The bottom line is this: Tucker Carlson’s interview with Munther Isaac was, among other things, a manipulative attempt to shame American officials and Christian leaders – Evangelicals in particular. Credit: FoxNews.com
By: Tricia Miller
Under the guise of advocating for Palestinian Christians, Tucker Carlson launched a two-pronged assault on Israel and American political and Christian support for the Jewish State. To provide legitimacy for his campaign, he enlisted the help of Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem and notorious propagandist for the Palestinian anti-Israel narrative. Carlson’s interview with Isaac aired on April 9, 2024, on “Tucker Carlson on X,” receiving tens of thousands of likes and shares.
Munther Isaac has a long history of promoting falsehoods about Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict in his roles as pastor, academic dean of Bethlehem Bible College (a self-identified Evangelical university that promotes a Palestinian Christian theology), and director of Christ at the Checkpoint conferences (the infamous venue where anti-Israel libels are proclaimed in the name of Christian love, justice and peace).
For many years, CAMERA has exposed the deceptiveness in Isaac’s teaching, as well as the fallacious theological and historical foundation of the narrative promoted by Bethlehem Bible College and Christ at the Checkpoint. Examples of that documentation can be seen here, here, and here. In light of the blatantly anti-Jewish activism of Isaac and these institutions, it is appalling that Carlson would provide a platform for such thinly-veiled hatred.
Carlson’s conversation with Isaac promoted multiple false claims including the alleged mistreatment of Christians by Israel, the cause of the significantly diminished Christian population of Bethlehem, and reasons behind the current suffering of Gazan civilians. The obvious agenda behind Carlson’s line of questions and Isaac’s libelous answers was the demonization of Israel and all elected officials and Christians who dare to support the Jewish State.
Thanks to Carlson, anti-Israel Christian Palestinians have found a new outlet through which to propagate their deceptive propaganda, rooted in theological, historical and geo-political error. It is irresponsible, and in fact dangerous, for Carlson to facilitate the presentation of blatant lies and anti-Semitic libels when there is an unprecedented rise in Jew-hatred worldwide and Israel is in the midst of an existential war initiated by terrorists who seek its annihilation.
The bottom line is this: Tucker Carlson’s interview with Munther Isaac was, among other things, a manipulative attempt to shame American officials and Christian leaders – Evangelicals in particular – for their support of Israel in the hope of turning that support away from the Jewish State when it is needed now more than ever.
Tricia Miller is the Director of CAMERA’s Partnership of Christians and Jews She monitors Christian organizations and media activity related to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications, including First Things, The Algemeiner, New English Review, Charisma News, Breaking Israel News, Times of Israel, JNS, and the Jerusalem Post’s Christian Edition. She is the author of two books, “Three Versions of Esther” (2014) and “Jews and Anti-Judaism in Esther and the Church” (2015) about the relationship of Esther to current Christian anti-Judaism and anti-Zionism.
The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America’ by Coleman Hughes. Photo Credit: Amazon.com
By: David Lewis Schaefer
Between the end of the Civil War and the enactment of the Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965), the goal of nearly all advocates of racial equality in the United States could be summed up as “colorblindness.”
As African-American journalist Coleman Hughes reminds us in The End of Race Politics, that aim—the “dream” Martin Luther King Jr. expressed in his speech at the Lincoln Memorial of a society where Americans would be judged “not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”—was shared by the abolitionist/civil rights advocates Wendell Phillips and Frederick Douglass, black union leader A. Philip Randolph, the NAACP, and many others. It was also the expression used by Supreme Court justice John Marshall Harlan in his dissenting opinion in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), in which he denied the constitutionality of Louisiana’s law mandating racial segregation in passenger trains: “Our Constitution is color-blind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens. In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law.”
By “colorblindness,” Hughes of course doesn’t mean literal blindness to the fact that human beings have different shades of skin coloration. Rather, the “colorblind” attitude he espouses is “an ethical principle: … We should treat people without regard to race, both in our public policy and in our private lives.” In other words, people’s skin color should be no more relevant to the way we view our fellows, both legally and individually, than other characteristics like their height or the length of their noses.
Since the triumphs of the civil rights movement in the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1955 outlawing public-school segregation, and the civil rights legislation of the 1960s, polls have exhibited a remarkable transformation in white people’s attitudes toward their black fellow citizens—as witnessed, for instance, in the rapid acceptance of interracial marriage. Not only because of any legal compulsions, but out of a genuine concern to promote equal rights, corporations as well as government agencies have endeavored to “diversify” the race of their employees, including in the executive ranks.
Yet ironically, lamentably, the decline in anti-black racism and the opening of opportunities for advancement to black people has not led to a decline in the overall level of race-consciousness in our society. Instead, as Hughes demonstrates, it has been supplanted by an attitude he labels “neoracism”: one championed by professional “antiracists” like Ta-Nehisi Coates, Boston University professor Ibram X. Kendi, and (white) author/lecturer Robin DiAngelo, which holds that “whiteness” as such is an “oppressive” category, and demands that public policy explicitly favor black people over whites, either on the ground of the latter’s inherent inferiority, or as a way of making amends for the heritage of slavery and discrimination previously suffered by blacks.
In a series of clear and pithy chapters, Hughes demolishes both the principles and the policies of the neoracist movement—despite the growing influence they have achieved on mainstream media, academia, and government. One common error, for instance (dissected at greater length by economist Thomas Sowell) is the equation of any disparities in the way that members of different races are treated, even when there is a clear nonracist explanation of the difference, and when policies aimed to eliminate the disparities actually harm black people.
Hence, since the George Floyd riots, cities have been urged to “defund” their police departments, since black people tend to be arrested at a higher ratio than whites or Asians. This neglects the fact that crime rates tend (for whatever reason) to be higher among blacks, and that a 2020 Gallup poll showed that 81 percent of black Americans wanted either the same, or greater, police presence in their neighborhoods (since blacks also tend disproportionately to be crime victims).
Another neoracist trick is to misuse the term “affirmative action.” Like a majority of Americans, Hughes favors affirmative action in its original sense—making a concerted effort to locate well-qualified black candidates for college admissions or executive positions who might not have been aware of the availability of these openings. (In the late 1960s, the college where I taught recruited black students from rural Georgia who might never have thought of attending a Catholic school in New England; a number of those they admitted, including Justice Clarence Thomas, went on to outstanding careers in fields like law and literature.)
For several decades, however, the term “affirmative action” has been a euphemism for favoring black applicants over white ones, for no other reason than their skin color. This policy of outright discrimination meant that, according to one study of elite colleges, “when other factors were held equal, Asians and whites had to score 450 and 310 points higher than black applicants, respectively, to have the same odds of being admitted.” Imagine people’s reaction, Hughes asks, “if every college rejection letter” included the explanation that the applicant would have been admitted “if you had been black rather than Asian.” (While Hughes’s book was published before the Court struck down such practices in its Fair Admissions decision, administrators at elite colleges, and public-education officials supervising competitive-admissions high schools, have already schemed to evade the decision.)
Not only are such race-based policies a recipe for racial strife rather than harmony; echoing the findings of Richard Sander and Stuart Taylor in their book Mismatch: How Affirmative Action Hurts Students It’s Intended to Help, and Why Universities Won’t Admit It, Hughes observes that they are detrimental to the interests of black students themselves: When admitted to colleges for which they lack the necessary qualifications, blacks often either wind up dropping out, or else switch from demanding majors (in the sciences, or pre-med) to easier ones (like sociology)—whereas they would have been more likely to succeed in difficult majors at schools for which they were better qualified. (And when it is widely known that the qualifications blacks must demonstrate for college or professional schools are lower than those for whites, clients or patients may be less inclined to employ their services as doctors or lawyers.)
Hughes is cutting in his refutation of another neoracist demand: that black people deserve tangible “reparations” for slavery. As he notes, “much has been done” by government and in our culture in the spirit of reparations, with both houses of Congress having formally apologized for slavery in 2008-09, federal holidays commemorating Martin Luther King and Juneteenth, the annual observance of Black History Month, and a Smithsonian museum devoted to African-American history.
But as Hughes adds, “Americans, and white Westerners broadly, may be the only population on Earth that feels any noteworthy amount of guilt” for its past enslavement of other people—noting the absence of regret expressed, for instance, by Muslim Arabs for having enslaved some 14 million Africans, or by West Africans for the capture and enslavement of other Africans for sale to Western slave traders.
In any event, Hughes refutes the myths propagated by neoracists that contemporary black Americans, whatever their station in life, suffer from the “inherited trauma” of slavery, and hence are bound to experience victimhood. Aside from the fact that many present-day white and black people are descended from immigrants who arrived in this country well after Emancipation (or from Northerners who fought to achieve it in the Civil War), promoting a sense of victimization is the opposite of “what a wise therapist” would do for victims of trauma, “promot[ing] a mindset that treats hardship as something that people are powerless to overcome,” rather than encouraging a sense of “autonomy and agency” in them. Worst of all, some neoracists patronize black people by claiming that attributes like “hard work, self-reliance, and the nuclear family” are characteristics of “white dominant culture” and thus merit rejection.
I can mention only briefly a couple of other excellent elements in Hughes’s book. One is his dissection of the flawed “doll test” on which the Court grounded its Brown decision, in place of a constitutional analysis (like Harlan’s) that would have explained the unacceptability, in principle, of racial segregation in public schools. Another is his espousal of expanded charter schools as a means of providing black kids with an alternative to the miserable, unionized public schools they often must otherwise attend. (He cites research of Harvard professor Roland Fryer that refutes the claim that charter schools’ success is just due to student self-selection—a finding, I would add, buttressed by the work of Sowell in Charter Schools and Their Enemies and Harvard political scientist Paul Peterson.)
I wish that every American could be induced to read this persuasive, sensible, and very accessible book.
Along with our prayers for the hostages and our valiant soldiers, we are praying for peace and tranquility for all of Israel. This year may we all say, with complete intention and sincerity, “Next Year in Jerusalem!”
By: Rabbi Leo Dee
A number of friends from around the world have asked me what they should focus on this year during their Seder. It seems clear to me that the most important thing to discuss with all our closest friends and family around the table this year is our plans for Aliyah. Let me explain.
My Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, asks a fascinating question about why the story of Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon is told at the beginning of the Haggadah. They are talking all night about “leaving Egypt” and then their students come to tell them that it is time to say the Shema.
The whole premise of this story is bizarre, because Shema is said at sunrise, so how could they not have noticed the time? If the whole point of the story is that they were so engrossed in their discussion that they did not notice, then what is the message? That the Biblical mitzvah of saying the Shema is less important than the Seder? Additionally, Rabbi Eliezer states elsewhere in the Talmud that one must spend festivals with one’s family, in which case, what was he doing spending Seder night with Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues in Bnei Brak?
