‘Mood of despair’ as self-immolations spread across N. Africa

Al Jazeera and Agencies Last Modified: 05 Jan 2011 20:56 GMT A 26-year-old Tunisian man who set off a wave of protests after attempting to commit suicide by setting himself on fire last month has died of third-degree burns in hospital, his relatives and human rights groups have said. Mohamed Bouazizi died at 5:30 pm […]

Map of the U.S. showing Democrats targeted by the Sarah Palin campaign in 2010, including Gaby Giffords. Graphic: SarahPAC

America 2011: Eliminationist rhetoric and political murder

9 January 2011 (Desdemona Despair) – In April 2010, actor Lance Baxter, known to many as the voice of the GEICO Gecko, left a voice mail for the “tea party” organization Freedom Works that asked how Freedom Works will “spin it when one of your members does actually kill somebody, wondering if you’ve got a […]

Video: Nungesser blasts oil disaster cleanup – ‘'I kept off the TV hoping you’d do what the fuck you’re supposed to do’

Added On January 7, 2011 Frustrated Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser yells at a Coast Guard commander on an oil-coated beach. Nungesser blasts oil disaster cleanup Technorati Tags: oil production,oil spill,pollution,wetland,Gulf of Mexico,North America,conflict

World food prices surge to record, passing levels that sparked 2008 riots

By Rudy RuitenbergJan 5, 2011 4:24 AM PT World food prices rose to a record in December on higher sugar, grain and oilseed costs, the United Nations said, exceeding levels reached in 2008 that sparked deadly riots from Haiti to Egypt. An index of 55 food commodities tracked by the Food and Agriculture Organization gained […]

Shark poachers hold chef Gordon Ramsay at gunpoint, douse him with petrol

[Desdemona has a new respect for Chef Ramsay. For more on the fishing mafia, see Sharkwater and SSCS Defending Sharks.] By WENN.COMLast Updated: January 3, 2011 3:56am Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay was doused in gasoline and held at gunpoint as he tried to uncover the dark world of illegal shark fin trading for a new […]

Photo gallery: Afghanistan, December, 2010

2010 has been the deadliest year yet for coalition troops in Afghanistan, with 709 troops killed, 497 of those from the U.S. American officials have spoken of a fragile progress, with a possible small drawdown of troops starting next summer, keeping 2014 as the goal date for Afghans to take control. The United Nations released […]

Pakistan floods, fighting destroy wildlife

By Sajjad Tarakzai (AFP)31 December 2010 KUND, Pakistan — Disaster struck out of nowhere. The flash floods were so sudden that wardens at one of Pakistan’s most famed parks could do nothing to save their animals. Leopards, deer and bears all drowned as the murky waters quickly engulfed them. Kund park, a tourist spot located […]

U.S. empire: A year of fall and decline

By David SwansonTuesday December 28, 2010 The fall and decline of an empire can take many years, but certain “benchmarks” (as imperial courts have been known to call them) can measure the progress in one year alone.  Take, for example, the year 2010. This year opened with the United States Supreme Court claiming further power […]

Interview: Samina Ahmed on Pakistan crisis

ABC Radio AustraliaUpdated December 28, 2010 21:19:33 Listen: Windows Media All this week, we’re talking to some of the region’s top thinkers and looking back at the year 2010 to get a sense of what sort of a year it’s been for politics and people in some of the countries around the Asia Pacific – […]

Oil and water don’t mix with California agriculture

Controversy in Kern County indicates problems for the oil industry’s future worldwide By Jeremy Miller, From the December 06, 2010 issue of High Country News KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA From the “Petroleum Highway” — a rutted, dusty stretch of California State Route 33 — you can see the jostling armies of two giant industries. To the […]

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