Blog/April 2009/Apr 17th - Revision history

Ron at 11:55, 24 April 2009

2009-04-24T11:55:43Z

Ron at 11:04, 17 April 2009

2009-04-17T11:04:58Z

Ron at 10:56, 17 April 2009

2009-04-17T10:56:28Z

Ron at 10:49, 17 April 2009

2009-04-17T10:49:29Z

Ron at 10:15, 17 April 2009

2009-04-17T10:15:25Z

Ron at 09:38, 17 April 2009

2009-04-17T09:38:06Z

Ron at 08:21, 17 April 2009

2009-04-17T08:21:01Z

Ron at 08:20, 17 April 2009

2009-04-17T08:20:35Z

Ron at 18:00, 15 April 2009

2009-04-15T18:00:57Z

Ron at 06:48, 14 April 2009

2009-04-14T06:48:48Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:55, 24 April 2009
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	Shabbat shalom!		Shabbat shalom!

−	{{nav\|Blog\|Blog\|Blog/April 2009/Apr 10th\|Apr 10th\|\|}}	+	{{nav\|Blog\|Blog\|Blog/April 2009/Apr 10th\|Apr 10th\|Blog/April 2009/Apr 24th\|Apr 24th}}

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 |-
 | Jordan || 19 || 5,000 || 78.9
 |}

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 As a result of this relationship, while it gives Israel access to American military technology (at the whim of US leaders, of course), it also prevents Israel from developing its own industries and making such deals as are appropriate for its own sovereign interests.  The US, for instance, vetoed a multi-billion dollar deal Israel had made with China for Israeli military technology, and Israel had to meekly cancel the deal (and anger the Chinese, who will not soon forget that slight).
-The best thing that could happen to Israel would be to cut off all aid from the US immediately, so it could pursue such alliances as best benefit Israeli interests (with Turkey and India, trade deals with China and African countries).  Of course, it is sometimes [http://muqata.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-hamas-couldnt-shoot-stinger.html good to have US technologies]...
+The best thing that could happen to Israel would be to cut off all aid from the US immediately, so it could pursue such alliances as best benefit Israeli interests (with Turkey and India, trade deals with China and African countries).  Of course, it is sometimes [http://muqata.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-hamas-couldnt-shoot-stinger.html good to have US technologies].  Israel could develop its air industry (the Kfir, Lavi etc.) and export to our natural allies, instead of being hobbled by Uncle Sugar.
 For the record: Israel has a powerful economy (thanks to high-tech, bio-tech, alternative energy research, agricultural industry, medical research etc...).

