Second Wave from Hebrew Israelite Community Receives Israeli Citizenship

KNN-Village of Peace

Dimona, Israel

Six years ago, the first member of the African Hebrew Israelite Community was inducted into the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Now, July 29 has marked another very significant day in Hebrew Community's history as it ushered in the second wave of African Hebrew Israelites to receive Israeli citizenship.

Sar Elyahkeem Ben Yehuda, made history in January 2009 as the first member of the African Hebrew Israelite Community to receive the long-awaited citizenship status. He was joined this week by other members, the Community's first two women to receive the same recognition--Shalaymah Baht Israel and Hetsiliyah Baht Israel, as well as several of their children who also received citizenship along with their mothers.

This blessed accomplishment did not come without opposition, as for decades, Israeli authorities suggested conversion to Jewish religion as the only way by which the Hebrew Israelite Community could gain citizenship and thence fully assimilate into the Israeli society.

Under the tenacious leadership of Spiritual Leader Ben Ammi Ben Israel, the 'conversion' topic was not up for discussion. The Community had already traced its lineage back to the Biblical Israelites, identifying in particular as descendants of the tribe of Judah (from which the terms Judaism and Jewish originate). Thus, being Jewish ethnically, the Community saw no need to convert to the Jewish religion to authenticate that which it already was. From the 1970's up to today, the position has never waivered nor changed.

Historically significant is that in 1967, members of the Hebrew Israelite Community left the confines of America-referred to as the lands of the Great Captivity. In 1969, after spending two-and-one-half years in Liberia's bush, and having purged and prepared themselves for entry into the Promised Land, they arrived in Israel claiming their "Jewishness" by way of descendency of the Biblical Israelites, and were more than determined to stay.

In December 1969, the first group which arrived after the Liberian sojourn was initially received as Jews, but by the arrival of the second group 3 months later, the Law of Return had been re-written that one had to be "born of a Jewish mother" in order to partake of the privileges of a "Jewish" inheritance.

Although the journey began with exceeding difficulty, to say the least, today they are reaping the blessings of having returned to their land, and are enjoying the fruits of a peaceful, healthy and exceedingly joyfully dwelling place and a bright future. A vision not so readily apparent before has now emerged clearly as evidence that the decades-long wait for this day was not in vain.

The tide of events which, in former times, sought to flood out and uproot the Community from out of the Holy Land have made a dramatically remarkable turn. Through hard work, dedication, application of Yah-sense and committment to the vision of the visionary Spiritual Leader Ben Ammi, the Community is now, among other things, officially established as Kibbutz Shomreh HaShalom, one of the largest urban kibbutzeem in Israel. Please click here to read a statement posted on Israel's Interior Ministry's official website relative to its current position on the Hebrew Israelite Community.

In maintaining the alignment with the divine, perfect will and plan of Yah (God), Ahkote (sister) Hitsiliyah, Ahkote Shalaymah and their children have all demonstrated the stedfastness, courage, patience, faith and tenacity that is necessary to see the arduous process all the way through, as did Sar Elyahkeem.

These first 3 families having made history for their Community, now too serve as beacons of hope and inspiration for the Community's members, as symbols of victory, and as testimony that...

"Truth Has the Inherent Power to Produce the Promised Effects".

Yah Khai!!!
B'vrahkah!!!
KNN salutes you!!!

Study: Tanning beds definitely cause cancer

Using tanning beds caused about a 20% increased relative risk of developing melanoma
By Maria Cheng-Medical Writer
Associated Press

International cancer experts have moved tanning beds and ultraviolet radiation into the top cancer risk category deeming both to be definite causes of cancer.

For years, scientists have described tanning beds and ultraviolet radiation as "probable carcinogens."

A new analysis of about 20 studies concludes the risk of skin cancer jumps by 75 percent when people start using tanning beds before age 30.

Experts also found that all types of ultraviolet radiation caused worrying mutations in mice, proof the radiation is carcinogenic. Previously, only one type of ultraviolet radiation was thought to be lethal.

The new classification means tanning beds and ultraviolet radiation are definite causes of cancer, alongside tobacco, the hepatitis B virus and chimney sweeping, among others.

The research was published online in the medical journal Lancet Oncology on Wednesday by experts at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, the cancer arm of the World Health Organization.

"People need to be reminded of the risks of sunbeds," said Vincent Cogliano, one of the cancer researchers. "We hope the prevailing culture will change so teens don't think they need to use sunbeds to get a tan."

Cogliano said the classification means experts are confident that tanning beds cause cancer, but he noted they may not be as potent as other carcinogens like tobacco or arsenic.

Most lights used in tanning beds give off mainly ultraviolet radiation, which cause skin and eye cancer. As use of tanning beds has increased among people under 30, doctors have seen a parallel rise in the numbers of young people with skin cancer, though most types of skin cancer are benign.

According to the studies reviewed by Cogliano and colleagues, using tanning beds caused about a 20 percent increased relative risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest kind of skin cancer.

See: Study: Tanning beds definitely cause cancer

Unity Day 2009 Hebrew-English Seminar

Nahtahn Ben Ahmeshadye
Unity Day Planning Committee 2009
KNN-Village of Peace
Dimona, Israel

This year's Unity Day Theme:

"Servant/Leader = Total Performance = A Decade for Our Youth"

"And in the days of these kings shall the Yah (God) of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdom, and it shall stand forever".

Daniel 2:44

For this Year's Unity Day, we reflect back to this year's National History Month and inaugurated "A Decade for the Children", and like unto the National History Month directorate, we the 2009 Unity Day Planning Committee have pursued the season at hand.

Many of our future Servant/Leaders will emerge in the next decade. This being so, we must prepare out youth. 'Total Performance' is what was heard in today's seminar.

The young sons and daughters who presented today were raised in this "redemptive struggle".

Liken unto the Great Servant/Leader Extraordinaire Ben-Ammi, we bear witness to His works: Total Performance for His Yah and His people. Today, as Servants/Leaders Extraordinaire, we must prepare our youth to be Yah's (God's) Leaders: able men and women, Yah-fearing men and women of Truth, haters of covetousness, wise and understanding men and women whom are known among the people. Today, you will hear the testimonies to the vision and future of the Kingdom of Yah as seen by our youth.

The Order of the Day - WE SERVE.

The Unity Day 2009 Hebrew-English Seminar's featured speakers and their topics were:

-Ahk Yahonatan Ben Acaviyah-Chosen First Fruit (CFF)
Brotherhood Chairman of the Unity Day Planning Committee 2009

"The Historical-Prophetic Dynamics of the Servant/Leader"

-Tsifoonah Baht Sar Elyahshuv-Youth on the Move (YOM)
"The Importance of Being My Brother/Sister's Keeper"
(presentation given in the Hebrew language)

-Horaliel Ben Ahk Horaliel & Ben Immanuel Ben Nasik Immanuel-Youth on the Move (YOM)
"The Seven Principles of Divine Leadership"
(presentation given in the Hebrew language)

-Yanah Baht Tsadok-Youth on the Move (YOM)
"Rewriting the Proverbs as it Relates to the New Vision"

The New Jerusalem Fire Choir did two selections after the break.

