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Exercise During Coronavirus: Tips for Staying Active

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As many of our daily routines remain restricted during the coronavirus pandemic, it can be difficult to find the motivation to exercise

Social distancing, self-quarantining, and the closure of many gyms have made it harder to exercise. But these tips can help keep you active and healthy during this difficult time.

By: Shannon Collins, PT

 

The importance of staying active during COVID-19

As many of our daily routines remain restricted during the coronavirus pandemic, it can be difficult to find the motivation to exercise. With the challenges of working from home and limited access to fitness facilities, you may be finding it hard to stick to a workout routine. You may be missing the camaraderie of the gym, the relaxation of swimming laps, or the social connection from walking or hiking with a group of friends. If you were used to attending a fitness class with a motivating instructor, you might be disappointed in the intensity of workouts on your own.

Maintaining an exercise routine at home can seem more like a ‘should’ than a ‘want to’ at the moment. And with so many people out of work and struggling financially, staying active can seem like much less of a priority. However, even a small amount of activity can make a huge difference to how well you think and feel. In fact, exercise is one of the most powerful tools we have for staying physically and mentally healthy.

Exercise can help ease depression, stress, and anxiety, and aid in the management of chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. By finding new ways to get moving and stay motivated, you can take charge of your mood and well-being and regain a sense of control during this time of great uncertainty.

 

Exercise and your immune system

While being fit won’t prevent you from catching the virus, it does have many other protective effects. Physical activity releases endorphins, chemicals in your brain that revitalize your mind and body, and it can help to improve all aspects of your health. In addition to boosting your mood and improving sleep, exercise can also strengthen your immune system, something that is particularly important at this time, especially for older adults who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.

Even a small amount of activity can make a huge difference to how well you think and feel.

But don’t overdo it. While moderate physical activity supports immune function, too much intense activity—especially if you are not used to it—may have the opposite effect and suppress your immune system.

If you use exercise to keep up your energy and spirits in trying times such as these, you might be less inclined to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as drinking too much, which can also wear down your immune system.

 

Making an exercise plan that’ll keep you motivated

Whether you’re teaching your kids and working at home or you’re unemployed and worried about finances, this is likely not the time to undertake a challenging new fitness plan. Consider your energy levels (many people report fatigue from coronavirus-related stress), any ongoing health concerns, and the time you have available, then set reasonable goals focusing on activities you enjoy. You’re more likely to stick to an exercise plan if you start small, celebrate your successes, and build up gradually.

Prioritize your workouts. People who put their fitness activities on the same calendar as their regular appointments tend to stick to their plan. You wouldn’t cancel your appointment with your dentist because you were busy with work or just didn’t feel like it at that moment. Rather, you’d fulfill your obligation and then return to work afterwards.

Workout at the time that’s right for you. Many people who maintain a long-term exercise program workout in the mornings. Completing your fitness routine in the morning can energize you and set a positive tone for the rest of the day. Others find it helpful to take a break from work and get moving in the afternoon when their energy is flagging. A burst of activity can stimulate the brain and help you push through the rest of the tasks on your to-do list.

Be specific in your goals—and track your workouts. Rather than aim to “get in better shape,” set a concrete goal such as “walk 30 minutes in the morning on Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Saturday.” Try one of the many fitness trackers or smartphone apps available to keep a record of your progress—or simply use a calendar to note the length of your workout, distance, and effort level. Tracking your progress can help keep you accountable, provide a sense of accomplishment, and encourage you to keep going.

Say it out loud. Tell a friend what your goals and routines are or post about it on social media. You’re less likely to skip a session if you know your friends will be asking about how you got on. And if they give you positive feedback, it will give you a boost for your next session. Working out with a buddy can also help keep you on track. Set up regular times to exercise together—either at a social distance or on a phone or video call—and offer each other support and encouragement.

 

Tips for getting the activity you need during COVID-19

As with exercising at any time, it’s important to be safe, wear good footwear, start slowly, and give your muscles and tendons time to adapt to any new activity. Always seek your physician’s advice if you have any underlying health conditions, take medication for a heart problem or to control blood pressure or blood sugar, or experience dizziness, balance problems, or joint issues. And if you feel pain during an activity, STOP.

Get outside as much as possible. Unless your area is under a stay-at-home order or you need to remain in quarantine, try to exercise outside as much as possible. Take a walk, jog, or ride a bike outside, just remember to wear a mask and/or maintain a safe distance from others. The fresh air and sunshine will provide a further boost to your mental health.

Keep your workouts interesting. Watch your favorite streaming show or listen to a podcast or some great music while working out. While walking, explore a new area in your neighborhood or catch up with a friend on the phone to keep things from getting stale. Or try activity video games or “exergames” that simulate dancing, skateboarding, soccer, bowling, or tennis. These can be great alternatives if you’re unable to participate in the real thing at the moment.

Walk in a new way. Immerse yourself in the full experience of walking outdoors by adding a mindfulness element. Notice the smell of the air, the variety of flowers and trees and the feel of the sun or the wind as you move. Bringing your attention to these things can give your conscious mind a break from your worries and unleash your creativity. You might find new ideas and solutions coming to you when you weren’t even aware you were working on them. If you find you need to up the intensity of your walks, look for hills, do some step ups on the curb at each corner, skip, or even jump up and down the curb a few times (if appropriate for your fitness level and joints).

Try something new. Always wanted to try barre exercise, line dancing, cardio funk, or HIIT (high-intensity interval training)? Find a free video online, subscribe to one of the many online classes available, or download an app to guide you from the safety of your own home (see the Get more help section below). Many people find they are more comfortable trying something new when no one else is watching. You just might find your new passion! Try boxing, Pilates, or yoga. Don’t be intimidated to try something new and refine your online search to be more specific to your needs, like ‘yoga for over 50’, ‘golf-specific exercises’ or ‘basic Pilates for beginners’. There are many new, and often free, classes being posted daily to support people in their fitness pursuits during the pandemic. Just remember to avoid causing pain.

Join the kids. Play catch or tag, go for a bike ride, shoot baskets, or pass the soccer ball with your kids. Taking the focus away from schoolwork or chores and playing together can even help repair a strained relationship.

