TresSugar

The Ultimate Crappy Job? Bangladeshis Pan Gold in Sewers

CitizenSugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:30:22 -0700

While we all might get "a case of the Mondays," the story of the job these Bangladeshis do is so intense, it makes most job complaints pale in comparison. A new market has opened in the sewers of Dhaka, Bangladesh and for those who have the entrepreneurial spirit, they’re literally finding gold. The catch? You have to pan it from human waste in an open sewer. That’s right, people are now digging through sewage in an effort to make money.

With gold reaching a high of $1,000 an ounce, many who endeavor to such extremes find it rewarding. One such “miner” was quite matter of fact about his work: “I used to think that this work was really nasty, but I’m used to it now, it’s just my job and it brings me money.” And it does. The sewer which runs alongside nearly 350 gold shops into which gold specks and occasionally the odd piece of jewelry fall. These shops belong to a centuries-old bazaar run that employs nearly 20,000 people. When the shops are swept clean gold and other bits of precious metals are swept into the drain along with urine, feces, and any other garbage you can imagine.

To see how much these workers make, read more.

Sometimes a team of three can find as much as $50 a day in gold. On average it is estimated that someone in this line of work will make about $12 a day, but that may soon change as the price of gold begins to rise and fewer customers visit this historic gold market. It's estimated that nearly two-thirds of all the workers in this market will be let go by the end of the year which, in turn, means that the sewer miners will be up the proverbial creek when it comes to their livelihood.

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A Plague of Rats Isn't Worth Some Ink? Bangladesh Is in Crisis

CitizenSugar — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:00:24 -0700

Spent much time thinking about Bangladesh lately? If the answer is no, don't worry - I was in the same boat, so to speak, until I saw these pictures.

Earlier this month, crushing rains left 20 people dead and over 20,000 stranded when overwhelming rainfall left five feet of standing water in the low-lying areas. This is on top of already taxed landscapes that flooded when melting Himalayan glaciers burst the 200 rivers that web across the country last year. Bangladesh under water is seeming like a real and permanent possibility.

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - whose claims are usually conservative - said that Bangladesh is heading to lose 17 percent of its land and 30 percent of its food production by 2050. That's like California and New York drowning, and the whole Midwest ceasing production of food.

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If this happens, more than 20 million Bangladeshis will be without a patch of land to stand on. Though hardship in the country isn't entirely recent: since 1971, Bangladesh has endured over 200 disasters that have left a total of 500,000 dead and affected a total of 500 million people.

And I haven't even said anything about the plague of rats that's consuming all of their food. A plague of rats. I wish, wish there was more room for stories like this in the general consciousness - shouldn't we be hearing about this every night? Not to dwell on the gloomy, but just knowing about this makes the answer to this question pretty clear to me.

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Front Page: Female Anchors Are Taking Over Nightly News

TresSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:00:57 -0700

Diane Sawyer will replace Charles Gibson as anchor of ABC's World News when Gibson retires in January. Two of the three nightly newscasts will be anchored by women. - BuzzSugar
Students across the US are borrowing more and more to pay for college. - Wall Street Journal
Male government employees in Bangladesh have been ordered to stop wearing suits, jackets, and ties so the government can save on electricity. - BBC News
The White House hopes to simplify and scale back healthcare reform bills. - New York Times

News Roundup

LibertySugar — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:30:58 -0800

A former Ohio police officer was convicted of murder today for killing his pregnant lover and her unborn baby. After two days of deliberation a jury found Bobby Cutts Jr. guilty of murder in the death of Jessie Davis and aggravated murder for the death of her unborn child. -ABC
Barack Obama received the backing of a major service workers union Friday. The 1.9 million-member Service Employees International Union endorsed Obama Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, Hillary's support among superdelegates may be slipping. - CNN
Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank has made its first loans to US poor. The bank is attempting to bring its pioneering microfinance techniques to the millions of people in the world’s richest country without a bank account. - Financial Times

Top 10 Things You Don't Know About John McCain

CitizenSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:15:45 -0700

With all this wall-to-wall Dem coverage, what with the convention and Biden and all, I needed a little palate cleanser - a little sorbet for the conservative soul, if you will. I found this juicy list of answers to all of your McCain mysteries. Here are the top 10 things I didn't know about him - hamsters, fried turkeys, and all:

He's a thespian! He played the part of Scrooge in the POWs' staging of A Christmas Carol while being held in Hanoi.
Email or no, he stays in touch. He chats with the men he shared a cell with in Vietnam almost daily.
Scandalous! His parents "eloped" to Tijuana, Mexico - though McCain's grandfather accompanied them.

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He's a drill sergeant on vacation. He's a wall-to-wall planner. His children call it "Camp McCain."
I believe this is probably one of those "Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting" deals- apparently he has a stuffed dancing hamster on display in his Senate office.

To see the rest, from what's he's reading to his grandkids (!), read more.

Not on the Oprah Book Club (that I know of) but his favorite book is For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway.
Penny for his thoughts - he carries a lucky penny in his pocket.
All in the family: McCain has seven kids. Two he adopted from his first wife's previous marriage, one born to him and his first wife, three born to him and his second wife, and the one they adopted from Mother Teresa's orphanage in Bangladesh. This surprised me: He also has four grandchildren.
A true extrovert, he doesn't like to be alone.
Not particularly healthy fare, but he likes to deep fry turkeys in peanut oil. Gobblers in Goobers. Come on. That's a good one.

