Sunday, June 23, 2019


Politics – June 2019 – Israeli Elections - Football Summary


Leaders should identify long-term and short-term goals, not confuse between the two, and not sacrifice the former for the latter.
Greatness is measured by what one does for others not by what one does for oneself.
Writing about Camp David 1978 remind me of better days in Israeli politics, days of hope, of optimism, of new horizons and of peace.

~Raphael Cohen-Almagor



Reflections on Last Newsletter

Israel-Hamas Agree Ceasefire

Israel Is Heading to Another Round of Elections

Removing the Limit on No. of Government Ministers

Kulanu Merged with Likud

Lieberman’s Gambit

Israel Tries to Block Bipartisan Senate Two-State Resolution

Ehud Olmert

My Peace Research

Israel Economy Is Booming

Following British Model of Bank Holidays

Record Number of Tourists from Muslim and Arab States

US Government Award for Israeli Cybersecurity

Weizmann Institute in top 25 for R&D

May Resigned in May

The Big 5 Debate for PM

PM Morawiecki: Paying Holocaust Property Restitution “Victory for Hitler”

“Deal of the Century”

Did You Know?

Did You Know2?


British Theatre - Rutherford and Son


Premier League

Premier League Footballer of the Year

Gem of the Month – Venice Canals

Gem of the Month – Newport Beach

Gem of the Month – San Diego

Gem of the Month – Leonardo Da Vinci: A Life in Drawing (24 May-13 October 2019)

Gem of the Month – London

June Weather

Monthly Poems

 

Light Side - All Golden Buzzers Auditions on America's Got Talent 2018

 

 



Reflections on Last Newsletter

If I where to hazard a guess and I think it is a guess shared by many, a two State solution is not a part of the Trump Deal of the Century. And after so many failed attempts maybe it should not be. To quote Albert Einstein if you do the same thing over and over expecting different results it is a sure sign of insanity. I would however bet that the DOTC is all about a economic solution not a political solution. Just as Netanyahu stated when he was elected the first time the only way to live in peace with the Palestinians is to get the international community to pour billions into the West Bank and Gaza and bring their standard of living to the point that they forget about terrorism, sovereignty and Statehood. Administrative Palestinian Government in the Territories and Gaza with Israeli responsibility for security is the only way forward. At least until the generations that have been indoctrinated with hate die off. 

Abe Silverman
Edmonton Canada 



Dear Rafi,

I enjoyed very much reading your May 2019 report and even more finding that you share with me the love of Arthur Millers' play "All My Sons". "Great" minds think alike, as this play was the cornerstone of my courses in Business Ethics in the decade that I taught at INSEAD & leading universities in Israel.

Furthermore, it was part of my PhD dissertation and of my first academic book "Business Ethics: The Ethical Revolution of Minority Shareholders", published by Kluwer in 2001, pp. 238-241, and subsequently in many editions by Springer. I believe that the analysis of Arthur Miller's All My Sons (link to YouTube to the film) is the best example of an analysis of ethical dilemmas of a play, of a course, and it even concludes my first book, as follows:

"The monumental play of Arthur Miller, All My Sons, can be treated as a case study in business ethics as it summarizes the principal themes of the book.

From each scene one can draw a conclusion that refers to one of the chapters of the book. This book has tried to juxtapose professional literature on ethics, classical literature with ethical subjects, and real life cases of ethical dilemmas in American, French and Israeli companies. The conclusion of the book will be faithful to this method, which emphasizes the reality of fiction.

Joe Keller is a rich American industrial, who has sent during the war defective aircraft parts to the Air Force, causing the death of 21 pilots. His son, Larry, a pilot himself, who hears those news during the war, disappears with his aircraft. By the end of this unforgettable play, we learn that before dying, Larry has sent to his fiancée Ann a farewell letter explaining to her that he can no longer live with a guilty conscience of his father’s crime. Joe is an ethics criminal, but legally he has managed to be acquitted. He returns home after the acquittal, and society exculpates him.


