More than 25 million people have died of AIDS since 1981.
Africa has 12 million AIDS orphans.
By the end of 2005, women accounted for 48% of all adults living with HIV worldwide, and for 59% in sub-Saharan Africa.
Young people (15-24 years old) account for half of all new HIV infections worldwide - around 6,000 become infected with HIV every day.
Of the 6.5 million people in developing and transitional countries who need life-saving AIDS drugs, only 1.3 million are receiving them.
AND....Global Military Spending now tops $1T
Donald Rumsfeld recently aimed critisicm at China's military spending. “Since no nation threatens China, one must wonder: Why this growing investment? Why these continuing large and expanding arms purchases?” A question he may well ask of himself. According to a report recently released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (in our fair city) Global Military Spending topped $1Trillion in 2004. The United States accounted for 47 percent of all military expenditures, while Britain and France each made up 5 percent of the total. In all, 15 countries accounted for 82 percent of the world's total military spending. The BBC reported last month that Chinese military spending increased by 12% in 2004 to $25Bn - or one twentieth of what the US spends
Makes me want to puke
8 comments:
You are not puking alone!
Military spending......ramping up for what? Mind boggling ramifications.......
The AIDs epidemic is so horrendous that it's difficult to process the realities of it. There is a journalist with the Nat'l paper here in Canada, Stephanie Nolen (Nolan?) who has spent many years in Africa writing superb and heart wrenching stories of this epidemic. Has won awards for her work. She has opened the eyes of many. I would think you could access some of her work through google.
Also, Stephen Lewis, a very well respected Canadian politician, lecturer, ambassador, advocate delivered poignant lectures on the plight of Africa due to the AIDs epidemic. The lectures are called "The Massey Lectures...." most likely accessible online. he's a powerful voice. Lewis has thrusted himself into this cause and is playing a key role on the international level.
It is very sobering.......
thank you, will read up on these wonderful humans.
you could also take a look at Don McCullen, a remarkable photo-journalist. Click on my link to christian aid and type in his name on search. there you will find heart breaking photographs of (as you rightly say) the 'horrendous' reality of it all - it's called 'cold heaven'
as we say....sobering
Yeah.. its pathetic!
I read in a periodical of one of our Christian aid/advocacy agencies her recently that cows get more subsidies than humans, as ( of course) there is more benefit to economies..
tragically very true...that more is spent on cows than humans that is
I checked out Don McCullen's website. His photos are startling and stark. The stories seem unreal because there are so many and they are all tragic.
Thank you for introducing me to him. I will revisit the site and possibly write on his work to share it with others.
My heart breaks... and the high percentage of infected women is also caused by female genital mutilation, which results in most sexual acts causing bleeding. From the individual horror of that to the national shame and horror of where money is spent, I feel helpless and lost. The wounds are just so huge, the corruption so deep.
The worlds wounds are "As Deep as the sea" - isaiah
guys, lets just keep kicking the darkness til it bleeds daylight!
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