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LIFE
A PRODUCT
D f DESIGN
f
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Published in 83 Languages
LifeA Product
of Design 3-11
Scientists are trying
to copy the brilliant
designs evident in nature.
But who deserves credit
for lifes marvelous designs?
T and toughnessw ith relative it has led to the creation o f a new science called
ly lig h t w e ig h t p e rm e a te s biomimetics, from the G reek bi'os, m eaning life,
nature. Tender saplings push through
cracks in concrete and rock and force
and mi'me-sis,m eaning im itation.
Biomimetics Promises a Better World
the cracks wide o pen as they grow
Biomimetics is the study o f biological structures
into healthy trees. In turn, trees can
[and] their functions, explains the book Biomimet
w ith sta n d w inds th a t to p p le p o w
er poles and rip houses apart. W ood ics: Design and Processing o f Materials. It adds that
peckers bore into wood and subject this study is for the purpose o f stim ulating new
their heads to forces th at would turn ideas and developing these ideas into synthetic sys
an ordinary brain to pulp. Crocodile tems sim ilar to those found in biological systems.
and alligator hides deflect spears, ar Scientist Stephen W ainwright says th at biomi
rows, and even bullets. (C om pare Job metics will engulf m olecular biology and replace it
41:1, 26.) Such things have both awed as the m ost challenging and im p o rtan t biological
and baffled hum ans for thousands of science of the 21st C entury. Professor M ehm et
years. Sarikaya claims: We are on the brink o f a m ateri
Over the past 40 years, m ajor leaps als revolution that will be on a p ar w ith the Iron
in technology have given scientists Age and the Industrial Revolution. We are leaping
powerful new tools to use in study forward into a new era o f m aterials. W ithin the
ing the secrets behind these designs, next century, I think biom im etics will significant
m ost of which are hidden deep w ith ly alter the way in which we live.
in the living cell. On this m icroscop In fact, it has already begun to alter our world,
ic scale, the quality o f design is truly as we shall see. But first, let us look briefly at a
breathtaking and staggering in com few of the as-yet-unfathom ed m arvels scientists
plexity. The aim o f science, however, are busy studying. We will also examine the so
is not just to crack the secrets under bering im plications behind the word design and
lying n a tu re s rem arkable m aterials see how these give m eaning to the am azing world
but to copy them at least in general around us.
Awake! {ISSN 0 0 0 5 -2 3 7 X ) is published sem im onthly by W atchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.; Milton G. Henschel, President; Lyman
A. Swingle, Secretary-Treasurer; 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY 11201-2483. Periodicals Postage Paid at Brooklyn, N.Y., and at additional m ail
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Vol. 81, No. 2 Printed in U.S.A. 2 0 0 0 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. Sem im onthly ENGLISH
P aris , 1 8 1 2 , J e a n -G a lb e rt S alv ag e
F or exam ple, c o n sid e r ten d o n s,
w hich tie m uscle to bone. Tendons
are rem arkable, not ju st because of An Extinct Fly Helps
the toughness of their collagen-based to Improve Solar Panels
fibers but also because of the brilliant W hile visitin g a m useum , a s c ie n tis t saw pictures
way these fibers are woven together. o f an extinct fly preserved in am ber, says a re p o rt in
In her book Biomimicry, Janine Ben- New Scientist m agazine. He noticed a series o f g ra t
yus writes that the unraveled tendon ings on th e in s e c ts eyes and suspected th a t th e se
A n a to m ie d u g la d ia t e u r c o m b a t t a n t ....,
is alm ost unbelievable in its multi- m ig h t have h e lp e d th e fly s eyes to c a p tu re m o re
leveled precision. The tendon in your light, especially a t very o blique angles. He and oth
er researchers began c o n d u c tin g e xp e rim e n ts and
forearm is a twisted bundle of cables,
confirm ed th e ir hunch.
