tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post115341237856427762..comments2024-03-27T15:07:31.495-04:00Comments on <b><center>Unorthodox-Jew </center></b> <br><small>A Critical View of Orthodox Judaism</small>: THERE WAS A RESTAURANT THAT WAS CALLED KOSHER FOR FORTY YEARS UNTIL..............Paul Mendlowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05887774341136059873noreply@blogger.comBlogger160125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-30018339424350229922008-05-21T10:29:00.000-04:002008-05-21T10:29:00.000-04:00can someone please explain to me why this guy hesh...can someone please explain to me why this guy heshy nussbaum is still out there in toronto and allegedly chasing little boys? is there anyone out there that has personally observed him in contact or attempting to make contact with minors?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-50767191083439206122008-05-21T09:37:00.000-04:002008-05-21T09:37:00.000-04:00http://mominisrael.blogspot.com/2008/05/another-cu...http://mominisrael.blogspot.com/2008/05/another-cult-exposed-megirot.html<BR/><BR/>Friday, May 16, 2008<BR/>Another cult exposed -- Megirot<BR/> <BR/>"Megirot" (lit. drawers) is one of many recent attempts to help religious women attain a higher spiritual level in their lives. The Hebrew newspaper Makor Rishon has an exposé in today's paper about the method and its founder. Women who have been active for many years and have taught using Megirot's methods are calling it a cult. The method has many followers in the religious Zionist community in Israel.<BR/><BR/>According to the article by Yifat Erlich, Megirot was founded by Sylvia Dahari. A widowed mother of six originally from Gush Katif (the Jewish settlement of Gaza), she wished to share the "secrets" that helped her cope during the period after her husband was murdered in a terrorist attack. She attracted women with her dynamic personality and her ability to transform mundane daily tasks, especially housekeeping, into a quest for reaching a high level of holiness. The women brought the contents of their drawers to the lessons, where Sylvie (or the teachers trained by her) analyzed the objects and drew conclusions about the woman's inner life.<BR/><BR/>At a lesson attended by the reporter in preparation for the article, Sylvie told of a woman who came to her saying that she wanted a divorce after two years of marriage. They "did a drawer," which contained tapes of children's songs. Sylvie asked why the woman was saving the tapes, and the woman said they were for her children. Sylvie pointed out that tapes would be worthless by the time the children grew up, and the woman was really saving them for herself because she still felt like a child. The woman agreed with Sylvie, and said that she wanted a divorce because she was afraid of growing up and becoming a mother.<BR/><BR/>The women interviewed in the article, who had been trained by Sylvie to teach the method, continue to be grateful for many things that they learned. However, they were seriously disturbed by Sylvie's focus on sexual matters, including the close emotional relationships she developed with several husbands of her students. She interfered with the students' private lives and mocked students after class. She deliberately came hours late to class, despite knowing that students travelled long distances.<BR/><BR/>Here are examples from the article:<BR/><BR/><BR/>Sylvie told of her son, whose daughter jumped on him and interrupted his learning. "Do everything so that she will listen to you in the end," instructed Sylvie to her son. "I am breaking your hands," he told the girl, and when she jumped on him again, he turned her hand until a "tick" was heard. "That's it, finished," explained Sylvie to the students. "It won't happen again. Fear of punishment is necessary." [Why do these cults always involve child abuse?]<BR/>Two years ago Sylvie began courting L., a married father of seven, who ran a ranch for teens at risk. The two would closet themselves in a room for hours and be seen around the country all hours of the day and night. "Every man has a physical wife and a spiritual wife. I am L.'s spiritual wife," she explained to the students. [Why do these cults always involve sexual impropriety?]<BR/>She told L.'s ["physical"] wife, Y., "It's from Hashem, for your own good. I am building his personality and saving him from spiritual death, and you are interfering in the process." Y. was apparently convinced, and sadly told one of the women: "You think this isn't hard for me? Sylvie is working with me on this."<BR/><BR/>Sylvie gave a class for single women, and concluded that the reason they remained unmarried was their inability to speak openly with men. She recruited L. [see above] and a 17-year-old boy from his ranch, so the women could practice intimate phone conversations with them. When the women suggested that Sylvie herself marry, she replied, "Marry? For what? Why do I need a husband on my head? What is bad about my life? To serve him? So he will limit me? I don't have enough to do?"