Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By simmons on July 26, 2012

The Coming World War 3 | Prophecy in the News The Coming World War 3 Revelation 9:13-16 -- Sixth Trumpet War or WWIII "Big Russian fleet nears Syria. Iran to fight regime change as foreign forces pile up!" -- DEBKAfile July 25, 2012 "Russian, Western and Arab forces were piling up on Syrian borders Wednesday, July 25, bringing closer a war confrontation which could spur the Assad regime into making good on its threat to use chemical weapons against "external aggression." "The Russian Ministry of Defense, which rarely discloses Russian military movements outside its borders, announced early Wednesday morning, July 25 that a fleet of Russian warships had passed through the Strait of Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean." "Obama #39;s October Surprise: Largest War Games in US-Israeli History" -- ANTIWAR.COM June 27, 2012 "These will be the largest such military maneuvers in the history of the joint US-Israel relationship. Three thousand US Air Force personnel and a larger IDF contingent will focus on air warfare and missile defense.

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The Coming World War 3 | Prophecy in the News - Video

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Posted By richards on July 26, 2012

ASSOCIATED PRESS July 26, 2012 5:24PM

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney meets with British Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Streetin London, Thursday, July 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Updated: July 26, 2012 5:24PM

LONDON (AP) Mitt Romney wanted to highlight U.S.-British bonds and show off his diplomatic skills to boot but he managed to rankle the Olympic hosts instead, from Prime Minister David Cameron on down.

The Republican presidential candidate, taking a turn on the world stage, called Londons problems with Olympic Games preparation disconcerting. That prompted Cameron to retort on Thursday that doubters would see beyond doubt that Britain can deliver. And London Mayor Boris Johnson told tens of thousands gathered in Hyde Park: Theres a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know if we are ready. Are we ready? Yes we are!

Amid the uproar, Romney tried to back off his critique, finally concluding, I expect the games to be highly successful.

Romney also caused a stir with his attendance at a fundraiser with banking executives tainted by a British interest rate-fixing scandal. And he inadvertently disclosed that he held a secret meeting with the head of Britains intelligence service.

The bobbles threatened to undermine Romneys first international tour as the man who would replace Democratic President Barack Obama.

A one-term Massachusetts governor with limited foreign policy experience, he is hoping to show voters back home that he is ready to represent the U.S. strongly and smoothly at a time of global economic turmoil and security troubles. He also wants to emphasize his own tenure running the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City by attending this years opening ceremonies. And he hopes to draw subtle contrasts with Obama.

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Mitt Romney stirs Olympic tiff as European tour begins

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Posted By richards on July 26, 2012

by j. staff & wire reports

At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, 19-year-old swimmer Anthony Ervin took gold in the 50-meter freestyle, along with silver in the 100-meter relay.

The next year, he grabbed two more golds at the world championships, in the 50 and the 100 freestyle.

Then in 2003, at 22, he walked away from it all college as well as competitive swimming. Hed had enough, he told his friends. He was, as more than one media outlet reported, burned out.

What drove him away from the sport was all the attention, and with that, all the expectations, former Cal swimmer Spencer Hawkins told the New York Times last month. Too many people were telling him what to do.

Anthony Ervin photo/ap-mark j. terrill

Im going to London! he crowed to reporters July 1 in Omaha, after posting a personal best of 21.60 seconds in the 50 to qualify for the 2012 U.S. Olympic team.

Ervin does what he wants, his own way, in his own time.

He grew up in Valencia in Southern California and took to the waters early, swimming for Hart High School in the nearby town of Newhall.

The media love him. They love his mixed heritage Jewish on his mothers side, black and Native American on his fathers. They love his bad-boy rebelliousness, the tattoo sleeves that run down both arms, the fact that he gave up a potentially lucrative swimming career to play guitar in a rock band. They love that in 2004 he sold his Olympic gold medal on eBay for $17,000, which he donated to Asian tsunami relief; he cant remember what he did with the silver.

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Olympics: Cal’s Ervin ready to swim for gold — again — in London

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Posted By simmons on July 26, 2012

26-07-2012 13:44 White House Press Briefing July 26, 2012

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Carney Refuses To Identify Capital Of Israel Twice In White House Press Briefing - Video

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Posted By richards on July 26, 2012

LONDONMitt Romney wanted to highlight U.S.-British bondsand show off his diplomatic skills to bootbut he managed to rankle the Olympic hosts instead, from Prime Minister David Cameron on down.

