Watching the World
Smoking Costs Billions
Although the number of smokers is dwindling in many lands, it remains stable in Switzerland, says the Berner Oberländer newspaper. About a third of the population smoke. Over 8,000 deaths per year are smoking-related—more deaths than are caused by AIDS, heroin, cocaine, alcohol, fires, automobile accidents, murder, and suicide put together. A study presented by the Federal Department of Public Health in Switzerland concluded that the social cost of tobacco consumption in 1995 was ten billion Swiss francs, more than six billion U.S. dollars. The study attempted to quantify the costs of medical and hospital care, lost production on the job, the reduced quality of life of ailing smokers and their dependents, and the suffering of family members of the deceased.
Protect Your Heart
“We have always known that hotter weather increases the risk of heart attacks—but now we know that cold weather does, too,” says Dr. Anthony Graham, a cardiologist and a spokesman for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, Canada. As reported in The Globe and Mail newspaper, a ten-year study of 250,000 men in France shows that a ten-degree change in average temperatures either up or down “increases the risk of a first heart attack by 13 per cent.” When temperatures drop, the heart works harder and faster because blood is shunted away from the skin into deeper areas of the body to conserve heat. The risk is compounded when people overexert themselves or do not dress appropriately. Dr. Graham cautions: “You can’t be a couch potato for five months and then suddenly go out and shovel the snow in the cold. You have to build up to it.”
Loud Music as an Escape
Despite doctors’ warnings that excessively loud music “has a negative effect on the whole body,” an increasing number of young people seem unable to do without their personal stereos, reports the Polish weekly Przyjaciółka. The reason? Some use personal stereos to “detach themselves from the environment. With headphones over his ears, a teenager no longer has to listen to his parents’ nagging or respond, for instance, when they ask him to do something,” says the paper. Noting that excessively loud music may also cause “fatigue, headache, impaired concentration, or insomnia,” Przyjaciółka does not advise parents to forbid the use of personal stereos but suggests that parents teach their children to exercise moderation. “Borrow the Walkman from your kids occasionally,” suggests the paper. “It will give them a break from the earphones, and you will get to know the world they live in.”
Language Extinction
“Sometimes I could just kick myself for not teaching my children the language,” says Chief Marie Smith Jones, last in her culture to speak the language of the Eyak, of Alaska. Trends indicate that of the estimated 6,000 languages spoken worldwide, between 40 and 50 percent may vanish within the next century. Australia, which at one time had 250 languages, has already been reduced to about 20. Why is this happening? Newsweek magazine suggests that languages are being “pushed into oblivion by the spread of English and other ‘big’ languages.” Professor Stephen Wurm, editor of Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger of Disappearing, published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, adds: “There’s often a belief that you should forget the ‘small’ languages, the languages of the minorities, because they have no value.”
Talk to Your Baby
Talking to babies for at least 30 minutes daily can measurably increase their intelligence and language skills, reports London’s Daily Telegraph. Researchers studied 140 nine-month-old babies. Parents of half the group were advised on how best to talk to their babies, while the other half received no suggestions to do so. After seven years “the average intelligence of the [talked-to] group was a year and three months ahead of the other group,” and their language skills were “very significantly higher,” states the report. Researcher Dr. Sally Ward believes that parents today talk less to their babies than in the past because of major changes in society. For instance, more mothers go out to work, and videotapes have replaced conversation in many homes.
Avoiding Road Rage
“Overly aggressive drivers should not be taken lightly,” advises a car-racing veteran quoted in the magazine Fleet Maintenance & Safety Report. Keeping a cool head and avoiding bad situations can help to reduce the dangers of road rage. Safety advocates recommend the following:
◼ Drive courteously at all times.
◼ Get out of the way of an aggressive motorist if you can do so safely.
◼ Never challenge another driver by tailgating or speeding up.
◼ Do not respond to menacing gestures, and avoid making gestures that can be misinterpreted.
◼ Avoid eye contact with an enraged driver.
◼ Do not pull over to confront another driver.
Abortion Injury and Death
Nearly 500,000 abortions are performed in Mexico every year, says Francisco Javier Serna Alvarado, president of the Commission for Health and Social Services in Mexico City. As reported in El Universal newspaper, a large percentage of these end the mother’s life, and many others result in serious complications that require medical attention and even hospitalization. Clandestine abortion is the third-highest cause of maternal death in Mexico. In some cases, crude abortion techniques are employed—introducing sharp pointed objects, taking abortive medication or herbal teas, even throwing oneself down the stairs. Often the consequences include “serious hemorrhages, perforation of the uterus, sterility, infections, and loss of the womb,” notes the report.
Get Your Message Across
No matter how important your message is, most people will not want to listen to you if they don’t like the way you speak, says vocal expert Dr. Lillian Glass. As reported in The Citizen newspaper of South Africa, mumbling, poor grammar, monotonous tone of voice, talking too fast, profanity, and monopolizing the conversation all discourage listeners. On the other hand, people will usually listen if you smile to put them at ease, speak clearly and slowly, look them in the eye, and listen carefully to their point of view without interrupting. “Think before you speak,” the article adds, “and you’ll express yourself more confidently.”
Overeating Increases Risk of Food Poisoning
The risk of getting sick from eating contaminated food is greater if one overeats, according to Dr. Adolfo Chávez, of the Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Nutrition in Mexico. He says that traces of bacteria in the food we eat are normally destroyed by the gastric juices in our stomachs. But after an eating binge, the extra volume of food in the stomach overrides gastric acidity, reducing the stomach’s ability to kill bacteria. Dr. Chávez told Awake!: “If a person eats 15 tacos and one of them is contaminated, the person will probably get contaminated because of the amount eaten. If that person eats just one taco that is contaminated, there may be no problem.”
Laughter Shortage
According to evidence presented at the recent International Congress of Humour, held in Switzerland, during the economically troubled 1950’s, the average man laughed for 18 minutes a day, compared with 6 minutes a day during the affluent 1990’s. Why the decrease? “Experts blame the constant striving for material, career and personal success for the trend, backing up the old adage that money cannot buy happiness,” explains London’s Sunday Times. Thus, author Michael Argyle concludes: “Those who value money most are less satisfied and in poorer mental health. This may be because money provides only superficial kinds of satisfaction.”
Right to Medical Treatment Protected
El Salvador’s Supreme Court of Justice recently struck down a Social Security Hospital rule that required patients to donate blood in order to receive medical treatment. Previously, hospital policy called for all patients to provide two units of blood prior to a surgical procedure. Now, those who wish to receive medical treatment in the Social Security Hospital have the legal right to choose not to give blood.