What would you do with US$700,000,000,000?.
read US$700 billion. hope i got the number of zeros right.
anyway, congress rejected the bailout of 700 billion bucks, which comes to no surprise to me, but i think most people are disappointed with that move.
what interests me is on forbes, there's a list listing (ok, english teachers, don't kill me for that - "list listing") 7 better uses for that amount of money. here goes:
(taken from forbes.com)
Education
The U.S. currently spends some $500 billion annually on public education, yet it still finds itself slipping behind many other industrialized nations when it comes to giving the next generation the skills it needs to compete globally.
Infrastructure development
Based on estimates from the American Society of Civil Engineers, our nation's bridges need $180 billion in repairs. Besides the possibility of a tragic event like the 2007 Minneapolis bridge crash, which killed 13 people and injured 145, decrepit bridges cost local governments hundreds of millions and slow down commerce. Consider too that infrastructure projects like repairing the New Orleans levies cost $10 billion, according to the White House.
Trade
Global trade isn't going away any time soon, and America's ports are getting increasingly crowded. According to the American Association of Port Authorities, container volumes at American ports have increased by 7% per year over the last 20 years, outpacing capacity growth. New Orleans alone needs $1 billion to keep pace with international competition.
Health Care
Kenneth Thorpe, a professor of health policy at Emory University points out that for $150 billion you could provide every American with private health insurance and create a universal automated health information system. When you consider that the National Cancer Institute receives $5 billion a year in funding, you could multiply their budget by 10 and provide private health care to every American.
Solar Energy
Arizona Public Service, the state's public power utility, is currently building the nation's largest solar power array in the desert near Gila Bend, Ariz. It will be able to power 70,000 homes using only the sun's rays--and create thousands of high-tech green energy jobs to boot. Construction costs will be about $1 billion, but the utility says it will pay for itself in about five years.
National Security
After five years in Iraq, most estimates for the war's cost tally into the $500 billion range. Unlike investments in distressed assets, paying for the Iraq War won't produce a return, but $700 billion would stem the government's future debt obligations to its creditors.
Climate Change
There are a wide range of estimates on how much it will cost to reduce global warming over the next few decades. A middle-of-the-road estimate comes from McKinsey & Co., a consulting firm, which estimates that it will cost $150 billion a year to stabilize greenhouse emissions by 2030. While $700 billion won't come close to the full amount, it would allow the government to take aggressive action now without not damaging the currently fragile economy.
maybe that's why the bailout plan was overturned. imagine, spending that much taxpayers money just to save those who landed themselves in this situation because of their greed. tsk.
well, maybe this would give the democrats a little more edge in the upcoming elections. i think they're more level-minded.
even if the 700 billion rescue plan did come through, it would only be the beginning. it's not like this amount of money is going to solve all problems for good. and if it doesn't work, it would throw the economy into greater distress than now. so i'd say the risks are too great. there's much more use for that amount of money for the rest of america than just bailing out the few who foolishly landed themselves in this situation. spending this great amount would increase tax payers burdens but at least investing in these other areas would be a better bet.
anyway, i think the world is in need of prayer. so many things are taking place.
the US economy is one.
then there's china with their contaminated milk products and the 53,000 children suffering.
there's myanmar and thailand in political turmoil, not forgetting malaysia as well.
let's be praying... and loving our neighbours.
anyway, congress rejected the bailout of 700 billion bucks, which comes to no surprise to me, but i think most people are disappointed with that move.
what interests me is on forbes, there's a list listing (ok, english teachers, don't kill me for that - "list listing") 7 better uses for that amount of money. here goes:
(taken from forbes.com)
EducationThe U.S. currently spends some $500 billion annually on public education, yet it still finds itself slipping behind many other industrialized nations when it comes to giving the next generation the skills it needs to compete globally.
Infrastructure development
Based on estimates from the American Society of Civil Engineers, our nation's bridges need $180 billion in repairs. Besides the possibility of a tragic event like the 2007 Minneapolis bridge crash, which killed 13 people and injured 145, decrepit bridges cost local governments hundreds of millions and slow down commerce. Consider too that infrastructure projects like repairing the New Orleans levies cost $10 billion, according to the White House.
