AI-products

 Pic. copied from the internet. It is tagged as an AliExpress product and is obviously AI-generated. Very attractive, better than the original. How can an 80-year-old man resist these images? 

AI is playing us. We are fried, as they used to say. 

Don Inodoro

A rare example of Argentine humor. 

Mendieta the dog: What are you doing, Don Inodoro?

Don Inodoro, the gaucho: I am working to find dinosaur bones. 

Mendieta: A long time they have not been seen in these parts.

Inodoro: A dinosaur?

Mendieta: No. Somebody working.

Amulet for Enrichment

Ashirus means Enrichment in Ashkenazi Hebrew. 

"The leader of the Edah HaChareidis, Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, may he live long, a leading halachic authority, has announced that “those who donate to Merkaz HaTorah Teshuvos V'Hanhagos will receive wealth."

"Support the establishment of the new Merkaz HaTorah Teshuvos V'Hanhagos Kollel in Beit Shemesh and receive the leading halachic authority’s exclusive Golden Protective Coin, which is said to be a treasured spiritual merit associated with livelihood, wealth, and success"

Fast! Get your Golden Protective Coin and get rich! If the Jews buy the coin, it must be worth it! The Jews are not stupid!    BTW, I am very much for donating to Jewish schools, except that I am a penniless Hungarian refugee with a big family and genetically schmutzig (in the sense of stingy, mean, ungenerous). 

Structural headwinds for Elbit

 Elbit published Q2 2026 before the open this morning, and this is a "sell the news" reaction to results that look strong on the headline but thinner underneath.

The headline numbers actually beat: revenues $2,287.1M vs $1,972.7M a year ago, backlog at a record $32.0B, GAAP EPS $3.61 and non-GAAP EPS $4.14, against a consensus of roughly $3.24 EPS on $2.22B revenue. So why the 7% fall? 

The quality of the beat. Buried in the release: the Knesset's new R&D incentive law (March 31, 2026) was applied for the first time, with a cumulative year-to-date impact of about $40 million — roughly $0.80/share, recognised in this quarter. Strip that out and the "beat" is largely gone.

Tax is now a structural headwind. The effective tax rate went from 5.6% to 16.4%, driven by the OECD Pillar II global minimum tax. That is permanent, and analysts will now rebase forward EPS on a mid-teens rate.

Written by Opus 5. 

August is a Difficult Month

We are suffering here from a very hot August, and we are spending all day in our air-conditioned cave. I am receiving many work orders but am not in the mood for work. This morning I felt half suffocated. Wife is depressed; her friends are aging. She is on Russian literary podcasts. The big Sunni nations have signed a mutual defense pact. It could be against the Shi'a (Iran) or the Jews (Israel).  The sheqel is very strong, 3 sh/US$. Facebook was fined half a trillion for its sick influence on adolescents. In truth, the internet smells like a Nigerian bordello (Argentine quilombos are clean and well-ordered). The painting ("The whores of Avignon") is signed by Pablo Picasso, so it is HIGH ART.  

Spain Frightened

"The Spanish Armada deploys two frigates in Ceuta amid fears of another attack from Morocco."

Why is a large, rich European country suddenly terrorized by unarmed children who all they want is to get a servile job and eat? It is a typical overreaction of old, impotent invalids to a group of vital youths. 

The reaction of Italy is even more hysterical: they closed the borders to anyone coming from Spain. 

The last invasion of Spain was by Napoleon in 1808 (the Dos de Mayo) and ended in 1814. Since then, nothing serious. That is more than 200 years of peace and security.

Discounting the last "attack from Morocco". 

The Sky as it really is

It is the same sky as on Earth, but we have a thick atmosphere. The night sky on Mars is not black; it is green-blueish.

Danakali found gold

I was "potentially" among the very first investors in this South Australian start-up. I did not buy a share because it was being quoted only on a small South Australian stock exchange, and my bank had no correspondents there. I don't know how the Erythrean potash project is advancing, but the enterprise has expanded its operations and is, among other things, exploring the Saudi desert for gold (see pic). It is 54 degrees Centigrade there. Danakali has so much money that they are planning to expand into capital management. I should have paid the brokers' double fees and bought some Danakali.  

Negotiating with Opus5

 I have a new boss: Opus 5. I wrote a technical report, and "he" rejected it. Then I modified it a little, and we reached an agreement:‎

Yes, this is a formulation that I can sign – it is factually correct, it presents the gap openly, and determines the solution. ‎

"He" can sign the paper!  Am I still the engineer, or is he the final authority signing the instruments? Opus 5 feels superior to me, corrects me, and gives me orders. Do I care, or does it hurt my self-respect? 

