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Berkeley
Co-ed Abducted?
Students
Fear Co-ed was Abducted by Cult
Berkeley, California— Amy
Vermeer, a recent graduate of Trinity High School  in
Holland, MI, was expected at UC Berkeley yesterday to settle
into her dorm. Her brother Chris, a senior at UC Berkeley,
became concerned when she didn’t show up for the welcome
dinner she knew he had organized with his friends. The
evening turned into anxious speculation as they tried to
figure out what could have happened to her. Later he received
a cryptic email from Amy: “Sorry I can’t make
dinner, Chris. Something wonderful has unexpectedly come
up. I’m off to a life-changing retreat. I’ll
be in touch soon. Don’t worry about me – I’m
with good people.” Chris and his friends are very
worried and fear she is being “recruited” by
what they believe is a cult. “This is so unlike Amy.
There’s no way she would voluntarily go away with
a group of complete strangers,” Chris said. He contacted
the police but they only took down the information and
did not seem alarmed. |
Elysian
Ship Offers Free Cruise
San Francisco— Twenty-five
miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge, a cruise ship called
the Aurora has recently dropped anchor by the Farallon
Island. It's a floating resort and training facility operated
by a group called the Elysians. Their Web site invites young
people to  come
for a retreat and attend workshops on the power to transform
lives and build cultures of peace. They seek to build a world
founded on love, transcending religions, nations or possessions.
Their theme song is John Lennon’s popular "Imagine." See www.elysians.org |
Body
of Missing Student Found
Stinson Beach— The
body of a missing law student was found at Stinson Beach
in Marin County, California on Tuesday morning. He was
identified by the FBI as Joshua Washington, a student
at the New College of California School of Law. He had
been missing for two weeks and was last seen by a friend
who, the Chronicle was informed, was on his way
to Sausalito to go on a cruise. It appeared that the
body had been in the water for several days. Cause of
death has not yet been determined. Any person with information
about this case is asked to contact FBI agent Eric Friday. |
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Friends
Launch Rescue
Berkeley— Chris
Vermeer, a senior at U.C. Berkeley, spent the last 24 hours
with eight of his friends putting  together
a Web site to coordinate the search and rescue of his sister
Amy. They received a brief note this morning from a group
called the Elysians. They indicated Amy is at a retreat with
them but did not identify the location of the retreat. Chris
and his friends feel very strongly that they need to figure
out effective strategies to protect Amy from being talked
into doing something she will regret for the rest of her
life. They are wasting no time.
See www.friendsofchris.net. |
SPECIAL REPORT:
An
Interview with
Ariana Amnisos
By Ian Thomas
Our foreign correspondent met Ariana Amnisos, spiritual leader  of
a New Age community, at her private retreat on the Greek island of Crete. He
brings us this special report, based on their interview and on conversations
with her closest associates. FULL REPORT
LATE BREAKING WIRE NEWS
Security
Forces Foil Plot to Drown One Third of Holland
Amsterdam, The Netherlands— It
took generations to move the cold salt water of the North Sea behind Holland's
sturdy earthen dikes. But it would have taken less than an hour for that water
to come rushing through thousands of holes in the dikes created by simultaneous
explosions that were being planned by unnamed terrorists. Dutch authorities
were apparently warned about the plot just in time and are systematically disarming
the devices. The warning was made anonymously so no arrests have been made
but police are evaluating many leads.
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BOOK
REVIEWS |
Terror
in the Mind of God
by Mark Juergensmeyer
 In
the first half of the book, Juergensmeyer interviews
militants who justify the use of terror by their religious
beliefs. In most cases, the militants are ordinary
people who are the activist elements in cultures of
violence. The second half identifies patterns – an
overarching logic – found within the cultures
of violence that legitimize the acts of terror. He
shows how all religions have a dark side that can be
used to justify violence. More...
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Untitled Document
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OP-ED |
The
Thinker's Way
Three Stages of
Knowing
by John Chaffee
The road to becoming
a critical thinker is a challenging journey that involves
passing through different states of knowing in order
to achieve a sophisticated and effective understanding
of the world. These stages characterize people's thinking
and the way they understand their world, ranging from
simple to complex. A critical thinker is a person who
has progressed through all of the stages to achieve
a sophisticated understanding of the nature of knowledge. More... |
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Why
We Cover a Conflict Simulation
The nature
of the conflicts around the world has been
changing. The U.N. was formed in 1945 to
provide a forum where nations could meet
and resolve differences before they became
grounds for armed conflict. It's been working.
More... |
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