-Ahk Ovadiyah Ben Nasik Gavriel HaGadol-Chosen First Fruit (CFF)

"Comprehending and Continuing the works (of our Fathers)"

-Ahkote Markeeyah Eshet Sapeer-Chosen First Fruit (CFF)
"Analyzing the Servant/Leader Concept from the Perspective of Health",
(presentation given in the Hebrew language)

-Ahk Elrahm Ben Zockriel-Chosen First Fruit (CFF)

"Explaining/Summarizing the Theme from the Perspective of the CFF and the YOM"

Abbah Ben Ammi's closing comments were that the youth's presentations were very impressive. It was not only the works of Dr. Ahtur Khazriel and Nasik Aharon being part of the Scholarship Body and preparing them for today's seminar, but that each and every one of the Saints of the Kingdom also contributed to their testimonies and to their overall presentations today.

Ahk Nahtahn added, that the presenters expressed that they did not come to take the place of their fathers and mothers--the great leaders of the Kingdom, but to come to assist in building this great and mighty Kingdom, for it is Truth that inherits the manifestation of what we today bear witness to.

Ahk Ovadiyah made a thought-provoking comment that, saying "We've heard the proverb that you know a tree by the fruit it bears, and that now is the time for the fruit to prove that it came from this tree!"

Unity Day 2009 Has Begun!

The Hebrew Israelite Community inaugurates its Unity Day 2009
KNN-Village of Peace
Dimona, Israel








The Hebrew Israelite Community officially inaugurated its Unity Day 2009 festivities on Yom Khamishee (Thursday) at sunset with the Unity Day Communal Prayer in all cities in the Holy Land wherein community members reside--Arad, Mitzpe Ramon, Tiberias and Tel Aviv.

Despite its name, "Unity Day" is actually a week-long celebration, normally held bi-annually, and occasionally annually in the Dimona Community, as well as in various other extensions of the Community throughout the world. Unity Day is a time wherein members and guests celebrate the diversity and the beauty of oneness within the Community.

Everyone participates in the week's activities, in particular, the Divine Jerusalem Brotherhood, the Divine Jerusalem Sisterhood and the Youth on the Move (YOM)--the body of youth from age 13 up to pre-adulthood. These two bodies encapsulate the great majority of the Community.

Following the Unity Day Communal Prayer, the Unity Day Run was held on Yom Sheshe (Friday) morning. Men, women and children of all ages including women in conception, as well as mothers pushing babies in strollers, are all geared up in red and white sports attire to run, jog or fastwalk in 'unity' while chanting praises unto the Yah (God) of Creation.

The terrain was noneother than the mountainous foothills of Judea surrounding the Dimona Community located in the Negev Desert. The Saints and many guests assembled at 7:30am and the run began at 8:00. Despite the early hour, the run took place in the blazing hot morning sun at 32ºC (that's 90ºF)!

At the completion of the run, everyone gathered together and shouted "HalleluYah!" joyously before continuing on the the family Unity softball games. It was truly a sight to behold, and an experience to never forget.

Pictured above: (1) after of the run, the Spiritual Leader Ben Ammi addresses the Brotherhood and, (2) Sisterhood, and YOM runners. Afterwards the Unity softball game featured (3) Ahtur Ahvraham pitching to Morah Marninah, a grandmother, and then (4) to his own abbah Nasik (Prince) Gavriel HaGadol-a great-granfather and formidable slugger; (5) Sar (Minister) Elyahkeem--the celebrated first Hebrew citizen of Israel (click here to read story) is up to bat; (6) the drum section relaxes in the shade and keeps the crowd lively with Edenic rhythm.

Unique to this year will be the 'Return to Eden' theme for the Divine Cuisine Exhibit and tasting, which will feature live foods and fruit dishes made with both fresh and dehydrated foods. The concept to envision is how will we be eating 40 years from now, and the foods prepared for the Cuisine will demonstrate dishes towards optimal health to add the Community's already established 40+ years of vegan recipes.

On Erev Shabbaht (the eve of the Holy Sabbath, Friday evening), there will be a Unity Day Shabbaht service, and the Unity Day Conference on the Shabbaht day (Saturday).

Unity Day week will include:
-a Kingdom Sounds Concert featuring artists and original songs from the Community
-National Farm Day
-Kingdom Outdoor Theater
-the Unity Day Cuisine Presentations
-various Cultural Exhibits
-the Unity Day Prayer
-Unity Day proper, which will include
uniformity in entity dress,
the Unity Day Brunch
Fun and Games
Ministerial Awards Presentations
Unity Day Parade Presentations
the Unity Day Closeout Ball
Awards Ceremony
Dinner
Concert
Divine Miseebah (party)

At the close of the festivities will be the family outing for all family members to enjoy.

Please stay tuned to KNN for Unity Day coverage. Yah Khai!!! (Yah Lives!!!)

The Evil Genius Strikes Again

E-cigarettes offer smoke-free nicotine, but experts skeptical
Delores Flynn
The Detroit News

Scott Marino was recently in Kroger puffing away on a cigarette when an employee told him he couldn't smoke in the store. The 43-year-old Shelby Township resident said "no problem" -- because the cigarette wasn't real.

Marino hasn't smoked in a little more than a month due in part to electronic or e-cigarettes, which provide a nonflammable, tar- and tobacco-free alternative to traditional cigarettes. Powered by a lithium battery, the cigarette includes a liquid nicotine cartridge, a "glowing" end and smoke-like vapors.

"It's a great option, especially in light of the state considering a smoking ban," said Marino, who smoked two packs of cigarettes a day for 25 years. "You can smoke it in restaurants or work, and carry it around with you and not need a lighter."

The electronic cigarette kits sell for roughly $99 to $129.99 and include a wall charger as well as a pack of five cartridges valued at $10 that come in four different nicotine levels: 16 milligrams, 11, 6 and 0. Various flavors such as regular tobacco, apple and vanilla are also available. One nicotine cartridge is the equivalent of 20 traditional cigarettes -- or a pack. A pack of cigarettes in Michigan costs about $6.

The technology was invented by a Chinese scientist in 2004, and Smoking Everywhere obtained the right to sell the product in the United States. It's one of about five major e-cigarette companies. Njoy and Bloog use similar technology.

Smoking Everywhere has reported sales of about $12 million in 2008 for the product marketed to ages 18 and older, Linscott said.

It has become about a $100 million industry, said Matt Salmon, president of the Electronic Cigarette Association.

The kiosk in Oakland Mall has sold more than 130 kits since it opened May 1, and sells about 20 packs of cartridges daily, according to co-owner John Mannino, who opened a second kiosk at Birch Run mall Wednesday.

See: E-cigarettes offer smoke-free nicotine, but experts skeptical

Excitement, Fear Precede Solar Eclipse

Superstitions Surround Rare Event in Asia
By Michael Casey
Associated Press

Millions of people across Asia will witness the longest total solar eclipse that will happen this century, as vast swaths of India and China, the entire city of Shanghai and southern Japanese islands are plunged into darkness Wednesday for about five minutes.

Streams of amateur stargazers and scientists are traveling long distances to witness the once-in-a-lifetime event.

