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2014

The Theory of Everything: Big Holes in Hawking’s Life By Marilyn Penn

You wouldn’t guess that Stephen Hawking’s inspiring and dramatic life would need embellishment by withholding pertinent information and distorting facts, yet that is precisely what occurs in the film “The Theory of Everything.” Based on his first wife’s book (”Travelling to Infinity”), Jane Hawking is portrayed as a fresh-faced, forever young martyr who manages to take care of a completely paralyzed man and three children while working on her Ph.D and vacuuming the house – all unassisted. Since we have already witnessed that once Stephen required a wheelchair, he needed to be lifted and carried to his next location, we know that it just isn’t possible that they lived without additional help yet we don’t see a nurse enter until the children are fairly grown. In truth, as of 1974, a student always lived and traveled with the Hawkings to help with Stephen’s extraordinary health care needs.

For unexplained reasons, we are never told that after Stephen’s tracheotomy, he was cared for by three shifts of nurses, including Elaine Mason, the woman who caused the breakup in his marriage and whom he eventually married in 1995. Also not revealed is that those two divorced 11 years later after nasty rumors that she had been abusing him. Did the filmmaker think that the brilliant and helpless Hawking would be less sympathetic with some character flaws? Would his wife Jane appear less noble if the nurses who helped to care for him were acknowledged for their help? And why the omission of the fact that all of his care was paid for by a private American foundation since the National Health Service would only pay for him in a nursing home.

LAWRENCE SELLIN, PHD: THE LEFT’S LEGACY OF LIES

Who amongst us has ever heard of William A. Wirt?

In her exceptional book “American Betrayal: The Secret Assault on Our Nation’s Character,” Diana West writes that Wirt, a Gary, Indiana schools superintendent, asserted before a Congressional committee in May 1934 that there was a deliberately conceived plot among members of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal administration to overthrow the established social order in the United States and substitute a communist-style planned economy.

The Roosevelt administration well understood that if Wirt’s accusations were seriously investigated it might distract from or even halt their political momentum. For that reason, it was decided that the proceedings would be a suppression of the truth rather than an uncovering of the truth.

For performing his patriotic duty, Wirt was branded a liar by committee Democrats, smeared by the press and even ridiculed by Roosevelt himself, a fate that would likewise befall future anti-communists such as ex-Soviet agent Whittaker Chambers, journalist M. Stanton Evans, Representative Martin Dies (D-TX) and Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-WI).

As West notes, a careful investigation of Wirt’s charges might have averted the Communist infiltration of the U.S. government that marked the middle decades of the twentieth century. Expert estimates now peg the number of Americans assisting Soviet intelligence agencies during the 1930s and 1940s as exceeding five hundred, including high-ranking government officials such as Alger Hiss (State Department), Lauchlin Currie (White House), Harry Dexter White (Treasury) and Roosevelt’s most intimate and Lend-Lease boss Harry Hopkins, who twice covertly passed vital secrets to the Soviets. World War II Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall said: “Hopkins’s job with the president was to represent the Russian interests. My job was to represent the American interests.”

More revealing is the political mechanism by which elected U.S. officials and the media have long sought to shield the apparent conspiracy from investigation, against an airing of the facts, even as they also casually sacrificed a good citizen to do so. This was the beginning of an era, an era of American betrayal and the onset of the Big Lie.

EILEEN TOPLANSKY: IS IMPEACHMENT JUSTIFIED?

Political correctness now dominates the realm of this country. The result is that the law is maimed, and factual, logical, and rational thinking is attacked on a regular basis.

But the most egregious of political correctness stances is the one that maintains that Obama cannot be impeached because of the melanin level in his skin. In an incredibly prescient article from 2009, author L.E. Ikenga pointed out what would be America’s undoing if this country continued to obsess “over the color of Barack Obama’s skin” instead of paying more attention to his ardent desire to become a “despot.” At the time, Ikenga asserted that “Obama is intrinsically undemocratic and as his presidency plays out, this will become more obvious.”

