Watching the World

Atomic Tinder

● The combined nuclear arsenal of the United States and the Soviet Union is equivalent to 10,000 megatons of TNT (one megaton equals a million tons), says the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London. That is equivalent to 4,200 pounds of TNT for every man, woman and child alive today. If this amount of TNT were distributed in powder form, each person’s share would occupy 41 cubic feet. Interestingly, in 1960 the nuclear arsenal of these two superpowers equaled 30,000 megatons of TNT​—far greater than today. More precise missiles with smaller warheads have cut down the excess “kill power.”

Torture Epidemic

● More than a third of the world’s governments have used or condoned the practice of torture thus far in the 1980’s, according to a 263-page report released by Amnesty International of London. Described by Time magazine as “the most comprehensive report on the subject to date,” it documents “gruesome” and “grotesque practices.” Nevertheless, the report maintains that government secrecy and intimidation often make corroboration of torture claims difficult. While the international framework for abolishing these inhumane practices exists, concludes Amnesty, “what is lacking is the political will of governments to stop torturing people.”

Clergy Insult

● John Butcher, a British government junior minister, recently caused a stir among the clergy by suggesting that they should give up politics for Lent. He reasoned that it would allow politically minded clerics “to concentrate on their major tasks of saving souls and filling churches.” A quick retort from the Bishop of Coventry made clear the position of the Church of England: “Politics is too important to be left to politicians. There are great issues on which the church should speak.” Later Butcher added that clerics should give up politics ‘not only for Lent but for always.’ A government spokesman says that Butcher ‘insulted the clergy.’

“Commercial Sideshow”

● The 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles are being financed entirely by corporate sponsors without government aid. “The official sponsors and suppliers,” says The Wall Street Journal, “have paid $140 million in cash and goods for rights to boast of their Olympic connections and have budgeted more than $500 million for ads using Olympic themes.” While sponsorship and other commercial tie-ins are not new, the $140 million supersedes the previous record of $9 million paid to the organizers of the 1980 Winter Games at Lake Placid, New York. The intense competition between companies to secure advertising rights has become a “commercial sideshow” that is “dwarfing the athletes’ drive for the gold,” says the report.

Hard on Brains

● The evidence of brain damage in amateur and professional boxers is “beyond doubt,” states the British Medical Association. Doctors using X-ray scanning techniques can detect brain damage even before boxers show signs of slurred speech, staggering movements or loss of memory. The association’s report says that damage from repeated blows on the head is cumulative and normally irreversible and suggests that boxers should be required to sign a consent form similar to that given to patients prior to major brain surgery. Though this fresh research is likely to inspire efforts to ban the sport, others feel, as one editor of The Times of London put it, that “if people wish to damage their brains it is not the business of the state to intervene.”

The Shrinking Jewish Population

● The American Jewish population​—now fewer than 6 million—​is probably shrinking, reports The Wall Street Journal. “I’d say there’s been a decline of between 250,000 and 450,000 in the last 15 years or so,” concludes Marshall Sklare, director of Brandeis University’s Center for Modern Jewish Studies. The reason? American Jews aren’t bearing enough children to replace themselves. Additionally, one quarter of these Jews marry outside their faith. Relatively few children from such marriages embrace Judaism. To combat this trend, many Jewish groups encourage more childbearing. Also, Reform Jews are seeking converts. But, observes Jewish spokesman Gershon Cohen, “babies aren’t generated by sermons.” Furthermore, most Orthodox Jews discourage proselytizing.

Japan’s Appetite for Ivory

● From 50,000 to as many as 100,000 elephants were killed last year to satisfy Japan’s growing demand for ivory. The imports weighed in at 479 tons, twice as much as in the previous year. But “only a tiny portion of Japanese imports come from elephants that are killed legally,” reports The Guardian of London. Japan’s growing appetite for ivory is directly linked to the “explosive growth of ivory poaching and smuggling centred on Sudan,” says the report. Wildlife experts described the figures as devastating.

