255 Aboriginal housing designs. Marijuana, Prostitution, Sodomy - The case for Limbo

Aboriginal housing designs. Marijuana, Prostitution, Sodomy - The case for Limbo

(1) Aboriginal housing designs that genuinely accommodated their culture were abandoned
(2) Dr Coombs' biggest disappointment: "we can't accept right of Aborigines to be different"
(3) Move to legalize Marijuana in California sparks fears of drop in Prices
(4) Marijuana, Prostitution, Sodomy - The case for Limbo: between legal & illegal
(5) Minority births in US to outnumber white births
(6) Scientists grow solar cell components in tobacco plants
(7) Electronics parts = Toyota woes
(8) Toyota Woes: the modern car is a computer on wheels ... 30 computers on wheels
(9) IT Lessons from Toyota`s Fiasco

(1) Aboriginal housing designs that genuinely accommodated their culture were abandoned

From: Tony Ryan <tonyryan43@gmail.com> Date: 20.03.2010 09:18 PM

> Australian governments "help" Aborigines by building
> totally unsuitable (but expensive) housing
> http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/2010/03/bureaucracy-is-irredeemably-stupid.html

> Aboriginal leader urges indigenous people to build their own houses
> http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/building-their-own-homes-is-future/story-e6frg6no-1225759206117

This is a bit rich, confirmed centrist and elitist Gallarrwuy Yunupingu criticising Aboriginal housing when in thirty years he did nothing but oppose a genuine community development approach to community consensus.

In 1979, and in their own languages, NT Top End Aborigines were invited to design their own houses. A scaled model of a town camp version was constructed and presented to the heads of departments at an interdepartmental meeting presided over by former Darwin El Supremo, Ray McHenry. There was stunned silence.

There was a roof above a concrete slab, but no walls; a hinged 44 gallon drum for locking up valuables, and an ablution block; all of which were surrounded by sand. The structures were surrounded by a two metre fence and lockable gate.

"The UN will crucify us" muttered under an unidentified breath.

The consensus was that the design was absolutely unacceptable. Miffed that he was not in on the initiative, the Head of the Department of Health returned with his own professionally drafted design ... a village of African-like huts, each separated by neat hedges, and with a Police Bungalow dominating in the centre. Long live the British Raj.

The Head of Housing understood real politik. .. that Aboriginal housing was an important component of the NT building industry; especially lucrative inasmuch as many houses were effectively destroyed by their tenants as fast as they were built. In one case an entire village, complete with sealed airstrip, was abandoned.

And so it was that Aboriginal designs that genuinely accommodated their culture were abandoned, and all future designs reflected western needs. Meanwhile, Yunupingu linked with remote Canberra and the Australian media, and top-to-bottom politics prevailed. Galarrwuy himself built a vast western-style mansion in East Arnhem; looking after number one. The power devolution of community development was colonised by social scientists and the Territory we see today is the product of this.

And for his crime of listening to the people, and seeing the role of public servant as being a servant of the people, Ray McHenry was rapidly promoted away from where he could be effective.

Yunupingu continues to support centrist forms of government, and the land councils in whose expansionist roles he played a pivotal role, continue to deny ordinary Aborigines access to traditional consensus, or researchers who might explode the myths of Aboriginal oppression and disadvantage. And in neighbouring Galiwinku, where a brick kiln and timber mill were purpose-built in the early 1970s so that Aborigines could design and build their own homes; were demolished to make way for more western housing and western supermarkets... unprotested of course by Gallarrwuy.

And the collapse of Aboriginal enterprises, amongst them a Gumatj business, collapsed under the crushing disincentive of CDEP; which also was supported by Galarrwuy.

But, as locals smile wryly, that is the story of the Northern Territory. One long journey of double-dealing and betrayals, littered with the failed projects of southern gurus, and all exploited by carpet-baggers.

(2) Dr Coombs' biggest disappointment: "we can't accept right of Aborigines to be different"

http://www.australianbiography.gov.au/subjects/coombs/intertext8.html

Australian Biography project - H. C. "Nugget" Coombs
TAPE 8 - transcript
Interviewer: Robin Hughes
Recorded: January 24, 1992

Interviewer: Looking back over your life, what has been your biggest disappointment?