And now six years later, Obama continues with his absolute and unrelenting intention to transform this country via unconstitutional means. The most shameful aspect of letting Obama get away with his unlawful actions is that it is an abject insult to the good people of this country. We are asked to ignore his actions and accept that, because he is black, his misdeeds do not matter. The message of moral rot is there for the next generation to see.

And see, they do. Millenials are beginning to understand the horror of Obamacare but only because it is hitting them in the pocketbook, not because of the inherent abuse of their freedoms. They may have voted Republican, but statistics show that they have lost faith with the system we have in America. And why wouldn’t they?

All they see is corruption from the top down. The latest revelation by Jonathan Gruber that Obama was in the room when the deceptive Cadillac tax was established is just another manifestation of the incredible hubris of Obama and company. Each Obama action makes a mockery of the Constitution and its safeguards of checks and balances.

And thus, we adults will have failed the millenials, if we do not put the brakes on Obama and his cronies. The Black American community has been terribly damaged by this man as well. Conservative writer Deneen Borelli, in her book Blacklash explains “how Obama and the Left are driving Americans to the government plantation” and that “members of the black community support what she says but can’t freely express themselves because of the attack[s] they will endure.” So law-abiding Americans are being muzzled. It is the ultimate insult to a free people as the rule of law becomes irrelevant and/or unjust.

JACK ENGELHARD: HEY JON STEWART- NICE COMPANY YOU KEEP

Nobody asked your opinion. But when you spoke up we found you to be a turncoat.

Congratulations on becoming a filmmaker. So you’re in Canada promoting this film of yours “Rosewater.” Who knew you were so multi-talented.

Even those who do not watch your Daily Show know you as a comedian. So it comes as a surprise to find you making headlines as a Serious Person.

So this keeps coming up, about your hostility towards Israel and complaints that you are a self-hating Jew…and now where are all the writers you depend on for your material? I ask because to be quite honest something terrible happens when you stop being funny.

You become just another hotheaded jerk. Who knew you had such a large chip on your shoulder?

Maybe on the basis of one movie you imagine yourself an auteur. Well hold the chariots, Mr. DeMille.

So I’m reading (courtesy of Canada’s National Post) that you are beyond reproach because you lost family in the Holocaust. That’s an obnoxious evasion.

Every single Jewish person suffered the same infamy. You won’t get sympathy on the basis of being an orphan.

SOL SANDERS: THE CHINESE RIDDLE

A version of this column will be posted Monday, Nov. 17, 2014, on the website http://yeoldecrabb.com/

The Chinese Riddle

A servile media has again misrepresented the important if unproductive Asian tour of Pres. Barack Hussein Obama, most importantly the promised engagement with China which failed to materialize.

The ballyhooed U.S.-China climate change agreement, appealing to the fashionable, signed between the U.S and China was much less than meets the eye. It committed America – until it gets to a Congress which will have a different sense – to a rigorous cutback in industrial carbon emissions to be achieved at the price of economic growth and jobs.

It couldn’t be more bogus. Beijing, by far the world’s greatest polluter and not only through carbon emissions but through poisoning of its arable land and most of its water, only formally signed on for something ambiguous down the road. Worse still, as Japanese and South Korean consumers have found – and those Walmart customers may one day learn too at their peril — it exports its poisons through cheaper processed foods.

Recent history is littered with the evidence of failures of the Chinese Communist adherence to international agreements it has signed. Ironically, many of them were pushed through international forums by Washington administrations, both Republican and Democrat, anxious to bring “a rising China” into the world family. For example, none of China’s promises have been fulfilled after the U.S. shoehorned it against considerable opposition into the World Trade Organization with all its benefits.

As previous administrations, most notably the two Bush II terms, Washington did not take on China’s manipulation of its currency and its subsidized exports which have disemboweled American manufacturing. That Chinese thrust had to be met at the same time U.S. industry was trying to cope with the digital revolution, with its enormous increases in productivity but an absence of low and medium-skilled job creation.

