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Ruth King

Reinvigorating the Liberal Arts Matters More than Free Speech on Campus By Justin Dyer & Ryan Streeter

https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/07/liberal-arts-education-prepares-students-for-public-life/

A liberal-arts education prepares students for participation in public life.

During an era of “fake news,” post-truth politics, political intolerance, and polarization, various solutions to these woes have been proposed. Potential reforms range from changing political institutions to establishing new standards for social-media companies.

Much less-discussed — and almost forgotten in the fray — is the educational role of universities.

Liberal education, when done well, puts Americans into contact with ideas that are challenging and difficult. It teaches them how to talk with — rather than past — each other. Today, university administrators need to reckon with the ways in which the hollowing-out of the liberal arts has exacerbated rather than mollified the distemper in our public discourse.

More than calls for free speech and the need for ideological diversity on college campuses, we urgently need a renewal of the liberal arts. “The free search for truth and its free exposition in the liberal arts, are essential components of a functioning democracy,” noted the American Association of Colleges and Universities and the American Association of University Professors in May.

The debate over free speech on college campuses is symptomatic of a deeper problem: Many colleges have abandoned the core liberal-arts commitment to pursue truth about the human condition. Liberal arts –whether literature, history, or philosophy — have become attenuated. Certain disciplines are now heavily politicized, and core curricula have been dismantled in favor of an à la carte approach to class selection, as the American Council of Trustees and Alumni has documented.

Six Miscarriages of Justice in Winona, Miss. By Daniel Payne

https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/07/in-the-dark-podcast-reveals-miscarriage-of-justice-in-mississippi/

A new podcast sheds light on the case of a man who’s spent the last 22 years in prison, tried for the same murder over and over and over again.

American Public Media’s In the Dark podcast has done more in its two years than many podcasts will likely do in ten. Last year, it won a Peabody Award for what Rashida Jones called its “tour de force reporting” on the 1989 kidnapping of Jacob Wetterling, which examined the absurd, almost comical ineptness of the law-enforcement officials in charge of the Wetterling case. Nothing exposes the incompetence and corruption of bad government like journalists doing good old-fashioned journalism.

This year, In the Dark performed not so much a tour de force as a magnum opus of investigation. The show, hosted by journalist Madeleine Baran along with a crew of reporters and producers, headed to Winona, Miss., to examine what may be the most bizarre legal spectacle in modern American history: A man who has been tried in court six times for the same crime.

That man, Curtis Flowers, is black. He has been charged repeatedly with a gruesome, execution-style mass murder perpetrated in Winona in 1996, at a downtown furniture store where he had briefly worked and from which he had been fired a few days before the crime.

The local district attorney, Doug Evans, a white man, charged Flowers with the murders, claiming that there was enough evidence to place him at the scene of the murders on the day they took place. The verdicts in five of the six trials that subsequently ensued were overturned on appeal; each time, Evans simply charged and tried Flowers again, using the same evidence to convict him once more.

Piece by piece, In the Dark deals serious blows to the evidence that Evans has used to convict Flowers over and over again. The testimony of a ballistics expert is shown to be pointedly dubious; witnesses cited by the prosecution, some of them obviously unreliable, have recanted or contradicted their testimony; the star witness for the prosecution later explicitly admitted that he had lied under oath about Flowers’ having confessed to the murders.

MORE ABOUT JOHN JAMES -THE MICHIGAN PRIMARY IS ON AUGUST 7TH

Battle Tested

A husband, father, combat veteran, and businessman, John James is a conservative Republican. The former Army Captain and West Point graduate is President of James Group International, a supply-chain logistics company in Detroit.

John James is a husband, father, combat veteran and businessman. He is a pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, pro-business conservative who has demonstrated energetic leadership, clarity of vision and a passion for service from the battlefield to the boardroom. John James is a proven servant-leader who will represent all Michiganders and help unify Washington.

At 17, John made the decision to serve his country. After graduating from West Point in 2004, he became a Ranger-qualified aviation officer. John went on to serve with distinction in Operation Iraqi Freedom where he earned a Combat Action Badge (CAB) and two Air Medals, among other awards, while logging 753.8 flight hours in theater leading two Apache platoons.

