USA

Alex Padilla named as California’s next U.S. Senator; Shirley Weber to replace him

Two chairs in the California game of political musical chairs have now been filled. Alex Padilla, the California Secretary of State, has been appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to fill out the remainder of the U.S. Senate term of Vice President-elect Kamilla Harris. It is the first time that a Latino will have represented California in the Upper House of Congress. Padilla, like Harris, is a Democrat. He will face the voters in the 2022 elections, coinciding with the time Harris’ first and only Senate term would be near its conclusion. To replace Padilla as Secretary of State, Newsom chose Assemblywoman Shirley Weber of San Diego, who previously had served our city as a member of the San Diego Unified School District board and as a professor at San Diego State University. Her colleague, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, who had announced she plan to campaign for the job, graciously commented: “While I would’ve loved the opportunity to serve, I fully appreciate the need to amplify Black women in our state. Shirley Weber is an icon and will serve California well.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, USA

U.S. Must Make Cyber-Security a Top Priority

Solarwinds, a network management software company, was recently discovered to have had malware inserted into its products. Its clients’ systems have been compromised for as long as nine months. Someone—possibly the Russians, possibly the Chinese—has been inside the U.S. Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Treasury Department and major American industries. The list gets longer every day. [Shoshana Bryen and Stephen D. Bryen}

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International, Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, Stephen D. Bryen, USA

La Jolla family immigrates to Israel

“I saw Uriel deplane his Nefesh B’Nefesh flight, I looked at Orin, and I said, ‘Let’s make Aliyah.’ And that was it,” recalls Liora Green regarding her son’s immigration to Israel in August 2019. Indeed, the Green family did not need any further convincing. A year later — and in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic — Liora and Orin Green as well as their children Merav, 14, and Dalia, 11, made Aliyah from La Jolla to join Uriel, 20. Another sibling, Eyal, 17, is completing his studies at Southern California Yeshiva (SCY) High and plans to make Aliyah in June 2021. [Jacob Kamaras]

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Jacob Kamaras, Lifestyles, Middle East, San Diego County, USA

Trump Asks Supreme Court To Overturn Biden’s Pennsylvania Election Victory

Despite multiple failures, President Donald Trump and his campaign team are continuing in their efforts to overturn the results of the November election – and they are now seeking help from the Supreme Court with a new petition. The petition, which seeks an overturn of Pennsylvania Supreme Court decisions that denied requests to allow the

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USA

Seems like old times: Coalition squabbles

We’re up against a deadline. Presumably, if the Israeli government does not pass a budget today, the Knesset goes home and there’ll be an election, perhaps within three months. There have been several options, including a postponing of the deadline, and lots of discussion.  Perhaps an enactment of a 2020 budget, that’ll serve the country for the next week! [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA

Senate approves bill on American hostages named for Robert Levinson

U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chris Coons (D-De.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)  on Monday released the following statements on securing passage of the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act (S.712) as part of the end-of-year funding legislation approved by the Senate today. (Senate Foreign Relations Committee Press Release)

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International, Middle East, USA

The artist as ‘hooligan’ on exhibit at NYC’s Pace Gallery

The Hooligans is Ghenie’s fourth solo exhibition at Pace Gallery, comprised of nine paintings and three drawings, all produced during this last year. It is a sustained engagement with European painting, including J.M.W. Turner, the Impressionists, and post-Impressionists, particularly Van Gogh and Gaugin. Ghenie remarks in a statement about this new body of work: “When I look at the Impressionists, I have the strange feeling that I am looking at something very schizophrenic. Behind those harmless colorful landscapes there is an incredible, destructive force; camouflaged. It is an act of hooliganism.” [Sam Ben-Meir, Ph.D]

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-Meir, USA

US charges Libyan ‘bombmaker’ over 1988 Lockerbie attack

Washington (AFP) – The US Justice Department announced charges Monday against a Libyan former intelligence agent who allegedly built the bomb that exploded aboard Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland exactly 32 years ago. Attorney General Bill Barr said that “Abu Agela Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi” helped build the device that blew up the aircraft

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International, Middle East, USA

Jews, Muslims and Bacon (!) at a Christmas Party

Our Christmas party happened to fall on the sixth day of Chanukah, so I wanted to contribute. What I used to do at my school was bring in homemade sufganiyot using whole wheat flour with nutmeg mixed into the dough, fill them with jam and fry them up in coconut oil. These treats would be proudly presented in a basket with a sign that read “You don’t have to be Jewish to have a Happy Chanukah!” [Eric George Tauber]

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Eric George Tauber, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA