SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA --- ITALY --- JAPAN --- BRAZIL

AWAKE JANUARY 2014

Sub-Saharan Africa

“Only 38 percent of children below the age of 5 have a birth certificate,” says a report on sub-Saharan Africa by UNICEF. Yet, in some areas of that part of the world, “birth registration is essential for children to access health care and education, as well as for orphans to inherit from their parents,” stated Elke Wisch, the UNICEF deputy regional director for eastern and southern Africa.

 

Italy

 

 

 

 

According to one survey, the most common fear of Italian adolescents is cyberbullying. Among 12- to 17-year-olds, 72 percent say they dread it. They make up a higher percentage than those who fear drugs (55 percent), being molested by an adult (44 percent), or contracting a sexually transmitted disease (24 percent).

 

Japan

 

As reported in The Japan Times, young Japanese adults increasingly pass up promotions in the workplace. Forty percent deplore the lack of ethics and the prevalence of dishonest practices. Many employees feel unable to discuss opinions or talk freely with superiors. Whereas older generations stuck with their employers, 60 percent of young employees now simply hold on to their job while waiting for something better to turn up.

 

Brazil

 

From 1980 to 2010, nearly 800,000 people were killed by firearms in Brazil. Over 450,000 victims were between 15 and 29 years of age. A study of more recent crimes shows that killings are often the result of domestic quarrels, conflicts with neighbors, jealousy, or arguments between drivers.

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UNITED STATES --- NIGERIA --- SPAIN --- WORLD

AWAKE! DECEMBER 2013

United States

In one study almost one third of pedestrians were found to be distracted as they crossed busy streets—by listening to music, talking on the phone, and so on. The most dangerous distraction was texting. Texters took 18 percent longer to cross than the undistracted and were 3.9 times more likely either to disobey the light, cross at an inappropriate location, or cross without looking both ways.

 

Nigeria

Women taken from Nigeria to Europe by human traffickers are made to take ritual oaths of secrecy at juju witchcraft shrines. To dominate the women and ensure their obedience as sex slaves, traffickers exploit deep-seated fear of punishment from the spirit world.

Spain

Between 5 and 10 percent of the long-term unemployed remove university degrees and professional experience from their résumés because these make job applicants seem overqualified.

 

World

Smoke produced by rudimentary fire stoves is considered to be a major cause of death in developing countries, where four million people per year die from smoke-related respiratory illnesses. Researchers say that the noxious chemicals released by wood or coal-burning stoves are as lethal as the poisons found in cigarette smoke

 

THE PAINTED LADY --- A MYSTERY REVEALED

  EUROPEAN observers have long admired colorful painted lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui) and have wondered what happened to them at the end of each summer. Do they simply perish with the onset of cold weather? Fresh research reveals an extraordinary story. The butterflies make an annual journey between northern Europe and Africa.

Researchers combined results from sophisticated radar with thousands of sightings reported by volunteers across Europe. The results revealed that as the summer ends, millions of painted lady butterflies migrate south, mostly flying at an altitude of more than 1,600 feet (500 m)—therefore hardly ever seen by humans. The butterflies wait for favorable winds, which they ride at an average speed of 28 miles per hour (45 km/h) on the long trip to Africa. Their annual migration is up to 9,300 miles (15,000 km) long, beginning from as far north as the fringes of the Arctic and terminating as far south as tropical West Africa. The trip is almost double that of the North American monarch butterfly. It takes six successive generations of painted ladies to complete the round-trip.

Professor Jane Hill of the University of York, in England, explains: “The Painted Lady just keeps going, breeding and moving.” Annually, those steps take the whole population from northern Europe to Africa and back again.

“This tiny creature weighing less than a gram [0.04 oz] with a brain the size of a pin head and no opportunity to learn from older, experienced individuals, undertakes an epic intercontinental migration,” states Richard Fox, surveys manager at Butterfly Conservation. This insect was “once thought to be blindly led, at the mercy of the wind, into an evolutionary dead end in the lethal British winter,” Fox adds. Yet this study “has shown Painted Ladies to be sophisticated travelers.”

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ACUPUNCTURE

Acupuncture is a healing technique that has become quite popular throughout the world. While the term “acupuncture” covers several different techniques, it most commonly involves the use of fine needles inserted into specific areas of the body to achieve a therapeutic response. Research over the past several decades suggests that acupuncture may work in some cases by releasing neurochemicals, such as endorphins, which can help relieve pain and inflammation.

