www.wfn.org

From PCUSA NEWS PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org Date 31 Jan 2003 07:53:39 -0500 Note #7577 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

Group plans mission-education network 03057 January 29, 2003

Group plans mission-education network

Idea is to rally support for PC(USA)-related schools overseas

by John Filiatreau

LOUISVILLE - A dozen Presbyterians who are passionate about educational missions gathered here last week to take the first steps toward forming a "network" to support the educational efforts of the overseas partners of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

The idea was to create a new organization to focus on the educational

component of international mission, as the Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship and Outreach Foundation support evangelism and the Presbyterian Medical Benevolence Foundation promotes health ministries.

However, the group - composed of pastors, missionaries, retired

missionaries, lay volunteers and presbytery and synod representatives - decided against becoming a validated mission support group structured like those foundations, at least for now. It also passed on the idea of trying to become an official PC(USA) advisory group, choosing instead a "program network" model, whose purpose would be to identify needs and marshal PC(USA) resources to address them.

The participants' commitment to the cause is shown by the fact that

they paid their own way to Louisville for the two-day brainstorming discussion at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

They ultimately planned several other trips - to countries in Africa,

the Middle East and South America, to identify successful models of educational mission to be promoted by the group, which hasn't chosen a name, but seemed to be leaning toward OPEN (Overseas Presbyterian Educational Network).

Participants agreed to meet again in late summer or early fall, and

in the meantime to recruit other education enthusiasts in the PC(USA).

David Maxwell, coordinator for global education and leadership

development in the Worldwide Ministries Division (WMD), said the idea of forming such a group has been "festering" on his agenda for some time. He said its purpose will be to "guide, steer, nudge, push" the denomination to step up its efforts on behalf of international education missions.

Maxwell's office spends about $500,000 a year in support of more than

200 schools and literacy programs around the world.

Will Brown, WMD's associate director for ecumenical partnership, told

the participants that education is one of the things that differentiates Presbyterian mission efforts from those of other Christian groups. "If there's one thing our denomination knows how to do, it's education," he said. "We have a capacity and we aren't using that capacity."

Marian McClure, the WMD director, found time in her busy schedule to

drop in to make "a quick little speech of support" of the organizing effort, which she called "the culmination of at least seven years of dreaming."

Educational mission takes in literacy programs, primary and secondary

schools, teacher-training and leadership-development programs, colleges and universities, and seminaries.

Maxwell said "it makes sense for a Reformed church" to strongly

support education because of its conviction that people everywhere "have a right and responsibility to read and write and be part of their churches and communities," and because of the central importance of enabling people to read scripture. He noted that many Presbyterian missionaries who established churches in foreign lands "often started a school right next to the church."

The envisioned network would include congregations, presbyteries,

synods and "individual Presbyterians with a passion for mission" who want to be involved in the overseas educational efforts of the PC(USA).

Participants would: share information and experience; work out common

strategies; coordinate educational efforts; facilitate communication; and "maximize" contact with international partners.

Organizers passed out a WMD paper, Guidelines for WMD-Related

"Mission Networks," that says in part: "We would hope to assist in the gathering of those with like interests and ... help in the whole of the PC(USA) in the organization and funding of the platforms necessary at national and regional levels for responsible, transparent, accountable and invitational mission work."

Maxwell wrote after the first day of meetings: "On the one hand, we

want to build a network that is not restrictive (much like the country networks), but rather a gathering of everyone doing everything. On the other hand, we see the need to create at least two programs that currently do not exist that would be more uniform and centralized that can engage individuals, congregations and presbyteries and synods."

One idea that seemed to have a lot of support was an "adopt-a-school"

program in which PC(USA) individuals, Sunday schools and churches would support a particular school of a partner church.

Several participants spoke favorably of scholarship programs to make

schooling accessible to children whose families cannot afford to pay even minimal tuition and expenses.

