we do nothing while rome burns

Iran will be able to cross the nuclear "red line" within "a few weeks," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the prestigious CBS news program Face the Nation on Sunday.
Netanyahu is in the United States on a last-ditch bid to refocus American attention on the Iranian nuclear program, which he believes has been forgotten due to events in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East.
In order to do so, Netanyahu employed the same tactic he has used in the past: The threat of unilateral Israeli military action against Iran.
"They should understand," he said of the Iranians, "that they’re not going to be allowed to cross" the red line.

I can tell you I won’t wait until it’s too late... we cannot allow it to happen.... As the prime minister of Israel, I’m determined to do whatever is necessary to defend my country, the one and only Jewish state, from a regime that threatens us with renewed annihilation.

It is highly unlikely that Netanyahu will be able to persuade the U.S. to take action against Iran. The Obama administration is mired in domestic scandals, has not intervened in Syria, and appears decidedly unenthusiastic about another foreign entanglement.

Misguided priorities, very scary

Our friends in the Israeli government 
and military are the most concerned they've been been in decades!  Here's why:

• Syria's border with Israel used to be quiet.  Now, al Qaeda and its affiliates have moved in.  
• Egypt's border with Israel used to be quiet.  Now, al Qaeda affiliates have moved in there as well.  
• Iran's centrifuges are producing enriched uranium at the fastest rate ever.  
• Iran's proxy army, Hezbollah, is emerging as a regional power.  

As Israel's security situation deteriorates on almost every border, what's our government doing?  They're doing the one thing they do best -- pressuring Israel! While the Middle East burns around him, Secretary of State Kerry has been camped in Israel trying to restart the peace process.

conservative or Conservative?

  David Remnick in The New Yorker described Haaretz as "easily the most liberal newspaper in Israel", its ideology as left-wing and its temper as "insistently oppositional."

<sup>They published a story today about the new Israeli ambassador to the USA. 
Ron Dermer's challenge: To overcome his reputation as a conservative 
ideologue

Any Israeli ambassador must accept that the U.S. Jewish community is 
overwhelmingly progressive on economic and social issues and supports 
the two-state solution - in short, stalwart Democratic voters.
What does it take to be a great Israeli ambassador to the United 
States?

The question arises once again following the announcement that Ron 
Dermer will replace Michael Oren as Israel’s top diplomat in Washington 
some time this fall.

The job may be one of the most complex diplomatic postings in the 
world, because the ambassador must fulfill so many functions 
simultaneously.

Possibly, three of the most important are to nurture healthy relations 
with the U.S. administration, maintain support for Israel in Congress 
and look after the crucial relationship between Israel and the 
American-Jewish community.

Ambassador Dermer faces challenges on all of these fronts. The Obama 
administration has consented to his appointment because of his close 
ties to Prime Minister Netanyahu, which promise to be useful if 
Secretary of State John Kerry’s initiative to renew Israeli-Palestinian 
peace talks bears fruit. But Dermer must overcome his reputation as a 
conservative ideologue if he wants to forge good working relations with 
a Democratic administration. The same is true in Congress where the new 
ambassador will be welcomed with open arms by Republicans but may face 
initial suspicion from some on the Democratic side of the aisle..."


Many American Jews get the distinction between political conservative and religious denomination Conservative. but it is a much tough distinction for those outside of the USA, and non-native speakers. one of my converts from another country who identifies Jewish Conservative, wanted to know how having a conservative ambassador would impact their Conservative community.</sup>

Terrorists set Arizona forests? and there is little urgency to secure the borders?

Palestinian Terror Group Claims Responsibility for Arizona Wildfires

Arizona wildfires / AP

BY: Washington Free Beacon Staff
July 9, 2013 1:09 pm
A Palestinian terror group has claimed responsibility for the deadly wildfires that have spread across Arizona, according to reports.
A Palestinian jihadist group known as Masada al-Mujahideen took credit for the fires in a statement that was obtained and translated by Search for International Terrorist Entities (SITE) Intelligence Group, according to the Clarion Project.
The terror group claims that the fires are a reprisal for Israel’s “occupation” of what they say are Palestinian lands.
Nineteen firefighters have been killed while fighting the blaze.
“We had previously announced an unconventional war against the occupation state of Israel, and then we escalated this war to reach its main supporter, America, so that it receives a major share of it, which will destroy their flora and fauna, with permission from Allah and then with our hands,” the group said, according to Clarion and SITE.
“In order to make it clear and to make it known that we can reach it when we warn it, and to make it certain that our hands don’t just reach it but also strike it,” the group reportedly said.
The group promises similar attacks in the future, stating that the Arizona fires “will not be the last, if America does not respond to our demands.”
Clarion reported that al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for setting fires in several European nations.
“The summer 2012 issue of Inspire, the online propaganda magazine run by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, devoted 11 pages to starting forest fires in NATO countries, including instructions,” Clarion reported.