Some research suggests that acupuncture may be effective in treating quite a number of ailments and that it is a safe alternative to the use of anesthetics. The World Health Organization recognizes the use of acupuncture in the treatment of 104 conditions. And a committee selected by the U.S. National Institutes of Health cited evidence that acupuncture is an acceptable therapy in the treatment of postoperative pain, muscle pain, menstrual cramps, and nausea and vomiting resulting from chemotherapy or pregnancy.

While serious side effects are rare with acupuncture, individuals may experience a sensation of soreness, numbness, or tingling. Proper sterilization of needles or the use of disposable needles can minimize the risk of infection. Many acupuncturists lack the medical skills needed to make a proper diagnosis or to recommend other more appropriate therapies. It would be unwise to ignore this lack of diagnostic skills, especially if choosing acupuncture to help relieve the symptoms of chronic conditions.

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TRYING TO FEED A BILLION PEOPLE

EACH day, a billion people do not eat enough to satisfy their hunger. Yet, this atrocious condition should not exist, according to the United Nations.

“You have said that your first priority is the eradication of extreme poverty.” So spoke United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on September 8, 2000, to an assembly of the world’s most powerful men and women. They had come together for the United Nations Millennium Summit, during which several of those leaders made frank comments on the problems of the world’s poor. “Extreme poverty is an affront to humanity,” said the vice president of Brazil. The prime minister of Great Britain went even further when he said: “There is a dismal record of failure in Africa on the part of the developed world that shocks and shames our civilization.”

Those two speakers made plain that the nations had disgraced themselves by failing to do what they could to feed starving humans. As proof of their desire to improve living conditions for all on earth, those attending the summit committed themselves to action in an eight-part resolution that included the following: “We will spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty, to which more than a billion of them are currently subjected. . . . We resolve further: To halve, by the year 2015, the proportion of the world’s people whose income is less than one dollar a day and the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.”

What progress has been made toward that noble goal since September 2000?

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

In 2003 the Global Governance Initiative of the World Economic Forum began assessing what had been done to achieve the goals outlined in the United Nations Millennium Declaration. The official report, released on January 15, 2004, states: “For all of its most important goals, the world is failing utterly to put forward the needed effort.” Regarding hunger, the report states: “The problem is not an absolute shortage of food in the world—there is enough to go around. The problem is that available food and adequate nutrition do not get to those who lack money.”

On the overall problem of poverty, the report says: “The responsibility for the lacklustre performance now lies mainly with governments, rich and poor. But a global economic system designed by the wealthy is too often stacked against the poorest. The wealthy countries, despite much rhetoric, show little interest in reforming that system or in substantially increasing development assistance targeted to the poorest.” In the face of this reproof, the politicians continue to debate rather than act and the governments continue to maneuver, each for its own advantage. Meanwhile, the world’s poor continue to have empty stomachs.

A fact sheet from the World Economic Forum, entitled “From Aspiration to Action,” warns that “vast swaths of humanity will face increasing hunger unless international trade policies are changed, national policies focus on hunger and successful local efforts are multiplied.” And who needs to make better policies and more “successful local efforts”? The very governments that in 2000 publicly declared their determination to improve the lot of all humanity.

One broken promise may lead to disappointment; several broken promises lead to distrust. By not keeping their word to care for the poor, the world’s governments have reaped distrust. A mother of five living in a poor Caribbean country is able to feed her family one meal a day. She says: “I only care about whether we can eat. It doesn’t matter who’s in power. We’ve never gotten anything from anyone in power.”

The Bible writer Jeremiah said: “I well know, O Jehovah, that to earthling man his way does not belong. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.” (Jeremiah 10:23) The failure of human governments to solve the problems of the poor confirms that Bible truth.

But there is a Ruler with both the power and the desire needed to solve man’s problems, and the Bible identifies him. When that Ruler takes charge, no one will ever go hungry again.

A Basis for Hope

“To you the eyes of all look hopefully, and you are giving them their food in its season.” (Psalm 145:15) Who is this One who is attentive to man’s need for food? Our Creator, Jehovah God. Although the human race has suffered from famine and other problems for thousands of years, Jehovah has always been interested in people. He has observed the failure of human governments, and his infallible Word, the Bible, shows that he will soon replace them with his own government.

