Switzerland to cap the population at 10 million

 The proposal to be voted on in June 2026 caps Switzerland's permanent resident population at 10 million by 2050.  Triggers government intervention when the population reaches 9.5 million. Switzerland's population currently stands at around 9 million. The country has grown about 5 times faster than the EU average, 40% of the population has a migrant background, and 31% are foreign residents. There is also differential reproduction: 1.33 children born/Swiss woman vs 1.86 children born/non-Swiss woman.

It is one of the richest countries in the world, and they do not like foreigners. Japan has reached a similar undeclared decision to limit its population. They don't feel the need to grow; they are sure they can survive and defend themselves, despite being few in number.

 It is very different in Israel. 

Estancia La Porota

 Celebrating the foundation of the city of Alvear, Corrientes, Argentina. 

La ciudad fue fundada oficialmente el 10 de febrero de 1863 bajo la sombra del legendario "Ombú Protector", árbol que aparece en el escudo comunal. Según el censo de 2001 tenía 7.917 habitantes, aunque estimaciones más recientes la sitúan cerca de 10.000 habitantes.

Claude, the Uberchochem

 
My NICE stock has lost about 50% over the last three years, and I tend to sell underperforming stocks. Today it was rising 1%, so I sold it all. The stock is now rising 2%. I asked Claude to analyse if I made a mistake, and he made a very long analysis and said that NICE was cheap, and I made a panic mistake. That was the article in The Economist that AI is going to harm software factories, and I was in panic. He gave me a long list of advice. 

Later, I asked him to make a long-term analysis, and yes, it must be in some kind of price-trap and did well in selling. It is confusing, too clever and a half, capable of explaining any decision very intelligently. Anyway, I am out of NICE and looking for an alternative. I'll not ask this chatty AI, too uberchochem and parlanchin. 

Family a Hundred Years Ago

 

The tall man standing on the left is my grandfather Duved, and the beautiful woman sitting second from the left is my grandmother Anna. I think that she is sitting next to her mother, that is, my great-grandmother. 

Jeffrey Epstein lost 3 million dollars in Argentina

 

In 2018, Epstein lost 3 million dollars on his Argentine investments. He should have consulted with someone who knows the country (moi!) before betting even one dollar on Argentina. Argentine bonds were a very, very speculative investment. Year 2018 was brutal for Argentina, the peso lost 50% of its value, Argentine bonds collapsed, and country risk rose by over 600 points. He was a bad money manager.

JPMorgan paid a 250 million dollar penalty for managing the Epstein account. The reason is that he retired 40-80,000 US$ cash regularly, and he made suspicious payments to young women (2-10,000 US$) for tuition or educational expenses (when he had been condemned for sexual crimes). Epstein was a sex offender and had no regular business justification for his operations, and the bank knew it. 

Epstein needed to maintain the high-class island whorehouse to keep his connections, and the Bank did not dare cut his account because of them. In addition, he enjoyed the sex. It was the Giuffre girl who wrote a book and killed herself, who blew up his operation and caused his death. President Trump said that she had been working as a masseuse in his Florida hotel, and Epstein stole her. 

I have been married for 44 years and never had an extra affair. 

The Over-Empathy Mental Disease

Finland is without electricity, and people are burning firewood in mid of their cruel winter. Out of the belief that they had to save Earth, they based their electricity production on renewable systems, like wind and sunshine.  Winters are terrible in Finland, and the blades froze (pic), leaving the country powerless. Germany too chose wind power, which resulted unreliable and expensive. 

All the sustainable energy ideology is based on some kind of empathy with the Earth goddess, which is being hurt by artificial power generation like nuclear, oil, and coal. It seems a sick desire to be good and in harmony with the universe. But the universe is indifferent. It is an unfeeling mechanism. No prayers or human sacrifices will move it. Honi HaMeagel may sit forever in his circle in the sand to force god to send rain, but the universe is indifferent.    

Comparsa Ita Bera

 

The village of Alvear has grown since I worked there. Now they have a full-fledged Carnaval with comparsas (companies) of street dancers.  She is from the Ita Bera (piedra brillante in guarani) comparsa. Streets are asphalted, there are lots of cars and bikes, and a new generation I've never met. I chose this pic not because of the fantastic carnival dress, but because the girl lacks canines, a mutation I share. I have no idea how she could. 

Alvear is 103 years old and celebrates its history day. The pictures of its carnival show a strong Brazilian influence. 70-80 years ago, there was even a Jewish community, mostly Moroccan Jews, but now there is only a Jewish cemetery (that I never visited).