Rabbi Riskin explains that this was the year of the Bar Kochba Revolt and that “leaving Egypt” is actually a codeword for returning to Jerusalem and building the 3rd Temple. When the Haggadah was (re)written during the years of exile, the Rabbis intended Seder night to be the time to gather and plan our return to Zion. Because were nervous about the response of the Gentiles in whose countries we were living, they encoded this message in a way that only Jews would understand it.
We know that the four cups, the four questions and the four sons are connected to the four expressions of redemption: “I will take you out,” “I will save you,” I will redeem you,” and “I will take you.” (Shemot 6:6-7). That seems very symmetrical. However, there are actually five expressions of redemption in the Torah, the fifth being “I will bring you to the land” (Shemot 6:8). So, of course, there are actually five cups of wine on Seder night, the fifth being the cup of Elijah that is left undrunk until we return to Zion (Rabbi Riskin and others drink this cup of wine at the Seder every year, to celebrate our return to Zion).
Similarly, there is a fifth question mentioned in the Talmud: “Why is the meat eaten roasted?” This refers to the Paschal Lamb (Pesach) symbolized on our Seder plate by the shank-bone, but representing all the sacrifices brought in the Temple, when it is rebuilt.
The Lubavitch Rebbe explained that there are actually five sons; the fifth is so detached from his heritage that he is not even present at the Seder, but he too will be redeemed in the end.
Let’s face it, if the topic of the Seder was actually the Exodus from Egypt, then we would just need to read the relevant Torah portions–Vaeira, Bo and Beshalach–which narrate the story of the ten plagues and the crossing of the Red Sea, and then we could get down to the real business of eating a delicious meal! Instead, the main text of the Haggadah is the declaration over the first fruits that the farmers say in Sefer Devarim (26:5-8), which describes the suffering we went through in Egypt and how God took us out.
In fact, the Haggadah stops short by one verse–Devarim 26:9–missing out the end of the story: “And He brought us to this place, and He gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” Interestingly, the Rambam recommends that we do read to the end of the section, because presumably he wishes us to include this finale.
Of course, the real theme of Seder night becomes clear when we reach the final line of the Haggadah: “Next year in Jerusalem!”
So, with all this in mind, there could be no better activity during Seder night this year than to have a serious discussion with all one’s loved ones assembled around the table. If we were to make Aliyah this year (or next), where would we choose to live? How many housing units would we need? How would we accommodate our grandparents, college-aged kids, high-schoolers and infants? What jobs would we look for?
October 7th changed everything for Jews in Israel and around the world. It became clearer than ever that life in exile is not what it was cracked up to be. Antisemitism is again overt and dangerous.
Please G-d, the war against Hamas will be won quickly and decisively, and peace will return to our borders. The “land flowing with milk and honey” will again be much more attractive than the “land whose streets are paved with gold”. While academia is teaching the next generation of Western leaders that anti-Semitism has a legitimate context, our children should consider which society they want to be a part of. While the world is confused about right and wrong, and seemingly doomed by its lack of moral education, there is one place that will always be a center for sanity and Jewish values.
Along with our prayers for the hostages and our valiant soldiers, we are praying for peace and tranquility for all of Israel. This year may we all say, with complete intention and sincerity, “Next Year in Jerusalem!”
Rabbi Leo Dee is an educator living in Efrat. His book “Transforming the World: The Jewish Impact on Modernity” has been republished in English and Hebrew in memory of his wife Lucy and daughters Maia and Rina, who were murdered by terrorists in April 2023.
Following the tragedy and carnage, the venerable Rabbi Akiva gazed upon the desolation of the Temple Mount and Jerusalem and envisioned the actualization the visions of the prophets for the future. His colleagues heard his words and replied, “Akiva, you have comforted us.” Credit: Chabad.org
By: Larry Domnitch
The redemption from Egypt occurred within the confines of one day, but the events which lead to the redemption occurred over the course of generations.
The Torah states, “And it was on this very day that all the legions of Hashem left Egypt,” (Shemot 12:41).
Pharaoh ordered Israel to leave and they eagerly departed Egypt. They sought to leave Egypt which was steeped in depravity and immorality. Unlike the prior months during the plagues when many Israelites had desired to remain in Egypt as their persecution ended, this time they departed and hastily.
However, just ten sentences later, the words seem to imply that Israel did not leave willingly. The Torah states, “And it happened on that very day: Hashem took the Children of Israel out of the land of Egypt in their legions.” (Exodus 12:51)
Did they leave or where they taken out?
Actually both scenarios occurred. On that day the Torah does not record any miracles on the day of the exodus, but without the many wonders performed which preceded the exodus, it would not have taken place. Hence, this time Israel departed from Egypt willingly but Hashem’s miracles had taken them out.
In 1948, when Israel was declared an independent state, many of its six hundred thousand were survivors of the Nazi Holocaust. Others had fled persecution in Europe and other lands, over decades prior to World War Two. The new born state of less than 600,000 was a small fraction of the Jewish world which comprised 12,000,000. Photo Credit: YadVaShem.org
Then, after a prolonged existence in their land, the Judeans were exiled at the time of the destruction of the first Temple by the Babylonian empire. Prophets of Israel offered solace foretelling that the Jews will someday return. As waves of exiles were forced out, the thought of return must have seemed so distant. The prophet Jeremiah had reassured them, “And there is hope for your future. And your children shall return from their borders.” (31:17) These words echoed those of Hashem to Abraham, “To your descendants I have given this land.” (Genesis 15:18)
Babylon soon fell and Cyrus of Persia offered the Jews the opportunity to return to Judea. Some Jews returned and rebuilt the Temple, but once again, this time, six hundred years later in the year 70 CE, the Roman occupiers of Judea set the Temple aflame. Following the tragedy and carnage, the venerable Rabbi Akiva gazed upon the desolation of the Temple Mount and Jerusalem and envisioned the actualization the visions of the prophets for the future. His colleagues heard his words and replied, “Akiva, you have comforted us.”
When Rabbi Akiva was executed by the Romans following the Bar Kochba revolt (132-135 CE) for violating Roman rules which forbid publicly teaching the Torah, his last words reciting the Shema were etched upon the memory of the Jews for the next two thousand years.
At the time, the eventual return of the Jews seemed even more improbable as the land was laid waste and the Roman emperor Hadrian embarked upon a campaign to eliminate Judaism and Jewish practices. Judea had become barren, and a prolonged exile awaited the Jews.
After two millennia, while other empires and nations, many far larger than the Jews became archeological relics, vanquished by time, the Jews survived their many tribulations of exile; persecutions, expulsions, inquisitions, humiliations, wars, pogroms, holocausts, assimilation and so on. Many individual Jews were lost but the nation as a whole survived, since an everlasting covenant was forged between Hashem and the Jewish people. Through it all, they did not forget about returning to Zion.
And when the window of return opened in the late 19th/early 20th centuries, with the first waves of Aliyah, it was not accompanied by open miracles. However it did follow the miraculous survival of the Jews, which was the necessary prelude for the return to Zion.
In 1948, when Israel was declared an independent state, many of its six hundred thousand were survivors of the Nazi Holocaust. Others had fled persecution in Europe and other lands, over decades prior to World War Two. The new born state of less than 600,000 was a small fraction of the Jewish world which comprised 12,000,000. Over the next seventy years, the remnants of Israel over the past 2,000 year exile have arrived from Arab Lands, Eastern Europe, the former USSR, Ethiopia, Sephardic lands, Western Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Today, the demographics have seen dramatic transformations as over half of world Jewry resides within their homeland. Despite wars with neighboring countries, the scourge of terrorism, the damage of economic boycotts, and isolation by its detractors, Israel continues to thrive, and beat the odds. It is the realization of the visions foretold long ago.
Like the time of the exodus from Egypt, they left out of a sense of destiny, and were also taken out by Hashem as the survivors of a very difficult, challenging and prolonged exile, guided by Divine intervention and the promise to Abraham, echoed by the prophets. That too is miraculous.
It was my mother who taught me how to beat egg whites into “stiff peaks” for baking holiday sponge cakes.
By: Naomi Ross
Folding chairs lined the hallway wall like dutiful soldiers in expectation of arriving guests. Unfamiliar, dusty boxes of pots and china were stacked high, their contents waiting to make their annual appearance on the dining room table. As a child, the anticipation during those momentous days leading up to Passover was palpable. I couldn’t help but sense the urgency—something big was imminent, and I wanted to be a part of it. Fortunately for me, my mother was adept at putting me to work, getting me involved in the preparations and effectively igniting a spark in her daughter to experience the excitement of the holiday.
As a parent, I’ve realized the mitzvah (“commandment”) of educating your children about the story of the Exodus from Egypt begins earlier—not at the seder, but before, in the kitchen.
Naomi Ross. Credit: Courtesy.
Kids learn experientially (so do adults). They need to engage all of their senses to internalize a concept or lesson. That’s why we hold up the shank bone, the matzah and the bitter herbs; our seders come complete with props and visual aids.
So, how do we pass on our traditions in a way that is meaningfully relevant to the next generation? It happens first by inviting them to take part in the preparations and the cooking, fostering a feeling of being invested in the holiday experience. That is what makes Passover real for them. The door to meaningful conversations is opened there in the kitchen while peeling apples or rolling matzah balls.
Many jobs are perfect for this purpose and appropriate for a wide range of ages. Here are a few suggestions:
Making charoset: As a child, I thought that making charoset was an all-day process. Peeling, coring and chopping the apples took forever. Chopping nuts in our little manual glass-jar chopper was such hard work for a little one that by the time I finished, I felt as though I were enslaved in Egypt, too! Truth be told, it was the perfect job; it kept me busy for a long time and I felt very accomplished afterward. Come seder night, I was incredibly proud to pass around the charoset I made myself. (Safety Tip: For younger children for whom sharp knives are inappropriate, an old-fashioned hand-held chopper and a large chopping bowl are the way to go.)
Peeling hard-boiled eggs: All kids think this is fun. I have no idea why, but they do. So teach them how and let them at it.
Setting the table: There are many more things to prepare on the seder table than for a regular meal: assembling Haggadahs, pillows for reclining, salt water, and preparing the seder plate all take time. If your children are creative, they can create pretty folded napkins or handmade place cards. Both are fantastic craft projects for artistic kids.
Cooking and baking: For older kids who are able to follow a recipe (or interested in learning), this is a great opportunity to teach your kids basic lessons in cooking and baking. I still remember being called over to help taste and season a simmering dish. And it was in my mother’s kitchen that I learned how to beat egg whites into “stiff peaks” for baking Passover sponge cakes.