Israeli cabinet approves ultra-Orthodox conscription law

My comment? The haredim need to read the Torah. 
specific verse? Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, "Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here Numbers 32:6
Israeli cabinet approves ultra-Orthodox conscription law
By Jeffrey Heller | Reuters – 1 hour 13 minutes ago
More Canada news »
By Jeffrey Heller
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's cabinet approved a draft law on Sunday to abolish wholesale exemptions from military duty granted to Jewish seminary students, stoking ultra-Orthodox anger over the break with tradition.
Many Israelis have long bridled over state privileges handed to the conservative believers or "Haredim" - a Hebrew term meaning "those who tremble before God".
The debate heated up when elections in January saw strong performances for two parties who campaigned against the exemptions and created the first cabinet in a decade without ultra-Orthodox members.
Most Israeli men and women are called up for military service for up to three years when they turn 18, and often see active service in the occupied West Bank and other flashpoints.
But ultra-Orthodox men studying in seminaries, religious women and Arab citizens of Israel have been exempted since the Jewish state was formed in 1948.
Under the proposed law, only 1,800 of those students, designated "outstanding biblical scholars", would get an exemption, out of the estimated 8,000 who become eligible for the draft every year.
"The government's abuse of the haredi minority verges on persecution and cruelty," Meir Porush, an ultra-Orthodox legislator from the opposition United Torah Judaism party, said about the cabinet's decision.
Ultra-Orthodox rabbis say the study of the holy scriptures is a foundation of Jewish life and scholars have a right to devote themselves full time to the task.
"This is a stain on the State of Israel, which has become the only country in the world to determine that studying the Scriptures is not legitimate," another United Torah Judaism legislator, Moshe Gafni, told reporters.
PROTESTS
Changing the so-called secular-religious status quo in Israel has carried significant political risk in the past for its coalition governments, which have often relied on the support of ultra-Orthodox partners.
Two months ago, some 30,000 Haredim in traditional black garb rallied to rabbis' calls against conscription reform and protested outside a military recruitment centre in Jerusalem.
But while leaders of the Haredim community have pledged more mass demonstrations against the legislation, an ultra-Orthodox backlash currently poses little danger to the government's survival, given its composition.
Hoping to avoid any immediate confrontation, the government agreed to delay any sanctions against draft-dodgers by imposing a four-year interim period in which the military will encourage young Bible scholars to enlist.
"We will make this change gradually through consideration for the special needs of the ultra-Orthodox community," Netanyahu said in public remarks at the cabinet meeting, where ministers voted 14-0, with four abstentions, to approve the proposed law.
Some 3,500 Haredim already serve in the military, and a recent study by the Economy Ministry found that 70 percent of ultra-Orthodox soldiers entered the workforce after they completed their service. By contrast, only 45 percent of all Haredi men were employed, according to the central bank.
Haredim make up 10 percent of Israel's eight million population and they are expanding rapidly, with families of 10 children not uncommon.
The draft legislation, which will be brought to parliament for ratification, would be implemented fully in four years' time.
(Editing by Jeffrey Heller and Andrew Heavens)