Dr Coombs: Well I should say certainly my biggest disappointment is that, well, we just have not been prepared to accept the right of Aborigines, to be different, to be part of our society and welcome in it, but to preserve differences, cultural and other, which are important to them.

Comment (Peter Myers, March 24, 2010):

Dr. H. C. Coombs became Governor of Australia's publicly owned Central Bank in 1949, the year after I was born. And he remained Governor until 1968, when I was 20. His signature was on all the bank notes when I was growing up. Later in life he became an environmentalist and led the campaign for a treaty with Australia's Aborigines. He was nicknamed "Short Father" by his Aboriginal friends. I met him a few times.

The issue of housing is a perfect example of "modern" people - Leftists at that - refusing to accept pre-modern lifestyles.

Jack Thompson, a former actor, set up the Jack Thompson Foundation to help Aborigines build houses THEIR way - THEMSELVES. I can relate to this because, having become a "hippy" myself (that's what the locals called us) I've done it too. Not only are they doing the building themselves, but they're acquiring skills and passing them on, as their relatives pitch in to help. These houses cost HALF the amount of Government-built houses. And, because they're built by themselves - in the open-air communal style Aborigines like - they don't get destroyed.

The way to learn how to build is not by doing courses, but by helping other people do it. You supply your labour for free, but you learn how to do it yourself; typically, you would help first on a number of projects. Hippy houses were mostly better-built than industry houses, because they were built for love not money. The industry builds a street full of houses which all look the same, whereas hippy houses were all different - because designed and built (not sub-contracted out to tradesmen) by the owner.

Other ways in which modern Leftists reject the Aboriginal right to be different include:

- marriage under the age of 16
- plural marriage (polygamy)
- bush living rough cf city standards
- lifespan: a much bigger % of young people, but proportionely fewer old

(3) Move to legalize Marijuana in California sparks fears of drop in Prices

From: Prez <prez@usa-exile.org> Date: 24.03.2010 05:12 PM

March 23, 2010

Dear Green Yippie! Friends and Colleagues, ...

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/03/23-5

Published on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 by The New York Times

Move to Legalize Marijuana in California Sparks Fears About Drop in Prices

by Robert Mackey

A proposal to put the legalization of marijuana in California to a vote this November is causing some growers of the plant in the state to worry about a sharp drop in the value of their crop if the measure succeeds.

As The Los Angeles Times explained in January, when supporters of the proposed Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 turned in more than enough signatures to get the measure on the ballot, the initiative “would make it legal for anyone 21 and older to possess an ounce of marijuana and grow plants in an area no larger than 25 square feet for personal use. It would also allow cities and counties to permit marijuana to be grown and sold, and to impose taxes on marijuana production and sales.”

On Monday, The Times-Sentinel newspaper in Humboldt County, a part of Northern California known as the “Emerald Triangle” for the density of its marijuana crop, reported:

[L]ocal business people, officials and those involved in the marijuana industry are planning to meet Tuesday night and break a long-standing silence to talk about what supposedly is the backbone of Humboldt County’s economy — pot. More specifically, the meeting will focus on the potential economic effects of the legalization of marijuana.

While the local newspaper’s report on the meeting quoted the its organizer, Anna Hamilton, by name, it did not state that she was, herself, a grower of the plant — which is legal in the state only when used as medication. According to The Times-Sentinel, Ms. Hamilton “said she is ‘intimately involved’ with the marijuana industry.” That sort of coyness led Frank James to write on NPR’s news blog:

Marijuana growers tend to be a fairly secretive lot, probably even in Humboldt, so I wonder what the attendance will be like and if the Drug Enforcement Agency will be there.

Ms. Hamilton told the local newspaper that if the county’s marijuana industry prepares for legalization, there could be some positives for the area: “We have to embrace marijuana tourism, marijuana products and services — and marijuana has to become a part of the Humboldt County brand,” she said.

The ballot initiative, which is being presented in part as a way to raise tax revenues for California, is supported by Richard Lee, an Oakland businessman who makes his money selling the drug legally. Mr. Lee also founded Oaksterdam University, which trains growers.

