Posted: 19 Dec 2009 08:19 AM PST

Puritanism, said H.L. Menken, is the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.

No wonder, then, that religious and cultural puritans have, for centuries, been out to get Santa Claus. Or Father Christmas. Or Saint Nicholas. Or Sinterklaas. Or any of his avatars.

There's something about St. Nick's unabashed hedonism, his boundless generosity, his all-embracing love for innocent children, that sets puritanical teeth on edge.

Santa is such a deliciously pagan figure, descended from a paternal line of pre-Christian fertility gods, an icon of bounty and celebration and seasonal renewal. No wonder ideological zealots of all political and doctrinal descriptions have long sought to wipe him out -- or at the very least, tame him. He is anarchy incarnate, a larger-than-life figure who brings children joy and love in defiance of priggish rules and social conventions.

This year, there's a whole new breed of Pharisee out to squelch Kriss Kringle.

Dr. Nathan Grills, a professor of public health at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, has just published a paper in the British Medical Journal, suggesting Santa Claus is a bad influence on children's health -- noting cultures that believe in the jolly old elf have higher rates of childhood obesity.

Santa's "rotund sedentary image" wrote Grills, has had the effect of making "obesity synonymous with cheerfulness and joviality."

Grills, who appears to have retained a touching degree of belief in the corporeal reality of Santa Claus for a grown man with a doctoral degree, says Santa encourages speeding and disregard for road rules, noting that "despite the risks of high speed air travel, he is never depicted wearing a seatbelt or helmet."

Why is Grills so mad at Santa? Unresolved issues about coal-lumps? Or perhaps he's trying to be funny?

No, says the good doctor. His concern is real.

"Santa only needs to affect health by 0.1 per cent to damage millions of lives," Grills told one Australian newspaper.

Luckily, I think the children of the world have a slightly better grip on reality than Dr. Grills. They know that Santa doesn't wear a helmet or a seatbelt because he's magic -- and so is his method of transportation. Since today's kids know they aren't likely to be flying around the world in open-top, reindeer-drawn sleighs any time soon, I'm guessing that they're not looking to St. Nick for many aviation safety tips.

But that, of course, is not the heart of Grills argument. His main problem is with Santa's girth.

It's a literalism I find hard to take. Santa isn't supposed to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jude Law. He's no GQ cover boy. He's every child's ideal of the perfect grandfather, cosy, cuddly and ready to listen. Children love him because he isn't dashing off to the gym, because he has time for them. Who wants to sit on the lap of a gaunt or hard-bodied St. Nick when you can snuggle into a bowlful of jelly?

Santa's not obsessed with body image. He doesn't dye his hair or trim his beard. He's been wearing the same rumpled red suit for years. He, in all his incarnations, is centuries old. He's earned his avoirdupois, fair and square.

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Home Spirituality Philosophy Jews For Jesus - Aish

Posted: 18 Dec 2009 07:33 PM PST

No matter how disconnected a Jew may be from Judaism, he is still likely to be appalled by the idea of worshipping Jesus. And that poses a great dilemma for Christian missionaries seeking to convert Jews.

Given this problem, some missionaries got the idea to try a backdoor tactic. They invented "Jews for Jesus," which uses a whole lexicon of Jewish-sounding buzz words in order to make Jesus more palatable to Jews. For example:

Members of Jews for Jesus don't go to church, they go to a "Messianic Synagogue."
Prayer is not held on Sunday, but on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.
They say that by accepting Jesus as Messiah, you're not converting to Christianity, you're instead becoming "a fulfilled Jew."
The New Testament is called Brit Chadasha (Hebrew for "New Covenant").
It's not the cross, it's "the tree."
It's not baptism, but immersing in a mikveh.
It's not a communion wafer, but matzah.
Congregants wear a tallit and kipa, and bring a Torah scroll out of the Holy Ark -- just like every other synagogue. After all, they proudly proclaim, Jesus himself was a Jew!

MEDIA TACTICS

Their missionary campaigns are well-funded and relentless. The Jews for Jesus organization has spent millions of dollars in print and radio advertising, and has run a campaign of banner ads in New York City subways and on major web sites. If you see one of these ads, you should write a letter of protest to the host organization.

It is the responsibility of all Jews to take a stand.

Joan Rivers started screaming on the air after a commercial for Jews for Jesus aired on her radio show.

Comedienne Joan Rivers started screaming on the air after a commercial for Jews for Jesus aired on her radio show. The ad featured two Jewish men arguing over whether Jesus is the Jewish messiah, while the Jewish song Hava Nagillah played in the background. "Do not proselytize on my show," Rivers ranted. "I was born a Jew and I plan to die a Jew. How dare you advertise on my show. I find this disgusting, I find this offensive, and I find this ridiculous!"