like the cables used in a suspension
bridge. Each individual cable is itself a S c ie n tis ts s o o n m a d e p la n s to tr y to e tc h th e
sam e pattern o f g ratings onto th e glass o f so la r pan
twisted bundle of thinner cables. Each
els. This, th e y hope, w ill in c re a s e th e e n e rg y gen
of these thinner cables is itself a twist
e ra te d by s o la r panels. It m ig h t a lso e lim in a te th e
ed bundle of molecules, which are, of
need fo r th e co stly tra c k in g s y ste m s p re s e n tly re
course, twisted, helical bundles of at quired to keep solar panels pointed a t th e sun. Bet
oms. Again and again a m athematical te r solar panels may m ean less fossil fu e l use and,
beauty unfolds. It is, she says, engi th u s, less po llu tio n a w orthy goal. Clearly, discover
neering brilliance. Is it any surprise ies like th is one help us to app re cia te th a t nature is
* Vegetable composites are based on cellulose a ve ritable m o th e r lode o f b rillia n t designs ju s t w ait
rather than collagen. Cellulose gives wood many of ing to be fo u n d , u n d e rs to o d a n d , w h e re p o ssib le ,
its coveted qualities as a building material. Cellu copied in useful ways.
lose has been described as a tensile material with
out peer.
Would you welcome more information? Write Watch Tower at the appropriate address.
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W ha le blub ber
provides flo ta tio n , S p id er s ilk is five tim es
h e a t in s u la tio n , s tro n g e r th a n s te e l ,
an d food reserves y e t high ly e la s tic
Dave B. F le e th a m /
V is u a ls U n lim ite d
C ham eleons ch an g e
to b len d w ith
surroundings
The squid, the octopus, and the nautilus all have under the water for long periods w ith
a form of jet propulsion that drives them through out a breathing apparatus? And how
the water. Scientists view these jets with envy. Why? do they repeatedly dive to great depths
Because they are com posed of soft parts that can w ithout getting decom pression sick
not break, that can w ithstand great depths, and ness, commonly called the bends? How
that run silently and efficiently. In fact, a squid can do chameleons and cuttlefish change
jet along at up to 20 miles an hour when fleeing color to blend with their surroundings?
predators, sometimes even leaping out of the water How do hummingbirds cross the G ulf
and onto the decks of ships, says the book Wild of Mexico on less than one tenth of an
Technology. ounce of fuel? It seems that the list o f
Yes, taking just a few moments to reflect on the questions could go on endlessly.
natural world can fill us with awe and appreciation. Truly, hum ans can only look on and
N ature truly is a living puzzle that prompts one w onder. S cientists develop an awe
question after another: W hat chemical marvels ig bordering on reverence when they
nite the brilliant, cold light in fireflies and certain al study nature, says the book
gae? How do various arctic fish and frogs, after be Behind the Design A Designer!
ing frozen solid for the winter, become active again Associate professor of biochemistry
when they thaw out? How do whales and seals stay Michael Behe stated that one result
((A / O R E th an a kingly A p a le o n to lo g is t is a
iV JL gift, the m ost gal scientist who uses fossil re
lan t hom age to have been m ains to study life in past
paid to the Czech nation! geologic periods. Paleontol
T hat is how a journalist de ogy is a re la tiv e ly new
sc rib e d th e legacy th a t science. D uring the M iddle
th e C zech N a tio n a l M u Ages, fossils were dism issed
seum received from J o a as jokes of nature or were
chim B arran d e, th e n o ted th o u g h t to be rem a in s o f
19th-century paleontologist. dragons. By the 18th cen tu
B arrandes kingly gift to ry, however, people in the
th e C zech p eople c o n sist u p p e r classes w ere b e g in
ed o f an im p o rta n t c o l ning to take an interest in
lection o f m ore th an 1,200 collecting fossils. Scientists
crates full o f fossils, which in m any countries also be
he had sp e n t decades co l P o rtra it: Z knihy Vyvoj cesk e priro d o ved y, 1 9 3 1 gan to take an in te re s t in
lecting, studying, and clas the study o f fossils. Joachim
sifying. W hile you m ight not be inclined B arrande was one o f them . W hat do we
to rhapsodize over a collection of old fossils, know about Barrande, and what did he con
Barrandes gift is far m ore valuable to pa tribute to the field of paleontology? Since
leontologists than a treasure trove! he was a contem porary o f C harles Darwin,
w hat were B arrandes views on D arw ins
theory of evolution?
