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Ruth King

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Iran: The Ventriloquist Dummy’s New Lexicon by Amir Taheri

By on April 14th, 2019

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14066/iran-ventriloquist-dummy

Russia has imposed the Caspian Convention it dictated, but vetoes Iran’s membership in the Euro-Asian “economic family” and the Shanghai Group. Russia’s interest is keeping Iran out of the international gas market, thus holding Moscow’s Damocles Sword above the EU’s head.

As for Turkey, its chief interest in the Islamic Republic is to secure support for killing Kurds, something that runs counter to Iran’s own national interests.

As long as the Islamic Republic believes that it can do whatever it likes without risking any punishment it would make little difference through which dummy the ventriloquist utters his text.

Though it is too early to assess the impact of President Donald Trump’s decision to harden US policy towards the Islamic Republic of Iran, one thing is already clear. Trump’s rhetoric and the reactivation of sanctions suspended by President Barack Obama, plus new measures against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) are making it harder for the leadership in Tehran to pursue its forked-tongue diplomacy designed to hoodwink bleeding heart liberals in the West while fanning the fires of hatred in the global anti-West constituency.

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ISRAEL Comments turned off

GOOD NEWS FROM AMAZING ISRAEL FROM MICHAEL ORDMAN

By on April 14th, 2019

http://verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com/2019/04/israels-good-news-newsletter-to-14th.html
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

First live op using holographic imaging. Surgeons at Toronto General Hospital performed the first live medical procedure using real-time holographic imaging developed by Israel’s RealView Imaging (see here). The 3D images allowed the surgeons to see inside the heart prior to a mitral valve replacement procedure.
http://nocamels.com/2019/04/israel-holographic-imaging-tech-1st-live-medical-procedure/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-63ofSXSWgs http://realviewimaging.com/

First ever vein transplant from living donor. Avi Yavetz from Modi’in suffers from peripheral vascular disease (PVD) and a leg amputation was imminent. However, his son, 27-year-old Snir donated a long vein, which was implanted into his father in a first of its kind operation. Two weeks later and both are doing fine.
http://hadassahinternational.org/first-ever-vein-transplant-from-living-donor-son-saves-fathers-leg/

Brain monitoring in real time. I reported previously (Mar 2015) on the computer interface device from Israel’s Neurosteer used to monitor brain activity. The three-strip wearable device is now in clinical trials in Israel, Europe and the United States and proving far simpler and more useful than EEG and fMRI alternatives.
https://www.israel21c.org/new-monitoring-tool-could-revolutionize-brain-treatment/

US approval for surgical mesh. (TY Atid-EDI) I reported previously (Apr 2017) on the innovative FasTouch fixation system from Israel’s Via Surgical for hernia repairs. The company has just announced that it has received US FDA approval for the system. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/via-surgical-receives-fda-clearance-for-its-fastouch-absorbable-fixation-system-300813799.html http://viasurgical.com/science/

European approval for aortic arch repair system. (TY Atid-EDI) I reported previously (Apr 2018) when Israel’s Endospan received the CE mark for its Horizon stent graft system to treat Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. It now also has received the CE mark for its Nexus Stent Graft System to treat Aortic Arch Disease.
https://www.fdanews.com/articles/190639-endospan-earns-ce-mark-for-aortic-arch-repair-system

Fast test to identify the right antibiotic. I’ve reported previously (see here) on the many Israeli innovations that are trying to prevent antibiotics from becoming ineffective. Now Israeli startup Nanosynex offers a 4-hour test to determine which antibiotic will be effective and what dose to use to prevent it developing resistance.
https://www.israel21c.org/diagnostic-test-from-israel-aims-to-stop-superbug-surge/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieECO-C7XnM https://nanosynex.com/

Smart migraine patches heading for US. (TY Atid-EDI) I reported previously (Oct 2016) on the Nerivio Migra smart patch from Israel’s Theranica to provide migraine relief. Since then, Theranica has successfully completed a 12-center pivotal study of the patch and has raised $35 million for US FDA approval and beyond.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/theranica-announces-results-from-pivotal-study-of-device-for-treating-acute-migraine-832012898.html https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/theranica-raises-35m-to-bring-innovative-migraine-device-to-the-usa-300813846.html