THE REAL MESSIANIC JEWS

Jews for Jesus is a subversive organization. The missionaries' approach to ensnare unsuspecting people includes quoting Torah verses out of context and gross mis-translations.

These deceptions are most successful with Jews who have no knowledge of their own Jewish heritage.

These deceptions are most successful with Jews who have no knowledge of their own Jewish heritage. In Russia, for example, where Jewish education had been suppressed for 70 years, missionaries sponsor "Jewish revival meetings," where a tallit-clad clergyman asks throngs of unsuspecting Russian Jews to "accept Jesus into your heart."

The sad thing is that tens of thousands of Jews (including an estimated 50,000 in Israel today) have fallen for this falsehood.

Ironically, Jews really could be called "Messianic Jews." One of Maimonides' classical "13 Principles of Faith" is:

I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah, and even though he may delay, nevertheless I anticipate every day that he will come.

There are two excellent organizations which counteract missionary activities and have succeeded in attracting "converts" back to Judaism. You can find them online at http://www.jewsforjudaism.org and http://www.outreachjudaism.org.

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Honda’s design philosophy stresses function - KTVZ.com

Posted: 18 Dec 2009 08:30 PM PST

Honda isn't typically singled out for its design expertise. Instead, it is the fun-to-drive and rock-solid aspects of Honda vehicles that usually get top billing. But quietly, Honda has been capturing more and more international kudos for its leading-edge design work, and we were pleased to have the opportunity to meet with Nobuki Ebisawa, the corporate managing director and general manager of styling and design development, to talk about it.

Ebisawa stressed two simple and overarching themes for Honda design: dynamism and functionality. He said the company's designers still draw inspiration from the functional designs of the first-generation Civic and first-generation Accord that were drawn in the same nondescript design studio in which Ebisawa and his crew work today. And at the same time, they look back all the way to the 1963 S500 sports car to channel the dynamism that helps set the brand apart.

Ebisawa is proud of what he calls "an unbroken chain of dynamism and functionality" that stretches from those earliest models through the legendary Acura NSX sports coupe of the '90s to the Honda Odyssey minivan that transformed its segment. He expects that the upcoming hybrid Honda CR-Z, which was shown in concept form at the recent Tokyo Motor Show, will draw on both aspects of the Honda personality. Functionality will be characterized by the fuel-efficient hybrid drivetrain, and dynamism will be expressed by the car's style and fun-to-drive nature.

While the exterior design of Honda vehicles has not always been highly praised, the interior of its vehicles -- and especially their instruments and controls -- have routinely been lauded around the globe. Ebisawa cites his group's intense study of the "man-machine interface" for this, noting that Honda has long relied on the philosophy "Man maximum, machine minimum" in its designs. This means that Honda's controls are intended to be intuitive, not intrusive: to help the driver, not to challenge the driver or to make a design statement for design's sake.

An example of this effort is the bi-level instrument panel seen on the current Honda Civic. Intuitive operation and instant recognition were keys in the design, and Ebisawa said that in the "layered construction," perceived space is enhanced and line of sight movement minimized to prioritize information. Special effort goes into achieving natural hand position and create buttons that are easily understood. Ebisawa believes that voice support is the next frontier in making things simpler and more functional.

Since 2000, said Ebisawa, Honda design execs made the conscious decision to add emotional appeal to the company's vehicles without compromising functionality. In keeping with the "man maximum, machine minimum" philosophy, space has been intentionally reduced for mechanical components, and interior space with long rooflines has been increased to maximize usable roominess.

The Honda CR-Z, which will be launched next year, will encapsulate all these ideas in a vehicle that is functional and emotional, dynamic yet pragmatic. It draws on Honda's long heritage while at the same time presenting a new face and a new heart. The CR-Z will also be the harbinger of even more fascinating products from the carmaker that was once best known for its motorcycles.

Tom Ripley Driving Today Contributing Editor Tom Ripley writes frequently about the auto industry and the human condition from his home in Villeperce, France. He is a big fan of the art world.

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What's your style? - Hindu Business Line

Posted: 19 Dec 2009 10:13 AM PST

Investment World - Insight
Markets - Investments
Columns - Young Investor
What's your style?

Though seemingly contrary styles, growth and value investing need not be mutually exclusive.

Anand Kalyanaraman

Quick quiz: Which actor would you bet on to deliver the next hit movie?

Actor A, a promising newcomer, with a couple of recent big hits and the current toast of tinsel town or Actor B, an accomplished actor, having a bad run at the box office, but whose chances of bouncing back are bright.

If you chose Actor A, then you probably belong to the "growth" camp. "Value" folks would likely have selected Actor B.

