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Three Women's Rights Activists Win Nobel Peace Prize

Annie Scudder — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:10:08 PDT

This year's Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to three women "for their nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work." Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first woman to be democratically elected president in Africa; Leymah Gbowee, who fought against the use of rape in Liberia's civil war; and Tawakkul Karman, a pro-democracy leader in Yemen, share this year's prize of $1.5 million.

Tawakkul Karman becomes the first Arab woman to ever win the prize. The prize committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said oppression of women is the "most important issue in the Arab world" and explained, "We have included the Arab Spring in this prize, but we have put it in a particular context. Namely, if one fails to include the women in the revolution and the new democracies, there will be no democracy."

As for the two winners from Liberia, a country created for freed American slaves in 1847, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, 72, became the first freely elected woman in Africa in 2005, after her country's brutal civil war. U2's Bono reacted to her win, calling her "an extraordinary woman, a force of nature, and now she has the world recognize her in this great, great, great way." And the third woman, Leymah Gbowee, heads Liberia's Women For Peace movement, and has worked to stop brutality against women and to increase their voting and participation in democracy.

Of all the Nobel prizes, the peace prize has been awarded to women most frequently. However, men still dominate the laureate list, as out of 101 individuals who have won, only 15 have been women. This year's award makes a statement that the committee does believe that women are invaluable to peace around the world.

Few, but Mighty, Women Have Won Nobel Peace Prize

TresSugar — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:05:34 PST

Today is International Human Rights Day, which also marks the date the Nobel Peace Prize is handed out. We all know that Barack Obama won the prize this year, but I thought it would be fun to look back at the women who have taken home the honor in the past. Take this quiz to find out what you know about the female Nobel Peace Prize laureates.

Take the Quiz

Speed Read! Obama Accepts Nobel Peace Prize

TresSugar — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:45:08 PST

President Obama acknowledged the controversy when he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize today in Oslo, Norway. - CNN
India's high maternal death rate can be cured. - Women's eNews
Books that should never be made into movies. - BuzzSugar
Sarah Palin supporters talk feminism. - The Sexist
Pictures from vintage travel books. - T Magazine
The Sex and the City 2 poster is sort of a letdown. - PopSugar
New book turns the world's greatest literary works into tweets. - Flavorwire
Frosty the inappropriate snowman gets CBS in trouble. - Lemondrop

Obama's Nobel Peace Prize: Deserved or Premature?

TresSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:00:00 PDT

This morning, a humbled President Obama said he did not expect to wake up to the news that he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Maintaining that he did not feel that he deserved to be in the company of the transformative figures previously honored by the prize, Obama said he would accept it as "a call to action, a call for nations to confront the challenges of the 21st century."

The Nobel committee cited Obama's rare ability to have "captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future." The committee also strongly criticized Obama's predecessor, revealing that the award may have been a rebuke of President Bush.

But some aren't so convinced that Obama was deserving. RNC Chairman Michael Steele offered his opinion: "It is unfortunate that the president’s star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights."

Front Page: Barack Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize

TresSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 07:50:21 PDT

In an unexpected move, President Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize, thanks to his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." - BBC News
David Letterman apparently invited one of his mistresses on a family vacation with his wife and son. - New York Post
Jim and Pam got married last night on The Office. - BuzzSugar
Looking for hidden ice, NASA bombed the moon twice earlier today. - Huffington Post
A virus that causes chronic fatigue has been identified. - New York Times

Front Page: Global Markets Rally, Krugman Wins Nobel for Economics, Afghanistan Commander is Hopeful

CitizenSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:56:07 PDT

Global Markets Rally:
Banking stocks in Asia and Europe jumped this morning after European leaders announced plans to inject capital into banks and guarantee interbank lending. Rising between 5 and 10 percent, the rallying world markets are hoped to have a positive impact on the US market which opened moments ago, up, but with the Dow still in the 8,000s.

