The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, April 16, 1982, Image 12

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    oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
CAMPUS THCATRC
846-6512
New look in Talmudic study
BASED ON
A TRUE STORY.
Computer
argument
missing.
PG
A UNIVERSAL PICTURE
O 1982 UNIVERSAL CITY STUDIOS. II
Midnight: Thurs.-Fri.-Sot.
starring JESIE ST. JAMES JOHN LESLIE ©
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
United Press International
CHICAGO — The ancient art
of Talmudic argument is about
to undergo a radical change,
with the learned rabbi at the
head of the table being replaced
by a computer.
Anybody who has tried to
straighten out a mistake in his
credit and wound up arguing
with a computer knows how
frustrating it can be. But Rabbi
Irving Rosenbaum and his Insti
tute for Computers in Jewish
Life plan to bring that frustra
tion right into the rabbi’s study.
“It’s revolutionary, it really
is,” said Rosenbaum, who used
to head the Jewish University of
America in suburban Skokie.
“The computer becomes the
other rabbi arguing with you.
“If you say, ‘This is the way I
understand this particular pas
sage,’ the computer says, ‘You
may understand it that way but
according to so-and-so it is some
other way.’
“Take a classic case — If you
see a prominent rabbi leaving a
house of prostitution, what
should you do? Confront him,
tell his congregation, or keep si
lent? No matter which side you
suggests
take, the computer
another solution.
“The computer is by no
means artificial intelligence but
“Take a classic case — If
you see a prominent
rabbi leaving a house of
prostitution, what
should you do? Con
front him, tell his con
gregation, or keep si
lent? No matter which
side you take, the com
puter suggests another
solution” — Rabbi
Irving Rosenbaum,
head of the Institute for
Computers in Jewish
Life.
ly, you can find material no one
ever thought of looking for be
cause it’s only mentioned in pas
sing,” he said. “The computer
doesn’t know where it’s sup
posed to look. It looks at every
thing.
“If you wanted to know about
agricultural practices in France
in the 12th Century, say about
wine growing, there is no writ
ten material about wine growing
in the 12th century in France,
it focuses things more quickly
than any human brain can do.”
Rosenbaum’s plans are just
barely under way, but already
1,500 years of rabbinic “respon-
sa” — some 600 million bits of
synog’ogue — they’re interested
in bingo games.”
Rosenbaum said the prog-
contemporary problems,”
Rosenbaum said. “Jewish tradi
tion has accumulated a vast body
of thinking over 5,000 years.
There are no new human prob
lems really — whether marriage,
family, sex, labor, the workplace
— all these issues have come up
over the centuries.
“There are discussions of re
moval of life support systems. In
the Middle Ages there was the
Eventually, Rosenbaum
dieted, as many as25univ
ties around thecountry
hookups into the Bar-llan;
puter. By next year, he sail j
expects terminals to be sell;
five or six institutions,!:
the University oi MidiJ |
NYU, Yale and Columbia,
The Talmudic argumem,
responsa projects are unli
of f
the instiuue's
“f 'he responsa cover ev
erything — ethics, mor-
t' /s - business, finance.
Bar-llan University in Israel. I hey are normative
Rosenbaum’s institute patch- judgments of what
es into the computer by tele- J °
phone and is beginning to pro- should happen at that
particular time” —
Rosenbaum
ram’s retrieval method makes it
possible to find information on a
vast variety of topics — every
thing from Sabbath to garlic.
“If a query is framed correct-
$2.00 Mon.-Fri. all shows before 6:00 p.m.
Sat. & Sun. $2.00 1st 30 Min. from opening.
Senior Citizens $2.00 all times —
Age 65 & over with I.D.
Students — Fridays Only $2.00 with Student I.D.
GRAND OPENING
TODAY!!
Our New Plitt Cinema III
In Post Oak Mall
(use East Mall Entrance - off Frontage Rd. -
theatre parking only in front of East mall
Entrance after 9:00 p.m.)
Midnite Shows - Cinema I & II - Skaggs Center
Cinema I - “The Stewardesses” (R) in 3-D
Cinema II - “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (R)
R
YouTl be glad you came!
“So funny, in fact, that it had members of
the audience practically rolling in the aisles"
Bill Robinson The Battalion
TODAY 7:45-9:55
Sat. also 1:30-3:30-5
Skaggs Center 846-6714
While vocotioninq in the Greek Isles,
famous detective Mercule Poirot spotted
o beautiful woman on the beach.
Pealizinq that she was dead. — M
he did not ask her to dinner. fKiOTHflCHPISTIfS lVII
The Army is doing it
to him in the daytime.
His wife isn’t doing it
to him at night.
And his girlfriend
charges him by the hour.
Richard Pryor keeps
getting caught
with ms pants down.
if
e’-
Today 7:35-9:45
Sat. also 1:15-3:20-5:35
UnofRittL^uti
gEsfPGl
Skaggs Center 846-6714
Peter Ustinov
James Mason
Diana Rigg
PARAMOUNT PICTURES PRESENTS
A HOWARD W. KOCH PRODUCTION- A MICHAEL PRESSMAN FILM
RICHARD PRYOR • SOME KIND OF HERO • MARGOT KIDDER
RAY SHARKEY- CO-PRODUCER JAMES KIRKWOOD
BASED UPON THE BOOK BY JAMES KIRKWOOD
SCREENPLAY BY JAMES KIRKWOOD AND ROBERT BORIS
PRODUCED BY HOWARD W. KOCH • DIRECTED BY MICHAEL PRESSMAN
A PARAMOUNT PICTURE ojjifc:.
