Willing myself to work

 

It is a cold and dark winter day outside. Everything is well, I passed the annual car test, money is dripping in, TASE is rising nicely, the war(s) are being fought and in the last three days there were no rocket alarm in this town. Yet I am not working as I should. I have nothing else to do, but have little interest in current projects. Soon I shall start withthe Shtulim project.  The internet tip of the day:

 JUST DO IT

Don’t waste time. Instead of waiting around, willing yourself to feel motivated, what if you just went ahead and started doing the work you know you need to do? Sometimes jumping in and tackling what needs to be done is the best way to get focused and excited about the project at hand.

INTEL CONFIRMS 25 BILLION FAB IN iSRAEL

 INTEL has one fab in Kiryat Gat, Israel, and it is satisfied with its reliability. 17% of its employees are currently in reserve duty while Israel is being bombarded from Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen (!). Yet Israel has not missed even one date. INTEL has confirmed the ampliation of the existing fab by 10 billions (in construction) and 15 billions additional in 2025. 

On the other hand, its competitors in the USA are having difficulties in building production  facilities. From Zero Hedge:

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. revealed its mass production schedule was postponed from late 2024 until 2025 due to a shortage of skilled workers. 

"We are working on improving this by sending skilled technical workers from Taiwan to the US," Liu said on a conference call after earnings in July. 

Besides a shortage of workers, Bloomberg noted, "US environmental permit issues and the Biden administration's slowness in delivering financial support have been plaguing domestic chip projects."

Also, chipmaker ASML Holding NV recently warned that lawmakers in Washington, DC, do not estimate the complexity of building new factories.

"People don't seem to realize that when we start building those fabs across the globe now and are everywhere, that skill has been refined over the last couple of decades in only a few places on the planet — predominantly in Taiwan and in Korea and a bit in China.

"Getting access to the requisite skills and skilled workers to keep the construction plan on time is a challenge," Peter Wennink, chief executive officer of ASML, said earlier this year. 

Gaza Winter WAR

Gaza underground tunnels. ZAHAL is fighting.

New Times

Since the early 2000s, hard-core cultural Marxist progressives have seized control over the U.S. education system at all levels. As a result, young Americans are emerging from high schools and universities with values unlike anything we have ever seen.

The new American values are built around a division of humanity into two classes: oppressor and oppressed. “Oppressors,” young Americans now believe, are evil and must be punished. “Oppressed” are pure and must be empowered. The United States is the chief oppressor. Its social and economic orders must be radically transformed to expiate its sins.  (From Caroline Glick).

The market dismisses the Gaza War

We are in the third month of the Gaza War, and TASE levels have reached and surpassed its pre-war heights. My impression is that the investors feared more the civil disorders of the "Democracy" protests (of course, it had nothing to do with democracy, it was organized by Ehud Barak and the intelligence services, to overthrow "Bibi" Netaniyahu without a democratic election) than the current war against HAMAS.  In fact, the US$ returned to 3.6 shekels, where has not been for a long time. Israel is cheap again and we are prospering.  The leaders of HAMAS (pic) are still fighting. 

Why is ICL potash fertilizer so cheap?

 I don't know how the price of potash fertilizers is fixed. But is losing altitude and is about to crash. Should I throw it out of the Montgolfier to alighten its weight?

Novedades (Spanish)

Novedades en el Mundo: Nacio Ivri, cuarta generacion kibutznik , nieto.  El peso argentino devaluado y los precios se doblaron.  La demanda de procesadores explota a 1000 billones de US$ por ano, y yo apuesto a AMD. ZAHAL combate bajo tierra. Sone que retorne a Yamit.

Phlebotomy

 

    Around midday I received the results of my blood test taken at 800 AM. Kupat Holim is super-efficient. Everything within normal limits, except for ferritin, which is 450 mg/lt or so (300 is normal for men). What is the meaning? My body hoards iron within a protein capsule (see model left). It could be hereditary, could be some kind of anemia, could  be liver problems. The internet says phlebotomy (blood letting) is indicated. Wifey says I always had excess ferritin. I don't know, I have no iron spots on my hand, but they sure will appear with time. Life is finite. So depressing.   

