The Revolution That Wasn't

On March 27th I wrote: The liberally minded media calls it "The New Arab Spring" in a desperate attempt to put a positive spin on a situation that is slowly bankrupting their intellectual viewpoints. This is not the time for dreamers. Its time to slow down for a reality check, and the name of the game is survival. Since events are now moving at internet speed we shall soon bear witness to how a culture, who believe in honour killings, the lack of womans rights, secret police and pharaohs with a sprinkling of lawyers, doctors and accountants, attempts to evolve. We wish them luck, for the sake of mankind. But don't hold your breath, its going to be a hot summer, and until the fat lady sings "happy days are here again", it ain't over. Meanwhile her silence is deafening.

Time to do a quick check to see what has changed. Tunisia is quiet and the army is in control. Egypt is quiet and the army is in control. Jordan is quiet and the army is in control. Lebanon and Gaza are quiet and the military are in control. The Syrian army are shooting all and sundry and are trying to maintain control. In Libya there is a civil war, not a revolution. Iran is quiet and the army is in control. Same for Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. Bottom line, not much has changed. The perception is of a huge upheaval, but the reality is that not much has moved. The child threw a tantrum, broke some toys and has now calmed down. Even Tom Friedman is over his Kumbaya moment. The left is no longer singing "we shall overcome" and the candles have been extinguished. The news of the day is a Royal wedding in London. All pomp and ceremony. In the US the headlines are dominated by a clown holding court in a media circus. Meanwhile hundreds of millions of people are on the verge of starvation mistakenly believing that CNN and Facebook will put a meal on the table.

So what are the consistent threads in a sea of grey?  Firstly, there cannot be regime change in the Middle East unless the military turns against its leader. Egypt is the perfect example of a military coup under the guise of democratic change. Next, none of the dictatorships, whether in the Iranian form or the Saudi type, have any intention of allowing anybody to throw them under a bus, Mubarak style. Thirdly, the US is fast losing any influence that it once commanded in the area, demonstrated by the open disrespect the Palestinian arab leader, Abbas, is showing the once revered Obama. Finally, as US influence declines, arab leaders are looking to new political alignments, amidst the time-worn, traditional animosity that still exists. 

Who are the main players and where are the different playgrounds? Saudi Arabia plays for the Sunni's and sometimes the Muslim Brotherhood. Iran plays for the more aggressive shiite team, but the Sunni's have been re-inforced by a new player, Egypt. The playgrounds are The Persian Gulf, and Israel and the surrounding areas. For the time being we will ignore some local domestic curtain raisers and concentrate on the main game.

As it stands at the moment, oil as an economic weapon, is losing its shimmer. The trade off being oil for food. Whoever provides the food, will win this particular game. However there is a bigger game in town. Control of the oil exiting the Persian Gulf is critical to Iranian plans for leadersip of the Islamic world. For the time being, its checkmate to the Saudis, who unexpectedly used force to halt covert Iranian plans in Bahrain. It also appears that the solution in Yemen was brokered by the Saudis. As a result Iran's leadership is in disarray, with the dismissal and then re-hiring of the minister of Intelligence by The Ayatollah, overuling a decision by Ahminedejad.

In the Israeli playground, the Egyptians have just brokered a deal between Hamas and The PA. Iran did not oppose the deal. The Iranians are attempting to chummy up to the Egyptians, while at the same time getting a foothold in Judea and Samaria. As for Egypt, they are trying to re-assert their leadership role in the arab world, by brokering a weakened Palestinian unity (and thats what it is), and at the same time neutralising the Syrian influence on Hamas. It's so politically easy for these players to play the Israel card to encourage arab unity, why not play it? What with the vote on Palestinian independece (?) and general elections in Egypt (?) in September, Israel needs all the friends it can get. As for the arabs, they know that agreements in their world on not worth the paper they are written on, and that the only agreements in existence today are those that were physically enforced.  

