International

Some results, but not enough, from U.N. Climate Action Summit

I could not possibly applaud enough the young men and women who flooded the streets in hundreds of cities around the world demanding from their government to take immediate and long-term action to combat climate change. By the same token, I could not condemn and denounce more vehemently Mr. Trump and many of his ilk, like Bolsonaro of Brazil, for their criminal disregard of the catastrophic peril that climate change represents. By denying the threat that climate change poses and its devastating harm to countless living creatures, they are systematically undermining any chance we still have of avoiding a terrible catastrophe, including a mass extinction of species the likes of which the modern world has never seen. (To read more, please click on headline)

Some results, but not enough, from U.N. Climate Action Summit Read More »

Alon Ben-Meir, International, Science, Medicine, & Education, The World We Share, USA

Susan Davis votes for Trump impeachment inquiry

As a bandwagon grew in Congress, Rep. Susan Davis on Tuesday joined fellow Democrats in the San Diego County delegation calling for an impeachment investigation of President Trump. Davis announced her support as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi formally launched an impeachment inquiry in the wake of accusations that Trump threatened to withhold military aid to Ukraine unless that country investigated the son of former Vice President Joseph Biden, a candidate for the Democratic nomination. (Please click on headline to read more)

Susan Davis votes for Trump impeachment inquiry Read More »

Ken Stone, San Diego County, USA

Terrorist murderer of U.S. Navy sailor eludes extradition

Mohammad Ali Hammadi has been arrested by Greek police. It was only a short story in the Daily Mail of Britain — and barely in the American papers at all, except, naturally, Navy Times.

Think back.

U.S. Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem was aboard TWA Flight 847 on June 14, 1985, scheduled to fly from Cairo to San Diego with intermediate stops. It never made it. The plane was hijacked after a stop in Athens by Shi’ite Hezbollah terrorists who first looked for passengers with Israeli passports. Finding none, they brutally murdered Stethem on a stop in Beirut and threw his body out on the tarmac. (Please click headline to read more)

Terrorist murderer of U.S. Navy sailor eludes extradition Read More »

International, Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, USA

Our Shtetl San Diego County: September 24, 2019

Items in today’s column include:
*Tel Aviv Foundation applauds San Diegans’ philanthropy
*Father Joe Carroll endorses Joe Leventhal for City Council
*Rabbi Dorsch and Cantor Leberman star in Tifereth Israel High Holy Days video
*Israeli Idol Haggit Yaso to perform at StandWithUs gala
*Meet the Family Eilfort

Our Shtetl San Diego County: September 24, 2019 Read More »

Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County

Fighting anti-Semitism at local levels of government

Excerpt: In Paterson and Trenton, both iconic cities in New Jersey, Michael Jackson and Kathy McBride are members of the city council today, and towards the other end of the country, Patrick Little is running for council in Garden City, Idaho, a suburb of Boise. Little is a white nationalist and a Republican. and Jackson and McBride are African-American Democrats.

Jackson played the race card in Paterson after he was admonished for proclaiming “Jew us down” during a council meeting on September 10 while debating the reconstruction of a local stadium, according to The Paterson Press. “That was meant with no malice,” Jackson said, noting that he learned the phrase during his “upbringing.”

The councilman subsequently questioned if the city administration was doing enough to quell violence involving young African men. In an argument with Mayor Andre Sayegh, he said the phrase was used by people to describe haggling. “I never use it,” the mayor said. (Please click headline to read full story)

Fighting anti-Semitism at local levels of government Read More »

Bruce Ticker, USA

In field of immunology, AI is needed to sort through all the data

Excerpt: Considering the existence of widespread data on the human immune system, most of it not easily connected, this is an enormous task for a human mind.  
In a humorous aside, Dr. Shen-Orr, recalling the classic Faustian Pact with the Devil, offered that the Devil came to our scientific labs 20 years ago (the genome and its derivatives), and offered a great ‘data dump.’  He tricked us, since the sheer volume of it makes no sense.

But with Super Computers and applied AI, it is possible to begin to sort the data and find patterns which give us direction into how to treat those yet untreatable.  (Please click headline to read full story)

In field of immunology, AI is needed to sort through all the data Read More »

Irv Jacobs, MD, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education

 Our Shtetl San Diego County: September 21, 2019

Items in today’s column include:
*No Jewish unity when it comes to local politics
*Political dots and dashes
*The continuing tragic aftermath of the shooting at Chabad of Poway
*Congresswoman Davis on student loan forgiveness, forced arbitration
*Conductor David Amos schedules a concert season honoring Beethoven’s 250th birthday
*Mazel Tov! Mazel Tov!

 Our Shtetl San Diego County: September 21, 2019 Read More »

Donald H. Harrison, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA

Netanyahu’s end? A Shakespearean tragedy

The plot is afoot. A leader is about to be toppled. Suddenly. Instantly. To go from the world stage to serve in sad opposition alongside Arabs he did not trust and religious Jews he falsely claimed to represent.

Is this the tragic political end of Benjamin Netanyahu? Truly a man who could hold his own among world leaders. Brought down by hubris, now seeing himself with two sad choices. To sit with the losers. Or to see his day in court. Power seems to have been grabbed from his hand with shocking suddenness.

Netanyahu’s end? A Shakespearean tragedy Read More »

Barry Shaw, Middle East

Trump again honors Chabad Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein

Vaus said Goldstein and Trump “have a real connection” growing out of that April tragedy and giving way to “constant contact” with the White House (“They keep checking in to make sure we have everything that we need.”)

The 58-year-old rabbi also visited the Oval Office.

Eight days ago, Vaus said, he and Goldstein sought to return the courtesy.

Trump again honors Chabad Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein Read More »

Jewish History, Ken Stone, San Diego County, USA