‘Dirty Dozen’ warning: Fruits and veggies rank on danger list

 

This could make people berry afraid.

Every year the Environmental Working Group re-releases an updated Dirty Dozen list, which ranks the 12 fruits and vegetables that contribute most to the levels of pesticides in your body.

And for the second consecutive year, juicy strawberries have topped the list.

The EWG produces their annual Dirty Dozen — all well as the Clean 15 — to “educate the public about fruits and vegetables with the highest and lowest pesticide residues so consumers can make the best decisions for their families,” they write.

While chemical pest killers are used widely throughout conventional farming, many researchers fear that potentially hazardous compounds are being synthesized and implemented without sufficient evidence to guarantee safety.

Pretty much any unpeeled fruit or vegetable carries the risk of pesticide exposure as its skin gets regularly doused with chemicals.

The EWG found that 90% of samples taken from most fruits on the list tested positive for at least two kinds of pesticides.

“A single sample of kale, collard and mustard greens had up to 21 different pesticides,” EWG also said. “On average, spinach samples had 1.8 times as much pesticide residue by weight as any other crop tested.”

The ‘Dirty Dozen’ 2022 list

Migrants released at border get free phones

 

The White House didn’t deny Wednesday that US border officials are giving cellphones to some suspected illegal immigrants — arguing it could make them easier to track after they are released into the US even though they can be easily ditched, unlike ankle monitors.

“We need to take steps to ensure that we know where individuals are and we can track and we can check in with them,” press secretary Jen Psaki said with a straight face at her daily briefing.

It’s unclear how many phones are being distributed or what models are included. Government-subsidized cellphones can become a touchy political issue — such as in 2012 when a viral video depicted a low-income woman boasting of the free “Obamaphone” she received.

Psaki claimed that the phones are a monitoring tool and are not intended as a perk for those suspected of illegally entering the country.

“The alternatives to detention programs… has three unique forms of technology to monitor participants enrolled in the program,” Psaki said. “Telephonic, which is one of them, uses a participant’s voice to create a biometric voice print during the enrollment process.  And when the participant has a check-in call, their voice is compared to the voice print.

“SmartLink, which is another option, enables participant monitoring via smartphone or tablet using facial-matching technology to establish identity. And Global Positioning System monitoring is of a participant’s location and movement history, using satellite technology through an ankle bracelet.”

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Psaki concluded, “This is all part of our effort, as individuals come into the United States and individuals who are entering who will proceed to immigration proceedings, to monitor and track where they are.”

Your Taxes at Work: PENTAGON researched the best way to contact aliens and communicate with a possible 4,590 extraterrestrial civilizations

 

The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) document, which was obtained by The Sun as part of a massive Freedom of Information request, is a scientific study into SETI - an acronym for search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

The report, commissioned by the US government, states its goal is to "ascertain whether alien civilisations exist in the universe, how far from us they exist and possibly how much more advanced than us they may be".

It adds: "As of 2009, the only physical tools we know that could help us get in with with aliens are the electromagnetic waves an alien civilisation could emit and we could detect."

However current technologies mean the government cannot search for aliens "beyond a few hundred light years away".

Biden totally ignored in White House Walks Around Like a "tembell"

 

Whistleblower who handed Hunter’s abandoned laptop to congressmen reveals he has 450 gigabytes of DELETED material including 80,000 images and videos – and has fled to Switzerland fearing retaliation from White House

 The source who distributed Hunter Biden‘s laptop to congressmen and media has fled the US to Switzerland, saying he fears retaliation from the Biden administration.

Jack Maxey gave DailyMail.com a copy of the hard drive from Hunter’s abandoned laptop in the spring of 2021.

He also gave copies and material from it to the Washington Post, New York Times, and Senator Chuck Grassley in his role as ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee – but he claims they all sat on it for months.

For the past two weeks, Maxey has been in hiding in Zurich, working with IT experts to dig out more data from the ‘laptop from hell’.