The Republican presidential candidate, taking a turn on the world stage, called London's problems with Olympic Games preparation "disconcerting." That prompted Cameron to retort on Thursday that doubters would "see beyond doubt that Britain can deliver." And London Mayor Boris Johnson told tens of thousands gathered in Hyde Park: "There's a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know if we are ready. Are we ready? Yes we are!"

Amid the uproar, Romney tried to back off his critique, finally concluding, "I expect the games to be highly successful."

Romney also caused a stir with his attendance at a fundraiser with banking executives tainted by a British interest rate-fixing scandal. And he inadvertently disclosed that he held a secret meeting with the head of Britain's intelligence service.

The bobbles threatened to undermine Romney's first international tour as the man who would replace Democratic President Barack Obama.

A one-term Massachusetts governor with limited foreign policy experience, he is hoping to show voters back home that he is ready to represent the U.S. strongly and smoothly at a time of global economic turmoil and security troubles. He also wants to emphasize his own tenure running the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City

"I'm looking forward to the bust of Winston Churchill being in the Oval Office again," Romney told donors at a fundraiser, Obama's administration sent back to Britain a bust of Churchill that once sat in the Oval Office. Obama aides say it was scheduled to be returned.

All in all, though, it was a shaky start to Romney's planned weeklong trip overseas that will include Israel and Poland after England.

As he met with British leaders past and present, Romney sought to keep the focus on the close alliance between America and Britain, praising "the unique relationship that exists between our nations, our commitment to common values, our commitment to peace in the world and a desire to see a stronger and growing economy."

But he may have ended up straining his own relationship with the Britishand embarrassing themby questioning whether the country could host a flawless Olympics after years of preparation.

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Romney goes to Europe, causes international stir

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Posted By richards on July 26, 2012

LONDONMitt Romney wanted to highlight U.S.-British bondsand show off his diplomatic skills to bootbut he managed to rankle the Olympic hosts instead, from Prime Minister David Cameron on down.

The Republican presidential candidate, taking a turn on the world stage, called London's problems with Olympic Games preparation "disconcerting." That prompted Cameron to retort on Thursday that doubters would "see beyond doubt that Britain can deliver." And London Mayor Boris Johnson told tens of thousands gathered in Hyde Park: "There's a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know if we are ready. Are we ready? Yes we are!"

Amid the uproar, Romney tried to back off his critique, finally concluding, "I expect the games to be highly successful."

Romney also caused a stir with his attendance at a fundraiser with banking executives tainted by a British interest rate-fixing scandal. And he inadvertently disclosed that he held a secret meeting with the head of Britain's intelligence service.

The bobbles threatened to undermine Romney's first international tour as the man who would replace Democratic President Barack Obama.

A one-term Massachusetts governor with limited foreign policy experience, he is hoping to show voters back home that he is ready to represent the U.S. strongly and smoothly at a time of global economic turmoil and security troubles. He also wants to emphasize his own tenure running the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City

"I'm looking forward to the bust of Winston Churchill being in the Oval Office again," Romney told donors at a fundraiser, Obama's administration sent back to Britain a bust of Churchill that once sat in the Oval Office. Obama aides say it was scheduled to be returned.

All in all, though, it was a shaky start to Romney's planned weeklong trip overseas that will include Israel and Poland after England.

As he met with British leaders past and present, Romney sought to keep the focus on the close alliance between America and Britain, praising "the unique relationship that exists between our nations, our commitment to common values, our commitment to peace in the world and a desire to see a stronger and growing economy."

But he may have ended up straining his own relationship with the Britishand embarrassing themby questioning whether the country could host a flawless Olympics after years of preparation.

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Romney goes to Europe, causes stir

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Posted By richards on July 26, 2012

He doesn't look the part of an Olympic gold medalist 50-meter freestyle champion, with tattoos covering both arms from shoulder to finger tips, wiry hair, in need of glasses to see the scoreboard, pecs that are solid, but certainly not Men's Health-cover status.

At 31, Anthony Ervin, who tied for Gold with the famed USA sprinter, Gary Hall Jr. at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, went off the grid for nine years, playing in a band, serving as swim instructor, couch surfing, reading and trying to define himself outside of the media spot-light he was thrust into at just 19.

When he did resurface, he did so in high style with an unexpected runner-up finish in the 50 freestyle at the US Olympic Trials, and posting the third fastest time in the world this year--21.60 seconds, just a hair's breath away from teammate Cullen Jones at 21.59 and reigning Olympic gold medalist from 2008, Cesar Cielo of Brazil with a time of 21.38.

