AJC Mourns Passing of Ernest Weiner

AJC mourns the passing of Ernest Weiner, who led the global advocacy organization's office in San Francisco until his retirement in 2008. He was 89 years old.

AJC Executive Director David Harris, a long-time colleague of Ernie, issued the following statement:

"During his 37 years with AJC, Ernie was widely beloved, admired, and respected. He had that all-too-rare combination of wisdom, wit, eloquence, feistiness, compassion, and charm – the perfect ingredients to be a superb advocate. And advocate he did, in defense of Israel's well-being, the security of the Jewish people, the promise of America for all, and cooperation among America's faith and ethnic communities.

"Ernie was a proud American, who served his country valiantly in the Second World War. He was an equally proud Jew, who cherished his Jewish heritage, sprinkled his speech with Yiddishisms, and could not have been more proud of the rebirth ofIsrael.

"One of the many remarkable things about Ernie was his uncanny ability to befriend people in all walks and stages of life. He found the humanity in everyone, took an interest in their lives, showed empathy for their concerns, and always had a memorable turn of phrase at the ready.

"AJC honored him at a gala event in San Francisco. In addition to the formal award, he was presented with a pair of boxing shorts embroidered with the words 'Bayonne Bomber' to recall his days in New Jersey as a boxer, a sport he remained associated with long after his retirement from the ring.

"He also was honored by the French government. In 2007, the Consul General of France in San Francisco, Frederic Desagneaux, presented Ernie with the medal of Knight of the French National Order of Merit. It was given 'as a testimony ofFrance's gratitude for his outstanding service in the American Army in the European theater during World War II, and in recognition of his accomplishments as the head of AJC San Francisco, where he endlessly promoted French-American friendship and cooperation.'

"In 2008, on the occasion of Ernie's retirement from AJC, there was a wonderful tribute to him written by John Tateishi in the Pacific Citizen.

"He recalled how he had first met Ernie in 1978. Ernie had reached out and explained that AJC wanted to help the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) seek redress from the U.S. government, after what had shamefully happened to many Japanese Americans in 1942. 'And thus,' Tateishi wrote, 'AJC became the first and most important organization to endorse the JACL's Redress campaign,' which ultimately proved successful. And, he added of Ernie, 'This man, who is no bigger than I, is in many ways so much bigger than life. Probably because he has given so much meaning to so many people.'

"Exactly. Ernie touched the lives of countless individuals and communities in his career. America, Israel, the democratic world, and the Jewish people are all the beneficiaries of the heart and soul he gave to everything he did. In his extraordinary lifetime, Ernie proved how one person can make an enduring difference.

"We extend our heartfelt condolences to Ernie's four children and their families, who have lost an adoring father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Ernie's wife, Shirley, the love of his life, predeceased him. May Ernie's memory always serve as a blessing and an inspiration. He will be missed by so many!"

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

New Book Upends Creationist Views about the Bible

Christian author and founder of the www.biblicalfreedom.com Bible study website, K. Scott Schaeffer, has challenged church tradition by releasing a new book called, "Where the Bible Contradicts Creationists: How a literal reading of every creation verse refutes young earth geology, redefines the Adam and Eve story, and supports the science of evolution and an old universe."

While most books written about the creationism debate use detailed science to support one side or the other, Schaeffer's book takes a different approach: it uses a verse-by-verse examination of the creation account to invalidate the age-old belief that the Bible describes a 6,000 year-old universe created in six 24-hour days. To the author, young-earth creationism has no leg to stand on but that of tradition.

According to Schaeffer, "If you really read the creation account literally, word-for-word, taking into consideration the facts we know about the earth's rotation, etc., it's darn near impossible to believe in a 6,000 year-old universe created in six 24-hour days. The Bible simply destroys traditional creationism on this level and many others. This reality is hard for people to see, however, because we're taught what the creation story says long before we're old enough to open-mindedly examine it for ourselves."

Schaeffer continues, "The picture we've had in our minds when reading the creation story is one of God residing within our atmosphere while creating the universe. But the Bible contradicts this. It depicts a God who stands outside the universe while creating it, like a baker baking a cake. This forces us to re-examine the days of creation and realize they are not our days, but God's."