<BR/>Sylvie tells women to carefully guard her husband's honor: to stand up when he gets home, cook what he likes, and get into bed five minutes earlier than he. But if the men disagree with Sylvie about something, it's a different matter entirely.<BR/>[We have sex, we have child abuse, so what's left? Money, of course.] Tens of thousands of shekalim went into Sylvie's pocket in the guise of sacred money, with a promise that the donors will merit blessings and be protected from harm. During the course of opening drawers, objects deemed unnecessary or impediments to growth remained with Sylvie. These included electrical appliances, a diamond ring, clothes and more. Women paid to attend lessons, but no receipts were ever given by Sylvie. (Some other teachers do give receipts.)<BR/><BR/>When haredi women began flocking to meetings in Bnei Brak, the Badatz of the Edah Haredit (one haredi community's religious court) banned it. But it took longer for the religious Zionist rabbis to get the picture. Rabi Eliahu of Safed at one time recommended the Megirot method to women, but no longer. He believes a religious court should be convened to discuss the matter.<BR/><BR/>And some people seem to think that our community is too cynical. But it's clear to me that we're not suspicious enough. Yemima is another religious woman giving classes to promote spiritual growth; I see advertisements for her everywhere. I'd be interested to know more about her too. <BR/><BR/>The article has more, but it's Friday afternoon and I've covered the main points.<BR/><BR/>Any readers who have participated in Megirot are invited to email me at mominisrael@gmail.com .Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-80388791272216974072008-05-21T09:18:00.000-04:002008-05-21T09:18:00.000-04:00http://hamptonroads.com/2008/05/track-star-montgom...http://hamptonroads.com/2008/05/track-star-montgomery-gets-four-years-prison<BR/><BR/>Olympic gold medalist Tim Montgomery was sentenced Friday to 46 months in federal prison for his role in a $5 million counterfeiting check case that also took down two other Olympic gold medal winners, Marion Jones and Steve Riddick.<BR/><BR/>The penalty is the latest in a string of legal and professional defeats for Montgomery, at one time the fastest human on the planet.<BR/><BR/>The 33-year-old former Norfolk State University sprinter already has been stripped of his world record and some of his medals after admitting steroid use. He now faces the possibility of receiving double or triple the prison time if he is convicted of unrelated heroin distribution charges filed against him in Norfolk's federal court.<BR/><BR/>Requests for leniency and mercy by Montgomery and his family were denied on Friday by U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas.<BR/><BR/>"I am very troubled that up until today he has not accepted responsibility," Karas said in court.<BR/><BR/>Assistant U.S. Attorney Danya Perry cited audio and video tapes of Montgomery participating in heroin sales as well as "very incriminating" statements he gave to federal agents after his arrest last week.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-46944466888882063952008-05-21T08:53:00.000-04:002008-05-21T08:53:00.000-04:00http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20...http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080521/COL07/805210389/1019/BUSINESS<BR/><BR/>May 21, 2008<BR/><BR/><BR/>White-collar crook spills his secrets<BR/><BR/>BY SUSAN TOMPOR<BR/>FREE PRESS COLUMNIST <BR/><BR/>Sam E. Antar tells you straight out that white-collar criminals thrive by building a false wall of integrity.<BR/><BR/>"Yes, we go to church and to synagogue and to mosque and to temple," Antar told a group of money professionals at the CFA Society of Detroit earlier this month.<BR/><BR/>The criminal takes advantage of your humanity, he said, and considers it a weakness to be exploited.<BR/><BR/>Be sure to take those words to heart if you want to avoid getting scammed out of your nest egg. For the crook, humanity -- and its very foundation -- are nothing but a way to work you over.<BR/><BR/>"We are economic predators," Antar stated.<BR/><BR/>From predator to prey<BR/><BR/>Antar, 51, lived and breathed fraud as a certified public accountant and later as chief financial officer of the Crazy Eddie consumer electronics chain in the 1970s and 1980s. He now lists his occupation online as: convicted felon.<BR/><BR/>He has a Web site -- www.whitecollarfraud.com. He has a blog where he shares his views about securities fraud, the accounting profession and Sarbanes-Oxley. And he does time by voluntarily working in forensic accounting and giving dozens of talks each year about the accounting scams used in the Crazy Eddie days.<BR/><BR/>He talks about the mind of the white-collar criminal. He does not charge for his speeches. He can afford to give speeches for free, he said, because he made money in real estate and because his wife is relatively wealthy.<BR/><BR/>He has spoken to the chartered financial analysts group in Detroit, law students and business students at Stanford University, an accounting group in Ohio and certified fraud examiners in Philadelphia and New Jersey.