Miss Becky's Blog

Collins: Why this scientist believes in God

By Dr. Francis Collins

Editor's note: Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., is the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute. His most recent book is "The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief."

ROCKVILLE, Maryland (CNN) -- I am a scientist and a believer, and I find no conflict between those worldviews.

As the director of the Human Genome Project, I have led a consortium of scientists to read out the 3.1 billion letters of the human genome, our own DNA instruction book. As a believer, I see DNA, the information molecule of all living things, as God's language, and the elegance and complexity of our own bodies and the rest of nature as a reflection of God's plan.

I did not always embrace these perspectives. As a graduate student in physical chemistry in the 1970s, I was an atheist, finding no reason to postulate the existence of any truths outside of mathematics, physics and chemistry. But then I went to medical school, and encountered life and death issues at the bedsides of my patients. Challenged by one of those patients, who asked "What do you believe, doctor?", I began searching for answers.

I had to admit that the science I loved so much was powerless to answer questions such as "What is the meaning of life?" "Why am I here?" "Why does mathematics work, anyway?" "If the universe had a beginning, who created it?" "Why are the physical constants in the universe so finely tuned to allow the possibility of complex life forms?" "Why do humans have a moral sense?" "What happens after we die?"

I had always assumed that faith was based on purely emotional and irrational arguments, and was astounded to discover, initially in the writings of the Oxford scholar C.S. Lewis and subsequently from many other sources, that one could build a very strong case for the plausibility of the existence of God on purely rational grounds. My earlier atheist's assertion that "I know there is no God" emerged as the least defensible. As the British writer G.K. Chesterton famously remarked, "Atheism is the most daring of all dogmas, for it is the assertion of a universal negative."

But reason alone cannot prove the existence of God. Faith is reason plus revelation, and the revelation part requires one to think with the spirit as well as with the mind. You have to hear the music, not just read the notes on the page. Ultimately, a leap of faith is required.

For me, that leap came in my 27th year, after a search to learn more about God's character led me to the person of Jesus Christ. Here was a person with remarkably strong historical evidence of his life, who made astounding statements about loving your neighbor, and whose claims about being God's son seemed to demand a decision about whether he was deluded or the real thing. After resisting for nearly two years, I found it impossible to go on living in such a state of uncertainty, and I became a follower of Jesus.

So, some have asked, doesn't your brain explode? Can you both pursue an understanding of how life works using the tools of genetics and molecular biology, and worship a creator God? Aren't evolution and faith in God incompatible? Can a scientist believe in miracles like the resurrection?

Actually, I find no conflict here, and neither apparently do the 40 percent of working scientists who claim to be believers. Yes, evolution by descent from a common ancestor is clearly true. If there was any lingering doubt about the evidence from the fossil record, the study of DNA provides the strongest possible proof of our relatedness to all other living things.

But why couldn't this be God's plan for creation? True, this is incompatible with an ultra-literal interpretation of Genesis, but long before Darwin, there were many thoughtful interpreters like St. Augustine, who found it impossible to be exactly sure what the meaning of that amazing creation story was supposed to be. So attaching oneself to such literal interpretations in the face of compelling scientific evidence pointing to the ancient age of Earth and the relatedness of living things by evolution seems neither wise nor necessary for the believer.

I have found there is a wonderful harmony in the complementary truths of science and faith. The God of the Bible is also the God of the genome. God can be found in the cathedral or in the laboratory. By investigating God's majestic and awesome creation, science can actually be a means of worship.

Democracy or Liberty

This article, or we call it a "column" by Walter E. Williams, professor at George Mason University in Washington, D.C. came out on Wednesday, February 28, 2007. It's interesting to see that DEMOCRACY and LIBERTY are not the same thing:

Does democracy really deserve the praise it receives? According to Webster's Dictionary, democracy is defined as "government by the people; especially: rule of the majority." What's so great about majority rule? Let's look at majority rule, as a decision-making tool, and ask how many of our choices we would like settled by what a majority likes.

Would you want the kind of car that you own to be decided through a democratic process, or would you prefer purchasing any car you please? Ask that same question about decisions such as where you live, what clothes you purchase, what food you eat, what entertainment you enjoy and what wines you drink. I'm sure that if anyone suggested that these choices be subject to a democratic process, you'd deem it tyranny.

I'm not alone in seeing democracy as a variant of tyranny. James Madison, the father of our Constitution, said that in a pure democracy, "there is nothing to check the inducement to sacrifice the weaker party or the obnoxious individual." At the 1787 Constitutional Convention, Edmund Randolph said, "...that in tracing these evils to their origin every man had found it in the turbulence and follies of democracy." John Adams said, "Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There was never a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." Chief Justice John Marshall observed, "Between a balanced republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos."

Our founders intended for us to have a limited republican form of government where rights precede government and there is rule of law. Citizens, as well as government officials, are accountable to the same laws. Government intervenes in civil society only to protect its citizens against force and fraud but does not intervene in the cases of peaceable, voluntary exchange. By contrast, in a democracy, the majority rules either directly or through its elected representatives. The law is whatever the government deems it to be. Rights may be granted or taken away.

Clearly, we need government, and that means there must be collective decision-making. Alert to the dangers of majority rule, the Constitution's framers inserted several anti-majority rules. In order to amend the Constitution, it requires a two-thirds vote of both Houses, or two-thirds of state legislatures, to propose an amendment, and requires three-fourths of state legislatures for ratification. Election of the president is not done by a majority popular vote but by the Electoral College.

Part of the reason for having two houses of Congress is that it places an obstacle to majority rule. Fifty-one senators can block the wishes of 435 representatives and 49 senators. The Constitution gives the president a veto to thwart the power of 535 members of Congress. It takes two-thirds of both houses of Congress to override the president's veto.

In Federalist Paper No. 10, James Madison wrote, "Measures are too often decided, not according to the rules of justice and the rights of the minor party, but by the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority." That's another way of saying that one of the primary dangers of majority rule is that it confers an aura of legitimacy and respectability on acts that would otherwise be deemed tyrannical. Liberty and democracy are not synonymous and could actually be opposites.

Dr. Williams serves on the faculty of George Mason University as John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics and is the author of More Liberty Means Less Government: Our Founders Knew This Well.

I Love You ....

Love needs to be EXPRESSED, especially in marriage relationships.

From the newspaper this articles comes from Tokyo:

Aging Japanese husbands struggle to breathe life back into their marriages:

Mitsutoshi Fukatsu has been with his wife for three decades, but their lives have grown apart. As a busy stationmaster in central Japan, he has usually come home only to eat, bathe and sleep.

Now with retirement looming, the 56-year-old wants to get to know his wife better. He started calling her by her name, Setsuko, instead of just grunting. And he says he recently learned a new phrase: "I Love You."

Fukatsu is among a small but growing group of men who took part in Japan's second annual "Beloved Wives Day" last week in hopes of salvaging their marriages by doing something different -- paying attention to their wives.

"For about a year now, I've been starting to help out with the housework," Fukatsu said. "I can't stay at my company forever. I have to return home. But right now, I don't feel like I have a place there."

Last year, the Japan Adoring Husbands Association set itself up and designated January 31 as a day for men to return home at the unusually early hour of 8 p.m., look into their wives' eyes and say, "Thank you."