Astronomers hope the eclipse will unlock clues about the sun, while an astrologer in Myanmar predicts it could usher in chaos. Some in India are advising pregnant relatives to stay indoors to follow a centuries-old tradition of avoiding the sun's invisible rays.

The eclipse will appear first at dawn in India's Gulf of Khambhat just north of the metropolis of Mumbai.

It will move east across India, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China before hitting the Pacific. The eclipse will cross some southern Japanese islands and be last visible from land at Nikumaroro Island in the South Pacific nation of Kiribati. Elsewhere, a partial eclipse will be visible in much of Asia.

For astronomers, it will be a chance for a prolonged view of the sun's corona, a white ring 600,000 miles from the sun's surface. The previous total eclipse, in August 2008, was two minutes and 27 seconds. This one will last 6 minutes and 39 seconds at its maximum point.

Solar scientist Lucie Green is aboard an American cruise ship heading for that point near the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, where the axis of the moon's shadow will pass closest to earth.

See: Ominous Predictions

Community gardens, a growing trend

It's homegrown and you can do it with your own hands
By Mary Reid Barrow
The Virginian-Pilot








Bean vines are being trained on string to grow from the ground up and twine around the umbrella spokes – a bean pole of sorts.

Other whimsical touches dot the paths , vegetables and flowers on the 20-by-20-foot plot of land that the couple rents for $400 a season.

Several times a week, Friedman and Schaefer travel 25 minutes from their home on Broad Bay Island in Virginia Beach to plant, weed and enjoy their “great little spot in the country,” as Friedman calls it.

Theirs is one of 13 organic garden plots at Pungo Naturals Farm at 1813 Gum Bridge Road. Owners Linda and Kevin Sullivan not only rent plots but also grow organic produce for Community Supported Agriculture baskets.

Spurred on by trends across the country , including Buy Fresh Buy Local and the Slow Food movements, along with symbols like Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden at the White House, Pungo Naturals and several other community gardens of sorts have sprouted in the area this year.

The economy’s downtown, a desire to reduce one’s carbon footprint to protect the environment, concern for food safety, and cravings for tasty fresh food drive folks to pick up hoes and work the earth themselves.

Food safety is one of the aspects important to Schaefer.

“I do think people should be aware of where their food comes from,” she said.

That was one of many reasons that Virginia Beach Horticulture Extension agent Susan French urged the Virginia Beach Master Gardeners to plant a demonstration vegetable garden at the Virginia Beach Farmers Market in Virginia Beach.

“Last year, I was inundated with calls from individuals seeking information on vegetable gardens,” French said.

People were not only interested in food safety, she said, but they also wanted to save money. Many had a heightened environmental awareness, and almost everybody was interested in providing good, nutritious food for their families.

See:Community gardens, a growing trend

Can Turmeric Relieve Pain?

One Of The Most Versatile And Powerful Medicinal Herbs
KNN Staff

The health benefits of turmeric are extremely well known, stretching back to ancient times. Turmeric has a long standing reputation as a potent medicinal herb capable of improving NUMEROUS health conditions.

Turmeric has been the subject of a sizable amount of research into its potential as an anti-cancer agent as well as its tumor suppressing properties; anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidant capacity.

But There's MORE! Additional health benefits of turmeric are observed through its pain suppressing ability. Most of the studies to date have been on animals however Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine have recorded the medicinal health benefits of turmeric in humans over a long period of time.

Studies suggest the most recognized health benefits of turmeric to be:

-Treating digestive disorders
-As an anti-inflammatory agent (e.g. treatment of osteoarthritis)
-Treatment of arteriosclerosis – may cause a reduction in bad cholesterol that can lead to blockage of the arteries.
-Preliminary studies suggest a potential treatment for certain cancers – breast, colon, prostate and skin (only low-quality studies in humans have been conducted)
-Reducing activity of roundworms and intestinal worms
-Protection from liver disease
-Preventing bacterial infection in wounds
-Healing wounds
-Eye disorder – possible (natural) treatment for uveitis

Turmeric health antioxidant capacity was examined as part of a German research study during 2003 (Screening pharmaceutical preparations containing extracts of turmeric rhizome, artichoke leaf, devil's claw root and garlic oil for antioxidant capacity).

Besides being used for its therapeutic activity, turmeric is also extremely popular as a food additive (spice). It has been used in Asian cookery for thousands of years.

Don't Worry Be Happy

Sad Dads May Lead to Crying Infants
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

Don't automatically blame mom: A crying, colicky baby can be just as much the result of dad's state of mind, Dutch researchers report.

Other studies have found that depression among mothers can be related to excessive crying or colic, a common problem with newborns, but the researchers said that little was known about whether fathers' emotions and behavior also have an effect.

"Up to now, almost all attention went to the prenatal effects of maternal depression on child development, leading to the development of detection and treatment programs that focused on mental well-being of mothers," said lead researcher Dr. Mijke P. van den Berg, a psychiatrist at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam.

"This study showed the importance of taking paternal factors and well-being during pregnancy into account, next to maternal," she said.

The report is published in the July issue of Pediatrics.

To see how parental depression was related to excessive crying, van den Berg's team gathered data on symptoms of depression among parents of 4,426 infants who were 2 months old.

Excessive crying was defined as crying for more than three hours a day on more than three days in the past week.

Overall, just 2.5 percent of the infants in the study fit the excessive crying criteria. But, the researchers found a 30 percent higher risk for depression among parents whose infant cried excessively.

"This finding could not be attributed to co-existing depressive symptoms of the mother, which is already known to be a risk factor for excessive infant crying," van den Berg said. It could be related to genetics, a depressed father or, indirectly, through factors such as marital, family or economic stress, she said.

In fact, a dad with symptoms of depression was twice as likely to have an infant who cried excessively as was a dad who was not depressed, the study found.

"Fathers do matter, so take care for the mental well-being of fathers during pregnancy," van den Berg said.

Dr. Jon Shaw, a professor and director of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Miami Miller of School of Medicine, said that the study shows how depression can lead to infant's excessive crying.

"This study demonstrates in a paradoxical way the importance of fathers, in that fathers' measurable depression during pregnancy is a risk factor for excessive infant crying at 2 months of age," Shaw said.

"This seems to be related perhaps to the enduring effects of fathers' depression on the family ambience, the parental relationship, child parenting and, perhaps as the authors suggest, there may be a genetic factor involved," he said.

The ABC's Composting

A composting testimony I’d like to share
by Harameeyah B. Israel
KOY - Office of Environmental Affairs

Last March, I began composing my kitchen wastes and those from Soul Veg Tallahassee. These wastes include just about everything: carrot shavings/stems, onion peelings, tomato stems, rotten fruit, fruit cores (i.e., apple, etc.), avocado skin, shredded paper, coffee grounds, paper towels, etc. The main wastes, however, were green stems from the restaurant. Since we cook greens everyday, my composter was full of greens.

In January, I started to notice an odor that got worse and worse. So in March I finally buried the compost (which had become a putrid smelling sludge--like what greens or lettuce looks like when it goes REALLY bad) in an empty garden plot in my back yard that had previously been only grass and dirt. About a month later I noticed some greens coming up--a nice size plant, as if I had planted it there myself. Needless to say I was amazed.

