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August 20 - August 26, 2007 
 Weekly News In Review
 Vol 2, Issue 18
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The Weekly News In Review Newsletter is a compilation of the news articles that have appeared on the Understand The Times website during the previous week.

 August 17 - Papal Q-and-A Session With Priests, Part 2
 Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days

Here is the second part of a Vatican translation of Benedict XVI's July 24 question-and-answer session with priests from the dioceses of Belluno-Feltre and Treviso, Italy, during the Pope's vacation.

MEETING OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI WITH THE CLERGY OF THE DIOCESES OF BELLUNO-FELTRE AND TREVISO

I am Fr Francesco. Holy Father, one sentence you wrote in your book made a deep impression on me: "[But] what did Jesus actually bring if not world peace, universal prosperity and a better world? What has he brought? The answer is very simple: "God. He has brought God'" (Jesus of Nazareth, English edition, p. 44); I find the clarity and truth of this citation disarming. This is my question: there is talk about the new evangelization, the new proclamation of the Gospel -- this was also the main theme of the Synod of our Diocese, Belluno-Feltre -- but what should we do so that this God, the one treasure brought by Jesus and who all too often appears hazy to many, shines forth anew in our homes and becomes the water that quenches even the thirst of the many who seem no longer to be thirsting? Thank you.

Benedict XVI: Thank you. Yours is a fundamental question. The fundamental question of our pastoral work is how to bring God to the world, to our contemporaries. Of course, bringing God is a multi-dimensional task: already in Jesus' preaching, in his life and his death we see how this One develops in so many dimensions. I think that we should always be mindful of two things: on the one hand, the Christian proclamation. Christianity is not a highly complicated collection of so many dogmas that it is impossible for anyone to know them all; it is not something exclusively for academicians who can study these things, but it is something simple: God exists and God is close in Jesus Christ. Thus, to sum up, Jesus Christ himself said that the Kingdom of God had arrived. Basically, what we preach is one, simple thing. All the dimensions subsequently revealed are dimensions of this one thing and all people do not have to know everything but must certainly enter into the depths and into the essential. In this way, the different dimensions also unfold with ever increasing joy. But in practice what should be done? I think, speaking of pastoral work today, that we have already touched on the essential points. But to continue in this direction, bringing God implies above all, on the one hand, love, and on the other, hope and faith. Thus, the dimension of life lived, bearing the best witness for Christ, the best proclamation, is always the life of true Christians. If we see that families nourished by faith live in joy, that they also experience suffering in profound and fundamental joy, that they help others, loving God and their neighbour, in my opinion this is the most beautiful proclamation today. For me too, the most comforting proclamation is always that of seeing Catholic families or personalities who are penetrated by faith: the presence of God truly shines out in them and they bring the "living water" that you mentioned. The fundamental proclamation is, therefore, precisely that of the actual life of Christians. Of course, there is also the proclamation of the Word. We must spare no effort to ensure that the Word is listened to and known. Today, there are numerous schools of the Word and of the conversation with God in Sacred Scripture, a conversation which necessarily also becomes prayer, because the purely theoretical study of Sacred Scripture is a form of listening that is merely intellectual and would not be a real or satisfactory encounter with the Word of God. If it is true that in Scripture and in the Word of God it is the Living Lord God who speaks to us, who elicits our response and our prayers, then schools of Scripture must also be schools of prayer, of dialogue with God, of drawing intimately close to God: consequently, the whole proclamation. Then, of course, I would say the sacraments. All the Saints also always come with God. It is important -- Sacred Scripture tell us from the very outset -- that God never comes by himself but comes accompanied and surrounded by the Angels and Saints. In the great stained glass window in St Peter's which portrays the Holy Spirit, what I like so much is the fact that God is surrounded by a throng of Angels and living beings who are an expression, an emanation, so to speak, of God's love. And with God, with Christ, with the man who is God and with God who is man, Our Lady arrives. This is very important. God, the Lord, has a Mother and in his Mother we truly recognize God's motherly goodness. Our Lady, Mother of God, is the Help of Christians, she is our permanent comfort, our great help. I see this too in the dialogue with the Bishops of the world, of Africa and lately also of Latin America; I see that love for Our Lady is the driving force of catholicity. In Our Lady we recognize all God's tenderness, so, fostering and living out Our Lady's, Mary's, joyful love is a very great gift of catholicity. Then there are the Saints. Every place has its own Saint. This is good because in this way we see the range of colours of God's one light and of his love which comes close to us. It means discovering the Saints in their beauty, in their drawing close to me in the Word, so that in a specific Saint I may find expressed precisely for me the inexhaustible Word of God, and then all the aspects of parochial life, even the human ones. We must not always be in the clouds, in the loftiest clouds of Mystery. We must have our feet firmly planted on the ground and together live the joy of being a great family: the great little family of the parish; the great family of the diocese, the great family of the universal Church. In Rome I can see all this, I can see how people from every part of the world who do not know one another are actually acquainted because they all belong to the family of God. They are close to one another because they all possess the love of the Lord, the love of Our Lady, the love of the Saints, Apostolic Succession and the Successor of Peter and the Bishops. I would say that this joy of catholicity with its many different hues is also the joy of beauty. We have here the beauty of a beautiful organ; the beauty of a very beautiful church, the beauty that has developed in the Church. I think this is a marvellous testimony of God's presence and of the truth of God. Truth is expressed in beauty, and we must be grateful for this beauty and seek to do our utmost to ensure that it is ever present, that it develops and continues to grow. In this way, I believe that God will be very concretely in our midst.


