Statements, comments and forecasts that have no substance, but just might turn out to be relevant.
1.Tom Bentley: Markets are inherently cyclical and inherently volatile, but they do self-correct before inflicting massive damage. Now you put government in the mix, it zigs when it should have zagged, and all hell breaks loose. Think of it as an airplane in a storm – it bounces around, people grab their air-sickness bags, then the plane lands and all is fine. Now let’s assume the hand of God intervenes and grabs a wing of the plane in an effort to stop the shaking – the wing will break off, and the plane will start it’s death spiral. COMMENT: Hold on tight folks. Preservation of capital trumps profits!
2.YNET: If the prime minister (Netanyahu) had any good advisors left, they would have urged him to try to strike a deal with the attorney general before it became too late; but then his fate was sealed by his confidant, the man who up until Tuesday seemed to be willing to spend his entire life in jail as long as his master remained unharmed. We won’t forget what happened Tuesday. It’s the day the walls of denial broke down. Like in the theater, when a curtain falls on the last act of a play. COMMENT: The era of Bibi is over.
3.Turkish armed forces are confronting Assad and the Russians at a place in Syria known as Afrin. Syrian Kurds, feeling betrayed by Trump and co. have turned to Assad and Russia for aid. Assad's forces have entered Afrin and the Turkish invasion has stalled. COMMENT:
The western media and North Americans (me too) are so obsessed with the Trump reality show that none of this appears to be news. Putin must be smiling to himself.
4.Prof. Alon Tal, chairman of Tel Aviv University’s department of public policy: In terms of the wide-held belief that Jews must continue to outpace Arab birthrates in order to ensure a Jewish majority, Tal said that race has already been won. “That used to be an absolutely valid argument, but today Arabs are averaging roughly 40,000 births a year and the Jews are averaging over 100,000. So if there was a demographic battle, it’s over,” he said. COMMENT: The argument espoused by the Americans and Europe that Israel would lose its Jewish identity without a Two-state solution...is total BS.
5.Since the Trump election in 2016, I have been talking about an approaching trade war. And now it is appearing on the horizon. Patrick Watson: "President Trump thinks China is acting unfairly by dumping excess steel on the world market, to the disadvantage of US steel producers. He wants to stop it, but Congress won’t go along because steel consumers, like automakers, enjoy the low prices." Now that it has been identified as a national security issue, Trump can make decisions on the matter without permission from Congress. Watson: "It could also be a huge problem for Canada if the president includes our northern neighbor in any tariffs and quotas. Canadian steel is highly integrated into US manufacturing." COMMENT: Canada built much of its steel industry specifically to help US national security—supporting each other as allies do.
6. Trump is a knife in the back kinda guy. Most American allies and trade partners are slowly getting the idea. Israel understands that sucking up to this prez will get it what it wants. So far so good. I would, however, counsel caution. Getting into bed with a man who is already compromised by the Oligarch elite is not a good long-term idea. Consequently, a negative Israeli reaction to a Trump peace plan would put the cat amongst the pigeons. Alternatively, If matters go sideways for Trump, his partnership with Netanyahu would be seen with extreme prejudice....to say the least.
7.George Friedman: "Seoul has opened its own dialogue with Pyongyang, separate from any U.S.-North Korean discussion that may have been underway." Clearly, South Korea, staring down the barrel of a gun, do not trust Trump and his shenanigans. Further, it is becoming more apparent that China is promoting a North-South dialogue, thus distancing American influence. Friedman: "South Korea, is a vast economic success. Its primary interest is retaining that economic success, which means avoiding war. Before North Korea’s recent evolution, the U.S. guaranteed the South’s security and economic success. Now, the U.S. threatens it." COMMENT: Trump's preference for the white skin color is not lost on the peninsula. The law of unintended consequences....
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter - Winston Churchill
Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; an argument an exchange of ignorance -Robert Quillen
People's minds are changed through observation and not through argument - Will Rogers
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
The Peanut Gallery
Statements, comments and forecasts that have no substance, but just might turn out to be relevant.
1.Patrick Watson: Somewhere in the Newport, Wales garbage dump is a computer hard drive that local resident James Howells discarded in 2013. He had spilled lemonade on it and thought it wasn’t worth fixing. Howells forgot that the hard drive contained the codes to access some bitcoins he had “mined” beginning back in 2009. He had about 7,500 bitcoins, worth $75 million assuming a $10,000 bitcoin price. COMMENT: A month ago the value was $140 million...wow!
2.Senator Tammy Duckworth: “I spent my entire adult life looking out for the well-being, the training, the equipping of the troops for whom I was responsible,” she continued. “Sadly, this is something that the current occupant of the Oval Office does not seem to care to do — and I will not be lectured about what our military needs by a five-deferment draft dodger.”
“And I have a message for cadet bone spurs: If you cared about our military, you'd stop baiting Kim Jong Un into a war that could put 85,000 American troops, and millions of innocent civilians, in danger." Duckworth, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, lost both of her legs when a rocket-propelled grenade shot down the helicopter she was piloting over Iraq in 2004. COMMENT: "Five-deferment draft dodger" and "cadet bone spurs"...That's about right.
3.Russian President Vladimir Putin has become the owner of a one and half room apartment in the heart of Tel Aviv. The apartment belonged to his St. Petersberg high school teacher, Mina Yuditskaya Berliner, who immigrated to Israel in 1973. They were reunited in 2005 when Putin visited Israel. Putin began sending her gifts, including the apartment. Berliner left the apartment to Putin in her will. She passed away in December. COMMENT: Interesting how easily we forget influential and so-called important people, but never forget our teachers.
