British Government promises a "Circular, zero waste economy"

"We have no time to waste. We are living in a climate crisis that will spiral dangerously out of control unless we take rapid and dramatic action now," Corbyn told Parliament. "Today, we have the opportunity to say, 'We hear you' ... By becoming the first parliament in the world to declare a climate emergency, we could, and I hope we do, set off a wave of action from parliaments and governments all around the world."

Analyzing this social development, I am amazed by the strength of the British and American peoples demand for an unreal, pure, zero net-energy and water economy. The politicians are taking up this popular protest and enacting strict regulations. Personally I am convinced that the sense of pollution and urgent need of "purification" has no material basis, and the regulations only make life more difficult and expensive, but the people want it. 

Why? One reason is the environmental education from kindergarten. Another is the eternal hostility toward industry, agriculture and the rich in general. The third reason is the lack of real dangers, or new ideologies (they are coming back to failed socialism, of all social systems) and possibly the fear of technology. There is no doubt that genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, space exploration (the suspicious Oumuamua object) are positing new unknowns and risks. But fear of the unknown never stopped the Polynesians exploring the immense Pacific in their fragile canoes, or the Manhattan Trinidad explosion (that may have pulverized the planet). Maybe all the existing emotion and passionate protests could be focused on a good war, and I hope we shall not be turned into the hated enemy.

The past is not encouraging for us Jews. When they are searching for a diabolic enemy, they always find us.

Pic. The 1903 Kishinev Pogrom. 49 Jews killed, 600 raped. 

Work Habit Lost

I used to work like a horse from 5 AM till midnight. Now, after a three week vacation on City Island, I am having difficulties to return to my former self and work habits. I sleep badly (Jetlag?) and I am aware of the neighborhood and the apartment building's all-night background noise, a phenomenon that I never noticed in the past. I lost my motivation,  can't find my mojo.

The Kaliver, Dead

The Nagykallo (Hungary) Hassidic dynasty changes generations as the 96 y.o. old rebbe Menachem Mendel Taub dies and a younger relative takes up the leadership of the court. The rebbe was the seventh in the male line of the original miraclemaker, the founder of the Hungarian Hassidic movement Itzhak Taub (1751–1821). This hassidut was deported in toto to Auschwitz and exterminated by the Nazis, and the young rebbe was taken out of the gas chamber and submitted to chemical experiments by camp-doctor Mengele. As consequence, he never grew a beard (a biblical no-no for Jewish priests) and conserved his youngish feminine face. He was married but sterile. After the war he settled in Israel and rebuilt, with the few survivors here, the Kaliver Hassidut, which follows the Hungarian tradition. The Rebbe spoke no Hungarian but sings (with Yiddisch accent) the "Szol a kakas mar" written by the original miracle rebbe.

Springtime for Safiyah

I sat an hour in the Ariel campus observing groups of Palestinian male and female students. Arab boys are tall, noisy and stressed, forming murderous-looking male circles. They dress exactly like their Jewish Mizrahi counterparts. The hijabed girls are mostly slim, graceful and provocatively physical, they touch and push the boys without any reticence, making the hirsute savages embarrassed and frozen. Arab boys do not talk with Jewish girls, and if they do, they spy the surroundings worried if somebody from the village is around. Arab girls in the University of Ariel, against my dark prejudices, seem happy, liberated and in heat. 

Rip Currents in British Waters

In Britain, Jeremy Corbyn, the opposition leader, has said the state would take control of Britain’s water, electricity, gas and railway operators, as well as Royal Mail and Royal Bank of Scotland if Labour wins power. After WWII, everything was State-owned and managed, till they decided otherwise. Now they moving back. The Democrats (USA) will follow, they too are considering the same, not because something is wrong, but out of spite and hate of the rich. 

Why Americans feel that the World is About to End?

Americans have a real, immediate feeling that the world is about to end, especially if they fail to do penitence.

They feel guilty about using too much water, using too much energy, eating non-organic foods. De Blasio wants to re-engineer NYC's marvelous steel and glass skyscrapers in order to save water (and electricity) and feel that they are good, in harmony with Nature, Earth, God. Like fakirs, against human nature, eat no meat. Why to  save water on an river island, why recycle the shit? Why no more sinful steel and glass?

Mayor De Blasio, that is my specialty, recycling water, I can do it. But I feel degraded spending my time in imbecile playthings of the very rich. But work is work and it pays the bills.

If they want to live without breathing to save CO2 and save the world, let them do it. I think the Jewish religion, where fasting and other self-punishing ritual acts are strictly regulated, is more rational. Orthodox Jews do not see tall glass buildings as a sin against nature, Earth or whatever. 

Retro-Commissioning in New York

One of the things that amazed me in New York is extreme "environmentalist" public policy in building regulations. Bronx and Brooklyn are today inhabited by third-world people, easily manipulated by anti-rich, nationalistic slogans, reminding me to Arturo Frondizi's book "El Petroleo Es Argentino" which caused the annulment of all contracts with international oil companies and the transformation of the country from oil exporter to dependent from foreign suppliers. Thus, Alexandria Ocasio et al. ran out Amazon HQ from their city and now Mayor De Blasio's declarations are freezing investments in real estate in Manhattan.

De Blasio is proposing to reduce buildings' emission by 80% in five years or so, meaning the total energy (electricity) consumption that is the CO2 emitted by the electricity generation plants. His program is to force tall buildings to replace water and sewage etc infrastructure with new energy saving pipes and stone cover instead existing steel and glass. The builders observed that the newest skyscrapers in New York have EEAL Platinum certificate, that is, comply with the maximum environmental criteria on top of existing city regulation. The new view is that the steel and glass tall buildings are ugly and hurt the Earth environment. New York Democrats new flag says Save the Earth, what ever that it means and costs.  


"In Sydney, Australia, planning regulations, according to a recent Reserve Bank study, now add 55 percent to the price of a home." I think that in New York it is more, and the pressure will only grow to ridiculous extremes. Israel cannot stay behind.  Conclusions:

1. My business line of engineering drawings and municipal permits has a beautiful future, it seems. 

2. Urban building and commercial places will become prohibitively expensive and well placed real estate prices will rise to incredible levels, like in San Francisco. 

What is coming to Israel? This:

There are 3 steps to comply with NYC Local Law 87:

1. Energy Audit: A licensed engineering firm must conduct an ASHRAE Level II Energy Audit.  An Energy Audit is a detailed survey and analysis of a building to identify all opportunities to reduce energy and water use. The end result is a report that details all potential energy and cost-saving measures.
2. Retro-Commissioning (RCx):  Based on the findings of the Energy Audit, Vert Energy Group will conduct retro-commissioning study to identify deficiencies in your building’s base systems.  RCx ensures that building systems are operating in accordance with facility requirements and design intent.