Population shortage in Ancient Sparta

 
Rereading about Sparta, they seem to have suffered from massive sexual dysfunction. Men who did not marry were forbidden to attend the Naked Boys Festival. They were forced to parade naked in the agora, singing self-demeaning songs and suffering the jokes of the public. Spartan populations never took off, partly due to pederasty and partly due to the rejection of non pure-blood Spartans. Cruel, racist, military society. 

Sparta was the union of four villages — Limnae, Pitana, Mesoa, and Cynosoura located near the Spartan acropolis (see map). It evolved into the most stable polis (they were most cautious about internal frictions, living in constant fear of their Messenian subjects), well-ordered and secretive. 

My footprint in Nigeria

 

I spent a year in Bauchi, Northeastern Nigeria. Looking back at the place through Google Maps, I discovered the small dam I had planned and started to build for the cattle. The dam was completed, and it is still there, although I don't see that it is being used. The area around it is denuded of vegetation, losing out to the advancing Sahel desert in the last thirty years. 

Massive Oil Field discovered in Antartica

 The Alexander Karpinsky research vessel discovered a 510 billion barrel oil field in Antarctica. The area in question is considered by the British to be their overseas territory and is claimed by Argentina and Chile. Argentina fought and lost a war with Britain for the Falkland Islands nearby. This will be interesting for future generations. 

Enchained in Berlin

 

Deutsche Welle, an official German media outlet, reports on the colorful gay and lesbian parades taking place in many cities. I am an old Jewish fart, totally left behind the times. 

STIMULUS

Still depressed because of yesterday. But I have to finish the project. How to motivate, stimulate myself?

Claude, the empathetic Artificial Intelligence, tried to motivate me: 

I'm sorry to hear about the difficult meeting yesterday. Those experiences can really weigh on us and make it hard to find motivation. It's completely understandable to feel down after something like that.

Here are some strategies that might help you get back on track:

Start small and build momentum. Instead of trying to tackle the whole project at once, pick one small, manageable task you can complete in the next hour. Completing something - anything - will give you a sense of accomplishment and help break the cycle of feeling stuck.

Change your environment. Sometimes a change of scenery can shift your mental state. Try working from a different room, a coffee shop, or even just rearranging your workspace.

Practice self-compassion. Be kind to yourself about having an off day. Everyone has meetings that don't go well - it doesn't reflect your worth or abilities.

I took a day off and here I am. 

We need space

 Yesterday I had a meeting in Yavne. The return drive of 60 km took me 3 hours. It is summer and hot (35 Celsius). I have a feeling that we need more space and more roads. HaAretz was reporting that people were leaving the country for more peaceful places. It seems to me that it is not so.

The meeting was horrible. One fat Russian with a baritone transformed it into a drama, with himself the primo uomo of the opera. He had planned to cause my dismissal and take over the Client. He failed, but killed my will to excel.  

Argentina loses again

 (Bloomberg) – Argentina must give up its controlling stake in signature energy company YPF SA within two weeks after a New York judge sided with litigators in a $16 billion judgment. 

Judge Loretta Preska gave Milei’s government 14 days to surrender 51% of the company’s shares to a global custody account, from which they’ll be transferred to plaintiffs, former shareholders suing Argentina over its 2012 nationalization of YPF. 

Argentina’s sovereign bonds and YPF shares both dropped after Monday’s ruling. Shares for Burford Capital, which is leading the litigation, saw their New York-traded shares soar more than 20% before paring gains.

Pic.: A drilling rig shown in the Vaca Muerta shale region of Argentina. Image: YPF

I was in high school in Buenos Aires when I had an idea for a special oil additive and decided to sell it to YPF. In the main office - a monumental building in El Centro - nobody deigned to talk to me, and I was asked to submit a written proposal. Which I did, and they never answered me. Still, 63 years later, I retain the impression of that enormous organization, Argentina's largest company.