Watching the World
Rio’s Living Transplants
● Some people donate their vital organs for transplanting after they die. But, recently, impoverished residents of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, have been advertising to sell corneas and kidneys at high prices for immediate transplant. “It’s very simple,” said a man who ran such an ad, “on one side you have the man who has money but no vision, and on the other side is me: vision, but no money. . . . three years ago I lived better than now on half my salary today.” The asking price for such organs may be $30,000 to $40,000 (U.S.).
The report in the Washington Post calls this practice in Brazil a “new wrinkle in a longstanding controversy” over the poor selling their blood to supplement meager incomes. As a result, “blood transfusions are the largest cause of hepatitis in Brazil,” reports the Post. “Former president Ernesto Geisel recently contracted the disease from tainted blood.”
Pygmy “Mystery” Solved
● Why are pygmies short? “Until now, the reason for their short stature has been a mystery,” says the New York Times. But scientists from the University of Florida recently compared the blood of pygmies with that of other people and noted a deficiency of the little-known hormone called insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I). The pygmy blood had normal amounts of the better-known human growth hormone, but only one third the usual amount of IGF-I. “The doctors theorize that IGF-I is the principal regulator of growth,” reports the Times. “However, its precise function is still not known.”
Comet Strikes Sun
● The first recorded case of a celestial body colliding with the sun occurred about two years ago when a comet traveling an estimated 640,000 miles per hour (1,000,000 km/h) smashed into the blazing orb. The collision was observed only by a satellite experiment called Solwind, whose data for that period was recently analyzed. “We estimate that when the comet hit the Sun, the energy released was about 1,000 times the energy used in the United States during an entire year,” said Dr. Donald J. Michels, chief scientist of the Solwind research team.
Space Junk Hazards
● According to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the thousands of objects and pieces of debris now in orbit around the earth may become a real hazard for future spacecraft. Even in the vastness of space, only certain “operationally important orbits” are useful for satellites and other space projects, and that is where the junk is accumulating. The AIAA says that just a pea-sized piece, when traveling thousands of miles an hour, could badly damage a spacecraft. The organization is calling for an agreement on limiting litter.
Additionally, the so-called geostationary orbit (a ring 22,300 miles [35,900 km] above the equator where communications satellites can hover over one spot on the globe) is so crowded that it must be cleared of defunct craft. “There is beginning to be a real danger of collision between active satellites and old derelicts that can no longer keep in their assigned locations,” said the director of satellite operations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Earth Satellite Service.
Floating Factory
● Argentina recently received the world’s first floating petrochemical plant, made in Japan. After an eight-week voyage from Nagoya, the huge barge with a factory on top docked at Bahía Blanca, where it reportedly will produce 120,000 metric tons of polyethylene plastic annually. The eight-month construction period was three months ahead of schedule, and was said to be about a year faster than on-site land construction. The same Japanese company had built a pulp plant in Brazil three years ago, followed by a power plant for Bangladesh and a hotel for Abu Dhabi. This type of construction is said to be quicker and cheaper because the shipyard environment has heavy equipment and expertise so readily available.
Religious Rioting
● A weekend of savage rioting recently was sparked in Karachi, Pakistan, when a religious procession of Shiite Moslems met another of Sunni Moslems and one reportedly tried to overtake the other. According to the Associated Press, over 100 of the religious paraders were injured in the fighting and rock-throwing that ensued. The government had to impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew with summary execution of violators.
Greek Antismoking Pays Off
● Nearly 19 percent of Greek smokers reportedly have overcome their addiction in the past two years. About 44 percent of those over 16 now smoke, compared to 54 percent two years ago—the result of a concerted government antismoking campaign. Daily television announcements, literature sent to every household and stiff fines for smoking in public places are said to have contributed to the decline.
Suicide in Europe
● The third-ranking cause of death in Europe is now suicide, according to the International Association for the Prevention of Suicide. Information presented at a Paris meeting of the group indicated that only heart attacks and auto accidents take more European lives. Belgium is said to have suffered a 30-percent increase in suicides from 1977 to 1979.
