Hurricane Maria smashed into Dominica with 160 mph winds, ripping the roof off even the prime minister’s residence and causing what he called “mind-boggling” devastation Tuesday as it plunged into a Caribbean region already ravaged by Hurricane Irma. The storm was on a track to wallop Puerto Rico on Wednesday “with a force and violence that we haven’t seen for several generations,” the territory’s governor said. Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said on his Facebook page that “initial reports are of widespread devastation” and said he feared there would be deaths due to rain-fed landslides. “So far the winds have swept away the roofs of almost every person I have spoken to or otherwise made contact with,” Skerrit ...
Los Angeles was jolted by a small earthquake that rattled nerves and got people talking on social media, but didn’t cause any major damage. The magnitude 3.6 quake hit around 11:20 p.m. Monday and was felt by thousands of residents in west Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, across the San Fernando Valley and as far north as the Antelope Valley. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter was about 3.6 miles (6 kilometers) northwest of the Westwood neighborhood, home to the University of California, Los Angeles. Residents near UCLA reported feeling a sharp jolt followed by a short rumble. Some said they were shaken awake in bed. Former Los Angeles Laker Rick Fox, whose Westwood home was rattled, tweeted that the quake “wasn’t funny.” Authorities sa...
The U.S. Geological Survey reports that a small earthquake in southeastern Illinois was felt across parts of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. The USGS says the preliminary 3.8-magnitude earthquake occurred at 6:47 a.m. Central Time on Tuesday about 7 ½ miles (12 kilometers) northeast of the city of Albion (AL’-bee-uhn). The agency says the quake caused light to moderate shaking and very light damage. The quake’s preliminary depth was a little more than 7 miles (11.5 kilometers). The Edwards County Sheriff’s office in Albion says there have been no reports of damage or injuries. The USGS says shaking was felt in Terre Haute and near Bloomington in Indiana, Owesboro and Paduch in Kentucky, and Effingham and Carbondale in Illinois. Albion is about 140 miles (...
President Donald Trump, in a combative debut speech to the U.N. General Assembly, threatened the “total destruction'” of North Korea if it does not abandon its drive toward nuclear weapons. Trump, who has ramped up his rhetoric throughout the escalating crisis with North Korea, told the murmuring crowd at the U.N. that “it is far past time for the nations of the world to confront” Kim Jong Un and said that Kim’s “reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons” poses a threat to “the entire world with an unthinkable loss of human life. “Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime,” Trump said about the North Korean leader. He said of the U.S.: “If it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have...
At this time of year when many of us are using figs, dates and leeks, this is a reminder to check these items properly: DATES & FIGS: It is recommended that one open and do a visual inspection on a few out of each container (even if they have a hechsher, due to the possibility of improper storage). If they have no insects, one can assume the rest do not. LEEKS: Do an internal and external inspection for any signs of infestation. Check inside tube and between leaves, as well as, the outside for leaf-miner trails. BLACK EYED PEAS (FRESH/DRIED): One should check a handful of beans for any signs of infestation, which includes holes or dark stains. Additionally, they should be soaked for 15-20 minutes in room temperature water to see if any insects float to the top. Soaking must be done ...
A fundamental difference between Yom Tov observance and Shabbos observance is the allowance of ochel nefesh, food preparation on Yom Tov. “Ach Asher Yei’achel L’Chol Nefesh Hu Levado Yei’aseh Lachem…“1 The Torah permits us to cook, bake, and prepare food on Yom Tov proper, in order to eat the prepared  food on that day of Yom Tov. One is not permitted to prepare from one day of Yom Tov for the second day of Yom Tov or for after Yom Tov. This prohibition of hachana, of preparing from one day of Yom Tov to the next, presents a problem when the second day of Yom Tov falls out on Shabbos or when Shabbos follows a two day seq...
Baltimore, Md - Sept. 19, 2017 - Mesivta Kesser Torah was honored to host Harav Hagaon Rav Avrohom Schorr, Shlita. Rav Shorr delivered a powerful message to the Mesivta Talmidim in which he connected the Shofar of Har Sinai to the Shofar we blow on Rosh Hashana encouraging the Bochurim to dedicate themselves to their learning. (Photo Credit: Reb Eli Greengart)    
Jerusalem  - The Israeli military said it shot down an Iranian-made spy drone operated by the Hezbollah militant group as it approached the Golan Heights on Tuesday, and vowed to take further tough action against any attempts by its archenemies to violate the country's sovereignty. The aerial showdown took place as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was preparing to address the U.N. General Assembly, where his speech is expected to focus on concerns of Iran's rising influence across the region, particularly in neighboring Syria. Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, said the drone took off from a Damascus military airport and was on a surveillance mission near Israel's border. He said Israel decided to shoot it down after it entered the demilit...
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have met for the first time in public in what Egypt said was part of an effort to revive the Middle East peace process. Egyptian authorities said in a statement the two had met on Monday ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Sisi separately met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at his residency, where they agreed to continue working toward a two-state solution. The meeting came just days after Egypt helped broker an agreement with the Palestinian Hamas group to dissolve the administration that runs Gaza and hold talks with Abbas’ Fatah movement, its Palestinian rivals . For much of the last decade, Egypt has joined Israel in enforcing a land, sea ...
