Jamal Ben Saddik Faces Longtime Rival Rico Verhoeven At Glory: Collision 3 

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Jamal Ben Saddik Faces Longtime Rival Rico Verhoeven At Glory: Collision 3 

By Percy Lovell Crawford

Appropriately nicknamed “The Goliath,” Jamal Ben Saddik stands 6-feet-9-inches and weighs an imposing 250 pounds. He has stamped himself as one of the elite kickboxers in the world. On Saturday, Saddik has the opportunity to come out ahead in his trilogy with heavyweight stalwart Rico Verhoeven.

The two first met in 2011, when Verhoeven’s corner stopped the bout in the second round. In their 2017 rematch, Verhoeven got his revenge, scoring a fifth-round TKO over Saddik. The two kickboxing giants look to break the tie at Glory: Collision 3. Saddik was scheduled to compete on the show against Benjamin Adegbuyi. But after an injury to Alistair Overeem forced him out of the main event, Saddik jumped at the opportunity to headline against his rival.

After winning Glory’s Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2018, Saddik was sidelined by injuries, and would serve time in prison following a raid for hacked devices and drug distribution. Now, highly motivated and with a new team (Saddik now trains at the famed Mike’s Gym), “The Goliath” not only has the opportunity to close the door on the trilogy with Verhoeven, but he can pick up where he left off, winning four consecutive bouts to secure the tourney win.

Zenger caught up with “The Goliath” just days before his Glory ring return to discuss the trilogy, his new team and much more.

Percy Crawford interviewed Jamal Ben Saddik for Zenger.

Zenger: It has been a long time coming, you were dealing with some injuries, some personal situations, but now you are facing Rico Verhoeven on Saturday night. How do you feel?

Saddik: I feel great at the moment. I have the physical bumps behind me. I feel great now. I’m very focused on my fight on Saturday.

Zenger: You moved over to Mike’s Gym to train with one of the greatest kickboxing coaches of all time, Mike Passenier. How have you benefited from training at Mike’s?

Saddik: Before, I was training in Breda at Hemmers Gym [in The Netherlands], which is great also, but Mike is a different type of trainer. I have always been charmed by his kickboxing style. It’s a little bit different here in Amsterdam.

Zenger: I think it’s safe to call Rico your rival at this point. When it came out that Alistair Overeem could not compete against Rico, and you were offered the fight, how did you react?

Percy Crawford interviewed Jamal Ben Saddik for Zenger. (Heidi Malone/Zenger)

Saddik: My first thought was, I felt very bad for Alistair because he is a friend of mine. At the time Rico needed an opponent, and Glory asked me if I wanted to fight Rico. I was immediately positive about it. It was great for me because I waited a long time for this fight.

Zenger: How do you feel you have changed or improved as a fighter from that second fight with Rico back in 2017 where he won by TKO?

Saddik: I’m a little bit older now. I have more experience. I won my last tournament in 2018. I won The Finals with one hand. I’m more experienced at the moment, and I did it before. I fought for a world title before, so this is the second time I get this chance. I have experience with me this time.

Zenger: You did win that tournament with a broken hand, and during that last fight in The Finals, you showed the ability to switch between southpaw and orthodox and still maintain your power. Are you comfortable doing the same moving forward?

Jamal Ben Saddik has gotten acclimated to his new training facility, the famed Mike’s Gym in Amsterdam. (Courtesy of Jamal Ben Saddik)

Saddik: I can fight orthodox or southpaw. It’s something me and my trainer talked about in the dressing room before The Finals. I knew my hand was broken, but we still did it.

Zenger: Were you using this time that you have had off (since 2018) to get better as a fighter or to get completely healthy?

Saddik: It was more about getting healthy and getting back on track and love my sport again. I am now back fully training, and I feel very good at this moment.

Zenger: You have shared the ring with Rico on two occasions, with you winning the first fight in 2011 and him winning the rematch in 2017. What type of fight are you expecting this time?

Saddik: I think it will be like all of his fights before. I can’t expect something else from him. He fights the style that he has always used. I don’t think he is going to surprise me with something different. We will see, but I am very comfortable about it. Again, I am very focused on this fight, and he can’t surprise me with something special.

Zenger: Is it an important factor for you to remove emotion and stay under control, or do you think you benefit from letting your emotions out during the course of the fight?

