TresSugar

Friday Feel Good: Epic Political Sing-Along

TresSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:00:00 -0700

No matter where you fall on healthcare reform, or Obama, or the UN, this musical combines presidents and prime ministers singing in perfect harmony, thanks to Auto-Tune. It's like church revival hour, but on Friday. Happy Friday!

UN Climate Change Meeting Not So Easy on the Environment

LibertySugar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:30:16 -0800

Thanks to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, 13,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide will join the Earth's atmosphere. More than 10,600 people plan to attend the two-week summit in Poznań, Poland, where delegates will discuss issues such as the greenhouse effect and weather pattern changes. Energy used to get the attendees to the talks, or used to heat and light the venue, will contribute to the very problems they seek to solve.

This doesn't mean participants aren't trying to be green - many traveled long distances by train or bus to keep emissions down. Delegates who skipped air travel will reduce their greenhouse emissions by six times. In addition, Poland plans to buy carbon offsets for the conference, meaning the government will pay to reduce pollution elsewhere.

Do you think purchasing carbon offsets helps quiet accusations of hypocrisy, or would delegates find an alternative to a pollution heavy conference if they really practiced what they preach?

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Saudi Arabia Donates $500 Million to Help Food Crisis

LibertySugar — Sat, 24 May 2008 11:00:52 -0700

Saudi Arabia made an impressive $500 million donation to the United Nations World Food Program, the UN announced Friday.

The country, benefiting from high oil prices while many others feel the pinch, is doing its part to help assuage the developing global crisis caused by rising food prices. The effects have been seen all over the world. In Mexico, the government is preparing for a backlash against rising tortilla prices, in Suburbia, USA, big box stores have rationed staples, and in Haiti the government collapsed over the crisis.

Saudi Arabia produces 9 million barrels of oil a day and oil prices have now topped $130 a barrel. You don't even have to do the math to know that's a whole lot of revenue.

The UN World Food Program, the world's largest humanitarian operation, set a goal of $755 million to be raised by all its member agencies. Thirty-two countries added to the Saudi donation, contributing a total of $960 million, exceeding the target significantly. Hopefully the money will quickly help the 130 million of people in hunger as a result of rising food prices.

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Front Page: Tornadoes in VA, Militants Killed in Sadr City, UN Food Task Force

CitizenSugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:47:41 -0700

Tornadoes in VA: Three tornadoes raced through southern Virginia yesterday afternoon, leaving more than 200 people hurt. One of the twisters left a 25-mile path of destruction. A man who works for a tree removal service and had been out for hours trying to clear the roads said, "it's just a bunch of broken power poles, telephone lines and sad faces.'" About 3,000 residents remain without power. Gov. Tim Kaine has declared a state of emergency in some areas. He will be touring the hardest hit regions today.

Militants Killed in Sadr City: The US military reports that at least 28 militants have been killed during battles in the Sadr City area of Baghdad. Intensified fighting between militants loyal to Shia cleric Muqtada al Sadr and US and Iraqi forces in the Iraqi capital sparked after militia members attacked coalition positions Sunday during a sandstorm. Last week Muqtada al Sadr instructed his supporters that they should continue "resisting" the US "occupation" of Iraq, but they should not fight Iraqis.
UN Food Task Force: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is setting up a task force to tackle the global food crisis. Blaming soaring food prices, Ban said the world faces "widespread hunger, malnutrition and social unrest on an unprecedented scale." The first priority to get food to the hungry is to close this year's $755 million funding gap for the UN's World Food Programme (WFP). He urged countries pledging money to make the funds available now. The WFP believes 100 million people currently don't have enough food.

Iran Celebrates National Nuclear Day With Uranium Enrichment

LibertySugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:00:52 -0700

Iran plans to install 6,000 nuclear centrifuges. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced the news today - Iran's "National Day of Nuclear Technology." Today, state television plays patriotic music, and Iranian children chant "nuclear energy is our natural right" in honor of the national holiday. I wasn't exactly sure what a centrifuge does, but it sounded serious so I checked into it.

OK, here's the low down: centrifuges are used to enrich uranium, which can be used to build nuclear bombs. Iran probably already has 3,000 centrifuges, and tripling the number will significantly increase its nuclear capacity. Iran says it's innocently pursuing alternative nuclear energy, and that the country has the right to proceed with peaceful enrichment. But, the UN Security Council has demanded it cease enrichment, and has repeatedly sanctioned Iran.

Whether or not Iran has intentions to build a nuclear weapon, it's clearly intent on defying Western powers and international pressure. China announced today that officials from world powers will meet in Shanghai on April 16 to discuss Iran's nuclear program. Will sanctions help convince an Iran content on not making concessions?

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The UN Told, 70% of the World's Poor Are Women

LibertySugar — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:00:00 -0700

A UN-commissioned report just uncovered some surprising statistics - most women worldwide still face large-scale discrimination. In addition to the fact that 70 percent of the world's poor are women, women also own only 1 percent of the world's titled land. Fifty-three countries still allow rape within marriage.

The inequities know no boundaries, even though we sometimes associate harsher discrimination with more conservative societies. The effects, according to the report, show that women are still discriminated against in almost every country.