About a month ago (early May) I found some more things growing that looked like weeds, so I turned them over and figured when I got back from Israel I’d have a nice fertile plot to start with. When I returned from Israel (4 weeks later) I found the entire plot filled with plants! I assumed they were weeds, but when I took a closer look I saw little green bulbs. The compost became a tomato garden! I could not have done better if I’d done it on purpose.

This speaks to the importance of composting. It is a simple matter of separating biodegradable wastes from trash. Not only does this reduce the amount of waste in landfills but since the decomposition of organic material sent to landfills is a principal cause of methane gas (an important greenhouse gas), this reduction is also key in fighting against climate change. It also speaks to the idea of following a divine natural order and eliminating our negative impact on the planet.

Note: The reason my compost was smelling bad is because I had too many “greens” and not enough “browns“. I currently have a successful compost pile which consists of the same kitchen/restaurant wastes as well as shredded paper (usually my junk mail), dirt, and dead leaves. This has solved the odor problem.

The Benefits of Flaxseed

Is flaxseed the new wonder food?
By Carol Sorgen
WebMD Feature

Preliminary studies show that flaxseed may help fight everything from heart disease and diabetes to even breast cancer.

Flaxseed may be on everyone's lips -- and in everyone's cereal -- but this new darling of the plant world has been around for more than 4,000 years, known even in the days of Hippocrates for its healthful benefits.

Flaxseed has been a part of human and animal diets for thousands of years in Asia, Europe, and Africa, and more recently in North America and Australia, says Kaye Effertz, executive director of AmeriFlax, a trade promotion group representing U.S. flaxseed producers. As flax gained popularity for its industrial uses, however, its popularity as a food product waned, but it never lost its nutritional value. "Today flax is experiencing a renaissance among nutritionists, the health conscious public, food processors, and chefs alike," says Effertz.

The reason for the increasing interest in flaxseed is its apparent benefits for a host of medical conditions, says Roberta Lee, MD, medical director of the Center for Health and Healing at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in New York.

Flaxseed is very high in omega-3 essential fatty acids, Lee explains. It's the omega 3s -- "good" fats -- that researchers are looking at in terms of their possible effects on lowering cholesterol, stabilizing blood sugar, lowering the risk of breast, prostate, and colon cancers, and reducing the inflammation of arthritis, as well as the inflammation that accompanies certain illnesses such as Parkinson's disease and asthma.

Click here to see complete article: The Benefits of Flaxseed

Dimona eliminates Tigers in semis

Dimona holds on for a thrilling extra inning victory
Jerusalem Post Sports

Dimona scored four runs in the top of the eighth and then held on for a thrilling extra inning victory to eliminate the Tigers in the Israel Softball Association semifinal on Monday night.

Pitchers Yarone Ben-Israel (6 K's) and Goose Gillett (3 K's) were locked in a scoreless pitching duel through five.

In the sixth, Tabie Ben-Israel scored on Amithan Ben-Israel's single after stealing second and third, but the Tigers answered in their half of the inning when Shlomi Mor Hayim singled in Ilan Spira.

In the extra eighth inning, Dimona unloaded. Akhaziya's 2-run single made it 3-1 and RBI hits from Elyaeed BenIsrael and Amithan stretched the lead to four.

The Tigers, not to be outdone, tallied three on RBI singles by Hernan Guinguis, Gil Nehemkin and Avi Shamir, but Yarone bore down to fan Guy Bender, representing the winning run, to end the Tigers' season.

KNN: "Go Judeans!!!!!!"

Communicators Press Launches New Web Page

Visit Communicators Press new user-friendly web page
KNN-DC

Order your books and audio visual materials online!!!!!

This collection of books and audio visual materials is dedicated to the truth, not according to the words of men but according to the universal principles that govern the earth.

Communicators Press specializes in publishing and distributing spiritually uplifting works by renowned scholars and thinkers around the world. The TRUTH is knowable...look no further.

Click Here to see CP's new web page: http://www.africanhebrewisraelitesofjerusalem.com/CP-Israel/index.htm
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Shabbaht Shalom from the Village of Peace!

KNN-Dimona, Israel

The Holy Hebraic Shabbaht commences weekly at the setting of the sun each Yom Sheshe (6th day or Friday) and ends at sunset on Mohtsai Shabbaht (Saturday evening).

This day is set aside each week to allow our minds, bodies and souls to totally rest, be repaired, restored and rejuvenated.

The sunset time at Kefar HaShalom (the Village of Peace) this Yom Sheshe, (Friday) June 12th is 7:33PM.

Please click here to find sunset times for your area.

Shabbaht Shalom. (Have a peaceful, restful Sabbath.)

The Future of the State of Africa

Africa is enormously rich in potential
by Kofi Annan, Graca Machel and Michel Camdessus
The Huffington Post


Africa's potential is often overlooked. Yet the continent abounds in untapped natural and human resources. The United Nations, for example, estimates that there are over 800 million hectares of unused, cultivable land that could provide the basis for a green revolution in food production -- land which could be used to tackle food shortages in Africa and in other continents.

The remarkable progress that Africa has made in the past decade is also not widely recognized. Across the continent there are numerous success stories. We have seen the spread of free and fair elections, an increase in school enrollment rates and determined efforts to combat malaria. The boom in mobile phones has transformed communication and helped business.

The tragedy is that when millions of Africans believed their countries and continent were finally on the right track, their hopes are being dashed by problems whose roots lie elsewhere. While the global crisis and climate change are creations of the North, it is Africa which is worst affected and least able to cope. The social and political consequences are profound.

Yesterday, the Africa Progress Panel, on which we sit, launched its 2009 State of Africa report in Cape Town. We recognize that the roots of the development crisis often begin outside Africa. But the reality is that the main responsibility for tackling the challenges Africa faces lies with its own leaders.

This does not mean that the rest of the world can walk away. Africa's international partners have a critical part to play in supporting the continent's progress, and share responsibility for tackling imported problems. They also have an interest to do so: social tension and political instability in Africa have clear international costs and consequences.

At a time when other financial flows are dropping, G8 and donor countries have an even greater responsibility to honor their international aid commitments and to ensure that global deals, whether on trade, climate change, intellectual property, illicit drugs, crime or migration, are supportive of Africa's development needs. Aid, effectively used, can leverage other financial flows, strengthen capacities and meet urgent social and humanitarian needs.

But without bold, focused and sustained leadership from African Governments, outside assistance won't safeguard the continent's people or protect the progress already made.

Big problems create the opportunity for big thinking. Africa's leaders, who have already shown what can be achieved, now need to redouble their efforts to guide their continent through these challenges.

They also need the active participation of their citizens. Accountability of leadership is paramount. Holding those in authority to account is a tradition and practice that has long roots in Africa's culture. But in many parts of the continent, it is frayed. There are too many instances of corruption, growing inequality in wealth and opportunity, and the abuse of power.

Alongside determined and accountable leadership at the national level, a strong, united position on the global stage is vital. A forcefully negotiated common African position on climate change, for example, is needed for Copenhagen Summit. We have already seen how effective unity can be. The meeting of African leaders in London ahead of the G20 Summit ensured the needs of the developing world were not forgotten. It played a major role in the G20s funding pledges, including the $100 billion for international development banks to lend to the poorest countries.

