Archive for February, 2011
Global Food Prices Hit New Record High
February 3rd, 2011Via: Telegraph: Global food prices have hit a new record high, amid fears that the escalating cost of bread and meat is adding to the turmoil in the Middle East. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO) gave warning that the high prices, already above levels in 2008 which sparked riots, were likely […]
Cotton: Highest Prices in 150 Years
February 3rd, 2011Via: Reuters: U.S. cotton futures jumped for the third straight day on Wednesday, settling up the daily limit, as Asian mills fueled the rally on average volume. Cotton futures have rallied almost 25 percent since the middle of January, the latest wave of a historic run that began in 2010 and sent cotton prices to […]
Mubarak’s ‘Security’ Forces Drive Through Crowd
February 3rd, 2011Looters Included Undercover Egyptian Police, Hospitals Tell Human Rights Watch
February 3rd, 2011Via: Washington Post: Human Rights Watch confirmed several cases of undercover police loyal to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s regime committing acts of violence and looting in an attempt to stoke fear of instability as demonstrations grew stronger Tuesday against the autocratic leader. Peter Bouckaert, the emergency director at Human Rights Watch, said hospitals confirmed that […]
Cairo Mêlée: Pro and Anti Regime Protestors Clash
February 2nd, 2011Live Video Feeds from Cairo: Al Jazeera ABC News Via: Los Angeles Times: Fighting erupts in Tahrir Square as anti-government demonstrators and supporters of President Hosni Mubarak throw rocks and brandish clubs. The clashes follow a call by the Egyptian military for protesters to go home.
Cracking the Scratch Lottery Code
February 2nd, 2011Via: Wired: As a trained statistician with degrees from MIT and Stanford University, Srivastava was intrigued by the technical problem posed by the lottery ticket. In fact, it reminded him a lot of his day job, which involves consulting for mining and oil companies. A typical assignment for Srivastava goes like this: A mining company […]
Digital Darkness: U.S., U.K. Companies Help Egyptian Regime Shut Down Telecommunications and Identify Dissidents
February 2nd, 2011Via: Democracy Now: Doing the regime’s bidding, British-based Vodafone shut down Egypt’s phone and internet service. The American company called Narus — owned by Boeing — sold Egypt the surveillance technology that helped identify dissident voices. We are joined by Tim Karr of Free Press and CUNY Professor C.W. Anderson. Karr outlines how communications was […]
Fed Passes China in Treasury Holdings
February 2nd, 2011Via: Financial Times: The Federal Reserve has surpassed China as the leading holder of US Treasury securities even though it has yet to reach the halfway mark in its latest round of quantitative easing, according to official figures. Based on weekly data released on Thursday, the New York Fed’s holdings of Treasuries in its System […]
Australia’s Cyclone Yasi May Destroy Even ‘Cyclone Proof’ Homes
February 2nd, 2011Via: Reuters: Australia’s Cyclone Yasi, with winds of up to 300 km (186 miles) per hour, is so powerful it could blow apart even “cyclone proof” houses, engineers said on Wednesday. Yasi is headed for major towns and cities along the northeast coast. It is believed to be the strongest ever to hit Australia, surpassing […]
Rumsfeld to Receive ‘Defender of the Constitution Award’
February 1st, 2011Via: Raw Story: Former US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will be honored with the “Defender of the Constitution Award” at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), an annual event attended by numerous conservative activists, journalists, and politicians. Similar Absurdity: Obama Awarded 2009 Nobel Peace Prize
