NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Massive pro-Palestine protest at White House descends into chaos as smoke bombs go off and attendees claim they’ve been MACED

Posted By on June 10th, 2024

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13509269/pro-Palestine-protest-White-House-chaos-smoke-bombs-maced.html

A huge pro-Palestine protest at the White House has descended into chaos with smoke bombs let off and attendees claiming they were maced. 

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Washington on Saturday calling for a ceasefire on Gaza.

Video shows smoke billowing in front of the White House as a speaker delivers a speech to a crowd calling Israel a ‘butcher of Gaza’.

Independent journalist Ford Fischer shared a photo of his bloodshot face claiming that mace had been deployed on the crowds during an attempted arrest.

In another clip cops can be seen making their way through the throngs to shouts of ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘f*** the police.’

ENVIRONMENT AND JUNK SCIENCE Comments turned off

The Latest On The Federal War Against Internal Combustion Vehicles Francis Menton

Posted By on June 10th, 2024

https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2024-6-8-the-latest-on-the-federal-war-against-internal-combustion-vehicles

I’m old enough to remember a time when there were serious environmental concerns with internal combustion engine vehicles. NOx and SOx emissions caused a thick layer of brown smog in the atmosphere during calm weather spells in summer and winter; and a layer of black soot would cover the snow along the roadside in the winter. But gradually that all got cleaned up. Today the bona fide serious environmental concerns about internal combustion engines are far in the past. But the war to eliminate them — supposedly on environmental grounds — is just ramping up.

The Biden Administration is all in with the plan to get rid of the ICE car. Why? It seems to have something to do with the non-existent “climate crisis.” Meanwhile, Congress has passed no legislation authorizing the executive agencies to force ICE vehicles off the market. Nor is the Administration honest enough to admit that they are engaged in outlawing the vehicles that 90+% of the people drive.

Instead we get massive and thoroughly dishonest regulations effectively forcing the approaching end of the ICE vehicle without ever directly saying so. All with effective dates far enough into the future that the public will not notice that anything is happening in time for the upcoming election.

Two big new regulations on this subject have just gone final. First, there was EPA’s “Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light- Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles,” issued on April 18. And then yesterday from the NHTSA (part of the Department of Transportation) we get “Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks for Model Years 2027 and Beyond and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Heavy-Duty Pickup Trucks and Vans for Model Years 2030 and Beyond.” The first is 373 pages in the three-column, single-spaced format of the Federal Register. The second is 1004 pages in standard double-spaced typing.

If you should take the time to read some or all of the 1377 pages of text, don’t expect to find anywhere in all of that an admission that the plan is to suppress and ultimately eliminate the internal combustion car. Instead it’s happy sweet talk about the supposed “health” benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

ISRAEL Comments turned off

Why Is Hizballah Escalating? The terror group steps up its attacks despite deadly Israeli strikes. P. David Hornik

Posted By on June 10th, 2024

https://pdavidhornik.substack.com/subscribe?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=email-subscribe&r=8t06w&next=https%3A%2F%2Fpdavidhornik.substack.com%2Fp%2Fwhy-is-hizballah-escalating&utm_medium=email

Last October 8, one day after the October 7 massacre in southern Israel, Hizballah began firing projectiles into northern Israel. That situation—along with the possibility of a ground invasion by Hizballah’s Radwan force—necessitated an evacuation of about 60,000 Israelis from a 5-kilometer strip along the border to temporary lodging farther south in Israel, where they remain to this day.

Since that time the Israel–Hizballah exchange of hostilities across the border stayed on a relatively low flame and was perceived as a sideshow to the bigger conflict in Gaza. In recent weeks, though, Hizballah has sharply escalated its attacks. They include an increased use of explosive-laden drones, the first use of the heavy Falaq-2 rocket and of antiaircraft missiles, as well as strikes deeper into Israeli territory than before, reaching as far south as Nazareth and a suburb of Haifa.

In terms of casualties on both sides, Israel has had the upper hand—by far—throughout the conflict. On the Israeli side, 10 civilians and 15 soldiers have been killed; on the Hizballah side, the deaths number about 340 of its own fighters, about 60 members of other terror groups, and dozens of civilians. But instead of being deterred, Hizballah has lately been escalating. One question is where it leads; many think it’s leading inevitably to a much bigger war—and, possibly, very soon. The other question is why Hizballah is ramping up the hostilities to a level not seen since October; following are possible answers.

