TresSugar

Front Page: School Shooting in Finland, Iran President Blames Economy on War, Germany Bids for Hostages

CitizenSugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:00:39 -0700

School Shooting in Finland:
Nine people have been killed and the gunman wounded after he opened fire at a vocational school in western Finland this morning. Chaos ensued after the hooded gunman entered the school and began firing with what appeared to be an automatic weapon. The superintendent of police says, ''The incident is over now." The gunman had posted video of himself on YouTube prior to the attack.

Iran President Blames Economy on War:
In New York for the opening of the UN, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said today that the economic crisis could be blamed on global US military intervention and President Bush's "logic of force." He said, "The world economy can no longer tolerate the budgetary deficit and the financial pressures occurring from markets here in the United States." Bush says he's confident Congress will quickly pass a bailout bill.
Germany Bids for Hostages:
Germany continues efforts to free 11 foreign tourists kidnapped in Egypt on Friday. The kidnappers are holding five Germans, five Italians, and one Romanian tourist for a ransom of $15 million. Germany has formed a "crisis team" to deal with the situation as the kidnappers have threatened to kill the captives if any aircraft attempt to reach them.

Which Countries Are Most Corrupt? Not New Zealand, Denmark

CitizenSugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:00:59 -0700

Money could very well be the root of all evil - though in the latest study of corrupt countries, it's actually the lack of money that sparks trouble. The new report by Transparency International found that in two-fifths of the world's nations, corruption continues to intensify - a trend that can be traced to economic realities. In the countries found to be the most corrupt, 40 percent are classified by the World Bank as low income.

Transparency International's rankings range on a scale from 10 (on the up-and-up) to 1 (rampant corruption). How common is corruption? Of the 180 countries surveyed, 132 of them had scores below a 5. Other factors that contribute to a cloudy ethical picture are weak governments and conflict. The chairman of Transparency International says, "Countries torn apart by conflict pay a huge toll in their capacity to govern. With public institutions crippled or nonexistent, mercenary individuals help themselves to public resources, and corruption thrives."

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Another troublesome mix? Weak government plus plentiful natural resources, like in Equatorial Guinea where 30 percent of the newly discovered oil profits go straight to government officials' wallets. To see which countries ranked where, read more.

The Top Three Least Corrupt: New Zealand (pictured), Denmark (not corrupt and happy!) , and Finland win with scores of 9.4 out of 10. Wealth, stable economies, and a removal from international controversies keep them corruption-free.
The Two Most Corrupt: Somalia and Myanmar. With scores of 1.4 out of 10, the armed conflict, political oppression, and troubles from Mother Nature (Myanmar's horrific cyclone) and pirates (Somalia) corruption is undeniable.
Third and Fourth Place: Iraq and Haiti, respectively. Afghanistan comes in at #7.
Three Countries in Africa Who've Improved: Seychelles, South Africa, and Swaziland all made gains from six to 37 places.
Five Countries Out of Africa With Improvements: Croatia, the Czech Republic, Macedonia, Romania, and Italy. Transparency International points to the European Union accession process on the fight against corruption.

I don't know, but if Denmark keeps winning prizes for being great, they better expect a lot of visitors. What do you think is the biggest contributor to corruption?

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Finnish Culture 101: Traditional Wife Carrying

LibertySugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:00:14 -0700

It may seem like a joke, but wife carrying competition is a serious tradition in Finland. The practice comes from an early tribal practice of wife stealing. Sacks of rye have been swapped with wives, as the relay race is modeled after the work of 1800's bandit leader Ronkainen, who screened wannabe robbers by testing how they faired racing with sacks.

The tradition has gone global. Couples from 14 countries, including the US, Britain, China, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, and Kenya, competed in this weekend's Wife Carrying World Championships. A husband from Estonia won the big prize - his wife's weight in beer!

To see video of the competition, read more.

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Should Politicians Be Able to Send Sexy Text Messages?

LibertySugar — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:00:38 -0700

Finland's popular foreign minister is the latest politician to lose his job over naughty text messages. Ilkka Kanerva sent over 200 erotic text messages to a stripper, pictured. He initially denied the story when it broke in a gossip magazine, but later confessed to using his taxpayer cell phone to send the messages while attending an EU meeting in Brussels.

Technically he lost his post because the incident destroyed the confidence and respect needed to do the job. The embarrassing incident was reason enough to end the statesman's credibility, and thus, career.

Back in the US, Detroit's mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is facing federal criminal charges over 14,000 steamy text messages between him and his ex-chief of staff. Some want the mayor to stay in office, because the texts concerned a private sexual matter between two consenting adults, so lying about it to a grand jury is no big deal. Do you buy it?

If no crime is alleged, like with the Finnish foreign minister, should the public just get over it? Politicians aren't the only ones sending flirty text messages.