Barrande Makes a Career Change passion for the natural sciences rekindled,
Joachim B arrande was born in 1799 in Barrande ultim ately quit engineering and,
Saugues, a small town in southern France. for the next 44 years, devoted his life to the
He studied engineering in Paris, special study of paleontology and geology.
izing in road and bridge construction. At B arrandes classroom was the fossil-rich
the same time, he took courses in natural c o u n try sid e o f c e n tra l B ohem ia. E ach
science. It soon becam e apparent th at he day brought new discoveries o f exceptional
was gifted in th a t field. A fter graduation beauty and variety. By 1846 he was ready to
Barrande began working as an engineer, but publish the initial results o f his research. In
when he caught the eye of the French royal this work he described and classified new tri-
family, he was invited to tu to r the grandson lobite species, which once inhabited the bot
of King C harles X. The subjectnatu ral tom of the sea.
science. In 1830, as a result of a revolution in Barrande continued collecting and study
France, the royal family was exiled and even ing fossils. Then, in 1852, he published the
tually went to Bohem ia. B arrande joined first volume of a m onograph, or treatise, en
them there. It was in Prague, the capital of titled The Silurian System o f Central Bohe
Bohemia, that Barrande again took up engi mia* Volume I discussed the trilobites. This
neering. was followed by volumes devoted to crusta
As an expert in road and bridge construc ceans, chondrichthyes, cephalopods, lamelli-
branchs, and o th e r fossilized organism s.
tion, Barrande was assigned to survey the
During his lifetime he published 22 volumes
c o u n try sid e a ro u n d P rag u e fo r a p ro
in which he described in detail m ore than
posed horse-draw n railway. W hile he was
3,500 species. The work is one of the largest
going about his work, Barrande noticed that
m onographs in the field of paleontology.
there was an abundance
of fossils in the area. Tak Meticulous and Disciplined
ing a closer look, he was B arrandes m ethods set him apart from
am azed to discover strik other researchers. To his work as a naturalist,
ing sim ilarities betw een * Silurian is the geologic designation of what is thought
to be one of the oldest periods of our planet.
the strata of Bohemia and
the strata of Britain. His
B a rra n d e s draw ings o f trilo b ite s , 1 8 5 2
S k e tc h e s : S lask avym sv o le n fm N a ro d n f knih o vn y v P raze
he brought the discipline o f an engineer. research, there is no room for speculation or
As a designer, he would not tolerate inaccu guessing or for general theories either.
rate calculations or drawings. As a paleon A Humble Man Gives a Kingly Gift
tologist, he strove to attain a very high de
Despite his great success, B arrande did
gree of precision in his drawings, taking great
not fall prey to the snare of pride or dishon
pains to ensure that they were accurate down
esty. A lthough he was at ease with the in
to the finest detail. He personally retouched telligentsia o f Europe and spoke several lan
many of the drawings th at were included in guages, he never lost the com m on touch.
his monograph, although the originals had He learned Czech in order to be closer to
been sketched by a professional artist. the people. This helped him in his work,
Barrandes meticulousness, however, was as it allowed him to com m unicate with the
not confined to his drawings. After each vol stone quarriers who helped him acquire new
ume o f his monograph had been typeset, he specimens for his collection.