Baltimore, MD - Sept. 18, 2017 - With the weather cooling off and kids back in school, people are hopeful that crime, drugs, and gang activity on Baltimore’s streets will decrease. Summer may have just ended, but now is the perfect time to start planning for the wave of youth on our city streets next summer. Too many people are getting hurt or dying on Baltimore City’s streets. Often, gang members are killing each other and innocent people are getting caught in the crossfire, making our streets and neighborhoods unsafe for all. In a separate forum we can have a healthy discussion about the role of illegal guns, drugs, dropout rates, gang recruitment in elementary schools, and other potential causes or effects of our street crisis. However, knowing that it didn’t start t...
In Sefer Dvarim, we are treated to one of several places where Hashem uses a particular term of endearment for B’nei Yisroel, referring to us as the “Am Segulah”, a treasured nation (Vaeschanan, 7:6, Re’ei,14:2 and Ki Savo 26:18).  There are a myriad of other places where B’nei Yisroel are referred to as the “Am Hanivchar” – the “chosen people” (Vaeschanan, 4:37), Hashem’s “children” (Re’eh, 14:1-2) and even Hashem’s “first born” (Shemos, 4:22),.  What is the meaning of this special status?  Contemporary scientists would scream that there are no superior genome by race, class or ethnicity – and they may be right.  But consider, Since the dawn of the 20th century,...
Who doesn’t love a parade? To a city that already offers many, President Donald Trump wants to add one that showcases U.S. military might. It would take place on July 4 in Washington with, as Trump envisions it, tanks and planes rolling down and streaking above Pennsylvania Avenue. Trump talked up the idea Monday as he sat down for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted the president and first lady Melania Trump for France’s military parade in the center of Paris on Bastille Day in July. Trump said the two-hour procession was a “tremendous thing for France and for the spirit of France” and suggested he wants the same for Americans. In typical Trump fashion, the president said he wants the parade to be bigger and better than the one he saw i...
Republicans straining to find about $1 trillion to finance sweeping tax cuts are homing in on two popular deductions that are woven into the nation’s fiscal fabric — the mortgage interest deduction that millions of homeowners prize and the deduction for state and local taxes popular in Democratic strongholds. About 30 million Americans, or about 20 percent of taxpayers, deduct mortgage interest from their income taxes, a deduction Realtors and homebuilders argue is a catalyst to home ownership in the United States. According to the most recent IRS tally, nearly 44 million people claim the deduction for state and local taxes in 2014, especially in the high-tax, high-income states of California, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Republicans are determined to overhaul ...
Toys 'R' Us, the largest U.S. toy store chain, has filed for bankruptcy protection in the latest sign of turmoil in the retail industry struggling with the growth online shopping and discount chains. The Chapter 11 filing is among the largest ever by a specialty retailer and casts doubt over the future of its about 1,600 stores and 64,000 employees. It comes just as Toys 'R' Us is gearing up for the holiday shopping season, which accounts for the bulk of its sales. "While today's decision does not necessarily mean it is game over for Toys 'R' Us, it brings to a close a turbulent chapter in the iconic company's history," said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail. Shoppers leave a Toys R Us store in Framingham, Massachusetts. ...
BISLACH AIR BASE, ISRAEL  Israel and the U.S. inaugurated the first American military base on Israeli soil on Monday, which will serve dozens of soldiers operating a missile defense system. The move comes at a time of growing Israeli concerns about archenemy Iran's development of long-range missiles. Together with the U.S., Israel has developed a multilayered system of defenses against everything from long-range guided missile attacks from Iran to crude rockets fired from Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. The base's opening is largely symbolic and isn't expected to bring operational changes. But the Israeli military says that along with other measures, it sends a message of readiness to Israel's enemies. "It's a message that says Israel is better prepared. I...
There must be an answer. Whatever is harming U.S. diplomats in Havana, it’s eluded the doctors, scientists and intelligence analysts scouring for answers. Investigators have chased many theories, including a sonic attack, electromagnetic weapon or flawed spying device. Each explanation seems to fit parts of what’s happened, conflicting with others. The United States doesn’t even know what to call it. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson used the phrase “health attacks.” The State Department prefers “incidents.” Either way, suspicion has fallen on Cuba. But investigators also are examining whether a rogue faction of its security services, another country such as Russia, or some combination is to blame, more than a dozen U.S. officials familiar...
“Utter weakness and incompetence.” ”Not a friend of democracy.” ”Just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.” As President Donald Trump visits the United Nations, a look at some of his past tough comments about the world body: — “Why is the UN condemning @Israel and doing nothing about Syria? What a disgrace,” he tweeted in October 2011, one of a series of tweets about the organization that year. Trump said that September he was “increasingly concerned” with what he called “the UN’s ploy against @Israel this coming week.” “We must stand firm against the UN’s ploy to sabotage Israel — -if the UN grants the PA statehood then we must immediately defund it,&rdqu...
Russian President Vladimir Putin is attending military maneuvers that have worried his country’s neighbors. Putin, accompanied by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, attended the Zapad (West) 2017 drills on Monday at the Luzhsky range in western Russia, just over 100 kilometers (about 60 miles) east of Estonia’s border. Russian and Belarusian troops are participating in the exercises that started last week. Some nervous NATO members, including the Baltic states and Poland, have criticized an alleged lack of transparency about the war games and questioned Moscow’s intentions. Russia and Belarus say the exercises, which run until Wednesday, involve 5,500 Russian and 7,200 Belarusian troops. Some NATO countries have estimated that up to 100,000 troops could be ...
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