Festivity in Epidaurus - 2500 years ago.

 

Ancient Theatre of the Asklepieion at Epidaurus  - 

Αρχαίο Θέατρο Ασκληπιείου Επιδαύρου

450 years before the common era, that is circa 2500 years ago, the play The Frogs was put on the scene in Epidauros, a suburb of Athens.  Today is Rosh HaShana and I have nothing to do so read again the play. It is very long and disjointed, starts with gross jokes about pissing, within the classical (already old) figure of the smart slave and the stupid owner. Then comes the chorus of the frogs, totally out of place, without anything related to the subject matter of the play. Later appears a chorus of mystical initiates, invoking Iacchus, an obscure daimon, played by a young man leading the procession of the Eleusinian Mysteries (mystery=rite) at the ritual cry of joy "iakhe" of the initiates. Long after this nonsense singing and dancing, the play turns serious around the question of which poet was better:  Euripides or Aeschylus. I imagine that the Athenian citizens (only free-born racially pure males) spent an entertaining evening watching the show (the entrance was free). 

Sweet New Year!

 

Raging Inflation

One is aware that prices are rising but only when facing The Economist table (left) do we discover that the inflaton is a general worldwide phenomenon. "All items" rose 30% in US dollars this year, meaning that the dollar has been devalued 30%. This is unheard of, while the papers say that inflation is non-existent and there is no danger of inflation! People who put their savings in the Bourse are dollar millionaires. But that means little, like the billion Reichmarks banknote that could not buy a piece of bread. 

FORBES says there is no core inflation   Airline tickets were cheap a year ago when no one was flying, and now they are just returning to their former level. Is that true? 

Who is enjoying inflation? 

Those having unindexed debts. 

I can get unindexed bank loans but the interest rate, now very modest 3%, is changeable. In what to invest? Real estate? I am so old that everything I do is for my daughters who don't need it. 

Xi Jinping Thinks

 

China's dictator thought that he needs a book that details his philosophy, which will secure his status as the primary, maybe the only, thoughtful genius in the land. American presidents also see a need to write books, for which - according to bad mouths - they are paid immense sums. Generally, the author is a phantom (vide John Kennedy's Profiles in Courage, penned by Schlesinger, and a rather good book). 

The trend of politicians writing ideology books was started by Kropotkin, Bakunin, Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin, who were bona fide intellectuals and spent years in exile with much spare time. Xi is no intellectual but a busy apparatchik and has no time for political, or philosophical insights, yet he needed a book. 

The product is titled “Xi Jinping Thought” and of course, is obligatory learning matter in China's textbooks - from elementary schools to universities. I could not find anything original, witty or solid, in it. A textbook written for 1.5 billion people, must necessarily be dry and generic.  Forcing people to study it and to discuss this non-book is an exercise in pure power. It absolutely teaches them one thing: Xi is the boss.

COVID is here to stay

 The virus cannot be defeated but contained with vaccines. Like the flu, each year we shall have a new vaccine. We will live with it. The countries like China, trying to be totally virus-free, are following the wrong strategy. A country cannot be isolated. 

Almost perfect exit from Afghanistan

 

America decided to leave Afghanistan years ago, and in the last years, there was practically no real fighting anymore. The idea of remaking Afghanistan and turn it into a liberal democracy a la post-WWII Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, proved a phantasy. They made peace with the Taliban, which co-operates with American forces. Thus, America avoided a catastrophe like Saigon. A popular Taliban government is de-facto an ally in American conflicts with China and Russia. Like Vietnam today. This is not a bad outcome, probably better than having an unpopular pro-American military dictatorship. The dominant ethnic in Afghanistan are the Pashtun, an unremarkable mix of  Middle Eastern races. In the map, the brown points. 

Polish government campaign encourages citizens to 'breed like rabbits'

 It is incredibly stupid governmental publicity. No sex at all, no cute babies. Maybe it works with Polish people. But the idea is clear. The Danish ad, in a bedroom in Paris, was more interesting.