The four, large developing BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) have the demographic and economic potential to rank among the world’s largest and most influential economies in the 21st century. Together, the four original BRIC countries comprise more than 2.8 billion people or 40 percent of the world’s population, cover over a quarter of the world’s land area over three continents, and account for more than 25 percent of global GDP.

One BRIC, Two BRICs

The BRIC designation was first coined by Jim O’Neil of Goldman Sachs in a 2001 paper titled “The World Needs Better Economic BRICs.” The BRIC countries have since gone on to meet and seek out opportunities for cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure development and other arenas. China invited South Africa to join the group of BRIC nations in December, 2010 and hosted the third annual BRICs Summit in April, 2011.

BRICs and the World Economy

As early as 2003, Goldman Sachs forecasted that China and India would become the first and third largest economies by 2050, with Brazil and Russia capturing the fifth and sixth spots. From 2000 to 2008, the BRIC countries’ combined share of total world economic output rose from 16 to 22 percent. Together, the BRIC countries accounted for 30 percent of the increase in global output during the period. The rapid economic growth and demographics of China and India are expected to give rise to a large middle class whose consumption would help drive the BRICs’ economic development and expansion of the global economy.

China and the BRIC Countries

To date, the scale of China’s economy and pace of its development has out-distanced those of its BRIC peers. China alone contributed more than half of the BRIC countries’ share and greater than 15 percent of the growth in world economic output from 2000 to 2008.

Science and Technology

The BRIC countries of China, India and Brazil account for much of the dramatic increase in science research investments and scientific publications. Since 2002, global spending on science R&D has increased by 45 percent to more than $1,000 billion (one trillion) U.S. dollars. From 2002 to 2007, China, India and Brazil more than doubled their spending on science research, raising their collective share of global R&D spending from 17 to 24 percent.

Next 11 Emerging Economies

In a nod to the interest in other emerging markets, Goldman Sachs identified another group of economically dynamic and promising developing countries in 2005. The Next 11 consists of a broader group of emerging markets with the potential to play significant roles in the global economy, including: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Turkey and Vietnam.

Despite China’s invitation, Goldman Sachs’ O’Neil has long contended that South Africa’s population of 50 million people, a fraction of Russia’s 143 million and China’s 1.34 billion people, is too small for BRIC status. At roughly $285 billion in 2009, South Africa’s economy was less than one quarter that of Russia’s, the smallest of the original BRIC country economies at about $1,232 billion.

Growth Environment Score (GES)

The Growth Environment Score (GES) was introduced by Goldman Sachs in the same paper that identified the Next 11. The GES is an index developed to measure the extent to which structural conditions and policy settings in a country are conducive to transforming the economic potential of the BRICs, Next 11 and other countries into reality.

The GES consists of 13 sub-indices that fall under one of five categories of economic growth determinants:

o Macroeconomic stability – inflation, government deficit and external debt

o Macroeconomic conditions – investment and openness

o Technological capabilities – penetration of phones, PCs and internet

o Human capital – average years of secondary education and life expectancy

o Political conditions – political stability, rule of law and corruption

In the original 2005 version of the GES, the scores for each of the four BRIC countries fell in the top half and above the mean of the rankings for all developing countries.

Tigers have long fascinated people for their agility, super strength, and unique hunting methods. For centuries tigers have adapted to dominate the ecological niche of the rainforest. Many people especially kids would love to know just about anything tigers do in their natural habitat. That is why we are bringing you some of the most amazing and fun tiger facts for kids.

The Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is the only big cat that lives in the forests of Russia. The tiger is adapted to living in the cold habitat. An isolated population is also found in the eastern Mongolia, Korea, and Russian Far East. There are only few Siberian cats living in the wild habitats with only 480-540 individuals surviving. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed Siberian tiger as a critically endangered species.

