive baby bump. He represents a challenge to the very basics of human reproduction.

Of course, it’s a little inflammatory to call Beatie “a pregnant man.” The more accurate description would be “a pregnant female-to-male transgender who identifies as a man but whose female reproductive organs are intact,” but that probably wouldn’t sell as many tabloids or draw as many viewers to “Oprah,” “20/20,” or, tonight at 9, the Discovery Channel documentary “Pregnant Man.” When it comes to grabbing eyes, detailed descriptions can be inconvenient.

But in truth, “a pregnant female-to-male transgender who identifies as a man but whose female reproductive organs are intact” is really fascinating in itself. Yes, Beatie is of interest scientifically, to a small extent; he stopped his testosterone treatments and used artificial insemination. No miracles there. But on a social, psychological, legal, and moral level, he is a walking, talking Rorschach. He represents an eye-crossing twist on long-held notions of gender and identity. He’s one of the year’s great tabloid photo ops, for sure; but he’s also one of the year’s great opportunities to think about what makes up a man, a woman, a marriage, a mother, and a father.

As Beatie puts it in the Discovery Health documentary, “Does a penis make a man?” Alas, “Pregnant Man,” does not go very deep at all on such matters. The hour is a cheery newsmagazine-level primer on how Thomas and his wife, Sarah, got pregnant, became famous, and had their daughter, Susan.

There’s plenty of footage of Thomas’s naked belly, naturally; that’s the money shot that doesn’t stop giving. And then we finally see Thomas in the delivery room in labor (”He’s taking it like a man, as they say,” notes one of the documentary crew members.) But why are people so taken by and distraught about the Beaties? What buttons are getting pushed so hard as to inspire hatred and disgust from the likes of Fox News and strangers on the Web? Maybe someday PBS will take that one on.

“Pregnant Man” also doesn’t bother enough with the Beaties’ motivation for going public, staying public, and making money on their baby-making. (By the way, Thomas recently announced he’s pregnant again.) Are the couple sincere about feeling pushed into the limelight? Do they truly struggle to avoid the always poised-to-pounce paparazzi? Inquiring minds want to know.

Even as a toddler, little Brandon Simms liked to dress up in his mother’s lingerie and shoes. He drew pictures of himself with long hair and pink tutus. His mother, Tina, tried to steer him away from the Barbies and dollhouses at the toy store. Tina’s pastor told her to take away Brandon’s girly clothes and toys. A therapist said it was just a phase. But Brandon never grew out of it.

Tina had never heard the term “transgender” until she watched a 20/20 t-v special about a little boy diagnosed with “gender-identity disorder”. The average age of people seeking treatment for the disorder has plummeted in the past four years, raising controversial questions about biology and destiny. Some specialists point to psychological reasons for wanting to be another gender; some say they these kids are biologically trapped in the wrong body. That rift becomes crucial as children approach puberty, and hormonal intervention could forever alter the course of a child’s life.

So, the question becomes: Whose decision is it?

Journalist Hanna Rosin explores the causes and treatments for transgender children in the November issue of The Atlantic Monthly, and she joins us on Word of Mouth to talk about it. Hanna is a journalist whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and other publications. She is the author of God’s Harvard: A Christian College on a Mission to Save America.

After Barbara Walters spilled the beans yesterday to her fellow Viewesses that Thomas Beatie—aka Coney Island’s World Famous Pregnant Man (”$1 Gets A Glimpse At God’s Pickle-Craving Mistake!”)—was heavy with yet another biologically improbable child, the shit really hit the fan. They’ve had 24 hours to absorb the news, however, and today were ready to really tackle the nitty-gritty of this procreative mind-twister. In Part One, above, Walters describes the logistics of F2M sex, which she summarised in six reverberating words that could drain much of the hope-capital amassed in recent weeks: “The testosterone made his clitoris larger.” After the jump, the group tries to figure out how Beatie’s wife ended up lactating when her husband did all the childbearing heavy-lifting. Of course, none of this is virgin territory for Walters, who memorably profiled grade school transgenders—one she sensitively described as “a girl with a dick”—in her legendary 20/20 special, My Secret Self.

How much do you want to bet that all the other hookers and prostitutes roaming the streets in various cities in America are jealous of Ashley Dupre because Eliot Spitzer made a hooker famous? Ashley Dupre is set to be interviewed by Diane Sawyer on 20/20 this coming Friday night. Check your local TV guide for showtimes. It’s obvious this will be huge in the ratings. And this will be quite the interesting interview so I’m definitely going to tune into this.

Expect Ashley Dupre to defend herself, I expect her to clear the air to say that she’s not a prostitute that people make her out to be, she’ll claim that she made a mistake and she’ll explain that she’s trying to move on to positive things in her life. Maybe she’ll explain how she got into this mess with Eliot Spitzer but I doubt she’ll go into detail.

More on it here:

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nyash165929560nov16,0,2175456.story

This is gonna be good!!!

Kev

Note: this blog was in part inspired by Helen G’s blog Pregnant man is pregnant which I did reply to. I did use that reply as a basis for this post. But as usual I had more to say.

I watched the 20/20 episode on Thomas Beatie tonight (thank goodness for DVR) and I have to comment on some of the things that were discussed. First off, I’m glad that the baby does have parents that love and care for this child. I am disturbed by the lack of caring and hatred shown in some of the messages sent to Thomas and his family, wishing death to him and his family. HOW DARE THEY? Why do people insist on judging what they themselves do not understand? At least do your research before you dare to put any judgment on ANYONE.

TO THE ASSHOLE (please excuse my language) who said that God does not make mistakes. Did this asshole ever think that Thomas was put on this earth with the condition that he has, for a purpose? Maybe it was to show the world how diverse the universe really is. There are people born every day with conditions like missing fingers, arms, legs, born with genetic conditions like cleft lips or Down’s Syndrome for example. The list goes on and on. Just because someone is born transgender does not make them any different than anyone else. And it sure as heck does not make them any less human. And until recently (last 20 or so years), people who are transgender had no other options to treat their condition. We have a viable treatment now, so back off. We have the right to treat this condition and we will.

Sorry I got carried away, but all this gets to me at times. I’m pre-op and want to be able to provide for my family and continue to teach my kids what values and dignity really mean. And they will surely not be taught bigotry and hate. I’ve always taught my kids to respect others and treat them as they would want to be treated. I was not allowed to tell my kids until they each were around 15 that I was trans, but it didn’t make a difference. They love and respect me for who I am, not based on appearances, clothes or anything else. And yes, I have their support for my transition. I am so proud of them.