The author of the study focused on unjust laws, such as those dealing with divorce, marriage, and maternity benefits, that perpetuate inequality. Even basic laws - like minimum marriage age - if they're set younger for women than for men, can have huge consequences on education and quality of life. The author is calling for the creation of a UN rights investigator as a way to make repealing these laws a top priority.

Do you think extra attention from the UN would help? If you're a women, have you felt impacted by discrimination? Should the UN be focused more on improving conditions for all humans, or should women's issues have some priority?
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Tibetan Students Take Protest To The UN, Get Lunch

CitizenSugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:00:50 -0700

About 20 Tibetan high school students breached a brick wall surrounding the United Nations compound in Katmandu today, with a small home-made sign reading "Free Tibet." Their mission was to ask the UN to help their cause. Sounds like an unruly breach of security? Not really. The students peacefully assembled on the grass and they were served a lunch of steamed dumplings, called momos, instead.

A spokesman for the United Nations, said the teenagers were polite intruders and over lunch they were asked to write their grievances for United Nations officials. No one was arrested, and agency officials said they would make sure they all were escorted home safely. The spokesman concluded of the protesters, "they were very nice."

It's a touching and humane story out of a situation that his been anything but. Chinese officials and Tibetan protesters have been in violent clashes for weeks. China says that currently about 660 protesters have "surrendered." Tibetan Monks staged a noisy protest today continuing the unrest which is the worst it's been in 20 years.

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Front Page: Cheney, McCain in Iraq, Violence in Kosovo

CitizenSugar — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:00:44 -0700

Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in Baghdad just hours ago on an unannounced visit, according to the Iraqi prime minister's office. On Cheney's agenda are plans to meet with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and with Gen. David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, as well as US Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker. The vice president was on a tour of the Middle East, the latest official to make the trip recently. The trip coincides with the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war.

On an unrelated trip, Sen. John McCain is also in Iraq today with colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee. He is scheduled to meet with the same officials as Vice President Dick Cheney. Iraqi politicians are monitoring the visit closely knowing that the outcome of the upcoming election will certainly affect their country. Wael Abdul Latif, an independent Shiite member of the Iraqi Parliament, said “this visit confirms that the Republicans believe that the Iraqi war is very important in the fight against terrorism in the Middle East.” As Iraq is central to the current campaign, Hillary Clinton delivered a major policy speech in DC this morning on the Iraq surge and her plan to begin troop withdrawals.
United Nations police have been forced to withdraw from parts of Kosovo after clashes in Serbian areas in the divided city of Mitrovica with Serb demonstrators grew too violent. The violence is said to be the worst since Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence last month. In the clashes, at least 22 UN police and eight NATO troops were injured. The violence started after about 100 UN police arrested 53 Serbs in an operation to retake the UN court in a Serbian part of the city. The action caused 200 to 300 protesters then gathered in front of the court and began to throw rocks and Molotov cocktails, forcing the withdrawal.

Front Page: Attack Stats, UN Supports Kosovo, Afghan Cell Phones

CitizenSugar — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 07:07:57 -0700

Just-released declassified reports on the frequency of insurgent attacks in Iraq show a large decrease in attacks directly following the surge of US troops, but the conflict now seems to have drifted into a stalemate. Levels of violence have plateaued recently, remaining constant from November 2007 through early 2008. The report was released yesterday at a Senate hearing. News of the stabilized level of violence comes just a day after eight American soldiers were killed in bomb attacks, in addition to bombings and small-arms attacks in or near at least eight cities, the worst being a roadside bomb that struck a bus full of Iraqi civilians, killing at least 16 and wounding 22.

UN authorities in Kosovo told Serbia today to stop interfering in Serb areas of the new state, where Serbian unrest makes it appear as though Belgrade is trying to split up the territory. Kosovo's declaration of independence comes with a list of Western supporters. and the UN mission called on Serbia to respect the resolution. The recently declared independence comes nine years after a NATO bombing drove out Serbian forces to halt the killing and ethnic cleansing of Albanians.
Afghan cell phone companies have started closing down phone signals at night after attacks by the Taliban in southern Afghanistan. Ten cell phone towers were attacked in recent weeks, including one last night. Cell phones were only introduced to the country in 2001, after the fall of the Taliban. The Taliban is now threatening the companies, saying that the networks are being used by Afghan and NATO troops to target them. Cell phones are the only method of communication for many Afghans.

United Nations Says Stop Being Soft on Celebrity Drug Users

LibertySugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:30:28 -0800

It's common knowledge that drug use often goes hand in hand with the celebrity lifestyle. Countless famous abusers check in to rehab, or even sing about it. Pictures of celebrity junkies using drugs are widely available in magazines or on the internet. But, is public airing of celebrities' habits too small a price to pay for breaking the law?

The UN's International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) thinks celebrity abusers are getting off too easily when it comes to criminal sentencing. In its annual report, the INCB maintains that when celebrities glamorize a drug-related lifestyle, it influences the youth, a group most vulnerable to celebrity culture.

The INCB is warning countries against disproportionately targeting low-level offenders. Instead, countries should go after high-profile users, as well as the criminal gangs fueling the drug trade.

Do you think that celebrities get soft treatment from the criminal justice system? Should we expect them to be role models, and therefore make examples of them when they violate the law?

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