• Tigers are not only the biggest living cats they are also one of the largest carnivorous land mammals-second only to polar bears.
• Every tiger has unique stripes on her body. No single individual resembles the other in her stripes. It is just like human’s fingerprints.
• There are three extinct species: Bali tiger, Caspian tiger, and Javan tiger. White tiger is not a recognized subspecies; it is a pigment variant of Bengal tiger.
• Unlike any other cat tigers are remarkable swimmers. They can even chase the prey in water. This is one of her traits that make tiger the most deadly land predator.
• Big cats are crepuscular hunters in that they remain active during dusk or in the early hours of darkness. They possess keen eyesight with the help of which the animal see things quite clearly at night.
• While Siberian cats are the largest subspecies Malayan tigers are the smallest of the living cats. The South China tiger is possibly the rarest of all cats.
• Big cats do not live in Africa and they probably never saw some of the African animals such as ostrich. Tigers are Asian species.
• Cats prefer to make homes in dense forested habitats that also offer some water. They need to drink almost all day long and tigers never live too far from the water source.
• Unlike cheetahs big cats prey on medium-sized to large prey. She has the ability to take down prey nearly the size of her own. Tigers are purely carnivores.
• These cats are highly endangered species. In 1900 there were around 100,000 tigers surviving in the wild habitat but now there are as fewer as 6,000 remaining in the natural rainforest.
• The Siberian tiger is the only tiger subspecies which has many names. The cat is also called Amur tiger, Korean tiger, Ussurian tiger, and Manchurian tiger.
• Siberian cats are only slightly bigger than the Bengal subspecies. Bengal and Siberian tigers are the biggest of the living cats. The Siberian cat is the second biggest terrestrial mammal based on land.
• The Siberian cat has the biggest skull of all cats resembling lion’s skull in its size.
• Since they live in cold places, Siberian cats are insulated with dense fur. Besides, they have longer whiskers than that of Bengal tigers.
• The historical range of Siberian cats includes Lake Baikal, north-eastern China, and Manchuria. Currently the cat has become extinct in all these areas.
• Siberian tigers fancy making homes in coniferous-deciduous complex and Korean pine broadleaf forests. They make habitats in wooded forests because it allows them to hide into the woods.
• A cat also preys on Siberian roe deer, wild boar, sika deer, and Manchurian wapiti.
• The amur tiger population has increased from 331 to 540 in the last ten years. The primary reason is that now most tigers are raised in reserves and protected areas.
• They are great travelers. Siberian cats cover as much as 1,000 km (620 mi) of distance. The only barrier is the border between the countries.
• Amur tigers are solitary outside the breeding months. During mating season the male spends almost a week with the female after which both departs. The female leaves the urine marks on the tree showing her willingness to mate. She also marks her territory either by scratching tree or leaving urine deposits.

Philippine sea shell wall clocks are considered to be among the world’s best. If you search the internet, you would find that sea shell wall clocks that come from the Philippines are actually the best wall clocks there are!

How is this so? Well, there are a lot of reasons why the Philippines is the world’s greatest producer of shell wall clocks. This article will let you know what these reasons are.

First, the Philippines is an archipelago of over seven thousand islands. Basically, this means that the country, almost literally, has an infinite number of coastlines. In South-East Asia, as a matter of fact, the Philippines ranks second when it comes to having the longest coastlines, after Indonesia.

What do these coastlines imply and what has this to do with shell wall clock creation? If we look analytically at the biological and physical composition of all coasts, we will be able to understand that they are made up of small bits of rocks, pebbles, glasses, corals, and sea shells. Indeed, coastlines contain a vast variety of sea shell species that if you walk on a coast even for only a few yards, it is quite impossible not to find shells of all shapes, sizes, and colors. The Philippines has a lot of these. As such, we can just imagine the richness of the shell species in this country.

Secondly, the Philippines is actually surrounded by three enormous and unique bodies of water. The Pacific Ocean hugs the country in the North and East, the South China Sea in the West, and the cold Celebes Sea in the south. This, as a matter of fact, is a gift to the country, a manna from heaven. Because of this, the Philippines is blessed with hundreds of thousands of marine species, a lot of which can be found in the country alone. It is no wonder, then, why there are thousands of shell species in the country.

The number of mollusk species in the country is quite hard to comprehend. In fact, the makers of the shell wall do not even have the need to go out and hunt for mollusks. All they need to do is step out of their homes, stroll on the coast, and they will be greeted by sea shells of all shapes, sizes, colors, and even textures.

Those are the very reasons why the Philippine shell clocks are quite important in the country. Apart from the fact that they are incomprehensibly gorgeous, these shell clocks are more than just decors, they are a representation of a country’s communion with nature.

If you want to know more about these sea shell wall clocks, please visit our site at http://www.gshellcrafts.com. Here you will get to know more about the country; and, should you desire, get a souvenir in the form of a sea shell wall clock.