Prioritize your workouts. People who put their fitness activities on the same calendar as their regular appointments tend to stick to their plan. Photo Credit: Pinterest

Miss the gym? Create a home workout area. If you have space available, designate an inviting area of your home to exercise and keep your equipment handy. Try using resistance bands, water bottles, or your own body weight to perform resistance exercises. You could start by doing push-ups against the wall then progress to doing them against the kitchen counter, the coffee table, and finally the floor. Have stairs in your house? Stair climbing is an efficient strength training activity. Keep one foot on a step and step up and down several times (or try stepping up two steps for an even tougher workout).

 

Build more movement into your day

For many of us, spending more time at home means sitting more—watching TV, working at the computer, being on Zoom meetings. But you can still find ways to incorporate more movement into your day. Try to think of physical activity as a lifestyle choice rather than as a designated event. Getting up every 30 minutes for a quick bout of activity can add up over the day.

  • Intersperse household chores into your sitting time: vacuum a room, scrub a sink, do some yard work, or wipe down your appliances.
  • Move around while you are on a call, stand for an online meeting, do squats or lunges while you’re waiting for a meeting to start, or jumping jacks in front of the TV during the credits or commercial breaks.
  • Try ‘microwave exercises’ (short bursts of movement) like countertop push-ups while you are waiting for the kettle to boil or toast to pop up.

 

How much exercise is enough?

During this time of uncertainty and fear, it’s important to remember that when it comes to exercise, something is always better than nothing. Going for a walk around the block will not only stretch your legs but help clear your head as well. It might even inspire you to walk a little further the next day.

That said, the current recommendation for adults is to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity every week (or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity) with two sessions of strength building activities per week. That’s about 30 minutes of movement, five times per week. It’s also okay to break it up. Two 15-minute workouts or three 10-minute workouts can benefit you just as much. Include warm up and cool down time as part of your workout—as well as heavier activities around the house or garden.

 

Moderate intensity vs. vigorous intensity

Moderate intensity means that you’re working, breathing faster, and starting to sweat. You’re still able to talk in full sentences, but not able to sing. Examples of moderate intensity activities include: brisk walking, cycling on level ground, hiking, weight training, or skateboarding.

Exercise can help ease depression, stress, and anxiety, and aid in the management of chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

Vigorous intensity means that you’re really working, breathing hard, sweating hard, and too breathless to talk in full sentences. Examples of vigorous intensity activities include: jogging, skipping rope, cycling fast or on hills, aerobics, or circuit training.

 

Reward yourself

If the current situation has made it difficult for you to partake in your favorite forms of exercise, it’s normal to feel a little frustrated. Don’t beat yourself up but keep experimenting with new workouts until you find something that you enjoy. And if you feel your motivation to get moving start to flag, focus on how much better you’ll feel after even a little exercise.

It also helps to give yourself an extra treat as a reward for sticking with your exercise program. Take a long, hot bubble bath, for example, make a fruit smoothie, or call a friend or family member. And remember: the healthy habits you build now can help you to stay healthier and happier far beyond this global pandemic.

(www.helpguide.org)

Shannon Collins, PT, is an Integrative Manual Physical Therapist. She is the founder of Peak Performance in Santa Monica, CA.

Feeling Burnt Out? These 7 Mental-Health Techs Can Help

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Illustrative photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

High-tech devices and apps to relieve anxiety, depression and stress response are in demand during this challenging time.

By: Abigail Klein Leichman

Anxiety, depression, burnout, loneliness –2020 was the most stressful year in many people’s lives, according to an international study from Oracle and Workplace Intelligence.

The study revealed that 78 percent of the global workforce aged 22 to 74 feels higher levels of daily stress and anxiety than ever before.

Eighty-five percent reported their mental state is harming their sleep, physical health, happiness at home, and relationships with family and friends.

So far, not surprising.

But the study also found that 82% of 12,347 employees, managers, HR leaders, and C-level executives from across 11 countries would prefer to try an artificially intelligent technological solution for their mental-health issues before turning to a human for help.

It’s fair to say that their answers reflect a growing trend in the broader population as everyone has gotten comfortable with video conferencing and other tech tools.

And that means these Israeli technologies and apps to improve mental health are coming to market at exactly the right time.

Some can be effective on their own or as a first line of defense, while others aid professional clinicians in bringing relief to their patients.

 

CalmiGo

Image courtesy of CalmiGo

Dendro Technologies claims that using its CalmiGo device for a few minutes each day can reduce symptoms of anxiety and stress, change the stress response and shorten episodes of distress.

The $180 device has three components: a personalized breathing regulator using lights and vibrations; multisensory stimulation for grounding and focus; and a relaxing aromatherapy scent based on lavender.

The device is geared for all ages. It was tried on students with test anxiety at private university IDC-Herzliya and is being evaluated for cancer patients at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs subsidizes the cost of CalmiGo for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.

CalmiGo’s cofounder, Adi Wallach, partnered with physician and serial entrepreneur Dr. Orna Levin to develop the device due to her own struggles with anxiety attacks.

 

MindReset

British “mental coach” Matt Hudson helps clients de-stress and overcome various mental health conditions. Due to congenital hearing problems, he can pick up tiny nonverbal signs of physiological stress, such as eye movements, and then helps clients vanquish those subconscious stress triggers.

Image courtesy of MindReset

Hoping to make his technique available widely, Hudson contacted Jerusalem-based Umoove, an innovator of mobile eye-tracking technology. Together, they developed and launched the MindReset stress-busting app for iOS and Android.

The two-minute voice-led sessions pinpoint subconscious stress triggers while the phone’s camera observes eye movements and processes the images securely on the phone. A visual element interrupts the brain’s reaction to the trigger, resulting in immediate reduction of stress levels that can be measured by monitoring devices such as Garmin watches.

A test carried out on Garmin wearers found that 90% had a measurable decrease in daily average stress levels during the first week of using MindReset for a few minutes a day.

“You don’t need to dive into your trauma or negative experiences or even to know exactly what they are on a conscious level,” says Yitzi Kempinski, founder-CEO of Umoove and CTO of MindReset. “And the amazing thing is that this app can make a significant improvement very quickly.”

