The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.Friedrich Nietzsche
Year: 2007
US Increases Military Aid To Israel
The United States will increase its military assistance to Israel and sign a new agreement securing American aid to the country for the next decade, President George W. Bush announced Tuesday following his meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
(…)
Israel asked for a gradual increase in the aid over a 10-year period at the tune of $50 million per year. At the end of the 10 years, Israel will receive $2.9 billion annually in military assistance from the U.S.
Olmert told the president that an announcement on the increase in aid would be an expression of American support for Israel against the growing threats to its existence in the region.
(…)
Israel asked for a gradual increase in the aid over a 10-year period at the tune of $50 million per year. At the end of the 10 years, Israel will receive $2.9 billion annually in military assistance from the U.S.
Olmert told the president that an announcement on the increase in aid would be an expression of American support for Israel against the growing threats to its existence in the region.
[Source: Haaretz]
No Comment…
[Via: Houblog]
Ontario’s Alternative Energy Push
My respect for Canada has just gone up another notch…
A raft of subsidies and other incentives is making Ontario a hot spot for solar panel manufacturers and others in alternative energy.
This week, the province’s government announced a $610 million fund to develop a green technology industry and attract carmakers and solar panel makers. Municipalities will also be able to dip into a separate $206 million fund for retrofitting buildings.
Additionally, the province has unfurled programs that eliminate sales tax on Energy Star-rated lightbulbs and appliances for a year, offer homeowners up to about $4,689 to install energy-efficient appliances, and set a goal to see 100,000 homes go solar. A pilot program will also extend zero-interest loans to homeowners who install renewable energy systems. These build on other programs designed to increase solar power demand.
Overall, Ontario wants to reduce greenhouse gas levels to 6 percent below 1990 levels by 2014, 15 percent below those levels by 2020, and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
[Source: CNet News]
And just across Canada’s southern border… Oh well, we all know the story…
Miltary Spending Rose 37% Over 10 Years
Military spending worldwide has risen by 37% over the past 10 years, reaching 1.204 Trillion dollars in 2006, according to the annual report published by SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) on June 11th.
The United States, with a spending of 528.7 Billion dollars in 2006, accounts for 46% of the total military spending worldwife, way ahead of all the other countries.
Right behind the US are the UK and France that both account for 4 to 5 % of the worldwide miltary spending in 2006.
The top 15 countries in the list alone account for 83% of the global budget.
Arms sales by the 100 top arms manufacturers in the world rose by 3% over 2005, reaching 290 Billion dollars.
I bet all these countries explain that all these arms are for security and safety reasons; what’s truly ironic is that over the past 10 years that military spending has risen by 37%, safety and security has dropped by so many times more than that!
The world is certainly not getting any safer!
So isn’t it clear yet that the more weapons we have, the less safe we become?
Imagine if a sum as big as that or even a fraction of it was invested in development projects, education, fighting poverty, building trust and better international relations, spreading understanding, or mediating between conflicting sides for example; I’m sure the world would be a much safer and better place for us all to live in.
The only people who win from this all are the arms manufacturers, but the loss is that of the whole of humanity!
The Seven Deadly Sins & Me
I just came across this quiz by way of Roba, by way of Tololy, which rates you on the Seven Deadly Sins; here’s how I did:
| Greed: | Medium |
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| Gluttony: | Medium |
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| Wrath: | Medium |
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| Sloth: | High |
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| Envy: | Medium |
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| Lust: | Very Low |
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| Pride: | Medium |
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Interesting…
I do confirm the “Sloth” part, I’m one of the laziest people alive; working on it though.
Take the Seven Deadly Sins Quiz
WiTricity: Wireless Electricity
Imagine a future in which wireless power transfer is feasible: cell phones, household robots, mp3 players, laptop computers, and other portable electronics capable of charging themselves without ever being plugged in, freeing us from that final, ubiquitous power wire. Some of these devices might not even need their bulky batteries to operate.
