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Shamima Begum was cruel enforcer in Isil’s morality police, say Syrian witnesses Josie Ensor Robert Mendick,

Posted By on April 14th, 2019

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/04/13/shamima-begum-cruel-enforcer-isils-morality-police-say-syrian/

Shamima Begum, the Bethnal Green schoolgirl, served in the Islamic State’s “morality police” and also tried to recruit other young women to join the jihadist group, well-placed sources have told The Telegraph.

She was allowed to carry a Kalashnikov rifle and earned a reputation as a strict “enforcer” of Isil’s laws, such as dress codes for women, sources claimed.

The claims are at odds with Miss Begum’s own account of her four years with the group, which she joined at the age of just 15.

Miss Begum, now aged 19, has insisted she was never involved in Isil’s brutality but spent her time in Syria as a devoted housewife to a jihadist fighter.

Miss Begum, whose discovery in a refugee camp in northern Syria in February sparked a public outcry, said she concentrated on bringing up the couple’s children. They subsequently died of malnutrition.

Her husband, Dutch fighter Yago Riedijk, offered a similar story, saying Miss Begum “sat in the house” and that she would pose no danger to the British public if allowed back to the UK.

EDUCATION Comments turned off

Terrifying video on antisemitic conference at the University of North Carolina By Thomas Lifson VIDEO

Posted By on April 14th, 2019

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/04/terrifying_video_on_antisemitic_confer

Ami Horowitz, the investigatory filmmaker who often exposes campus madness, has produced a video that ought to terrify anyone familiar with the history of Weimar Germany.  Then, as now, universities were among the leaders in whipping up Jew-hatred and actually persecuting Jews.  One of the neglected aspects of the origins of the Holocaust is that the purge of Jews from Germany’s famous universities opened up new career possibilities for those faculty and students who remained once their institutions were Judenrein.We are not (yet) at the point of expelling Jews from faculties and student bodies, but we are at the point of violent attacks on Jews being justified by faculty members at prestigious universities, as a jaw-dropping interview in Horowitz’s latest video (embedded below) shows.  We are also at the point where multiple academic departments at such a university — a publicly owned and funded institution of (purported) higher learning — are comfortable sponsoring an academic conference with open Jew-hatred, and government funds (nearly a quarter million dollars!) are allocated to sponsor it.

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

ISIS warning: Killers planning horrifying attacks – leaked documents reveal Europe plotsISIS is still planning horrifying attacks in Europe despite the terror cell’s diminishing size, leaked documents reveal.By Alahna Kindred

Posted By on April 14th, 2019

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1114060/latest-terror-attack-news-Europe-plots-leaked

Details of plots to carry out assaults across the continent funded and controlled by ISIS leaders were found on a hard drive dropped by a terrorist in Syria earlier this year. ISIS was defeated in its final stronghold last month, but as the West was quick to claim victory the documents give insight into sinister plans including to recreate the Paris 2015 attacks. Documents outline how the terror group still runs a sophisticated international network, moving fighters across borders and funding their operations from computer hacking to assassinations.

One letter obtained by The Sunday Times, signed by six ISIS leaders and addressed to the group’s “caliph” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi,breaks down there international strategy into operations and borders.

The operations abroad will be directed by Abu Khabab al-Muhajir, who already controls one cell in Russia and two in Germany.

In order to fund the operations, the letter said: “Killing infidel venture capitalists, hacking banks through bank accounts, bank robberies or robberies of places that are pre-studied.

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Pursue Those Indictments! By Roger Kimball

Posted By on April 14th, 2019

https://amgreatness.com/2019/04/13/pursue-those-indictments/

Last month, Chris Buskirk wrote a column for the Spectator USA describing Representative Devin Nunes as “a hero of the Republic.” It was well-deserved praise. Nunes, a Republican Congressman from a rural district in California was, until January, chairman of the House Permanent Special Committee on Intelligence (he is now the ranking member). Nunes has worked tirelessly for more than two years to expose what our masters in deep-state Washington would bury from the glare of public scrutiny: the evidence that the entire Trump-Russian collusion narrative was a partisan effort, first, to undermine the Trump presidential campaign and, when that failed, to cover up the effort while still working assiduously to destroy the Trump presidency.

As Buskirk points out, without Nunes’s terrier-like efforts—conducted, it has to be pointed out, against the background of scurrilous and unremitting calumnies from the Democrats and their bought-and-paid-for megaphones in the media—the public would likely be totally in the dark about what really happened over the course of 2016 as the Obama Administration and the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign endeavored to “dirty up” Trump and his colleagues, calmly at first, and then with growing hysteria as Trump, against all the odds, emerged as a serious challenger and eventual victor in the election that all the smartest people knew, just knew, that Hillary had sewn up.

IMMIGRATION Comments turned off

Obama’s Border Patrol Chief Mark Morgan tells it like it is about the illegal alien crisis By Peter Barry Chowka

Posted By on April 14th, 2019

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/04/obamas_border_patrol_chief_mark_morgan_tells_it_like_it_is_about_the_illegal_alien_crisis.html

Last January, Mark Morgan, the last head of the U.S. Border Patrol agency under the Obama Administration, started weighing in on the illegal alien invasion crisis at the Southern border.

On January 8, Law & Crime was one of the first news outlets to break the story about the former Border Patrol director. Morgan, it said,

…went public on Tuesday with a message that may surprise the White House: he supports Mr. Trump and his efforts to get funding for a border wall.

“I’m here today breaking my silence to tell the American people that the president is correct in what he’s doing,” Morgan said in an interview with the Law & Crime Network. “The wall works.”
SEE VIDEO

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

European Churches: Vandalized, Defecated On, and Torched “Every Day” by Raymond Ibrahim

Posted By on April 14th, 2019

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14044/europe-churches-vandalized

In Germany, four separate churches were vandalized and/or torched in March alone. “In this country,” PI-News, a German news site, explained, “there is a creeping war against everything that symbolizes Christianity: attacks on mountain-summit crosses, on sacred statues by the wayside, on churches… and recently also on cemeteries.”

In virtually every instance of church attacks, authorities and media obfuscate the identity of the vandals. In those rare instances when the Muslim (or “migrant”) identity of the destroyers is leaked, the desecraters are then presented as suffering from mental health issues.

“Hardly anyone writes and speaks about the increasing attacks on Christian symbols. There is an eloquent silence in both France and Germany about the scandal of the desecrations and the origin of the perpetrators…. Not a word, not even the slightest hint that could in anyway lead to the suspicion of migrants… It is not the perpetrators who are in danger of being ostracized, but those who dare to associate the desecration of Christian symbols with immigrant imports. They are accused of hatred, hate speech and racism.” — PI News, March 24, 2019

Countless churches throughout Western Europe are being vandalized, defecated on, and torched.

In France, two churches are desecrated every day on average. According to PI-News, a German news site, 1,063 attacks on Christian churches or symbols (crucifixes, icons, statues) were registered in France in 2018. This represents a 17% increase compared to the previous year (2017), when 878 attacks were registered — meaning that such attacks are only going from bad to worse.

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

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

Posted 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.

ISRAEL Comments turned off

GOOD NEWS FROM AMAZING ISRAEL FROM MICHAEL ORDMAN

Posted 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

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

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

Posted 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.

BOOKS Comments turned off

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

Posted 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.