RUTHFULLY YOURS

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/NI11Dg01.html

Escape from North Korea: The Untold Story of Asia’s Underground Railroad by Melanie Kirkpatrick

Melanie Kirkpatrick tells one of the saddest stories I have ever read, about a North Korean family of four apprehended by the Chinese authorities after they had fled to China. Before theirrepatriation, a Chinese policeman took pity and ordered a Korean meal for them in jail.

The officer then said good night and went home. When he arrived at work the next morning and opened the door to the North Koreans’ cell, he found four corpses. The mother and children had been strangled; the father had hanged himself.

South Korean journalist Koo Bum-hoe, one of the first to report on starvation in North Korea and the refugee flood it caused, wrote of the incident: “It seemed as if the family had concluded that instead of going back to North Korea where they could be punished or even put to death for betraying their country that it would be better to die with a full stomach.”

The amount of human misery brought about by the Pyongyang regime challenges the imagination. Kirkpatrick quotes a 2005 Chinese police document estimating the number of North Korean refugees in China at more than 400,000. Many are caught and sent back to severe punishment, which often means death by starvation in a work camp. Female refugees routinely are sold as brides in rural areas. Some fail to find work or help and return to North Korea of their own volition, which perhaps is the saddest gauge of Chinese indifference.

George Orwell, who portrayed a dystopia of nagging poverty and perpetual war in Nineteen Eighty-Four, could not have envisaged a totalitarian system in which a significant portion of the people are condemned to death by starvation pour encourager les autres.

As a reporter and later an editor at The Wall Street Journal, Kirkpatrick has followed the plight of North Korean refugees for years. Her new book is not a litany of horrors, though, but rather a hopeful report on the efforts of Chinese, South Korean and American Christians to help the refugees. It is a moving document, and intended as an inspirational tale.

http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3338/american-israeli-affair After the brief euphoria of handshakes and congratulatory press releases, frustration sets in on the Potomac that the latest accords have not noticeably changed the situation in the region. Israel’s attempts to make peace have only raised expectations that are doomed to end in disappointment. The “Special Relationship” between America and Israel that trips […]

http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3341/spain-meter-maids “It is unacceptable that in a free and democratic society, women are prevented from doing their job because they are women.” — Maite Silva, Spokesperson, UGT Labor Union Muslim immigrants in Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the Balearic Islands in Spain, have succeeded in forcing the expulsion of all female parking meter enforcement […]

http://pjmedia.com/blog/don%e2%80%99t-blame-the-messenger-%e2%80%94-obama-got-a-decent-convention-bounce/?print=1 The blogosphere is alive with conspiracy theories — that the pollsters, all aligned with the Obama campaign, or succumbing to pressure from its henchmen (e.g. David Axelrod), are spinning out poll results designed to dispirit conservatives and Republicans, and insure Obama’s election by depressing the turnout for Romney. I have seen many bad polls […]

http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=5751

http://calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.com.

Lior Farhi, 40, the security coordinator for the community of Sha’arei Tikva, was killed Sunday morning as he tried to stop a car carrying illegal Palestinians into Israeli territory. A friend of Farhi’s who was with him and documented the incident on film, said the driver sped up and hit Farhi on purpose. The two were documenting the entrance of illegal Palestinian workers to Israel, a daily occurrence. Farhi, who is survived by his pregnant wife and three children, was recognized as a fallen member of the Israel Defense Forces because he was fulfilling his duties as the community’s security liaison with the IDF at the time of his death. He will be brought to rest on Monday afternoon in a military ceremony at the Segula cemetery.

On Sunday morning Farhi left for an area along the West Bank security barrier used by Palestinians to cross the Green Line, near Road 505 between Oranit and Elkana. Part of the security barrier, between Sha’arei Tikva and Oranit, is still under construction and the breach, some 200 meters (656 feet) from the IDF roadblock, is exploited by Palestinians seeking to cross into Israel. Hundreds of Palestinians enter Israel illegally every day in such a manner, usually continuing to Rosh Ha’ayin or Tel Aviv.

This phenomenon, explained Farhi’s colleagues, concerned Farhi because among those Palestinians entering Israel for work were also criminal and terrorist elements.

“Lior wanted to document the illegal Palestinian infiltrations to increase awareness about what is happening in our area, and therefore came here early in the morning,” said his friend Ruby, a volunteer with the Civil Guard (a volunteer organization which assists in daily police work), who has known Farhi for years.

Farhi, who was accompanied by an IDF officer Sunday morning, also called in support from his friend, Dvir Carmon, to help in the documentation efforts.

“Lior took his job seriously; we called him Mr. Security,” said Carmon. “He wanted to raise awareness over this problem,” he said.

