Halachos for Wednesday, 17 Menachem Av 5770 , July 28 2010

1) When a man puts on his Talis in the morning, the Talis should initially cover his face, until his mouth. Those that throw the majority of the Talis over themselves and have it reach down way beyond their mouth are not doing a proper Atifa, wrapping. (Mishna Berura Siman 8:4. See also Shulchan Aruch HaRav...

Goodbye mouse: Apple’s ‘Magic Trackpad’ goes on sale

Apple on Tuesday unveiled the “Magic Trackpad,” a touchpad which allows a user to operate a desktop computer with finger gestures, eliminating the need for a mouse. The Magic Trackpad costs 69 dollars in the online Apple Store. The battery-powered device, which looks a bit like a notepad made out...

Video: Israeli Company invents suit that Enables Paralyzed People To Walk

Israeli Company Suit that Enables Paralyzed People To Walk infolive.tv After being paralyzed for the past 20 years, Radi Kaiof began to walk down a street in Israel to the sound of a dim mechanical hum. That was the sound of an electronic exoskeleton, developed by a small Israeli high-tech company,...

Gel that can help decayed teeth grow back could end fillings

A gel that can help decayed teeth grow back in just weeks may mean an end to fillings. The gel, which is being developed by scientists in France, works by prompting cells in teeth to start multiplying. They then form healthy new tooth tissue that gradually replaces what has been lost to decay. Researchers...

Halachos, Q&A for Tuesday, 16 Menachem Av 5770 , July 27 2010

1) When washing the hands upon rising in the morning ( Negel Vasser) the cup should be held in the right hand and filled with water (or if it was already filled from the night before, it should initially be picked up with the right hand), then transferred to the left hand and the water poured on the right...

Autistic man dies after being left in a hot van

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Police detectives are investigating the tragic death of an autistic 20-year-old client who had returned to the Woods Services residential facility from Sesame Place and was found dead hours later in the back of the Woods’ van. The New York man had apparently been left inside the van...

Health Watch: New Surgery Can Fix Heartburn

Heartburn can be excruciating and many people suffer the symptoms every day. But now a new procedure is helping the symptoms permanently. “I started to have problems with heartburn when I was about 16 years old,” Eduardo Bustillo said. It was a family condition that got worse over time for...

iPhone jailbreaking (and all cell phone unlocking) made legal

While the courts have been busy making decisions about digital rights, Washington has also been having its say on copyright law, at least as it relates to the iPhone and other handsets. Key new rules arrived Monday morning. Most notably, the FCC has made the controversial practice of “jailbreaking” your...

Obama To Voters: Things Could Be Worse

WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama is trying to convince the American people not to change course in mid stream — or in this case, at mid-term. His message for the fall elections, which are looking ominous for his Democrats, is that Republicans caused the nation’s economic troubles, but he...

Is the Internet Running out of Space?

Here’s a new crisis to worry about: The world will run out of Internet protocol addresses in less than a year. The format that’s used now provides about 4 billion IP addresses — the unique 32-digit numbers used to identify each computer, Web site or other connected device. Only 232 million...

U.S. Condemns Release of Documents on Afghan War

Pakistan said the disclosure of about 92,000 classified documents on the war in Afghanistan wouldn’t affect its relations with the U.S. or its role in the conflict after the White House condemned the leak. “These things have been regurgitated from time to time by the media or by low-level officials...

Tu B’Av or Chamishah-Asar B’Av the 15th of Av, this year (5770-2010), Monday, July 26

The Last Mishnah in Ta’anis 4:8 states: Rabi Shimon ben Gamliel said “Israel has no days as festive as the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur That means that the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur are equally joyous occasions. On Yom Kippur we are forgiven and we feel a renewed closeness with Hashem, and that is a...

White House backed release of Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi

THE US government secretly advised Scottish ministers it would be “far preferable” to free the Lockerbie bomber than jail him in Libya. Correspondence obtained by The Sunday Times reveals the Obama administration considered compassionate release more palatable than locking up Abdel Baset...

‘Dead’ Woman Found Alive After Medical Mix-Up

A young Arizona woman thought killed in a car accident last week was found to be alive Saturday in what was described as a medical mix-up, FOX 10 reported. Abby Guerra, 19, was one of five friends from Ironwood High School in Glendale, Ariz., who were on their way home from California’s Disneyland when...

Shabbos Nachamu: The Begining of Hope and Comfort

The Shabbos after Tisha B’Av is called Shabbos Nachamu (Shabbos of comfort), for the Haftora which begins with the words: “Nachamu, Nachamu Ami – Be comforted, be comforted, my people…” (Yeshaya 40). In this chapter, the Navi (prophet) describes the Ultimate Redemption...

Orthodox Union Statement on Gov Christie Study Commision

ORTHODOX UNION STATEMENT ON GOVERNOR’S STUDY COMMISSION ON NEW JERSEY’S NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS July 21, 2010 Pleased by bipartisan support from Executive & Legislature; Urges Swift Action on Commission Recommendations, The Orthodox Union (Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America) urges swift...