Maxey, a former co-host of ex-Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon’s podcast the War Room, claims he and his colleagues have found ‘450 gigabytes of deleted material’ including 80,000 images and videos and more than 120,000 archived emails.

He said he intends to post them all online in a searchable database in the coming weeks.

Mocked as ‘Rubble’ by Biden, Russia’s Ruble Comes Roaring Back

 

International sanctions on Vladimir Putin’s regime sank it to a record low of 121.5 rubles per dollar, triggering memories of the battering it took during the 1998 Russian financial crisis.

Things looked dire enough that U.S. President Joe Biden said the ruble had been reduced to “rubble.”

Now, though, it sure hasn’t. The ruble has surged all the way back to where it was before Putin invaded Ukraine, closing at 79.7 in Moscow on Wednesday.

What’s become clear is that despite an incredibly wide-ranging package of sanctions on the Russian government and its oligarchs, and an exodus of foreign businesses, the actions are largely toothless if foreigners keep guzzling Russian oil and natural gas — supporting the ruble by stocking Putin’s coffers.

READ: Japan Won’t Ban Russian Coal Imports, Mainichi Says

Even as Russia remains mostly cut off otherwise from the global economy, Bloomberg Economics expects the country will earn nearly $321 billion from energy exports this year, up more than a third from 2021.

Charedie Hypocrits 'Willing to forgive Liberman to form a government'

 

MK Aryeh Deri, who chairs the Sephardic-haredi Shas party, has said that he is willing to compromise in order to form a government and avoid new elections.

Previously, Deri said about Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) that, "There is no forgiveness...not in this world, and not in the next world."

In an interview with Israel Hayom, Deri said, "Even if Evet Liberman wants to come back - we will tell him, 'Certainly, come.' If he wants to join the coalition and be part of us together, that is possible. I am willing to forgive - anything in order to form a normal government." 

Avigdor Liberman was born Evet Liberman. He changed his name to the Hebrew Avigdor after immigrating to Israel in 1978. In recent years, politicians angry with Liberman have begun referring to him as Evet.

Regarding coalition chair MK Idit Silman's (Yamina) decision to bolt the coalition, Deri said, "I was not surprised by Silman's resignation from the government. For a few days already we had been in contact, I was skeptical. In the middle of the night they told me that it's final. I hope that she is not the last. Very soon we will hear about another one or two who will do the same thing. I won't name names. We are in the middle of an ongoing event, and I hope that it will end well."

Regarding the price paid to Silman, Deri said, "Any price that needs to be paid to bring down this evil government is worth paying."

He added, "We are talking about one of the MKs that we have been communicating with, who did not want to receive a place in the Likud because he does not get along with them. I offered him a place in Shas."

"Silman took a brave step. I had harsh criticism of her but she took a brave step. Our sister, blessed is she who comes home. She has a respectable place in our coalition. And those who will yet come also have a place. We will all compromise, we will all give in a bit on positions in the government."

"From today, it is a new day. Silman is not the last. As of this moment, with the situation 60-60, the government can no longer function, period. There is a good chance of increasing the 60 and then we need to see if we are going to new elections or creating another, alternative government.

"We have a majority with [Justice Minister] Gideon Sa'ar (New Hope) and Yamina. If they come home and tell us, 'We made a mistake. We had revenge, we were annoyed, but we are coming home,' believe me, we will not remind them for a minute afterwards that they did something not okay. I will make sure of that. We will accept them with complete love."

Turning to those MKs, Deri said, "Come back to us, let's form a government. You'll receive senior positions."

"Will it erase everything for them? I am erasing everything. I'll make sure that they receive the best honors possible. [MK Benjamin] Netanyahu (Likud) will also receive them with love."

The full interview will be published in Israel Hayom on Friday

Knesset Minister Resigned from Coalition Over Debate about Chametz

 

The political upheaval in Israel this week revolved around a debate over chametz on Pesach. On a broader level, the Minister who resigned from PM Bennett’s coalition was protesting the leftist takeover of the government, which is spreading secularism and crushing traditional Jewish values.