Saddik: That’s what we have worked on in Amsterdam with Mike. He told me to fight without emotion, and this is the way we trained to remove emotion. It will be something very different. I will be a different fighter in the ring.

Zenger: Obviously, the goal is to have the championship belt around your waist. What would a win on Saturday night mean to you?

Saddik: That would mean everything to me. For years, he has been the champion for Glory, and he’s also a strong fighter, so to get a win against him, you beat a strong fighter who has been there for many years. It will be everything for me, and it’s also a dream come true for me.

Zenger: You are coming off an extensive layoff, and in no way am I looking past Saturday, but can we expect more activity from you? Would you like to be more active after this fight?

The trilogy is on: Rico Verhoeven vs. Jamal Ben Saddik will clash following an injury to Alistair Overeem. (Glory Kickboxing) 

Saddik: I hope I get the chance in Glory to fight more. I think it will go this way because I signed a contract with Glory, so I know how many fights I have. I will continue training and fighting my fights, and it will be a good year for me. I want to fight a lot more.

Zenger: Checking out your social media, although it was on short notice, it looks like you put a ton of work in for this fight.

Saddik: I live in Belgium, and I am now here in Amsterdam with Mike. I am two minutes from his gym, so I train like three or four times a day. And that’s every day, I only rest on Saturday. On Sunday we are back training again. It was a really difficult training camp, but I’m glad I made it.

Zenger: For fans who will be watching you for the first time or getting more familiar with you and your style, what can they expect?

Saddik: I always want to entertain the audience. I want to make them have a great night. I want them to go home and say, the Jamal fight was the best of the evening. That means everything to me. That’s the most important thing to me, is to entertain the audience.

Zenger: Perfect-case scenario, how does this fight end?

Saddik: Me getting the knockout and celebrating. I don’t know if it will be the first round, but I hope to get the knockout, so the audience can enjoy it.

Edited by Stan Chrapowicki and Matthew B. Hall



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Mounting Lion: Confused Cougar Trapped Up Tree In Suburban Condo Complex

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Mounting Lion: Confused Cougar Trapped Up Tree In Suburban Condo Complex

By Peter Barker

A malnourished mountain lion that was roaming around a condominium complex for several days was rescued from a tree in California and taken to a wildlife refuge.

Police in Palm Springs posted a statement online about the unusual rescue mission on Oct. 18.

“Today, officers from the Palm Springs Police Department and California Department of Fish and Wildlife worked together to safely capture a mountain lion in the Sunrise Palms Condominium Community,” the police statement said.

The cougar made its way into the condo complex and climbed a tree, prompting concerned residents to call the emergency services, according to the police statement.

The mountain lion was sedated so that its condition could be assessed. (Palm Springs Police Department/Zenger)

“The mountain lion was safely tranquilized by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and had her very own teledoc appointment while she was asleep. It was determined she was malnourished and in need of treatment.

“The mountain lion will be headed to a wildlife rehabilitation facility in San Diego County.”

Police reminded the public “to keep an eye on your smaller animals and don’t leave your pet’s food out to be eaten by wildlife.”

The mountain lion (also known as a cougar) is expected to be released into the wild after it has fully recovered.

A study by the University of California-Santa Cruz published in June found that pumas [another name for mountain lions] have increasingly ventured into urban areas due to COVID-19 lockdowns.

Declining levels of human mobility during regional shelter-in-place orders led to cougars being more willing to explore populated urban areas, according to the study, published in the journal Current Biology.

The Palm Springs Police Department captured this malnourished mountain lion in the Sunrise Palms Condominium Community on Oct. 18. A recent study found the big cats increasingly ventured into more urban environments due to COVID-19 lockdowns, as few people were around. (Palm Springs Police Department/Zenger)

“Urban environments had suddenly become quiet and empty as shelter-in-place orders brought human movement to a grinding halt — an effect some researchers have called the ‘anthropause’. Wildlife seemed to be taking advantage. The new study shows this was certainly true for pumas in the Santa Cruz Mountains,” the study said.

The Santa Cruz Mountains are about 500 miles from Palm Springs, but that city is surrounded by several other mountain ranges.