ELECTIONS Comments turned off

Will Trump’s Vice Presidential Pick Be A Complete Surprise To Voters? I&I/TIPP Poll Terry Jones

Posted By on June 10th, 2024

https://issuesinsights.com/2024/06/10/will-trumps-vice-presidential-pick-be-a-complete-surprise-to-voters-ii-tipp-poll/

The debate still rages among the GOP faithful, journalists, spin doctors, and talking heads: Who should be Donald Trump’s running mate? The question is especially valid since the former president stands convicted of 34 felonies in a highly controversial trial whose verdicts could be overturned. Will Trump’s pick be a surprise? I&I/TIPP Poll.

The May national online I&I/TIPP Poll asked Republican voters to reveal their first and second choices to be Trump’s No. 2. In its June poll, taken from May 29 through 31, I&I/TIPP once again asked a national sampling of registered Republicans (a total of 693 Republican and Republican-leaning voters, yielding a margin of error of +/-3.8 percentage points) the same questions.

The result: No major shifts in preference, but some minor ones that, if continued, could prove significant.

The first question is straightforward: “Who is your top choice for Trump’s vice president?”

In June, 14% selected Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as their No. 1 pick, down one point from May. Meanwhile, at No. 2, former U.N. Ambassador and North Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley jumped to 11% support, up three points from 8% in May. Author-entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy solidified his No. 3 spot with 8% backing, a 1-point rise.

The trio at the top were followed by No. 4 Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (7% in June, unchanged) and No. 5 South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott (up two points,) former Housing Secretary Ben Carson (5% unchanged from May), TV personality and political commentator Tucker Carlson (4%, up 1 point), former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (3%, down 2 points).

They were followed by a long list of other possible veep candidates at 2% or less.

They include Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, former Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former National Security Adviser Gen. Michael Flynn, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin.

As of now, though, the top five are bunched a little tighter and no one is really surging from the rest of the pack, in terms of mainstream Republican support.

But those near the bottom can take heart: The most popular answer of all, at 26%, was “Not sure.”

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

A World-Historical Transformation Is Taking Place in Britain, Yet Few Have Noticed Robert Spencer

Posted By on June 9th, 2024

https://pjmedia.com/robert-spencer/2024/06/08/a-world-historical-transformation-is-taking-place-in-britain-yet-few-have-noticed-n4929722

A world-historical societal transformation is taking place before our very eyes, and yet few have taken notice. Britain, the erstwhile leader of the Western world and the foundation and source of English-speaking civilization, is in its last days as a free society, and will soon become an Islamic state. Yet despite the mountains of evidence that this transformation is taking place, many will still deny that it is happening at all. They may not even admit it when it overtakes them personally.

The English actor-turned-political-activist Lawrence Fox recently noted what was happening: “The Mayor of London is a Muslim. The mayor of Birmingham is a Muslim. The Mayor of Leeds is Muslim. Mayor of Blackburn – Muslim. The mayor of Sheffield is a Muslim. The mayor of Oxford is a Muslim. The mayor of Luton is a Muslim. The mayor of Oldham is Muslim. The mayor of Rochdale is Muslim. All this was achieved by only 4 million Muslims out of 66 million people in England.”

This kind of thing has happened before, but few remember. Back in the days when our schools and universities concentrated on teaching actual facts rather than leftist propaganda, race hatred, and gender fantasy, every schoolchild learned about the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Nowadays one would be hard-pressed to find someone under twenty who knows what a “Norman” was (they were people from Normandy, in northern France, where a large number of Norsemen from Scandinavia had settled), but a few decades ago any random student would have been able to tell you that this conquest was not just a military victory. It heralded the thorough transformation of English society.

The invading Normans were few in number compared to the English, but once they had defeated the defenders, they set about systematically to ensure that England would remain theirs in perpetuity. They removed the native English from positions of political and ecclesiastical power. Norman French mingled with the Old English language, ultimately creating the English language as we know it today. Historian Richard Southern observed that “no country in Europe, between the rise of the barbarian kingdoms and the 20th century, has undergone so radical a change in so short a time as England experienced after 1066.”

Until now. Lawrence Fox continued: “Today there are over 3,000 mosques in England. There are over 130 sharia courts. There are more than 50 Sharia Councils. 78 percent of Muslim women do not work, receive state support + free accommodation. 63 percent of Muslims do not work, receive state support + free housing. State-supported Muslim families with an average of 6 to 8 children receive free accommodation. Now every school in the UK is required to teach lessons about Islam. Has anyone ever been given an opportunity to vote for this?” 