People should be ashamed of themselves to even think about taking Nancy’s parental rights away. They both seem to be a very loving couple and I’LL BET that their child will grow up to be a much better HUMAN than the bigots that have sent them hate mail or messages. If there is a case to take away parental rights, I’d say first look at the bigots out there. After all they are a much BIGGER threat to society than the Beaties. Ok, Nancy had issues conceiving a child and Thomas just happened to still have the right plumbing to conceive a child, so what. They both are the parents and the way I see it, they are doing their best to provide and take care of that child (ok, soon to be children). And another thing, what the heck is this Parent/Parent crap on the birth certificate of their child? Thomas is legally male and Nancy is legally female. What the heck is the issue, WAKE UP OHIO. Gee whiz!!!  [Editor's Note:  Thomas and Nancy Beatie actually live in Oregon.]

I see changes in attitudes everyday and that gives me hope for a brighter future for everyone. But the fact remains that there is a lot of work that still needs to be done to educate people on transgender issues. Sure, in the Beatie’s case, it brings up many issues that not as many people think about on a daily basis, but who’s to say that what they are going through right now, with having a child, will not be an issue with you or I later on down the road of our journey. I think everyone just needs to back off and let them take care of their new family. YES I SAID IT. FAMILY!!! So for me, they have my support and they will always have my support. I hope this family remains blessed and has a great future.

God Bless the Beaties.

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I never saw this before, but I can’t believe I missed it. It’s pretty funny!

Thomas Beatie Tells Barbara Walters About Unique Legal Challenges Faced by Transgender Parents

Thomas Beatie, the transgender man who bore a daughter four months ago, has become the public face of an issue for many other transgender people: having their roles as parents legally recognized.

In an exclusive interview airing tonight on “20/20,” Beatie told Barbara Walters that he is pregnant with his second child.

After the birth of their baby girl, Susan, in June, Thomas Beatie, 34, and his wife, Nancy, 46, of Bend, Ore., found themselves in a legal thicket that serves as a cautionary tale for other transgender families.

Watch “What Is a Man, What Is a Woman? Journey of a Pregnant Man” Friday at 10 p.m. ET

Thomas Beatie is legally male. But as the parent who gave birth, he was listed by the state of Oregon on the birth certificate as the “mother.” His spouse was then listed as their baby’s “father.”

Later, those designations were scrapped by the state for the gender-neutral term “parent,” which is commonly used on the birth certificates of children of same-sex couples. For the Beaties, this was still upsetting.

“In essence, they are invalidating our marriage,” Thomas Beatie said. “It is very upsetting to me. I feel that it’s a flawed document.”

When asked whether he sees himself as Susan’s father or her mother, Thomas Beatie said, “I am my daughter’s father, and that’s all I’ll ever be to her. Nancy is Susan’s mother.

“It just goes to prove that mother and father are social terms,” he said. “You don’t have to be biologically related to your child to be a mother or a father.”

Suzanne Goldberg, who directs the Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic at Columbia University in New York City, sympathizes with the Beaties’ frustrations but says they should not be overly concerned about how they are listed on the birth certificate.

“It’s hard to imagine a birth certificate being used as a basis to challenge a marriage,” Goldberg said.

“What matters is that the adults involved are designated as ‘parent.’ It doesn’t matter legally whether one adult is called ‘mother’ or ‘father.’ Those are social categories. They don’t have legal meaning in this context.”

‘Pregnant Man’: Birth Certificate ‘Flawed’

The potential trouble spot, according to legal experts, is not the wording on the birth certificate but the possibility that Nancy Beatie’s parental rights could be revoked.

As the biological parent, Thomas Beatie has legally secure rights. His wife, on the other hand, is not biologically related to their baby but is granted parental rights by virtue of her marriage to Thomas Beatie.

So if the validity of their marriage were challenged, experts say, Nancy Beatie’s parental rights could be in jeopardy.

“There is litigation in other states over whether their marriage would be recognized,” said Nancy Polikoff, a law professor at American University in Washington, D.C.

Polikoff envisioned a scenario in which the Beaties moved to a state that refuses to recognize Thomas Beatie’s legal sex change in Hawaii. If that happens, his marriage would be revoked as an illegal same-sex marriage and Nancy Beatie’s parental status could be questioned.

That would be a nightmare for the Beaties.

“Oh, I think we’re very worried,” Nancy Beatie said. “We’re both very worried.”

Said Thomas Beatie: “If something were to happen to me, I want to make sure that Nancy has custody over her daughter.”

In 2002, when he was already in a relationship with Nancy, Thomas Beatie had sex reassignment surgery to remove his breasts. With a letter from a doctor certifying his psychological testing and irreversible surgery, Thomas Beatie was allowed to legally change his birth certificate from female to male and his name from Tracy to Thomas in the state of Hawaii. The couple married in 2003 and he became pregnant after his wife inseminated him with sperm purchased on the Internet and a syringe purchased at a pet store. The couple were rejected by nine doctors when they sought artificial insemination. Susan was born June 29.

In order to secure Nancy Beatie’s parental rights, lawyers advise the Beaties to do what many same-sex couples with children do — have Nancy Beatie, as the nonbiological parent, adopt their baby.

“When there is a slight question whether the marriage will be upheld by a court if it’s challenged, the nonbiological parent will take the step of adopting the child, not because it’s always necessary but just to make absolutely sure that the parent-child relationship is legally protected,” Columbia’s Goldberg said.

Polikoff of American University said, “Adoption will guarantee recognition in all states.”

The Beaties agree that adoption would protect them, but they don’t want to do that as a matter of principle. They see themselves as a legally married heterosexual couple. They note that they file taxes jointly as husband and wife.

“We shouldn’t have to adopt our own daughter,” Thomas Beatie said.

The Beaties are seeking legal representation to pursue a change in the birth certificate.

“I feel that it’s a flawed document,” he said. “We’d like to see this process remedied for the next child, for the next pregnant man.”