Gold-Spotted Rabbitfish (S. punctatus)

The gold-spotted rabbitfish (S. punctatus) is a rather large species that can reach a maximum length of almost 16 inches, with most individuals staying under 12. It can be found around the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, Palau , the Ryukyu Islands, the Ogasawara Islands, the Mariana Islands, the Caroline Islands, and the Kapingamarangi Islands, as well as the eastern edge of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Thailand, and the South China Sea.

This species also schools when young in shallow estuaries, but is found in pairs in lagoons and on deeper reefs when mature.

Bicolored Foxface (S. uspi)

A smaller species, the bicolored foxface (S. uspi) reaches a maximum length of about 9 in inches. Unlike many of the other species, it also has a smaller small geographic range, being endemic to Fiji, with a few being reported around New Caledonia.

Still, the juveniles do live in schools with adults living in pairs in deep pools inside reef crests and around dropoffs at reef edges.

Blue-Lined Rabbitfish (S. doliatus)

S. doliatus has a lot of common names, typically being called the blue-lined rabbitfish but also going by the names scribbled rabbitfish, pencil-streaked rabbitfish, two-barred rabbitfish, and barred spinefoot.

It can reach a maximum length of almost 10 inches, but like the first three species mentioned, it is most commonly less than 8. It has a relatively small range, though, being found in the lndo-Malayan area and from Australia and Tonga north to Palau and Kosrae.

Juveniles do form schools and pair up at a reliably small size, but they may still travel in loose schools, oftentimes with other fishes. All are typically found in deep reef lagoons and along drop-offs at reef edges.

Aquarium Care and Compatibility

Rabbitfishes are categorically tough when it comes to dealing with disease and less-than-perfect water quality. They are as hardy as any other fishes we commonly keep in our aquariums. It's important to feed them well and give them the right foods, however.

All of these rabbitfishes are algae grazers in the wild, but they'll also eat meaty foods, including various types of zooplankton, brine shrimp, and bits of fish, clam, etc. I've also fed the species that I've cared for many types of flake foods and veggies from the grocery store. You can basically feed them a wide variety of foods in an aquarium.

It is important for you to give them plenty of plant matter in their diet, though, which may be primarily plantbased flake or frozen cube foods if you prefer. Spirulina flakes are also good, as is dried seaweed (nori and kombu). But if you use the latter, make sure to buy unseasoned types, as you do not want to dose your fishes with any types of additives, preservatives, etc.

Of course, the meaty things can be used as supplements, which the fishes seem to enjoy quite a lot given that they are considered to be herbivores. They'll typically get some of their own food by picking at algae growing on rocks and such in aquariums, and then can be great cleaners. Be sure they get enough food to stay nice and thick, as a wafer-thin body and pinched-in stomach are bad signs.

Aside from their overall health, there's another important reason to keep them well fed. While it's usually not an issue, if they do get too hungry, they're all oftentimes start feeding on corals. Rabbitfishes have been known to nibble on various stony and soft corals and will likely go after things like zoanthids and button polyps first.

I personally have never seen this happen, as I keep my fishes well fed, but there are plenty of stories of them doing so. If you plan to keep any of these in a reef aquarium, be sure to keep the food coming and keep an eye on them in case they start eating things you do not want eaten.

When it comes to compatibility, rabbitfishes will typically get along fine with anything else that's not a rabbitfish of the same or similar species. However, you should always be aware that, like any other type of fish, each individual can have its own personality, and every once in a while, even the supposedly nicest fish can become a problem.

While juvenile rabbitflshes typically live in schools in the wild, trying to keep two or three of the same species of any of these in one tank will usually lead to fighting. It's an odd thing, but in the confined space of a tank, they just will not get along with each other. But if the tank is big enough and several small individuals of similar size are added simultaneously, their schooling nature sometimes overrides their aggression and they may get along – at least for a while.

In general, you'd need to add at least four or five at once, and even that will not guarantee peace. Personally, I think it's a bad idea to try this unless you've got a really big tank, as in at least a few hundred gallons.

When it comes to adults, they should also be kicked one to a tank, unless you can find a mated pair for sale, but I do not recall ever seeing a pair being offered together, so that's probably out. It may be possible to keep more than one if they're very different species, but again, I would not try it unless you've got a really big aquarium.

Other than that, I guess the only other thing to recommend is having plenty of hiding places for a rabbitfish. While personalities differ, they oftentimes can be rather skittish and like to have some places to lay low. You should have some live rock or other decorations that they can go to if they feel like getting out of sight. To find out more, you can check out Gold Spotted Rabbitfish .