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 August 20 - Artificial life likely in 3 to 10 years
 Article: Cloning And Genetic Engineering

WASHINGTON - Around the world, a handful of scientists are trying to create life from scratch and they're getting closer.
 
Experts expect an announcement within three to 10 years from someone in the now little-known field of "wet artificial life."

"It's going to be a big deal and everybody's going to know about it," said Mark Bedau, chief operating officer of ProtoLife of Venice, Italy, one of those in the race. "We're talking about a technology that could change our world in pretty fundamental ways - in fact, in ways that are impossible to predict."

"Creating protocells has the potential to shed new light on our place in the universe," Bedau said. "This will remove one of the few fundamental mysteries about creation in the universe and our role."

One of the leaders in the field, Jack Szostak at Harvard Medical School, predicts that within the next six months, scientists will report evidence that the first step - creating a cell membrane - is "not a big problem." Scientists are using fatty acids in that effort.

His idea is that once the container is made, if scientists add nucleotides in the right proportions, then Darwinian evolution could simply take over.

"We aren't smart enough to design things, we just let evolution do the hard work and then we figure out what happened," Szostak said.

"When these things are created, they're going to be so weak, it'll be a huge achievement if you can keep them alive for an hour in the lab," he said. "But them getting out and taking over, never in our imagination could this happen."



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 August 20 - 'US pushing Israel to attack Syria'
 Article: Wars And Rumors Of Wars

Washington is preventing Israel from making peace with Syria and instead is pushing it to wage war, the Arab country's government-owned daily Tishrin read on Monday.

The paper said that recent moves made by the US including supplying Israel with weapons and agreeing to a $30 billion aid-package are methods the country was implementing to push the Jewish state to wage war on Damascus.

It also accused Israel of threatening the region by holding large-scale army exercises. Israel's recent military maneuvers not only pointed to the fact that the country refused to make peace with Syria, but also proved that the Jewish state was preparing for war, claimed Tishrin.

Israel, claimed the paper, is working "around the clock and stages exercises as preparation for the next round of war.

Further, the paper stated that "even if Israel is not the direct cause of the tragedies, murders and crimes in our area, [Israel] is indirectly [responsible for them]."