No matter how you enlist your children, the real secret to getting them involved is by showing your own interest and excitement. When your kids see you enjoying yourself and getting into the spirit, then they will follow suit and reflect that joy into your home.
Both recipes included here are gluten-free and Passover-friendly.
Hash Brown Cups (Dairy or Pareve)
Hash Brown Cups. Photo from the recently published “The Giving Table” by Naomi Ross.
Makes 10 to 12 cups
Prep Time: 15 to 25 minutes
Cook Time: 35 to 40 minutes
These are the perfect do-ahead hash browns for a brunch, and they can be filled and baked with several variations below. They’re also good as an alternative to fried potato latkes (no frying mess with these) and are perfect for topping. Get creative and vary your toppings—sautéed peppers, smoked salmon, sour cream, etc. *These can be made a day ahead. Refresh uncovered in a hot oven to re-crisp the cups.
Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes (about 1½ pounds), scrubbed
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan liberally with cooking spray.
Bake or microwave potatoes (pierce with a fork first) until mostly cooked through, but still somewhat firm with a bite (about 45 minutes in a 350-degree oven or 5 to 6 minutes in the microwave). They should not be mushy.
Peel the skin off the potatoes. Working over a large mixing bowl, coarsely grate potatoes (a box grater is fine for this). Toss with butter, salt, and pepper.
Carefully line each muffin cup with about 3 to 4 tablespoons of the potatoes, pressing against and up the sides of each cup into an even layer.
Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are golden and the edges are crisped. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
If making one of the variations, continue with the directions below; otherwise, use an offset spatula to carefully remove cups from pan, fill with desired toppings and serve.
Egg-in-a-Nest Variation:
½ cup packed grated cheddar cheese
1 dozen eggs
Directions:
Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees.
Divide the shredded cheese and place it in each hash brown cup.
Crack each egg and pour it carefully into each cup. Season with salt and pepper.
Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until the eggs are just set. Remove from oven.
Cool slightly; use an offset spatula to carefully remove from the pan.
Broccoli Quiche Variation:
½ cup packed grated cheddar cheese
1 cup frozen chopped broccoli, defrosted and drained
3 eggs
⅓ cup milk
Directions:
Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees. Divide the shredded cheese among the hash brown cups.
Place a few teaspoons of broccoli in each cup (over the cheese).
Beat eggs and milk together; season with salt and pepper. Pour slowly into each cup, being careful to not overfill.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until set. Remove from oven. Cool slightly; use an offset spatula to carefully remove cups from the pan.
Short on Time? While I like to use real potatoes for the freshest taste, frozen hash browns can be used instead for a quick shortcut. Simply thaw and press them into the muffin cups.
Espresso Meringue Cookies (Pareve)
Espresso Meringue Cookies. Photo from the recently published “The Giving Table” by Naomi Ross.
Makes 18 to 24 cookies
Prep Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, plus 1 hour cooling time
The perfect meringue is crispy on the outside, slightly chewy on the inside. For best results, use fresh, room-temperature egg whites. The proteins in old egg whites may not dry out properly in the oven. To protect the integrity of the meringue, make sure your bowl and beaters are clean and dry. *Use a star tip to pipe decoratively into mounds.
Ingredients:
4 large egg whites
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1½ Tbsp. instant espresso powder or instant coffee
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
coffee beans (optional)
cocoa for dusting
Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
In a large, clean, dry mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and salt with an electric mixer (fitted with the balloon whisk attachment) on medium speed until the whites are foamy. Increase speed to high, beating until soft peaks form.
Slowly add in the sugar, adding about 2 tablespoons at a time, beating for 15 to 30 seconds after each addition. Add the espresso and vanilla, and continue to beat until the meringue forms very stiff, pillowy, glossy peaks (the mixture should be able to hold a peak up when the beaters are raised).
Working quickly, drop the mixture by large spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 to 2 inches apart. Top each meringue with an optional coffee bean and dust with cocoa.
Bake for 1 hour or until the surfaces of the meringues feel dry and you can pick one off the parchment without any sticking.
Turn off the oven, prop the door open slightly with the handle of a wooden spoon and allow meringues to cool gently in the oven for 1 hour. Transfer to a serving platter.
With each of the four cups on seder night, it’s proper to not only recall the miraculous Exodus, but also reflect upon instances in our own lives when HaShem brought us healing, recovery and saving
By: Chaya Sora Jungreis-Gertzulin
It’s almost Pesach, so much to plan, so much to prepare. On our to-do list is purchasing wine for the seder. Some like it sweet, others appreciate the dry wine taste.
The connoisseurs amongst us are busy selecting their bottles, and for some it means a different choice for each of the Arba Kosos, the Four Cups.
More important than which wine when, is to understand the message of the Arba Kosos.
The number four is highlighted several times during the seder. Four cups, four questions, four sons. The Gemara in Brachos tells us that there are four instances that would require a person to recite a Birchas Gomel, the Thanksgiving Blessing. One who crosses an ocean or a desert, one who recovers from a serious illness, and one who is released from prison or captivity. All come with hazards, and all are situations where one needs HaShem’s help. These four occurrences are also alluded to in Chapter 107 of Tehillim, the Chapter of Hodu L’HaShem Ki Tov, Give thanks to HaShem, for He is good. “They wandered in the wilderness…. They sat in darkness, and the shadow of death, shackled in affliction and iron… He would send forth His word and cure them (from illness)….. Those who go down to the sea in ships…”
The generation of the Exodus endured all four experiences. They were freed from the prison of Egypt. They crossed the sea, and trekked through the desert. And, when they stood at Sinai, they were cured from all illness.
With each of the four cups on seder night, it’s proper to not only recall the miraculous Exodus, but also reflect upon instances in our own lives when HaShem brought us healing, recovery and saving. Instances that compel to say Hodu L’HaShem Ki Tov.
Our avos and imahos, our patriarchs and matriarchs are always with us. At the seder, the three matzohs remind us of our three avos, Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov, while the four cups of wine recall our imahos, Sora, Rivka, Rochel and Leah.
Chazal teach that it was in the merit of the nashim tzidkonios, the righteous women, that our ancestors were redeemed from Egypt. Righteous women who followed in the path of our imahos. Each one of the imahos transmits to us a different life lesson.
The Shelah HaKodosh connects each of the imahos to a different kos.
Sora – Kiddush, the first kos. We say “asher kid’shanu b’mitzvosav, to be sanctified with HaShem’s mitzvos, to live as kedoshim. Sora was the mother who brought so many under the wings of HaShem, teaching them to live with sanctity. Her life was one of emunah, creating the spiritual DNA that has been passed down from generation to generation to this very day.
Rivka – In the recitation of the Haggadah leading up to the second kos, we recall the story of Lavan, Rivka’s brother. Rivka’s abandonment of her lifestyle in Aram teaches us that us that everyone has the power to change the course of their lives. She left everything behind in order to marry Yitzchak, and become a matriarch of Am Yisroel.
Rochel – The third kos. The kos which follows Birchas Hamazon, Grace after Meals. “Rochel mevakeh al boneha, Rochel cries for her children”. Her heart is with Am Yisroel. A lesson she taught her son Yosef, to feel for others. It was Yosef who was concerned about providing “mazon”, food for his entire extended family. We think of Rochel and Yosef, and the lesson of caring, as we recite Birchas Hamazon.
Leah – the fourth and final kos. At the birth of her fourth son, whom she named Yehuda, Leah proclaimed “hapaam odeh es HaShem, this time I will thank HaShem”. Yehuda, a name that expresses gratitude. Hodaah, to acknowledge the good. As we conclude the seder by singing the words of Hallel, words of praise and thanks to HaShem, we are reminded of Leah.
Teachings of our imahos. Teachings of the Haggadah, teachings we should strive to make a part of our very being.
An additional teaching is that each cup relates to one of the four leshonos of geulah, expressions of redemption, depicting HaShem’s saving Bnei Yisroel from the pain of Egyptian subjugation.
“Vehotzeisi – and I will take you from the suffering of Egypt.” HaShem’s saving our ancestors from the mental anguish and loss of dignity endured while being enslaved.
“Vehitzalti – and I will rescue you from their labor.” This refers to the hard, grueling, back-breaking labor that Bnei Yisroel was subjected to in Mitzrayim.
“Vegoalti – I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.” HaShem’s taking Bnei Yisroel out of Egypt with wonders and miracles.
“Velokachti – and I shall take you to be My people.” To be HaShem’s nation. HaShem brought us to Sinai, and gave us the gift of His Torah.
Gracing each seder table, there is one more cup, the fifth cup, the cup of Eliyahu HaNavi. This is the cup of “veheiveisi, and I will bring you to the land”. The land of Eretz Yisroel. The promise of veheiveisi, and I will bring you, has yet to be fulfilled. Throughput our history, our nation has survived threat after threat to its existence. Threats we are once again living through today. As we gaze upon the Kos shel Eliyahu, the “untasted” cup, we should have in mind acheinu kol Beis Yisroel, our brothers, the entire House of Israel – no matter where they are – may they be protected and safe. May Eliyahu HaNavi watch over them. May it be this year that we realize the true meaning of veheiveisi, that HaShem will bring all of us to Eretz Yisroel, to live together in peace and harmony, with the coming of Moshiach.
This article was written L’zecher Nishmas/In Memory Of HaRav Meshulem ben HaRav Osher Anshil HaLevi, zt”l and Rebbetzin Esther bas HaRav Avraham HaLevi, zt”l
We experienced what Robert Frost has described in his poem, The Road Not Taken, which begins with that famous line, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…” Photo Credit: YouTube.com
By: Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb
Most of us have experienced a phase earlier in our lives, perhaps in high school, during which we dreamed of some specific career. It sounded glamorous to us, interesting, rewarding in many ways, and consistent with the value system in which we were raised. Then life intervened, we “grew up” and made different choices.
We experienced what Robert Frost has described in his poem, The Road Not Taken, which begins with that famous line, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…” Like the poet, we saw a choice before us and, for any number of reasons, either chose or were guided by circumstances to pursue one path and not the other.
The dream I had during my own adolescence was to become a journalist. The yeshiva high school that I attended had published a prize-winning newspaper, and the editors and contributors to it were enrolled in a special elective course entitled “Twentieth Century Journalism.” Our teacher was a marvelous pedagogue named Mr. Joe Brown.
I loved his class and rose to become copy editor of the newspaper. A great deal of what I learned about writing I learned from Joe Brown. Besides all that he taught us about the art of writing and its technicalities, he also emphasized the ethics of journalism.
I can no longer remember many of the specifics of those long discussions we had about ethics and how it applied to the career of journalism. But I do remember how he insisted that a journalist had ethical obligations and that they included discovering truth, reporting it faithfully, and avoiding malice and negativity. “There is so much good to write about,” he would say. “Why spread schmutz?”