Clear-sighted African leadership, supported by effective international partnership, can turn the challenges Africa is facing into an opportunity. The APP believes that Africa can take the lead in pioneering a new, low-carbon development model. The take off of the mobile phone in Africa ended the need for an expensive network of landlines to be put in place. In the same way, the continent can make use of its vast solar, hydro, wind, thermal and biomass resources to drive forward its renewable energy sector, leapfrogging the outdated, fossil fuel based system.

The scope for investment in Africa's infrastructure, agriculture and communications are vast. So are the benefits it could bring. The spread of financial services to the poor has shown the potential for innovative investments. A drive for investment in these sectors will not only create jobs and increased trade in Africa, but also create markets for developed countries in these difficult times.

Africa is enormously rich in potential. Amidst the gloom, there is an opportunity to be seized. If we have the courage and vision to rise to the challenge, it will benefit the 900 million people who live on the continent and create a valuable growth platform for the global economy.

Kofi Annan, Graca Machel and Michel Camdessus are members of the Africa Progress Panel (www.africaprogresspanel.org)

The KOY Office of Environmental Affairs Presents

The Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Summit at the Village of Peace in Dimona, Israel

Summit Agenda

Yom Shleshe (Tuesday) June 9, 2009

Opening Prayer

Welcome/Overview

Rofeh Yehoshua

Health & Ecology

Rofeh El-Rahm

Cultural Application / Recycling

Ahk Yehuda HaCohane

Solar Cooking

Ahkote Baht Ammi

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Sustainable Building

Sar Ehliel

Sustaining the Yah Idea

in the Environment-

Sar Yadiel

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Eco-Cleaning Products & the Environment

Moreh Khashaviyah

Eco-Friendly Housing Concepts

"Greening the Kifar"

Ahk Michael

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Closing Prayer

ECO FRIENDLY DOOR PRIZES

For more information, please contact

Ahtur Keymah at keymah777@aol.com and/or

Ahk Yehuda HaCohane at pmhg2005@yahoo.com

African Hebrew Israelites Lifestyle Promotes Lowest Carbon Footprint Among Developing Nations

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint By Improving Your Diet
By Stephanie Richards, R.D.,M.P.A.
Wellness Solutions

Excerpts added by
Ahtur Keymah – KNN Staff

So what’s a carbon footprint, and what does that have to do with the food you eat? When fossil fuels are burned, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are the primary cause of global warming, and each year the average American household emits, through heating the house, cooking food, running appliances, etc., 55,000 pounds of carbon into the atmosphere. The amount of carbon dioxide we leave behind is referred to as a carbon footprint.

There are many choices we can make each day to help reduce our individual carbon footprint.

One choice people can make is to switch to a more vegetarian-based diet, which is also known to help prevent chronic disease, diabetes, hypertension and certain types of cancer. Consider this:

- Per person in the U.S., an animal based diet requires 4,200 gallons of water per day. A vegan diet requires 300 gallons of water per day.

- Nine times more energy is required to produce protein from animal foods as compared to plant foods. It takes approximately 28 calories of fossil fuel energy to produce one calorie of meat protein for human consumption and 3.3 calories of fossil fuel to produce one calorie of plant protein from grain for human consumption.

- For each pound of animal food produced, a farm field will lose about five pounds of topsoil. As the soil erodes, so do the minerals in the soil, thus making our food less nutritious.

The African Hebrew Israelite Community maintains a vegan diet and grows most of its own organic produce, citing Genesis 1:29,

"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”

They practice abstention from alcohol, other than wine that they make themselves, and both illegal and pharmaceutical drugs, so as to stay within the cycles of life. The group also owns and operates a chain of vegan-vegetarian restaurants throughout the world. Adult members exercise three times a week, and are advised to have at least one full-body massage each month for its health benefits.

In 1998, doctors visited the community in Israel and found that only 6% of the members suffered from high blood pressure, compared to 30% of African Americans. Furthermore only 5% of their members were obese, compared to 32% of black men and half of black women in America. The doctors concluded, "These changes in lifestyle might prevent chronic disease in American blacks, but would be hard to achieve without the unifying power of community, spirituality, and concern for the environment."

If you want lower your carbon footprint, try eating more vegetarian meals each week. It is important to become responsible global citizens. By making small changes to your diet, you will be helping not only yourself, but also the planet that nourishes you and all those you love.

Concentrated Solar Power Could Generate 25% of the World’s Electricity by 2050

The reaction creates steam that turns turbines and generates electricity
Written by Ariel Schwartz
CleanTechnica.com

A new study from Greenpeace, the European Solar Thermal Agency, and the International Energy Agency’s SolarPACES Group has shown that concentrated solar power (CSP) could generate a quarter of the world’s energy needs by 2050–and create thousands of new jobs and prevent millions of tons of CO2 from being released.

CSP uses mirror to focus sunlight on water. The reaction creates steam that turns turbines and generates electricity. Unlike photovoltaic solar panels, CSP only works in places with reliable sunny weather, such as parts of the southern U.S., North Africa, Mexico, and India.

Sven Teske, co-author of the study, estimates that current investments in CSP ($2.8 billion) could grow under a moderate scenario to over $11 billion by 2010 and produce 7% of the world’s electricity generating capacity. By 2050, investments could grow to $93 billion. This all assumes, of course, that political and investment barriers are removed in short order. But even in a modest scenario, CSP could grow to 830GW of installed capacity by 2050, providing 12% of the world’s power needs. Combined with geothermal and wind farms, alternative energies could provide a significant portion of our overall energy needs in the next few decades.

Live Weeks 2009 - 2010

KNN-Village of Peace

Dimona, Israel

In its continual effort to assist in the maintenance of perfect health and in the pursuit of Everlasting Life for the African Hebrew Israelite Community, the Ministry of Divine Health at Dimona, Israel has taken the charge in regulating Sugarless Week and Live Food Week.

Sugarless and Live Foods consumption Weeks were created by and for the African Hebrew Israelite Community and has been practiced by its many members worldwide. Thanks to the efforts of The Kingdom News Network (KNN), the Regenerative Health and Nutrition Program* (RHNP), the Soul Vegetarian Restaurant chain, and many other vehicles which have been effective in getting the word out, Sugarless and Live Foods Weeks have more recently been adopted by thousands internationally.

Numerous individuals of the global community at large, who are not a part of the Community, have resigned themselves to practicing the Healthy Hebrews' 'healthy lifestyle', testifying about its countless benefits as a viable health-enhancing lifestyle adjustment in their pursuit of excellent health, more vibrant life, more abundant strength and longevity than that which they had previously enjoyed.

In order to allow ample time for the preparation and shopping commonly associated with entering in to the cycle of Sugarless and Live Foods Weeks prior to the incoming summer, harmattan or whatever the upcoming seasonal change in your region of the world, the Ministry of Divine Health (MODH) in Dimona, Israel has released the tentative schedule for both Sugarless Weeks as well as Live Weeks for the year 2009 through the Hebraic New Year in the Spring of 2010.