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 August 19 - Pressure Russia
 Article: Wars And Rumors Of Wars

At the same moment when even Arab states are trying to reassure Israel that Syria has no plans to attack, Damascus is taking delivery of advanced Russian SA-22 E anti-aircraft missiles and artillery. According to Arab press reports, this arms deal, which cost some $900 million, is being financed by Iran.
This news came on the heals of reports last month that Russia would sell 250 advanced long-range Sukhoi-30 fighter jets to Teheran. Russia has already supplied Iran with sophisticated air defense systems.

Russia is doubly responsible for this international failure: first, by using its veto threat to block effective sanctions against Iran and Syria, and second with its bilateral arms deals that would violate the minimal sanctions that should long ago have been imposed to punish these nations' international aggression. There is no sign that Russian behavior is improving in this sphere. The idea that Russia is now competing with the US in pumping arms into the region is not an excuse, but an indictment.

International peace and security demands that the radical Islamist alliance of Iran, Syria, Hizbullah, Hamas and al- Qaida be isolated and defeated. In this global battle, Russia has been weighing in on the wrong side.

Rather than being held hostage by Russia and China in the UN Security Council, the US and Europe need to use the authority of already-passed resolutions to impose much tougher sanctions on Teheran and Damascus. In addition, Russia needs to know that it cannot remain a member in good standing of the G- 8 - the international community's most exclusive club - while it is selling advanced weaponry to and running diplomatic interference for some of the world's most dangerous rogue states.

Western willingness to impose consequences on Russia for its open support of rogue regimes will be a key litmus test for all nations that are making judgments regarding which side is serious enough to win. It is not the US that should fear jeopardizing its "friendship" with Russia, but Russia that should be concerned about losing the benefits of its current membership in the West.



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 August 19 - On the Peace Christ Brought
 Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 19, 2007 - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today before reciting the midday Angelus in the courtyard of the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Those who desire to resist this enemy, remaining faithful to God and the good, must necessarily deal with misunderstandings and sometimes very real persecution. Thus, those who intend to follow Jesus and commit themselves without compromises to the truth must know that they will face opposition and will become, despite themselves, a sign of division among persons, even within their own families.

Love of one's parents is indeed a sacred commandment, but for it to be lived authentically it cannot be set in opposition to the love of God and Christ. In such a way, in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus, Christians must become "instruments of his peace," according to the celebrated expression of St. Francis of Assisi. This is not an inconsistent and superficial peace but a real one, pursued with courage and tenacity in the daily commitment to defeat evil with good (cf. Romans 12:21), paying in person the price that this carries with it.

The Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, shared the struggle of her son Jesus against the evil one, to the point of spiritual martyrdom, and she continues to share this struggle until the end of time. Let us invoke her maternal intercession, that she may help us always to be faithful witnesses to Christ's peace, never giving in to compromises with evil.

In these days our thoughts and our prayers are turned constantly to the people of Peru, who have been stricken by a devastating earthquake. For the many who have died, I invoke the peace of the Lord, for those who have been injured, I ask for quick recovery, and for those thrown into miserable circumstances I assure you that the Church is with you, in spiritual and material solidarity. My secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who for some time had planned a visit to Peru, in the next few days, will, in person, bring the testimony of my sentiments and the concrete help of the Holy See.

I am pleased to greet the English-speaking visitors gathered for this Angelus prayer. The readings from today's Mass invite us to lift our eyes to Jesus, who inspires and perfects our faith. May you and your families experience the Lord's closeness during these summer holidays and respond to his love through deeper prayer and more generous acts of charity. Upon all of you I invoke Christ's blessings of joy and peace!



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 August 21 - Friars spread papal message of love during march
 Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days

BALTIMORE, Md. (The Catholic Review) - Wearing hooded grey robes cinched at the waist with ropes, nearly a dozen Franciscan Friars of the Renewal marched through the streets of downtown Baltimore carrying a large crucifix, an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and a papal flag.

