Watching the World

Economic Crime on the Rise in Europe

“Economic crime has worsened significantly since 1998,” according to a report adopted by Council of Europe parliamentarians. What is economic crime? The report from the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development lists “trafficking in human beings, illicit drug and other contraband smuggling, counterfeiting, environmental crime, cybercrime, tax fraud, money laundering, corruption and influence trading.” Noting that crime of this sort is becoming more closely connected to politics, the report warns: “Europe’s will to fight it may well wane and the battle be lost.” The author of the report, Vera Squarcialupi of Italy, said: “The rule of law, which is the lifeblood of civilised society, will be the first to suffer.”

Surviving Plane Accidents

“More than 95% of passengers survive commercial airplane accidents,” states Canada’s National Post newspaper. According to the Post, a U.S. National Transportation Safety Board study found that the majority of passengers survive even “serious accidents” that result in substantial airplane damage. Art LaFlamme, director general of civil aviation at Transport Canada, explains: “Most of the accidents that do occur are in the landing and takeoff phase. These are the type that don’t make the headlines, and most of these accidents are highly survivable. That’s why we put a lot of emphasis on safety briefing.” Frequent travelers tend not to pay attention to safety instructions. But as one airline spokeswoman put it, “it is very important people tune in. In the event of an emergency, their lives will depend on it.”

“Techno-Stress”

“Techno-stress”—frustration arising from pressure to use new technology—is said to be mounting, reports Maclean’s magazine of Canada. Studies point to causes that range from “the never-ending process of learning how to use new technologies to the blurring of work and home life as a result of innovations like e-mail, call-forwarding and wireless phones.” How can you cope? Experts recommend setting boundaries. Determine whether using a particular device will really simplify life or add new complexity. Count on having to invest time to learn a new technology well enough to realize its full benefits. “Put aside time each day to turn the technology off,” and devote time to other priorities. “People start the day by making the fundamental mistake of opening their e-mail, instead of working to a plan,” notes Vancouver productivity expert Dan Stamp. “The best hour and a half of the day is spent on complete rubbish.”

Children Write Their Own Books

In an effort to promote reading, school children in Zambia are being encouraged to write and illustrate their own short books, reports the Zambia Daily Mail. “Most of the libraries in schools have reading materials on things and situations that are completely alien to the Zambian children,” states a government report. “The advantage of children writing their own books is that the books are of their own level and area of interest.” Some of the stories may become part of school or class libraries, be read on the radio, or even be published. The Daily Mail notes: “This is a very cheap way of building reading resources in that it only requires paper and pen. It is also a way to utilise a resource that is plentiful (pupils) to create a resource that is scarce and expensive (books).”

Malaria Drug No Longer Effective

‘Chloroquine, the most widely prescribed antimalarial drug in Zambia, is to be phased out of government dispensaries as the first line of treatment for the disease’ and replaced with more effective medication, reports the Times of Zambia. The phaseout comes after a study indicated that “resistance to Chloroquine is claiming 12,000 of the 25,000  under-five deaths attributable to malaria each year in Zambia.” The changeover has also been instituted in most other eastern and southern African lands. “Although Chloroquine has served the country well for more than 30 years, it is no longer effective in the treatment of malaria, which remains far and away the number one killer in the nation,” says the Times.

Alcohol and Bicycles Don’t Mix

Riding a bicycle after drinking alcohol may be as dangerous as driving a car after drinking, reports New Scientist magazine. “Riding a bike requires a higher level of psychomotor skills and physical coordination than driving a car, so alcohol has an even stronger effect,” says Guohua Li of Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, U.S.A. Li and his colleagues studied 466 bike riders and found that those who had consumed four or five drinks were 20 times as likely to be seriously injured or killed. Even consuming only one drink made bike riding six times more dangerous. “To make matters worse,” says New Scientist, “the more the cyclists had to drink, the less likely they were to wear a helmet.”

Paper From Banana Plants

After bananas are harvested, the stalks are often simply left on the ground as fertilizer. However, Professor Hiroshi Morishima of Nagoya City University has succeeded in making paper from banana stalks, reports Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper. The plant’s fibers “are long and strong and are about the same good quality as the raw material for producing paper from Manila hemp.” Machine-produced banana-stalk paper is comparable in quality to regular copy paper, and it has proved to be stronger than recycled copy paper. “Bananas are produced in 123 countries throughout the world and 58,000,000 tons are produced annually, making it a promising resource,” says the newspaper.

Honey’s Healing Powers

Besides its delightful taste, honey has long been known for its healing powers. According to the newspaper The Australian, a research team from Queensland and Sydney universities has shown why honey is a potent bacteria killer. When honey is mixed with water and applied to wounds and burns, an enzyme in the honey reacts with the sugar to produce hydrogen peroxide, well-known for its use in domestic bleach. This chemical not only kills bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus but also helps tissue to repair itself.

The Demise of the Nail

“The heyday of the common nail is undeniably over,” states The Toronto Star. The paper reports that the market for common nails “has been nearly halved in the last few years.” The development of pneumatic nailers, or nail guns, has reduced the demand for common nails in North America. Hardware stores in the United States report that professional builders rarely buy common nails, opting instead to use nail guns, which are becoming increasingly lighter. Why have manufacturers of common nails not switched over to the production of pneumatic nails? “For the same reason railroad companies didn’t go into the airline business,” answers the Star. “It’s a fundamentally different product.”

Etiquette Education

For the past eight years, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has offered a free course in etiquette to all its students. Why? Travis Merritt, former dean of undergraduate affairs, describes students as typically “style-free, fashion-challenged, and manner-deprived,” reports New Scientist magazine. The one-day course includes instruction in table manners, dress, business and cell-phone etiquette, and ways to get acquainted with others. Students are taught such things as how to walk and how to sneeze discreetly, and they are also reminded that “small talk is a dialogue, not an interrogation.” One instructor, Roseanne Thomas, emphasizes the importance of saying “thank you” when accepting a compliment. “These are basic skills needed anywhere in life,” says Thomas. “I think it comes as a little bit of a shock when people realise that interpersonal skills are so critical for success.”