Among the handful of world leaders who could always be relied upon to support the United States unstintingly, the name of Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, stands out. Blair energetically advocated for American engagement and warned of the negative global consequences of an America in retreat. In April 1999, at the height of the NATO operation against the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo by Serbian forces, Blair, in a speech to the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, said: “We cannot turn our backs on conflicts and the violations of human rights in other countries if we want to be secure.” more

On the last night of the cruise to Alaska my wife and I enjoyed last week, we stayed in and watched the movie Spiderman that was playing on my cabin TV. Watching the movie, it occurred to me that Spiderman’s boss, Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson, is a perfect example of what I always imagined a manager to be when I was growing up: a gruff, cigar chomping, get the job done without caring whose feelings were hurt, type of guy. more

I can still hear the blast ringing in my ears, still hear the screams of the wounded, and still see the horrible images of that terrible afternoon. I still get a lump in my throat when thinking of Chana Nechenberg, a young wife and mother who has been in a coma these past ten years, or of Malki Roth, a 15 year girl full of so much life who is still, ten years later, a 15 year old girl, because she never reached her 16th birthday. more

The Jewish calendar, the luach, is among the most popular works of our faith. Within its covers can be found just about any and all laws that are time bound and time honored thus enabling us to effectively observe ritual and rite in the correct manner. In a recent Dvar Torah (words of Torah) on Parashat Re’ei, Rabbi Berel Wein noted the historic importance of the luach with the following observations: “The calendar has always been central to Jewish life and survival. Under the dark regime of Stalin, Soviet Jewry was forbidden from owning or possessing a Jewish calendar. more

A single dose of a popular ADHD drug commonly used in children was found to increase balance while walking in a study of 30 healthy elderly, reducing their risk of falling. Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev found that balance and concentration were improved after administering 10 mg of methylphenidate (MPH), the generic name of Ritalin, in a study of 30 elderly adults. more

There is a “huge outbreak” of lice in the Five Towns and Far Rockaway, a local pediatrician told The Jewish Star this week. “It’s the whole area, it’s the entire neighborhood.” more

Facing evidence that poliovirus has spread through the sewer system in several communities, Israel has begun an emergency vaccination program to reach 500,000 children. The Health Ministry will initially inoculate 200,000 children, age four months to nine years, at the country’s Tipat Chalav (“drop of milk”) well-baby clinics. more

To improve overall security procedures while making the best use of their financial resources, three of the area’s Jewish day schools — the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway and Yeshiva of South Shore — will partner to hire a director of security. more

July, 1969. The War of Attrition had begun several months earlier. After repeated Egyptian artillery attacks and raids, the Israeli military command decided that it was time to take the initiative from the Egyptians, and ordered special commando units to destroy the Egyptian radar and anti-aircraft positions on Green Island. more