personally checked the text. If he was not Barrande was a religious man, and what
satisfied, he sent the offending parts back to he found in nature strengthened his faith
be reset. Barrandes goal was to ensure that in God. He called fossils medallions o f the
every work he published was as accurate as first creations. M oreover, in the introduc
possible. He succeeded admirably. Today, al tion to his work, he referred to the emotions
m ost 150 years later, researchers still use the that moved him to keep studying: It is a
Silurian System as a reference work. feeling of adm iration, satisfaction, and rec
What About Evolution? ognition that pervades and charm s the one
W hen Charles D arw ins book The Origin who discovers or contem plates a p a rt of the
o f Species was published in 1859, many scien works of the C reator.
tists jum ped on the evolution bandwagon. Joachim B arrande died in 1883, leaving
B arrande, however, did not. From the be behind scientific m aterial of uncom m on val
ginning, he rejected the evolution theory be ue. His meticulous approach to his work is
cause he saw nothing in the fossil record appreciated by scientists the world over. Be
to convince him that the theory was true. cause o f the realistic, factual approach he
Barrande said that the purpose of his work took, Joachim B arrandes carefully do cu
was to find out reality and not to construct mented discoveries are still serving research
ephem eral theories. (Italics ours.) Indeed, ers today. From a scientific standpoint, it
on the title page of each volume of the Siluri was not an exaggeration to describe B ar
an System, he inscribed the motto: Cest ce randes legacy as m ore than a kingly gift.
quejai vu(This is what I have seen).
B arrande did notice th a t the bodies of IN OUR NEXT ISSUE
m any an im als w ere in d ifferent stages
of development. However, he correctly con Fatherless Families
cluded that they were of the same species Breaking the Cycle
but o f different age. He saw no evidence
that one kind of animal had evolved into an The Black Death Scourge of
other. Summing up Barrandes philosophy, Medieval Europe
the book A Petrified World says: Barrandes
whole work i s ... built on facts, and that is its Lying Is It Ever Justified?
m ost precious feature. At this stage of basic
M A G IN E that you can travel back in time ists admire M aria T heresas royal palace, nor
I to the year 1741. The air is electric with an to Budapest, the capital of modern-day Hunga
ticipation. Festive fanfares can be heard as ry. You would have to visit Bratislava, a city lo
people push and shove to get as close as possi
ble to the street where a procession is about to
cated on the D anube River, some 35 miles east
of Vienna.
pass. Peasants in their Sunday best and proud Todays B ratislava, a city o f a b o u t h a lf a
burghers attired in the latest fashion are here, m illion p e o p le , is th e c a p ita l o f p ic tu r
along with noblemen who have come to see and esque Slovakia. W hen c o m p a re d w ith its
to be seen. Royal envoys are distributing gold neighboring capitals Budapest, Vienna, and
and silver coins bearing the portrait of Prague Bratislava now seems like a
a young lady, while people shout in little sister. Yet, for over two centu
excitement. W hy all the com m o ries, it was the capital o f Hunga
tion? M aria Theresa, the arch ry and enjoyed all the glory at
duchess o f Austria, is heading ta c h e d to su ch a p riv ileg ed
into the city to be crowned as status. Indeed, the coronations
the new queen o f Hungary. o f 11 H ungarian rulers took
Back to the present. If you place in th is city. B ut w h at
wished to visit the lo c a tio n m ade it so special?
of this im portant coronation, An Ancient Settlement
where w ould you go? N o t to Bratislava boasts an advanta
Vienna, where today m any tour geous p osition on the D anube,
N o rth W ind P ic tu re A rchives M a ria Theresa 15
E uropes second-longest river. In the past, the hom e to th e s o u th and had
D an u b e slowed down at this p o in t and be also penetrated into the region of
cam e shallow, creating a natural crossing. Peo Bratislava. But somehow the Slav
ple, along with their animals and carts, forded ic elem ent prevailed. Evidence
the river there long before bridges connected of this is the Slavic name of the
its banks. Thus, from ancient times the area areas first real castle, which was
around what is now Bratislava was a busy cross built in the tenth century. It was
roads. As early as 1500 B.C.E., one of the Am known as Brezalauspurc, m ean
ber Routes, im portant trade ways connecting ing Castle of Braslavthought
the n o rth and the south o f E urope, passed to have been named after a high-
through the city. Later, traffic across the ford ranking arm y officer. From this
was controlled by a fortress on the nearby hill d e sig n a tio n , th e Slovak n am e
where Bratislava Castle is now located. Bratislava was derived.