Right-wing Minister Idit Silman resigned from the coalition and joined Likud, based on her belief that a “national, Jewish and Zionist government” should be in charge.

This defection comes after she criticized leftist health minister Nitzan Horowitz, for lifting a ban on chametz in hospitals during Pesach (apparently in accordance with a supreme court ruling.)

At a Knessest meeting, Ms. Silman expressed her anger saying: “People in the Holocaust fasted on Passover so as not to eat chametz, and a minister in the State of Israel within a coalition like ours, unfortunately, intends to introduce chametz. The people of Israel have certain values that entire generations have died over, and we in the current government will not be part of their overthrow and we must respect the public.”

Yearly Debate

It is an annual tradition in Israel, leading up to Pesach, to argue over the ban on bringing chametz, into public places. Even non-Charedi right-wingers believe that chametz should be banned to maintain the Jewish character.

For years, some hospitals have prohibited chametz, with bags checked by guards when people enter. Army bases have imposed similar rules.

However in 2020, the High Court issued an extreme ruling, saying that hospital guards cannot search the belongings of visitors, prevent them from bringing in food that isn’t kosher for Pesach, or discuss the matter in any way.

Charedi Knesset members staunchly opposed that decision, and the Rabbanut said the ruling may lead to frum Jews avoiding hospitals on Pesach and endanger their health.

While the chametz debate is ongoing, the broader issue at stake is whether to allow the secularists to erase the observance of traditional Jewish values, or impose rules that encourage people to respect the religion, since after all, Israel is a Jewish country, and Judaism is, first and foremost, a religion.

Amazingly, this hot-button issue may bring down the current government.

Israeli Sentenced To Death In UAE Refused To Allow IDF Officer In Her Restaurant

 

Fida Kiwan, the Arab-Israeli woman who was sentenced to death in the United Arab Emirates for cocaine possession, was the subject of an incident that caused an uproar in Israel 12 years ago.

In 2010, when Kiwan was one of the owners and the manager of a restaurant in Haifa, she refused to allow an IDF officer in uniform to enter the premises. The incident was publicized and caused a storm of public outrage. Shortly later it was discovered that Kiwan never obtained a business license for the restaurant and she was forced to close it.

According to a Ynet report on Tuesday evening, Kiwan was indicted for drug trafficking after the court was presented with a video showing her accepting money for cocaine from an undercover police officer. Apart from Kiwan, two others – Pakistani citizens – were also sentenced to death as part of the same investigation.

Israeli officials were surprised by the sentence since the UAE had revoked the death punishment for drug trafficking just a few months ago but apparently, it was reinstated due to a rise in drug offenses.

Democrats have decided to replace Biden

 

POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE: Yamina MK Resigns, Leaving Coalition Without A Majority

 

Coalition chairwoman and Yamina MK Idit Silman announced early Wednesday morning that she is resigning from the coalition, leaving it without a majority.

“I can’t [continue] any longer,” Silman said. “I attempted unity and worked hard for the current coalition. Unfortunately, I cannot lend a hand to the harm of the Jewish identity of the state of Israel and Am Yisrael. The public is not aware of everything I tried because I did it quietly.”

“I’m ending my membership in the coalition and I will continue to try to convince my friends to return home and establish a right-wing government. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.”

“The Jewish identity of the state of Israel is the zechus of our existence here. This is our heart, this is our essence. Harming it, without any consideration to the public and the values I represent, is a red line for me.”

“We can establish another government already in this Knesset.”

Silman’s move comes on the background of a coalition crisis caused by Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz’s order to allow chometz into hospitals on Pesach, and a day after her husband said in a radio interview that “Idit will not sell her Olam Haba for any payment.”

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was taken by surprise by Silman’s announcement, only finding out about it via media reports, but at least several senior members of the coalition have been aware of Silman’s decision for at least a week, Maariv reported.

