April 2010

Night-time artificial light can harm cell division process

HAIFA (Press Release)–Just one “pulse” of artificial light at night disrupts circadian cell division, reveals a new study carried out by Dr. Rachel Ben-Shlomo of the University of Haifa-Oranim Department of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology along with Prof. Charalambos P. Kyriacou of the University of Leicester. “Damage to cell division is characteristic of cancer, and […]

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Science, Medicine, & Education

A recap of the Jewish Poets—Jewish Voices program

By Eileen Wingard LA JOLLA, California–The season’s heaviest rainstorm descended Wednesday evening, January 20, as fifteen people braved the inclement weather to gather at the JCC Astor Judaica Library for the first of three programs by local poets: Jewish Poets—Jewish Voices. Yael Gmach, who was scheduled to sing an original song in French, was stranded

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Eileen Wingard

San Diego’s historic places: Mission San Diego tells circumspect tale of Kumeyaay life

By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Janet Bartel, chief docent at San Diego Mission, treads as carefully as a performer on a tightrope when discussing the Kumeyaay Indian experience at Mission San Diego, There have been too many controversies not to. In September 1988, Pope John Paul II beatified Father Junipero Serra saying that

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Donald H. Harrison, USA

Holyland scandal continues to dominate Israeli headlines

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Israel returned from its Passover vacation, and unburdened itself of several files awaiting release from one official body or another. The scandal of the Holyland apartment development gained more weight with the detainment of another real estate mogul, said to have bribed local planning officials with respect to that project, and officials

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA

The kashrut of self-control

By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO–Kashrut observance is one of the defining rituals of Judaism. For Jews, the food we put into our mouths is equally as important as the words that come out. Parashat Shemini cites the defining characteristics of Kosher mammals and fish. Mammals must have cleft hooves and chew their cud. Sea

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Jewish Religion

On rituals and traditions

By Natasha Josefowitz, Ph.D. Ritual: any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner; a prescribed code of behavior regulating social conduct, such as the shaking of hands in greeting.[1] Tradition: the handing down of legends or customs from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice; a continuing

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Travel and Food

Guidelines for online comments

 Memo to our readers: Some of you may be wondering why some comments are posted below stories, and others aren’t. Our editors usually have the opportunity to review comments before they are posted.   As a matter of policy we send to the trash comments that include abusive language;  generic attacks on any nationality,  racial group, religious group, gender

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Donald H. Harrison

'Holyland' Hotel scandal rivets Israeli attention

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Normally  commentators would be worrying for days about the report in The Washington Post that a coterie of present and former National Security Advisors are pressing President Obama to proclaim their solution for Israel and Palestine. However, that story was below the fold on the front page of Ha’aretz, and is missing from

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East