Much later in life, I became fascinated with the writing of John McPhee, a non-fiction writer who was able to interest his readers in the most obscure topics by writing about them in great detail, objectively but with measured enthusiasm. I remember, for example, a book he wrote about oranges and orange juice. Not a topic, one would think, to engage a reader’s attention for 300-plus pages. But he was able to do so descriptively, accurately, besmirching no one, with neutrality and verve.
I never pursued a career in journalism, although writing remains one of my great interests and I do a lot of it. But I frequently wonder if, had I chosen the path of a journalist, I would have been able to live up to the ethics of the profession as they were espoused by old Joe Brown. Would I be able to resist the temptation of exposing scandal after scandal, consciously ignoring the whole story, and slipping into exaggeration, distortion, and sometimes blatant untruth?
It is at this time of year, when we read this week’s Torah portion, that I especially become preoccupied with these thoughts. This week’s parsha is Metzora (Leviticus 14:1-15:33). On the surface, it deals with the laws of purity and ritual uncleanliness, and especially the purification rites prescribed for the metzora, usually understood as the leper, as he recovered from his symptoms. But our rabbis have traditionally seen in these passages as a deeper message, one much more relevant to our troubled times.
The Talmud (Arachin 15b) discusses the root cause of the condition from which the metzora suffers. They identify that cause as the sin of verbal abuse. The very word metzora is defined as a contraction of the Hebrew words “motzi shem ra”, “he who spreads the bad name.” That is, he who speaks, or writes, malicious gossip, or harms others through their use of language.
There is a passage in the book of Proverbs, which delineates the sins of the metzora eloquently, and which employs a vocabulary of stunning contemporary relevance:
“There are six things which the Lord hates, and seven which are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked thoughts, feet that are swift in running to mischief, a false witness that breathes out lies, and one that sows discord among brethren.” (Proverbs 6:15-19)
It seems quite clear to me that these are the sins which characterize our time in history, and it is downright frightening that these are the very things which God hates and which are an abomination to Him.
What makes our age so distinct is that everyone is today a journalist, not just someone who works for a newspaper. The electronic media have allowed everyone access to the entire world. Every e-mail, every blog, every variety of social media can be used by anyone, with no qualification, no credential, no official position, and worst of all no accountability, to say anything he or she wishes about anyone.
Reputations can be ruined in an instant, and the victim has no recourse to due process or to any semblance of self-defense. Truth is no longer an honored value, and decency is mocked. All the humane values of discretion, compassion, moderation, tolerance, and honesty have been utterly discredited. The very phrase “ethics of journalism” evokes a cynical smile at best and more likely results in outright derision.
Our rabbis have also written extensively about the possible cures for this despicable tendency. They struggle to reverse our proclivity to defame and malign other human beings. Their suggestions, practical seem tame and impotent in the face of force of the evil we now confront.
For example, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch writes that the Torah’s prescription that the metzoraspend time in seclusion is designed to compel him to engage in introspection, reform his antisocial tendencies, and return to society constructively. Alas, introspective contemplation is not only out of style nowadays, but history has provided us with more than one example, Hitler being the most notorious, of individuals who have used times of solitude to hatch even more diabolical schemes.
How necessary nowadays are courses such as the one Joe Brown gave to a small group of teenagers many years ago, which instilled an appreciation for the power of the pen, and these days for the power of the blog, and which prompted reflection upon the ethical use of the tools of language.
How important it would be to study those writers, secular and religious—and John McPhee is just my own personal example—who can write effectively about all sorts of topics, with nary a negative word about another human being, without ever breaching any ethical code.
We must recoup the traditional values which underlie the denigration of the metzora. We must attend to passages such as the one from Proverbs quoted above. Then we can at least begin to diminish the verbal bullying which infects the social media. Then we can at least temper the malevolent phenomena which have come to characterize our age of electronic communication.
The incident unfolded when Malak Afaneh, co-president of Berkeley’s Law Students for Justice in Palestine (LSJP), along with about 10 other law students, interrupted the dinner gathering in Chemerinsky’s backyard. Afaneh seized a microphone and began delivering a speech, prompting Catherine Fisk, a Berkeley law professor and Chemerinsky’s wife, to intervene. Photo Credit: YouTube.com
Edited by: Fern Sidman
The renowned dean of Berkeley’s law school, Erwin Chemerinsky, found himself at the center of a heated debate on free speech after a celebratory dinner party at his home was disrupted by pro-Hamas students.
The incident occurred on Tuesday night, as Chemerinsky hosted a dinner party for approximately 60 third-year law students in the backyard of his Oakland, Calif., residence, as was reported on Friday in The New York Times. The gathering was intended to foster community among students, with no formal speeches or activities planned.
The incident unfolded when Malak Afaneh, co-president of Berkeley’s Law Students for Justice in Palestine (LSJP), along with about 10 other law students, interrupted the dinner gathering in Chemerinsky’s backyard. The NYT report indicated that Afaneh seized a microphone and began delivering a speech, prompting Catherine Fisk, a Berkeley law professor and Chemerinsky’s wife, to intervene. Fisk, who emphasized that the event was being held at her home, attempted to retrieve the microphone and threatened to call the police but ultimately did not.
Chemerinsky, a staunch advocate of free speech rights for pro-Palestinian students, including their right to block Zionist speakers, was caught on camera shouting, “Please leave our house! You are guests in our house!” Meanwhile, Fisk attempted to wrestle the microphone away from Afaneh, leading to a physical altercation.
According to Afaneh and other student protesters, Fisk’s actions were perceived as disproportionate and violent, arguing that students have a right to speak at a university gathering, as was noted in the report in the NYT. They viewed the incident as a suppression of free speech.
The information provided in the NYT report indicated that Chemerinsky defended his stance, asserting that while the dinner was funded by the university, the students had no inherent right to free speech in a private residence, especially at an informal event with no planned remarks.
The incident at Chemerinsky’s home illustrates how the Israel-Gaza conflict has intensified and complicated the free speech debate. The NYT report said that across college campuses nationwide, pro-Palestinian students have staged sit-ins and disrupted events, prompting some administrators to take disciplinary action, including arrests and suspensions.
The situation at Berkeley, a university with a history of leftist activism and the birthplace of the ’60s Free Speech movement, has been particularly fraught. As protests over the Middle East conflict persist, some Jewish students and alumni have criticized university officials for tolerating activism that veers into anti-Semitic speech.
The escalation of tensions at Berkeley is not an isolated incident. Noted in the NYT report was that in February, an event featuring an Israeli speaker was canceled after protesters forcibly entered the venue, prompting Chancellor Carol Christ to denounce the act as an attack on the university’s fundamental values.
The situation has garnered national attention, with Representative Virginia Foxx, chair of the House committee on education, launching an investigation into allegations of anti-Semitism on campus. As per the information contained in the NYT report, Foxx has demanded documents and information from university officials regarding Berkeley’s response to anti-Semitic incidents, signaling a growing concern over the erosion of free speech and tolerance on college campuses.
Moreover, Chemerinsky was recently depicted in an anti-Semitic flier circulated earlier in the week. The flier featured a cartoon image of Chemerinsky holding a bloody knife and fork with the words “No Dinner With Zionist Chem While Gaza Starves,” according to the NYT report. In response, Chemerinsky expressed shock at the blatant anti-Semitism, noting the image’s invocation of the blood libel trope and its targeting of him solely because of his Jewish identity.
The incident occurred amidst ongoing protests by pro-Hamas activists, including members of the Berkeley chapter of Law Students for Justice in Palestine (LSJP), co-chaired by Malak Afaneh. However, the NYT reported that the LSJP did not respond to requests for comment. The information contained in the NYT report also indicated that Camilo Pérez-Bustillo, executive director of the local chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, defended the protesters’ actions, stating that Chemerinsky was not targeted because of his Jewish identity but rather for his perceived failure to address U.S. complicity in the conflict.
The controversy further coincided with the last day of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month. Afaneh accused the university system of supporting weapons manufacturers and refusing to acknowledge the plight of Palestinians, according to the NYT report. The incident reignited debates over free speech and activism on campus, with Afaneh citing First Amendment rights and the National Lawyers Guild’s support.
Chemerinsky expressed disappointment at the disruption, describing the students’ actions as rude and inappropriate. Despite the altercation, the dinner continued after the protesters left peacefully.
The protesting students aimed to pressure Chemerinsky to denounce what they perceive as Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which they characterized as genocide, as was detailed in the NYT report. They also called for the university to divest from companies supporting Israel’s actions.
Following the incident, LSJP demanded the resignations of Chemerinsky and Fisk, citing their failure to address Palestinian grievances. Additionally, the NYT report said that LSJP advocated for the establishment of a Palestine studies program focused on resistance and the right to return in a settler-colonial context.
In response to the controversy, Richard Leib, chairman of the University of California system’s board, and Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ voiced their support for Chemerinsky and Fisk, as per the NYT report.
Christ expressed dismay over the protest, emphasizing the university’s commitment to free speech while condemning the use of a private residence as a platform for protest. The UC Berkeley law school dean described the incident as unexpected and divisive, lamenting the disruption of what was meant to be a social occasion.
Plans are currently moving along the tracks to restore passenger rail service from NYC to the Poconos, with a proposed Amtrak corridor that would include stops in East Stroudsburg, Mount Pocono, and Scranton. Service could potentially begin as early as 2028, pending completion of design work and construction by stakeholders.
By: Emily Whalen
In need of some fresh mountain air? Take a break from the city’s summer heat: escape from NYC to the Poconos! Just a two-hour drive away from Manhattan, you’ll find cool waterways and lakes, unspoiled mountains covered in lush greenery, and laid-back small towns full of history and charm. The Pocono Mountains is about 100 miles away from New York City, an ideal distance for a day trip or weekend getaway. Several major highways including I-80 (the most direct route), I-84, I-380, and I-476 lead visitors up into our hills.
The Pocono region encompasses 2,400 square miles and four Pennsylvania counties: Wayne, Pike, Monroe and Carbon. Winding scenic roads like Route 402, Route 507 and Route 6 lead to antique shops, historic sites and attractions, hiking and biking trails galore, delicious local dining, craft breweries and wineries, plus world-class, one-of-a-kind accommodations. Start planning your escape! Keep reading to discover things to see and do in the Poconos that you won’t want to miss.
The French Manor Inn & Spa in the Pocono Mountains offers the timeless countryside peace and luxury that have tempted tourists here for generations. You’ll find places to stay with fine dining, relaxing spa facilities and renowned golf right on site, everything you need for a retreat away from the crowds of the city.
How to Get to the Poconos from NYC
Find Your Weekend Mountain Home
Fun for the Whole Family (and Fido!)