Jehovah says: “I, even I, have installed my king upon Zion, my holy mountain.” (Psalm 2:6) This proclamation from the highest authority in the universe is cause for hope. While human rulers have often failed to help their subjects, Jesus Christ, as the King appointed by God, will bring benefits never seen by earth’s poorest people.

Through this King, Jehovah will feed all hungry ones. “The Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food,” says Isaiah 25:6 in the New American Bible. Under God’s Kingdom in the hands of Christ, people will never lack good food, no matter where they live. Regarding Jehovah, the Bible says: “You are opening your hand and satisfying the desire of every living thing.”—Psalm 145:16.

AWAKE magazine 2005

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UNITED STATES - BRAZIL - NORWAY - CZECH REPUBLIC - INDIA

 United States

Over the past ten years, airport security screeners have confiscated some 50 million prohibited items, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security report. In 2011 alone, screeners prevented more than 1,200 firearms from being taken onto planes. Most of the owners said that they had simply forgotten they were carrying a gun.

Brazil

Education authorities have begun to embed electronic chips into school uniforms in an effort to fight truancy. A parent gets one text message when sensors detect his or her child’s arrival at school and a different message if the child is more than 20 minutes late.

Norway

The Lutheran Church is no longer Norway’s official state religion. In an unprecedented measure, the Norwegian Parliament voted to amend the constitution and loosen the bonds between Church and State.

Czech Republic

When surveyed, two thirds of Czech employees said that they feel obligated to answer work-related calls, e-mails, or text messages when they are not at work. More than a third consider it rude not to reply immediately.

India

Despite a surge of almost 50 percent in food production over the past 20 years and stockpiles of 71 million tons of rice and wheat, India still struggles to feed its people. Only about 40 percent of stockpiled grains reach Indian homes. Corruption and waste are part of the problem.

AWAKE magazine May 2013 issue

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MARRIAGE IS HEALTHY--VIOLENT HEROES--FAMILY DINING--DEAFNESS FROM HEADSETS

 

 Marriage Is Healthy

Being married “lengthens life, substantially boosts physical and emotional health and raises income” for both women and men, states a researcher in The New York Times. A study by University of Chicago professor Linda J. Waite counters a report published in 1972 indicating that married women suffer more psychological stress. Dr. Waite found that “marriage changes people’s behavior in ways that make them better off,” such as drinking less alcohol. Marriage also appears to reduce depression. In fact, “single men as a group were depressed at the outset of the study and became more depressed if they stayed single.” However, Dr. William J. Doherty, of the University of Minnesota, notes that the data represent averages and do not mean that everyone is better off married or that people who marry the wrong person will be happy and healthy.

Violent Heroes

Some of the most popular role models for children are action-film heroes, according to a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization study of the effect of violence in the media. Of the five thousand 12-year-olds interviewed in 23 countries, 26 percent placed these movie heroes “way ahead of pop stars and musicians (18.5 percent), religious leaders (8 percent), or politicians (3 percent)” as their models for conduct, notes Brazil’s Jornal da Tarde. Professor Jo Groebel, coordinator of the study, says that children evidently regard violent heroes mainly as models of how to survive difficult situations. The more children become accustomed to violence, Groebel warns, the more capable they are of extreme behavior. He adds: “The media propagate the idea that violence is normal and pays off.” Groebel emphasized that parents play a fundamental role in providing their children with direction that helps them to separate fiction from reality.

Family Dining

In a study of 527 teens, those who ate dinner with their families at least five times a week were “less likely to do drugs or be depressed, more motivated at school and had better peer relationships,” says Canada’s Toronto Star newspaper. “Teens labelled as ‘not well-adjusted’ ate with their families three or fewer days a week.” Psychologist Bruce Brian asserts that the family dinner hour is “a trait of a healthy family.” Dining together fosters family bonds, communication skills, and a sense of belonging, notes the report, and provides an opportunity to learn table manners and to share in conversation, humor, and prayer. One grown daughter of a family who regularly ate together says that if they had not always done so, “I don’t think I’d be as close to them as I am now.”

