SAN DIEGO, CA - 31MARCH08 - Isaias, Alvino and Porfirio, three Mixtec men from Etla, a town in Oaxaca, Mexico, live in the Los Peñasquitos canyon on the north edge of San Diego.

Opes Prime was what is known as a leverage broking firm, one based on a high level of debt. Clients of Opes could borrow against the shares they purchased — the shares would be used as security, in a somewhat similar fashion to a home loan where the home is used as security in the event that the borrower fails to make repayments.

BAGHDAD, 7 April 2008 (IRIN) - Despite the Iraqi premier’s order to relax security measures in two Baghdad suburbs which have seen fierce clashes since 25 March, doctors and medical staff in one of these suburbs are still unable to operate normally, according to the head of a local hospital.

It appears that the United States is still relatively successful in blocking any real progress on the Israeli-Palestinian track. If the Palestinian question seems deadlocked for the moment, the Middle East is like a seething cauldron for the United States.

As General Petraeus returns to Congress to deliver rosy pictures of the war in Iraq and to request more cash to fund it, we talk with Judith LeBlanc of United for Peace and Justice, whom you just heard in that clip and Rev. Osagyefo Sekou about the struggle for peace. We begin by examining a report by the Center for American Progress on the lack of progress in bringing the war to an end and the troops home.

Arizona resident and activist Carolyn Trowbridge talks about John McCain's record as a US Senator from that state. McCain, you may be surprised to learn, is no maverick but rather a representative of the most militaristic and right-wing sections of big capital.

1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.

On November 13, 2006 the community of Viejo Velasco Suárez in Chiapas, México was attacked by paramilitary forces reinforced by approximately 300 agents of the state police. The result was four dead, four missing, and 31 persons displaced.

Unsurprisingly, author Michael Scheuer, a senior CIA veteran responsible for drafting the notorious US rendition program, frequently quotes Machiavelli in his devastating predictions of the chaotic road to US suicide.

Anti-poverty advocates on March 29 held a gathering at a junior high school in central Tokyo to make known to the public the extent of poverty and to help find ways to solve the problem.

Imagine, if you will, that it is 2014. President John McCain, soon after taking office, ended up heightening tensions with Iran and Russia beyond anything ex-President George W. Bush ever contemplated.

This tale from the West Bank operates at several levels. Nominally it is about one man – Dr. Sami Khader – and his attempts to sustain the dream of having an internationally approved zoo in the town of Qalqilya in the West Bank.

“Ordinary” racism distinguishes several races within the human race, and affirms the superiority of one of them (usually the white race) over the others. This racism has been used to “justify” social inequalities and colonial domination.

Several decades ago a fish-centric diet was considered to be not only healthy but also environmentally friendly. But today those of us who eat a lot of fish may not be doing ourselves or the environment any favor. The two major concerns are overfishing and pollution.