Weekend work lost

On Thursday there was a storm over the city and lighting struck and confounded my computer. One day was spent in trying to repair it but no success. I tried to diagnose the problem using my other computer, and said "power ... something" with easy 20 steps. Gave up. So started up my heavy laptop, but the Lenovo had erased all the programs "while you were away". I spent the morning re-installing Autocad and I am still at it. Tomorrow shall take it to "Ay-gor" (as in Dr. Frankensteen) to repair. I shall have to hear out the complaints of my clients that are opening supermarkets without the permits.

Spent some time visiting daughters, one is being sent by the NICE to Madrid, other is teaching and doing a M.Ed. and the last one preparing papers on why her students are missing classes. Her reasons are very PC (she wants to succeed) and supported by lots of academic references. I told her that it was all nonsense but then  - resigned -  helped her to be more convincingly politically correct.

She was selected to represent the stakeholders in some EU educational program. If Greg Cochran reads our papers, he would surely think we are typical liberal crazies, but my daughter is not in the position to write that her students carry a heavy load of defects, as it would not be acceptable nor conducive to receive a diploma and draw a salary. 

J in Space!

Halal Communications shares are lifting today 34%. I have some that I have not sold.









The shares had lost half of their worth when Amos 8 communications satellite exploded during the launch but it was insured, so I concluded that the company would not suffer a loss and I did not sell. (Watch the explosion at  https://www.themarker.com/markets/1.6961245  )

For some reason that I cannot fathom, the speculators did discount the worth of the company. Today it was announced that Amos 17 (pic) is near complete at Boeing and will be launched in June. Its services are fully booked. The shares jumped today 34%. There is contention about the next satellite, that the State wants to be built in Israel. As said, the Israeli satellite Amos 8 exploded because of static, and the company insists on buying American, that is reliable and cheaper.

J has entered the space speculation orbit. Space IS the next frontier! 

Why Rogel Alper hates us so much?

Rogel (right) is a TV critic in the Palestinian fishwrap Ha Aretz who published today a column so full of hate (self-hate) that cannot be left without answer. He builds gradually his tirade to show us that (1) moon landing is meaningless when three other countries did it before, (2) and anyone could do blindfolded, (3) it is most pretentious and unbecoming for a nothing country like Israel to dream of the moon and try such a grandiose project restricted to world powers like Russia, the USA and lately China.

Alper's sister was not bitten by a rat (as in "A rat done bit my sister Nell, But Whitey's on the moon" ---    thanks B ----  https://youtu.be/goh2x_G0ct4  )  but he protests that the train ride from Nahariya to Tel Aviv is too jumpy and the moon monies should have been spent in repairing the rails. As we said in the barrio: Cada perro con su pulga or Each one shoulders his own cross.

Rogel feels that the Israeli public is too proud and happy with this achievement that puts us on the moon in the company of the world's three most powerful countries, and he just cannot suffer the idea. That is, that Israel is advanced and competent, and that we feel happy. He had to find something to disinflate our pride and belittle it. What have we done to Rogel that he hates us so much?

Jews in Space!

Israel is launching tonight a quadruped to the moon. The idea is to show the world that we can do it, that we are playing with the big boys.

We're Jews out in space
We're zooming along
protecting the Hebrew race

We're Jews out in space
If trouble appears
we put it right back in its place

When goyim attack us
We give 'em a smack
we'll slap them right back in the face

We're Jews out in space
We're zooming along
protecting the Hebrew race

Rav Kahana joins the Government

Rabbi Meir Kahana founded the Jewish Defense League in New York maybe fifty years ago. The league is still considered a terrorist group by the FBI. In the meanwhile, Kahane ideas have been taking root in the Israeli "right" aka nationalist wing and now emerge from the underground to join Netaniyahu's next government. The leaders of this movement are Betzalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben Gvir, and Benzi Gopstein. Bibi's rival, Benny Ganz, tries to paint itself as a ferocious Defensor of Israel, which he may be, but am "oficialista" that is, always with the party in power, so I shall stay with Bibi. 

Liza-1,Payara, Liza deep, Snoek, Turbot, Ranger and Pacora

Those are the names of oil producing wells in Guyana, discovered by Exxon and explored by a number of companies, including an Israeli group. Fortunately I have a few shares in it. The place is occupied by quilombos, communities established by escaped slaves mixed Amerindians, formerly visited only by heroic (or suicidal) Czech missionaries.  The Israeli Geologist involved in petroleum exploration (pic). Coincidentally, I have done some work in his home or his son's home in Petach Tikva, it was about a pump in the garden. The world is starting to be too small that I meet the same people I already had met before, or I have lived too long and worked too much. 

Water as Charity

As a water engineer, I follow the media on the water subject. Following the National Emergency (sic!) of Flint, there are more and more popular movements claiming that running water is a human right and it should be provided as a free municipal service. Many  increasingly refuse to pay water bills, and the municipalities are increasingly hesitant to collect the bills. The City of Baltimore is organizing a charity program and asking for donations to pay for those who cannot  or will not (see pic of Dominique and her children). We in Israel are paying for the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem, but it is not charity but self-interest in avoiding photogenic protests, since all the world (that is, world media) agrees that water is a human right and we don't want to be accused of violating their human rights and dignity.

America is big and the tax-paying minority will react as it always reacted in face of these situations. They will move away as fast as they can. Baltimore has now only 10 to 20% of its population paying regularly their taxes, Flint and Detroit even less. Growing separation seems unavoidable. One of the lessons of Flint is that the communities I am talking about find it difficult to operate their water systems, so the State will assume the financing and management of the water companies and subsidize them as a necessary public charity.