To see the 40-year-old man who will replace Kanerva, read more.

New Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb.

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Musical Interlude Time!

GiggleSugar — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:30:00 -0700

If this doesn't make your day, then I don't know what will. It all starts with some creepster-looking guy glaring at you through a pair of Coke bottle glasses while "showing off" on an outdated keyboard. A few seconds of this awkwardness pass and the camera cuts to a minimally dressed man who looks like he's singing from the inside of a bounce house, but he's actually on-stage performing none other than the Finnish "YMCA." And that's not all folks, there are back-up dancers too. Fabulously bad back-up dancers.

Do You Cry Easily?

TresSugar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 04:00:00 -0700

It was reported that singer Lily Allen suddenly started crying onstage at a concert over the weekend in Helsinki, Finland. She told the audience that the pain meds she was on for a nasty fall were making her wonky.

I hardly cry at all now - except during the rare PMS-induced crying jags that can be prompted by anything, including cute pictures of kittens or over-the-top romantic movies. But I did have what you could call a crying phase. Between high school and moving away to college, I was nervous, excited, on edge - and would cry at the drop of a hat. I've always been glad that I never broke down and cried at work; I hear this is a no-no professionally.

The thing with crying, though, is that you usually can't control it once it starts! Do you cry easily? Have you ever regretted crying somewhere you wish you hadn't?

Lawmakers Crack Down on Guns After Shooting Rampages

CitizenSugar — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 10:30:28 -0700

Shooting rampages filled today's headlines. In Alabama, a man killed a dozen people, including the members of his own family. Over in Germany, a 17-year-old boy attacked a high school, killing at least 16 people.

When attacks occur, European countries often hurry to tighten gun laws. Following two school massacres within a year, Finland announced plans today to raise the minimum age for handgun ownership from 15 to 20. In Belgium, lawmakers passed strict gun laws in 2006 after a racially motivated shooting of a toddler and her black babysitter. In Portugal, the parliament is considering denying bail to anyone suspected of a gun crime.

American lawmakers have responded, too. After the Virginia Tech massacre, the governor signed an executive order requiring that anyone ordered by law to get mental health treatment be added to a database of people barred from buying guns.

Do you think this is the correct response to gun-related tragedies?

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Briefing Book! Sarah Palin Chats With Katie Couric

LibertySugar — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:30:09 -0700

Palin: Thoughts? Sarah Palin gives somewhat painful interview with Katie Couric. - Wonkette
Money: The penny gets a makeover? Actually it gets four - check out new penny designs! - SavvySugar
Debate: With or without you? Obama will make debate a townhall if McCain doesn't show. - Huffington Post
Finland: Country asks: what's wrong with us? The rampage at the Kauhajoki school of hospitality is the second mass shooting in Finland in less than a year. - Newsblog
History Lesson: What can McCain, Obama, Palin, and Biden learn from Ronald Reagan, Ross Perot, and Bill Clinton? A lot! - Townhall

Could a Mandated Fast Food Ad Ban Cut Child Obesity?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:30:58 -0800

Experts have gone back and forth on whether the pause in kids' weight gains is permanent, but a new study shows a ban on fast food television ads could help reduce the number of overweight children in the US by 18 percent.

The study, which was compiled by the National Bureau of Economic Research, questioned whether government regulation (something that's been done in Sweden, Norway and Finland) could help the US trim the unhealthy fat off children.

Estimates suggest 13.9 percent of children aged two to five are overweight and 18.8 percent of those aged six to 11 are as well. Exposure to TV is known to raise obesity rates and the Institute of Medicine put together evidence linking food advertising on television and increased childhood obesity.

Fifty-six percent of CitizenSugar readers believe the lull in childhood obesity is one thing, but kids are still too far from having healthy habits. Do you think government regulation of fast food ads help tip the scales in the right direction?

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Front Page: Pirates Anchor Largest Oil Rig Ever Hijacked

LibertySugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:17:15 -0800

A giant Saudi oil tanker seized by Somali pirates Saturday has been anchored off the coast of Somalia. The cargo in the biggest tanker ever hijacked is estimated to be worth $100 million. - BBC News
US officials warned lawmakers that more economic aid is urgently needed, even though the Bush administration has decided not to spend more of the $700 billion bailout funds approved in October. Secretary Henry Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke appeared at a congressional hearing today, where they described a gloomy economic situation and defended their actions. - New York Times

Washington DC officials are preparing for as many as four million people to attend the inauguration of Barack Obama, a tally four times larger than any other event. The city hopes to avoid a situation similar to the 1976 bicentennial, when millions were stranded in cars and buses for hours. - Washington Post
Finland's government plans to raise the alcohol tax by 10 percent, not to raise money but to discourage heavy drinking. Officials say alcohol is the country's most common cause of death.- AP