Watching the World
Canada’s Teenagers and Religion
“An astounding 80 per cent of Canadian teenagers believe in God,” while “only 15 per cent regularly attend a religious institution,” says the Vancouver Sun newspaper. Why such a disparity? Some opt out because of “the sheer boredom of many religious services,” and “doctrinal rigidity is a turnoff for the young.” The paper adds: “No doubt organized religion’s image has also been scarred badly by front-page stories of Christian clergy sex abuse, Sikh riots, Jewish extremists and Hindu militants. Polls reveal only 39 per cent of Canadian teenagers have confidence in religious leaders, compared to 62 per cent in 1984.” The report concludes by saying: “Either the clergy’s genuine welcome isn’t getting out to teenagers, mass culture is just too hostile to faith institutions or the spiritual message isn’t one that clicks with most young people. Or all of the above.”
Fast Roaches
Anyone who has tried to catch cockroaches knows that this is no easy task. What is their secret? For one thing, tiny hairs on each side of their abdomen register the slightest air movement caused by enemies and reveal the direction from which it comes. Also, their nervous system appears to be extremely efficient, as the roaches need only one hundredth of a second to react and run away. Now, by means of a high-speed camera, Jeffrey Camhi and his colleagues at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have learned more, reports the newspaper Berliner Morgenpost. They found that roaches can run at a speed of three feet [1 m] a second and at this speed can even change direction up to 25 times a second. “We know of no other orientation behaviour in any animal capable of such a high frequency of body turning,” said Camhi, quoted in New Scientist. “If the cockroach were not such a bad house guest, it would no doubt receive the admiration it richly deserves.”
The World’s Largest Bacterium?
Heide Schulz, a scientist from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, has discovered a giant bacterium in ocean-floor sediment off the coast of Namibia, Africa. The organism measures up to three hundredths of an inch [0.75 mm] in diameter and is 100 times bigger than any other known bacterium. “If the average bacterium was the size of a newborn mouse, the new one would be the size of a blue whale,” reports The Times of London. These organisms, called Thiomargarita namibiensis, are loosely attached to each other, like strings of pearls. According to The Times, the bacteria “live on sulphides, which they oxidise with the help of nitrates found in seawater.”
Too Many Corpses in the Ganges
“For centuries, Hindus have immersed their dead in the Ganges in the belief that this ensures moksha, or freedom for the soul from the cycle of bodily existence,” states the Electronic Telegraph. “So long as the 1,560-mile [2,500 km] long Ganges ran deep, its swift currents carried away hundreds of decomposing bodies. But over the years the river has become slower and shallower due to the industrial effluents and rubbish dumped in it.” This has resulted in the corpses’ being “entangled in weeds and waste for weeks.” In the late 1980’s, the government tried to attack the problem by placing thousands of carnivorous turtles in the Ganges. But the project was discontinued in 1994 because there were just too many bodies for the turtles to deal with, and the turtles themselves were being taken by poachers. In a new campaign, people are being persuaded to cremate their dead relatives or to bury them in the sand alongside the river.
No More Limbo?
Limbo—the place where according to Catholic tradition the souls of dead unbaptized infants go—has disappeared from Catholic theology. Although it never became a dogma, limbo was “the fruit of the extrapolations of 12th-century theologians” who needed a place “in the Hereafter” for those not destined for heaven or hell. These included “the innocent newborn who died without arriving at the baptismal font” and “nonbelievers who had lived an upright life.” “Once it was invented, Limbo became a fixed point in the doctrine taught by the church,” writes Vatican commentator Marco Politi, in the newspaper La Repubblica. But in more recent catechisms, including the universal catechism promulgated in 1992, there is no trace of Limbo. “In reality, the whole concept of the Hereafter has been changed in the last few decades,” explains Politi. Many theologians now say that infants who die without being baptized go straight to heaven. Says Italian theologian Pino Scabini: “Today, there is the tendency to give room to the essential elements of what has been revealed—eternal life, of which Jesus spoke, and the resurrection.”
The Business of Kidnapping
“Kidnapping is . . . a booming business in places like Mexico, Colombia, Hong Kong, and Russia,” states U.S.News & World Report. “Around the world, the number of abductions for ransom broke records in each of the past three years.” By far, the largest number take place in Latin America, where there were 6,755 abductions between 1995 and 1998. This is followed by Asia and the Far East (617), Europe (271), Africa (211), the Middle East (118), and North America (80). While most of those abducted are local merchants and landowners, anyone—aid workers, business travelers, or tourists—can be at risk. International companies now buy kidnap and ransom insurance policies to cover the ransom as well as costs for professional negotiators and psychological counselors. The kidnappers are organized, doing market research and risk assessment on potential victims. They usually treat their captives well, realizing that this will result in fewer attempts to escape and will give them a better chance of payoff. “Only 1 in 10 kidnappings worldwide ends in the death of the person abducted,” says the magazine, but it gives this caution: “Beware of local police. They are often in cahoots with the kidnappers.”
Web Site Guide to Prayer
Recently, the Church of England launched its Internet Web site. On it is a guide on how to pray. Insisting that God hears every prayer, the church urges people to be creative when praying. “Use music, a stone, a feather, a flower, or a candle to help you focus,” and “use your hand. Your fingers can be used to bring [to] your mind different things to pray for.” For example, it says that the thumb, being the strongest digit, can suggest prayer for things that are strong in your life, like home and family. The tall middle finger could remind you to pray for “the people who have power in the world,” and the smallest finger could remind you of “prayer for yourself.” Commenting on these innovations, The Times says: “The content of the website is an indication of how secularised the Church feels the nation has become. It compares the discipline of praying to dieting, or weeding the garden: ‘Little and often is best, but don’t give up.’”
Acid and Tooth Decay
“People should stop thinking that sugar alone causes cavities, and concentrate on foods that leave their mouth acidic,” says Mike Edgar, one of the authors of Oral Health: Diet and Other Factors. This report advises that people who drink orange juice for breakfast or eat acidic foods should not brush their teeth for at least half an hour afterward. Why? Because when the mouth’s acid levels rise above a certain point, the tooth enamel softens and brushing will begin to rub away the top surface. It is recommended instead that one counteract the acid levels by eating protein-rich foods, such as cheese or peanuts, but no later than 20 minutes after eating the acidic foods, states The Times of London.
Japanese Doll Solution?
For grandparents who live far away from their grandchildren and seldom get to see them, a Tokyo firm has a solution: Send the firm a picture of the baby, and in six weeks you will receive a look-alike doll. “Only it doesn’t end there,” reports New Scientist. “A digital microchip recorder inside the doll records the baby’s early gurgles, so it even sounds like your baby. Simply hold the doll’s hand and it will play back the baby’s voice—or whatever else you record. According to The Nikkei Weekly, the $400 doll is mostly ordered by grandparents who rarely see their offspring’s offspring.”