The International Agency for Research on Cancer has raised the classification of ultraviolet light tanning devices from “probably carcinogenic to humans” to “carcinogenic to humans.” —THE LANCET ONCOLOGY, BRITAIN.
In Argentina, 9 out of every 10 pregnant women did not want to become pregnant.—CLARIN, ARGENTINA.
“The scientific discovery of new species is quite routine. Biologists are identifying them at a rate of about 50 a day. Nearly 17,000 new plants and animals were described in 2006 alone—some 1% of the 1.8 million species that have been named.”—TIME, U.S.A.
Individualistic but Depressed
According to researchers, Britain is “the most individualistic society in the world, valuing the self over the group,” reports London’s Daily Telegraph. Another study found that Britons suffer some of the highest levels of depression and anxiety. Some experts believe that there is a connection. Studies compared societies such as those found in the Western world with those of China and Taiwan. In the latter, the greater value given to social harmony over individuality seemed to protect people from poor mental health. In the West, “selfish society . . . is making us depressed,” states the Telegraph.
Same-Sex Marriage in the Church of Sweden
In October 2009, the Lutheran Church of Sweden approved church weddings for homosexuals. The decision followed the Swedish parliament’s adoption of a gender-neutral marriage law just a few months earlier. “This means that the Church of Sweden is one of the first of the major churches in the world to deviate from the traditional view of marriage as a union between a man and a woman,” says the newspaper Dagens Nyheter.
Trains for Women Only
For years women who traveled on India’s overcrowded commuter trains have had to deal with being insulted, groped, pinched, stared at, and generally harassed by male passengers. In response to rising complaints, the government has decided in some cases to remove men altogether, reports the Calcutta newspaper The Telegraph. As a result, in India’s four largest cities—New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Calcutta—a limited number of “Ladies’ Specials” are reserved exclusively for women. Passengers are said to be very pleased. Awake! August 2010
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