“Snorkeling” Elephant
● When the Frank Buck Zoo of Gainesville, Texas, was inundated during a week-long rash of floods that battered the area, zookeeper Vince Reynolds feared for the life of his 13-year-old elephant. But then he “heard her trumpet lightly” and was surprised to see only her trunk, which she was using to snorkel for air and to hold onto a tree for safety. “She’s just utterly exhausted,” said Reynolds after some cowboy volunteers rescued the huge animal.
Occult “Game”
● “This so-called game should have across the box in bold letters: ‘Health warning—this could seriously damage your mental and physical health,’” declared British psychiatrist Richard Winter concerning a game currently sold in leading stores. Called “Osiris,” the fortune-telling game is supposedly based on the power of a mythical Egyptian god. But Dr. Winter warned: “I have treated a number of people who have been deeply disturbed as a result of dabbling with such games.” And London’s Daily Mail reports that psychiatrist Kenneth McAll “said he was still treating patients who had been affected by a similar game launched more than ten years ago and later withdrawn after protests.”
Strange Bedfellows
● The pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in Providence, Rhode Island, “is leading a fund-raising drive to help pay legal expenses for officials of the Laborers International Union who were indicted in Miami on racketeering charges,” reports United Press International (UPI). A fund-raising letter signed by the monsignor was sent to union members complaining of harassment by the government. The union officials and 19 others, including alleged underworld members, were indicted for “conspiracy to funnel millions of dollars to organized crime figures,” notes the UPI report. “I agree with the thoughts of the letter,” said the priest, but “I’m not going to be pinned down to any one person, one cause, one statement or any words.”
British Workers Wanting?
● When not on strike, British workers reportedly have a longer workweek than those in western Europe or the United States. However, according to the Times of London, this does not result in greater productivity and economic health in the land. The article notes a study showing that for every ton of steel made by a British steelworker, Japanese steelworkers made five and a half tons. And, though Britain’s manufacturing productivity did increase 9 percent between 1975 and 1981, America’s productivity grew 21 percent and Japan’s 45 percent in the same period.
Violent Aftermath
● The abundance of American-made weapons in Thailand is causing a wave of violence to sweep through the country. The weapons were brought in by the thousands of soldiers defeated by Communist armies in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and eventually “fell into the hands of crime syndicates and individual gangsters,” says the New York Times. The result? Murders have risen to 50 a day. Armed robbery and rape occur every seven minutes. Gunmen, wielding M-16 infantry rifles and M-79 grenade launchers, offer their service for hire. And gangland-style killings have become daily occurrences.
‘Sixth Sense?’
● Scientists are finding out that certain bees, butterflies, pigeons and bacteria may have a ‘sixth sense’—magnetism. Magnetite, a compound of iron and oxygen, is found in the brain or other parts of their body. Experiments with bees and homing pigeons have demonstrated conclusively that they are sensitive to the magnetic field around them. This led to the belief that these creatures can sense the earth’s magnetic field and use it as a navigational aid when other means are not available, such as on a cloudy day. Dolphins are the first mammals to be found with the magnetic material, but it is yet to be demonstrated that they do possess the magnetic ‘sixth sense.’
Fatalistic Lifestyle
● “Approximately 40 to 60 per cent of human cancers are related to lifestyle factors, especially smoking and nutrition,” says cancer researcher Dr. Gary Williams of American Health Foundation. He points out that “some people have a fatalistic attitude,” believing that it is of no use to quit smoking or change their eating habits since the damage already has been done. According to the doctor, these people are deluding themselves. “After 15 years of not smoking,” he says, “the risk (of getting lung cancer) returns to the level of someone who doesn’t smoke.” He recommends “cessation of cigarette smoking, moderation of fat in the diet, and more fibre in the diet.”
Laser Heals Ulcers
● Healing a bleeding ulcer often involves major surgery, the removal of part of the stomach, a two-week hospital stay, not to mention a sizable dent to the pocketbook. But now at a London hospital, doctors are using a 10-minute laser-beam treatment that “has so far been successful in nine out of 10 cases,” reports the Daily Telegraph. It involves applying “a controlled amount of energy which heats the tissues so that the blood vessels close up to stop the bleeding.” Dr. Stephen Bown, who developed the technique, says that “the treatment is particularly useful for the old and frail, or those with other diseases who cannot stand up to major abdominal surgery.”