MK Eldad: Death Penalty for Golan Land Concessions

Typical of a "good" defense technique in a court of justice, Israeli Knesset Member (Mks) know how to turn the law on its head.

This' a fascinating read for those following the day to day events in Eretz Israel.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126304

On the Liter Side.....MUTO

Leaving the normative head space behind for a couple of minutes, view this incredibly amusing animation by a super talented city modern at:

http://blublu.org/sito/video/muto.htm

IAA: Remains of Bears Found in Galilee Stalactite Cave

“An abundance of prehistoric artifacts were discovered” in an accidental cave discovery dating back to the late Paleolithic period. Not too many pictures are available in the article, but what's there is quite beautiful.

The short article is at: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126281

The "C" Change in the Secular Historical Narrative

While “parapsychology” may be a little out of the reach of the norm for most of us, nevertheless, the President of Noetic Sciences draws a short, concise view of the way history has unfolded ever since the advent of Western Democracy that we can all appreciate. This was taken from a conference invitation from last year and is not an endorsement of the organization.

August 9, 2007

A Letter from James O'Dea, IONS President

There was a time when the central narrative of history focused on who was on the throne, what they did while on it, and how peacefully or bloodily they ended their reign or tyranny. With minimal attention to the evolution of ideas, history chronicled great men, wars and power struggles. Women and indigenous people were generally footnoted. Then a revolution occurred: democracy, industrial society, sociology and anthropology gave rise to a new history of nations, peoples and cultures as well as the great unfolding of internationalism, the women's movement and universal human rights.

Another revolution is now developing below the radar screen. A transformation has been brewing on the inner plane for a vast number of people. Consciousness itself is waking people up to its huge resources and untapped potential. An unprecedented alignment of scientific and spiritual exploration is creating a very different narrative. As we pointed out in The 2007 Shift Report, there is significant evidence of a world transforming. The inner is preparing to meet the outer in breathtaking new configurations that will transform every sphere of human activity from medicine to education, global communications, economy, ecology and more.

James O'Dea

http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=uyjrtccab.0.igj8tccab.9ompgvn6.76982&ts=S0267&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ions.org%2Femails%2Fconf2007%2Femail_2007-07-16.htm
http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=uyjrtccab.0.jgj8tccab.9ompgvn6.76982&ts=S0267&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ions.org%2Femails%2Fconf2007%2Ftext_2007-07-16.htm

French Court Confirms: France-2's Al-Dura Report Was Faked

The France -2 TV airing of "a report aired in September 2000 ..... from Netzarim Junction in Gaza" at the beginning of the 2nd Intifada "purporting to show the killing of a young Arab boy", Muhammad Al-Dura" by Israeli soldiers was a staged piece of political theater" according to the French Appeals Court.

Read the full story at: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126266

TALMUD: FIVE WAYS TO AN EXCEPTIONAL MARRIAGE

Succinct, to the point, and hard to disagree with. Rabbi Dov Heller, lays it all out in just one page. And the nice thing is that you can use your own couch if you're more comfortable in an analytical setting.

Suggestion: Print the "Five" out and hang them on your frig. for daily review.


http://www.aish.com/family/marriage/5_Ways_to_Stay_In_Love_Forever.asp

The Atheist's Riddle

"What do language, linguistics and computer programs tell us about DNA and the origin of life? Do these things have anything to say about the debate between Atheism and intelligent design?"

"The author of this site seems to think so, and in fact he's sure that his idea is "so simple, any child can understand, yet so complex, no atheist can solve" it.

The site contains a two part audio file and Power Point presentation that you can easily download for your MP3/ iPod.


http://www.cosmicfingerprints.com/atheists_riddle.htm

Jumping To Conclusions

May 19, 2008

Darkness Falls
http://www.aswers.com/

Spotlight: It was a dark and stormy... day. On May 19, 1780, New England was shrouded in a mysterious cloud that plunged it into a darkness so thick that it was impossible to read without the aid of candles. The obscuration lasted most of the day, clearing early the next morning. At the time, it was believed that Judgment Day had arrived, banishing the light of day.

The phenomenon is now attributed to a combination of smoke from regional forest fires and dense fog or cloud cover.

Quote: "The low-hung sky / Was black with ominous clouds, save where its rim / Was fringed with a dull glow, like that which climbs / The crater's sides from the red hell below." — John Greenleaf Whittier, "Abraham Davenport"

Defining, with Clarity, Philosophical Positions

Here is the first of several very short video blogs featured on http://www.jerusalemonline.com/ from a duo that have as their mission defining, unambiguously, opposing ideas.

Nice: politicians need to re-learn this communication skill.

http://www.jerusalemonline.com/4israel8.asp

The Miracle, at 60

From the Washington Post, in an Op-Ed piece, Charles Krauthammer points out that

"This week marks" .........a "60th anniversary: the return and restoration of the remaining two tribes of Israel -- Judah and Benjamin, later known as the Jews -- to their ancient homeland".

At the same time he notes that "Israel's crime is not its policies but its insistence on living", something that much of the world cannot, nor wants to understand.

