Watching the World

Vietnam’s Catholics

◆ “Our country now is completely free and liberated . . . For the reunification of our country, I ask that you play your part.” The urgings of a Vietnamese Communist? No, those of Bishop Khuat Van Tao of Haiphong in a letter to his people, as reported in the Catholic Herald Citizen of Superior, Wisconsin. “It is possible that a Catholic could become a minister in the government, for that is part of the ordinary life of a citizen,” declares Archbishop Joseph Marie Trinh Van Can of Hanoi, the North Vietnamese delegate to Rome’s 1974 Synod of Bishops. Archbishop Philippe Nguyen Kim Dien of Hue adds: “Peace has been established through bloodshed after 30 years of war against the invaders . . . We are sure that we can transform our country into a prosperous and happy one under the leadership of the Provisional Revolutionary Administration . . . The noble mission of Catholics is to cooperate with all people of good will to build a new world of fraternity and prosperity so as to make ready a new heaven and earth when Christ comes.”

Greatest Empire

◆ Now that Portugal has relinquished most of her overseas landholdings, who has the greatest “empire”? Denmark now has that distinction, though she “doesn’t like moving into the number one imperial position just vacated,” observes C. L. Sulzberger of the New York Times. The Danes control the Faroe Islands and earth’s largest island, Greenland (almost 840,000 square miles). However, only about 50,000 persons inhabit Greenland.

Best for Babies

◆ One way that new mothers can cut costs in these hard economic times is to breast-feed the infant. The Wall Street Journal cites a recent study that “finds that bottle-feeding costs 50 cents to 75 cents a day, versus 17 cents to 21 cents to buy extra food for a lactating mother.” Additionally, a British study found that four times as many bottle-fed babies as breast-fed ones were overweight. The mother’s natural immunity to certain diseases, particularly diarrhea, is said to be transferred through her milk, and, in turn, “breast feeding may protect women against later breast cancer,” notes the Journal.

Perilous Pilgrimage

◆ The traditional Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, by Nigeria’s Moslems is proving fatal for many. The Lagos Daily Times reports that “last year, 985 Nigerians were officially declared dead in Saudi Arabia.” Poor accommodations, exposure, starvation and inadequate medical facilities were said to be responsible for many of the deaths. The Daily Times also blamed unscrupulous practices by some so-called “pilgrims’ agents.”

Earth Cooling?

◆ Recently there has been much discussion of earth’s “cooling trend” since 1940. Some even speculate that a new “ice age” may be descending. However, two New Zealand scientists have raised a question seemingly omitted from most scientific reckoning on the subject: What about the southern hemisphere? They note that temperature trends there have been directly opposite to those in the northern hemisphere. New Zealand, for example, now enjoys the warmest period ever recorded. In the past forty years, her finest glaciers have receded many miles into the mountains.

The “Average Citizen”

◆ The vacation season traditionally leaves hotel keepers minus many of their furnishings. “People will steal anything, whether it’s bolted down or not,” complained a Western hotel official recently. An estimated three out of five patrons are guilty of theft, and “women are the absolute worst offenders,” says one general manager. A maid remarked that “all too often, it’s the harmless little gray-haired grandmothers who turn out to be the first-class scavengers.” “There is no foreseeable solution,” summarizes another disgusted innkeeper, “unless the honesty and integrity of the average citizen take a drastic jump.”

Nonviolent Birth

◆ To enter the world as a kicking, screaming infant is not healthy emotionally, according to French obstetrician Frederick Leboyer. He asserts that the screams are cries of terror. Glaring lights, loud voices, a jerk aloft by the feet and a slap on the bottom really shock a newborn baby emerging from the protective womb, declares Leboyer’s book Birth Without Violence. He recommends complete silence in the delivery room, as well as darkness except for a small night-light. Resting the infant on mother’s abdomen for several minutes as soon as it emerges is said to ease adjustment to the new environment. The umbilical cord is allowed to supply necessary oxygen until the newborn begins breathing normally without the customary slap. Then the cord can be cut, followed by a gentle rinse in body-temperature water, reportedly producing a relaxed, sometimes even smiling baby. Of course, opinions vary on such matters.

“Empty Mouthing”

◆ When a member of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate recently was offended by another rabbi during a parliamentary debate, the Rabbinate retaliated with a proclamation of niddui, or ostracism, against the offender. The “whole house of Israel” was ordered not to eat, drink, talk or pray with the exiled cleric. “But far from being ostracized,” reports Time magazine, “he was soon receiving a stream of well-wishers.” A member of parliament observed: “Declaring someone ostracized today is just empty mouthing.”

Insect Amplifiers

◆ Have you ever wondered how the little tree cricket can pierce the air with such a loud sound? Four South African researchers believe that they have discovered the secret. They observed a number of crickets “singing” with their bodies protruding through holes that they had gnawed in leaves. Apparently they were using the leaves as a sounding board for amplification, as the noise level was far lower when they “sang” without the leaves.

Highest Mountain

◆ Is Everest the highest mountain? Measured from sea level, yes. But recent satellite data calculations indicate that, measured from the center of the earth, Mt. Chimborazo of Ecuador is more than a mile higher​—topping Everest by 7,058 feet. How so? The earth bulges several miles at its equator, boosting 20,556-foot Chimborazo higher above earth’s center than 29,031-foot Everest, which lies quite a distance from the equator.