And considering western democracy, imagine how we must appear to them. Massive deficits and debts, impotent leadership and most of all, the comical shmultz being served up by a buffoon like Trump dancing the boogie while the media plays the music. (Whatever happened to integrity?). Europe looks ripe for the picking and every day Islam advances on a carriage provided by European softness. So, honestly, why should they change to our style of democracy. All they have to do is to sit back and watch the show....everybody else is doing it. 

Once again Israel is facing political isolation in a dangerous world. Believe me when I say, if Israel is in danger, we all are!

Being a leader is not about making yourself more powerful. Its about making people around you more powerful -   Betty Linton

Follow The Money

1.SANYA, China (Reuters) - The BRICS group of emerging-market powers kept up the pressure on Thursday for a revamped global monetary system that relies less on the dollar and for a louder voice in international financial institutions. The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa meeting on the southern Chinese island of Hainan, they said that what was needed was "a broad-based international reserve currency system providing stability and certainty".

COMMENT: The noise is getting louder. Obama behaves as if he is living in a bubble. Unfortunateley this bubble is get smaller. The precious metals are reflecting the markets impatience with Washington.

2.BEIJING—China announced an increase in the share of deposits banks must hold in reserve, its fourth such move this year, a fresh step in its battle against inflation that came after data showed consumer prices rising at their fastest clip in nearly three years in March.

COMMENT: Inflation is like a war. Its easy to start but not so easy to end.... 

3.Pecans are as all-American as anything can be. Washington and Jefferson grew them. They are the state nut of Arkansas, Alabama and Texas. The U.S. grows about two-thirds of the world's pecans and chews most of them itself. Five years ago, China bought hardly any pecans. In 2009, China bought one-quarter of the U.S. crop. The price has doubled to $2.14 a pound in 3 years.

COMMENT: Sorry couldn't resist....No comment from the peanut gallery!

4.Obama has recently promised 10 billion of US tax dollars to Brazil in order to give them a leg-up in expanding their offshore oil fields. Obama's largesse towards Brazil came shortly after his political financial backer, George Soros, invested heavily in Brazilian oil (Petrobas).

COMMENT: Makes one wonder where the truth lies. One day, if ever, it would make a fascinating read.


5.China can buy up the world. At the end of last year, China's foreign exchange reserves amounted to $2.85 trillion. By the end of March 2011, China's reserves had swelled to the almost ridiculous level of over $3 trillion.
The Economist:
China could buy ALL U.S. farms (value $1.87 trillion) and still have over one trillion left over.
China could buy all the world's monetary gold (value $1.43 trillion) and have change left over.
China could buy Apple, Microsoft, IBM and Google (cost $916 billion),
China could buy all existing US military equipment (value $414 billion).
China could buy ALL Manhattan real estate (value $287 billion). What would Trump say?
China could buy all of the PIIGS sovereign debt (value $1.51 trillion).

6.Financial Times: The income level at which Chinese citizens will have to start paying income tax will be raised from the current Rmb2,000 ($305) per month to Rmb3,000 per month, once the country’s rubber stamp legislature has given its approval, China’s finance ministry said on Wednesday. Thus narrowing the widening wealth gap in the country.

COMMENT: Slowly but surely......

Where others see problems, we can see possibilities - Diana Dreher

Holocaust Memorial Day - Monday 2nd May, 2011

September 4, 2003

IAF Jets Fly Over Auschwitz
Commemorate Holocaust Victims

By Arieh O'Sullivan
The Jerusalem Post

Jerusalem----September 4....Three Israeli Air Force F-15 fighter jets thundered over the Auschwitz death camp Thursday afternoon in a display of modern Jewish might.
As the jets zoomed by at 300 knots an hour, formation leader Brig.-Gen. Amir Eshel read out the following statement, which was broadcast on the ground: "We pilots of the Air Force, flying in the skies above the camp of horrors, arose from the ashes of the millions of victims and shoulder their silent cries, salute their courage and promise to be the shield of the Jewish people and its nation Israel."
The Israeli F-15s, originally invited to Poland to celebrate the Polish Air Force's 85th birthday, were escorted during the flight by two Polish air force fighter jets. The ceremony ignored marginal protests and heavily overcast Polish skies.
In the cockpits, the Israeli aircrews carried the names of all those recorded murdered in Auschwitz on this date exactly 60 years ago. They had picked the names out of the records at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem prior to flying to Poland last week.