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 The holiday itself was very relaxing.  I think this was the most relaxing ''pesach'' on record (for us, anyway).  But the last day of ''chol-hamo`ed'' (the day before the last actual ''yom-tov'', there was a ''{{wiki|sharav}}'' -- and so we read with relief the forecast of cooler weather following.   We sat down for the last holiday meal with some friends, and towards the end of the meal the wind picked up -- and the temperature dropped precipitously.  Our guests walked home in 50kph winds, and the next day was nice and cool.  Rain even fell... weird weather.
-During ''chol-hamoed'', we went to the ''{{wiki2|Western_Wall|kotel}}'' to see ''[http://ronware.org/Pictures/Birkat%20Kohanim%205769/index.html birkat hakohanim]'' (the Kohanic blessing).  The Jerusalem Post had almost no coverage of that event, but the [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239488117886&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Easter celebrations] were front page press. <sarcasm> It makes sense. After all, the two events are not comparable in religious importance.  On the one hand you have the idolaters celebrating their "god's" death and resurrection, and on the other hand you have the descendants of Aaron the High Priest continuing to perform a Biblical command to bless His people Israel.  Obviously, we should give priority in our press to the idolatrous practices of the surrounding nations.</sarcasm>
+During ''chol-hamoed'', we went to the ''{{wiki2|Western_Wall|kotel}}'' to see ''[http://ronware.org/Pictures/Birkat%20Kohanim%205769/index.html birkat hakohanim]'' (the Kohanic blessing).  The Jerusalem Post had almost no coverage of that event, but the [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239488117886&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Easter celebrations] were front page press. <sarcasm> It makes sense. After all, the two events are not comparable in religious importance.  On the one hand you have idolaters celebrating their "god's" death and resurrection; on the other hand you have the descendants of Aaron the High Priest continuing to perform a Biblical command to bless His people Israel.  Obviously, the Israeli press should give priority to the idolatrous practices of the surrounding nations.</sarcasm>
 Dear American Jews: [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1238562943885&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull don't cry for us].  The rabid left-wing keeps asserting that "without US aid and support, Israel would be finished".  Let's examine that claim, shall we?
-US aid to Israel in 2007 was $2.5 billion, of which 160 million was actual 'financial aid'.  The other $2.34 billion was "military aid".  Most of that aid consists of guarantees, such that Israel has to purchase US military goods with that money.  That is to say, the money is "given" to Israel which must then turn around and support the US military industry.
+US aid to Israel in 2007 was $2.5 billion, of which 160 million was actual 'financial aid'.  The other $2.34 billion was "military aid".  Most of that aid consists of guarantees, such that Israel has to purchase US military goods with that money.  That is to say, the money is "given" to Israel which must then turn around and support the US military industry.  So in fact, the "aid" given to Israel directly supports the US economy!
-The Israeli GDP for 2008 was almost $189 billion (at the official rate of exchange).  Given that only 160 million of US aid was intended to help the economy of Israel, the loss of it would entail a mere 0.08% of Israel's GDP.  I highly doubt that would affect Israeli's standard of living in any meaningful way.  Even were the entire 2.5 billion all financial aid, it would still only constitute 1.3% of Israel's GDP.  Yes, I realize I took aid numbers from 2007 and GDP from 2008, but that's what I had available.  In fact, 2008 aid numbers are lower than 2007 numbers, so the percentages would be even smaller.
+The Israeli GDP for 2008 was almost $189 billion (at the official rate of exchange).  Given that only 160 million of US aid was intended to help the economy of Israel, the loss of it would entail a mere 0.08% of Israel's GDP.  I highly doubt that would affect Israeli's standard of living in any meaningful way.  Even were the entire 2.5 billion actually financial aid, it would still only constitute 1.3% of Israel's GDP.  Yes, I realize I took aid numbers from 2007 and GDP from 2008, but that's what I had available.  In fact, 2008 aid numbers are ''lower'' than 2007 numbers, so the percentages would be even smaller.
-However, to the real point: US aid to Israel has nothing whatsoever to do with supporting Israel per se.  The US started supporting Israel in a meaningful way only ''after'' the Yom Kippur War, when the Soviet empire's influence in the Arab world was growing very strong. America wanted a strong ally (e.g. pawn) to offset the Soviets and to project US power in the region.
+More to the point: US aid to Israel has nothing whatsoever to do with supporting Israel per se.  The US started supporting Israel in a meaningful way only ''after'' the Yom Kippur War, when the Soviet empire's influence in the Arab world was growing very strong. America wanted a strong ally (e.g. pawn) to offset the Soviets and to project US power in the region.
-And as a result of this relationship, while it gives Israel access to American military technology (at the whim of US leaders, of course), it also prevents Israel from developing its own industries and making such deals as are appropriate for its own sovereign interests.  The US, for instance, vetoed a multi-billion dollar deal Israel had made with China for Israeli military technology, and Israel had to meekly cancel the deal (and anger the Chinese, who will not soon forget that slight).
+As a result of this relationship, while it gives Israel access to American military technology (at the whim of US leaders, of course), it also prevents Israel from developing its own industries and making such deals as are appropriate for its own sovereign interests.  The US, for instance, vetoed a multi-billion dollar deal Israel had made with China for Israeli military technology, and Israel had to meekly cancel the deal (and anger the Chinese, who will not soon forget that slight).
-The best thing that could happen to Israel would be to cut off all aid from the US immediately, so it could pursue such alliances as best benefit Israeli interests (with Turkey and India, trade deals with China and African countries).  Of course, it is [http://muqata.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-hamas-couldnt-shoot-stinger.html good to have US technologies]...
+The best thing that could happen to Israel would be to cut off all aid from the US immediately, so it could pursue such alliances as best benefit Israeli interests (with Turkey and India, trade deals with China and African countries).  Of course, it is sometimes [http://muqata.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-hamas-couldnt-shoot-stinger.html good to have US technologies]...
-And just to set the record straight,  Israel has a powerful economy (thanks to high-tech, biotech, alternative energy research, agricultural industry, medical research etc...):
+For the record: Israel has a powerful economy (thanks to high-tech, bio-tech, alternative energy research, agricultural industry, medical research etc...).
 {|
-| Country || GDP (GUSD)|| GDP per cap||Life expectancy
+| Country || GDP || GDP per cap||Life expectancy
 |-
 | USA || 14,330 || 47,000 || 78.1
@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 | EU || 18,850 || 33,400 || 78.7
 |-
-| Jordan || 19 || 5,000 || 78.9
+| Israel || 189 || 28,800 || 80.7
 |-
 | Egypt ||  158 || 5,400 || 72.1
 |-
-| Lebanon || 28 || 11,100 || 73.6
+| Jordan || 19 || 5,000 || 78.9
 |}
-As you can see, Israel has over twice the GDP per capita of its nearest neighbor in the region, and not far from the EU's.  It also has the highest life-expectancy of any of the countries mentioned.  Draw your own conclusions.
+(GDP is in billions of USD.  All numbers from the [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html CIA Factbook])
 Until next week,<br>