SYDNEY WILLIAMS: THE ILLIBERAL UNIVERSITY

Mottos carved in granite over our nation’s universities carry words like “wisdom,” “truth,” “knowledge,” “virtue,” and “justice.” They are generally inscribed in Latin, which emits an even greater sense of solemnity and reverence. They are noble words that convey impartiality, places where contrary opinions can be debated and knowledge is imparted didactically. They suggest institutions from which students will graduate with unlimited possibilities.

Unfortunately those words lie. It is ideology not knowledge that students today are taught and that they master. Most of today’s great universities no longer search for an illusive “truth.” The quaint concept of “virtue,” or the fairness embedded in “justice” are just words whose definitions are irrelevant. Professors offer opinions as fact.

There are no ivy-covered arches etched with the words, “Ignorantia vos Servitus,” yet that motto would more accurately capture many of today’s universities. Too many students graduate ignorant of ideas and opinions that do not accord with those of their teachers and fellow students. Consequently, too many grow up dependent, either on family or government. It is curious how closely aligned are the traits, rebellion and conformity. Today’s students are both rebellious and conformists. They rebel against the evil they are told is personified in the Koch brothers, while admitting no one into their circle that does not conform to their political leanings. They shun independent thinking. They feel sanctimonious, yet lack virtue. It is an attitude both arrogant and supercilious. It is elitism at its most foul. It is not education these students are receiving; it’s indoctrination.

One manifestation has been the reluctance of teachers and administrators to allow those deemed politically incorrect to speak on their campuses. Last spring, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was denied the opportunity at Rutgers, despite her being the first African-American woman to serve in that role. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Muslim convert to atheism and a woman who suffered genital mutilation as a child, was denied a promised honorary degree and disinvited from speaking at Babson this past spring.

Islam’s Assault on Women’s Sexuality — on The Glazov Gang

Islam’s Assault on Women’s Sexuality — on The Glazov Gang
A former Islamic Imam unveils the misogynist texts of Islam — and their earthly incarnations.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/frontpagemag-com/islams-assault-on-womens-sexuality-on-the-glazov-gang/

US AID WORKER BEHEADED BY ISIS

FILE – In this undated file photo provided by his family, Peter Kassig stands in front of a truck filled with supplies for Syrian refugees. The Indianapolis, Indiana, aid worker being held by the Islamic State group told family and teachers that he’d found his calling in 2012 when he decided to stay in the Middle East instead of returning to college, according to an email released Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014 by his family. (AP Photo/Courtesy Kassig Family, File)

BEIRUT (AP) – The Islamic State group released a graphic video Sunday in which a black-clad militant claims to have beheaded U.S. aid worker Peter Kassig, who was captured last year.
The militant was standing over a severed head, but it was not immediately possible to confirm that Kassig, 26, was pictured in the video. Family representatives were not immediately available for comment.
The video, which was posted on websites used by the group in the past, appeared to be the latest in a series of grisly messages to the U.S. warning of further brutality if it does not abandon its air campaign in Iraq and Syria.
“This is Peter Edward Kassig, a U.S. citizen, of your country; Peter who fought against the Muslims in Iraq, while serving as a soldier,” the militant says near the end of the nearly 16-minute video. He speaks in an audible British accent despite his voice being distorted to make it more difficult to identify him.
The video also shows what appears to be the mass beheading of several Syrian soldiers captured by the group. The militants warn that U.S. soldiers will meet a similar fate.

GOOD NEWS FROM AMAZING ISRAEL: MICHAEL ORDMAN

http://verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com/

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Detecting preemie respiratory distress. (Thanks to Israel21c) Israeli startup Pneumedicare has developed the Pneumonitor to monitor premature babies on ventilation machines. A ventilator can cause pneumothorax, in which the infant’s tiny air sacs over-inflate and burst. Pneumonitor’s alarm sounds an hour before any problem arises. http://www.israel21c.org/headlines/helping-preemies-breathe-easier/

Discovery of the infertility gene. Tel Aviv University scientists have discovered that the genetic deletion of the protein Interleukin-1 (IL-1) improves fertility. It could help increase the effectiveness of IVF treatment. The discovery was made accidentally during research at TAU into IL-1’s role in the hardening of the arteries.

