Wednesday, 25 February 2009

Hamodia USA Newspaper - Setting the double-standard in Frum media

www.hamodia.com

Just a short while ago if you Googled the word hamodia and clicked on the first link from your query, you were directed to a simple place-holder site with the words "We will not be publishing an internet Edition of the paper."

However, that has all changed now. With the growing popularity of the internet, even within the Heimishe community, the Hamodia has realized that by not publishing an online edition they miss out tapping into an otherwise lucrative market. By beefing up their online presence, although their online news, like their print news, is far from award-winning, they nevertheless hope to use their web-site to reel in subscribers to their print edition.

Aside from the obvious hypocrisy by the Hamodia of going back on their original self-righteous condescending visionless words, there is an even deeper flaw here. For some reason it just plain smacks of chutzpa when a newspaper that refuses to accept advertisements for web-sites goes right ahead and builds a site of their own.

The overwhelming message here seems to be that the Hamodia is adamantly against the use of the internet until they can use it as a way to profit from it for themselves.

Google users hit by mail outage

Google users hit by mail blackout

Business and consumer users of Google's popular e-mail service were hit by a blackout on Tuesday.

The service went offline at 0930 GMT and began to return for many users after four hours, one of the longest downtimes ever suffered by Google.

More than 113 million people use Google mail worldwide, according to comScore.

Google said it apologised for the inconvenience the e-mail blackout had caused its users.

"We know how important GMail is to our users so we take this very seriously," it added.

According to comScore, Google has the world's third most popular web mail service behind Hotmail with 283 million users and Yahoo with 274 million e-mail users.

Professional suite

More than a million business around the world use Google's professional suite of applications, including e-mail. Google itself relies on the service and press spokespeople for the firm were unable to e-mail journalists with statements regarding the problem.

Professional users are covered by a service level agreement that promises to be 99.9% operational in any calendar month.

The "premier edition" of the Apps service costs $50 (£34) per user for a year.

According to Google, its e-mail service suffered an average of 10 to 15 minutes of downtime per month in 2008.

The last outage of note was in August 2008 when users were unable to use Google Mail for "a couple of hours".

After the incident Todd Jackson, product manager for Google Mail, said in a blog post: "We're conducting a full review of what went wrong and moving quickly to update our internal systems and procedures accordingly."

On its support page for Google Mail, the firm said "A number of users have had difficulty accessing GMail today.

"The majority are now able to access their e-mail accounts again and we're hoping to have service restored for the remainder very soon."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/7907583.stm

Published: 2009/02/24 13:28:27 GMT

miami boys choir becoming famous!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eAgxnaVirg

Tesco's dire spelling in dock again after store sign thanks customers for their 'patients'

Tesco's dire spelling in dock again after store sign thanks customers for their 'patients'

By David Wilkes

Spell check: The notice in the Tesco window atthe Hampton Hill store in South-West London

According to Tesco's slogan, 'every little helps'.

But at one of the supermarket giant's stores, the small matter of correct spelling was clearly not considered to be of much assistance to customers when staff put up a sign to inform them of early closing because of refurbishments.

After apologising for the 'inconvinience', it read: 'Thank you for your patients whiles we improve your store.'

The three schoolboy errors on the sign outside the store in Hampton Hill, London, were spotted today as Tesco, the UK's biggest supermarket, defied the credit crunch by reporting a 10 per cent rise in profits for the first half of this year.

A spokesman for the Plain English Campaign said: 'I'm astounded that such glaring mistakes could be made on a sign put up by such a big company as Tesco.

'It really does show how standards are dropping, and it gives the wrong message to the public when major employers allow such errors to slip through the net.

'They are giving a rubber stamp to laziness and bad education. Surely they must have people to check these things?'

A Tesco spokesman said: 'If it's a store-specific sign, it will have been generated in that store.'

It is the third time this year Tesco has come under fire for its use of language.

Last month it agreed to change the wording at its 'ten items or less' checkouts to 'up to ten items' after a long-running and heated debate over whether the signs are linguistically correct.

It followed criticism from supporters of good English who had argued that the signs should say 'ten items or fewer' rather than 'ten items or less'.

The solution was suggested by the Plain English Campaign. Tesco announced it will be using the revised wording in new stores only.

In July the Plain English Campaign criticised Tesco over repetition, for saying four times on a bag of mixed nuts that it contained a mixture.

