Watching the World
‘Black Hole in Italian Culture’
The Bible represents “the big black hole in the culture of the Italians, a religious people that is not used to reading directly from the Word of God.” According to La Repubblica, an Italian newspaper, this was the conclusion reached at a seminar held in Bologna last October, at which a number of professors and Biblical scholars addressed the general theme “The Bible, Culture, and School in Italy.” Ignorance of the Bible in Italy, a scholar explained, is due to the prohibition of personal Bible reading decreed in the 16th century by the Council of Trent. “But even after the Second Vatican Council,” affirmed the same scholar, “the Book is still a text referred to only in Christian communities rather than being a text of wisdom of life, a book that does not require any complicated introduction in order to be understood.”
Snail Fever Spreads
Despite new methods of diagnosis and treatment, snail fever, or schistosomiasis, is on the increase. The problem, according to WHO (World Health Organization), is that the countries most afflicted by the disease are also those least able to afford the means to control it. WHO laments that while the drug praziquantel has proved effective in treating the disease, “the hard currency costs of the drug itself are usually more than the total per capita budget of most African ministries of health.” The nations of Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, and Nigeria, where over 30 million people suffer from schistosomiasis, have asked WHO to entreat manufacturers of the drug to lower the price. Worldwide, about 200 million people are infected with the disease.
Children and Guns
Each day about 8 children—some 3,000 a year—die as a result of gunfire in the United States. Nonfatal firearm injuries are estimated to be five times greater. Why? “About half of all American homes contain guns,” says the University of California, Berkeley, Wellness Letter. “Think of it: when your children or grandchildren visit a neighbor, there’s a fifty-fifty chance there’ll be a gun in the house, and of these, half will be handguns. And the gun may be all too accessible.” Children are at high risk not only because they are used to toy guns that resemble the real thing but because they are influenced by the casual and frequent use of guns in the movies and on TV. Few children know how to handle the guns safely, and when injured, children suffer more damage, as their internal organs are more tightly packed and they have a proportionally larger head than adults. “To be safe, don’t buy or keep a gun in your house,” is the advice of the Wellness Letter.
“The World’s First Electronic Collection Plate”
You can now receive a personal message from the pope, “thanks to the Vatican’s new 900 phone number,” reports an editorial in the Montezuma Valley Journal of Cortez, Colorado, U.S.A. The messages are portions of taped papal sermons made available, according to a Vatican press release, “to service the increasing demand to hear Pope John Paul’s inspirational words.” “His Holiness hopes these words are of benefit to you, and that you are able to listen to his messages daily,” a voice says at the beginning. “Part of the cost [$1.95 per minute] of these calls is used to support the apostolic mission of the Holy Father, and by listening to his words, you are contributing toward his work.” “What the voice doesn’t mention,” the editorial points out, “is that the other part of the cost—about half—goes to the same outfit in Las Vegas that markets horoscope readings, lottery hotlines and soap opera reviews.” According to the National Catholic Reporter, the organizers of this 900-number operation call it “the world’s first electronic collection plate.”
Tuberculosis Out Of Control
The spread of particularly dangerous forms of tuberculosis across the United States has prompted government health officials to declare the disease out of control. “At no time in recent history has tuberculosis been of such great concern as it is now,” said Dr. Dixie Snider, tuberculosis expert at the Centers for Disease Control, “because tuberculosis is out of control in this country.” Although tuberculosis was a leading killer until 40 years ago, it was brought under control by the introduction of antibiotics, along with improved housing and sanitation. But since 1984 most states have reported increases, including cases where strains are resistant to even the newest drugs. The disease is spread by airborne droplets dispersed when someone infected by the disease coughs. The bacillus may be harbored in healthy people for years without causing illness, but if the initial infection is not treated, a substantial number will eventually succumb to the disease.
Mexico Recognizes Churches
“After more than 70 years of governmental hostility toward churches, lawmakers in Mexico have enacted legislation granting legal recognition to religious institutions,” reports The Christian Century. “Although other denominations are included in the legislative reforms, the chief beneficiary of the government’s action is the Roman Catholic Church.” The constitutional changes will allow the church to run parochial schools, own property in its name, and criticize the government. Priests will be able to wear their clerical garb in public and to vote, but they cannot hold public office. They will also have to pay income taxes. The revolutionary constitution of 1917 imposed the restrictions in an effort to combat the enormous influence and power of the church. The Catholic Church at that time owned about half the land in Mexico, favored the wealthy landowners, and opposed the independence movement. However, most of the prohibitions were never enforced and were largely ignored. Still on view, says The Christian Century, are “national murals by revolutionary artist Diego Rivera that depict grotesquely bloated clergymen fleecing unsuspecting peasants of their hard-won earnings.”
The Gentle Octopus
The octopus may have a sinister look about it, but according to the magazine African Wildlife, it is nothing of the kind. Although an octopus will defend itself if deliberately attacked, it is in fact shy and inoffensive. Moreover, it is quite adept at working out problems. Scientists once tempted two octopuses with a lobster enclosed in a glass jar. Each soon learned to remove the stopper. The magazine further tells how one pet octopus made sure it got its dinner: “It was usually fed before the family’s evening meal. On the occasions they forgot to feed their pet before they sat down to eat, it would latch all eight tentacles on to the glass and change colour rapidly to attract attention. And if that didn’t work, it would pick up a pebble from the bottom of the tank and insistently tap the glass until it was fed.”
“In God We Trust”—Really?
The words “In God We Trust” have appeared on American coinage for 127 years. “How did God and American money come to be linked?” asks Time magazine. It started with the final stanza of the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which declared: “And this be our motto, ‘In God is our Trust.’” Then, at the start of the Civil War (1861-65), M. R. Watkinson, a Baptist parson, petitioned that if the Union, representing the northern states, be defeated, it should leave behind coins acknowledging its dependence on God. President Abraham Lincoln and Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase agreed, and the shortened phrase “In God We Trust” began to be stamped on coins in 1864. However, it did not appear on the larger paper currency until 1955, and the following year it was made the national motto. Although use of the motto has been challenged in court, most agree with former Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, who wrote that the slogan has “lost any true religious significance.”
Breast-Feeding Declines
There has been a steady decline in the number of U.S. women who breast-feed their babies, a new study has shown. The number dropped from about 60 percent in 1984 to 52 percent in 1989. “This is a very dangerous trend,” said Dr. David Rush, a nutrition specialist at Tufts University who coauthored the study. “Breast-feeding is very advantageous to the child even in Western, affluent societies.” While most women know that breast-feeding is best for them and for the child, they often find it difficult and confusing without someone to give them practical advice. In many cases they are discharged from the hospital before their milk starts to flow and are simply handed a package of formula on the way out. Support is lacking at home, as their own mothers often bottle-fed. The Institute of Medicine recommends that infants be exclusively breast-fed for four to six months and that breast-feeding continue after solid foods are introduced and until the baby is at least one year old.