Krugman Wins Nobel for Economics:
US Economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has won this year's Nobel Prize for Economics. He won for his analysis of trade patterns and new theories that answer questions on free trade and globalization. Krugman says he hopes the $1.4 million prize won't change his life: "I hope it does not lead me into going to a lot of purely celebratory events."
Afghanistan Commander is Hopeful:
The top American commander in Afghanistan said yesterday he wants doubters to believe that the war against the Taliban can be won. Gen. McKiernan leads over 65,000 troops and said at a conference in Kabul that there have been "too many" reports about losing the war in Afghanistan. He says, “I absolutely reject that idea, I don’t believe it. It is true that there are many places in this country that don’t have an adequate level of security. We don’t have progress as even and as fast as any of us would like. But we are not losing in Afghanistan.”

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Front Page: Nobel Peace Prize Awarded, Dow Falls Below 8,000 at Opening, NATO to Attack Opium Labs

CitizenSugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:54:05 PDT

Nobel Peace Prize Awarded:
The 2008 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded this morning to former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari. Chosen from a group of 197 people for his decades of cautious diplomatic work, the Nobel committee says he was picked, “for his important efforts in several continents and over three decades to resolve international conflicts," specifically his work to end South African domination in Namibia.

Dow Falls Below 8,000 at Opening:
Moments after the opening bell this morning, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell below 8,000 amid news that the global markets are in a selloff. European markets fell more than 10 percent at opening and shares in Asia continued to decline amid fears of a huge global recession. One expert says, “We are fighting really dire fundamentals. It will require restoring trust and confidence before a sustained rebound will be possible.” Perhaps addressing that confidence, President Bush is set to give an address at 10:25 a.m. ET.

NATO to Attack Opium Labs:
NATO has just agreed to allow its troops to attack opium factories in Afghanistan for the first time. According to a NATO spokesman the troops will be acting "against facilities and facilitators" to stop those using the drugs to finance the Taliban. Some NATO members have expressed concern that the crackdown will cause a backlash against the troops. Afghanistan supplies more than 90 percent of the world's opium.

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In Praise of Urban Biking

FitSugar — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 02:30:00 PDT

After watching An Inconvenient Truth, I started asking "What would Al Gore Do?" as I walked around my house turning out lights left on in empty rooms - or when my husband left the car idling. I guess the answer to that question would be, "He would win a Nobel Peace Prize! That is what Al Gore would do."

FitSugar gives a big congratulations to Al Gore and the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for their shared win of the Nobel Prize. In honor of this momentous nod to changing our ways to positively affect climate change, I wanted to take a moment to praise urban biking. Biking is a great way to get about town and not only decreases your carbon footprint, but it gives you a workout too. Parking is easy as well. You just ride right up to where you are going and lock up your bike. If the streets are over congested, you can speed past all those cars on your agile two wheeled, pedal-powered bike. That's why David Byrne likes to bike in NYC.

Do you bike around town? Tell me about why you like it in the comment section below.

P.S. I am wondering where this cute urban biker's helmet is? I do think Al would suggest protecting her noggin while protecting the environment – don't you?

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The Week in Pictures

TresSugar — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 04:00:46 PDT

This week started off with the nightmare ending for Amanda Knox, after her murder conviction was overturned and she was released from Italian prison. On Wednesday, the Duchess of Alba, 85, and her 61-year-old beau tied the knot after she gave up her fortune to prove their love was no money-grabbing gimmick. But sadly all of the news wasn't so happy this week; Steve Jobs lost his battle with cancer, and we lost the man who launched the Apple legacy. The week ended on a positive note, however, as three women were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. See all this and the other headlines you might have missed in our week in pictures.

Daily Tech: Current Sidekicks to Become Bricks on May 31

GeekSugar — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 10:00:21 PST

Danger getting the axe on May 31, existing Sidekick owners need to move on by then - Switched
Fake SNL products that were actually made - TheMarySue
Best FAIL videos of the month - Urlesque
How to host a hot video gaming party - Unplggd
Facebook Like button morphs into a share button - Dvice
Wikileaks, Internet nominated for Nobel Peace Prize - Cnet