Watching the World 7

Global Problems

? More men are recognizing that world problems are intertwined. Says U.N. Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim: “The majority of the great issues that confront mankind are profound, complex, and, above all, long-term problems. They cannot be resolved swiftly or dramatically; they are closely interrelated; and they bear directly upon the lives of all. For the great problems are the global problems, and they require a concerted global approach . . . Our future on this earth will depend to a large degree on our ability to develop a new economic and social system which recognizes and balances the rights, interests, and aspirations of all peoples. This is a problem of such magnitude and complexity that it can only be dealt with by a degree of global cooperation far greater than anything we have hitherto achieved.”

Deep-Sea Beauty

? Mid-Atlantic explorations by French and American crews recently came to a close. Their findings impress the appreciative person with the fact that creation’s beauty is found in even remote places. To the surprise of the explorers, submarine dives revealed that 9,000 feet below the surface the ocean was teeming with fish. Dr. Robert D. Ballard of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution was puzzled by the appearance of many smaller fish whose coloring is normally invisible. They live in perpetual darkness. Yet when the lights of the submarines shone on them they suddenly appeared brilliantly colored.

The “Ethics” of Famine

? Professor of biology Paul Ehrlich is known for his predictions of impending population and food disasters. He is so certain of imminent worldwide danger that he suggests: “Anybody who has any spare capital at all is a . . . fool if he or she does not put away as large a store of food as he or she can afford at the present time.” But would this keep a person safe? Not really, as even Ehrlich acknowledges: “Don’t think that your problems are all solved as soon as you’ve stashed away a year’s supply of food for yourself and your family. . . . When the crunch gets here . . . are you ethically bound to share your supplies with a neighbor who didn’t take your precaution, or are you justified in shooting that neighbor when he comes around and tries to get some of your food for himself?”

Welcome Jehovah’s Witnesses

? Jehovah’s witnesses recently had two large conventions in New York city. Wrote the local Amsterdam News in an editorial about their visit: “At a time when the morality of our nation is being seriously questioned, and our major religions find themselves faced with revolts against long established moral codes, it is a pleasure to welcome the convention of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. This is a religious group which has, over the years, unswervingly held to its beliefs by precept and example and rigidly practices what it preaches in a world where such things are rare.”

Poor Man’s Viewpoint

? Westerners assume that to conquer the population problem the “poorer nations” of the earth should stop having so many babies. But the poor nations also have a viewpoint in this matter. New Internationalist of London recently explained: “Most poor people want large families . . . Children are necessary for protection . . . In sum, the whole of the ‘population problem’ has been plagued by the almost subconscious assumption that poor people have many children because they don’t know any better . . . The most important lesson of the last ten years has been that poor people are not stupid.”

Herpes-Virus and Pregnancy

? In recent years the dangers of herpes-virus, a form of venereal disease, has become more apparent. According to a current article in Medical Aspects of Human Sexuality, it presents a particular threat to pregnant women. In many cases of the recurrence of the disease, it reveals no obvious symptoms. It can thus be easily passed on to a newborn baby. With what consequences? The article answers: “Herpesvirus infection in the newborn . . . may be expected to result in a 75 to 90% mortality rate . . . Of those newborns who survive, approximately 60 to 80% will be left with some neurologic deficit.”

Evolution and the Evidence

? Recent diggings by such evolutionists as Richard Leakey do not support, but, rather, greatly damage their own argument. As a result, fewer people can swallow the evolution theory. One man expressed the view of many when he wrote to Newsweek: “In my search to understand the truth about man’s origins, I am encountering an increasing amount of evidence that is difficult if not impossible to correlate with the evolution theory. The recent Leakey finds . . . are just one example. That three manlike creatures could coexist in the same location, with the most intelligent of the three preceding the others in the evolutionary process, is hardly credible.”

As Economists See It

? Like the weather, the U.S. economy is hard to predict. But there is at least one current pattern among the economists. Says Industry Week: “An unusual number of economy probers are arriving at a four-letter outlook: doom.” It cites the observations of New York’s Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company: “Now, there is more than the usual number of Chicken Littles warning us that the sky is falling . . . What has brought these Chicken Littles out into the open, perhaps, is that we are facing many problems today—many of them new, and many of them so far beyond what we’re used to that they tend to increase the pessimists’ credibility.”

How Safe Is Marijuana?

