Today, over 25,000 children died around the world
That is equivalent to:
1 child dying every 3.5 seconds
17-18 children dying every minute
A 2004 Asian Tsunami occurring almost every 1.5 weeks
An Iraq-scale death toll every 16–38 days
Over 9 million children dying every year
Some 70 million children dying between 2000 and 2007
The silent killers are poverty, hunger, easily preventable diseases and illnesses, and other related causes. In spite of the scale of this daily/ongoing catastrophe, it rarely manages to achieve, much less sustain, prime-time, headline coverage.
Why is this tragedy not in the headlines?
UNICEF’s 2000 Progress of Nations report tried to put these numbers into some perspective:
'The continuation of this suffering and loss of life contravenes the natural human instinct to help in times of disaster. Imagine the horror of the world if a major earthquake were to occur and people stood by and watched without assisting the survivors! Yet every day, the equivalent of a major earthquake killing over 30,000 young children occurs to a disturbingly muted response. They die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death."
— A spotty scorecard, UNICEF, Progress of Nations 2000
Unfortunately, it seems that the world still does not notice. It might be reasonable to expect that death and tragedy on this scale should be prime time headlines news. Yet, these issues only surface when there are global meetings or concerts (such as the various G8 summits, the Make Poverty History campaign in 2005, etc).
Furthermore, year after year, we witness that when those campaigns end and the meetings conclude, so does the mainstream media coverage.
It feels as though even when there is some media attention, the ones who suffer are not the ones that compel the mainstream to report, but instead it is the movement of the celebrities and leaders of the wealthy countries that makes this issue newsworthy.
Even rarer in the mainstream media is any thought that wealthy countries may be part of the problem too. The effects of international policies, the current form of globalization, and the influence the wealthy countries have on these processes is rarely looked at.
Instead, promises and pledges from the wealthy, powerful countries, and the corruption of the poorer ones—who receive apparently abundant goodwill—make the headlines; the repeated broken promises, the low quality and quantity of aid, and conditions with unfair strings attached do not.
Accountability of the recipient countries is often mentioned when these issues touch the mainstream. Accountability of the roles that international institutions such as the World Bank and IMF, and their funders (the wealthy/powerful countries), rarely does. The risk is that citizens of these countries get a false sense of hope creating the misleading impression that appropriate action is taken in their names.
It may be harsh to say the mainstream media is one of the many causes of poverty, as such, but the point here is that their influence is enormous. Silence, as well as noise, can both have an effect.
More information in:http://www.globalissues.org/article/715/today-over-25000-children-died-around-the-world
Website which could help those children:http://www.worldvision.org/
Personal opinion
I strongly agree with this article in the term that how could such important issue is not in the headline of the mainstream media which is about continuation of this suffering and loss of life of our tomorrow world’s leader. Instead of reporting this kind of news, the mainstream media would rather report the movement of the celebrities and leaders of the wealthy countries which is considered more newsworthy (buyers are more interested in these kind of issues and the sales is always there with these issues).
These had showed us the ugly side of human natural in handling things. We, human could ignore the other’s death as long as it doesn’t making profits. Money is always the first thing to be considered in making any decision instead of care and love towards those dying life.
Although what those medias did is consider normal and human natural but it still can not deny the fact of they have kill the chance that those children can be save from poverty, deceases and harmful environment for their growth. It has been a silent killer who takes off those children life that easily without a word of sorry.
I did not mean to blame those media and very understand that they have their own difficulties. Just do what we can to save our children, for example donating money, join the campaigns which held to help them and spread these news to people around us.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
What will happen if experienced violence at childhood time??
Violent Upbringing May Lead To Domestic Violence
ScienceDaily (Oct. 6, 2009) — A recent study from the latest issue of Personal Relationships shows that individuals who have experienced violence at an early age may have trouble adjusting to healthy, adult romantic relationships and are at a higher risk to experience marital difficulties.
