Russian Conspiracy

I read the indictment against a Russian political organization intended to defeat Hillary Clinton's candidacy. It is probable that I had seen some of their posts and articles, but I do not think it was effective. Anyway, their activities were hostile to America. 

I am still wondering what is the health condition of Hillary. I do not think her passing out was staged (pic). I remember a convincing short film explaining that she suffered from Parkinson disease. Was it true? The internet lost interest in her and the truth will emerge only some years from now.

Also I am sure the Russians had nothing to do with the Flint water scandal. I followed the affair from its very beginning. The media presented it as a textbook case of racists poisoning poor blacks, which was totally untrue, and made me lose all confidence in American media.

O amigo da onça

Dois caçadores conversam em seu acampamento:
— O que você faria se estivesse agora na selva e uma onça aparecesse na sua frente?
— Ora, dava um tiro nela.
— Mas se você não tivesse nenhuma arma de fogo?
— Bom, então eu matava ela com meu facão.
— E se você estivesse sem o facão?
— Apanhava um pedaço de pau.
— E se não tivesse nenhum pedaço de pau?
— Subiria na árvore mais próxima!
— E se não tivesse nenhuma árvore?
— Sairia correndo.
— E se você estivesse paralisado pelo medo?
Então, o outro, já irritado, retruca:
— Mas, afinal, você é meu amigo ou amigo da onça?

Above an old and famous Brazilian joke. Two hunters talk about shooting an  onça, a painted or spotted jaguar. One of them is constantly proposing hypothetical situations, what if you have no ammunition, what if the animal attacks, etc. The bottom line: Tell me, are you my friend or the friend of the onça?

The cartoon: "Imagine, ten years of friendship and he never told me he was married".

This apropo a letter published in the fishwrap HaAretz, one Zvi Kaphtory defending Yakov Peri, ex Chief of the Secret Services, that lied about his military service (see former note). Kaphtory writes that he was a friend of Peri even before he was Yakov Peri (who knew that he had changed his name?), when both were starting in the service. Kaphtory describes the shaming ranks of those times: the elite were Parachutists, below them the tankists, and at the bottom the Kaf-Lamedim and then, the untouchable, leprous ב.כ.ת. (rejected) - Peri.

Kaphtory apparently explains and justifies Peri's lies about his service, but effectively has shamed him publicly. He is a typical friend of the onça, the painted jaguar. 

Intelligence from the Enemy

'Lizards with the ability to "attract atomic waves" were reportedly used by Western spies to gain intelligence on Iran's nuclear program, a high-ranking Tehran official has claimed.

Hassan Firuzabadi, senior military advisor to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told local media on Tuesday that he became aware of the sqamate reptiles "several years ago."

Firuzabadi referred to one case involving foreigners who were in the Islamic Republic on an aid mission. They possessed lizards and chameleons whose skin attracted atomic waves, he said, adding that the foreigners were "nuclear spies" who wanted information on Tehran's uranium mines and atomic activities.'

I did not make this up. Some lizards do have a photosensory organ on the top of their heads called the parietal eye which can detect changes in radiation in the visible spectrum. The Persian general may felt these Buddha-like creatures with a third eye had to be Israeli spies. This follows the famous Israeli vulture case in Saudi Arabia, the Israeli sharks sabotaging Egyptian tourist industry, and the Israeli eagle spying on Sudan. 
 

Crypto Craze

There is no rational argument for the price of bitcoin or any other crypto currency. Any price.  A good article in the NYT effectively pulverizes the crypto, yet the Chicago Futures Market (pic) shows that most players think that the current price will be maintained at least till June. And they are ready to bet their money on it.

The solution of this mystery is the irrationality of the market, of the investors, of the economic theory. The Dutch tulip craze is the model, or pyramid schemes. Once more, I understand that planning for the future is almost impossible, values and resources are based on the existence of stable groups of organized people, like Britain and America. And Israel. 

Sykes-Picot Again

Anatoly Karlin has an interesting graphic explanation of what is going on in Syria: It is being partitioned again. Once there was a French zone and a British zone; now we have other actors. Syria is being vivisected because cannot govern itself. The Assad regime is lasting too long, it is not sustainable, the Alawite minority cannot rule forever a population ten times larger.

The map shows that, in that small corner, we too are sitting at the table among the new Sykes-Picot masters. We have made a long way in these last hundred years. The next century will be even better.  

Britain Re-Nationalizes Water

According to Labor shadow chancellor, the coming Labor government will re-nationalize the water industry.

"Water bills had risen by 40% in real terms since privatisation of the industry in 1989. In 2016-17, the forecast average for water bills was £389 per household. McDonnell claimed that in 2017, privatised water companies paid out a total £1.6bn to their shareholders. Since 2010, the total was £13.5bn.

Michael Roberts, the chief executive of Water UK, which represents private water companies, said McDonnell was completely mistaken: “It’s wrong for Labour to suggest that our water system is broken. Water companies secure capital provided by lenders and shareholders, who need water companies to make a return in order to finance significant improvements to the industry."

Less than a decade ago, British water industry was totally re-organized. Now again they want to expropriate the water companies. Britain is rich in water but if they keep playing with it, they will drink - once more - sewage. 

My interpretation: Britain is seriously disoriented, zigzagging and confused. It pains me because I am a lifelong Anglophile.

The City of Kekrops

The Peloponnese war concluded with Athen's loss. The Spartans erected at the Greek national sanctuary at Delphi statues of the trierarchs who had fought in the battle. The inscriptions said:

These men, sailing with Lysander in the swift ships, humbled the might of the city of Cecrops
And made Lacedaemon of the beautiful choruses the high city of Hellas.

It is interesting that the Spartans, a community dedicated to war and slaving, describes itself as the city of beautiful choruses. Apparently they considered their singing as their highest cultural achievement.

The Spartans did not name their enemy Athens, a city dedicated to the Goddess Athena. Athena was an all-Hellenic deity, and they possibly considered Athens appropriating her as shameless usurpation. To humiliate her they call it the City of Cecrops, the name of the city's mythological first king, a Barbarian. Cecrops (pronounced Keck-ropps) literally means "face of tail" which refers to the ancient serpent cult in the caves of Acropolis. They represented Kekrops with a loose female dress (pic).

The Spartans were great at Laconisms.