Watching the World
1914—“Historic Shakeup”
An editorial in the German newspaper Die Welt commented on the historical importance of the date August 1, 1944. In response, a reader complained to the paper that the editorial ignored a more significant date—August 1, 1914. On that date a “historic shakeup of world proportions began, not only affecting Germany but changing Europe and the whole world,” according to the reader. “The war brought us tremendous losses and ended with the ‘treaty’ of Versailles, which was the bud from which the second world war later sprouted. The development of Soviet Russia, superpower U.S.A., the dethronement of Europe, the awakening of the Third World, all these things were initiated by the first world war. There are few dates of greater importance than that fatal August 1, 1914!”
Bible Text Reliable
Additional proof of the reliableness of present-day Bible text was recently given at an international conference held in Basel, Switzerland. Professor Barbara Aland, of the German Institute for Bible Manuscript Research in Münster, presented a summary of a study that has been done on the Greek Bible manuscripts discovered in 1975 in St. Catherine Monastery at Mount Sinai. “Precious new witnesses have been added to New Testament text research,” she told the German newspaper Westfälische Nachrichten. “The evaluation of 69 so far unknown New Testament handwritten copies . . . confirms the text accepted up to this time,” reports the article.
Mantis Mating
For some 200 years it was thought that the female praying mantis decapitated her male partner before mating in order to induce a sexual response. However, recent studies by biologists show that is not the case at all. “The male mantis performs a ritual dance and the female, instead of attacking her mate, responds with a dance of her own,” reports Science magazine. “It ends with a non-threatening posture signaling her receptiveness.” What caused the misconception? Stressful conditions and lack of food, say the biologists. In original studies, the insects just weren’t given enough food, and the female mantis is usually more hungry than amorous.
Teen Pregnancies
The United States has higher teen pregnancy and abortion rates than do 37 other developed countries, says the Alan Guttmacher Institute of New York. The U.S. teenage pregnancy rate is 96 per 1,000, compared with 45 in England and Wales, 44 in Canada, 43 in France, 35 in Sweden, and 14 in the Netherlands. The United States is the leader in teenage abortions too. The study found that by the time they are 18 years old, 60 of every 1,000 women have had an abortion. France and Sweden ranked next with about 30 per 1,000 each, followed by Canada with about 24, England and Wales with just above 20, and the Netherlands with 7. The rate of sexual activity among teenagers in the six countries was about the same, but the easy availability of contraceptive devices and counseling in the European countries was cited as a major factor in their lower pregnancy rates.
Lumpectomy or Mastectomy?
This year breast cancer will strike an estimated 119,000 women in the United States. Until recently, the choice of treatment for almost 90 percent of them was mastectomy—complete removal of the breast and sometimes the muscle underneath. But in Canada and the United States a five-year study of women with breast cancer, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, indicated that lumpectomy—the removal of the malignant lump and a small amount of the surrounding tissue—appears to work as well or slightly better if followed with radiation treatments. The research involved patients with tumors no larger than 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) in diameter.
Commenting on this controversial study, Dr. Arnold Relman, editor of the journal, said: “Those who expected it to answer all questions and settle the issue once and for all will be disappointed. . . . I’m optimistic, but the final answers are not yet in.”
Legion of Misfits
In the Third World about 200 million youths between the ages of 12 and 17 are now growing up without formal education, reports an editorial in the Hindustan Times of New Delhi. It is feared that a legion of misfits will be the result. “These teenagers have had either no schooling whatsoever, or have dropped out of school before finishing the minimum education level to become a functionally literate person,” states an International Labor Organization survey about the problem. “No conscious effort seems to have been made to tackle this ever-growing issue on a war footing,” says the editorial, and it adds that “after thirty-eight years of [Indian] independence, more than 60 per cent of the population [remains] illiterate.”
School “Balance of Terror”
A total of 3,192 weapons were confiscated from students in New York City schools during the 1983-84 academic year and over 1,000—including handguns, rifles, and knives—in the first four months of this year. Students at some high schools estimated that from 40 to 70 percent of their fellow students carry a weapon of some sort, mostly as a defensive measure. “School officials said they were troubled by the number of youngsters who said their parents had given them weapons,” reports The New York Times. Why do so many students carry weapons? “Everything that goes on in society is felt and played out in school,” says Dr. Evelyn Rich, principal of Andrew Jackson High School. “We live in a society where feelings of physical and emotional security are challenged and are diminishing.” Calling it a “balance of terror” in the schools, Bruce Irushalmi, director of the office of school safety, adds: “It’s like saying, ‘The Russians have this missile so I have to have this missile.’”
Refugees Increase
The number of refugees worldwide who are in need of protection and assistance has increased from 7.8 million in 1983 to 9.1 million in 1984, according to the World Refugee Survey of the United States Committee for Refugees. And the plight of the refugees has also worsened. Last year saw “savage acts of piracy, armed attacks on refugee camps, acts of forcible return or rejection at the frontier, unjustifiable detention, and manifestations of xenophobia [fear and hatred of foreigners] towards refugees,” said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Tokyo’s Bicycle Flood
The traffic problem in Tokyo is bicycles, not cars. Japan has “55 million bicycles—more than double the number of passenger cars,” says The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, which is almost “one for every two Japanese, including infants and the aged.” With over 5.6 million of them in Tokyo alone, bikes are parked everywhere. They sometimes “pile up six deep or more,” clogging streets. This has put a strain on both small and large businesses. “We’ve totally lost customers who come by car because the road is completely blocked,” says a local bank official. After a recent survey of illegally parked bicycles, 28,000 were hauled off by Tokyo police. Nevertheless, the bicycles keep coming back.
Cremation Preferred
“Save the Land for the Living” was the motto that marked Britain’s first formal cremation on March 26, 1885. Since then, almost 11 million cremations have taken place. Britain’s 67-percent cremation rate is one of the highest in the world, reports The Associated Press. This marks a tremendous increase from that of 1940 when only 3.8 percent were cremated in Britain. The reason for this? “Land is very precious,” states the Cremation Society’s secretary, Roger Arber. In contrast, only about 13 percent of Americans are cremated, while for New Zealanders it is 52 percent, Swedes 55 percent, and Danes 60 percent, he said.
Fake Medicine
Fake medicine is being manufactured in a number of countries reports The Observer of London, England. Empty capsules are obtained and “filled with ‘sub-potent’ drugs—or even with completely fraudulent mixtures such as aspirin and starch.” Then forged labels of international drug companies are attached to the packages. “With its desperate foreign exchange shortages,” says The Observer, “Africa is seen by the counterfeiters as an easy target.”
Away Overdue
“Britain’s longest overdue library book has been returned after more than 300 years, a time worth a fine of more than £3,000 ($3,600, U.S.),” says The Times of London, England. The book was borrowed by the Bishop of Winchester sometime between 1641 and 1648 and was left in his office after he died. Explains an official from the Somerset county records office: “We know it went missing in the middle of the seventeenth century but we never knew where.”
Mildew Control
The bane of damp tropical countries is mildew. Even in temperate regions, this fungus can attack clothing and furniture when there is moisture, warmth, and a lack of light and air. Parents magazine suggests that mildew-infected clothing and, if practical, furniture be taken outdoors to be brushed. This not only prevents the spores from scattering throughout the house but also allows sunlight to kill the spores. “For spots that won’t brush out,” the article continues, “try a half-and-half solution of denatured alcohol and water, or lemon juice and salt.”