My father died just before Simchat Torah and I couldn't bring myself to join the others in dancing. Then I remembered the following incredible story. Nineteen years ago, my 64-year-old father, of blessed memory, passed away rather suddenly just before the High Holidays. Needless to say, it was difficult for me to concentrate on my prayers appropriately. When Simchat Torah came, I couldn't bring myself to join the others in my synagogue who were dancing with the holy Torah scrolls. So there I stood in a corner, feeling sorry for myself, and then I remembered the following incredible story.One of the many great heroic personalities to emerge from the Holocaust was Rabbi Yekusiel Yehuda Halberstam, the hassidic grand rabbi of Klausenberg, Romania. Before, after and even during the most hellish experiences he suffered at the hands of the Nazis, the Klausenberger Rebbe was loved and revered for his sheer genius, his selfless devotion to the welfare of the most unfortunate, his piety and his courageous leadership.Due to his pre-war reputation as a great rabbi, people were attracted to the rebbe and sought his advice and guidance even within the camps. This was not lost on the Germans and they ...   more »

The man who helped push the issue of public education onto the national agenda of the Southern Baptist Convention has written a new book that blows the lid off government schools, showing parents the kind of worldview and values their children are influenced by 180 days a year. Bruce Shortt, author of "The Harsh Truth About Public Schools," presents myriad reasons why government institutions are failing America's children and thumbing their noses at parents with a religious worldview. As WorldNetDaily reported, last year Shortt helped spearhead an unsuccessful effort to have the Southern Baptist Convention pass a resolution urging its members to remove their children from public school. In "The Harsh Truth About Public Schools," Shortt, writing from a biblical perspective, presents rigorous research about the agenda and effect of government schooling on the nation's young people. Shortt especially wants to educate Christian parents, millions of whom send their kids off to public school every day. "Contrary to what many Christians have been led to believe, there is no such thing as a 'neutral' education," Shortt writes. "All education is religious and conveys a worldview, and there is no more important decision that we make as parents than how we ...   more »

By Stan Goodenough
October 12, 2006

News Item

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a gathering of “Palestinian” Americans Wednesday she believed “there could be no greater legacy for America than to help bring into being a Palestinian state.”Rice, the administration official primarily responsible for charting the course of foreign policy for President George W. Bush, had just returned from a round of Middle East diplomacy during which she met with both Israeli officials and “Palestinian” terrorists.One of those terrorists, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, blatantly lied to Rice about his people’s willingness to recognize Israel. Despite verifiable reports revealing this betrayal, the American was emphatic in her declaration.“I promise you my personal commitment to that goal,” she said, echoing Bush who, just four weeks earlier, called the creation of Palestine “one of the great objectives of my presidency.”CommentaryWashington’s resolve to play midwife to the birth of an Arab state on Jewish lands appears not in the least bit weakened by the steadily-accumulated evidence – as the latest opinion polls again show – that the vast majority of “Palestinians” still support the traditional PLO position, according to which the establishment of a Palestinian state will assure the ultimate ...   more »

Mosul, Iraq (AINA) -- On Monday, October 9, a prominent Assyrian (also known as Chaldean and Syriac) priest, Fr. Paulos Iskander (Paul Alexander), was kidnapped by an unknown Islamic group. His ransom was posted at either $250,000 or $350,000. This group had demanded that signs be posted once again on his church apologizing for the Pope's remarks as a condition for negotiations to begin.
Father Alexander was beheaded on Wednesday.
An email from a priest in Sweden, Adris Hanna, describes the Muslim terror campaign against the Christians in Iraq:
The Syriac-Orhtodox priest Paulos Iskandar was kidnapped this Monday, October 9, and beheaded today Wednesday October 11.
The Bishop in Mosul wrote me an email tonight and told me that the funeral will be held in Mosul tomorrow.
Christians are living a terrified life in Mosul and Baghdad. Several priests have been kidnapped, girls are being raped and murdered and a couple of days ago a fourteen year old boy was crucified in the Christian neighborhood Albasra.
I have also spoken to a group of nuns that were robbed and treated brutally on their way between Baghdad to Amman in Jordan.
The murder of father Paulus is the final blow for ...   more »

By Rebecca Morelle
BBC News   
The tag would track passengers' movements
Electronically tagging passengers at airports could help the fight against terrorism, scientists have said.
The prototype technology is to be tested at an airport in Hungary, and could, if successful, become a reality "in two years".
The work is being carried out at a new research centre, based at University College London, set up to find technological solutions to crime.
Other projects include scanners for explosives and dirty bomb radiation.
Dr Paul Brennan, an electrical engineer, is leading the tagging project, known as Optag.
He said: "The basic idea is that airports could be fitted with a network of combined panoramic cameras and RFID (radio frequency ID) tag readers, which would monitor the movements of people around the various terminal buildings."
The plan, he said, would be for each passenger to be issued with a tag at check-in.
He said: "In our system, the location can be detected to an accuracy of 1m, and video and tag data could be merged to give a powerful surveillance capability."
The tags do not store any data, but emit a signal containing a unique ID which could be cross-referenced with passenger ...   more »