An international survey commissioned by Reader's Digest found that Brazilians feel the most pressure to lose weight and be thin. According to the survey (which polled 16,000 people across 16 countries), 83% of those polled in Brazil said there's too much emphasis placed on being slim in their country; next highest was India at 68%; the U.S. at 62%; and France at 55%. Overall the survey found that most people believe too much emphasis is put on being slim. With that said, most have also tried to lose weight. It was also found that women are significantly more likely than men to feel the pressure to be slim. Other interesting findings:
*Russians are the most likely to turn to cigarettes to lose weight (23% of men and 18% of women)
*Mexican are most likely to choose a healthier diet or physical exercise to lose weight (93% report switching to more healthful food to lose weight. 86% have tried to become more physically active)
*51% of married American women wish their husbands were thinner, while 47% of married American men wish their wives were thinner.
*While women from the U.S. was the group that most wanted their husbands to lose weight, men in India was the largest group that wanted their wives to lose weight. 48% of Indian men were unhappy with their wive's physique (46% of Indian women say the same thing about their husbands).
*Hungarians were the least likely to feel there was public pressure on being slim -- only 28% said their country's emphasis on weight was too great. Hungarians were also most content with their spouse's shape. Only 11% of Hungarian men and 14% of women wanted their spouses to be thinner.
*China takes the most diet pills. 37% of Chinese admit to taking weight-loss pills.
*In The Philippines, 95% Filipinos say they enjoy good food; 82% admit to simply not having the willpower to resist it; and only 38% have even tried to lose weight. Weight is blamed on a lack of willpower, whereas those in the U.S. are more likely to blame our weight on a lack of exercise (84%).
*Russia is the country most likely to blame weight on their genes (70%). In the U.S., that number is only 20%.
*67% of Indians say that being overweight can seriously interfere with career advancement. This sentiment was also pervasive in Germany and the Philippines. While 41% of Americans agree with this sentiment.
*Australia and Mexico were the countries that had the highest percentage of people (52%) that said size interferes with their sex life. Russia was the next highest with 51%. Conversely, Hungarians (15%) and the Dutch (18%) were the least likely to say that size makes a difference to their sex lives. In the U.S., 46% believe size interferes. In every country, men were more likely than women to say that weight interferes with their sex life. (Full Story) (Full Story)
China is facing a gender imbalance among newborns and this is posing a serious demographic problem for the country. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences says that for every 100 girls born in China, 119 boys are born. In some provinces, there's 130 boys born for every 100 girls. The academy says that more than 24 million Chinese men of marrying age could find themselves without a spouse by 2020. Those most vulnerable seem to be men in the poorer parts of China and in the countryside. (Analyst say that while there is a pronounced gender imbalance, it's hard to know the exact numbers because it's believed that some families avoid registering female babies in order to make it easier for them to have a second child).
A major factor in the gender imbalance is sex-specific abortions due to China's traditional bias towards male children and the one-child policy. The academy says that gender selection abortions are "extremely common", especially in rural areas. The introduction of ultra-sound scans in the late 1980s has increased this practice. Moreover, a reluctance among young urban Chinese to have a child or a second child (it is sometimes allowed) is further exacerbating the problem. Experts at the academy predict that there will be more inter-generational marriages in the future -- where the wife is older than her husband. The research also say another implication of the imbalance is that there is growing forced prostitution and human trafficking. (Full Story)
The UK is starting a program to give free laptops to students from poor backgrounds. The Home Access program, announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, has been piloted in two local areas. This program will allow children in need (ages 7 to 14) to apply for a grant for a free laptop and broadband connection. However, not all children that are eligible will get computers. Children in council care and specific educational needs will be prioritized.
This is an attempt to bridge the achievement gap between rich and poor students. A recent study from the Institute of Fiscal Studies found that having a laptop at home could lead to an improvement in grades. The Children's Secretary said, "Families who are most in need cannot be left behind in the digital revolution we're seeing in education." There also is a growing need for this program because many schools and colleges are cutting their IT budgets and computers/internet access are becoming less available, especially during off hours.
Though the family gets to keep the laptop, the broadband connection is only funded for a year. Beyond that, families have to pay for their own internet connection if they want to keep it. (Full Story)
A survey conducted by the Afghan Center for Socio-Economic and Opinion Research revealed that Afghans are increasingly optimistic about the direction their country is going in. The survey was conducted in all 34 provinces during December 2009. More than 1,500 Afghans were asked "Where do you think things in Afghanistan today are going -- the right direction or the wrong direction?" Seventy percent said they believe Afghanistan is going in the right direction. A year ago it was 40%. Compared with last year, Afghans were more positive about their general living conditions and the availability of electricity, medical care, and jobs. They also said that freedom of movement was slightly better.Though, they said insecurity and crime were slightly worse.
Sixty-eight percent now support the presence of US troops in Afghanistan, compared with 63% last year. For NATO troops, support has risen to 62% from 59% last year. When asked whether it was good or bad that US forces entered Afghanistan in 2001 to drive out the Taliban, 83% said it was either very good or mostly good; this compares with 69% last year. However, more participants believe that the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) are now worse at avoiding civilian casualties (43% say worse, 24% say better). There was a divide on how long ISAF forces should stay -- 22% said they should leave in the next 18 months, while 21% say they should stay longer than 18 months.
Seventy-two percent rated President Karzai as excellent or good, compared to 52% last year. Afghans felt one of the major problems facing Afghanistan is corruption among government officials or the police -- 95% identified it as a problem (76% said it was a big problem and 19% said it was a moderate problem). The survey also found there is growing antipathy towards the Taliban -- 90% said they wanted the country run by the current government, while only 6% said they wanted a Taliban administration. Moreover, 69% believe that the Taliban poses the biggest danger to the country and 66% blame the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and foreign militant for the violence in Afghanistan. (Full Story)
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