The movement is small--about 230 people posted messages on the group's Web page about this year's event. But it represents quite a change for a generation of Japanese men taught to care about their companies first and their wives a distant second.

Among the forces driving the change are demographics and money. This year, the first postwar baby boomers will reach 60 and retire, meaning an unprecedented number of men will have to abandon their home-away-from-home -- the all-consuming office -- and spend more time with their wives.

Meanwhile, an impending law change gives a housewife a bigger share of her husband's pension, which could trigger a surge in divorces as long-neglected women take the money and run. (Japan's divorce rate is relatively low but the numjer has increased more than 60% from 1985 to 2005. Divorce among those married for more than 20 years has grown the fastest, nearly doubling since 1985, with separation more likely to be initiated by women. That leaves their ex-husbands to face a lonely old age in a country where the average malelifespan is over 78, one of the world's longest.

Sadao Ito, 67, wishes he had been more sensitive to his wife's feelings. She left him seven years ago, just as he was facing retirement from a busy office job in the northern city of Sendai. Even the couple's daughter and two sons blame him for the breakup, Ito said.

"My wife took care of me so well. She made me breakfast every day, and did all the housework. But I never did anything in return," he said. Ito now acts as a volunteer advisor to the Adoring Husbands Association.

"Repent, repent, repent. That what I do every day," Ito said. "My wife didn't take a single family album with her. I realized then that I had driven her away."

Tsumagoi is marketing itself as a romantic destination for married couples. Last year, it invited couples to an event called "Shout Your Love from the Middle of a Cabbage Patch" -- where husbands took turns hollering romantic messages in Tsumagoi's wide open fields. About 100 people came.

That was where the stationmaster finally told his wife, "Aishiteru" (I love you) -- rehearsing it 20 times.

"I had never told Setsuko I love her -- not like that. But now I want to say it more often...It feels nice," he said.

Started by a Woman . . .

WORLD’S OLDEST NEWSPAPER NOW ENTIRELY DIGITAL

For centuries, readers thumbed through the crackling pages of Sweden’s Post-och Inrikes Tidningar newspaper. No longer. The world’s oldest paper still in circulation has dropped its paper edition and now exists only in cyberspace.

The newspaper, founded in 1645 by Sweden’s Queen Kristina, became a Web only publication on January 1. It’s a fate that may await many of the world’s most venerable journals.

“We think it’s a cultural disaster,” said Hans Holm, who served as the chief editor of Post-och Inrikes Tidningar for 20 years. “It is sad when you have worked with it for so long and it has been around for so long.”

Queen Kristina used the publication to keep her subjects informed of the affairs of state, Holm said, and the first editions, which were more like pamphlets, were carried by courier and posted on note boards in cities and towns throughout the kingdom.

It had a meager circulation of only 1,000 or so, although the Web site is expected to attract more readers.

From The Herald Journal, Tuesday, February 6, 2007, Logan, UT -- This is the newspaper that I read each day ... it's delivered to our home early in the morning and reports local as well as national and international news.I'll continue to share with you articles from this newspaper.

How Did We Ever Make Progress ???

SO MUCH FOR THE EXPERTS

1. "Computers, in the future, may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."

-- Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949.

2. "I think there is a world market for, maybe, five computers."

-- Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.

3. "I have traveled the length and breadth of this country,

and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that

data processing is a fad that won't last out the year."

-- The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957.

4. "But what is it good for?"

-- Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.

5. "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."

-- Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp.,1977.

6. "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication.

The device is, inherently, of no value."

-- Western Union internal memo, 1876.

7. "The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?"

-- David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s

8. "The concept is interesting and well-formed. But, in order to earn better than a 'C,' the idea must be feasible."

-- A Yale Univ. management professor in response to Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service.

(Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)

9. "Who wants to hear actors talk?"

-- H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927

10. "I'm just glad it will be Clark Gable who is falling on his face and not Gary Cooper."

-- Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in "Gone With The Wind".

11. "A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make."

-- Response to Debbi Fields' idea of starting Mrs. Fields' Cookies -- a VERY successful business in America (Debbi Fields lives in Utah and I've met her.)

12. "We don't like their sound and guitar music is on the way out."

-- Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962

13. "You want to have consistent and uniform muscle development across all of your muscles? It can't be done. It's just a fact

of life. You just have to accept inconsistent muscle development as an unalterable condition of weight training."

-- Response to Arthur Jones, who solved the "unsolvable" problem by inventing Nautilus, which is equipment that you can use to exercise ALL the muscles in the body.

14. "Stocks have reached what looks like a, permanently, high plateau."

-- Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, 1929

15." Airplanes are interesting toys, but of no military value."

-- Marecha Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre.

16. "Louis Pasteur's theory of germs is ridiculous fiction."

-- Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872

17. "The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon."

-- Sir John Eric Ericksen, British surgeon, Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria, 1873.

and finally.......

18. "64K ought to be enough memory for anybody."

-- Bill Gates, 1981

Chinese Language Being Taught More in the USA

This article came out last fall, but I think you'll find it interesting to see how many people, including elementary children are currently studying the Chinese Language here in America. Notice the name of the first school mentioned in the article is: "Louisa May Alcott Elementary School" ... Remember Louisa May Alcott is the well-known American writer and author of "Little Women" which several of you have read and saw the movie we showed you in China. "Little Women" is one of my all time favorite books and authors.

CLASSES IN CHINESE GROW AS THE LANGUAGE RIDES A WAVE OF POPULARITY

October 15, 2005 The NEW YORK TIMES . . . By GRETCHEN RUETHLING

CHICAGO, Oct. 14 - The future of foreign language study in the United States might be glimpsed here at Louisa May Alcott Elementary School, in a classroom where lanterns with cherry blossoms and pandas dangle overhead, and a paper dragon, an American flag and a Chinese flag hang from the wall.

One recent morning, a class of third graders bowed to one another and introduced themselves in Chinese, and a class of fourth graders practiced writing numbers in Chinese characters on marker boards. Chinese classes began at Alcott in February, but more students are already choosing it over Spanish.

"Chinese is our new baby," said David J. Domovic, the principal at Alcott, on the North Side, one of 20 public schools in the city offering instruction in Mandarin. "Everybody just wants in."

With encouragement from the Chinese and American governments, schools across the United States are expanding their language offerings to include Chinese, the world's most spoken tongue, not to mention one of its most difficult to learn.

Last month, the Defense Department gave a $700,000 grant to public schools in Portland, Ore., to double the number of students studying Chinese in an immersion program. In May, Senators Joseph I. Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, introduced a bill to spend $1.3 billon over five years on Chinese language programs in schools and on cultural exchanges to improve ties between the United States and China. The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

After 2,400 schools expressed interest, Advanced Placement Chinese classes will be offered in high schools around the country starting next year. Beijing is paying for half the $1.35 million to develop the classes, including Chinese teachers' scholarships and developing curriculums and examinations, said Trevor Packer, executive director of the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board.

"Many Americans are beginning to realize the importance of speaking Chinese," Zhu Hongqing, consul at the Chinese Education Consulate here, said. "We need to provide as much powerful support as we can."

The number of Chinese language programs around the country, from elementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 10 years, said Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language Institute in Washington.

"Chinese is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages aren't," because of China's growth as an economic and military force, Mr. McGinnis said.

