WRMEA: U.S. Aid to Israel:
"The same applies to the president, the secretary of state, and the foreign aid administrator. They all submit a budget that includes aid for Israel, which Congress approves, or increases, but never cuts. But no one in the executive branch mentions that of the few remaining U.S. aid recipients worldwide, all of the others are developing nations which either make their military bases available to the U.S., are key members of international alliances in which the U.S. participates, or have suffered some crippling blow of nature to their abilities to feed their people such as earthquakes, floods or droughts.
Israel, whose troubles arise solely from its unwillingness to give back land it seized in the 1967 war in return for peace with its neighbors, does not fit those criteria. In fact, Israel's 1995 per capita gross domestic product was $15,800. That put it below Britain at $19,500 and Italy at $18,700 and just above Ireland at $15,400 and Spain at $14,300.
All four of those European countries have contributed a very large share of immigrants to the U.S., yet none has organized an ethnic group to lobby for U.S. foreign aid. Instead, all four send funds and volunteers to do economic development and emergency relief work in other less fortunate parts of the world.
The lobby that Israel and its supporters have built in the United States to make all this aid happen, and to ban discussion of it from the national dialogue, goes far beyond AIPAC, with its $15 million budget, its 150 employees, and its five or six registered lobbyists who manage to visit every member of Congress individually once or twice a year."
http://www.wrmea.com/html/us_aid_to_israel.htm
The above excerpt is just part of a bunch of essays on the site.
27.5.09
another idea
hey guys,
i dunno if you guys share the same concern for the environment, energy conservation and the poor as I do, but an idea just popped into my mind for a business/charity based on those causes.
I thought I'd like to attempt to help people convert waste heat to do something useful around the house like dry clothes.
An initial attempt would be to channel the coolant from a fridge to a larger area that can be maintained and cleaned so that the clothes can be dried on it.
I reckon this idea will not be immediately attractive as the cost savings will be quite little - maybe under $100 a year? and the initial cost of labor and raw materials to set it up may be way above that order of magnitude (some survey will have to go into this).
There are also several technical and aesthetic/design issues to concern oneself with - whether we can come up with designs for each situation that is functional and simple enough to be of casual utility, and that will be the thing which determines if this idea takes off.
In this climate of tightening belts and of people looking for something worthwhile to do, we can take otherwise unemployed people (ourselves) and apply them to helping the poor whom a few dollars in savings would matter to.
It could serve as a springboard/source of experience to implementing ideas that involve higher tech, more complication and more cost e.g. I envision solar powered windows to absorb energy from the sunlight to power air conditioners, or an external system to aid in cooling the computer, which is becoming the central problem with computing these days (incorporating the home server with the home water heating system). It has the scope of utilizing some of our trainings - varun's business skills, chua's design training, and perhaps shamir could help us market the product using videos - getting the message across to the our target audience.
i dunno if you guys share the same concern for the environment, energy conservation and the poor as I do, but an idea just popped into my mind for a business/charity based on those causes.
I thought I'd like to attempt to help people convert waste heat to do something useful around the house like dry clothes.
An initial attempt would be to channel the coolant from a fridge to a larger area that can be maintained and cleaned so that the clothes can be dried on it.
I reckon this idea will not be immediately attractive as the cost savings will be quite little - maybe under $100 a year? and the initial cost of labor and raw materials to set it up may be way above that order of magnitude (some survey will have to go into this).
There are also several technical and aesthetic/design issues to concern oneself with - whether we can come up with designs for each situation that is functional and simple enough to be of casual utility, and that will be the thing which determines if this idea takes off.
In this climate of tightening belts and of people looking for something worthwhile to do, we can take otherwise unemployed people (ourselves) and apply them to helping the poor whom a few dollars in savings would matter to.
It could serve as a springboard/source of experience to implementing ideas that involve higher tech, more complication and more cost e.g. I envision solar powered windows to absorb energy from the sunlight to power air conditioners, or an external system to aid in cooling the computer, which is becoming the central problem with computing these days (incorporating the home server with the home water heating system). It has the scope of utilizing some of our trainings - varun's business skills, chua's design training, and perhaps shamir could help us market the product using videos - getting the message across to the our target audience.
20.5.09
Doctor uses household drill to save Australian boy - Latest News - MSN Singapore News - News
Doctor uses household drill to save Australian boy - Latest News - MSN Singapore News - News: "Doctor uses household drill to save Australian boy"
Drilling, anyone?
Drilling, anyone?
11.5.09
Here's an idea...