Schaeffer's book does more than address the days of creation, however. It also uses every creation verse to demonstrate how a literal reading of each refutes numerous long-held interpretations of young-earth creationists, from the assertion that all animals were created as vegetarians to the belief that all humans are descendants of Adam.

"Hopefully, this book will help Christians who believe in evolution and an old universe escape the oppression of the Traditional Creation Enforcers and feel good about their faith," says Schaeffer. 

SOURCE Author, K Scott Schaeffer

RELATED LINKS
http://www.biblicalfreedom.com

The Ten Biggest Medical Successes of 2013

Medical science had a banner year in 2013, including a development, according to Dr. Stephen Shrewsbury, that offers the first long-term proof that a much-discussed new medical technology can work, at least with one disease.

1.    The Long Term Success of a Gene Patch That Allows Boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy To Remain Walking.Gene patch technology, where drugs correct the ill effects of defective genes, had its first big breakthrough. Sarepta Therapeutics' drug, eteplirsen, generated a missing protein in boys with DMD, which allowed the boys in this study to stabilize their walking for 96 weeks. Without this protein, their muscles would waste and they'd become unable to walk. "This patch is the first to claim such a lengthy success," says Dr. Shrewsbury, author of Defy Your DNA: How the New Gene Patch Personalized Medicines Will Help You Overcome Your Greatest Health Challenges. "This breakthrough shows that gene patch technology is a valid approach to genetic diseases. It's like proving that penicillin works."

2.    The Creation of Beating Human Heart Cells Grown in a Petri Dish! As first reported in Nature Communications,researchers from the University of Pittsburgh used mature human cells from the skin—not embryonic stem cells. They changed those cells into embryonic human heart cells, which then successfully grew in a mouse's heart stripped of its vital cells, turning it back into a functioning, beating organ. The ultimate goal of this research is to create tissue that can be used to fixed damaged sections of human hearts.

3.    A Step Towards a Drug That Can Fight Alzheimer's. Researchers discovered a chemical to stop brain tissue from dying, a necessary precursor to a drug that can treat Alzheimer's. "Though a drug is years away," says Shrewsbury, "this lays the groundwork for eventual success."

4.    A High Blood Pressure Treatment that Zaps the Kidneys. This treatment lowers blood pressure by disabling kidney nerves with radio waves, giving hope to blood pressure patients who don't respond to drugs.

5.    FDA Approval of an "Artificial Pancreas" For Diabetes Patients. Diabetes sufferers may soon be able to give up pin pricks and injections—with the "artificial pancreas" developed by Medtronics. The patient wears what looks like an iPod on their waistband.  This device monitors blood glucose and then adjusts the amount of insulin delivered by a pump, like a healthy pancreas in a non-diabetic.

6.    An Artificial Retina Restores Sight to Certain Blind People. Second Sight Medical Products has developed a system that makes it possible to see via electrical impulses—tiny cameras stimulate remaining healthy cells within the damaged retina to send visual messages to the brain.

7.    Your Complete Medical History Became Something You Can Permanently Carry With You. MedicTag and other companies have successfully developed products that put your complete health record on a flash drive. "These products should reduce the number of deaths that occur each year due to medical mistakes," says Shrewsbury.

8.    A Pacemaker That Zaps Your Migraines Away. Migraine Treatment Centers of America launched a procedure that implants a device in your head to stimulate the nerves involved with migraines. The electrical signal is sent via a remote control and stops or lessens migraine pain.

9.    A Handheld Scanner for Melanoma Skin Cancer.  Roughly 1 in 8 skin cancer patients will die from the disease in 2013. When caught early, 99% of patients survive. If diagnosed late, only 15% survive. A new FDA-approved device uses missile-guidance technology to analyze moles. In a trial, it correctly identified 98 percent of melanomas. This could dramatically reduce the death toll from skin cancer.