"Whatever tensions lie between us, there is a historical longstanding mutual fascination with each other," he said. "Planning to be ready to engage with them rather than only thinking of them in terms of a challenge or a competitor is the smart thing to do."

Up to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and secondary schools in the United States, experts estimate. Many are in cities like New York and San Francisco that have large numbers of Chinese-American students, and many take lessons after school or on weekends.

The Chicago program stands out because it is entirely in public schools during the regular school day and primarily serves students who are not of Chinese descent.

Mayor Richard M. Daley, a vocal supporter of the program, said proficiency in Chinese would be critical in understanding the competition.

"I think there will be two languages in this world," Mr. Daley said. "There will be Chinese and English."

From an all-black elementary school on the West Side to a nearly all-Hispanic elementary school on the South Side to more diverse schools throughout the city, some 3,000 students from kindergarten through high school are learning Chinese. The Chinese Education Ministry has called the program a model for teaching students who are not of Chinese descent. The ministry donated 3,000 textbooks to the school system last year.

The program has expanded from three schools in 1999 to 20 this year and is scheduled to add five by the end of the school year.

"They have a great international experience right in their own classroom," said Robert Davis, manager of the district's Chicago Chinese Connections Program, which seeks to develop skills to help students compete in the world marketplace. "We want them to meet on an equal playing field."

Some parents here worry at first about how relevant the Chinese classes are and whether they will be too difficult. The Foreign Service Institute, which trains American diplomats, ranks Chinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn. An average English speaker takes 1,320 hours to become proficient in Chinese, compared with 480 hours in French, Spanish or Italian, the institute says.

Sevtap Guldur, 31, said she and her daughter Sahire, a fourth grader at Alcott, looked over the unfamiliar Chinese characters before deciding whether to take the class.

"If you're ready to learn that, go for it," Ms. Guldur said she told her daughter.

Sahire, who is fluent in Turkish, said it was her favorite class.

At Alcott, 160 students from kindergarten to fifth grade are studying Spanish, compared with 242 taking Chinese, although not without occasional frustration.

"Do we have to do it in Chinese?" a third grader asked during a recent exercise, perhaps missing the point of the class.

Raul Freire, 9, a fourth grader fluent in Spanish, said he taught words to his mother so she could better communicate with Chinese-speaking customers at the bank where she works.

"Mostly everybody in the school wants to take Chinese," Raul said. "I think about being a traveler when I grow up, so I have to learn as many languages as I can."

Adriana Freire, 33, Raul's mother, who is from Ecuador, said the skills would help her son be a better competitor in the job market. "I never thought that he was going to be able to do something like that," Ms. Freire said.

Most of the 10 elementary and 10 high schools in the program here offer the language four times a week for 40 minutes a day. Each school decides how to fit the class in the school day, with some taking time from classes like physical education, music and art to make room.

Chicago has a waiting list of schools that want to offer Chinese. The main obstacle is a lack of teachers certified by an American college, a requirement of the No Child Left Behind law, Mr. Davis said.

"It's hard when we can't hire a teacher that is qualified because of that missing certification," he said.

The shortage of teachers is common throughout the United States, said Michael Levine, executive director of education at the Asia Society in New York.

Six states have signed or plan to sign agreements with the Chinese government to import teachers from China and send teachers from the United States to China for training, Mr. Levine said.

"Eventually," he said, "we're going to have to homegrow our own."

SEVEN WAYS TO MAKE YOUR BRAIN SMARTER...

Here's a very interesting article ... How many of these things are a part of your life?

MIND GAMES … SEVEN WAYS TO MAKE YOUR BRAIN BETTER, FASTER, SMARTER ...

by William Speed Weed, Reader’s Digest, August 2006

# 1. MOVE IT … “The best advice I can give to keep your brain healthy and young is aerobic exercise,” says Donald Stuss, PhD, a neuropsychologist and director of the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care in Toronto.

Mark McDaniel, PhD, professor of psychology at Washington University in St. Louis, agrees, but adds, “I would suggest a combined program of aerobics and weight training. Studies show the best outcomes for those engaged in both types of exercise.”

As we age, our brain cells, called neurons, lose the tree-branch-like connections between them. These connections, or synapses, are essential to thought. Quite literally, over time, our brains lose their strength. Perhaps the most striking brain research today is the strong evidence we now have that “exercise may forestall some kinds of mental decline.” It may even restore memory. Myriad animal studies have shown that, among other brain benefits, aerobic exercise increases capillary development in the brain, meaning more blood supply, more nutrients and – a big requirement for brain health – more oxygen.

#2. FEED IT … Another path to a better brain is through your stomach. We’ve all heard about antioxidants as cancer fighters. Eating foods that contain these molecules, which neutralize harmful free radicals, may be especially good for your brain too. Free radicals break down the neurons in our brains. Many colorful fruits and vegetables are packed with antioxidants, as are some beans, whole grains, nuts and spices.

More important, thought, is overall nutrition. In concert with a good workout routine, you should eat right to avoid the diseases that modern flesh is heir to. High blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol all make life tough on your brain, says Carol Greenwood, PhD, a geriatric research scientist at the University of Toronto.

If your diet is heavy, then you’re probably also heavy. The same weight that burdens your legs on the stairs also burdens your brain for the witty reply or quick problem solving. The best things you can eat for your body, are also the best things you can eat for your brain. Your brain is in your body, after all. Greenwood’s recommendation is to follow the dietary guidelines from the American Diabetes Association (available at diabetes.org).

#3. SPEED IT UP … Our brains naturally start slowing down at the cruelly young age of 30. It used to be thought that this couldn’t be helped, but a lot of new studies show that people of any age can train their brains to be faster and, and in effect, younger. “Your brain is a learning machine,” says Michael Merzenich, PhD, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco. Given the right tools, we can train our brains to act like they did when we were younger. All that’s required is dedicated practice: exercises for the mind.

Merzenich has developed a computer-based training regimen to speed up how the brain processes information (positscience.com). Since much of the data we receive comes through speech, the Brain Fitness Program works with language and hearing to improve both speed and accuracy. Over the course of your training, the program starts asking you to distinguish sounds (between “dog” and “bog,” for instance) at an increasingly faster rate. It’s a bit like a tennis instructor shooting balls at you faster and faster over the course of the summer to keep you challenged. Though you may have started out slow, by the end of summer you’re pretty fast.

Similarly, Nintendo was inspired by the research of a Japanese doctor to develop a handheld game called Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day, which has sold more than two million copies in Japan. No software out there has yet been approved by the FDA as a treatment for cognitive impairment, but an increasing number of reputable scientific studies suggest that programs like Merzenich’s could help slow down typical brain aging, or even treat dementia. The biggest findings in brain research in the last ten years is that the brain at any age is highly adaptable, or “plastic,” as neurologists put it. If you ask your brain to learn, it will learn. And it may speed up in the process.

To keep your brain young and supple, you can do one of a million new activities that challenge and excite you: playing Ping-Pong or contract bridge, doing jigsaw puzzles, learning a new language or the tango, taking music lessons, building a kit airplane, mastering bonsai technique or another skill, and even relearning differential calculus.

“Anything that closely engages your focus and is strongly rewarding,” says Merzenich, will kick your brain into learning mode and necessarily notch it up. Merzenich, 64 years of age, has “4,000 hobbies,” including a wood shop and a vineyard.