A campaign Web site, Taxcannabis.org, prominently features the results of a 2009 Field poll that found that “legalizing marijuana and taxing its proceeds” was supported by 56 percent of those surveyed in California.

The same Web site noted that three columnists for The Orange Country Register recently included the legalization and taxation of marijuana production in a list of ideas to help California balance its books — along with calls to privatize the state’s prisons, suspend the fight against global warming and drill for oil in the waters near the state’s beaches.

Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company

(4) Marijuana, Prostitution, Sodomy - The case for Limbo: between legal & illegal
Peter Myers, March 24, 2010

Keith,

I imagine that you are an "old hippy". In some ways I am too, but I was never much into drugs or New Age raves.

Where do you live? I guess that you live in a rural area. Hippies always preferred lush green areas, hilly rather than flat, bushland which was also useful for growing plants.

They bought up marginal country, ex-dairy farms etc, often very cheap. Over the years, yuppies followed in their footsteps, and the price of land in those areas rose sharply - giving the hippies a windfall but making it harder for others to move in.

I have a daughter with schizophrenia; heavy marijuana smoking was quite possibly the cause. I've heard that hydroponic marijuana is the most likely culprit - because of the chemicals that are put into the solution. It was always puzzling why Back to the Land magazines, although encouraging Organic methods of growing, also had an interest in Hydroponics - a totally chemical & un-natural method. The reason, I surmise, was to grow marijuana. They had to grow it hydroponically because it was illegal. At first, they grew it outdoors in secluded spots, but then Big Brother used helicopters, and later satellites, to track it down, so one next one heard stories of it being grown indoor in houses, hydroponically, with artificial light. This consumed a lot of electricity; Big Brother learned that much higher electricity use could have such a cause, so combed the electricity records - and launched raids on this basis.

Being illegal, marijuana commanded a high price. Hydroponic crops are more expensive than field crops, even when both are grown outdoors. Having to grow marijuana indoors put the price up further still. But plant breeders bred varieties of marijuana with much higher levels of THC.

The combination of that breeding, and hydroponic growing, may have caused the schizophrenia among heavy users.

If marijuana is legalised for non-commercial growing, this should cause the price to fall markedly. As a result, more and more marijuana will be field-grown (or rather, backyard-grown) rather then hydroponic. This should be much safer.

Marijuana has long been used in India and Islamic countries, but in a more moderate way than among hippies. Hippies made a cult out of it, a sort of "holy communion". Their spirit was rebellious - anarchist - and this drove their over-use. Such a motive was absent among traditional users of marijuana.

Making marijuana legal should remove that motive. On the other hand, if it's fully legal, one can expect that Big Business would market it as they marketed tobacco. Further, that Government would tax it too. Therefore, it's best if it's in a sort of limbo between legal and illegal: not prosecuatable, but not fully legal.

In my view, prostitution is also best placed in such a limbo. That would stop police raids, and the incentive to bribe the police - which corrupts the police force. But it would also stop the "factory prostitution" that developed under legalization (in Australia, anyway) - charging by the quarter-hour. Could anything be less impersonal, than 15-minute sex between people who have never met each other?

Legalization made it more expensive too. The prostitutes had to pay income tax on their services; and GST (VAT) is now levied too - a double whammy.

With mobile phones, factory prostitution seems to have given way to home prostitution, advertised in the newspapers (so many ads, in the Adult classification) and on the internet (often unsolicited; this is expecially noticeable in Torrent Download sites). But that means that the prostitute's home location is also her/his business location - removing the barrier beteen such commercial transactions and her/his private relationships. I'm not sure of the best formula for regulating it - and would welcome suggestions.

I also think that sodomy should be in such a limbo. The push for "Gay Marriage" shows that the Gay movement has gone too far - become a Lobby, even with its own "pink dollar" market. It's no longer just fending off attacks on gays, but trying to change the structure of society. This was never attempted in Greece or Rome, even though homosexuality was accepted practice in Greece, and Rome had some Gay emperors. I'd like to see the Gay Lobby reined it a bit, and such a change should have that effect. Making sodomy illegal but non-prosecutable should make "coming out" more difficult - because high-profile role-models would fear that their careers would be jeopardized.