10. A New, Faster Way to Identify Specific Bacteria via Mass Spectrometry. Correct identification of bacteria from culturing can take weeks. But clinical microbiology laboratories are now investigating a new mass spectrometry technology that provides rapid organism identification that is more accurate, more rapid (minutes) and less expensive than current methods. This will allow doctors to prescribe the most appropriate antibiotic sooner instead of broad-spectrum agents that drive antimicrobial resistance. That could improve "cure" rates and reduce antibiotic resistance, lowering healthcare costs.

Dr. Stephen B. Shrewsbury is a physician and Chief Medical Officer at a leading biotech firm. He is the author of Defy Your DNA: How the New Gene Patch Personalized Medicines Will Help You Overcome Your Greatest Health Challenges published by 10 Finger Press. Since 2009, he has served on the Oligonucleotide Safety Working Group (OSWG), an international working group devoted to the safe development of gene patch medicines.

SOURCE Dr. Stephen Shrewsbury

U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for December 11

CHRISTMAS TREES

Profile America — Wednesday, December 11th. Around this time, two weeks away from the holiday, many households across the country will set up their Christmas trees. A substantial percentage of American homes still put up a real tree each year, helping make tree farms and nurseries a $16 billion a year business. But about two-thirds of U.S. households use artificial trees to decorate for the holidays. Many of those trees do annual duty for many years, returning to attics and garages to wait for the next holiday season. China was the leading foreign source of artificial Christmas trees imported into the U.S. for the first nine months of last year, about $140 million worth. In addition, China was the source of over a billion dollars' worth of imported tree ornaments in the same period. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online atwww.census.gov.

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

Hickory Ground Solutions Helps East Tennessee's Manufacturing Community

Hickory Ground Solutions, a Heathsville, Va., based company, is seeking ways to rebuild supply chains and improve employment opportunities in East Tennessee's tri-cities area which includesJohnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol.

With a contract from the Small Business Administration (SBA), Hickory Ground Solutions is teaming with Supply Chain Visions LLC, a consulting firm based in Boston, Mass., and Arlington, Va., as part of the SBA's Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership program.

The program aims to create well-paying manufacturing jobs in various regions of the United States.

Coal was once the area's industry king. However, it is being knocked off the throne because of tougher regulations and offshore drilling.

Working with the local business development leaders the Hickory Ground Solutions and Supply Chain Visions team will analyze the area to see what type of manufacturing can be developed and what it takes to do it.

They will study what resources are available and the financial impact on the community. Another goal is to increase small business participation in manufacturing and supplies.

Area businesses that are able to work together, as well as local business suppliers will be identified with the hopes of creating well-paying manufacturing jobs and rebuild supply chain flows throughout the manufacturing communities.

The team will look to stabilize their manufacturing industry and push to grow their economy. The team's mapping methodology will provide the necessary framework to grasp the underlying supply chain flows – and their interdependencies – in order to identify opportunity.

"Many times business people overlook the nearby area and don't know who has what to offer," said Bart Morrison, Hickory Ground Solutions' Chief Executive Officer.

Matchmaking sessions to aid in bridging the gap between buyers and sellers are planned for next year.

Founded in 2008, Hickory Ground Solutions is an operationally mature, customer-centric, and process driven 8(a) Native American Owned business. HGS is an innovator in the delivery of strategic consulting services to achieve measurable and lasting business results; including various IT Solutions from API architectures to Cyber Security Training, Cyber Risk Analysis, Lean Six Sigma and Business Process Solutions, and Training.

SOURCE Hickory Ground Solutions

New Boutique Press - Angelwalk™ - Releases Inspirational First Offering Catholic Explores Faith During Troubled Times

Newly formed boutique press Angelwalk, LLC announces release of first book, Year of Trial, Year of Grace: A Catholic's Searchfor Faith by Clayvon C. Harris. Written as a series of short, weekly reflections, this inspirational book is a provocative revelation of one person's religious faith. Its themes range from guilt and gossip to dreams and disappointment, from the Catholic priest scandal to the power of prayer.

Topical, deeply intimate and eminently readable, Year of Trial, Year of Grace: A Catholic's Search for Faith offers a contemporary perspective that both proclaims and questions the role of faith in everyday life, and in the cultivation of a more personal and practical relationship with God.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Harris attended Swarthmore College and the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. She wrote for various primetime television series while living in Los Angeles and has worked extensively in marketing communications. Year of Trial, Year of Grace is her first book.

