Israeli scientific discoveries?

A scientist (who does not want to be identified for job reasons) sent me this: "So... A scientific wonder comes out from that 'beleaguered' state. An Israeli botanist 'discovers' a plant that "irrigates itself'" says Haaretz, with the usual lighthearted tone of “… it is what we do every day” when reporting the ‘miracles,’ scientific and otherwise, that ceaselessly flow from that country of ‘miracles’ and ‘wonders.’ Of course the plant is well known to the agricultural scientists and has been classified with full taxonomy by British scientific expeditions in the 1940s against its name that links it with its (real) country of origin, Rheum palaestinum. But still, it is an earth-shaking ‘discovery’ and now the plant is supposed to be 'self-irrigating' Ignorant are forgiven the thought that “self-irrigation” imply that the plant generates its own water supply! The ‘scientists’ explain to an amazed South Asian News reporter: “that these deep and wide depressions in the leaves create a "channeling" mountain-like system by which the rain water is channeled toward the ground surrounding the plant's deep root.” Whatever next! Well, there are not many other blatantly fraudulent claims that receive so much publicity and owe, mixed with the heart-throbbing admiration for the ‘mighty mouse.’ Ignoring the ‘self-irrigation’ claim, botanists of repute (and ill-repute) recognize that every plant, through its evolutionary cycles optimizes its consumption of the resource necessary for its own survival - PARTICULARLY moisture in dry climates! EVERY leaf plant possesses grooves in its leaves to direct due and water to its stem and down to its roots! A plant I saw in a Sovkhoz in a remote desert corner in Kazakhstan of the Saxola variety developed a root reaching 60 meters into the heart of the Earth. But looking at my roses and lattices in the garden this morning I often wondered, until the ‘brilliant’ scientists explained, why on earth does the due and the sprinkler water end up in the groove of the leaf and trickle down to the stem and hence to the root! Wow! Now I know! I am so 'grateful' to the 'brilliant scientists’ who cleared the mist of the California morning off my eyes with his BS! I wonder whether I should announce my 'discoveries' about the Dutch Lattice and my Damascus roses that 'irrigate themselves.' But I don't have the defense that the 'brilliant' scientists have - since I cannot claim that my detractors are a bunch of anti-Semites! Israel made no headways in science and technology despite the fact that they lured thousands of 'scientists' from countries where science and technology is an essential pillar of their advanced state. This may be due to several reasons that one can speculate. Of them it seems are the instability of the state and the ever-growing dominance of a growing theological environment that ruled Israel one way or the other for almost forty years so far, as well as the lack of incentives that scientists in other countries have. But may be the salvation is at hand: with money from acquiescent rulers of the Arabian Peninsula, and a ‘normalization’ of relations with the millions-strong market in the Arab East, things could change somewhat, but even that takes generations even with an influx of scientists from abroad. The lack of incentives is no more evident than in the case of water resources, the area of interest of the 'brilliant discoverers.' I recall tales of miraculous transformation of the desert into green pastures by the 'miracle-making Zionists' I even saw propaganda films in the sixties with pretty young women tilling the soil (sand?) of the Naqab. But the Naqab is still the desert it has been since the mythical Exodus, and the propaganda films about the ‘miracle workers’ are supposed to be forgotten, as their replacement with new editions arrive, carrying discoveries of ‘self-irrigating’ plants and other earth-shaking, though ‘routine’ almost daily ‘breakthroughs’ in science and technology by the Zionist state! But in reality, the 'miracle workers' in search of water went off to the Israeli army to usurp Syrian territory to control the Jordan river tributaries and divert the Jordan River near Al-Houleh lake. They entertained in the 1950s, with US connivance, a water-sharing agreement with Jordan, Syria and the Lebanon, but later threw it away and turned to further usurpation and wars in the South of Lebanon to secure the waters of the Litani River in Lebanon by diverting it from flowing into the Mediterranean to pour into occupied Palestine. Certainly an easier, faster, and more certain solution... never mind the death and mayhem it will bring to the peoples of Syria and the Lebanon and their eventual and the inevitable water shortage they will have to endure. Well, that they caused, but the plan did not work, and the ‘mighty mouse’ proved to be not so-mighty as they withdrew, not once but twice so far. The ‘mouse’ (with deep and affectionate apologies to all mice) left behind though death and mayhem, and according to news reports only yesterday, the ‘Defense’ Minister Barak is threatening another strike on the bereaved Lebanon’s South. But Israel did well in the area of Applied Technology and Sciences. Recent evidence, however, demonstrate that this is in itself not a strange and unique manifestation of the power of Zion! Iraq, Iran and to a certain extent Syria, demonstrated the capacity of absorbing and converting technologies – let alone North Korea, India and Pakistan. Here, financial and management resources are key, and they are available to one extent or another, in many countries and amongst many peoples. Indonesia had the (half-baked) idea of aircraft production, and flew their prototypes successfully. Even the Sudan, in the middle of its current tragic era, produced Safat-1, their two-seater single engine aircraft. What helps the Israeli applied technologist is the availability of classified information from the US and Europe through its historic spy networks, who are regularly caught and not so regularly reported, for passing state secrets. They have their wrists slapped - ever so gently - and then let free in case the punishment deterred more spies from discharging their duties. The recent case at the Pentagon is an example. The threesome was even set free. Even then, Israeli achievements in that direction are lack-luster and fall short of the level achieved by comparable systems in the countries where the thefts were made. The story of the development of the Merkava 'the safest tank in the world' (I could hear Mr. Nasrallah laughing!) is an example. We are these days witnessing another one. Israel is planning to build its own destroyers - based on the design of the German Corvet - already in service in the Israeli Navy!
These according to economists are 'grandeur projects' usually carried out to please the Roman Emperor's angry population or impress his enemies! It is what made Soviet economist shudder with anger at the presumption that the Al-Asad Dam is anything more than an agricultural project with electricity as a side-benefit, and that most of the industries setup in Syria with heavy dollar investments by the rulers of the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf were nonsensical and belonged to that category. And history proved their point. The failure of the Israeli electronics industry to come up with a viable anti-rocket technology (with my tax money) for more than 6 years, and drifting back for (more of my tax money) to buy US made anti-missile missiles denotes the level of applied technology in Israel – but fear not, Israel is back with the Imperial Government of Mr. Netanyahu, is pouring (my tax dollar) funds on their own failed system... So, Hurrah to the 'brilliant' Israeli botanist. I am sure the usual Nobel Prize is on its way."