Parsad
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Posts posted by Parsad
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23 hours ago, lnofeisone said:
This is factually incorrect.
1) Israel didn't attack a sovereign country's embassy. They attacked an annex. Notice how everyone killed was IRGC and the ambassador and embassy staff were safe. A lot of news sources got this wrong, and this has become one of those nuances that got lost for those who aren't reading and tracking this carefully.
2) Let us not forget that Iran set this precedent long ago with this - https://www.reuters.com/world/argentina-court-blames-iran-deadly-1994-bombing-jewish-center-2024-04-12/
Can we agree on this much?
3) Your take on Gaza is also weird and incongruent. Let's do a simple exercise. You claim Israel is an occupier. As an occupier, Israel is obligated to provide food, water, and shelter to the occupied territories, which it did before Hamas and MANY Gazan civilians went on their adventure into israel.
However, as an occupier, Israel has some flexibilities, which include setting up checkpoints, restricting population movement, and really anything for the purpose of security. Palestinians have shown time and time again that they are a true security threat. So if Israel is really an occupier, their behavior in Gaza and WB is really justified. Think another way. If there was a terror group that actively lobbed missiles from Puerto Rico and Guam into the continental US, you can bet your portfolio US would not hesitate to deal harshly and there are many existing laws that could be applied to punish those responsible. This is why I think the talking point of "Israel is an occupier" is a really bad one so whoever is giving you your talking points, should take that into account.
4) You want to see real Genocide? Look at how Hamas went into Kibutzes and systemically targetted and killed every family they could find. That's what genocide looks like. If Israel had no ability to stop Hamas, they would go as far as they could. That's Genocide. What Israel is doing is combat. Terrible collateral damage (still well below many comparable urban warfare situations) but it's legal combat. I'll concede that not everything Israel is doing is perfect and by the book but it's much closer to what International laws were designed for.
+1! Cheers!
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Chinese accounting books are about as fair and accurate:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/chinese-runner-win-invites-suspicion-115741551.html
Hilarious! They're waving him forward because he was still so slow compared to them running at half speed.
Cheers!
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5 hours ago, ourkid8 said:
Can you honestly say Israel is not committing any of the following acts?
Article 2 of the Convention defines genocide as:
... any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such:
- (a) Killing members of the group;
- (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
- (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
- (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
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(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
— Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Article 2[7]
If you go solely by that list, then the U.S. and many countries around the world have been involved in genocide over the last two centuries.
Cheers!
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15 minutes ago, Xerxes said:
US didn’t not commit genocide in the Middle East. But they committed war crimes.
It's the same thing in Israel-Gaza...it isn't genocide, otherwise they would kill off every Palestinian they came across or put them in camps. These are war crimes.
You guys are calling it genocide in Gaza.
Cheers!
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12 minutes ago, Xerxes said:
US didn’t not commit genocide in the Middle East. But they committed war crimes.
Can you tell me which Arab country (or countries) has design to eliminate Israel.
I am not talking about Iran and its proxies
How can you exclude Iran and its proxies? It's like saying, well tell me all of the politicians who are against abortion except Trump and his proxies.
There are only four Arab countries that recognize Israel's sovereignty. The rest will not recognize Israel unless they recognize Palestine. And almost none of them will condemn Hamas' actions.
Cheers!
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10 minutes ago, Xerxes said:
Sanjeevi am many things but not naive or lacking knowledge when it comes to Middle East politics.
I said it exactly as it is.
Arab governments have been working hard to get close to Israel (to balance Iran) — only impediment is their own people that have a strong pro-Palestine point of view.
I'm pro-Palestinian as well. I'm also pro-Israeli.
I'm for a two-nation state solution, but not one with Hamas at the table.
Cheers!
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9 hours ago, SafetyinNumbers said:
I think this is what he’s referring to.
No, he was referring to a booklet called "Doing Good By Doing Well" that they handed out at the AGM which discusses all of the various donations and organizations they've given to. Unfortunately it's not on the website, but I would love if they put it on there! Cheers!
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1 hour ago, Xerxes said:
actually this wrong as well.
it is the reverse. It is mostly Arab government that wanted (pre 10/07) good relation with Israel but cannot get too close due to their people being pro-Palestine.
and also I cannot think of any Arab country that has fundamentalist in power. Sure they have autocrats and dictators but not fundamentalist. Iran does however.
What's the difference when they have the same agenda?! Who funds Hamas? Who funds Hezbollah? Who funds ISIS?
If you're naive enough to think that most Arab countries want good relations with Israel, then who the heck is funding these terrorist groups?
Cheers!
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52 minutes ago, Xerxes said:
Genocide is a dangerous word.
From my perspective Israel is NOT committing genocide …. Not yet anyways.
Me and The Economist are on the same page on this.
but I am still dwelling on this.