? Youngsters used to describe marijuana as “safe.” Can that still be said? Answers Science magazine: “Five years of research have provided strong evidence that, if corroborated, would suggest that marihuana in its various forms may be far more hazardous than was originally suspected.” Current evidence shows that marijuana (and hashish) may cause chromosome damage, upset cellular metabolism and the immunization system, induce effects ranging from impotence and temporary sterility to the appearance of female-like breasts in men, damage the bronchial tract and lungs, bring about severe personality changes and trigger potentially irreversible brain damage.

Pagan “Christians”

? Ted Noffs, a Methodist minister in Sydney, Australia, recently spoke out strongly against some of the pagan practices carried on by the Australian clergy. Says the Daily News: “He accused churchmen of tolerating superstition and black magic in their churches . . . He said the churches presented lies as truths, pagan practices as liturgy and superstition as theology . . . He said clerical collars were a carry-over from the ancient Athenian orators . . . And the black robes that clergymen wore, he said, were a carry-over from ancient witchcraft ceremonials.” Noffs also observed: “They accept the fourth century pagan practices and preach from the pulpit about crosses . . . The Cross itself is an ancient fertility symbol.”

Playwrights’ Dilemma

? The rapid slide in American morality is reportedly making it hard on playwrights. Says a Los Angeles Herald-Examiner review of a play that premiered in 1970, only four years ago: “Moral values are declining so rapidly that the dramatist runs the risk of his play’s viewpoint becoming correspondingly weakened in a comparatively short time . . . What was once [in 1970!] almost surrealistic and absurdist has invaded the realm of reality.”

Super Farms

? There were 26,000 fewer farms in the U.S. last year than in 1972. This continues a declining trend started in the 1930’s. Now almost half the food and fibers produced in the country come from 109,000 super farms, each with sales of $100,000 or over.

Children Are Costly

? What does it cost to raise a child? Esquire magazine gave some figures recently on the costs involved in raising “one good-to-superior-quality child in a major city” of the U.S. It concludes that a boy through the age of seventeen bears a total price tag of about $141,000. Add another $3,000 for a girl. If parents support their offspring for another four years through college, tally up another $47,000 to $56,000. Just conception to the age of one year costs over $5,400. Obviously, some people are forced to get by much cheaper. But, overall, the magazine notes: “It’s safe to believe that in the long run the actual price of raising a child will be more, not less, than the sufficiently astonishing sums shown here.”

Notes or Not?

? Who is likely to learn better, the notetakers or the non-notetakers? An article in Human Behavior magazine relates that two University of New Mexico researchers asked a group of 83 students to listen to a lecture and then, after a ten-minute review period, to take a test on the speech. Some students made and reviewed their own notes. Some used notes prepared by the lecturer. Some had no notes at all. But who did the best? The ones who took and reviewed their own notes.

Woman’s Work

? A woman’s work, it has been said, is never done. Now, The Use of Time (edited by A. Szalai), a carefully documented new book discussing the daily activities of urban and suburban populations in twelve countries, lends some support to this old proverb. Of women who are employed outside the home, the book says: “The working woman is much busier than either her male colleagues or her housewife counterpart. After her day’s obligations are done, she finds herself with an hour or two less time than anyone else, and this pattern again appears ‘universally’ at all of our survey sites.”

“Convenience” Costs You

? Ready-mixed foods may seem “convenient” but they are also expensive. How much do they cost? Cleveland’s Union Commerce Bank claims that a frozen beef dinner costs 23 percent more than one fixed entirely at home, while a frozen turkey dinner is 65 percent higher. And frozen waffles cost almost 200 percent more than those made from home-mixed batter!

Fertilizer Costs

? Fertilizer costs have been extremely high for farmers this year. For the average buyer this, of course, has contributed to higher food costs at the market. What does the future hold? Says Farm Journal: “If you think your fertilizer bill was steep this year, wait until next year! All predictions point to 20% higher price tags for nitrogen sources; 20% more costly phosphates; modest 5% to 10% price hikes for potash.”

Private Aircraft Soar

? When the petroleum crisis hit the U.S. late last year, private aircraft manufacturers anticipated large financial losses. But their fears have not been realized. The reverse has happened. Why? Because of the advantages offered by private aircraft over the regularly scheduled airlines, which suffered because of the crisis. Says Business Week: “Cutbacks in airline schedules, elimination of less-traveled routes, crowding of airplanes, and airport inconveniences such as security checks played into the hands of corporate aviation salesmen, who have always sold business aircraft as business machines . . . The industry, in fact, is looking at its biggest dollar year in history.”