Deafness From Headsets

Research by Australia’s National Acoustic Laboratory revealed that even normal use of personal stereo headsets can cause latent ear damage, reports The Courier-Mail of Brisbane. Researcher Dr. Eric LePage said that young people are reluctant to take such warnings seriously. “They can repeatedly expose themselves to very loud sounds or music for years and they judge that it has no effect,” he said. One survey showed that warnings “had little impact until people actually started suffering deafness,” the paper said. The new research confirms German studies indicating that about one quarter of military recruits there aged 16 to 24 have already damaged their hearing by listening to loud music and that “almost 10 percent of students aged 16 to 18 had lost so much hearing that they had problems understanding some normal conversation.”

 

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SUNFLOWER POWER - FATAL TV INFLUENCE - VALIUM ABUSE

 ♦ The Minister of Agriculture in South Africa announced that oil made from sunflower seeds has been tested successfully as diesel fuel for tractors and a truck. It was also reported that the oil can power any type diesel engine. After extracting the oil from sunflower seeds, the residue, rich in protein, is said to make fine cattle feed. However, while alternates to petroleum are being sought, it is unlikely that ‘sunflower power’ will get very far, considering the huge quantities that would be needed to produce enough oil for the vast number of motor vehicles in existence, even if the price could be made competitive.

Fatal TV Influence

♦ It has been well established that too much television viewing by impressionable young children can produce many undesirable effects, such as slower mental development, poorer health due to a lack of exercise, the inability to interact with other children, irritability and nervousness, and also a tendency to commit more violent acts. One child even committed suicide due to the cancellation by the network of his favorite television show. His parents had allowed him to have a television set in his own room so that, as the Sunday Oregonian related, his “world was wrapped up in the programs he viewed on his own TV set in his bedroom.” His father sadly declared regarding too much television viewing: “I was never sure it did influence kids that bad, but now I’m convinced it does.”

Valium Abuse

♦ Last year about 45 million prescriptions for Valium, a tranquilizing drug, were filled in the United States alone. However, Dr. Joseph Pursch, who heads a Navy alcohol rehabilitation service in California, said that this widely used drug was addictive and represented a major national health problem. While cautioning that doctors should not prescribe it for everyday stress, he observed: “Classically today, if a woman walks into her doctor’s office and says, ‘I’m nervous, my husband drinks too much,’ the doctor will automatically give her a tranquilizer,” such as Valium or Librium. Dr. Pursch noted that he had seen people become addicted to the tranquilizer in only six weeks, adding: “None of these drugs solve our problems. They make people feel better because they make you feel dull and insensitive. But they don’t solve anything.” Senator Edward M. Kennedy, chairman of a Senate health committee, said that the message was clear: “If you require a daily dose of Valium to get you through each day, you are hooked and should seek help.”

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HAPPINESS----THE WEB ----SUPERGLUE

More Happiness in Giving

“Money makes you happy—if you give it away,” reads a headline in The Globe and Mail of Canada. Although most people surveyed predicted that spending on themselves would make them happier, those who used their money to help others—regardless of the amount spent—actually reported greater happiness. “Wealth is not a predictor of happiness, study after study has shown,” says the newspaper. “Once people have enough money to meet their basic needs, getting more of it doesn’t give them much of a boost.”

You Can Get It on the Web!

U.S. government officials decided to check whether it would be possible for their potential enemies to “obtain sensitive items of military equipment” through the Internet, says New Scientist magazine. “They were astonished to discover how easy it was.” Using well-known online trading sites, they had no difficulty purchasing “pieces of US military body armour,” a “used nuclear-biological-chemical protective suit,” parts for jet fighter planes, and “several other sensitive items.” It is unknown how the sellers obtained such equipment, but several “now face criminal investigations,” says the magazine.

Ancient Superglue

In antiquity, decorative silver laurel leaves were attached to a Roman official’s parade helmet with an adhesive that has superglue properties. Frank Willer, chief restorer at the Rhineland Museum in Bonn, Germany, made the discovery accidentally. Using a fine saw, he was removing a small metal sample from a first-century-B.C.E. iron helmet that had lain on the bed of the Rhine River for at least 1,500 years. “The heat from the tool caused the silver laurel leaves on the helmet to peel off, leaving thread-like traces of the glue behind,” he explains. Analysis revealed that the tenacious adhesive was made of bitumen, bark pitch, and beef fat.