If you could go back in time, whom might
The Medieval City
you bum p into at this crossing? Well, if you
arrived about the fourth century B.C.E., you In time, the country now called
would be welcomed by the Celtic people who Slovakia becam e part o f Hunga
made this area a center o f their culture. The ry. A historical account dating from 1211 C.E.
hill served as a kind of acropolis for the local calls Bratislava Castle the best-fortified castle
Celtic com m unity, who produced pottery and in Hungary. Thirty years later, this assessment
struck coins. was proved correct when the castle w ithstood
W hat if you visited at the beginning of our attack by Tatar invaders. T hat success boosted
C om m on Era? If you knew some Latin, you the growth of the settlem ent around the castle,
might have been able to converse with the lo and in 1291, H ungarian King Ondrej III grant
cals, for by then the Romans had pushed their ed the town full privileges as a m unicipality. Its
northern borders to the D anube. At the same citizens thus gained the right to elect their own
tim e, however, you m ight also have m et up mayor, to transport their goods on the D anube
with Germ anic people arriving from the west. River, and to trade freely both on water and
If you scheduled your visit more toward the land. Since vineyards flourished on the citys
Middle Ages, say in the eighth century, you sunny slopes, the citizens right to sell wine out
would find yourself entering an ethnic m elt of their own hom es was especially appreciated.
ing pot. By this time, what came to be called Later Hungarian kings granted the city addi
the G reat M igration had occurred, and Slav tional privileges, which contributed to further
ic people from the east had begun to settle in expansion. In 1526, Bratislava began its long
the territory. The H ungar reign as the capital of Hungary, a position it
ians had established their held until 1784. Meanwhile, Bratislavas ethnic
Slovak N a tio n a l
m ixture becam e ever m ore varied. Its mostly T h eatre
Slavic and Hungarian population was enriched
by an influx o f G erm an and Jewish people. In
the 17th century, as Turkish dom ination ex
panded westward and northw ard, many Croats
sought refuge in the area o f Bratislava, as did
A s tre e t In
Czech exiles fleeing the Thirty Years War be
th e Old C ity
tween Catholics and Protestants farther west
in Europe.
Bratislava in the 20th Century
By the beginning o f the 20th century, Brati
slava had become a m ultinational, m ulticultur
al city. At that time the surest way to get what
you needed in a shop was to request it in G er m ost num erous o f the citys many nationali
man or Hungarian. But Czechs and Romanies ties.
(Gypsies) also played an im portant role, as did Soon th e d a rk clo u d s o f W orld W ar II
the Jewish com m unity. Before World War I, loomed over Europe. Thus began a sad p art
only about 15 percent o f the population was of Bratislavas history, which upset the citys
Slovak. But by 1921, Slovaks had become the ethnic harm ony. First, the Czechs were forced
The N ew B ridge
a n d th e le a n in g to w e r
B ranch o ffic e a n d
K ingdom H a ll o f
Jeho vahs W itnesses
ICTU RE yourself in the
P w orlds biggest library.
B ooks, new sp ap ers, c a ta
logs, photographs, and re
cordings o f every so rton
virtually every subjectsur
round you. All the latest in
form ation as well as m uch
of the literature o f past cen
turies is at your fingertips.