Pornography also needs to be in some sort of limbo. The display of enticing half-clad women in "Mens' Magazines" in newspaper shops is demeaning for women. It's not that the human body is profane, but that the personality is omitted. Who has not lost all interest in some beautiful woman once she opened her mouth - and a torrent of vileness came out? Sex is between persons - not just bodies.

Pornography on the internet also needs to be placed in such a limbo. The best way to effect a change would be to clamp down on those making a profit out of the pornography industry - the Hollywoods. The remedy is not to jail them or fine them; rather, hit them where it counts. The assets of the businessmen behind such ventures should be seized and forfeited. If they use accountants and lawyers to hide their business assets, then they should lose their domestic assets - their homes. That would put the kybosh on their industry. Once the Mr Bigs are gone, the tone will change.

At the start of this email, I had no intention of straying into such domains. I introduced myself as a sort-of "old hippy", but hippies, by and large, reject the ideas I have put forward. So I too am in a sort of limbo. But that may be the best place to be.

There needs to be a debate on these topics. I'd like some Feedback.

(5) Minority births in US to outnumber white births

From: IHR News <news@ihr.org> Date: 23.03.2010 07:10 PM

March 10, 2010 - 2:54pm

Census figures show nearly half of babies in US are born to minorities each year

By HOPE YEN
Associated Press Writer
March 9, 2010  | 9:02 p.m

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-us-white-minority,0,4261584.story

WASHINGTON (AP) - Minorities make up nearly half the children born in the U.S., part of a historic trend in which minorities are expected to become the U.S. majority over the next 40 years.

In fact, demographers say this year could be the "tipping point" when the number of babies born to minorities outnumbers that of babies born to whites.

The numbers are growing because immigration to the U.S. has boosted the number of Hispanic women in their prime childbearing years. Minorities made up 48 percent of U.S. children born in 2008, the latest census estimates available, compared to 37 percent in 1990.

"Census projections suggest America may become a minority-majority country by the middle of the century. For America's children, the future is now," said Kenneth Johnson, a sociology professor at the University of New Hampshire who researched many of the racial trends in a paper being released Wednesday.

Johnson explained there are now more Hispanic women of prime childbearing age who tend to have more children than women of other races. More white women are waiting until they are older to have children, but it is not yet known whether that will have a noticeable effect on the current trend of increasing minority newborns.

Broken down by race, about 52 percent of babies born in 2008 were white. That's compared to about 25 percent who were Hispanic, 15 percent black and 4 percent Asian. Another 4 percent were identified by their parents as multiracial.

The numbers highlight the nation's growing racial and age divide, seen in pockets of communities across the U.S., which could heighten tensions in current policy debates from immigration reform and education to health care and Social Security.

There are also strong implications for the 2010 population count, which begins in earnest next week, when more than 120 million U.S. households receive their census forms in the mail. The Census Bureau is running public service announcements this week to improve its tally of young children, particularly minorities, who are most often missed in the once-a-decade head count. The campaign features Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer, the English- and Spanish-speaking cartoon character who helps "mommy fill out our census form."

The population figures are used to distribute federal aid and redraw legislative boundaries with racial and ethnic balance, as required by federal law.

"The adults among themselves sometimes forget the census is about everyone, and kids should be counted," said Census Bureau director Robert Groves. "If we fail to count a newborn that is born this month, that newborn misses all the benefits of the census for 10 years."

Whites currently make up two-thirds of the total U.S. population, and recent census estimates suggest the number of minorities may not overtake the number of whites until 2050.

Right now, roughly 1 in 10 of the nation's 3,142 counties already have minority populations greater than 50 percent. But 1 in 4 communities have more minority children than white children or are nearing that point, according to the study, which Johnson co-published.

That is because Hispanic women on average have three children, while other women on average have two. The numbers are 2.99 children for Hispanics, 1.87 for whites, 2.13 for blacks and 2.04 for Asians in the U.S. And the number of white women of prime childbearing age is on the decline, dropping 19 percent from 1990.