#4 STAY CALM … While challenging your brain is very important, remaining calm is equally so. In a paper on the brain and stress, Jeansok Kim of the University of Washington asserts, in no uncertain terms, that traumatic stress is bad for your brain cells. Stress can “disturb cognitive processes such as learning and memory, and consequently limit the quality of human life,” writes Kim.

One example is a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is a primary locus of memory formation, but which can be seriously debilitated by chronic stress. Of course, physical exercise is always a great de-stressor, as are calmer activities like yoga and meditation. And when you line up your mental calisthenics (your Swahili and swing lessons), make sure you can stay loose and have fun.

#5 GIVE IT A REST … Perhaps the most extreme examples of the mental power of staying calm is the creative benefit of sleep. Next time you’re working on a complex problem, whether it be a calculus proof or choosing the right car for your family, it really pays to “sleep on it.”

Researchers at Harvard Medical School have looked at the conditions under which people come up with creative solutions. In a study involving math problems, they found that a good night’s rest doubled participants’ chances of finding a creative solution to the problems the next day. The sleeping brain, they theorize, is vastly capable of synthesizing complex information.

#6. LAUGH A LITTLE … Humor stimulates the parts of our brain that use the “feel good” chemical messenger dopamine. That puts laughter in the category of activities you want to do over and over again, such as eating chocolate or having sex. Laughter is pleasurable, perhaps even “addictive,” to the brain.

But can humor make us smarter? The jury is still out and more studies are needed, but the initial results are encouraging. Look for a feature on exciting new research about humor and intelligence in the September issue of Reader’s Digest. (I’ll post this information when I get it.)

#7. GET BETTER WITH AGE … You’ve heard about the wisdom and judgment of older people? Scientists are starting to understand how wisdom works on a neurological level.

When you are older, explains Merzenish, “you have recorded in your brain millions and millions of little social scenarios and facts” that you can call upon at any time. You are a much better synthesizer and integrator of that information.”

Older people are better at solving problems, because they have more mental information to draw upon than younger people do. That’s why those in their 50s and 60s are sage. They’re the ones we turn to for the best advice, the ones we want to run our companies and our country.

As Barry Gordon, a neurologist at The John Hopkins School of Medicine puts it, “It’s nice to know some things get better with age.”

MORE WAYS TO STAY SHARP:

· DON’T SMOKE … Smokers perform worse than nonsmokers in studies of memory and cognitive function. No one knows whether smoking directly impairs memory or is merely associated with memory loss because it causes illnesses that contribute to poorer brain function. In addition, smoking increases the risk for stroke and hypertension, two other causes of memory impairment. In any case, if you smoke, it pays to quit. Research shows that people who stop smoking have less mental decline than those who continue to smoke.

· DRINK IN MODERATION … Excessive consumption of alcohol is toxic to neurons and is the leading risk factor for Korsakoff’s syndrome, a disorder that causes sudden and irreversible memory loss. If you’re a heavy drinker, cutting back can prevent further memory loss and will usually lead to some recovery of damaged memory function. (Miss Becky suggests no drinking of alcohol, for several health reasons, which I’ll discuss in a future article.)

· BE SOCIAL … Close ties with others can improve the cognitive performance of older people, according to a MacArthur study on aging and other research. Social support can come from relationships with friends, relatives or caregivers. A Canadian study published in 2003 identified a lack of relationships with friends and family as a risk factor for cognitive decline. The study, which followed people over age 65 for four years, found that the probability of maintaining good cognitive function was highest among people who socialized often and had strong social ties; the probability of losing cognitive function was highest among people who had the least contact.

Social engagement often goes hand in hand with intellectually stimulating activities, which in turn promote good memory function. Social relationships can also help support you during stressful times, reducing the damaging effects that stress can have on the brain.

· WATCH YOUR HEAD … Head trauma often results in memory impairment, which is a risk factor for future development of dementia. You can prevent head injury by using the appropriate gear during high-speed activities and contact sports. Car accidents are by; far the most common cause of brain injury, and wearing seat belts greatly reduces the injury risk. Use a helmet when bicycling, riding on a motorcycle, in-line skating and skiing. And you can lower the risk of concussion by wearing a mouth guard, which deflects the force of a blow to the chin, during contact sports such as football, hockey, soccer, basketball, rugby and martial arts.

Pride, Patriotism on Display on Fourth of July

Pride, patriotism on display on Fourth of July . . . Veterans, civilians turn out for parades and fireworks across the U.S.

Families sat down to picnics, attended parades, and crowded parks and rooftops to watch fireworks as the nation celebrated its 230th birthday Tuesday.

** More than 120,000 bursts of color, light and pyrotechnics filled the darkness as The New York Pops regaled crowds with a soundtrack of patriotic standards and original music charting America’s evolution.

** At Fort Bragg, N.C., home of the 82nd Airborne Division, President Bush offered thanks and encouragement to the troops. “You are serving our country at a time when our country needs you. And because of your courage, every day is Independence Day in America,” Bush told an estimated 3,500 service members at an outdoor speech.

** As many as 500,000 people gathered in Boston for a concert and fireworks extravaganza near the Charles River, state police estimated. (OUR DAUGHTER, KARA WAS THERE IN BOSTON TODAY!!!) Earlier Tuesday, the city began its celebration with a reading of the Declaration of Independence from a balcony at the Old State House, where townspeople first heard it more than two centuries ago. (KARA AND I VISITED THIS BUILDING WHEN I HELPED HER MOVE TO BOSTON LAST AUGUST.)

Weather dampens some parties

In many regions, the searing heat and near-drought conditions tamped down the celebration Tuesday.

** About 100 people were treated for heat exhaustion in Washington, D.C., after an Independence Day parade in humid, 90-degree weather near the Mall. Most of the patients were marchers, said Alan Etter, a spokesman for the District of Columbia fire and EMS Department. One was hospitalized.

** Because of the hot, dry weather in Mandan, N.D., fire trucks were held out of the July Fourth parade. "We don’t want to get hung up in a parade and can’t get out attend to a fire if one should start.. It’s just too risky,” said Mandan Rural Fire Chief Lynn Gustin.

** In Frostburg, Md., Floyd Wigfield, an 87-year-old veteran of the 1944 D-Day invasion, was among the estimated 1,200 veterans who lined up for a half-mile during a Fourth of July parade. “They’re celebrating all the veterans for years and years,” said Wigfield, who wore his green wool Army uniform despite the soaring heat.

** There also was quiet reflection during the long holiday weekend. In Yakima, Wash., a crowd of more than 200 people prayed quietly at the dedication late Monday of a war memorial honoring six soldiers and Marines with ties to the area who have died in Iraq.

Space Shuttle "Discovery" Launched on Fourth of July

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Discovery lifted off Tuesday on NASA's first Independence Day space shuttle launch — producing a swell of patriotism as well as some positive news about shuttle safety. (KEN AND I VISITED CAPE CANAVERNAL WHEN WE WERE IN FLORDIA SOME YEARS AGO AND SAW THE PLACE WHERE SPACE SHUTTLES ARE LAUNCHED. WE'VE ONLY SEEN THE LAUNCH OF A SPACE SHUTTLE ON TV, BUT EVEN THEN IT'S EXCITING!!!)

Discovery commander Steve Lindsey set the patriotic tone during the final minutes of the countdown, saying "I can't think of a better place to be on the Fourth of July."

