Phony Jews and "experts" on Democracy - say the world has come to an end

 A relatively minor change to the relationship between the courts and government has been greeted on the left by wailing that this is the end of Democracy in Israel and that this is equivalent to the destruction of the Temple. 

I asked a secular Jew and he said simply the Chareidim are in control of Israel and they will destroy the country because they know nothing about running the country

I asked an Arab Israeli whether he was upset and he said "Why? Nothing will change for me!"

The argument boils down to the view that Democracy needs total agreement for decisions and even though the secular Left is a minority/ if they don't agree nothing can be done. In addition they insist that Israel is a secular country and therefore religious Jews can not override the secular. In other words the truth is always with the secular - otherwise it can't be a Democracy!

Putin’s War Is Slowly Destroying Europe’s Breadbasket

 https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/07/21/ukraine-grain-harvest-00107212

A people so moved by the produce of its land will not easily consent to part with either.

Abarbanel caused exile from Spain

Pele Yoetz (47) י שהרחיב ה' את גבולו לא יתראה בפני גויי הארצות, כי קשה כשאול קנאה שמקנאים אמות העולם על ישראל, והמעט שרואים תחשכנה עיניהם מראות ונדמה להם הרבה, ולכן יהיו האנשים והנשים צנועים ולא יתראו עשרם ותכשיטם בפני הנכרים, וכשבונים בתים יעשו מבחוץ באפן שיהא נראה כסכה בכרם. וכן ראוי להשמר אפלו מישראל ממראית עין ולחוש מאד לרעת העין הרע כי רבה, וכל שכן בפני הנכרים. וידוע כמה שמדות וגרושין ורעות רבות עברו על נפשנו מחמת קנאת הגוים מתוך שלא היו נזהרים שלא להתראות, כמובא באברבנאל שבגלל כן נקרא שמו אברבנאל שהיה לאשתו טבעת טובה עד שכל רואיה אמרו ''בראבו אניליא'', וזה גרם גרוש ספרד, ויעקב אבינו אמר לבניו: למה תתראו (בראשית מב א). וראוי לנו לכף את ראשינו כאגמון ולקבל הגלות באהבה ולהיותנו נחלים על שבר יוסף שאפלו אם נחת שלחננו מלא דשן, אוי להם לבנים שגלו מעל שלחן אביהם ואיך נשיר על אדמת נכר. וכתיב (הושע ט א) אל תשמח ישראל אל גיל כעמים. ואמרו רבותינו ז''ל (ברכות לא א) שאסור לאדם שימלא שחוק פיו בעולם הזה, שנאמר (תהלים קכו ב) אז ימלא שחוק פינו ולשוננו רנה אז יאמרו בגוים הגדיל ה' לעשות עם אלה. אבל עתה ראוי שנהיה דוויים ונשברי לבב ונדכאים בזכרנו את ציון ורעות רבות שגרמנו ורב טוב שאבדנו, וראוי שנעלה את ירושלים על ראש שמחתנו ונכנע מאד, ובזה יתעשת האלקים לנו ויחיש לגאלנו ויבנה בית המקדש במהרה בימינו אמן:

there seems to be no factual basis for the above claims. The family name did not originate because of an expensive ring. It could be that tensions were exacerbated by Jews showing their wealth but the exile and inquisition were more caused by their resistance to truthfully convert rather than convert for convenience or to avoid harm. In other words the existence of Jews - even after conversion - were viewed as a threat just as they were viewed in Germany in recent history

Wkipedia states "The Abravanel family (Hebrew: אַבְּרַבַנְאֵל‎ ʾAbravanʾēl or אַבַּרבְּנְאֵל‎ ʾAbarbənəʾēl), also spelled as Abarbanel, Abrabanel, Avravanel, Barbernell, or Barbanel – literally meaning Ab ("father") rabban ("priest") el ("of God") – is one of the oldest and most distinguished Jewish families. It first achieved prominence on the Iberian peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its members claim to trace their origin to the biblical King David. Members of this family lived in Seville, Córdoba (Spanish province), Castile-Leon, and Calatayud. Seville is where its most prominent representative, Don Judah Abravanel, once dwelt.

Republicans’ Star Whistleblower Admits Trump Officials to Blame in Hunter Biden Case

 https://newrepublic.com/post/174474/star-house-whistleblower-agrees-biden-probe-slow-walkedby-trumps-justice-department

“You had a concern about … Attorney General Bill Barr consolidating the series of cases into the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware,” Krishnamoorthi started. “Now, of course, Bill Barr was appointed by Donald Trump, correct?” he continued, prompting an affirmative response from Ziegler.

Trump to return Israeli antiquities kept at Mar-a-Lago

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/374482

Trump said in a statement delivered to the Wall Street Journal that a representative of the Israel Antiquities Authority had given him the artifacts with the authority's full cooperation and that he intended to send them back to Israel.

Before Trump's announcement, senior Israeli figures had been seeking unsuccessfully to get the objects back to Israel, the report said.

Republicans release FBI form with unverified Biden-Burisma allegations

 https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4108735-republicans-release-fbi-form-alleging-unverified-biden-burisma-allegations/

“It is remarkable that congressional Republicans, in their eagerness to go after President Biden regardless of the truth, continue to push claims that have been debunked for years and that they themselves have cautioned to take ‘with a grain of salt’ because they could be ‘made up,’” Ian Sams, White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations, said in a statement.

“These claims have reportedly been scrutinized by the Trump Justice Department, a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney, and a full impeachment trial of the former President that centered on these very issues, and over and over again, they have been found to lack credibility,” Sams continued.