Coffee

 

Coffee contains Vitamin B2, magnesium, polyphenols and other compounds that have antioxidant properties. It is therapeutic for liver disease and can reduce risk for heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Drinking three to five cups a day “has been consistently associated with a reduced risk of several chronic diseases.”

0.7 Genetic Distance

"In no time period were there (in Egypt) populations that seemed to be even close to SSAs. Western Bantus score around 0.7 distance. This isnt races apart or even subspecies apart (using the same standards regarding genetic distance that we apply to animals, this is species apart)."

Source.

80 countries to avoid

 

The Authorities are sending an Alert to Israeli citizens showing the 80 countries to avoid. All Africa, most of Europe and South America. Even Argentina is dangerous for us.

Winter Blues

I got the winter flu and feel down. I almost did no work the last week. The war is too long, the media is overflowing with anti-Jewish hate. HaAretz and X are disgusting. Many reserve soldiers have been in Gaza for two months. 

I am planning the drainage system of a farm in Hemed, near the airport, and the internet has no information on rainfall intensity. Before this war, such data was available. Now it has disappeared. I feel a change in the internet. 

Much in the media is fake. The pic above is, they write, a tunnel shaft. It could be a rainfall drainage facility. They say the army is preparing the flooding of the tunnels in Gaza, but the pics in the media are unconvincing for this professional. The infrastructure of Gaza city must be broken and leaking. The papers say the filling the tunnels may take weeks and endanger aquifer quality. If really there are 500 km tunnels, we need 500,000 cu.m. seawater or somewhat less. But it implausible that HAMAS had excavated manually such volume of earth and sand. It is amazing that Gazans are not escaping by sea or by land to Egypt. Their Arab brothers may be shooting them on sight.  And in Gaza they are fed by the UN forever. American commenters say that the 30,000 strong HAMAS is largely intact. It has not surrendered and is fighting.   

Doing what it's got to be done

 

The world media is full of indignation against the brutal battle to erradicate HAMAS from Gaza. They said nothing (they approved) the murderous Palestinian attack against peaceful, hardworking villages in their neighborhood. The burnt, they raped, they took hostages, they exhibited naked Israeli girls in the streets of Gaza. They and the world with them, enjoyed the humiliation of the Jews. Now we are trying to make sure that those scenes can never be repeated. I approve because it shows that we are alive and our will to survive in this horrible Middle East is strong and decisive. Zahal is doing what it has to be done if we are to live. 

BLU-109 is what we needed

 The BLU-109 bunker buster hardened penetration bomb used by the USAF is designed to smash through concrete shelters and other hardened structures before exploding. The BLU-109 has a 25mm thick steel casing, filled with 240 kg of Tritonal. It has a delayed-action fuse. America has given us a few of them so we may destroy Iran's nuclear factories.

The Gaza War didn't hurt us much

 

After the terrible shock of the massacre of Re'em Festival, Israel declared war on HAMAS and expected a concerted attack by its enemies. Some 400,00 reserves were mobilized and re-trained during a month while Gaza was being destroyed from the air. Foreign countries sent emergency rescue planes to evacuate their citizens from Israel. Even Argentina sent a Boeing. People, alarmed, bought dollars and its price jumped to 4 sheqel per US dollar. 

Almost two months later, we are negotiating with HAMAS, the expected surprise attack by Iran did not happen (thanks to America that sent one of its battle groups to the area), Western governments strongly supported Israel in its hour of need, the economy is recovering fast and the dollar (see graph) is below its pre-war level. Muslim protests all over the world frightened European people,strenghtening the Right. The "extreme" right won the elections in Holland. 

Maybe the war did not damage us too much.

Civilization's Disease

 South Korea's fertility rate has dropped to a record-low 0.70 in the second quarter of 2023, according to the latest government report, in yet another stark indicator of the deepening demographic crisis in a nation already grappling with the world's lowest birth rate.According to the monthly demographic and census report released on Wednesday by Statistics Korea, the country's statistics body, there were 56,087 newborn babies in the second quarter, a 6.8 percent drop from the same period last year. The count represents the lowest since 2009 and marks 91 months of consecutive decline in births.The country's population has been decreasing for 43 consecutive months, according to the report. In June alone, the number of newborns totaled 18,615, while recorded deaths stood higher at 26,820.

