Watching the World

Understanding Dog Language?

A Japanese toy maker has developed a device purported to translate dog woofs into human words, reports Japan Information Network. The gadget is made up of a wireless microphone that attaches to a dog’s collar and transmits sounds to a small receiver. The receiver supposedly analyzes the dog’s sounds and classifies them into six emotional states: frustration, anger, happiness, sadness, desire, and assertion. The results are shown on the receiver’s liquid crystal display, and they include such phrases as “I’m feeling great!” “It’s so annoying!” and “Come on, play with me!” The manufacturer said that it sold 300,000 of the $100 devices in Japan and hopes to reach one million units when it is introduced in South Korea and the United States.

 No Trust in the Churches

“Germans put a lot of trust in the police and the army, but not in churches,” reports the newspaper Leipziger Volkszeitung. In its “survey on trust,” the World Economic Forum found that of 17 major public institutions, churches came in last. Sociologist Armin Nassehi said that in these times of growing insecurity, Germans put more trust in organizations that “distinguish between good and evil,” such as the police and the armed forces. Why the mistrust of churches? Says Nassehi: “Despite a renaissance of religiousness, people do not believe that the church can solve their truly fundamental problems.” The churches in Germany have “little more than rituals to offer,” he notes.

Mid-Life Divorce

In Germany “more couples than ever are separating after a long-term marriage,” reports Berliner Morgenpost. Gina Kästele, a marriage therapist from Munich, Germany, says that women’s growing independence, especially in financial matters, is a major factor. “The man has lost his former significance as breadwinner,” says Kästele. A common view is that mid-life divorces are a result of couples’ putting off divorce until the children move out of the home. More often, though, says Kästele, mid-life divorces stem from the husband’s having an extramarital affair.

The Power of a Smile

“Up to 74 percent of respondents would not like to do business with gloomy people, and 69 percent could not make friends with them.” So reports Wprost magazine regarding a study by the Institute of Sociology at Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland. One reason cited is that sad people are often perceived as hiding something. People who work in the public eye have long known this, which explains why “politicians, business people, pop stars, TV announcers, and public relations, marketing, and sales people smile” so often, says Wprost. Researchers also found that when we smile, more blood reaches our brain, and this improves our mood. One businesswoman said: “I try to smile even when I do not feel like smiling. When I do smile, I feel a change inside, and it really makes me feel better.”

Campfire Caution

More than 70 percent of children’s campfire burns in Australia are “caused by hot embers rather than flames,” reports the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA). Moreover, in Australia most campfire burns occur “the morning after the campfire had been considered to be extinguished.” How so? Researchers found that when campfires were extinguished with water, the residue of the fire dropped to 60 degrees Fahrenheit [16°C] after eight hours. In contrast, campfires extinguished with sand remained as hot as 200 degrees Fahrenheit [91°C] after eight hours​—sufficient to cause a third-degree burn after one second of contact with the skin. “Because extinguishing with sand disguises the danger,” the MJA says, “the only safe way to extinguish a campfire is with water.”

Cancerous Moles

Most moles on the skin are benign. Nevertheless, it is good to keep an eye out for cancerous moles. According to Mexico City’s Milenio newspaper, the following are signs that you should seek medical examination of a mole: One half of the mole is not equal in size to the other half, the border is irregular, there is a change in color and size, the diameter is larger than 1/4 inch [0.6 cm] [the size of a pencil eraser], or the mole bleeds or itches. Dr. Nancy Pulido Díaz, from La Raza National Medical Center, says: “Those that require more vigilance are the moles that people are born with and those that appear on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet.”

Learning a Foreign Language

Would you like to learn a foreign language? The Polish magazine Poradnik Domowy gives the following pointers. “An inherent feature of learning a language is making mistakes. Accepting this fact is the first step to success.” Added to this is “the willingness to take risks.” If we do not know how to say something, “sometimes we have to trust our intuition, or we simply need to guess,” which is better than refraining from speaking. “We rarely realize that the source of our problems may be fear or shame,” says the magazine. “If we manage to overcome these weaknesses, no doubt we will progress faster.” A good teacher can also help one to overcome fear and progress faster.

“Violence Killed 1.6 Million”

“Violence killed 1.6 million people in 2000, matching tuberculosis and surpassing malaria in their death tolls, according to a new World Health Organization report that attempts for the first time to quantify a vast spectrum of brutality,” says The Wall Street Journal. The estimate is based on data gathered from 70 countries and includes war, assaults, suicides, and shootings. “Researchers found that violent fatalities represent about 3% of all deaths in the world,” the article adds. “The scope of violence​—against women, children, the elderly, young men and communities in general—​proved far greater than they expected. One reason for that, researchers suggest, is violence frequently goes unreported.” The breakdown for violent deaths was: Suicide​—50 percent, homicide—​30 percent, and war​—20 percent. Eastern Europe had the highest suicide rates, led by the Russian Federation and Lithuania. The ratio of gun-related deaths was highest in Albania​—22 per 100,000 people. The United States had 11.3 per 100,000, while the United Kingdom and Japan had 0.3 and 0.1 per 100,000 respectively.

Audio “Drag Racing”

How much louder is one man’s car stereo than another’s? This question has given rise to a new international competition known as dB drag racing, reports National Public Radio, in the United States. At organized meets, the sound levels of car stereos​—measured in decibels, or dB—​are tested with instruments placed inside the vehicles. Sound that can be heard outside the car is wasted, so contestants beef up their cars’ structure to prevent sound from escaping. “In the most heavily modified vehicles, . . . the windows are three [or] four inches [7 or 10 cm] thick,” says competitor Wayne Harris, “and the doors have been reinforced with concrete and steel braces.” Contestants do not sit inside their cars with the sound system turned up​—and for good reason.