Watching the World
“Missing” Women
“In those societies which treat women fairly in terms of health, there are 106 women for every 100 men. This is a biological fact,” states The Courier, a magazine published by the European Union. But UN studies also point to another fact: In Asian countries such as China, India, the Republic of Korea, and Pakistan, there are, on the average, only 94 women for every 100 men. Why? “Scientific advances have made it possible to determine the sex of the foetus early on” and have intensified the “anomalies in the female-male birth ratio,” The Courier explains. In the Republic of Korea, for example, in 1982, 94 girls were born for every 100 boys, but in 1989, that ratio had dropped to 88 for every 100. Adds the UN publication Our Planet: “The statistics are shocking: 100 million Asian women are ‘missing’ due to female infanticide and abortion of female fetuses.”
Weapons or Development?
One hundred U.S. dollars can buy either one AK-47 rifle or enough vitamin-A capsules to prevent blindness in 3,000 one-year-olds. One hundred million dollars can buy either ten million land mines or sufficient immunizations to protect 7.7 million children against six deadly childhood diseases. Eight hundred million dollars can buy either 23 F-16 fighter planes or salt iodination for ten years, protecting 1.6 billion people from iodine-deficiency disorders, such as mental retardation. About 2.4 billion dollars will buy either one nuclear submarine or water and sanitation facilities for 48 million people. Where do world priorities lie? According to The State of the World’s Children 1996, arms sales to developing countries in 1994 alone totaled $25.4 billion, money that could have been spent instead on development efforts.
Road-Crossing Moose Hazard
Why does a moose cross the road? This question is no joke to Newfoundland’s wildlife biologists or to local drivers and the thousands of tourists who use the province’s highways. “There are about 300 car-moose accidents a year on Newfoundland’s highways, several of which result in the deaths of drivers,” says The Globe and Mail newspaper. “A mass of up to 450 kilograms [1,000 pounds] of moose can slam down on the roof of a car like a boulder, killing or maiming.” Simply reducing the size of the current moose population of 150,000 on the island may not work, says Shane Mahoney of the Natural Resources Department, because in a number of areas where there is a low density of moose, there is a high number of accidents. By analyzing herd movements, scientists hope to learn why moose, who are naturally frightened by traffic, decide to cross the road.
Nauru’s Plight
Nauru, the smallest and most isolated republic in the world, was once noted for its tropical beauty. European sailors who first caught sight of the eight-square-mile [20 sq km] island in the 18th century called it Pleasant Island. Now, however, only a narrow coastal fringe is habitable, and Nauru has become “the most environmentally ravaged nation on earth,” notes The New York Times. Why? Strip mining. For 90 years phosphates, the product of bird droppings over thousands of years and marine microorganisms, have been mined, “leaving behind a pitted, ghostly moonscape of gray limestone pinnacles, some as tall as 75 feet [22 m].” The heat rising from the four fifths of the island already mined out has also affected the weather, driving away rain clouds and plaguing the land with drought. The last deposits of phosphate are expected to be extracted within five years. Many Nauruans feel that the only recourse is to abandon Nauru and use their wealth to buy a new island home to which they can move.
Guinea-Worm Disease Succumbing
“After smallpox, the guinea worm looks likely to be the second human disease to be eradicated,” states The Economist. “The number of reported cases, which was nearly 900,000 worldwide as recently as 1989, was down to 163,000 last year and in most countries is halving every year.” An exception is Sudan, “proving that war and disease go hand in hand.” A waterborne parasite that has its start in microscopic larvae, the guinea worm has already been eradicated from Central Asia, Pakistan, and a number of African countries. Agencies have brought it under control by using a water-purifying chemical, teaching people to filter their drinking water through a cloth, and preventing infected ones from bathing or wading in sources of drinking water. Once ingested, the male worms die after mating, and the females may reach three feet [1 m] in length before slowly emerging over several weeks from painful blisters on a victim’s leg, sometimes crippling and damaging muscles.
Doomsday Clock Advances
The famous doomsday clock on the cover of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has recently had its hand moved three minutes closer to midnight. The clock symbolically reflects how close the world is to a nuclear war. Since its introduction in 1947, the clock has been reset 16 times in response to changing world affairs. The closest it ever came to nuclear midnight—two minutes—was in 1953 after the first hydrogen bomb explosion by the United States. The last change was in 1991 when it was moved back to 17 minutes before midnight because of post-Cold War optimism. Advancing the clock to 14 minutes reflects increasing concern about growing world tension, the insecurity of nuclear stockpiles, and the threat of nuclear terrorism. “The world is still a very dangerous place,” said Leonard Rieser, chairman of The Bulletin.
Newborn Babies Abandoned
In Italy a mother can legally refuse to accept her newborn, leaving the responsibility of finding a couple willing to adopt it to the juvenile authorities. Yet, during 1995 as many as 600 children were abandoned at birth, “many in trash cans, others close to churches or health-service centers,” says the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. The phenomenon occurs in the most industrialized and prosperous areas of the country as well as in the poorest and least developed. According to Vera Slepoj, president of the Italian Society of Psychology, this is a “warning signal of a sense of death” that pervades society.
Thirst Not Sufficient
“If a person relies on thirst, he will not drink enough,” says Dr. Mark Davis, an exercise physiology professor. Many people stay in a slightly dehydrated state, as the thirst sensation occurs after body fluids have already got low. And the older people get, the less keen is their thirst mechanism. As reported in The New York Times, we need water more when the weather is hot or extremely cold and dry, when we exercise or diet, and when we have any illness accompanied by such conditions as diarrhea, fever, and vomiting, which cause a loss of fluids. Those on high-fiber diets also require more fluids to keep the fiber moving through the bowel. While fruits and vegetables may contain high percentages of water, most of our needs are satisfied by drinking. Water is best, since it is rapidly absorbed by the body. The sweeter a drink is, the more slowly it is absorbed. Sodas can actually make you thirstier, as fluid is needed to digest the sugar. Since caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, depending on drinks containing them can lead to water loss. “Adults should drink at least eight eight-ounce [2.4 dl] glasses of water a day,” says the Times.
Famous Egyptian Tomb Opens
The tomb of Nefertari in Luxor’s Valley of the Queens, closed for many years, has been restored and reopened to the public. “‘This tomb is really the most fascinating in the west bank of Luxor, or even the whole of Egypt,’ said Mohammed el-Soghayer, head of the Luxor branch of the Supreme Council for Antiquities. ‘It was obviously performed by the most skilled artists in the time of Ramses II who built this royal monument because of his great love for Nefertari. He wanted her to have the best tomb possible.’” However, the 520 square yards [430 sq m] of rich and delicate paintings were almost destroyed by floods, mud, and penetrating salt crystals. In 1986, after years of consultation, an international team began the painstaking work of piecing together the mural fragments using photographs taken by the Italian Egyptologist Ernesto Schiaparelli, who discovered the tomb. The number of visitors, however, has been restricted because of concerns over humidity. Nefertari was also honored by Ramses II when he dedicated one of the temples at Abu Simbel to her.