Scientific American has a feature in which readers can pose a question about science to be answered by expert opinion. This month the question was “Have we passed the point of no return on climate change?” The answer is quite sophisticated but also quite sobering. The answer is that we have not yet passed the point of no return, but it is only a few (according some, five) years away. We are quite clearly running out of time.
Both the US and China are showing signs of an economic slowdown, raising fears that they will drag the global economy down. US industrial production took a sharp dive last quarter and China’s economy only grew by 7%–a huge number for most other countries but a disappointment for China. With concerns about economic growth in the emerging economies of Brazil and India, a stalled Russian economy, and a slowly growing European economy, the loss of US and China as engines of economic activity could push the global economy into a recession.
Female genital mutilation appears to be a standard practice in Indonesia and it is generally done in hospitals with exceptional hygiene. The practice was banned in Indonesia in 2006, but the ban was repealed in 2010 due to pressure from many religious organizations. The UN defines 4 types of female genital mutilation, and the 4th type (which is defined as female circumcision in Indonesia) generally does not involve removing any part of the genitalia. The practice seems to be less common than in the past, but is still fairly pervasive in Indonesia.
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