Carmon, who arrived at the scene to help Farhi, parked his car on the side of the road. So as not to arouse the suspicion of the Palestinians, the men popped the hood of the car and feigned mechanical problems.

“I began videotaping the spotters who signal to the Palestinians when it is safe to cross, and also the people waiting to cross the fence and then running to get into an Israeli car that was waiting for them nearby. Lior told me to drive forward and then got out of the car to close the hood. Suddenly we saw two soldiers running toward the Palestinians and the car driving toward the soldiers. Lior managed to yell to me, ‘the soldiers,’ and started running in the direction of the car.

“He pulled out his gun and stood in the road, signaling for the car to pull over. He thought the car would hit the soldiers. I saw that the driver spotted him, swerved from the lane he was in, turn around and start driving towards Lior. It was a matter of seconds. Lior aimed his gun, and the car, instead of stopping, sped up and ran him over,” Carmon recounted.

Farhi was mortally wounded, though a paramedic, also from Sha’arei Tikva, quickly arrived at the scene to try to resuscitate him. Farhi was rushed in critical condition to Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikva, where he was pronounced dead.

http://www.prudenpolitics.com/newsletter?utm_source=P&P%20Auto%201&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=4450

There’s a reason why Barack Obama is mistrusted in the ranks of the military services. He doesn’t smell of the hive, and it shows. Bees recognize a hostile intruder when they see one, and so do soldiers, sailors and Marines.

“The men in the ranks are as dedicated and as eager to serve as their fathers and grandfathers ever were, and they deserve selfless leadership from the top. High-tech weaponry, wondrous as it may be, and politically correct attitudinizing, as warm and fuzzy as it may make generals and admirals feel, are never substitutes for leadership. That’s the message in the Army’s leadership survey. Mr. Romney, take note.”

Many of these soldiers, sailors and Marines feel betrayed by the senior officers of the services, beginning with the commander in chief. The old customs and traditions which have held the services together through war and peace have been scorned and trashed, replaced with the politically correct attitudes and regulations that gag real men. Even saying so is a sure way for an officer to ruin a career. The men in the ranks understand this, too.

The Army’s Center for Army Leadership at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., asked 16,800 commissioned and non-commissioned officers whether they think “the Army is headed in the right direction to prepare for the challenges of the next 10 years.” Their answers, as reported by CNS.com, ought to be enough to scare a commander in chief straight. His defense chief, too. But it won’t, because they’re exactly the men responsible for the survey results.

Only 26 percent – 1 man in 4 – say they think the Army is on track to continue as the scourge of evildoers who yearn to do the republic ill. Nearly 40 percent say the service is headed in the wrong direction, and 36 percent say they don’t have an opinion (and no doubt if they did, they’re smart enough to keep it to themselves).

The pessimists – or “realists,” as they might be called – cite two reasons. One is the hollowing out of the military as proposed by President Obama, and the other is the stifling effects of the politically correct run amok. They don’t understand why the men entrusted to manage the Army go along without protest with the nonsense mandated by the White House. Generals and admirals, just like shavetail lieutenants, know who punches their tickets.

Both President Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta are continuing to “evolve,” but to what end we yet know not. This year, the president decreed that the armed services, hollowed out or not, “must” celebrate “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month,” and Mr. Panetta cheerfully agreed: “During Gay Pride Month, and every month, let us celebrate our rich diversity and renew our enduring commitment to equality for all.”

You don’t have to pass on Gay Pride Month to wonder what taking pride in what’s in a gay soldier’s skivvies has to do with the fighting spirit that is the mark of an army ready to meet a foe. Speaking of “equality,” Mr. Panetta has not yet ordered a month set aside to celebrate the contributions of black soldiers, Hispanic soldiers, lady soldiers or the soldiers descended from Scots-Irish forbears who have shaped and led the Army from its origins in the Revolution.

A public display of affection – a “PDA,” as it was called in the “old” Army – has traditionally been discouraged in the ranks, discouraged long before anyone thought to ask and when there was nothing scandalous to tell. The Army has always had unforgiving rules about personal conduct. Commissioned officers have been court-martialed for adultery. Cuddles and kisses were nice, but not necessarily on the firing range or in uniform and on the street. Discipline, dignity and self-restraint were always recognized as crucial to good order.

http://spectator.org/archives/2012/09/10/whos-better-off Our nation’s enemies are grateful to the Obama administration. In his debate with Jimmy Carter on October 28, 1980, Ronald Reagan looked at the television cameras and said, “Ask yourself, ‘Are you better off now than you were four years ago?’” It’s always a good political question, but it’s too often not asked outside […]

