Watching the World
Pornography and Violence
A study conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice has determined that substantial exposure to pornography can be harmful and can lead to “acts of sexual violence,” reports The New York Times. The 11-member commission noted that viewing pornographic material “is likely to increase the extent to which those exposed will view rape or other forms of sexual violence as less serious than they otherwise would have.” However, in spite of such findings, they added, many laws designed to curb the sale of pornographic material go unenforced. Strong evidence that the pornography industry is “either directly operated or closely controlled” by members of organized crime was also noted by the commission.
A Natural Volcano Alarm
In regions where volcanoes are active, the local inhabitants are in great need of an efficient alarm system. Mr. Claude Sastre, a researcher for the Paris Natural History Museum, claims that a study of the vegetation growing on the slopes of volcanoes may help in forecasting eruptions. He cites as an example the Soufrière Volcano in Guadeloupe. By February 1976, botanists had evidence that a period of activity was imminent. Plants on the volcano’s slopes were being scorched in the exact places where, six months later, crevasses appeared and volcanic materials spewed out.
Headphone Dangers
Warning! The use of headphones can be hazardous to your hearing! In a survey of teenagers who listened to stereo music through headphones, half of those tested suffered temporary loss of hearing. About three quarters complained of ringing in their ears after three hours of exposure to music played at medium to high volume. The American Academy of Otolaryngology reports that ear damage results when noise output exceeds 120 decibels, which most radios are capable of producing. For hearing safety, it is recommended that music be played through headphones for shorter periods of time at a lower volume.
Date With Disaster
The disastrous effects of radiation unleashed into the atmosphere by the accident on April 26 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant could be felt by thousands of people, experts claim. According to their calculations, about 4,000 cancers will be caused by cesium 137 fallout from the Chernobyl disaster, resulting in as many as 2,000 deaths. An estimated 24,000 persons are expected to develop thyroid abnormalities from breathing iodine 131, with the figure rising to 120,000 among those ingesting contaminated food and milk. Thyroid cancer could lead to more than 2,000 deaths. Such estimates are based on short-term exposure to radiation, researchers say. Exposure to radiation for three or more weeks, they claim, could increase the number of cancers and deaths up to four times! People in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and the Soviet Union are cited as those most likely to be affected.
“Catholic” Spain
With its domestic and colonial history closely linked with the Catholic Church, Spain is reputedly the most Catholic country in the world. Until 1978 the State religion was Catholicism. However, a report published recently by the Center of Sociological Research of the Catholic Church in Spain revealed that today only 46 percent of the population consider themselves to be practicing Catholics. Of these, only 18 percent attend Mass regularly. “A spokesman for the church said the results cast doubt on the image of Spain as a Catholic country,” notes the International Herald Tribune, a Paris daily. Since December 1979 instruction in the Catholic religion has not been compulsory in Spanish schools.
Eyestrain and the VDU
Four out of five VDU (visual display unit) operators suffer “eye strain, irritated eyes, blurred vision or burning eyes,” reports The Times of London. What can be done about this? Janet Silver, principal ophthalmic optician at London’s Moorfields Eye Hospital, suggests periods of five to ten minutes every hour during which the operator is allowed to look away from the screen. Adjusting the brightness and contrast as well as positioning the screen to avoid glare are also recommended. For those about to start working with a VDU, she recommends having an eye test followed by checkups every two years.
AIDS in Africa
In the capital of Uganda, Mulago Hospital admitted “one patient with AIDS each day since last November,” reports The Sunday Times of London of April 20, 1986. AIDS is purportedly “the biggest killer in the medical wards,” notes the Times. Doctors have found that in Uganda one in every ten persons tested is an AIDS virus carrier. What explanation do they offer? Apart from homosexual transmission, heterosexual relations and blood transfusions were cited as the links in the increased spread of the deadly disease. Since blood used in transfusions is not tested for AIDS, the doctors estimate that “the 20 daily transfusions . . . could cause two new cases [of AIDS] each day”!
High-Chair Safety
Are high chairs safe? Hospital emergency treatment has been administered to an estimated 8,000 babies and children under five for high-chair-related injuries in 1984 alone, reports Parents magazine. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, a child is subject to serious injury when not supervised or properly secured in the chair. The most frequent causes of injuries include: falls from the chair, fall or collapse of the chair, and pinching and entrapment. To prevent accidents, they recommend securing whatever safety straps are provided, as well as close supervision of the child while he is seated.
Banning Tobacco Ads
The American Cancer Society has announced that numerous health organizations in the United States have called for “the complete elimination of all advertising of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products.” Dr. LeMaistre, president of the society, noted that the toll of cigarette smoking in disease, fires, and accidents is staggering. According to LeMaistre, cigarettes cause “more deaths each year than the combined American fatalities of World War I, World War II, Korea and Viet Nam” and “seven times more deaths each year than all United States automobile fatalities.”
Women Living Longer
Longevity is on the increase in England and Wales, reports The Times of London. Compared with 30 years ago, nine times as many people live to be a hundred, notes Sir Cyril Clarke, director of Britain’s Royal College of Physicians research unit. However, only 15 percent of these are men! Clarke suggests that men often adopt a less healthy life-style wherein obesity and lack of exercise place their lives in jeopardy. Women, on the other hand, are more likely to live longer, since they are generally active around the home.
Famine Relief
According to Earthscan Bulletin, high transport costs are a major deterrent to distributing food to starving Africans. One relief organization working in Africa claims to have spent $17 million just on shipping costs. The long-term solution—road building—is estimated to cost nearly $200 million in the Sahel alone. A less expensive form of transportation, however, is in the making. For $13 million a British firm is building a metal-hulled airship filled with helium that can carry 27 tons of supplies and cruise at 145 mph (230 km/hr) with a range of 5,000 miles (8,000 km). It is capable of airlifting 200 people at a time. Airships, notes the Bulletin, may improve famine relief.
Two Halleys?
Many people were disappointed that Halley’s comet was so dull in comparison with its 1910 appearance. But something caused excitement among comet watchers in the Southern Hemisphere. “Far from being disappointed at Halley’s dim appearance,” states The Natal Witness, a South African newspaper, “some city residents claim they have seen two comets.” During mid-April, two fuzzy blobs could be seen near each other in the southern sky. One was indeed Halley’s comet. The other? The spectacular globular cluster Omega Centauri, containing an estimated one million stars that revolve around a common center. Unlike Halley’s comet, viewers do not have to wait 76 years to see it. As Chris Lake, a local astronomer, explained: “It is one of the largest and one of the very few globular clusters visible to the naked eye.”
Prayers in British Schools
Prayers are no longer part of the daily routine in many British schools. The French Catholic daily La Croix explained that “a great majority of high schools in the United Kingdom are breaching the law by not having a collective morning prayer before daily classes.” Why are they not following British law in this respect? Besides the claim of a lack of adequate facilities, “students are of many races and religions, including a number of Muslims and Hindus, making it difficult to choose prayers,” says the article. “Another factor is the reluctance of many State teachers, who are opposed to this sort of meeting, considering it to be outmoded.”