Top 10 Failing Nations

The fourth of July has passed yet again with celebrations all over the United States. However, some people in other nations have nothing to celebrate. This list looks at 10 of the poorest, most impoverished nations on earth. There is not likely to be much dispute about the countries listed here being suited to this list, but do feel free to add any others you may think should be here to the comments.

 

10. Ivory Coast

The Ivory Coast is recovering from violence which began when Alassane Ouattara, a presidential candidate, won the national election by a small, but internationally certified, margin. Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent president, refused to step down, sparking a conflict which ended with at least 1,200 civilians dead. Because of the conflict, the economy ground to a halt. The conflict ended when Ouattara’s supporters stormed Gbagbo’s house, and took him captive. The Ivory Coast is now led by Ouattara, who must resolve these issues.

 

9. Iraq

When the US invaded Iraq in 2003, we did not know that we would be there for so long. While the violence has calmed, 3 million people have fled Iraq to other states. 22.9%, of the population live in poverty, and the literacy rate is only 78%. 17.5% of the population is unemployed. Iraq is in danger of becoming an Iranian satellite once the troops leave the nation.

 

8. Central African Republic

CAR has one of the lowest life expectancies in the world, and is flooded by refugees from Sudan, Chad and the DRC. CAR is recovering from a civil war which saw numerous tragedies, including 10,000 houses burnt, hundreds of civilians killed, and 212,000 people displaced. CAR is ranked as one of the least developed countries, and, ironically, CAR has four vehicles per 1000 person out of a population of 4,422,000 in 2008. You do the math.

 

7.Afghanistan

After we liberated the country from the Taliban, Afghanistan has fallen into chaos. Afghanistan is ruled by Hamid Karzai, a corrupt bureaucrat who seems unfit to rule a poverty-stricken nation like this. Abuses against women are common, and Afghanistan has the 8th largest infant mortality rate in the world. While we may be bringing troops home soon, it seems that the Taliban will be back once we leave. The life expectancy there is 44. Chances that the nation will improve over time are slim.

6. Zimbabwe

This South African nation is one of the poorest in the world, and also has one of the lowest life expectancies. The only thing keeping the ruling party in power is fear, and violence is very common. Zimbabwe has one of the highest HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rates, and AIDS claims 1,300,000 lives annually. While Robert Mugabe, dictator of Zimbabwe, lives in luxury, thousands of Zimbabweans starve. No wonder Zimbabwe is one of the worst dictatorships.

5. Haiti

You probably heard of the earthquake in Haiti in 2010. Haiti, a near-dictatorship, was devastated by the earthquake, which killed thousands of civilians, including 20% of the country’s civil servants. International aid from other nations, including the USA, was slow to arrive. Hundreds of Haitians were displaced, and many fled. Although Haiti was already a failing state before the earthquake, the disaster shot Haiti up the list.

4. Democratic Republic of The Congo

The DRC is most famously plagued by a rape epidemic. About 48 women are raped an hour, and in the east, armed militias terrorize villages. Formerly known as Zaire, the DRC is the world richest nation- in terms of resources. Instead, it is one of the poorest, most underdeveloped countries on earth. This potent combination of insecurity, impunity and existence on the edge has left more people dead over the last 12 years than any conflict since World War II. Human Rights Activists are murdered, often by policemen. You can blame many people for this; you can blame Mobutu, former dictator of Zaire, or the former colonizers of the DRC, or somebody else. Nevertheless, The DRC is one of the worst places to live.

3. Sudan

Sudan is currently the largest state in Africa, but that honor will go soon to Algeria, because after a civil war, South Sudan voted to secede from Sudan. Sudan is ruled by one of the worst dictators, genocidal Omar al-Bashir – well known for owning slaves. Fighting continues between Sudan and South Sudan, as they cannot agree on a border and both want the oil rich region of Abyei. Things look bleak for South Sudan, which has a budget of only 2.3 Million and is predicted to become a failed state itself.

2. Chad

Idriss Deby is the “president” (dictator) of Chad and will be ruling for a quarter century by the time that another “election” comes, in 2016. Only 23% of Chadians have access to clean water, and while Chad has discovered oil, it has little improved the country. The life expectancy is about 49 years, and Chad is a victim of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Nearly all of the budget of the nation go toward arms to ward off rebel groups.

1. Somalia

Who did you expect to be Number 1? Somalia, located at the tip of the Horn of Africa, is the closest real-life definition of an anarchy. Somalia is home to a number of Islamic Terrorist groups, and Al-Qaeda has gained a foothold there. The government has only a little area in Somalia, and is fighting to control the capital. 3 out of 10 Million People in Somalia need humanitarian assistance. Somalia is in such a bad shape that it cannot be considered a dictatorship or democracy, or even something in between.

via listverse.com

Jemima Khan Angry on Tiwtter Allegations

Jemima Khan Angry on Tiwtter Allegations

Jemima Khan said she was "trapped in a bloody nightmare" after finding herself at the center of false twitter allegations that she had an affair with Jeremy Clarkson.

hen Jemima Khan tweeted a denial that she had taken out a super-injunction to suppress pictures of herself with Jeremy Clarkson, she unwittingly poured petrol on the flames of the growing row over how Twitter is being used to get round gagging orders being taken out by the rich and famous.