UNCOMFORTABLE HISTORY--WATER ON THE MOON--GOLD BARS

“More than half of Russians think bribing officials is the best way to ‘solve problems.’”—REUTERS NEWS SERVICE, RUSSIA.

“A survey showed 17.5 percent of Chinese adults are suffering from mental disorders . . . Women are more likely to suffer from mood disorders and anxiety disorders than men.”—CHINA DAILY, CHINA.

“At least 28% of all traffic crashes in the U.S.—or 1.6 million crashes each year—are caused by drivers using cell phones or sending/reading text messages, according to new estimates by the National Safety Council.”—UC BERKELEY WELLNESS LETTER, U.S.A.

“An Uncomfortable History”

“The Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse reveals an uncomfortable history of Ireland,” says The Irish Times. According to the newspaper, this report uncovers a history stained by the systematic abuse of children in Catholic religious institutions, ranging from “beating children whose crime it was that lice had infested their heads” to sustained sexual abuse. The abuse was ignored because of misguided loyalty to “the absolute authority of the Catholic Church,” says the paper. “Shame on You, Government and Church,” said a headline in the Times, quoting the words of one who sympathized with the victims.

Water on the Moon

Scientists who crashed a two-stage rocket into the moon’s surface say that they detected water in the plume of dust created. The cloud was examined by spectrometers—instruments that analyze the composition of materials by isolating the wavelengths of light that they absorb or emit. “We’re unlocking the mysteries of our nearest neighbor and by extension the solar system,” stated Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. More recently, a moon probe revealed that there are millions of tons of water at the moon’s north pole.

Gold Bars From a Vending Machine

In several places around the world, gold bars can now be added to the long list of products available from vending machines. For example, a hotel in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, has installed a machine that dispenses 320 items, including gold bars with a weight of up to 0.322 troy ounce (10 g) and customized gold coins. Gold prices are updated every ten minutes, using a computerized link to international markets. At first, the machine accepted only local currency, but a credit-card option was planned. The location for this initiative was chosen “because of the region’s high demand for gold,” says a Reuters report.

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MULTIPLE LANGUAGES? PLANNING FOR DIVORCE --- STRUGGLING PARENTS

▪ “About one-third of girls in the United States get pregnant before age 20.”—CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, U.S.A.

▪ A U.S. study of 420 men as “victims of domestic violence” found that “nearly three out of 10 have been battered or otherwise abused.”—AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE.

Multiple Languages?

Many parents fear that exposing young children to a second language will jeopardize their ability to speak their mother tongue. Yet, the opposite is true, says a research team led by neuroscientist Laura-Ann Petitto in Toronto, Canada. “Neural tissue that you’re born with . . . is ready and in place to learn language,” says Petitto, “and it can handle multiple languages.” In school, bilingual children often outperform children who speak only one language. However, says the Toronto Star, “parents must take the lead in teaching young children a second language if they want them to have all of the benefits that come along with being bilingual.”

 .

Planning for Divorce

A record number of Australians are signing prenuptial agreements that require their partner to meet specific lifestyle conditions, reports Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph. Prenuptial agreements are contracts that spell out how couples will divide their assets in the event of divorce. Many agreements now stipulate the lifestyle each partner must maintain for the marriage to last. Clauses can define who cooks, cleans, or drives, as well as whether pets are allowed, how much each partner can weigh, who walks the dog, and who takes out the trash. Lawyer Christine Jeffress notes that people “have less expectation that their relationship is going to last forever.”

Parents Struggling to Show Affection

“An increasing number of parents need an instruction manual on how to treat their little children, since they are apparently incapable of showing them natural affection,” says the Polish magazine Newsweek Polska. Parents need to be taught the basics, such as hugging their children, playing with them, and singing to them. These activities are vital for children’s balanced development. Research shows, however, that “among Polish families, watching television and shopping took first place in the most common ways that parents spend time with their children.” Playing together came in only sixth.

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ABANDONED "TOYS" - PRESCHOOLERS BODY IMAGE - CHILDREN SHOPPING ONLINE

“People who don’t smoke, are physically active, drink alcohol in moderation, and eat at least five servings of fruits or vegetables a day live 14 years longer, on average, than those with none of these attributes.” The conclusion is based on an 11-year study of 20,000 people.—UC BERKELEY WELLNESS LETTER, U.S.A.

