News

A new study of more than 600 children, conducted by a university in Belgium, found that the more exposure children have to “green spaces,” the higher their IQ (Euronews.com, August 24, 2020). Researchers discovered that “a three per cent increase in the greenness of a child’s neighbourhood raised their IQ score by 2.6 points on average.”

As the date for a “hard Brexit” approaches, divisions among the nations of Europe continue to grow, as does the desire of some of them to leave the European Union. In Italy, the new “Italexit” Party began in July—inspired by Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party in the UK, with the hope of a similar result.

You don’t need to be a prophet to realize the entire world seems to be on the verge of a dangerous turning point. We’ve lived in times of relative peace and calm over the last several decades. However, the past several years have seen increasing tension all over the world, and many would say that 2020 is the worst year yet. Stability seems to be evaporating more rapidly than ever. Citizens are revolting against their governments around the globe. COVID-19 has brought powerful economies to their knees.

Due to extreme weather in Britain during the last year, experts predict the wheat harvest could be down by 40 percent (BBC, August 26, 2020). As a result, some millers have already increased the price of wheat flour by 10 percent. And, assuming a “no-deal Brexit,” experts expect those prices to rise still further. The extreme variation between a very wet winter, a very dry spring, and very wet harvesting conditions does not bode well for crop harvests this year.

After serving as Japan’s prime minister for nearly eight years, Shinzo Abe announced last week that he would be stepping down due to health issues (New York Times, August 28, 2020). Mr. Abe has been the longest-serving prime minister in Japan, a country known for prime ministers who often serve very short terms. In recent months, he has drawn considerable criticism related to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.