SUGARLESS WEEKS

June 5–13 Summer '09                                    September 4–12 Fall '09

December 4-12 Winter '09                                March 12–20, Spring 2010

LIVE FOODS WEEK

June 13–19 Summer '09                                  September 12–17 Fall '09**
December 12–18 Winter '09                             March 20 – 26 Spring 2010

*  Please note that RHNP is an ongoing cooperation between the Community's NGO the African Hebrew Development Agency and Ghana's Ministry of Health.

** Also note that in September, Live Foods Week will end at sundown Yom Kameshe (Thursday) due to the inception of the Hebraic High Holy Day The Memorial of Blowing of Trumpets (Shabbahtone Zeekrone Thruahk).

To view KNN's previous posts regarding Sugarless and Live Foods Weeks and RHNP, either type in 'live foods' in KNN's search box near the upper left hand corner of the screen, or simply click here. Otherwise, please stay tuned to KNN for upcoming information on Sugarless and Live Foods Weeks.

For more information on holistic health, The Ministry of Divine Health can be contacted at divine.healers@yahoo.com

World Bank warns of social unrest

The head of the World Bank has warned that the global economic crisis could lead to serious social upheaval
BBC News Service

"If we do no take measures, there is a risk of a serious human and social crisis with very serious political implications," Robert Zoellick said.

He pointed to Eastern Europe, which faces the "tricky situation" of fast-shrinking economies and protests.

Mr Zoellick suggested governments should start preparing for high levels of unemployment.

"In my opinion, in this context, nobody really knows what is going to happen and the best one can do is be ready for any eventuality," Mr Zoellick said in an interview with Spain's El Pais newspaper.

"There is also what I call the 'X-factor', that one can not foresee," such as the recent outbreak of swine flu, he said.

"Latin America has remained reasonably stable, even if Mexico and Central America are under pressure because they rely a lot on the North American market," Mr Zoellick added.

It was reported last week that Mexico's economy shrank by 8.2% in the first three months of this year compared with a year earlier. Mexico sends 80% of its exports to the US.

Other economies in Eastern Europe have registered double-digit declines in GDP, such as Latvia and Estonia, while the retiring Bank of England rate-setter David Blanchflower has said at least one million more people in the UK will lose their jobs.

The World Bank has previously warned of a "human catastrophe" in the world's poorest countries unless more is done to tackle the global economic crisis.

It said an extra 53 million people are at risk of extreme poverty.

‘Dedication vs. Education’ Seminar

Institute of Regenerative Truth Teaches at London University

Soferet Baht Yehuda
KNN-London

“Truth the Forbidden Cure!”

“ Dedicate Yourself to Life OR Educate Yourself to Death.”

These regenerative and revolutionary concepts heralded the arrival of the scholarship team from the Institute of Regenerative Truth Dimona, Israel; Crowned Deputy Minister Dr. Ahdeev Ben Yehuda, National Spokesperson, and Minister Dr. Elyahkeem Ben Yehuda, Master Lecturer at The School of the Prophets Institute at Jerusalem. Both are members of the Governmental body of the Hebrew Israelite Community, Hebrew Linguists and members of the International Jerusalem Brotherhood.

The Seminar, already presented in Atlanta, Georgia and Dimona, Israel; drew it’s subject matter from a philosophical concept coined by Spiritual Leader, Ben Ammi Ben Israel, ‘Advancing from Euro-Literacy to Afro-Literacy,’ and developed further by Crowned Dr. Khazriel Ben Yehuda in his position paper. (Please click here to read it.)

The collaborative event, organized by the Institute of Regenerative Truth of the Hebrew Israelite British Isles Community in conjunction with a number of other Black Community Organizations including Black Star Line and Nu- Beyond, was held at the London South Bank University.

Friday evening of the 1st of May 2009 saw an audience of African people from various groups and organizations listen with a mixture of awe, delight, disdain and the occasional cringe factor as Ahtur Sgan (Crowned Deputy Minister) Dr. Ahdeev’s calm meditational style relaxed and prepared the audience for Lion’s roar and presentational prowl of Sar (Minister) Elyahkeem. The Lion and Lamb duo captivated the audience aided by the interactive, multi-media power-point presentation.

They introduced the audience to the notion of ‘Dedication’ as the key Hebraic concept of what has been defined as Education; but the end result of Contemporary Education was shown in graphic images of the cascading demise of the earth’s bio-diversity, geological, social and economic; scientific and medical systems. They stressed that the Bible has no word for education because there is no Hebrew word that corresponds with this process.

The audience, many of Egyptology/Kemetic persuasion have various issues with the Holy Bible--the central reference text used; while others reject the Genesis narrative of the Adamic Civilization. Both speakers elucidated the devastating impact of Contemporary Education and illustrated how a system of ‘Dedication’ will deliver a new mindset, concept and application to teaching and learning that will lead to harmonious living with the ecology of peoples and earth’s eco-systems.

Minister Elyahkeem drew contemporary parallels and commonsense examples to clarify and simplify the scholarship position of the Kingdom, though the language and terms were not calibrated to the majority of the listeners. The combined impact confounded some, enlightened, delighted and irritated others.

A few uncomfortable with the geo-political location and developing dynamics of the Community’s status within the State Israel raised the issue of the community’s youth in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). This provocative gesture at question time by a prominent community activist, while causing some ripples, did not derail the overall sentiments of the main organizers and majority of audience participants who were captivated!

With his new Israeli citizenship status, Minister Elyahkeem answered the question with authority and counter-challenges to the questioner. He closed by stressing that, “ We are concerned about being prophetically and not politically correct!” The issue remains a sore one for some, as the profile of the Community is being raised within the British Isles African community of families and networking organizations.

Brother Dr. Les Henry, one of the main partners commented that he never knew the Hebrew Israelites were ‘like this’ and would love more presentations and collaboration with the British Isles Scholars of the IRT.

While the formal evaluation is taking place, we thank the team for their scholarship and geo-political skills delivered as the seeds of ‘Ancient Dedication’ are now planted in the minds of the community.

Paying a Price for Loving Red Meat

Red meat has exacted a hefty price health longevity
By Jane E. Brody
N.Y. Times Health

There was a time when red meat was a luxury for ordinary Americans, or was at least something special: cooking a roast for Sunday dinner, ordering a steak at a restaurant. Not anymore. Meat consumption has more than doubled in the United States in the last 50 years.

Now a new study of more than 500,000 Americans has provided the best evidence yet that our affinity for red meat has exacted a hefty price on our health and limited our longevity.

The study found that, other things being equal, the men and women who consumed the most red and processed meat were likely to die sooner, especially from one of our two leading killers, heart disease and cancer, than people who consumed much smaller amounts of these foods.

Results of the decade-long study were published in the March 23 issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine. The study, directed by Rashmi Sinha, a nutritional epidemiologist at the National Cancer Institute, involved 322,263 men and 223,390 women ages 50 to 71 who participated in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. Each participant completed detailed questionnaires about diet and other habits and characteristics, including smoking, exercise, alcohol consumption, education, use of supplements, weight and family history of cancer.

