Raging Epidemic

 

Republican Luke Letlow, 41, had been elected to Louisiana’s 5th district and was due to be sworn in on Sunday. Died of the coronavirus. 

I have lower back pains. It may be a vaccine after effect. It is already 3 PM and am starting my daily work. 

My City, Kfar Saba, the Best of Israel

 

Kfar Saba was above average in 30 out of 42 life quality measurements, leading the country in terms of life expectancy (84.8 years), job positions that match employees' fields of study (74.5%), housing density (0.68%), satisfaction with the area of residence (95.3%), satisfaction with the housing (91.8%), satisfaction with the cleanliness of the area, satisfaction with economic situation (73.2%), Internet usage (93.8%) and the lowest rate of part-time workers who don't want to be part-time workers (0.4%).

I had an apartment in Petach Tikva, a city with large population of Hungarian Jews. My wife hates that city and made me move here. Sometimes women improve the lives of their men. She certainly does. 

Angels protect Me

 I missed the registration for the anti-corona vaccination because the government estimated that in Kfar Saba most would not want it. Resulted that all the city ran to reserve a place in the queue and in no time all the places were taken up till end of March! People learned that I, this worthless and bitter old fart, was left unprotected, and suddenly they were phoning and mailing and offering their places and help me to get one. I did know I had so many friends and protectors. They care for me more than I do for myself.  

P/S: It's done. I received the first dose. 

The Vaca Muerta is Dead

 Argentina had bright hopes that the Vaca Muerta shale field would save its sinking economy, but the main investor, the Anglo-Dutch Shell, has decided to abandon fracking in Argentina and focus on renewable energy instead. The price of oil is so low that the project is not profitable. 

Argentina's state oil company YPF must pay Transportadora de Gas del Norte (TGN) US$231mn, plus interest and legal costs, for breach of an export contract. "The company is analyzing the aforementioned first instance resolution and will file all the necessary legal remedies to defend its interests in accordance with the applicable legal procedure," YPF said in a statement. One of YPF's difficulties is that Argentina's reputation is so bad that no American legal firm is willing to represent the company. 

I am sad about the decline of Argentina. Nearly a third of the country’s workforce is unemployed or has given up on finding work.  According to Forbes, Argentina's poverty rate is hovering near 50% at end-2020.  My relatives and friends are struggling. Two of my teenage friends, Tomi and Viky, have died recently. 

Disorder in Israel

 The Government is unable to govern and the Knesset (Parliament) voted for its dissolution. Next elections in March. The vaccination campaign is collapsing, their website has failed because overdemand. Depressing. 

Last night I completed the Beyt Merkazim project, it was rather difficult to visualize a complicated tridimensional pipeline till I solved it. Then  it was obvious. I used to be very good in it. 

Tired

The government has fallen and new elections scheduled. 

Tried to register for the anti-corona vaccine: May be after April. Kupat Holim is struggling to function.

Much pressure in my projects.

Test for the auto. 

Wife hostile.

Dreamt I am in a Hamas camp in Gaza. 

When It came to The Worst

 

A year ago, on Greg Cochran's blog, we were speculating what were the chances of the corona virus mutating into a more virulent incarnation. Most viruses (virii) are stable and rarely improve their virulence. And for almost a year the corona stayed the same. But now in England a variety was detected that is five times more transmissible. It is incontrollable. We don't know if the new injection is effective for the mutated virus. I tried to get the injection but there is no place in the queue. That in spite my Mathusalemic age. There are 500 very sick corona patients in Israel. 

The Economist warns about the danger of imminent inflation. 20% of all circulating  dollars were printed this year. My conclusion is that the current dollar inflation is very modest vis-a-vis the flooding the markets with paper, meaning that the world economy is in deep recession. Massive multi-year stimulus is unable to cause an erection and make it potent once more. I am quite depressed.