Halloween seems like an appropriate time to review what is perhaps one of the strangest events recorded in the scriptures: the account of King Saul's encounter with the Witch of Endor.
The Impending Battle
In his preoccupation with the pursuit of his rival David, King Saul had neglected the growing Philistine threat to Israel. Meanwhile, the Philistines undertook a new strategy and marched into the Jezreel Valley where they could use their chariots to advantage, thus cutting Saul off from the northern tribes. (This same valley is destined to be the site of the future battle of Armageddon.) The Philistines were encamped at Shunem, a city in the Valley of Jezreel situated on the south slope of the Hill of Moreh. The Israelite forces were camped five miles to the south at Mount Gilboa.

When Saul saw the Philistine army he was so afraid that his heart "greatly trembled." He was gripped with fear. Saul inquired of the Lord, but there was no answer. The prophet Samuel was dead. No encouraging word from the Lord would be forthcoming.

Consulting the Witch

With the heavens silent, Saul sought out a medium to enable him to determine the outcome of the battle ...   more »

US scientists have cracked the entire genetic code of breast and colon cancers, offering new treatment hopes.
The genetic map shows that nearly 200 mutated genes, most previously unknown, help tumours emerge, grow and spread.
The discovery could also lead to better ways to diagnose cancer in its early, most treatable stages, and personalised treatments, Science magazine reports.
The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center says the findings suggest cancer is more complex than experts had believed.
Distinct differences
The mutated genes in breast and colon cancers were almost completely distinct, suggesting very different pathways for the development of each of these cancer types.
Each individual tumour appeared to have a different genetic blueprint, which could explain why cancers can behave very differently from person to person, the scientists said.
"No two patients are identical," co-author Dr Victor Velculescu explained.
  Scientists hope to be able to tailor plans for preventing or treating cancer to each person's individual genetic profile
Ed Yong of Cancer Research UK
Now researchers will study how these mutations occur in breast and colon cancers.
Previous cancer gene discoveries have already led to successful detection and treatment strategies.
For example, the breast cancer drug Herceptin targets a ...   more »

One of the world's most incredible--but true--love stories began
in the worst place imaginable By Herman Rosenblat
 August, 1942. Piotrkow, Poland. The sky was gloomy that morning as we
waited anxiously. All the men, women, and children of Piotrkow's Jewish
ghetto had been herded into a square. Word had gotten around that we were
being moved. My father had only recently died from typhus, which had run
rampant through the crowded ghetto. My greatest fear was that our family
would be separated. "Whatever you do," Isidore, my eldest brother, whispered
to me, "don't tell them your age. Say you're sixteen." I was tall for a boy
of 11, so I could pull it off. That way I might be deemed valuable as a
worker. An SS man approached me, boots clicking against the cobblestones. He
looked me up and down, then asked my age.
     "Sixteen," I said. He directed me to the left, where my three brothers
and other healthy young men already stood.
     My mother was motioned to the right-with the other women, children,
sick and elderly people. I whispered to Isidore, "Why?" He didn't answer. I
ran to Mama's side and said I wanted to stay ...   more »

SELLERSBURG, Ind. -- President Bush told a roaring crowd Saturday at Silver Creek High School that "the election of Mike Sodrel is important for the United States of America."
PRESIDENTIAL SUPPORT: President Bush and U.S. Rep. Mike Sodrel, R-Ind., spoke at a rally for Sodrel’s reelection Saturday at Silver Creek High School in Sellersburg - BILL LUSTER / Louisville Courier-Journal 
"The stakes are high in this election," Bush said as more than 4,000 supporters waved pompoms and stomped on wooden bleachers in the school gym. "Your vote will have an impact, not only on your lives here, but an impact to help determine the course of this nation."
Sodrel, a first-term incumbent, is locked in a tight battle with Democrat Baron Hill, who served six years in the House before the Republican ousted him two years ago.
The race is considered a tossup and one of several dozen nationwide that could determine control of the U.S. House.
That's why Bush came to Indiana on Saturday, campaigned for Republicans in Iowa and Michigan on Thursday and plans rallies this week in Georgia and Texas.
But Bush told the crowd Saturday that he is confident Republicans will win both houses of Congress....   more »

Congressman: Superhighway
about North American Union
Paul says goal is common currency,
borderless travel, bigger bureaucracy
Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas
WASHINGTON – Rep. Ron Paul, a maverick Republican from Texas, today denounced plans for the proposed "NAFTA superhighway" in his state as part of a larger plot for merger of the U.S., Canada and Mexico into a North American Union.
"By now many Texans have heard about the proposed 'NAFTA Superhighway,' which is also referred to as the trans-Texas corridor," he said in a statement. "What you may not know is the extent to which plans for such a superhighway are moving forward without congressional oversight or media attention."
Paul explained that most members of Congress are unaware of the plans because only relatively small amounts of money have been spent studying the plans and those allocations were included in "enormous transportation appropriations bills."
"The proposed highway is part of a broader plan advanced by a quasi-government organization called the 'Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America,' or SPP," he explains. "The SPP was first launched in 2005 by the heads of state of Canada, Mexico, and the United States at a summit in Waco."
No treaties were involved, and ...   more »

by Daniel Pipes
As the Iranian government announced last week a doubling of its uranium enrichment program, the United Nations Security Council bickered over a feeble European draft resolution. It would do no more than prohibit Iranian students from studying nuclear physics abroad, deny visas for Iranians working in the nuclear area, and end foreign assistance for Iran's nuclear program, oh, except from Russia.
Where, one wonders, will the desultory, perpetual efforts to avert a crisis with Iran end? With a dramatic calling of the vote at the Security Council in New York? Around-the-clock negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna? A special envoy from the European Union hammering out a compromise in Tehran?
None of the above, I predict, for all these scenarios presume that Tehran will ultimately forego its dream of nuclear weaponry. Recent evidence suggests otherwise:
Hostile statements provoking the West. Perhaps the most notable of these was President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's warning to Europe not to support Israel: "We have advised the Europeans that … the [Muslim] nations are like an ocean that is welling up, and if a storm begins, the dimensions will not stay limited to Palestine, and you may get hurt." Yet ...   more »

Religious MKs call on police to cancel gay pride parade in Jerusalem
Miri Chason

A meeting of the Knesset Internal Affairs Committee to discuss the planned gay pride parade in Jerusalem ended with participants exchanging insults.

 

National Union-NRP MK Yitzhak Levy warned that a one-million strong protest would be held in the capital if police don't cancel the parade.

Ultra-Orthodox Threats
 
Holy war against pride parade / Neta Sela  
Haredim promise violence if parade takes place, tell J'lem police chief 'will not give up, dialogue or negotiate'      
"Where is the danger coming from? You made it up," Yael Dayan, a member of the Tel Aviv Municipality said.
Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Eliyahu Yishai of Shas and Levy called on the police to cancel the parade.
Yitzhak Levy said: "I call on the police to cancel the parade for fear of violence by extremists. Hundreds of thousands are planning to come from across the country to protest against the parade. The police is preparing for a large protest which could include one million people. There are threats and these threats are the reason for my calling on the police to cancel the parade's approval."
'I fear ...   more »