Her first tweet at the weekend ran: "OMG - Rumour that I have a super injunction preventing publication of "intimate" photos of me and Jeremy Clarkson. NOT TRUE!"

Then: "I have no super injunction and I had dinner with Jeremy and his wife last night. Twitter, Stop!" On Monday morning, she tweeted again: "I've woken up trapped in a bloody nightmare."

By then, she was responding to stories in newspapers and other media - including BBC News - that a Twitter user had named several stars that had taken out super-injunctions.

The Daily Mail splashed the story on its front page: "Gagging law stars 'outed' on Twitter: Thousands see the names of celebrities alleged to have taken out injunctions."

The Daily Telegraph printed pictures of Khan and Clarkson on its front page under the headline "Gagging order? Not me, says Jemima."

Some experts professed surprise that the naming of super-injunction stars had suddenly become such a big story.

The BBC's Rory Cellan-Jones, on his personal Twitter feed, wrote: "Rather weird that Twitter has been alive with super-injunction details for weeks - but one new account with inaccurate reports is news."

This was picked up in turn by Roy Greenslade in his Guardian blog: "The sudden discovery that the names of various people whose identities are protected by injunctions are available on Twitter is baffling. Names - some accurate, many inaccurate - have been flying around the net for weeks."

Source: BBC 

Pictures of Jeremy Clarkson.

Son writes off dad's £275,000 supercar

Son writes off dad's £275,000 supercar

20-year-old writes off dad's £275,000 supercar

It's never pleasant telling someone you've crashed their car - but imagine telling dad you've just written off his £275,000 Gumpert Apollo.
That's what a 20-year-old German man has to do - after he was lucky to escape with his life.
The man, who has not been named, was driving his father's rare supercar when he lost control of it. A 19-year-old girl was with him in the passenger seat.
Amazingly, both escaped with only minor injuries, despite the car being a complete write off.
The driver lost control of the car on a bend and came off the road, spraying parts of the car up to 100-foot away.

Police are currently investigating if excessive speed caused the crash, which happened in the German town of Brokdorf, around 50 miles north of Hamburg. The road has a 50mph limit.
The Gumpert Apollo is famous in Britain for taking the Top Gear track lap record in 2008, with a time of 1:17.1. The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport and the Ariel Atom V8 have since usurped it.
The Apollo has a 225mph top speed and is powered by a 4.2-litre twin turbo V8 engine, from Audi. Three versions are available: a basic one with 641bhp, a Sport version with 690bhp and a Race version with 789bhp. It's capable of hitting 62mph in under three seconds.

 Source : Yahoo

Heros of Construction SItes at Great Danger

Indonesian assemblers high-altitude work without insurance.
Someone, probably tell them about Harnesses!

America's Most Miserable Cities 2011

 America's Most Miserable Cities 2011

Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as the governor of California at the end of 2003 amid a wave of optimism that his independent thinking and fresh ideas would revive a state stumbling after the recall of Gov. Gray Davis.
The good vibes are a distant memory: The Governator exited office last month with the state facing a crippling checklist of problems including massive budget deficits, high unemployment, plunging home prices, rampant crime and sky-high taxes. Schwarzenegger's approval ratings hit 22% last year, a record low for any sitting California governor.
California's troubles helped it land eight of the 20 spots on our annual list of America's Most Miserable Cities, with Stockton ranking first for the second time in three years.

 No. 5: Sacramento, Calif.
No state taxes $50,000 of income like California, with a rate of 9.55% for that middle-class tax bracket. Sacramento is a one-team sports town, and that team has been awful in recent years. The NBA's Kings have won just 26% of their games the past two-plus seasons.

 No. 4: Modesto, Calif.
The median home was valued at $275,000 in 2006; today it is $95,000. And don't leave your car on the street in Modesto, where 3,712 vehicles were stolen in 2009, making for the second-highest auto theft rate in the country. It ranked first in four of the previous five years.

 No. 3: Merced, Calif.
The economic downturn and busted housing market hit Merced harder than any other area in the country. Average unemployment of 16.2% since 2008 is the highest in the U.S., as is the city's 64% drop in median home prices

 No. 2: Miami, Fla.
The sun and lack of a state income tax are the only things keeping Miami out of the top spot. Foreclosures hit one in 14 homes last year. Corruption is also off the charts, with 404 government officials convicted of crimes this decade in South Florida.

No. 1: Stockton, Calif.
Unemployment has averaged 14.3% the past three years, which is third worst in the country among the 200 largest metro areas. The housing market collapsed as well, with home prices down 58% over the same time. All the California cities on the list are struggling with the inherent problems the state is facing, including high sales and income taxes and service cuts to help close massive budget shortfalls.

Source : Yahoo