In the first quarter of 2006, the Chinese economy grew 10.2%. With the increase in growth in the Chinese market and the constant continued growth being forecast for the future, it’s wise for western businesses to research what the Chinese market wants and needs before dipping their toe into the Chinese market. Here are the current trends in the Chinese marketplace:

Food

With such masses of people in China and a steadily growing population, it’s no wonder that food and food service is one of the biggest markets in China. From fine dining to fast food to supermarkets and specialty food shops, pretty much every kind of food is available in China. The biggest western names in food have all delved into the Chinese market already, including Walmart, Pizza Hut, KFC and, of course, McDonald’s. There is also a huge market for all types of food and even catering services.

Banking & Financial Services

Many foreign financial companies including Merrill Lynch and The Royal Bank Of Scotland have already bought stakes in Chinese banks. With the lifting of more restrictions on foreign financial companies in 2006, the banking industry should see even more foreign investment.

Luxury Goods

High end goods, including foreign brand name watches, clothing, jewelry, electronics and autos are markets that continue to grow. The rise in the amount of wealthy people in China continues to fuel the demand for high end and luxury goods of all kinds.

Cellular

With an estimated 440 million cell phone users in China, there is a huge market for cell phones, cell phone service and cell phone accessories.

Malls

Massive sized malls and shopping centers are popping up all over China, most offer a wide range of imported products, particularly stores from the US and Europe, including Chanel, Papa Johns Pizza, Gucci, Burberry, and Ralph Lauren. Retail sales in China have increased a staggering 50% in the last four years, with much credit going to the boom of mall building. Over the last six years, over 400 malls have been built in China and that number will only increase. In Dongguan, you’ll find what is now the largest mall in the world, the South China Mall. It boasts 6.5 million square feet of total floor area and room for 1500 stores.

Western Brands

More than ever, the Chinese crave the most famous Western brands. From fast food joints to soft drinks to coffee to clothing to shoes to entertainment, many of the biggest Western names already have a big presence in China or are researching how to jump in. Walmart, the largest US retailer, already has dozens of stores in China, including three Sam’s Clubs and Neighborhood Markets. Coca-Cola is already ubiquitous in China and McDonald’s intends to have over 1000 stores open nationwide by 2008.

Whatever industry you’re in, you must be careful to do proper research before delving into the Chinese market.

On The Yankee Station by William Boyd is a series of short stories, the longest of which provides the title for the set. This particular story is a superb piece of short fiction, much more than a short story, confronting, in less than twenty-five pages, several big issues and, at the same time, drawing its characters in considerable, complex detail.

Set on an aircraft carrier in the South China Sea during the Vietnam War, it describes the antagonistic relationship between two crew members. Pfitz is a pilot, conscious of and grateful for his perceived and actual status, a status he does not hesitate to assert to his advantage. But this tendency is sometimes exercised to excess. It is as if he needs to feel the elevation of his status in order to bolster his own self image. In short, he is a bully. This characteristic begins to dominate his thoughts and actions when events conspires to question his own competence, his right to that nourishing status.

Lydecker is a member of Pfitz’s ground crew. Suffice it to say that Lydecker is not at the intellectual end of the fighting machine. Neither does he hail from privilege. Quite the contrary, in fact. Lydecker, had he not joined the navy, would probably have grown into a complete bum, at best one step up from a down-and-out. Even in the armed forces he can only aspire to the most menial of tasks, but he is at least thorough and tries to keep his nose clean. But for Lydecker events conspire to heap suspicion on his competence, a suspicion constantly fuelled by a torrent of abuse and accusation that flows from Pfitz, the pilot it remains his responsibility to service.

Pfitz likes his job. That much is clear. He takes a particular liking to napalm and delights at the idea of heaping tons of the stuff from his jet onto the population of rural Vietnam. He takes involved interest in technical improvements to his preferred weapon, improvements that ensure the fireball sticks firmly to anything it encounters, thus guaranteeing that it will burn right through. If he were closer to the action, one feels that Pfitz would delight in the smell, the mixture of burning organics saucing the suggestion of roast pork emanating from oxidised human flesh. He takes that kind of pride in a job well done.