Was Germany committing genocide in the mid-30s (pre concentration camp era) or was it only in the 40s ? (When the action started)
To be sure Israel is committing war crimes. That is for sure. And these are not few bad apples as you like to think. When your government is filled by right-wing messianic figures demanding the creation of “greater Israel”, well guess what ? Some “people” got to go. That view permeates some in the IDF as does the nonsense coming from Ayatollah permeating IRGC.
Personally I always believe pre Oct 7th that IDF was a just organization. For years I admired their contribution, but I just cannot accept somethings that I see. But that is just me.
Lastly Sanjeev, you got to stop comparing Israel with US. The United States rightly or wrongly did some things, but it never had designs or incentive in “eliminating” entire group of people. Why ? Because it was NOT from the region. Its ambitions was geopolitical in the Middle East. So your comment is not valid.
Israel has a stake and interest in “removing” people. Now whether it actually has state-level design or not. That is another matter.
I personally do not believe so. But like I said it has a racist government that is pushing that way.
You had a born-again Christian, hard-core right wing leader as President of the United States after 9/11! People forget, but Dubya had people on his committee that were as "fundamentalist" as Netanyahu and his committee. Remember the "axis of evil" speech! Even Trump isn't like that...he really has no allegiance to anyone or anything except money and his name.
There were war crimes in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. Yet only a handful of prosecutions by the U.S. government of their own soldiers. Remember Abu Gharib...Blackwater...this occurs in every war.
Lastly, you have it backwards in the Middle East. Arab countries want Israel eliminated and they have real designs on doing so. Thus you have Netanyahu in power again...and I agree he should be in prison! But like Dubya, he was on duty when the terrorist strike occurred. How he's handling it...I don't like it, but Israel has every right to defend themselves and go after Hamas. Cheers!
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1 minute ago, backtothebeach said:
Parsad deleted an Israel/Gaza thread after October 7th. However he takes part in this one, so maybe he thinks differently now.
IMO this stuff is just too divisive, nobody will change anyone's mind, and is going to be 99% not investment related.
There should be an Oil & Gas thread, and if Middle East discussions creep in from time to time that's ok, but every dedicated political thread is one too many IMO.
A separate Politics board didn't work. Deleting threads doesn't work.
Whether we like it or not, politics is intertwined with what happens in the global economic landscape. It is inescapable!
I would rather isolate it to a couple of threads, then have it run rampant on all threads.
Cheers!
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21 minutes ago, Hektor said:
Cheers?
Sorry, force of habit! Cheers!
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22 minutes ago, ourkid8 said:
The idea that Israel is defending itself is absurd as the notion that a rapist is defending itself from the victim - Israel is the occupier!
This is effed up! If anything, Israel is the rape victim in an area surrounded by Arab states that want nothing but to wipe them off the face of the earth. And I'm not blaming the citizens of those Arab states except that they've put those irrational and destructive fundamentalists in power! Cheers!
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29 minutes ago, ourkid8 said:
Sajeev, The 5 points of Genocide being committed:
1. Mass killing of Palestinians - innocent death toll is at 33,000 and counting
2. Bodily and mental harm - Over 76,000 wounded
3. forced displacement and food blockade
4. Destruction of the health care system
5. Preventing Palestinian births
If you compare hamaas to the rawanda death squads, how would you compare the IDF based on the above 5 points being committed against innocent ppl?
The question is not getting rid of hamas as that's what Israel media wants you to believe is the issue to justify the Genocide. The real question is how to make hamas irrelevant . Maybe, just maybe if you treat the Palestinians like humans and you give them their dignity outside of an 'open air prison' then maybe the reason for hamas to exist may not be required which in turn would make them irrelevant. To make a lasting deal, you need two sides to want to make a deal and Trump even admitted, Israel PM Netanyahu never wanted to make peace.
3,4,5 I agree on...but 1,2 (nope)...Over 70,000 Afghani and Pakistani citizens were killed after 9/11...numbers estimated at close to 300K Iraqi civilians died after 9/11!
The word genocide never came up after 9/11...it was the U.S. hunting down Al Qaida and no one really had a problem with it and most Americans and international allies supported it.
Cheers!
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1 minute ago, Xerxes said:
very simple.
you go to West Bank to shoot kids and give medal to the brave IDF soldiers. Straight from the mouth of the Israeli minister
how much of this conflict are you actually following Sanjeev
You guys are putting out instances of irrational violence...just like all cops aren't choking out black people...this is not the entirety of what happens!
How much are you paying attention to?!!
I don't agree with everything Netanyahu is doing...but at the same time, Israeli's have the right to go after those that attack their citizens on home soil.