Explore with Local Experts
Savor Fresh Flavors and Craft Beverages
NYC Traveler FAQ
How to Get to the Poconos from NYC
The best way to get to Poconos from NYC is to hit the road and take a roughly two-hour car drive along I-280 and I-80. Popular Poconos towns like Delaware Water Gap and Stroudsburg, often called the heart of the Poconos, are about 65 miles from New York City and are located right off of I-80. New York and New Jersey are just a hop, skip, and a jump across the Delaware River from Wayne County and Pike County in the Poconos, with destinations like Lake Wallenpaupack and the towns of Hawley, Honesdale, and Milford easily accessible off of I-84 and historic Route 6.
Wondering how to get to the Poconos without a car? Various bus companies provide service to towns in the Poconos, like Martz Bus which runs between the New York City Port Authority Bus Terminal and Monroe County spots like Stroudsburg and Mount Pocono. Shortline Bus via Coach USA runs to Wayne and Pike counties, while Trailways runs to Jim Thorpe and Carbon County. Be sure to check each company’s website for up-to-date route schedules.
For a classic family vacation all ages will love, experience the warm welcome and hospitality of family-owned properties like Woodloch Resort (pictured above) and Keen Lake Camping and Cottage Resort which have been the backdrop for beloved memories for decades. Credit: Woodlock.com
The convenient proximity between NYC and the Poconos has brought New Yorkers to our area for hundreds of years, with Victorian visitors traveling on the iconic “Phoebe Snow” passenger train. Plans are currently moving along the tracks to restore passenger rail service from NYC to the Poconos, with a proposed Amtrak corridor that would include stops in East Stroudsburg, Mount Pocono, and Scranton. Service could potentially begin as early as 2028, pending completion of design work and construction by stakeholders.
Find Your Weekend Mountain Home
The Pocono Mountains is home to plenty of places to stay that you can’t find anywhere else. Historic accommodations like Skytop Lodge or French Manor Inn & Spa offer the timeless countryside peace and luxury that have tempted tourists here for generations. You’ll find places to stay with fine dining, relaxing spa facilities and renowned golf right on site, everything you need for a retreat away from the crowds of the city.
Take a guided tour of the scenic town of Jim Thorpe with the Jim Thorpe Trolley Company . Venture back in time in charming Delaware Water Gap with a trip aboard The Pocono Historic Trolley Tour or an afternoon with Tour the Castle to learn about the storied resorts which first made the Poconos a beloved vacation destination over two hundred years ago. Credit: poconomountains.com
For a classic family vacation all ages will love, experience the warm welcome and hospitality of family-owned properties like Woodloch Resort and Keen Lake Camping and Cottage Resort which have been the backdrop for beloved memories for decades. Looking to move into a cabin or vacation home rental for the weekend? We’ve got plenty of options! The Village at Pocono near Pocono Raceway offers space for groups of all sizes and flexible renting options.
Fun for the Whole Family (and Fido!)
With the Lehigh River on the western edge of our region and the Delaware River on the eastern edge, plus plenty of lakes and beaches and waterways in between, the Poconos is a picture-perfect destination for canoeing and kayaking, thrilling whitewater rafting expeditions, or just a lazy day tubing or relaxing by the water’s edge. But the splash-worthy attractions don’t stop there. You’ll find some of the largest and most impressive indoor and outdoor waterpark resorts in the country in our area. In the Poconos, you can surf the FlowRiders, float in the lazy rivers, and splash the day away with family and friends regardless of what the weather’s like outside.
When it comes to family fun in the Poconos, four-legged family members are welcome too! You’ll find lots of dog-friendly hotels, pet-friendly dining, and attractions where your pet is welcome to come along for a hike, an ice cream cone or even to stay for the night!
Explore with Local Experts
For an insider’s look at the region, let the people who know the Poconos best show you where to go and what to see. Take a guided tour of the scenic town of Jim Thorpe with the Jim Thorpe Trolley Company . Venture back in time in charming Delaware Water Gap with a trip aboard The Pocono Historic Trolley Tour or an afternoon with Tour the Castle to learn about the storied resorts which first made the Poconos a beloved vacation destination over two hundred years ago.
Spend a day in the covered bays at Sunset Hill Shooting Range , where experienced instructors will help you safely try over 120 firearms. Camelback Mountain Adventures offers thrilling Switchback UTV Tours or you can take a relaxing cruise on Lake Wallenpaupack with Wallenpaupack Scenic Boat Tours. Looking to go beyond ground and water? Take to the skies and take your adventure to the next level at Pegasus Skydive Center in Saylorsburg.
You can take a relaxing cruise on Lake Wallenpaupack with Wallenpaupack Scenic Boat Tours. Credit: poconomountains.com
Savor Fresh Flavors and Craft Beverages
No getaway is complete without delicious things to eat! In the Pocono Mountains, you’ll find a wide variety of restaurants and outdoor dining to choose from. Why not sample colorful produce fresh from local fields at Hanna’s Farm Market , Monroe Farmer’s Market or The Cooperage Project . Get to know local growers with Pocono Television Network: watch our Pocono Perspectives interview series for an inside look at the green and growing farms in the Poconos.
Dorflinger-Suydam Wildlife Sanctuary and Lacawac Sanctuary(pictured above) are also home to peaceful trails which preserve natural habitats while offering opportunities for observing wildlife.
For a true foodie experience, get a behind-the-scenes look at the ethically-sourced, small-batch delicacies being made at Moka Origins Coffee Roasters Cafe and Chocolate Factory or tour the state-of-the art greenhouses at Pocono Organics , one of the largest regenerative organic farms in North America.
Perfect for date night or an outing with friends, the Pocono Beverage Trail highlights local breweries, distilleries, and wineries. From moonshine to small-batch beers to unique vintages, hand-crafted spirits are served up in airy tasting rooms, atmospheric bars and sprawling vineyards around the region. Be sure to sign up for the free Pocono Beverage Trail digital passport to access discounts and earn points as you visit different properties along the trail. You can even snag a free hat when you check-in to at least six different participating locations during your trip!
Edge of the Woods Outfitters in Delaware Water Gap offers bike rentals along the McDade Recreational Trail throughout the beautiful Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
Rep. Don Beyer, a 73-year-old congressman tasked with regulating artificial intelligence, is enrolled in classes at George Mason University to get a master’s degree in machine learning. He weighs both the benefits and risks of the new technology.
Credit: AP Photo/ J. Scott Applewhite
By: David Klepper
Don Beyer’s car dealerships were among the first in the U.S. to set up a website. As a representative, the Virginia Democrat leads a bipartisan group focused on promoting fusion energy. He reads books about geometry for fun.
So when questions about regulating artificial intelligence emerged, the 73-year-old Beyer took what for him seemed like an obvious step, enrolling at George Mason University to get a master’s degree in machine learning. In an era when lawmakers and Supreme Court justices sometimes concede they don’t understand emerging technology, Beyer’s journey is an outlier, but it highlights a broader effort by members of Congress to educate themselves about artificial intelligence as they consider laws that would shape its development.
Frightening to some, thrilling to others, baffling to many: Artificial intelligence has been called a transformative technology, a threat to democracy or even an existential risk for humanity. It will fall to members of Congress to figure out how to regulate the industry in a way that encourages its potential benefits while mitigating the worst risks.
But first they have to understand what AI is, and what it isn’t.
“I tend to be an AI optimist,” Beyer told The Associated Press following a recent afternoon class on George Mason’s campus in suburban Virginia. “We can’t even imagine how different our lives will be in five years, 10 years, 20 years, because of AI. … There won’t be robots with red eyes coming after us any time soon. But there are other deeper existential risks that we need to pay attention to.”
Risks like massive job losses in industries made obsolete by AI, programs that retrieve biased or inaccurate results, or deepfake images, video and audio that could be leveraged for political disinformation, scams or sexual exploitation. On the other side of the equation, onerous regulations could stymie innovation, leaving the U.S. at a disadvantage as other nations look to harness the power of AI.
Striking the right balance will require input not only from tech companies but also from the industry’s critics, as well as from the industries that AI may transform. While many Americans may have formed their ideas about AI from science fiction movies like “The Terminator” or “The Matrix,” it’s important that lawmakers have a clear-eyed understanding of the technology, said Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., and the chairman of the House’s AI Task Force.
When lawmakers have questions about AI, Obernolte is one of the people they seek out. He studied engineering and applied science at the California Institute of Technology and earned an M.S. in artificial intelligence at UCLA. The California Republican also started his own video game company. Obernolte said he’s been “very pleasantly impressed” with how seriously his colleagues on both sides of the aisle are taking their responsibility to understand AI.
That shouldn’t be surprising, Obernolte said. After all, lawmakers regularly vote on bills that touch on complicated legal, financial, health and scientific subjects. If you think computers are complicated, check out the rules governing Medicaid and Medicare.
Keeping up with the pace of technology has challenged Congress since the steam engine and the cotton gin transformed the nation’s industrial and agricultural sectors. Nuclear power and weaponry is another example of a highly technical subject that lawmakers have had to contend with in recent decades, according to Kenneth Lowande, a University of Michigan political scientist who has studied expertise and how it relates to policy-making in Congress.
Federal lawmakers have created several offices — the Library of Congress, the Congressional Budget Office, etc. — to provide resources and specialized input when necessary. They also rely on staff with specific expertise on subject topics, including technology.
Then there’s another, more informal form of education that many members of Congress receive.
“They have interest groups and lobbyists banging down their door to give them briefings,” Lowande said.
Beyer said he’s had a lifelong interest in computers and that when AI emerged as a topic of public interest he wanted to know more. A lot more. Almost all of his fellow students are decades younger; most don’t seem that fazed when they discover their classmate is a congressman, Beyer said.
He said the classes, which he fits in around his busy congressional schedule — are already paying off. He’s learned about the development of AI and the challenges facing the field. He said it’s helped him understand the challenges — biases, unreliable data — and the possibilities, like improved cancer diagnoses and more efficient supply chains.
Beyer is also learning how to write computer code.
“I’m finding that learning to code — which is thinking in this sort of mathematical, algorithmic step-by-step, is helping me think differently about a lot of other things — how you put together an office, how you work a piece of legislation,” Beyer said.
While a computer science degree isn’t required, it’s imperative that lawmakers understand AI’s implications for the economy, national defense, health care, education, personal privacy and intellectual property rights, according to Chris Pierson, CEO of the cybersecurity firm BlackCloak.
“AI is not good or bad,” said Pierson, who formerly worked in Washington for the Department of Homeland Security. “It’s how you use it.”
The work of safeguarding AI has already begun, though it’s the executive branch leading the way so far. Last month, the White House unveiled new rules that require federal agencies to show their use of AI isn’t harming the public. Under an executive order issued last year, AI developers must provide information on the safety of their products.