Successful trials of pregnancy monitor. (TY Atid-EDI) I reported previously (Jun 2015) on the PregSense wearable fetal monitor from Israel’s Nuvo. Renamed Invu,,multi-center trials produced fetal and maternal heart rates comparable to existing standalone cardiotocographs (CTGs). US FDA review is in progress.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nuvo-group-ltd-presents-data-on-remote-monitoring-in-pregnancy-at-the-66th-annual-society-for-reproductive-investigation-sri-meeting-300813907.html

Good trial results for NASH treatment. (TY Atid-EDI) I reported previously (Oct 2014) that the Aramchol treatment from Israel’s Galmed for Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) had been fast-tracked by the US FDA. Latest trials show that twice-daily dosages of Aramchol significantly increased blood plasma levels.
http://galmedpharma.investorroom.com/2019-03-12-Galmed-Reports-Positive-Results-From-Pharmacokinetic-Split-Dose-Study-of-Aramchol

Hope for flu sufferers. The 3rd episode of Israel’s Weizmann in Focus, highlights that, since October, 7.3 million Americans have been sick with the flu virus with over 80,000 hospitalized. Weizmann Professor Ruth Arnon’s work has led to the development of the Universal Flu Virus, being trialed by Israel’s BiondVax.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR0gNCcKGzw

Israelis have lowest diet-related deaths. An analysis of dietary data has shown that Israel has the lowest rate of diet-related deaths in the world. The Global Burden of Disease study, published in UK’s The Lancet, reported that in Israel, just 89 people out of every 100,000 die each year in deaths related to poor-quality diet.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-has-lowest-rate-of-diet-related-deaths-in-the-world-major-study-finds/
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)30041-8/fulltext

Probiotic chew for women. Israel’s Anlit has launched a probiotics chew targeting women’s health. Feminine Probiotics contains a blend of six different strains of live probiotic bacteria plus cranberry extract to support genitourinary tract health. It comes as a vanilla-cranberry flavored chew that melts in the mouth.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/feminine-probiotics-in-a-delicious-format-300823754.html

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NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Why Isn’t Assange Charged with ‘Collusion with Russia’? By Andrew C. McCarthy *****

By on April 14th, 2019

https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/04/why-isnt-assange-charged-with-collusion-with-russia/

The government would have a chance to prove in court that Russia was WikiLeaks’ source.

Prior to the publication of the stolen Democratic-party emails and internal documents, Julian Assange and WikiLeaks exhorted Russian government hackers to send them “new material.”

That is what we are told by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s indictment of Russian intelligence officers. (I won’t offend anyone by calling them “spies” — after all, they were just doing electronic surveillance authorized by their government, right?) Assange wanted the Russians to rest assured that giving “new material” to WikiLeaks (identified as “Organization 1” in the indictment) would “have a much higher impact than what you are doing” — i.e., hacking and then putting the information out through other channels.

But time was of the essence. It was early 2016. If Hillary Clinton was not stopped right there and then, WikiLeaks warned, proceedings at the imminent Democratic national convention would “solidify bernie supporters behind her.” Of course, “bernie” is Bernie Sanders, the competitor who could still get the nomination. But if Assange and the Russians couldn’t raise Bernie’s prospects, WikiLeaks explained, Mrs. Clinton would be a White House shoo-in: “We think trump has only a 25% chance of winning against hillary . . . so conflict between bernie and hillary is interesting.”

In a nutshell: Knowing that Russia had the capacity to hack the DNC and perhaps Clinton herself, WikiLeaks urged it to come up with new material and vowed to help bring it maximum public attention. By necessity, this desire to hurt Clinton would inure to Sanders’s benefit. And sure enough, WikiLeaks eventually published tens of thousands of the Democratic emails hacked by Russian intelligence.

So . . . I have a few questions.

