Shi'a War Fatigue - Beginner's Guide 32

The clerical regime in Iran is involved in a number of foreign adventures, the nearest to us in Syria and Lebanon. This imperialist program has impoverished the hundred million strong Iranian population, and they are starting to protest. It is a natural reaction (see below how fatigue works). According the last night's news, the faceless rebels have tried to take over police stations and there is some armed resistance. I do not know if the rebellion can achieve traction and momentum. It will surely cause stress within the Iranian leadership and bring on personal changes.

Trump verbally encourages the rebels but that is all. I would not put my faith in American assurances. Europe is totally silent, it is a continent frozen in fear of a new wave of political refugees. Israel has nothing to do with Iran's or any other country's internal affairs. We learned in Lebanon that interventions turn against us, they create enemies where there were none before.

Mirzakhani, Persian Math Genius, Dead at 40

Twist in Tehran

A troupe led by director Hossein Parsai performs “Oliver Twist” based on “Oliver!”, a British musical, at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on December 18, 2017. 

Iran is a modern, secular country.  Is it logical that it has been ruled by obscurantist clerics in the last thirty years? Or is it a temporary anomaly that will end soon?

The Zs think they invented sex

The Zs are wrong!

The CIA brought back to life in Iran

Once, the CIA organized a revolution in Iran and defeated a Communist-leaning regime. Today, another revolution is under way to expel the Ayatollahs. These good news follow from Donald Trump replacing the cowardly defeatism of Obama. Iranian papers are obsequious to the USA. Trump is a miracle.

Nikki Haley presented a week ago the remains of the Iranian rocket fired at the Saudi capital. I have seen the collection of remains of Saddam's Scud missiles but this thing is at least five times fatter.

Tehran delenda est.  

Amadeus, the most beautiful scene

2017 A Good Year

In the year 2017 my savings increased 24% in US$ terms, which is average in NASDAQ but good on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, that increased only 3%. The problem with TASE was/is TEVA, an important component of the index, that lost half of its worth during the year. The best performing stock was Frutarom (3-400%) and Ashtrom, a building company. Ashtrom is something of a mystery, its founders and owners are dead and it is managed by unknown insiders. This is not an unknown configuration in Israel, with most of its institutions established by communes fifty-hundred years ago, that continue to operate and grow with its original members long dead and forgotten. The Kever Benjamin water company is like that: it was founded by a handful of farmers to finance a borehole to provide water for irrigation. That was when it was a small settlement in the Dameseq province of Turkey, and it developed into a large water and sewage corporation.  It is owned by the original families and managed in total secrecy. The water is drinkable.

2017 was a year when all the family was healthy and we increased by two newborn boys. Peace reigned in Israel.

I continued teaching in the university, lectured in a Water Congress and completed about forty - fifty projects. I have about then signed contracts to start working on. Although I am very old and obese, I managed to have an active sex life; specifically, I ogled lots of female bottoms in the street. The neighborhood was gentrified and the Cofix store nearby is selling cheap red wine (20 sheqel = 6$ a bottle). Most drinkable.