We are not poor anymore

The Economist ranked Israel as the second most expensive country (the first is Switzerland).  What does it mean? That we are flooded with dollars. As always, we Jews tend to float to the surface. Since I don't like its soft-and-sweet buns, and the family is prejudiced against meat and processed food, McDonald's prices are meaningless for me. 

August-time

 35 degrees Celsius and little energy to work. Pedro Sánchez announced that Spain needs immigrants and, from now on, it will not return them to North Africa. The Moroccans read this in the media, and 70,000 swam to Ceuta. The doors were open. One hundred died in transit. Spain developed an inferiority complex and compensates by forbidding the use of American bases in Spain, by sending its Navy to "protect" the terrorist flotilla, and by suspending trade with Israel. Reading Spanish reactions to the Ceuta "invasion", they unanimously blame the Jews and America. 

Surtaxing the Kulaks

New York Mayor explains that "the pied-à-terre tax is something that will be levied upon non-primary residences that are worth more than $5 million".  The surtax has certain similarities with the first steps after the Russian Revolution and the Mao takeover of China. The kulaks were "rich" agricultural property owners, who were declared "class enemies" and subject to expropriation and later, severe punishment. Property being theft, they were considered criminals. The surtax smells antisemitic, as very few Afro-Americans and recent Hispanic immigrants own much real estate. But New York Jews do.

Total Victory!

Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza agreed to disarm fully. 

Gaza is neutralized, and the terrorists will be re-educated following proven Chinese methods. 

Boy George

 

The British musician published a pro-Israel song. That is surprising and important in the current anti-Jewish environment. I am a long-time fan of him/her; I like the riverboat story.

Idol Factory

The archaeological excavations at the First Temple site in Jerusalem discovered a mold for mass production of female figurines. These 10-12 cm idols may have been Ashtaroth, a Canaanite goddess. These clay figurines were found in many homes in the Judean mountains. The Bible tells us of the Prophets' struggle to eliminate idolatry and to impose Moses's religion. 

The Past and the Future

The family went to the kibbutz. The fat old man is the past, and the little boy is the future. The swimming pool is in a green valley with a spring, which is dry (Mekorot is pumping away the water). The place was not packed because many families prefer to stay at home, near the hardened refuges. Many are spending their vacations in the Greek islands. The country is on high alert, but nothing is happening. 

With so many oil refineries destroyed in Russia, Ukraine, and the Gulf, there is a "beautiful" difference between crude ($ 100 per barrel) and refined products. BAZAN in Haifa must be printing dollars. Claude says don't buy because it's high on the Ayatollah's target list.  

Strategic encirclement

The regime ruling Iran (there is a gay Ayatollah at its head, according to Trump) has closed the maritime outlets of the Middle East region. America is trying to reopen the straits and allow oil exports. 

In the past, America used to head an alliance, but this time its European allies refuse, leaving only Israel as a willing partner. 80 years since the big war, the peoples in the West are prosperous and have lost their bellicosity. As for me, I am suffering in this hot summer and uninterested in anything, trying to work a little, and dreaming of full, pale-skinned Jewish women.

Today is the ninth of Av. The Air Force is tense and waiting for the green light from Trump. The municipalities are opening the air refuges. I am finishing the Petach Tikva project. It is a meeting hall annex to the historical house called "Beit Svatitsky" at 3 Montefiore Street. Its purpose is to correct a historical wrong and foster dialogue on gender issues, promoting awareness of equality and empowerment. My purpose is to receive a few thousand shekels and to buy an apartment for my batshit crazy granddaughter. 

Sharpness and Clarity

Better than that, we now have clarity. We are no longer laboring under illusions, bidding for affection that was always going to be withheld. They were honest with us, in the end, and that honesty is its own kind of freedom. We can go our own way now: not into a ghetto (we still have real allies) but into self-determination, as individuals and as a global people. 

By Ben Freeman, in TABLET. On Antisemitism in the world.

Illustration: Mexican Black Obsidian Ceremonial Knife. Obsidian is sharper than steel. 

Fire destroys Gilead's Farm

The residents of the West Bank settlement escape the fire with the Torah scrolls. The village was burned to the ground. Today's temperature is over 35 Celsius, and the air is very dry. I feel tired, and it is difficult to work.  Clients are phoning me every hour, some are very angry, but I have no explanations to give. 

‘Do not worry’ | Ramokgopa says Koeberg radioactive contamination is safe

The Table Mountain in the background, Koeberg in the foreground, Africa's only nuclear power station. Beautiful!  

Don't worry, says Kagosientso Ramokgopa, Head of ESCOM.