                                              NEVER AGAIN!

Preposterous Predictions?

This blog is for fun. If 7 out of 10 predictions turn out to be correct, credit will go to the Peanut Gallery who constantly make unscientific forecasts.

1.The United Nations will not vote to establish a Palestinian State within the 1967 borders in September. The closest they will get, if at all, will be to vote for a Palestinian State, the borders to be decided during negotiations brokered by the US. All the surrounding noise is pressure by the international community.

2.Israel, surrounded by so much uncertainty and danger, will not succumb to pressure to withdraw from its present borders. How does the Jewish State make peace with animals that slit the throat of a 4 month old Jewish baby, and then witness how the local Palestinian population celebrates by handing out candies?

3.The Egyptian Military have no intention of relinquishing control of Egypt, with or without elections. They own 40% of the economic assets in Egypt, and it would be comparable to Obama announcing he won't be running for a second term.

4.The next major confrontation will be in the Middle East. No brainer. Take your choice, Sunni vs Shia, Islam vs Christianity or Fundamentalists vs Military. Sort of par for the course, when economic pressures create misery.

5.The Islam/left coalition of the deranged will slowly crumble while the silent majority look on dumbfounded at the Islamic World parading its true colours. Trust the peanut gallery, 6 billion people might not quite believe what they are seeing, but sooner or later it will register. In todays new world it's no longer possible to sweep the garbage behind a burqa.

6. And now economics. The food shortage we are seing now is just the tip of the iceberg. Food and water will become a major priority in some parts of the world.

7.Economic power will be shared between the BRIC (Brazil, Russia,India, China) countries and the West. Canada and Australia will benefit the most.

8.US interest rates will remain low for the forseeable future. Any rise in US rates will perforate the huge world debt bubble. Other countries will raise rates to combat inflation, thus strengthening their currencies. From this follows that the direction of the US dollar is long term down.

9.The federal reserve will continue to print dollars in June in some form or other. They might not call it QE3, but its the same thing. Gold will reach $2000 dollars an ounce, silver to hit 75 bucks an ounce and one asks when? The peanut gallery says..."as long as it takes".

10.Energy, not oil, will be in demand for as long as the eye can see. Therefore alternative energy will be the biggest game in town, with the dark horse being nuclear energy (believe it or not). And the slam dunk? Rare Earth Minerals!

Now is no time to think of what you do not have.Think of what you can do with what there is - Ernest Hemingway

Israel - Follow The Money

1.Obama sends $205 million for Iron Dome

President Obama is to send Israel $205 million to fund additional Iron Dome batteries in the south, “IDF Radio" (Galei Zahal) reported this morning. The decision comes after the missile defense system successfully intercepted nine Grad and Kassam missiles from Gaza over the weekend, and today the government is expected to approve the deployment of more Iron Dome batteries in the south.

COMMENT: Excuse the cynicism, but Israel has $70 billion in foreign currency reserves. This looks like a VERY good investment for the US and a smart election ploy. How about Obama making a statement like "Israel is not an Apartheid state. This is a complete fabrication by the far left and its muslim allies". 

2.Israeli defense industry substitutes Brazil for Turkey

Ten months after Israeli-Turkish relations ran aground in the wake of the flotilla to Gaza, Israel's defense industry seems to have found an alternative to Turkey in Latin America. At the LAAD Defense and Security 2011 exposition, which opens in Rio de Janeiro tomorrow, Israeli companies will display their wares for the battlefield and protection of sensitive facilities.  Elbit's Brazilian subsidiary AEL Sistemas SA has won a $85 million follow-on contract from Embraer SA (Bovespa: EMBR3; NYSE: ERJ) to upgrade eleven Brazilian Air Force F-5 fighter-bomber jets.