Chris Wilmers, an environmental studies professor at University of California-Santa Cruz, said: “It’s not that they weren’t scared of cities; they were still scared, but only of high housing density, not the extra impact of human mobility.

“If you take all the car trips and pedestrian trips and human mobility out of it, then, all of a sudden, mountain lions don’t fear the city as much.”

Mountain lions are native to the Americas. A fully grown male cougar can reach 7.1 feet, making it the fourth-largest big cat in the world.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature does not consider cougars to be at risk. They are ranked as a species of “least concern.”

Edited by Judith Isacoff and Kristen Butler



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Shock Confession As Teacher Admits: ‘I Blackmailed Pupils Over Child Porn Pics’

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Shock Confession As Teacher Admits: ‘I Blackmailed Pupils Over Child Porn Pics’

By Joseph Golder

A former substitute teacher in Minnesota has pleaded guilty to child pornography and extortion charges after he blackmailed minors into sharing sexually explicit images of themselves, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said on Oct. 19.

The charges “are related to a years-long sextortion scheme,” the U.S Attorney’s statement said.

James Ottinger, 25, a former substitute teacher from Carver, Minnesota, “engaged in a scheme to obtain sexually explicit images and videos of minors and adults by using false online personas. Ottinger threatened to disseminate the images and videos of his victims in order to extort more images and videos,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

“Over the course of several years Ottinger victimized more than 10 minors, some of whom he knew from the school district where he worked.”

Court documents, referred to in a U.S. Attorney’s Office statement on May 5 — when Ottinger was charged — say: “Ottinger created and used multiple Internet accounts to encourage and direct minors and an adult to create sexually explicit images and videos of themselves to send to Ottinger.

“Ottinger posed as a young female using aliases including ‘Taylor Malek’ or ‘Rachel Meyer.’ in order to obtain the images and videos. If a victim later blocked or ignored ‘her,’ Ottinger would contact the victim — through the alias or other accounts — and threaten to publish the victim’s sexually explicit image(s) to others unless additional demands for sexually explicit images were met.

“This conduct is sometimes referred to as ‘sextortion,’” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

The documents also reveal one image described as a screenshot from a mobile phone showing messages sent between Ottinger and one victim.

The statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office said “Ottinger threatened to disseminate the images and videos of his victims in order to extort more images and videos.”

The victims’ identities are not released.

“Ottinger is charged with two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography and two counts of making extortionate threats. If convicted, Ottinger faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison,” the U.S.Attorney’s Office said in May.  “A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.”

A sentencing date has not been set.

Authorities began investigating Ottinger after one of his victims contacted the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center.

The authorities said there could be “additional victims” who have yet to come forward, “based on the evidence obtained in this investigation.”

The case is the result of investigations conducted by the FBI and the Carver County Sheriff’s Office.

Edited by Judith Isacoff and Kristen Butler



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Colin Powell’s Lifetime Of Service Informed By His Episcopal Faith

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Colin Powell’s Lifetime Of Service Informed By His Episcopal Faith

By Hamil R. Harris

WASHINGTON — In life, Gen. Colin Luther Powell, the son of Jamaican Anglican immigrants, rose to become a four-star general, a White House aide to four presidents, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the first black American to serve as secretary of state.

“We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American,” Powell’s family announced on Facebook after Powell’s death at age 84 on Oct. 18.

“Colin embodied the highest ideals of both warrior and diplomat,” President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said in a White House statement. “He was committed to our nation’s strength and security above all. Having fought in wars, he understood better than anyone that military might alone was not enough to maintain our peace and prosperity.”

Biden called Powell a “patriot of unmatched honor and dignity” and ordered government flags to fly at half-staff for a man whose life transcended race, political party and even those he served in the White House.

The flag flies at half-staff at the Capitol on Oct. 19 in honor of in honor of Gen. Colin Powell, who died at age 84 on Oct. 18. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Former President George W. Bush recalled Powell as “a great public servant” who was “such a favorite of presidents that he earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom — twice.”

“He was highly respected at home and abroad. And most important, Colin was a family man and a friend.”

Former President Obama said Powell was an “exemplary soldier and an exemplary patriot.”

Powell’s life of dedicated service has inspired an outpouring of tributes, especially from black Americans. Civil rights icons, evangelical preachers and military leaders, as well as former U.S. presidents, remember Powell as a dependable diplomat and family man.

