Watching the World
Convention in Mozambique
After being banned for many years, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Mozambique appreciate being allowed greater freedom of worship by the authorities. Recently, a four-day “Pure Language” District Convention was held at the Costa do Sol sports stadium in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. Reporting on the convention, Tempo, a journal published in Maputo, notes that there were about six thousand present at the convention’s opening session. The discourses were delivered in the Portuguese and Tsonga languages. Tempo adds that the purpose of the convention was to “strengthen Christian unity in spite of language differences that have caused divisions among men.” The article explains that Jehovah’s Witnesses work toward this objective internationally, irrespective of “nationality, race, education, and social position.”
Famine, yet No Lack of Food
“The World Bank’s studies show that in recent years, famine increased, especially in Latin America,” said French economist Jacques Chonchol at a seminar held in São Paulo, Brazil. Although “Famine—The Challenge of the ’90’s” was its theme, not much hope was voiced for the 1,116,000,000 persons throughout the world who are considered undernourished. “The problem, specialists guarantee, is not due to lack of food,” reports O Estado de S. Paulo. “The world produces enough to satisfy the needs of its 5.3 [thousand million] inhabitants. But people do not have the means to buy food.” Why? Allegedly, famine has increased because of cuts in social programs caused by international debt negotiations. Another reason, according to Chonchol, is: “Famine got worse with urbanization.”
Smoking Politicians
The government of Mexico recently adopted a measure to protect nonsmokers. According to Visión, a Latin-American magazine, smoking is now forbidden in libraries, health centers, movie theaters, vehicles used for public transportation, and government offices that offer services to the public. Restaurants and cafeterias are required to have nonsmoking areas. Those who violate the regulation may face a fine of up to $30. Visión notes, however, that “inside the Chamber of Deputies and the House of Representatives (the legislative bodies that approved the regulation), the measure does not apply because the Mexican politicians are not able to restrain themselves from smoking during working hours.”
Living Together?
According to Le Monde, a Paris daily, marriage is on the decline in France. The trend over the last 20 years shows that more and more couples are choosing to live together without the benefit of marriage. The National Institute of Demographic Studies in France reports that at least half of those who get married have already been living together, in some cases for several years. Many couples may think that living together before marriage increases the chances of success in marriage, but the facts show otherwise. Le Monde notes that “living together prior to marriage does not strengthen the soundness of the marriage union” and that such “unions appear less solid because they end more often in separation.” Statistics show that couples who live together before marriage end up getting divorced more than those who do not.
Passive Children
Over half of Japanese children between the ages of 10 and 15 have their own television sets and TV computer games, and a third of them own personal telephones, according to the Japanese government’s 1990 White Paper on Young People. Most youths spend their leisure time indoors, watching television, reading comics, or playing video games, rather than outdoors. The white paper links the children’s passive indoor activities to their limited ability to socialize with others, including their families, and to their lack of participation in community events. According to the study, about 90 percent of Japanese children said they could not express their deepest thoughts and feelings.
Nut Carving
A seed is now being used as raw material for the manufacture of buttons, jewelry, and figurines for commercial use. Some products are already being mass-produced to satisfy the demands of clothing companies. The seed in question is the tagua nut, a golf-ball-size nut that grows in Ecuador’s forests. National Geographic magazine notes that this “marks a comeback for tagua, used for buttons before plastic largely replaced it in the 1930s.” Researchers for Conservation International have found evidence that tagua carving was practiced in South America as far back as 250 years ago. According to National Geographic, the nuts “also offer a substitute for ivory, now banned from international trade.”
Bird Smuggling
The World Wildlife Fund reports that “at least 225,000 birds worth some $50 million at retail are either smuggled or imported with fraudulent documentation each year.” Parrots, for example, are caught by local people in the jungles of Africa, Indonesia, Mexico, and South America and sold for a few dollars. “By the time the birds reach U.S. or European consumers, some birds, such as the large imperial amazons of Dominica, in the Caribbean, fetch $100,000 apiece,” notes The Wall Street Journal. Many parrot species are said to be in immediate danger of eradication in the wild. It is thought that about 90 percent of the birds smuggled “die in transit because of improper feeding and inhumane conditions.”
AIDS in Asia
Back in February 1990, there were some 2,000 reported AIDS victims in Asia. A recent United Nations report, however, states that WHO (World Health Organization) estimates that a total of 500,000 people in Asia are currently infected with the HIV virus. According to Asiaweek magazine, the “U.N. has just reported that the number of AIDS cases in Asia will grow dramatically.” To deal with the problem, WHO recommends better education and information campaigns.
Rat-Catching Tribe
Farmers in Tamil Nadu, India, have tried using chemicals, pesticides, and baits to control a rodent problem. Having failed, the farmers hired the Irula tribesmen to do the job, reports India Today. During the first year, the Irulas caught about 140,000 rats in an area of 40,000 acres [16,000 ha]. The Irulas “don’t use pesticides but their methods are based on a knowledge of rodent behaviour.” They trap the rats in their burrows by blocking the exit holes. Because they are able to catch so many rats, the Irulas are now exploring the possibility of using rat flesh as chicken and fish feed and turning rat skin into usable leather. India Today says that “the experiment conclusively proved that the Irula approach is the surest” and is a cost-effective way to control rats.
Corals Dying From Heat
“The first proof of global warming may come from the bleaching of corals,” stated Ernest Williams of the University of Puerto Rico. The higher sea temperature causes the corals to eject the microscopic algae on which the corals feed. This leaves white blotches on the coral reefs, hence the term “bleaching.” “Without its algal partner, the coral becomes weak and stops reproducing.” Blotchy and sickly coral reefs have been sighted in many places, including the Bahamas, Bermuda, Florida, Hawaii, Jamaica, Okinawa, and Puerto Rico. The Toronto Star notes that the decade of the 1980’s was the warmest in the last hundred years and that “many climate experts predict that temperatures will continue to increase several degrees in the next century,” posing a continuing threat to coral reefs.
Exodus of Hispanic Catholics
Hispanic magazine reports that in the United States, nearly one million Hispanics have left the Catholic Church during the past 15 years. “Every year, that number is increased by between 60,000 and 100,000.” According to a recent study commissioned by an auxiliary bishop for the archdiocese of San Francisco, Hispanic ex-Catholics are seeking “a deeper involvement with their faith and scripture.” Commenting on the problem, however, one Catholic priest noted that “we have to look at the Catholic Church for what it is: a large institution with an established way of doing things. It’s very hard to move a large institution into a new way of doing things.” The article comments: “It is easy to slip through the cracks in a typical Catholic parish with 4,000 families.” On the other hand, “it’s just as easy to feel wanted and recognized in an intimate [non-Catholic] congregation of about 200.”