In the Top Tier

Bibi's figure of $70,000 GNP per capita is a bit optimistic for now, but Israel is solidly in the upper tier of wealthy nations, ranked as an advanced, high-income economy, and the trend is clearly upward.

The currency, the shekel, is worth 25% more today than a year ago.  Buying Chinese goodies on AliExpress and Temu is very convenient. European vacations are accessible to everybody.

In my sleepless nights, I compare today to the country when I decided to stay in Israel. General Moshe Dayan, the one with the eye patch, was envious of Switzerland with its million-strong militia. People still spoke of the fear of the last existential war with Egypt.  TAHAL, the company I was working for, operated exclusive grocery stores, where unavailable products (like eggs) were sold for the ration books we were given. I was amazed by middle-class people investing in land, surprised by their faith in Israel's stability and future. Foreign papers unanimously said Israel could not last.   

In the Cow Shed

He grew cow ears, too. 

Is Pentecost - שבועות?

"Pentecost marks when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles of Jesus, Mary, and other followers of Christ, 50 days after Easter — hence the name, which comes from a Hellenistic Greek word meaning "50th." The followers of Christ had gathered in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot in Hebrew), the harvest festival held seven weeks and one day after the first day of Passover.

"The disciples were lost after the death of Jesus. They didn't know what to do next. Then the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they felt its vitality and strength. They went out to the streets and started preaching. They inspired 3,000 people to become baptized." From DW

I had to reach 80 to learn what they mean by the Holy Spirit. Now it makes sense. 

Unexplained Infertility

 

“Follicular fluid from one female was better at attracting sperm from one male, while follicular fluid from another female was better at attracting sperm from a different male,” said Professor Fitzpatrick. This shows that interactions between human eggs and sperm depend on the specific identity of the women and men involved.”

The egg does not always agree with the woman’s choice of partner. The researchers found that eggs did not always attract more sperm from their partner than from another male.

Is this egg or sperm choice? Professor Fitzpatrick explained that sperm have only one job – to fertilise eggs – so it doesn’t make sense for them to be choosy. Eggs, on the other hand, can benefit by picking high-quality or genetically compatible sperm.

“The idea that eggs are choosing sperm is really novel in human fertility,” said Professor Daniel Brison, “Research on the way eggs and sperm interact will advance fertility treatments and may eventually help us understand some of the currently ‘unexplained’ causes of infertility in couples.

Don Segundo Sombra

 

En los pagos de Areco. Segundo Ramírez, del libro de Ricardo Guiraldes. Mi libro favorito. 

Heritage Center of Cochin Jewry

 What am I working on today? It is a Heritage Center of the Indian (Cochin) Jewry in a Moshav near my home city. They are brown-skinned, nice people, proud of their ethnic traditions as all the other 120 "edot" (tribes?) of Israel. They have a 2000-year history on the Malabar Coast. Thomas, one of the disciples of Jesus, settled among them and converted many, forming the  Saint Thomas Christian population of India. 

Sabiduria criolla

Inodoro toro, Mendieta perro.