W ell, th e I n te r n e t can
place such in form ation at
your fingertips. It enables a
person to sit at his com put
er and exchange in fo rm a
tion with oth er com puters
How Can I Avoid Dangers
and c o m p u te r u se rs a n y
where in the world.* It al on the Internet?
lows users to sell products,
to make purchases, to make banking trans you can buy books, c a r p arts, and o th er
actions, to converse, to listen to the latest things. M any use it for schoolwork.
music recordingsall in the privacy of their Although the Internet can be useful, it can
own home. also seem like a library w ithout librarians or
Little wonder, then, th at some experts pre other observers. One can browse it with the
dict th a t over 320 m illion people will be feeling that no one else is around. But this
using the Internet by the end of this year. is one of the greatest dangers o f using the
Use o f the Internet is thus becoming com Internet. Why? Because countless Web sites
co n tain m aterial th a t is m orally c o rru p t
m onplace in m any parts o f the world. With
and spiritually destructive. Thus, the Inter
schools and libraries aggressively prom ot
net can expose young C hristians to tem pta
ing its use, millions o f young people have ac
tion. After all, hum ans are naturally curious
cess to it. In the U nited States, nearly 65 per
a tendency that Satan the Devil has long
cent of youths betw een the ages of 12 and 19 exploited. Satan certainly took advantage of
have already used or subscribed to on-line Eves curiosity and seduced her by his cun
services. ning.2 C orinthians 11:3.
P ro p e rly u sed, th e I n te r n e t ca n be a Similarly, a young C hristian could easily
source o f helpful inform ation on the w eath be seduced by unwholesom e inform ation if
er, travel, and o th er subjects. T hrough it, he is not determ ined to safeguard his spiri
* See the series The InternetIs It for You? appearing in
tuality. An article in Better Homes and Gar
the July 22, 1997, issue of Awake! dens explained: The Internet is a bustling
I
F A m an spends five m inutes a day shav ety of designs, including razors with silver-
ing and does so every day for 50 years, he or gold-plated handles. Recent developments
will have spent just over 63 days of his include totally disposable razors, razors with
life removing hair from his face! How do men twin or even triple blades, and razors with
feel about this daily ritual? flexible, pivoting heads.
A recent inform al survey yielded these N ot to be forgotten, of course, are elec
com m ents about shaving: I dont like it. I tric razors, which first appeared on the m ar
hate it. One of the hazards of life. Some ket in 1931. Their efficiency and popularity
thing to be avoided whenever you can get have steadily increased, but the keen edge of
away with it. If some men feel so strongly a blade is still preferred by many who want a
about removing their facial hair, why do they truly close shave.
do it? Lets learn a little more about shaving.
Perhaps well find the answer. An On-Again, Off-Again History
From earliest times m ankind has had an
From Clamshells on-again, off-again relationship with beards.
to Disposable Razors
Ancient Egyptians, says the book
Can you imagine shaving with
Everyday Life in Ancient Egypt,
a clamshell? A sharks tooth? Per
were n o t rem ark ab le for
haps a sharp sliver of flint? H u
body hair and prided themselves
mans have shown remarkable in
on being clean-shaven, using well-
g enuity in choosing im p lem en ts for
made razors which they kept in neat
shaving! In ancient Egypt men shaved us
leather cases. This custom may explain
ing a c o p p e r ra z o r th a t resem bled a
why the Hebrew prisoner Joseph shaved pri
small axhead. M ore recently, in the 18th
and 19th centuries, what becam e known as or to appearing before Pharaoh.Genesis
cutthroats were m anufactured, primarily in 41:14.
Sheffield, England. Often ornately decorated, Assyrians were a race of splendidly beard
these razors had a hollow-ground steel blade ed men. To the point of vanity, they lavished
that folded safely into the handle when not in care and attention on their beards, having
use. These devices had to be handled with them elaborately curled, plaited, and a r
great care, and learning to m aster them no ranged.
doubt cost more than a little skin and blood. Israelite men of old wore beards of m od
For the less dexterous, initiation m ust have erate length, and they used a razor to keep
been traumatic. However, the 20th century them well trimmed. So, what did G ods Law
promised relief. m ean w hen it com m anded Israelite m en
In 1901 a man in the United States named not to cut th e ir sidelocks sh o rt a ro u n d
King Cam p Gillette patented a safety razor or destroy the extremity of their beards?