TradeGlobal trade isn't going away any time soon, and America's ports are getting increasingly crowded. According to the American Association of Port Authorities, container volumes at American ports have increased by 7% per year over the last 20 years, outpacing capacity growth. New Orleans alone needs $1 billion to keep pace with international competition.
Health CareKenneth Thorpe, a professor of health policy at Emory University points out that for $150 billion you could provide every American with private health insurance and create a universal automated health information system. When you consider that the National Cancer Institute receives $5 billion a year in funding, you could multiply their budget by 10 and provide private health care to every American.
Solar EnergyArizona Public Service, the state's public power utility, is currently building the nation's largest solar power array in the desert near Gila Bend, Ariz. It will be able to power 70,000 homes using only the sun's rays--and create thousands of high-tech green energy jobs to boot. Construction costs will be about $1 billion, but the utility says it will pay for itself in about five years.
National SecurityAfter five years in Iraq, most estimates for the war's cost tally into the $500 billion range. Unlike investments in distressed assets, paying for the Iraq War won't produce a return, but $700 billion would stem the government's future debt obligations to its creditors.
Climate ChangeThere are a wide range of estimates on how much it will cost to reduce global warming over the next few decades. A middle-of-the-road estimate comes from McKinsey & Co., a consulting firm, which estimates that it will cost $150 billion a year to stabilize greenhouse emissions by 2030. While $700 billion won't come close to the full amount, it would allow the government to take aggressive action now without not damaging the currently fragile economy.
maybe that's why the bailout plan was overturned. imagine, spending that much taxpayers money just to save those who landed themselves in this situation because of their greed. tsk.
well, maybe this would give the democrats a little more edge in the upcoming elections. i think they're more level-minded.
even if the 700 billion rescue plan did come through, it would only be the beginning. it's not like this amount of money is going to solve all problems for good. and if it doesn't work, it would throw the economy into greater distress than now. so i'd say the risks are too great. there's much more use for that amount of money for the rest of america than just bailing out the few who foolishly landed themselves in this situation. spending this great amount would increase tax payers burdens but at least investing in these other areas would be a better bet.
anyway, i think the world is in need of prayer. so many things are taking place.
the US economy is one.
then there's china with their contaminated milk products and the 53,000 children suffering.
there's myanmar and thailand in political turmoil, not forgetting malaysia as well.
let's be praying... and loving our neighbours.
{ Tuesday, September 30 }
SALE!.
i went for the robinson's "grand spree" sale in expo hall 5 yesterday!
at first i was wondering if i would spend anything at all since i always don't seem to be able to get a good deal at sales. or often i'd regret buying the things i bought... but yesterday was totally different.
i spent $200... and that is thanks to an additional 5% discount with a robinson's card and it includes a meal and cab fare back home as well.
so what did i bag??
- 2 men's office shirt
- 1 men's polo tee
- 1 box 5 pcs undergarment set
- 1 box 2 pcs undergarment set
- 2 bath towels
- 1 cushion
- 1 handbag
- 1 thermos (350 ml)
- 1 ironing board cover
- 1 pack 5 pcs sponge for washing dishes
- 1 roll of non-slips
totally worth it and totally cool! went home and was soooooo happy with everything i bought. nothing was wasted. to think buying 5 pieces of maternity clothing already cost me around $200.
moral of the story, go to a sale once in a while. you'll never know what good bargains you can pick up.
the sale is on till this sunday...
maybe i should go back again and start stocking up on christmas presents!!!! HAHAHA!!!
cheapo!
at first i was wondering if i would spend anything at all since i always don't seem to be able to get a good deal at sales. or often i'd regret buying the things i bought... but yesterday was totally different.
i spent $200... and that is thanks to an additional 5% discount with a robinson's card and it includes a meal and cab fare back home as well.
so what did i bag??