<BR/><BR/>Antar, who feared doing hard time, became the government's star witness in the Crazy Eddie stock fraud trail in the early 1990s. He faced 10 years in prison but ultimately spent 6 months under house arrest and paid $30,000 in fines.<BR/><BR/>Eddie (Crazy Eddie) Antar, Sam E. Antar's cousin, started with one store in Brooklyn and built a chain of more than 40 stores in metropolitan New York. The Crazy Eddie experience included high-pressure sales tactics, wild commercials and wild promises of low prices.<BR/><BR/>The Antar family made millions, and the company went public in 1984 with one of the hottest initial public offerings. Then a securities fraud case began unfolding in 1987, years before we heard of corporate cons like those at Enron Corp., Tyco International or WorldCom.<BR/><BR/>Eddie Antar ultimately served time in prison. Investors lost about $145 million. But roughly 35 cents on the dollar was recovered for shareholders, in part because scammed money was in overseas accounts, including in banks in Israel.<BR/><BR/>Lessons from a scammer<BR/><BR/>Watching Sam E. Antar talk to chartered financial analysts at Red Run Golf Club in Royal Oak, you could see some of the scam artist and showman. He began by saying that the audience could ask any question. Then, he talked -- and showed tapes, including a CNBC interview with him and Eddie Antar -- for more than 2 1/2 hours, leaving little room for questions.<BR/><BR/>He offered plenty of insight as he spilled his secrets about the Crazy Eddie days of repackaged merchandise sold as new, skimming cash, ceilings stuffed full of unreported cash and bad audits.<BR/><BR/>White-collar fraud works because young auditors are easy to scam. The Crazy Eddie chain duped investors and inflated its inventories, and company managers carefully orchestrated stacks of boxes to hide empty space in the warehouse. Young auditors wore suits to the audits, Antar said, and they were easily distracted.<BR/><BR/>"Nobody ever climbed over the boxes," he said.<BR/><BR/>When fraud is uncovered, he said, it's generally because insiders ultimately turn on ex-cousins, ex-husbands and ex-bosses.<BR/><BR/>Founder Eddie Antar was married to a woman named Debbie and decided to take up with a girlfriend named Debbie. He later divorced the wife and married the girlfriend. But Antar family rivalries took advantage of that infidelity. His ex-wife charged fraud after her divorce settlement and ultimately hurt Eddie Antar in the government's investigation years later.<BR/><BR/>"There is no statute of limitations on the fury of a woman scorned," Sam E. Antar said.<BR/><BR/>He said he lied under oath for two years in depositions with federal regulators.<BR/><BR/>"You name it, I lied about it," Antar said in an interview.<BR/><BR/>What to watch out for<BR/><BR/>His thoughts for investors:<BR/><BR/><BR/>The only way to read financial statements is to start at the bottom in the footnotes, where the real story is told. And he suggested digging up the statements from comparable quarters to see how those footnotes may have changed.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Most individuals should stick with mutual funds, he said, because they don't have time to keep up on individual stocks.<BR/><BR/>Several times, Antar suggested how important it is to be skeptical, ask questions and realize that white-collar criminals thrive by building a wall of integrity. He suggested that it's important that people be able to learn from the evilness of his crimes.<BR/><BR/>So, I asked him: Are you building that wall of integrity right now by doing all those free speeches about white-collar crime?<BR/><BR/>"Never know," he said, nodding.<BR/><BR/>Contact SUSAN TOMPOR at 313-222-8876 or stompor@freepress.com.<BR/><BR/>edmanfred wrote:<BR/><BR/>edward manfredonia states:<BR/><BR/>Sam E. Antar continues to be a fraud. In Usana's deposition of Barry Minkow, Minkow stated that Sam E. Antar provided him with $250,00. Afterwards, Minkow wrote a negative report on Usana. Sam E. Antar has boasted on his blog that he (Antar) has provided Minkow with funds to issue reports on Herbalife and other companies.<BR/><BR/>And here is the most important point: Sam E. Antar never mentioned that the Antar family, especially Crazy Eddie Antar, had illegally kept tens of millions of dollars- until after I had mentioned this in a post on2-24-07 on the Overstock Investor Village Board and more importantly after I had reported the same information on 9 April 2007 to Christopher Cox, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.<BR/><BR/>Sam E. was no financial genius. <BR/><BR/>Sam E. is a fraud.<BR/><BR/>Kind regrds,<BR/>Ed ManfredoniaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-70322095514750261232008-05-21T08:36:00.000-04:002008-05-21T08:36:00.000-04:00http://www.jewishchronicle.org/article.php?article...http://www.jewishchronicle.org/article.php?article_id=10067<BR/><BR/>Lubinsky said that most of what Agriprocessors has on the market isn’t coming from Postville but from some of its smaller North American plants or South American operation.