COMMENT:Everybody, it appears wants to buy Israeli......Even Obama.  

3.Elbit Systems expands Brazilian Embraer collaboration to UAVs

Elbit Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: ESLT; TASE: ESLT) is expanding its collaboration with Brazilian aerospace company Embraer SA (NYSE: ERJ; Bovespa: BR3) to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The companies signed the agreement at the LAAD 2011 Latin American Aerospace & Defense Exhibition in Rio de Janeiro.

4.Israel Corp. unit reports biomass fuel breakthrough

Primus Green Energy Ltd., a US subsidiary of Israel Corporation's (TASE: ILCO) renewable energy unit IC Green Energy Ltd., reports that it has developed a process to

convert agricultural biomass into standard automotive fuels at a competitive production cost compared with the price of oil. Primus GE uses agricultural residues that do not compete with food crops.

5.Israeli-Palestinian duo opens West Bank VC fund 

A Harvard-educated Israeli businessman is teaming with some of the world's leading business technology companies in what they say is the first investment fund for Palestinian high-tech startups. Harvard-educated businessman Yadin Kaufmann, Palestinian software entrepreneur Saed Nashef recruit initial $28.7 million from companies like Google, Cisco Systems, say they aim to build robust economy for eventual independent state.

 COMMENT: Dont you just love it when businessmen say they are doing it for love of country?...whatever.....

6.Better Place teams with China Southern Power Grid

Electric car venture Better Place has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with one of the two major national power companies in China, China Southern Power Grid Company Limited. The Chinese company, based in Guangzhou, ranks 156th in the Fortune 500 list of the world's biggest companies. It had revenue last year of $57 billion. The company provides power to an area of a million square kilometers which is home to some 250 million people.

COMMENT: Class is Permanent

The world in general doesn't know what to make of originality; It is startled out of its comfortable habits of thought, and its first reaction is one of anger - W. Somerset Maughm

  

US Dollar on the Brink

The United States Dollar is on the edge of a cliff. Both the economic and political world are questioning US leadership....

SANYA, China (Reuters) - The BRICS group of emerging-market powers kept up the pressure on Thursday for a revamped global monetary system that relies less on the dollar and for a louder voice in international financial institutions. The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa meeting on the southern Chinese island of Hainan, they said that what was needed was "a broad-based international reserve currency system providing stability and certainty".

Three of these countries (China, Russia and South Africa are the world largest gold producers, While India traditionally is probably the worlds largest gold purchaser). Judging by the reactions of currency and gold markets, there is a possibilty that gold might be part of a new basket of currencies.

Diversification is the name of the game, and always consult your advisor as regards risk appetite.

Please read a posting from 5th October 2010 , below:

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Market GPS (2)

Statement: The only way to pay off the massive US debt and stimulate the economy is to devalue the American dollar.

And so you ask why? Lets look at what might happen....

1.The most obvious conclusion is that it lessens the debt paid to foreign countries. Example: Japan purchases US treasury notes at a certain value (x). So when they eventually sell the notes, they receive the devalued dollar (y) which has less buying power for the Japanese. This has been going on for decades, and the only question is... for how much longer?

2.The biggest fear in the administration is the forbidden word "deflation". A synonym for an even more deadly word. DEPRESSION. There is no solution to deflation, which creates huge unemployment and everything that goes with it. So they will continue to print paper money until prices begin to rise.

3.A falling USD  creates the following scenario(s).

A. All commodities are denominated in USD, therefore their price will rise. A rising price of, say a barrel of oil will cause the energy sectors on stock markets to rise. The same goes for gold, copper and, basically all assets denominated in US Dollars. This in turn will reverse the flow of funds from the markets and create rising markets. Rising markets will draw investment, and investment creates employment. Profits rise and therefore more taxes collected and so on....