The words 'mixed nuts' were written in red on the front of the pack. In three other places Tesco told customers they were buying Brazil nuts, almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts.

Tesco - which put 'contains milk' on milk bottles two years ago - said it was following rules about food packaging. But a Food Standards Agency spokesman was unaware of regulations on how often information should be repeated.

News: one pound shop closed due to 99p shop

Pound shop forced to close after

99p Store opens across the road

By Daily Mail Reporter

A pound shop has been put out of business - by a rival 99 pence store.

It is thought people struggling to beat the credit crunch would rather save just

one penny by shopping in 99p Stores.

Penny pinching: Pound World in Poole has been forced to close after a 99p

Store opened nearby Pound World bosses claim the rush across the high street

has got so bad that the shop has seen a 70 per cent drop in turnover.

They have now been forced to close the discount store in Poole, Dorset, due to the

nosedive in takings.

But takings began to tumble when 99p Stores opened across the road just weeks ago -

undercutting their prices by just one penny.Mr Lang said: 'It's amazing that we are having

to close because of a 99 pence store.'But people will go wherever they can get what they

need at the cheapest price - even if the difference is just one penny.'

The closed shop's seven staff will however remain employed, by another discount store

opening on the same site.

Watch the images taken from the Holtzbergs Hard Drive rescued from their home in Mumbia

Chilling! But this is the Holtzbergs Hard Drive rescued from their home in Mumbia

http://www.col.org.il/pics/inbox/6616327_5787731.wmv

Website - SaturdayGuard– Automatically Closes Your Website During Shabbat - and ONLY During Shabbat.

14855094

SaturdayGuard – Automatically Closes Your Website During Shabbat - and ONLY During Shabbat.

With the development of technology the Internet takes a major roll in our day to day life and commerce.
The Internet is active 24/7 therefor most web sites are opened during Shabbat.
Until now it was technologically impossible to efficiently close a website during Shabbat since Shabbat comes and goes in different places in different times.
For example: when Shabbat comes in Australia, in the USA it is still Friday.

Did you know that Shabbat takes almost 50 hours globally?

By utilizing the power of SaturdayGuard your site will be closed and opened automatically during the Shabbat. This will all happen according to the visitor's location. When a vistor comes from a place that's already Shabbat - your web site will be closed for him while for one that arrives from a place that it is not yet Shabbat - your web site will be opened.

New Alarm Specially for U....

A new generation of Alarm Clock now in the Markets... A New technology coming from Japan ...

Alarm Clock

Wake Up !!!

Thursday, 12 February 2009

Hundreds Attend Global Warming Protest

מחאת אלפים נגד התחממות כדור הארץ

Hundreds Attend Global Warming Protest

Obama the 1st black president.

Obama the 1st black president. Lewis Hamilton the 1st black F1 world champ. Will Smith the worlds highest paid actor. How times change. Its a gr8 time 2 be black. Poor old Michael Jackson, must be kicking himself.

NEWS students blocking schools door in London with snow

NEWS;

students made a surprise for school teachers, by blocking

their schools door in south London with snow

When graphic designers get bored

When graphic artists get bored ......

This will cure me of eating bananas for sure! ?

Talk yourself out of a speeding ticked

On the ball – On the go

Talk yourself out of a speeding ticket

Did you hear about the 83 year old woman who talked herself out of a speeding ticket by telling the young officer that she had to get there before she forgot where she was going?

מחנובקא רבי זיך משתתף מיט די בחירות

מחנובקא רבי זיך משתתף מיט די בחירות

Murder At Walmart

Tired of constantly being broke and stuck in an unhappy marriage, a young husband decided to solve both problems by taking out a large insurance policy on his wife with himself as the beneficiary, and then arrange to have her killed.

A 'friend of a friend' put him in touch with a nefarious dark-side underworld figure who went by the name of 'Artie'.

Artie then explained to the husband that his going price for snuffing out a spouse was $5,000.

The husband said he was willing to pay that amount, but that he wouldn't have any cash on hand until he could collect his wife's insurance money.

Artie insisted on being paid at least something up front, so the man opened his wallet, displaying the single dollar bill that rested inside. Artie sighed, rolled his eyes, and reluctantly agreed to accept the dollar as down payment for the dirty deed.