Kempinski tells ISRAEL21c that ongoing studies show initial promising results for MindReset’s impact on stress, work burnout and depression, as well as “Long Covid” (long-term mental and physical effects of Covid-19). The company will soon launch a new version with specially designed programs for people dealing with chronic stress, chronic fatigue, depression and more.

“Anxiety and chronic stress are growing rapidly worldwide, especially lately with the Covid-19 pandemic and all that comes with it,” said Hudson. “There are many meditation apps out there, but most people don’t have time or patience to meditate effectively. So, a solution that is both effective but only takes moments is just what is needed.”

 

Predictix

Clinical depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Yet it’s estimated that half of the people treated for depression go through trial and error to find a medication providing complete relief.

Taliaz’s Predictix AI software for depression meds guidance. Image courtesy of Taliaz

Israeli mental health startup Taliaz recently received CE (European Union) approval for Predictix Digital, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool providing instant digital prescribing recommendations during a patient’s face-to-face or virtual visit.

Predictix Digital analyses each patient’s clinical and demographic data, then translates these thousands of data combinations into a recommendation report that ranks antidepressants by their predicted efficacy and anticipated side effects.

 

Wisdo

The Wisdo app provides access to a social network where users can connect over mutual experiences with more than 100 concerns such as “coping with depression,” “heartbreak” and “loneliness.”

Cofounder and CEO Boaz Gaon got the idea for the app when seeking emotional support during his father’s eight-year battle with cancer. Its tagline is “Learn from people who’ve been there.”

Wisdo was Google Play’s #1 app for social impact and personal growth in 2019 and is a five-time App Store “App of the Day.”

 

MoodKnight by 4Girls

MoodKnight analyzes social-media posts in Hebrew or English, using artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and natural language processing, to detect and classify mental-health distress such as loneliness, anxiety, violence victimization and suicidal thoughts.

Instances are detected and ranked by severity — low, medium (professional help needed) or high (emergency) – and sends an alert to the client.

For now, MoodKnight is working with Israel’s Ministry of Health and Ministry of Welfare and Social Services. Potential clients include mental-health divisions of hospitals and HMOs that want to track patients for risk assessment, as well as helplines, e-therapy and telemedicine providers, parenting applications and social-media platforms themselves.

“Our technology is trained to look at people ages 12 to 30 because these are the people sharing their distress online,” says head of business development Amir Gefen, whose PhD in education focused on adolescent cyberbullying.

“We are raising funds and looking to acquire commercial clients for this technology,” Gefen tells ISRAEL21c.

“We could collaborate with other mental health and wellness applications,” Gefen adds. “Our technology will help them fit their app to the needs of the users. Right now, these apps are based on self-reporting. We can go beyond that by analyzing a text written by the person.”

 

GGTUDE

GGtude offers a variety of free iOS and Android apps that guide users through cognitive behavioral therapy techniques for changing negative thought habits.

The apps aim to improve emotional wellbeing in the areas of self-esteem; OCD, anxiety and depression; and self-care.

Two to three daily exercises per topic are available for free. Sessions last three minutes each. A paid premium membership entitles the user to more than 500 daily exercises.

GGtude has published seven research studies on its mobile mental health platforms. Its personalized content delivery engine is at the core of BrainsWay’s newly launched wellness app for depression.

 

BRAINSWAY

BrainsWay’s main product is a non-invasive deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (Deep TMS) platform technology.

Itis FDA approved for treating major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and smoking addiction. Clinical trials are underway for various psychiatric, neurological, and addiction disorders.

The BrainsWay coil technology inside a flexible helmet is designed to maximize electrical stimulation of deep brain regions. The product to treat major depression – for patients who tried antidepressant medications with no improvement — is also in clinical trials at various stages for the treatment of bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia.

            (www.Israel21c.org)

Attorney-at-paw? Filter Makes Lawyer Look Like Cat In Court

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(AP) — A West Texas judge has a word of caution to those attending court hearings via Zoom: Always check for filters before logging on.

Judge Roy Ferguson’s warning comes after an attorney accidentally joined a video court hearing while using a Zoom filter that made him appear like a fluffy white kitten.

“I’m here live. I’m not a cat,” the attorney said.

“I can see that,” replied Ferguson, whose district covers five counties in West Texas, including the town of Marfa.

The short video clip, which was shared online by Ferguson, ends with others coaching the attorney on how to remove the cat filter.

The judge said on Twitter: “These fun moments are a by-product of the legal profession’s dedication to ensuring that the justice system continues to function in these tough times. Everyone involved handled it with dignity, and the filtered lawyer showed incredible grace. True professionalism all around!”

Man Who Wore Horns, Hat Apologizes For Storming Capitol

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In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, supporters of President Donald Trump, including Jacob Chansley, right with fur hat, are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington. A judge ordered corrections authorities to provide organic food to an Arizona man who is accused of participating in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol while sporting face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

(AP) — An Arizona man who participated in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol while sporting face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns said he regrets storming the building, apologized for causing fear in others and expressed disappointment with former President Donald Trump.

In a statement released late Monday through his attorney, defendant Jacob Chansley said he has re-evaluated his life since being jailed for over a month on charges stemming from the Jan. 6 riot and realizes he shouldn’t have entered the Capitol building. Chansley, who previously said Trump inspired him to be in Washington that day, said Trump “let a lot of peaceful people down.”

Chansley said he’s coming to terms with events leading to the riot and asked people to “be patient with me and other peaceful people who, like me, are having a very difficult time piecing together all that happened to us, around us, and by us. We are good people who care deeply about our country.”

Chansley’s attorney, Al Watkins, released the statement about a half-day before the second impeachment trial of Trump was scheduled to begin in the U.S. Senate.

Watkins, who unsuccessfully sought a pardon on Chansley’s behalf from Trump, said the Senate didn’t take up his offer to have his client testify on how he was incited by the former president.

The defense lawyer said his client’s apology wasn’t self-serving but rather a genuine expression of culpability. Still, he said he doesn’t think it’s right for the government to prosecute people who were incited.

“If you believe the government is correctly prosecuting the (former) president, you can’t at the same time hold criminally culpable those who were incited, because the people incited become victims,” Watkins said in an interview.

Chansley has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of civil disorder and obstructing an official proceeding, plus four other misdemeanor charges.

The U.S. Justice Department declined to comment Tuesday on Chansley’s apology.