Jeff Boyd, a PC(USA) mission worker in Cameroon now on a visit to the

United States, said the problems educators in many parts of the world face are primarily: lack of access to schools, a particular problem for the poor and for girls; poor teaching, the result of "undertraining" and a scarcity of educational materials; declining, poorly maintained school buildings and other infrastructure; and isolation from the outside world and its resources.

Don Mead, of Glen Arbor, MI, a former missionary, proposed that the network begin by identifying "a couple of platforms and a couple of programs ... in places where we have good, solid relationships" that can serve as "models to be replicated elsewhere."

The group tentatively planned "exploratory" trips to Congo, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Malawi, and identified other countries that might be added to the list, including Lebanon, Palestine, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Colombia and Venezuela.

When Peggy Owens, associate general presbyter the Mid-Kentucky Presbytery, asked the awkward question, "Who's financing these trips?", Maxwell admitted, "At this point we have no budget." He said he may approach PC(USA) entities for financial backing, and expressed confidence that Presbyterians will support the new network and its purpose.

"Let's let the word out in the denomination and see what comes up," Maxwell suggested.

Mitri Raheb, of Palestine, a mission partner in residence at the Presbyterian Center, is a Lutheran who runs a Christian school in Bethlehem. He said many in his country appreciate American-style education, which emphasizes "critical thinking and creativity" over the rote learning prevalent in many cultures. He said his school also imparts "Christian values" to its students, half of whom are Muslims.

The participants agreed that the timing is right for such an effort.

Several said it is important that the network involve "the grass roots of the church" and be "owned" by people across the denomination, rather than becoming just another office in WMD.

*** For instructions on using this system (including how to UNJOIN this meeting), send e-mail to mailrequests@ecunet.org

Send your response to this article to pcusa.news@pcusa.org

To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send an 'unsubscribe' request to pcusanews-request@halak.pcusa.org

www.centralmaine.com Friday, January 31, 2003 By DEIRDRE B. FULTON, Special to the Morning Sentinel

WASHINGTON — In an attempt to reduce national dependence on foreign oil, improve the environment and aid consumers plagued by rising gasoline costs, Sens. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., vowed Thursday to fight to close the "SUV loophole" and increase fuel efficiency.

Reintroducing legislation Snowe described as a "practical and attainable goal to address a national emergency," the senators held a Capitol Hill press conference to outline their proposal.

By requiring light trucks and sport utility vehicles to adhere to the same tougher fuel standards — laid out in the 1975 Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards — as passenger cars, the legislation would save 1 million barrels of oil every day, reduce oil imports by 10 percent and prevent damaging emissions into the atmosphere, Feinstein said.

Snowe and Feinstein introduced the same legislation last year, but deferred to an even more ambitious proposal offered by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and John Kerry, D-Mass. That bill failed to win approval, but Feinstein said she was optimistic about this year's attempt.

"I think now there's much more concentration — there are television spots on it, there are articles done on it all the time, there are people becoming much more aware," she said. "I think there may also be a feeling of guilt over the Congress for not moving when they know the science and technology are there."

The changes could be particularly beneficial for Maine, said Snowe press secretary Dave Lackey.

"Maine generates very little in emissions but we suffer disproportionately because pollution is transported by the jet stream to our state. That has an impact in a variety of ways — from CO2 and ozone to mercury in our lakes. Cleaner emissions result in better air quality," he said, adding that Maine residents would also benefit from lower gasoline prices.

When CAFE standards were first designed, light trucks were much less common and were given a less stringent fuel efficiency standard, creating the loophole that benefits SUVs and similar vehicles that make up 50 percent of today's road traffic. The proposed legislation would require these vehicles to increase their gasoline mileage per gallon gradually over the next eight years.

Snowe pointed to unstable oil sources like Venezuela and Iraq in asserting that the United States needs to reduce its dependency on foreign oil. Both senators stressed the negative economic impact of rising costs at the pumps.

"Not only do we have a national security issue when it comes to energy dependency from abroadÏ. We're talking about an environmental situation and we're also talking about stability of prices," Snowe said.

According to projected increases, the United States could depend on foreign sources for 70 percent of its oil by 2025, the senators said.