BOOKS Comments turned off

How the West was lost at Oxford University By S.R. Piccoli

Posted By on June 9th, 2024

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/06/how_the_west_was_lost_at_oxford_university.html

Once upon a time, we were told that the peoples of the Western world — which includes countries like Australia and New Zealand, although located in the Eastern Hemisphere — are heirs and trustees of Western civilization, imbalances and excesses included.  Often referred to simply as “the West,” Western civilization is a broad concept used to understand the cultural, social, political, and economic norms, traditions, values, and institutions that originated in or are associated with Europe.  It has its roots in Ancient Greece and Rome as well as in Christianity, humanism, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and the Industrial Revolution. It values rationalism, democracy, and individual freedoms and rights.

Later on, Marxist and otherwise far-left historians argued that the history of the West is marked by exploitation and conflict among different social classes, from feudal lords and serfs in the Middle Ages to capitalists and workers in the modern era.  Marxists, in particular, introduced the concept of cultural hegemony, formulated by Antonio Gramsci to describe ideological domination of the bourgeoisie over the proletariat.  In other words, according to this type of approach, the dominant cultural norms and values of Western civilization serve to maintain the power of the ruling class.

As of now, the left-wing narrative is that Western civilization is an illusion.  Postmodern and deconstructionist historians have claimed that the West is a late invention of the 18th-century philosopher. Skeptical of the grand narratives that have historically been used to describe Western civilization, such as progress, enlightenment, etc., they argue that these narratives often oversimplify complex histories and marginalize alternative perspectives.

It is in this context that the new book How the World Made the West, written by Josephine Quinn, professor of ancient history at Oxford University, needs to be read.  It’s aimed to bring to fulfillment the goal and the dream of legions of leftists the world over and from time immemorial.  Quinn’s purpose is not to trash what generations of schoolchildren and college students have been taught to take pride in as Western values and achievements.  Rather, she wants to demolish the underlying concept of what she calls “civilizational thinking,” which suggests that there is no such thing as “Western civilization.”  By the way, as she puts it, this “civilizational thinking” provided the cultural rationale for western European supremacy during the 19th century, enabling colonial expansion and racial hierarchies.

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Facebook Post Sparks Debate Over Possible Mistrial in Trump Case The house always wins. That’s what matters—fairness, impartiality, the very idea of a non-partisan application of the law be damned. Welcome to the end of the republic. By Roger Kimball

Posted By on June 9th, 2024

https://amgreatness.com/2024/06/09/260077/

I think that it was the great Miranda Devine, she of the “laptop from hell” fame, who first called the world’s attention to the latest wrinkle in the long-running “Get Trump” extravaganza in New York.  Anyway, I first heard about it from her post on X Friday. “If this is legit,” she wrote, commenting on a letter purportedly from Acting Justice Juan Merchan to Donald Trump’s Counsel and the Manhattan DA’s office,  “it should wipe out Trump’s conviction.”

Eh, what?

At issue was someone who (again, purportedly) posted on the Court’s public Facebook page a message from one “Michael Anderson,”  a self-described “professional shitposter,” who claimed to have inside information that Trump was about to be convicted. “My cousin is a juror and says Trump is getting convicted. Thank you folks for all your hard work!” The comment, Merchan wrote, was posted on May 29, a day before Trump’s guilty verdict rolled off the tongues of Merchan’s jury.

For a brief moment, the internet was ablaze with speculative comment, elated or anguished depending on the ideological coloration of the poster.  If it turned out that a juror had disobeyed his orders and spilled the beans about the verdict to someone who then posted the bulletin on Facebook, would that that constitute grounds for a mistrial?  After all, “prejudice to the defendant” is one of the four stipulated grounds for a mistrial. Chapter 15A-1061 of the statute says, in part, that “the judge must declare a mistrial upon the defendant’s motion if there occurs during the trial an error or legal defect in the proceedings, or conduct inside or outside the courtroom, resulting in substantial and irreparable prejudice to the defendant’s case.”

Is that what we have here?  It’s hard to say.  The original Facebook post was removed.  As far as I know, the juror in question has not been identified—and that’s assuming that a juror did inform “Michael Anderson” of the verdict. Did the post result in “substantial and irreparable prejudice to the defendant’s case?”

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Palestinianism Began with Nazism And Today Is Based on Antisemitism, Sexism, Homophobia and Denial of Human Rights. So Why Is the Left So in Love with It? by Alan M. Dershowitz

Posted By on June 9th, 2024

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20688/palestinianism-began-with-nazism

It was [Hitler’s friend, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-] Husseini who turned the Arab-Jewish dispute from a resolvable conflict over land to an irresolvable conflict over religion.

