Chinese Pre-History (and Post-History)

It is impressive how one is able to follow the linear progression of the numerous small villages in the Yellow River basin to larger political units and ultimately to the emergence of the enormous PR of China today. On the Western side of the Euro-Asiatic landmass, the parallel processes of empire formation were interrupted and re-started several times and no such continuity is evident. May be I am wrong, since Greek is still spoken and Latin (what is French if not Latin?) is the main European language group. The pic shows a pottery mask from a Neolithic site on the Yishui River (Hebei) village (8000 years BP). I think those civilizations appeared 2 -3 thousand years later than our Middle East settlements.

The Xi regime in China is in transition. It is possible that I may visit the large plaza in front of the Forbidden City - without Mao's mausoleum in the middle. Mao was a disaster for China, his mummy has to go. Arthur Waldron says that China's state enterprises are losing money, and taxation is very weak, so foreign investments are financing the regime. Stop the investments and stop foreign trade - the regime is g.o.n.e.

Gorbachev did the right thing in peacefully dissolving the Soviet Union, says Waldron. Everybody knew that the system was dysfunctional but its collapse could have involved civil wars and according to Yakovlev, about 70 million dead. One may wonder how the Chinese regime will mutate into a democratic, elected government, one ruling with the consent of the governed. Six months of civil disorder in Hong Kong indicates that the Chinese people rejects dictatorship, however mild it is for the average Han citizen. 

Venezuela: Ruined by Unearned Wealth

Three billion barrels of proven oil reserves, and people sleeps in the car at gas stations for days waiting to buy gasoline: that is Venezuela today. No one can beat Venezuela's socialist government mismanagement. The official price has not been changed in the last 18 years, and thanks to phenomenal inflation, its price is something of 0.1 cents/gallon - if you get it. There is no war in Venezuela but a third of the population has escaped and became refugees. 

Forty years ago, Venezuela became exceedingly wealthy thanks to the Saudi Oil Embargo (an act of war against Israel fighting for its existence in 1973). That incredible bonanza ruined them: they lost the habit of working and are unable to return to a honest, productive economy. Wealth is more destructive than poverty. 

Jews Becoming (Again) a Race

An idea is circulating that to combat antisemitism the Jews should be declared a "race" in America, with the effect that every anti-Semitic expression or comment would be automatically classified as a "racist" attack. And there is nothing a more serious crime in America than being a racist or being accused of racism. The punishments are draconian.

How could we suddenly be declared a race when for 70 years we the Jews and the liberals the world over had been fighting the very concept that race exists, and that we Jews are a separate, identifiable, race ? Technically, it can be done because race is such a vaporous concept that everything can be a race. The question is: Is this good for the Jews? I have to think it over.

Pic.: Kautsky: the Father of Communism/Social Democracy wrote about the question a hundred years ago. He says we are not. And nothing will come out of Zionism. 

TAHAL Shares Jump 63%

Tahal, my alma mater, lost money in Romania, and its African clients do not pay in time. It has contracts signed in Angola (pic. Quiminha) but no money to carry them out. Tahal's owner, KARDAN, has been trying to sell it for years but there was no buyer. Yesterday they bagged an offer for 12 million US$ from Shikun VeBinui group, and the bourse's reaction was electric. I own some, till yesterday, was worthless. The purchase agreement contains a seller's loan for 12 million, so apparently no money changed hands. The international agricultural development business is not profitable. 

Trump is a Genius

Trump orders review of EPA water rules because “people are flushing toilets 10 times, 15 times”. I have the same thought every time in the toilet. Being a professional even calculated the volume of water and the flow velocity to carry away different objects. Human dirt is sticky and flexible, and 7 liters in the Niagara will not sweep it away. I have a collection of "green" ecological issues that are counterproductive, including the new regulation that requires Green Certification. Trump is a builder, he must have come in contact with this expensive absurdity, but never talked. Trump is like the child who cried: "The King is Naked". I like him. 

“People are flushing toilets 10 times, 15 times as opposed to once. They end up using more water,” Trump said, complaining that water flow in other fixtures has slowed to a trickle. “You can’t wash your hands practically, there’s so little water comes out of the faucet, and the end result is you leave the faucet on and it takes you much longer to wash your hands, you end up using the same amount of water.”  

The New York Times has identified 53 separate rules that have completed the rollback process at the agency, and 32 more that are still in the works.  GOOD JOB MR PRESIDENT! 

Israeli Space Agency: Send the Women to the Moon

I seem to have read that some Israeli space agency recommends sending the women to the moon. Probably I have misread the article, but have no time to read the small print as the bourse is boiling.

Anyway, it is a good idea. 

The Gothár Scandal creates an Explosion of Antisemitism in Hungary

Peter Gothár is/was director of the Katona Theater in Budapest and a drama teacher. A year ago he was fired from his job because sexual harassment of an actress. A year later, now, the affair became public, and the Government decided to defund the theater. 

What is the point of punishing the theater? Their aim is to frighten the intellectual-artistic world. The sex-maniac instead of hiding in shame stepped forward and made full confession:  “A year ago, I approached a female co-worker of mine in the theatre in a morally inexcusable way. A few days later, I apologized and was forgiven.” The University of Theatre and Film Arts, where Gothár is a professor, stated that Gothár himself requested an ethical examination. 

Apparently he kissed an actress, no physical violence took place, but for some reason, months later, the actress denounced with the theater management. (The most dangerous thing for a man is to kiss a woman and let her go unfulfilled. She will ruminate the episode and take revenge.) The extraordinary thing is the Orban Government reaction of defunding the theater, and the media reaction of vicious anti-Semitic comments. Like many in the Budapest artistic milieu, Gothar is one of Budapest's hidden Jews, born a Christian whose only connection to the Jewish people is a vague knowledge that his parents (or one of them) had been persecuted by the Nazis. Jews are hated so much in Hungary that the Government digs up people's grandparents identities and if they discover "Jewish blood", it will not allow them to forget and hide their unwanted origin. Why is Mr Gothár and others like him still in Europe?