After an on-time launch at 2:37:55 p.m. ET, the shuttle ascended on a pillar of fire and exhaust, arcing around a single cloud that passed over Kennedy Space Center.

Tuesday's sunny holiday weather came as a relief to launch managers, who had to postpone the launch on Saturday and Sunday due to threatening clouds.

"No, we did not plan to launch on the Fourth of July, but it sure did work out to be great to launch on Independence Day," shuttle program manager Wayne Hale told reporters. "Great nations dare great things, and take risks along the way, and I can think of no better way to explore the space frontier than the way we set out today."

Discovery's seven astronauts waved flags as they headed out to the launch pad. The six Americans carried the Stars and Stripes, while German astronaut Thomas Reiter held his country's tricolor flag.

Discovery's 12-day mission is aimed at testing safety modifications made since the shuttle's last flight, almost a year ago. The shuttle also will resupply the international space station, install new equipment on the station and leave Reiter behind as the station's third crew member.

Concern over flyaway foam

The day's celebratory air was capped by Hale's first assessment of the external fuel tank's performance — a review that was anxiously awaited, considering that foam loss from the tank during last year's launch led to a halt in shuttle flights until Tuesday.

More than 100 cameras followed Tuesday's launch from the ground, from the air and from the shuttle and tank itself — and NASA managers as well as journalists quickly started poring over the imagery.

"I think the thing performed very, very well indeed ... very pleased," Hale said at an evening review of the initial imagery. "As opposed to where we were last year, we saw nothing that gives us any kind of concern about the health of the crew or the vehicle."

He acknowledged that the performance wasn't flawless: Bits of foam insulation were seen flying off the tank five times, including one occasion when a piece that may be larger than NASA's standard may have touched the orbiter, he said. But every occasion occurred after the 135-second mark, too late to do significant damage to the orbiter. "The really good news is that it happened late," Hale said.

The performance of the foam has been a key concern for NASA since the 2003 Columbia tragedy, when the loss of the shuttle and its crew was blamed on damage done by tank-foam debris. The tank was redesigned for Discovery's flight last year, then redesigned a second time when cameras spotted potentially hazardous foam loss.

This is the first flight to test the twice-redesigned tank. NASA's chief engineer and top safety official argued that this month's flight should be postponed until still other areas of the tank, known as ice/frost ramps, were redesigned as well. But the agency's administrator, Mike Griffin, sided with other experts who advised moving ahead with the current test flight.

Hale said he thought that the long debate over the tank led to a "great decision process," and that the imagery gathered during this flight would lead to an even better design.

The imagery also cleared up a mysterious sighting: Astronaut Mike Fossum reported seeing what he thought was a 4- or 5-foot-long strip of blanket insulation floating off into space. But once Hale and other mission managers saw video of the "strip," they instantly recognized that it was an ice formation that had come off the nozzle of one of the shuttle's main engines.

"It's incredible to me, but I've seen it so I know it's true, that the space shuttle main engines that burn hydrogen and oxygen at 6,000 degrees on the inside can form frost on the outside, because we circulate liquid hydrogen to cool the outside of the nozzle," Hale said.

Ambitious agenda (agenda here means the plan for the mission)

Discovery's mission agenda is ambitious — so ambitious that NASA aims to add a 13th day to the flight. Among the highlights:

· Reiter will be dropped off to join the space station's current Expedition 13 crew members, NASA's Jeff Williams and Russia's Pavel Vinogradov. The move will make Reiter the first long-term crew member who is neither American nor Russian. "It adds, maybe, a little bit of internationality to the station," Reiter told NBC. His arrival will also mark the first time since 2003 that the station has had a crew of three. That additional crew time should also allow more science to be done on the station, he said.

· More than 2 1/2 tons of supplies will be delivered to the station, including an oxygen generator that will eventually allow the station's occupancy to rise to six crew members. Almost as much old equipment and trash will be unloaded from the station for return to Earth.

· Spacewalkers will repair a power-supply reel system for the station's robotic rail car, which was rendered essentially unusable last December when a cable was cut by accident. They'll also install a spare component for the station's cooling system.

· One spacewalk will be devoted to testing a technique for inspecting the shuttle's underside for damage even if the shuttle isn't docked to the station. Astronauts Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum will take turns standing at the end of a 50-foot-long (15-meter-long) orbital boom attached to the shuttle's 50-foot-long robotic arm, and practicing the moves that would have to be made for inspection and even repair.

· If the mission is extended by an extra day, as expected, yet another spacewalk would be devoted to testing tools that could be used for repairing the reinforced panels on the shuttle's most critical areas — the nose cone and the leading edges of the wings.

· The sensor-tipped orbital inspection boom will be used to check the tiles in orbit, as it was during last year's flight. The space station's crew will also conduct a high-resolution photo survey of the shuttle's tiles before Monday's scheduled docking, just like last time. But this time, a similar survey will be done just before and after undocking, to learn more about potential damage to the shuttle from micrometeoroids or orbital debris during flight.

By Alan Boyle, Science editor

North Korean Missile Fails on Fourth of July

N. Korea long-range missile fails in test launch

WASHINGTON - A defiant North Korea test-fired a long-range missile Wednesday that may be capable of reaching America, but it failed seconds after launch, U.S. officials said. The North Koreans also tested four shorter range missiles in an exercise the White House called “a provocation” but not an immediate threat.

Ignoring stern U.S. and Japanese warnings, the isolated communist nation carried out the audacious military tests even as the U.S. celebrated the Fourth of July and launched the space shuttle.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported as many as 10 missiles altogether may have been launched, but officials could not confirm that.

None of the missiles made it as far as Japan. The Japanese government said all landed in the Sea of Japan between Japan and the Korean Peninsula.

Japan protested the tests and called for a U.N. Security Council meeting. “We will take stern measures,” said chief government spokesman Shinzo Abe, adding that sanctions were a possibility. He said the launch violated a longstanding moratorium, and that Tokyo was not given prior notification by Pyongyang.

The test firings, which are seen as a provocation by the United States and other nations trying to get North Korea to submit to a verifiable nuclear program, occurred as Americans were celebrating Independence Day.

The reclusive communist nation's action came after weeks of speculation that it was preparing to test its Taepodong 2 missile. The preparations prompted warnings from the United States and Japan, which had threatened possible economic sanctions in response.

“North Korea has gone ahead with the launch despite international protest,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said. “That is regrettable from the standpoint of Japan’s security, the stability of international society, and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”

The missiles all landed hundreds of miles away from Japan and there were no reports the missiles caused damage within Japanese territory, Abe said.

North Korea's arsenal . . . A look at some of North Korea’s missiles:—

TAEPODONG-2: Said to be North Korea’s most advanced missile, with a range of up to 9,320 miles. Experts estimate it could potentially hit the mainland United States with a small payload. However, the missile is unlikely to be accurate.—

TAEPODONG-1: North Korea is believed to have test-launched this long-range missile in August 1998. The second stage landed off Japan’s eastern coast. The missile has an estimated range of up to 1,800 miles.—

RODONG: As many as 200 Rodong missiles are in North Korea’s arsenal. With a range of about 620 miles, Japan is their most likely target. The missiles can be fired from mobile launchers.—

SCUD: North Korea reportedly has more than 600 Scud-type missiles that are relatively short-range and would potentially target South Korea.