“Everybody knew I was getting out that day; the porches were loaded. Picture it now; none of them believed I was innocent. The story was, I pulled a fast one getting myself exonerated. So I get out of my car, and I walk down the street. But very slow. And with a smile. The beast! I was the beast, the guy who sold cracked cylinder heads to the Army Air Force; the guy who made twenty-one P-40’s crash in Australia. Kid, walkin’ down the street that day I was guilty as hell. Except, I wasn’t, and there was a court paper in my pocket to prove I wasn’t, and I walked… past… the porches. Result? Fourteen months later I had one of the best shops in the state again, a respected man again; bigger than ever.” (Six Great Modern Plays, Arthur Miller, All My Sons, p. 381-2)

His environment forgives him, as he is rich, has a lot of nerve, is self-confident, he managed to outsmart the court, and who cares if he has caused the death of 21 pilots… Society is therefore an accessory to Joe Keller’s crime, with its benevolence to ethics criminals. Conclusion, as long as society will let criminals get away with their ethical crimes and will not ostracize them, it will be very difficult to fight effectively ethical crimes, as the law will almost always exculpate the criminals, who are often the strongest and smartest, and have at their disposal the best lawyers and the largest funds.

Joe Keller, is worried that Ann intends to marry his son Chris, that Ann’s father who was his partner and his crime accomplice is going to be released from prison, and that Ann’s brother, George Deever, suspects his complicity. Joe tries to corrupt them by offering a job in his factory to George and to his father, they try to marry George with a friend, they embrace him with attention. When it does not succeed, Joe threatens George and blames his father for the crime he himself has committed.

Conclusion, all is permitted to safeguard your interests - corruption, threats, deceit. You blame the others for your own crimes. The victims are the ‘speculators’ of Joe Keller, the lambs are treated as wolves, and the wolves are disguised as innocent grandmothers. From the moment we start to behave unethically, there are no more limits.

But one should nevertheless keep up appearances, even at the price of self-deceit. Kate Keller, Joe’s wife, who knows perfectly well that Joe is guilty, refuses to admit that Larry is dead, because if she admits it, it would mean that Joe had murdered his own son. She is therefore forced to oppose the wedding of Chris with Ann, as Larry has to remain alive and disappeared. It is her compromise with her conscience, but it is exactly this lie that is the basis of the denouement, as it is impossible to base your existence on lies. Her conscience allows her to admit that her husband has murdered 21 ‘anonymous’ pilots, but does not let her admit that he murdered his own son, as if there was a difference between blood and blood. “Your brother’s alive, darling, because if he’s dead your father killed him. Do you understand me now? As long as you live, that boy is alive. God does not let a son be killed by his father.” (Miller, All My Sons, p. 418)

Conclusion, one can always compromise with his conscience on all degrees of ethical and other crimes. Joe is convinced that he did not murdered the pilots, as he does not know them personally, he does not personify them, exactly like in Marcel Pagnol’s papet. We can commit a crime against Jean de Florette as he is a stranger, we can kill 21 pilots, we can wrong the rights of minority shareholders, as we do not know them, they are weak and cannot retaliate.

Chris, Joe’s son who works with his father, suspects the culpability of his father. He is the member of the second generation of ethics criminals, a precursor of Michael, the son of Don Corleone, who has started his career with good intentions but who was ultimately corrupted by his environment. In 1947, the year Miller wrote his masterpiece, as in the year 2000, the ethical dilemma is the same.

Chris  appeases his conscience by saying that everything is permitted in the business world: “This is the land of the great big dogs, you don’t love a man here, you eat him! That’s the principle; the only one we live by – it just happened to kill a few people this time, that’s all. The world’s that way, how can I take it out on him? What sense does that make? This is a zoo, a zoo!” (Miller, All My Sons, p. 429) But even Chris has his scruples and he cannot solve the dilemma between his conscience and the love and respect he owes to his father.

