Eating Disorders in the Fashion Industry

Link to Article and Video

This article caught my eye.  It is not directly related to international news, I suppose, but is an international problem.  The report is about a book that was written by a vogue editor about the eating disorders in the modeling industry.  This is a topic I am a little passionate about because I have struggled with wanting to be anorexic and have many friends who have struggled as well.

I find it frustrating the unrealistic pressure we put on women (and men, I suppose) to be so skinny it is unhealthy.  Not only are the models unrealistically skinny, but after their photos are further photoshopped into "perfection."

I am grateful that my boyfriend is accepting of how I look and doesn't expect me to look like a model, however, it is interesting that it doesn't change how hard of a time I have maintaining a healthy and positive image of my body.  I get so angry when I look at the expectations of models and how those expectations dribble down into the general population.

Indian Peacekeepers Killed in Sudan

Link to Article

This article reported that 5 united nation peacekeepers were killed Tuesday in ambush in South Sudan.  The peacekeepers were originally from India and were there with 2,200 other Indian peacekeepers.  I was not aware the India was helping with the UN peacekeeping committee.  Apparently in the attack 5 Sudan civilians were killed, 4 others injured as well as several who are currently unaccounted for.

It is very unfortunate for the families of these peacekeepers to loose their family members when they were trying to help Sudan.  The fighting in Sudan is effecting so much.  Every time I read international news I just get overwhelmed for the United Nations and all they have to help with and keep track of.

Abortion Wo's in Ireland

Link to Article
Today the husband of a women who died because she was denied an abortion testified in Ireland.  Ireland currently does not allow an abortion unless the "life, but not just the health of the mother is at risk."  Apparently the women was informed the the fetus would not make it, but the fetus was not removed until it was dead.  The women died 4 days later from a blood infection.  The husband was the only one who testified today, later the doctors and other will also testify.

I am pretty conservative when it comes to abortion.  I view it very much like killing a baby.  However, it seems that any laws that do not take into account the life of the mother are too extreme.  It is very unwise to protect a new mothers health and is especially tragic in this case when the baby died any way.

Afgan Children Kill in US Airstrike

Link to Article

In accordance with the last several sad posts I've done, this article is about how an air strike on Saturday killed 10 children.  This airstrike was conducted by the American military and was suppose to be targeting a high-profile Taliban commander, Ali Kahn.  The strike was successful in killing their target as well as several other Taliban fighters, however 5 women were also injured and 10 children kill.  The news article claims the women and children were relatives of the Taliban commander. 

Being the ultra un-violent person that I am, I've never really understood killing in wars and such.  I always wish there was a better way to solve the problems.  It is especially hard, however when the killing involves children, who never hurt anyone.  

President Hamid Karzai had requested in February that their not be anymore airstrikes.  I'm unaware of how he feels about this, but it is probably a find line he walks on what he is willing to allow and what he is not.

Not Enough Relief for Refugees

Link to Article

This article reports on the Syrian refugees that have been seeking refuge in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.  This is caused from fighting in Syrian's capital Damascus that started back in March 2011.  Since this time the United Nations estimated that 3.6 millions have left the nation.

The United Nations has reported that the refugees could easily overwhelm the international humanitarian agencies.  They stated that if fighting intensifies in Damascus there could be a half million Palestinians who would join the already numerous refugees.  If this happens there is no way the refugee agency will be able to keep up.

Whenever I read stuff like this I remember why I didn't keep up on international news before this class. There are just so many things wrong with this world.  So many things that are not fixable, and on such a huge scale.  So much sadness and so much suffering that I can do basically nothing about.  I cannot imagine being in charge of the United Nations Humanitarian Agencies, what an overwhelming job.

Sudan Removes Limbs of Criminals

Article Link

This article reported on Sudan, a country in Africa punishing it's criminals by cutting off the hands and legs of convicted criminals.  These punishments are based on an interpretation of Islamic Law.  Recently some doctors have refused to carry out the orders to remove the hands or legs of these criminals, claiming it would make them break the Hippocratic Oath to protect patients.

It however, was most interesting that some people in Sudan are not alarmed by this and are even make public statements regarding the normalcy of their practices.  Recently Sudan's Deputy Chief Justice announces that they may start to train judges to cut perform the amputations if doctors continue to refuse to carry out the orders.

This article was a pretty good example of the extremely different ways that cultures think from each other.  In our culture this is a very inhumane way to treat any human, even if they are a criminal.  However it appears they find this to be a very normal practice that is not only legal, but encouraged. So in the United States we are in a heated human rights battle over homosexuals being allowed to marry, in Sudan they are still stoning women on counts of adultery.  Definitely extremes in what is cultural acceptable.

More Woes from North Korea

Link to Article

This article was about North Korea threatening nuclear strikes on the US.  The UN Security counsel was upset at the nuclear tests North Korea has been doing and put sanctions on them.  "The sanctions enraged the North further ... it ratcheted up its threats, suggesting it could carry out a pre-emptive nuclear strike on the United States."  North Korea definitely is trying to make a statement.

North Korea is threatening nuclear warfare on the United States, kind of a big deal, but I thought it was interesting that in my daily life I don't feel the effects of this.  Nothing has changed for me.  It didn't make a difference that some country was treating harm to my country.  It's weird how war is that way.  I hope things simmer down so I don't ever have to experience the trauma that war in your own country brings.

Horse Meat used in Nestle Products

Link to Article

I know a few people already posted about this last week, however this week the European Horse Meat problem struck a little closer to home so I thought I'd write about it.