“I join millions of people around the world in mourning the passing of Secretary Colin Powell,” Bishop T.D. Jakes said on Twitter. “He was a role model to all Americans and epitomized the greatness of America.”

National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial said Powell’s death is a tremendous loss to the nation.

“Gen. Powell was a trailblazer, statesman, and a great friend and supporter of the National Urban League,” Morial said. “His tireless service to the nation and its highest ideals serves as an inspiration to all Americans. His passing is a tremendous loss.

“Gen. Powell will be remembered as a man of principle, courage and strength, who never wavered in his determination to hold America to the highest standards. He is a role model whose life story will inspire generations of public servants who put the interests of the nation first regardless of party affiliation.”

Judge Carlos Moore, president of the National Bar Association, said, “Secretary Colin Powell was a true statesman and the nation has lost a true giant and real American hero. The National Bar Association joins millions across the nation and around the world in mourning his loss while celebrating his life of distinguished service. “

Powell, a professional soldier for 35 years, was an Army captain when he served his first tour of duty in Vietnam in 1962-63.

But long before Powell arrived in Vietnam, he was molded at the altar of the Episcopal church.

In an Episcopal publication, “The Living Church,” Richard A. Best Jr. reviewed one of Powell’s memoirs, saying love of God and country were a vital part of his grooming.

“Although his autobiography has drawn a wide readership, few reviewers have noted the general’s lifelong devotion to the Episcopal church,” Best wrote. “The son of Anglican immigrants from Jamaica, Gen. Powell grew up in St. Margaret’s (in the Bronx), the neighborhood parish where he served as an acolyte and came to love the splendor of Anglo-Catholic liturgy. “

Best recalled Powell’s statement: “The higher the church, the closer to God; that was how I saw it.”

The Powells later attended All Saints Episcopal Church in Dale City, Virginia, for many years.

“And at the heart of this life stood our church,” Powell wrote in his memoir. “I was following in my father’s footsteps, counting the collection and depositing it in the bank; Alma [his wife] was following in her and my mother’s footsteps, working on rummage sales and the altar guild. I watched Mike and Linda assisting at Mass, and saw myself in my cassock waving the incense burner before the altar on Kelly Street. The tradition had been passed to the next generation, from one St. Margaret’s to another, like an endless stream.”

Born on April 5, 1937, in Harlem, Powell took advantage of opportunities at City College of New York and Army ROTC to earn a commission that elevated him to a decorated military career.

In college, Powell went from leading his Army ROTC drill team to commanding the entire unit.

Though Powell held many White House posts, his close associates said he was most proud of receiving his fourth star and becoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Colin Powell (left), chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pictured with Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf and his wife, Brenda, on a “Welcome Home” float in 1991 honoring those who served in Desert Storm. (Department of Defense)

Powell entered the Army after graduating in 1958 and later served two tours in South Vietnam, where he was wounded twice, including during a helicopter crash in which he rescued two soldiers. He was promoted to brigadier general in 1979.

Later, groomed by former President Ronald Reagan’s national security adviser Frank Carlucci, Powell became part of a small group of White House aides known as “the Vulcans,” who kept a keen eye on the former Soviet Union and helped to topple that regime.

He was also appointed as Reagan’s final national security adviser — the first black national security adviser — in 1987, and was tapped by former President George H.W. Bush in 1989 to head the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Under the elder Bush, his reputation grew in the wake of the U.S. victory during the Gulf War.

But Powell had no desire for a political career of his own, though at times he was encouraged to run for president.

“Such a life requires a calling that I do not yet hear,” he told reporters in 1995. “And for me to pretend otherwise would not be honest to myself, it would not be honest to the American people.”

President George W. Bush delivers remarks at the State Department as Secretary of State Colin Powell listens, on Feb. 15, 2001. (Pool Photo/Newsmakers/Getty)

When Powell was nominated as secretary of state in 2001, he said, “I think it shows to the world what is possible in this country. … If you believe in the values that you espouse, you can see things as miraculous as me sitting before you to receive your approval.”

In a critical turning point in his career, in February 2003, Powell delivered a speech before the United Nations in which he said that U.S. intelligence had shown that Iraq had misled inspectors and hid weapons of mass destruction.