The Axiom Of Respect

Individuals Demonstrate Valid Behavior

By Treating Themselves And Others

Respectfully And Respecting

Only Those Who Earn It

Tonight at 10 p.m. ET, Barbara Walters’ interview with Thomas Beatie, the “controversial ‘pregnant man’” who is currently expecting his second child, will air on the 20/20 special “What Is a Man, What Is a Woman? Journey of a Pregnant Man.” (”Barbara Walters Exclusive: Pregnant Man Expecting Second Child“) This will be Beatie’s first interview since giving birth just four and a half months ago (June 29, 2008) to his first child, a daughter named Susan.

Beatie’s first pregnancy provoked an array of differing emotions and reactions worldwide, with responses ranging from “death threats, and thousands of hateful comments” to “letters and gifts from all around the world, from gays, lesbians, mainstream American and beyond.” Closer to home, he and his wife, Nancy, “found acceptance among their Oregon neighbors who threw a baby shower for [him] a few weeks before his due date.” Now, his second pregnancy seems to be getting equal, if not more, interest, and all that we ask is for you to please take a moment to look at the entire situation rationally before forming your opinion of the Beaties:

“Thomas Beatie was born Tracy and grew up in Hawaii. A beautiful young girl, Thomas Beatie says he never felt particularly feminine growing up. ‘I felt rough and tumbly. I didn’t like frilly stuff. [. . .] Back then I did not see an attractive young girl. Putting on makeup, I felt like I was putting on a costume.’”

“In 1998, Thomas Beatie decided to change genders. Psychological testing confirmed that he identified with being a male and he began to medically transform his body.” After surgery, he “was legally allowed to change his birth certificate from female to male and his name from Tracy to Thomas.”

“In 2003, Thomas and Nancy Beatie were legally married, and like many couples, they decided to start a family. The couple wanted to have a biological link to their child, but Nancy Beatie had a hysterectomy. The couple did not want to hire a surrogate to carry Thomas Beatie’s harvested eggs, feeling no surrogate could be as conscientious as he.”

After great lengths, the couple finally became pregnant. Interestingly, Beatie “says that pregnancy did not make him feel more like a woman. ‘I did not feel maternal or motherly or womanly and pregnant. I felt like Nancy’s husband, and I felt like the father of my child.’”

Admittedly, for many in our society, this all sounds a bit over the top, but regardless of how individuals feel on a personal level about Beatie’s decision to bear children, abiding by Magna Sententia means treating him (and his wife and children) respectfully, just as we treat everyone else. Doing so may be challenging for some; however, we hope to aid in this process by providing some understanding about Beatie’s transsexual history and what that means.

As mentioned in “Diane Schroer: Congratulations On Your Contribution To Transgender Rights!” and “Parents Do Not Need To Fear Foxboro Elementary Music Teacher For Being Transgender,” being transsexual is not about sexual activity or sexual orientation. Rather, transsexualism is a medical condition in which the physical sex of a person’s body does not match the gender of his or her brain. Beatie did not choose to be transsexual: Transsexuals are born transsexuals. It doesn’t make any sense to mistreat or hate transsexuals for something they did not choose and cannot control.

At the same time, it is our hope that the Beaties conduct themselves in an exemplary fashion in all areas of their lives, from the way in which they present themselves and their situation to the public to how they raise their children. Due to the overwhelming attention his pregnancies are receiving, Beatie bears a great responsibility to the transgender community, as his actions will reflect on them as a whole. Unfortunately, this is a community within our country that is terribly misunderstood, and the “gradual acceptance” that they have worked so hard for and justly deserve can easily be marred by Beatie and his choices.

As Americans, we must treat all of our citizens respectfully as we work to understand those who are different from us: It is our duty, our privilege, and a course that unites our country and makes it stronger.

Anna and Ellie Sherise
Creators of The Magna Sententia Weblog
Authors of Magna Sententia: The Logical Cure for Our Society

A Global Intelligence Briefing For CEOs
by Herbert Meyer

Four Major Transformations

Currently, there are four major transformations that are shaping political, economic and world events.  These transformations have profound implications for American business owners, our culture and our way of life.

1. The War in Iraq

There are three major monotheistic religions in the world: Christianity, Judaism and Islam.  In the 16th century, Judaism and Christianity reconciled with the modern world.  The rabbis, priests and scholars found a way to settle up and pave the way forward.  Religion remained at the center of life, church and state became separate.  Rule of law, idea of economic liberty, individual rights, human rights - all these are defining points of modern Western civilization.  These concepts started with the Greeks but didn’t take off until the 15th and 16th century when Judaism and Christianity found a way to reconcile with the modern world. When that happened, it unleashed the scientific revolution and the greatest outpouring of art, literature and music the world has ever known.

Islam, which developed in the 7th century, counts millions of Moslems around the world who are normal people.  However, there is a radical streak within Islam.  When the radicals are in charge, Islam attacks Western civilization.  Islam first attacked Western civilization in the 7th century, and later in the 16th and 17th centuries.  By 1683, the Moslems (Turks from the Ottoman Empire) were literally at the gates of Vienna.  It was in Vienna that the climatic battle between Islam and Western civilization took place.  The West won and went forward.  Islam lost and went backward.  Interestingly, the date of that battle was September 11.  Since then, Islam has not found a way to reconcile with the modern world.

Today, terrorism is the third attack on Western civilization by radical Islam.  To deal with terrorism, the U.S. is doing two things.  First, units of our armed forces are in 30 countries around the world hunting down terrorist groups and dealing with them. This gets very little publicity.  Second we are taking military action in Afghanistan and Iraq.  These are covered relentlessly by the media.  People can argue about whether the war in Iraq is right or wrong.  However, the underlying strategy behind the war is to use our military to remove the radicals from power and give the moderates a chance.  Our hope is that, over time, the moderates will find a way to bring Islam forward into the 21st century.  That’s what our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan is all about.

The lesson of 9/11 is that we live in a world where a small number of people can kill a large number of people very quickly.  They can use airplanes, bombs, anthrax, chemical weapons or dirty bombs.  Even with a first-rate intelligence service (which the U.S. does not have), you can’t stop every attack.  That means our tolerance for political horseplay has dropped to zero.  No longer will we play games with terrorists or weapons of mass destructions.