And as Joe does not succeed in convincing his son Chris, he tries the well-known stratagem, by telling him that ‘everybody does the same’, therefore - vox populi vox dei, a doctrine that led to the most violent crimes in history, as you do not measure your conduct according to your conscience or ethics, but according to what you perceive or you fool yourself to believe are the norms of society: “Who worked for nothin’ in that war? When they work for nothin’, I’ll work for nothin’. Did they ship a gun or a truck outa Detroit before they got their price? Is that clean? It’s dollars and cents, nickels and dimes; war and peace, it’s nickels and dimes, what’s clean? Half the Goddam country is gotta go if I go!” (Miller, All My Sons, p. 430) And everybody continues to join the parade…

Conclusion, everything is allowed if it is the norm of society even if it is unjust, as you cannot survive otherwise in the business world. Everything consists in dollars, francs or shekels, there is no other thing, war, peace, morals, ethics, family, friends, country. From the moment that we admit that everything is based on profits, everything is really permitted. It is therefore the complete bankruptcy of the business world, an obscure world, dangerous, merciless, without compassion, where everybody is a wolf to the other, where everything is allowed as long as you earn nickels and dimes.

At the end of the play, Joe learns that his son Larry has not disappeared but has committed suicide, without being able to forgive his father on his crime and assassination of 21 pilots, and his last words in his farewell letter to Ann are - that if he could he would have killed his own father for what he did. Joe is at last affected by his crime, which is personalized by the curse of his son. He quits his wife and his life, and before committing suicide he says: “Sure, he was my son. But I think to him they were all my sons. And I guess they were, I guess they were.” (Miller, All My Sons, p. 432).

Conclusion, from the moment that you admit that all are your sons and brothers, that you should not do unto the other what you would not want to be done to you, we return to the biblical, philosophical and literary precepts of love of others, which should be at the basis of the business world, and destroy the last vestiges of autocracy and cannibalism, of belligerence and corruption. In a world where ‘cut throat competition’ is a leit motive, where ‘street fighter’ is a hero, where the CEO is king, and where there are no scruples, one always murders ultimately his son and one has to commit suicide, at least virtually, by suppressing his conscience and killing it completely.

And the moral of the play and the book, is in the last words of Chris: “You can be better! Once and for all you can know there’s a universe of people outside and you’re responsible to it, and unless you know that, you threw away your son because that’s why he died.” (Miller, All My Sons, p. 432) The conclusion in our context is that beyond the company, the board of directors, the executives and the majority shareholders, there are also the stakeholders, the employees, the suppliers, the customers, the community, the nation, and also the minority  shareholders. From the moment you forget them, when you only see your own portrait in the silver mirror, when you disregard the world, the environment and others, when you are no longer responsible toward your brothers and you are looking only after you own interests, it is equivalent to the murder of your own sons.

And those of us who do not want to murder their sons, their conscience, their neighbors, have to resort to ethics that will guide them to a happy life, as maintained by Aristotle, a life of moderation, psychological, spiritual, and emotional equilibrium, that maybe will not give them the maximum profitability but will ensure them a successful combination of profitability with a peace of mind. The majority, the privileged, the people who control society have already reached the conclusion that the best way to govern a country is through democracy, where every minority, the weak and the underprivileged have also a fair share of the country governance."

Best regards,

Dr. Jacques Cory
Haifa, Israel


Israel-Hamas Agree Ceasefire
Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement for a six-month ceasefire along the Gaza Strip’s border with Israel. According to the report, the agreement includes a Hamas obligation to halt violent incidents along the border fence, maintaining a buffer zone 300 meters from the border; an end to the launching of incendiary balloons at Israeli communities and nighttime clashes between Gazans and security forces; and a stop to flotillas trying to break through the maritime border between Gaza and Israel. In return, Israel will once again allow fishing at up to 15 nautical miles off Gaza’s coast, enable United Nations cash-for-work programs, allow medicine and other civil aid to enter the Strip and open negotiations on matters relating to electricity, crossings, healthcare and funds.
Israel Is Heading to Another Round of Elections

Knesset members voted to dissolve parliament, barely a month after the swearing in of the new assembly, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to strike a coalition deal with his prospective partners. Dissolving the Knesset and holding a new round of elections just months after the last and without ever having formed a government is unprecedented even in Israel's fast-paced political landscape. Of the 120 lawmakers that make up the Knesset, 74 voted in favor of dissolving parliament, and 45 voted against. At the heart of Netanyhu's failed attempt to build a coalition after the April 9 elections was legislation to draft ultra-Orthodox men into the army. 



