Watching the World
Married Women Happier
◆ “If you’re thinking about leaving your husband, my advice is don’t,” says Dr. Edward Shorter, a professor of history and women’s studies at the University of Toronto. He notes that, in general, “divorced women now have the highest rates of depression of any group in the population,” and are “70 percent more depressed than formerly married men.” He added: “Happiest of all the women surveyed were those who had stayed married.” And while seeking a career in the work force outside the home has recently seemed appealing to many women, Shorter says: “It’s now the working women who’re discovering what a drag it is slaving full-time at some zero job that nobody is interested in hearing you tell about.”
War at Home
◆ “While the nation has been at peace with other nations, the stark reality is that there is still another war being waged right here at home,” said Phil Caruso, head of New York city’s 18,000-member Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association. He observed: “It’s a bizarre kind of warfare to be sure, but nonetheless it’s a real war being fought with real guns and real bullets that are causing an alarming number of casualties each year. . . . The elusive enemy we face today is an animalistic criminal element—aggressively violent, instinctively psychopathic—that is bent on destruction of order and civility within our society.” Such is not unique to American society, as many other nations also report huge increases in crime.
Youth Rampage
◆ Three children, aged 7, 8 and 9, went on a rampage and caused more than $100,000 (Canadian) damage to an elementary school in Prince George, Canada. A Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman said that the youngsters were found “in the process of smashing up everything in sight . . . They had been in the school four or five hours and really made a mess of the place. They went on a smashing spree that was quite unbelievable.” Holes were kicked in walls. Typewriters, copying machines, television sets and a microwave oven were destroyed. Light switch plates were pried from the walls and wiring pulled out. The children used hammers to smash windows, toilets and drinking fountains, and also poured paint on carpets and walls.
In Toronto, 180 of 203 high school students admitted to vandalism over the past year. The most common reason given was that the person was bored, or that it was “fun.” Being “disobedient to parents,” “without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness” are marks of the “last days” foretold in Bible prophecy.—2 Tim. 3:1-5.
Most Popular Exercise
◆ “Walking is now the single most popular adult exercise” in the United States, with about 34 million adherents, says author Bill Gale in Parade magazine. Brisk walking increases mental alertness because more oxygen is delivered to the brain cells. “Muscles stretch and turn and knead with every step you take, revving up circulation and helping your heart pump blood. In medical circles, our leg muscles are sometimes referred to as a ‘second heart,’” says Gale. He adds: “Unlike jogging, walking is risk-free.”
Dr. Gerald Austen, chief of surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, notes: “This is a country that’s gone a little crazy about jogging. . . . I’d prefer many of my patients to take a five-mile walk and do it on a regular basis.” The late Dr. Paul Dudley White, a heart specialist, once said: “A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.”
However, it is suggested that beginners, especially older persons, not push themselves. “The idea is to build up gradually—walking short distances, a little at a time, and gradually increasing both distance and speed,” Gale says.
Sharp Crime Rise
◆ The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that final statistics for the year 1979 in the United States showed the sharpest crime rise since 1975, a 9.1-percent increase over the previous year. Violent crime was 11 percent higher, forcible rape 13.2 percent, robbery 12 percent, aggravated assault 10.1 percent, and murder 9.7 percent. An average of one out of every 145 registered motor vehicles was stolen, with 75 percent of the thefts being automobiles. For the seven categories of major crimes shown on the FBI’s index, men accounted for 81 percent of the arrests.
Worldwide, a United Nations survey shows that in a recent five-year period theft rose by 45 percent, drug abuse by 114 percent, robbery by 197 percent. Says the National Catholic Reporter: “The statistics are much more frightening than in 1956 when the UN held its first conference on crime and its prevention.”
Kindergarten Classes and TV
◆ Educators are reporting an increase in the number of early learning problems among children in kindergarten. They say that an increasing lack of readiness for school and for learning to read appears to be the trend throughout North America. Why? Says Harvey Welch, a Canadian school principal: “I think part of that has to do with the fact that many of them have been very passive in the younger years because of television.” And Val Lehman, a primary consultant for a Canadian public school system, says that TV “helps in some ways in broadening children’s knowledge and concepts, but it’s very passive. There’s no interaction there and no making and doing of things, which is very vital.” Children addicted to TV may have a short attention span, be restless and expect the teacher to “perform.”
More Moons for Jupiter
◆ The planet Jupiter was thought to have 13 moons—until Voyager I sent back photographs showing two more moons. Then a new examination of the photographs disclosed still another small moon, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The planet’s 16th moon is estimated to be 25 miles (40 km) in diameter and 35,000 miles (56,000 km) beyond the cloud tops of Jupiter.
Cows Brush Up
◆ Cows on a 160-acre dairy farm in England give themselves a welcome brushup on their way in from the fields at milking time. The electrically powered brush revolves like a car-washing brush, and is fixed to a shed wall at a convenient angle for the cows to groom their heads, necks and flanks. Farmer Ken Fuller says: “The expression on the cows’ faces when they are using the brush is like a smile. They love it. I am sure grooming keeps them fit and helps to ensure good milk yields. But there is no pushing. Each cow knows her place and keeps to her turn.” London’s Daily Mail says that since the brush has been installed “milk yields have been up.”
Television Slaves
◆ The average television set in the United States was used for 7 hours and 25 minutes per day in the first quarter of 1980—a new record. This was an increase of 57 minutes a day over 1979. In 1969 the figure was 5 hours and 50 minutes a day.
Highway Carnage
◆ A report from the Council of Europe shows that Greece had the highest auto-accident rate last year, with 195 deaths for 100,000 autos. Ireland was second on the list, with 95 deaths per 100,000 cars; Belgium had 91 deaths, France 90, the Netherlands 64, Italy 58 and England 46. The U.S. rate was 37 deaths per 100,000 personally owned vehicles. As for the high rate in Greece, Costas Kyriakos, an adviser to Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis, said: “It is 100 percent true that we have the worst accident rate in Western Europe and the United States. It is undeniable that Greek drivers are extremely temperamental. They have the mistaken impression that everyone is out to challenge and demean them and therefore must be defeated, which leads to a vicious circle of illegality and recklessness.”
Woman in Coma Gives Birth
◆ A pregnant woman in Israel, injured in an auto accident, went into a coma. After more than four months in this state, she gave birth to a healthy five-and-a-half-pound (2.5-kg) boy. The baby, delivered by cesarean section, was kept in an incubator for 24 hours after birth. The mother remained in a coma.
Seven Ways to Live Longer
◆ Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles’ School of Public Health have come up with seven health habits that have a strong relationship to longevity. They are: (1) Never smoke; (2) get regular physical activity; (3) use alcoholic beverages moderately or not at all; (4) get seven to eight hours of sleep each night on a regular basis; (5) maintain correct weight; (6) eat breakfast and (7) do not eat between meals. The more of these habits followed, the healthier a person will be, reported the researchers. A 45-year-old man who adheres to only three of the habits was said to have a life expectancy of 21.6 more years. But under normal conditions a man of the same age who follows six or seven of them could expect to live another 33.1 years.
Largest Population
◆ Recent estimates of the most populous countries in the world are: China (975 million), India (676 million), the Soviet Union (266 million), the United States (222 million), Indonesia (144 million), Brazil (122 million), and Japan (117 million). The longest average life expectancy is 76 years, in Iceland, and the shortest is 37 years, in Afghanistan.