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Watching the World

What Price Gasoline?

◆ This spring gasoline prices around the world varied widely, with members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)* generally having the lowest prices, as indicated in the chart below:

Country Gallon Liter

*S. Arabia $.31 $.08

*Venezuela  .35  .09

Mexico  .53  .14

*Kuwait  .57  .15

*Indonesia  .90  .24

Canada  .95  .25

U.S.S.R. 1.14  .30

U.S.A. 1.44  .38

China 2.10  .55

*Nigeria 2.30 .61

France 2.70  .71

Israel 3.00  .79

Italy 3.40  .90

South Korea 4.50 1.19

China’s Best Foot Forward

◆ Now that the People’s Republic of China has opened its doors more widely to visitors from other lands, it is advising the people on how to make a good impression. The Workers Daily recently ran a column on “things to bear in mind when meeting foreign guests.” The column pointed out that “some words and behavior which we don’t mind so much may appear rude or overly humble to foreigners.” Hence, guidelines given included:

“Don’t ask people (especially female guests) how old they are, don’t ask how much they earn, don’t casually ask what is the price of their clothing and belongings.”

“When you see somebody falling down or having other accidents, you should immediately go forward and help. Never stand aside and laugh.”

“Don’t let the knife and fork make too much sound against the plate, don’t use the knife to deliver food into your mouth.”

Youngest Smoking Addict?

◆ A three-year-old Hindu boy admitted to a Jaipur, India, hospital for malnutrition and acute bronchitis was found to be addicted to tobacco. He had been smoking up to 10 native cigars every day, getting every possible puff from each. When withdrawn from the cigars by doctors, his pulse, racing at 130, dropped to 80, but he became irritable and could not sleep properly. After he went into shock, his parents removed him from the hospital against the advice of doctors.

“Sacred” Monkeys Make Trouble

◆ Bands of wild monkeys recently have attacked people, stolen food, destroyed property and otherwise made a nuisance of themselves in New Delhi, India. Hindus who worship the monkey god Hanuman are opposed to killing the animals, and officials are said to admit bafflement on how to stop their destructive antics. In the meantime, antirabies injections for bitten victims reportedly were made available.

Porcine “Athletes”

◆ Last year researchers at Arizona State University began a study of how diet and exercise affect pigs, since their physical and psychological characteristics resemble humans in a number of ways. (See Awake!, 3/22/81, p. 25.) Groups of pigs began jogging either as piglets or as older hogs, or were allowed to live a regular pig’s life. After a few months they were sacrificed for science. According to Dr. George Seperich, findings indicate that a balanced diet may be more important to good health than exercise alone. Nonjogging pigs on a balanced diet gained less fat than joggers on high-fat feed. The doctor also noted that the pig circulatory system is so similar to that of humans that when some blood fraction samples were sent in for laboratory analysis, the lab “sent back word to us that they thought these athletes were in great condition.”

Billions of Books

◆ Book publishing has been growing rapidly in the People’s Republic of China during recent years. The magazine China Reconstructs explains: “A few years ago when [publishing] was under control of the gang of four, only about 4,000 titles were on sale, mostly on political topics. Chinese classical literature was vilified as feudal, Western classics as propagation of bourgeois ideas, and many contemporary works were branded as anti-party or anti-socialist ‘weeds.”’ According to statistics published in the article, book publishing grew from 12,842 titles and 2,914,000,000 copies in 1976 to about 20,000 titles and 4,500,000,000 copies last year.

Homosexual “Holiness”?

◆ “Homosexuality Best Seen as a Handicap, Dr. Runcie Says,” headlined an article in The Times of London about the Church of England’s recent Synod debate. The archbishop of Canterbury further declared: “We are learning to treat the handicapped [homosexuals] not with pity but with deep respect and an awareness that often through their handicaps they can obtain a degree of self-giving and compassion which are denied those not similarly afflicted.”

But the Sunday Telegraph disagreed, saying in a stinging editorial: “Dr. Runcie . . . seems to suggest that homosexuality may even be a blessing in disguise, since those so afflicted might be especially deserving of God’s grace. . . . It is surely going too far to surround the practice [of homosexuality] with an aura of holiness. That must be wrong. Anglicans, and the Christian community generally, deserve better guidance on this question.” In view of the Bible’s clear statements, surely an archbishop should be helping homosexuals to gain the spiritual strength necessary to overcome their tendencies, rather than offering them a false “aura of holiness.”​—Rom. 1:26, 27; 1 Cor. 6:9, 10.