The relatively short article is a good read, and cleverly reminds us of often forgotten facts.

Read it at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/15/AR2008051503577.html

The President before the Knesset

"...We believe that democracy is the only way to ensure human rights. So we consider it a source of shame that the United Nations routinely passes more human rights resolutions against the freest democracy in the Middle East than any other nation in the world."

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126188

This' an excellent article comparing PM Olmert's political speech before the Knesset, to Pres. Bush's spiritual leadership vision address. What a contrast!

Why Israel Is the World's Happiest Country

"Nations go extinct, ..... because the individuals who comprise these nations choose collectively to die out" says, Spengler (no other name given), the author of of an Asia Times article entitled "Why Israel is the world's happiest country".

The author further says that "In a world given over to morbidity, the state of Israel still teaches the world love of life, not in the trivial sense of joie de vivre, but rather as a solemn celebration of life."

A summary of the article can be found at: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126186

or

for those who are into all the details, the full article can be read at:http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JE13Ak01.html

I personally would not have used the adjective "happiest" in the title, since the word connotes a certain level of "levity", which is not at all what the author is defining or referring to. Perhaps "Optimistic" would have been a better choice. Non the less, I found the article confirming of the prophecy that Israel would be "a light unto the nations". See what you think.

The Debates that Helped Define America

For those who have not heard this audio before, here is an interview by Dennis Prager of Prof. Guelzo, author and expert on Lincoln and the Lincoln era which helped define "Civil Rights" for not only America, but for much of the Western World.

I think this will be an interesting listen to (or download if you care) for most on my blog-list. Check it out at: http://www.townhall.com/TalkRadio/Show.aspx?RadioShowID=3&ContentGuid=01ac921c-0b55-4442-af5a-75e815923251

If you want to downlad the audio, but can't from the ab0ve URL, try this URL at http://www.townhall.com/Talkradio/Show.aspx?RadioShowID=3&page=5 and go down to #110.

WHY ARE OIL PRICES REALLY SO HIGH? Is This Too Complex for You?

"A politician's problem is how to get more votes-- and one of the most effective ways of doing that is to be a hero who will save us from the villains."

Truth is often NOT part of the equation.

Check out what Thomas Sowell has to say at:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/too_complex.html

What's Wrong With Republicans?

For an incisive look at what the GOP must do to win this next National Election, check out Victor Davis Hanson, Prof. extraordinaire, and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Inst., Stanford U. at:

http://www.victorhanson.com/articles/hanson051308.html

Can McCain pull this one off?

Intelligent Design part 1

This is the first in a series of short examples of intelligent design in living things as apposed to Darwinism which is a secular religion posing as science. These examples are from the book

"Billions of Missing Links"
(A rational look at the mysteries
evolution can't explain)

by Geoffrey Simmons, M.D.

As one commentator on Amazon put it, this book is "Written for a popular audience" and "offers a whirlwind tour through the natural world and its many wonders".

The first example of intelligent design is the birth process of a human baby:

At a very precise moment nine months after conception, a hormone leaves the unborn child's brain. It travels across the placenta, enters the maternal circulation, and makes its way to the mother's pituitary gland. Although this hormone is a very complicated and convoluted chemical, its message is quite simple: I'm ready, start the delivery process. My lungs have matured enough to breathe on their own, my heart is strong enough to assume control, my gastrointestinal tract is prepared to process food, and my brain is eager to start learning about the world. My ten trillion cells are poised to work together. It's the unborn child, not the mother, who makes this decision. Then, the mother and child orchestrate the journey together.

This is not a spontaneous event. The mother's body began preparations the instant the sperm entered a selected egg. One might even argue that her body began preparing at puberty or even at the time of her birth. Her uterus, now enormously stretched to accommodate the growing fetus, is ready to squeeze down and push. The baby's head has been shifted downward with its arms at its sides and legs tucked in so that it can more easily pass through the birth canal. Only 3.5% of human babies present feet first or breech.

The mother's breasts are engorged with food. Endorphins are flowing to help with the discomfort; hormones are giving her strong maternal instincts. Her vagina has secreted a special glycogen to prevent infection. A connection between the pelvic bones loosens to help the bony portion of the canal expand. Every maternal instinct has been primed. Every system is focused on success. At first, the contractions come slowly, as if the uterus were warming up, but they quickly crescendo to more frequent and forceful squeezes. A myriad of different chemicals and hormones prompt and support every action as billions of muscle cells work in unison to break the bag of waters, dilate the opening in the cervix, and deliver the child.

Every aspect of the the process is well-coordinated, prearranged, rehearsed for millennia, and designed to bring a new life into being. Even the seams in the baby's skull bones have not yet fused, so that its unusually large head will be pliable enough to make it through. As the process unfolds, the adrenal glands add a blast of stress hormones to help the infant cope.

The newborn child will not breathe until it has cleared the birth canal. Anything sooner would lead to certain suffocation. It also will not wait too long. Rising carbon dioxide levels and falling oxygen concentrations will prompt the first breath, or there could easily be permanent brain damage.

