Tent Revival Recalls Past, Plans Future // Fast-Growing Church Set For Thousands at Camp

The spikes are sunk, the poles are up, the canvas stretched. Inthe 4500 block of South State, a traditional religious tent campmeeting starts tonight at 7.

It's nostalgic and it's old school, but it works for The Churchof God in Christ - the fastest-growing Christian denomination in theUnited States.

Picking up followers at a rate of 200,000 a year, the 5million-member-plus faith offers a message made for today, say itssupporters: clean body, clean mind, and a male-headed,family-centered support system.

The keys to its success, say black religion experts: nurturing afollowing of struggling inner city and rural blacks, buildingself-esteem, and …

Scaffold collapses at Bangkok mall; 2 workers dead

BANGKOK (AP) — A construction scaffold collapsed at a luxury Bangkok shopping mall Friday and dumped steel and cement onto a work crew below, killing two and injuring six, police said.

The accident occurred in an area being rebuilt after the CentralWorld shopping complex was set on fire as the military cracked down on anti-government protests in May.

Part of the complex reopened in September, but the accident took place in an area still closed to the public.

An initial investigation indicated that the workers were …

Israeli leader gets support in White House dispute

Members of Israel's hard-line government are lining up behind embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his dispute with the U.S. over Jewish construction in east Jerusalem.

Two Cabinet ministers, including Israel's vice prime minister, accused the White House on Thursday of unfairly pressuring the Jewish state.

Netanyahu left Washington early Thursday after a last-ditch effort to heal the rift …

This much I know: Pat Brickhouse; Marketing Consultant Lake View

Age is simply a number. Mine's unpublished.

Look your best and you make a good impression on people. It'slike chicken soup. It can't hurt.

There may be 10, 12,000 restaurants in the city and yet, you readabout some of the same ones all the time. Today the market is morecompetitive than it ever has been. And subsequently, if you want toget your name out there, you have to come up with special ideas,special promotions. And I've seen restaurants that think they have agood product -- and a lot of times they do -- open with absolutelyno budget for advertising or promotions. And I've seen them closetheir doors within a year because no one knows about them. You know,you …

AVALANCHE AWARENESS

CHAPTER CHANNEL

Carl Skustad, recreation tech and snow ranger from the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center, in Anchorage, Alaska, spends over 150 days per year in Turnagain Pass alone. As guest speaker at the Anchorage chapter's January meeting, he offered first-hand perspective on avalanche safety and the center's role in Alaska.

Skustad explained that the need for the Avalanche Information Center became particularly clear after a snow-machine-triggered avalanche killed six people in Turnagain Pass in March 1999. To get the center up and running, Skustad worked with avalanche centers in other states. He also contacted the Alaska railroad, Alyeska resort, …

Abducted Las Vegas boy is returned to his father

A 6-year-old boy abducted from his home at gunpoint was safe in his father's custody Sunday as police tried to untangle any ties the youngster's family had to the Mexican drug dealers suspected of taking him.

Police were interviewing Cole Puffinburger after he was found alone Saturday night on a quiet street outside a Methodist church in Las Vegas.

"We're speaking with the boy today," FBI spokesman David Staretz said Sunday. "I know he's being interviewed by law enforcement, and we'll probably get a better idea of where he's been."

Cole's father, Robert Puffinburger, was a picture of relief at a news conference, as he smiled, …

Plays produced from scratch in 24 hours

Before Friday night they had never met.

But by the end of Saturday six writers, six directors and 30actors had written, directed, rehearsed and performed six brand newpieces of theatre.

The 24 Hour Plays event at the Ustinov studio saw writers firstputting pen to paper on Friday night to write a series of ten-minute plays.

On Saturday morning the scripts were handed over to the actorsand directors, who had less than 12 hours to put it all together fora performance.

The writers taking part included those whose work has appeared inthe Ustinov's Script Factory programme, Gill Kirk and David Lane,along with Adrian Harris, Simon Harvey Williams, …