Most of the instability and horseplay is coming from the Middle East.  That’s why we have thought that if we could knock out the radicals and give the moderates a chance to hold power, they might find a way to reconcile Islam with the modern world. So when looking at Afghanistan or Iraq, it’s important to look for any signs that they are modernizing.  For example, women being brought into the workforce and colleges in Afghanistan is good.  The Iraqis stumbling toward a constitution is good.  People can argue about what the U.S. is doing and how we’re doing it, but anything that suggests Islam is finding its way forward is good.

The Great Game Continues
Separatist Billboards
In Pakistan, A CIA-Picked Setup, Almost!
Sleeping With the Enemy
CIA’s War Against Pakistan Gets Into High Gear!
The Suicide Anatomy - Must Read!
The Plan To Topple Pakistan Military
They’re Not Interested In Our Bad Guys

2.  The Emergence of China

In the last 20 years, China has moved 250 million people from the farms and villages into the cities. Their plan is to move another 300 million in the next 20 years.  When you put that many people into the cities, you have to find work for them.  That’s why China is addicted to manufacturing; they have to put all the relocated people to work.  When we decide to manufacture something in the U.S., it’s based on market needs and the opportunity to make a profit. In China, they make the decision because they want the jobs, which is a very different calculation.

While China is addicted to manufacturing, Americans are addicted to low prices.  As a result, a unique kind of economic codependency has developed between the two countries.  If we ever stop buying from China, they will explode politically.  If China stops selling to us, our economy will take a huge hit because prices will jump.  We are subsidizing their economic development, they are subsidizing our economic growth.

Because of their huge growth in manufacturing, China is hungry for raw materials, which drives prices up worldwide.  China is also thirsty for oil, which is one reason oil is now at $60 a barrel.  By 2020, China will produce more cars than the U.S.  China is also buying its way into the oil infrastructure around the world.  They are doing it in the open market and paying fair market prices, but millions of barrels of oil that would have gone to the U.S. are now going to China.  China’s quest to assure it has the oil it needs to fuel its economy is a major factor in world politics and economics.  We have our Navy fleets protecting the sea lines, specifically the ability to get the tankers through.  It won’t be long before the Chinese have an aircraft carrier sitting in the Persian Gulf as well.  The question is, will their aircraft carrier be pointing in the same direction as ours or against us?

3. Shifting Demographics of Western Civilization

Most countries in the Western world have stopped breeding.  For a civilization obsessed with sex, this is remarkable.  Maintaining a steady population requires a birth rate of 2.1.  In Western Europe, the birth rate currently stands at 1.5, or 30 percent below replacement.  In 30 years there will be 70 to 80 million fewer Europeans than there are today.  The current birth rate in Germany is 1.3.  Italy and Spain are even lower at 1.2.  At that rate, the working age population declines by 30 percent in 20 years, which has a huge impact on the economy.

When you don’t have young workers to replace the older ones, you have to import them.  The European countries are currently importing Moslems.  Today, the Moslems comprise 10 percent of France and Germany, and the percentage is rising rapidly because they have higher birthrates.  However, the Moslem populations are not being integrated into the cultures of their host countries, which is a political catastrophe.  One reason Germany and France don’t support the Iraq war is they fear their Moslem populations will explode on them.  By 2020, more than half of all births in the Netherlands will be non-European.

The huge design flaw in the post-modern secular state is that you need a traditional religious society birth rate to sustain it.  The Europeans simply don’t wish to have children, so they are dying.

In Japan, the birthrate is 1.3.  As a result, Japan will lose up to 60 million people over the next 30 years. Because Japan has a very different society than Europe, they refuse to import workers.  Instead, they are just shutting down.  Japan has already closed 2000 schools, and is closing them down at the rate of 300 per year.  Japan is also aging very rapidly.  By 2020, one out of every five Japanese will be at least 70 years old.  Nobody has any idea about how to run an economy with those demographics.

Europe and Japan, which comprise two of the world’s major economic engines, aren’t merely in recession, they’re shutting down.  This will have a huge impact on the world economy, and it is already beginning to happen.  Why are the birthrates so low?  There is a direct correlation between abandonment of traditional religious society and a drop in birth rate, and Christianity in Europe is becoming irrelevant.  The second reason is economic. When the birth rate drops below replacement, the population ages.  With fewer working people to support more retired people, it puts a crushing tax burden on the smaller group of working age people.  As a result, young people delay marriage and having a family.  Once this trend starts, the downward spiral only gets worse.  These countries have abandoned all the traditions they formerly held in regards to having families and raising children.

The U.S. birth rate is 2.0, just below replacement.  We have an increase in population because of immigration.  When broken down by ethnicity, the Anglo birth rate is 1.6 (same as France) while the Hispanic birth rate is 2.7.  In the U.S., the baby boomers are starting to retire in massive numbers.  This will push the ‘elder dependency’ ratio from 19 to 38 over the next 10 to 15 years.  This is not as bad as Europe, but still represents the same kind of trend.

Western civilization seems to have forgotten what every primitive society understands you need kids to have a healthy society.  Children are huge consumers.  Then they grow up to become taxpayers.  That’s how a society works, but the post-modern secular state seems to have forgotten that.  If U.S. birth rates of the past 20 to 30 years had been the same as post-World War II, there would be no Social Security or Medicare problems.

The world’s most effective birth control device is money.  As society creates a middle class and women move into the workforce, birth rates drop.  Having large families is incompatible with middle class living.  The quickest way to drop the birth rate is through rapid economic development.  After World War II, the U.S. instituted a $600 tax credit per child. The idea was to enable mom and dad to have four children without being troubled by taxes.  This led to a baby boom of 22 million kids, which was a huge consumer market that turned into a huge tax base.  However, to match that incentive in today’s dollars would cost $12,000 per child.

China and India do not have declining populations.  However, in both countries, there is a preference for boys over girls, and we now have the technology to know which is which before they are born.  In China and India, many families are aborting the girls.  As a result, in each of these countries there are 70 million boys growing up who will never find wives.  When left alone, nature produces 103 boys for every 100 girls.  In some provinces, however, the ratio is 128 boys to every 100 girls.

The birth rate in Russia is so low that by 2050 their population will be smaller than that of Yemen.  Russia has one-sixth of the earth’s land surface and much of its oil.  You can’t control that much area with such a small population.  Immediately to the south, you have China with 70 million unmarried men - a real potential nightmare scenario for Russia.