"If that isn't an emergency situation, I don't know what is. I don't know what has to happen to inject a sense of urgency," Snowe said.

The Bush administration announced its own fuel efficiency plan last December, proposing to increase CAFE standards for SUVs and light trucks to 22.2 miles per gallon by 2007. Snowe and Feinstein said they would pick up where the Bush effort left off. By increasing standards by approximately 1.3 miles per gallon per year after 2007 under the Snowe-Feinstein plan, SUVs would have to average 27.5 miles per gallon by 2011.

Brownie Carson, executive director of Maine's Natural Resources Council, said he appreciated the extra effort by Snowe and Sen. Susan M. Collins, a co-sponsor of the bill.

"Maine's two senators really understand the importance of a different kind of energy policy than has been proposed by the administration," Carson said, referring to the Bush initiative.

U.S. automobile manufacturers have to make the effort to experiment with new technology, Carson said, something Snowe and Feinstein say is possible.

"This legislation is carefully crafted, based on good science, and it contains increases which are technologically feasible," Feinstein said. "We have the technology to do this, we don't have the will."

Citing a 2001 National Academy of Sciences study, the senators emphasized that U.S. auto manufacturers could use existing technology to make new models of SUVs, minivans and light trucks more fuel-efficien

reuters.com Fri January 31, 2003 08:51 AM ET

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Anadarko Petroleum Corp. APC.N on Friday reported a better-than-expected rise in fourth-quarter earnings, helped by higher oil prices, but said profit in 2003 would be hurt by an ongoing oil industry strike in Venezuela.

Anadarko, the No. 1 U.S. independent oil and gas company, forecast first-quarter earnings of $1.15 a share, below Wall Street analysts' average estimate of $1.20, according to research firm Thomson First Call.

Besides the turmoil in Venezuela, first-quarter results will also suffer from a two-month shutdown of a Qatar oilfield for installation of new production facilities.

For 2003, the company expects to earn $3.90 a share. The First Call estimate is $3.99.

For the fourth quarter, Anadarko reported net income of $309 million, or $1.21 cents per share, compared with $108 million, or 41 cents a share, last year.

Last month, Anadarko raised its earnings guidance for 2002, citing increased volumes from U.S. onshore and Algeria made up for the impact of turmoil in Venezuela. At that time, the company forecast earnings per share of $1.05 for the fourth quarter.

Wall Street analysts had expected the company to report earnings of between 96 cents and $1.29 per share with an average view of $1.07 per share, according to First Call.

Shares of Anadarko closed at $45.25 Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock gained 7.5 percent during the quarter, slightly outperforming the 7.1 percent rise in the Dow Jones energy index .DJUSEN , of which it is a component.

biz.yahoo.com Press Release Source: ChevronTexaco Corp. Friday January 31, 9:02 am ET

-- Higher crude oil and natural gas prices boost upstream results but weaken downstream -- Exploration and production operating earnings of $1.2 billion up 125 percent from year-ago quarter -- Refining, marketing and transportation segment incurs an operating loss of $151 million -- Merger synergies on track toward annual savings target of $2.2 billion before-tax by end of first quarter -- Oil and gas reserves replacement for 2002 exceeds 100 percent for tenth consecutive year

biz.yahoo.com   Press Release Source: SGI Friday January 31, 9:01 am ET

New Leadership, New Strategy and a Focus on Solutions Selling; SGI Taiwan Office Reopens

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- What a difference a year makes. The reinvigorated and refocused SGI regional sales offices throughout Asia and Latin America are winning major multimillion-dollar deals and providing SGI® solutions to governments, institutions, and local and multinational corporations. SGI's momentum in the Asia-Pacific and Latin American markets over the past year has been fueled by the recent recruitment of veteran senior executives and a strengthening of the sales and marketing strategy, according to Bill LaRosa, SGI senior vice president of the Intercontinental (ICON) region, which comprises these two markets.