Ultimatum from America's Best & Brightest

         From the WSJ:   As Israel began exchanging Palestinian prisoners for Israeli moms and children, Harvard was dealing with its own ultimatum.

A week ago pro-Palestinian students gave university President Claudine Gay until Monday to respond to three demands. They were: that Harvard divest from any investments in “illegal settlements in Palestine”; that the university reinstate a proctor suspended for taking part in a mob that surrounded and harassed a Jewish student; and—of course—a promise from Harvard that “pro-Palestinian students and workers engaging in non-violent protest” would face no disciplinary action.

There you have it. The ethos of our modern best and brightest in a nutshell: We are taking a brave stand—but we demand that we pay no price for it.

Why I am losing on Potash?

 Why? I cannot think a reason. Brasilian farmers were not long ago paying 1200 dollar per ton, but the israeli potash company ICL is getting paid 250 by the Indians. Brazil imports 98% of its potash. The use has increased from 10 kg/ha. to over 100 kg/ha. with the accompanying increase in agricultural yields per hectare. Canada is investing billions in the development of its Jensen mine, the Australians are not much behind. The demand is begging for fertilizer because of the Ucraine war. 

 And now we have the Teimanim menacing our maritime  traffic on the Red Sea from Eilat to Mombay. The shares of ICL have sunk into Earth's mantle, devoured by its boiling iron/nickel inner core.

Major players in the Potash market include The Mosaic Company, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, K+S AG, Israel Chemicals, and Uralkali. The global potash market will grow from $22.04 billion in 2022 to $23.03 billion in 2023 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.5%. The Russia-Ukraine war disrupted the chances of global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, at least in the short term. The war between these two countries has led to economic sanctions on multiple countries, a surge in commodity prices, and supply chain disruptions, causing inflation across goods and services and affecting many markets across the globe. The potash market is expected to grow from $30.61 billion in 2027 at a CAGR of 7.4%.

On another note, ICL broke ground yesterday on their $400mm LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) plant in St Louis. When both phases are operational by 2025 they will produce 30,000 metric tons of LFP annually. Current China price for a metric ton of LFP is 83,000 yuan, or $11,500/mt.

Why I am losing on Potash?

We are too soft

 The HAMAS criminals have kidnapped two hundred Israelis and are demanding trade in for HAMAS prisioners and to stop the war. We are negotiating and apparently we are going to give them a respite and free a lot of terrorists. I think we are making a big mistake, that we are too soft and they are playing on our sentimental weak points. To eliminate the HAMAS once for all we have to play hardball: for example, to put 400 prisioners and others in front of a "paredon" and start counting down. Every hour one would be executed till they called Uncle. We should never negotiate with criminals. 

There was a story in Argentina. A criminal gang kidnapped a rich man's mother in law and demanded a million dollars. The man did not answer. After some time, the gand sent a note that they felt  sorry for his suffering and would let go the dear old woman for only 500,000 dollars. He did not answer. The next note said that they this lovely old woman told them how much close they were and convinced them to accept a symbolic amount of only ten thousand. Silence. Nothing. No answer. The last note: "Please, have pity on us, come and take back this insufferable old hag! Take her and 10,000 dollars!" 

Bayer falling 30%

Bayer said it is halting a trial for asundexian, an experimental cardiovascular drug. Bayer’s Frankfurt-listed shares (XE:BAYN) fell about 30%. Bayer is a hundred and fifty years old German giant pharma company, tremendously stable, conservatively managed and reliable. Losing a third of its worth in a day or two is most amazing. It means that one third of its worth was the hope for the success of an experfimental drug. I have blind faith in German quality. Just bought German car. 

Rich Man's Portfolio

Warren Buffett’s portfolio:

Apple: $156.8b (50%)

Bank of America: $28.3b (9%)

American Express: $22.6b (7.2%)

Coca-Cola: $22.4b (7.1%) Chevron: $18.6b (5.9%) Occidental: $14.5b (4.6%) Kraft Heinz: $11b (3.5%) Moody’s: $7.8b (2.5%) Others: $31b (10%)

Nekome!