“There can be no doubt,” Powell warned, “that Saddam Hussein has biological weapons and the capability to rapidly produce more — many more.”

But two years after that speech, a government report said the intelligence community was “dead wrong” and Iraq’s mass destruction capabilities were far less than Powell had stated.

Produced in association with ReligionUnplugged.

Edited by Judith Isacoff and Kristen Butler



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VIDEO: Police Car Rammed By Driver Smashes Into Cop Standing On Highway

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VIDEO: Police Car Rammed By Driver Smashes Into Cop Standing On Highway

By Joseph Golder

An Atlanta police officer is recovering from injuries sustained while at the scene of a car that broke down on the side of a highway on May 5, when a car hit his parked vehicle and rammed it into him. The Atlanta Police Department released video of the incident on Oct. 20.

Video posted on Facebook shows an Atlanta, Georgia, police patrol car, which was hit by a suspected drunk driver, running into the police officer, identified as officer Duc Vo.

“Vo was dispatched to a call regarding an inoperable vehicle on Interstate 20 near the Joseph E. Lowery Blvd exit, and unbeknownst to him, what happened next would change his life,” the Atlanta Police Department said in a statement accompanying the video.

“Upon arrival, Vo observed that the car was stalled in an active traffic lane. He positioned his patrol car behind the stranded auto and activated his emergency lights to alert motorists and signal them to move over or slow down. Officer Vo then stepped out of his patrol car and began walking towards the vehicle to check on the driver but just as he approached the car, another vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed plowed into the back of his patrol car causing severe damage to the vehicle and serious injuries to Vo.”

Vo can be seen in the video investigating the broken-down vehicle as motorists drive by. All of a sudden, there is a huge crash and the footage goes dark as an oncoming vehicle crashes into the back of Vo’s patrol car.

Body camera video shows the moment when the officer is hit by a suspected drunk driver in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 5, 2021. (Atlanta Police Department/Zenger)

“EMS responded to the scene and transported Vo to the hospital for emergency medical attention,” police said.

The police identified the driver of the vehicle that hit the patrol car as Annette M. Stewart. She was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, alcohol less safe, and reckless driving.

Police said that officer is “still recovering from the injuries sustained during this incident.”

“All we can say is that we are grateful that officer Vo is still with us. This clearly could have had a different outcome.,” police said. “This incident is a reminder of what can happen during an officer’s shift and the dangers they endure that are rarely acknowledged or discussed.

“Unless you’ve been an officer, there is no way to grasp the totality of the position. It is much bigger than chasing down bad guys and making arrests. The daily risks and heroism cannot be overstated. We send best wishes to officer Vo and his family. It should be noted that Officer Vo was nominated and affirmed for the Purple Heart award for this year’s Crime is Toast event. A much-deserved nomination.

“We remind drivers that drinking, and driving is not only insanely dangerous, but it is against the law. Never drink and drive, never text and drive and always pay attention when behind the wheel,” police said.

Edited by Judith Isacoff and Kristen Butler



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VIDEO: Puppy Love: Adorable Dwarf Mongoose Pups Romp With Their Mom

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VIDEO: Puppy Love: Adorable Dwarf Mongoose Pups Romp With Their Mom

By Peter Barker

Three adorable dwarf mongooses make one of their first excursions out of their den.

The Southern dwarf mongooses were born in mid-September at the Tiergarten Schonbrunn zoo in Vienna, Austria.

In the footage, the nearly 2-month-old mongooses play with each other, crawl over small mounds and climb branches, as their mother keeps a watchful eye.

Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck, the zoo director, said Oct. 20: “The young animals are curious. They explore the facility, dig in the sand and play with each other. If one of the little ones moves too far, the adult animals carry it back into the protective burrow in their mouths.”

The southern dwarf mongoose is among the smallest of its species, weighing less than a pound. It is recognized by its large pointy head, a long tail, short limbs and long claws.

An adult carries one of the pups born in the Schonbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria, in September 2021. In the wild, only a dominant female gives birth. (Daniel Zupanc/Zenger)

These mongooses are native to the savannahs of eastern and Southern Africa. Their fur coat can vary in color, ranging from a dark brown to a yellowish red.