For example:

In Gwinnett County, Ga., an Atlanta suburb, the population has shifted from 16 percent minority in 1990 to 58 percent minority in 2008. The number of blacks and Hispanics nearly doubled, while the number of white young people stayed roughly the same.

The population of Dakota County, Neb., increased from 15 percent minority in 1990 to 54 percent in 2008, due largely to an influx of Hispanics who came looking for work in meatpacking and other labor.

In Lake County, Ind., a suburb of Chicago, the minority population grew from 43 percent in 1990 to 53 percent in 2008 as the number of white children declined, the number of blacks stayed stable and the number of Hispanics increased.

The 2008 census estimates used local records of births and deaths, tax records of people moving within the U.S., and census statistics on immigrants. The figures for "white" refer to those whites who are not of Hispanic ethnicity. ...

Comment (Peter M.):

'Hispanic' is a cultural category, not a racial one. Hispanics themselves can be white, or of indigenous descent, or mixed-race.

'Hispanics', like Filipinos, are overwhelmingly Catholic, retaining a 'folk' religion based not on doctrine but on practice, with a devotion to the Virgin Mary (who inherits a number of goddess features), the Santo Nino (child Jesus) etc. Hollywood may do its best to stop the transmission of such religion to the young, but the constant inflow of migrants brings it back in. The US will gradually become Catholic; and overwhelmingly so if the anschluss with Mexico goes ahead.

(6) Scientists grow solar cell components in tobacco plants

From: Max <Max@mailstar.net> Date: 31.01.2010 09:29 PM

http://www.physorg.com/news183999312.html

January 29, 2010

by Lisa Zyga

Scientists are working on synthesizing solar cells from chromophore structures they produced in tobacco plants. Image credit: US Department of Agriculture.

(PhysOrg.com) -- Over billions of years, plants have evolved very efficient sunlight-collecting systems. Now, scientists are trying to harness the finely tuned systems in tobacco plants in order to use them as the building blocks of solar cells. Scientists predict that the technique could lead to the production of inexpensive, biodegradable solar cells.

In a recent study, scientists from UC Berkeley led by Matt Francis have demonstrated how to program tobacco plants to take advantage of the efficient way that they collect sunlight. Rather than attempt to reprogram all the cells of a mature tobacco plant, the scientists genetically engineered a virus called the tobacco mosaic virus to do the job for them. The researchers sprayed the modified virus on a crop of tobacco plants, and the virus caused the plant cells to produce lots of artificial chromophores, which turn photons from sunlight into electrons.

In order for the chromophores to work, however, they must be spaced at a precise distance from one another - about two or three nanometers. A little closer or further apart, and the electric current will either be halted or the electrons will be very difficult to harvest.

Thankfully, tobacco plant cells have evolved to space chromophores at this exact distance, lining them up in a long spiral hundreds of nanometers long. By exploiting this structure, the researchers could take advantage of billions of years of evolution to grow perfectly spaced strands of chromophores.

"Over billions of years, evolution has established exactly the right distances between chromophores to allow them to collect and use light from the sun with unparalleled efficiency," said Francis.

Since the modified tobacco plants themselves don’t generate electricity, the researchers must harvest the plants and extract the chromophore structures. Then, the scientists can dissolve the structures in a liquid solution, and then spray the solution on a glass or plastic substrate to create a solar cell. So far, the scientists have not yet demonstrated that the resulting solar cells can turn light into electrical energy.

Compared with traditional solar cells, those made from plants could have several potential advantages. For instance, they don’t require the use of toxic chemicals, they’re biodegradable, and they’re inexpensive to produce. On the other hand, bio-based solar cells would likely have a shorter lifetime than silicon solar cells.

In addition to using tobacco, the researchers also demonstrated how to manipulate E. coli bacteria to produce chromophore structures. In this case, the researchers didn’t use a virus, but modified the bacteria directly.

More information: Michel T. Dedeo, Karl E. Duderstadt, James M. Berger and Matthew B. Francis. “Nanoscale Protein Assemblies from a Circular Permutant of the Tobacco Mosaic Virus.” Nano Lett., 2010, 10 (1), pp 181-186. doi:10.1021/nl9032395

Via: Discovery News

(7) Electronics parts = Toyota woes

By SHARON TERLEP

Wall Street Journal

January 31, 2010

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100131/NEWS11/100139963

The gas pedal system used Toyota Motor Co.'s recall crisis was born from a movement in the auto industry to rely more on electronics to carry out a vehicle's most critical functions.

