News and Prophecy Staff

The South Asian nation of Nepal decriminalized sodomy in 2007.  This year (2011), census workers recorded not only the male and female genders but also a “third gender.”

Banning circumcision will become a ballot measure in San Francisco’s November elections.  If the bill passes, parents who circumcise their children could face one year in jail or a $1,000 fine.

Proponents of the proposed bill liken male circumcision to female genital mutilation.  They claim the practice is dangerous and extremely painful—despite a lack of research to support their arguments.

In a study of more than 4,500 Mormons in Utah, researchers examined behaviors that were associated with lower risk of coronary artery disease—heart disease.  After accounting for other factors (smoking, alcohol use, coffee, and tea ingestion), researchers discovered that those who fasted routinely (without food or drink) were at lower risk for heart disease than those who did not fast.  Fasting was also associated with lower diabetes risk (The American Journal of Cardiology, October 1, 2008).

According to an Oxfam spokesperson, “All the signs are that the number of people going hungry [worldwide] is going up…  By 2050 demand for food will rise 70 percent yet our capacity to increase food production is declining.”

April witnessed tornados wreaking havoc in Alabama and the Carolinas.  On Sunday night, May 22, a major tornado devastated Joplin, Missouri.  The 200-mile-per-hour winds destroyed an estimated 2,000 buildings.  More than 125 people lost their lives and more than 230 people are still reported missing (Wall Street Journal Online, May 26, 2011).   The Joplin tornado was the deadliest tornado in the U.S. since 1947 (irishweatheronline.com, May 25, 2011).