ADVERTISEMENT"The corporate strategy is to focus on high-performance solutions -- not just products -- but solutions that solve our customers' toughest problems. Our focus is in five key market segments: energy, media, manufacturing, sciences and government," said LaRosa, who joined SGI just over a year ago. "These solutions comprise SGI high-performance computing and visualization systems combined with our partners' application software. In addition, powerful, sophisticated solutions are being delivered by the SGI Technology Solutions division, including solution architecting and the integration of other third-party hardware. And that's what's creating satisfied customers and ultimately driving the bigger deals. The bottom line is all about delivering tangible results: helping energy companies find oil, helping broadcasters deliver content, helping governments bolster their economies."

New Management Staff

Under LaRosa's leadership, SGI has recruited new, experienced, skilled senior executives to fill out the ICON area general manager (AGM) field positions. The new AGM for China is Stephen Lai. P.S. Shim is the newly appointed AGM for Korea, and John Kan, based in Singapore, is the new AGM for ASEAN (Southeast Asia, which includes Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, the Philippines, etc.). Filling out the "A" team are computer industry veterans Bill Trestrail (Australia and New Zealand), Jose Carols Goveia (Latin America), and Dr. Prasad Medury (India). Changes are also happening deeper in the organization, as SGI's continued high-profile recruiting permeates all job levels.

With senior management in place, the time was right to rebuild SGI's Taiwan initiative, reopening a strategic regional office, helmed by Stephen Lai, last month. SGI Taiwan is exploiting several marketing opportunities aligned with the company's core industries.

SGI has succeeded across the board in Asia, Australia and Latin America in the five key areas of government and defense, sciences, energy, manufacturing, and media. The following examples are indicative of the growth potential of the geographical areas, each project valued between $4 million and $8 million (U.S.), during calendar 2002.

Energy

In Latin America, SGI has had many successes with longtime customers such as Petrobras, the world leader in ultra-deepwater oil exploration. Petrobras produces over 1.5 million barrels of oil a day, and 11 SGI® Reality Center(TM) facilities are currently installed in its facilities throughout Brazil. SGI also continues its long-standing account history with PDVSA, in Venezuela, whose numerous SGI Reality Center facilities help the company maintain its standing as the seventh-largest oil production company in the world, delivering 3.9 million barrels a day. SGI has another long-term relationship with PEMEX (Mexico), whose oil and gas exploration efforts are increasing quickly, aided by three SGI Reality Center facilities.

With a dominance of the energy market in Latin America, SGI is also achieving success in the science and manufacturing markets -- notably with the Brazilian Meteorological Institute (InMet) and Daimler Chrysler.

Sciences

In mid-August 2002, SGI contracted with the Beijing Planetarium to install an SGI® Onyx® family visualization system connected to Zeiss Laser All-Dome projectors. The graphics supercomputing system is the cornerstone of a new planetarium planned for installation at the revered institution, founded in 1957. SGI real-time graphics allow users to navigate through huge science data sets to create a different show for each performance. For this project, the first-ever all-laser dome installation in the world, SGI teamed with leading-edge technology provider Carl Zeiss -- a partner since 2000, with whom SGI has jointly marketed solutions enabling the projection of very-high-resolution real-time 3D graphics in planetariums.

The Beijing Planetarium will be used as a flagship during the 2008 Olympic ceremonies in Beijing, People's Republic of China, where the installation will be open for the world to see.

Manufacturing

Malaysia's Multimedia Development Corporation (MDC) contracted with SGI to deliver a world-class SGI Reality Center facility, a Visual Area Networking solution and rendering services to Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC). The SGI Reality Center facility, just outside Kuala Lumpur, is powered by a 16-processor SGI® Onyx® 3000 series system, making it the most advanced Reality Center facility in Southeast Asia. A milestone in Malaysia's long-term planning to become a fully developed nation and knowledge-rich society by 2020, the SGI project was completed in September 2002.

The MDC, a government-owned corporation that was appointed to spearhead the development and implementation of the MSC, is establishing the Creative Application Development Center, to be powered by SGI technologies. In addition, SGI's Visual Area Networking solution will enable MSC's large contingent of high-technology organizations to have universal access to advanced visualization using any computing device over standard networks.