http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2014/10/30/tel-aviv-u-study-neutralizing-immune-gene-improves-success-of-fertility-treatments/

Israel funds cancer research. (Thanks to Israel21c) The Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) has made 94 new research grants for the 2014/15 year, totaling a record $3,453,332. Since 1977, ICRF has made 2,115 grants, totaling over $52 million. Successes include 3 top cancer treatments and two major genetic discoveries.

http://www.israel21c.org/news/3-45-million-for-cancer-research/

Violinist continues to improve. Naomi Elishuv made headlines in September when she played the violin while Israeli surgeons implanted two electrodes in her brain to stop her tremors. Doctors say Naomi is recovering impressively and they hope the type of implant will soon be used in other cases.

http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=21153

Treatment for prostate problems. BPH won’t kill you – it stands for benign prostatic hyperplasia – but it can make life uncomfortable for 50% of men over 50 years old and 80% of men over 80. ClearRing from Israel’s ProArc Medical can address BPH in 10 minutes by a urologist, with no sedation required, and no complications

http://www.israel21c.org/headlines/hope-for-men-with-bladder-and-prostate-problems/

Treating burns in children. Israel’s MediWound has commenced a Phase 3 study to valuate the efficacy and safety of its innovative NexoBrid treatment for severe burns in children. The study plans to be conducted in around 25 sites in Europe and Israel. NexoBrid removes dead or damaged skin without harming viable tissue.

http://ir.mediwound.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=879786

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Israel develops the car of the future. (Thanks to Israel21c) All major auto manufacturers, including Volvo, Toyota, Renault, Fiat and BMW, seek after Israeli car-tech. Israel has about 150 companies developing some of the most advanced security and vision systems for the vehicles of today and tomorrow.

http://www.israel21c.org/headlines/israel-develops-the-car-of-the-future-audio/

Ford buys Israeli navigation system. The Ford Motor Company has signed a deal with Israel’s Mishor 3D, which develops augmented reality navigation systems for automobiles. Ford will fit Mishor’s navigation systems into future Ford vehicles. Mishor’s ShadowBox displays vital information onto the car’s windshield.

http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2014/10/31/ford-picks-israeli-mishor-3ds-navigation-systems/

The Great Immigration Betrayal : Ross Douthat

IN the months since President Obama first seem poised — as he now seems poised again — to issue a sweeping executive amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants, we’ve learned two important things about how this administration approaches its constitutional obligations.

First, we now have a clear sense of the legal arguments that will be used to justify the kind of move Obama himself previously described as a betrayal of our political order. They are, as expected, lawyerly in the worst sense, persuasive only if abstracted from any sense of precedent or proportion or political normality.

Second, we now have a clearer sense of just how anti-democratically this president may be willing to proceed.
The legal issues first. The White House’s case is straightforward: It has “prosecutorial discretion” in which illegal immigrants it deports, it has precedent-grounded power to protect particular groups from deportation, and it has statutory authority to grant work permits to those protected. Therefore, there can be no legal bar to applying discretion, granting protections and issuing work permits to roughly half the illegal-immigrant population.

This argument’s logic, at once consistent and deliberately obtuse, raises one obvious question: Why stop at half? (Activists are already asking.) After all, under this theory of what counts as faithfully executing the law, all that matters is that somebody, somewhere, is being deported; anyone and everyone else can be allowed to work and stay. So the president could “temporarily” legalize 99.9 percent of illegal immigrants and direct the Border Patrol to hand out work visas to every subsequent border crosser, so long as a few thousand aliens were deported for felonies every year.

The reality is there is no agreed-upon limit to the scope of prosecutorial discretion in immigration law because no president has attempted anything remotely like what Obama is contemplating. In past cases, presidents used the powers he’s invoking to grant work permits to modest, clearly defined populations facing some obvious impediment (war, persecution, natural disaster) to returning home. None of those moves even approached this plan’s scale, none attempted to transform a major public policy debate, and none were deployed as blackmail against a Congress unwilling to work the president’s will.