Chansley was among hundreds of rioters who charged past outnumbered police officers and stormed the Capitol as Congress was meeting to certify Joe Biden’s electoral win.

Authorities say Chansley was one of the first people in the Capitol building, disobeyed orders by an officer to leave, refused the officer’s request to use Chansley’s bullhorn to tell rioters to leave the Senate chamber, and wrote a note to then-Vice President Mike Pence saying, “It’s only a matter of time, justice is coming.”

Prosecutors said a spear on top of a flagpole carried by Chansley was a weapon, though his attorney has characterized the spear as an ornament.

Since being jailed, Chansley has had two instances in which he wasn’t eating because the detention facilities where he was being held didn’t serve organic food. He lost 20 pounds (9 kilograms) during the latest starvation episode. Chansley, who calls himself the “QAnon Shaman,” said he has been following such a diet for eight years while practicing Shamanism.

Last week, a judge ordered corrections officials to provide Chansley with organic food. He was later moved to a jail in Virginia after the District of Columbia Department of Corrections said it couldn’t honor the court’s order to feed him organic food.

Dr Bertman – the owner Advanced Dental Arts – has been sculpting smiles and calming those in crisis

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ByHollie Mckay
Even in the throes of a harsh winter blizzard and the protracted scourge of a coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Todd Bertman has one of the brightest smiles in New York City – and it is infectious.

For almost two decades, Bertman – the owner of Advanced Dental Arts – has been sculpting smiles and calming those in crisis – and that hasn’t changed even amid a global pandemic.

“At has been very interesting just to observe how different people are coping,” said Bertman – whose boasts a “family style” practice nestled into the snowy streets of Greenwich Village. “Some of my patients are coming in super scared to be back in the chair, and others are laid back.”
And the homely feel hits you the very moment the glass doors open. It is a practice speckled by state-of-the-art technology and familiar faces ready to serve – but it’s a different kind of place during a global crisis. It is the dentists’ new normal. Hand sanitizers adorn the benches like bunches of flowers, and the once scattered selection of toys have been cleaned and closeted from view.
After shuttering the doors in the early months of the coronavirus onslaught, Bertman re-opened in the late Spring and is steadily bringing smiles back to life – with a myriad of twists. The team – even the receptionists – are now minimizing aerosols in a bid to destroy bacteria and relying more on the use of laser tools than the ultrasonic water sprayers, all to ensure patients that a trip to the dentist is a safe and soothing one.
“Statistically speaking, dental offices have had minimal infection rate. All our precautionary measures are working. Compared to many other places, the dentist is a safe place to be,” Bertman continued, emphasizing that his office has not had a single case of COVID-19. “Patients should feel comfortable to come in and get whatever they need to get done, done.”
From his lens, the protracted pandemic is somewhat reminiscent of the overhaul the industry endured during the AIDS epidemic in the 80’s – uncertainty over transmission and hygiene protocols – which led to increased measures such as masks and gloves. Three to four decades ago, such basic provisions weren’t even taken – how times have changed.
“Training in recent decades has been pretty intense, now precautions are just a universal thing,” Bertman surmised.
Indeed these days, it’s a far more complicated closet of personal protection equipment (PPE). Think goggles, gowns, head shields, suits and slippers. And while a trip to the dentist may seem ever-more laborious in such strange times, Bertman stressed its more crucial than ever.
Like many of his colleagues, he said he has seen a disturbing uptick in emergency cracked teeth, likely induced by increased grinding and clenching – likely a result of increased stresses triggered by everything from loss of loved ones and COVID fears, rising employment, and homeschooling, to lack to recreation and heightened uncertainty. Fractured chompers and gum inflammation can also spawn from stomach issues, muscle spasms, and poor posture as a consequence of long days working from home.
Yet even in the darkness that has cluttered New York City – which in the early stages of the coronavirus mayhem served as the world’s contagion epicenter – Bertman has observed firsthand the silver linings that emerge during tough times.
The small victories we as humans mark in a bid to take back some semblance of self-care and indulgence when the horizons appear bleak.
“What is happening now is that more people are coming in wanting to do cosmetic procedures, and there are few reasons that play into that,” he explained. “People have been stuck at home. They haven’t been able to go on their regular vacations; they have to stare at themselves a lot more on Zoom meetings. So people are putting money into themselves. They are going and getting the braces or Invisalign they have long wanted; they use their stimulus checks and improve the way they look and feel about themselves. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Bertman also pointed out that he has witnessed a leap in patients in the 60-70 year demographic taking action to fix the dental woes that have plagued their pasts for too long.
“Once you hit that age and start losing your teeth, your quality of life really goes down,” he conjectured. “You lose the simple pleasures of life – like enjoying a nice meal. People are now taking matters into their own hands, taking back control of their lives and health.”
Nonetheless, the uphill battle of the past year has also functioned as a poignant reminder of why the University of Pittsburgh graduate got into the business in the first place.
“I always liked the idea of working with my hands, and I loved exploring the art of what is behind the smile,” Bertman noted. “Creating a beautiful smile is a lot of fun; you can change someone’s life with their smile. That is the most rewarding thing for me.”
And for that, he said, he refuses to charge patients extra despite the acerbated costs associated with the ancillary protocols surrounding PPE and cleaning now required, and the reduction in the number of patients that can come through the doors each day, as per Centers for Disease Control guidelines. But from Bertman’s lens, the layered costs, the donning of something akin to a “spacesuit” to go to work, the restricted patient stream and the extensive cleaning measures are poised to become the “new normal” in the medical industry even after the coronavirus comes under control.
It is a bullet Bertman said he simply has to bite – so to speak – to keep his community thriving.
“The dental industry is going to change for the long-term. A lot of these things are going to become standard,” he added. “And the most important thing is making sure our patients feel safe.”

Trump Impeachment Trial Begins: Highlights & Video

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screenshot

(TJVNEWS) Notes from the opening of Trump’s second impeachment trial

By a vote of 56-44, the senate declared the impeachment trial was constitutional, 6 Republicans joined with the Democrats

Trump attorney David Schoen spoke about jurisdiction, Schoen says the trial will tear the country apart because people will see it as a group of partisans trying to eliminate Trump, an “ill-advised” impeachment process that was flawed.