B. All imports to the US will rise in price, creating inflation (most desired). Inflation creates a movement of funds out of cash and into assets like real estate, jewellry, furniture and anything else of value. This also reverses the flow of funds from different markets, and everybody from Wallmart to Apple to Google benefits. Wall Street rises and fear and worry are on the decline.

C. Exports become more profitable and industry goes back to work.

So right now, this appears to be working, albeit, slowly. Markets are up. Gold is jumping, commodities are on the rise and "quantitive easing"  will continue. What a great expression that is. Invented by economists and politicians to separate themselves from the man on the street, while appearing to be knowledgable. Somebody would think they had invented the wheel! It means "printing of paper money". 

So if everything is so good, then what's the catch?

1.This can only work if the world continues to accept the USD as the reserve currency. As we know, a country's economic power is measured in the strength of its currency. China is definitely manouvering to take over world economic leadership. They have time and patience. They are also quietly diversifying their currency reserves....but that's a story for another day.

2. As long as the devaluations are slow, the danger appears minimal. However, a sharp quick drop by the dollar will create uncertainty and all the good work will be undone.

3. Loss of confidence in US treasuries would cause yields to rise, and another bloated market would be in danger of deflating.

So, not so easily done. The only sure thing is that the printing machines will continue, and you can take that to the bank!

Check out  http://stockcharts.com/charts/gallery.html?$USD 

H

  

CNN - The Fading Face of Hypocrisy

Recently, while watching CNN, the thought crossed my mind "what planet do these guys live on?" The commentator was really excited about a huge scoop that was unravelling in libya. He revealed photo's of prisoners in Libya being tortured. BREAKING NEWS! Earth shattering! Nobody knew! Gaddafi needs to be prosecuted for crimes against humanity. The next thought was, where have these guys been for the last thirty years. Where were they when Libya was elected to The UN Human Rights Council in May of 2010, less than a year ago. Are they telling us that CNN in all its wisdom, did not know what was going on in Libya all these years? Are they telling us that they had no idea of what has been happening in the arab world all this time? Then after overhearing a stranger in the supermarket remarking that CNN's reporting is an insult to human and other forms of intelligence, I decided to check the latest cable ratings, and guess what?

The latest cable ratings show that Fox News is by far the most popular news channel in the US. At least treble if not more viewers than CNN. In fact, CNN is now struggling with MSNBC and has fallen into 3rd place on prime time viewing. They say that you can't fool all the people all the time. In this specific case it appears that you cannot even fool some of the people all of the time. So what has caused the precipitous decline of this once popular TV Channel? Its simple. They adopted a distinct elitist stance and stopped reporting the news. Political correctness in its most condascending form became the rule. Candidly put, instead of directing from the rear, they chose to lead from the front, every announcer and correspondent with his/her own political agenda. Basically, they attempted to compete using the Fox News format, but with different ideology and goals. The big mistake was thinking that most Americans were like them, and the rest were "just stupid Sarah Palin types."

Recently, Don Lemon was discussing the rape of a Libyan women who jumped in front of the cameras to explain her plight. His question, directed at Azadeh Ansari, CNN International Desk Editor, was why the other women in the room were trying to cover the hysterical women's face with paper bags? Her answer, word for word..
ANSARI: "Again, it's men, women, everyone. It goes back to this is an issue that stems back years and years, hundreds of years, thousands of years. It's part of the culture. It's embedded. Again, it's a topic that is not just isolated to the Arab world, rape, sexual assault, very difficult to talk about in general" . She then goes on to say 
" It's embarrassing. It's not something they want the public to know about." Embarrasing? Very difficult to talk about? This is not understatement. This is a complete misrepresentation of the truth. Ansari is trying to say that this is the same problem women are having world wide. For your information young lady (as if you didn't know), in our world, if a women is raped, the man is held responsible. In the muslim world, the woman is responsible and she is dishonoured. Some rape victims are murdered by relatives because the violation of a woman’s chastity is viewed as an attack on their family’s honor. At the same time, there are other women who take their own lives, in what is known as “honor suicides,” due to mounting family pressure and fear. Embarrasing? Really!