4.  Restructuring of American Business

The fourth major transformation involves a fundamental restructuring of American business.  Today’s business environment is very complex and competitive.  To succeed, you have to be the best, which means having the highest quality and lowest cost.  Whatever your price point, you must have the best quality and lowest price.  To be the best, you have to concentrate on one thing.  You can’t be all things to all people and be the best.

A generation ago, IBM used to make every part of their computer.  Now Intel makes the chips, Microsoft makes the software, and someone else makes the modems, hard drives, monitors, etc.  IBM even outsources their call center.  Because IBM has all these companies supplying goods and services cheaper and better than they could do it themselves, they can make a better computer at a lower cost.  This is called a ‘fracturing’ of business.  When one company can make a better product by relying on others to perform functions the business used to do itself, it creates a complex pyramid of companies that serve and support each other.

This fracturing of American business is now in its second generation.  The companies who supply IBM are now doing the same thing- outsourcing many of their core services and production process.  As a result, they can make cheaper, better products.  Over time, this pyramid continues to get bigger and bigger.  Just when you think it can’t fracture again, it does.  Even very small businesses can have a large pyramid of corporate entities that perform many of its important functions.  One aspect of this trend is that companies end up with fewer employees and more independent contractors.

This trend has also created two new words in business: integrator and complementor.  At the top of the pyramid, IBM is the integrator.  As you go down the pyramid, Microsoft, Intel and the other companies that support IBM are the complementors.  However, each of the complementors is itself an integrator for the complementors underneath it.  This has several implications, the first of which is that we are now getting false readings on the economy.  People who used to be employees are now independent contractors launching their own businesses.  There are many people working whose work is not listed as a job.  As a result, the economy is perking along better than the numbers are telling us.

Outsourcing also confused the numbers.  Suppose a company like General Motors decides to outsource all its employee cafeteria functions to Marriott (which it did).  It lays off hundreds of cafeteria workers, who then get hired right back by Marriott.  The only thing that has changed is that these people work for Marriott rather than GM.  Yet, the headlines will scream that America has lost more manufacturing jobs.  All that really happened is that these workers are now reclassified as service workers.  So the old way of counting jobs contributes to false economic readings.   As yet, we haven’t figured out how to make the numbers catch up with the changing realities of the business world.

Another implication of this massive restructuring is that because companies are getting rid of units and people that used to work for them, the entity is smaller.  As the companies+ get smaller and more efficient, revenues are going down but profits are going up.  As a result, the old notion that ‘revenues are up and we’re doing great’ isn’t always the case anymore.  Companies are getting smaller but are becoming more efficient and profitable in the process.

Implications Of The Four Transformations

1. The War in Iraq

In some ways, the war is going very well.  Afghanistan and Iraq have the beginnings of a modern government, which is a huge step forward.  The Saudis are starting to talk about some good things, while Egypt and Lebanon are beginning to move in a good direction.

A series of revolutions have taken place in countries like Ukraine and Georgia.  There will be more of these revolutions for an interesting reason.  In every revolution, there comes a point where the dictator turns to the general and says, ‘Fire into the crowd.’  If the general fires into the crowd, it stops the revolution.  If the general says ‘No,’ the revolution is over.  Increasingly, the generals are saying ‘No’ because their kids are in the crowd.

Thanks to TV and the Internet, the average 18-year old outside the U.S. is very savvy about what is going on in the world, especially in terms of popular culture.  There is a huge global consciousness, and young people around the world want to be a part of it.  It is increasingly apparent to them that the miserable government where they live is the only thing standing in their way.  More and more, it is the well-educated kids, the children of the generals and the elite, who are leading the revolutions.

At the same time, not all is well with the war.  The level of violence in Iraq is much worse and doesn’t appear to be improving.  It’s possible that we’re asking too much of Islam all at one time.  We’re trying to jolt them from the 7th century to the 21st century all at once, which may be further than they can go.  They might make it and they might not.  Nobody knows for sure.  The point is, we don’t know how the war will turn out.  Anyone who says they know is just guessing.

The real place to watch is Iran.  If they actually obtain nuclear weapons it will be a terrible situation.  There are two ways to deal with it.  The first is a military strike, which will be very difficult.  The Iranians have dispersed their nuclear development facilities and put them underground.  The U.S. has nuclear weapons that can go under the earth and take out those facilities, but we don’t want to do that. The other way is to separate the radical mullahs from the government, which is the most likely course of action.

Seventy percent of the Iranian population is under 30.  They are Moslem but not Arab.  They are mostly pro-Western.  Many experts think the U.S. should have dealt with Iran before going to war with Iraq.  The problem isn’t so much the weapons, it’s the people who control them.  If Iran has a moderate government, the weapons become less of a concern.

We don’t know if we will win the war in Iraq.  We could lose or win.  What we’re looking for is any indicator that Islam is moving into the 21st century and stabilizing.

2.  China

It may be that pushing 500 million people from farms and villages into cities is too much too soon.  Although it gets almost no publicity, China is experiencing hundreds of demonstrations around the country, which is unprecedented. These are not students in Tiananmen Square.  These are average citizens who are angry with the government for building chemical plants and polluting the water they drink and the air they breathe.

The Chinese are a smart and industrious people.  They may be able to pull it off and become a very successful economic and military superpower.  If so, we will have to learn to live with it.  If they want to share the responsibility of keeping the world’s oil lanes open, that’s a good thing.  They currently have eight new nuclear electric power generators under way and 45 on the books to build.  Soon, they will leave the U.S. way behind in their ability to generate nuclear power.

What can go wrong with China?  For one, you can’t move 550 million people into the cities without major problems.   Two, China really wants Taiwan- not so much for economic reasons, they just want it.  The Chinese know that their system of communism can’t survive much longer in the 21st century.  The last thing they want to do before they morph into some sort of more capitalistic government is to take over Taiwan.

We may wake up one morning and find they have launched an attack on Taiwan.  If so, it will be a mess, both economically and militarily.  The U.S. has committed to the military defense of Taiwan.  If China attacks Taiwan, will we really go to war against them?  If the Chinese generals believe the answer is no, they may attack.  If we don’t defend Taiwan, every treaty the U.S. has will be worthless.  Hopefully, China won’t do anything stupid.

3.  Demographics

Europe and Japan are dying because their populations are aging and shrinking.  These trends can be reversed if the young people start breeding.  However, the birth rates in these areas are so low it will take two generations to turn things around.  No economic model exists that permits 50 years to turn things around.  Some countries are beginning to offer incentives for people to have bigger families.  For example, Italy is offering tax breaks for having children.  However, it’s a lifestyle issue versus a tiny amount of money.  Europeans aren’t willing to give up their comfortable lifestyles in order to have more children.

