Europe and illegal immigrants

NYTimes

About 100 French riot police officers swooped down on an encampment of Roma here at 7 a.m. Thursday, taking names and filling out expulsion orders. Fully padded, but without helmets, the officers were aggressive but polite, accompanied by a Romanian policeman and three interpreters.

Mihai Lingurar, 37, and his wife, Rada-Soma Rostach, were ordered to leave France within a month for overstaying their three-month allowance as Romanian citizens and being unable to prove that they had full-time work. Their fourth child, however, Marc, 5 months old, is in intensive care at a hospital here, on the northeastern edge of Paris. Marc weighs about eight pounds and has been in and out of a coma.[...]

Rav Sternbuch:Preparing for Rosh Hashanah

Abuse Book: Last Appeal for Support

As you know the book is almost finished - I am still waiting for three
essays and I have about another week of editing left. I am going to ask
one more time for financial assistance (previous requests were largely
ignored). Anyone who wants to contribute can simply use the button on
the blog which is linked to my PayPal account. Despite all my efforts it
is possible that the book might simply be ignored. More likely it will
stimulate a healthy debate about the subject . It is also possible
that it trigger heated condemnations. Hopefully it will make a
significant improvement in how our families are protected from abuse.

If you think this book is worthwhile - perhaps even a major contribution
to needed change - then this is your last chance to get some of the
merit for producing it.

Saudi judge seeks to paralyze assailant as punishment

Associated Press

A Saudi judge has asked several hospitals in the country whether they could damage a man's spinal cord as punishment after he was convicted of attacking another man with a cleaver and paralyzing him, the brother of the victim said Thursday.

Abdul-Aziz al-Mutairi, 22, was left paralyzed and subsequently lost a foot after a fight more than two years ago. He asked a judge in northwestern Tabuk province to impose an equivalent punishment on his attacker under Islamic law, his brother Khaled al-Mutairi told The Associated Press by telephone from there.[...]

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