-by Rabbi Benjamin Blech-- 
 Is the Sistine Chapel the site for the greatest subversive act in the history of art?
aish.com - In the heart of the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel is the site of the conclave where every new pope is elected. It is without doubt the holiest chapel in the Christian world, and draws more than 4 million visitors per year. Most of the world knows it best for its magnificent frescoes painted by the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo Buonarroti. What has remained a little-known secret, however, is that within this citadel of Christianity lies perhaps the greatest subversive act in the history of art.
Almost none of the visitors who enter the Sistine realize that they are gazing upon secret messages embedded by Michelangelo in his artistic masterpiece. They would certainly be surprised to learn that, in the pope's own chapel, Michelangelo employed these secret messages to advocate for a revolutionary change in Christianity's relationship to Judaism, and that the code itself was rooted in the Jewish tradition.
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By Karin Kloosterman 
The mere mention of a scorpion sends shivers up the spine -- but an Israeli company, Scorpion Surgical Technologies, has created a new device that could give scorpions some good PR for a change.
The company has developed a bone attachment system that circumvents the previous limitations of today's spinal implant operations, giving patients improved spinal motion and surgeries that could last a lifetime.
Addressing the spinal implant surgeries market, estimated at $5 billion a year globally, Scorpion has developed a new orthopaedic and spinal anchoring implant. Its implant and method is expected to produce better results for the 300,000 spinal fusion procedures performed each year in the US to treat degenerative disk disease or scoliosis. It could open up new possibilities for "dynamic fixation" surgeries as well.
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US President George W. Bush has given Israel the "amber light" to carry out an attack on Iran if diplomatic efforts are unsuccessful in causing the Islamic Republic to back down and relinquish its nuclear program, according to a senior Pentagon official quoted by the British Sunday Times on Sunday morning.
According to the official, Bush has given Israel free rein to attack Iran's nuclear sites if sanctions fail in spite of opposition from US generals and regardless of the possible economic and political repercussions of such a strike.
"Amber means get on with your preparations, stand by for immediate attack and tell us when you're ready," the official said, adding however, that Israel had been told that it could not count on the US to lend it military support.
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In unprecedented move, prominent Hasidic community allowed restricted internet use. 'Internet has become popular but you should know many dangers lurk in it,' community's rabbi warns
Neta Sela
A first-of-its-kind agreement between Belz Hasidic Court and the internet provider Rimon may soon enable Blez followers to subscribe to the "kosher" internet.
Though "kosher" internet has been available for quite some time, the Belz version is expected to be different, as Rimon has pledged to put to use one of its newest technological developments to block any content even remotely suspected as inappropriate at the supplier's level, thus blocking any such content even on pre-approved sites. 
The agreement between Rimon and the Belz Hasidic Court was signed last week, after several months of negotiations. The deal reportedly received Rabbi Dov Yissachar Rokeach's personal seal of approval.
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Slew of investigations faced by prime minister irreversibly damaged his image
Nahum BarneaEhud Olmert is a has-been. His career is finished. His fellow politicians know it, the foreign leaders he will be meeting in Paris Sunday know it, and the attorneys and police officers who manage his investigations know it.
The only one who refuses to know it is Ehud Olmert. By doing so, he is only making his suffering worse. The question of which incriminating evidence against him has accumulated, if at all, is still open – but he must realize that the damage to his public stature is irreversible. He must end his term as prime minister. 
The political and judicial system must look ahead, beyond Olmert. I have a proposal on this front that may not be completely foolish. The attorney general should go to the prime minister and tell him: I understand, sir, that in September your party will hold the primaries and you will be replaced. Can you issue a statement at this time that the day after the primaries you pledge to resign or suspend yourself without returning?