Schoen argues only presidents can be impeached/convicted because only current presidents can be removed from office.

Schoen says the Senate does not have jurisdiction because Trump is “no longer president.” He tries to make the case that Pelosi deprived Trump of his due process rights (having Chief Justice Roberts presiding).

Schoen also played a video of Democrats calling for impeaching Trump dating back to the beginning of his presidency, highlighting the incendiary language of many Democrat members of senate and congress

Bruce Castor spoke first on behalf of Trump and received lots of criticism from conservatives on social media saying his performance was rambling and unfocused

Democrat rep Rep. Cicilline (D-RI)  says impeachment exists to protect our constitutional system and safeguard our democracy. He says things could have been much worse on January 6 as the rioters/mob “could have killed” all of them. He says Trump was impeached while in office for conduct while in office. House Managers intent on proving Trump was solely responsible for the insurrection. He made a dramatic and Holywoodesque presentation

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the lead House manager, spoke first. Raskin says their case is “all about the facts” and he won’t be lecturing on the Federalist Papers. He accuses Trump’s lawyers of wanting to prevent facts from being heard. He says their argument is that if you commit an impeachable offense in the last weeks of office, you do it with constitutional impunity. He says this “January exception” is the Founders’ worst nightmare and will give a president a free shot to do anything on his way out the door, including using violent means to lock it.

Raskin warns about how Jan. 6 could be the future and plays a clip of Trump telling his supporters that he would walk down to the Capitol with them. He plays a video of rioters calling cops “pigs”  and storming the Capitol building. After video of rioters storming the Capitol, Raskin says if that is not an impeachable offense, nothing is. He says Trump started a “violent insurrection” and he wants the Senate to decide that it is powerless. “That can’t be right,” he says

OAN Report: Mathematician Says Biden Election Win A Statistical Impossibility

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Jared Evan

The fearless upstart conservative news network One America News (OAN) continues to report the topics, that will instantly get you banned from social media.

In November the news network had its YouTube Channel suspended and demonetized indefinitely after reporting on a peer-reviewed drug Ivermectin, a drug that is FDA approved and is a noted inhibitor of the COVID-19 causative virus. Even though there are literally several peer-reviewed studies on Ivermectin (LINK HERE) the google owned YouTube called the video ” medical misinformation”. TJV News also had its YouTube channel suspended for posting a video of the OAN report.

OAN regardless of censorship has continued to report hard-hitting and interesting news.

Their latest hot report, which YouTube will instantly ban if posted on their site  is on a mathematician  who explains how Joe Biden’s victory  was statistically impossible

TJV News would like our readers to explore other video hosting sites, such as Bit Chute and Rumble to watch uncensored news and opinions.

Below is the OAN report, from a Bitchute channel, share it if you will, but share it carefully.

TJV News does not endorse the views expressed in the video but presents it because we encourage free-speech and the claims are interesting.

36 People Develop Rare Blood Disorder, Thrombocytopenia, After COVID Vaccine, 1 dead

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(Frank Molter/dpa via AP)

(TJVNEWS)At least 36 people have developed a rare, life-threatening blood disorder, called thrombocytopenia, after receiving either of the two COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the US.

One of them, Miami obstetrician Dr Gregory Michael, died after thrombocytopenia caused his platelets to drop to virtually zero. He was just 56 and died of a brain hemorrhage just 16 days after receiving Pfizer‘s shot. , Daily Mail reported

 36 similar cases had been reported to the government’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, VAERS, by the end of January. The cases involved either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, the only two authorized so far for emergency use in the United States, the NY Times reported.

Thrombocytopenia is basically  a lack of platelets, a blood component essential for clotting.

Daily Mail reported

Thrombocytopenia has been seen after other vaccines as well, and experts suspect that the shot does act as a trigger in some way – they just don’t know why yet.

But so far, the platelet-suppressing condition appears exceedingly rare – affecting just 36 people out of 43 million doses administered in the US – and scientists theorize that only a small fraction of the population may have some predisposition that could lead vaccines to trigger the blood disorder.

In a statement, Pfizer said: “We take reports of adverse events very seriously,” and added that it was aware of thrombocytopenia cases in vaccine recipients.

NY Times noted :

Moderna also provided a statement, which did not address the question of the platelet disorder, but said the company “continuously monitors the safety of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine using all sources of data” and routinely shares safety information with regulators.

 

Trump Offered to Deploy 10,000 National Guard Troops in DC Ahead of Jan. 6: Mark Meadows

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(AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

BY ISABEL VAN BRUGEN(EPOCH TIMES) 

Former President Donald Trump offered to deploy 10,000 National Guard troops in Washington D.C. prior to Jan. 6, the day of the Capitol building breach, according to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

Meadows told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that although Trump had been vocal about offering Capitol Police and National Guard presence at the Capitol on multiple occasions last month, his offer was rebuked “every time.”

“We also know that in January, but also throughout the summer, that the president was very vocal in making sure that we had plenty of National Guard, plenty of additional support because he supports our rule of law and supports our law enforcement and offered additional help,” Meadows told host Maria Bartiromo.

“Even in January, that was a given, as many as 10,000 National Guard troops were told to be on the ready by the Secretary of Defense” Meadows said. “That was a direct order from President Trump and yet here is what we see … all kinds of blame going around but yet not a whole lot of accountability.”

“That accountability needs to rest where it ultimately should be and that’s on Capitol Hill” Meadows added.

The Pentagon and the office of Washington D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment by The Epoch Times.

Democrats allege that the president incited the violence at the Capitol in a speech he delivered near the White House on Jan 6. In his address, Trump used the words “fight like hell” in reference to his team’s legal efforts around election integrity. The Democrats allege that Trump used the words to incite his followers to commit violence.

House Democrats, joined by 10 Republicans, voted on Jan. 13 to approve a single article of impeachment against Trump for “incitement of insurrection,” making him the first president to be impeached twice. When the Senate trial opens on Feb. 9, he will become the first former president to stand trial.

Meadows described the impeachment effort against the former president as “political theater.”

“It’s really about Democrats trying to once again make a political point,” he said. “This whole impeachment is designed to remove someone from office. President Trump is a private citizen at this point. And yet they can’t stand it. They have to continue to go ahead and try to put forth some kind of narrative that scores political points.”