The priests visited Baltimore as one of the stops on a first-of-its-kind spiritual pilgrimage called "The Future Depends on Love" tour Aug. 3-11. The New York-based friars, who were joined by several seminarians from across the country, started their journey in Philadelphia - making stops in Wilmington, Del., and Baltimore before ending in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 11.

They celebrated Mass and toured the restored Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and also made a prayerful stop at Holy Rosary in Fells Point. Holy hours and talks were given at St. Joseph in Cockeysville and St. Philip Neri in Linthicum.

Father Lawrence Joseph Schroedel, C.F.R., one of the pilgrims, said the name of the tour came from the last line of the play "The Jeweler's Shop," written by Pope John Paul II as a young man. The purpose of the event was to promote the sanctity of life, encourage eucharistic devotion, help people live out the spiritual and corporal works of mercy and to raise awareness about vocations and marriage, he said.

"Seeing them says to me that the Lord is coming," said Ms. Robinson, a non-Catholic who clutched a Marian prayer card the friar gave her. "It's important to believe."



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 August 22 - Mega-church ripped for inviting Jimmy Carter to address leadership conference
 Article: Apostasy

The head of pro- Israel ministry is baffled as to why a mega-church would invite former President Jimmy Carter to address its recent leadership conference.

The former president was among those invited to speak at the 2007 Leadership Summit hosted by Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, which is pastored by Bill Hybels. Other speakers included former Secretary of State Colin Powell, author John Ortberg, and British management guru Marcus Buckingham. The conference saw 80,000 in attendance, and was beamed into 176 sites via audiovisual technology.

Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries tales issue with that assessment, noting that Carter has roamed the world delivering negative messages about America.

"He stands up for dictators. He has not been pro-American in his diplomacy. He failed the Shah of Iran in 1979, which allowed Ayatollah Khomeini in, which resulted in our war on terror," she says.

Markell says she cannot help but question the judgment of Hybels and Willow Creek for inviting someone like Carter to address the leadership conference.

"Here we have a supposedly evangelical church, that being Willow Creek, bringing in somebody who really does not like the Jews," Markell remarks. "Well, I'm sorry, [but] Jesus was a Jew. Our Bible -- from Genesis [chapter] 12 through Revelation -- is all about the Jews. And yet this man is one of the featured speakers at the leadership forum."

The ministry leader says the decision to feature Carter as a speaker makes no sense to her.



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 August 22 - Pontiff Invites Youth: Let Mary Protect You
 Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days

VATICAN CITY, AUG. 22, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI invited young people to put themselves under the protection of Mary.

The Pope said this today at the end of the general audience in Paul VI Hall, on the memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

"We raise our gaze to heaven to contemplate the splendor of the Holy Mother of God, who the liturgy invites us to invoke today as our queen," the Pontiff said.

"Dear young people," added the Holy Father, "put your lives and each of your projects under the maternal protection of the one who gave to the world a savior."

Speaking to the sick, Benedict XVI continued: "As you wait to regain your health, ask her each day for the strength to confront with patience the trials of suffering."

To the newlyweds present, the Pope said:
"Cultivate a sincere devotion to her so that she will be at your side in your daily life."
 



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 August 21 - Pope Sends Greeting to Buddhist Leader
 Article: Ecumenical Movement - Other Religions Uniting With Roman Catholics

VATICAN CITY, AUG. 21, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Peace is as much a gift of God as a duty of each and every person, says Benedict XVI in a message to the Religious Summit Meeting on Mount Hiei, Japan.

The Pope's message, sent to Kahjun Handa, supreme head of the Tendai Buddhist Denomination, commemorates 20 years of the summit meetings, held this year on Aug. 4. The letter was signed June 23.

The Holy Father recalled in the letter that the encounters were previously convoked by Etai Yamada, the former supreme head Tendai, after he participated in the Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi called by Pope John Paul II in 1986.