What do you think? Any shockers? Any explanation for the dancing hamster?

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Al Gore Ties Myanmar Cyclone to Global Warming

LibertySugar — Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Al Gore says that the cyclone in Myanmar is a result of global warming. He told NPR yesterday:

And as we’re talking today, Terry, the death count in Myanmar from the cyclone that hit there yesterday has been rising from 15,000 to way on up there to much higher numbers now being speculated. And last year a catastrophic storm from last fall hit Bangladesh. The year before, the strongest cyclone in more than 50 years hit China – and we’re seeing consequences that scientists have long predicted might be associated with continued global warming.

Gore said that because ocean temperatures are on the rise, extreme and dangerous weather is also on the rise.

Critics of Gore say he's taking advantage of the deaths of thousands of innocent people to promote his political advantage. But, if he truly believes that we must address climate change to stop such disasters and save future lives, doesn't he have an obligation to speak up? If he is wrong about global warming, what harm is there in taking better care of the planet anyways?

Is Gore right to tie Myanmar Cyclone deaths to global warming?

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Briefing Book! Knowing Is Half the Battle . . .

LibertySugar — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:30:16 -0700

Campaign Ads: Will McCain save money on ad creation? Replace latest Clinton ad with an approval by McCain, and we've got a hypothetical McCain campaign ad. - RedState

Government Spending: Simple Math? When it comes to creating jobs and managing the nation's finances, Democratic presidents succeed while Republican presidents show failure. - Huffington Post
Travel: Gap year must? 23-day, 7,000-mile train route will connect London to Bangladesh. - londonist
Campaiging: Creative canvassing? Chelsea Clinton gets groped on bar crawl. - Wonkette
Young Voters: Can we read their minds? Check out an advance copy of an MTV/CBS poll of 18-29 year olds. – CampusProgress

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Front Page: Birdflu Outbreaks, Zimbabwe, Flying Cell Phones

CitizenSugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 07:00:40 -0700

India and South Korea are both struggling with fresh outbreaks of bird flu. In India, officials have ordered the elimination of about 20,000 birds. The outbreak is based around Bangladesh and has spread to more than half the country. Earlier this year, more than a million birds were slaughtered in the eastern state of West Bengal after an outbreak of bird flu there. In South Korea the second outbreak of the year, at a duck farm, requires the elimination of hundreds of thousands of birds. The H5N1 bird flu virus has killed more than 230 people in South East Asia since late 2003.

Nine days after the Zimbabwe presidential election, a court in Harare is due to rule on the opposition’s demand for an immediate release of the final tally. The governing party has insisted on a recount leading to further delays. A spokesman for the opposition says, “You can’t ask for the remarking of an exam whose result is not known by the student. It shows their mischief and shenanigans in trying to manipulate the poll.” The opposition has declared victory, though independent election monitors question whether he won the majority required to win outright. President Mugabe's party’s decision to push for a runoff and efforts to delay publication of the election outcome, however, makes voters fear that it is playing for time to mount a campaign of violent intimidation.
The European Commission said today they will allow cell phones to be used on planes. Under the new rules, travelers will be able to receive and make calls safely using their own mobile phones while flying all over Europe, according to the EU. The luxury will be to a very few travelers at first over fears of interfering with the aircraft's functioning. The service might cost travelers however, as the airplanes plan to carry the calls on their own network - at higher rates.

Check This: Condemning McCain's Service in South Carolina

CitizenSugar — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:01:54 -0800

A terrible specter of the 2000 race, attacks against John McCain's military service record are popping up again in the Palmetto State. South Carolina Republicans are set to vote in their primary tomorrow, and the outcome - with three different winners in the first three major contests - couldn't be more crucial.

Earlier this week, Vietnam Veterans Against McCain circulated a handout accusing the candidate of betraying fellow POWs to save himself. In 2000, among other insults hurled at the Senator was the accusation that the daughter he and wife Cindy adopted from Bangladesh was actually a "black baby" he had fathered out of wedlock. McCain's campaign has been circulating authorized biographies to preempt more smear tactics.

To whomever deems these attacks an appropriate method of campaigning, I say this: Shame. On. You. Six years is six years. Whosoever has the mental and physical fortitude to withstand years of torture as a prisoner of war, then come home, only to again serve his country bravely, nobly, and fairly, is not deserving of this abuse. Disagree with him, don't vote for him, but for the rest of our sakes, at least be so good as to show John McCain a shred of the dignity he has shown you.
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On the Newsstand: Huge U.S. Embassy in Iraq

LibertySugar — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 01:30:00 -0800

A recent Vanity Fair article about the new American Embassy in Iraq caught my attention. $600 million of U.S. tax money is being spent on building a fortified America in Baghdad. I couldn't believe I was unaware of such a massive and expensive project.

The article is truly fascinating so just read more.

It is the world's largest, most expensive embassy, the size of Vatican City.
It will cost $1.2 billion a year to run.
Contractors, not allowed to employ Iraqi workers for security reasons, import workers from Bangladesh and Nepal.
It is self-sustaining, with its own power generators, water, telephone, fuel and sewage systems.
American life has been imported. It has tennis courts, a landscaped pool, a bomb resistant gym, department stores, a beauty salon, a night club, a movie theater, etc.
The cafeteria serves free food including American comfort food and low calorie options.
It is located in the Green Zone, surrounded by layers of check points and blast walls.

Reading this definitely conjured up a range of emotions-I couldn't decide whether to be angry, impressed, or embarrassed. What do you think?

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