ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, August 15, 1996 TAG: 9608150062
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
Disney in trouble with church
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Assemblies of God, a promoter of the Walt Disney Co. for 25 years, called on its 2.5 million members Wednesday to boycott Disney for ``abandoning the commitment to strong moral values.''
In urging its members not to see Disney movies, visit Disney theme parks or buy its other products, the Pentecostal denomination became the third religious group to criticize the company in recent months.
``In recent years we have watched with dismay the productions of the Disney Corp. abandoning the commitment to strong moral values, and have noticed this moral shift in a number of Disney-sponsored films and events,'' the church's General Presbytery said.
Disney said it had no comment.
The General Presbytery criticized ``Growing Up Gay,'' a book for teen-agers published by Disney-owned Hyperion Press, and Disney's acquisition of Miramax, which then distributed the movie ``Priest,'' about a gay cleric.
In June, the 16-million-member Southern Baptist Convention threatened a boycott because Disney extends benefits to companions of gay employees and releases R-rated movies. And in April, the Roman Catholic group Knights of Columbus sold $3 million worth of Disney stock to protest ``Priest.''
- Associated Press
Guidelines issued for school athletes
With the beginning of the school year approaching, the American Heart Association on Wednesday issued the first national recommendations for screening high school and college athletes for fatal heart ailments.
Such ailments are responsible for the rare instances when seemingly healthy young people collapse and die on the playing field. Though it is unknown precisely how often this happens, the heart association estimates that the incidence of sudden cardiac death among high school athletes is from 1 in 100,000 to 1 in 300,000. Older athletes appear to be at greater risk.
Until now, there were no universally accepted standards for screening young athletes for heart ailments. Most states set their own standards for high school athletes, but some states have left screening up to individual school districts or high school athletic associations. In addition, there were no uniform standards for the health professionals who performed the screenings.
The new national guidelines call for every high school and college student to have a medical checkup before participating in competitive sports. The checkup should be performed by a doctor or a specially trained registered nurse or doctor's assistant and should include a personal and family history and a physical examination to identify or find clues to problems known to cause sudden cardiac death.
The most common problem, accounting for 36 percent of sudden cardiac deaths among young athletes, is an enlargement of the heart muscle cells known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Risk factors include a family history of the disease or a personal history of fainting, excessive shortness of breath or chest pains while exercising.
- The New York Times
LENGTH: Medium: 60 linesby CNB