After eight years of service to the nation, John James was honorably discharged and returned to Michigan to work in the family business: James Group International. Currently its President, James has led the company from $35 million to $137 million in revenue while creating 100 additional jobs in Michigan and around the country since 2012.

ELECTIONS ARE COMING: Trump Endorses Iraq War Vet John James in Michigan Senate Primary By Debra Heine

https://pjmedia.com/election/trump-endorses-spectacular-iraq-war-vet-john-james-in-michigan-senate-primary/

President Trump gave a big boost to John James, a rising star in the Republican Party who is running in Michigan’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate. In two tweets Friday, the president called the 37-year-old African-American business executive and Iraq War helicopter pilot a “SPECTACULAR!” candidate with “great potential,” who is “strong on crime and borders, loves our Military, our Vets and our Second Amendment.”

James is running against detergent manufacturer Sandy Pensler in the August 7 contest and the winner will face third-term Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow in November.

Vice President Mike Pence also endorsed James on Friday.

“I want to help the president create more economic opportunity, secure our borders and strengthen our national security. From the battlefield to the boardroom, I have the experience to get the job done for Michigan,” James said in a statement.

The candidate and his “good buddy,” former U.S. Navy SEAL Rob O’Neill (who allegedly fired the head shots that killed Osama bin Laden), expressed how pleased they were with the endorsements while out politicking on Friday. CONTINUE AT SITE

SJWs Insist ‘Disabled’ Is an Identity, Call Those Who Disagree ‘Ableist’ By Faith Moore

https://pjmedia.com/trending/sjws-insist-disabled-is-an-identity-call-those-who-disagree-ableist/

When physicist Stephen Hawking died of ALS earlier this year, the BBC published a timeline of his life. Even in the face of his “debilitating illness,” the timeline explained, he was “one of science’s great popularisers.” The article lauded his ability to train his mind “to work in a new way,” which allowed him to escape “the limits of his disability.” These ought not to be controversial statements. But to “ableism” activists, these comments (and comments like them) are a terrible affront to the “disabled community.”

“Other media inaccurately described Hawking as being ‘confined to a wheelchair,’ even though wheelchairs allow many disabled users to be mobile, independent and active members of their communities,” writes Wendy Lu at Everyday Feminism “That same week, actress Gal Gadot was blasted for tweeting that Hawking was now ‘free from physical constraints.'”

Disability, it turns out, is not something to be lived with, overcome, or worked around, it’s an identity, and it must be celebrated.

The definition of “ableism” actually has nothing to do with the celebration of disability. It is simply the term for “discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities” — which I think we can all agree is something we should strive to avoid. (I mean, I’m not sure we need a whole “ism” for it. It probably falls under the category of, say, being respectful, kind, and polite to others. But we all know the SJWs love a good “ism.”) So if, for example, Sam has a stutter and orders a cup of coffee at Starbucks, he should have a reasonable expectation of not receiving a cup with “SSSAM” written on it (something that actually happened earlier this month).

Britain: Land of Lost Hope and Faded Glory? By Bruce Bawer

https://pjmedia.com/trending/britain-land-of-lost-hope-and-faded-glory/

I hate to say it, but I think I’m giving up on Britain. Go ahead, Home Secretary Sajid Javid, add my name to that ever-growing list of Islam critics who are banned from entering your country. I won’t be offended. In fact, I’ll be offended if you don’t ban me.

On his July 25 call-in show, UKIP founder and Brexit godfather Nigel Farage took up the issue of “grooming gangs” – you know, those groups of young Muslim men who have been raping young non-Muslim girls for years, decades even, in cities across the UK. The first one of these gangs to be publicly exposed, beginning in 2011, was in Rotherham, in South Yorkshire. That one gang, it turned out, had systematically and repeatedly raped about 1400 girls. Since then, reports have emerged about other such gangs in other British cities. In all or most of these cities, it has been discovered, police officials, journalists, social workers, politicians, and judges knew for years about the rapes but did nothing and said nothing for fear of being called racists.

This, then, is the topic Farage took up on July 25. And what question did he ask his listeners? Did he ask them whether the death penalty should be restored so that the rapists could get the punishment they deserve? Did he ask them what kind of disciplinary action should be taken against all those public figures who stood by silently while little girls were being sexually abused?