Following Silman’s announcement, former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded to the news in a video message: “I was very moved to hear MK Idit Silman’s announcement and I bless you in the name of the millions of people in Am Yisrael who have been waiting for this moment,” Netanyahu said. “Idit, you proved that what guides you is the concern for the Jewish identity of the state of Israel and concern for Eretz Yisrael. And I welcome you with bracha on your return home to the right-wing camp. You proved that true representatives of the public act according to their conscience and there’s no greater zechus than that.”

“I call on every MK who was elected with votes from the right-wing camp to join Idit and return home. You’ll be welcomed with open arms and much respect.”

Former Yamina MK Amichai Chikli, who left the party immediately after it formed a coalition with the left, responded by stating: בְּנִיסָן נִגְאֲלוּ וּבְנִיסָן עֲתִידִין לִיגָּאֵל.

Barry Jacobson's 1983 Arson Conviction Vacated Due To Antisemitism At Trial

 

A New York man who spent nearly 40 years trying to clear his name after a jury tainted by antisemitism wrongfully convicted him of arson has finally been vindicated.

Lawyers for Barry Jacobson — who were helped in their efforts by the Anti-Defamation League and the Innocence Project — announced Tuesday that a court had agreed that the jury was biased and the case was subsequently dismissed by prosecutors.

“This has weighed deeply on his mind and conscience for decades,” said Bob Cordy, an attorney for the now 78-year-old Jacobson.

Jacobson was found guilty in 1983 of setting a fire at his home in Richmond, a small town in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. He was sentenced to six months in prison and fined $10,000, although he ended up spending only about a month behind bars.

The conviction nearly ruined his life. Jacobson, who was in the commercial real estate business, lost his real estate licenses in Massachusetts and New York, Cordy said. It interfered with his personal relationships and his mental health.

“For nearly 40 years I have been haunted by this wrongful conviction,” Jacobson, who was unavailable for comment, said in a statement. “Time and again it has affected my career, my business, my family and my community. It has been beyond painful. It is an experience I would not wish on anyone.”

The prosecution and jury deliberations were both stained by antisemitism, said Cordy, a former associate justice on the Supreme Judicial Court, the highest court in Massachusetts.

The prosecution, relying on a racist stereotype, implied that Jacobson set the fire for the insurance money, Cordy said.

Even more shocking were comments made by the jury foreperson.

French Jew killed by tram likely a target of antisemitic attack, family says

 Relatives of Jeremy Cohen, a 31-year-old French Jew who died two months ago after being hit by a tram in the town of Bobigny, near Paris, said Monday that his death was not an accident, but was the result of an antisemitic attack.

Initially, his death was reported as a “pedestrian being run over,” but video footage released by Cohen’s family on Monday showed the moments leading to his death and indicated that the incident could have been triggered by an assault.

In the video, Cohen is seen attacked by several members of a large group before running away from the crowd and being hit by an incoming tram.

Relatives of Jeremy Cohen, a 31-year-old French Jew who died two months ago after being hit by a tram in the town of Bobigny, near Paris, said Monday that his death was not an accident, but was the result of an antisemitic attack.

Initially, his death was reported as a “pedestrian being run over,” but video footage released by Cohen’s family on Monday showed the moments leading to his death and indicated that the incident could have been triggered by an assault.

The new footage raises the plausible possibility that Cohen did not notice the incoming tram as he was trying to escape his assailants, which would mean his death was the result of the attack.

“Jeremy’s death is linked to an attack of which he was the victim — by a gang of young people immediately before being hit,” Gerald Cohen, his father, told Radio Shalom, a French-Jewish radio station.

UAE court sentences Israeli woman to death for drug possession

 

An Israeli woman has been sentenced to death in the United Arab Emirates, after she was arrested for drug possession.

The woman, an Israeli Arab, was arrested in Abu Dhabi on March 17th, 2021 after half a kilogram of cocaine was found in her possession.