The research reveals that early exposure to a violent environment is likely to lead to domestic violence situations later in life. Feelings of insecurity, abandonment anxiety, and intimacy issues are also likely to plague these romantic connections.
Additionally, the dynamics of the way couples react and communicate with each other is also related to the likelihood of domestic violence within a relationship. For example, men tend to use violence towards their partner as a means to exert a desire for personal space or avoidance of emotional issues in response to the "clingy" or intrusive behavior of his female partner.
This research highlights the importance of domestic violence prevention efforts starting at the childhood level, within family environments as well as school and community based settings. Moreover, prevention efforts allow the victim to relate long-harbored painful childhood violent experiences and rectify internal representations of self that cause long-term damage to valuable inter-personal relationships and families.
Journal reference:
Natacha Godbout, Donald G. Dutton, Yvan Lussier, Stéphane Sabourin. Early exposure to violence, domestic violence, attachment representations, and marital adjustment. Personal Relationships, 2009; DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2009.01228.x
Web reference : http://www.sciencedaily.com/
Personal opinion
I have heard a sentence said that children is the mirror of parents, once again it has been proven by this article I read. In this article stated that a person tends to be violence after experiencing violence at his or her early age.
I strongly agree that the attitude showed by children is learned from people around them. The closest people with the children usually are their parent, in the other words children are learned from their parent. Children can be said as pure as a white paper and they learn everything which happen around them, they also unable to differentiate whether it is wrong or right but just repeat it out exactly the way hey saw.
If a child had experienced violence, they would think that this is the way to express their desire. They will started to lose their social and communication skill with the society. This will make them isolated by the society and hence leading to certain level of personality’s disorder.
After their marriage they will treat the same way after their father did to them towards their children. The next generation will be on the same journey as their folks gone through. This article alert us about the importance of domestic violence prevention efforts starting at the childhood level, within family environments as well as school and community based settings.
Hope that parents will aware that their attitude and attention toward children are necessary in the effort of preventing violence. Try to stop the violence passing on to our next generation and make this world stay harmony as it should be.
ScienceDaily (Oct. 6, 2009) — A recent study from the latest issue of Personal Relationships shows that individuals who have experienced violence at an early age may have trouble adjusting to healthy, adult romantic relationships and are at a higher risk to experience marital difficulties.
The research reveals that early exposure to a violent environment is likely to lead to domestic violence situations later in life. Feelings of insecurity, abandonment anxiety, and intimacy issues are also likely to plague these romantic connections.
Additionally, the dynamics of the way couples react and communicate with each other is also related to the likelihood of domestic violence within a relationship. For example, men tend to use violence towards their partner as a means to exert a desire for personal space or avoidance of emotional issues in response to the "clingy" or intrusive behavior of his female partner.
This research highlights the importance of domestic violence prevention efforts starting at the childhood level, within family environments as well as school and community based settings. Moreover, prevention efforts allow the victim to relate long-harbored painful childhood violent experiences and rectify internal representations of self that cause long-term damage to valuable inter-personal relationships and families.
Journal reference:
Natacha Godbout, Donald G. Dutton, Yvan Lussier, Stéphane Sabourin. Early exposure to violence, domestic violence, attachment representations, and marital adjustment. Personal Relationships, 2009; DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2009.01228.x
Web reference : http://www.sciencedaily.com/
Personal opinion
I have heard a sentence said that children is the mirror of parents, once again it has been proven by this article I read. In this article stated that a person tends to be violence after experiencing violence at his or her early age.
I strongly agree that the attitude showed by children is learned from people around them. The closest people with the children usually are their parent, in the other words children are learned from their parent. Children can be said as pure as a white paper and they learn everything which happen around them, they also unable to differentiate whether it is wrong or right but just repeat it out exactly the way hey saw.
If a child had experienced violence, they would think that this is the way to express their desire. They will started to lose their social and communication skill with the society. This will make them isolated by the society and hence leading to certain level of personality’s disorder.
