"LORD, WHEN DID WE SEE YOU HUNGRY AND FEED YOU?"

Christian and secular agencies working in the sub-Saharan or "Sahel" regions of Africa continue to report massive starvation there in spite of aid that has poured in during the worst drought in recorded African history. Many evangelical agencies are trying to help, Among them, the following can channel your contributions designated for famine relief to where the need is greatest:

Christian & Missionary Alliance Medical Assistance Programs World Vision International,
260 West 44th Street - P. 0. BOX 50 919 Huntington Drive, New York, NY, 10036 Wheaton, Illinois 60187 Monrovia, CA 91016

Is this famine a disaster that wisely applied technology could have prevented? See "Sahelian Drought: No Victory for Western Aid," Science 185 No. 4147, pp. 234-7 (19 July 1974) for a pessimistic assessment: "It would be absurd to blame the collapse of this intricate social and ecological system soly on Western interference, and yet rather few Western interventions in the Sahelq when considered over the long term, have worked in the inhabitants' favor."

GIVING MORE BUT BUYING LESS

Did you see the Alternate Christmas Catalog for 1974? It was a second try by Alternatives (1500 Farragut St. No W., Washington, Do C. 20011) to divert funds from commercialized Christmas madness into human welfare. The 1973 edition had one section of ideas for celebrating Christmas more creatively and less expensively, a second section describing groups working for social justice, the environment, international development, and human welfare. The Alternatives people thought it was worth trying again: If 500,000 families redirected $200 from Christmas buying into meeting human needs, the total would be $100 million.

We wish that evangelical Christians had thought of this first, but the idea is still good even if somebody else thought of it. (After all, retail sales in November-December 1973 were a record $9.3 billion, up $700 million from 1972)0 Income from sales of the Alternate Christmas Catalog (128 pp., $2.50) goes to the life-supporting groups "advertising" in the catalog, and to help finance a movement toward simplified living. "Unbridled consumerism retards human relationships, promotes pollutican, threatens the Earth's limited natural resources, and exploits the economic development of the world's poor."

HOW TO RECYCLE SOMETHING No. 10

Most of our ingenious recyclers are amateurs, but James P. Bosscher is in at least the semi-pro league. Jim is a professor of engineering at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and one of the founders of "Recycle Unlimited," a non-profit corporation in Grand Rapids. We find everything about Recycle Unlimited appealing, even the typographic "ru" logo on their letterhead: the letter r is shaped like a spigot pouring into a container made of the letter u.

Recycle Unlimited was set up to show municipalities and businesses how to recover reusable materials, to provide employment and on-the-job training for inner-city youth of the Neighborhood Youth Corps, and to challenge engineering, business, and pre-law students at Calvin College. It began after Jim's students designed and built a low-cost, high-capacity bottle masher during the 1971-72 school year. That .machine was used in a glass drive in Grand Rapids in which 30 tons of cullet (bits of glass) were collected and sold to raise $600 for an inner-city youth campo In the 1972-73 year, Calvin students constructed another low-cost device to densify cans and render them ready for recycling.

The Kent County Board of Public Works provided a site for operations near the landfill and the City of Grand Rapids provided a 10' x 20' building and a $2500 start-up grant. Private foundations provided another $7000. Recycle Unlimited bought two used trucks, a set of self-dumping trailers, and a conveyor for lifting bottles to the masher; hired a graduate engineer as manager and additional college students as supervisors; and employed 20 Neighborhood Youth Corps kids in the summer and about 6 after school and on Saturdays when school was in session. Experience through the winter of 1973-74 showed that income from processed materials would provide wages but didn't quite cover insurance, gas and oil, or other services. Wages account for about two-thirds of operating expense, with much of the remaining one-third going to workman's compensation costs (they have to pay the highest rate because of inexperience with their type of activities). The City and County have now agreed to pay rebates on material retrieved from the waste stream for a trial period of a year, since it would cost them $14 a ton to handle these solid wastes otherwise.

"Current operation with bottles and cans involves the pickup (utilizing two converted beverage trucks) from major users (hospitals, restaurants, etc.) and through public collection points at retail markets and shopping centers and transportation to our landfill site. Pickup stations total about 55 with about 30 of these set up for public input. Plans are to shortly expand to at least 75 stations as time and material permit. After transport to our landfill operation, the bottles are smashed directly into hydraulically operated dump trailers, the cans processed directly into bins provided by area metal recycling firms. The dump trailers are regularly taken to Charlotte (Mich.) where the cullet is processed on-site into new bottles. The processed cans go to Holland (steel) and Grand Rapids (aluminum) upon bin pick-up."