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 It looks like the war against the ants has ended in an uneasy cease-fire, as most conflicts do in the middle-east.  Plugging the electrical conduits does seem to have stopped their easy access, and we actually saw no ants over the holiday.  However, this morning I noticed some ants around the dishwasher, and I assume they are coming in from the electrical outlet the dishwasher is plugged into. <grrr>!  What I need is an "Antenator", made by the people who make the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z96JvhPdE6o&feature=related Rodenator]!
-The holiday itself was very relaxing.  I think this has been the most relaxing ''pesach'' on record (for us, anyway).  But the last day of ''chol-hamo`ed'' (the day before the last actual ''yom-tov'', there was a ''{{wiki|sharav}}'' -- and so we read with relief the forecast of cooler weather following.   So we sat down for the last holiday meal with some friends, and towards the end of the meal the wind picked up -- and the temperature dropped precipitously.  Our guests walked home in 50kph winds, and the next day was nice and cool.  Rain even fell... weird weather.
+The holiday itself was very relaxing.  I think this was the most relaxing ''pesach'' on record (for us, anyway).  But the last day of ''chol-hamo`ed'' (the day before the last actual ''yom-tov'', there was a ''{{wiki|sharav}}'' -- and so we read with relief the forecast of cooler weather following.   We sat down for the last holiday meal with some friends, and towards the end of the meal the wind picked up -- and the temperature dropped precipitously.  Our guests walked home in 50kph winds, and the next day was nice and cool.  Rain even fell... weird weather.
-During ''chol-hamoed'', we went to the ''{{wiki|kotel}}'' to see [http://ronware.org/Pictures/Birkat%20Kohanim%205769/index.html birkat hakohanim].  The Jerusalem Post had almost no coverage of that even, but the [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239488117886&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Easter celebrations] were front page press. <sarcasm> It makes sense. After all, the two events are not comparable in religious importance.  On the one hand you have the idolaters celebrating their "god's" death and resurrection, and on the other hand you have the descendants of Aaron the High Priest continuing to perform a Biblical command to bless His people Israel.  Obviously, we should give priority in our press to the idolatrous practices of the surrounding nations.</sarcasm>
+During ''chol-hamoed'', we went to the ''{{wiki2|Western_Wall|kotel}}'' to see ''[http://ronware.org/Pictures/Birkat%20Kohanim%205769/index.html birkat hakohanim]'' (the Kohanic blessing).  The Jerusalem Post had almost no coverage of that event, but the [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239488117886&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Easter celebrations] were front page press. <sarcasm> It makes sense. After all, the two events are not comparable in religious importance.  On the one hand you have the idolaters celebrating their "god's" death and resurrection, and on the other hand you have the descendants of Aaron the High Priest continuing to perform a Biblical command to bless His people Israel.  Obviously, we should give priority in our press to the idolatrous practices of the surrounding nations.</sarcasm>
-* Why can't Israel [http://biurchametz.blogspot.com/2009/02/real-reasons-israel-cant-play-violin.html play the violin?]
+Dear American Jews: [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1238562943885&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull don't cry for us].  The rabid left-wing keeps asserting that "without US aid and support, Israel would be finished".  Let's examine that claim, shall we?
-* [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1238562943885&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Don't cry for me, New York]
-* [http://muqata.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-hamas-couldnt-shoot-stinger.html Why Hamas couldn't shoot stinger missiles] at the IDF.
+US aid to Israel in 2007 was $2.5 billion, of which 160 million was actual 'financial aid'.  The other $2.34 billion was "military aid".  Most of that aid consists of guarantees, such that Israel has to purchase US military goods with that money.  That is to say, the money is "given" to Israel which must then turn around and support the US military industry.
-* A new park near us with [http://ronware.org/Pictures/Purty%20Flowers/index.html purty flowers]
-Israel's GDP (2008) stands at 188.7 billion USD (at official rate of exchange).  $28,800 per capita. Life exp 80.73
+And just to set the record straight,  Israel has a powerful economy (thanks to high-tech, biotech, alternative energy research, agricultural industry, medical research etc...):
-Jordan: GDP 19.12 BUSD.  $5,000 per cap.  Life exp 78.87
+{|
-Egypt: GDP 158.3 BUSD.  $5,400 per cap.  Life 72.12
+| Country || GDP (GUSD)|| GDP per cap||Life expectancy
-Lebanon: GDP 28.02 BUSD.  $11,100 per cap. Life 73.6
+|-
-EU: GDP 18,850 BUSD.  $33,400 per cap. Life exp 78.67
+| Israel || 189 || 28,800 || 80.7
-USA: GDP 14,330 BUSD. $47,000 per cap. Life exp 78.11
+|-
-US aid to Israel (2007) : 2,500 M$USD (2,340 military, 160 financial) (according to the US Gov't FAS site).
+As you can see, Israel has over twice the GDP per capita of its nearest neighbor in the region, and not far from the EU's.  It also has the highest life-expectancy of any of the countries mentioned.  Draw your own conclusions.

