US Defense Secretary Hegseth

Commonplace among GWOT veterans that fought against jihadists abroad. It’s a symbol of defiance against the bad guys.

See also his Hebrew tattoo: ישוע  =   JESUS.

Hegseth is a surname of Norwegian origin. The suffix "-seth" or "-set" in Norwegian refers to a settlement or farm, and "Heg-" could be related to a specific geographical feature of that location.

Overweight Jackals

 Tel Aviv and its surrounding areas are seeing a proliferation of wild fat jackals. The animals smell a barbecue and come in from miles away to feast. They also feed in open garbage bins. Jackals are expert hunters of rats and birds, but ours are lazy and overweight. They are known to make loud, high-pitched wailing howls. My auntie, who lived in Palestine before independence, told me about the frightening, outworldy midnight howling jakals on the streets. But I never heard them. 

The North Star

 I was astonished to discover it in the night sky when I was 8 y/o/ in a pioneer summer camp. I had long wondered what was its significance if any. It was autumn.

China Hoarding Food

 

Argentina is following the evolution of cereals and meat markets (see left) and has arrived at the conclusion that China is hoarding food as never seen before. China buys up 70% of the corn and half of the wheat available. Apparently, China is expecting a scarcity and higher prices, or a war.  In other words, China's agriculture continues to fail and still cannot feed the population. It would be interesting to know how Japan and South Korea are standing in this area. 

P.D.: Japan attacked America as a reaction to the embargo in the late thirties. There was not enough rice and not enough fuel. The situation was desperate, so they conquered the Dutch colonies in Indonesia for their oil and rice. I hope America will not pressure China to the point of seeing its salvation in war.

Success in the Bubbles Project

In the beginning it seemed a lost cause. The WWTP of the Industrial Park of Ariel is out of service, and no new industry is allowed to connect to the wastewater system. The main challenge was to deal with a crushing permitting regime that slows or outright bans industrial initiatives. Daniel is a friend, and I took it upon myself to get the permit for the new factory (pic). Today, Sivan told me that the license was issued. Good!

Ettinger's Second Thought

 Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative” March 6, 2025

In 2024, the number of Israel’s Jewish births was 138,698 – 73%
higher than 1995 (80,400), compared to 42,911 Arab births – 18% higher
than 1995 (36,500).

2024 Jewish births were 76% of total births, compared to 69% in 1995. The surge of Jewish births has taken place due to the unprecedented rise of births (since 1995) in the secular sector, notwithstanding a rising level of education, income, wedding age, and expanded urbanization. Since 1995, Israel’s ultra-orthodox sector has experienced a mild decrease in fertility, while the modern orthodox rate of fertility has been stable.

The Muslim fertility rate has been Westernized: Jordan has 2.87 births per woman, Iran has 1.91, Saudi Arabia has 1.87, Morocco has 2.25, Iraq has 3.1, Egypt has 2.65, Yemen has 2.82, and the United Arab Emirates has 1.61.

Yoram says that the leftist politicians are negotiating with the Arabs in a cold sweat, anguished by the unstoppable growth of the Arab population. His analysis shows that there is no worry, since the fastest-growing population in the Middle East, including the Palestinians, are Israeli Jews. 

May I add that all the peoples who had some contact with the Jewish people—the Egyptians 2500 years ago, the Greeks of Antiquity, Tzarist Russia, and the Germans a generation ago—were impressed and frightened by Jewish fertility. 

Building Crimes

To receive a building permit in Israel is an extremely complex bureaucratic ordeal requiring hundreds of signatures from various authorities. During my time serving on vaadot (councils) that deliberated and approved projects, I often struggled to fully understand what was being discussed.

Recently, the Land Authority concluded an extensive investigation into several buildings and is now prosecuting fifteen former members of the Bnei Brak city councils, two former City Engineers, and multiple architects and directors from the Register Department. They stand accused of a serious crime: issuing permits for illegal construction projects, including two high-rise apartment buildings erected on public land. This is being handled as a criminal prosecution, with the physical existence of these buildings serving as tangible evidence of the wrongdoing. Money changing hands has not been mentioned. 

I never imagined that participating in those soporific proceedings could land someone in jail.

Imprisoning both current and former City Engineers, alongside numerous past members of the vaadot, will certainly send a powerful message. The inevitable consequence will be municipal bureaucrats becoming even more reluctant to sign documents. This heightened caution will create additional obstacles to obtaining permits, making it substantially more difficult to advance not only my construction projects but everyone else's as well.