Watching the World
Shakedown in Egypt
◆ Only a few days before his death, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat strongly denounced what he called “sectarian sedition” that threatens national unity. In the past year, conflicts between the Moslem majority and the Coptic Christian minority have claimed some 70 lives in Egypt. According to a Newsweek report, President Sadat’s “main target was the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic revivalist movement that demands a return to holy Koranic law.” But the Coptic Church also came under fire for its “spirit of hatred, bitterness.” Sweeping government actions included the arresting of 1,536 religious activists, the exiling of Coptic Pope Shenuda III and the taking of control of 40,000 mosques to ensure that “there is no religion in politics and no politics in religion.”
“An Editing Error”
◆ According to a prophecy in the Book of Mormon, American Indians would become “white and delightsome” if they join the Mormon Church. The Mormons believe that the dark skin of the Indians was a curse God put on their ancestors, which would be lifted if they became Mormons. But in 1978, Spencer Kimball, the church president, “announced a revelation from God,” and the church “scrapped a racial doctrine that prevented blacks from holding the priesthood,” says a recent New York Times report. So now, in a new edition of the Book of Mormon, the passage in question reads “pure and delightsome” instead. A church official said that “the word ‘white’ was an editing error and that Mr. [Joseph] Smith intended to have the prophecy use the word ‘pure.”’
A “Hole” in the Sky
◆ Astronomers in three major observatories have discovered an area in space about 3,000 times the size of the Milky Way that is completely void or empty—a giant “hole.” It is by far the largest such “hole” ever found, equaling about one percent of the entire observable universe. One of the observers said that the phenomenon “is exceedingly hard to understand” because, according to the “big bang” theory, “the distribution of matter and motion in the universe on the average is homogeneous in all directions,” reports the New York Times. The discovery poses a serious challenge to current concepts, and revisions are said to be in order.
Origin of Birthdays
◆ The magazine supplement to the German newspaper Schwäbische Zeitung recently considered birthday customs, noting that they “have a long history.” The article states: “Their origins lie in the realm of magic and religion. The customs of offering congratulations, presenting gifts and celebrating—complete with lighted candles—in ancient times were meant to protect the birthday celebrant from the demons and to ensure his security for the coming year. . . . Down to the fourth century Christianity rejected the birthday celebration as a pagan custom.”
“Majority” or Minority?
◆ According to a recent Associated Press–NBC News poll, more people are getting dissatisfied with religion’s role in politics. Of 1,601 adults interviewed, 66 percent felt that churches and clergymen should not be involved in politics. Regarding groups such as the Moral Majority, “which raises money and campaigns for conservative candidates and causes,” the poll found three and a half times more people expressing unfavorable opinion about them than those favorable. It also found that Protestant “born-again Christians” and “those who said they are interested in politics were less likely to have a favorable opinion” about the group.
Painful Emotions
◆ Many persons do not realize that the cause of their pains may be emotional, reports Rene Cailliet, M.D., professor and chairman of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Southern California. Dr. Cailliet believes that people are spending millions of dollars trying to relieve pain symptoms that are actually caused by unpleasant relationships. “Sometimes the tension is manifested in strain on the muscles of the neck. Some victims suffer the same tension pain in the back. Others get peptic ulcers, migraines or heart attacks. Still others experience pain in one place, then another, or in various places simultaneously.” He observes that such cases are difficult to diagnose and adds: “Many patients are averse to admitting that their pain is caused by on-the-job or home-related anger, anxiety or depression. They’d rather blame their pain on a old or imagined injury.”
World’s Fastest Train
◆ The Train à Grande Vitesse or High Speed Train from Paris to Lyons, inaugurated on September 22, now claims the honor of being the world’s fastest. The 300-mile (480-km) run takes 2 hours, 32 minutes, slicing an hour and 12 minutes off a regular express train. It even beats a plane ride, which takes 2 hours and 45 minutes including taxi rides to and from the airports. The lowest one-way fare is $35 (U.S.). The new train operates at speeds of up to 156 miles (250 km) per hour, although it set a world record of 230 miles (370 km) an hour back in February. The entire system of 87 ten-car trains and special tracks cost French taxpayers $1.6 billion.
Coping with Priest Shortage
◆ Back in 1978, in the U.S., a nun was appointed to manage a church. Since then other nuns have received similar assignments. One nun in a rural lake-resort area of Wisconsin was recently appointed parish administrator of two churches. She said that a local priest shortage likely ruled out a resident priest pastor. Priests in the area come in just to celebrate Mass, the nuns say.
Kublai Khan’s Fleet Found
◆ The head of a Japanese salvage expedition believes that divers have found the remains of military leader Kublai Khan’s invasion fleet. Devout Buddhist Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, was the first emperor of the Mongol Yüan dynasty. His fleet sought to invade Japan 700 years ago, but typhoons destroyed 1,000 of the 4,400 warships. Expedition leader Torao Mozai says that divers have recovered so many pottery fragments and barnacle-encrusted weapons that they would “fill 10 large suitcases.” The remains of 72 wooden hulks rest on the bottom of the sea just off the coast of Japan. “There’s now no doubt we found the remains of Kublai Khan’s fleet,” he declared. “All we have to do now is salvage as much as we can, before it is lost forever.”
Namibia’s Severe Drought
◆ The northwestern regions of South-West Africa (Namibia) are in the grip of a severe drought. One of these areas is Damaraland, where the cattle count has dropped from 60,000 to 10,000. About half the number starved to death. In neighboring Kaokoland the cattle loss is an estimated 100,000. Some humans also have died of malnutrition. In less than four months, authorities collected and burned the carcasses of 700 wild animals, including zebras, kudus, oryx, springbok, elephants, giraffes, a rhinoceros and a baboon. One farmer in the Kamanjab district said: “We have never had a drought like this, not even the great drought of 1933 can compare with it.”
Teen Gunslingers
◆ Not only are many teenagers trigger happy these days; they also are completely callous about taking people’s life or giving up their own. That seems to be the point most viewers got from the CBS TV documentary “Murder Teen-Age Style” shown nationwide in the U.S. last September. “What’s the use of going out fighting . . . getting all dirty, sweaty, tearing up your clothes . . . if you can just take your finger, pull the trigger. . . . Bang, bang! I got this fool,” explained one youth. Realizing that the “fool” could be himself, another youngster, figuring that there is little to lose, casually remarked: “You only go down once.”
Why Just One Sperm?
◆ Once an egg cell is penetrated by one sperm, all the other thousands of sperms around turn away. But why? Studying the egg cell of a sea urchin, scientists found that normally the egg cell membrane maintains a negative electrical charge of -70 millivolts. The moment a sperm penetrates the membrane, the charge jumps up to 20 millivolts and remains there for about a minute. The positive charge repels the sperms, and the interval gives the egg cell just enough time to build a stronger barrier to keep the sperms out. The phenomenon is observed in other species as well. How the egg accomplishes this split-second electrical maneuver and turns off other sperms still eludes the scientists.
Survival of Mates
◆ A 12-year study of 4,000 widowed persons aged 18 or older reveals that “widowers died sooner than married men of the same age and race, and similar home environment,” reports Science News. “Widows, however, showed an annual mortality rate that was indistinguishable from that of their married counterparts.” But the higher death rate of widowers does not appear until several years after the death of the spouse, which suggests that “it is the absence of his spouse rather than the immediate trauma of her death that most affects a man’s health.” The researchers explain that a mate provides the needed support not only for daily stresses but also during a medical crisis. But why are women not affected by the loss? Other studies suggest that “women are better adapted to survival than men to start with.”