Don't know how it fits in into the bigger scheme of things... but was just rambling to SJ about it, since he would be one of my candidates. this 'ramble' is of course in context directed at him, but i think i managed to keep the essence of my message. in other words, i'd twist it slightly depending on who i am telling it to.
here goes:
"Well, simply put, I'm interested in. (key word being 'interested in', meaning i have not done anything other than to express interest) in creating a series of videos for our youths to consume. This is mainly in line with what they can do within their capabilities. The main thing of course is 'training', in the sense, showcasing the normal outdoorish stuff every UG learns (or maybe only some UGs). Lighting fires, cooking, knots etc etc etc. But as you have been highlighting in your life's message, which as much as I don't show it, I am actually paying attention to, is about protecting the environment, or at least having a consideration for it. So, I am thinking, if i can think of creating 'categories' for these other 'outdoor' things, like cooking, notes, map reading etc, it is only appropriate to create a segment that is... how shall i put it, that is right up your alley. Besides the big narrative of saving the planet, what I am more interested in is not so much the big scale of things like how to be a 'good scout', or a 'good cook' or a good 'global citizen', but i am more interested in documenting clearly, showcasing objectives, methods, precautions and purposes of the small things that affect the big things. Like, its not about being a sailor that matters to me as much as being someone good at knots and sea navigation. and like wise, its not so much about saving the planet as it is about doing the small things that will end up working towards the same cause. in that context, you can think of a video segment that is about hiking and one of the 'small things' is about bending branches that are in your way out of the way, instead of breaking it or chopping it off, so you can see, how the objectives, methods, precautions and purposes fit in. and so much more... the small simple things. That's what i want to capture. but mainly it is about showcasing basic skills. As for output, I am thinking DVDs inclusive of a 'Disc 2' containing the same videos in iPod/PSP format... portable viewing. and included in the DVD package is, of course, the booklet that contains the same messages in written format. and then selling the final packaging to everyone at a low cost so that students are willing to buy, and instead of making a lot of money for me/us, just enough cover costs... maybe you can see where you might fit in.. maybe you can't. but i must emphasize that this is only an idea that I am very highly interested in doing. but for now, it is only an idea, and it is only interest. I will need to take some concrete steps to make it a reality, first and foremost is selling the idea and forming a team. haha.. you have the priveledge of being the first to hear my idea while its still in its incubation."
here goes:
"Well, simply put, I'm interested in. (key word being 'interested in', meaning i have not done anything other than to express interest) in creating a series of videos for our youths to consume. This is mainly in line with what they can do within their capabilities. The main thing of course is 'training', in the sense, showcasing the normal outdoorish stuff every UG learns (or maybe only some UGs). Lighting fires, cooking, knots etc etc etc. But as you have been highlighting in your life's message, which as much as I don't show it, I am actually paying attention to, is about protecting the environment, or at least having a consideration for it. So, I am thinking, if i can think of creating 'categories' for these other 'outdoor' things, like cooking, notes, map reading etc, it is only appropriate to create a segment that is... how shall i put it, that is right up your alley. Besides the big narrative of saving the planet, what I am more interested in is not so much the big scale of things like how to be a 'good scout', or a 'good cook' or a good 'global citizen', but i am more interested in documenting clearly, showcasing objectives, methods, precautions and purposes of the small things that affect the big things. Like, its not about being a sailor that matters to me as much as being someone good at knots and sea navigation. and like wise, its not so much about saving the planet as it is about doing the small things that will end up working towards the same cause. in that context, you can think of a video segment that is about hiking and one of the 'small things' is about bending branches that are in your way out of the way, instead of breaking it or chopping it off, so you can see, how the objectives, methods, precautions and purposes fit in. and so much more... the small simple things. That's what i want to capture. but mainly it is about showcasing basic skills. As for output, I am thinking DVDs inclusive of a 'Disc 2' containing the same videos in iPod/PSP format... portable viewing. and included in the DVD package is, of course, the booklet that contains the same messages in written format. and then selling the final packaging to everyone at a low cost so that students are willing to buy, and instead of making a lot of money for me/us, just enough cover costs... maybe you can see where you might fit in.. maybe you can't. but i must emphasize that this is only an idea that I am very highly interested in doing. but for now, it is only an idea, and it is only interest. I will need to take some concrete steps to make it a reality, first and foremost is selling the idea and forming a team. haha.. you have the priveledge of being the first to hear my idea while its still in its incubation."
5.5.09
Yep.
Home soon... I want some serious kopitiam food man... and some good solid neslo peng. :P hahaha yeah... home soon... in the process of making plans with Varun to see if we can forge a path for the future... see how see how.
4.5.09
Yes we're lazy
I'm an unemployed bum now.. Kinda enjoying it yet feeling worried at the same time.
So you've decided to come home to S'pore? I'll be very happy to see you back here soon man! Seriously.
Jon
So you've decided to come home to S'pore? I'll be very happy to see you back here soon man! Seriously.
Jon
Nothing in April.
No post in april... we are all getting lazy.
Anyway, I have decided that I will return to Singapore and am now in the process of going through the steps of finishing Uni, by June, packing shipping and flying back, hopefully by end june/early july.
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
I want my Neslo Peng.
Anyway, I have decided that I will return to Singapore and am now in the process of going through the steps of finishing Uni, by June, packing shipping and flying back, hopefully by end june/early july.
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
I want my Neslo Peng.
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