Most of Africa is a total wasteland as far as human rights is concerned, not to mention poverty and disease. The Middle East, well, what can one say about the Middle East? This region has always been a mess and it is now worse than ever. Pakistan, Afghanistan and most other Muslim dominated countries in Asia are a disaster. The billion-plus people living in China are in an oppressive, communist state and the billion-plus people in India are living mostly in poverty. Central America, more specifically Mexico, is a toilet bowl with drug cartels running rampant. Other Central and South American nations are dominated by corruption and dictators; Fidel and Raul Castro in Cuba; Hugo Chavez in Venezuela; Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua; Evo Morales in Bolivia; etc. That pretty much takes care of Asia, Africa and Central/South America, or about 80% of the world’s population (five billion) people.
The other roughly one and a half billion people live in just about the only civilized parts of the globe – North America, western Europe and Australia; and these areas are not a utopia by any stretch of the imagination. Hardly anybody lives in Antarctica.
So there you have it, a brief synopsis of the world’s seven continents. Not very pleasant or promising is it? We have a long way to go before we can truly be called a civilized species; one that lives in relative prosperity, peace and harmony. In fact, that day may never come… TGO
Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press
Source of Table: Wikipedia
CONTINENTS:
| Continent | Area (km²) | Area (mi²) | Percent of total landmass |
Total population | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | 43,820,000 | 16,920,000 | 29.5% | 3,879,000,000 | ||||
| Africa | 30,370,000 | 11,730,000 | 20.4% | 922,011,000 | ||||
| North America | 24,490,000 | 9,460,000 | 16.5% | 528,720,588 | ||||
| South America | 17,840,000 | 6,890,000 | 12.0% | 382,000,000 | ||||
| Antarctica | 13,720,000 | 5,300,000 | 9.2% | 1,000 | ||||
| Europe | 10,180,000 | 3,930,000 | 6.8% | 731,000,000 | ||||
| Australia | 9,008,500 | 3,478,200 | 5.9% | 31,260,000 |
JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – Human rights violations, including extra-judicial executions and torture, by security forces still plague several African countries, Amnesty International said on Friday.
A report by the London-based rights group said excessive use of force and other ill-treatment at times resulting in unlawful killings, were among violations documented in countries such as Nigeria, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda.
It said the situation in Nigeria’s Niger Delta deteriorated in 2010, with armed groups and gangs kidnapping oil workers and their relatives and attacking oil plants.
“The reaction from the Nigerian security forces often led to human rights violations, including extrajudicial executions and torture,” the report noted.
Numerous cases of unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, torture by security agencies also remained the norm in other parts of Nigeria.
In South Africa, numerous cases of torture and ill-treatment by police were reported, many of which were investigated by the Independent Complaints Directorate. Reported incidents included beatings, electric shocks, suffocation and death threats.
Last month, footage of a 33-year-old unarmed protester being kicked and beaten with batons by police officers was shown on South African television.
The man died a few minutes later after being shot twice with rubber bullets at close range.
In Mozambique, police used live ammunition against demonstrators protesting against the high cost of living, killing at least 14 people while in Guinea, security forces fired live ammunition at peaceful demonstrators, the report said.
Despite a general trend towards the abolition of capital punishment across the continent, death row inmates in Equatorial Guinea, Sudan and Somalia were executed, often after unfair trials, it added.
The report also raised concern over the violence and increased human rights violations, including unlawful arrests and restrictions on freedom of expression, that marred elections in countries such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Burundi, Guinea and Ivory Coast.
“In nearly all cases, the human rights violations were committed with total impunity,” it said.
Invest in oil and gas wells as the ad that accompanied your blog suggests. You live in the Capitalist Capital of the world. As long as your investment does well, that capitalist capital becomes your utopia. But if you feel like I feel and think there has got to be something more than the carrot laid in front of you, then dig in deep into your consciousness and search for it. OR NOT!