In general, everyone in Europe just wants it to last a while longer.  Europeans have a real talent for living.  They don’t want to work very hard.  The average European worker gets 400 more hours of vacation time per year than Americans.  They don’t want to work and they don’t want to make any of the changes needed to revive their economies.

The summer after 9/11, France lost 15,000 people in a heat wave.  In August, the country basically shuts down when everyone goes on vacation.  That year, a severe heat wave struck and 15,000 elderly people living in nursing homes and hospitals died.  Their children didn’t even leave the beaches to come back and take care of the bodies.   Institutions had to scramble to find enough refrigeration units to hold the bodies until people came to claim them.

This loss of life was five times bigger than 9/11 in America, yet it didn’t trigger any change in French society.  When birth rates are so low, it creates a tremendous tax burden on the young.  Under those circumstances, keeping mom and dad alive is not an attractive option.  That’s why euthanasia is becoming so popular in most European countries.  The only country that doesn’t permit (and even encourage) euthanasia is Germany, because of all the baggage from World War II.

The European economy is beginning to fracture.  The Euro is down.  Countries like Italy are starting to talk about pulling out of the European Union because it is killing them.  When things get bad economically in Europe, they tend to get very nasty politically.  The canary in the mine is anti-Semitism.  When it goes up, it means trouble is coming.  Current levels of anti-Semitism are higher than ever.  Germany won’t launch another war, but Europe will likely get shabbier, more dangerous and less pleasant to live in.

Japan has a birth rate of 1.3 and has no intention of bringing in immigrants.  By 2020, one out of every five Japanese will be 70 years old.  Property values in Japan have dropped every year for the past 14 years.  The country is simply shutting down.

In the U.S. we also have an aging population.  Boomers are starting to retire at a massive rate.  These retirements will have several major impacts:

• Possible massive sell-off of large four-bedroom houses and a movement to condos.
• An enormous drain on the treasury.  Boomers vote, and they want their benefits, even if it means putting a crushing tax burden on their kids to get them.  Social Security will be a huge problem.  As this generation ages, it will start to drain the system.  We are the only country in the world where there are no age limits on medical procedures.
• An enormous drain on the health care system.  This will also increase the tax burden on the young, which will cause them to delay marriage and having families, which will drive down the birth rate even further.

Although scary, these demographics also present enormous opportunities for products and services tailored to aging populations.  There will be tremendous demand for caring for older people, especially those who don’t need nursing homes but need some level of care.  Some people will have a business where they take care of three or four people in their homes.  The demand for that type of service and for products to physically care for aging people will be huge.

Make sure the demographics of your business are attuned to where the action is.  For example, you don’t want to be a baby food company in Europe or Japan.  Demographics are much underrated as an indicator of where the opportunities are.  Businesses need customers.  Go where the customers are.

4.  Restructuring of American Business

The restructuring of American business means we are coming to the end of the age of the employer and employee.  With all this fracturing of businesses into different and smaller units, employers can’t guarantee jobs anymore because they don’t know what their companies will look like next year.  Everyone is on their way to becoming an independent contractor.  The new workforce contract will be, ‘Show up at the my office five days a week and do what I want you to do, but you handle your own insurance, benefits, health care and everything else.’

Husbands and wives are becoming economic units.  They take different jobs and work different shifts depending on where they are in their careers and families.  They make tradeoffs to put together a compensation package to take care of the family.  This used to happen only with highly educated professionals with high incomes.  Now it is happening at the level of the factory floor worker.  Couples at all levels are designing their compensation packages based on their individual needs.  The only way this can work is if everything is portable and flexible, which requires a huge shift in the American economy.

The U.S. is in the process of building the world’s first 21st century model economy.  The only other countries doing this are U.K. and Australia.  The model is fast, flexible, highly productive and unstable in that it is always fracturing and re-fracturing.  This will increase the economic gap between the U.S. and everybody else, especially Europe and Japan .

At the same time, the military gap is increasing.  Other than China, we are the only country that is continuing to put money into their military.  Plus, we are the only military getting on-the-ground military experience through our war in Iraq.  We know which high-tech weapons are working and which ones aren’t.  There is almost no one who can take us on economically or militarily.  There has never been a superpower in this position before.

On the one hand, this makes the U.S. a magnet for bright and ambitious people.  It also makes us a target.  We are becoming one of the last holdouts of the traditional Judeo-Christian culture.  There is no better place in the world to be in business and raise children.  The U.S. is by far the best place to have an idea, form a business and put it into the marketplace.  We take it for granted, but it isn’t as available in other countries of the world.

Ultimately, it’s an issue of culture.  The only people who can hurt us are ourselves, by losing our culture.  If we give up our Judeo-Christian culture, we become just like the Europeans.  The culture war is the whole ballgame.  If we lose it, there isn’t another America to pull us out.

Herbert Meyer served during the Reagan administration as special assistant to the Director of Central Intelligence and Vice Chairman of the CIA’s National Intelligence Council.  In these positions, he managed production of the U.S. National Intelligence Estimates and other top-secret projections for the President and his national security advisers.  Meyer is widely credited with being the first senior U.S. Government official to forecast the Soviet Union’s collapse, for which he later was awarded the U.S. National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, the intelligence community’s highest honor.  Formerly an associate editor of FORTUNE, he is alsothe author of several books.

Also See:

The Great Game Continues
Separatist Billboards
In Pakistan, A CIA-Picked Setup, Almost!
Sleeping With the Enemy
CIA’s War Against Pakistan Gets Into High Gear!
The Suicide Anatomy - Must Read!
The Plan To Topple Pakistan Military
They’re Not Interested In Our Bad Guys
Video: Newly discovered footage of Building Seven and North Tower collapse
Video: 9/11 Total Proof That Bombs Were Planted In The Buildings!
4 Questions Can Unravel 9/11 And Expose America’s Plan For Pakistan

Future of Technology라는 제목의 유투브 동영상을 보았다. 어느정도 짐작은 했지만 숫자로 말해주는 미래는 정말 나의 입이 쩍벌어지게 만들었다.