My father works for Nestle and worked for Stouffer's frozen food for several years, it is a company that I trust for good quality food.  When I heard that they had horse meat in their frozen meals I was a bit disappointed that a company I trusted would allow horse meat into their frozen meals in Europe.

I also thought about how crazy work would be for the quality assurance managers in Europe.  My dad works in quality assurance and even when small problems happen it can be time consuming.  I can only imagine the effect of a problem that has hit international news would be to the quality assurance managers and probably other managers in the company.  Anyway, for the sake of my commitment to Nestle, I figure I'll just blame the company they were getting their meat from and not Nestle.

North Korea Nuclear Weapons

Link to Article

Yesterday North Korea conducted it's 3rd nuclear test, which the entire world looked down on, including China, the United Nations, and the United States.  I was surprised that even China looked down on this, because it seems we disagree with them so often.  However, the most surprising part of the article was the quote from North Korea about WHY they are conducting these test.  "The test was carried out as part of practical measures of counteraction to defend the country's security and serenity in the face of the ferocious hostile acts of the US, which wontedly violated the DPRK's legitimate right to launch a satellite for peaceful purposes."

I didn't do any research on what exactly the US did in regards to their satellite launch, however I believe that nuclear testing is a bit of an extreme response to that.  It seems that if you are going to do something that extreme, you wouldn't admit it on your national news.

Nigerian Sex Trafficking

Article Link

The Global Post featured a 3 part series on sex trafficking in Nigeria today.  It told about how people would trick uneducated and poor women in Benin City and other small towns in Nigeria into "borrowing" money to travel to Europe to work as a nanny.  They would participate in a "curse" that said if they didn't pay back the money they would die.  It sounded as if many of the girls jumped at the opportunity of a better life, without a thought that they may have been lied to.  When they arrived in Europe instead of being taken to their promised jobs, they were brought to a prostitution home and told they were to repay their debt via prostitution.

The series included 3 sad stories of girls who had escaped.  It also said that most of the girls who went were uneducated and very poorly educated.  While some do repay their debt, most are sent back to Nigeria penniless, others never return.

Jedy-Agba, the executive secretary for Nigeria's National Anti-trafficking Agency said, "It is big enough to be a source of concert to both the Nigerian government and the international community."  It is such a problem worldwide.  It is unfortunate there are so many problems with so many awful things going on through out the world.  It would be great if we could solve them all.

South African Man Gives To Charity

Global Post Article Link

This week a South African man, Patrice Motsepe, promised to give half of his fortune to charity.  A foundation called The Giving Pledge has challenged the "wealthiest individuals and families in America ... to give the majority of their wealth to philanthropy."  The program allows the individuals to choose the charities they donate to.  Obviously this program is expanding and Motespe, who is the first billionaire in Africa, represents the first African to make The Pledge.

He announced that he would be giving his wealth to The Motsepe Foundation. This organization was established 10 years ago by Motsepe and his wife, during which time they have been working to "fight poverty and improve the social and economic conditions of the poor, unemployed and marginalized persons and communities." They hope that their contribution will help the poor, as he believes "that it is important for successful South Africans to help the less fortunate." I think all those who took the pledge, including Mr. Motsepe, are such admirable people for seeing outside of themselves and being willing to give to those who are in need.

15,000 Crocodiles Escape in South Africa

http://lifeissavage.com/2013/01/25/15-000-crocodiles-on-the-loose-after-escaping-from-south-african-farm-pic/

Global Post Article Link

In the last several weeks many countries have had problems with flooding.  According to this article 3 were killed in a cyclone that hit Australia this last week, 35 have been killed in Mozambiqu flooding problems since October,  and there has been extreme rain in the Philippines and Indonesia. However on a unique note, in South Africa 15,000 Crocodiles escaped into the wild due to flooding.

Apparently the flooding forced the Rakwna Crocodile Farm to open the the gates to prevent the enclosures from bursting. Most of them headed for the river and they were able to recapture about half of them.  The article does not say there were any deaths from the crocodiles, although 12 have died from the flooding.

I was so surprised that they kept so many crocodiles together.  15,000!  I hope they are able to get them all back to the Farm and that no one gets hurt.

Germany Brings 674 Tons of Gold Home

Link to Article
Currently two thirds of Germany's gold is stored outside of Germany.  This is equal to about 183 billion dollars.  Recently a decision was made that a transition would be made to bring some of the gold home to be stored in Germany.  Half of the gold stored in the United States will be returned to Germany, in small increments over the next several years.   They will also be taking some from the reserves stored in London and Paris.

While this is a controversial in the public regarding what it means about the economy, it seems like a pretty smart move for Germany to me.  You can't always be making your decisions based on what is best economically for the rest of the world. The purpose of having gold is for backing in time of crisis and if there is a crisis it would be difficult to move it quickly.  While it is smart to spread things out so they couldn't all be stolen or destroyed all at once, it seems that gold should be accessible in time of need.  Hopefully the transportation goes smoothly.

Syrian Airstrikes

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1309986--fighting-rages-around-strategic-syrian-military-air-base

New York Times Article Link
This article discussed how the Syrian government has launched several airstrikes to  counter the rebellion occurring in their country.  They apparently claim there attacks are geared toward "armed terrorists", however many civilians have been killed.  On Sunday January 13th there was an attack in the middle of a market.  Many families were out, including children.  There have been 20 children killed total.  The article seems to be inferring that the government is not targeting the terrorists as it claims it is, but rather is targeting civilians.

I always have a hard time with violence, as I'm not a very violent person.  It seems crazy to me that people would want to kill people without any understanding of who you are targeting.  I guess it is suppose to send a broad message, but it is pretty crazy to kill innocent people just to send a message.  Kind of a high price to pay.