<BR/><BR/>“This is a company that has many resources,” he said. “I don’t see a crisis.”<BR/><BR/>Agriprocessors' dominance of the market is not incidental, Genack said. Most of the small and medium-sized kosher slaughterhouses in the United States have closed since the 1970s and ‘80s. The O.U. is talking to Empire about increasing its poultry output for the near future, but there is no real substitute when it comes to meat.<BR/><BR/>“Agriprocessors is an important source of meat for the kosher world," he said. "Finding other sources is not trivial.”Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-12064029546271929872008-05-21T08:32:00.000-04:002008-05-21T08:32:00.000-04:00Genack & company don't care what is the morally ri...Genack & company don't care what is the morally right thing to do. They will only act if Rubashkin is convicted of a felony and even then he doesn't sound sure.<BR/><BR/>http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080520/NEWS/228426413/1006/news<BR/><BR/>By Adam Belz<BR/><BR/>The Gazette<BR/>adam.belz@gazettecommunications.com<BR/><BR/>The world's largest kosher certification agency will continue to give its stamp of approval to products made at Agriprocessors, Inc. in Postville.<BR/><BR/>Rabbis at the Orthodox Union, a New York-based non-profit organization that certifies thousands of meatpacking plants around the world, are still supervising and certifying the kosher products made at the plant, but are watching to see whether the federal government finds the company guilty of any wrongdoing.<BR/><BR/>Rabbi Menachem Genack, who oversees the Orthodox Union's certification system, said these accusations are serious and may have bearing on the plant's kosher certification. <BR/><BR/>"We rely on the government to make those judgments ... and we will wait to see where the facts lead," he said. "If Agriprocessors were criminally liable and it were a felony, that would be a matter of great concern."<BR/><BR/>A rabbi regularly visits the plant, Genack said, and certification is constantly under review. <BR/><BR/>The Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines released a statement saying that if some of the charges against the company are correct, "the company would warrant the condemnation of the entire Jewish community in Iowa, and of Jews everywhere."<BR/><BR/>"What makes the circumstance particularly egregious to the Jewish community is that this corporation, which serves as a religious-based business, in producing kosher meat, has seemingly failed to adhere to both civil law and Jewish law," the statement said. <BR/><BR/>K'hal Adath Jeshurun, a Jewish congregation in New York that offers its own certification, stopped certifying Agriprocessors on April 16.<BR/><BR/>Rabbi Moses Edelstein would not say why, but said the plant had been certified since it opened in 1989.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-63596906363482745762008-05-21T08:13:00.000-04:002008-05-21T08:13:00.000-04:00http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/05/18/200...http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/05/18/2008-05-18_voodoo_ripoffs.html<BR/><BR/>Sunday, May 18th 2008, 4:00 AM <BR/><BR/>It's long been understood that special interests hold sway in the state Legislature. But it's now stunningly clear the game is absolutely rigged against taxpayers.<BR/><BR/>It is now documented that lawmakers not only fail to read the bills they vote on - they don't write them, either. They let labor unions do that. <BR/><BR/>And it is established that a union consultant inserted bogus numbers into bills to conceal how much the measures would cost the public. <BR/><BR/>This shameless abdication of responsibility takes the breath away. And New York City representatives, including Brooklyn Assemblyman Peter Abbate and state Sen. Marty Golden, are among the blameworthy. <BR/><BR/>This being an election year, public employee unions are pressing the Legislature for pension sweeteners - more than enough to break the bank, according to Gov. Paterson, Mayor Bloomberg and others. <BR/><BR/>By law, such bills must include cost estimates. But lawmakers let an actuary, who collects tens of thousands of dollars from unions, come up with the numbers. He is Jonathan Schwartz, and he told The New York Times he lowballs estimates, using a method he called "a step above voodoo." <BR/><BR/>Analyzing an early retirement plan for members of District Council 37, Schwartz ludicrously found that it would cost New York City nary a penny - when the city's actuary reliably put the real cost at $88 million a year. <BR/><BR/>"I got a little carried away," said Schwartz, a former city official who lost his job after testifying falsely in a pension lawsuit. <BR/><BR/>Confronted with the fraud, Assembly sponsor Abbate confessed to being a puppet. "They drew up the bill; they went to Jonathan Schwartz," he said of DC 37. "We assume he comes up with the real number." Senate sponsor Golden said he didn't know Schwartz was a union operative. <BR/><BR/>After brushing off the disclosures, Speaker Sheldon Silver said the Assembly would freeze the legislation pending new cost estimates. But, regardless of those estimates, this is not the year to load the city and local governments with new pension costs. <BR/><BR/>Paterson appears to recognize this truth. He should veto the entire raft of pension legislation for the benefit of taxpayers, who now know why spending is so out of control in New York.