Friday, June 4, 2010

$300,000,000,000?

The story swirling around our media is that the discovery of gas under the sea across from Haifa last year (at the Tamar field) is about to be dwarfed by the next findings, at the Leviathan field. The numbers in this item are a bit opaque, at least to me, so we'll need to wait and see, I suppose.

The Tamar finds are apparently large enough to supply all our needs for 15 years. The Leviathan, if you believe the hype, are a game-changer. More ruminations on that when the picture clears.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is a BIG deal.

We need better leadership at the top to make sure the corruption of our pols do not ruin this for us.

Anonymous said...

If only Golda Meir would have lived to hear this.

Anonymous said...

and just to lighten the day once more, here is my favourite picture of Golda
- I read her autobiography - quite a woman she was
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/judaic/images/Golda_Meir.gif
Silke

Anonymous said...

Peter Beinart
- remember him?
- he's promoting as absolutely brillant the idea of a colleague of his, an idea which nobody ever at any time in Israel has tought of.

And the so-called essay by that guy was taken seriously by prominent people in the business and discussed as if he had something to say. It beggars belief. But read for yourself you won't be disappointed or rather you will.

Spoiler alert:
the flotilla is to take stuff to Gilad Shalit
Tusch (fanfare) specifically the ones in use at German carnival events which are meant to alert the public that a joke has been made
Silke

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-06-04/opponents-of-the-gaza-blockade-should-also-oppose-hamas-on-gilad-shalit/p/

Zach said...

Just don't call BP to do your drilling!

Anonymous said...

news from Michael Oren
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=177512

Zach
... on the other hand after such a blunder they may be the most careful and considerate to be had

Silke

Empress Trudy said...

But in typical fashion they're already talking about selling the gas to Europe. Are they cement heads? Keep the gas and stop spending cash on imports, use the money you save to develop and sell value add goods and services to Europe. Stuff you DON'T need to survive.

Dimitry said...

This is Hell, if the estimations are correct, there is enough for both and to support Israeli energy needs for a long time.

Anonymous said...

Europe will not shift allegiances for "value added goods" but for gas it might (as long as the gas lasts)

Silke

Empress Trudy said...

Europe will never change no matter what. At least get something out of the deal. The EU would rather starve to death in the freezing dark than be beholden to the Jew they tried to wipe out. Better for Israel to be as energy independent as possible.

Anonymous said...

the latest from Henning Mankell, darling of book reviewers - in the video of his press conference in Germany he looked like suffering from a lot of RestAlkohol (Left over alcohol)
I've had a look on the Daily Beast which is financed by Democrat Barry Diller from its beginning and think it/Tina Brown/Barry Diller decided somewhere along the line that Israel Defaming generates more clicks.
Silke
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-06-04/henning-mankell-diary-of-the-gaza-flotilla-israel/?om_rid=C0bFyj&om_mid=_BMCk4UB8LBF0BT&

Bryan said...

I'm sure Europe would rather be beholden to the Jews (whom they can threaten) than to the Russians (whom they can't).

Anonymous said...

Bryan
as much as I wish that Europe would behave rationally and stand up to deny A'jad his Mediterranean harbour at Gaza with anything it can muster (I believe Netanjahu hit the nail there) I have long lost the belief that political actors are rational - they are so to the same extent as market actors proved to be rational proving all the elaborate theories out there fit for the wastebasket.

BTW there are two Israelis out there who seem to lead the pack in Behavioural Economics and are by consequence experts on seemingly irrational behaviour, one is Dan Ariely and the other is Daniel Kahnemann which I think even got a Nobel
- I've given you below links for lectures by both of them. I think Ariely is about to publish a new book, hopefully he'll go on book tour. Both are in my mind exceptionally smart and down to earth connected to reality people, well in short I like to learn from them because last but not least they are great at presenting their stuff. To extrapolate from them as to how politicians will behave seems advisable to me.

Silke

Ariely at the LSE in March 2008 http://www2.lse.ac.uk/PublicEvents/events/2008/20080211t1106z001.aspx

and here is a selection for Daniel Kahneman
http://www.uctv.tv/search-moreresults.aspx?keyword=daniel+kahneman&x=0&y=0

Anonymous said...

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY off topic but we need to honor our Druze and Bedouin brothers more. A lot more.

Here is IDF IDOL: Druze vs. Bedouin.

http://nizos.blogspot.com/2010/06/idf-super-star-druze-vs-bedouin.html

It is very engrossing and really cool.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, the above comment was posted by Asaf.

Anonymous said...

Asaf
as it happens I am just listening to it and wanted to ask Yaacov to explain it us one of these days when things get quieter. I checked YouTube if I could find one with the choir the text promises - no such luck.
for other aliens like myself have first a look after 4:00 that'll make it easier to get drawn in. As I am an enthusiastic (solo) dancer it was a special treat. Those guys sure got rythm.

Silke

Anonymous said...

again Netanjahu is saying at least in my book the right things
(from the JPost via Michael Totten)
Silke

"The different outcome we saw today underscores the difference between peace activists who we disagree with but respect their right to express their different opinion and flotilla participants [on the Mavi Marmara] who were violent extremist supporters of terrorists," said Netanyahu.

Avi said...

Three comments on the gas:
1 - The bad side - If it diverts the economy from knowledge based development and exports, that will not be good. We must avoid the Dutch disease. After large gas reserves were discovered off the Dutch coast, the windfall was used for consumption and not infrastructure and essentially wasted. We all know that all of our governments in Israel have shown a superb ability to make the best long and short term decisions in all fields. :-)

2 - The fact that it was not the first thing on the news here gives me some hope for keeping a sense of proportion.

3 - I love the way we (I?) always complain about the cloud, ignore the silver lining, but then just carry on. I suppose 2700 years plus of history and national consciousness leaves its bipolar fingerprint on our attitudes and actions.

Anonymous said...

thanks Avi

your no 3 says spot on what makes me shake my head in disbelief again and again

take Monday "everybody" seemed to never ever have heard the expression "fog of war" and started to pontificate immediately with "we botched it" ... and they still do it
- it would be a lovable national quirk but it seems to create a perception hindering circle. Instead of aiming at a bit of a broader look (admittedly hard if danger is so close) the "botched it" crowd and their debunkers seem to unable to leave duel mode.
Also when in war it is not a bad idea to stop the self-accusations i.e. don't make the opponents job easier for him. You are fine, you are right, let them prove otherwise.

Here's my impression from afar and unconnected:

- the IDF Press Office did the best job possible
- Netanjahu gave a great Iran mustn't get a port speech (doing rightful indignation well is valuable and he is good at it, never whiny always proud) (Michael Oren was excellent as usual)

- and if NATO doesn't manage to reign in Erdogan we are heading for really interesting times for a large part of the world

Silke