I I Copyngni C MCMLXXXJ1 by Paramount Picture* Corporatton A* ftgttta »MMrv«a
“Rivals ‘2001’
and
‘STAR WARS’”
—STEPHtH SCHAEFER. VS Magazine
^EnoEmni s j a , rt , s j^ d ™ Y!
mS^SSSm Daily 1:20-3:20
1500 H.rrvey Rood 764-0616] 5:20-7:30-9:30
vide English translations, not
only to Jewish scholars but to
scholars in general.
“The responsa cover every
thing— ethics, morals, business,
finance,” he said. “They are nor
mative judgments of what
should happen at that particular
time.
“We’ve just been operational
for a couple of weeks. One
woman at Wellesley is looking
for responsa on women’s rights.
Someone in St. Louis wants to
know about gambling in the
case of a man dying and outside
a woodchopper was pounding
away rhythmically. His heart
beat in rhythm to the chop. It
was the only thing keeping him
alive.
“The decision was you could
take the woodchopper away.
The man obviously was at
death’s door.”
1500 Harvey Road 764-0616
STARTS TODAY!
Dally 1:50-3:45
5:40-7:35-9:45
DEATHTRAP
MICHAEL CAINE CHRISTOPHER REEVE
DYAN CANNON
The trap is set...
For a wickedly funny
who’ll-do-it.
in iraLeviN's “DEATHTRAP”
Executive Producer JAY PRESSON ALLEN
Associate Producer ALFRED de LIAGRE, JR.
Music by JOHNNY MANDEL Produced by BURTT HARRIS
Screenplay 5/ JAY PRESSON ALLEN Based on the stage play by IRA LEVIN
Directed by SIDNEY LUMET
[PGJWWNTAL guidance SUGGESTED 4
t MATtHWM. MAT MOT M SUITABLE FOB CMILDBCn]
o AW
WARNER COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY
MANOR
MANOR EAST MALL
EAST 3
823-8300
Midnight Movie
LINDA BLAIR
Starring in
THE
EXORCIST
aspects
ties.
Rosenbaum’s eight
ployees — all of whom
backgrounds in computer!
education, as well asJfwii
— also are developingpri
for micro-computers tor
and outoftheclassroomtoi
Hebrew, Jewish history
other aspects of Jewish
tion.
In addition, theyaredni
ing standardized tests lor
Hebrew schools.
Rosenbaum
however, there is some
ence to the use of computi
“It’s not so much on the
of theology but on thebasisi
was good enough forourfu
he said.
"At Bar-llan, thev toci
group of the most pronuri
rabbis who said, ‘What do
need computers for?'and
race like the steamboat and
horse, and the computer*
“They gave them a topic
they said, ‘From your If ^
United 1
whitf;
An ex-busl
la, free aft
his comic
Stouffer’s
loves A me
judge is a
An ang
said he will
ruling, bu
defendant
ited States
the appeal
Luis M
by a jury J
the Dec. 4
led 26 exe<
Wednesda
County J in
tin, who si
the case w
District
| gari said:
winning tl
have no c:
defendant
face sentei
Defense
Dryer cou
big disapi
ledge, come up with all thtB |
tions on this subject.’While
rabbis did remarkably well
they hit 70 or 75 percent-
computer hit a 98 percent
trieval rate.”
‘Obsolete
jail fire
kills seven
Au
his
United F
WASH IN
er activist
flouted chi
I laws in pursi
nterests, a n
of a conserv
The aut
United Press Inlernalioiul
JERSEY CITY, N.J.-T1
Hudson County Jail, wh
seven inmates died in a flit
obsolete and a tire hazard
the victims needed moresti|
vision because of their ideitf
problems, an attorney forf
American Civil Liberties Uni |
Nader has b
empire incl
tions that pr
ket from act
er groups.
Nader
charges.
The boo
was written I
ays.
STARTS TODAY!
Daily 1:00-3:15
5:30-7:45-10:00
The ACLU already hada
pending against the jail, dai
ing it lacks sprinklers ands»i j
or beat alarms.
“It is obsolete, overcrowd:
and a fire hazard," ACLU am
ney Howard Moskowitz
In a news conferenceTh; |
day, Capt. John Mullins ol
Jersey City Fire Depart®!
said the victims of the fi
Wednesday were found hit
died in a corner of the lac
eighth floor cell.
He said the burned celln
mental ward. The viclii
offenses ranged from smoke
on a train to unlawful sex>f
conduct.
“The horrible thing about
fire is the people (in thecell)lu
serious mental problems,” Mi
kowitz said. “They’re psychoiil
and schizophrenics and gel j
particular attention or superj
sion.”
Edward Rossiter, chiefolij
vestigations of the Hudif
County prosecutor’s office, it
fused to classify the cell as
psychiatric unit but County &
ecutive Edward Clark said if
mates in the cell suffered fro|
“erratic behavior.”
The fire broke out abouil
a.m. EST in a mattress in
cell, Rossiter said.
“It’s obvious the mattresK
were burned,” he said, ^
would not comment on wheth*
the bedding was intentional!
ignited.
Rossiter said an investigati*
into the fire would take “aday#
two” to complete.
Nine guards and six prisons i
were taken to Jersey City Medi
al Center and the guards ai<
five prisoners were treated!#
smoke inhalation and release#
said spokesman John W
The other prisoner was treat#;
for a cut head.
About 100 others were tf#
ated inside the prison by medio
personnel from the medic#
center.
Officials said a guard whosa*
the fire tried to open the
locked door but was oveif
wered by smoke. He then rang?
“panic button,” alert ing an opo
ator on the main floor to a®
emergency.
The remaining 500 inn#
in the prison, built in 1921#
hold 300, were not evacuated ;
More than 70 inmates house’
on the damaged floor were teff
porarily moved to a third-fW
gymnasium. Jail officials said!
inmates were transferred j
Trenton State Prison.