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BOOKS Comments turned off

Michel Houellebecq: Prophet or Troll? written by Jaspreet Singh Boparai

By on April 13th, 2019

https://quillette.com/2019/04/10/michel-houellebecq

A review of Serotonine (French Edition), by Michel Houellebecq. French and European Publications Inc (January 3, 2019), 352 pages.

Michel Houllebecq, the bestselling French novelist and provocateur, has a knack for predicting disasters. His sex-tourism novel Plateforme (2001) featured a terrorist incident at a resort in Thailand that was eerily similar to the 2002 Bali bombings. Soumission (2015) was released on the day of the al-Qaeda-linked Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris; the novel’s subject (an Islamist takeover of France) made the coincidence distinctly uncomfortable. Now Houellebecq’s most recent book, Sérotonine (2019), appears to have foreseen the ‘gilet jaune’ (‘yellow vest’) protests that have rocked France since November.

Clearly Houellebecq saw something like this coming, and understood that it was inevitable. Yet for all his perspicacity, Houellebecq is often dismissed as a mere literary troll. Certainly he has a troll’s gift for identifying weak spots in his targets, and then attacking them relentlessly. He is not above this sort of nihilistic glee; but unlike a normal troll, he focuses his rage and disgust, not on random individuals, but on the culture that has grown to dominate the French governing class in the wake of the May 1968 student protests in Paris.

Houellebecq is not a conventional literary artist, or a particularly skilled one. His attempts at philosophical discussion cannot withstand scrutiny for long. He has little critical acumen; even his opinions are, for the most part, conventional and unsurprising, except (sometimes) in their provocative manner of expression. Where Houellebecq stands out from his peers is in his freakish gift for observation. He is not a lyrical writer or a storyteller: he is a seer.

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HOMELAND SECURITY Comments turned off

There Are 10,000 Illegals from Terror States at Large in the U.S., ICE Reports By Tyler O’Neil

By on April 13th, 2019

https://pjmedia.com/trending/there-are-10000-illegals-from-terror-states-at-large-in-the-u-s-ice-reports/

On Friday, the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported that there are more than 10,000 illegal immigrants in the United States who came from countries the U.S. designates as state sponsors of terrorism. These illegals have been ordered removed or have pending final orders of removal, but currently live in America.

“My biggest concern isn’t how many terrorists have been arrested entering the country illegally, but how many got through?” Thomas Homan, a former acting director of ICE, said in a statement for the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI). “How many did Border Patrol not catch? That’s what Americans should be thinking about.”

ICE provided records in response to an IRLA Freedom of Information Act request showing that there are 10,340 illegal immigrants from terror states. According to the State Department, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Iran, Sudan, and Syria are all state sponsors of terrorism.

According to ICE records, there are 2,812 illegal immigrants from Iran who have been ordered removed, and 3,519 who have orders of removal pending, for a grand total of 6,331 illegals from Iran. There are three illegals from North Korea with finalized orders of removal and 18 whose removal orders are pending, for a total of 21. There are 941 illegals from Sudan with finalized removal orders and 919 with pending removal orders, for a total of 1,860. There are 647 illegals with finalized removal orders from Syria and 1,481 with removal orders still pending, for a total of 2,128.

State and local law enforcement agencies once coordinated with ICE to remove people on the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) list who were wanted on an administrative warrant for removal from the U.S., but sanctuary laws prevent such coordination. ICE has still removed an average of about 44 known or suspected terrorists per year in fiscal years 2017 and 2018, IRLI reported.

“It’s bad enough that America is deluged with illegal aliens from failed states around the world,” Dale L. Wilcox, IRLI’s executive director and general counsel, said in a statement. “It’s simply unacceptable that we also have more than 10,000 aliens here from terrorist states that are sworn enemies of America.”

“We saw on 9/11 the damage that only 19 sleeper cell terrorists could cause. This is just the latest example of the disaster of sanctuary laws, which force ICE agents to operate with one hand tied behind their backs while making our communities inherently more dangerous,” Wilcox concluded.

Illegal immigrants from these countries may or may not be terrorists. After all, many flee Iran, North Korea, and Syria to escape warfare and oppressive regimes. Even so, the large number of illegals from these countries should concern Americans.