It was not clear which launch was the long-range missile. The Japanese government was unable to confirm the report by U.S. officials that a Taepodong-2 was fired.

Han Song Ryol, deputy chief of North Korea’s mission to the U.N. in New York, told The Associated Press (American Newspaper) in a telephone interview: “We diplomats do not know what the military is doing.” North Korea’s missile program is based on Scud technology provided by the former Soviet Union or Egypt, according to American and South Korean officials. North Korea started its Rodong-1 missile project in the late 1980s and test-fired the missile for the first time in 1993.

FREEDOM IS A WONDERFUL THING

As told to David Oliver Relin

Published: July 2, 2006

As the debate over immigration policy continues, it’s easy to forget one simple fact: The United States is a nation of immigrants. On this Fourth of July weekend, we introduce you to four remarkable Americans. These men and women came here in pursuit of dreams known to many of our own families: freedom from political oppression, liberty to worship without government interference, and the economic opportunity for which the U.S. has long been known. Their stories remind us that the words engraved at the base of the Statue of Liberty bear witness to a noble truth:

For the tired, the poor, the world’s huddled masses yearning to breathe free, America remains a powerful beacon of hope.

I CAME FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Ngawang Sangdrol, 27

Born: Lhasa, Tibet

Today: Student

Before I was born, the Chinese destroyed much of Tibetan culture. My parents sent me to a nunnery so I could study our Buddhist traditions, and when I was 13, I joined some people demonstrating for freedom of religion. All we did was chant “Long live the Dalai Lama” and “Free Tibet.”

The police tied a rope around my neck, lashed me to a tree and beat me. Then they put me in jail for nine months. I didn’t understand what I had done. Every Tibetan loves the Dalai Lama and wants the freedom to praise him. After my release, I joined another demonstration. This time I was sentenced to three years in Drapchi Prison.

We were beaten and forbidden from practicing Buddhism. One time, the guards kicked me in the head and beat me until I fell unconscious. Later, I heard that another nun had thrown herself on me, to save me. I had a good relationship with the other nuns there and, in one incident, five of them were killed by our torturers.

At one point, 14 of us secretly recorded songs praising the Dalai Lama and telling people of our suffering, then smuggled a tape out. We hoped our families would hear our voices and learn that we were alive. But the tape traveled the world, and people pressured China for our release. When the Chinese heard about it, they added six years to my sentence.

After 11 years in prison, I was sent home, and in 2003, I was offered asylum in the U.S. At first I was afraid to travel to such a foreign place, but freedom is wonderful—I can’t describe how wonderful. I live in New Jersey with two other nuns from the prison. We begin each day with prayer and have photos of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on our walls, which is forbidden in Tibet. I am studying English. It is my duty to speak well enough to explain how my country is suffering, to tell the world that Tibetans deserve freedom too.

I FLED GENOCIDE AND OPPRESSION

Jean-Marie Kamatali, 39

Born: Kamembe, Rwanda

Today: University professor

My whole life, I have tried to avoid politics. But in Rwanda, politics are impossible to escape. I was born in a village called Kamembe but moved to the capital because of my parents’ mixed marriage: My father is a Hutu, and my mother is a Tutsi. We thought we would be safer in Kigali.

I was a bright student, but mostly I was lucky. I am the first person in my family to receive a college education. After graduating with a law degree, I refused to work for the Hutu government. I never joined any political party, because I sensed the danger. But in April 1994, there was no escaping danger. It came right to our door.

That month, the Hutus declared a campaign of genocide against all Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The militia came and said, “We will kill you mixed people later this month. For now, bury your dead.” Each night they dumped bodies near our home, and my father and I had to bury them in mass graves. It was very traumatizing. While we buried the bodies, my father and I never said a word. What was there to say?

My parents slipped out and hid in a shipping container. I fled toward Congo—traveling by night, sleeping in ditches by day, until I was able to swim across the border. It was a long time before I learned that my parents had survived. But my mother’s entire family—my grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins—was wiped out.

I traveled to Austria, where I met my wife and earned a doctorate in law. In 2002, an organization called the Scholar Rescue Fund helped bring me to America, and now we live in South Bend, Ind., with our three children. It is strange and wonderful to raise my children in such a safe place. Strange, because I still have dreams where people who died in Rwanda speak to me. I remember running for my life and sleeping in ditches, and I can’t believe my journey led here.

Now I teach courses on human rights. I tell my students that terrible things like genocide take place if people aren’t aware of what’s happening in the rest of the world. In America you can feel the freedom. You can breathe. When I returned from a conference in Europe recently, an immigration officer at the airport told me: “Welcome home.” I don’t know why it touched me so much. Maybe at that moment, after so much time running, I felt I had finally found a place to come home to.

MY PARENTS SOUGHT OPPORTUNITY

Srinija “Ninj” Srinivasan, 34

Born: Chandigarh, India

Today: Editor-in-chief of Yahoo!

Growing up in Kansas, (Kansas is one of the states in the middle of America)I got pretty used to people stumbling over my name. Then a volleyball coach nicknamed me “Ninj,” and it stuck. In some ways, my family was traditionally Indian. My parents had an arranged marriage. But my mother came from a very progressive family and was highly educated. My mom has always been a role model for me. She has an insatiable curiosity that I hope I inherited.

I was born in Chandigarh, India, but when I was 3 months old, we moved to Lawrence, where my father became a math professor at the University of Kansas. He wanted us to have every opportunity. Being Indian-American in Kansas made my family very close. We felt like “we’re all in this together.” I think that’s the reason I chose to work in an industry where everything is connected.

I followed my siblings to Stanford University. In college, I tried to figure out where I fit in American culture. I studied Japanese and spent six months in Japan. It was there I met Jerry Yang and David Filo.

In 1995, Jerry and David asked me to join them in a venture called Yahoo! We felt we were yahoos, because we didn’t really know what we were doing. But they had a vision of where the online world was going and asked me to organize the sorting system for a table of contents to the Internet. It’s not like we said, “We’re going to create a hierarchy for the sum total of human knowledge.” We just wanted to help bring the Internet to life. I think we’ve done that.

The Web has incredible power to bring the world together. I’ve tried to help provide people with the context to understand that information. And I think it’s fitting that a woman born in India, raised in Kansas and living in California is part of that process. I think Silicon Valley culture could only happen here. In a place where all of these people come together from everywhere on Earth, anything is possible.

WE ESCAPED EXTREME POVERTY

Dr. Erick Miranda, 30

Born: Morelos, Mexico

Today: Graduate of Harvard Medical School

I was born into extreme poverty. My parents lived in a shack in Morelos, Mexico. Whatever fish my dad caught was the food for the day. My grandparents were migrant workers. When I was 3 weeks old, my grandmother came to have a look at me. I was this little, malnourished thing, and she said, “He’s going to die if you stay here.” She took me across the border the next day, and my parents followed as soon as they could.

Technically, I was an illegal alien, but I felt like an American even before I became a citizen in 1995. Immigrant life for my parents was hard. My parents divorced when I was 4. My mom has been waiting tables at the same Mexican restaurant for 25 years. She didn’t even finish eighth grade. But she’s a wise woman who has devoted herself to giving her kids a chance at a better life. When I got to kindergarten, I couldn’t even speak English. But I learned quickly and, by second grade, something clicked and I took off.

