Saturday Updates

Good morning, Stroock's Books reader(s), and Shabbat Shalom. A long week worrying about mechanical/electronic stuff. These include our AC thermostat, the sump pump, and a car. In a few days we'll decamp to the Stroock Northern Strategic Direction and worry about stuff up there. We're already worried. Exit question: should we cut back on the caffeine? 

Israel has had a good week with plenty of assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah terror operatives and the destruction of much infrastructure. Hot Air argues that Netanyahu has seized control of negotiations and is dictating their pace. We've long argued that Bibi negotiates complex coalition deals for breakfast, and he can handle this terrorist trash. 'So you say you want a ceasefire....' The longer the war goes on, the worse the Hamas/Iran negotiation position has come. 

By the way, Bibi has clawed his way to a small lead in Israeli polls. Were the election held today Likud would win 21 seats against 20 for National Unity, that's Benny Gantz' party. The man has the political instincts of a potato. Yisraeli Beitenu win get 15 seats. That's the Judea/Samaria Party led by Avigdor Lieberman. The only thing he hates more than Bibi is Iran. Gee, wonder why he's growing in strength? But overall, no block would get a majority to form a government. So Israeli politics are as deadlocked as they were before 10/7. Actually, Bibi was a lot worse of politically on 10/7.

The Things:

We had a pretty good week. As always we worry [More worry?-Ed] about our frightening need to write about men in suits sitting at tables making decisions. 

We wrote a few scenes in World War 1990: Thatcher's War. The plot advances. We think we know the SAS's next raid. Think County Donegal, you know, over the border. Overall Thatcher's War is 18,000 words. 

We had a B+ week with War Night. The Haig in the bunker story's rough draft is kinda/sorta done. We may have several paragraphs of exposition to add, to lengthen the timeline. The Irish Taoiseach story is coming along too. 'So how does it end?' As Phil Collins once asked. War Night is 41,000 words.