A lot of human interaction takes place in this program. Recycle Unlimited was set up so that disadvantaged high-school youth could work closely with Calvin College student Supervisors and gain something from the contact besides wages and work experience. Also, area business people have rallied to the aid of the project in practical ways. The trucking industry has been especially helpful. Other industries gave over 400 55-gallon drums and the paint to coat them. Local news media have helped with publicity, city and county governments have cooperated fully, and a local service club has adopted Recycle Unlimited as its pet project for support. And of course it's the citizens as a whole who provide the bottles, cans, plastic, and cardboard wastes being recycled.

Why shouldn't this story be repeated over and over again in communities across North America?

Glass bottles. The Recycle Unlimited bottle masher can be built for under $25 from an old 55-gallon drum, a 1/3 H.P. motor from a washing machine, and other cheap or discarded materials. Whirling chains smash the bottles into cullet. This masher can handle five tons an hour or more. About 200 copies of plans for the "Calvin masher" have been distributed throughout North America. For a free copy of the plans plus a letter of additional suggestions, safety precautions, etc. (addressed to "Dear Bottle-Smashing Friends", write to Dr. James P. Bosscher, Engineering Department, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI 49507,

SECOND-ORDER EFFECTS OF TELEVIOLENCE?

Jim Kennedy would like to know of any data relevant to this question: Do TV programs, movies, or reading material emphasizing crime, violence, or sex have any tendency to encourage the type of behavior depicted? Might studies on techniques for effective advertising, police anecdotes about literature absorbed by sex criminals, psychological studies on behavior modification through imitation, etc., be relevant?

"The purpose of this is to see whether or not an argument can be made against the depiction of abnormal sexual behavior or violence in the 'opinion-molding industryt on the grounds that such depiction results in severe harm to some persons who may never have been exposed to the depiction itself but only to persons (stable or unstable) who have been so influenced. If it is true that innocent persons can be harmed, then it becomes possible to oppose pornography on the grounds that it results in danger to the general population rather than only to those who indulge in it."

Anyone with information or interest in this question should contact Dr. James C. Kennedy, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6. (I once saw a huge volume of studies on first-order effects of watching TV violence, but I can't remember the reference--or the conclusions.)

RECENT DEATHS
 
George D. Maniaci of Gladstone, Michigan, was killed in a motorcycle accident on Practice. He was active in mental retardation work and served on the research committee of the National Association for Retarded Citizens. George had been introduced to ASA at Goshen College, where he took courses under H. Harold Hartzler, or "Cubey" (for HHH or H-cubed), as he was affectionately called by his students. Mrs. Maniaci wrote to ASA News that she has kept up with the ASA because George brought the Journal home from his office, knowing of her interest in archaeology and related articles.

James W. Reid of Norristown, Pennsylvania, died on September 18, 1974. Jim directed Associates for Biblical Research and had written God. the Atom. and the Universe (Zondervan 1968). He had recently sent ASA News the story behind his newspaper column, "Today's Science and the Bible," which we will publish in our HOW TO START SOMETHING series.

HERE'S AN INDUSTRIAL (AND INDUSTRIOUS) ASA'ER

ASA Members in industrial science and technology sometimes feel that all the rest of us have academic positions. Not so. For example, there's Wesley A. Kuhrt, of Simsbury, Connecticut. Wes may not be your typical engineer out in the plant, but he's been there. Right now he's completing his first year as vice president for technology of United Aircraft Corporation, East Hartford, Connecticut. Before that he had been president of UAC's Sikorsky Aircraft division, since October 1968.

Wes received his B.S. and M.S. in Aero, E. from MIT. Then he began 30 years or so of research and testing of radial air-cooled aircraft engines, jet engines,, rocket propulsion systems, nuclear propulsion systems, and what-have you (lasers, plasma physics, propellant chemistry). Besides that he was chiefly responsible for setting up one of the largest computer facilities operated by private industry. He's a member of the American Helicopter Society and a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has been granted a number of patents on his inventions.

Wes has found many outlets for Christian witness. He has spoken at the prayer breakfasts of Governor Meskill of Connecticut and is a dedicated member of the Gideons' Association. Through the year he leads a college-and-career group discussion in his church. Every Tuesday evening during the summer he hosts at his home a group of 30 to 40 college students with whom he builds a Christian life perspective.
 