When it comes to more substantive action, America is playing catchup to the European Union, which recently enacted the world’s first significant rules governing the development and use of AI. The rules prohibit some uses — routine AI-enabled facial recognition by law enforcement, for one — while requiring other programs to submit information about safety and public risks. The landmark law is expected to serve as a blueprint for other nations as they contemplate their own AI laws.
As Congress begins that process, the focus must be on “mitigating potential harm,” said Obernolte, who said he’s optimistic that lawmakers from both parties can find common ground on ways to prevent the worst AI risks.
“Nothing substantive is going to get done that isn’t bipartisan,” he said.
To help guide the conversation lawmakers created a new AI task force (Obernolte is co-chairman), as well as an AI Caucus made up of lawmakers with a particular expertise or interest in the topic. They’ve invited experts to brief lawmakers on the technology and its impacts — and not just computer scientists and tech gurus either, but also representatives from different sectors that see their own risks and rewards in AI.
Instagram says it’s deploying new tools to protect young people and combat sexual extortion, including a feature that will automatically blur nudity in direct messages. Credit: AP
By: Kelvin Chan
Instagram says it’s deploying new tools to protect young people and combat sexual extortion, including a feature that will automatically blur nudity in direct messages.
The social media platform said in a blog post Thursday that it’s testing out the features as part of its campaign to fight sexual scams and other forms of “image abuse,” and to make it tougher for criminals to contact teens.
Sexual extortion, or sextortion, involves persuading a person to send explicit photos online and then threatening to make the images public unless the victim pays money or engages in sexual favors. Recent high-profile cases include two Nigerian brothers who pleaded guilty to sexually extorting teen boys and young men in Michigan, including one who took his own life, and a Virginia sheriff’s deputy who sexually extorted and kidnapped a 15-year-old girl.
Instagram and other social media companies have faced growing criticism for not doing enough to protect young people. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Instagram’s owner Meta Platforms, apologized to the parents of victims of such abuse during a Senate hearing earlier this year.
Meta, which is based in Menlo Park, California, also owns Facebook and WhatsApp but the nudity blur feature won’t be added to messages sent on those platforms.
Instagram said scammers often use direct messages to ask for “intimate images.” To counter this, it will soon start testing out a nudity-protection feature for direct messages that blurs any images with nudity “and encourages people to think twice before sending nude images.”
“The feature is designed not only to protect people from seeing unwanted nudity in their DMs, but also to protect them from scammers who may send nude images to trick people into sending their own images in return,” Instagram said.
The feature will be turned on by default globally for teens under 18. Adult users will get a notification encouraging them to activate it.
Images with nudity will be blurred with a warning, giving users the option to view it. They’ll also get an option to block the sender and report the chat.
For people sending direct messages with nudity, they will get a message reminding them to be cautious when sending “sensitive photos.” They’ll also be informed that they can unsend the photos if they change their mind, but that there’s a chance others may have already seen them.
As with many of Meta’s tools and policies around child safety, critics saw the move as a positive step, but one that does not go far enough.
“I think the tools announced can protect senders, and that is welcome. But what about recipients?” said Arturo Béjar, former engineering director at the social media giant who is known for his expertise in curbing online harassment. He said 1 in 8 teens receives an unwanted advance on Instagram every seven days, citing internal research he compiled while at Meta that he presented in November testimony before Congress. “What tools do they get? What can they do if they get an unwanted nude?”
Béjar said “things won’t meaningfully change” until there is a way for a teen to say they’ve received an unwanted advance, and there is transparency about it.
White House assistant press secretary Robyn Patterson also noted Thursday that President Joe Biden “has been outspoken about his belief that social media companies can do more to combat sexual exploitation online.”
A recently published study sheds new light on an important component of the immune system in patients with Alzheimer’s.
(Orawan Pattarawimonchai/Shutterstock)
New findings further scientists’ understanding of what is happening in the immune systems of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
By: Emma Suttie
A recently published study sheds new light on an important component of the immune system in patients with Alzheimer’s. The study was published in The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, and the authors say that, to their knowledge, it is the very first to describe these elements in Alzheimer’s patients.
The component is called the Th1/Th2 ratio.
The study authors made several key observations.
First, they found that patients with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s disease had very high Th1/Th2 ratios (Th1 dominant), which had never been observed in this patient population before.
Second, the Alzheimer’s patients’ Th1/Th2 ratios were compared to healthy adults and found to be (statistically) significantly higher for all six values that the study authors measured.
The Alzheimer’s group was given a dietary supplement consisting of a natural aloe polymannose multinutrient complex (APMC) for twelve months which resulted in “an overall rebalancing of the Th1/Th2 ratio.”
Finally, this rebalancing was associated with improvements in cognition at the end of the study.
What Is the Th1/Th2 Ratio?
The “Th” in Th1 and Th2 stands for T Helper cells—a type of immune cell vital to a healthy immune system. Th1 and Th2 cells are expressed via different immune pathways—each producing a distinct immune response.
Th1 is the pathway affecting innate immunity—the body’s first line of defense. Th2 affects adaptive immunity, which creates antibodies specific to the virus, bacteria, or toxins it encounters—strengthening over time.
The Th1 pathway tends to produce pro-inflammatory responses, essential defenses needed for fighting intracellular pathogens like viruses and bacteria. These responses can, however, be harmful if they remain active after the threat has passed and can lead to various diseases and autoimmune conditions. The Th2 pathway tends to inhibit inflammation and exert a protective effect. It stimulates the production of antibodies to combat extracellular threats like bacteria, allergens, parasites, and toxins.
A balance in these two pathways (Th1 and Th2) is thought to be essential for a healthy immune system.
Th1 and Th2 also produce cytokines—protein messengers that help control inflammation throughout the body. Whether the Th1 or Th2 pathway is activated depends on which cytokines are present.
According to the study, “Th1/Th2 cytokines serve as useful benchmarks for patient evaluation. The production of Th1 and Th2 cytokines significantly determines T cell-mediated immune reactions, and maintaining their balance is associated with prevention of infectious and allergic diseases, immune-related disorders, and the development of cancers.” (Lewis, 2024, p. 1724).
Th1/Th2 Imbalance in Other Conditions
An imbalance in the Th1/Th2 ratio has been observed in other conditions, particularly those that exhibit a high level of inflammation, such as multiple sclerosis and cancer.
In a study published in BMC Neurology of relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis, the Th1/Th2 ratio was found to be Th1 dominant or highly inflammatory. In the study, the authors were able to shift the patients toward Th2 (the anti-inflammatory pathway) using glatiramer acetate (GA), a medication that modulates the immune system.
In another study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, researchers used Radix Bupleuri—the dried root of an herb commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine with known anti-tumor activities—and found it inhibited breast cancer in breast cancer-induced rats. The authors attribute this effect in part to shifting the Th1/Th2 ratio toward a Th2, or anti-inflammatory pathway.
The authors found that the Alzheimer’s patients in their study had an imbalance in their Th1/Th2 ratios, with much higher levels of Th1—the pathway associated with inflammation—especially compared to the healthy adults.
This new information about the Th1/Th2 ratios in Alzheimer’s patients may provide a piece of the puzzle and further our understanding when it comes to this complex disease that now affects 6.9 million Americans and costs the U.S. health care system $345 billion a year. These costs do not include the approximately 11 million family members and friends who are unpaid caregivers—whose contributions are estimated to be worth an additional $350 billion, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Supplement Effects on Th1/Th2 Ratios and Cognition
The study analyzed two different groups—one consisted of Alzheimer’s patients, and the second was a group of healthy adults.
The first group was made up of thirty-four patients who were, on average, just under 80 years of age. Each had been diagnosed with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s for at least one year, but had the disease for an average of three years, and most had varying comorbidities.
The second group consisted of twenty healthy adults who participated in another study. These participants had a similar assessment of their immune system function to that of the Alzheimer’s patients. They were not obese, had no known heart, liver, or kidney disease, Type 2 diabetes, active infections, cancer, or mental illness.
The Alzheimer’s study participants were given the APMC dietary supplement—composed of polysaccharides, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and other phytonutrients. Each participant took 2.5 grams, or one teaspoon, four times daily for twelve months.
The addition of the dietary supplement represented the only change to the Alzheimer’s patient’s lives throughout the study, and patients continued with any prescription medications, diet, as well as social and physical activities.
The study authors note that they observed “remarkably high” ratios in all six Th1/Th2 values in the Alzheimer’s patients compared to the healthy adults in the study, suggesting that their sample of Alzheimer’s patients had an immune system profile that was Th1 dominant.
John E. Lewis, the study’s lead author, received his doctoral degree in educational and psychological studies from the University of Miami and has spent much of his career researching the effects of nutrition on many aspects of human health—particularly the brain and immune system. He explains to The Epoch Times that the Th1/Th2 paradigm suggests that a balance between the two ratios is required for a healthy, balanced immune system. This theory was first suggested back in the mid-1980s as a way to help understand problems associated with HIV and has ultimately been described in other diseases and disorders.
“While the Th1/Th2 paradigm has been criticized for overly simplifying immune function, these ratios still provide useful information. This information gives us a way of comparing the pro- and anti-inflammatory components of the immune system, and it helps us to better understand the clinical profile of disease,” he said.
When the Alzheimer’s patients took the APMC supplement, five of the six Th1/Th2 ratios rebalanced—towards the Th2 or anti-inflammatory profile. These positive changes were also associated with improvements in cognition using multiple assessments throughout the 12-month study period.
Mr. Lewis explained the significance of this rebalancing in the Alzheimer’s group:
“We not only characterized for the first time the Th1/Th2 ratios in Alzheimer’s disease patients, but we also showed that the APMC dietary supplement was effective in lowering five of the six ratios toward more balanced values. Their Th1 dominant values provide additional information about the role of inflammation in this tragic disease. The APMC dietary supplement demonstrates efficacy in shifting these ratios plus results in a correlation between rebalanced Th1/Th2 ratios and improved cognitive function.”
Dr. Judi Woolger, an internal medicine physician and chief medical officer at the Agatston Center for Preventive Medicine in Miami Beach Florida, is a co-author of the study. She explains the significance of the findings for Alzheimer’s patients, telling The Epoch Times:
“Our study demonstrates that once again the crosstalk between major organ systems, in this case, the link between improved cognitive function and rebalanced immune system function, is crucial to better understanding the clinical context of a disease that currently has a lot of ambiguity associated with its cause and treatment. By utilizing the APMC dietary supplement, we have showed that we can help to improve the lives of people who desperately need help.”
