This is a fascinating collection of the best photographs of the year taken by AP photographers. Coronavirus figures mightily. The images of the year from around the world remind us of an annus horribilus.

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beachteach says:

December 6, 2020 at 12:27 pm

Thank you for posting. The reporting that goes with the photos from the palm oil industry in Indonesia is a must read about the abusive conditions in palm oil fields and the connection to the supply chain in the cosmetic and beauty industry.

“When handed a $20 lipstick by a journalist, a worker named Defrida was told it contained palm oil . . . . she pleaded with women who buy products containing palm oil: “Oh, my God!” she said. “Please pay attention to our lives.”

Tearing up from reading this.

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- carolmalaysia says:
  
  December 6, 2020 at 12:32 pm
  
  beachteach: The palm oil business is rampant in Malaysia. When landing at the KLIA [Kuala Lumpur International Airport] one travels on a modern road that goes through miles of palm oil trees to get to the city.
  The city of Kuching, capital of the Eastern Malaysian state of Sarawak in Borneo, used to be surrounded by jungle. Now it has all been cut down and oil palm trees are all one can see from the air.
  
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  - beachteach says:
    
    December 6, 2020 at 1:59 pm
    
    The story is not on the front page of what Diane linked to. You have to scroll through and there is a feature just on the palm oil fields and how dangerous they are to young women. Just now seeing the connection in your name. Did you teach in Malaysia?
  - carolmalaysia says:
    
    December 6, 2020 at 4:20 pm
    
    beachteach: I taught in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, East Malaysia for two years in the Peace Corps, after having received my bachelor’s degree.
    Then I went back to work in Malaysia in 1997 to teach at the International School of Kuala Lumpur for 8 years and stayed one more year in KL before returning to the States.
  - beachteach says:
    
    December 6, 2020 at 6:28 pm
    
    That must have been an amazing experience – and a culture shock to return to the states.
  - carolmalaysia says:
    
    December 6, 2020 at 6:39 pm
    
    beachteach: Borneo was a lot of jungle when I worked there in the Peace Corps. My first year teaching was at a school 24 miles from the capital city of Kuching. I’d wait on the road for a bus which never had a schedule. On the bus were chickens, pigs and things that farmers were bringing to the market in the capital city.
    It was a great experience. I’ve been back and things have really changed. I stayed a few nights in a five star hotel.
    Living in Kuala Lumpur was much different. I still have friends there and the city in many ways is westernized.
    The best thing about being overseas was meeting people from different cultures and seeing a lot of the world.
    I also taught at the Santa Cruz Cooperative School in Santa Cruz, Bolivia for two years.
- Bob Shepherd says:
  
  December 6, 2020 at 2:54 pm
  
  Beachteach, Carol. Thank you. One of the leading vegan butter alternatives is a palm oil product. Not OK.
  
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  - carolmalaysia says:
    
    December 6, 2020 at 4:21 pm
    
    Bob Shepherd: I read that some ice creams have palm oil. They don’t melt, they just sort of flop over. The stuff is unhealthy.
retired teacher says:

December 6, 2020 at 1:16 pm

Incredible global photo journal of the year including the good, bad and ugly of 2020. Take the time to scroll through all the pictures to get the full impact. Included in the many nightmarish pictures was an impressive one from Cuba: little school girls wearing masks, gloves and bows in their hair. Say what you will about Cuba; at least they believe in science.

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rratto says:

December 6, 2020 at 2:19 pm

Amongst these pictures of horror are many pictures of strength and resilience. Thanks for sharing.

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Bob Shepherd says:

December 6, 2020 at 2:34 pm

What? No picture of Princess Sparkle holding a can of Goya beans?

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- retired teacher says:
  
  December 6, 2020 at 3:32 pm
  
  LOL
  
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Bob Shepherd says:

December 6, 2020 at 2:53 pm

Breathtaking. I do wish one didn’t have to encounter pictures of Jabba the Trump when looking at these though. Things have been tough enough this year. But the rest of these photos, my Lord. Resilience, heartbreak, triumph, courage. And reminders of so much that needs to be done.

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- retired teacher says:
  
  December 6, 2020 at 3:37 pm
  
  My thoughts exactly. I thought about how helpful billionaires could be instead of raking in billions. I also appreciated the pictures of South America, Asia and Africa that mainstream media rarely cover.
  
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  - retiredbutmissthekids says:
    
    December 6, 2020 at 6:19 pm
    
    “I thought about how helpful billionaires could be instead of raking in billions.” What a lovely dream, retired!
    Perhaps the Ken Griffin I mentioned yesterday (ILL-Annoy billionaire who put his money in–not to help people {except himself & his rich buds}–to advertise lies & misinformation against our graduated tax)
    will drop his spending spree on evermore &&&& real estate & donate gazillions to food banks & the unemployed to help families.
    
    Breaking ground, here, for the vomitorium!
Laura H. Chapman says:

December 6, 2020 at 7:27 pm

I found myself looking at the dates the photographs were taken–pre-Covid19 and later, as well as the brief descriptions of events and locations. Bob Shepherd’s comments are better than any I can offer.

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carolmalaysia says:

December 7, 2020 at 6:03 am

This is off topic.
Money corrupts.
………………………………..
Barr Is Said to Be Weighing Whether to Leave Before Trump’s Term Ends
The attorney general’s future came into doubt after he acknowledged that the Justice Department had not found evidence of widespread voter fraud in the president’s election loss…
By leaving early, Mr. Barr could avoid a confrontation with the president over his refusal to advance Mr. Trump’s efforts to rewrite the election results…

When Mr. Barr left the Justice Department in 1993 after serving as attorney general under President George Bush, he became the general counsel of the telecommunications company GTE Corp., which eventually became Verizon. That stint at the company ended with a $10.4 million payout and made him a millionaire many times over, making it unlikely that he will take another full-time job after he leaves the department.

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- dianeravitch says:
  
  December 7, 2020 at 8:06 am
  
  Oh good. Trump can appoint an acting Attorney General (Sidney Powell? Rudy Guiliani?) to assert that the election was stolen. He just awarded the medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to a college football coach who is a Trump loyalist. Previously he gave it to Rush Limbaugh. January 20 can’t come soon enough.
  
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