Benedict XVI said the Religous Summit on Mount Hiei, in Kyoto, seeks "to keep the flame of the spirit of Assisi burning."

"From the supernatural perspective we come to understand that peace is both a gift from God and an obligation for every individual," he added.

The Holy Father continued: "Indeed the world's cry for peace, echoed by families and communities throughout the globe, is at once both a prayer to God and an appeal to every brother and sister of our human family. As you assemble on the sacred Mount Hiei, representing different religions, I assure you of my spiritual closeness.

The Pope said he was
"happy that Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, is able to take part in this meeting."



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 August 18 - President: Roots of discord in Islamic world are "external"
 Article: Islam

Division among Islamic world has external roots and is created as a result of enemies presence and interference in regional affairs, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the Fourth Ahl-ul-Bait General Assembly, he said: "Islam is a complete truth which is partly seen in Judaism, in Christianity and in other divine faiths." Criticizing the present division among different divine religions, the president said: "The present world is going through one of its most sensitive historic periods as we are witnessing massive, quick and various changes.

"The international equations are rapidly changing in favor of justice and against falsehood," stressed the president.

President Ahmadinejad said the US invasion of Iraq and its occupation as well as massacre of defenseless people of Palestine and Lebanon were clear examples of US and the Zionists crimes against humanity.

Noting that Zionism was the pioneer of Western-style liberal democracy and the vanguard of occupation and aggression worldwide, he said, "The Zionist regime is the flag of Satan." The Fourth Ahl-ul-Bait General Assembly started work here Saturday in the presence of President Ahmadinejad.

Religious and political figures from 110 countries are taking part in the two-day gathering.

The Ahl-ul- Bait World Assembly is a non-profit and non- governmental organization based in Tehran which was established in 1990 aimed at promoting Islamic teachings and culture.



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 August 23 - The Mailbag: Reports Claim A 'Bleeding' Host In Outback Of Africa, Statue In India
 Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days

From Sematiko Stephen in Kampala, Uganda:

It started from Kibeho Rwanda -- a Church-approved apparition place in Rwanda South West of Uganda, in May 2007.

A group of Ugandans made a pilgrim to this place, and while there, Our Lady requested the pilgrims on their return to Uganda to go to the Queen of Peace shrine in Uganda to celebrate a thanksgiving Mass.

The chairman of Dove Tours and the Director of the Peace Medjugroje Center Father Peter Bakka organized a day for the thanksgiving Mass, which was June 2, 2007.

The visionary Jean Marie, accompanied by two friends, Caritas and Sylvester, came to Uganda to celebrate with us according to how the Lord had told them in Kibeho.

Father Bakka told us that we were going now in the Way of the Cross and everybody had to remove his or her shoes, meaning we had to move barefooted. We started the Way at 3.00 p.m. exactly, reciting the chaplet of the Divine Mercy.

As soon as we reached the fifth station, a loud voice from Father Bakka was heard saying, "All of you look at Jean Marie; he has a message for us." Jean Marie rose up his hands and the Host was turning into blood, flowing down.

The visionary started moving around rising up his hand with the Host in the palm; blood was flowing from the Host; it couldn't fall down, though it was changing it in many different directions.
 
After Jean Marie had finished all that the Lord [allegedly] was telling him, we knelt down on the sharp stones that are at the shrine. He prayed to the Lord and at that time his translator told us to look up at the sun. I personally looked at the sun, and it was blue in color and rolling and the Host was in the middle of it. Everybody saw that.

I had never cried much, but it was my first time to do so because the Lord was appearing physically through signs.

The sun started following us up to Calvary, and when we reached Calvary, the visionary was giving us another [alleged] message from the Lord: My children, I love you so much, thank you for this, I am with you all the time with my mother. I cannot give my church to Judas Iscariot; he is a traitor. (Meaning the devil.).

