IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, MOST FORGIVING, MOST MERCIFUL

Challenging Climate; October 11, 2009, 2:58 pm

During a recent conversation with an intellectual friend on devising new strategies for fund raising for Embryos, he suggested that our best (only?) option was to target rich Arab sheiks from the Gulf States or the Middle East!  He felt that any other plan would likely result in failure. 

The conversation reminded me of a recent poll conducted by CNN that found that some 80% of Americans have negative views toward Islam. This staggering number is a reflection that when it comes to Islam in America, freedom of religion is relative at best and non-exist ant at worst. It closely mirrors experiences shared by many of us who identify with Islam. 

Those of us brave enough to call ourselves Muslims, become potentially vulnerable to the manifestations of these negative views (feelings) and thus all sorts of discrimination.  As a group, we are often referred to as Brown or black (both derogatory terms to many Muslims), or by even worse terms.  We are denied jobs, admission to competitive schools and many other basic freedoms simply because we believe in Allah and His prophets.  I have been told that believing this is not one of the rights afforded to us!  We are systematically searched at airports and singled out for criticisms and blamed for acts of violence for which we had nothing to do with.  Sadly, even our religion and personal beliefs are often cited as violent or inciting violence when in fact the opposite is true.  In reality, our lives are often much harder than this!

Interestingly, all these acts of discrimination and negative stereotyping that we face everyday aren’t necessarily isolated or random acts by uninformed individuals.  If it is the majority of the population who negatively stereotypes against a certain group or ethnicity, then it cannot be random or isolated but rather systematic.  And if there seems to be an organized effort to turn this into a learning experience then the lesson for us is to fortify our beliefs in Jesus Christ, the Messiah (PBUH).  By definition, a Muslim already believes in Jesus Christ, the Messiah (PBUH) and believes in all the miracles that he had performed.  But if it is a way to bring Muslims into mainstream America, then it is religious persecution.

Despite the negative outlook, our lives are hardly affected by this climate.  A Muslim relies on the Lord Allah to save him from evil and afford him peace and prosperity.  And indeed, our Lord excels at it.  With Allah, we grow stronger with adversity and flourish in success and our faith ensures us everlasting, so America may just as well be the place to achieve it.

Healthcare Reform; August 26, 2009, 1:00 am

Although some believe the contrary, universal access to healthcare is guaranteed by the U.S. constitution’s fifth amendment and is a right of every citizen: “[No person shall] be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”  To be granted life and to maintain it, you will need healthcare.  There are thousands of illness, that if not properly treated, will result in death (here the case of the embryo comes to bear, an expectant mother with no health advice may take the short, unconsulted road to Planned Parenthood, where it is known that patients get a biased counseling from their “doctor.”)  To be granted liberty, you will also need to have uninterrupted access to healthcare, in cases of disabled persons who can regain some lost functionality, and in the cases of mental illness where the meaning of liberty can be regained.  Healthcare, then, is an integral aspect of life and liberty.

The most compelling argument that proves that healthcare is a (or the) right of every man woman and child on earth is that the Lord God, the Father of Creation, wishes all his servants to suffer as little as possible, and to overcome themselves when their bodies seem to fail them.  Healing is one of the most well known works of all the Lord’s prophets.  God believes all humans have a right to healthcare.

Considering that many millions of American are without healthcare, then the U.S. healthcare system is deficient and immoral, and a solution must be found that will provide universal access to healthcare and improve it for everyone positively.  Obama has taken it upon himself to come up with his own plan, and although his plans are inadequate and insufficient, it does provide for an opportunity  to correct the deficiencies of the healthcare system.  There are many healthcare plans being discussed, most of which are geared toward providing universal access to health services through a public option plan.  However, there is room for only one plan, and hopefully the best plan, the one that promises to be a model for other nations to follow.  At this point, we can only hypothesize which plan that would be. 

Traditionally, health plans were fee for service.  A patient would choose a provider, receive healthcare services and then the insurance company would compensate the provider for the services rendered.  But with spiraling costs, insurance companies devised new health plans, beginning with the preferred provider option (PPO), where insurance companies made preferential contracts with some providers and would allow participants to only receive services from these preferred providers or receive them at reduced cost.  Health maintenance  organizations (HMOs) are a step further in that direction and restrict policy holders to only receive services at one institution.  Although these latter options reduced healthcare costs, they also reduced the choices available to policy holders, restricting them to certain providers.  The coveted system that everyone fears losing, is the fee for service since it provides the most choices and the greatest freedom for patients.  They allow patients to choose any doctor or provider, visit any specialist and receive any procedure without restriction or meddling from the insurance companies. 