Determining Risk
During the decade, 47,976 men and 23,276 women died, and the researchers kept track of the timing and reasons for each death. Red meat consumption ranged from a low of less than an ounce a day, on average, to a high of four ounces a day, and processed meat consumption ranged from at most once a week to an average of one and a half ounces a day.

The increase in mortality risk tied to the higher levels of meat consumption was described as “modest,” ranging from about 20 percent to nearly 40 percent. But the number of excess deaths that could be attributed to high meat consumption is quite large given the size of the American population.

See: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/health/28brod.html?emc=eta1

Most religious groups in USA have lost ground, survey finds

Almost all religious denominations have lost ground
By Cathy Lynn Grossman
USA TODAY

Submitted by Melinda B. A.

When it comes to religion, the USA is now land of the freelancers.

The percentage. of people who call themselves in some way Christian has dropped more than 11% in a generation. The faithful have scattered out of their traditional bases: The Bible Belt is less Baptist. The Rust Belt is less Catholic. And everywhere, more people are exploring spiritual frontiers — or falling off the faith map completely.

These dramatic shifts in just 18 years are detailed in the new American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), to be released today. It finds that, despite growth and immigration that has added nearly 50 million adults to the U.S. population, almost all religious denominations have lost ground since the first ARIS survey in 1990.

"More than ever before, people are just making up their own stories of who they are. They say, 'I'm everything. I'm nothing. I believe in myself,' " says Barry Kosmin, survey co-author.

Among the key findings in the 2008 survey:

• So many Americans claim no religion at all (15%, up from 8% in 1990), that this category now outranks every other major U.S. religious group except Catholics and Baptists. In a nation that has long been mostly Christian, "the challenge to Christianity … does not come from other religions but from a rejection of all forms of organized religion," the report concludes.

• Catholic strongholds in New England and the Midwest have faded as immigrants, retirees and young job-seekers have moved to the Sun Belt. While bishops from the Midwest to Massachusetts close down or consolidate historic parishes, those in the South are scrambling to serve increasing numbers of worshipers.

• Baptists, 15.8% of those surveyed, are down from 19.3% in 1990. Mainline Protestant denominations, once socially dominant, have seen sharp declines: The percentage of Methodists, for example, dropped from 8% to 5%.

• The percentage of those who choose a generic label, calling themselves simply Christian, Protestant, non-denominational, evangelical or "born again," was 14.2%, about the same as in 1990.

• Jewish numbers showed a steady decline, from 1.8% in 1990 to 1.2% today. The percentage of Muslims, while still slim, has doubled, from 0.3% to 0.6%. Analysts within both groups suggest those numbers understate the groups' populations.

Click here: Most religious groups in USA have lost ground, survey finds - USATODAY.com

Are You Eating Too Much Salt?

We may be getting nearly four times the amount of salt we need
By Kate Barrett
ABC News

Today one group advocating healthy eating says that at some chain restaurants, we may be getting nearly four times the amount of salt we need in a day in one single sitting.

"If the meal was high in fat, it was high in salt. If it was low in fat, it was low in salt. Salt city at restaurants," Michael Jacobson, executive director of Center for Science in the Public Interest told ABC News.

Instead of eating those meals, some suggest steering clear of salty foods and choosing healthier alternatives when eating out, cooking at home and even opting for drive-through where portions are smaller.

U.S. dietary guidelines recommend healthy adults get a maximum daily dose of about 2,300 mg of salt. But some of the meals on CSPI's list had more than 6,000 mg. With large portion sizes, sit-down restaurants like Red Lobster, Chili's and Olive Garden can be more of a problem than fast food.

Doctors like Keith Ayoob, director of the nutrition clinic at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, worry because too much salt can contribute to high blood pressure, potentially leading to heart attack and stroke.

But salt is an inexpensive flavor enhancer that your taste buds quickly get used to and crave -- and it can be tricky to monitor how much you're consuming, Ayoob said.

Two cases in point: An otherwise healthy stir-fry can be loaded with salt and so can broth-based soups.

See: Are You Eating Too Much Salt?

GM not renewing 1,100 dealers' leases

GM seeking to reduce the number of dealers from 6,200 to roughly 3,600
By Christopher K. Hepp
Philly.com - Inquirer Staff Writer

Notifications came a day after Chrysler, which is in bankruptcy, announced it was cutting ties with 789 of its 3,200 dealers, including 11 in the Philadelphia region.

The moves by both automakers are designed to bolster performance by reducing the number of competing dealerships.

GM is seeking to reduce the number of its dealers from about 6,200 to roughly 3,600 by the end of 2010. The remaining cuts will come from closed Saturn and Hummer dealers, along with 400 dealers that the company expects will close voluntarily. An additional 500 would be consolidated into other dealerships.

GM is doing so as part of a restructuring aimed at saving the automaker. It has received $15.4 billion in aid from the federal government and faces a June 1 government-imposed deadline to dramatically reduce costs or file for bankruptcy. Chief executive officer Fritz Henderson said yesterday that bankruptcy was "probable."

See: GM not renewing 1100 dealers' leases

Chrysler Plans to Shut 1 in 4 of Its U.S. Dealers

Nearly 800 dealers were given notice that they would be cut off next month
By Bill Vlasic and Nick Bunkley
New York Times

The historic downsizing of the American auto industry swept through new-car showrooms on Thursday, as dealers across the country, from Fuller Jeep in Rockland, Me., to Island Dodge in Hawaii, learned that they would be forced to close their doors.

In all, nearly 800 dealers selling various Chrysler brands were given notice Thursday that they would be cut off next month. Meanwhile, General Motors is preparing to close up to 2,600 more of its dealers by next year.

Dealers like Ward Drennen, who runs the business his great-grandfather opened 101 years ago near Birmingham, Ala., learned of their fate in letters delivered Thursday morning by U.P.S.
“I had a small crowd around me when I opened it, all hoping for the best,” said Mr. Drennen, who took over ownership of Don Drennen Chrysler Jeep from his ailing father only a few days ago.

“We were shocked,” he said. “We’ve been in Birmingham for almost as long as Birmingham has been here, and selling cars for almost as long as they’ve been building them.”

The National Automobile Dealers Association has estimated that all the dealership closings, including ones already announced by G.M. and Chrysler, represent 187,000 jobs, more than the number of people who work for the two car companies in the United States.

“Even though we knew it was coming, it’s still a shock to see those names in black and white,” said John McEleney, chairman of the dealers association.

The unprecedented closings reflect the precarious financial state of both G.M. and Chrysler, which have been subsisting on government loans since the beginning of the year.

See: Go to Article from The New York Times »

Nike to cut about 1,750 jobs worldwide

Demand for its products slow as the global economic meltdown hurt consumer spending
By Sarah Skidmore
Associated Press

Shoe and apparel company Nike Inc. said Thursday that it will cut about 1,750 jobs worldwide, or 5 percent of its global work force.

About 500 of the jobs lost will be at Nike's world headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. The company did not specify what departments the cuts would be in.

Nike had announced in February that it would cut jobs as part of a realignment of its business. In March, it said it was reducing layers of management, among other organizational changes.
Like many companies, Nike has seen demand for its products slow as the global economic meltdown hurt consumer spending.