Now appearing in the sun, He told us, I have given you all what you have asked for and registered all your names in the book of heaven.

The sun started moving closer down and going up again.

All people were shouting and waving to the Lord up in the sky. The clouds started changing colors from yellow blue white and brown. More shouting was heard from the congregation as people were so excited.



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 News Alert - August 24 - Pope Benedict XVI elevates "Mary" to a place of Diety.
 Article: Roman Catholic Church And The Last Days

Here is a portion of the pope's message given August 15, 2007 (Feast of the Assumption):
 
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today, we are celebrating the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is an ancient feast deeply rooted in Sacred Scripture: indeed, it presents the Virgin Mary closely united to her divine Son and ever supportive of him.

Mother and Son appear closely bound in the fight against the infernal enemy until they completely defeat him. This victory is expressed in particular in overcoming sin and death, that is, in triumphing over the enemies which St Paul always presents as connected (cf. Rom 5: 12, 15-21; I Cor 15: 21-26).

Therefore, just as Christ's glorious Resurrection was the definitive sign of this victory, so Mary's glorification in her virginal body is the ultimate confirmation of her total solidarity with the Son, both in the conflict and in victory.

The Servant of God Pope Pius XII interpreted the deep theological meaning of this mystery on 1 November 1950 when he pronounced the solemn Dogmatic Definition of this Marian privilege.

He declared: "Hence, the revered Mother of God, from all eternity joined in a hidden way with Jesus Christ in one and the same decree of predestination, immaculate in her conception, a most perfect virgin in her divine motherhood, the noble associate of the divine Redeemer who has won a complete triumph over sin and its consequences, finally obtained, as the supreme culmination of her privileges, that she should be preserved free from the corruption of the tomb and that, like her own Son, having overcome death, she might be taken up body and soul to the glory of Heaven where, as Queen, she sits in splendour at the right hand of her Son, the immortal King of the Ages" (Apostolic Constitution "Munificentissimus Deus": AAS 42, [1 November 1950]).

Dear brothers and sisters, after being taken up into Heaven, Mary did not distance herself from us but continues to be even closer to us and her light shines on our lives and on the history of all humanity. Attracted by the heavenly brightness of the Mother of the Redeemer, let us turn with trust to the One who looks upon us and protects us from on high.

We all need her help and comfort to face the trials and challenges of daily life; we need to feel that she is our mother and sister in the concrete situations of our lives.

And so that we too may one day be able to share in her same destiny, let us imitate her now in her meek following of Christ and her generous service to the brethren. This is the only way to have a foretaste, already on our earthly pilgrimage, of the joy and peace which those who reach the immortal destination of Paradise live to the full.

After the Angelus:

I offer a warm welcome to the English- speaking visitors gathered for this Angelus prayer on the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady. May the example and prayers of Mary, Queen of Heaven, inspire and sustain us on our pilgrimage of faith, that we too may attain the glory of the Resurrection and the fulfilment of our hope in her Son's promises. Upon you and your families I invoke the Lord's richest blessings.

I wish you all a good Feast of the Assumption!


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 August 24 - Out-of-body experience recreated
 Article: Rising Interest In The Supernatural

The experiments, described in the Science journal, offer a scientific explanation for a phenomenon experienced by one in 10 people.

Two teams used virtual reality goggles to con the brain into thinking the body was located elsewhere.

The visual illusion plus the feel of their real bodies being touched made volunteers sense that they had moved outside of their physical bodies.

The researchers say their findings could have practical applications, such as helping take video games to the next level of virtuality so the players feel as if they are actually inside the game.

Clinically, surgeons might also be able to perform operations on patients thousands of miles away by controlling a robotic virtual self.


Teleported

For some, out-of-body experiences or OBEs occurs spontaneously, while for others it is linked to dangerous circumstances, a near-death experience, a dream-like state or use of alcohol or drugs.