A few days later, Artie followed the man's wife to the local Super Wal-Mart store. There, he surprised her in the produce department and proceeded to strangle her with his gloved hands and as the poor unsuspecting woman drew her last breath and slumped to the floor........

The manager of the produce department stumbled unexpectedly onto the murder scene. Unwilling to leave any living witnesses behind, ol' Artie had no choice but to strangle the produce manager as well.

However, unknown to Artie, the entire proceedings were captured by the hidden security cameras and observed by the store's security guard, who immediately called the police. Artie was caught and arrested before he could even leave the store.

Under intense questioning at the police station, Artie revealed the whole sordid plan, including his unusual financial arrangements with the hapless husband who was also quickly arrested.

The next day in the newspaper, the headline declared......

'ARTIE CHOKES 2 FOR $1.00 AT WAL-MART!'

Hanging In the Balance: Nightmare in Japan

Hanging In the Balance: Nightmare in Japan

By: Malka Heimowitz

Date: Wednesday, February 11 2009

The loneliness is overwhelming. Yoel G., Yaakov Yosef G., and Yossi B. have spent ten months in solitary confinement, sitting on a hard concrete floor, their mobility severely restricted. They have no contact with anyone they know, except for their lawyers. No visitors are permitted, with the exception of parents, whom they may only see briefly and infrequently. Even these visits are held through a glass partition, and monitored by guards and interpreters.

And the fear. How long will they have to remain in these forbidding jail cells, thousands of miles away from their homes and yeshivos? Will they be sentenced to a decade of forced labor by a judge who cannot comprehend the naiveté of innocent yeshiva bachurim cruelly exploited by ostensibly pious Jews? Will they ever again lead a normal, Jewish life after being "reformed" by the highly efficient Japanese corrections system?

Yossi was only 17 at the time of his arrest; Yaakov Yosef was 19. Lack of kosher food has caused one of the boys to lose 100 pounds, and another to lose 60.

It started out as an innocent favor for a friend. Yoel, Yaakov Yosef and Yossi were kindhearted yeshiva bachurim who spent their spare time doing chesed for sick people in Bnei Brak, and when someone they knew and trusted approached them with an assignment of a different nature, they had no reason to think anything was amiss.

"I have a friend who is an antique dealer," the person told them, "and he needs to deliver some antiques to Japan for the Tokyo 2008 Art Fair that will be taking place in a few weeks. He is unable to go himself, due to family obligations, so he asked me to find three bachurim to each take one parcel containing valuable antiques. He is willing to pay $1,000 to each of you on your return for the effort."

The boys recognized the name of the antique dealer, a prominent and respected member of the religious community in Eretz Yisrael. Nothing about the assignment sounded suspicious, and the promise of some bein hazmanim pocket money was inviting.

The boys were told their assignment was 100% legal and that the antiques they would be delivering did not have to be declared at Japanese customs. Instead of receiving a parcel, they were each given an empty suitcase and instructed to put their personal belongings inside. The antiques, they were told, had been placed in a sealed compartment inside the suitcases as a precaution against theft, damage or accidental loss.

They did not dream the sealed compartments of the three suitcases contained narcotics worth $3.6 million. They did not dream the favor they were being asked to do was a mask for a crime punishable by ten years of imprisonment and forced labor. And they did not dream that instead of the $1,000 in pocket money they had been promised for their effort, Jews the world over would have to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to wage a massive legal battle on their behalf.

Upon arrival at Tokyo's Narita International Airport, the three unsuspecting boys placed their luggage onto the x-ray machine. Japanese customs officials spotted the hidden compartments, cut open the suitcases, and discovered a total of over 50 pounds of narcotics cleverly concealed inside. The boys were immediately arrested and placed in solitary confinement.

For the next 21 days, the three were subjected to grueling interrogation. The 2,500-page record of this interrogation, as well as the results of polygraph tests, showed clearly that none of the boys had any knowledge of the hidden contents of their luggage. But the law is the law, especially in Japan, where there is a zero-tolerance attitude to crime. The Japanese stance on illegal substances is one of the toughest in the world, and 99.9% of people caught smuggling drugs into Japan are convicted. Sentences can range between 10 and 15 years of prison and forced labor.

By the time Japanese prisoners are released, they are fully "reformed," usually with drastically diminished physical and mental capabilities. The Japanese corrections system is designed to act as a powerful deterrent to crime, and indeed, the crime rate in Japan is infinitesimal compared to other westernized countries.