No. He asked them about Sarah Champion.

And who is Sarah Champion? She is the Member of Parliament for the city of Rotherham. Almost a year ago, on August 10, 2017, The Sun ran an opinion piece by her that began with the statement: “Britain has a problem with British Pakistani men raping and exploiting white girls.” She went on:

There. I said it. Does that make me a racist? Or am I just prepared to call out this horrifying problem for what it is?

For too long we have ignored the race of these abusers and, worse, tried to cover it up.

No more. These people are predators and the common denominator is their ethnic heritage.

An obstruction case against Trump would be civil libertarian nightmare By Alan M. Dershowitz, opinion contributor

http://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/399205-an-obstruction-case-against-trump-would-be-civil-libertarian-nightmare

The New York Times has reported that, according to three sources, special counsel Robert Mueller is trying to stitch together an obstruction of justice case against President Trump based on his public tweets, TV appearances, conversations with public officials and other entirely lawful acts. If this is true, it suggests that there is no “smoking gun” or fire, not even any kindling. It suggests that all Mueller seems to have is some dry twigs from which he is trying to build a bonfire. The Times’ headline — “Mueller looking for Obstruction in Trump Tweets” — should raise a red flag for all civil libertarians. This is exactly the kind of creative manufacturing of crimes from innocent — indeed, constitutionally protected acts — that endangers the liberties of all Americans.

Just imagine a prosecutor going through all of your tweets, all of your conversations, all of your actions and all of your emails in search of a plausible theory of criminality based on an accordion-like statute such as obstruction of justice. If Mueller manages to cobble together an obstruction of justice case from innocent communications, then this dangerous precedent will lie around like a loaded gun ready to be used by any vindictive prosecutors against any plausible target. That target could be you or someone you love. It could be a Democrat or a Republican. It could be a liberal or a conservative.

In Harvey Silverglate’s brilliant and increasingly relevant book, “Three Felonies a Day,” the experienced attorney and author describes a “game” prosecutors play: One of them names a well-known target, and the others scour the criminal code to find three felonies he or she may have committed. If the New York Times report is accurate, Mueller’s team may be playing this game with a real, live target — namely, President Trump.

I recall a case when the Equal Rights Amendment was pending and the votes of Illinois legislators were essential to secure ratification by that state. A naive young woman approached a legislator and offered a contribution to his campaign in exchange for a commitment that he would do the right thing and vote for equal rights for women. The woman was arrested and charged with attempted bribery under a vague, open-ended statute. Civil libertarians were properly outraged.

France Grapples With ‘New Anti-Semitism’ After Wave of Violence. By Adam Nossiter

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/27/world/europe/france-new-anti-
‘They Spit When I Walked in the Street’: The ‘New Anti-Semitism’ in France

PARIS — The solemn boulevards and quiet side streets of the 17th Arrondissement in Paris suggest Jewish life in France is vibrant: There is a new profusion of kosher groceries and restaurants, and about 15 synagogues, up from only a handful two decades ago.

But for residents like Joanna Galilli, this area in northwestern Paris represents a tactical retreat. It has become a haven for many Jews who say they have faced harassment in areas with growing Muslim populations. Ms. Galilli, 28, moved to the neighborhood this year from a Parisian suburb where “anti-Semitism is pretty high,” she said, “and you feel it enormously.”

“They spit when I walked in the street,” she said, describing reactions when she wore a Star of David.

France has a painful history of anti-Semitism, with its worst hours coming in the 1930s and during the German occupation in World War II. But in recent months, an impassioned debate has erupted over how to address what commentators are calling the “new anti-Semitism,” as Jewish groups and academic researchers trace a wave of anti-Semitic acts to France’s growing Muslim population.

Nearly 40 percent of violent acts classified as racially or religiously motivated were committed against Jews in 2017, though Jews make up less than 1 percent of France’s population. Anti-Semitic acts increased by 20 percent from 2016, a rise the Interior Ministry called “preoccupying.”

In 2011, the French government stopped categorizing those deemed responsible for anti-Semitic acts, making it more difficult to trace the origins. But before then, Muslims had been the largest group identified as perpetrators, according to research by a leading academic. Often the spikes in violence coincided with flare-ups in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, according to researchers.