Nothing we can do to them compares with what they did to us.  

We are in trouble

 Dr Eynat Wilf spoke in the Capitol Hill and she explained carefully, point by point, why we are in terrible trouble. She is a leader of the left-wing Labour Party. She teaches in the Reichman University in Tel Aviv. 

Next to my table in TAHAL "worked" an elderly man called Wilf. Curious as I am, one day sat before him and asked what he was doing. He was working on a large genealogy tree, up to the Oppenheimer founder in Switzerland three centuries ago. TAHAL was paradise.  

Gaza WWTP surrounded

 Observing the photo it is clear that the plant is not working, there are no aerators, and the basins are anaerobic (covered with green algae). Under the plant surely there are no tunnels. 

Saved by Reality

 
In Japan and many other countries, the towns and villages are disappearing like magic. In the US nearly half of women under the age of 45 are childless. 

Israel, only two months ago, was well advanced on the same direction. There were large demonstrations with homosexual and Palestine flags, personal enjoyment was being taught in State schools, deeply religious people were attacked on the street, elite fighter pilots and the intelligence services were refusing to serve, there was an active movement to encourage desertion. Barack already saw civil war and bodies floating in the Yarkon river. In kibbutz Beeri there was an informal school to teach the techniques of civil disobedience and revolt.  

The unexpected contact with reality stopped all these. Pilots are bombing refugee camps full of children and women, young people volunteer to the army, and Beeri - the beautiful garden community of peace and love - is no more.

HAMAS weapons depot

 Zahal published a few shorts from Gaza. The destruction is phenomenal. They did not start to enter the tunnels to kill the leaders or liberate the captives. The Economist describes the multiple ways to do that safely. Expansive polyurethane foam can be injected into the inlets, just as we do in construction. They will be trapped like rats. 

The documentary intends to show that the depot was adjacent to a classroom, but more shocking (for me) is the disorder and lack of professionalism. They are irregulars and Juan Domingo Peron taught (as professor at the Argentine Military School), they never can stand up to a regular army. Argentine military are order fanatics. 

Space War

 
Israel downing Houthi missile is first instance of space warfare


The Arrow system was developed by Israel Aerospace Industries in conjunction with the Israeli and US  defense complex.

The Yemenites are attacking us from space. With long range missiles. The missile was destroyed above the atmosphere, in space. It seems science fiction. We are being pushed to the very frontline of modern warfare.

It is interesting to mention that in the ranking of GNP per capita, Yemen is one of the poorest countries of the planet, lower than many African countries. How is that they are able to wage space war? Iran is using Yemen's territory to attack us.

Don't feed the animals

I have written before about the imbecility of donating money to universities and other institutions in the USA that discriminate against Jews and educate the students that Jews are the cause of society's problems. Now the issue became acute and Jewish students are being physically attacked on the campus. One donor (50 million dollars) to the U of Pennsylvania (pic) has at last woken up.

 

Biblical Plagues

 

The first two plagues in the Bible were blood red water pollution and frogs. Now the water is pure and there are no frogs (only mosquitos) but I have my own plagues. This month-long war is depressing me, and yesterday I bought a Skoda car and negotiated the price but, in the end, I blindly signed a higher price. A case of bait-and-switch on an old man and I don't know what to do. Another plague is a severe health issue that fell on a daughter.  Yet another is fighting with her ex - with lawyers. God help.

Tragic Irony

 “One of the tragic ironies of this is the vast majority of the casualties were kibbutzim and the people at this outdoor concert. And people who live in kibbutzim and people who go to raves tend to be the more left-wing, secular Israelis who oppose Netanyahu. Who oppose the occupation, who oppose the seizure of Gaza. Not the right wing ultra-religious nationalist types. I have a good friend who, just a few months ago we were doing training in nonviolent civil resistance to war and occupation, for activists. She lived in kibbutz Kissufim, and she is missing and likely dead or kidnapped. Kerem Shalom, which is probably the most left-wing kibbutz in Israel, they’ve been involved in nonviolent direct action against the occupation. They were overrun, massacres there …”

"Training in nonviolent civil resistance..." in kibbutz Kissufim (pic).  On October 7th., eight kibbutz civilians and six Thai laborers died, and additionally at least four individuals were abducted and taken to Gaza. 