He added, “But we have seen it before. The American people are not going to have it. We have already had 45 senators say that this is unconstitutional. But it’s more than that. It’s a violation of due process. It’s not what our founding fathers set up. And it sets a very bad precedent of future officeholders.”

Attorneys for Trump on Monday set out their defense for his Senate impeachment trial, arguing that the Senate has no jurisdiction to try a former official, that the House’s charge against the 45th president is deficient, that their client was deprived of due process and had his right to free speech violated by the article of impeachment.

In the 78-page trial memorandum, the attorneys posit that the Senate taking up the impeachment amounts to a bill of attainder, an act that the Constitution prohibits the legislature from taking because it would amount to inflicting punishment without a jury trial. The defense also contends that the “incitement” accusation is contradicted by the plain text of the transcript of the president’s Jan. 6 speech.

“The Article of Impeachment presented by the House is unconstitutional for a variety of reasons, any of which alone would be grounds for immediate dismissal. Taken together, they demonstrate conclusively that indulging House Democrats’ hunger for this political theater is a danger to our Republic democracy and the rights that we hold dear,” the trial memo, authored by Bruce Castor, David Schoen, and Michael van der Veen, states.

Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this report.

Super Bowl Ratings Crash to Lowest Level Since 1969, Least Watched Since 2006

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AP

WARNER TODD HUSTON

The ratings for Super Bowl 55 are in, and the news is not good. The numbers show that viewership fell nine percent, making the game the lowest-rated Super Bowl in more than 50 years.

“CBS averaged 91.629 million TV-only viewers for the Buccaneers’ blowout of the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, the game’s lowest TV viewership since ’06 when Steelers-Seahawks averaged 90.75 million on ABC. That figure is down from just over 100 million TV-only viewers for Chiefs-49ers last year,” Sports Business Daily reported.

But that is not the worst of it. Sports Media Watch also published the ratings numbers for the entire history of the Super Bowl and this year’s ratings crash is precipitous. According to the numbers, the 2021 ratings (38.2) are the lowest since 1969 (36.0). And Super Bowl 55 is the first game falling below the 40.0 ratings mark since the 1990 Super Bowl between San Francisco and Denver (39.0).

However, digital numbers were up 65 percent this year, proving that TV viewing continues to migrate away from broadcast TV and to streaming and mobile outlets.

Sports Business Journal reporter John Ourand noted that Super Bowl 55’s numbers are “hard to spin” into a “positive story.”

“It’s hard to spin these Super Bowl ratings into a positive story. The numbers are down despite a highly-touted matchup of star QBs, snowstorms in the Northeast, etc.,” he tweeted Tuesday.

However, Ourand also noted that despite the lower numbers, the Super Bowl would have earned the biggest audience of stand-alone broadcasts for the year. He also pointed out that all regular TV viewership is off seven percent overall.

Breitbart

W.H.O. Stands with Beijing, Absolves Wuhan Lab of Coronavirus Leak

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Peter Embarek, of the World Health Organization team holds up a chart showing pathways of transmission of the virus during a joint press conference held at the end of the W.H.O. mission in Wuhan, China, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

SIMON KENT

It is “extremely unlikely” the coronavirus leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China, and is more likely to have jumped to humans from an animal, World Health Organization (W.H.O.) investigators said Tuesday as they wrapped up their visit to the country’s central Hubei province.

Peter Embarek, leader of the W.H.O. team, told a media conference instead of investigating laboratories in the country,  frozen meats sold at the wet market in Wuhan where the first cluster of cases was detected should instead be pursued as a line of inquiry.

Our initial findings suggest that the introduction through an intermediary host species is the most likely pathway and one that will require more studies and more specific, targeted research,” Embarek said, as reported by AP.

“However, the findings suggest that the laboratory incidents hypothesis is extremely unlikely to explain the introduction of the virus to the human population,” Embarek said.

He backed Beijing and dismissed claims of transmission “in Wuhan or elsewhere” in China before December 2019 – despite allegations the virus was circulating globally months earlier than that, as Breitbart News reported.

Professor Liang Wannian, an expert with China’s Health Commission, told the same press briefing he agreed there had been no substantial spread of the virus in the city of 11 million before the late 2019 outbreak, Reuters reports.

Winnian said while transmissions from animals to humans via bats remains the likeliest origin of coronavirus, the original host “has not been identified.”

Bats and pangolins are potential animal sources of the virus, the professor said, but the coronavirus samples found in them were similar, but not identical to the virus found in humans.

He claimed studies showed the coronavirus “can be carried long-distance on cold chain products,” a nod towards the theory of possible importation of the virus – a point that has gained strength in China in recent months.

Chinese authorities have kept a tight hold on information about the possible causes of the pandemic that has now sickened more than 105 million people and killed more than 2.2 million worldwide.

 Breitbart/ The Associated Press contributed to this story

 

Top Health Ministry Official: Israel May Not Achieve Herd Immunity Against COVID-19

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Shops are closed following restrictions in nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

(JNS) – Israel may be unable to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19 even if 100 percent of those eligible to be vaccinated against the disease are inoculated, a Health Ministry expert told the Knesset on Sunday, as the country began lifting its third national lockdown.

Speaking to the Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee, which had convened to discuss COVID-19 regulations, Dr. Alroy-Preis, head of public health services at the ministry, said that while Pfizer’s BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is effective, it may not be effective enough. Compounding the issue, she said, is that none of the currently available vaccines may be administered to children.

“At the moment we have 2.5 million children who can’t be vaccinated … [and] the Pfizer vaccine is 95 percent effective, which means that 5 percent won’t have full protection” she said, noting that for the older cohort the vaccine’s tested efficacy was even lower, approximately 90 percent.

Herd immunity occurs when a large enough segment of a population community (the herd) becomes immune to a disease, rendering its further spread unlikely. Once herd immunity is achieved, even those members of the population that are not immune are protected.

The exact percentage of the population that must be immune in order for herd immunity to be achieved varies depending on the disease. As a general rule, the more contagious the disease, the higher the percentage needed.

According to the World Health Organization, herd immunity against measles requires about 95 percent of a population to be vaccinated, while for polio the threshold is about 80 percent. The figure for COVID-19 is not known, according to the WHO, and “will likely vary according to the community, the vaccine, the populations prioritized for vaccination, and other factors.”

