That’s Odd

She then was expected to compete on the uneven bars, but Jordan Chiles was subbed in.

Biles won five medals in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and has a chance to win six at these games. She is not only the star of the women’s gymnastics team but arguably the biggest name on Team USA.

45 Months for Leaker

Daniel Hale, a former Air Force intelligence analyst who leaked top-secret information about American drone operations abroad, including those aimed at locating and killing terror suspects, was sentenced to 45 months in prison this week.

Hale, 33, was sentenced by Judge Liam O’Grady to three years and nine months in prison during a Tuesday morning hearing in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va.

Prosecutors had asked for stiff punishment for Hale. They recommended that he receive “significantly” more than the longest sentence ever handed down for a leak to the media: the five-year, three-month prison sentence imposed on another Air Force veteran, Reality Winner, in 2018.

In a court filing on Monday, prosecutors went even further: suggesting a sentence of more than nine years might be appropriate. Hale’s attorneys had proposed a sentence of 12 to 18 months for their client.

The hefty sentence the Biden Justice Department sought for Hale signals that, while the new administration’s appointees are eager to make peace with journalists and news outlets, prosecutors will continue to throw the book at the men and women who leak information to the media.

“For those like Hale, who unilaterally decide to disclose classified information, the existence of criminal penalties that are theoretically harsh but practically lenient is not sufficient. Hale and other persons similarly situated seem to believe either that they will not be caught, or that the punishment will be de minimis,” prosecutors wrote. “A substantial sentence is needed also to account for Hale’s blatant disregard for the consequences of his conduct.”

Hale took the unusual step of pleading guilty without any plea deal with the government. He admitted to violating the Espionage Act by giving more than 150 pages of records classified at the top-secret or secret level to a journalist. The recipient is referred to solely as “the reporter” in public court filings, but details about Hale’s activities and the records he leaked make clear that the reporter was Jeremy Scahill of The Intercept.

Some of the documents Hale provided were featured in Intercept stories in 2015, including an investigative series called “The Drone Papers.”

In an 11-page letter Hale penned while in jail last week, he said he was traumatized by his experiences analyzing drone video feeds while in the Air Force in Afghanistan and by the cavalier attitude many involved took to numerous casualties the ensuing strikes caused among civilians and others not directly targeted.

Mac ‘n’ Cheese Ice Cream

Nothing is more satisfying than a cold, smooth lick of ice cream on a hot summer day. Unless, of course, you pick a scoop of something that tastes like mac ‘n’ cheese.

Last week, Brooklyn-based Van Leeuwen Ice Cream debuted a limited-edition macaroni and cheese flavor of ice cream in partnership with Kraft Heinz Company.

“We know that there is nothing

JULY 2021

ד״סב

BACK ON TRACK

Chaya* was at home. at was the biggest blessing her parents and siblings could see in the situation. Painful as it was to watch her—confused and troubled—on a downhill slope, they took comfort in the fact that at least she was still living at home. As long as they were able to heap warm, loving attention on their struggling teen, the family knew there was hope. Hopefully one day, Chaya would regain her sense of direction and get off the rocky path she was slipping down on.

at’s why her sudden announcement left the entire family reeling. Chaya was leaving home. Her parents’ fear mushroomed, their pain was exacerbated.

All their anguish oozed freely over the telephone wires when they called Tehillim Kollel. “Please! Please daven for our Chaya. We need to save her from being lost forever.” ey desperately hoped the timeless Tehillim would restore her emotional and spiritual wellbeing to its natural, pure form.

With the greatest faith that the Kol Yachol could turn any situation around, the chashuve Tehillim Kollel members began to daven for this struggling neshamah.

e transformation was quick, almost instant. In an open, heart-to-heart conversation with her daughter, Chaya’s mother heard the words she pined to hear for so long already. Chaya admitted that she didn’t feel good about the trouble she had been making. She wanted to undo her mistakes.

at was the turning point. Chaya embarked on the road to a serious comeback. Indeed, the power of Tehillim, attentively uttered by Talmidei Chachamim, had an almost instant impact!

*Name has been changed.

WEEKLY COLUMN OF RECENT EPISODES BY TEHILLIM KOLLEL

Sign up for our annual mermbership: 718.705.7174

Info@TehillimKollel.org

more refreshing on a hot summer day than ice cream. That is why we wanted to combine two of the most iconic comfort foods to create an ice cream with the unforgettable flavor of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese we all grew up with,” Emily Violett, senior associate brand manager for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, said.

To create the cheesy confection, Van Leeuwen churned the flavor of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese into its ice cream.

“Not only does it taste delicious, but it’s also made with high quality ingredients and contains no artificial flavors, preservatives, or dyes just like our Kraft Macaroni & Cheese,” Violett touted.