America’s immigration laws need reform, but the current laws should still be enforced, especially for illegals from terror-supporting states.

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MEDIA Comments turned off

The Liberal Media ‘Matrix’ By Matthew Continetti

By on April 13th, 2019

https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/04/liberal-media-bias-jussie-smollett-robert-mueller/

Covington, Smollett, Mueller, Avenatti, and other adventures in unreality.

I used to laugh every time I heard someone like Elon Musk say that we are living in a Matrix-like simulation. These days, not so much.

Don’t call the funny farm just yet. On the major question of the nature of sense experience, I remain with Aristotle and against Bishop Berkeley. Matter is real. But there is also the question of how we perceive “the news”; how established media institutions present and frame information; how we are supposed to respond to the “takes” purportedly expert and knowledgeable voices serve up to us by the second on social media. And here, I’m skeptical.

It’s hard not to be. Think of the headlines we’ve encountered since the beginning of this year. We were told the Covington Catholic boys were smug racist Trump supporters on the basis of a snippet of video. A young man, a private citizen, whose only offense was traveling to Washington, D.C., to march for life, was transformed at light speed into a symbol of hate and systemic oppression. However, just as Nick Sandmann’s reputation as a villain was about to set in stone, additional videos revealed that the students’ encounter with a far-left American Indian activist and the Black Hebrew Israelites was far more complicated than initially reported. The Covington Catholic boys had been smeared. People who cast themselves as agents of professional knowledge, expertise, and moral authority had circulated and amplified a lie in the service of a political agenda. Not for the first nor last time.

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P.C.-CULTURE Comments turned off

The Lehman Trilogy Is a MasterpieceBy Madeleine Kearns

By on April 13th, 2019

https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/04/the-lehman-trilogy-contemporary-stage-masterpiece/
In New York, Sam Mendes directs a gripping play about faith, family & capitalism.

A man in a sharp suit and dress shoes walks a tightrope between two skyscrapers against the New York City skyline. A silhouette – unmistakable – of the Empire State Building can be seen in the distance.

This is the image promoting The Lehman Trilogy, a gripping three-and-a-half-hour play (including intermissions) currently showing at New York’s Park Avenue Armory, which tells the story of the Lehman family and the collapse of their investment-banking firm, Lehman Brothers, precipitated by the 2008 global financial crisis.

The story begins in 1844, when Hayum Lehmann (soon to be called “Henry Lehman”), the son of a Bavarian cattle merchant, arrived at New York Harbor and set up camp in Montgomery, Ala., soon to be joined by his brothers Emanuel and Mayer. From Eastern Europe to the Deep South to New York City; from cotton to coffee to pure investment banking; from the Civil War to the Great Depression to the 2008 crash – The Lehman Trilogy is a story of immigrants, showcasing American success and Jewish resilience.

Written by Stefano Massini, an Italian playwright, the play was translated from Italian by Mirella Cheeseman and adapted by Ben Power. At the Park Armory, it is brought to life by the National Theatre and Neal Street Productions. Sam Mendes directs Adam Godley, Ben Miles, and Simon Russell Beale – three fine actors – and the result is close to perfection.

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NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Does Ilhan Omar Believe “Zionists/Jews” Are Responsible For 9/11…Like Al-Azhar’s Then U.S. Representative, Sheikh Gamei’a, Did?

By on April 13th, 2019

https://www.andrewbostom.org/2019/04/does-ilhan-omar-believe-zionists-jews-are-responsible-for-9-11like-al-azhars-then-u-s-representative-sheikh-gameia-did/

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s now infamous speech at a Hamas-linked Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) event March 23, 2019, was ostensibly about “justice” in Islam. Indeed Ms. Omar, acknowledging that although she wasn’t a hafiz (i.e., an extremely devout Muslim who memorizes the entire Koran; female=“hafiza”), nevertheless riveted her discussion on Koran 4:135. This verse highlights the supremacy of Islam in deciding what is “just”—namely, following the dictates of Allah, exclusively. The intimately related following verses, 4:136, and, especially 4:137, make plain those also provided Islam’s message via Muhammad, who chose to reject it—Jews and Christians—will not be guided, and more ominously, not forgiven, this “transgression.” (for confirmation, see these authoritative Koranic commentaries, here, here, on Koran 4:137).