Removing the Limit on No. of Government Ministers

As he was trying to compose a coalition, PM Netanyahu successfully removed the clause that limited the number of ministers allowed in government. As each party in his projected coalition is demanding the maximum possible portfolios, he is required to cater for their needs. So his loyal parties cancelled the current limit, which stood on 19. Whether this is good or bad for Israel, you decide.
  
Leaders lead by example. Netanyahu has a soft spot for money. He showed this time and again. This is the major reason why he wishes to evade justice. Leaders of his coalition parties are well aware of his weakness. They know that they can press him on this issue, and that he would fold. Other, more responsible, leaders would say: This is the framework with which we all need to work. Changing it would send the wrong message to our people: That we think of ourselves at public expense.

Wise people do not enter situations which others might fall into and then devise all kind of tricks to escape. 


Kulanu Merged with Likud

As expected, Moshe Kachlon got the message of the electorate and quickly merged with Likud, returning to his home party. According to the agreement between the two parties, Kachlon will be no. 5 on the Likud list. Kulanu members will be on the 15, 29 and 35 places on the Likud list.

Kachlon, who in the previous elections was the black horse, forcing Netanyahu to install him as the Finance Minister, is no longer challenging the PM. He is now grateful to him for finding him a place within the Likud. The politics wheel keeps turning.


Lieberman’s Gambit
Lieberman thinks his constituents appreciate standing for his principles and will vote for him in large numbers. Time will tell whether his gambit will be successful. One thing is assured: Netanyahu will not forget. He certainly did not expect a failure in composing a coalition.


Israel Tries to Block Bipartisan Senate Two-State Resolution

Israeli diplomats in Washington have been working to prevent the Senate from passing a bipartisan resolution that would endorse a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The resolution, which is expected to be tabled soon, was drafted by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen. It is seen as a means of putting pressure on the White House ahead of the release of its peace plan.


Ehud Olmert

Olmert granted me a second interview as we did not conclude all issues in our first meeting. Again, he provided sharp and insightful observations on the peace process and on Israeli politics.

I recommend reading Ehud Olmert's book, In First Person (Hebrew), a book written in a fluent and fascinating way that makes an important contribution to understanding Israeli politics: its complexity, its pragmatism and its ruthlessness. If I were the editor, I would have shortened it considerably. This 900-pages book summarizes the life and political career of one of Israel’s foremost politicians. Olmert is a person of great ambition and experience. Now, outside of politics as a result of some grave mistakes, he is like a fish outside of water.


My Peace Research

I have also conducted the 34 and 35 interviews for my seminal research, From Oslo to Jerusalem: A Critical Study of Peace Mediation, Facilitation and Negotiations between Israel and the PLO (NY and Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, forthcoming). These were with two Palestinians who normally reside in London, and who took part in Track II negotiations for decades: Dr Hussein Agha and Dr Ahmad Khalidi. I am learning a lot!

I am looking for funding to transcribe my interviews. All suggestions and advice welcome.


Israel Economy Is Booming

Israel’s economy expanded at its fastest pace in three years, blowing by analyst forecasts and far exceeding the central bank view of the country’s potential growth. Gross domestic product rose 5.2% in the first quarter from the previous three months on an annualized basis. Still, about a quarter of the population are under poverty line. There are numbers, and there are numbers…


Following British Model of Bank Holidays

Now that Israel economy is that strong, it can afford to follow the British model of Bank holidays. The United Kingdom instituted a few Bank Holidays throughout the year, always on Monday, providing its citizens longer weekends. Israel should follow the British model and institute Friday and Sunday holidays to prolong weekends in the proximity of religious holidays. Israelis certainly deserve it.


Record Number of Tourists from Muslim and Arab States

A record number of visitors from Muslim countries came to Israel last year, including nearly 55,000 from countries that have no diplomatic relations with Jerusalem.
According to figures provided by the Population and Immigration Authority on Monday, 72,109 citizens of Egypt and Jordan (the only Arab countries with which Israel has full diplomatic ties), Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Qatar, Malaysia, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia visited Israel in 2018.
These numbers mark an increase of 15 percent from the previous year, when 62,658 tourists from the aforementioned countries travelled to Israel.



