Voyage (not really but it sounds more adventurous that way)

To celebrate the end-of-term (what?! How did that happen so fast!) I am heading on my first European extravaganza since having arrived in London. I am going to Portugal and the south of Spain for 10 days with three girlfriends. Then off to Israel to see my family. I will post pictures and funny cultural commentaries when I find cheap internet cafes. Happy holidays!

Falling in love

I may have fallen in love with London tonight. Anyone that knows me well knows that I get pure joy out of pedestrian-friendly cities that allow me to discover new crannies or just feel the pulse of the city. I had that "ah-ha" moment with London tonight. I finally saw in it some of the qualities that I love about two of my favorite cities. It has the spirit of Tel Aviv- where spaces are always boisterous and alive and people spill into the street at all hours. Yet it also has that importance and centrality that Washington DC experiences, where big ideas are always formulating (that's why I love TED so much!). The feeling that one can do impactful work during the day and have endless opportunities at night just vibed with me as I walked home with a friend from the Rotary Fish & Chips event in the misty rain. Something clicked in me and it made me wonder if this is the beginning of feeling less like a visitor in someone else's city...


(A picture of the London night sky- courtesy of Google search)

The Giving Difference

A Jew, a pastor and a Catholic are sitting at a restaurant... sounds like the beginning of a joke, right? Nope- it was our table at a Rotary lunch meeting with the St. Pancras Club. It seems that wherever Rotary is located, beyond just doing good, diversity converges and conversation flows freely. The three of us got into a really interesting conversation about charitable giving- obviously an interest of mine from my work with NGOs and my desire to work in the third sector in the future. The Pastor argued that one of the disadvantages of a welfare state, such as England, is that there is significantly less charitable giving. People are less likely to contribute to prevailing social ills because they believe that the state should and will take care of the issue. This conclusion is quite rational since people pay relatively high taxes and the state finances most basic needs. I thought about this as I walked home- Do Americans give more on average than other nations? Would this decrease if the US instituted national health care or nationalized other programs? What are other repercussions of such a policy shift that are currently not being discussed in the media?

Of course I had to check the facts for myself. Turns out the Pastor was right; According to Philanthropy UK, in 2006 Americans contributed £145 billion (or 2.2% of the GDP) to charities as compared to Brits giving £15 billion (or 1.1% of the GDP). So the previous question stands- what are the hidden consequences- good or bad- of nationalizing health care in the US? Readers (all two of you) feel free to post your thoughts in the comments space.