Do you believe that Israel is an Apartheid State? Watching CNN, how would John Doe know? The easy solution would be to take a camera crew to Israel and film parliament in session, a busy street in Tel Aviv, a hospital or simply the crowd at a soccer game. Then compare it to any historic short movie on Apartheid South Africa. Instant truth! But they are not going to do that. It does not fit their agenda. They are relying on their credibility to further a slanted agenda...and to hell with the truth. Except that the large majority of North Americans are no longer buying this dishonest mumbo jumbo. This is clearly reflected in the numbers. Its just a matter of time before someone stands up and says..."CNN has to go!" Heard that somewhere. Good grief, I think it must have been on CNN. 

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my Jewish friends and family, a happy Passover, and to my Christian friends and family...a happy Easter. 

H   

Discounting the Future - Follow The Markets

In a crazy world of over-population, hunger, ferocious competion, fiat (printed) money and democracy under attack by forces unable to compete, we look to the markets to try and find direction. Depending on which way one faces, the wind blows in different directions. If we listen carefully, we might hear what the markets are saying. Somebody once said that money is like a stream....it flows in the direction that is easiest for it to move.


So lets look at some facts. After a horrendous crash in 2008, equity markets have rebounded. How did this happen? The huge credit bubble that burst has been replaced by an even larger credit bubble in a desperate worldwide attempt to head off deflation. World population has grown from one billion 100 years ago, to 7 billion today. When trillions of dollars are showered on growing populations, frantically competing for diminishing commodities, the result is rising prices and inflation. In inflationary climates, logically, the rich get richer and the poor suffer. Where is this most apparent? In the markets. And of course, one of these markets is the equity market. One of the best hedges against future inflation are equities. The proof is in the pudding. Wall Street bonuses are once again on the rise. A warning... inflation is like war. You know how it starts, you dont know how it ends and how many bumps will be encountered along the way. Ask Obama and NATO. Expect volatility. Its the nature of the beast, inflation being part psychological.

Fact: Large amounts of fiat currency are being printed. In a fiat money system, money is not backed by a physical commodity (i.e.: gold). Instead, the only thing that gives the money value is its relative scarcity and the faith placed in it by the people that use it. As populations begin to lose faith in the purchasing power of their local currency, cash flows in the direction easiest for it to move. The price of gold (the alternative to fiat currency) has gone from $270 an ounce to $1475 an ounce in about 10 years. At the same time, the US dollar has taken quite the dive. Conclusion: The markets have major doubts about the US dollar continuing to be the worlds reserve currency, and secondly, gold should be considered not only as a commodity, but as an alternative currency.

Fact: The US Bond market is ten times the size of the stock market. Money has been flowing out of this market for at least 6 months. Interest rate yields (for our purposes we will use the term "interest rates") are slowly rising as bond prices fall. This market appears to be discounting future interest rate rises as inflation and  growing debt join the party. Conclusion: Long term bonds should be avoided at all costs. Inflation or a loss of confidence in the US dollar type scenario can potentially play havoc with this huge market.

Fact: The USD has been losing value since the early seventies. At the time, President Nixon ended the gold standard for US dollars, effectively placing money creation in the hands of congress. I remember (even though I am only 29 years old LOL) that to own a million bucks in those days was a big deal. So while the cat was guarding the milk and with a continuous four year election cycle, humanity took control and huge amounts of debt were created, culminating in the crash of 2008. The system is clear to all. The US borrows money from others and repays the debt with devalued dollars. Some might say that if the mafia did this, they would all be incarcerated. Apparently legality is all that separates the different mafiosa. And CNN has the audacity to constantly point a holier than thou finger at all and sundry. To clarify, in 1970 a single USD purchased 4.37 Swiss Francs. Today it buys less than one franc (.90) Conclusion: Diversify into different currencies according to risk appetite and country of residence.

