Jerusalem News, .20 November 2022; 26 Cheshvan, 5783.
30 April 2023; 9 Iyar, 5783.
Contents:
1. Statistics. The Population of Israel.
2. Ireland is now the 2nd richest country (after Singapore) per capita in the world.
3. 15 Things the Cannabis Industry Doesn't Want You to Know.
4., Coronation. Anointment of King Charles with Sacred Oil.
by Rabbi Nechemia Coopersmith (Extracts).
5. Israel's Alternative Project to the Suez Canal - A Ben Gurion Waterway?
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1. Statistics. The Population of Israel.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-population-nears-10-million-a-12-fold-increase-since-states-1948-founding/?utm_source=The+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=daily-edition-2023-04-24&utm_medium=email
The population of Israel is edging toward 10 million, making it a dozen times larger than it was on the day the Jewish state was established, according to figures released by the Central Bureau of Statistics on Monday ahead of the country's 75th Independence Day celebrations.
There are 9,727,000 people living in Israel, the CBS said. Of those, 7,145,000 are Jewish, or 73.5 percent, along with 2,048,000 Arabs (21%) and 534,000 members of other minorities (5.5%).
[This does not include the Muslim population if Judah and Samaria].
Since last year, the population grew by 216,000 people, an increase of 2.3%. There were 183,000 babies born and 79,000 new immigrants arrived, while 51,000 people died.
According to the figures, at the end of 2021, 46% of the world's total Jewish population was living in Israel.
On the economic front, 2022 saw real growth per capita reach 4.4% compared to an average of 3.3% for countries in the European Union. Over the period 2012-2022, Israel's real growth per capita reached 23.4%, the CBS said, compared to an average of 14.7% for EU countries.
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2. Ireland is now the 2nd richest country (after Singapore) per capita in the world
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5vsnX1UD1w
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3. 15 Things the Cannabis Industry Doesn't Want You to Know
https://aish.com/15-things-the-cannabis-industry-doesnt-want-you-to-know/?src=ac
by Dr. Roneet Lev, FACEP
Extracts:
As an emergency and addiction physician practicing on the front lines of the emergency department, I am seeing firsthand the devastating damage marijuana causes.
Illicit fentanyl is an opioid 100 times more potent than morphine. Over 150 people a day die of illicit fentanyl in the United States; it is the number one cause of death for ages 18-45. Treating patients who overdosed on fentanyl and want treatment for fentanyl addiction, I have not met any that did not start priming their brain with marijuana before getting into fentanyl. It's not "just weed."
While marijuana and drug use in America is being normalized and commercialized, most people do not use marijuana, contrary to common belief. 65% of Americans aged 18 - 25, the highest age group of marijuana user, have not used marijuana in the past month.
It is a value in Judaism to live a healthy life and take care of your body. The Talmud derives from the verse 'be very careful to safeguard your soul' (Deut. 4:15) a mandate to be responsible with your life and not harm your physical body.
Here are 15 things about marijuana that the cannabis industry doesn't want you to know. You deserve to understand the risks. I hope this science-based information helps you make healthy and protective choices.
1. Today's marijuana is not just a plant - it is genetically modified, potent and contains toxins
"This ain't your mama's marijuana" said Surgeon General Jerome Adams. The cannabis products sold at dispensaries have been genetically altered for a high percentage of THC, making the drug very potent.
..... today I treat marijuana poisoning every shift, while I never saw such cases when I was a young doctor.
2. Marijuana can have contaminants and toxins.
The cannabis industry is poorly regulated. .... Fungal contamination of cannabis flower is well known. This prompted the CDC to issue a warning against smoking cannabis for organ transplant recipients and those with other immunocompromising conditions. People who are immunocompromised should not be smoking or vaping cannabis products.
The marijuana plant has over 400 chemicals and can include toxins such as heavy metals like lead and mercury as well as carcinogens.
3. The drug industry targets youth.
While the legal age is 18 or 21, the scientific age for an adult brain is 25 - 27. Addiction is up to 7 times higher for a growing brain than an adult brain. We would have less addiction if the population abstained for any addictive substance until age 25.
4. Marijuana stunts brain growth
The brain continues to grow until the mid-20s by synaptic pruning and myelination. Synaptic pruning is a selection process where the brain keeps pathways that are used and cuts out pathways that are not used. The young period of time is a critical to learn and develop strong healthy neuronal pathways. A pathway into marijuana steals away other healthy pathways.
Myelination is the white coating of neurons. The last part of the brain to develop myelin is the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe is the executive function of the brain in charge of decision making, motivation and judgment.
Marijuana stunts the growth of the brain. That is why the Surgeon General issued an advisory on marijuana and the developing brain, especially young adults and during pregnancy.
5. Marijuana is Addictive
Three out of 10 cannabis users develop addiction, but those starting before age 18 are 7 times more likely to develop addiction.
Cannabis withdrawal is reported by up to 30% of regular users and in 50-90% of heavy users. ....The common symptoms of cannabis withdrawal are irritability, anxiety, insomnia, headache, and significant cravings for marijuana. Typically, these symptoms last for about two weeks after cessation.
6. Marijuana is a risk factor for psychosis and schizophrenia.
Not everyone who smokes tobacco will develop cancer, heart disease or emphysema, but it is a known risk factor. Similarly, marijuana is a risk factor for psychosis which can turn into permanent schizophrenia.
7. Marijuana targets the heart
... There are associations with heart attack, stroke, and irregular heart rhythms.