Cancer Prevention

● A recent survey by the National Cancer Institute found that half of Americans think “there’s not much a person can do to prevent cancer.” But, contrary to widespread opinion, it is a person’s life-style that causes most cancers. Smoking is responsible for 30 percent of the nation’s cancer; diet, 35 percent; excessive sunshine, 3 percent; and heavy alcohol consumption, 3 percent. Among the institute’s recommendations to prevent cancer are the following: Don’t use tobacco in any form. If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. Eat foods low in fat. Include fresh fruits, vegetables and whole-grained cereals in your daily diet. Avoid unnecessary X rays. Use recommended safety devices on the job, such as respirators, masks and protective clothing. Avoid too much sunlight, particularly between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Many Widows

● The IBGE, a federal organ in Brazil that deals with statistics, recently reported that there are over four times as many widows there as widowers. Jessé Montello, president of the IBGE, attributed this difference to the greater longevity of women, according to the newspaper O Globo. Women have an average life span of 77 years as compared to only 72 years for men.

Killing for Eyeglasses

● “If you sit beside an open window on the trolley, they’ll run past and snatch them right off your face,” said 20-year-old Freddie McKee. Eighteen-year-old Richard Johnson adds, “My buddy Anthony got shot for his.” The craze is over Cazals, a brand of heavy, dark plastic eyeglasses from West Germany. Retailing at about $75 to $200, they have become a status symbol in many American cities. At least four youngsters​—three in Philadelphia and one in New York City—​have died in fights over them. “It’s insanity,” says an East Coast distributor.

“Worse, Not Better”

● The number of American priests is at an all-time low, reports The New York Times. Additionally, seminary enrollment has dropped from 47,500 to 12,000 in 20 years. Why? “Priests and nuns are not encouraging young people to enter religious life,” observes Dr. Frank Butler, coordinator of a recent Catholic conference in Chicago dealing with the problem. Besides, the image of the priest has lost much of its luster, says the report. Further, it says many young Catholics value material comfort and sexual freedom over a life of rigorous commitment and celibacy. “We’re not in some temporary down cycle,” concludes clergyman Richard McBrien from the University of Notre Dame. “Things are getting worse, not better.”

Paperwork Jungle

● Each year the United States government pays out $149.8 billion in interest on its $1.6 trillion federal debt. It also raises about $200 billion for its annual deficit spending. How does the government do it? The Bureau of Public Debt handles the job. It employs 2,400 people. Among its annual expenses, $17 million is for promoting the sale of savings bonds and payroll-deduction plans, $17.3 million is for communication (mostly phone bills), and $12.7 million is for postage. The agency deals with 44,000 financial institutions that issue and redeem savings bonds and notes. These institutions pocket $44.8 million in commissions alone. Though the total cost of running the bureau is $196 million annually, one bureaucrat called the sum “really insignificant.”

Drug Use

● An annual survey reveals that the number of daily marijuana smokers among high school seniors has dropped by nearly 50 percent over the past five years. Other drops were noted in the use of Quaaludes, barbiturates and LSD. The drop in daily marijuana use is “extremely welcome news,” says the National Institute of Drug Abuse, but there is still a problem. The number of people needing emergency treatment for heroin and cocaine reactions increased from 1980 to 1983. The survey shows that 69 percent of teenagers use alcohol, which number is slightly lower than in previous years. About 21 percent use cigarettes every day, and this percentage has not declined in the last four years.

Roaming Killers

● There has been a striking increase, U.S. law-enforcement officials say, of killers who roam from city to city, picking their victims, mostly women and children, from the strangers they meet. Called “serial murderers,” they repeatedly kill without apparent motive. As most are highly intelligent, leave few clues and travel on to another location, few are apprehended. Over 4,000 unidentified bodies are found abandoned each year, authorities say, at least half of them under 18 years of age. Many victims are never found. “We’ve got people out there now killing 20 and 30 people and more,” said Robert O. Heck, a Justice Department specialist on the problem, “and some of them just . . . torture their victims in terrible ways and mutilate them before they kill them.” This past October, two men confessed to killing more than 200 persons while traveling through the countryside during the past eight years. Heck estimates that at least 35 of such killers are presently roaming throughout the country. As sex is the most dominant factor in serial murders, officials tend to place the blame on changing sexual attitudes, movies that foster sexual violence and exposure to violent pornography.

Iceland’s First

● The first armed robbery ever reported in Iceland’s history occurred this year. Two messengers en route to the bank with a store’s receipts of $70,000 (U.S.) were accosted by a man with a shotgun. Since armed robbery had been unknown in Iceland, says The New York Times report, they at first ignored his demands for the cash. The gunman’s warning blast at a car parked nearby convinced them, however, and they turned over the money.