Fact: The majority of commodities and international contracts are denominated in USD, it still being considered as the worlds reserve currency. As the dollar is devalued so commodity prices rise. Anybody remember oil at less than 10 Dollars a barrel? Or for that matter, copper at 40 cents a pound (today $4.50)? Conclusion: Expect more of the same.

Bottom line, the name of the game is diversification. Cash, considered to be king until just recently, is in danger of being dethroned by inflation. And don't forget to discuss risk appetite with your advisor.

Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars and a substantial tax cut cut save you thirty cents? -  Peg Bracken

Israeli Apartheid

1.First Bedouin Woman PhD is 'Insider-Outsider' in 3 Cultures

The first Bedouin woman to hold a doctorate describes herself as an “insider-outsider in three cultures.” Professor Sarab Abu Rabia-Queder, a lecturer at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, grew up in Be'er Sheva, the unofficial capital of the south, a melting pot for many of Israel's cultures. She and her husband Hassan, an accountant who was a fellow student at BGU, live with their three young sons, ages 7, 5 and 18 months, in a Jewish neighborhood of Be'er Sheva. The boys attend a local bilingual school run by the Hagar Association, where Jewish and Arab children learn side by side. 

COMMENT: An arab muslim, A bedouin and a woman......sounds like apartheid to me. 

2.The first Israeli Arab woman plastic surgeon, Dr. Rania Elkhatib

The first Israeli Arab woman to become a plastic surgeon, Dr Rania Elkhatib works at the Rambam Medical Center, the largest hospital in northern Israel. Thirty percent of doctors at Rambam are women, and the representation of Arab physicians is proportionate to the numbers in the population. While the hospital is committed to providing equal opportunities, Prof. Yehuda Ullmann, head of the plastic surgery department, stresses that doctors are chosen purely on merit: "Plastic surgery residency is the most wanted residency in medicine not just in Israel but all over the world, and she was elected not because she's Arab, not because she's a woman, but because she is a very good doctor. So we are lucky to have her here."

3.IDF to track foreign anti-Israel groups

Israel's Military Intelligence has launched a new section that will be responsible of tracking foreign organizations located overseas, in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which aim to delegitimize the State of Israel.

COMMENT: BDS, Israel Apartheid and QAIA, what did you think? Israel would sit back and allow you free reign? Blood libels (I think the politically correct term this "Free Speech") against the Jewish people are not unknown to us.

4.New web portal aimed at Arab women

Panorama Media, which operates the portal Panet, has launched a news portal for Arab women, Niswan. The portal is intended for Arab women in Israel and around the world. Topics will include news, fashion, social events, health and beauty, brides and grooms, pregnancy and childbirth, and women and the family. Niswan will be the first Arabic news site for Israeli-Arab women.


Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rapidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which  holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a piece of shit by the clean end - Anonymous

A Blood Libel

What is a blood libel? Blood libel (also blood accusation) is a false accusation or claim that religious minorities, usually Jews, murder children to use their blood in certain aspects of their religious rituals and holidays. Historically, these claims—alongside those of well poisoning and host desecration—have been a major theme in European persecution of Jews. Jewish history is sprinkled with persecution, usually preceded by a downturn in the economic cycle and followed by blatant and groundless anti-semitic fabrications.

The world, shocked by the atrocities of the holocaust, embraced Jewish culture and facilitated the birth of the Jewish State of Israel. Many wars later, the miracle that is Israel, shines a light upon us. This was made easier by one of the greatest economic upswings in history. Antisemitism was a subject discussed by intellectuals over the dinner table, while under the table, a latent form of antisemitism, more sophisticated, displaces the more aggresive type, and from a completely different direction. The year is 2008. An economic contraction measuring 12 on the richter scale takes place. 

The Islamic world, unable to compete in a world of expanding populations and food shortages, explodes into violence. Real unemployment in the US is closer to 15% (not the official 9%). An even larger debt bubble is created to replace the previously deflated balloon. The largest fraud in the history of mankind is perpertrated as close to a trillion dollars is transferred from the US public to save the banking system. Around the world, governments and central banks print fiat money in a desperate attempt to prevent economic collapse. Inflation begins to raise its monstrous head and another emerging demon casts its shadow from a dark corner. 