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-85248352032481618322008-05-20T23:02:00.000-04:002008-05-20T23:02:00.000-04:00Soon...........Soon...........Paul Mendlowitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05887774341136059873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-48203606581550495882008-05-20T22:33:00.000-04:002008-05-20T22:33:00.000-04:00UOJ,When are we finally going to hear the stories ...UOJ,<BR/><BR/>When are we finally going to hear the stories that you heard from rav yaakov kaminetzky z"l ???<BR/><BR/>How much longer do we have to wait ??Malach HaMovieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17028916399489737048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-29482560062616191802008-05-20T21:42:00.000-04:002008-05-20T21:42:00.000-04:00Keep Pinter out of Mirrer yeshiva - PERIOD.In the ...Keep Pinter out of Mirrer yeshiva - PERIOD.<BR/><BR/>In the immortal words of R' Elya Jurkanski ztl, "vos shtait offen der yeshiva? Farvus alleh meshigoyim kummin arrein?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-85976321239736881982008-05-20T21:07:00.000-04:002008-05-20T21:07:00.000-04:00http://www.nbc30.com/news/16265146/detail.htmlWeb ...http://www.nbc30.com/news/16265146/detail.html<BR/><BR/>Web Sites Alleged To Lure Consumers With 'Bait And Switch'<BR/><BR/>Michael Michaud has always loved photography.<BR/><BR/>When he needed a new camera, he went shopping for one online. He scanned dozens of Web sites for the best price and model and his search eventually ended at stop4camera.com.<BR/><BR/>"Lowest price with an extra lens and all that, so I went for it," Michaud said.<BR/><BR/>The camera and lens he wanted was $250 cheaper than everywhere else.<BR/><BR/>It was a deal that sounded too good to be true, Michaud said. Hours after placing the order, he said, he got a phone call from a Web site representative asking him to verify his purchase and then asking if he would buy another battery, more memory and extended warranties, Michaud said.<BR/><BR/>He declined.<BR/><BR/>"Well, then he told me it was on backorder," Michaud said.<BR/><BR/>He said another two weeks went by and he did not receive the camera, so he called again.<BR/><BR/>"He says, well if you order this extra stuff we can send you your camera a lot quicker,” Michaud said. “That's when I asked to speak to the manager and of course, the manager wasn't there."<BR/><BR/>According to the Better Business Bureau, stop4camera.com is just one of several camera-equipment Web sites based in Brooklyn, N.Y. with unsatisfactory records.<BR/><BR/>Other Web sites accused of similar tactics include wisetronics.com, 86photovideo.com, mywirelessdeal.com and fotoconnection.com and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said his office is investigating all of them.<BR/><BR/>"If a consumer is not provided with a product and price as advertised, we want to know about it and we'll take action and we will investigate," Blumenthal said.<BR/><BR/>In the last 12 months, the Better Business Bureau reported more than 700 complaints against these companies, almost two-thirds of them specifically address concerns with selling practices.<BR/><BR/>Benjamin Monroe said the practices are unethical and unfair to customers like himself.<BR/><BR/>"I've been on a lot of forums and people say watch out for this company out of Brooklyn, they have a lot of different storefronts that aren't really storefronts and a lot of Web sites that aren't real," Monroe said.<BR/><BR/>A quick check at resellratings.com, a Web site dedicated to consumer reviews, shows hundreds of reviews from "very dissatisfied" stop4camera.com customers - the majority of whom provide warnings to future shoppers.<BR/><BR/>"This kind of scheme goes to the core of what our consumer protection laws are designed to prevent, which is misleading and deceptive ads," Blumenthal said.<BR/><BR/>The owner of stop4camera.com released a lengthy statement to NBC 30, insisting that its practices are sound.<BR/><BR/>"Orders over $150 require additional phone verification to prevent fraud. While on the phone, a Stop4camera service rep might answers questions but would not attempt to 'switch' the product the customer ordered. Prices are accurately advertised, and product availability has nothing to do with the purchase of accessories. If a product is backordered, the customer receives the proper notification," the statement says.<BR/><BR/>Calls were also made to the owner of wisetronics.com, the parent company of 86photovideo.com and mywirelessdeal.com.<BR/><BR/>After more than 30 minutes on hold and a customer service representative who initially would not let NBC 30 speak to a manager, we were transferred to voicemail.