Mongooses like to colonize abandoned termite mounds, which gives them protection at night and a good view of the surrounding area during the day, according to the Schonbrunn Zoo.

They feed primarily on insects and have a complex social system. They rely heavily on teamwork to survive and guard their territory. Usually, only the group’s dominant female becomes pregnant; she is responsible for 80 percent of the pups reared by the group.

In the wild, a group of dwarf mongooses would usually take control of around 74 to 84 acres of land. The species is social and lives in extended family groups of two to 30 animals. They communicate via whistles, trills and vibrations.

The three common dwarf mongoose offspring, born in September, weighed less than a pound at birth. (Daniel Zupanc/Zenger)

Hering-Hagenbeck said: “Pygmy mongooses live socially in small groups and rely on teamwork when they live together. Only the highest-ranking female gets the offspring, but everyone helps with the rearing.”

In fact, subordinate females often produce milk to feed the dominant female’s pups.

The sex of the pups in the footage is not yet known. After the gestation period, 53 days, the newborns remain below ground within a termite mound for the first two-to-three weeks. For the first seven weeks of their life, they are suckled. The zoo pups are slowly starting to eat more solid foods, such as grasshoppers, mealworms and minced meat.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not consider the mongooses to be at risk of extinction and has ranked them as a “least concern” species.

Edited by Fern Siegel and Kristen Butler



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Are We Yearly There Yet? One Of World’s Oldest Atlas Books Up For Auction

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Are We Yearly There Yet? One Of World’s Oldest Atlas Books Up For Auction

By Joseph Golder

A rare book widely considered to be the world’s first modern atlas is up for auction in Germany.

The “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum” (the “Theater of the World” in Latin) was created by cartographer, geographer and cosmographer Abraham Ortelius in 1601. The book is widely considered to be the first modern atlas, and it is remarkably accurate, despite having been created in an era long before the GPS.

The work is on the block as part of a rare books sale being held by Ketterer Kunst auction house in Hamburg on Nov. 29, according to a statement. The asking bid is $100,000.

“A world without Google Maps is hard to imagine today, but that was a reality for centuries,” the auction house said in the statement. “At the time, Ortelius offered guidance with the first modern atlas, which set the standard for all subsequent atlases.”

Also making the book special, the auction house said, is “it takes a leading position in terms of content and presentation, as well as its splendid old coloring. It is one of only 200 from the last edition that Flemish printer Jan Moretus produced for Ortelius’ heirs.”

The book includes a world atlas, as well as views of the continents of Europe, Africa, Asia and America and maps of the Pacific and the North Sea.

This is the centerpiece of an early 17th-century book up for auction on Nov. 29. For all its accuracies, note the complete absence of Australia. (Ketterer Kunst/Zenger)

Despite obvious inaccuracies — including Australia not being on the map, the southern tip of South America almost touching Antarctica, and North America appearing considerably larger and China much smaller than in actuality — the “Theater of the World” is considered both a work of art and a piece of history.

First printed in 1570 in Antwerp, the creation of the atlas is widely considered by academics to have signaled a new age of European adventure and discovery, the auction house said, with its author Ortelius bringing together in his unique book the very latest and most complete maps of the time.

The book went through 34 editions and sold over 7,000 copies, which in those days made it something of a bestseller.

While the edition up for auction contains more than 150 maps, according to the auction house, the first edition only had 53 maps, each with detailed comments.

The Ortelius work is the lead item in the auction house’s rare books auction. Other books on offer include those by philosopher Immanuel Kant, artist Joan Miro and Reformation religious leader Martin Luther.

Edited by Matthew B. Hall and Kristen Butler



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New Technology Measures Whether Green Inventions Can Really Help Planet Earth

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New Technology Measures Whether Green Inventions Can Really Help Planet Earth

By Abigail Klein Leichman

If an entrepreneur proposes a new technology to benefit the environment, there must be a way to quantify for potential investors and customers exactly how much impact the invention would have.

Israeli startups now have a free online tool to evaluate their technology’s ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.

Impact Hypothesis was introduced by the PLANETech innovation community, which provides knowledge and implementation assistance to startups targeting climate change.

The nonprofit organization was established jointly last February by U.K.-based Consensus Business Group (which has so far invested $700 million in Israel clean-tech companies) and the Israel Innovation Institute, a nonprofit that supports Israeli entrepreneurs and companies trying to address global challenges.