After their marriage they will treat the same way after their father did to them towards their children. The next generation will be on the same journey as their folks gone through. This article alert us about the importance of domestic violence prevention efforts starting at the childhood level, within family environments as well as school and community based settings.
Hope that parents will aware that their attitude and attention toward children are necessary in the effort of preventing violence. Try to stop the violence passing on to our next generation and make this world stay harmony as it should be.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Home has been a hell for child!!!!
The shocking story of little Ondra is reminiscent of the fate of the abducted Austrian girl Natasha Kampusch. He was kept locked up in a tiny windowless space, lying naked with bound hands and feet, regularly deprived of food and water and was made to eat his own vomit. Except he was not being tortured by a stranger, but by his own mother, who had two other children in her care and was moreover studying child psychology in view of working with disabled children. Ondra himself had a hearing impairment which was why his mother had no problem arranging home schooling for him. Consequently nobody missed him at school, or anywhere else, since he wasn't allowed any friends. His fate would have gone undetected were it not for the fact that a neighbor bought an electronic child minder and while testing it picked up images from a similar device used by the mother to keep tabs on her imprisoned son. Dehydrated and in shock the eight-year old boy was rushed to hospital. His ten-year old brother and thirteen year old adopted sister were taken to an orphanage. Soon little Ondra joined them there but as Dita Pokorna, a child psychologist at the home explains, all three were still dealing with the trauma inflicted by their mother.
"You could see that Ondra was scared of everything, and he was terrified of being left in the dark. Later on he started playing but there are a lot of abnormal reactions that indicate what he must have gone through."
Although there was no indication that Ondra's two siblings had been tortured in a similar way, his 13-year old sister who allegedly suffers from a social phobia, was in a much worse mental state of mind. A psychologist was called in to work with all three but within 48 hours the girl had escaped from the orphanage - allegedly by climbing out of a window in the middle of the night. A nationwide search is now on to find the child. When he learnt about his sister's disappearance Ondra had a serious relapse and had to be hospitalized.
Before he got worse though, he managed to tell his story - in a surprisingly coherent manner - to the police. One of the most shocking facts revealed was that his aunt Katka, who is a social worker in a children's home, sometimes visited him in his little prison cell - and that other family members allegedly knew about his suffering. His mother was taken into custody last Friday, and may face a jail sentence of up to eight years. The police are now questioning other members of the family in order to ascertain how long the abuse lasted and how many people were actually involved. The children's grandparents have asked for them to be placed in their care - but in view of Ondra's chilling revelations their chances of getting them are practically non-existent. In fact they themselves could end up being charged as accomplices. His father, who divorced Ondra's mother some time ago, denies any knowledge of what was going on. The police believe that Ondra's 13 year old sister could have the answer to many of their questions - if they can possibly find her - and if she is in a state to tell her story.
More details in http://www.radio.cz
Personal opinion
What is a family for? This question keeps on disturbing my mind after seeing this news on the web. Aren’t home should be the safest place for us? Aren’t our parent is the one who always protect us from being harm? Aren’t families are those who will always there when we are in trouble and fully support us?
I really could not understand that how could they do this to their own child, the child that they have carried for nine month and give born with the risk of death. It is really hard to believe that such cruel and cold-blooded parents appear in this world.
The little boy(Ondra) in this was tortured by his own mother(other family members are in suspected of involving in this case) through kept locked up in a tiny windowless space, lying naked with bound hands and feet, regularly deprived of food and water and was made to eat his own vomit.
The effect on this abused child can be clearly seen through his attitude such as he was scared of everything, and he was terrified of being left in the dark. Later on he started playing but there are a lot of abnormal reactions that indicate what he must have gone through.
Even though we are keep developing in science, but we start losing our moral value in the flow of evolution, and seem like this will getting worse until we (so called human) will start to act like an animal which has lost sense of humanity.
Parents should be aware of your responsibility towards your child, every act that you did will deeply affect their life. For those who haven’t prepared to be parent, please keep in mind that to educated a child is a whole life career, if you are not yet ready for this life-long challenging career, don’t start it.