US Government Award for Israeli Cybersecurity

Israel’s CyberArk has been named a US Government Security News (GSN) Homeland Security Award winner for the third consecutive year. CyberArk is the platinum winner for “Best Identity Management Platform.”

CyberArk is the only security company to be recognized across three GSN Homeland Security Award categories, including being a “Best Physical Logical Privileged Access Management Solutions” gold winner. For a full list of winners, visit https://www.gsnawards.com/2018-hsa-award-winners/


Weizmann Institute in top 25 for R&D

Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science has been ranked among the top 25 research institutes/universities in the world.  It received this high ranking in two main categories: Top-cited Publications and Patents Awarded.
https://www.umultirank.org/study-at/weizmann-institute-of-science-rankings/


May Resigned in May

I do not think many people shed any tears over the departure of Theresa May from the PM office. She was the wrong person to “lead” Britain through the Brexit process. So it is good news that she is no longer in charge. Britain is in need for a leader with a sense of direction, and ability to manoeuvre between different factions within the Tory Party, other parties, Europe and the public at large. I hope Cameron is now regretting the mess he created by a single, most costly mistake.


The Big 5 Debate for PM

On June 18, the BBC hosted the five final Tory candidates for the PM office. In the Big 5 Debate for PM, the only Tory who was true in his words and answered the questions directly and to the point was Rory Stewart. Whether you agree with him or not, he looks like a different kind of a politician, one who has an agenda and is willing to fight for his ideas, even if the cheering crowd would not follow.


PM Morawiecki: Paying Holocaust Property Restitution “Victory for Hitler”

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has vowed that his country would never pay restitution for Jewish properties stolen during the Holocaust, saying that such a move would be a “victory for Hitler.” Morawiecki doubled down on his insistence that his Law & Justice party “would not consent” to claims of Holocaust restitution, telling voters “We will defend Poland.” Paying restitution “violates international law and would also be a posthumous victory for Hitler, which is why we will never allow it.” 

Poland is the only country in the European Union that has not passed comprehensive national legislation to return, or provide compensation for, private property confiscated by the Nazis or nationalized by the communist regime.


“Deal of the Century”

There are good reasons why it is delayed. It encounters much opposition not only from the Palestinians, but also from American allies.


Did You Know?

Eswatini is the current name of the ex-Swaziland, a land-locked country in Southern Africa. Eswatini is a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union, the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations. The Swazi population faces major health issues: HIV/AIDS and, to a lesser extent, tuberculosis are widespread. It is estimated that 26% of the adult population is HIV-positive. As of 2018, Eswatini has the 12th lowest life expectancy in the world, at 58 years. The population of Eswatini is fairly young, with a median age of 20.5 years and people aged 14 years or younger constituting 37.5% of the country's total population. The present population growth rate is 1.2%.


Did You Know2?

North Macedonia: Officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a country in the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in September 1991 under the name Republic of Macedonia. The country became a member of the United Nations in April 1993, but as a result of a dispute with Greece over the name, it was admitted under the provisional description of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (abbreviated as FYR Macedonia and FYROM), a term that was also used by some other international organizations. In June 2018, Macedonia and Greece resolved the conflict with an agreement that the country should rename itself Republic of North Macedonia. This renaming came into effect in February 2019, with a several-months-long transition for passports, license plates, currency, customs, border signs, and government websites, among others.



Irena Sendler is one of the bravest women in history. This book tells her story, which is a story about humanism, courage and compassion in the face of utmost evil. Sendler put herself in the lion’s den time and again, believing in her cause, delivering hope and solace where both were scarce commodity. I highly recommend this true story.



British Theatre - Rutherford and Son


The National Theatre is a treasure. Most of its productions are delightful. Rutherford and Son is a good-old, very fine British theatre at its best. It is so good that, at times, I was thinking: Please let it continue. Do not stop here.