Uriel Klar, director of PLANETech at the Israel Innovation Institute (Courtesy of PLANETech)

“Carbon footprint reduction is one of the most important issues today to foreign investors, funds and international clients,” said Uriel Klar, director of PLANETech.

“Having the ability to quantify that reduction creates important business opportunities for Israeli startups seeking to break through and scale, with the possibility of collaborations with corporations and funds that specialize in climate-tech.”

Klar said that assessing the climate impact of a technology usually is a long and expensive process that startups can’t afford.

PLANETech found that the Dutch company Impact Forecast had developed a user-friendly digital assessment tool tested on about 1,000 startups across Europe. PLANETech worked with Impact Forecast to build a dedicated version for Israeli startups. Built for the “bottom line” Israeli mindset, the tool takes roughly half an hour to calculate from inputted data the number of tons of harmful emissions that would be avoided or reduced by the technology over five years of use.

Klar said PLANETech invited 15 ag-tech startups to the office of drip-irrigation pioneer Netafim to try Impact Hypothesis to evaluate their technologies. Now there’s a waiting list of investors eager to use it with their portfolio companies.

Israel Innovation Institute’s PLANETech offers a new tool to evaluate the impact of climate-change technologies. (Courtesy of PLANETech)

Positioning Israel as global hub

Impact Hypothesis is just one way that the PLANETech community assists Israeli startups seeking, for example, to reduce the use of energy and private transportation, cut industrial and food waste, increase agricultural output, and create alternative proteins that don’t rely on livestock.

Some of these startups will be showcased on Nov. 2 as PLANETech hosts an event during the United Nations’ COP26 climate change summit.

Intending to position Israel as a global hub for climate-change technologies, PLANETech offers events, like a recent one with Amazon’s $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund.

The community also helps startups pinpoint areas of focus through its Climate Challenge Map and calls for proposals for specific challenges, such as zero-carbon hospitals and cleaning up oil spills.

PLANETech now is releasing a first-of-its-kind climate-tech map in cooperation with the Israel Innovation Authority.

For more information, click here. 

Produced in association with Israel21C.



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Israel, UAE Plan To Fly To The Moon Together

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Israel, UAE Plan To Fly To The Moon Together

By Abigail Klein Leichman

When Israel and the United Arab Emirates signed the historic Abraham Accords last year to foster binational collaborations, it seemed that the sky was the limit.

Now, even the sky is no limit. The newest of many projects blossoming between these Middle East allies will send three unmanned spacecrafts to the moon.

The Beresheet 2 mission, scheduled for 2024, follows Israel’s solo attempt to reach the moon in April 2019, which ended in a crash landing.

Leaders of the privately funded Beresheet mission initiator, SpaceIL, signed an agreement in Dubai this week in which Israel and the UAE will work together on several space-related projects including the $100 million Beresheet 2 mission.

From left, SpaceIL Chairman Morris Kahn, UAE Space Agency and Council of Scientists Chairwoman Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, and SpaceIL CEO Shimon Sarid (Courtesy of SpaceIL)

“This is the first scientific-technological project to create a common history for the two peoples: the flags of Israel and the Emirates on the moon,” according to a SpaceIL statement. “It is about creating a model for cooperation between the two peoples in many aspects — technological, scientific and educational, which will deepen the connection between the countries and serve as inspiration for further cooperation between Israel and all Arab countries.”

Beresheet 2, consisting of two lunar landers and a lunar orbiter, could break several records in outer-space history. Among them would be a double landing on the moon in one mission, and launching the smallest-ever spacecraft (each lander is to weigh 265 pounds with a full fuel tank).

The orbiter is planned for a long-term mission of about five years and will be a platform for scientific educational activities through remote connection, allowing students from Israel and other countries to participate in scientific research in deep space.

“SpaceIL has committed itself to promoting science and science education at the regional and global levels, while also contributing to the processes of normalization and regional peace through collaborations with peace-loving and space-seeking countries,” SpaceIL CEO Shimon Sarid said at the signing ceremony.

“We are pleased to cooperate with the United Arab Emirates Space Agency, hand in hand with the [Israeli] Ministry of Science and the Israel Space Agency.”