<BR/><BR/>"The consumer has a responsibility to stand its ground and say I want the product as advertised," Blumenthal said.<BR/><BR/>Despite numerous attempts to do just that, Michaud eventually cancelled his order.<BR/><BR/>The attorney general said the best advice is to do your homework before ordering anything online. A quick check with the Better Business Bureau will give you an idea of what kind of company you're dealing with.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-85746885954731585352008-05-20T19:52:00.000-04:002008-05-20T19:52:00.000-04:00Archie Bunker:No one is arguing for stamping "Jewi...Archie Bunker:<BR/><BR/>No one is arguing for stamping "Jewish" on the forehead of anyone who walks through the door. What is happening here is the de-legitimizing of historically valid, Modern Orthodox Judaism and a flagrant and blatant attempt to replace it with stringencies our grandparents never heard of, much less Moshe and Aharon - pushing a myth of a monolithic Judaism that never existed, not to mention a quest for a mythical racial purity that also never existed. No one is claiming that woman was wearing low-riders and a spaghetti strap top - she was just wearing pants. It's Modern Orthodoxy that is the target of this movement, not this specific woman. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, doing something millions of native born Jewish women do every day. There is supposed to be one law for the native born and for the goyim who wish to sojourn as members of the House of Israel. By attacking converts who practice MO, this is just a back-door attack on natural born Jews who practice MO. This isn't about anything else, and never was from day one.Ahavahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12795309173195607578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-83971954933732992292008-05-20T18:17:00.000-04:002008-05-20T18:17:00.000-04:00http://www.moneyweb.co.za/mw/view/mw/en/page662?oi...http://www.moneyweb.co.za/mw/view/mw/en/page662?oid=207046&sn=Blog%20detail%20back%20button<BR/><BR/>Where did the church roof go?<BR/><BR/>Tim Williams and David Gemmell<BR/>15 May 2008 02:56<BR/><BR/>Record-high metals prices tempt even saints.<BR/><BR/>Folklore has it that economic conditions can be accurately assessed by the rate at which lead (US$2,800 per ton) is pilfered off church roofs. Given recent global boom times it is no surprise that worldwide, more incidents of holy roof theft are being reported.<BR/><BR/>Until examples like these appear it is often overlooked that most metals are quite capable of being efficiently recycled. All that is required to kick-start the process is suitable motivation. This usually appears in the form of a blanket increase in metal prices; which is precisely what is happening at the moment.<BR/><BR/>So, because recycling moves in concert with the markets – a fact to which numerous wet churchgoers can attest – it has recently become big business. Predictably it is not driven by an altruistic mining industry, but rather by the fundamentals – enormous amounts of ready cash can be made from flogging scrap metal.<BR/><BR/>The growing nocturnal disappearance of manhole covers (around $20 each) from city streets across the world bears out this unfortunate truth. As does the misappropriation of beer kegs ($50), something which is occurring with increasing frequency in the US. In South Africa, where telephone line theft is endemic, the province of the Western Cape is now reported to be a net exporter of copper (US$8,600/t). No mean feat for an area without any copper mines.<BR/><BR/>Last year there were reports from the US of whole lines of parked cars having their exhaust systems plundered. The recyclers were obviously after the platinum ($2,030/oz), palladium ($450/oz), and rhodium ($8,000/oz), in the auto catalysts. The stainless steel casings which they surgically removed were simply a nice bonus. A sign of how the value of stainless steel has risen is that burglars used to take everything except the kitchen sink – now they first take the sink.<BR/><BR/>Dr Tim Williams is a Mining Analyst based in London. David Gemmell is a Project Manager, Freelance Writer and Author living in Johannesburg.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-34995210089577310902008-05-20T15:21:00.000-04:002008-05-20T15:21:00.000-04:00I was in Postville in Febuary so Rav Weissmandel k...I was in Postville in Febuary so Rav Weissmandel knows raaye brurah that there's no way this happened.<BR/><BR/>http://www.empirestatenews.net/News/20080520-8.html<BR/><BR/>The Kings County District Attorney’s office announced the indictment of Yona Weinberg, 29, a Flatbush Bar Mitzvah tutor and licensed social worker charged with sexual abusing four male students, one of which was a client.<BR/><BR/>The indictment charges Weinberg with Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the Second Degree, nine counts of Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree, Attempted Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree, and six counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison.