Cigarette Smoking & Orthodox World

Yehuda Mond Foundation

Who Wants Life? from Yehuda Mond Foundation on Vimeo.

Alcoholism & the Orthodox world

Yehuda Mond Foundation

The dangers and pitfalls of alcohol from Yehuda Mond Foundation on Vimeo.

Attitude towards gay rights shifting worldwide

CNN

In signing Argentina's same-sex marriage law, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner said debate over the issue would be "absolutely anachronistic" -- archaic, out of date -- within a few years.

Striking down California's Proposition 8 two weeks later, Judge Vaughn Walker was more specific, saying there was no evidence for old-fashioned stereotypes that painted gays "as disease vectors or as child molesters who recruit young children into homosexuality."

Banning people from marrying based on sexual orientation, the President Reagan appointee explained, is "irrational."[...]

Time Magazine Poll:Mosques & Muslims

Time Magazine Poll

While the poll revealed that prejudice toward Muslims is widespread, respect for other religions traditions remains sturdy. Respondents held the Jewish faith in the highest regard, with 75% professing to hold a favorable impression-just slightly higher than attitudes toward Protestants and Catholics. Fifty-seven percent say they have a favorable view of the Mormon faith, compared to 44% for Muslims.

Tai Chi Reported to Ease Fibromyalgia

NYTIMES

The ancient Chinese practice of tai chi may be effective as a therapy for fibromyalgia, according to a study published on Thursday in The New England Journal of Medicine.

A clinical trial at Tufts Medical Center found that after 12 weeks of tai chi, patients with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, did significantly better in measurements of pain, fatigue, physical functioning, sleeplessness and depression than a comparable group given stretching exercises and wellness education. Tai chi patients were also more likely to sustain improvement three months later.[...]

Acupuncture & placebo effect

NYTIMES

Fake acupuncture appears to work just as well for pain relief as the real thing, according to a new study of patients with knee arthritis.

The findings, published in the September issue of the journal Arthritis Care and Research, are the latest to suggest that a powerful but little understood placebo effect may be at work when patients report benefits from acupuncture treatment, which involves inserting thin needles deeply into the skin at specific points on the body.[...]

Nigerian hacker's IP Nigeria (ipnxtelecoms.com:41.184.6.35)

I was notified by my gmail account that I was visited recently by a
Nigerian hacker - Nigeria (ipnxtelecoms.com:41.184.6.35)

Final Cover - 3 variations

1 upper left
2 upper right
3 lower right

please vote in the poll in the sidebar

Here are three variations. Two are similar except for how dark the cover is. The third version has the subtitle with a different font and without slant

I prefer the lighter version with the slant. My eye gets stuck on the subtitle when it is not slanted.

Yofas To'ar:Fight yetzer harah by removing prohibition

כסף משנה הלכות מלכים פרק ח הלכה ב

וכן בועל אשה בגיותה אם תקפו יצרו וכו'. כתבו התוספות בקידושין (דף כ"ב)

ד"ה שלא ילחצנה דפלוגתא דרב ושמואל היא בירושלמי דלרב מותרת בביאה ראשונה

מיד ואסורה בביאה שניה עד אחר כל המעשים ולשמואל אפילו בביאה ראשונה אסורה

עד לאחר כל המעשים ופסק רבינו כרב דהלכתא כוותיה באיסורי לגבי שמואל אבל

כתב סמ"ג דבירושלמי דשבת איפליגו רב ור' יוחנן דלרב יפת תאר מותרת בביאה

ראשונה מיד ובביאה שנייה עד אחר כל המעשים ולר"י אפילו ביאה ראשונה אסורה

עד לאחר כל המעשים וכיון שכן ה"ל לרבינו לפסוק כר"י דקי"ל כוותיה לגבי רב.

וי"ל דפסק רבינו דביאה ראשונה מותרת משום דגמ' דידן סבר הכי דאמרינן בפ"ב

דסנהדרין תמר בת יפת תאר היתה שנאמר ועתה דבר אל המלך כי לא ימנעני ממך ואי

ס"ד בת נשואין הואי אחתיה מי הות שריא ליה אלא ש"מ בת יפת תואר היתה ואי

ס"ל לגמרא דיפת תואר אסורה עד לאחר כל המעשים היאך היתה תמר מותרת לאמנון

והרי אחותו מאביו היתה שהרי אחר כל המעשים חשיבא גיורת וליקוחין יש לו בה

אלא ודאי ס"ל לגמרא דביאה ראשונה מותרת מיד ודוד בא על מעכה קודם עשיית

המעשים ונתעברה מיד מתמר ולכך לא היתה חשובה בת דוד והיתה מותרת לאמנון

דבנך הבא מן העכו"ם אינו קרוי בנך וכיון דסתם גמרא דידן הכי כוותיה פסקינן:

ומ"ש אם תקפו יצרו. הכי תניא בפ"ק דקידושין (דף כ"א:) לא דברה תורה אלא

כנגד יצר הרע:

ומ"ש שנאמר וראית בשביה. אריש מילתיה דשרי יפת תואר מביא ראיה מוראית בשביה:

ומ"ש ואסור לבעול אותה ביאה שנייה. כבר נתבאר דאפילו מאן דשרי ביאה ראשונה

אוסר ביאה שניה עד אחר כל המעשים:

Abuse book - final cover

ADHD - 1 million kids misdiagnosed?

Newscore

ALMOST one million American children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have been misdiagnosed, scientists revealed today.

In a study of nearly 12,000 children, researchers from Michigan State University found the youngest kindergarten pupils were 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than the oldest children in the same grade.

In another study released yesterday, researchers from North Carolina State University examined national health data spanning 10 years and came to a similar conclusion.

Both studies found large discrepancies in diagnosis and treatment rates based on small differences in children's dates of birth - with children born just after kindergarten eligibility cutoff dates more likely to be given the ADHD label. [...]

Gamil account hijacked!

Please ignore bizarre messages sent from my gmail account. the account
was hijacked

Brain death - major collection of sources/videos

Halachic Organ Donor Society

 I am not going to attempt a review of the literature on brain death and transplants - that has been done many times. Simply go to the above sight and read the articles and watch the videos

Abuse book - Cover 4

This is a compromise between those who want an emotional eye catching covering and those who want a dignified scholarly cover.

 =====================

There are those who view this issue of abuse as a battle between the forces of good and evil and therefore they want me to use this book as an atom bomb  or at least a karate kick to stir things up a bit.  However I view this book simply as an educational tool. Most people who know me see me as a rather bland conventional follower of the establishment. I am not a fighter or revolutionary. I simply naively expect people to live up to the beautiful speeches about spirituality and Torah and the need to follow halacha that they regular produce and fill up books, magazine and newspapers   I like those speeches and I really belief them. In addition I plan to continue living in the community during and after the transition. 

I think the climate has changed significantly over the last year or two - that the concern now is how people are going to digest the changes that are perceived as inevitable (or will soon be perceived as inevitable) while proclaiming that this is the way it has always been done.