To celebrate the collaboration, children from the Jewish community in Dubai and a preschool in Ramat Gan drew space pictures, some of which may travel aboard Beresheet 2.

The agreement also stipulates that the two nations will work jointly on research based on data from the Israeli-French satellite Venus, and that Emirati and Israeli students will build a new satellite tracking the moon.

Philanthropist and SpaceIL Chairman Morris Kahn, who led the SpaceIL delegation to Dubai, said, “Over the past few months, we have forged a strong relationship with senior UAE officials who seek to establish a deep relationship based on shared values of education, technology and inspiration for the younger generations of the two peoples. We are proud to be the first project to pave the way for further historic moves.”

Produced in association with Israel21C.



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Mission Groups Wary As Haiti Kidnappings Increase With Recent Abduction Of 17 People

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Mission Groups Wary As Haiti Kidnappings Increase With Recent Abduction Of 17 People

By Michael Ray Smith

The gang that kidnapped 17 missionaries near the Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, early on Oct. 16 is demanding $17 million — $1 million per person — for the group’s release, according to government sources.

The kidnapped group of 16 U.S citizens and one Canadian citizen includes six men, six women and five children, according to Christian Aid Ministries. One of the children is said to be 2 years old.

The Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries said the 17 people associated with the nonprofit were en route from an orphanage to the country’s airport when they were kidnapped. Officials are pointing to members of the 400 Mawozo gang as those who abducted the nonprofit’s members, which includes five children. They also allege the Mawozo gang kidnapped five priests and two nuns this year.

Kidnappings in Haiti have surged by 300 percent this year, according to the Center for Analysis and Research for Human Rights, a Port-au-Prince-based nonprofit. Much of the rise is attributed to the 400 Mawozo gang, which has pioneered kidnappings of groups from buses and cars and has grown to 150 members, the center reported.

Gangs reportedly control up to half of Port-au-Prince and are kidnapping police officers, businesspeople and even ministers — mid-sermon.

“The gang made a serious miscalculation…” Dan Shoemaker, Reciprocal Ministries International

Dan Shoemaker — president of Reciprocal Ministries International in Lehigh Acres, Florida, a nonprofit that works in Haiti — had speculated the gang may demand as much as $17 million for the safe release of the hostages.

Mounting disasters

“Christian Aid Ministries is worldwide and if the gang did its homework, it knows that it is a big organization,” Shoemaker said. His ministry operates about 100 miles from Port-au-Prince, in a safer part of the island nation that is reeling from shortages of everything from fuel to groceries.

In July, a band of mercenaries assassinated Haiti’s president, Jovenal Möise, shooting him in his home. In August, a deadly earthquake and tropical storm devastated the country, creating landslides and leaving some residents homeless.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has said the back-to-back disasters “are exacerbating preexisting vulnerabilities,” such as food insecurity and rising gang violence. As a result, thousands of Haitians have attempted to migrate to the United States in recent months.

“Store shelves are nearly empty in some cases,” Shoemaker said. His staff of 45 — mostly Haitian locals — is safe. In his more than three decades of ministry, Shoemaker said no one in his organization has been harmed. Nonetheless, the threat of violence is ever present in the capital, with as many as nine gangs vying for dominance.

“The gang made a serious miscalculation,” Shoemaker said of the recent kidnapping, adding that gangs typically target locals. “Now they will bring the attention and wrath of the international community.”

The Biden administration has acknowledged that the FBI and the State Department are now involved.

Gang activity on the rise

Haitians commemorated the death of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, a Haitian revolutionary hero, on Oct. 17. Prime Minister Ariel Henry and his security detail tried but failed to lay a floral wreath at a ceremony when armed gang members fired weapons, forcing them to retreat, Shoemaker said.

One member associated with Christian Aid Ministries suspects the attack could be in retaliation for the two gang members arrested by police that same week. Shoemaker said the police are outmanned and outgunned by the gangs in the capital city.

Kidnappings are becoming a growing trend in Port-au-Prince, where gangs control nearly half of the capital. The State Department reported that at least 400 kidnappings occurred this year; others suspect the number is closer to 600 or perhaps more than 1,000 since January.

Produced in Association with Religion Unplugged.

Edited by Judith Isacoff and Kristen Butler



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