Nobody was saying anything about the same thing when 9/11 happened. I was one of the few people saying that they should never have gone into Iraq because there was no proof of weapons of mass destruction, but Al Qaida was doing the same thing as Hamas. Thus, the U.S. had to go into Afghanistan and tear it apart to destroy Al Qaida.
80 years now that Israel is constantly attacked based on decisions not made by them but the United Nations Council! Can you imagine if Canada or the U.S. was constantly under attack?
Cheers!
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Iran just launched ballistic missiles at Israel!! Cheers!
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40 minutes ago, ourkid8 said:
Israel attacked a sovereign country's embassy which is an act of war, can you at least admit that much? Second, if you need to even ask what genocide/theft Israel has commited, I have nothing more to say as this is blind ignorance. Iran has not officially released any statement as such besides organizations that may or may not be affiliated with the government. Let's do a simple exercise, please perform back of the envelope math on what the population would be if Israel did not commit genocide since 1948. let's look at how many lives were lost. Its shocking when you do this exercise.
Hamas is using civilian and government sites as strategic locations to hide and organize. This is not a fair war being fought in the open...but they are using civilians as human shields. How do you deal with a terrorist group/foe that is hiding underneath hospitals and temples?
I'm for all the humanitarian aid that can be provided to civilians but at the same time you are dealing with a group ransacking the aid and selling it to fund their terrorist activities.
This is not a conventional war. Either you suffer the consequences of civilian casualties to remove Hamas or you give in to them and allow them to organize another terrorist attack on Israeli civilians and continue repressing their own people.
I'm not sure why those attacking Israel cannot understand that Hamas is not your friendly neighbourhood rebel! They should be compared to Rwandan death squads that recruit children and rape women, or Al Qaida after the 9/11 attack.
Cheers!
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7 hours ago, Santayana said:
It comes up every year, but I'm always a little surprised at the > 10% number that seem to always vote against Prem.
The small protest every year against Prem is fine...he's CEO...there is always going to be a small group of disgruntled shareholders. Buffett even usually gets the most against him too.
But it's almost a 50/50 split on subordinate voting for Bill...I've never seen that before!
Cheers!
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What's with the big protest vote against Bill Weldon? Is it something to do with his time at J&J?
Cheers!
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5 hours ago, Hoodlum said:
Our friend Brett has raised his target from $970 to 1180 cdn. I don’t know how he can reconcile the stock being overvalued at $970, yet increase the target by $210. He will need to do it again before long.
Not bad for a no moat company! Cheers!
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1 hour ago, Thrifty3000 said:
PS. I bought a few more shares today to bring my position to a nice round number. First, to make it easier/possible to do the math in my head. Haha. Second, because watching this annual meeting further cemented we're sitting on one of the most obvious lollapaloozas we'll see in our lifetimes:
EXPERIENCE + INTEGRITY + CULTURE + NETWORK + SCALE + DECENTRALIZATION + GLOBAL PRESENCE + STRONG CASH FLOW + RISK PROFILE + AGILE OPPORTUNISM + CONTROLLING SHAREHOLDER + BENCH STRENGTH + FV DISCOUNT... = LOLLAPALOOZA!
+1! Cheers!
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1 minute ago, vakilkp said:
Is this in terms of current price of FFH or the mechanics of the TRS? Thanks for the running commentary
Both. Essentially, because FFH's price remains cheap, they will continue to extend the TRS. Cheers!
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I have to say, we're 3.5 hours in and this AGM has been fantastic so far! One of the best ones I've seen...probably the most comparable to Berkshire AGM's.
Prem was on it, looked great and you can see how deep the team is. If FFH has seen the light on their transformation...we may finally see the potential this company has!
I've been a shareholder for 22 years...I'm more optimistic than ever!
Cheers!
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On Fairfax exposure to China:
Prem: Exposure to China is very minimal. Interest is not expanding in China. Preference is for democratic countries like India.
On the TRS...could counterparty say "no mas!"
Prem: We have terms with counterparty...can extend the terms. They have a hedging mechanism. We like our company and believe it is extremely inexpensive.
Hilarious question and comments by boardmember Alan Chan! He's happy with the outcome, but cannot withstand another 26 years of the journey as in the past.
Prem: We've never been in a position like this...transformational. You're pain will be minimal!
Cheers!
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On Eurobank:
Prem: Eurobank remains very cheap!
Fokion: Will start paying first dividend with about a 5% yield. We expect interest rates to start dropping in Europe later this year. We expect to continue to hit 15% ROE.
On Orla Mining:
Prem: Terrific sponsorship...Pierre Lassonde...one of the lowest cost producers...bet on Pierre and his team.
Cheers!
Fairfax Financial - Fairfax Company and Group Donations to Charity
in Fairfax Financial
Posted
Prem told me that they will be putting "Doing Good By Doing Well" on the website at some point. Look forward to reading it! Cheers!