The intricacy of such systems, which replace hoses and hydraulic fluid with computer chips and electrical sensors, has been a focus as Toyota struggled to find the cause for sudden acceleration of vehicles that led the company to halt sales of eight models this week.

Earlier this decade, Toyota began using a new type of electronic accelerator. In the past the gas pedal of a vehicle was connected to a cable that opened the throttle on the engine to increase speed. The all-electronic type Toyota began using has sensors that detect how hard and fast a driver is pushing on the gas pedal, and sends signals telling the engine computer whether to accelerate or slow down.

Electronic pedals are now common, and many vehicles also have electronic systems that assist in controlling the brakes to prevent skids, and aid steering to give the driver more precise control of the car. Braking and steering systems are still mostly controlled by mechanical components—the steering wheel is physically connected to the wheels, and a hydraulic system transmits power from the brake pedal to the brakes.

"The electronic system is far superior and far safer," said Jeffrey Liker, a University of Michigan industrial engineering professor who attended a recent Toyota briefing on the issue. "They have microchips that control things and send information. If any one of those computer chips failed, there would be a message and it would stop."

Toyota has said its latest problem happened because condensation from heaters caused increased friction in the gas pedal, making it stick in some cases, making the problem a mechanical one and not an issue of electronics.

But some critics are questioning why Toyota's system didn't include a brake override system to stop the vehicles.

Auto makers "are at a point now where their ability to design is outpacing their ability to verify," said Sean Kane, president of Safety Research and Strategies Inc., a safety investigation and advocacy group. "As car electronics increase in number, problems are increasing disproportionally."

(8) Toyota Woes: the modern car is a computer on wheels ... 30 computers on wheels

The Dozens of Computers That Make Modern Cars Go (and Stop)

By JIM MOTAVALLI

Published: February 4, 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/technology/05electronics.html?scp=87&sq=Toyota&st=cse

The electronic systems in modern cars and trucks — under new scrutiny as regulators continue to raise concerns about Toyota vehicles — are packed with up to 100 million lines of computer code, more than in some jet fighters.

“It would be easy to say the modern car is a computer on wheels, but it’s more like 30 or more computers on wheels,” said Bruce Emaus, the chairman of SAE International’s embedded software standards committee.

Even basic vehicles have at least 30 of these microprocessor-controlled devices, known as electronic control units, and some luxury cars have as many as 100.

These electronic brains control dozens of functions, including brake and cruise control and entertainment systems. Software in each unit is also made to work with others. So, for example, when a driver pushes a button on a key fob to unlock the doors, a module in the trunk might rouse separate computers to unlock all four doors.

The evolution of automotive control electronics has been rapid. IEEE Spectrum, an American technical publication, reported that electronics, as a percentage of vehicle costs, climbed to 15 percent in 2005 from 5 percent in the late 1970s — and would be higher today.

The 1977 Oldsmobile Toronado had a very simple computer unit that was used for spark-plug timing, and the next year the Cadillac Seville offered an optional trip computer that used a Motorola chip.

According to Bob Hrtanek, a spokesman for the auto supplier Delphi Powertrain Systems, the first Delphi units were introduced around 1980 to improve emissions systems.

Throttle-by-wire technology, also known as electronic throttle control, replaced cables or mechanical connections. In modern systems, when the driver pushes on the accelerator, a sensor in the pedal sends a signal to a control unit, which analyzes several factors (including engine and vehicle speed) and then relays a command to the throttle body. Among other things, throttle by wire makes it easier for carmakers to add advanced cruise and traction control features.

These systems are engineered to protect against the kind of false signals or electronic interference that could cause sudden acceleration.

Mr. Emaus says that cars are engineered with “defensive programming” to counter erroneous signals. “There is a tremendous engineering effort, and testing and validation, to guard against problems,” he said. “But given the complexity of the car, can they test against every eventuality? Probably not.”

