House Impeaches President Trump by 232-197 Vote

After more than three hours of televised, often heated debate, a united Democratic party, aided by 10 Republicans, impeached President Donald Trump for an unprecedented second time.  The vote on Wednesday, January 13, showed 232 members of Congress in favor of impeachment, and 197 members, all of them Republicans, opposed.  The matter goes next for trial by the U.S. Senate which Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said will not convene for formal business until January 19, one day before President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are scheduled to be inaugurated. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, The World We Share, USA

Notes on Haftorah Reading of January 16, 2021

This short Haftorah’s connection to the Torah reading is that it rails against Egypt as a failed ally, while the earlier Torah’s message outlines Moses’ first seven plagues against Egypt, also which failed. It is from the writings of the prophet Ezekiel, a controversial personality different from the other prophets. His writings and images are also clearly much different from other prophets. His key visions are so fantastic, that many if not most, moderns, both Biblical scholars and physicians, suggest they were hallucinations which a psychiatrist today might attribute to psychosis. [Irv Jacobs, M.D.]

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Travel and Food

2 Capitol Police Officers Suspended & 10 Investigated For Alleged Roles In Riot

On Monday, two Capitol Police officers were suspended and 10 more are being investigated for their behavior during last week’s assault on the Capitol. Federal agents are now looking at whether current and former law enforcement officers played a role in the riot. According to Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), one of the Capitol police officers

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USA

3 Republican Governors Demand Trump’s Removal Or Resignation

Govs. Phil Scott (R-Vermont), Larry Hogan (R-Maryland) and Charlie Baker (R-Mass.) have all individually called for the resignation or removal of President Donald Trump as a result of his inciting of crowds this Wednesday and their subsequent storming of the Capitol building.  Scott specifically wrote in a Twitter post Wednesday, “Enough is enough. President Trump

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USA

Troops on Washington streets to begin carrying arms

Washington (AFP) – National Guard troops deployed on the streets of Washington began carry weapons late Tuesday in a major change of posture ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration as US president, according to an AFP photographer. The Guard soldiers were originally mobilized to provide mostly logistical support to Washington police, and on Monday General Daniel

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USA

Middlebury College in Vt. revokes Giuliani’s honorary degree for egging on Capitol mob

A liberal arts school in Vermont revoked an honorary degree it awarded to Rudy Giuliani over the role the president’s personal attorney played in last week’s violent Capitol Hill uprising. “Middlebury College has made the decision to revoke the honorary degree it presented to presidential attorney Rudolph Giuliani in 2005, and has communicated this to

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Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Calls grow for Sen. Cruz to be punished for his role in challenging electors

WASHINGTON — In the aftermath of last week’s mob violence at the U.S. Capitol, the calls for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to be punished for his leading role in challenging the presidential electors are now building to a crescendo. To be sure, the central figure of blame is President Donald Trump, who the Democratically

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USA

Howard Stern turns 67, says he’s ‘too tired’ to make America great again

Howard Stern turned 67 on Tuesday and started his birthday doing what he did last year — agonizing over the Trump presidency. According to Stern, who started a new five-year contract with SiriusXM this month, neither he nor President Trump, 74, are going to make the country great again. It’s time to move on. “Trumpies,

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USA

Trump’s inaction following rioting may be his biggest crime

The legal hook to snag Donald J. Trump: “Stay peaceful!” Ironic words to meld a criminal case against our soon-to-be ex-president for his role in the siege of Capitol Hill. I could not figure out how Trump is culpable for his pep talk to the thugs who went on to murder a police officer, injure other officers, terrify hundreds of powerful figures and trash the halls of Congress. At first. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, USA

12 Positive COVID cases reported at Seacrest Village’s Memory Care Unit

Twelve of the 24 patients in Seacrest Village Retirement Community’s Katzin Memory Care Unit have tested positive for COVID-19, Pam Ferris, President and CEO of the Encinitas-based facility run under Jewish community auspices, reported on Tuesday, January 12.   Of these, she said, nine already have had treatments involving intravenous infusion of the medication known as Bamlanivimab, and three others are scheduled to begin the single-time treatment, which lasts approximately two hours. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, USA

Lessons from Buddhists

While I am an Orthodox Jew, I recognize that I as well as all people of all religions can learn much from Buddhists and others. The greatest Jewish philosopher, the rational thinker Maimonides, reminded us that the truth is the truth no matter what its source. Not only rational philosophers, but even mystics stressed Maimonides’ teaching about taking truths from all sources, Jewish and non-Jewish. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr.

The Science of Struggle

One day, a boy found a fuzzy caterpillar and put it in a cage as a new pet. Soon, he observed the fascinating metamorphosis as the caterpillar disappeared within a cocoon. He checked the crusty shell daily and eventually noticed a small opening. As he’d hoped, a butterfly was trying to emerge. The boy waited impatiently and feared it was stuck. He took a scissors and gently opened the hole so the creature could escape. Sure enough, the butterfly inched out with a large swollen body and small, misshapen wings. Sadly, those wings never grew properly and the malformed insect spent its last days haplessly crawling around the cage. The boy learned that wings only develop when butterflies mount a tenacious struggle to escape their cocoons. His misguided act of kindness led to the creature’s doom. [Sam Glaser]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Sam Glaser