In Cape Town, South Africa, a city of nearly four million people, drought conditions and fires have made headlines lately. But recently the world learned the true seriousness of the drought. “Dam levels in Cape Town have dropped and with many Capetonians still using more than the restricted limit of water, Mayor Patricia de Lille announced on Tuesday that Day Zero had been brought forward by seven days to April 22… Day Zero refers to the day when Cape Town’s dam levels reach 13.5% or less.

According to a recent study in the highly respected journal Science, “Ocean dead zones with zero oxygen have quadrupled in size since 1950… while the number of very low oxygen sites near coasts have multiplied tenfold” (The Guardian, January 4, 2018). Because most sea life cannot live in these dead zones, scientists predict that mass extinction and ecological collapse could occur if the trend continues.

In the wake of parliamentary reforms in Poland, the EU has threatened to use Article 7 against the nation. “While only a warning, Article 7 could lead to sanctions and a suspension of EU voting rights” (Deutsche Welle, December 20, 2017). According to an EU spokesperson, “Judicial reforms in Poland mean that the country’s judiciary is now under the political control of the ruling majority.

The expression “by the book” is an English idiom that means to exactly follow the rules and regulations; to follow given directions explicitly, without deviation, or to act in an officially approved manner.

Some think the expression originally referred to the Bible, the well known book from ancient times. This certainly makes sense, as the God of the Bible required His people to exactly follow His commands.

While obesity is on the increase around the globe, so is hunger! Both of these conditions can result from malnutrition. In early December, Cape Town, South Africa hosted the 3rd International Conference on Global Food Security in an attempt to better understand global food scarcity issues. “Malnutrition, including over- and under-nutrition and micro-nutrient deficiencies, is the top contributor to the global disease burden.