Extreme Islam senses the perfect opportunity. Hiding behind a curtain of political correctness, they are creating an unlikely bond with the extreme left and exploiting left leaning Jewish organizations in the west (these organizations tiptoe around trying not to antagonize the anti-semites, heaven forbid they might feel offended!). So anti-semitism once again is on the rise. This time, in a more sophisticated form. Whether a member of parliament in Norway, who tells us that the holocaust did not happen, or an extremeley dangerous nutbar in Iran, uniting under the same flag, it tells the same story. BDS, Qaia and others, all part of the same bandwagon, now have a new fabrication.....Israeli Apartheid.

If anybody thinks this is not part of the same trickle, or another conspiracy theory, Israel's Military Intelligence has launched a new section that will be responsible for tracking foreign organizations located overseas, in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which aim to delegitimize the State of Israel. From the point of view of a Jew, ask yourself what this would remind you of ? Economic mayhem, Money printing (now on a worldwide scale) and mind boggling lies about Israel. I know what it reminds me of. Some say its in the genes. Clearly the target is the demonization of the Jewish state, Israel being the last line of defence that Jews have. Imagine if there was no Israel...... 

We live in a dangerous world and we need every real friend we have. As for those who insist on shaking hands with a crocodile, we wish you luck. The crocodile is smiling. Go for it. The blood will be real.

Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point - C.S. Lewis 

Watch what they do... not what they say

1.The presidents of Iraq and Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai and Jalal Talabani, arrived Saturday afternoon in Tehran to participate in ceremonies marking the festival of Nowruz, the Iranian and Afghan New Year, held on Sunday, the official IRNA news agency reported.Talabani and Karzai are expected to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad separately during their visit. (AFP)

COMMENT: I am sure they will be discussing us Infidels....

2.ISLAMABAD – Pakistan is beefing up its arsenal of nuclear-capable missiles by embracing China as its new strategic arms partner and backing away from the U.S. This was starkly marked in November when on the same day the U.S. delivered some of the 18 F-16s it had pledged to Pakistan, Islamabad announced it had ordered an arsenal of SD10 mid-range homing missiles and radar systems to equip its JF-17 Thunder jet fighters from China. It was the latest in a series of arms collaborations between the two nations, which view their strategic partnership as a counterweight to a boldly confident India, which has American support.

COMMENT: You are doing really well, Barak. When you put it in perspective, and in light of what has happened since then, throwing Mubarak under the bus on public TV like that might have been your biggest foreign policy mistake so far. Good or bad, another one bites the dust.....and still counting....

3."Defense News" reports that the Indian Army is about to order thousands of Spike anti-tank missiles and peripheral equipoment from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. in a $1 billion deal. Indian Ministry of Defence officials told the magazine that the order is for 321 launchers, 8,356 missiles, and 15 training simulators, and peripheral equipment.

COMMENT:Looks like Israel is being courted by the big boys.....interesting.

4.The Israel Space Agency and the Russian Federal Space Agency today signed a framework agreement in the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. The agreement, which was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, enhances cooperation between the Israeli and Russian space agencies in the fields of space research, observation, navigation, medicine and biology in space, and research in advanced materials and launchings.

COMMENT: The world must be different in outerspace

5.After building dairy farms in China and Vietnam, Kibbutz Afikim is doing the same thing in the West Bank city of Hebron. An Israeli-Palestinian dairy farm is being built by the SAE Afikim company in a bid to fight the milk shortage in the Palestinian Authority. According to Dr. Ismail Jubrani, one of the dairy farm's owners, producing milk in the PA territories is cheaper and more accessible for Palestinians than buying milk produced in Israel.

COMMENT: Didn't see this on CNN or The New York Times. Must be happening in outerspace.

When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us - Alexander Graham Bell