Watching the World

Destructive Invaders

“Invading ‘aliens’ are costing the global economy possibly hundreds of billions of dollars every year as well as spreading diseases and causing massive ecological destruction,” declares the International Herald Tribune. Numerous plants and animals that are innocuous in their home environment are being carried knowingly or unknowingly to new territories. For example, a tree snake, native to Australia and Indonesia, has wiped out native forest birds on Guam and is working its way across the Pacific—sometimes by hiding in airplane wheel wells. The introduction of caulerpa algae and South American water hyacinth into other ecosystems is decimating indigenous marine and aquatic life over huge areas. Grass exported from the United States to China for golf courses is now growing out of control, while Chinese longhorn beetles, transported in pallet timber, are causing damage to North American forests. Other species that have proved destructive include the Indian mongoose, the zebra mussel, the Miconia tree, the Nile perch, the North American gray squirrel, the walking catfish, and the Rosy wolf snail, as well as crazy ants.

 Cosmetics for Kids

Cosmetic makers in Japan are offering a line of makeup specially designed for children, reports The Japan Times. Riding the wave of a cosmetics craze that is sweeping the country, young girls, including preteens, are flocking to department stores to purchase items such as glittering lipstick and transparent mascara, in imitation of their favorite singing idols. In the past, children put on lipstick as a play activity. Now, increasing numbers of children are serious about applying makeup and want to know how it can be used to enhance or diminish certain facial features. An editor of a magazine for children noted: “The age of those who suffer an inferiority complex has dropped. Today’s children are aware of their weaknesses at a younger age than their predecessors.” One firm, however, has held the line, stating: “Japanese culture is not familiar with cosmetics for elementary school children and junior high school students. We will not make cosmetics (for them) from the standpoint of social morality.”

“Shaken Infant Syndrome”

Shaking a baby by his arms, legs, or shoulders could cause serious health problems, reports El Universal newspaper of Mexico City. “Some doctors believe that many individuals with learning disorders are victims of the shaken infant syndrome.” According to pediatric specialist Juan José Ramos Suárez, “this trauma could cause brain hemorrhage and brain damage even though there are no external signs of abuse.” He adds that it could also cause hearing loss, blindness, spinal injury, paralysis, convulsions, and even death. This is because an infant’s head is relatively heavy, while the neck muscles are not very strong and cannot support the pressure of being shaken. True, an infant’s crying can be irritating. But to help caregivers, the paper suggests “three simple steps that take less than a minute: (1) Stop, (2) sit down, and (3) relax. Control your emotions instead of blowing up at the infant.” Then either take care of whatever is causing the baby to cry—perhaps by feeding him or changing his diaper—or do things that will soothe and entertain him.

Demise of the Gondola?

“[The] ancient art of gondola builders is facing a slow death in Venice,” says The Independent newspaper of London. “Future gondolas may be made by amateurs in disregard for the tradition, materials and craftsmanship that reflect the history of one of the world’s most fascinating cities.” The art of building the famous boats, known to have existed since the 11th century, is in danger of dying out “because the old system of passing it on, from father to son or master to apprentice, has been interrupted.” High labor costs and the fact that young Venetians are not prepared to spend 20 years learning the art are blamed. So, it seems that when the present few master builders reach retirement age, no one will replace them. It takes 500 hours of labor to build a gondola, which differs from other boats in that the left side is wider than the right, being balanced by the weight of the gondolier and his oar. This asymmetrical design allows him to negotiate Venice’s narrowest canals.

Piracy on the Rise

“Piracy is doing better than ever,” reports the French magazine Valeurs Actuelles. The number of pirate attacks have more than doubled over the past two years. The situation is particularly bad in Southeast Asia, where the financial crisis has led the poorest to turn to crime. But piracy is also increasing off the coasts of Africa and South America. According to Edouard Berlhet, representative of the Central Committee of Shipowners of France, “in 1998, losses amounted to 16 billion dollars. Some ships disappear completely, along with their cargoes. They are hijacked and disguised, and then they reappear in suspect ports under flags of convenience.” The pirates, using high-speed boats and sophisticated communications equipment, are heavily armed and are increasingly violent.

Young Drinkers

“Youths in Europe are getting drunk at an ever younger age and with increasing frequency,” reports the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. This alarming trend was recently brought to the attention of the health ministers of the European Union. How serious is the problem? A 1998 study showed, for example, that in some countries between 40 and 50 percent of the 15-year-old boys drink beer regularly, while girls of that age in England, Scotland, and Wales outdo the boys in consumption of wine and spirits. In Denmark, Finland, and Britain, more than half the 15-year-olds have got completely drunk more than once. Alcohol is also blamed for the death of several thousand persons aged 15 to 29 throughout the Union each year. The Council of Ministers has recommended alcohol education to make youths aware of the effects of drinking.

Smoking Deaths Helpful to the Economy?

“Philip Morris Cos. officials in the Czech Republic have been distributing an economic analysis concluding that . . . smokers’ early deaths help offset medical expenses,” says The Wall Street Journal. “The report, commissioned by the cigarette maker . . . , totes up smoking’s ‘positive effects’ on national finances, including revenue from excise and other taxes on cigarettes and ‘health-care cost savings due to early mortality.’” The article adds: “Weighing the costs and benefits, the report concludes that in 1999 the government had a net gain of 5.82 billion koruna ($147.1 million) from smoking.” Outcry against the report was swift. “Tobacco companies used to deny that cigarettes killed people. Now they brag about it,” one columnist wrote. Said economist Kenneth Warner: “Is there any other company that would boast about making money for the public treasury by killing its customers? I can’t think of one.” Philip Morris issued an apology the following week. “We understand that this was not only a terrible mistake, but that it was wrong,” said senior vice president Steven C. Parrish. “To say it’s totally inappropriate is an understatement.”

Helping Children Be Less Materialistic

Children are “a marketer’s dream,” with even young children becoming “obsessive consumers,” reports Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper, “and nothing has worked to stop the trend.” However, a team of professors at the Stanford University School of Medicine feel that they have come up with a solution: a six-month curriculum aimed at both helping children reduce their TV watching and helping them be more selective in what they watch. By the end of the school year, children in this program were much less prone to request new toys from their parents. According to the Globe, “a typical child sees 40,000 commercials a year, up from 20,000 a year in the 1970s.”