“Reading is the best way to relax. . . . Even six minutes is enough to cut stress by more than two-thirds.”—INDIA TODAY INTERNATIONAL, INDIA.

Abandoned “Toys”

“The bad economy is creating a flotilla of forsaken boats,” says The New York Times of the situation in the United States. Owners are sandpapering the names off their boats, removing registry numbers, and then abandoning their vessels or sinking them, sometimes with a view to making claims on their insurance. What is behind this? “Some . . . are in the same bind as overstretched homeowners: they face steep payments on an asset that is diminishing in value and decide not to continue,” notes the Times, which calls the boats “expensive-to-maintain toys that have lost their appeal.” The newspaper explains: “The owners cannot sell them, because the secondhand market is overwhelmed. They cannot afford to spend hundreds of dollars a month mooring and maintaining them. And they do not have the thousands of dollars required to properly dispose of them.”

Preschoolers’ Body Image

Children as young as four are “attempting to alter their appearance to conform to the body ideal endorsed by society,” reports Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph. A study of preschoolers’ eating and exercise habits found that both boys and girls were concerned about their body size—girls about losing weight and boys about building muscles. “Children seemed to be reflecting the body focus of their mothers [who] were generally dissatisfied with their own bodies,” stated the authors of the study.

Children Shopping Online

“A fifth of children [in the United Kingdom] are shopping online without parental permission and half of those who make a purchase are using their parents’ credit cards,” reports The Daily Telegraph of London. Many children know the sites and passwords their parents use for online shopping—which may also give them easy access to their parents’ credit card number. Few parents think their children could shop online without their consent. There is “an alarming difference” between what parents think their children know and what their children actually do know, notes the report. Among other things, this behavior exposes parents to the risk of fraud. Advice to parents who shop on the Internet is: “Avoid storing credit or debit card details online,” use only reputable Web sites, and “log out of sites when finished.”

For more informative reading please go to www.jw.org

  MODERATION                                    

“People who don’t smoke, are physically active, drink alcohol in moderation, and eat at least five servings of fruits or vegetables a day live 14 years longer, on average, than those with none of these attributes.” The conclusion is based on an 11-year study of 20,000 people.—UC BERKELEY WELLNESS LETTER, U.S.A.

“Reading is the best way to relax. . . . Even six minutes is enough to cut stress by more than two-thirds.”—INDIA TODAY INTERNATIONAL, INDIA.

Abandoned “Toys”

“The bad economy is creating a flotilla of forsaken boats,” says The New York Times of the situation in the United States. Owners are sandpapering the names off their boats, removing registry numbers, and then abandoning their vessels or sinking them, sometimes with a view to making claims on their insurance. What is behind this? “Some . . . are in the same bind as overstretched homeowners: they face steep payments on an asset that is diminishing in value and decide not to continue,” notes the Times, which calls the boats “expensive-to-maintain toys that have lost their appeal.” The newspaper explains: “The owners cannot sell them, because the secondhand market is overwhelmed. They cannot afford to spend hundreds of dollars a month mooring and maintaining them. And they do not have the thousands of dollars required to properly dispose of them.”

Preschoolers’ Body Image

Children as young as four are “attempting to alter their appearance to conform to the body ideal endorsed by society,” reports Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph. A study of preschoolers’ eating and exercise habits found that both boys and girls were concerned about their body size—girls about losing weight and boys about building muscles. “Children seemed to be reflecting the body focus of their mothers [who] were generally dissatisfied with their own bodies,” stated the authors of the study.

Children Shopping Online

“A fifth of children [in the United Kingdom] are shopping online without parental permission and half of those who make a purchase are using their parents’ credit cards,” reports The Daily Telegraph of London. Many children know the sites and passwords their parents use for online shopping—which may also give them easy access to their parents’ credit card number. Few parents think their children could shop online without their consent. There is “an alarming difference” between what parents think their children know and what their children actually do know, notes the report. Among other things, this behavior exposes parents to the risk of fraud. Advice to parents who shop on the Internet is: “Avoid storing credit or debit card details online,” use only reputable Web sites, and “log out of sites when finished.”

