The Peanut Gallery

Statements, comments and forecasts that have no substance, but just might turn out to be relevant.

1. If anyone was under the impression that the Trump attack on NAFTA has anything to do with Canada, they would be mistaken. If the energy component is removed from the calculation (and it would be since the US prefers Canadian oil to Middle Eastern oil), Canada imports slightly more from the US than the US imports from Canada. Secondly, Canada has not seen much advantage from this deal, losing manufacturing jobs to Mexico and China. Thirdly, in the interests of market share Canada would gain from a more protectionist US policy. COMMENT: It appears that Trump is obsessed with Mexico. His approval rating is falling rapidly and he needs to keep his base intact. 

2.The private race to the moon is really starting to heat up. A team from Israel called SpaceIL has signed a contract to launch its robotic lunar lander toward the moon aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in the second half of 2017. SpaceIL is therefore a strong contender to win the $20 million top prize in the Google Lunar X Prize (GLXP), contest organizers said.
To date, only three entities have succeeded in soft-landing a spacecraft on the lunar surface — the governments of the United States, the former Soviet Union and China.

3.Israel's economy shot up in the final three months of 2016 and looks set to have grown annually by 4 percent, easily outstripping the central bank's expectations. It came on the back of robust exports, but also increased consumer spending. On an annualized basis, gross domestic product soared 6.2 percent in the fourth quarter, the Central Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday, as it also revised up the annualized third-quarter 2016 growth estimate to 4.2 percent from 3.6 percent. COMMENT: BDS......who? 

4.Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Feb. 22 that the Russian government has created a force of special information warfare troops, AP reported. Shoigu's comments are the first official acknowledgement from the Kremlin of the new force and were made during a speech to the Russian parliament. The announcement comes amid the fallout surrounding Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election. COMMENT: Typical politician speaking out of both sides of his mouth. This is nothing new and this force has been operating for many years.

5.China has nearly completed construction of some two dozen structures on artificial islands in the South China Sea that appear designed to hold long-range surface-to-air missile batteries, two unnamed U.S. officials said Feb. 21, Reuters reported. The concrete structures have retractable roofs and appear to be around 20 meters long and 10 meters high, one official said. In December, a report from the U.S.-based  Center for Strategic and International Studies said that China had installed anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems on all seven of the artificial islands it has built in disputed parts of the South China Sea. COMMENT: It appears that China is unperturbed by all the bluster emanating from the US.

6.Jon Medved, CEO of the Jerusalem-based ‘Our Crowd’ venture capital group: the “issue” of Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria is no more relevant to the international business community than they would be if they were located on the moon. “Are you kidding?” he laughs. “Listen to me: It is a non-issue. No one even knows how to spell it. It may be a big issue for diplomats and the United Nations, but it is completely orthogonal to what we are doing. It’s like a different planet.” COMMENT: In 2016 investment in Israeli Hi-tech was $4.8 billion compared to all of Europe's $13.6 billion. Compare populations and you have your answer.

7.Tired of stretching your arms to the limit just to take a selfie? Do cameras, tripods and selfie sticks frustrate you? A new Israeli invention that turns your everyday phone case into a flying aerial picture-taking drone may be just what the world needs! (LOL). Check this out....WOW! http://nocamels.com/2017/02/selflys-flying-phone-case-aerial-selfies/ COMMENT: Israel is changing our world...not with words but with actions.

8.The Old City of Jerusalem will soon join the ranks of the new, when free Wi-Fi is introduced in all four quarters. Benefits of the technological upgrade include an improved tour experience, as more visitors will be able to access various phone apps that facilitate navigation of the ancient alleyways. COMMENT: In Israel...the sky is the limit!

Life takes on meaning when you become motivated, set goals and charge after them in an unstoppable manner - Les Brown

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader - John Quincy Adams

No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it - Andrew Carnegie

The Muslim Ban

While serving in the IDF I was leading a patrol in an Arab village in Judea and Samaria. Suddenly from the nearby Mukhtar's home a loudspeaker wailed an age-old timeless message to the populace...."Death to the Jews". We surrounded the house preparing to enter. Without warning a storm of stones from every direction rained down upon us and shouts of "Allah Akbar" punctured the air. The Arab residents were out on the balconies and rooftops shrieking and whistling. The perfect ambush! As we prepared to rush the house and silence the threatening message, a Jeep pulled up beside the front gate and out jumped member(s) of the Shin Bet (Israel's FBI) who had apparently decided to chaperone us...phew!

Since the Mukhtar's house afforded some cover from the the screaming mob, we burst through the door and were greeted by an unbelievable sight. The Mukhtar was smiling and on the lounge table were cups of sweet tea with nana (a Moroccan mint herb). While we savoured this traditional brew the Shin Bet unit huddled with the mukhtar and was provided with a list of potential terrorism threats from within the area. The Mukhtar was "arrested" and taken to HQ for "questioning". Needless to say he was released and given a heroic welcome  home by some of the villagers. That folks, is one example of how homeland security and the war against terror operates. 

The stunned silence out of Israel that greeted Trump's Muslim ban (and that's what it is) speaks louder than all the combined total of articles published on this subject. No comment from Israeli government members and the two main opposition parties. It matters not whether 50% of Americans support this ban (let's face it, voters in the US have not covered themselves in glory for a decade or two), it matters only that most of the Muslim world sees it as a slight on their culture. Within the context of keeping America safe this ban added thousands of Jihadists to a list of imminent dangers in a volatile world. What is unfathomable, is why the Trump administration did not add a country like North Korea to the list of banned countries. Perhaps they could have exempted threatened Muslim minorities in Iraq, Syria and Iran (like the Kurds) from this ban. What is even more incomprehensible is the public swagger that accompanied this order. The follow up of palpable leaking by the US intelligence agencies to the news media does not surprise me....not in the least.

The Islamic world is imploding. This is a simple truth and the result of some Muslim countries and communities who are unable to compete economically in a changing world. Sunni muslims are battling Shiites. Secular Muslims are at war with their religious sects. The so-called Arab nation states are unravelling. The logical conclusion is to let nature take its course. This order, regardless of one's personal beliefs has strengthened the dark forces lurking in the shadows and added a Christian twist to the narrative. The damage has been done and it's only a matter of time until the consequences of this mistake are felt. It wont be pleasant.

I like to pretend that I'm a tough guy. It's kind of an admission of defeat if I have to ask for help - or even kindness. But if it doesn't come, at some point I snap and demand it - Mary Parker

It's easy to be a tough guy when no one's going to come knocking on your door -  Pete Hamill