Says D. Amari Jackson, Creator of The Book Look, "Clayvon Harris fearlessly moves beyond dogma and church politics to take a simultaneously hard and honest, loving and provocative look at aspects of her chosen faith. Harris's themes and questions, though couched in Catholicism, are universal; ones we all ask and grapple with, be it in our places of worship or within the privacy of our own souls."

According to Harris, the idea for the book arose from her pastor's request that she write a weekly column for the church bulletin. "At first I wrote about church history and practical information," she explains. "But very quickly it became a forum through which I began to explore my own questions about faith."

"The last decade has been a difficult one for Catholics," Harris notes. "Our religion has been maligned and overshadowed by the priest scandal and its ongoing spiritual, emotional and financial damage. My hope is that these reflections will not only encourage and strengthen the resolve of Catholics, but that they will encourage anyone who has struggled with faith and acceptance in the face of life's disappointments and day-to-day challenges."

Year of Trial, Year of Grace is available in paperback and eBook formats. See inside the book at www.angelwalk.biz!

About Angelwalk, LLC: Angelwalk's focus is in-house development of titles

that encourage and engage, while remaining aligned with the core values of faith, grace and truth.

SOURCE Angelwalk

National naughty or nice report from Toluna QuickSurveys reveals America's naughty hotspots

Santa will be stocking up on coal for Republican supporters and American Millennials according to a "Naughty or Nice Report" from Toluna QuickSurveys, which investigated rudeness and honesty across the country.

The research found 18-34 year olds rank highest across all 10 categories of selfishness and rudeness, including swearing, aggressive driving, parking in handicap spots, rustling candy wrappers in theaters and talking inappropriately on cell phones.

Those living in predominantly Republican regions were the next naughtiest category, ranking highly in eight of the ten rudeness categories.

Other findings from the report include:

No more Southern courtesy: Respondents from Southern states were more than twice as naughty as other regions in the U.S. The nicest area in the country was the North East.

The fairer sex: While women are worse at turning off their cell phones in restaurants and movie theaters, they are certainly the fairer sex when it comes to swearing and cursing, littering and fighting.

Money can't buy manners: Those respondents earning more than $150,000 a year were the most likely to swear at least once a day, with 52% admitting to doing so, with the amount of swearing reducing along with income levels (except for those earning under $35,000 a year, who swear nearly as much as the top income earners).

Setting a bad example for the kids: Compared to their child-free contemporaries, American parents were far more likely to make naughty choices, including dishonestly using handicapped parking, selfish driving, getting into physical fights and swearing.

An overflowing swear jar: The report found Americans on average swear 1.6 times a day, with fewer than one in five (18%) never swearing. Americans favorite swear word is sh*t, preferred by 33% of respondents, followed by the F-word, used by 32%. The C-bomb remains almost entirely unacceptable, although 2% of respondents still use it as a favorite curse word.

Phil Ahad, Vice President, Toluna QuickSurveys, commented, "With the holidays approaching we are all thinking about whether we have been naughty or nice, and it turns out that levels vary significantly across the country according to age, gender, income and location. It's a fairly sobering report but it's also pleasing to see that the majority of Americans do the right thing when it comes to driving, parking and shopping etiquette."

Activities considered naughty:

• Parking in handicapped spots
• Aggressive driving
• More than 10 items in express checkout at grocery store
• Not returning extra change accidentally given by a cashier
• Getting into fights
• Talking on cell phone at a restaurant or in a cinema

This report was based on a survey of 2,000 Americans aged 18 and over on November 15, 2013 using Toluna QuickSurveys. Toluna QuickSurveys is the fastest, most reliable and cost-effective online research and survey technology provider.

About this surveyThis survey was conducted online within the United States on November 15, 2013 among 2000 adults (aged 18 and over). Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Toluna surveys. Figures for age, gender, region, race, ethnicity, education, and income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in Toluna surveys, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

SOURCE Toluna QuickSurveys