The highly contagious U.K. variant of the COVID-19 virus has “changed the game” in Israel, warned Alroy-Preis.

“We’re in a situation in which the [virus’s reproduction number is one] and we’re relaxing restrictions,” she warned.

While the country has mounted a massive and effective vaccination campaign during the lockdown, she said it might not be sufficient.

“If we thought that after the first round of vaccine shots, everything would be different, that’s not the case. We are seeing mutations [of the COVID-19 virus] around the world that are re-infecting people,” she said.

While more than one third of the population has received the first dose of the vaccine and nearly a quarter have received the second dose, and despite weeks of lockdown, morbidity remains high, standing at 8.8 percent on Sunday.

The Military Intelligence COVID-19 task force has found that despite a decrease in the number of seriously ill patients, the number of daily new cases remains high and hospitals continue to be overwhelmed. During the lockdown the virus’s reproduction number surpassed one; it now stands at a high 0.99.

According to the task force, this statistic, along with the easing of some lockdown restrictions on Sunday and the prevalence of the U.K. variant of the virus (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during the Cabinet meeting on Thursday that the variant accounts for some 80 percent of all new cases) is expected to lead to a sharp increase in morbidity in the coming weeks.

Israel already leads Western countries like the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Austria in the number of new infections per 1 million people, according to the report

There has, however, been a decrease in verified cases as well as in severe cases of the disease among patients aged 60 and over, likely due to the influence of the vaccination campaign. Over 15 percent of that age group, however, has neither received the first dose of the vaccine nor recovered from the virus.

Jerusalem’s Herzog Medical Center, which specializes in medical care for the elderly, is currently treating 100 coronavirus patients, 42 of which are in serious condition.

“We have a critical week ahead of us,” said the center’s director, Dr. Jacob Haviv. “The wards are still full with seriously ill patients, and on the other hand, lockdown restrictions have been eased. I call on everyone to go and get vaccinated. The vaccine has proven itself. There are almost no outbreaks in nursing homes. This is a significant success for the vaccine.”

Evidence Mounts that Capitol Breach Was Pre-Planned, Eroding Incitement Allegation in Trump Impeachment Trial

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(AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

BY TOM OZIMEK(EPOCH TIMES) 

As former President Donald Trump’s Tuesday impeachment trial approaches, there is a growing body of evidence in criminal complaints and affidavits that the Jan. 6 Capitol breach had been pre-planned, undercutting the allegation leveled against Trump that he is guilty of “incitement to insurrection.”

A number of FBI affidavits filed in support of various charges—including conspiracy—against accused participants in the Capitol breach show evidence of pre-planning, reinforcing an argument made by critics of the impeachment trial against Trump, namely that participants couldn’t have been incited by the president to break into the building if they had earlier planned to do so.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said recently that parts of the Capitol incident had been coordinated well before Trump’s Jan. 6 speech. Trump’s accusers have described the speech as a call to storm the building.

While Trump said in his speech that “we fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore,” the former president appeared to be making a general reference to political activism, as he called on supporters to “peacefully and patriotically” make their voices heard during the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress.

Then-President Donald Trump greets the crowd at the “Stop The Steal” rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Graham, in a Feb. 1 interview on Fox News, said, “There’s mounting evidence that the people who came to Washington preplanned the attack before the president ever spoke.”

“If you open up that can of worms, we’ll want the FBI to come in and tell us about how people preplanned this attack and what happened with the security footprint of the Capitol. You open up Pandora’s box if you call one witness,” Graham added, in reference to calls for witnesses to testify at Trump’s impeachment trial.

The former president’s son Donald Trump Jr. argued in a tweet last month, “If these federal law enforcement agencies had prior knowledge that this was a planned attack then POTUS didn’t incite anything.”

A review of some of the affidavits in Capitol incursion cases shows evidence of pre-planning.

An affidavit (pdf) filed in the case against Thomas Caldwell, who is believed to have a leadership in the Oath Keepers group and who faces charges of conspiracy and conspiracy to impede or injure an officer, alleges that Caldwell and others planned parts of the incursion in advance.

“As described more fully herein, CALDWELL planned with DONOVAN CROWL, JESSICA WATKINS, and others known and unknown, to forcibly storm the U.S. Capitol,” the affidavit states.

“Evidence uncovered in the course of the investigation demonstrates that not only did CALDWELL, CROWL, WATKINS, and others conspire to forcibly storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021—they communicated with one another in advance of the incursion and planned their attack.”

rioters
Protesters at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (John Minchillo/AP Photo, File)

The document cites communication between Watkins and other suspected Oath Keepers during the Capitol incursion, noting that an individual whom the FBI believes to be Watkins said: “We have a good group. We have about 30-40 of us. We are sticking together and sticking to the plan.”

Charging documents (pdf) against Eric Munchel and his mother, Lisa Eisenhart, both of whom face conspiracy charges, cite a Jan. 10 article in The Times of London, in which Eisenhart expressed that the two had gone into the Capitol as “observers” but quotes Munchel’s characterization of the incursion as a “flexing of muscles.”

“We wanted to show that we’re willing to rise up, band together and fight if necessary. Same as our forefathers, who established this country in 1776,” Munchel told the outlet. “It was a kind of flexing of muscles.

“The intentions of going in were not to fight the police. The point of getting inside the building is to show them that we can, and we will.”

New Report Exposes Hezbollah Missile Sites Near Beirut Charity-Run Schools

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(JNS) – A new report has shed light on Hezbollah’s systematic use of civilian infrastructure to shield its missile storage and launch sites in Lebanon.

The report, produced by the Israeli Alma Research and Education Center for geopolitical affairs, highlights a social charity called the Islamic Shiite Waqf Committee in Burj al Barajneh foundation that has been cynically used by Hezbollah to store an array of medium-range Fateh 110 missiles in close proximity to sites such a high school in Beirut.

“This is a continuation of a report that we published in July 2020, which exposed 28 Fateh 110 missile sites in greater Beirut,” Maj. (res.) Tal Beeri, who directs Alma’s research department, told JNS.

“Following our publication, we continued extracting data from the information collected while discovering and uncovering new information. Within this framework, we acted to uncover the identities of the landowners and building owners [where] the Hezbollah sites are located,” he stated.