Githa Sowerby wrote this play in 1912. It is a tale of a man, his work and his family, in this order. He is not very successful in both. His priorities are clear: Work first. This is where his heart is. His family is only to serve him. Being crude, confident, self-absorbed and warm as an old refrigerator, Mr Rutherford despises his wife, perceiving her as “weak”, has low esteem for his two sons, both unsuccessful, and sees his daughter as a servant, no more and no less, when and if he sees her at all. In a world of men, women are not really to be counted, certainly not as one’s equal. While he is able, or so he thinks, to control his family, the house (by any stretch of imagination this place cannot be called a “home”) is cold and, at best, functional.

The play is built around Rutherford. This is encapsulated in one sentence, uttered at the beginning of the play. When one says: Did HE arrive?, the reference is to Rutherford although there were two more men in the house. Take away Rutherford and there is no play. Therefore, the actor who plays the role should be brilliant. Roger Allam is brilliant. Each movement of his body and face is measured. The tone of the voice. The way he moves around the house and treats its “subjects” (none is an object). Superb. So captivating. So powerful. Viewing Allan with admiration, and his Rutherford persona with contempt at the same time.


Rutherford and Son is a play about 19th Century English values, about work ethics, about coercion and liberty, about heartless commercial exchanges, about loyalties and commitments and, above all, it is a play about life without love. There was very little love in this play; and when the daughter expresses love to her lover, she encounters the northern chill.

**** on Rafi’s scale.


Premier League

This was an exciting season, where the champion was decided on the last round of play. Two clubs dominated the league: Manchester City and Liverpool. In the last gasp, Man City was declared champion, and deservedly so. Both have excellent players and excellent mangers who built their respective teams, identifying best players for certain positions, and believing in attacking football that is joy to the eyes. Both clubs also have owners who are willing to invest, putting their hand deep in the pocket and meeting the ends set by the managers. In the capitalist system, Spinderella stories like that of Leicester a few season ago are very rare. Usually, the rich win trophies.



Another trophy-free season for my beloved Spurs. The team provided some joyful moments, especially against Man. City and Ajax in the Champions League. But, at the end of the day, we are simply not good enough. So another frustrating season for Spurs fans. My consolation were Maccabi Tel Aviv and Barcelona that won their respective leagues.

Team of the year

  1.  

Alisson Becker (Brazil, Liverpool)

Alisson took mere 22 balls from his net during the entire season, one less than Ederson, Manchester City keeper who is also from Brazil.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (England, Liverpool)

This guy is young, and special. Watch him develop. What a promising talent for England and the mighty reds.

Jan Bert Lieve Vertonghen (Belgium, Tottenham)

Excellent, versatile defender. I believe he is at his best when he plays left back. Then he can also help the attack and score important goals.

Virgil Van Dijk (The Netherlands, Liverpool)

Van Dijk stabilised the Liverpool defence and transform it. Defence was Liverpool weakness. Now the midfield is the weaker part of the team. I am sure Klopp will strengthen his midfield next year to compete with Man. City.

Andrew Robertson (Scotland, Liverpool)

Former Hull player. Where he is and where is Hull. Klopp recognised the gem and brought him to Anfield. How do you recognize great defenders? By the fact they annoy Luis Suárez to the extent that he will do something stupid to them. Liverpool is a great attacking team because of its left and right backs. Both Alexander-Arnold and Robertson support the attack and provide many assists for goals.
Klopp made Liverpool the best defensive team in the league. He brought Becker, Van Dijk and Robertson. Three aces plus the local Trent ace.

 

Paul Pogba (France, Manchester United)

Pogba had difficult time with José Mourinho who frustrated him. He was relieved to see him go. Pogba is an excellent midfielder. At Man. Utd., sometimes he looks like a fish out of the water. I will be surprised if he stays.

Eden Hazard (Belgium, Chelsea)

This guy is a genius footballer. Very few can handle the ball like him. One of three players who retained their place from last year’s Team of the Year, together with   Sergio Aguero and Mohamed Salah. Hazard is likely to leave Chelsea.