If so, in exchange I propose to postpone all the investigations pending against you to the ...   more »

 Iranian TV Series Affirms Protocols of Elders of Zion, Promotes Conspiracy Theories, Claims Jews Are Planning "the Genocide of Humanity" and Iranian Jewish, Baha'i Communities are Plotting to Take Over Iran
Following are excerpts from "The Secret of Armageddon," an Iranian television series. In it, Iranian scholars, historians, researchers, academicians, and scholars criticize Christian Zionists, affirm the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, promote various conspiracy theories, discuss the Jews' "genocidal plan for the genocide of humanity," claim that Iranian Jewish and Baha'i communities are plotting to take over Iran, and more.
The series aired on the Iranian news channel IRINN in May and June 2008:
To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1802.htm.
IRINN, May 10, 2008: "The Beliefs of These Fundamentalist Evangelical Christians... Are Based on World Domination"
Iranian scholar Dr. Ismail Shafe'i Sarustani: "Armageddon, which means 'The Mountain of the Noblemen,' is originally a Hebrew word. It is a real geographical region, situated south of Haifa in occupied Palestine. The place was shelled by Hizbullah during the 33-day [July 2006] war against the occupying regime."
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Travis Reed
LAKELAND, Fla. - Todd Bentley believes God acts through him to cure cancer, heal the deaf and raise the dead.
So do hundreds of thousands of people who have visited his raucous revival meeting, now in its third month and broadcast nightly from a huge tent in the middle of Florida.
The 32-year-old Canadian, tattooed to the fingers and neck, puts a palm to the forehead of the sick, desperate and faithful. Bentley yells "Bam!" they collapse and he proclaims them cured. Attendees dance in the aisles, shout to Heaven, laugh, shake violently and cry.
Such revivals aren't new, but Bentley's stage show has become a phenomenon in the religious world - for both its pull and the criticism it has attracted - in just a few months.
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Report: FAA radar tracked unidentified craft flying toward Texas White House
Analysis of Federal Aviation Administration radar by the Mutual UFO Network, a group dedicated to the scientific study of unidentified flying objects, confirms ground sightings of several unidentified aircraft on Jan. 8 flying 70 miles southeast of Fort Worth, Texas, with one appearing to head toward President Bush's ranch in Crawford.
According to MUFON, several craft were tracked on radar moving in the same direction and at the same time as sightings reported by residents of Erath County. The craft flying toward Crawford, which had no transponder and was not military, was visible on radar for more than an hour.
According to witnesses, the Crawford craft had two large amber lights similar in size and color to those on the rear of a school bus, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
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Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney showed up at Barack Obama's Capitol Hill office building Tuesday with a sign featuring a mockup of the presumptive Democratic nominee dressed as Uncle Sam.
Under Obama's image were these words: "I WANT YOU TO PAY FOR ABORTIONS!"
The sign, which you can see here, labeled Obama "The Abortion President."
Mahoney, the Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, argues that because Obama's health care plan would include expanded access to "reproductive health services" - including abortion - the Illinois senator will effectively mandate that taxpayers, among them people of faith that are strongly against abortion, pay for the procedure.
"Senator Obama is pretty clear that he is not opposed to taxpayer funded abortions," Mahoney said in an interview Tuesday afternoon.
In response to Mahoney's charge, the Obama campaign released a statement saying the candidate "understands that the best way to reduce the need for abortions is to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies."
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Graeme Wearden The Vatican has blamed a weak dollar for pushing it into its first loss in four years by undermining the value of dollar-denominated donations by the faithful.
Annual accounts published this week show the Holy See fell into the red last year, recording a loss of €9.1m (£7.25m).
The US currency has fallen sharply against the euro since the start of last year, hitting the Holy See in the pocket as its expenses are incurred in euros. Much of the Vatican's income comes from donations by Catholics around the world. The US was the largest single contributor to Peter's Pence - the collection used by the Pope for charitable donations - sending almost $19m (£9.5m).
But the shortfall attributed mainly to the weak dollar was mitigated by a rise of €4m in property income. The Holy See is a major owner of property all over Rome and was criticised last year for raising rents and threatening to evict tenants.
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It's time to wonder what would happen if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac failed.
By Katie Benne
NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Here's a scary, and relevant, question to ponder as the housing market continues to slide: What would it take for the government to step in and help Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and how would a rescue affect you, the taxpayer?