Under the collaborative relationship agreement, SGI and MDC will jointly work on positioning, strategy and lead generation in SGI's five key markets for the benefit of MSC status companies, as well as on developing associated products like specialized software applications. These efforts will help bolster the Malaysian economy.

Media

To reach millions of viewers across India, Sahara India Media Communications Ltd. launched one national and six regional 24-hour news channels in October 2002. Sahara India moved into commercial broadcasting two years ago, with its launch of the Hindi-language Sahara TV entertainment channel. For its major foray into the TV news business, broadcasting in Hindi and English, one of Sahara India's primary goals was to differentiate itself from India's other 24-hour news channels by using eye-popping graphics and true virtual set technology for news, weather and sports.

Citing the high performance and quality of the Silicon Graphics® Onyx2® and vizrt solution, a Sahara India spokesperson said, "We chose Silicon Graphics Onyx2 because it is an extremely stable and reliable system with excellent I/O capabilities for video." The six Silicon Graphics Onyx2 systems are installed at Sahara India's central studio in Nodia, a suburb of New Delhi.

Government and Defense

Australia's concerns for homeland security and transport safety led the New South Wales State Rail Authority (SRA) to sign a five-year, $17 million contract with SGI in March 2002 to build a state-of-the-art virtual reality and simulation center. The center will enhance training and education levels for all State Rail employees. The SRA is the first ever rail transport network in the world to use this type of collaborative, immersive visualization technology for situation awareness and hazard perception--eradicating the limitations posed by traditional paper-based learning methods and costly "physical" safety testing measures.

The center, which went live in late 2002, is the largest, most powerful SGI Reality Center facility to be built in Australia to date. The two large 150? wraparound screens and world-class simulators will provide a collaborative framework that will enable over 6,000 staff members per year to benefit from an immersive training environment.

Feeding the Fire

"Last year I pledged that SGI ICON would emerge as a highly focused organization, providing high-end solutions, hiring top quality people and investing in those countries that are building momentum. In a nutshell, we are feeding the fire," said LaRosa. "Areas that are 'white hot,' like China, India and Latin America, are where we are going to invest by delivering leapfrog technologies that will help them grow. Reopening the Taiwan office is a manifestation of this strategy, as Greater China continues building momentum.

"We at SGI promised that we were going to consolidate. We have. We promised we were going to focus. We have. We promised we'd turn this ship around. We are. And that's what the market wants us to do -- deliver on the promise."

"The success we have experienced over the past year with customers in our international geographies is proof positive that we have set ourselves the right long-term mission and are making significant progress towards achieving it. That mission is to deliver maximum strategic value for technical and creative customers," said Bob Bishop, chairman and CEO of SGI. "We are approaching the new calendar year in a position of a clear technology solutions superiority. With new leadership and an intensive focus on delivering extraordinary value to customers, we have the winning combination to build powerful results in the ICON region."

This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding financial and contractual commitments that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such statements. The reader is cautioned not to rely unduly on these forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of future or current performance. Such risks and uncertainties include long-term program commitments, the performance of third parties, the sustained performance of current and future products, financing risks, the ability to integrate and support a complex technology solution involving multiple providers and users, and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's most recent SEC reports, including its reports on From 10-K and Form 10-Q.

About SGI

SGI, also known as Silicon Graphics, Inc., is the world's leader in high-performance computing, visualization and the management of complex data. SGI products, services and solutions enable its technical and creative customers to gain strategic and competitive advantages in their core businesses. Whether being used to design and build safer cars and airplanes, discover new medications and oil reserves, predict the weather, entertain us with thrilling movie special effects or provide mission-critical support for government and defense, SGI systems and expertise are empowering a world of innovation and discovery. The company, located on the Web at www.sgi.com, is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and has offices worldwide.

• (Logo: www.newscom.com )

NOTE: Silicon Graphics, SGI, Onyx2, Onyx and the SGI logo are registered trademarks, and Reality Center is a trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc., in the U.S. and/or other countries worldwide. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.