In recent years, the landscape of gender treatment for adolescents has undergone significant scrutiny, with the credibility of widely prescribed puberty-suppressing drugs coming under intense scrutiny, according to a report that appeared on Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal. The release of a landmark review commissioned by the U.K.’s National Health Service has focused onthe glaring gaps in medical evidence supporting such treatments, prompting a reevaluation of practices across Europe and beyond.
Authored by esteemed pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass, former president of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, the report sheds light on the alarming deficiency of robust evidence backing the administration of puberty-suppressing drugs to transgender minors. According to the information provided in the WSJ report, the exponential surge in demand for gender dysphoria treatment in the past decade prompted the NHS to commission this comprehensive review, which has now unveiled the stark reality: the medical rationale for early puberty suppression remains shrouded in ambiguity, with scant evidence regarding its impact on gender dysphoria, mental health, or psychosocial well-being.
Central to the findings is the call for a more holistic approach to treating adolescents grappling with gender dysphoria. Rather than hastily resorting to pharmacological interventions, the review advocates for a comprehensive assessment encompassing screening for autism and a broader evaluation of mental health, as was reported by the WSJ.
The implications of the review extend far beyond the shores of the United Kingdom, reverberating throughout Europe and prompting a collective reevaluation of existing practices. As per the information contained in the WSJ report, several European nations, including the U.K., Sweden, Finland, Norway, and France, have heeded the cautionary call, acknowledging the dearth of compelling evidence concerning the widespread use of puberty-suppressing drugs for minors with gender dysphoria. Emphasizing the principle of primum non nocere, these countries have urged restraint, emphasizing the need for rigorous evaluation of the risk-benefit profile before embarking on such interventions, the WSJ report added.
Notably, the U.K.’s NHS, renowned as the largest state-run health system globally, has taken decisive action in response to the review’s findings. Ceasing the routine prescription of puberty blockers except for patients enrolled in clinical trials, the NHS has signaled a pivotal shift towards evidence-based practice and heightened scrutiny of interventions targeting transgender minors, the WSJ report indicated.
In the United States, the landscape of gender-affirming care for minors is marked by a stark dichotomy: while major medical associations advocate for such care, a growing number of states have enacted legislation or policies restricting access to puberty blockers and other forms of gender-affirming treatment for youth, as was explained in the WSJ report.
At the heart of this discourse is the Cass report, a seminal review commissioned by the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS) in response to the exponential increase in adolescents seeking gender-affirming treatment. The report meticulously examines the evidence base underpinning such interventions, highlighting significant gaps in knowledge, particularly concerning the long-term benefits for minors, the WSJ report observed. This scrutiny has reverberated across the Atlantic, prompting reflections on the state of gender medicine for youth in the United States.
Speaking to the WSJ, Jay Richards, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, pointed out that the dearth of robust evidence on the long-term efficacy of gender-affirming care for minors warrants caution, particularly in a landscape characterized by rapid expansion and evolving practices. The United States, Richards told the WSJ, finds itself in a regulatory “Wild West” concerning gender medicine for children, where navigating the ethical and clinical complexities poses significant challenges.
The stance of major U.S. medical associations, including the American Medical Association, in support of gender-affirming care for minors stands in contrast to the wave of legislative efforts in numerous states to curtail access to such treatments, as was mentioned in the WSJ report. These measures, which prohibit or severely restrict access to puberty blockers, surgeries, and other forms of gender-affirming care, reflect deeply polarized perspectives on the appropriate scope and limits of medical intervention in matters of gender identity.
Amidst this backdrop, the WSJ reported that organizations such as Mermaids, a British charity advocating for transgender youth, welcome the insights offered by the Cass report while expressing concerns about potential misinterpretations and the imposition of additional barriers to care.
The trajectory of gender-affirming care for minors in the United States is further shaped by shifting demographics and evolving patterns of patient presentation. The transformation of the NHS Gender Identity Development Service from a relatively niche service to one inundated with requests for gender-affirming treatment underscores the dynamic nature of this field, according to the report in the WSJ. Notably, the shift towards a predominance of pubescent teenagers born as girls identifying as boys focuses on the need for tailored and responsive healthcare approaches that address the unique needs and experiences of diverse patient populations.
The closure of the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) operated by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust has ignited a profound reevaluation of transgender healthcare practices in the United Kingdom. The information in the WSJ report said that amidst concerns raised by clinicians regarding the expeditious referral of patients for gender transitioning and the lack of robust escalation mechanisms for addressing apprehensions, the closure of GIDS underscores the imperative of ensuring thoughtful and rigorous protocols in transgender healthcare provision.
One pivotal voice in this discourse is Keira Bell, a former patient of GIDS, whose experience sheds light on the complexities and challenges inherent in transgender healthcare. According to the WSJ report, at the age of 16, Bell was prescribed puberty blockers after just three brief consultations, subsequently undergoing a mastectomy as part of her gender transition journey. However, Bell’s hindsight reveals a profound sense of regret, as she expressed a desire for greater scrutiny and challenge from medical professionals regarding her decision.
Bell’s testimony underscores the critical importance of comprehensive and nuanced assessments in transgender healthcare, where patients are provided with the space and support to explore their gender identity with clarity and informed consent.
In response to these concerns, the NHS announced a comprehensive review of the use of gender-affirming hormones such as testosterone and estrogen, emphasizing the need for extreme caution when considering referrals for hormone intervention in individuals under 18, as was detailed in the WSJ report.
Despite the closure of GIDS, adolescents can still access such treatments from private providers, highlighting the need for equitable and accessible healthcare options for transgender individuals.
In a proactive step towards enhancing transgender healthcare provision, the establishment of two new regional NHS hubs in England represents a concerted effort to offer specialized advice and support to transgender children and adolescents. The report in the WSJ said that these hubs will not only provide essential guidance but also undertake comprehensive data collection on treatments, facilitating evidence-informed decision-making and ensuring that future healthcare policies are grounded in empirical research and patient experiences.
The landscape of gender medicine has been profoundly shaped by the pioneering work of Dutch clinics and the subsequent adoption of what became known as the “Dutch protocol”, as was explained in the WSJ report. However, the Cass report has cast doubt on the foundational study that propelled the widespread use of puberty blockers in transgender adolescents.
The 2011 Dutch study, heralded as a breakthrough in transgender healthcare, purported to demonstrate the efficacy of puberty blockers in alleviating the mental anguish experienced by adolescents grappling with gender dysphoria. The WSJ reported that by delaying the onset of puberty, these blockers purportedly provided individuals with more time to consider their gender identity while mitigating emotional distress. However, the Cass report scrutinized the methodology and findings of this seminal study, revealing significant methodological shortcomings that undermine its credibility.
Of particular concern is the high proportion of participants who failed to complete post-treatment questionnaires, ranging from 59% to 73%. This attrition rate raises questions about the validity and generalizability of the study’s conclusions, as the experiences of a substantial portion of participants remain unaccounted for, the report added. Moreover, the concurrent provision of psychological therapy to all participants complicates the attribution of improvements in mental well-being solely to puberty blockers, obscuring the delineation between the effects of medication and therapy.
The UK’s own foray into studying the effects of puberty blockers yielded contrasting results, further muddying the waters of transgender healthcare. As per the WSJ report, despite the burgeoning enthusiasm for gender treatment, particularly in light of the purported success of the Dutch protocol, the UK’s trial revealed a stark divergence from its Dutch counterpart. Rather than experiencing improvements in mental health post-treatment, the majority of participants showed no discernible benefits. Furthermore, the WSJ report noted that the overwhelming majority of participants ultimately opted to pursue gender-affirming hormones, raising concerns about the unintended consequences of puberty blockers.
This juxtaposition of findings places a spotlight on the complexity and nuance inherent in transgender healthcare, where the efficacy of interventions is contingent upon multifaceted factors including individual differences, clinical context, and methodological rigor, the WSJ report affirmed. The discrepancy between the Dutch and UK trials also calls attention to the need for cautious interpretation and a critical appraisal of research findings in this rapidly evolving field.
In a society often fixated on the morning grind and the virtues of an early workout, a groundbreaking study challenges conventional wisdom. According to research published in the journal Diabetes Care by Australian scholars, the key to longevity might lay not in the dawn hours but in the quietude of the night.
Drawing upon data gleaned from a cohort of nearly 30,000 individuals over an extensive eight-year period, the study sheds light on a compelling correlation between nighttime physical activity and increased lifespan, particularly for those grappling with obesity, as was reported by The New York Post. Within the nocturnal window spanning from 6 p.m. to midnight, researchers observed a pronounced benefit associated with movement, irrespective of its form or intensity.
Speaking to the Post was Dr. Matthew Ahmadi, a National Heart Foundation postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Sydney and one of the lead authors of the study. He called attention to the inclusivity of the study’s approach towards physical activity, according to the information provided in the Post report. Whether it involves brisk walks, stair climbing, or even the rigors of household chores, any exertion that elevates the heart rate and induces breathlessness qualifies as beneficial.
“We didn’t discriminate on the kind of activity we tracked,” Dr. Ahmadi explained to the Post. “It could be anything from power walking to climbing the stairs, but could also include structured exercise such as running, occupational labor, or even vigorously cleaning the house,” he added .
While acknowledging that exercise alone cannot single-handedly solve the obesity crisis, Dr. Ahmadi spoke about the potential of strategic timing in ameliorating associated health risks, according to the Post report. By integrating physical activity into the evening hours, individuals may enhance their capacity to offset the detrimental effects of obesity, thus safeguarding their long-term well-being.
The beauty of this paradigm shift lies in its accessibility and flexibility. Gone are the constraints of rigid gym schedules or elaborate workout routines. Instead, individuals are encouraged to integrate movement seamlessly into their daily lives, capitalizing on every opportunity to elevate their heart rates and reap the associated health benefits, the Post report added.
Remarkably, the study unveils that even fleeting moments of exertion yield tangible advantages. Just three minutes of vigorous activity, sufficient to induce breathlessness, can confer significant health dividends. The report in the Post indicated that this finding resonated with previous research indicating that brief bursts of exercise hold promise in enhancing glucose control and mitigating cardiovascular disease risk—a revelation that places a spotlight on the transformative potential of minimal effort exerted at opportune moments.
Conducted by researchers utilizing wearable devices to track movement, the study delved into the habits of 29,836 adults aged 40 and above, all grappling with obesity. Among these participants, nearly 3,000 also battled Type 2 diabetes, adding another layer of complexity to the investigation, as per the information contained in the Post report. Over the course of seven days, participants wore activity trackers around the clock, enabling researchers to categorize their movement patterns into morning, afternoon, and evening sessions.