"You could see that Ondra was scared of everything, and he was terrified of being left in the dark. Later on he started playing but there are a lot of abnormal reactions that indicate what he must have gone through."
Although there was no indication that Ondra's two siblings had been tortured in a similar way, his 13-year old sister who allegedly suffers from a social phobia, was in a much worse mental state of mind. A psychologist was called in to work with all three but within 48 hours the girl had escaped from the orphanage - allegedly by climbing out of a window in the middle of the night. A nationwide search is now on to find the child. When he learnt about his sister's disappearance Ondra had a serious relapse and had to be hospitalized.
Before he got worse though, he managed to tell his story - in a surprisingly coherent manner - to the police. One of the most shocking facts revealed was that his aunt Katka, who is a social worker in a children's home, sometimes visited him in his little prison cell - and that other family members allegedly knew about his suffering. His mother was taken into custody last Friday, and may face a jail sentence of up to eight years. The police are now questioning other members of the family in order to ascertain how long the abuse lasted and how many people were actually involved. The children's grandparents have asked for them to be placed in their care - but in view of Ondra's chilling revelations their chances of getting them are practically non-existent. In fact they themselves could end up being charged as accomplices. His father, who divorced Ondra's mother some time ago, denies any knowledge of what was going on. The police believe that Ondra's 13 year old sister could have the answer to many of their questions - if they can possibly find her - and if she is in a state to tell her story.
More details in http://www.radio.cz
Personal opinion
What is a family for? This question keeps on disturbing my mind after seeing this news on the web. Aren’t home should be the safest place for us? Aren’t our parent is the one who always protect us from being harm? Aren’t families are those who will always there when we are in trouble and fully support us?
I really could not understand that how could they do this to their own child, the child that they have carried for nine month and give born with the risk of death. It is really hard to believe that such cruel and cold-blooded parents appear in this world.
The little boy(Ondra) in this was tortured by his own mother(other family members are in suspected of involving in this case) through kept locked up in a tiny windowless space, lying naked with bound hands and feet, regularly deprived of food and water and was made to eat his own vomit.
The effect on this abused child can be clearly seen through his attitude such as he was scared of everything, and he was terrified of being left in the dark. Later on he started playing but there are a lot of abnormal reactions that indicate what he must have gone through.
Even though we are keep developing in science, but we start losing our moral value in the flow of evolution, and seem like this will getting worse until we (so called human) will start to act like an animal which has lost sense of humanity.
Parents should be aware of your responsibility towards your child, every act that you did will deeply affect their life. For those who haven’t prepared to be parent, please keep in mind that to educated a child is a whole life career, if you are not yet ready for this life-long challenging career, don’t start it.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Fois Gras....luxury but cruel
Foie gras (translated literally from French as "fatty liver" and pronounced 'fwah grah') is produced by cruel and inhumane farming practices. At just a few months old, ducks are confined inside dark sheds and force-fed enormous amounts of food several times a day. A farm worker grabs each duck and, one by one, thrusts a metal pipe down their throats so that a mixture of corn can be forced directly into their gullets. In just a matter of weeks, the ducks become grossly overweight and their livers expand up to 10 times their normal size.
Farm Sanctuary and Global Action Network have just released new video footage taken by an undercover investigator of two more foie gras factory farms in Canada taken by an undercover investigator. In addition to the footage taken at Elevages Perigord released in July of this year, this new footage documents farm employees taking part in cruel or torturous acts on animals, in addition to the inherently cruel forced feeding that the animals endure daily. Combined these three foie gras factories make up 82% of the foie gras sold in Canada and 72% of the foie gras that is imported into the US. The photo and video evidence documenting these inhumane acts has been submitted to Canadian authorities.
