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Carjacking suspect seeks refuge at Biola
About 500 students were evacuated from their dorms at Biola University last Thursday when carjacking suspect Edward Hixon took refuge in the attic above the school's cafeteria, the AP reported. About 100 other students who were studying in the library during the five-hour standoff had to stay there until 2 a.m. Hixon was eventually apprehended and arrested.

Christmas:

• Don't believe in God? Have some eggnog anyway | Nearly half of adult Americans report they personally know someone who doesn't believe in God but still will celebrate the yuletide this year, according to a survey (The Knoxville [Tn.] News-Sentinel)
  
  
• Also: Excerpts from Christmas poll (The Knoxville [Tn.] News-Sentinel)
  
  
• Politically correct target Christmas | There is little evidence that the forces of political correctness have sought to devise new, generic names for Ramadan or Hanukkah, lest their religious observance offend people who are neither Muslim nor Jewish (Terry McConnell, The Edmonton Journal)
  
  
• Blue laws won't inhibit Christmas shopping | City Council votes to suspend laws ordering stores to open after 1:30 on Sundays (Associated Press)
  
  
• Use common sense on holiday names | The desire not to offend has stripped "the reason for the season" of all meaning (Editorial, The Ledger, Lakeland, Fla.)
  
  
• For holidays, schools' focus on `inclusion' | Teachers are grappling with how to celebrate the holidays in public schools without advocating or discriminating against certain religions (The Cincinnati Enquirer)
  
  
• 'Season's Greetings' flavored with religious fervor this year | Christmas cards aren't comical as much this year as they are contemplative, according to those in the $7.5 billion greeting card industry (Waco [Tex.] Tribune-Herald)
  
  
• Stadium hosts 'biggest' nativity play | A crowd of 15,000 people took part in the UK's biggest nativity play at Manchester City's football ground on Sunday. (BBC)
  
  
• Vicar tells children Santa is dead | Lee Rayfield admitted making a serious misjudgment in telling the story to children as young as five (BBC)
  
  
• No real push from anyone to abolish Santa Claus | There is no occasion why anyone should shrink from using the imagery of Santa on the ground that it might give offence to people who are not Christians (Editorial, The Canberra Times, Australia)

Bethlehem:

• Bethlehem braces for Christmas strife | Spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office, Ranaan Gissin, was quoted as saying bluntly that Israel would "not let Arafat go to Bethlehem" (BBC)
  
  
• 'For us, there is no peace' | Sale of olive wood carvings helps Christians in Bethlehem (The Beacon Journal, Akron, Ohio)
  
  
• Arafat 'should not go to Bethlehem' | So says Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's spokesman (BBC)
  
  
• Palestinians: Let Arafat Go to Bethlehem (Associated Press)

What Would Jesus Drive?:

• Using Jesus as pitchman an idea not worth buying | These ads trivialize religion in order to make a point. Rarely do the words sacred and holy come to my mind when I think of car ads. (Tarin Harris, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
  
  
• Jesus at the wheel | Will Detroit heed new appeals? (Editorial, Sacramento Bee)
  
  
• Oh Lord, don't you buy yourself an SUV | The evangelical environmentalists appear to forget Christ's wondrous gifts when it came to transforming things, e.g. water into wine (Slinger, The Toronto Star)
  
  
• It's rugged, and they're cross | Jesus and his 12 apostles traveled rough terrain mostly by foot and mule, the latter being substantially more polluting than the full-size Hummer H2 or any other sport-utility vehicle, large or small (Warren Brown, The Washington Post)
  
  

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December (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46