Witnesses Grow in Russia

◆ Italy’s Il Resto del Carlino newspaper recently carried the headline “Jehovah’s Witnesses a Plague for Russia.” The article observes that the Witnesses “seem to be cause of great worry for Soviet ideologists.” Why? It explains: “Located mainly in Central Russia, the Caucasus area and Eastern Siberia, their members, that up to a short time ago were estimated to be only a few tens of thousands, recently seem to have increased due to a notable influx of youths. The ‘Witnesses’ are not among the ‘registered’ religious groups tolerated by Soviet authorities,” the authorities being under the mistaken impression that Jehovah’s Witnesses are somehow a threat because they remain politically and militarily neutral, which, however, they do under all governments.

Marijuana and Lungs

◆ How does marijuana compare with tobacco in its effect on a person’s lungs? The American Lung Association Bulletin reports that one marijuana cigarette raised blood levels of carbon monoxide as much as did 10 to 20 tobacco cigarettes. Marijuana smoke can also badly inflame small airways in the lungs, reducing their ability to dispose of bacteria and other contaminants.

Workweek Variation

◆ The International Labor Organization recently reported on the average workweek of various countries. The U.S. workweek is shortest, at an average of 35.6 hours. Sweden’s workweek averaged 35.7 hours; Belgium’s 35.8 hours, and New Zealand’s 37.6 hours. “For the overwhelming majority of the world’s workers,” however, “the 40-hour week is still as elusive as ever,” said the U.N. agency. Other workweek averages are: Japan, 40.7 hours; France, 41.2; the Federal Republic of Germany, 41.9; and England, 44 for men and 37.4 for women. Switzerland averaged 44.5 hours, Swiss voters rejecting the introduction of a 40-hour workweek. South Korea reported 50.5, and Egypt had the longest workweek, with 56 hours.

Promoting Promiscuity

◆ Modern family-planning authorities and the medical profession generally urge birth-control information to be given to youths to prevent pregnancy and disease. However, according to the Times of Zambia, “the flagrant use of modern and traditional contraceptives among school and college girls has greatly contributed to the spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) in the country.” Why? “Because the girls on contraceptives tended to become more promiscuous and permissive since they knew they would not get pregnant while using them,” answers the African newspaper.

Meanwhile, when writing to the Journal of the American Medical Association about current efforts to broaden advertising of contraceptives, one American doctor declared: “I am appalled at the willingness of medical professionals to accept promiscuous sexual conduct​—and even to promote it. . . . I believe we should invest some of our resources in learning to promote responsible and healthy sexual practices, including abstinence and fidelity.”

Language Splits “Brothers”

◆ “Kannada and Tamil-speaking Catholics clashed again in [Bangalore] on Wednesday in the presence of the Archbishop of Bangalore,” reports The Hindu of India. “The incident took place at Jagjivanram Nagar, which has been the scene of clashes between the two at a religious ceremony.” The newspaper explains that “the trouble started following the Archbishop’s refusal to conduct the ceremony in Kannada.” There were injuries, and “the two groups blamed each other,” said The Hindu.

Bland Diet Best for Ulcers?

◆ “The data is overwhelming that a prescribed bland diet has no effect [on ulcers],” declared the University of California’s head of gastroenterology at the annual meeting of the American College of Physicians. And Dr. Norton J. Greenberger, chairman of the University of Kansas department of medicine, summarized the conclusions of ulcer specialists, saying: “Three normal meals a day are as good a buffer as six bland ones; and milk contains calcium, which stimulates acid secretion and creates rebound problems.” It was recommended that ulcer patients avoid only foods that they know disagree with them. Of course, it is wise to consult with a professional concerning a particular patient’s dietary needs.

China’s Tall Five-Year-Old

◆ Five-year-old Liu Debiao in China is as tall as a 14-year-old boy. He measures 1.47 meters (4 feet 9-3/4 inches) in height and weighs 41.5 kilograms (91.5 lbs). According to the magazine China Reconstructs, he can carry a man of 65 kilos (143 lbs) on his back for more than 100 meters (330 feet). The five-year-old eats a considerable amount at each meal, but doctors are trying to find out other reasons for his remarkable growth.

Brain Size and IQ

◆ In most scientific textbooks and articles on evolution, it is usually implied that the brain size of fossilized apelike creatures or ancient humans is directly related to their intelligence. However, British neurologist John Lorber surveyed “people with severely reduced amounts of brain tissue,” reports GEO magazine, and concluded that they “can have average or above-average IQs.” In fact, one subject had a brain much smaller than normal and an IQ of 126​—well above average.

Charity for Churchmen

◆ Executives of the United Church of Canada are so highly paid that about a third of them have refused recent increases or have returned a portion, according to the United Church Observer magazine. The executives reportedly said that they could not accept the additional salary and face the poor, many of whose donations go to pay church wages. The Observer asserted that a middle-income church executive salary is almost $32,000 (Canadian).