I made it to college at U.C.-Irvine and got into every medical school I applied to. But when I got the letter from Harvard, I broke down and cried. My dream had come true! I have a profound sense of debt to this country.

In medical school, I ran a mentoring program for African-American and Latino kids in Boston. Now I’m back in L.A., doing my residency at the L.A. County/USC emergency medical center, which caters predominantly to poor blacks and Latinos. I can see the relief on people’s faces when they explain their problems to a Spanish-speaking doctor. Everyone who comes to America knows about the opportunity here. No matter where you come from or how poor you are, there is a path open to you here if you can navigate poverty’s obstacle course. I’m proof that the American Dream is alive and well.

BYU Students Returning to Jerusalem Center

Brigham Young University (BYU) is very close to our hearts. My father was a student there and later in his life worked for the BYU Alumni Association. It was at BYU that Ken and I meet as undergraduate students, fell in love, married, graduated and began careers in areas that we loved. Both our daughters have earned degrees from BYU. It was the BYU China Teachers Program that brought Ken and I to China. Brigham Young University is a private university owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The BYU motto is: "The World is Our Campus" and "Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve".

BYU has developed one of the BEST language training programs of any university and attracts many foreign students because of it. One of the unique features of their program is requiring the students majoring in a language, to live in that language house ... for example the GERMAN HOUSE. There would be a native speaker of German living there to help the others and all the students living in the house are required to speak GERMAN totally in the house, where they live, prepare meals, eat all together. There are houses for Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, etc.

There are many students on this campus with great language skills because they have served missions for the Church. These young men and women have learned the language by living and serving the people in different countries all over the world for 18 to 20 months. In that length of time most of them become fluent in the language because they HAVE to use the language as they live and serve the people. It's hard at first but most do really well if they continue to study and work hard. Three of our five children had this experience ... one served in Norway, one in Portual and one in Germany and each became very fluent in those languages. One son served here in the USA, but was assigned to work with Spanish speaking people. He did not become as fluent as the others, mostly because he lived with English speakers and did NOT have to use Spanish as much.

This is why we encouraged the "Give Me Five" program in our teaching of English is China ... the more you use a language (listen, speak, read, write and think) the more fluent you will become.

BYU also has established several "study abroad" programs. Our daughter, Kara, was able to spend a semester studying in London, England and had a great experience studying English literature there.

One of the most unique BYU "study abroad" programs takes place in Jerusalem, where the University and Church built a very beautiful facility on the Mount of Olives facing the old Jerusalem city. My daughter, Amy and I visited Jerusalem in 1993 and had a wonderful experience there. Classes cover ancient and modern Near Eastern history, Near Eastern languages and cultures, and the Gospels in the New Testament. Students live at the Jerusalem Center, study and travel to historic sites.

BYU sent students home a month early from a semester at the center in 2000 after violence in Jerusalem's streets made it unsafe to remain in the area. Here is the article announcing that BYU will start up the program again this fall. I'm happy to see this....

BYU STUDENTS RETURNING TO JERUSALEM CENTER

By Autumn Linford

Deseret Morning News

PROVO — Brigham Young University announced Friday that students will return this fall to the school's Jerusalem Center for the first time since 2000, since the program was interrupted due to violence in Jerusalem.

Brigham Young University will resume student programs at its Jerusalem Center this fall.

The decision to hold fall semester classes at the center, located in east Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives, was made after consulting with government and leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which operates BYU.

Administrators had hoped to provide the study abroad program at the center since the program was interrupted in 2000 due to violence in Jerusalem, said Jim Kearl, BYU assistant to the president for the Jerusalem Center. "We always wanted to return, of course," he said. "Having it closed denied a whole generation of students a marvelous opportunity to study in the area. For young LDS members of the church, the Old and New Testaments just come alive when you study them in their historic and geographic setting. Now looked like a good time to go back."

The announcement to reopen student programs this fall came somewhat as a surprise because Israel remains on the U.S. State Department's travel advisory list, which cautions U.S. citizens to carefully consider the necessity of traveling to the area.

Kearl said that despite the advisory, BYU feels it is safe to bring students back to the Holy Land. The advisory applies more to the West Bank and Gaza, rather than to Israel proper, he said, and the BYU program will limit its travel to the safest areas. The program might include visits to Jordan or Egypt, but BYU has not yet made a decision.

Kearl said the program will also be more tightly structured this year than in the past. Students accepted for the fall 2006 program will live at the Jerusalem Center and travel to historic sites but will have less free time to wander the streets and will spend more time under direct supervision of center personnel, he said. Classes will cover ancient and modern Near Eastern history, Near Eastern languages and cultures, and the Gospels in the New Testament.

The center will be staffed this fall by two BYU faculty members, the executive director of the center, an Israeli and the associate director, a Palestinian.

The structure of the program will also be slightly different than in the past. Only about 40 students will be allowed in this fall, whereas more than 150 were selected before the closure, and only BYU juniors and seniors will qualify to apply.

Kearl said BYU set the limitations mainly for safety and staffing reasons. By limiting the numbers to 40, the center can take all the students in one bus.

"Part of it is the logistics of getting a program together by fall, and part of it is about being cautious," Kearl said. "Things have changed a lot in the Holy Land in the past 5 1/2 years. We need to relearn how to do this."

The program will expand if there is interest.

BYU sent home 174 students a month early from a semester at the center in 2000 after violence in Jerusalem's streets made it unsafe to remain in the area.

The students had been kept inside the center for more than a month before being sent home.

Kristy Bott, who was a BYU student in Jerusalem that semester, said even though she saw a bus explode and violence, she never worried about her own safety while in the Holy Land.

"There's always trouble over there, and I don't know if anyone would ever think it's a perfectly safe thing to be there (in Jerusalem), but I was never scared," she said. "When we were there, it got worse and worse, but I felt completely safe. I knew they (BYU professors and Jerusalem Center administrators) would take care of us. Maybe I was completely oblivious, but I was never scared. I was just so excited to be there." Student programs have remained suspended since Bott's group was flown back to the United States in November 2000.

It was the second time the program shut down since its opening in 1987. It was closed once before in 1991 during the Gulf War.

Despite the closure of the student program, the Jerusalem Center stayed open, hosting concerts, workshops, tours and visitors. Bott said she had no doubt students who applied to this year's program would be kept far from harm's way. "Honestly, as long as they follow the rules and only go to the places where they're supposed to go, they'll be fine," she said. "It's never going to be completely safe, but if they trust the faculty and people with them, they'll be kept safe. I think the more people who get to go and experience it, the better. I'm jealous. I want to go back."

BYU officials expect the announcement will create some excitement around campus. This summer is the first time applications have been accepted since 2001, when BYU stopped taking names for future enrollment at the center after the 9/11 attacks. "I just have to figure out a way of going without my girlfriend getting mad," said Jonah Barnes, a junior at BYU. "Of course it's not going to be as safe as the United States — nowhere is. But to experience the Holy Land, to really see the place you talk about so much in church—that would be awesome."

The future of the student program will depend on the political climate and events in the Middle East, Kearl said. If things go well, it is possible the program will again expand to its previous size.