Appropriately, public attention has been focused on Ilhan Omar’s statement at this CAIR meeting that the cultural jihadist organization,

was founded after 9/11/2001 [note: CAIR was founded in 1994, as a Hamas affiliate] because they recognized that some people did something, and [Muslims] were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.

Amidst the cacophony of well-deserved denunciations leveled at the good Congresswoman for her insensitivity, it is worth asking exactly whom she considers the “some people” that “did something.” This question must be posed to her directly. Why? As Pew polling data have revealed, consistently less than 30% of Ilhan Omar’s co-religionists, Arab and non-Arab Muslims alike, from a “high” of 28% of Lebanese Muslims, to only, 9%, 12%, and 20% of Muslims from Turkey, Pakistan, and Indonesia, respectively, believe that Arab Muslims were responsible for the 9/11/2001 jihad carnage.

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WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Ukraine’s race a sign of our time By Lawrence J. Haas

By on April 13th, 2019

https://thehill.com/opinion/international/438733-ukraines-race-a-sign-of-our-time
Ukraine’s presidential election, in which a popular comedian with no political experience is projected to beat a seasoned incumbent with considerable baggage, reflects global trends that continue to shake the global order.

Across the world, economic stagnation, immigration, and other challenges are fueling disgust with traditional politics, leaving voters increasingly attracted to candidates who offer a fresh face and a new approach – even if (or especially if) the candidates are novices and their agendas are vague.

The question is whether, over time, novice leaders (whether in the United States, Ukraine, or elsewhere) adapt to the post-war arrangements that have served the world well for three-quarters of a century, or those arrangements fall victim to unorthodox approaches that new leaders promise and voters seem increasingly willing to try.

That’s a timely question as freedom and democracy are declining around the world, Washington is cooling toward its Western allies and eschewing multilateral trade opportunities, Beijing is promoting an authoritarian alternative to U.S.-led freedom, China and Russia are working more closely in an anti-U.S. axis, and nuclear weaponry threatens to proliferate and further destabilize the world.

On April 21, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, a comedian who pretends to be President in a Ukrainian TV show, squares off against the actual incumbent President, Petro Poroshenko, who has served since 2014. In their battle, Zelensky and Poroshenko symbolize the unsettling global politics of our time.

First, it’s a battle between old and new.

Zelensky is what the ancient philosophers called a “Tabula Rasa” (a blank slate), for he has offered few ideas about what he would propose or whether he can work the mechanics of a parliamentary government.

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HISTORY Comments turned off

Iran, BDS, and Tales (Tails?) of Binx and Jahandir… Redux by Gerald A. Honigman

By on April 13th, 2019

With increasing popularity of assorted overt and covert anti-Semitic causes and individuals, such as those camouflaged by the so-called Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and characterized by folks like the plethora of duplicitous academics and emerging superstars of the Democrat Party like The Three Amigas (https://ekurd.net/the-three-amigas-2019-02-19), perhaps it’s time to consult a real expert on these matters…my cat, of blessed memory.

Please allow me to backtrack a bit, and I guess it was my own fault.

Way back in late 2004, my two elder daughters brought home a momma cat and two small kittens they had found late at night wandering on the road. Another kitten was allegedly spotted not far away which lost out in its chance encounter with a car…Who could say no to them?

The problem was that we already had three established cats. While we earlier had similar situations involving the two original females, it was Binx, the young male, who (even after being neutered) really proved to be a pistol regarding the newcomers. And I suspect he began by first blaming me.

I kept a box in my bedroom closet with some important material and memorabilia in it. Not a problem–until after our new feline additions entered the picture. Soon after their arrival, Binx was caught in the act of leaving unpleasant souvenirs, if you get my drift, in the box.

Not having much of a choice, I next had to gingerly weed through decades of materials I had saved. Funny what you’ll find when you do this sort of thing.

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