Interesting Statistics

Consider the global priorities in spending in 1998

Global Priority $U.S. Billions

Cosmetics in the United States 8
Ice cream in Europe 11
Perfumes in Europe and the United States 12
Pet foods in Europe and the United States 17
Business entertainment in Japan 35
Cigarettes in Europe 50
Alcoholic drinks in Europe 105
Narcotics drugs in the world 400
Military spending in the world 780

And compare that to what was estimated as additional costs to achieve universal access to basic social services in all developing countries:

Global Priority $U.S. Billions

Basic education for all 6
Water and sanitation for all 9
Reproductive health for all women 12
Basic health and nutrition 13

Any thoughts?

My Politics (and Religion)

It’s nearly state election time at the moment in Illinois. I was listening to a debate of local Republican candidates on the TV the other day. I was thinking how could any God fearing Christian ever vote for a right wing party, such as the Republicans or the Conservatives? In the Book of Acts, Luke reports believers sharing their possessions and talks about equality. Indeed it is these same passages that appear in Karl Marx’s teachings. Party’s that reduce taxation only increase the gap between rich and poor, whatever they say their motivations are. Taxation should proportionally increase with income in my view. The money should be spent wisely on education and healthcare. The welfare state systems of Europe creak at the seams but echo the sentiments of God far more closely than anything else I have seen. You may have guessed my politics are extremely left wing. Communist states have proven not to work in the past, but I put that down to the fallen nature of man, in the corruption, intolerance and state control rather than the pure idealism. Free market socialism for the common man works for me every time. This is a topic that interests me no end, and I would gratefully value any comments.

Shirley

OJ's Mom

A Good Chinese Blog

My friend Haoran Xiong's blog

Sputniks

Take a look at this blog