Scripted by the media after his 2000 gold medal win as a symbol for his mixed African-American, Jewish and Native-American heritage, Ervin, at 19, a free-thinking kid not ready for the spotlight, soon left the sport entirely, living a Jack Kerouac-type of experience that we know little about until he surfaced, briefly in 2004, auctioning his gold medal on eBay and donating the $17,000 proceeds to Asian tsunami relief.

His non-linear path did lead him back to Cal Berkeley where he re-enrolled to finish his English degree and maybe as importantly came under the training and tutelage of Cal coach and now US Olympic Coach, Teri McKeever, whom he trusted and began swimming in earnest.

The results? Ervin was ecstatic with his unbridled success at US Olympic Trials going a personal best and beating out the likes of Nathan Adrian and other great USA sprinters. His joy and gratitude was palpable as he took the mic and thanked his fans and coaches and supports and Gary Hall Jr.

While the majority of his teammates tweet from the Olympic Village about clothes and meeting other athletic stars, and posting pics of great views, Ervin keeps his ever-growing twitter fan-base abreast of his reading. The Alchemist, which he said first inspired him to sell his gold medal on eBay to support those in desperate need and then more recently a Smithsonian article he thought his more heady fans would enjoy.

Regardless, the tattooed, decorated Olympian is back at age 31, and ready to take on Cielo and Jones and make his way to the podium for a second time, with a heartfelt understanding of what it means to be an Olympian and what it means to be human. Go Anthony!

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London 2012: 5 Under the Radar Swimmers Who Will Shine in the Olympics

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Posted By richards on July 25, 2012

Los Angeles

July 25, 2012

by Zev Hurwitz

Serious study of the Talmud requires a high level of devotion and consistency. Finishing all 63 volumes of rabbinical discourse in ones lifetime is an admirable feat. Completing the whole series in a little more than seven years is almost unfathomable.

Yet a core group of thousands of Talmud enthusiasts across the globe has done exactly that studying the entire set of Gemara through the Daf Yomi method of learning. Those who take part in learning Daf Yomi, or a page a day, complete study of the entire Babylonian Talmud in about seven and a half years.

The Daf Yomi program is large enough that most participants learn the same page on the same day, regardless of geography. Next month marks the 12th time that Daf Yomi participants will have completed the entire set, also known as shas (an acronym of Shisha Sedarim, which refer to the six orders of the Talmud) since the widespread practice began in Poland in 1923.

On Aug. 1, the anticipated finishing date for the study, Jews across the globe will celebrate completion of their study by participating in a Siyum HaShas, or celebration for completing shas.

Agudath Israel of California is hosting a Siyum HaShas at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles on Aug. 1 at 5:15 p.m. The program at the venue, which has a 3,100-person capacity, will include a live link-up to the Worldwide Agudath Israel movements main siyum in New Jersey, where 90,000 people are expected to fill MetLife Stadium.

The Agudath Israel program will also feature keynote speaker Dayan Aharon Dovid Dunner, a sitting member of the London Beit Din. The event will also honor participants in other learning programs, such as the Its My Siyum Too program, which celebrates those who have completed a section or particular book of learning rather than the entire Talmud.

The concept is that were trying to enhance the study of Torah, said Irving Lebovics, who chairs the presidium of Agudath Israel of California. We just want to get people more involved.

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Celebrations mark end of Talmud cycle

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Posted By richards on July 25, 2012

By KASIE HUNT Associated Press

LONDON (AP) - Mitt Romney - a one-term governor untested on the world's political stage - faces high stakes in the coming week during visits to England, Israel and Poland. It's a trip that amounts to an international audition.

The Republican presidential candidate is seeking to persuade voters back home to elect him their leader in a complex, dangerous world. And his trip will invite comparisons to Barack Obama's successful overseas 2008 tour before he won the White House.

Romney, whose decades in private business gave him ample exposure to international affairs, hopes to prove that he is no novice on foreign policy. At the same time he'll be highlighting a key part of his resume - the successful Salt Lake City Olympics he managed - with a visit to the opening days of the London Games. He's also planned a series of meetings - and photo events - with political leaders in the three countries he's visiting in hopes of projecting an image of leadership.

His itinerary is limited to a few tightly controlled appearances in countries that are close allies of the United States, suggesting that Romney knows there are risks as well as potential benefits to his trip.