Ten months in jail have taken their toll on the boys physically and emotionally, and they and their families tremble at the thought of what ten years of imprisonment and forced labor will do to them. Experts estimate that young, sheltered yeshiva bachurim like Yoel, Yaakov Yosef and Yossi would not survive even one year of prison without permanent damage.

Both Yossi and Yaakov Yosef are considered minors by Japanese law, but they are nevertheless being tried in adult court in light of the severity with which the Japanese authorities view their alleged crime. Yossi's trial was held at the beginning of February; he is now awaiting sentencing. The trials of Yoel and Yaakov Yosef are due to begin shortly, but it will be several months before all of the verdicts are delivered.

Yoel and Yaakov Yosef are managing to learn Torah and have completed a number of masechtos in the detention center as they await trial. The three boys struggle valiantly to adhere to halacha, despite their circumstances, and have sought rabbinic guidance in how to cope with the unique halachic challenges they face.

Askanim in Eretz Yisrael, the U.S., England and Belgium have worked tirelessly to provide them with kosher food, religious articles and medical attention. More importantly, they have invested tremendous efforts into putting together top-notch defense teams for each of the boys. These teams are composed of both Japanese lawyers and experts in international law such as Mordechai Tzivin, an Israeli and international lawyer; the well-known Dayan Chaim Yosef Dovid Weiss of Antwerp; Rabbi Jacob Bleich, chief rabbi of Ukraine; Rabbi Aaron Nezri of London; and Rabbi Elimelech Bindiger.

Yoel, Yaakov Yosef and Yossi are not just three boys sitting in jail in Japan. They are our brothers, they are our children. If you or your child were in their situation, you would desperately want kind Jews to come to your aid. That's how these boys feel. They are totally dependent on the mercy of the Ribbono Shel Olam, the mercy of the Japanese judges, and the mercy of Klal Yisrael.

The first way we can help the boys is by intensifying our tefillos on their behalf and begging Hashem that the judges be fully convinced of their innocence. The full Hebrew names of the boys are: Yoel Zev ben Mirel Reesa Chava; Yaakov Yosef ben Raizel; and Yosef ben Ita Rivka.

The second way we can help is by shouldering some of the costs of the legal and humanitarian assistance they require. These costs have already surpassed $800,000, and askanim project that a minimum of $500,000 more will be needed until all the trials are over.

The mitzvah of pidyon shevuyim overrides Shabbos and takes precedence over all other forms of tzedakah. Whatever our financial situation, whatever other obligations we might have, we must remember that boys are relying on our kindness and generosity.

The cost of legal and humanitarian assistance has already surpassed $800,000, and askanim project a minimum of $500,000 more will be needed. Tax-deductible contributions can be sent to the rabbonim listed in the ad on page 11 of this week's Jewish Press.

Hamodia Israel Apologizes To Its Readers After Its Newspaper Posts Non-Kosher Recipe

Jerusalem - Hamodia Israel Apologizes To Its Readers After Its Newspaper Posts Non-Kosher Recipe
Published on: February 10th, 2009 at 08:02 AM

Stir-fried meat noodles, with cheese [file photo]
Jerusalem - Members of the ultra-Orthodox community opening the weekend edition of haredi daily Hamodia in search of a recipe for a good Shabbat meal last week were shocked to find a recipe for stir-fried chicken noodles with none other than dairy Feta cheese - a combination that is against the rules of kashrut and is strictly forbidden.

Recipe sections in family editions in the haredi sector are enjoying rising popularity, and just about every ultra-Orthodox publication includes such a section.

Last week, however, an unpleasant mishap occurred with one of Hamodia's Habayit Shelanu ("our home") family edition's recipes.

The daily's loyal readers discovered that one of the recipes for stir-fried chicken with noodles and vegetables came with a recommendation to serve the meaty dish with a large tablespoon of Feta cheese cubes in every plate.

Furious readers flooded the paper with letters and phone calls in protest of the combination of meat and milk, which is absolutely forbidden in Judaism.

"I am simply stunned. The spiritual committee that goes over every letter and line in the paper should have prevented this," said M., a loyal reader.

modia staff quickly published an apology from the Afikim Advertising company that is responsible for the recipes:

"The serving suggestion appearing in this recipe belongs to another recipe and was accidentally printed twice. We apologize for the mishap."