4.The Turkish government has said that, despite Russia’s wishes to the contrary, it has made no commitment to limit its military operation in Syria to Afrin province. Ankara noted, however, that it was coordinating with the United States and Israel, stressing the importance of avoiding confrontation with nation-states operating in Syria. COMMENT: In case nobody has heard from the Trump frantic media, Turkish forces are operating in Syria against the Syrian Kurds in what has been described as a full-scale military operation.
5.In an interview with Israeli newspaper Yisrael Hayom, US President Trump said that while US-Israel relations were “great,” peace with the Palestinians would make them “a lot better.” He said, “Right now, I would say the Palestinians are not looking to make peace. And I am not necessarily sure that Israel is looking to make peace. So we are just going to have to see what happens.” Regarding settlements Trump said, “The settlements are something that very much complicates and always have complicated making peace, so I think Israel has to be very careful with the settlements.” COMMENT: All this from the guy who recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel LOL
6.The White House denied as false claims by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday that he had spoken with the United States about a specified proposal regarding Israeli annexation of Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria. COMMENT: Looks like the competition to be crowned "The Kindergarten Bully King of Fake News" is hotting up as we approach lunch break.
7.GPF: South Korean media have painted a poor picture of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was reportedly told by South Korean President Moon Jae-in that he should stay out of South Korea’s internal affairs. South Korea continues to reach out to North Korea, with China backing its play, while the United States and Japan appear to be on the outside looking in. It’s clear Japan is the biggest loser right now. COMMENT: The military build-up in Japan is making South Korea very, very nervous.
“Are you a politician or does lying just run in your family?” ― Fannie Flagg
“Lies sound like facts to those who've been conditioned to misrecognize the truth.
― DaShanne Stokes
When they call the roll in the Senate, the senators do not know whether to answer ''present'' or ''not guilty.''--Theodore Roosevelt
1.Patrick Watson: Somewhere in the Newport, Wales garbage dump is a computer hard drive that local resident James Howells discarded in 2013. He had spilled lemonade on it and thought it wasn’t worth fixing. Howells forgot that the hard drive contained the codes to access some bitcoins he had “mined” beginning back in 2009. He had about 7,500 bitcoins, worth $75 million assuming a $10,000 bitcoin price. COMMENT: A month ago the value was $140 million...wow!
2.Senator Tammy Duckworth: “I spent my entire adult life looking out for the well-being, the training, the equipping of the troops for whom I was responsible,” she continued. “Sadly, this is something that the current occupant of the Oval Office does not seem to care to do — and I will not be lectured about what our military needs by a five-deferment draft dodger.”
“And I have a message for cadet bone spurs: If you cared about our military, you'd stop baiting Kim Jong Un into a war that could put 85,000 American troops, and millions of innocent civilians, in danger." Duckworth, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, lost both of her legs when a rocket-propelled grenade shot down the helicopter she was piloting over Iraq in 2004. COMMENT: "Five-deferment draft dodger" and "cadet bone spurs"...That's about right.
3.Russian President Vladimir Putin has become the owner of a one and half room apartment in the heart of Tel Aviv. The apartment belonged to his St. Petersberg high school teacher, Mina Yuditskaya Berliner, who immigrated to Israel in 1973. They were reunited in 2005 when Putin visited Israel. Putin began sending her gifts, including the apartment. Berliner left the apartment to Putin in her will. She passed away in December. COMMENT: Interesting how easily we forget influential and so-called important people, but never forget our teachers.
4.The Turkish government has said that, despite Russia’s wishes to the contrary, it has made no commitment to limit its military operation in Syria to Afrin province. Ankara noted, however, that it was coordinating with the United States and Israel, stressing the importance of avoiding confrontation with nation-states operating in Syria. COMMENT: In case nobody has heard from the Trump frantic media, Turkish forces are operating in Syria against the Syrian Kurds in what has been described as a full-scale military operation.
5.In an interview with Israeli newspaper Yisrael Hayom, US President Trump said that while US-Israel relations were “great,” peace with the Palestinians would make them “a lot better.” He said, “Right now, I would say the Palestinians are not looking to make peace. And I am not necessarily sure that Israel is looking to make peace. So we are just going to have to see what happens.” Regarding settlements Trump said, “The settlements are something that very much complicates and always have complicated making peace, so I think Israel has to be very careful with the settlements.” COMMENT: All this from the guy who recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel LOL
6.The White House denied as false claims by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday that he had spoken with the United States about a specified proposal regarding Israeli annexation of Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria. COMMENT: Looks like the competition to be crowned "The Kindergarten Bully King of Fake News" is hotting up as we approach lunch break.
7.GPF: South Korean media have painted a poor picture of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was reportedly told by South Korean President Moon Jae-in that he should stay out of South Korea’s internal affairs. South Korea continues to reach out to North Korea, with China backing its play, while the United States and Japan appear to be on the outside looking in. It’s clear Japan is the biggest loser right now. COMMENT: The military build-up in Japan is making South Korea very, very nervous.
“Are you a politician or does lying just run in your family?” ― Fannie Flagg
“Lies sound like facts to those who've been conditioned to misrecognize the truth.
― DaShanne Stokes
When they call the roll in the Senate, the senators do not know whether to answer ''present'' or ''not guilty.''--Theodore Roosevelt
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