SHE CRIED "UNCLE" AT TOM'S CABIN

Chemistry professor Tom Cummings is busy showing slides of his far out trip and picking up where he left off at Bradley University before his sabbatical. So, three cheers, a dozen "Scientist's Psalm!' greeting cards, and a rollicking sea chantey for Mary Cummings of Peoria, Illinois, for the following saga:

"As travel prices go these days it was a bargain: an Atlantic crossing for about $100 per person (not counting the enormous investment in the boat itself). It was also good ecology since they used less than 15 gallons of fuel. Further, it was healthful, educational, peaceful, and fun. But I was able to resist the pressure, especially when I thought of trying to keep house in that 731-foot square cabin, to say nothing of the severely rationed water. I wouldn't make a good crew member. And besides, I was chicken.

"So I didn't go along when Tom and our 16-year-old son Harris left Poole Harbor on May 31 on the first leg of their voyage to the States. We had spent quite a bit of our first five months in England looking for a boat that was both seaworthy and priced right. Discouraged, we almost abandoned the search before we finally found this 4-year-old, twin-keel, 26-foot fiberglass sloop with 10-H.P. diesel engine. ies a Westerly "Centaur," well known in England, with two cabins that can sleep four comfortably, six not so.

"Tom had taken an evening navigation course which he felt prepared him for the theoretical challenges ahead, but except for eight or nine weekends in the channel, only one of them overnight, they had no ocean experience at all. They got that experience on the 18-day journey to Safi, Morocco.

"With the wind from the SW, the direction they were heading, they had to tack S first for 50 nautical miles (15 percent longer than statute miles) and then straight W for 36 miles. These first long tacks were fortunate because the tiller could be lashed down and left untended while they recovered from their seasickness, lasted about 48 hours. They made good time those two days and glimpsed the Scilly Isles, their last sight of England before turning SE into the bay of Biscay. Instead of its notorious swells and gales, the bay offered sunshine and incredibly blue, calm seas. They could often see as far as 30-40 feet down and watch various species of fish playing tag below them. After some slow going they made it past Cape Finisterre, the NW tip of Spain, and then moved W 50 miles to avoid shipping lanes before
heading S.

"The wind switched around, coming from the N and growing steadily stronger as a cloud-. front came over. The gale blew for two days, although the sun shone a lot, and the waves built up to as high as 30 feet. They reduced sail, first reef~ng the ma4.n and replacing the Genoa with the working jib, using the jib alone, and finally rZn-lacing it with the storm jib. They were glad to be going with the wind. The boat handled well, riding the waves like a cork, first sinking into a ~rough and a few seconds later riding the crest again. Only a couple of waves broke over the stern, flooding the cockpit.

"They made 100 miles that day using only 45 square feet of storm jib with a 50-mile/ hour wind behind them. Neither felt anxious, but they were glad to have the wind die after 48 hours so they could get some sleep. At the height of the storm a freighter stopped near them to see if they needed help. They also saw a lone sailboat beating its way up wind, one of two sailboats they saw in open sea during the whole voyage. The cabin took very little water, but everything was knocked over and some of it was damp. They learned something about packing from that experience.

"On the 17th day after leaving England they sighted land and were satisfied that their sextant readings had brought them almost on target, They had headed for the small port of Safi because they wanted to visit missionary friends, Bill and Holly Campbell, who had been doing medical work with North Africa Mission for the past 20 years. To Tom's surprise he found the Campbells under arrest and awaiting trial for proselytizing They were at home with their three children but very uncertain about their future. Tom and Harris had a good week's visit with our old friends and met some of the handful of young Christians there.

"Two more of our kids joined the crew in Safi, Jim, 24, just finished work on his M.A. at the U. of Chicago in time to fly over. Becky, 19, finished her exams at the U. of Vienna where she and her sister Kathy had both been studying, and found her way by train and plane from Austria to Morocco. The four of them started out for the Canary Islands on June 24, using the diesel for the first six hours to avoid the fleet of fishing boats leaving the harbor at the same time.

"After six days, even with a light wind, they realized they had missed the islands because Tom had forgotten to take one noon sextant reading. For that mistake they lost a day backtracking to the Island of Tenerife. The Canaries are volcanic islands rising steeply from the ocean to as high as 1300 feet, very barren and often veiled in banks of mist. As they came into Santa Cruz harbor they caught sight of a 100 foot, twin-masted brig flying an American flag. They were given permission to tie up alongside in spite of inhospitable reactions from the harbor master and Yacht Club. The brig's doctor treated Jim's strep-infected ankle with penicillin, which made the loss of that day seem providential.