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:00, 15 April 2009
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	Help [[tsedaka\|feed the hungry]] in Israel!		Help [[tsedaka\|feed the hungry]] in Israel!
		+
		+	* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z96JvhPdE6o&feature=related Rodenator]

	* Why can't Israel [http://biurchametz.blogspot.com/2009/02/real-reasons-israel-cant-play-violin.html play the violin?]		* Why can't Israel [http://biurchametz.blogspot.com/2009/02/real-reasons-israel-cant-play-violin.html play the violin?]

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 * [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1238562943885&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Don't cry for me, New York]
 * [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239488117886&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull birkat kohanim]
-JPost had almost no coverage of birkat hakohanim; whereas the Easter festivities got front page press.  I understand -- after all, the two events are not comparable in religious importance.  On the one hand you have the idolaters celebrating their false god's death and resurrection, and on the other hand you have the descendants of Aaron the High Priest continuing to perform a Biblical command to bless His people Israel.  Obviously, we should give priority in our press to the idolatrous practices of the surrounding nations.
+JPost had almost no coverage of [http://ronware.org/Pictures/Birkat%20Kohanim%205769/index.html birkat hakohanim]; whereas the Easter festivities got front page press.  I understand -- after all, the two events are not comparable in religious importance.  On the one hand you have the idolaters celebrating their false god's death and resurrection, and on the other hand you have the descendants of Aaron the High Priest continuing to perform a Biblical command to bless His people Israel.  Obviously, we should give priority in our press to the idolatrous practices of the surrounding nations.
 * [http://muqata.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-hamas-couldnt-shoot-stinger.html Why Hamas couldn't shoot stinger missiles] at the IDF.
 Until next week,<br>