For more informative reading please go to www.jw.org

ISRAEL - AUSTRAILIA - GREECE - US - MADAGASCAR

Israel

Children “born with a defect that could have been detected during prenatal screening” can no longer sue medical authorities for “wrongful life,” reports Haaretz.com. Parents, however, can sue for “wrongful birth” in order to seek compensation for “the extra expenses of raising a disabled child and meeting [his] needs for the rest of his life.”

Australia

In Australia, 8 out of 10 couples live together before getting married.

Greece

Statistics released by the Greek Ministry of Health showed a 40 percent increase in suicides in Greece during the first five months of 2011, compared with the same period in 2010. The rise coincided with the onset of the latest financial crisis.

United States

Almost 40 percent of food nationwide is wasted, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. It is estimated, for example, that 7 percent of food crops are never harvested, that 17 percent of meals served in restaurants and cafeterias remain uneaten, and that families throw out some 25 percent of the food they purchase.

Madagascar

The world’s smallest chameleon was recently discovered in Madagascar. Growing to a length of 1.1 inches (29 mm), some of these tiny brown lizards can perch on a fingernail. Because of threats to its habitat, the animal may be at risk of extinction.
For more informative articles see AWAKE magazine at www.jw.org

CHILDBIRTH - HEALTH

                                  PRIMPING FOR CHILDBIRTH  

Social media are affecting how mothers announce that they have given birth. While their grandmothers sent telegrams, “new moms are sharing the happy news over the Internet,” says a report by the American TV channel ABC. The announcement often includes photographs of mother and child soon after childbirth. The new generation of appearance-conscious women are thus having prenatal beauty treatments, including facials, manicures, and pedicures. “Some will even arrange to have a hairdresser accompany them to the hospital,” says the report. Why? To look good for their delivery, explains Toni Golen, medical director of labor and delivery at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Stay Active, Stay Healthy

Prolonged physical inactivity at work, at school, or in front of the TV is linked to chronic disease, say researchers. “As you sit, the activity of lipoprotein lipase, the enzyme that allows muscles to draw fat circulating in the blood and burn it off, drops precipitously,” says the Vancouver Sun. According to that newspaper, “we need more than heart-pounding bouts” of cardiovascular exercise to stay healthy. “We need regular, constant light to moderate activity in order to keep the metabolism functioning.”

 

“Before computers, it was nearly impossible [for botanists] to exhaustively search the literature before naming a new species, so duplicates started to pile up.” It has now been determined that of the million or so names listed, at least 477,601 are synonyms.—SCIENCE, U.S.A.

“Only 6 percent of Chinese people see themselves as happy.” In a survey, some 39 percent of respondents believe that “the principal factor affecting happiness” is “wealth.”—CHINA DAILY, CHINA.

“A probe . . . into the authenticity of Russia’s crime statistics found‘mass falsification’ of figures across the country.” Law enforcement agencies stand accused of seeking to “embellish the real crime picture” and of presenting inflated resolution rates.—RIA NOVOSTI, RUSSIA.

“One in three university students in the German capital [Berlin] would consider sex work [which includes prostitution and erotic dancing] as a means to finance their education.”—REUTERS NEWS SERVICE, GERMANY.

For more see AWAKE magazine at www.jw.org

DISTRACTION--INTERPRETERS--GOLD

  “A staggering 60 per cent of the world’s population now [have] a cellphone subscription . . . It’s a massive change from just six years ago, when less than 15 per cent had cell access.”—MACLEAN’S, CANADA.

Over the last decade, 1,068 new species have been discovered in the greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia.—WORLD WILDLIFE FUND, UNITED STATES.

“America has less than 5% of the world’s people but almost 25% of its prisoners. It imprisons 756 people per 100,000 residents, a rate nearly five times the world average.”—THE ECONOMIST, BRITAIN.

“Distraction Overload”

Some forms of high-tech communication can hinder concentration on other tasks. Experts who study human-machine interactions—things like instant messaging, calendar reminders, e-mail alerts, and computer pop-ups—report that the wired world suffers from “distraction overload and continuous partial attention.” The result of a succession of interruptions may be that “you risk never focusing exclusively on any thought or perception for long and never being able to work straight through to completion on anything,” says Newsweek magazine. Among other things, such distractions can cause “memory loss” and “decreased memory accuracy” as well as potentially disastrous errors.