Well that future could be just around the corner; A team at MIT led by Prof. Marin Soljacic has experimentally demonstrated an important step toward accomplishing this vision of the future, they were able to light a 60W light-bulb from a power source more than 2 meters away, without any physical connection between the source and the appliance.
The MIT team refers to their concept as
Climate Savers Computing Initiative
Moving towards greener computing…
In an initiative to improve computer power use – equivalent to shutting down twenty 500 megawatt coal-fired power plants – Google and Intel have set up the Climate Savers Computing Initiative.
The forty starting members, including AMD, Dell, HP, IBM and Sun, hope to better manage power-delivery and power management of computers to achieve this by 2010. Suppliers, businesses and individuals are being asked to join and help save $5.5 billion in energy costs.
Servers and PCs waste lots of power from the moment it enters their power cables. Google’s SVP for operations, Urs Holzle, said: “The average desktop PC wastes nearly half of its power, and the average server wastes one-third of its power. The Climate Savers Computing Initiative is setting a new 90 percent efficiency target for power supplies, which if achieved, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54 million tons per year – and save more than $5.5 billion in energy costs.”
Source: Techworld
Always great to see big companies moving towards providing greener solutions. On an individual level though we can all help by turning off our computers when we’re not actually using them, that saves a lot of energy in itself.
My Top 10 Favourite Tunisian Dishes
I posted a couple of years ago about my 10 favourite dishes, from different origins, but to be honest, no matter how many countries I’ve been to and how many cuisines I’ve tried, I still think that Tunisian cuisine is the best when taken in its entirety.
This is why I thought I’d share with you the list of my top 10 favourite Tunisian dishes.
1. Mloukhia: I personally worship Tunisian Mloukhia, and so do most other Tunisians. It’s the greatest dish created by mankind with a magical taste and smell that enchant your senses.
2. Couscous: Our Tunisian national dish, whether with meat, chicken or fish it’s just perfect. With a cup of fresh Lben on the side, I’d have this meal any day.
3. Nwaser: Another Tunisian delicacy that I love. Its small steamed square-shaped pieces of home-made pasta covered in a delicious tomato-based sauce just take you to another level of food joy.
4. Dwida Mfawwra: Another steamed pasta based meal that I enjoy so much.
5. Njara: A dish from my home city of Bizerte, also steamed pasta based, and very delicous as well.
6. Kleya: Small pieces of meat, liver and whatnot spiced and cooked with some onion and parsley thrown on top. Great dish.
7. Tunisian Pasta: Pasta may have its origins in Italy, just across the mediterranean, but it only lives up to its full potential when cooked in a Tunisian household with our Tunisian tomato sauce.
8. Keftaji: A great Tunisian fast food made of a mix of vegetables, topped with a fried egg. Love it.
9. Leblabi: Another Tunisian fast food; boiled chick peas and bread crumbs, spiced and mixed, very yummy.
10. Blankite Salad: Slices of baguette bread, soaked in a tomato-based sauce, topped with Mechouia Salad, a slice of egg, a slice of cheese and a slice of olive. Amazing.
If you’re ever in Tunisia, you have to try some of the mouth-watering dishes above; you’ll never forget the tasty experience.
Stress: The Trash Of Modern Life
Stress is the trash of modern life – we all generate it but if you don’t dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life.Danzae Pace
My Perfect Tunisian Summer Day
Inspired by an off-topic question posted in one of the comments, I felt like posting what a perfect summer vacation day in Tunisia would be like for me:
– Wake up whenever I feel like it
– Have ftayer (pancakes) for breakfast
– Hit one of the beaches in the North of Tunisia for half a day (Best Places To Swim In Tunisia)
– Go back home for lunch, preferably Macaroni or Couscous
– Rest, watch a movie, take a nap…
– Go out for some ice cream and a walk on La Marsa’s Boulevard
– Have a delicious Bambaloni (Tunisian donut) in Sidi Bou Said
– Meet with some friends and enjoy the evening over a nice cup of tea with pine nuts in the Sidi Chebaane Caf