Tired

It was not a good day. A client named Oran called me when I was parking, while a Russian immigrant was shouting at me, claiming I had parked diagonally. Oran was aggressively dissatisfied when he realized that our agreement did not include supervision of the construction. Then we went babysitting my grandkids. The boy cut himself and was alarmed by a drop of blood, and ran back to his room. He ran back to play the stupifying computer game.  The mother returned the girl from the kinder, but she refused to enter and cried.  I don't have to be ashamed that at my age, I am tired.

Stock Market Analysts

Globes today: We have been searching for market analysts and found none. 

That would be a good niche for me. They need somebody to comment on the annual reports of companies. I am overworked, but that is a job I feel able to do and would like. 

Just for the record.

 בתחילת השבוע החולף חיפשנו אנליסט שיספק עבור גלובס פרשנות על הדוחות שפרסמה רשת המזון הגדולה בישראל, שופרסל, שהציגה זינוק ברווח אך ירידה בשורת המכירות. אלא שדי מהר התחוור לנו שנתקשה לקבל אותה, זאת מאחר שסיקור תחום הקמעונאות בישראל נותר בידי שני אנליסטים, אולי שלושה.

Department of War

America changed the name of its Department of Defense to the War Department. The whole world is preparing for armed conflict. Israel, Turkey, and South Korea specialize in the weapons industry. Europe is re-arming. Russia is embroiled in an active war. India and Pakistan have a border war. All the while, populations are falling, and people are distracting themselves with pointless tourism and sex parties.

Meanwhile, an economic depression is approaching. Most Governments cannot pay the interest on their debt. Their sole way out is bankruptcy a la Argentina. I feel powerless to change anything, so I work and hoard shekalim. Not that it will help when the trumpets sound. 

Greece's Tragedy

 
Population replacement in Greece is a policy.

Pic: Zeus, disguised as a shepherd, tempts Mnemosyne by Jacob de Wit (1727. Public Domain. Wikipedia Commons

"The president of Greece issued an executive order that any village of less than 2,000 inhabitants must accommodate at least 100 foreign legal or illegal immigrants. Considering that Greece is suffering from a dramatic demographic decline, Greek villages will fill with foreigners, and all of Greece will become a foreign country in less than 20 years."

There is no one to blame but the Greeks themselves, who are aborting their children.

Thames Water Crisis (again)

 The failed saga of the privatization of British water companies continues. 

Thames Water is undergoing a crisis, spurred by its excessive debt levels and poor environmental performance. The creditor group — which has labeled itself the London & Valley Water consortium — has been working on a rescue. The creditors submitted their proposal, which includes £20.5 billion ($27.4 billion) of investment and operational spending over the next five years.

The London & Valley Water consortium includes Silver Point Capital, Elliott Management Corp. and Apollo Global Management Inc., as well as Aberdeen Group Plc and Assured Guaranty Ltd. The UK government appointed FTI Consulting to advise on a special administration process in case it’s needed.

Cut the water to Gaza

HAMAS and the world do not understand Israeli anger against them. A group of angry activists went to the extreme of cutting the water flow in the main pipe feeding Gaza. 

Of course, it is a demonstrative action. No one will let two million human beings to dissiccate in the desert. 

The Yarmukhians

In Kibbutz Shaar HaGolan, many small female figurines were found. They are the remains of the Yarmukhian culture, dating back 8,000 years, at the beginning of agriculture. These female big-assed works are called fertility goddesses.  Similar figurines with exaggerated female features are found across many prehistoric cultures worldwide.

Rather than representing goddesses themselves, the figurines are offerings or ritual objects used by women to request children or successful pregnancies. This would make them more like prayers made tangible rather than objects of worship. In many cultures, people dedicate objects to petition for fertility and healthy childbirth.

If so, how can we explain the current "rebellious" non-reproducing fashion?