Interestingly, insurance coverages for federal employees and the Medicare/Medicaid system plans which were devised based on the fee for service system are among the best health insurance plans one can get.  Medicare, despite being underfunded, allows policy holders to visit any provider with very low co-pays.  Medicare’s buying power allows it to dictate how much providers are compensated and under what terms. You will be hard pressed to find a private insurance company that can match Medicare’s benefits at the actual cost incurred.  Combined,  federal and state plans account for 50% or more of all healthcare expenditures in the USA.  Currently, however, the taxes collected for Medicare and Medicaid do not cover the expenditures of these program, so they also need to be redesigned.   

Achieving universal access is a loosing proposition for a company.  Companies operate based on their balance sheets and covering those that cannot afford to pay policy premiums will leave health insurance companies in the red. On the other hand, getting rid of private insurers, will lead to a system of healthcare delivery very similar to the ones in Canada, England and other industrialized nations that provide universal healthcare to their citizens. A new publicly funded program will only add new complications (and red tape) to an already broken system. Any national plan in the U.S. should preserve choice, and competition while providing universal access. 

To achieve universal coverage, it appears that a single payer system must be employed.  Consolidation of all government plans into one single payer system, should theoretically be able to cover the uninsured at no additional cost.  For example, the pool of all public money dedicated for healthcare (federal employees, Medicare, Medicaid and the additional State expenditures on healthcare) can be channeled to a single payer entity and be used to cover the uninsured as well the current intended recipients of the programs if, for example, it was employed in an HMO type setting.  The combined purchasing power will allow for control and oversight of costs, and ensure quality.  Standards on health treatments can be made by bodies such as the FDA and not the company board rooms.  But this will also dampen competition and possibly drive insurance companies into extinction. 

So any viable plan must include an overhaul of the private insurance industry as well.  In one such scenario, payments to providers can be made directly by the single payer entity to health insurance companies to provide guaranteed healthcare for every citizen.  Employers should have the option or be mandated to contribute to this pool.  In turn, insurance companies can underwrite the policies and offer different plans (fee for service, PPO, or HMOs) based on deductibles and co-pays customers are willing to pay (or even charge an extra premium for improved services).  Patients already pay 15-30% of their healthcare costs and those unwilling to pay, can opt for lesser plans such as HMOs. 

There are other scenarios where an equally effective system can be set up.  But politics in Washington are unlikely to yield a desirable plan. Dismantling Medicare is close to impossible in the current Washington atmosphere.  The worst outcome is doing nothing at all.

 Almost Daily or Weekly Blogs; August 24, 2009; 1:12 am

It seems that we may have over-estimated the amount of time that we have available to dedicate to the almost daily or weekly entries.  We are plagued by lack of time and resources in our busy lives.  Although, I am not giving up on making more frequent entries as of now, but I think for the time being they will less often in coming.  The articles that we right, themselves, don't take very long to compose, so if some aspects of our lives changes, then this could change quickly.  However, if it changed for the worse, we can always do monthly tweeter updates! ☺ Today, we will begin writing a piece on Healthcare Reform and we hope can post to this forum in a day or two.  Come back soon to read it.  If you care about the changes being proposed, I am sure you will enjoy the unique perspective and plan it will offer.  Thank you friends for following this blog.

Tips on How to Have a Positive Internet Experience; July 30, 2009; 11:20 pm:

The internet can be an invaluable tool.  It is like having the greatest library in the world at your fingertips.  But it can also be a dangerous place, where hackers and writers of malicious code lie in wait to prey on the vulnerable.  Here are some tips on how to keep your internet experience an enjoyable one.

If you connect to the using broadband, always connect your computer to the internet via a router which connects to your modem.  Routers provide an additional firewall to protect your computer system from hackers. However, the best way to protect yourself from hackers and viruses is to use your common sense while online.  For example,  never click on links found in email or instant messages, especially if the message was unsolicitated.  If you want to visit such a page, you can just type in the address in your browser’s address bar.  When you visit a web site that prompts you to install certain software to view content, such as codecs to view media, flash player or other software, abstain.  Instead, go directly to the vendor’s website to download it (e.g., go to adobe.com to download the latest version of flash player).  Always keep all your software updated with the latest patches from the vendor.  Microsoft Windows systems are most often the targets of internet attacks, so be sure to stay updated on all the latest patches from Windows Update (in windows, go to start>control panel>security center>automatic updating).  It is also very important to keep all third party software updated to the latest version, such as your flash player (Adobe) and java (Sun Microsystems).  Depending on the number of web browsers you use, you may have to install the latest flash update more than once.  Also, some older versions of java will not uninstall after you install the latest version, so you might have to manually uninstall it.  Also consider using other Web Browsers to surf the net. 