Lydecker is demoted, effectively humiliated by the time he gets an opportunity for some shore leave. During his week in Saigon he remorselessly pursues two forms of recreation, one out of a bottle, the other between whatever sheets are on offer. But there is one girl who is different, staying remote from the business of others, busying herself about her own affairs. She is treated with apparently universal and complete contempt and she alone amongst the bar hangers-on is never on the menu, her meat not for sale. Bullied himself in the workplace, one might expect Lydecker to sympathise with her plight. But he treats her with as much – if not more – disdain than the rest and, eventually, it is more out of spite than either sympathy or desire that he insists on a session with her, forces himself on her merely to underline his right to assert assumed control. What Lydecker subsequently experiences with that girl changes his view of the world just a little, but enough to influence events elsewhere, his new-found conscience constructing a plan he might employ back on board.

In a short story, William Boyd illustrates class systems embedded in the USA’s professedly classless society. He confronts the so-called clinical nature of modern warfare by identifying the blunderbuss of terror that maims everything in its indiscriminating line of fire. He characterises sadism, vengeance, conscience and retribution. He draws sketches of exploitation, both economic and social, and illustrates how communities, even whole societies, can be seen as built on a crass and ruthless assertion of domination for domination’s sake. And all of this happens in less than twenty-five pages.

Other stories in the set are also of a very high standard. To review them all would reproduce the book, no less, for they are succinct, often surprising, sometimes humorous pieces which together form a supreme achievement.

The city of Ho Chi Minh is considered the largest economic metropolis in Vietnam. It's found at the banks of River Saigon, 60 km from South China Ocean and 1,760 km towards the south of capital Hanoi. Ho Chi's vibrant cultural and historical heritage has attracted many visitors over the years. Some people come to work as professionals while others arrive as college students. It also has a vibrant central business district surrounded by small towns with a combined population of 9 million citizens.

If you want to feel immediately at home during your stay, it is important to find the right location and environment. Staying in hotels will definitely not lead to this creation of your own "comfort zone" where you can choose to cook or not and invite over whomever you wish. Most expats and mid / long term business travelers prefer renting spaces for accommodation during their stay. It is standard practice, when signing a lease agreement with a landlord, that one will need to make a full 3 months deposit. In some cases the tenant may require a 6 month payment in advance. Moreover, in some cases, extra utilities such as garbage collection, internet access and cable TV will need to be paid separately by the occupant. Furnished homes are readily available across the city although most of them are designated according to the owner's personal taste and preferences in regards to furniture. If you are in for the long term, it's possible to negotiate with landlords of unfurnished homes to purchase private furniture and property that suits your individual tastes, however this decision depends on the overall length of your stay. Moving on, tap water is not suitable for drinking but is safe for cleaning dishes and brushing teeth. Bottled water can either be delivered to your doorstep or bought from local stores.

Facilities

Apartments for rent in Ho Chi Minh have modern facilities such as internet access, satellite television, private balcony, hot shower and terrace. Some homes for rent are luxuriously designed and offer great comfort to renters. Other facilities that tenants can enjoy include a fitness center, business center and swimming pool. Some accommodations have special living rooms fitted with DVD players, plasma TVs and leather sofa sets. The kitchen area also boasts of gas stoves that can be used to cook your own food. En suite bath quarters are fitted with exquisite tubs which are also suitable for lounging. In serviced apartments, at your request, the management can arrange for daily breakfast service.

There are good rental apartments a short distance from the airport, they are suitable for those who have to travel frequently across the country or the South-East Asian region but do not want to spend too much money or time commuting to the airport. If you're traveling with the kids then consider accommodations that are pet friendly and have play facilities that they can enjoy.

Before entering the country, visitors are invited to acquire a legitimate Visa. This visa (3 months maximum) can be purchased upon landing at an international airport in Vietnam. Foreigners can get these travel documents from their sponsoring organization in case they are coming to work. Furthermore, for a 3-6 month vocational visa, one would be required to produce an assignment letter and passport as well. Visitors should register their names with the Local Consulate immediately after arriving into the city for identification purposes.

When choosing exclusive homes for rent in Ho Chi Minh security and prosperity to social amenities should be your major concerns. Most expats prefer living in close-knit communities where they find safety in numbers, two typical neighborhoods which are predominately occupied by expats are Thao Dien (District 2) and Phu My Hung (District 7). There are also spacious and elite villas around the city's outskirts, in the aforementioned districts, these homes are quite affordable in 2013 (have real estate prices have crashed) and have private swimming pools. You can always conduct an online search for quality homes before visiting the city.

