honey and sting

It's been pointed out to me that the International Red Cross has a problematic history with Israel -- they refuse to allow the Red Magen David (star of David), the Israeli branch of the Red "Cross" to be considered part of the larger organization. This decision is purely political -- the Red Cross does allow the Red Crescent to be under its umbrella.

For those who might wish a Jewish-friendly alternative for international giving, there is the American Jewish World Service. The AJWS is an organization that provides disaster relief around the world to people in need, regardless of creed, nationality, blah blah blah. What's really cool about them, as well, is that in addition to disaster relief, they specialize in locally sustainable programs to improve living conditions. For example, in addition to providing grain during a food shortage, they might teach a village improved grain storage techniques so that less of their harvest is lost to mold.

It's all in the "teach a man to fish" concept of giving. And it is a gentle way of fighting anti-Semitism around the world. If you think anti-semitism isn't alive and well, the last few weeks had, what was it? An Iranian top official calling for the elimination of Israel, and the Jordanian public circulating a belief that Israel -- read "the Jews" -- was behind the hotel bombing, despite clear evidence to the contrary. In recent years, the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" -- a Tsarist era forgery purporting to be the international Jewish plan to take over the world, has resurfaced, and in Syria a top government official revived the "blood libel" -- the theory propounded in Medieval Europe that Jews kill Christian children and use their blood to make Passover matza -- he updated the theory to include little Muslim babies. The book was a best-seller.

The AJWS website is here: http://www.ajws.org/

Their giving page is here: https://donate.ajws.org/03/general_1

Do yourself a favor, check out their projects. They are very cool.

Recognizing a Stroke

----- There are now medicines that can reverse the effects of most strokes but only IF the person gets treatment within within 3 hours of onset. Learning to recognize a stroke as it's happening is key! Tricky as some symptoms may be mild or look like other things. People often don't want to "make a fuss" or would rather "wait and see if it passes." Unfortunately, that wait time can mean the difference between a successful recovery and permanent brain damage as the stroke progresses.

Fortunately, there are now 3 easy to remember steps to help identify a stroke in its early stages. Read and Learn!

A bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

1. *Ask the individual to SMILE.

2. *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

3. *Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today) If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.

Pass it on!