You should always have an up to date antivirus program installed on your computer, especially if you use a Microsoft Windows system. There are several free for personal use antivirus programs available.  Avira Antivir seems to have the highest detection rate and is light on computer resources, but it becomes intrusive every time it updates itself, by bringing up a popup window that prompts you to buy the paid version.   You can disable this feature by following the instructions here.  AVAST antivirus is probably equally effective and has received good reviews.  Additionally, Microsoft will release a free antivirus program soon.  You should also have an antispyware software installed.  Superantispyware is a good choice but the free version does not provide real-time protection (e.g., you will have to run a scan to catch spyware).  Microsoft’s Windows Defender is a very good choice that may already be installed on your computer and will provide real-time protection.  Lavasoft Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy are other common, free antispyware programs available for download.  You should run daily or weekly scans of all your security software.

To keep your computer running efficiently, defragment your hard drive often (in windows, go to programs>accessories>system tools> disk defragmenter).  Uninstall the programs you do not use (in windows, start> control panel>uninstall[add/remove] programs).  Some newer PCs are loaded with pre-bundled software that you may never need.  You can also keep your computer tuned up using third party software but use these at your own risk.  Some of these programs may damage your registry and result in a system crash (make sure you always backup your hard-drive).  Microsoft’s onecare online scanner is free and can clean up your registry and is probably safe to use.  You can also manage your startup programs (common causes of a slow startup) using Windows Defender (or alternatively you can go to start>run>type “msconfig”, but use this tool with caution).

This is by no means a complete list of what to dos but it could be a good starting point.  There are many good, informative tech blogs that can provide you advice on how to protect yourself from online threats, and keep your computer running smoothly, such as those on washingtonpost.com and nytimes.com.  Happy Surfing Friends!

The Invasion of Iraq; July 19, 2009; 5:00 pm:

Waging war to reap policy aims is well documented in history and even prehistory.  Early Muslims, in particular, are well known for this through conquests in Asia, Africa and Europe.  Often, this was justified as “helping” pagan cultures convert into monotheism, indeed a noble cause if it were to be accomplished in a manner not so compulsory.   In reality, converting others in such manner is itself paganism. 

Successful civilizations have thrived only when the life of its citizens were valued.  Civilized countries have gone a step further placing value on the life of the citizens of other nations as well, citing a number of ethical, economic  and cultural considerations.   While there may be a variety of rationales for this, the value that God has bestowed upon the lives of humans is by far the most compelling.  In Iraq, many tens of thousands of innocent civilians have lost their lives, joined by thousands of soldiers and combatants.  Every life lost is analogous to the loss of all humanity!  Every life is precious, and no foreign policy objective is justified when the means to achieving it results in such loss of human life.

As the de facto leader of the world, the U.S. has waged war in Iraq to achieve foreign policy objectives, sometimes justified under the auspices of “fighting” terrorism, or even worse a Christian crusade.   Oil is a highly over-valued commodity and not a proper excuse for waging war.  The alternative justification here is one of defense, to ensure that the tragic events of 9/11 never come to pass again, a very noble intent.  While defense is every nation’s right, an analogy would be like calling Marshal law to prevent the Watts riots.  The truth is that you don’t fight terrorism, you control it.  No fight can eliminate the murderer or the terrorist, as the men who carry these traits are entrenched in all societies.  One only needs to achieve hegemony over them.  In a horrifying scenario where an invasion such as this can instigate a vicious cycle of revenge and more terrorism, it will only lead to the opposite of the desired effect.  Similarly, the invasion has strengthened the rogue nation, Iran, and has bolstered its position in the region through the support of the Shiites in Iraq. 

Needless to mention that the leading nation must rule with a gentle hand and not an iron fist.  Only in this manner does it become plausible to remain the most powerful nation on earth.  The leadership position can only be preserved through economic superiority which is maintained on the strength of public relations successes.  And when it comes to the public relations campaign, deaths and bloodshed are nothing short of disastrous.

The greatest personal and societal achievements in history have been achieved by men of peace, and through peaceful means.  Gandhi successfully ended British colonialism and MLK Junior transformed American Culture without shooting a single bullet.  What George Bush started in Iraq will never be seen as such an accomplishment, but rather a setback.

Initial EntryJuly 12, 2009; 6:57 pm:

Welcome to the new blog for Embryos.  In this forum, we will discuss all issues of importance in national and international topics as well as issues of significance to Embryos.  We will try to make almost daily or weekly entries.  Please come back often to see how this blog develops.  See you online...