Dr. Ward Stone, the senior wildlife pathologist for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, has conducted necropsies on ducks who died during force feeding at Hudson Valley Foie Gras and writes, "I eat meat including ducks on occassion. However, the short tortured lives of ducks raised for Foie Gras is well outside the norm of farm practice. Having seen the pathology that occurs from Foie Gras Production, I strongly recommend that this process be outlawed."
The Animal Protection & Rescue League has investigated all three US foie gras farms and several in France and found rampant cruelty to be the norm. Compassion Over Killing sent an investigator to HVFG on a guided tour with a hidden camera and also witnessed the standard cruelty that is required for foie gras production.
In November 2008, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 2 by 63%, banning intensive confinement cages for egg, veal and pork production. This was the most popular citizen's initiative in California history, showing that Californians believe that even animals raised for food deserve humane treatment.
More infomation can be read on http://www.banfoiegras.org/page.php?module=home
Personal opinion
As we all know that fois gras (translated form French which means fatty liver) is a kind of food well known in French with its delicious taste and as a symbol of luxury. I used to hope that I could have a piece of it, before I received a mail from my friend which let me realize the process it takes to produce this food.
It is a very cruel and torturous act that had taken by farmer on those geese in order to get the beautiful and white liver that unusual big as we always seen in geese. Those geese are force to eat even it doesn’t desire until it is overload and getting fatty liver diseases.
They have to live the cage which designs in the way that those goose are unable to turn and move their body.
The worse is coming next, their leg were bloated from long standing every day, no sleep allowed until the next round of force feeding start. This process keeps on cycling until their body can not withstand it anymore (which simply means dead). The left who survived (I could said that survive in this situation is an unlucky thing) have crapped to be inflamed asses which blood easily com up with the shit.
Is this what we really wanted for? God had create us to manage he world in proper way, in a balancing equilibrium, but we have abused the intelligence that given and used it for fulfilling our own desires with torturing the other species which co-exist with us.
It s not deniable that there a lot of unfair treatment which is not only towards animals but also human which we are impossible to help and to save all of them. But at least we can start by a small step on our own ability, just stop eating fois gras( if you are still having it as meal) and help to spread the truth let more and more people know. Just a spend a few minutes we are able to change it.
Farm Sanctuary and Global Action Network have just released new video footage taken by an undercover investigator of two more foie gras factory farms in Canada taken by an undercover investigator. In addition to the footage taken at Elevages Perigord released in July of this year, this new footage documents farm employees taking part in cruel or torturous acts on animals, in addition to the inherently cruel forced feeding that the animals endure daily. Combined these three foie gras factories make up 82% of the foie gras sold in Canada and 72% of the foie gras that is imported into the US. The photo and video evidence documenting these inhumane acts has been submitted to Canadian authorities.
Dr. Ward Stone, the senior wildlife pathologist for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, has conducted necropsies on ducks who died during force feeding at Hudson Valley Foie Gras and writes, "I eat meat including ducks on occassion. However, the short tortured lives of ducks raised for Foie Gras is well outside the norm of farm practice. Having seen the pathology that occurs from Foie Gras Production, I strongly recommend that this process be outlawed."
The Animal Protection & Rescue League has investigated all three US foie gras farms and several in France and found rampant cruelty to be the norm. Compassion Over Killing sent an investigator to HVFG on a guided tour with a hidden camera and also witnessed the standard cruelty that is required for foie gras production.
In November 2008, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 2 by 63%, banning intensive confinement cages for egg, veal and pork production. This was the most popular citizen's initiative in California history, showing that Californians believe that even animals raised for food deserve humane treatment.
More infomation can be read on http://www.banfoiegras.org/page.php?module=home
Personal opinion
As we all know that fois gras (translated form French which means fatty liver) is a kind of food well known in French with its delicious taste and as a symbol of luxury. I used to hope that I could have a piece of it, before I received a mail from my friend which let me realize the process it takes to produce this food.
It is a very cruel and torturous act that had taken by farmer on those geese in order to get the beautiful and white liver that unusual big as we always seen in geese. Those geese are force to eat even it doesn’t desire until it is overload and getting fatty liver diseases.