One theory is that it is down to how people perceive their own body - those unhappy or less in touch with their body are more likely to have an OBE.

But the two teams, from University College London, UK, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, believe there is a neurological explanation.

Dr Susan Blackmore, psychologist and visiting lecturer at the University of the West of England, said: "This has at last brought OBEs into the lab and tested one of the main theories of how they occur.

"Scientists have long suspected that the clue to these extraordinary, and sometimes life-changing, experiences lies in disrupting our normal illusion of being a self behind our eyes, and replacing it with a new viewpoint from above or behind."


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 August 24 - Euro Parliament Criticized for Hosting UN 'Israel-Bashing' Forum
 Article: Israel And The Last Days

Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - Israel is unhappy that the European Parliament will play host to a meeting next week of a United Nations committee known for taking strong anti-Israel positions. By agreeing to host the conference next week at its Brussels headquarters, the EP is legitimizing what is sure to be an "Israel-bashing" exercise, an Israeli official said on Thursday.

For critics such as Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev, however, the committee's track record gives little hope that the meeting will be as innocuous as it sounds.

Regev told Cybercast News Service that in the three decades of the committee's existence, it had done nothing to help the cause of peace. It was, rather, an "old-fashioned, Israel- bashing" body, he added.

The U.N. committee has issued a statement denying that next week's event will be "anti-Israeli," and saying that some people appear to have misunderstood the committee's role and mandate.

The committee "has a consistent record of support for the Middle East peace process," it said.

However, a delegation of Polish Euro-lawmakers already has pulled out of the event, after getting a look at material prepared by the organizers for use during the meeting.

Bronislaw Geremek, a member of the EP who is also president emeritus of the Polish national parliament, was quoted in the Jerusalem Post as saying the material made it clear the meeting would be "a biased, conflict-generating conference."

Hillel Neuer, executive director of U.N. Watch, a Geneva-based organization that monitors the U.N., said nothing constructive ever comes out of the committee's frequent meetings.

They are usually a platform for those who want to delegitimize Israel by pushing the "Soviet- era" line that Zionism is racism, he said.

Neuer said the outcome of the conference is pre- determined since no Israeli government representatives have been invited, and the only Israelis who are to attend are "specially-approved" because they hold radical pro-Palestinian views.



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 August 25 - President: Humanity Thirsty For Justice
 Article: Islam

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday that propagation of aspirations of Imam Mahdi (May God Hasten His Reappearance) accounts for justice and promoting commands of prophets (Peace Be Upon Them).

He said in his statement to the Third International Conference on 'Mahdaviat' that the humanity is thirsty for monotheism and justice and that by grace of the God Almighty justice will prevail in the world soon.

"Since the prophets (PBUH) have heralded appearance of the Savior of Time, followers of all divine religions, are waiting for his eminence."
He said that under the current situation, the nations are fed up with oppression prevailing in the world, so, the ground is well-prepared for rule of Lord of the Time, Imam Mahdi (May God Hasten His Reappearance).



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 August 24 - US school ordered to halt Hebrew classes
 Article: Israerl And The Last Days

A charter school has been ordered to temporarily suspend Hebrew classes while officials try to determine whether teachers are advocating the Jewish faith.

Broward Schools Superintendent James Notter sent a letter to officials at the Ben Gamla Charter School in Hollywood on Wednesday advising them to halt Hebrew classes until the school board could further examine the curriculum.

"If it comes up in the course of conversation, that is one thing but if it comes to promoting religion or proselytizing, we don't want it to happen," said Keith Bromery, a spokesman for the Broward schools.

Ben Gamla is in its first week of operation as the country's first Hebrew-language charter school, but school founder Peter Deutsch, a former Democratic congressman, said he told teachers Thursday to halt the classes. He said he shared Notter's aim to ensure religion doesn't enter a publicly funded school.



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We hope the Weekly News In Review has been a blessing to you.

In Jesus,
Roger Oakland


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