Alma was able to pinpoint seven compounds related to the foundation: its main compound (which includes offices, a conference hall and a religious gathering place) and six school compounds, some of which are suspected of being used to store missiles intended for future use against Israel.

It didn’t take long for the charity to emerge as the common denominator between the sites found to be storing missiles, said Beeri. Alma’s July report highlighted two compounds—a sports center and an education center—belonging to the charity.

Following that lead, “We said, OK, if we are talking about compounds that we know have Hezbollah launch sites, let’s search for more sites belonging to this charity that can be used by Hezbollah as missile sites with ‘civilian envelopes,’ ” said Beeri, describing the research process. “We know that this is how they work.”

The use of civilian associations for, among other objectives, human shielding, is a core pattern of Hezbollah, seen in past cases such as its use of the “Green Without Borders” environmental group used as a cover for activity on the Lebanese-Israeli border, as well as using a civilian demining organization for cover.

A general map of the six compounds belonging to the “Islamic Shiite Waqf Committee in Burj el Barajneh” in Beirut. Credit: Alma Research and Education Center.

“We also know that the Islamic Health Organization that deals with medical affairs throughout the Shi’ite community in southern Lebanon also smuggled weapons and operatives in ambulances during emergencies,” noted Beeri.

Based on this familiar pattern, Alma searched Beirut for additional Islamic Shiite Waqf Committee in Burj al Barajneh compounds, finding seven structures that are suspected to have been used for missile-attack uses.

“One is the charity’s central branch. We also found six educational facilities. We cross-referenced these with places we know to be launch sites and found that four of these sites are used as launch sites,” explained Beeri, who spent 20 years as an intelligence officer in the Israel Defense Forces specializing in Lebanon and Syria.

“We know with certainty that launch sites always appear near missile storage centers,” he added. “This enables rapid deployment-and-fire for Hezbollah.”

“Hence, this leads us to a very high degree of confidence in assessing that at least some of the charity’s structures are being used to hide Fateh 110-missiles in Beirut. These sites include launch sites and very likely storage centers near the launch sites. It is a case of classic human shielding,” said Beeri.

‘You only need one’

The Fateh 110 lies at the heart of Hezbollah’s ambitions to convert unguided projectiles into guided missiles. With a range of 300 kilometers, it can place most of Israel in its sights, said Beeri.

It is produced in Syrian weapons plants under Iranian auspices and in Iranian missile factories. The Syrian equivalent of the missile is known as the M600.

In recent years, Iran and Hezbollah have been attempting to set up industrial precision-guided missile factories on Lebanese soil, said Beeri.

“According to estimates, they still have ‘only’ tens of precise missiles. But you only need one to hit the IDF Central Headquarters in Tel Aviv to achieve a victory picture,” he cautioned.

Civilian populations ‘live among the targets’

In a recent speech, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi warned that terror armies located on Israel’s borders—made up of tens of thousands of combatants—are armed with industrial weapons. “They aim, openly and declaratively, their fire at Israeli civilians,” he warned. “The threat of rockets and missiles is the most significant. The scope has grown; the warheads have grown. They are trying to improve the accuracy. This issue reached significant dimensions.”

“Who would have thought that terror organizations—what we today call terror armies—would be armed with precise missiles, or cruise missiles, or cyber capabilities, or electronic warfare? The technology changed the world,” he said. “When it is available, it is also available to radical Islam and fundamentalism. When they meet, the result is a challenge.”

IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi speaks during an event honoring outstanding reservists in the Israel Defense Forces at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem on July 1, 2019. Photo by Hadas Parush/Flash90.

The chief of staff called for a paradigm shift to tackle these threats, both in Israel and the world, saying “the change in the battlefield is really deep. The enemy chose to locate itself, including its rockets and missiles, in urban areas. It deliberately ignores international law. It intends to fire all of this at Metula, Afula, Haifa and greater Tel Aviv. It is distributed in villages in southern Lebanon and Beirut. Hence, it is a must that we—the IDF, Israel and the international community—adapt ourselves to ways we must and are entitled to fight.”

While civilians would be given a chance to evacuate, the IDF will afterwards strike such targets, he said.

Civilian populations “live among the targets,” cautioned Kochavi. “They live on the battlefield. Every fifth home in Lebanon is a missile storage base or an anti-tank position or a command post.”

Referring to these warnings, Beeri noted that Kochavi identified these structures as military targets that must be struck in a future war to prevent harm to Israeli civilians.

“Hezbollah’s human shielding doctrine is well known, but each time we are surprised anew when we discover new ways that it does this. The way they use charities to serve their military activities,” said Beeri.

“Without a civilian infrastructure, Hezbollah’s military capabilities can’t live. We are peeling this layer by layer—every time we peel, we discover more.”

Shoshana Ovitz, 105-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor, Passes Away In Bnei Brak After Fulfilling Special Dream

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(VINnews) — For her 104th birthday, Shoshana (Reizel) Ovitz had a special dream. The Auschwitz survivor, who had seen Josef Mengele send her mother to her death, wished to gather all of her over 400 descendants at the Kotel Maaravi, the Western Wall in Jerusalem. After the Holocaust, Ovitz, who was already over 30 years old, married Dov, a survivor who had lost a wife and four daughters in the Holocaust. They settled in Haifa where she had four children and worked as a seamstress, at the same time assisting her husband in his poultry store. The family lived in Shikun Vizhnitz and were affiliated with the Saret-Vizhnitz rebbe in Haifa.

כ-400 צאצאים ברחבת הכותל

שושנה אוביץ עם אחד מצאצאיה

Ovitz’s wish was fulfilled as the family all gathered including children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even great-greatgrandchildren. She went up to the balcony overlooking the Western Wall to survey her entire family. The children all said Tehillim together and then came to receive a blessing from their illustrious ancestor.

It is fortunate that Ovitz gathered her family for her 104th birthday in August 2019, since in 2020 such a gathering would have presented a serious challenge with the COVID-19 lockdowns. Ovitz passed away Monday at the age of 105, attributing her long life to the way in which she honored her parents before and during the Holocaust. It is appropriate that she passed away the week after the reading of “Honor Your father and mother in order that your days be lengthened.”