Moments before the mother and child completely disconnect, the newborn receives a last-minute transfusion from the umbilical cord. The placenta, which has been purposefully storing nutrients for this moment, infuses extra nourishment. There is evidence that the fetus sends some of its own stem cells into the mothers bloodstream. These newly discovered micro chimera stem cells seem to be purposefully left behind to help maintain the mother’s good health. The child's survival might depend on it.

Every step is pre-programmed. As the newborn takes its first breath, two tiny flaps inside its heart automatically close off a hole between the right side and left side of that organ, which then routes unoxygenated blood to the newly functioning lungs. A large blood vessel that connects the aorta to the lungs also automatically seals off. The artery in the umbilical cord shifts to servicing the new bladder. The placenta detaches on cue and follows the baby out. If it were to precede the child or detach prematurely, the consequences could be disastrous. Soon, the baby's remnant of the umbilical cord dries up and falls away.

The baby arrives with a vernix coating to protect its skin. It also comes with a natural sucking reflex, and mother's first milk is purposefully loaded with all the right nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and a host of required antibodies. The newborn easily fits into the crook of its mother's arm, where the breast and nipple are strategically situated. It instinctively knows how to nurse - plus, it has a unique but temporary hump of high-caloric brown fat in its back, just in case. Lactation causes the secretion of natural contraceptive hormones that will suppress the mother's menstrual cycle. No need for a second baby to compete for mother's milk and threaten its survival.

The is whole process is beyond complexity. It is an evolutionary impossibility, which could never have come about by trial and error, survival of the fittest or a series of "lucky" mutations. If any of these steps were to fail to occur or not follow the right order, the human race would never have existed. They are an all-or-nothing phenomenon. The best explanation, the only rational explanation, is intelligent design.

Study Finds 'Man Crisis' in Liberal Jewish Circles

"A new study carried out at Brandeis University finds that as the liberal Jewish community empowers its women, its men appear to be losing interest in their Jewishness.........."

The "report also suggests that as Jewish men outside the Orthodox fold become increasingly estranged from religious and communal life, they are more likely to marry non-Jewish women."

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/126139

Well, daaah!

Traditionally, men have taken a back seat to the women within the domain of the home where she often was seen as "queen", and he sometimes assigned the royal couch: OUCH!.

So, when the synagogue becomes an extension of the home (read 'royal castle'), and the various knights and lords have nothing better to do than to take out the "royal trash" -the building funds, care taking projects, etc- (what fun!), the knights and lords might find "better" things to do than to cross over the royal mote via the royal draw bridge: that is, synagogue doors.

What ever happened to all those great national, philanthropic men's clubs since they were forced to admit ladies into membership?

Would You Believe? The Longest LIVING Light Bulb

And these guys had a party in its celebration wothout offering the guest of honor even a BBQ'd chicken wing. Watch it at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/24472487#24474810

Why You Should Snap Up In-Season Asparagus

" Why? Your pancreas will thank you......" since it "may help protect you from pancreatic cancer" and a whole lot more. Along with generous amounts of daily Olive Oil in your food, the generous amounts of Folate in the Asparagus may help to control body fat.

Oops, is that an "f" word?

If you care, check it out at: http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/tip/5761

Sierras In the Spring

The Day the Paint Box fell from Heaven". (This is a real place outside Bakersfield , California )

When God Paints...

I'll be adding, day by day to this set of pictures which I just happen to have received from my friend and Shabbat dog sitter.

UK's post-WWII dilemma over Jewish refugees

LONDON - "Documents released Monday show how the British government tried to send thousands of Palestine-bound Jewish survivors of the Nazi genocide back to postwar Germany without inflaming world opinion. "

This is a laugh: "the British government felt it had to keep the immigrants out to preserve the demographic balance between Arab and Jew."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080504/ap_on_re_eu/britain_postwar_jews

Did the Brits try to "preserve the demographic balance" when they GAVE the Heshimites the major part of Palestine now called Jordan?

Escuse me, but I think I want to barf.

the New Anti-Semitisj

by Chief Rabbi, Sir Jonathan Sacks

http://www.aish.com/jewishissues/jewishsociety/The_New_Anti-Semitism.asp

This is an extraordinarily well written history of the three phases of anti-Semitism that came out of the Western World -(I didn't know that)- and finally morphed into the current fourth phase during the course of the late 18th to early 19th centuries.

I got it from Adam Kaplan, and I consider it a must read.

London's New Mayor!

In an age of on-message machine politicians, Boris Johnson - who has just been
elected mayor of London - is a one-off.
Often described as a buffoon, even
by his admirers, his bumbling, self-deprecating persona has long made him one of
the best known politicians through his appearances on TV chat shows.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7376621.stm

Apparently this guy is conservative and he's a real jokester. Check out his quotes on the linked page!

Welcome!

This is the creative, mad collaboration between David and myself, Arnold Millan.
At David Kopp's insistance, I have created this blog for my fellow friends and relatives, as a way of preventing the inundation of my madness, which has until now crept into your home and computer environment.

So here goes folks! My new adventure into cyberspace!