- 2 men's office shirt
- 1 men's polo tee
- 1 box 5 pcs undergarment set
- 1 box 2 pcs undergarment set
- 2 bath towels
- 1 cushion
- 1 handbag
- 1 thermos (350 ml)
- 1 ironing board cover
- 1 pack 5 pcs sponge for washing dishes
- 1 roll of non-slips
totally worth it and totally cool! went home and was soooooo happy with everything i bought. nothing was wasted. to think buying 5 pieces of maternity clothing already cost me around $200.
moral of the story, go to a sale once in a while. you'll never know what good bargains you can pick up.
the sale is on till this sunday...
maybe i should go back again and start stocking up on christmas presents!!!! HAHAHA!!!
cheapo!
{ Friday, September 26 }
Nursery Rhymes.
i bought a magazine recently and it had an article in it which talked abt whether fairy tales were healthy for children. mighty lengthy article. i didn't finish reading it.. i only read the front portion which argued against fairy tales.
it said that fairy tales were unhealthy because they're unrealistic and promote passiveness in people. example, cinderella and sleeping beauty, even snow white didn't have to do anything but had prince charming skipping up to their door step. that's only one example i rememebered.
hubby and i has begun singing to baby ethan every night. we ran out of songs one night, or maybe it was me who couldn't fall asleep, hubby suggested singing me a lullaby. we thought of the lyrics and yuck... i don't think we should even continue...
in "hush-a-bye baby", the cradle dropped from a tree! goodness...
we then started to talk abt lame and dark rhymes and wondered why they were called nursery rhymes and taught to children...
"london bridge"... what news to bring to the fair lady
"ring-a-ring o' roses"... sings abt black death
"humpty dumpty" is also quite sad... no one could fit him back... actually humpty dumpty was a canon used during the english civil war.
"it's raining, it's pouring"... he bumped his head and couldn't get up? my, it just means he died, didn't he?
some of the rhymes were written to describe historical events or to describe principles in life. but i wonder why they are taught to children????? an early history lesson?
those are "dark" rhymes.. or so i call it... then there are lame rhymes... one was in chinese that i remembered my grandma singing to me non-stop... it goes something like this:
喂喂, 不要怕, 你是好娃娃
自己跌到, 自己爬
你看山上, 为你开满红花
你们是好娃娃, 要自己跌到自己爬
i still remember thinking to myself why i would be consoled by a hill filled with blossoming red flowers... haha.. growing up in hdb singapore filled with trees that you can hardly see flowers. ok, the lame rhymes are a little extra here...
so are nursery rhymes and fairy tales good? i think they have their uses... for rhymes, literally teaching rhymes, teaching children to sing.. fairy tales, well, happy endings do come but children must learn that they need to take active steps towards it... take cinderella, it's a typical rags-to-riches story... but in real life, no fairy godmother is going to appear and you're not the only one with that one shoe size... it does have a happy ending. but like the show i watched with my kids, the pursuit of happiness, it's also a rags-to-riches story, but man, did that guy worked to get there. in the end, i think we must know that God will have the perfect ending for us in the end.
i find rhymes and fairy tales amusing... and now that i'm much older, it's interesting to find out the origin of the rhymes...
it said that fairy tales were unhealthy because they're unrealistic and promote passiveness in people. example, cinderella and sleeping beauty, even snow white didn't have to do anything but had prince charming skipping up to their door step. that's only one example i rememebered.
hubby and i has begun singing to baby ethan every night. we ran out of songs one night, or maybe it was me who couldn't fall asleep, hubby suggested singing me a lullaby. we thought of the lyrics and yuck... i don't think we should even continue...
in "hush-a-bye baby", the cradle dropped from a tree! goodness...
we then started to talk abt lame and dark rhymes and wondered why they were called nursery rhymes and taught to children...
"london bridge"... what news to bring to the fair lady
"ring-a-ring o' roses"... sings abt black death
"humpty dumpty" is also quite sad... no one could fit him back... actually humpty dumpty was a canon used during the english civil war.