8. Marijuana can make you scomit [p[pscreaming-vomiting]]
9. Marijuana is not safer than alcohol
One of the common talking points of Big Marijuana is that it is safer than alcohol. While there is no doubt alcohol is a health hazard, scientifically and medically they are different. They don't need to compete on who is worse, in fact they are addictive and cause more problems when used together.
Alcohol is a water-soluble chemical that leaves the body in zero order kinetics. Young adults with alcohol poisoning sober quickly in a few hours. Marijuana is a lipid or fat-soluble molecule that goes to the brain and sticks around for a while.
Furthermore, there are no receptors for alcohol in the brain or body, while the brain and body and many cannabinoid receptors that can be altered by marijuana. People who drink alcohol or get drunk rarely develop psychosis at a young age. Psychosis associated with marijuana can happen at first use or after several times and happens at a younger age.
10. Marijuana is not safer than tobacco
Smoking and vaping of any product is bad for your lungs. Smoked cannabis products can contain similar toxins to tobacco products. In fact, vaping cannabis is worse for the lungs than tobacco.
11. Marijuana is not recommended for pain
The majority of people who use marijuana as medicine, claim it helps with pain. However, cannabis is contraindicated in patients who have an opioid use disorder according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Concurrent marijuana and long-term opioid use does not improve pain. Cannabis use increased the risk of opioid use disorder in a study of 34,653 participants.
12. Marijuana is not recommended for seizures
13. Driving while using marijuana can be deadly
Overall, marijuana users were about 25% more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers with no evidence of marijuana use. Marijuana legalization resulted in a 5.8% increase in injury crash rates and 2.3% increase in fatal crash rates.
If you smoke marijuana, wait at least 4.5 hours before getting behind the wheel. Like with alcohol, refuse to be a passenger of an impaired driver.
14. Babies and Zadies are being poisoned
Sadly, the number one poisoning in children under the age of six is marijuana.
Adults over 65 have suffered an increase of 1804% of emergency visits related to marijuana poisoning between 2005 and 2019. Older adults tend to be on medications that have drug interactions with cannabis products or have impaired renal or liver function that slows metabolism. People have suffered hemorrhage because of cannabis interaction with their blood thinners. Check out Drugs.com drug interaction and enter cannabis for THC or cannabidiol for CBD to learn of the hundreds of drug interactions.
15. Weed whacks your DNA
Marijuana is genotoxic, meaning it can damage your DNA. Several studies have shown that cannabis can alter male sperm DNA that is associated with autism. Cannabis has been linked as a teratogen causing congenital abnormalities to exposed fetus. It is also associated with a rise in pediatric cancers.
For the protection of the next generation, you may want to abstain from cannabis for 3 months before conceiving.
Treatment
Substance use disorder is a chronic relapsing disease of the brain that is treatable. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out for help. Treatment is possible.
Dr. Roneet Lev practices emergency medicine at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. You can follow her podcast, High Truths on Drugs and Addiction
For further reading: Marijuana and Judaism: What Does Jewish Law Say about the Subject?
https://aish.com/marijuana-and-judaism-what-does-jewish-law-say-about-the-subject/
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4., Coronation. Anointment of King Charles with Sacred Oil.
by Rabbi Nechemia Coopersmith (Extracts).
One detail about the upcoming coronation of Kings Charles III and The Queen Consort piqued my interest. The oil that will be used to anoint him as king was consecrated in Jerusalem's Old City... at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The new "sacred oil" - that's how it's being referred to in mainstream press - was created from olives harvested and grown on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, under the order of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who will officiate the coronation.
He said, "This demonstrates the deep historic link between the Coronation, the Bible and the Holy Land. From ancient kings through to the present day, monarchs have been anointed with oil from this sacred place....
The anointing oil is referred to in the Torah (Exodus 30:22-33) when God instructs Moses to produce it to consecrate kings and High Priests, as well as the Tabernacle and its utensils (such as the ark, altars and menorah). ... the Talmud states that the original oil Moses produced in the desert, though only 12 logs (around 1 gallon), miraculously lasted for all of Israel's history and exists in its full quantity today (Horiyot 11b).
... The oil was hidden away by King Josiah towards the end of the First Temple era, when he hid the Ark of the Covenant and some other sacred items, knowing that the Temple was soon to be destroyed.
When the Temple is rebuilt, the oil will be revealed from its hiding place, together with the Ark, and the future King of Israel (aka the Messiah, Mashiach in Hebrew, which means "the anointed one") will be anointed with it.
The Talmud (Megillah 6b) states that God makes a rare promise: no matter what your IQ is, if your yearning for Jewish wisdom is so strong that in translates into blood, sweat and tears, God will open up the gates of wisdom and coronate you with the Crown of Torah.
Rabbi Nechemia Coopersmith
Editor in Chief, Aish.com
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5. Israel's Alternative Project to the Suez Canal - A Ben Gurion Waterway?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxHAOPpL30w
Container ships today carry 80% of world trade.
Through the Suez Canal (completed in 1869).passes 12% of total world trade and 30% of container ships.
Problems with the Suez canal include the fact that is narrow, one-way., and subject to stoppages that delay traffic.
The proposed Ben-Gurion waterway from Eilat on the Gulf of Akaba to Yaffo or somewhere on the Mediterranean coast would be about 180 miles long compared with 130 of Suez.
It could be much deeper than Suezto fit mega ships carrying containers.
It would allow Two-way traffic.
It would be cut into rocky terrain entailing less mainenance costs in the long run.