Understanding Egypt and our interests

Understanding Egypt our our interests
1. Mubarack was our alley for decades. maintained peace with Israel. In Arab spring, Obama threw him under the bus for Muslim Brotherhood terrorists he prefers. He is trying to deny it now. http://rabbireflects.blogspot.com/2013/07/obama-trying-to-rewrite-history-on-egypt.html Obama must think these terrorists are the community organizers of the Middle East. Why does  Obama embrace these thugs and hire some for deep roles in the government?  Hillary's #1 aid forever has deep deep family ties to Muslim Brotherhood. http://rabbireflects.blogspot.com/2013/07/movie-muslim-brotherhood-infiltrating.html
2. Morsi was leader of mother lode of all terrorist groups, Muslim brotherhood, calling Jews descendants of apes and pigs, and seen applauding clerics calling for mass murder of Jews, yet Obama saw fit to give his government our latest fighter jets (http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/01/22/gift-us-f-16-fighter-jets-en-route-to-egypt-amid-criticism/) and billions in aid.. We have written evidence, from 80 boxes of material found in 2004 of the MB's stated designs on exactly how they plan to take over the USA, yet Obama keeps on helping them. http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2013/05/25/an-explanatory-memorandum-from-the-archives-of-the-muslim-brotherhood-in-america/
3. Don't get excited that the protesters who got Morsi thrown out are big supporters of Israel.  But maybe they'll get a more pro USA guy there who is willing to not publicly call Jews pigs. It will help if Obama stops being so enthusiastic about Muslim terrorists.

 Ros-Lehtinen to Newsmax: Obama 'Bet on Wrong Folks' in Egypt

Wednesday, 03 Jul 2013 09:01 PM

By Todd Beamon and John Bachman
The military coup in Egypt shows that “the Obama administration has thoroughly failed when it comes to handling the post-Arab Spring revolution,” Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen tells Newsmax TV.

“They've bet on the wrong folks time and time again,” the Florida Republican tells Newsmax in an exclusive interview. “Many of us in Congress were saying: ‘Guys, look at the Muslim Brotherhood. This is a group that's going to take over — and it's not going to be what you think.’”


On Wednesday, Egyptian Army chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi announced that President Mohammed Morsi had been removed and was replaced with the chief justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court. He also suspended the Islamist-backed constitution and called for early presidential elections.

Morsi’s ouster as the nation’s first elected leader comes two years after the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in another popular uprising.

The Arab world's most populous nation has been in turmoil since the fall of Mubarak as Arab Spring uprisings took hold in early 2011, arousing concern among allies in the West and in Israel, with which Egypt has a 1979 peace treaty.

First elected to the House in 1989, Ros-Lehtinen is the senior woman Republican in the lower chamber. She was chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and currently is chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia.

“The Obama administration is adrift when it comes to policy in the Middle East or North Africa,” she tells Newsmax. “Morsi came in with the Muslim Brotherhood. What does that mean?

“They were anti-Christian, anti-minority, anti-women — and one year after Morsi won in ‘his election’ and all of the millions of dollars that the Obama administration badly wasted in this government, the people have risen up and said: ‘No, you have failed us. We want you out. We want to try again.’”

The United States sends $1.5 billion annually in military and economic assistance to Egypt.

Israel and U of C save the world with better water

Israel-Chicago partnership targets water resource innovations

JUNE 23, 2013

The University of Chicago and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev will begin funding a series of ambitious research collaborations that apply the latest discoveries in nanotechnology to create new materials and processes for making clean, fresh drinking water more plentiful and less expensive by 2020.

The announcement came June 23 following a meeting in Jerusalem among Israeli President Shimon Peres, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, University of Chicago President Robert J. Zimmer, Ben-Gurion University President Rivka Carmi and leading scientists in the field. The joint projects will explore innovative solutions at the water-energy nexus, developing more efficient ways of using water to produce energy and using energy to treat and deliver clean water.

RELATED CONTENT

International technology partnership to focus on water problems

Institute for Molecular Engineering

Ben-Gurion University

The University of Chicago also brings to the effort two powerful research partners already committed to clean water research: the Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Ill., and the Marine Biological Laboratoryin Woods Hole, Mass.

“We feel it is critical to bring outstanding scientists together to address water resource challenges that are being felt around the world, and will only become more acute over time,” said Zimmer. “Our purification challenges in the Great Lakes region right now are different from some of the scarcity issues some of our colleagues at Ben-Gurion are addressing, but our combined experience will be a tremendous asset in turning early-stage technologies into innovative solutions that may have applications far beyond local issues.”

“Clean, plentiful water is a strategic issue in the Middle East and the world at large, and a central research focus of our university for more than three decades,” said Carmi. “We believe that this partnership will enhance state-of-the-art science in both universities, while having a profound effect on the sustainable availability of clean water to people around the globe.”

