While You Were Sleeping: December 2008

by Christina Kaminski, November 25, 2008

In 2007, there were 250 reported thefts of nuclear or radioactive materials. Mohamed ElBaradei, the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, describes the count as “disturbingly high,” in spite of the fact that the materials, even considering the low recovery rate, would not be enough to build even one nuclear device—yet the idea that there might be a new market for such material is a growing concern.
Source: New York Times

Although slavery is outlawed in Africa, the practice is still accepted in remote sectors of the continent. In a recent landmark ruling, a West African regional court ruled that the Nigerian Government had failed to protect Hadijatou Mani, who was sold into slavery at the age of 12. Now 24 years of age, Mani will receive $19,000 in restitution from the government. Antislavery organizations have hailed the decision as an important victory against deeply entrenched social customs.
Source: New York Times


Americans with diabetes have doubled their spending on drugs for the disease in the past six years. The $12.5 billion spent on prescriptions reflects both the increasing cost of the medication and the increasing number of people seeking treatment (from 14 million people in 2000 to 19 million in 2007). Recent studies have shown that older and less expensive medications may be more effective for the treatment of diabetes than newer, more expensive ones, such as Avandia, which can cost as much as $225 a month.
Source: Houston Chronicle

On October 27, in the Somalian town of Kismayu (which is controlled by a radical Islamist group called the Shabab), a 23-year-old woman named Asha Ibrahim Dhuhulow was buried up to her neck and stoned to death after authorities ruled that her status as a rape victim made her guilty of adultery. A crowd of thousands gathered at a soccer field to witness the event.
Source: New York Times

While shareholders in the securities industry have lost $74 billion of their equity, 186,000 workers at companies such as Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, and Lehman Brothers will receive bonuses totaling almost $38 billion. This boils down to roughly $201,500 per person—a figure more than four times the median household income in the US and larger than the gross domestic products of Sri Lanka, Lebanon, and Bulgaria.
Source: Bloomberg.com