It's been a brutal week for Freddie (FRE, Fortune 500) and Fannie (FNM, Fortune 500). A Lehman analyst report Monday kicked off a stock rout that had shares in the mortgage finance giants hitting fresh multi-year lows Thursday. Freddie plummeted 22% Thursday. Fannie was down nearly 14%.
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Dems send security to halt patriotism in capitol rotunda
School students attending a youth leadership conference have been scolded by armed security officers in the California Capitol in Sacramento for singing the "Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America" in the rotunda, according to organizers of the conference.
"The patriotic expression was apparently so egregious that state troopers were called in to the rotunda to rebuke the students," a statement from The Capitol Resource Institute said today.
"This was a ghastly overreaction to some students expressing their patriotism in the seat of government," said Karen England, executive director of CRI, and director of the youth conference. "These young leaders have sacrificed a week of their summer to come learn about our government system and this is the 'welcome' they receive from the government."
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Iran would "destroy" Israel as well as 32 US army bases in the region if the Islamic Republic is attacked, an aide to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday.
"If Israel and the US fire a bullet or a missile at Iran, its forces will attack the heart of Israel and 32 American bases in the region before the dust from such an attack has settled," Iran's Fars news agency quoted Mojtaba Zolnour as saying. He added that such targets would be "destroyed" by the Iranian counterattack.
Zolnour is Khamenei's deputy representative in the Revolutionary Guards.
Zolnour also said that "Iran's armed forces and the Revolutionary Guards are in full readiness in the face of its enemies, and if these enemies are contemplating attacking Iran, its armed forces will give a crushing response."
Also on Saturday, Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the United States and Israel were not in a position to attack Iran.
According to the IRNA report, Mottaki said that the US and Israel "do not possess capacities to get themselves involved in a new crisis."
But he warned Iran will deal a "harsh and crushing response" if they do attack.
The report follows Iranian ...   more »

By Amir Oren   
At noon, as the white cars with the blue flashing lights sail on, Ehud Olmert tenure as prime minister is over. Officially, certain procedures will still be required for an orderly transfer of government, but for all practical purposes Olmert's tenure ends Friday morning. A jaded public is no longer moved by these interrogations: It's hot, it's boring, again those shots of the police arriving at the Prime Minister's Residence to interview him.
But make no mistake: Olmert will not be able to recover from this interrogation and from the public response to its contents, once they are revealed. Toward evening the walls will begin to shake. Reports of Olmert's interrogation will mean expediting the pace of Olmert's ouster, from weeks to hours.
Two years ago today, on the eve of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser's abduction on the Lebanese border, Olmert visited Israel Defense Forces headquarters and heard surveys filled with satisfaction. But one of the generals, Planning Division head Yitzhak Harel, warned him that processes over previous years had created "a hollow army." Friday, as Brig. Gen. Shlomi Ayalon and his team prepare to interrogate Olmert, it must be said that in the Olmert ...   more »

Angry Muslims threaten life of 'The Last Patriot' author
Brad Thor
The author of the best-selling new thriller, "The Last Patriot," says his life already has been threatened for contending the Muslim holy book contains errors and is not based on the last revelations of Muhammad.
"I've already had multiple death threats come in, and that's something that we're taking very seriously with the tour coming up," said Brad Thor, whose "Patriot" already has climbed to No. 1 on the Amazon fiction list after its release last week.
Thor says he's adding security precautions as he goes forward with a national book tour.
In the book, which is being called the "Islamic Da Vinci Code," Thor posits that Islamic scholars have engaged in a conspiracy to cover up missing parts of the Quran that allegedly reveal their prophet had a final moderate revelation that abrogates the violent passages of the Quran.
Thor, who has served as a member of the Department of Homeland Security's Analytic Red Cell Program, says his research confirmed that parchments and fragments of parchments of the Quran were uncovered at the Great Mosque in Sana'a, Yemen, in 1974.
"What they found when they started studying them ...   more »