Watching the World

“The presidency has a funny way of making a person feel the need to pray.”​—BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

When asked to select a means of expressing national pride, 56 percent of people in Argentina between ages 10 and 24 said they would prefer to wear the jersey of the national soccer team.​—LA NACIÓN, ARGENTINA.

Results from a study suggest that “roughly one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, which amounts to about 1.3 billion tons per year.”​—FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS, ITALY.

“Today, wars and reports of wars fill the earth, and so the army of our Fatherland should always be ready to protect its people and all that it holds holy from any claims made by an external enemy.”​—PATRIARCH KIRILL, HEAD OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH.

The peak in the number of traffic accidents reported to a German insurance company in 2010 occurred between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. “One of the most important accident prevention measures is to take enough time to get to work in the morning,” comments a company official.​—PRESSEPORTAL, GERMANY.

Young Leaders in Malaysia

A popular TV competition in Malaysia has the theme of picking a good imam, or Islamic religious leader. Entitled “Imam Muda,” or “Young Leader,” the show is filmed in Kuala Lumpur. Contestants, aged 18 to 27, who come from various backgrounds, are gradually eliminated until just one remains. Prizes consist of money and a new car, but the winner is also offered employment as an imam, a scholarship to study in Saudi Arabia, and a paid pilgrimage to Mecca. Contestants must master the duties of an imam, be able to debate religious and current issues, and recite from the Koran. The show’s creator says that his aim is to “attract the youth” to Islam.

Online Indiscretions

Many users of social networks do not foresee the possible consequences of disclosing private information. Yet, indiscretions online can catch up with you later in life. According to school headmaster Timothy Wright, quoted in Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald, “modern technology means that the careless word, the slanderous comment, the inappropriate photograph or the revealing of someone’s private details is on the permanent record and freely available to anyone who has access.” This means that “mistakes made at 15 may be still retrievable by an employer 10 years later,” says Wright.