Were a Hamas-run state to replace Israel “from the river to the sea”, it would be a theocratic regime closer to that of Iran than to the autocracies of Jordan or Egypt. Jews and Christians would not be allowed to live as equal citizens in such a state. Indeed, in areas currently controlled by Hamas, Christians and other non-Muslim minorities have been ethnically cleansed.

Hamas is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Iranian mullahs….

The real focus of these demonstrations is not on the alleged victims, but rather on the alleged perpetrators. The perpetrators are actually more anti-Israel than pro-Palestinian… It has always been more about identifying with the alleged perpetrators — Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Castro, Che Guevara — than with the alleged victims.

It is Hamas, not Israel, that is responsible for much, if not all, of the victimization of Palestinian civilians.

The disproportionate focus on the Palestinians and Israel can be explained only by bigoted hatred of the nation state of the Jewish people and its alliance with the US, and the wish to see them brought down.

The founder of the Palestinian movement in the run-up to the Second World War was a proud Nazi and friend of Adolf Hitler. Haj Amin al-Husseini was the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, the religious leader of the Muslims in what is now Israel but was then called Palestine, and, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, governed under a British Mandate. It was Husseini who turned the Arab-Jewish dispute from a resolvable conflict over land to an irresolvable conflict over religion.

Husseini decided it was against Islamic sharia law to allow Jewish sovereignty over even an inch of what had previously been Ottoman territory, which he decreed was forever religious Muslim land, part of an endowment, or “waqf,” to be held in trust for Allah. He opposed the creation of any Jewish state, regardless of how small, even if it was part of a two-state solution that offered a far larger percentage of the land to a state for the Palestinians.

ISRAEL Comments turned off

GOOD NEWS FROM ISRAEL FROM MICHAEL ORDMAN

Posted By on June 9th, 2024

https://verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com/

This week beginning on the evening of June 11 and ending on June 13, Shavuot  the Jewish Festival of Weeks, celebrates the harvest of first fruits and commemorates the giving of the Torah and Commandments at Mount Sinai. The release of four Israeli hostages by the IDF in Gaza enhances our celebration and appreciation of our faith and legacy.

Michael Ordman’s weekly posting enhances our appreciation of present-day Israel, whose contributions and innovations in medicine, science, technology, evolve 24/7 to benefit humanity.

Happy “Shvues” as we pronounced it in the Bronx to all who observe. rsk

ISRAEL’S  MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Penetrating the BBB.  The nano-platform technology of Israel’s NanoCarry traverses the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) to deliver potentially life-saving therapies to the brain.  Its initial target is HER2 breast cancer brain metastases for which there is no treatment, even though the original cancer can now effectively be cured.

https://nocamels.com/2024/05/penetrating-brains-natural-barrier-to-deliver-life-saving-drugs/

https://nanocarry.com/

Predicting what cancer cells will do next. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem analyze cancer patient biopsies and use AI to predict disease progression or chemotherapy resistance. Using the science of nano-informatics, they expose cells to nano particles, record absorption levels, and model cellular behavior.

https://www.israel21c.org/scientists-use-ai-to-predict-what-cancer-cells-will-do-next/

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adj4370

Sickle cell disease treatment trial. Israel’s BiolineRX is to conduct Phase 1 clinical trials on sickle cell disease (SCD) patients at multiple locations in the US.  It will use its motixafortide stem cell therapy (see here previously), currently used to treat multiple myeloma. SCD is caused by a mutation of the hemoglobin gene.

https://nocamels.com/2024/05/israeli-biopharma-firm-leading-us-trial-of-potential-scd-drug/

The long road.  Back in 2015 (see here previously) Israel’s Ben Gurion University researchers discovered the link between protein macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Now they are leading an international team to use it as a potential cure.

https://nocamels.com/2024/05/israeli-led-study-discovers-proteins-potential-as-als-treatment/

The right antibiotic in 90 mins. Scientists at Israel’s Technion Institute have developed optical sensor technology that can identify the correct antibiotic for urinary tract and other infections in just 90 minutes. They worked with Technion alumni in a Maryland USA company and at John Hopkins University.

https://ats.org/our-impact/new-device-rapidly-identifies-exact-antibiotic-needed-for-infections/

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/advs.202303285

An ambucar needed for Netanya. Israel’s United Hatzalah is appealing for funds to purchase a rapid response vehicle – known as a minilance (mini ambulance) ATV (all-terrain vehicle). It can bring a team of up to five UH volunteers and veteran lifesaving medics to the scene of a local emergency within minutes.