The ensuing eight-year follow-up period provided a comprehensive canvas for assessing the impact of timing on health outcomes. The information in the Post report also indicated that researchers meticulously tracked occurrences of mortality, major cardiac events—including heart attacks—and microvascular events, encompassing interventions such as prescription of cholesterol or blood pressure medication, as outlined by the American Heart Association.
Drawing of a walled garden, Ees Wyke, Sawrey, circa 1900, by Beatrix Potter. (Courtesy of The Morgan Library & Museum)
Spring has hopped into New York City with a delightful exhibition of Beatrix Potter’s art and life story at The Morgan Library & Museum.
By: Michelle Plastrik
Spring has hopped into New York City along with The Morgan Library & Museum’s delightful exhibition “Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature.” Potter is the universally beloved writer and illustrator of “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” and other children’s books.
The exhibit, which originated at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and has been traveling the world, showcases the origins of these stories, but there was much more to Beatrix Potter’s life and artistic output. This exhibition highlights her scientific studies, botanical illustrations, watercolors, marketing genius, and conservation efforts.
Beatrix Potter (1866–1943) was born into an affluent British family. Their primary residence was in London, but they spent months at a time holidaying throughout Britain, including letting houses in Wales, Scotland, and Northern England. The young Potter loved the countryside and the opportunities it provided to explore and learn about nature. She disliked city life and its societal obligations, feeling awkward and shy. Both of her parents were artistically inclined, and her father was an amateur photographer who often documented the family.
While in London, Potter and her brother spent much of their time in the third-floor nursery. There, they kept a menagerie of pets that over the years included birds, dogs, hedgehogs, frogs, lizards, mice, salamanders, snakes, a bat, and of course, rabbits. Her pet bunny, named Peter Piper, was later the inspiration for the character Peter Rabbit.
Potter’s pencil drawing of a bridge scene and hares at play is an amusing sketch from the artist’s childhood included in the exhibition. While she received some formal artistic instruction in her youth, Potter was mostly self-taught. As she grew older, she used her considerable skill as a watercolorist to document animal and botanical specimens as well as experiments.
Potter was particularly passionate about studying mushrooms, and this exhibit includes examples of her fungi watercolors. Though much of her scientific work was ignored at the time, today mycologists use her beautiful, accurate drawings for identification purposes.
Illustrated Letters
With the aim of earning her own money, Potter’s first commercial and publishable ventures were the creation of Christmas and greeting cards in 1889 and 1890. Financial independence from her parents came unexpectedly with the phenomenal success of Peter Rabbit. The tale’s origin dates to one of her enchanting picture letters, of which The Morgan has a notable collection.
In 1893, she composed an illustrated letter to the 5-year-old son of her former governess: “I don’t know what to write to you, so I shall tell you a story about four little rabbits, whose names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter.” The boy’s mother encouraged Potter to turn the story into a book.
From the start, part of the appeal of “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” was Potter’s thoughtfulness about her readers. She insisted that the work be published in a small format convenient for little hands, and be affordable. Successful sales led to demand for more of her stories.
In her lifetime, Potter wrote and illustrated a total of 28 published books, including 23 tales. She created other popular characters, including Jemima Puddle-Duck, Mr. Jeremy Fisher, Squirrel Nutkin, Tom Kitten, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, and Appley Dapply. Further revenue came from her branding initiatives. Indeed, Peter Rabbit was the first fictional figure to become a patented stuffed toy. The year was 1903, which makes it the oldest licensed character. The Morgan exhibit includes wonderful merchandising examples such as period toys, board games, and even chintz.
In 1905, Potter was able to purchase a home, Hill Top Farm, in her favorite region of Britain—the Lake District. She left London behind for good several years later. She had been introduced to North West England on her family holidays and had long loved the area. Elements of her new house and garden went on to feature in her work.
As she continued to experience success, Potter bought up vast tracts of land in her new community in order to preserve its ecology and farming culture. Particularly fond of a Lake District breed of sheep known as Herdwick, she became active in their preservation. Upon Potter’s death in 1943, she gifted the National Trust over 4,000 acres, 14 working farms, and a further 60 properties.
Hill Top Farm is now a museum treasured by the Lake District community and Potter fans from all over the globe. For those visiting The Morgan’s exhibit, the spirit of Hill Top has been lovingly recreated in the form of a dedicated space. It features objects from and photographs of the house, and it is even decorated with the William Morris wallpaper that can still be seen at Hill Top today.
An unexpected pleasure in the exhibit is the inclusion of several of Potter’s exquisite watercolors of natural landscapes and blooming gardens. Depicting different areas in the British countryside, their mastery of line and color confirms Potter’s great artistry. In the book “Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Classic Children’s Tales,” author Marta McDowell observes, “As well as characters, Beatrix Potter drew garden settings for Peter Rabbit from various holiday homes.”
In preparing her book, McDowell poured over Potter’s published book illustrations. She was thrilled to be able to identify flora and other garden elements and match them to locations where Potter had lived or visited.
The family-friendly “Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature” exhibit sheds new insights on the bestselling author and on the wonderful fine art she produced. Potter’s books of anthropomorphic characters remain enchantingly imaginative and her branding of them innovative. Notably, her passion for and protection of the natural world shines through in the displays. Potter was a woman ahead of her time. She gets her due in this exhibition as a timeless inspiration. The “Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature” exhibition is at The Morgan Library & Museum until June 9, 2024. To find out more, visit themorgan.org.
Michelle Plastrik is an art adviser living in New York City. She writes on a range of topics, including art history, the art market, museums, art fairs, and special exhibitions.
The U.S. House voted Tuesday to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, with the Republican majority determined to punish the Biden administration over its handling of the U.S-Mexico border after failing last week in a politically embarrassing setback. Photo Credit: AP
Anon-governmental organization (NGO) tied to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has been caught distributing fliers to illegal aliens urging them to vote for Joe Biden.
The shocking fliers, posted on the walls of portable toilets and handed out to migrants at the Resource Center Matamoros (RCM) in Matamoros, Mexico, were discovered by independent journalist Muckraker, and shared with the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project.
Translated from Spanish, the fliers read: “Reminder to vote for President Biden when you are in the United States. We need another four years of his term to stay open.”
The city of Matamoros is located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas and borders Brownsville, Texas.
RCM’s six-unit office complex in Matamoros is “the home for HIAS, which is providing legal assistance and assistance with obtaining formal documents for job search and integration into the city of Matamoros as they wait to access the asylum process in the U.S,” the Daily Signal reported.
RCM founder and executive director Gaby Zavala was previously an organizer for La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), which is reportedly a partner of George Soros’ Open Society Institute.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who recently was impeached by the House for not enforcing border laws, is a former board member of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), which has reportedly received numerous grants from the Open Society Foundation over the years.
RCM also has deep ties to Soros-funded non-profits operating in the United States, according to the Daily Signal, “including Save the Children, Team Brownsville Texas, and Angry Tias and Abuelas.”
Soros’ Open Society Foundation has reportedly donated over $650,000 to Save the Children, which, in turn, has provided grants to Team Brownsville.
The website of Resource Center Matamoras says its founder and executive director, Gaby Zavala, partnered with Mike Benavides of the community organization Team Brownsville in November 2023 to brief members of Congress about the humanitarian crisis at the Mexico-Texas border.
According to documents obtained by Judicial Watch, Mayorkas secretly met with some of these Soros-funded open border groups during a trip to the border in August of 2021, including Team Brownsville and Angry Tias and Abuela.
RCM is allegedly “sponsored by Asylum Seeker Network of Support (ASNS),” which had it’s 501c3 status forfeited by Texas in 2022.
Flyers like the ones seen in Matamoras may explain why some migrants are under the impression that they can vote in U.S. elections.
As American Greatness reported in February, a group of illegal immigrants in Denver, Colorado nonchalantly indicated on camera that they believed that they would be allowed to vote for Biden in the 2024 election.
Billionaire X owner Elon Musk has warned repeatedly that Democrats have been encouraging illegal immigration as part of a plan to gain a “permanent majority.”
Back in February, Musk accused the Biden regime importing millions of migrants because it wants create new Democratic voters before Election Day.
“Homeland Security Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas issued written guidance making it clear that: Illegal presence alone is not grounds for deportation,” the tech tycoon wrote on X.
“Criminal charges, convictions or gang membership alone are not enough for deportation,” he said. “You basically have to be a convicted axe murderer to be deported!
“That’s because every deportation is a lost vote,” Musk added. “They are importing as many votes as possible before the elections.”
A recent Rasmussen Reports national survey found that 78 percent of likely U.S. voters believe it is important to prevent illegal immigrants from voting in American elections, including 62 percent who said it is “very Important.” Just 17 percent disagreed.
Rep. Marjorie-Taylor Greene took the opportunity Tuesday to lambaste Mayokas during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Joe Biden’s 2025 budget, citing the Oversight Project’s disturbing report.
“The open border is the number one issue across America in poll after poll and that is exactly why this committee impeached you,” she began.
“You worked as a board member of an NGO that is working in conjunction with other NGOs which are not only financing the invasion of the country, but are also telling illegal aliens to vote in the United States elections,” MTG continued. “They are telling illegal aliens—noncitizens!—to come vote for Joe Biden. That’s your boss.”
The Georgia congresswoman accused Mayorkas of facilitating the NGOs plan steal the upcoming U.S. elections through the DHS budget.
“This is corruption at the deepest level. As a matter of fact, I would call it treason,” she declared.
The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday released a new report titled: HOW THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S LAX IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT ALLOWS DANGEROUS CRIMINAL ALIENS TO RUN FREE IN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES:
“Beginning on January 20, 2021, the Biden Administration has prioritized the welfare of illegal aliens over the security of the southwest border and the safety of American citizens,” the report begins.
Since President Biden took office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has encountered more than 7.6 million illegal aliens along the southwest border.
Under the Biden Administration, there have been 38 straight months with more than 100,000 southwest border illegal alien encounters. Meanwhile, since January 20, 2021, more than 1.8 million known illegal alien “gotaways” have evaded Border Patrol and escaped into the United States.
In addition, the Biden Administration has released nearly 4.7 million illegal aliens into American communities.
As MTG bluntly put it, illegal aliens “have declared war on our citizens by raping our women, our children, and murdering people.”
Federal law bans non-U.S. citizens from voting in federal elections, but currently, 27 states and Washington DC don’t require photo ID to vote. Eleven of the 27 states do require ID, just not a Photo ID.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and former president Donald Trump met last Friday in Palm Beach, Florida, to promote a bill designed to stop noncitizens from voting. The bill would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.
The two leaders agreed that strict voting requirements are needed because of the Biden administration’s open border policies.
“Election integrity is tied to (the) border, the lack of border security,” Johnson said.
MTG demanded that proof of citizenship be required to vote in the November elections. “That is something every single member of Congress should care about,” she said.
