In recent years, the kindergarten has been getting more and more boys. Since the late 1970s Chinese couples have been allowed just one child - and most parents here prefer to have a son. China is worried about what may happen in 20 years or so when these kids grow up and start trying to settle down.
An official estimate says that, by 2020, there may be 30 million men of marriageable age who will not be able to find a wife. The gender imbalance has various causes. Abortions on female foetuses are believed to be widespread as couples, particularly in rural areas, hope for a son who will look after them in their old age. There is also suspected under-reporting of female births. On China's tropical island of Hainan, you get an idea of the problems the country might face in a bachelor-heavy future. In a small village, made up of shacks and pig pens, there are already too many men, and not enough women. Liu Yaxiao introduces his three brothers - all in their 30s, all unmarried. They were born before the one child policy began - but they still cannot find anyone to marry. All the single women left their village long ago in search of work. At home they have to cook for themselves. That is embarrassing in a country where women are expected to make the food. The brothers eat lunch by themselves. They keep an eye on the main road - in case any eligible women wander by. But the road is empty. In years to come, for the single men of China, things will only get worse
Study: Napping Might Help Heart Feb 12 11:01 AM US/Eastern By LINDSEY TANNER AP Medical Writer CHICAGO (AP) -- New research on napping provides the perfect excuse for office slackers, finding that a little midday snooze seems to reduce risks for fatal heart problems, especially among men. In the largest study to date on the health effects of napping, researchers tracked 23,681 healthy Greek adults for an average of about six years. Those who napped at least three times weekly for about half an hour had a 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart attacks or other heart problems than those who did not nap. Most participants were in their 50s, and the strongest evidence was in working men, according to the study, which appears in Monday's issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. The researchers said naps might benefit the heart by reducing stress, and jobs are a common source of stress. It's likely that women reap similar benefits from napping, but not enough of them died during the study to be sure, said Dr. Dimitrios Trichopoulos, the study's senior author and a researcher at HarvardUniversity and the University of Athens Medical School.
Heart problems killed 48 women who were studied, six of them working women, compared with 85 men, including 28 working men.
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