Archive - Dec 2010

• India’s Gurjars demand civil service representation
• NGOs push French government to secure release of kidnapped journalists in Afghanistan
• Gulf residents still devastated by BP Oil Spill
• Ohio approves new rules to fight corporate influence in US politics
• Houston’s homeless youth face lack of support

• 4 killed in suicide bombing of police station in Iraq
• US peacekeeper attacked in Ivory Coast as African leaders vow to return
• Tunisian President vows clamp down on protests
• Protesters in Tanzania call for new Constitution

(extended version)

The Oil Spill in the Gulf has undoubtedly been one of the most important stories of the year in the United States.  The April explosion on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig left 11 people dead.  In the end it’s estimated that as much as 170 million gallons of oil leaked into the Gulf, the largest spill in history.  It devastated the Gulf Coast and the livelihoods and lives of thousands of residents. 

Eight months on, it’s becoming a easier to grasp the magnitude of the spill, and with the new year just a few days away, FSRN is taking the opportunity to look back at the disaster.  Aaron Viles with the Gulf Restoration Network joins me today via phone from New Orleans.

• India's “physician of the poor” sentenced to life in prison
• US refused to help Poland investigate secret CIA prison possibility
• Thailand forces displaced Burmese back to Myanmar
• Suspected US drone attacks continue; tribesmen kidnapped; WFP stops providing food
• US refused to help Poland probe possible secret CIA prison
• African leaders pressure Gbagbo to give up claim to Ivory Coast presidency
• Lack of access to clean water continues to fuel Haiti’s cholera crisis
• Cuban 5 look ahead to January trial
• Bangladesh “death squad” receives support from the US and UK

This is Free Speech Radio News for Friday, December 31, 2010. As the population of people in prison continues to grow at an exponential rate, another population is also growing: People with loved ones behind bars. Reporter Shannon Heffernan spent time with families dealing with incarceration in Illinois. The struggles these families experienced, as well as the alternative solutions being explored, reflect national trends. Where she only uses first names, it is at the request of interviewees for privacy. Today we bring you a special encore presentation of our documentary from Shannon Heffernan called, “Time on the Outside.” Special thanks to the community at Spot.Us, who helped fund this documentary.

This project was supported in part by a grant form the Soros Justice Fellowships Program of the Open Society Institute.

This is Free Speech Radio News for Thursday, December 30, 2010. Coming up on today’s program, we bring you a special half-hour documentary on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, a historic neighborhood in Canada’s third largest city and home to about 16,000 people. It's also known as Canada’s poorest postal code. The area is infamous for its high rates of poverty, drug addiction, disease, crime and mental illness...but also for community organizing and pioneering harm reduction strategies. Our reporter Zack Baddorf brings us this exclusive documentary, “Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside: Life on the Margins.”

This is Free Speech Radio News for Monday, December 27, 2010. One of the year's biggest stories was the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. After the explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon Rig killed 11 workers in April, oil began spewing into the Gulf of Mexico from the damaged well, causing the worst oil disaster in US history. The blown-out well gushed an estimated 53 thousand barrels a day into the ocean for 87 days. The largest oil spill in US history has dramatically affected southern Lousiana's bayou communities. This summer, FSRN reporter Julia Botero traveled to Terrebonne Parish to look at how the oil and gas industry has affected fishing communities. The spill has altered the way residents see themselves and the delicate place they call home. Today, FSRN brings you a special encore presentation of our documentary, "Oil in the Bayou."