Dead Man Walking

 

Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, says that Israel will kill HAMAS terror leader Yahya Sinwar (on the pic). 

 

The failure of technology

 

Pic.: The border wall (and patrol road and electronic fence) we built to protect ourselves from Hamas. Highest technology available, with sensors and watchtowers, and a floating zeppelin to observe from above. It was a "smart border" built at a cost of billion dollars. 

It totally failed. There is no substitute for living human soldiers.  

Decapitated

 This beautiful girl, Shani Louk, was dancing at the nature festival in South Israel when ISIS HAMAS terrorists invaded and brutalized her and kidnapped her to Gaza. Her body was found today decapitated. It hurts me.

A Tatzpitanit soldier was liberated for HAMAS captivity. Me third daughter was tatzpitanit in the very same place. 

The gas belongs to the Argentines.

 ”Si el martes a las 12 de la noche no está resuelto el abastecimiento de combustibles, desde el miércoles no van a poder sacar un barco de exportación porque primero el petróleo de los argentinos es de los argentinos”, dijo Massa.

The old slogan of Arturo Frondizi "The gas belongs to the Argentines" is being used once again. Gas is unavailable in most Buenos Aires, and the Minister for Economy addresses the oil companies: supply the gas or else. 

I think the companies are losing money with the current price specially after the drastic devaluation of the last week. Massa is the probable next president. 

Frondizi expropriated the oil companies and Argentina had to import fuel for the next decades. Argentina's governance did not improve.  

The Draft and America

 

The irony and hypocrisy is dripping across social media as zennials slowly begin to realize that the consequences of their support for establishment elitism might come back to bite them in the ass.

As we have seen in the past year in the Donbass, wars are won with soldiers, not technology and money.  Without a steady supply of troops any defensive or offensive posture will steadily degrade. 

The majority of modern youth are completely devoid of the mental toughness and discipline required for basic training.  As of 2022 it is estimated that over 42% of Gen Z has been diagnosed with at least one mental illness, but prospects are even dimmer that that.  It is also estimated that another 20% have not sought help for their mental health problems, with 62% of Gen Z taking medications to help with conditions such as "anxiety." (From Zero Hedge, edited)

In 1969 when I toured America, the YMCAs of Canada were full of draft age radical university students. That was the time of the Vietnam war. The war was fought and lost by White trash and Blacks. 

Feeling Uneasy

 All my long life I felt untouched by fear and worry. Hard work, alcohol and valium allowed me to go through difficult times. I gave up alcohol years ago.  

But these days I am feeling uneasy. Not for myself, for the few years I may live, but for my family. I love them. 

Kidnapped

 

SCARY

 

Iron Dome Successful

 
The Israeli system of missiles against missiles Iron Dome has proved its value in the current war. All the world is following what is working in a real war, and what is not. Today it was published that America is starting to produce this missile in the USA. The technology is theirs because they financed its development. 

The Fabric of TimeSpace

 

“in the Copenhagen version of quantum mechanics, there is a quantum world and there is a classical world, and a boundary between them: when things become definite. When things that are indefinite in the quantum world become definite. And what they’re trying to say is that is the fundamental thing that happens in nature, when things that are indefinite become definite. And that’s what “now” is. The moment now, the present moment, that all these people say is missing from science and missing from physics, that is the transition from indefinite to definite.”

Nazism resurgent

Biden's embrace of Israel in war generated a lot of Nazi comments in social media. One, anonymous, wrote, that Israel is a parasite.

"Israel has one of the best armed militaries in the world, and they need an additional infusion of ten billion dollars to fight off a group of ragtag Arab concentration camp escapees on paragliders?

That’s a lot of money to put down a prison break.

At least Ukrainian aid could be justified on the grounds that they’re fighting against a superior military force. The Russians have thousands of tanks, artillery, aircraft and warships – oh, and nukes.