A UAE court found the woman guilty, despite her claim that the cocaine was not hers.

On Tuesday, the court handed down a death sentence.

The defendant’s attorney is expected to appeal the decision.

In a statement released Tuesday morning, the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed the sentence, saying: “We are aware of the case and are working via the department for Israelis abroad and our representatives in the Emirates.”

MSNBC host says white people ‘do not understand’ why Blacks Beat the Crap out of each other!

 

An MSNBC host over the weekend said white Americans should “sit this out” as controversy persists around Will Smith slapping stand-up comic Chris Rock during the Academy Awards last week.

Tiffany Cross, who anchors a weekend talk show on the left-leaning cable news network, interviewed actress Yvette Nicole Brown and TheGrio columnist Michael Harriot on Sunday.

Harriot claimed the Smith-Rock incident was an example of “how black people relate to each other” in a way that white people do not understand, “even though it happened to everybody [watching the ceremony].”

Brown chimed in, saying: “On Twitter, a lot of us were like, ‘Y’all sit this out for your protection,’ because when we need to have a conversation, we’re gonna have it.”

“Some people use their words, some people use their hands. It is what it is. In the black community, we understand that,” Brown said.

Brown later added that “violence is [not] the answer” and all three condemned Smith.

Cross then interjected, saying she would “try to put this in context for our white fellow countrymen as best I can.”

“In really, truly black America, there’s a commonality amongst us all,” she said.

“If we went to a white person’s home and it was their family dinner, we were sitting at the table, and the mother hauled off and slapped the father and everybody at the table has an opinion,” Cross added.

“If I weigh in as the guest in this home and say, ‘Yeah, you guys are terrible,’ everybody’s like, ‘I’m sorry. When did you get an opinion? This is our family table,’” she said.

That’s what this moment felt like for many of us. There’s a nuance to what happened.”

Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday in the face of possible suspension or expulsion from the organization for his on-stage slap of Rock.

Smith said in a statement he would “fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct” imposed by the Academy’s Board of Governors.

“The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home,” Smith said in the statement.

Rock reportedly was encouraged to file charges against Smith when the LAPD showed up to the Dolby Theater after the assault, but the comic refused. 

14-Year-Old Chareidi Arrested After Molesting Young Girls In Beitar Elite ...Rabbis didn't go to police

A 14-year-old eighth grade youth in a chareidi town in central Israel has been arrested after a shocking series of assaults on young girls aged 7-8 in his neighborhood. The arrest was made after parents complained that their daughter had been molested by the youth. Police received other complaints this week and realized that the youth was a serial offender.

The boy has admitted six assaults on girls but police suspect that the number is much higher. Some of the cases occurred in cellars or behind buildings and one of the attacks occurred in a stairwell.

During the past week police gathered evidence from surveillance cameras. After Whatsapp images of the youth were sent to various groups, the youth was identified and arrested.

The clip shows the suspect standing in the middle of the road. Noting a young girl walking he followed her and began talking to her until he succeeded in dragging her to a nearby building where he allegedly molested her.

One of those involved in the case told Chareidim 10 that a local rabbi had sent parents to place an add in the local newspaper instead of going to police.

“This boy was a ticking bomb. Police agreed to place pictures in Whatsapp groups since they feared he would harm other girls. Yet instead of sending the parents to police the rabbi tells them to place an ad?”, the person fumed.

“The police acted effectively, working around the clock until they caught him.” 

Yossi Azulay Sings Vehi Sheamda with Gospel Choir in Live Concert in Paris

 

Moshe Oysher Rachem Nu Concert 1944 Town Hall NYC in a Cantorial Comedy Routine

 Move to 3:38 mark to hear him singing Racheim Nu from Bentching 

In rare decision, rabbinical court rules a man is married - but wife is considered single

 

In a rare ruling, the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court issued a decision last week stating that a man who publicly stated that the get or traditional divorce document he granted his wife was not valid would be considered still married and that he would be placed on the list of people who are not permitted to remarry until he granted his wife an additional get.