<BR/><BR/>The victims range in age from 12 to 14 and some were Weinberg’s students, from the Khal Beth Abraham synagogue, where Weinberg gave Bar Mitzvah lessons. Other victims include clients from Weinberg’s work as a licensed social worker for the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services.<BR/><BR/>Initially only two victims reported abuse, but the investigation revealed two additional victims.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-57234924066450425952008-05-20T15:19:00.000-04:002008-05-20T15:19:00.000-04:00How can my Congressman just cop out on me like thi...How can my Congressman just cop out on me like this? This will lead UOJ to shout: "Moetzes resign!"<BR/><BR/>http://www.empirestatenews.net/News/20080520-11.html<BR/><BR/>In a statement posted on his website this morning, Rep. Vito Fossella (R-13) said he will not seek reelection this year. The Staten Island representative said he will continue to serve out the remaining months of his term which ends January 3, 2009.<BR/><BR/>“This choice was an extremely difficult one, balanced between my dedication to service to our great nation and the need to concentrate on healing the wounds that I have caused to my wife and family.”<BR/><BR/>Fossella’s public problems began may 1, when he was charged with drunk driving in a Washington suburb. His blood alcohol count was more than twice the legal limit in Virginia. He later disclosed he was on his way to visit a mistress with whom he had fathered a three-year-old daughter.<BR/><BR/>“Despite the personal mistakes I have made, I am Touched by the outpouring of support and encouragement I have received from so many people”, Fossella said, in his one-page statement.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-72507230220641423332008-05-20T14:56:00.000-04:002008-05-20T14:56:00.000-04:00Is Richard Pinter the former military bugler that ...Is Richard Pinter the former military bugler that Moishe Weissman hires for tekias shofar?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-55266408243179900942008-05-20T14:54:00.000-04:002008-05-20T14:54:00.000-04:00Ahavah,In many cases potential converts are treate...Ahavah,<BR/><BR/>In many cases potential converts are treated unfairly by the likes of Leib Tropper and other charlatans. Still, one must take into account that improper converts can cause much heartbreak to the Jews they marry and their offspring. An open door policy would be an absolute disaster.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-88141044553614310882008-05-20T14:38:00.000-04:002008-05-20T14:38:00.000-04:00A missing Orthodox Frenchman may be in Britain aft...A missing Orthodox Frenchman may be in Britain after disappearing from Paris. Patrick, or Pinchos, Zini, vanished two days before Pesach and is thought to be in London. He is 37 years old and single. He is 5’10” tall, with light hair and a light complexion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-81332910842203944472008-05-20T14:10:00.000-04:002008-05-20T14:10:00.000-04:00http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/federal/judicial/dc/o...http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/federal/judicial/dc/opinions/06opinions/06-1329a.pdf<BR/><BR/>These must be very high, which consumers eventually pay for with higher meat prices. I didn't know he has so many big shot lawyers working for him. First Nat Lewin and others and now Jeffrey A. Meyer, a former Federal prosecutor who is now a pro-fressor at Quinnipiac University.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-31875623844382825542008-05-20T13:52:00.000-04:002008-05-20T13:52:00.000-04:00http://www.democracynow.org/2008/5/20/headlinesHuf...http://www.democracynow.org/2008/5/20/headlines<BR/><BR/>Huffington Post reports one of Hillary Clinton’s top financial supporters recently offered $1 million to the Young Democrats of America while he pressed for the organization’s two uncommitted superdelegates to endorse Clinton. The billionaire entertainment magnate Haim Saban reportedly made the offer in a call to the group’s president, David Hardt. The group turned down Saban’s offer. Saban has not denied talking to the Young Democrats of America, but he says the report in the Huffington Post is not true.<BR/><BR/>In Waterloo, Iowa, hundreds of people marched on Sunday to protest last week’s immigration raid at the Agriprocessers kosher meatpacking plant. <BR/><BR/>In other immigration news, the Rio Grande Guardian reports emergency officials in Texas have developed new evacuation plans during hurricane season that could prevent undocumented immigrants from escaping storms.<BR/>According to the paper, school buses will be used to help evacuate local residents during a hurricane. But prior to boarding, all passengers will be screened by Border Patrol agents. Anyone who is not a citizen or legal resident will be barred from the evacuation bus. Instead, they will be detained at a nearby Border Patrol facility that is alleged to be made to withstand hurricanes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-88690566056720266102008-05-20T13:43:00.000-04:002008-05-20T13:43:00.000-04:00http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080520/NEWS10/805200403<BR/><BR/>Iowa Labor Commissioner Dave Neil is calling for Agriprocessors Inc. to pay the wages that are owed workers.