The first wave of research proposals include fabricating new materials tailored to remove contaminants, bacteria, viruses and salt from drinking water at a fraction of the cost of current technologies; biological engineering that will help plants maximize their own drought-resistance mechanisms; and polymers that can change the water retention properties of soil in agriculture.

UChicago, BGU and Argonne have jointly committed more than $1 million in seed money over the next two years to support inaugural projects, with the first projects getting under way this fall.

One proposed project would attempt to devise multi-functional and anti-fouling membranes for water purification. These membranes, engineered at the molecular level, could be switched or tuned to remove a wide range of biological and chemical contaminants and prevent the formation of membrane-fouling bacterial films. Keeping those membranes free of fouling would extend their useful lives and decrease energy usage while reducing the operational cost of purifying water.

Another proposal focuses on developing polymers for soil infusion or seed coatings to promote water retention. Such polymers conjure visions of smart landscapes that can substantially promote agricultural growth while reducing irrigation needs.

Officials from both the U.S. and Israel hailed the collaboration as an example of the potential for collaborative innovation that can improve quality of life and boost economic vitality.

“Chicago’s worldwide leadership in water management continues to grow, as we invest in our water infrastructure, creating jobs for our residents and economic activity in our neighborhoods. I strongly support this partnership, and I look forward to working with leading institutions like BGU and the University of Chicago to create innovations and opportunities for the future,” said Emanuel.

The institutions have moved swiftly following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in Chicago on March 8 to explore a research partnership that would innovate water production and purification technologies to meet a growing thirst for freshwater resources globally. Leading the efforts are Matthew Tirrell, the Pritzker Director of UChicago’s Institute for Molecular Engineering, and Moshe Gottlieb, BGU’s Frankel Professor of Chemical Engineering.

For its part, the Institute for Molecular Engineering will commit tens of millions of dollars to the molecular engineering of water resources over the next decade. The institute is pursuing the molecular engineering of water resources as one of five emerging research themes, with plans to hire up to six faculty members specializing in this area. BGU researchers will have a significant presence in Hyde Park to further facilitate the collaborations.

“The Institute for Molecular Engineering aims to bring molecular-level science to technological problems of global importance,” Tirrell said. “Water technology clearly meets that standard, and the institute brings new ideas for materials, membranes, biotechnologies and catalytic technologies, among other approaches, that could address major needs in this domain.”

Tirrell’s and Gottlieb’s teams met for two days in Israel in April to explore their mutual interests in water chemistry, materials science, flow in soils and other porous substances, microbiology and nanotechnology. The first day of meetings took place on BGU’s main campus in Be’er-Sheva. The researchers reconvened for a second day at BGU’s Sede Boqer campus, site of the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research.

A BGU contingent will pay a reciprocal visit to Chicago this autumn, following the final selection of their first collaborative projects, to participate in a workshop that will sharpen their research focus.

The Israeli government founded BGU with a mandate to spearhead the development of the Negev Desert. BGU has worked at the forefront of water-related research for more than four decades, having developed several innovative technologies in the field. Work at the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research has helped make it possible for Israel to produce more than 60 percent of its freshwater needs by desalination.

Tirrell’s team includes researchers at Argonne, which UChicago manages for the U.S. Department of Energy. Argonne has assembled state-of-the-art infrastructure and gathered extensive scientific expertise for the study of clean water technologies. The laboratory’s water-research portfolio includes projects pertaining to wastewater discharges into Lake Michigan, the effects of Glen Canyon Dam operations on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, and carbon tetrachloride contamination of surface and groundwater in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.

Researchers at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole have been prominent in bringing problems of water contamination to the attention of scientists and the public. MBL brings additional strengths in biological sciences and the marine environment to this developing partnership. UChicago and MBL recently signed a landmark affiliation, effective July 1, joining the leadership and scientific eminence of the two institutions, while bringing outstanding researchers together for innovative collaborations and education programs in microbial sciences, molecular engineering and related areas.

TAGS

Ben-Gurion University, Diversity, Institute for Molecular Engineering, Technology, Water purification, Water Science

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PHOTOS

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Israeli President Shimon Peres look on as University of Chicago President Robert J. Zimmer and Rivka Carmi, President of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, sign an agreement establishing a collaborative research program for clean water technologies. The signing ceremony took place June 23 at President Peres' residence in Jerusalem. 

Photo by Ben-Gurion University, Dani Machlis

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