Mr. Emaus said that perhaps one in 100 new microprocessor designs had “an issue” and might need reprogramming or replacing, usually before it reached customers.

And he identified the metal-to-metal connections between electronic control units and wiring harnesses as a potential weak point.

(9) IT Lessons from Toyota`s Fiasco
By: Joe Maglitta  |  2010-02-09  | 

http://www.smartertechnology.com/c/a/Global-Challenges/IT-Lessons-from-Toyotas-Fiasco-/

Automakers’ woes provide clear lessons for IT leaders and companies on sourcing, testing and communications. Yes, you can be too rich and too lean.

Even as woes unfold at Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co., simple but important lessons on sourcing, testing and communications for IT leaders and companies are already clear.

Standardization demands caution. Initially, pundits were quick to link sticking accelerator problems with “lean” techniques at the heart of the Toyota Production System (TPS). Check this Wall Street Journal piece by Daisuke Wakabayashi:

“Toyota's recent problems highlight how certain elements of this approach -- eliminating overlap by using common parts and designs across multiple product lines, and reducing the number of suppliers to procure parts in greater scale -- can backfire when quality-control issues arise.”

It’s too early (and silly) to pronounce the “death of lean.” Standardizing on a single vendor, as many in IT and the industry know, can yield big economies in procurement and staffing. But it does seem a good time to ask: Can companies get too standardized? Too lean? At what point do lean processes hurt quality?

“There’s always a trade-off with standardizing parts across a company,” David Meier, a lean consultant, former Toyota group leader, and co-author of The Toyota Way Fieldbook told one publication. "The cost may be decreased in the short term, but the risk is increased." The Toyota case should make us ask: “Would adding a second supplier improve risk management?” There’s something -- maybe lots -- to be said for not putting all your eggs in one basket, whether products, components or people.

Like I said, obvious. But, apparently, easy to ignore in the blinding fervor of religious cost-cutting. Doubly so when combined with rapid global expansion. (More on that in a moment).

Rush software and systems testing at your own peril. Each day’s new revelations confirm what many first suspected: Failing brakes and accelerators are, at least in part, software and systems problems. Specifically, rushing testing, validation and verification. Makes sense, insofar as today’s cars are essentially, as a New York Times article noted, “computers on wheels.” <http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100131/NEWS11/100139963>  

Even if individual components work, that’s no guarantee that increasingly complex systems will. “Duh,” you say. “Everyone knows that.” Really? Tell that to armies of programmers and managers and directors and bosses sweating blood at Toyota and Ford this past weekend. Like not driving drunk or running red lights, the common sense thing is easy to understand, but hard for some to do.

Too bad. They should have listened to the Japanese Society for Quality Control. Good testing (along with good design), the group told the Journal, goes a long way in minimizing quality-control problems of widely used, standardized parts.

In Toyota’s case, a bold (and successful) decade-long campaign to supplant General Motors as the world’s largest automaker may have been a bigger culprit than lean manufacturing. It’s easy to imagine that grinding pressures to open new factories every month sucked up enough resources, lowered standards and heated production schedules that made it possible, even likely, to push through buggy brake software and accelerators vulnerable to RFI interference. Or worse.

Don’t hide problems. “Honest, ma. It was the floor mats!” It’s against human-survival nature and culture, corporate or national. But as any kid or governor can tell you, the whuppin’ is even worse if you get caught lying later on. Honesty is not just for CEOs and sellers of poisoned painkillers. Fessing up early isn’t fun, but it hurts less in the long run. Even in your little corner of the working world.

Cost-cutting, never really out of fashion, has enjoyed a renaissance in the current global recession. Thus, consolidating suppliers will doubtlessly remain a popular strategy. So will “lean” manufacturing and lean approaches, including in IT, aimed at delivering greater value with fewer resources.

Should the economy keep improving in 2010, we’ll all soon be under new old pressures to expand, grab market share, do more with less, become leaner and meaner and more agile, etc.

Just remember: Conventional wisdom aside, you CAN be too skinny (lean) and too rich (overly ambitious). Sometimes a penny saved is a dollar burned. Just ask Toyota.