Rugrat

Rugrats (II) is a personal TV series focused on the experiences of a courageous, adventurous six-month-old baby named Ivry and his group of playmates. Here, Ivry wonders what those mysterious eccentric adults around are. 

"Massive Approval of Building Permits is Required"

 Jerusalem, Israel's capital and biggest city has become the country's first city to see its population exceed 1 million, the Central Bureau of Statistics has announced ahead of Jerusalem Day. Tel Aviv, Israel's second largest city has less than 500,000, although the Gush Dan inner metropolitan region has a population of 1.5 million.

60.5% of Jerusalem's population is Jewish and others, of which about half (29.2%) is haredi, while 39.5% of the population is Arab. The average birthrate in Jerusalem is 3.68 children per woman, well above the national average of 2.89. The birthrate is 4.3 among the Jewish population in Jerusalem, and 2.81 among the Arab population.

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On Independence Day eve Israel's population reaches 9.9m

Most of the population growth in Jerusalem is natural, with 20,500 more people born than died in 2023. 4,000 people migrated to the city last year, while 11,000 left. People came to the city from Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh, and Tel Aviv and left it for Beit Shemesh, Tel Aviv and Beitar Illit.

To meet the population growth, massive approval of building permits is required. In 2023, 7,800 building permits were issued in Jerusalem, the most among all Israeli cities. Over 10% of all building permits issued in Israel were issued in Jerusalem. Although construction is slowing down in most of the country (down 8.9% in 2023 compared with 2022), in Jerusalem construction jumped, with 14.8% more construction starts than in 2022.

 (I am working on several building permits. Each one is a Via Dolorosa.)

Pesti Vicc

 

How old are you?

Eleven.

At your age, I was already twelve.

You have to be Hungarian to get the point. 

Esperanza

Institutional investors, local and foreign, have left TASE. Yet there is an opportunity in the battered local stock market: The shares here are cheap. It's like a spring waiting for things to clear up, and when that happens there will be a big upside here.

I am not consistent and believe only half-heartedly in myself. Yesterday I bought an American hi-tech ETF. 

Tired

 

 "I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I
see of this truth..." said Franklin. I have lived a longer time than Franklin; the longer I live, the more I see myself getting increasingly tired. 

Franklin too had a big beer belly. 

Gafni: This Government lost "Heaven's Approval"

 "I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?... I believe that without his concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a bye word down to future age."  Thus spoke Benjamin Franklin.

Gafni, a leader of the religious parties, protests in the Knesset that the current coalition is not fulfilling its promises. Christians use to add to their promises a "With God's Help", the Muslims say "Inshallah" which is the same, and we Jews write on every letter דסיעתא דשמיתא   Desiata Deshamayta which in Aramaic means "With the Help of Heaven". The Chinese may say that Heaven retired the Emperor's legitimacy. Gafni's discontent refers to the coalition's difficulties in keeping its promise of passing a law that the so-called ultrareligious should not be drafted into the army. Gafni and his followers are totally insensitive and blind to the horrible war Israel is waging on two fronts (and three counting Iran). Currently, the religious are granted a self-renewing deferment. 

Boycotted or not

I carry shares of ELBIT, an electronic weapons factory, with an order book of 20 billion US$. The company is profitable and pays off dividends of 40% of the profits. Yet its stock has lost some 15% lately, which is very bad. The cause of its recent loss of value is caused by large investors selling Elbit - they want to avoid being identified with Israeli armament enterprise. This problem will not be solved for a while.

ICL, the Israeli potash company, has also lost a lot lately. I do know the reason, although world fertilizer prices have been falling. Prices of phosphate and potash have retreated since the back half of 2022 from their peak levels attained in the first half riding on the impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war and disruptions due to the sanctions in Belarus. Lower prices are expected to weigh on the company’s sales and profitability in the near term. The problem with the Houties who have closed the port of Eilat may be affecting ICL. 

In general, TASE bourse is maintaining its level and not sinking. Israel's economy has not collapsed because of civil disturbances and the war in Gaza, but it is growing. Paradoxically, in 2024 total economic activity (GNP) is rising. Many working men are in the Army, Palestinian workers are not allowed in Israel, and foreign workers have left because of the war, so it is not clear what is happening.