"it's raining, it's pouring"... he bumped his head and couldn't get up? my, it just means he died, didn't he?
some of the rhymes were written to describe historical events or to describe principles in life. but i wonder why they are taught to children????? an early history lesson?
those are "dark" rhymes.. or so i call it... then there are lame rhymes... one was in chinese that i remembered my grandma singing to me non-stop... it goes something like this:
喂喂, 不要怕, 你是好娃娃
自己跌到, 自己爬
你看山上, 为你开满红花
你们是好娃娃, 要自己跌到自己爬
i still remember thinking to myself why i would be consoled by a hill filled with blossoming red flowers... haha.. growing up in hdb singapore filled with trees that you can hardly see flowers. ok, the lame rhymes are a little extra here...
so are nursery rhymes and fairy tales good? i think they have their uses... for rhymes, literally teaching rhymes, teaching children to sing.. fairy tales, well, happy endings do come but children must learn that they need to take active steps towards it... take cinderella, it's a typical rags-to-riches story... but in real life, no fairy godmother is going to appear and you're not the only one with that one shoe size... it does have a happy ending. but like the show i watched with my kids, the pursuit of happiness, it's also a rags-to-riches story, but man, did that guy worked to get there. in the end, i think we must know that God will have the perfect ending for us in the end.
i find rhymes and fairy tales amusing... and now that i'm much older, it's interesting to find out the origin of the rhymes...
{ Friday, September 19 }
Ethan and mummy.
some photos for your viewing pleasure =)
my smiling baby
3D scan from my last visit to my gynae
(don't you think he looks like my hubby?)
scan from my previous, previous visit to gynae
isn't God wonderful? it's so amazing to see baby growing at every visit and the significant changes that can be seen.
i went through a little episode last week due to my palpitating heart. went to see a GP half way through working coz my heart was palpitating since the night before. GP said it's pretty bad so sent me back to my gynae. went to see my gynae and he refered me to a cardio. went to see the cardio and was strapped with a heart monitor for a day. cardio said that structurally my heart is good but my heart is really beating very irregularly. he said that it's normal for pregnant women to experience heart palpitations but mine was pretty bad. he refrained from giving me medication, sent me for a blood test and then asked me to go back for a review if this continues after delivery.
golly. quite an episode you would say, but i'm seriously having it easier than most people. those whom i know who're above their 30s and having their first child are suffering from more inconveniences and nuisances.... things like morning sickness, urine infection, gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia... oh the list goes on.
now i can understand how noble mothers are. not saying that i am but i'm glad i'm going through the experience. and.. another piece of advice, please don't put off having children. i've heard many who had miscarriages and the older you get, the more nuisances pregnancy would give you, mainly due to those excess hormones circulating around your body.
anyway, i'm 22 weeks as of now. 4 more weeks before i enter my 3rd trimester. which also means baby is coming soon!
please keep us in prayer. i've many concerns on my heart. wanna know more? ask me. =P thanks to all those who've been praying for mummy and child (and hopefully for daddy too). and thank God for all the things that have fallen in place so far. i feel so blessed and i do sense God has great plans for baby ethan. let's watch them unfold.
{ Tuesday, September 16 }
It's a boy!.
hahaha. to reply to dear chewbacca... and also the rest of my cell.
so sorry i didn't sms all of you guys on saturday when i found out the gender of my baby. i thought it'd be great to tell you guys face to face on sunday. pleh. i only told my parents that day =P
anyway, it's a boy! surely teng will be excited. haha. the rest of my cell were hoping it's a gal. well, don't lose hope, i'm still hoping to have another baby! though not so soon...
jan and val said they'd go shopping with me during their school hols. hiakz.. so exciting! looking forward to it. leong and jol said they'd dress my boy up with dresses... hmmm... errr... no way man... hahaa.. don't want baby to grow up with an identity crisis =P
ok.. so here's the name for baby... he shall be called ethan loh. chinese name shall be kai xuan. ethan means strong and firm. kai xuan (as part of kai xuan gui lai) means returning in victory and glory.
so excited. hubby and i are so looking forward to see the face of our baby. please continue to keep baby in prayer.
and.......... we made an amazing discovery. manuka honey! alright it sounds funny but did you know that it's very expensive? i received a big bottle of it as a gift from my aunt after my operation at the beginning of this year. and it has many wonderous "healing" properties. did you know that this honey can be applied to wounds???? funny right? it was written on the bottle and one of my doctor friends told me that she heard about this though she has never administered such treatment on any of her patients. LOL.