Jim Jordan Pushes Bogus Hank Aaron Vaccine Conspiracy During RFK Jr. Hearing

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/jim-jordan-pushes-bogus-hank-aaron-vaccine-conspiracy-during-rfk-jr-hearing?ref=home?ref=home

Despite Jordan’s claims that Kennedy was merely “pointing out facts,” his suggestion that Aaron died from the vaccine has been disproven over and over again. In fact, the medical examiner’s office that examined Aaron’s body said the 86-year-old died of natural causes.

Jordan went on to imply that President Joe Biden was already worried that Kennedy would be a potential primary threat just days after officially taking office, prompting his administration to contact Twitter about Kennedy’s tweet—which is still up, by the way.

Medicine is plagued by untrustworthy clinical trials. How many studies are faked or flawed?

 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02299-w

Do Carlisle’s findings in anaesthesiology extend to other fields? For years, a number of scientists, physicians and data sleuths have argued that fake or unreliable trials are frighteningly widespread. They’ve scoured RCTs in various medical fields, such as women’s health, pain research, anaesthesiology, bone health and COVID-19, and have found dozens or hundreds of trials with seemingly statistically impossible data. Some, on the basis of their personal experiences, say that one-quarter of trials being untrustworthy might be an underestimate. “If you search for all randomized trials on a topic, about a third of the trials will be fabricated,” asserts Ian Roberts, an epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

"Very odd": Legal experts criticize Judge Cannon's order for "legitimizing" Trump's delay tactics

 https://news.yahoo.com/very-odd-legal-experts-criticize-164810524.html

The DOJ reached out to the defense Friday regarding the proposed protective order but filed the motion Monday after not receiving any engagement from them that day or over the weekend, Bloomberg News reports. In the Wednesday hearing, Cannon told the DOJ that it needed to give Trump and Nauta's legal teams more time to negotiate the terms for handling the sensitive materials.

Snakes as servants

  Sanhedrin (59b) Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya says: Woe over a great attendant that has been lost to the world; as had the snake not been cursed that it should go on its belly, there would have been two fine snakes at the disposal of each and every one of the Jewish people. One he would send to the north, and the other one he would send to the south, to bring him precious sandalbonim, a type of precious stone, and other precious stones and pearls. Moreover, he would attach a strap under his snake’s tail like a harness to an animal, and use it to take dirt out to his garden and to rebuild his ruin, as he does with other animals. This demonstrates that the snake was capable of performing labor. 

Avos DeRabbi Nosson (01:07) Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya said: It is a pity that a great helper was lost from the world. For if the snake had not been cursed, everyone in Israel [i.e., the Jewish people] would have two snakes in his house. One would be sent out to the west, and one would be sent out to the east, and they would bring back gems and precious stones and pearls and every precious thing in the world. And no creature could harm them. And not only that, but they could put them underneath a camel, or a donkey, or a mule, and they would gather the dung and bring it to gardens and orchards [for fertilizer].

Convicted fraudster who had sentence commuted by Trump is now facing new charges

 https://apnews.com/article/eliyahu-weinstein-investor-fraud-commuted-sentence-trump-8a6141aca1b6e145b73fb73187006187

A New Jersey man who was twice convicted of defrauding investors out of $230 million and whose lengthy prison sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump is once again facing fraud charges, federal prosecutors in New Jersey announced Wednesday.

Eliyahu “Eli” Weinstein, 48, of Lakewood, who is also known as Mike Konig, is among five men accused of defrauding dozens of investors out of $35 million, according to an arrest complaint unsealed in federal court in Trenton. The five are charged with wire fraud conspiracy and conspiracy to obstruct justice, and each could face up to 25 years in prison.

Some Thoughts on Hasidim

 https://traditiononline.org/some-thoughts-on-hasidim/

It is a sobering thought, especially for one turned thirty, that we are already post-counterculture. This juncture provides an opportunity, though, to gain a new perspective on a facet of that period, still very much with us. Both the counterculture and its parallel in the social sciences, the Human Potential Movement, shared a common ethos of personal and communal liberation. Often, this found expression in a mistrust, if not outright disdain, for the rational intellect. Reacting to the reductionist, dehumanizing tendencies of the culture created by science and technology, they sought rediscovery of the self through varieties of political, social, psychedelic, and religious experience. Out of this came what one publication parodied as a Whole Soul Catalog of methods for stimulating spiritual, psychological, and somatic sensitivities. One major phenomenon of this era. 

Forced to sin?

 Avoda Zara (04b) R. Johanan said in the name of R. Simeon b. Yohai: David was not the kind of man to do that act,[concerning Batsheva] nor was Israel the kind of people to do that act.[of the Golden Calf] for it is said, O that they had such a heart as this alway etc. Why, then, did they act thus? God predestined it so in order to teach thee that if an individual hath sinned and hesitates about the effect of repentance he could be referred to David, and if a community commit a sin they should be told: Go to the community.

Avoda Zara (53b) But inasmuch as the Israelites worshipped the Golden Calf, they revealed their proneness for idolatry, so when the idolaters came and worshipped Asherim they acted according to the Israelites’ bidding….But perhaps the proneness was only for the Golden Calf and for nothing else! — No; Scripture states, These be thy gods, O Israel, which proves that they lusted for many gods.

Donald Trump loses bid for new trial in E. Jean Carroll abuse case

 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/donald-trump-loses-bid-new-trial-e-jean-carroll-case-2023-07-19/

"Mr. Trump's argument therefore ignores the bulk of the evidence at trial, misinterprets the jury's verdict, and (ignored) evidence of what actually occurred between Ms. Carroll and Mr. Trump," he added.

The judge also said the evidence justified awarding Carroll $3 million for defamation, rejecting Trump's claim that the award was based on "pure speculation" about how Carroll's reputation was harmed.