IMF때도 잘 체감하지 못했던 경제 침체를 요즘들어 느끼고 있지만 또 다시 좋은 날이 올꺼라는 기대를 갖고 오늘은  Future of 00에 관해 보면서 창창할 인간의 앞날을 꿈꿔보았다.

예전에 휴대폰에 관한 동영상 은 본 적이 있으니 이번에는 가장먼저 Future Computer이다.

이제 데스크탑->노트북-> 초경량 노트북->펜 의 시대가 올것인가. 겉으로 보기에는 정말 평범한 펜하나가 컴퓨터가 된다니 신기했다. 손목시계에 데이터를 save한다는 발상에서 조금 웃었지만.

Future cars

놀라지 마시라. 너무 투박해서 미래의 차가 맞나 의심했다면 마지막에 엄청난 반전이. 갖고싶은 차이다.

정말 미래의 main contents는 minimum, flexible, simple 이 세가지가 중요할 것 같다.

초등학교때 만화영화에서 감명깊게 본 장면. 바로 하늘을 나는 차! flying car is just around the corner!

Future Weapons

Top 10 weapons인데 다른 동영상을 봐도 다 이 남자가 나온다. 무기 없는게 가장 이상적일 것 같지만 사실 무기는 가장 빠르고, 효과적으로 경제성장을 이룰수 있는 수단이 아닐까…

I could care less about the fact that this dude can give birth (well, maybe that’s not entirely true), but he does need to slow his roll just a bit. Having a baby in June of 2008 and then having another in June of 2009 is a bit much. I can’t keep up with which baby he’s talking about in the upcoming Barbara Walter’s special- the segment runs on 20/20 Friday, November 14th.

Maybe my next business idea will be to design maternity ware for men b/c someone needs to help this guy out! No one is exempt when they run around looking like the unibomber.

Europa geht den Energiefressern verstärkt an den Kragen. Die EU-Kommission will künftig Häuser und Autoreifen so in Energieklassen einstufen, wie man es heute zum Besipiel von Kühlschränken kennt. Und für Elektrogeräte werden die Grenzwerte strenger.

Mittelfristig will die Europäische Kommission die bestehenden Regeln für die Einstufung des Stromverbrauchs von Kühlschränken, Fernsehern, Waschmaschinen und anderen Haushaltsgeräten verschärfen. Die neuen Pläne sollen helfen, die geplante Senkung des europäischen Energieverbrauchs um 20 Prozent bis zum Jahr 2020 trotz absehbarer Probleme noch zu erreichen.
Energieverbrauch sinkt zu wenig
“Wir schöpfen die Möglichkeiten des Energiesparens nicht aus”, stellte die Kommission fest. Eine erste Bewertung der bisherigen Sparansätze habe gezeigt, “dass die EU und die Mitgliedstaaten nicht gut genug abschneiden”. Selbst wenn alle bisher beschlossenen EU- Maßnahmen von allen 27 Mitgliedstaaten korrekt umgesetzt würden, sinke der Energieverbrauch nur um 13 Prozent. Das reiche bei weitem nicht, betonte die ausführende EU-Behörde: “Deshalb schlägt die Kommission vor, das Handeln zu verstärken.”
40 Prozent des europäischen Energieverbrauchs gehen nach Brüsseler Angaben auf Wohn- und Bürogebäude zurück. Davon ließen sich 30 Prozent kostengünstig einsparen. Anhand mehrerer Beispiele für ältere Häuser rechnete die Kommission vor, dass dies zum Nutzen von Hausbesitzern und Bewohnern sei. Brüssel will Energie-Zertifikate für Gebäude einführen, um das Bewusstsein dafür zu stärken. Außerdem sollen regelmäßige Kontrollen von Heizkesseln und Klimaanlagen EU- weit vorgeschrieben werden.
Heute noch “A” - morgen nur noch “E”
Die erfolgreiche Einstufung von Haushaltsgeräten in mehr oder weniger sparsame Apparate soll auf kommerziell genutzte Modelle übertragen werden. Auch der Stromverbrauch von Kühltruhen für Supermärkte oder Waschmaschinen für Großreinigungen wäre so leichter vergleichbar. Unabhängig davon arbeitet die Kommission an strengeren Einstufungsregeln. Ein Geschirrspüler, der jetzt als “A” eingestuft ist, könnte künftig nur noch “D” oder “E” sein. Das soll einen neuen Anreiz zur Entwicklung sparsamerer Geräte geben.
Ein ähnliches Stufensystem schlägt die Brüsseler Behörde für Autoreifen vor. Ein Reifen der geplanten Kategorie “A” spare neun Prozent Sprit verglichen mit einem Pneu der Gruppe “F”, argumentieren EU-Experten. Das System solle auch für Lastwagenreifen gelten. Runderneuerte Reifen würden wegen der teuren Tests aber ausgenommen, obwohl sie bei Lastwagen etwa die Hälfte des Marktes ausmachten

Quelle: http://www.heute.de/ZDFheute/inhalt/0/0,3672,7410016,00.html

The ABC newsmagazine 20/20 is ready to explore the pregnancy of Thomas Beatie – the world’s first transgender man to give birth – in a new Barbara Walters special to air on Friday.

Beatie’s spring announcement in gay monthly The Advocate drew controversy and stirred emotions about Beatie’s claimed masculinity. He defended his right to have a child on The Oprah Winfrey Show saying: “I feel it’s not a male or female desire to have a child. It’s a human need. I’m a person and I have the right to have a biological child.”

Born Tracy Lagondino, a former Miss Hawaii Teen USA beauty pageant finalist, Tracy transgendered to Thomas in his early twenties. He confessed on The Oprah Winfrey Show that his childhood was troubled.

Beatie legally married his wife Nancy in 2003, a mother of two divorcee. He decided to get pregnant after learning that Nancy was unable to bear another child due to a hysterectomy. Beatie had retained his reproductive sexual organs when he transgendered to a man.

The couple became pregnant through artificial insemination and gave birth to a healthy baby girl at an Oregon hospital on June 29th.

The interview is the first Beatie and his wife have given since the birth of their daughter, Susan. The hour-long report promises an exclusive inside look at the Beatie family household and footage from inside the hospital during Susan’s birth.

In addition to the Walters prime-time special, a documentary and book on the life of Thomas Beatie are also in the works.