Israel is a wealthy country, with a GDP per capita recently surpassing France, Britain and Germany – in no small part due to huge technology, industry, jobs and wealth transfer from the United States – thanks, to a large degree to outsourcing organized by the likes of Jew Paul Singer.

Israel has an above replacement fertility rate AND high per capita income – no Western countries have..."

Argentina slides into the Yuan zone

Bloomberg: China Allows Argentina to Spend Up to $10 Billion of Currency Swap Line. In fact, it is a loan negotiated by Sabino Vaca Narvaja (son of the founder of Montoneros guerilla group). Argentina has spent the fifty billion dollars credit line granted by the IMF and now the local demand for dollars is sky high. The Banco Central imported by cargo jets, tons of paper dollars from the Fed, to satisfy the demand and restrict inflation. Elections are close, so China is helping the Peronista government. China is investing in lithium mines and other infrastructure. 

About honesty

 

• A Citibank employee tried to claim several dishes on expenses, saying he had eaten them all himself.

• The banker later admitted he had shared the food with his partner and was fired by Citibank.

• A judge ruled in the bank's favor in a wrongful-dismissal lawsuit.

The banking giant Citibank has won an employment lawsuit against an employee who was fired after claiming expenses for food and drink for his partner during a business trip and misleading the bank about it.

The former analyst Szabolcs Fekete had sued the bank, accusing it of unfair dismissal after being fired last year for gross misconduct over the expenses claim. He initially said he had consumed two sandwiches, two pasta dishes, and two coffees by himself during a business trip to Amsterdam but later acknowledged his partner had shared some of the food.

People managing money needs absolute honesty and integrity. I am glad that strict Victorian morals are still effective in the USA. 

Under siege

system_deleted

MOD·9 hr. ago·Stickied comment·edited 7 hr. ago

***I'm editing this post the more I find - if number appears, it's the relevant section in the paper***

The right side of the paper has the Arabic word/expression and the left side show how to pronounce it in Hebrew. For example, row no.40 says in Arabic:

"Ana mish fahem" (Arabic - "I don't understand") and then to the left it says "Ani lo mevin" - (Arabic letters but Hebrew meaning).

Here is the list:

1. Stop

2. Don't move

3. Come here

4. Go

5. Raise your hands and open your legs

6. Drop your weapon

7. Take your pants off

8. Lay on the floor

9. Don't talk

10. where is... (unclear)?

11. ?

12. Walk forward

13. Don't look back

14. Where is/are the weapon/firearm?

15. How to use (this) weapon?

16. Shut up / silence

17. Where is the road?

18. How to access to?

19. Move fast

20. Move up/climb

21. I will kill you

22. You are wounded

23. Do not make any problems

24. Calm down

25. You are a hostage

26. Everyone, move here

27. Who is in charge in this Kibbutz?

28. What is the Kibbutz name?

29. We have hostages

30. We will kill the hostages

31. How to use the tank?

32. I want a doctor

33. Treat him

34. We want food and water

35. We want to call

36. Where are the car keys?

37. Men (move) here

38. Women (move) here

39. Kids (move) here

40. I don't understand

41. Stay here

42. Who speaks Arabic?

--------------------

Yehudit and Shmulik (Shmuel) Weiss are still missing. These docs were found next to the shelter in their private home. House was full of bullets and destruction.

Vote

level 1

ilishpaturi

·8 hr. ago

Well, ‘take your pants off’ does kinda confirm their intention to commit sexual violence, does it not?

Above: A Hamas dictionary forgotten in a kibbutz home. Occupants disappeared. 

There is a war going on in the South and occasionally, the booms of rockets and anti-rockets exploding in the sky above. I may have lost a few clients in the South, including Kfar Aza and Ashkelon, buy I am still fully occupied. My problem is the fact that I am working from home, and I have an irrepressible bored woman here who is bothering me all day. One of my sons in law is in the army in the Northern frontier, the other is in a logistics branch somewhere in Israel. I am not worried, what unexpected may befell on me at age 77? So, I keep working and sending out bills.