The growth camp believes that the newcomer will live up to his promise and continue delivering hits in the future. The value camp believes that the current tough times of the accomplished actor are temporary, and that a turnaround in his performance is imminent.

Now, wouldn't it also be logical that Actor A riding on his recent hits would be able to command a high price, while B's pricing power would have suffered given his recent flops?

The above analogy can be extended to explain the concepts of growth and value investing in stock markets.

Potential-star philosophy

Growth investors seek out stocks with strong growth potential, and for this they do not mind paying a high price. Such stocks generally have above-average sales and earnings growth rates, which are expected to continue in the future.

Continued high growth may be due to favourable factors such as technological changes and demographic advantages. For instance, the last few years have seen a lot of growth investing in emerging economies of the world. The Internet stock boom in the early part of this decade is also an instance of growth investing.

Growth stocks are characterised by high price-to-earnings, price-to-book and price-to-sales ratios. Such companies also tend to plough back earnings for further growth leading to low dividend yield ratios (dividend/price).

Examples of growth stocks in India may include new private sector banks such as Yes Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank, as well as education solutions provider Educomp Solutions. These stocks have registered above-average growth in the last few years, and also have higher valuation multiples compared with peers.

Bargain-buy philosophy

Value investors are sometimes referred to as bargain hunters. They look to invest in fundamentally good stocks whose market prices are less than their intrinsic worth.

In other words, if stocks with encouraging track records trade for less than their real worth as perceived by the investor, they would be good buys. The value investor believes that the price declines are exaggerated or are temporary blips, with the stocks having the potential to make a comeback.

Such stocks generally have relatively healthy earnings potential which are underestimated by the market, as they have fallen out of favour.

However, intrinsic value calculation is subjective, with different estimates among investors using the same data. Hence, experts advise maintaining 'margin of safety'.

This means providing reasonable discount between the traded price and the intrinsic value, to provide for any misjudgement.

Due to their depressed market pricing relative to fundamentals, value stocks are characterised by low multiples e.g. low price-to-earnings, price-to-book, and price-to-sales ratios. However, such companies, having established and stable businesses, generally pay good dividends and have high dividend yields.

Several public sector banks in India may qualify as value stocks. These banks which have traditionally traded at a discount to private sector peers generally have registered good growth.

Similar is the case with many other public sector entities in India. Also, in the depressed stock market conditions earlier this year, several scrips such as ONGC and Grasim qualified as value stocks.

Best of both worlds

Both growth investing and value investors have their legions of followers. The growth investing camp includes Philip Fisher - considered to be a pioneer in the field - and Peter Lynch, the legendary investor.

While Benjamin Graham and David Dodd are widely regarded as the pioneers of value investing, Warren Buffet, Graham's protégé, is considered among the world's most successful value investors.

Growth investing is generally considered to be riskier than value investing, since the higher valuation matrices for growth stocks makes them vulnerable to correction arising from unexpected changes in stock or market conditions.

Growth investing has been seen to be more successful when markets are in an extended bull run, while value investing tends to yield better results when the markets are emerging from a slowdown. Academic research also suggests that value investing, while lagging in the short run, tends to be more successful in the long run.

Growth investing and value investing may seem to be contrasting stock-picking styles, yet they need not be mutually exclusive. A mix of both styles could provide investors with diversification benefits and reduce risk.

Warren Buffet in fact categorises his investing style as "85 per cent Graham, 15 per cent Fisher" indicating that though predominantly a value investor, his investment philosophy also includes facets of growth investing.

An endeavour to have the best of both worlds led to the development of investment strategies such as GARP (Growth at reasonable price).

This strategy, popularised by Peter Lynch, uses the PEG metric (P/E to expected earnings growth rate) to seek out high-potential stocks (growth criterion) trading at reasonable valuations (valuation criterion).

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Videos From the Web: Car Videos - San Francisco Chronicle

Posted: 19 Dec 2009 09:37 AM PST

www.frontierautogroup.com Take a look at this pre-owned 2003 Chrysler Town & Country, Stock: T1071A.Visit our website for more information on this vehicle and our full inventory. Frontier Chevrolet 1645 E Hwy 66 El Reno Oklahoma City OK, 73036 405-262-3355 We are highly competitive in the areas of selling and servicing both new and used cars and trucks. We believe that a high rate of customer satisfaction is crucial to the success of our stores. We think this philosophy makes Frontier a ...

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Philosophy

Saturday, December 19, 2009

“Santa's girth a symbol of life-loving philosophy - Edmonton Journal” plus 4 more

“Santa's girth a symbol of life-loving philosophy - Edmonton Journal” plus 4 more

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