https://israelrescue.org/mymitzvah/minilance-a-rapid-response-vehicle-for-netanya/

Eradicating the last polio virus. Ben-Gurion University has received a $1.3 million grant from the Gates Foundation to develop and validate a novel and safe approach for measuring immune responses to polioviruses.

https://provaeducation.com/news/ben-gurion-university-scientist-to-contribute-to-the-eradication-of-polio/2466922/    https://www.bgu.ac.il/en/news-and-articles/hertz-gates-foundation-grant/

Merck boost for antibody design startup. Israel’s Biolojic Design (see here previously) is partnering Merck, to develop molecules that could be the basis for therapies to treat cancer and other immunological disorders. The venture is potentially worth up to 350 million euros to the Israeli company.

https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bybenkovr

Treating late life depression. (TY Atid-EDI) The US FDA has extended its approval of the Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation system from Israel’s BrainsWay (see here previously). It can now be used to treat depression up to the patient’s 86th birthday. The previous maximum age limit was 67.

https://www.brainsway.com/news_events/brainsway-receives-expanded-fda-labeling-to-treat-late-life-depression/

Exercises restore eyesight. Israel’s RevitalVision (see here previously) has been very successful in improving the condition of the visually impaired. On average, the structured on-line brain exercises achieve a measurable improvement of 20 – 25%, equivalent to an extra two lines on a standard eye chart.

https://www.israel21c.org/improving-vision-with-at-home-brain-exercises/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Iauuv13Ujw

Watch out for snakes. Doctors saved an Israeli woman in her 50s after she was bitten by a snake in southern Israel. She was brought to Ashdod hospital by family members who also brought the snake.  Doctors were able to identify the snake and administer the correct anti-venom serum.  The article contains some important advice.

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/390948

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

The West Keeps Rewarding the Terrorist Group Hamas by Majid Rafizadeh

Posted By on June 9th, 2024

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20687/rewarding-hamas-terrorists

Spain, Ireland and Norway recently formally recognized Palestinian statehood…. It is unprecedented in world history for a terrorist group to attack another country, murder its people and take hostages, only to then be rewarded with a recognition of statehood – cordially facilitating its future actions, including against countries in Europe.

We have already seen this April “thousands of protestors” in Germany demanding a Caliphate with sharia law.

The West’s reward also sends a message that… the West will eagerly accept any antisocial behavior rather than stand up for the values of civilization that have defined it for centuries.

The aim of anti-Israel protestors seems to be that stability can only be achieved after everyone has conceded to the terrorists’ demands. Sadly, many politicians, perhaps hoping for votes from wherever they can get them, might be only too happy to comply.

Perhaps Ireland, Norway and Spain would like to offer sanctuary to Gazans from Hamas?

[The] intended beneficiaries of …[Israel’s] enormous sacrifice, have instead been undermining and demonizing Israel every step of the way, especially its fearless Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called by Andrew Roberts “The Churchill of the Middle East,” who now finds himself, courtesy of the unlawful International Criminal Court, with an international warrant out for his arrest.

The only reason countries are recognizing a Palestinian is that they will not have to live next to it. As Harvard law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz and former New York City Council president Andrew Stein recently pointed out:

“Consider the fact that no Arab or Muslim nation has been willing to accept Palestinian refugees from Gaza. Perhaps these nations recall that anyone who has tried to help the Palestinians has lived to regret it. When Jordan took them in, the Palestinians tried to overthrow the government of King Hussein in 1970. The attempted coup, known as Black September, ended with the Palestinians being expelled to Lebanon. Once there, a civil war erupted between the Muslims, backed by the PLO, and the Christians, resulting in the PLO being expelled once again, this time to Tunisia in 1982. After Kuwait offered roughly 400,000 Palestinians visas and jobs, and Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990,the PLO sided with Iraq. After the liberation of Kuwait, an estimated 200,000 were expelled and another 200,000 were not allowed back.”

The more countries that will join Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas in its assault by recognizing a Palestinian state, the more power and influence they will have in Europe to double their demands. Wait until Iran has its nuclear bombs and the ballistic missiles to deliver them. They will not even have to use them, only threaten to, as Putin is now doing in Ukraine so that US President Joe Biden will prevent Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from winning.

Such actions jeopardize stability not only in the Middle East but even more in Europe. Ireland, Norway and Spain seem to be under the illusion that if they pet the kitty, the kitty will like them. Unfortunately, that is not always the way kitties work. All that cuddling up to terrorists and their promotors really achieves is to weaken the West’s credibility in defending its values, and the way of life we naïvely take for granted in the West.