The two explosions in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea resulted in what could amount to the largest-ever single release of methane gas into the atmosphere, but it may not be enough to have a major effect on climate change, experts say. While sudden influxes of methane from underwater pipelines are unusual and scientists have little precedent to fall back on, the consensus is that with so much methane spewing into the atmosphere from all around the globe, the several hundred thousand tons from the pipelines will not make a dramatic difference. “It’s not trivial, but it’s a modest-sized U.S. city, something like that,” said Drew Shindell, a professor of earth science at Duke University. “There are so many sources all around the world. Any si...
 Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is making her first appearance on the Supreme Court bench in a brief courtroom ceremony three days ahead of the start of the high court's new term. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses are expected Friday at the invitation-only ceremonial investiture for Jackson, the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. During the ceremony, the 52-year-old Jackson will follow the custom of every other new justice since 1972 and sit in a chair that once belonged to John Marshall, who served as chief justice for 34 years in the early 1800s. Marshall also was a slaveholder, perhaps adding a special poignancy to Jackson taking her place in his one-time possession. She is only the third Black justice in t...
The following letter was sent to a member of our community living with ALS: Today, the FDA approved AMX0035, a new treatment for people living with ALS. AMX0035 is the first treatment funded by the iconic Ice Bucket Challenge to be approved by the FDA and it is because of the tireless work of advocates like you! Over the past two years, the ALS community joined together to fight for access to AMX0035 for people living with ALS. We encouraged the FDA to act with urgency and to use flexibility to approve AMX0035. Over 14,000 people living with ALS, their loved ones, and advocates sent emails to the FDA urging the agency to approve this treatment. We also held several meetings with FDA and Amylyx, provided scientific and regulatory guidance, submitted written public comments, and ALS a...
Two days after coming on shore as a Category 4 system, Hurricane Ian is expected to make landfall later today along the South Carolina coast. The entire South Carolina coast is under a hurricane warning as Ian has top sustained winds of 85 mph as of Friday morning. While Hurricane Ian’s top winds aren’t nearly as strong, the system has expanded its area of gusty winds. Tropical-storm-force winds extend 485 miles from the center and hurricane-force winds extend 70 miles. The National Hurricane Center said the storm surge could be life-threatening today along the South and North Carolina coasts. Much of the South Carolina coast could potentially have up to 7 feet of storm surge on Friday, the National Hurricane Center said. Once the storm comes on shore, it is expected to qui...
There is considerable confusion regarding Israel’s rules for passengers arriving at Ben Gurion Airport with Arba Minim. A representative of Israel’s Agriculture Ministry has now clarified the current rules to Chaim V’Chessed. Each passenger is permitted to bring one esrog into the country, for personal use. The other minim (lulav, hadassim and aravos) may not be brought into Israel, and inspectors will confiscate these items, if found. However, the Agriculture Ministry will give travelers a new set, in lieu of the confiscated set. For more information, see here. Chaim V’Chessed has also been contacted by numerous passengers traveling to the United States for Sukkos. Agudath Israel of America has published these helpful&...
October has been declared Move Over Awareness Month. It highlights an expanded law taking effect Saturday that requires drivers to move over or slow down when approaching any vehicle stopped or parked with their hazard lights or any other cautionary signals on. Previously, the Move Over Law applied only when approaching law enforcement vehicles, tow trucks, and emergency response vehicles. Last year, 1,847 citations were issued for move-over violations in Maryland. According to the Emergency Responder Safety Institute, 65 traffic incident management responders were killed due to roadside collisions across the United States in 2021. Maryland is the eighth state to expand its Move Over Law to include all disabled vehicles. A poll conducted last year by AAA found that 32 percent of driv...
State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby lead attorney, A. Scott Bolden, submitted a file motion to oppose the government's request for a gag order, calling it "a day late and a dollar short." This also comes after the government obtained a six-month continuance of the trial. The motion says the flood of negative press reports have firmly set the set the public perception against Mosby. "Namely, the months of endless negative coverage of State's Attorney Mosby in the press on social media, including examples of overt racism and hostility, and the unequivocal documented evidence from juror questionnaires proving that such coverage has already poisoned the well against State's Attorney Mosby."
The Court of Special Appeals this afternoon denied a emergency motion to halt the early counting of mail in ballots, filed by Delegate and Gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox. The state filed a motion in opposition to the emergency motion earlier today. Judge Douglas R. M. Nazarian signed the order denying the motion for a panel of the court. This should allow local boards of election to begin counting mail-in ballots on Saturday, October 1.