However, at the same time, his wife would be considered divorced and free to remarry. The couple wed in 2006 and had five children, but after a decade, the marriage fell apart. In April 2017, the wife left the house and filed a divorce claim with the Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem, but from the moment the procedure began, the husband unequivocally refused to grant her a divorce.

In December 2019, upon the request by Ohr Torah Stone’s Yad La’isha Legal Aid Center which represents the wife, the Court handed down a decision compelling the husband to issue the divorce or to face a series of social sanctions.

When the imposition of sanctions did not yield the desired effect, the court – in another rare move – approved the request of Yad La'isha's Attorney Dina Raitchik to order the owner of the apartment that the husband rents not to renew his rental lease, and instructing any other homeowners in Israel not to rent him an apartment until he released his wife from her chains.

The husband steadfastly stood by his refusal until it was made clear to him that if he did not grant the divorce, he would be imprisoned – at which point earlier this year he finally agreed to set his wife free.

This week, the tribunal summoned the parties after it came to their attention that the husband had been publicly stating that the divorce he gave was null since he did not actually say the necessary words during the course of the get ceremony. After being warned that his conduct bordered on contempt of court and failure to comply with their decisions, the judges handed down the decision believed to be precedential: since the man had slandered the validity of the get, he will be forbidden to remarry until he gives his ex-wife another divorce (get l'chumra), and will be placed on the court's list of marriage detainees.

Simultaneously, the woman's get remains valid; she will continue to be considered divorced for all intents and purposes and is permitted to remarry.

The judges also imposed seven days in prison for contempt of court. They noted in their decision that if the man would retract his statements and grant the woman another divorce, the imprisonment would be canceled.

Ohr Torah Stone and Yad La’isha applauded the court's decision and the impact it will hopefully have on future recalcitrant husbands. “This Rabbinical Court ruling makes it ever more clear to get-refusers that they have no right to play both sides of the field - on the one hand issuing a get to avoid sanctions, while at the very same time continuing their recalcitrance in public,” said Advocate Dina Raitchik. “We thank the Court for taking a firm stance in this case. This decision is another important step in our continued struggle against get-abuse.”

Pnina Omer, Director of Yad La’isha also commended the "uncompromising determination" of the Rabbinical Court. “This is a remarkable example of how rabbinical judges should aspire to act, and a model to which the Committee for the Appointment of Rabbinical Court Judges should set before them when installing the next round of judges: people of courage who do are not afraid to bravely liberate agunot.”

Dozens of Rabbis ascend Har Habyis

 

Dozens of rabbis and heads of yeshivas ascended the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, on Sunday for Rosh Chodesh Nisan. The rabbis ascended the mountain led by Temple Institute founder Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, Rosh Yeshiva of Shadmot Mehola Rabbi Shlomo Rosenfeld and Rabbi Eliezer Shankolevsky from Beit Shemesh.

Rabbi Israel Ariel opened the ascent with the words of Torah, Halacha and Aggadah, on the importance of ascending the Temple Mount properly. The rabbi congratulated the organized ascension and said that "when fifty rabbis ascend the Temple Mount, it is a stamp of approval that is likened to the approval of the chief rabbinate for ascension."

The rabbis carried the Torah throughout the ascent to the Temple Mount along with prayers for peace with Israel, combining Psalms and the Kaddish prayer as is customary there. The rabbis noted in praise the positive changes on the Temple Mount in that the police had allowed them to ascend the Temple Mount for the seventh year in a row. They thanked the commanders and especially the district commander Doron Turgeman.

Among the rabbis were Rabbi Baruch Kahana, Rabbi Yitzchak Brand, Rabbi Yitzchak Levy, Rabbi Danny Kitov, Rabbi Azaria Ariel, Rabbi Avraham Blass, Rabbi Doron Ladvin and Rabbi Yitzchak Yavetz.