<BR/><BR/>"Despite any immigration issues, Iowa law says you are entitled to be paid for the hours that you work," said Kerry Koonce, a spokeswoman for Iowa Workforce Development. "So that's what he's trying to do is clear that up because Agriprocessors says they have no records to pay anybody, whomever they may be."<BR/><BR/>Staff at Agriprocessors have said the federal government confiscated records, hampering payroll services.<BR/><BR/>State officials don't doubt that the records are gone, Koonce said Monday, but the workers still must be paid on the official payday for the hours worked.<BR/><BR/>There's little more the labor division can do to settle any wage dispute unless the worker or a group of workers files an official petition for back wages.<BR/><BR/>"We can't go on hearsay," Koonce said.<BR/><BR/>By law, the company would have a chance to respond.<BR/><BR/>For information on filing a claim, go to IowaWorkforce.org or call (800) 562-4692.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-19957943785192660432008-05-20T13:40:00.000-04:002008-05-20T13:40:00.000-04:00http://www.nj.com/living/times/community/index.ssf...http://www.nj.com/living/times/community/index.ssf?/base/news-4/121125637678230.xml&coll=5<BR/><BR/>'Lone Bugler' to perform at Memorial Day events <BR/><BR/>Tuesday, May 20, 2008<BR/>BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP -- "The Lone Bugler" of New Jersey will again present his eighth an nual "21 Performance Salute" dur ing Memorial Day week. <BR/><BR/>Richard Pinter, a retired Army first sergeant, has been playing "Taps" at military funerals and other events for 38 years while serv ing in the military and eight years since his military retirement in 2000.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-72704024646338649652008-05-20T12:29:00.000-04:002008-05-20T12:29:00.000-04:00From Failed Messiah's webpage:"BREAKING! European ...From Failed Messiah's webpage:<BR/><BR/>"BREAKING! European Haredi Rabbis Void All Conversions Done By Israel's Conversion Authority And Rabbi Haim Druckman<BR/><BR/>Following the lead of Israel's haredim, the largely haredi Conference of European Rabbis has voided every conversion done by Rabbi Haim Druckman and Israel's Conversion Authority."<BR/><BR/>I mentioned there and I'll mention it again here - the Jewish Civil Wars are in full swing, and most people don't even realize it. Just because we're shooting each other with nullifications and excommunications doesn't mean the victims are any less dead, so to speak. If we were doing this with guns instead of papers it would be all over the news, but many people including most MOs don't even realize they're in danger. <BR/><BR/>And I had another thought, this civil war is primarily targeted, in the first wave, against converts before it proceeds directly to natural born Jews - don't you think that has a nasty "ethnic cleansing" tinge? Is that really what we've come to?Ahavahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12795309173195607578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-43139957796030343852008-05-20T11:35:00.000-04:002008-05-20T11:35:00.000-04:00May 20 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil rose above $129 a ...May 20 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil rose above $129 a barrel in New York for the first time after billionaire hedge-fund manager Boone Pickens said that oil will reach $150 a barrel this year. <BR/><BR/>Supplies aren't keeping up with demand, Pickens said, echoing comments last week from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. A strengthening of the euro against the dollar added to the gains.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519732.post-55778821395931878652008-05-20T10:55:00.000-04:002008-05-20T10:55:00.000-04:00http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080520/ap_en_mo/peopl...http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080520/ap_en_mo/people_lohan<BR/><BR/>2 hours, 48 minutes ago<BR/><BR/>NEW YORK - A New York City college student has sued Lindsay Lohan, claiming the "Mean Girls" star took her mink coat without permission and kept it for more than two weeks. <BR/><BR/>Maria Markova said in a lawsuit filed Monday that Lohan, 21, took the $12,000 golden sheared mink coat while in the nightclub 1 Oak on Jan. 26.<BR/><BR/>The 22-year-old Markova's lawyer, Merrill Cohen, said Lohan had been sitting next to her client. Cohen said Markova next saw her coat on Lohan in a photo in OK! magazine.<BR/><BR/>Cohen said she called Lohan's representatives and demanded the return of the coat. She said Markova got the coat back Feb. 14.<BR/><BR/>Lohan's lawyer, Blair Berk, said it would be inappropriate to comment on the case.<BR/><BR/>Cohen said the lawsuit, filed in Manhattan's state Supreme Court, asks unspecified damages.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com