World War II didn’t so much begin as it gathered, like water rising until it breaches a dam. We, too, have been living through years of rising waters, though it took Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for much of the world to notice.

To put the current state of international affairs in the most terribly brutal realpolitik terms: Is Ukraine worth the possibility of involving the United States and Russia, two nuclear powers that could destroy human life on earth, in a shooting war?

People in these countries are scared of World War III. I understand the fear—but don’t you understand that World War III may have already arrived? Ukraine has been begging NATO to establish a no-fly zone, to protect us from Russian bombs, or at least give us fighter jets so we can better protect our skies. So far, the answer on both is “no.”

From what I hear from sources, the real stumbling block is the Iranian insistence (not unreasonable, I may add) that a future administration won’t just cancel the deal, as the Trump administration did. Because it’s so hard to offer such guarantees, if anything kills the deal, that will be it.

It’s also unclear whether Congress will have a say in approving the new terms. Some argue that if this is an expanded or new deal, Congress should review it. Others assert that if the U.S. is “simply” reentering the previous deal, Congress has already had its say.

In a desperate bid to save its economy, Russia has been making demands that could kill President Joe Biden’s effort to revive the Iran nuclear agreement.

Strangely enough, that might be a blessing for Biden.

There are pitfalls to international negotiation—the need for consensus, compromises driven by member states and trade associations—and the response of producer nations, especially the U.S., the largest contributor to plastic waste, could ultimately shape the treaty’s success.

Supporters have said that a global plastics treaty would be the most important environmental accord since the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, in which nations agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The sheer pervasiveness of plastic waste has been widely recognized in recent years, with plastic debris identified everywhere from Arctic snow to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in the ocean. Microplastics, tiny pieces of the material, have also been found in the digestive tracts of a range of species, from fish to seabirds, and even humans.

Why are many Jews freaking out about this?

Morning prayers need to be said after sunrise.

In the winter months this can be very late. Without daylight savings morning prayers could potentially only start after 8AM making it very hard for many to pray and get to work on time.

the definitive frum take on permanent daylight savings: this is great for ending super early shabbat, but it is permanent death for pizza places opening on motzai shabbat ever again

Might have just lost a month of comedy gigs on Motzei Shabbos in the winter.

I am certain that Israel can solve this internally, but it has been 30 years since the enactment of the law for human dignity and liberty, and we are no closer to solving this crisis. We still have thousands of women praying and fighting to be released from unwanted marriages.

…as a legally binding arbitration agreement, the halakhic prenup can be upheld in civil courts. Thus, while a civil court can’t order a husband to deliver a get, it can compel the parties to honor the agreements made, appearing before the Beth Din of America and paying the proper amount of money each day.

All agunot living in the Diaspora should be made aware of this development and make preparations should their recalcitrant husband visit Israel. Even if one feels hopeless and is convinced that the get-refuser would never come to Israel, it is worthwhile to take the following steps.

By drinking just enough wine on Purim we neutralize the body so the soul can have more of a say in how we perceive the world and Divine Providence. Then we can better see how the evil people of history have no power, just as the good people have none.

Our sages tell us, in the words of the Hafetz Hayim, that “we are not commanded to reduce ourselves to drunkenness” but to use alcohol responsibly (specifically wine, as in other Jewish ritual observance) in order to enhance our experience of this holy day.

Despite a single Talmudic opinion in the name of Rava stating that one must drink wine on Purim [.] rabbis such as Yosef Karo have long noted that the Talmud qualifies or rejects Rava’s view, teaching us that even on Purim “drunkenness is an absolute prohibition.”