The arrival of 2010 found us sharing our planet with just six remaining sub-species of Tiger. These are the Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), the Malayan Tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni), the South China Tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis), the Indochinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti), the Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) and the Amur Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica).

All of these are endangered with a real threat of extinction in the wild. In recent historical times we have already lost the Javan Tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica), the Bali Tiger (Panthera tigris balica) and the Caspian Tiger (Panthera tigris virgata).

Conservative estimates suggest that less than 3,200 tigers remain. This is in spite of the money being spent on the protection of habitat and guarding the animals themselves. Poaching continues and numbers decline. The good zoos of the world recognise this problem and under the auspices of regional and international zoo bodies they keep and manage tigers for which officially recognised studbooks exist.

The studbooks for the various sub-species show a family tree for all of the included animals which can be traced back to known wild caught founders. Backed up by DNA analysis they help the studbook keeper and species coordinator to advise holders which animals should breed with which. Choices will usually be made to pair up animals of a similar age and which are as unrelated as possible.

Within the United Kingdom, zoo legislation requires that zoos which hold any species (and this incudes tigers) for which a studbook exists then they MUST subscribe to it and the associated breeding programme. Failure to do so would mean losing their zoo licence and so have to close to the public. Sadly such legislation is not International.

The breeding programmes are designed to breed and maintain long term healthy, genetically viable populations which, after training and health screening may be released into the wild at some future date. This is no magic fix and the programmes look towards a possible release a hundred years from now.

Earlier release of tigers is not a viable consideration whilst poaching and habitat destruction continues. Other species may be given consideration where such a move could be of positive benefit to a dwindling wild population. This was done at the end of 2009 with the Northern White Rhinoceros. Sometimes the opposite applies whereby the whole wild population is removed from the wild. This was done with the Californian Condor. Down to just 22 birds in 1987 it was bred protectively in captivity so that there is a population of over 300 today. Over half of these are in the wild. The removal of certain animals from the wild can serve to boost the genetic strength of the captive population.

One of the major problems with the managed population of captive tigers regardless of sub-species is the number of captive spaces. There is not enough. Breeding has to be controlled. Tigers are an easy species to breed but there has to be somewhere to accommodate the progeny. For this reason contraceptive implants are used as is breeding separation and the maintenance of same sex pairs and groups. Numbers in captivity must be controlled and the available genetic range maintained.

The long term survival of the Tiger is under direct and positive threat by those holders of tigers who keep and breed none studbook animals. Those who keep and breed non registered tigers are, without exception, Tiger Farmers. No reputable zoo is going to be interested in the progeny. These animals will, sooner or later, disappear into trade and ultimately end up supplying an illicit market in tiger parts.

These unmanaged tigers are selfishly bred without the remotest consideration to the long term survival to the various sub-species as a whole. Animals are crossed with a sub-specific hybrid brother bred to sister and mother with son. In fact this is deliberately done by collections which keep and breed White Tigers. White Tigers are NOT a species but are a mutation. Most are hybrid mutations. They are of no value to conservation at all.

Those collections which do keep and breed pure bred species but are not a member of an official breeding programme perform no useful function at all. Inevitably the animals they produce will pass on into trade.

No one single collection can have a ‘breeding programme’. Any collection can breed but a breeding progamme needs the cooperation and commitment of a number of collections and the more the better. It does not matter a hoot how ‘rare and endangered’ a tiger is. If it is not in an official breeding programme it is worthless. Zoos which keep and breed or simply keep non studbook animals are not clever they are actually doing harm, albeit indirectly, to the long term survival of the tiger.

Salwar Kameez is to South Asia as a jeans-and-shirts combination is to people in America. Some decades ago, this ensemble was worn by immigrant South Asian Women looking for the proverbial greener grass on the other side. Nowadays, it is an ensemble of high fashion (think skinny jeans flowing ponchos). Salwar is actually a Persian word for pants, and kameez is derived from the Arabic word qamis, which was in turn, derived from camisia – the Latin word for shirt.

India is a melting pot of people and peoples; more so during earlier times. Civilization has always thrived among places near bodies of water for the reason that it makes transport (and consequently trading) of goods easier. And in the Indus basin, people from all over Asia and other Muslim countries from the West and North, as well as those from Central Asia (South China) flock to the place to trade. Trading was more than just an exchange of products though; it caused races to be aware of various cultures.