U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon brushed aside an order from the special master in the Mar-a-Lago case requiring former President Trump to back his claims the FBI planted evidence in his home in an order that also extends the deadline for completing the review. The order from Cannon comes after Trump’s legal team penned a letter to Judge Raymond Dearie, the special master, complaining his “management plan exceeds the grant of authority from the district court on this issue.” In Thursday’s order, Cannon agreed with Trump’s team, saying his attorneys would not be required to affirm the accuracy of the FBI’s inventory from Mar-a-Lago before getting a chance to review the records themselves. “There shall be no separate requirement on Plaintif...
A chunk of the Sanibel Causeway fell into the sea as Hurricane Ian pummeled Florida, cutting off access to the barrier island where 6,300 people normally live. A portion of the Sanibel Causeway Bridge "was damaged/washed out," Lieutenant Gregory S. Bueno with the Public Affairs Division of Florida Highway Patrol told CNN. All lanes of the bridge are currently closed and the severity of the closure is listed as "major," according to Florida 511. "Sanibel is destruction," Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a news conference Thursday afternoon, adding the area was hit with a "biblical storm surge." "It washed away roads, it washed away structures that were not new and could withstand that," he said, adding that while many people evacuated, some people had been brought off the island safely. Ai...
Baltimore, MD - Sept. 29, 2022 - Delegate Dalya Attar joins the State’s Attorney elect for Baltimore City, Ivan Bates, at his victory party. Delegate Attar comments: “I look forward to working with Ivan to combat violent crime and keep all our citizens safe.”
One night at the Western Wall in the midst of Selichot prayers, I wondered when the thousands of teenagers around me would get up the next morning. It was already after 1 o'clock in the morning and they were still chanting, if not roaring, piyyutim (liturgical poems). They would probably be late for school the next day, but this unique experience would provide a lesson and leave a mark on them that would last a lifetime.We learn not only from classes and lectures; we educate ourselves through internalized experiences and events. The Torah portion of Vayelech is concerned precisely with this idea. It describes the mitzvah performed when the entire nation gathers together in Jerusalem at the close of the shmita (Sabbatical) year to hear the reading of the Torah. Everyone must come. All ...
Ian has once again been upgraded to a Hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. After pummeling Florida Wednesday and Thursday, the Category 1 hurricane is now headed towards Georgia and the Carolinas with "life-threatening flooding, storm surge, and strong winds," NHC says.
Governor Larry Hogan has announced that all employees across state government will receive a 4.5% cost of living increase effective November 1. The increase is a part of a series in an effort to enhance statewide workforce recruitment and retention efforts. According to a release from the State of Maryland, budget projections are showing that, for the second consecutive year, the state is reporting a multi-billion dollar surplus. The release also states that Governor Hogan will leave office with $5.5 billion in reserves, a $10 billion swing in the states fiscal fortunes. "After once again holding the line and bringing fiscal responsibility to Annapolis, we are able to take additional steps to honor our firefighters, law enforcement officers, nurses, and state employees for the meaningf...
The United States called for an investigation into the death of a seven-year-old Palestinian boy who died of heart failure after running away from IDF soldiers near the West Bank village of Tekoa. “We support a thorough and immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the child’s death” alongside an Israeli military probe, Deputy State Department Spokesman Vedant Patel said. “The US is heartbroken to learn of the death of an innocent Palestinian child,” Patel said. Patel also repeated a plea for calm in the West Bank made by Washington on Wednesday. The IDF disclaimed any connection to the death of the boy, Rayan Yasser Suleiman, based on an initial investigation but said it was conducting a fur...
A new study has found that nearly half of French Jews worry about their children’s safety enough to ask then to hide their Jewish identity outside of the home. The study by Jewish People’s Political Institute (JPPI) found that 45 percent of French Jews prefer that their children not reveal in public that they are Jewish, and a corresponding increase in worldwide antisemitism, particularly in France and Germany. The survey found that 20 percent of French Jews were the victims of an antisemitic physical assault while 37 percent said they frequently or regularly felt unsafe as a Jew living in France. A large percentage (45 percent) also reported telling their children not to reveal their religion, LPH reported. Given the results of the study, the JPPI urged the Israe...
The cause of death of Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away at the age of 96 on September 8, has been revealed. The National Records of Scotland and Princess Anne, the daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, released the monarch's death certificate Thursday, which listed the cause of death as "old age." The Queen officially passed away at 3:10 pm on Thursday, September 8. The royal family announced her passing three hours later, Queen Elizabeth II was coronated on June 2, 1953 and served as queen for 70 years, becoming the longest-reigning monarch in British history.
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