The company plans to complete the reductions in the coming weeks.

"Our new structure sharpens our consumer focus globally to drive continued growth while positioning Nike Inc. competitively in today's marketplace," Chief Executive Mark Parker said in a statement. "We remain a growth company and we know these changes have created a stronger organization that will enable us to invest in our most significant opportunities."

The company, whose other brands include Converse, Cole Haan and Umbro, remains the industry leader. But Nike saw its profit drop in the most recent quarter, largely on one-time items, and its revenue fell 2 percent as the economic downturn dragged on.

California to layoffs of 5,000 state workers

Calif. ordering layoffs to cover $15.4B deficit
By Judy Lin
Associated Press

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday that thousands of state employees must be laid off and billions of dollars must be slashed from the budget to deal with a deficit that tops $15 billion and could widen again within days.

"I understand that these cuts are very painful and they affect real lives," Schwarzenegger said during a news conference. "This is the harsh reality and the reality that we face. Sacramento is not Washington — we cannot print our own money. We can only spend what we have."
The state approved billions in budget cuts and revenue increases earlier this year but they were not enough to keep up with a sharp drop in tax revenue as the recession batters the state's economy.

California still faces a deficit of $15.4 billion in the fiscal year that starts July 1. That will grow to $21.3 billion if voters reject budget-related measures during a special election next week.
The Republican governor released budget proposals that account for both deficit numbers and call for across-the-board cuts that will strike at the core of state services.

Starting Friday, the administration will send layoff notices to 5,000 state government employees, a move that is designed to cut the general work force by 5 percent but would take months to complete. Funding for health and human services and the higher education system also would be cut.

See: Calif. ordering layoffs to cover $15.4B deficit

KOY-Office of Environmental Affairs Recommends Planting Vegetable Gardens

Vegetable Gardens Save Money, Environmentally-Friendly
KNN Staff

Gardening means different things to different people. Thousands view gardening as a hobby, a relaxing escape from the pressures of an urban environment. For these people, the food produced may be almost secondary. Growing fresh vegetables, herbs, or fruits provides a great sense of joy and accomplishment. A vegetable garden can also reduce the family's food budget, and it can be a source of hard-to-find vegetables such as kohlrabi, Chinese cabbage, horseradish, salsify, and pak choi. One of the main reasons that people garden is that vegetables from the supermarket cannot compare in taste, quality, or freshness with vegetables grown in the home garden.

A great many things happen when you plant a vegetable garden, some of them directly related to climate change, others indirect but related nevertheless. Growing food, we forget, comprises the original solar technology: calories produced by means of photosynthesis. Years ago the cheap-energy mind discovered that more food could be produced with less effort by replacing sunlight with fossil-fuel fertilizers and pesticides, with a result that the typical calorie of food energy in your diet now requires about 10 calories of fossil-fuel energy to produce. It’s estimated that the way we feed ourselves (or rather, allow ourselves to be fed) accounts for about a fifth of the greenhouse gas for which each of us is responsible.

Let's change the world - Plant a vegetable garden today!!!!

Hebrew Israelite Community Gains Acceptance In Israel

By Stephanie Rice
The Huffington Post
Dimona, Israel

As a young African-American man in late 1970s Chicago, Atur Yirmeyahu was contemplating the fairly standard dilemmas of whether to go to graduate school and ask his girlfriend of three years to marry him.

Before the year was over, he had decided on a wholly unorthodox way forward. Scrapping the university plans and breaking up with his girlfriend, he left his hometown for a sleepy desert settlement in southern Israel.

He has hardly seen his family in the three decades since he packed his bags, but here, in this working-class Negev town, he says he has found his rightful home. Yirmeyahu is part of the 2,500-strong Hebrew Israelite community settled in one of three neighboring villages.

The first group of vegan, polygamous and ethnically African-American settlers arrived in 1969, following their young, charismatic leader, Ben Ammi Ben Israel. Ben Ammi, formerly a Chicago factory worker named Ben Carter, preached that black Americans were descendants of one of Israel's lost tribes and needed to return to their homeland.

To the Hebrew Israelites, or Black Hebrews as they're known here, Ben Ammi is the Messiah and their exodus from America an escape from oppression and violence.

Yirmeyahu said he grew up in a crime-ridden neighborhood, experimented with drugs in college and "shudders to think" what might have become of him if he had stayed in Chicago.

"The most common cause of death in the black community was handgun murder," he said, sitting on a bench in the village courtyard on a recent afternoon, a group of teenage boys playing basketball nearby. "I've been shot. I've wrestled with individuals with guns. The black experience -- the captivity -- it wasn't a picnic."

Life hasn't always been carefree here either. For decades, the group battled the government for the right to live in Israel. They refused to officially convert to Judaism to satisfy the religious nationalists who doubted their authenticity, arguing they didn't need to prove themselves to anyone. There were mass deportations, and newcomers often resorted to sneaking in, sometimes posing as tour groups.

"It was a big struggle," said Hagit Peres, a Ben-Gurion University professor and anthropologist who has studied the Black Hebrews. "They didn't get anything easily, and many left during the process."

In recent years, some of that tension has dissolved. There was a turning point in 2003 when the government awarded the community permanent residency, allowing them to join the army and apply for full citizenship. Several weeks ago, the government approved a citizenship application from a Black Hebrew man for the first time.

"It's a great victory for us," said Avichiel Ben Israel, a spokesman for the group. "It shows us that the God of Israel lives. We see it in a very historic manner -- after 40 years, being recognized."

Hiskiyahoo, the director of the one of the nearby villages, said the citizenship is validation that Ben Ammi's teachings are correct and that community members are following the right path in their quest to create what they call the Kingdom of Yah, or "Kingdom of God," on Earth.

"All the things he said have come to pass," Hiskiyahoo said.

To be sure, the Black Hebrews have come a long way in their relations with government and society here. They run a successful national chain of vegan restaurants, more than 300 of their youth are serving in the army and their choirs regularly perform throughout the country. In 2006, Israelis even chose Black Hebrew singer Eddie Butler to represent them in the Eurovision song contest.

"Before, people thought that we were a cult," said Avichiel, the spokesman. "That perception has changed now that people have the opportunity to visit and see that it couldn't be farther from the truth. We have a culture, a way of life."

But while their lifestyle has similarities to Judaism -- they practice circumcision, celebrate Passover and observe the Sabbath -- there are major differences that still raise eyebrows among Jewish Israelis. There's the polygamy, for example. It's common for men to take several wives and have more than a dozen children -- a practice Avichiel says stems from an uneven female-to-male ratio and strict purity rules that keep women from fulfilling their domestic role during their periods and after childbirth.

"There are more women than there are men, it's really practical," he said, sitting on a couch in an office with a framed photo of Ben Ammi staring serenely from the wall. "During menstruation, she's set aside and doesn't prepare food. After childbirth she's isolated for 40 days after a boy, or 80 days after a female. So you kind of need more than one."

Yirmeyahu, the Chicago native, has only one wife and no children but hopes to marry two more women and have at least 10 kids. He is also hopeful he will be among the next to receive Israeli citizenship. "I was never an American anyway," he said.