However, this is not to downplay the role of religious zealots in getting people exposed to other races and cultures; to the contrary, this can, in a way, support the claim that salwar kameez was brought by Muslims. After all, shalwar kameez has always been regarded not only as South Asian clothes but also as clothes worn by Muslims.

Tracing the history of shalwar kameez in detail is no small feat. The problem is not with the lack of sources though. It is quite the opposite; there are too many descriptions in historical passages, and more that are lyrical instead of literal. In the past, when people, especially poets, talk of outfits, they usually have the outfits of the royalty in mind. As a result, it is often the case that the beauty and magnificence, and not the bland descriptions of textiles and patterns were recorded.

When it comes to popularity, salwar kameez is a close second to the Indian Sari. Indians have always this high regard for unstitched garments. To wear clothes straight-off-the-loom is the order of the day. This resulted to the general belief that Indians didn’t do much sewing until the later centuries. Now, if only the period when sewing became prevalent in Indian society can be pinpointed (and the mandatory proofs, archeological and otherwise, presented), there wouldn’t have been much debate about the history of salwar kameez.

The earliest time to which the introduction of salwar kameez to the Indian society can be traced is the 12th century. It is said that during this period, Punjabs or Turko-Iranian horse-riding nomads from Central Asia may have brought the ensemble to the country. Those tribes have, at that time, already converted to Muslim, and as more conservative clothes are a must, the salwar kameez became their choice in clothing. It has to be stressed that while salwar kameez is associated with Muslim; it is also often worn by people of other religions.

Nowadays, salwar kameez is popular not only in India but in Pakistan and other South Asian countries as well. A fact that isn’t surprising at all, considering that salwar kameez is one versatile, comfortable and stylish outfit.

In 1776 Adam Smith stated:

“It is the maxim of every prudent master of a family, never to attempt to make at home what it will cost him more to make than to buy. If a foreign country can make it, better buy it of them with some part of the produce of our own industry, employed in a way in which we have some advantage.”

This is the natural order of economics. Tariffs attempt to disrupt this law of economics. Tariffs adjust wages by imposing a tax that amounts to an economy adjustment. The need for tariffs are supported by the argument that since people in lower wage economies make pennies on the dollar compared to workers higher wage economies then higher wage economies will experience high unemployment relative to the lower wage economy. Well, this doesn’t hold true based on economic theory established by David Ricardo in 1810 and supported empirically.

A labor force in a higher wage economy specializes and it gains improvements in efficiencies in the things it does well. Consider the wage economics in manufacturing Nike shoes versus aerospace products.

According to Matthew Kish in his May 20, 2014 article, Nike pays its contract factory workers in Vietnam $73.94 per month, which is on the higher end of the pay scale for shoe factory workers (workers in Bangladesh make $36.01 per month as reported in the same article). This wage equates to $0.43/hour based on a typical U.S.A. labor year of 2,080 hours. Manufacturing shoes requires unskilled and semi-skilled labor to manufacture; therefore the barrier to entry is low. The Vietnam-U.S.A. wage disparity is impossible to overcome, so it is highly unlikely that Nike shoes will be manufactured in the U.S.A.

According to Statista, as compiled using data from Congressional Research Service the U.S.A. exports over $15 Billion worth of aerospace products and parts to China and this volume is growing year over year. The average aerospace manufacturing machine operator makes $30.17 per hour or $5,229 per month according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. Manufacturing aerospace products is highly specialized and manufacturers are constantly improving efficiencies in manufacturing thereby creating a high barrier to entry.

In April 2010, Phillippe Martin, Thierry Mayer, and Mathias Thoenig published that free trade agreements result in political peace because the opportunity cost for war is too high. The authors go onto state that economic and security gains are complimentary and if trade gains are not realized then security benefits are jeopardized.

The bottom line is American are not likely to accept $0.43 per hour to make shoes and Chinese workers and infrastructure are not prepared to make $30.17 per hour making aerospace products. It is highly unlikely that tariffs will create long-term, meaningful changes to trade imbalances based on the two basic examples provided. Tariffs can jeopardize U.S. security interests in Asia, such as the South China Sea, Taiwan, Korean Peninsula, Japan, etc. since the opportunity cost for conflict is lowered. Part of the current U.S. trade dispute with China centers on technology theft.

When I lived in Malaysia I was witness to Chinese theft of U.S. technology. It is my opinion that technology theft is far more complex than a tariff driven solution can provide.