UK based Sundance Films announced in July plans to produce the documentary titled Pregnant Man. While plans to distribute the film in the U.S. remain uncertain, BBC’s Channel 4 has already purchased the British rights.

And Beatie’s own memoir Labor of Love: The Story of One Man’s Extraordinary Pregnancy arrived last week.

Nytt miljöprogram i svt.

Anders Nord - 2020 svt.se

Avsnitt 1 av 8. Energi. I premiärprogrammet besöker programledaren Anders Nord den tyska familjen Stolp som bor i ett energisnålt hus och är självförsörjande på energi. Med solfångare och solpaneler producerar de både den el och den värme de behöver. Debattören Johan Ehrenberg (vd för EGEN-EL - swishwish kommentar) är en av dem som tycker att fler borde göra så. Kan det bli en folkrörelse att producera sin egen el? I programserien 2020 söker programledaren Anders Nord upp människor som har en idé om hur vi ska bära oss åt för att klara utmaningar som klimatförändringarna, utfiskning och övergödning. Anders besöker visionärer och experter inom olika områden och frågar hur det borde se ut år 2020.

Kolla programmet på webben http://svt.se/svt/play/video.jsp?a=1308080

PS: De kommer hit till Solgården för att intervjua Stefan på onsdag denna veckan, hoppas det går bra, och jag håller tummarna för en liten solglimt också.

Last spring, the stunning announcement that Thomas Beatie, a transgender man, was pregnant sparked controversy and questions about traditional notions of what is a man and what is a woman.

In their first interview since the birth of their daughter Susan this past summer, Beatie and his wife Nancy speak candidly to Barbara Walters. Find out about the childbirth experience and how they’re raising their daughter in a non-conventional family, and what the future holds for them on “What Is a Man, What Is a Woman? Journey of a Pregnant Man” Friday on “20/20″ at 10 p.m. ET.

Vi ar fortfarande i Barcelona, och de blir bara battre och battre. Jag borjar varkligen bli foralskad i denna staden. I kulturen, de underbara byggnaderna ovarllt, de ar kalas. De flesta manniskor ar trevliga och vänliga, Carmen sager att de ar for att jag ar blond som de ar de. Men jag har sett en massa blonda manniskor har, och jag tror inte att alla ar turister.

Idag var vi pa besok i en spansk hogstadieskola, de var trevligt, de var en valdigt specellt byggd skola, for den var byggt pa ett berg. Sa de var trappor overallt, upp ner, hit och dit. Ganska sa coolt, jag tog en del bilder pà de. Elevernas engelska sog forovrigt, for att vara 16ar gamla. Sa saker som “Hello, what’s name” (Hej, vad är namn) sa de var valdigt konstigt, men okej…

Vi var ocksà och besokte Segrada Famìlia idag. Och den kyrkan var helt fantastisk. Den borjade byggas 1882 och de tror att den kommer vara fardig byggd 2020. Sa de ar en massa ar som har gatt, och den ar fortfarande inte klar. De ar helt otroligt. Och den ar fantastiskt vacker, mycket vackrare i varkligheten.

——————–

We are still in Barcelona, and it’s just getting better and better. Really in love with this city now. There is culture and lovely buildings everywhere, that is great. Most people are nice, Carmen says it because i’m blond. But i dont think so, there are many blond people here, and i dont think all of them are turists…

Today we where visiting a Spanish high school, it was nice, that school was built very specially, on a mountain. So there were stairs everywhere. It was pretty cool, and i took some pictures. The students english sucked even if they where 16 years old. They just said things like “hello, what’s name” and so on.. pretty strange.. but okay.

We where also visiting Segrada Famìlia today. That church i tell you, was amazing. And it was started to be built in 1882, and they think it will be finnished in 2020. So that is a lot of years, and it’s still not finnished yet. That is pretty amazing. But it was gorgeous!!

For much of my life, I have asked why is life so slow. Why isn’t there a quicker or better way? I, like many of you, have been time crunched for years. With what? Life things, from the regular routine of exercising 3-5x a week, mantaining my hygiene, eating 3-6 well-rounded meals a day, drinking 8 cups of water. We often find it pretty good to live this way until it is interrupted by an incident like an injury or a funny ache somewhere. Then, you are sent in a panic frenzy, asking yourself is it serious, can I wait, or will it go away if I just leave it alone. Most often than not, the latter is most often the worst, and the former is a pretty darn good question.

Is it serious? OF COURSE IT IS! Why would you be panicked if it wasn’t? Things that break up your norm is a serious thing to consider; maybe not right now, but eventually it will take a toll and if you don’t take action, it will lead to a cascade of events from something small to something big, bad and ugly.

Back to my dilemma…
I was raised to believe that there is “always a better way” in this consumer society filled with quick slim/trim diets, mobile phones, internet, and excel sheets. Like most of you, I wanted it now and I wanted it cheap with the best results. I always questioned the traditional and conventional theory—that hard work produces the best results. Who wants to sit through the mundane and boring materials, exercises, classes.

Practicularly, as a practicing physical therapist, most of us forget that you all have lives out side of PT and can’t afford to spend a couple of hours per day to rehab a knee. Too many exercises, too much time, little gains are frustrating. Now I am not saying that shortcuts work in every case, but I believed that there MUST be bridges and shortcuts in life. You just have to look hard to find it.

So I began my quest in my youth to see if there was a more efficient way to reach the best outcome. Originating from a patient standpoint years before I started pursuing a Physical Therapy degree, I had it in my mind to find a better way for everyone. I felt as if I have devoted my whole life to prepare me for this point and I believe you all will be satisfied with the product. (See also Justin’s Journey and Testimonials)

What makes Wellness Revolution 101 any different from other quick self instruction applications? It’s built on the same concepts as all my predecessors, however, like Google, I realized that there were ways to simplify concepts, make the exercises quick, efficient, and applicable in daily life. It’s made to be easy and to memorable, with little to no aid needed. But I do plan on providing as much description or visuals as necessary. If you have some sort of ache and pain to alleviate and/or goal in mind to achieve and is one who is time consumed, give this a shot. I’ll be disappointed if you let this creative work pass by. Let me preface this, as in my disclaimer, that I DO recommend you see a professional before you start with my programs. You should not self-diagnose anything.

This site is made and developed by one of you…for all of you dreamers and free thinkers. Don’t ever give up your quest for a better solution!

Let’s begin!

Justin