with a disposable blade. His idea took the This was not a command against trim m ing
world by storm and eventually led to a vari ones hair or beard. Rather, it discouraged
24 Egyptian R om an
MAPPING THE HEAVENS
THEN AND NOW
BY AWAKE!CORRESPONDENT IN THE NETHERLANDS
HE sight of stars sprinkled across the man wanted to bring some order to those
m o st s ta r a tla se s c o n 66
compiled a catalog that
tain only stars, star clus * \ contains approxim ately *
; ;
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neers in th is field was scope o f the Hipparcos
C o n s te lla tio n Orion as It ap p e a rs on a
G e rm a n a s tro n o m e r satellite. The accuracy of
m odern s ta r c h a rt
Friedrich Wilhelm Arge- these catalogs is as yet
lander. Together w ith a n u m b er o f assis unequaled. Based on these catalogs, new
tants, he began the huge u n d ertak in g o f printed star atlases have been created. One
making a catalog of the stars in the north is a comprehensive atlas in three volumes
ern sky. W ith a telescope, they located about called the Millennium Star Atlas.
325,000 stars and m easured the position and T hat title may rem ind Bible readers of
the degree o f brightness o f each o f them. the M illennium, or C hrists Thousand Year
Since the observatory in which they worked Reign o f peace, m en tio n e d in th e Bible.
was located in the G erm an city o f Bonn, the (R evelation 20:4) D u rin g th a t tim e m an
catalog becam e known as the Bonner Durch- will undoubtedly learn m uch m ore about
musterung (B onn O verall Survey). It was the awesome universe, of which even todays
published in 1863. After Argelanders death, largest star atlases can chart only a m inor
his work was continued by one of his assis- part.
B a ck g ro u n d on p ages 2 5 -7 : C o u rte s y of R O E /A n g lo -A u s tra lia n O b s e rv a to ry , p h o to g ra p h by D avid M a lin
W A T C H I N G THE WO RL
Jesuits Denied cidents, reports Reuters news to store data changes so rapid
Registration in Russia service. According to a study ly that systems quickly become
The Russian Ministry of Jus by the World Health Organiza obsolete. Says Abby Smith, of
tice has denied the application tion, 21,000 people in Austria, the Council on Library and In
of the Society of Jesus for regis France, and Switzerland die formation Resources: Infor
prematurely every year from re mation doesnt have much of a
tration as an independent reli chance, unless you keep a mu
gious organization, reports the spiratory or heart diseases that
seum of tape players and PCs
National Catholic Reporter. The are triggered by air pollution. [personal computers] around.
Society of Jesus, commonly In a separate report, it is es
known as the Jesuits, was estab timated that in 36 Indian cit Indias Population
lished in 1540. Under Russias ies, 110 people die prematurely Passes One Billion
new religion law, most religious every day as a result of air pol According to the United Na
organizations are required to lution. tions Population Division, In
reregister in order to receive dias population passed the
legal recognition. Groups that Digital Data Fading Fast one billion m ark in Au
are denied registration cannot gust 1999. Just over 50 years
print or distribute religious lit ago, Indias population was one
erature, invite foreign citizens third of what it is now. If it con
for religious activities, or set up tinues to grow at its present rate
educational facilities. Jehovahs of 1.6 percent a year, in about
Witnesses were reregistered na four decades, India will over
tionally on April 29, 1999. take China as the worlds most
populous nation. India and
Suicides Soar in Japan China already account for more
In Japan more people com For years computer scientists than one-third of the worlds
mitted suicide in 1998 than in said that storing information people, reports The New York
any previous year, reports The Times. In less than half a centu
in digital form was more reli ry, life expectancy in India has
Daily Yomiuri. According to Ja able than storing it on paper.
pans National Police Agency, increased from 39 years to 63
Now, however, librarians and years.