They have to live the cage which designs in the way that those goose are unable to turn and move their body.
The worse is coming next, their leg were bloated from long standing every day, no sleep allowed until the next round of force feeding start. This process keeps on cycling until their body can not withstand it anymore (which simply means dead). The left who survived (I could said that survive in this situation is an unlucky thing) have crapped to be inflamed asses which blood easily com up with the shit.
Is this what we really wanted for? God had create us to manage he world in proper way, in a balancing equilibrium, but we have abused the intelligence that given and used it for fulfilling our own desires with torturing the other species which co-exist with us.
It s not deniable that there a lot of unfair treatment which is not only towards animals but also human which we are impossible to help and to save all of them. But at least we can start by a small step on our own ability, just stop eating fois gras( if you are still having it as meal) and help to spread the truth let more and more people know. Just a spend a few minutes we are able to change it.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
This will be a different story if we don't drunk driving
The story is true and heart-wrenching.Jacqui was a student from Venezuela who had come to the U.S. to study English.On September 19, 1999, 20-year-old Jacqui was in a car with four other friends on the outskirts of Austin, Texas when they were hit by an 18-year-old high school boy on his way home from drinking with some friends.The car in which Jacqui was riding caught fire.Two of her friends died.She survived, but with burns over more than 60 percent of her body.Nobody thought she would survive.She lost her hair, her nose, her ears, he left eyelid and much of her vision. Her fingers were amputated.She's become a spokesperson against drunk driving.
Her website is at: http://www.helpjacqui.com/
Her story and picture being caught before and after car accident can be view through http://burnsupport.org.nz/pages/stories/jaqsab.htm
Personal opinion
My heart was broken when I have seen this news on the web. It is so true that not everyone die in the car accident, but they would experience the suffer from the accident for the rest of their life. As the picture showed, Jacqueline was so young and her amazing journey in life was just going to start, but everything changed after the horrifying car accident. She could not live as we did (or as a normal people did), enjoying school life, having party, dating with someone special, working and even have a marriage.
It can be said that her life was totally destroyed by that teenager who was drunk when driving. Even though that teenager said that he could not forgive himself, but could the situation changed or the car accident would not happen by just saying sorry and feel guilty? The answer is no, things will only change if that teenager realize the impact of drunk driving before he did that.
It could be understood that teenagers like to do things following their heart without thinking or taking any responsibility on their act (so called human right and freedom in their mind). But never forget that everything we do is actually affecting the people around us. So we as a teenager should realize our responsibility instead of regretting of our act in the future and carrying the sin and fault for the whole life. Bear in mind that life is precious and harm that we had made could not be recover by just a sorry. That is not every sorry can be reply by a never mind or it is alright.
Her website is at: http://www.helpjacqui.com/
Her story and picture being caught before and after car accident can be view through http://burnsupport.org.nz/pages/stories/jaqsab.htm
Personal opinion
My heart was broken when I have seen this news on the web. It is so true that not everyone die in the car accident, but they would experience the suffer from the accident for the rest of their life. As the picture showed, Jacqueline was so young and her amazing journey in life was just going to start, but everything changed after the horrifying car accident. She could not live as we did (or as a normal people did), enjoying school life, having party, dating with someone special, working and even have a marriage.
It can be said that her life was totally destroyed by that teenager who was drunk when driving. Even though that teenager said that he could not forgive himself, but could the situation changed or the car accident would not happen by just saying sorry and feel guilty? The answer is no, things will only change if that teenager realize the impact of drunk driving before he did that.
It could be understood that teenagers like to do things following their heart without thinking or taking any responsibility on their act (so called human right and freedom in their mind). But never forget that everything we do is actually affecting the people around us. So we as a teenager should realize our responsibility instead of regretting of our act in the future and carrying the sin and fault for the whole life. Bear in mind that life is precious and harm that we had made could not be recover by just a sorry. That is not every sorry can be reply by a never mind or it is alright.
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