China Is Losing the Trade War With Trump It’s like a drinking contest: You harm yourself and hope your opponent isn’t able to withstand as much. By Donald L. Luskin

https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-is-losing-the-trade-war-with-trump-1532729725?cx_testId=0&cx_testVariant=cx_1&cx_artPos=0#cxrecs_s

One thing came through loud and clear in President Trump’s press conference Wednesday with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. When they announced an alliance against third parties’ “unfair trading practices,” they didn’t even have to mention China by name for listeners to know who their target was. Cooperation between the U.S. and EU will squeeze China’s protectionist model, and even before this agreement, there’s been evidence that China is already running up the white flag.

Yes, China is acting tough in one sense, quickly imposing tariffs in retaliation for those enacted by the Trump administration. But while U.S. stocks approach all-time highs and the dollar grows stronger, Chinese stocks are in a bear market, down 25% since January. The yuan had its worst single month ever in June, and is well on its way to a repeat this month. Chinese corporate bonds have defaulted at a record rate in the past six months, yet this week China unveiled a new stimulus program designed to encourage even more corporate borrowing.

That’s probably why Yi Gang, a governor of the People’s Bank of China, took the extraordinary step of channeling Herbert Hoover, saying in a statement this month that “the fundamentals of China’s economy are sound.” And it’s why Sun Guofeng, head of the PBOC’s financial research institute, said, China “will not make the yuan’s exchange rate a tool to cope with trade conflicts.”

Weakening one’s currency is a standard weapon in trade wars, and one that China has often been accused of using—including in a tweet by Mr. Trump last week. Devaluation would be even more dangerous in this case because of China’s power to dump the $1.4 trillion in U.S. Treasury securities it holds. But by denying its intention to plunge the yuan, China has disarmed itself voluntarily. This was no act of noble pacifism; it had to be done. Devaluing the currency would risk scaring investors away, an existential threat to an emerging economy. For China, whose state-capitalism model has so far never produced a recession, such capital flight might expose previously hidden economic weaknesses.

GOOD NEWS FROM AMAZING ISRAEL FROM MICHAEL ORDMAN

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

A genetic test for aging. The WizeAging study at Israel’s Weizmann Institute has enrolled 150 volunteers who take a blood test once a year to check for genetic mutations that indicate abnormal aging. Their target is 10,000 volunteers over the age of 50, to help with the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of age-related diseases.
https://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/genetic-test-aging

Instant blood tests from a pin-prick. I reported previously (see here) on Israeli startup Sight Diagnostics and its Malaria blood test. Now Sight Diagnostics has launched a “lab-grade” desktop blood count analyzer called OLO, that digitizes blood images into complete blood count (CBC) tests from only a finger prick of blood.
https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/12/sight-diagnostics-launches-an-ai-based-diagnostics-device-for-faster-blood-tests/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWwwJ8L7Veo

Re-engineering the immune system to fight cancer. I have reported nearly 20 articles (see here) about Israeli scientists using immunotherapy to tackle cancer. Now Israel’s Cancer Research Fund and US Cancer Research Institute are partnering to decide which, of 160 Israeli research projects, could make the next big breakthrough.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/248564

Positive emotions can shrink tumors. (TY WIN) Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have linked positive emotions with cancer remission. In laboratory tests, increased levels of the pleasurable neurotransmitter dopamine helped the immune system to reduce tumor size by 50 per cent.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-study-shows-positive-emotions-may-shrink-cancer-tumors/
https://www.youtube.com/embed/gDZUiOqhzfA?rel=0

Palestinian Arab baby saved. Israeli Border Police in the city of Hebron saved the life of a nine-month-old Palestinian Arab baby. Hearing shouts from a house, they found an unconscious baby boy and distraught parents. They administered CPR until an Israeli medical team arrived to restore the baby’s breathing.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israeli-troops-save-life-of-palestinian-baby-in-hebron/

Mobile dental clinic for Kenya. Israeli humanitarian aid organization IsraAID set up a mobile dental clinic for one week in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. The four-person dental team treated many of the 190,000 refugees in the camp, many of whom had never received dental care in their lives.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/israelis-set-up-mobile-dental-clinic-in-kenya/