Comments on Stamps of Distinction: 12 Things You May Not Know About the Nobel Prizes

1 thing that everybody should know: In reality the...

2008-08-29T05:09:00.000-04:00

1 thing that everybody should know: In reality there does not exist any Nobel Prize. What is being awarded each year under the wrapper of "Nobel Prize" is a mockery. These are not the prizes which were intended by Alfred Nobel in his last will and testament. The so-called "Nobel Foundation" has no legal authority to administrate the said prizes since the Foundation has violated Alfred Nobel's will.

you could have added 2 interesting things:1 - peac...

2008-07-02T04:26:00.000-04:00

you could have added 2 interesting things:
1 - peace prize received Arafat (father of terrorism) and Kissinger was picking his prize when the war in Vietnam was at it's most brutal moment.

2 - norwegian author Knut Hamsun was so drunk at ceremony that he lost his check in elevator, whole hotel crew was looking for it whole night

You make a good point, and I am going to touch up ...

2008-05-30T11:48:37.783-04:00

You make a good point, and I am going to touch up the wording to say "alleged".

While I could not find any actual convictions, although apparently several are being investigated, just the quick Google search of "UN Peacekeepers" presented these two links, which are from respectable sources:

This story from the Economist (http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11458241) says:

"After a particularly shocking series of rapes by Nepalese blue-helmets in Congo in 2003, Kofi Annan, then UN secretary-general, set up a committee of inquiry. Its damning findings of “repeated patterns” of rape and other sexual abuse by peacekeepers prompted Mr Annan to announce three years ago a policy of “zero tolerance” for such crimes for all the 200,000 or so personnel, civilian and military, who are employed by the UN and its agencies around the world."

Plus, there is this tidbit from AFP (http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ggyisO2ZzGGm8U_fajih_VZDnfSw):

"The British Charity Save the Children on Monday issued a report alleging that "children as young as six are trading sex with aid workers and peacekeepers in exchange for food, money, soap and, in very few cases, luxury items such as mobile phones."

"It also highlighted instances of rape, verbal sexual abuse, child pornography and prostitution and trafficking of youngsters, many of whom are poor, displaced or orphaned by conflict."

These were just a couple of allegations. I stand by the overall theme presented in the statement, but I will change the text, in all fairness.

Oh, and by the way, the UN Peacekeeping forces are a good group, these allegations withstanding. Theirs is a noble cause.

Very interesting post. However, unless you can cit...

2008-05-30T11:29:00.000-04:00

Very interesting post. However, unless you can cite specific instances where actual members of the UN have been tried and found guilty (not accused) of abusing their powers for supposed "rapes, bribes, etc.", I suggest you withdraw that comment standing as a fact of some sort on your blog.