Bernardo Mota Veiga de Carvalho e Silva (Portugal, Manchester City)

Man. City has the best midfielders in the league. Pep Guardiola believes in strong midfield, maybe because this was his role as a player. In all his teams, the midfield was always very strong. Last year I picked David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne for the Team of the Year. These two remain excellent. I picked Bernardo Silva because this year his talents became known to everyone who watched him play. He shined in many games and outshined his team mates in many games. Excellent player.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon, Arsenal)

22 goals, 5 assists.

Sergio Aguero (Argentina, Manchester City)

21 goals, 8 assists.

Mohamed Salah (Egypt, Liverpool)

22 goals, 8 assists.
I liked Salah from the first moment I saw him play for Basel. Chelsea made a huge mistake with him by letting him go. Salah can change games in one moment, a sign of true brilliance. At the same time, when he speaks it is never about him. It is always about team. Humility is his trademark. Still waters run deep.


Premier League Footballer of the Year - Virgil Van Dijk


I join the selection of others: Virgil Van Dijk encapsulates Liverpool success. One of the best central defenders in the world. Strong. Leader. Winner. Klopp wanted him for good reasons. I wanted him for Spurs, but they would never pay £75 million for a player. That’s partly the reason why our trophy closet is so small whereas great teams have trophy rooms. Van Dijk is an asset for Liverpool. He will be its tower of strength for years to come.



Gem of the Month – Venice Canals

 

The Venice Canals are located right off 25th street in Venice Beach, and if you didn’t know they were there, you could easily miss them. It is a neighborhood in parallel to Venice Beach, consisting of five small canals about a quarter mile long each. Along these channels are sidewalks and bridges you can walk to take in the views of this beautiful and picturesque area. 


Gem of the Month – Newport Beach

 

Newport Beach is a coastal city in southern California. It has a quaint boat-filled harbor, shops and restaurants. Balboa Peninsula has 2 piers, Newport Beach Pier and Balboa Pier, plus the Balboa Fun Zone, an old-school amusement park. A beautiful place for relaxation and reflection


Gem of the Month – San Diego

Loved the Marina. I am a sucker for water. Connecting with the dolphin in me.


Gem of the Month – Leonardo Da Vinci: A Life in Drawing (24 May-13 October 2019)
Leonardo is one of my favourite artists. His ability to put life in drawing, his attention to details, his sense for aesthetics, his ingenuous, extraordinary talent – they all make him one of the world all-time celebrated artists.

Marking the 500th anniversary of Leonardo’s death, this exhibition is a must for all his admirers. This is the largest exhibition of his work in 65 years, including maps he drew, works on human anatomy, studies of horses, caricatures, idealised male and female bodies, drapery, figures in action and studies of an infant and foetus. The exhibition demonstrates the variety of techniques Leonardo used, from pen and ink and watercolour to red and black chalks and metal point, as well as his mastery in depicting ideal and grotesque physical features.


Gem of the Month – London

I love every minute in this great city of culture and parks. I am taking long walks during the evenings, exploring different neighbourhoods and places. London is beautiful, enchanting and enigmatic. So much to see, and yet always discover new things around the corner that I have not noticed before.


June Weather

The idea of having showers, on the street, in June, still strikes as very odd. Some things, I simply cannot get used to.


Monthly Poems

And Her Face and Her Words and Her Promises

she says that my face
is the last she sees
before sleep takes her,
and she cannot sleep
without it.

but I know that
there are other faces
that float above
her eyes.
and the stars are out
tonight and I
need them to dance.

have I said too much
she says with
a halfhearted question
of love.
no, but you have not
kept your promise
and your promise
has not kept
me.

and all the while
the clock spins circles
on the wall
and a dog barks
at the moon.
and her face sits
resting on my
heart.

I say I need to go
I am tired
and her face
and her words
and her promises
will not let me
rest.

Ben Paynter

Light Side - All Golden Buzzers Auditions on America's Got Talent 2018


Enjoy!

I am about to leave for Israel. See you soon!


Peace and Love. Yours as ever,

Rafi

My last communications are available on Israel: Democracy, Human Rights, Politics and Society, http://almagor.blogspot.com

People wishing to subscribe to this Monthly Newsletter are welcome to e-mail me at r.cohen-almagor@hull.ac.uk
Follow me on Twitter at @almagor35
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