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Israeli researchers discover defective liver gene. Doctors at Schneider Children’s medical centre noticed 10 children and infants from four families in a single Arab village, all with liver abnormalities. The discovery of the mutant gene could lead to a treatment for fatty liver disease and screening for the gene.
http://www.jpost.com/Health/Article.aspx?id=283610

FDA approves Israeli neutropenia treatment. Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy are at risk of infection due to reduced white blood cell counts. Teva’s Tbo-filgrastim stimulates the bone marrow to produce white bloods cells. The US Food and Drug Administration has given the go-ahead for commercial production.
http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000780995&fid=1725

10 Israeli treatments for Alzheimer’s. (Thanks to Israel21c) To mark World Alzheimer’s Month, here is a great summary of all the main brain science, medication and memory enhancement innovations that Israeli scientists have contributed to fighting this devastating and fatal condition.
http://israel21c.org/health/top-10-israeli-advances-against-alzheimers-disease/

Key to brain disease is in the bones. Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have discovered how the brain controls bone development. With previous research on protein interleukin-1 it explains why depression, Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy often accompany osteoporosis and has huge potential for new therapies.
http://www.jpost.com/Health/Article.aspx?id=283732

ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL

Israel trains young Japanese leaders. (Thanks to Israel21c) IsraAID, the Israel Forum for International Humanitarian Aid, has been training Japanese students from the Tohoku earthquake region. The leadership program empowers youth from Tohoku to take responsibility for their future as individuals and as a community.
http://israel21c.org/news/israaid-grooms-youth-leadership-in-japans-earthquake-region/

Israeli bank donates backpacks to Ethiopian kids. The Tel Aviv branch of Citibank made the first day of school much easier for Ethiopian-Israeli students, by donating 200 backpacks and school supplies. They were distributed to the students by the organisation Ethiopian National Project (ENP).
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/159392

Cleaning up Lake Victoria. Following on from the project initiated in April 2011, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon signed a cooperation agreement with Kenya and Germany to promote fish farming techniques and desalinate and purify the waters of Lake Victoria.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4269836,00.html

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

No need to look up. Smart keyboard company KeyView has unveiled Smartype – a new kind of keyboard with a sophisticated built-in display. Users no longer need to split their focus between a keyboard and computer screen, helping minimize typing errors, reducing neck strain and maximize productivity.
http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000780602&fid=1725
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWOOeYqbD1o

Turning pollution into bio-fuel. Excellent article explaining how Israel’s Seambiotic takes the Carbon Dioxide (greenhouse gas) directly from smokestacks and uses it to feed algae for bio-fuel projects in Ohio and Italy and for the vitamin industry in China. It’s still early days, but shows much promise.
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/InnovativeIsrael/Algae-products-23-Aug-2012.htm#.UDndAVa2dvc.facebook

Robot teacher. Watch this film clip of RoboThespian teaching a class of Israeli children how to work with weights and levers. Plus some Shakespeare verse and a song. Lessons were never like this in my time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkEPQtuF3DI&feature=youtu.be

Happy New Year. Israel’s Technion has put together this short film of its robots and staff wishing everyone a very hi-tech and happy 5773.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R9a1SRbe9k&feature=youtu.be

Transforming the future. Israel’s PrimeSense provides the 3D sensing technology for Microsoft’s Kinect for XBox 360. PrimeSense has been selected as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer and one of the world’s most innovative technology start-ups that can transform the future of business and society.
http://www.embassyofisrael.co.uk/commercial/2012/08/28/primesense-recognised-as-technology-pioneer-by-world-economic-forum/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=primesense-recognised-as-technology-pioneer-by-world-economic-forum

As you may recall, President Obama spoke of Thomas Jefferson’s Koran at his annual Iftar dinner. Here is part of his statement:

The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release August 10, 2012 Remarks by the President at Iftar Dinner East Room

“As I’ve noted before, Thomas Jefferson once held a sunset dinner here with an envoy from Tunisia — perhaps the first Iftar at the White House, more than 200 years ago. And some of you, as you arrived tonight, may have seen our special display, courtesy of our friends at the Library of Congress — the Koran that belonged to Thomas Jefferson. And that’s a reminder, along with the generations of patriotic Muslims in America, that Islam — like so many faiths — is part of our national story.”

When America’s First President George Washington died, these were Thomas Jefferson’s words:
“I felt on his death, with my countrymen, that “verily a great man hath fallen this day in Israel.” (Samuel 3:38) -Thomas Jefferson, January 2, 1814

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-bawer/islamization-of-europe-the-numbers-dont-lie/ Few readers of this website will be unaware that over the last several years plenty of books, including my own While Europe Slept, have warned about the present and future effects of the rise of Islam in Europe. Some writers, notably Christopher Caldwell and Mark Steyn, have gone into considerable detail about the now […]