On Instagram, Van Leeuwen called it “the ice cream you never knew you needed.”

Van Leeuwen began selling the new flavor on July 14, which is National Macaroni & Cheese Day. It was made available nationwide online and in their scoop shops in New York, California, New Jersey and Texas.

Many thought that the icy dessert was lip-s“mac”ingly good, and it was quickly sold out. New supplies are on the way, the ice cream company said.

“Who would’ve thought #NationalMAcAndCheeseDay would break the internet,” Van Leeuwen said on Instagram. “We’re so flattered by the overwhelming response to this cheesy partnership with our friends Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.”

Nothing gets cheddar than this.

Bubble Man on the Beach

Beachgoers in Florida are used to seeing interesting things wash ashore. But they were quite startled this weekend when a man washed up in a large barrel-type device which had flotation buoys attached on each side.

“The occupant advised he left the St Augustine area yesterday to head to New York,” the sheriff’s office said, “but came across some complications that brought him back to shore.”

Reza Baluchi wanted “run” to the northern U.S. or Bermuda. Instead, he ended up 30 miles south of his St Augustine start point.

“My goal is to not only raise money for homeless people, raise money for the coast guard, raise money for the police department, raise money for the fire department,” Reza said. “They are in public service, they do it for safety and they help other people.”

He added: “I will show people anything you want to do, do it. Don’t listen to anyone. Chase your dreams.”

According to Baluchi’s YouTube channel and website, he had planned a journey to Bermuda in the bubble vessel. He had also prepared for a similar voyage in April 2016.

Baluchi planned to survive “on protein bars, tuna, sea water purified through a filter, Gatorade and chewing gum for sea sickness,” his website said.

Based on his success – or lack of it – if he really wants to get to New York we have one word for him: JetBlue.

HELP SAVE A LIFE

DEVOTED UNCLE, ADORED BY HIS NIECES AND NEPHEWS IS IN NEED OF A KIDNEY DONOR

To see if you are a match, please contact Renewal at: 718 431 9831 x 209 or R24306@renewal.org

Living kidney donation is performed laparoscopically with minimal scarring.

Donors usually return to their normal lifestyle within 2-4 weeks post transplant, with Renewal available to cover lost wages. Donors do not need to take life-long medication nor are they restricted with their diet.

Happy Landing

A U.S. Air Force pilot made a safe landing last week thanks to an observant photographer on the ground.

Ian Simpson was standing outside the fence of a Royal Air Force base in eastern England, snapping pictures of fighter aircraft taking off. When U.S. Air Force Maj. Grant Thompson’s plane flew into the air, Simpson realized that Thompson was unaware that his plane was shooting off sparks.

Simpson, who used to work in the aviation industry, Googled RAF Lakenheath’s phone number and persuaded a switchboard operator to put him through to flight operations at the base, home to the U.S. Air Force’s 48th Fighter Wing.

“I said, ‘Look, something is wrong with the plane, definitely. We’ve got lots of photographs of sparks coming out the back,’” Simpson, 56, told The Associated Press.

The message got back to Thompson, who managed to land the plane safely.

This week, Thompson thanked the British photographer the best way he knew how – by ripping the flight patch from his shoulder and handing it to the man who saved his life. He also gifted him his cap and insignia.

“For me, the most humbling thing has been the families of servicemen who thanked me for doing what I did,” Simpson said. “I wasn’t expecting to get so much thanks.’’

An Olympic Ring

An Argentinian fencer walked away from the Olympics this week with a different type of medal.

Maria Belen Perez Maurice lost her match to Hungary’s Anna Marton in the women’s saber individual on Monday.

In the middle of her post-match interview, Perez Maurice was surprised by her coach.

Lucas Guillermo Saucedo held up a large handwritten note that said, “Do you want to marry me?” in Spanish.

Perez Maurice turned around, saw the note, and loudly expressed her happiness.

“They told me to turn around, and he had the letter. I forgot everything. I was like, ‘Oh my G-d,’” Perez Maurice said.

“We are very happy. We are very good partners. Of course, we have fights, but we enjoy each other’s time,” she added.

Perez Maurice – who won gold at the 2014 Pan American Championships and competed at London 2012 and Rio 2016 – said the couple intended to celebrate their engagement in “Buenos Aires with a big barbecue.”

This is not the first time that Saucedo popped the question. He had proposed in Paris after the 2010 World Fencing Championships, but she declined, saying at the time, “I am young.”

Saucedo explained, “When she lost the match [to Marton this week] she got very sad, so maybe this proposal should change her mentality. I wrote on the paper in the moment. If she had won, no, I would have waited for the moment.”

Perfect timing.