Romney will be visiting two countries in Europe, a region he's spent most of his campaign criticizing. Beyond that, he's certain to face pressure to outline where he stands on such weighty matters as missile defense, Afghanistan troop levels, violence raging in Syria, the nuclear threat from Iran and the Middle East peace process, putting him on the spot to add details to a foreign policy vision that so far has been short on them.

He also faces the tricky task of contrasting himself with Obama while staying true to his promise not to openly assail the president while on foreign soil, honoring longstanding tradition that American politicians don't criticize their government while abroad. Drawing implicit contrasts with the president also could be difficult because Romney has so far not outlined sharp foreign policy differences with his Democratic opponent.

"I don't want to be in any way critical of the president or to be fashioning foreign policy departure from the president, while I'm on foreign soil," Romney told NBC News during a Wednesday interview in London when asked about how he would help Israel as president. "But I can tell you that, that with regards to any nation that, that feels its security is at risk that they should have a firm conviction that America is securely behind them."

The sheer logistics of putting together an overseas political trip could stress a campaign still trying to transition from the primary season and struggling to compete against Obama's battle-tested re-election machine. Anything short of flawlessness could raise questions about whether Romney and his team are ready to go head-to-head against Obama this fall, whether they're "ready for prime time."

The trip also will keep Romney off the campaign trail for a full week as Obama hammers him in states essential to winning the 270 Electoral College votes needed for victory this fall. There are signs that Romney may have been gaining some traction after a month of being on the receiving end of Democratic attacks by assailing the president over a remark about business owners. Obama has spent the past few days on the defensive.

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Hometownstations.com-WLIO- Lima, OH News Weather SportsInternational audition: Romney faces high stakes

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Posted By richards on July 25, 2012

The Pew center report on Asian American religions finds Hindu Americans are majority of Indian Americans; they vote predominantly Democratic; majority celebrate Christmas; only 19 per cent say they attend worship services at least once a week; are way ahead of Jewish Americans in both education and family income. Aziz Haniffa reports.

Close on the heels of its seminal report on the Rise of Asian Americans last month, the highly-respected Pew Research Center last week brought out yet another comprehensive report -- this time a survey of the religions of Asian Americans -- titled Asian Americans: A Mosaic of Faiths, which found that Hindu Americans constitute 51 per cent of the Indian American population, but only 19 per cent said they attend worship services at least once a week.

While 51 per cent of Indian Americans were Hindu, according to the report, 18 per cent were Christian( Protestant 11 per cent, Catholic, 5 per cent), 10 per cent were Muslim, 10 per cent, unaffiliated, and Sikhs constituted 5 per cent and Jains, 2 per cent.

The survey also found that the majority of Hindu Americans celebrate Christmas as they do Diwali [ Images ], tend to vote largely Democratic, are streets ahead of other Asian American groups in terms of education and family income and of all the largest Asian American religious groups, Hindus have the highest retention rate, with "fully 81 per cent of Asian Americans who were raised Hindu, remain Hindu today; 12 per cent have become unaffiliated, and the rest have switched to other faiths(or did not give a current religion)."

It said, "By far the lowest intermarriage rate is among Hindus. Nine-in-10 married Hindus (94 per cent) have a spouse who is also Hindu," which was greater than about "eight-in-10 Catholics (81 per cent) are married to fellow Catholics or Protestants, respectively. Seven-in-10 Buddhists are married to fellow Buddhists (70 per cent) and 61 per cent of those with no religious affiliation have a spouse who is also unaffiliated."

The survey said Asian American Hindus also maintain some distinctive religious beliefs and practices, and noted that "Yoga has a long tradition in Hinduism, and nearly three-quarters of US Asian Hindus see it not just as an exercise but as a spiritual practice (73 per cent)."

It said, "More than half of Asian American Hindus say they believe in reincarnation and moksha, defined in the survey as 'the ultimate state transcending pain and desire in which individual consciousness ends (59 per cent each)."

"About half also believe in astrology (53 per cent), defined in the survey as the belief 'that the position of the stars and planets can affect people's lives."

The survey said that, "Fewer believe in spiritual energy in physical things (46 per cent) on in ancestral spirits (34 per cent)."

It said, "In addition, Hindus tend to practice their religion in different ways than do Christians," and noted that "although just 19 per cent of Asian American Hindus say they attend worship services at least once a week, nearly eight-in-10 (78 per cent) have a shrine in their home."

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Asian Americans show wide diversity of faith: Study

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