32,863 people killed themselves archivists are starting to tell
in 1998more than three times a different story. Were los U.S. Marriage Rate Dropping
the number killed in traffic ac ing vast amounts of important
cidents in Japan. Much of the scientific and historical ma A study by Rutgers Univer
increase has been attributed terial because of disintegration sitys National Marriage Proj
to financial problems caused ect found that the U.S. mar
or obsolescence, says News riage rate has dropped to its
by unemployment, which has week magazine. Digital stor
gripped the nation following a lowest point in recorded histo
age systems such as disk drives ry, reports The Washington Post
recent economic slump. Suicide are sensitive to heat, humid
is the sixth leading cause of on its Web site. The study also
ity, oxidation, and stray mag noted that immediately follow
death in Japan. netic fields. And depending on ing World War II, 80 percent of
Deadly Air Pollution
storage conditions, the magnet the nations children were be
ic tape used to store digital ing raised in a family with two
Road traffic is the fastest data might last only a decade, biological parents. Today, how
growing source of pollution in says the magazine. Another ever, the figure has dropped to
Europe and in some countries challenge for those trying to 60 percent. The percentage of
more people are dying as a re preserve digital information is teenage girls who said having a
sult of this air pollution than the rapid change in technolo child out of wedlock is a worth
are being killed in [traffic] ac gy. The hardware that is used while lifestyle increased from
Weight I want to thank you from the bot Value in Gods Eyes I often feel depressed
tom of my heart for the article Young Peo and worthless, sometimes thinking that I
ple Ask . .. How Can I Conquer My Obses shouldnt be a full-time evangelizer because
sion With Weight? (May 22, 1999) For my efforts arent good enough. The article
some time now, all I have been able to The Bibles Viewpoint: You Have Value in
think about is my physique and my weight. G ods Eyes! (June 8, 1999) made me feel a
I am ashamed of myself when I look in the lot better. It helped me to see that Satan
m irror, and I hardly get on the scale any tries hard to make us feel that way in order
more. After reading this article, though, I to stop us from serving Jehovah.
realize that its w hats inside that counts. L. W., Canada
L. R., France
The article was very comforting. Until now,
Disabilities I spend most of my time in I have felt as though Jehovah were not listen
a wheelchair. My wife has chronic fatigue ing to my prayers. But since reading your arti
syndrome and suffers from deep depression. cle, I have more confidence in Jehovah and in
The series Hope for the Disabled (June 8, myself. Please continue printing comforting
1999) brought out that grieving is a normal articles like this.
reaction to serious loss. Also, the pictures R.VT., Belgium
in the article W hen All Disabilities Will
Disappear helped make the future repair I bear the scars o f pain fu l experiences
of our infirmities more of a reality to me. mistakes that robbed me of my self-esteem.
C. W, United States Today my relationship with Jehovah and the
knowledge th at his love is beyond hum an
I lost my left foot in an accident when I was comprehension give me a feeling of happi
just four years old. Your series helped me to ness and security.
deal with my frequent bouts of depression. V.S.C., Brazil
Please keep up the good work of combating
prejudice. I have just finished listening to the article
A.J.T.P., Brazil on audiocassette. I have been blind for about
44 years, and even after getting baptized as a
People need to know that disabled individ Christian, I never thought that I was worth
uals have feelings and emotions like everyone very much. This article moved me deeply. I
else and that we can and do get hurt. People thank God so much that he does not see us
sometimes look at you as if you were a freak the way we see ourselves.
and make rude comments, or they act as if A. K Italy
you did not even exist. Disabled people are
neither stupid nor lazy nor helpless. Given I have been plagued with negative emo
a chance, many o f us can cook, clean, shop, tions. But as I read the article, it was as if Je
raise families, hold a job, and even operate a hovah were gently talking to me. It is very
vehicle. One thing that has helped me to car hard to change thinking patterns, but I will
ry on is my learning about Jehovah and his try not to forget what the article said: Je
loving and tender ways. I am not one of Jeho hovah, like a loving p a re n t, is n e a r
vahs Witnesses yet, but I hope to become one ever watchful, attentive, and ready to help.
in the future. Psalm 147:1,3.
A. G., United States K. F., Japan
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