anyway, this honey has been really good in helping me get rid of the excess air in my tummy! what a miracle. hubby and i only started drinking it recently. it's such a god-send. to think that initially i was wondering why of all tonics my aunties could give, this aunty gave me a bottle of honey.
ok.. that's all for now. all the best to all my girls taking their examinations coming up in 2 weeks. will be keeping you guys all in prayer.
so sorry i didn't sms all of you guys on saturday when i found out the gender of my baby. i thought it'd be great to tell you guys face to face on sunday. pleh. i only told my parents that day =P
anyway, it's a boy! surely teng will be excited. haha. the rest of my cell were hoping it's a gal. well, don't lose hope, i'm still hoping to have another baby! though not so soon...
jan and val said they'd go shopping with me during their school hols. hiakz.. so exciting! looking forward to it. leong and jol said they'd dress my boy up with dresses... hmmm... errr... no way man... hahaa.. don't want baby to grow up with an identity crisis =P
ok.. so here's the name for baby... he shall be called ethan loh. chinese name shall be kai xuan. ethan means strong and firm. kai xuan (as part of kai xuan gui lai) means returning in victory and glory.
so excited. hubby and i are so looking forward to see the face of our baby. please continue to keep baby in prayer.
and.......... we made an amazing discovery. manuka honey! alright it sounds funny but did you know that it's very expensive? i received a big bottle of it as a gift from my aunt after my operation at the beginning of this year. and it has many wonderous "healing" properties. did you know that this honey can be applied to wounds???? funny right? it was written on the bottle and one of my doctor friends told me that she heard about this though she has never administered such treatment on any of her patients. LOL.
anyway, this honey has been really good in helping me get rid of the excess air in my tummy! what a miracle. hubby and i only started drinking it recently. it's such a god-send. to think that initially i was wondering why of all tonics my aunties could give, this aunty gave me a bottle of honey.
ok.. that's all for now. all the best to all my girls taking their examinations coming up in 2 weeks. will be keeping you guys all in prayer.
{ Monday, September 8 }
Day Out at YF's, God's sense of humour.
somewhat as usual, at the end of the month, we visited on of the gal's home. this month's was yf's and it was cool. thank God we managed to finish the whole show of "the pursuit of happyness". will smith was such a cool actor. his son was good too. the makings of the next multi-millionaire actor
anyway, we had a great time watching the show (i think) and playing on yf's computer. we took some pictures on yf's mac. they're hilarious
anyway, we had a great time watching the show (i think) and playing on yf's computer. we took some pictures on yf's mac. they're hilarious
a nice one
a funny one
a serious one... or maybe not so... can see some breaking out in smiles
hahaha... so that's that.. then onward to church for service.did i say God has a sense of humour? man, what can i say? think some of you know that i have a tendency of getting worried about falling ill and not eating well during my pregnancy. and let me tell you how God always has a way of telling me to quit worrying and start trusting in Him.
i have a colleague, who also happened to be part of my lunch gorup for a while, who came down with chicken pox. she was on medical leave for 3 weeks. upon return, i was relieved to find out she was absorbed into another group due to the change in her lunch timing. so i tried to avoid any face to face contact with her for a while.
then... my boss, who just came back from her long leave of holidays, came down with shingles and was down for a week. in case some of you didn't know, shingles and chicken pox are caused by the same virus. what happens in shingles is that while you were recovering from the chicken pox virus, some resided in your nervous system. when you're weak and your immune system can't keep up, these virus happily re-emerges causing you to have localised chicken pox symptoms.
so i told myself i shall not go too near my boss when she returns from medical leave.
that went well....
and then yesterday.... on of my gals, sitting beside me in service.. suddenly broke out into a rash. i didn't know what it was. she showed me and was scratching away. she suspected it was shingles.
what a joke huh... i tried to avoid such strong viruses, yet i always find myself being near people who have them.
not just this.. i was also trying to stay away from people who has flu.. not just my hubby got a little stuffed up in the nose, some of my colleagues were also down with it and were still coming to work!!! -.-"
and yesterday, on my other side, was another gal friend who was down with the virus.
golly... God, you really have a way with me.
well well well... what did i learn at the end of the day? trust God. it's in His hands.
{ Monday, September 1 }