Last month, hundreds of thousands of Roman Catholic youth from around the globe met in Madrid for World Youth Day (WYD) and to hear Pope Benedict XVI speak.  WYD is designed to reach Roman Catholic youth and bring “meaning” to their beliefs.  “The general consensus from those who have done research on them [WYD youth] is that World Youth Days tend to combine young people’s taste for stars and big events with a spiritual dimension.”

Every year during Fall, right after the academic school year begins, the United States observes “National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week.” What does the Bible reveal about the importance of education, both today and in the coming Kingdom of God?

Much of Oklahoma has had no significant rainfall in more than a year, resulting in zero crop growth.  As a consequence, there is virtually no local food for cattle and it must be imported at great cost.  Ranchers are selling entire herds that have taken a decade or more to build because they have no other choice.

“Italy confirmed it held talks with Chinese officials amid speculation Rome is looking to persuade Beijing to buy its bonds or invest in its companies, while premier Silvio Berlusconi flew to Brussels Tuesday to discuss the market turmoil.”  While Berlusconi met with the EU President about Italy’s debt, his government was apparently seeking bailout help from China.  The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times both reported that Italian talks took place last week with the chairman of China Investment Corp.

With the financial crisis weighing heavily on Greece, creditor nations are now discussing the issue of obtaining collateral for money they loan Greece—in the event that Greece proves unable to pay back any loans.  Such collateral could include Greek real estate or shares in state assets such as utility companies.