LDS Church Responds to Indonesian Quake

The following article tells how the Church I belong to (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is assisting the victims of the world's most recent natural disaster, the earthquake in Indonesia last Saturday.

My church has a wonderful "welfare" system and humanitarian effort designed to help people, all over the world, who are in need. In a future article I will tell you more about this organization. There are huge storage buildings to prepare and store food, clothing, books, medical equipment, etc. that can be used by others all over the world located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Then our Church works in cooperation with other churches, governments and humanitarian organizations all over the world to ship and get the basic things to the people when needed. There are members of our church all over the world and it's the local members who really do a lot to help those in need when disasters strike ... like last year when Katrina sruck here in America, one of our Church buildings was damaged, but the others were used as a refugree center and we served meals, got people clothese, etc. before the government was into action.

Within hours after the Indonesia earthquake last Saturday, May 27, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints turned a local chapel (a chapel is what we call our church building where we meet to worship and learn together and also have social activities there) in Solo into a food kitchen. By Sunday night, the food kitchen was relocated to a chapel in Yogyakarta, the city that suffered most of the destruction.

The Church has responded with assistance to 177 major disasters between 1985 and 2005, including such efforts as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, the Africa measles vaccination campaigns in 2004 and 2005, and the Florida and Caribbean hurricane relief in 2004. Within the last 20 years, the Church has also distributed 51,480 tons of food, 7,697 tons of medical equipment, and 68,923 tons of clothing.

Church Responds to Indonesian Quake

By Abbey Olsen, Church Magazines

A 747 cargo jet full of emergency supplies is expected to arrive in Indonesia today, May 31, as part of a combined effort by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) and Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) to respond to an urgent appeal by Indonesian government officials after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia on Saturday. The quake killed more than 5,500 and left tens of thousands injured and homeless.

“Our timely reaction here is really going to save lives,” said Mokhtar Shawky, a member of the board of directors of Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW).

More than eight semi-truckloads of medical supplies, hygiene kits, and other supplies from the Church's welfare and humanitarian storehouses in Salt Lake City were loaded into the cargo jet on Tuesday afternoon. The Indonesian Embassy has indicated that upon arrival, helicopters will take the items from the jet and move them to areas most in need. The Indonesian government and IRW have teams working together in Indonesia to continually assess the situation and then communicate the needs in the area.

“We're coordinating it all so that we're not duplicating what other organizations are doing,” said Garry R. Flake, director of humanitarian emergency response for the Church's Welfare Services Department. “It's a very relevant response and a very quick response.”

After the quake struck near Yogyakarta, Church leaders and members in Indonesia immediately responded by preparing and serving 2,000 meals for people in need, as well as distributing hygiene kits and purchasing and providing cots, mattresses, and blankets to an orthopedic hospital where hundreds came seeking medical attention.

The quake, which struck 230 miles from Jakarta on the island of Java, isn't the first natural disaster to bring the Church and IRW together to provide relief to victims. They also teamed up to help after the tsunami in 2004 and the earthquake in Pakistan last year.

“It's a tremendous relationship,” Mr. Shawky said. “We really appreciate what the Church is doing. We feel like we complement each other. . . . The end result is helping more people in more parts of the world. . . . Nothing compares to that.”

The IRW, under its mission to eliminate poverty and suffering, works to first provide relief and then help people rebuild their lives.

The Church's ability to respond with supplies so quickly is due to donations from Church members and Church leaders' emphasis on preparedness and reaching out to help people in need.

The Village That Could

The Village That Could

By ROGER O. BURKS, JR. | May 15, 2006

Lyn Robinson remembers the tsunami's aftermath like it was yesterday.

“When I arrived, it was a scene of total devastation,” recalls Robinson, Mercy Corps’ Program Manager for the Oprah's Angel Network-funded program in Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka. “The village was destroyed. Everyone had lost someone, and some people had lost their entire families.” The devastating waves of the tsunami swept away hundreds of lives, as well as the livelihoods of the survivors. Only ruins remained where hotels and restaurants had stood minutes before. More than 90% of the fishing boats were swept away or destroyed.

Today, the village has returned to life. Hotels and restaurants have re-opened, and fishermen have returned to the sea. People here recognize that a major catalyst for this rapid revitalization was the implementation of Mercy Corps’ livelihoods recovery program funded by Oprah's Angel Network. “Despite the magnitude of the disaster, the survivors began to pull their lives together within weeks and move forward,” says Lyn Robinson. “The courage and determination of the people of Arugam Bay is an inspiring example of the strength of the human spirit.”

Habibaumma, one of the few female fishermen in the community, was on the shore getting her boat and crew ready for the day’s fishing when the tsunami waves came. Older fishermen on the shore recognized that the sea was abnormal and called for her to run. She made it to safety, and watched in horror as her friends and neighbors struggled to higher ground. Already widowed, Habibaumma saw her only means of support, her boat and nets, being destroyed. Habibaumma was determined to rebuild her life. With assistance from Mercy Corps and Oprah's Angel Network, she quickly replaced her fishing nets so that she and the fifty men and women on her crew could return to sea and recover their livelihoods.

The Arugam Bay program was one of the first in Sri Lanka to focus on the recovery of livelihoods. Within days of the tsunami, Mercy Corps designed a long term, comprehensive strategy with the philosophy of “Building Back Better” which includes training, institution building and support to local businesses.

Mercy Corps, through funding from Oprah's Angel Network, supports a number of activities in Arugam Bay, including:

* The installation of street lights in town to increase security and safety

* Tourism recovery clean-up activities

* Rebuilding of restaurant and tea shop owners’ livelihoods

* Support of local fishing industry activities

* Landscaping to replace trees and plants lost in the tsunami

* Training for tourism industry employees, including hotel and restaurant management, computer support and advocacy

* Support to small groceries and stores, mostly women-owned

* The design and launch of a website to promote tourism in Arugam Bay (www.visitarugambay.com)

Fighting Back for their Future

Before the fateful tsunami on December 26, 2004, Arugam Bay was just beginning to emerge and prosper after twenty years of civil war. After peace accords were signed in 2002, it quickly became the most popular tourist destination on Sri Lanka’s east coast. One of the top surf sites in the world, it attracted surfers from abroad in search of great waves and beautiful beaches.

The white beaches and world-class waves of Arugam Bay not only caught the interest of tourists, but of outside developers as well. In the midst of struggling to rebuild their lives after the tsunami, the community of Arugam Bay was hit with another potential disaster: an attempted “land-grab” by outside business interests of their prized beaches and budding tourism industry. Thanks to the determination and spirit of the Arugam Bay community, the take-over bid has proved unsuccessful so far. The community was able to organize, fight back and win.

In June 2005, the Chairman of the Sri Lankan Tourist Board sent a letter of formal apology, retracting his previous statements that private property in Arugam Bay would be acquired by the state-controlled Tourist Board for redevelopment. To ensure that the needs of the community continue to shape and drive the rehabilitation agenda in Arugam Bay, Mercy Corps and Oprah's Angel Network have designed a series of activities to help this self-reliant community not only get back on their feet, but to determine their own future.

Mercy Corps is facilitating preparation of a Community Development Plan, in which stakeholders can share their needs and wishes for future development.

Arugam Bay has demonstrated its determination to build back stronger, as well as its fighting spirit, over the past seventeen months. It has firmly established itself as Sri Lanka's little village that could.