The year 2021

 

I received the second injection of the Pfizer vaccine a week ago and definitely am feeling side-effects: cannot think clearly, severe gluteus muscle pain, lack of interest in internet news - in short, cannot work. Every day I am rejecting well paid jobs. Some hospital managers say it does not protect 100% against the disease and its power against the new variants is unknown. It appears that I shall survive 2021 but it will be no joy. 

It is getting worse

Israel has closed its gates, seaports and airports. We are now in a strict quarentaine. The virus has engendered variants that are worse than the original, and they are all in Israel. Surprisingly, the Army Intelligence unit started to post its own report on the epidemic (independently of the Ministry of Health), a rather strange development. The Army started to deal with the epidemic, which may reflect the seriousness of the situation. The haredi sects are in open rebellion, they will not accept the isolation imposed on the rest of the population. 2020 was annus horribilis, and this one is even worse.  

When will this end?

 

Yesterday got the second jab of the Pfizer anti-corona vaccine. Finished the Beit HaMerkazim job. Had to do it twice as the owner wanted fewer holes in the pre-stressed slabs. The schools are closed and three grandchildren spent the day with us and tomorrow four will come. The children dont like each other. Feeling unwell. Israel is world champion in vaccinating yet the number of sick people is growing and more people than ever is getting sick. Many are out of work almost a year, and they feel tired of all this. The tone of the media has changed and the focus is on food, celebrities and such sunny subjects. The bourse is peaking, there is such inflow of dollars that the Central Bank is buying billions of that green toilet-paper to stop the overvaluation of the shekel. From where is coming all this money? American Jews may be worried about the Democrats' "tax the wealth" slogans.

Jews Always in the Front Wave of the Revolution (and everything)

The peaceful protest in the Capitol last Jan.6th was led by a horned Viking with a megaphone (pic). Right behind him we can see a pallid-face, a Woody Allen look-alike, dressed in pelts: he is Aaron Mostrovsky, son of Brooklyn's Chief Judge. He had arrived with his brother, but was left alone. Aaron, fearless, picked up a police shield and a vest, and found himself pushed into the advancing front wave. His presence in this historical, seminal event will secure him the post of Secret Police Chief in some future right-wing regime. Some of the revolutionaries photographed entering with Mao in the Forbidden City were like him, no one can identify who they were are and how they got there, but sure they took part in the climax. In the photos of Fidel Castro descending on Habana from the mountains, we can see standing behind him on the jeep unidentified guerrillas or hitchhikers. Aaron's fore-runners. 

As you may have guessed, Aaron is a professional Architect. 

Alchemy

 

Re-reading Soros' Alchemy understood (at last!) his concept of reflexivity, which is no other than a self-reinforcing trend. The more it progresses, stronger it becomes. Or weaker. Simple. Understood also what he was doing under the term "speculation". He was a money trader, had in his head (and tried to express it through an arrow scheme) of interactions - say Japan has a growing foreign exchange deficit, then a devaluation of the yen may be around the corner. With 20 years experience in foreign currency markets, he was able to predict future rates and put a winning bet. No miracle, just a good mind and much experience. His success cannot be copied by me, because he is talking about the situation in 1970 - fifty years ago! Many try foreign currency speculation, like Fishman, and lose their shirts. In the case of Fishman, his Alliance tire factory.  BTW, in the last fifty years, much has been written about currency speculation, and the field is no more virgin, so to speak. Geriatrics like me, theoretically, prefer fresh, innocent markets and not much circulated dog-eared currency notes. All in theory, because in practice exited the playground a long time ago.  

Never piss against the wind

 Alberto Nisman, Argentina's Attorney General, was executed in his home the night before he was to denounce in the Congress the then President of Argentina Cristina Kirchner, is being investigated post-mortem by the police. A judge has ordered to expropriate all his properties as well as her family's and those of a friend who loaned him a car to drive. Not only the dead public functionary and his family are suspected of criminal activities, but also three companies he may have invested in. Anybody who is thinking of denouncing government corruption in Argentina, should take careful notice. 

Hiatus

I have received several requests for price proposals, but I have not answered them. Two days I worked little or nothing. The quarantine is getting on my nerves. Coffee in the breakfast makes me sleepy and for the first time in my life, stood up and had a morning nap in the living room. Starting to work was always hard for me, once got started it pulls me through, but these days I cannot start. After a year of epidemics, the depression is getting me. We have the grandchildren here, they run around happily, that should rise my spirits.