Watching the World
Fleeing the City for the Farm
Fed up with the stress and hectic pace of an urban life-style, a small but growing number of Japanese are leaving the city for the farm. While it may be true that rural living provides a simpler routine amid natural surroundings, exchanging suits for coveralls is not without its problems. “Many new farmers have given up stable salaries, the conveniences of city life and perhaps the social status of being part of a big-name company,” says Asiaweek. Moreover, “countryside converts admit they have to scale back financially, and that they are sometimes forced to supplement their harvest income with menial jobs.” But for those who are determined to make the switch, the Ministry of Agriculture has established a Farming Preparatory School to help city dwellers successfully adjust to rural life.
Church Approves Transsexual Minister
In the United States, a Presbyterian minister has received permission to retain ordination after undergoing a sex-change operation. The ruling came when 49-year-old Eric Swenson asked the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta (Georgia) to change his name to Erin after he had surgery to remove his sex organs. “Anne Sayre, the presbytery’s associate for justice and women, noted that the presbytery had a ‘very hard struggle’ but decided it had ‘no grounds either theologically or morally’ for revoking the ordination,” reports The Christian Century. But Don Wade, a minister who voted against Swenson’s request, said that “there was no serious discussion of the theological issues.”
Koalas’ Humanlike Fingerprints
The fingerprints and toe prints of a koala are remarkably similar to a human’s prints, says an Australian scientist. Professor Maciej Henneberg, a biologist and forensic expert at the University of Adelaide, says: “Even the scanning electron microscope cannot pick up the difference.” The similarity is not in the overall shape of the koala’s paws but in its dermatoglyphics—the pattern of bumps, ridges, and whorls on the pads of its paws and feet. What is more, fingerprints and toe prints are unique to individual koalas, just as they are to humans.
Is Divorce Learned?
“Couples with divorced parents have a much higher chance of seeing their own marriages fail than couples whose parents are still married,” reports The Sydney Morning Herald, of Australia. Professor Paul Amato, of the University of Nebraska, in the United States, “tracked about 2,000 married Americans over 12 years” and, according to the paper, found that “offspring of divorced parents can ‘inherit’ poor relationship skills and behaviours which greatly increase the chances of their own marriages ending in divorce.” The Herald noted: “Where both spouses have divorced parents, the risk of marriage breakdown is 300 per cent higher than for couples with both sets of parents still together.”
Apology After 500 Years
In 1496, King Manuel I of Portugal issued a decree to Jews living in his territory: Convert to Roman Catholicism, or leave. Some 500 years later, in 1988, Portugal offered an official apology. Recently, in solemn commemorations, Portugal offered atonement. According to an Associated Press report, the president of Portugal, Jorge Sampaio, said in an address before Parliament that the expulsion was an “iniquitous act with deep and disastrous consequences.” Justice Minister José Eduardo Vera Jardim called the expulsion “a black piece of our history.” He added that the state owes Jews “moral reparation” for centuries of “brutal persecution.” While Portugal’s population now stands at about 10 million, only about 1,000 practicing Jews live there.
Beware of Fake Prescription Drugs
With annual sales of about 16 billion dollars, the counterfeit drug business is booming. According to the Paris newspaper Le Monde, “the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that at least 7 per cent of drugs sold worldwide each year are fake.” In Brazil the percentage may be as high as 30 percent, and in Africa, 60 percent. Counterfeit drugs can range from weak imitations of the genuine product to completely useless or even toxic substances. Le Monde cites the example of a meningitis epidemic in Niger, where thousands were vaccinated with what turned out to be just water. And in Nigeria, 109 children died when they were given syrup that contained antifreeze. “Hospitals themselves often turn to the black market because it offers products at more affordable prices,” states the newspaper. In many countries health authorities are having a difficult time finding a solution for the problem because of ineffective or corrupt law enforcement.
More Clergy Problems
About 40 Episcopalian bishops signed a statement in November 1996 calling for the church to “provide clear and binding standards regarding the sexual behavior of clergy,” reports the magazine Christianity Today. The church has been rocked by a number of scandals involving clergymen, which conservatives say result from “failing to state clearly church doctrine on sexuality.” For example, the rector of an Episcopal church in Brooklyn, New York, resigned after admitting to having homosexual relationships. Todd Wetzel, the executive director of Episcopalians United, said: “The church is not facing a single scandal. It is facing many, of which this is the most lurid.” Previously, the church had received much publicity when it charged retired bishop Walter Righter of heresy for ordaining a noncelibate homosexual deacon. The charges were dropped after an “Episcopal court ruled the denomination had no ‘core doctrine’ limiting sex to marriage.”
Garlic Breath
The government of Taiwan recently took some innovative steps to help reduce an oversupply of garlic. Administrators have encouraged the public to “eat more garlic,” states the South China Morning Post. A Taiwanese official on the Council of Agriculture, Mr. Ku Te-yeh, explained: “We simply planted too much garlic this year.” In an effort to boost consumption, the government is publishing a booklet of garlic recipes. Mr. Ku conceded, however, that the “public could not be expected to swallow the entire problem,” says the paper.
Female Sterilization Increasing
During the 1960’s the average Brazilian family had 6.1 children per household; today the average is 2.5 children. Why the drastic decline? According to a study by the Applied Economy Research Institute, one reason is that “40% of the married women [in Brazil] have been sterilized,” states Jornal do Brasil. Moreover, the general trend is for women to be sterilized at an earlier age. For example, the average age for a Brazilian woman to be sterilized ten years ago was 34; today it is 29. The study also noted that the “majority of the sterilizations occur during childbirth,” especially in connection with cesarean births. In contrast, only 2.6 percent of Brazil’s men have submitted to sterilization.
Fish Wars
Too many boats chasing a declining supply of fish “have led to heated clashes between fishing fleets and local navies,” states U.S.News & World Report. In 1990 the world’s fishing fleet swelled to about three million vessels, nearly double the number in 1970. Furthermore, modern fishing gear, such as fish-finding sonar and giant trawl nets, has greatly increased fishermen’s efficiency. “The net result is that governments of coastal nations are stuck in a running battle with foreign fleets” as they try to protect their declining fish stocks. During the last two years alone, skirmishes on the high seas between rival fleets have resulted in the deaths of eight fishermen.