Canada: Adventist Physicians Attend International Aids Conference ... Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist church’s response to AIDS in Africa attended the largest ever meeting on HIV/AIDS which finished in Toronto last Friday August 18. More than 20,000 people attended the conference sharing the main theme of AIDS 2006 - “Time to deliver” AIDS 2006 represents the most diverse gathering of people seeking to bring solutions to one of the major public health problems that the world is facing today, which is the HIV/AIDS pandemic. AAIM -Adventist, AIDS International Ministry was present at the meetings.  Dr. Oscar Giordano, director of the Adventist Aids International Ministry said of his participation: “It was very important to have the Adventist Church represented in the meetings because of the increasing role that the churches are playing in containing the epidemic and relieving its impact.” He added that there was a special exhibit section dedicated to interfaith activities.

Jamaica: Adventist Institutions Partner to Support to Inner-city Males  ... Several young men in Jamaica’s inner-cities of Montego Bay, Spanish Town and Kingston have been initiated into a program launched by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) to help them resist crime, violence and drugs.  The program, called the Society for the Collaborative Lifting and Advancing of Inner-city Males (S-CLAIM) is designed to foster the social and educational development of inner-city young men. The program was officially launched Wednesday, August 23 with 42 young men the ninth grade. They will be exposed to higher learning from Northern Caribbean University and be able to use the medical facilities of Andrews Memorial Hospital. The boys at each school will also be assigned a mentor to monitor the boys’ progress. During the life of the program, the participants will receive basic necessities to ensure continuous attendance in school, free medical and dental checks and exposure to various places of interest, both locally and abroad. They will be exposed to seminars once per quarter, go on field trips once per year. 

India: ADRA Feeds Flood Survivors ... In response to heavy flooding in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra in the Western region of India, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is providing emergency food aid to more than 4,000 people affected by the recent disaster. The food packages will help feed a family of five for two weeks, giving them time to return to their normal lives. Each family will receive rice, dhal, oil, salt, and sugar to assist with their immediate dietary needs. The food items were selected based on the most essential and basic components of the diet in the region. [ADRA/ANN Staff]

United States: Robots Join Staff of Adventist Hospital ... The newest employees at Seventh-day Adventist-owned Florida Hospital work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, never take a break, and wouldn’t think of asking for a raise. Amid the usual flurry of doctors, nurses, and patients, you’re likely to find them scurrying along the hospital’s hallways with linens, meals, and other supplies in tow. These new employees are three robots called TUGs. Hospital staff says they’ve already proved to be helpful and dependable. Designed by Aethon, the robots “eliminate repetitive tasks like pushing carts and running errands” to “ensure [hospital] caregivers are spending their valuable time taking care of patients,” says Mike Thompson, Florida Hospital Celebration Health assistant administrator. [Florida Hospital/ANN Staff]

United States: Adventist Universities Rank Among Nation’s Best ... Three Seventh-day Adventist institutions of higher education have recently been listed among the nation’s best. Walla Walla College (WWC), located in College Place, Washington, again ranks among the nation’s best colleges and universities, this time under the category of “Best Universities-Master’s,” according to U.S. News & World Report’s edition of “America’s Best Colleges.” Out of 123 universities in the western region of the U.S., WWC ranks number 41. Also listed in the same U.S. News & World Report is Andrews University (AU). The only Adventist educational institution recognized by the report as a national university, Andrews is located in Berrien Springs, Michigan, and ranks as the 14th most diverse campus out of the 248 other national universities. For its part, the Princeton Review named Southern University, of Collegedale, Tennessee, a Best College in the southeastern region of the United States. [ANN Staff]

Correction ... An August 16, 2006 article, headlined “South Pacific: Church Receives Antique Clock Once Owned by James White,” incorrectly stated that both Ellen G. White and her husband, James, gave an antique clock to Robert Conley upon leaving Australia after spending nine years in the country as missionaries. James White died on August 6, 1881; Ellen White lived in Australia from 1891-1900. She was therefore widowed 10 years prior to moving to Australia. Thus, it was only Mrs. White who bestowed the clock on the Conley family. [ANN Staff]