"On the 4th of July they left in another gale, giving Becky and Jim their own taste of storm at sea. Again the wind was from behind so they didn't have to battle waves. Harris had been doing the cooking all along, and now Becky took over the navigation once she had learned how. They all took turns at the tiller in 4-hour shifts around the clock. They tried man-overboard drills but were unsuccessful in recovering a towel and some dishes that went over the side. It's hard to stop a boat going down wind, wing-on-wing, and get back to the lost object (or person) before it goes down or drifts out of sight. Finally they did manage to retrieve an item or two, but fortunately never had to retrieve one of the crew. Everybody on deck in heavy weathel or after dark always wore safety harnesses.

"The water warmed steadily as they sailed west and the more frequent rains were alwayE welcome for bathing and shampoos. They collected rain water off the mainsail. They caught some fish and enjoyed watching many more swim alongside, particularly schools of-porpoise. They first sighted land, San Salvador, on August 4. having covered 3200 miles in 31 days. At their first stop at Andros Island they phoned me in Pennsylvania. I had flown from England on July 19 and that August 6 phone call was most welcome.

"From the Bahamas they passed through the Florida Keys, where the hazards of being run down by ships increased sharply, especially at night. They had a 19-inch radar reflector slung between their twin backstays to warn ships of their location, but not all crews are courteous or alert. They were glad to get into the Intracoastal Waterway and on into the Gulf, but then the wind died down and they gave up trying to reach New Orleans, their original destination. Having to motor into Pensacola harbor was a bit of a letdown, but time was running out. They lifted the boat onto a flatbed truck where it rested easily on its twin keels, then drove in the truck up to Peoria. The boat is now in the Illinois River and the wonder of all the boaters around.

"Looking back, it seems easy, and I wonder what all the fuss was about. Before they left, I was among the many friends and relatives trying to dissuade them from the trip.

Now, as you can see, I'm bragging. Seriously, we are most grateful for God's guidance and protection. and for the many prayers on their behalf from both sides of the Atlantic.

"Another time I might even go along."

EMIL GAVERLUCK VERSUS ERIC VON DANIKEN

Emil Gaverluck lectures in schools and churches on "Science and the Bible." He sent us a copy of his new bookq Did Genesis Man Conquer §22ce? (Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, 1974; paper, 192 pp., $2.95). He considers it an "antidote" to Chariots of the Gods. We haven't drunk deeply of Von Daniken's weird interpretations, but we can testify that Gaverluck's antidote is pretty startling stuff. Biblical literalists sometimes argue that if Adam was created a perfect man, he must have known more than today's fallen scientists. Emil's facile imagination takes off from this hypothesis and soon leaves Von D's chariots behind in a cloud of intragalactic dust. Religious cartoonist Jack Hamm's illustrations visualize many of Emil's ideas.

The author believes that Genesis Man "had learned to harness gravitation waves, electromagnetic energy, nuclear fusion, matter-antimatter collisions," etc. Were the Urim and Thummim (Exodus 28:30) really atomic energy sources? "Associated with the twelve great jewels of the high priest's breastplate, could they produce laser beams flashing off the ephod?" (p. 64) Did Space Beings once mingle with earth's population? Was the Great Pyramid an interstellar communications device?

Well, as Berkeley's sp,~ped inhabitants often say, "Far out!" (Some of Emil's eschatological proposals reminded us of the chronosynclastic infundibulum of Kurt Vonnegut's Sirens of Titan.) Did Genesis Man Conguer Space? can be ordered from Emil Gaverluck, Mint Hill Box 23112, Charlotte, North Carolina 28212.

ED DAYTON VERSUS WASTED TIME

Next year, you gotta get organized? Maybe it would help to read Ed Dayton's most recent book, Tools for Time Management (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 0 20b pp., $4.95). Subtit1ed Christian Perspectives on Managing Priorities," the book incorporates many ideas Ed has used in the Christian Leadership Letter circulated by World Vision International. We haven't seen the book yet but we hear it is organized alphabetically (unlike the latest ASA Directory--which Just shows that there's more than one way to organize things): "Accountability, Alertness, Alternate Plans, Analyzing Your Time, Ask, Assumptions, Becoming, Bosses, Busywork," etc.

• LOCAL SECTION ACTIVITIES

PERSONALS..