Happy Friday, dear friends. I hope you are all set for a marvelous weekend, filled with loads of fun stuff and relaxation! We are preparing for my favorite holiday of the year, which entails cooking some traditional treats that only come out of my recipe box once a year. One recipe, though, is quite recent and decidedly my favorite.
When I was a little girl, I hated Brussels sprouts with a passion. I am not sure if it was because my mother cooked them in a specific way, or if their flavor didn’t suit my sensitive young palate. Every year my mother would make me eat one anyway, which was my only dim spot in my favorite holiday.
One year, my brother, who loves to cook, whipped up the sprouts for Thanksgiving, but he roasted them with bacon. I took my one sprout with a frown on my face and ate it dutifully. To my own surprise, I fell in love and now I look forward to them with joy. It’s funny how our feelings about things sometimes change as we grow!
Today, we jump all over the world for the news, sometimes looking into dark places to request that love and light shine in. Fasten your seat belts and let’s get started!
Egyptian judge acquits doctor and father involved in landmark female circumcision case.
Suhair al-Bataa, who lived in a rural Egyptian town, was 13-years old when she died. A case was brought against her father and a local doctor who allegedly forced her to undergo female genital mutilation. The doctor said he did not perform the procedure on her, and that she died from a penicillin allergy.
FGM was banned in Egypt in 2008. Activists say that over 90% of women, under the age of 50, in the country are still forced to undergo the illegal procedure. Many support the culturally-based procedure for religious reasons.
This was the first case related to FGM brought in the country, and the judge acquitted the defendants, in writing, with no explanation related to his decision. The Childhood and Development Association, which is campaigning against FGM in Egypt, says the verdict will make it easier for doctors to continue this illegal and devastating practice.
FGM in Egypt: Doctor and father cleared in landmark trial by Orla Guerin for BBC News
Pope Francis speaks out against greed, and stands up for the poor, at UN nutrition conference.
Pope Francis spoke at the Second International Conference on Nutrition (CIN2) in Rome this week. The three-day UN sponsored conference focused on malnutrition which affects rich and poor alike. The Pope begged world and business leaders to help eradicate hunger and stop the cycle of greed, which rapes the earth and could lead to devastating consequences.
While many in developed nations suffer from over eating and a lack of nutrition, the Pope urged those creating policies to treat the hungry with respect and not just charity. He spoke out strongly against businesses who get rich speculating on food markets, which inflate prices beyond the reach of poor families.
He also stressed that the human family should work together across borders to make sure everyone obtains appropriate and healthy nutrition.
Doomsday pope warns man’s greed will destroy world by AFP on Yahoo News Australia
US Federal Reserve Board to review its own policies about bank supervision.
The US Fed said they would review their own internal policies related to supervision of the largest financial institutions operating in the US, amid questions about the closeness of their relationships with certain banks.
It was suggested that the Fed shows preferential treatment to larger institutions, like Goldman Sachs, and may have been lax in their supervisory role with certain firms. New York Fed President, William C. Dudley, will present testimony before a US Senate committee tomorrow related to these deferential relationships and divergent views among regulating teams.
The New York Fed has also come under fire recently about its mishandling of oversight for JP Morgan Chase, which suffered over $6 Billion in losses in the “London Whale” crisis. The Fed investigative teams did not uncover the excessive risk taking of the firm as far back as 2008.
NASA is baffled by new Russian space craft floating around in the sky.
Recently, Russia launched a rocket to deploy 3 new satellites, but when the satellites popped out of the rocket, so did another object. NASA thought it was space junk, but then the object started moving in a controlled path toward other satellites.
The Russian Space Agency is not commenting on the mystery “space craft,” but it was tracked moving to various locations, and could be on a repair mission. This video also shows a computer model of the satellite population around our planet, and I was shocked to see just how many there are.
Nasa tracking Russian space craft on CNN video
And finally…
Rescued deaf pygmy marmoset loves her toothbrush.
The Rare Species Conservation Foundation, rescued a baby pygmy marmoset named Nanita when her parents rejected her upon birth. Veterinarians discovered that she was deaf, and so she was hand raised by specially trained animal caregivers. Nanita’s parents were part of a captive breeding program that helps support populations of marmosets in the wild.
The pygmy marmoset is the smallest of all true monkeys. These videos show just how tiny she was as a baby and how big she grew. As you can see, it’s not much of a difference, as she is still dwarfed by the toothbrush she loves so dearly.
That’s the news for today. Have a wonderful day. I hope to see you back here tomorrow for more news.
Be Well. Be Joy. Be Love!
Alex