Need for Interpreters

Courts, law-enforcement agencies, hospitals, and other service providers in the United States are often in need of help to understand what people are saying. On-demand interpreting services are filling the need to communicate in what a Reuters news report calls “an increasingly polyglot world.” One California-based company employs 5,200 interpreters who speak 176 languages—from the relatively common, such as Chinese, Russian, and Spanish, to the more obscure, such as languages spoken in parts of Africa and Mexico. In less than a minute, such companies can “evaluate what language the individual speaks” and put an interpreter on the line to help clients “get people talking,” says the report.

Unexpected Source of Gold

Nagano Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, has “discovered a new source of mineral wealth—sewage,” says a Reuters news report from Japan. Analysis revealed that the ash from incinerated sewage sludge processed at the Suwa treatment plant contained a percentage of gold much higher than the ore extracted from Japan’s richest gold mines. The prefecture expects to receive 15 million yen, over $167,000, for the gold in just one fiscal year. It is thought that the high concentrations of gold in the sewage are “due to the large number of precision equipment manufacturers in the vicinity that use the yellow metal,” says the report.

For more please see AWAKE magazine at www.jw.org

ERADICATING HUNGER--BRITAIN & US --ARGENTINA-SOUTH KOREA-CHINA

World

Eradicating hunger is more than a question of food production. It is estimated that farmers now produce sufficient food to feed 12 billion people—5 billion more than the current population of our planet. The issues are mainly problems related to economics, distribution, and waste.

 Britain and the United States

Almost a quarter (24 percent) of respondents among professionals who work in finance believe that they “may need to engage in unethical or illegal conduct in order to be successful.” Sixteen percent admitted that they would commit a crime “if they could get away with it.”

 Argentina

In Argentina, 3 out of 5 teachers ask for time off work because of stress or violence in their workplace.

South Korea

Individuals living alone are soon to make up the most common type of household in South Korea.
 

China

It is thought that two thirds of Chinese cities will fail to meet the new government standards for air quality that will go into effect in 2016. In addition, the quality of water obtained from most underground sources is classified as “bad or extremely bad.”

For more please see AWAKE at www.jw.org

ANTIBODIES --QUESTIONS FOR GOD--PHYSICAL DISABILITY

“The Christian God is not dead in American life, but he is less of a force in our politics and culture than at any other time in recent memory.”—NEWSWEEK, U.S.A.

“The recession and economic turmoil is creating a new class of casualties: Married couples who can’t afford to get divorced. In these tough times many people are finding it’s cheaper to stay together, even when they can’t stand each other.”—THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, U.S.A.

One mother out of every 3 polled in Germany learns from her daughter—regarding fashion, friendships, being more easygoing, or having greater self-esteem.—BERLINER MORGENPOST, GERMANY.

Antibodies Still Roaming

“Nine decades after history’s most lethal flu faded away, survivors’ bloodstreams still carry highly potent protection against the 1918 virus, demonstrating the remarkable durability of the human immune system,” states the International Herald Tribune. On examining blood from elderly Spanish-flu survivors, scientists found “antibodies that still roam the body looking to strangle the old flu strain.” With these antibodies, researchers made a vaccine capable of curing mice that had been injected with the killer flu. The immune system’s memory amazed researchers. “The Lord has blessed us with antibodies our whole lifetime!” one researcher exclaimed. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

Questions for God

“Why is there suffering if you are good?” This was one of the first questions that Swedish college students would ask God if they had the chance to do so, says the Swedish daily Dagen. A survey found that other common queries were: “What is the purpose of life?” and “What will happen after death?” Sweden is known as a highly secularized country. Even so, “these questions are alive,” said a representative of the Christian student organization that conducted the survey. “Young people ponder over questions of this kind.”

Physical Disability Enhances Marital Happiness

“Both men and women—regardless of age—reported being happier in their marriage after they themselves became physically disabled,” say researchers. Loss of ability to perform everyday activities can be stressful, but it can also unite spouses. Older men in particular report having more quality time with their mates. “Taking on care roles and responsibilities that may be new or more focused than in previous times in their marriage provided the men an opportunity to support and spend more time with their wives and ultimately enhanced their appreciation of their relationship,” says Karen Roberto, director of the Center for Gerontology at Virginia Tech, U.S.A.

For more articles see AWAKE magazine at www.jw.org