'Envisioning' conference set Sept. 19
LOS ANGELES --- An in-depth examination of California's history of immigration is the theme of the 19th annual Envisioning California Conference. Immigration from all over the world has come to define the character of the state, said conference organizers. The contributions of immigrants --- culturally, linguistically, economically --- have made California a global innovator in industry, arts and science. This year's panels will examine immigration through the lens of the state's most pressing issues. Each panel is designed to assess the present and future impact of immigration on a specific service area such as race relations, the justice system, the job market, education, health care as well as literature. The conference will bring together diverse experts from across the state to address these issues. It takes place at the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. in Los Angeles and is sponsored by The Center for Southern California Studies at Cal State Northridge. The fee is $75. For more information, e-mail cscs@csun.edu or see http://www.csun.edu/~cscs/resources/envisioning_california.html.

U.S. poverty down slightly, but Americans with no health insurance up
WASHINGTON (CNS) --- The number of Americans living in poverty went down slightly last year, according to the Census Bureau's annual report, but the number of uninsured Americans rose a bit. The dip in the poverty rate --- the first this decade --- brought the percentage of Americans living in poverty from 12.6 percent in 2005 to 12.3 percent in 2006. The number of people in poverty --- 36.5 million --- was "not statistically different" from 2005 levels, the Census Bureau said. The child poverty rate stayed the same, at 17.4 percent, while the poverty rates for adults and senior citizens declined. Both the number and percentage of Americans without health insurance rose from year-before levels --- from 44.8 million to 47 million, and from 15.3 percent uninsured to 15.8 percent. The number of uninsured children increased from 8 million, or 10.9 percent in 2005, to 8.7 million, or 11.7 percent, last year. As of 2006, more than one-third of all Hispanics, and one-fifth of all African-Americans, lacked health insurance. The annual report by the Census Bureau includes details on every metropolitan area of at least 65,000 and takes in every congressional district.

Vatican confirms pope will meet with Israeli president in September
VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, a Vatican official confirmed to Catholic News Service Aug. 24. The Sept. 6 meeting will come just three days after Israeli and Vatican representatives meet in Jerusalem to discuss financial issues related to Catholic institutions in Israel. Peres, who met with Pope Benedict in April 2006, was elected in June as Israel's president, a largely symbolic role. Peres has served as prime minister of Israel twice, as well as in a number of high-ranking government posts. In 1994 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the Oslo accords, which affirmed the Palestinian right of self-governance.

Missouri Catholics join in ballot efforts for real ban on human cloning
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (CNS) --- Missouri voters will get another crack at a true ban on human cloning if a grass-roots petition campaign, led by physicians and backed by Catholic leaders, is successful. Dr. Lori Buffa, a pediatrician in St. Peters, has filed with Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan a proposed 300-word constitutional amendment that a coalition called Cures Without Cloning hopes to place before Missouri voters next year. Buffa said the Cures Without Cloning amendment would "clarify the confusing definition" of human cloning that was placed into the Missouri Constitution last November with the passage of Amendment 2.