For all the talk of a recovery in the US economy, a grim reality has been outlined in Washington for all the world to see: America can’t feed all its 303 million people, with one in seven going short at some stage in a week.
Poverty
Half of all American kids receive food stamps
It seems that food stamps aren’t just for those in the ghetto. A new study shows half of all US kids will receive food stamps at some time in their childhood. Even more disturbing, 90% of black children will use them.
Girls in Ghana carry a heavy burden
Tens of thousands of young women in Ghana have left their families in the country for the country’s capital city of Accra to work as “Kayayo” — porters carrying heavy loads on their heads for as little as AU$1.56 a day.
Why slums are good for the environment
Slums may seem dirty and polluted, but according to environmentalist and author Stewart Brand, they’re also hotbeds of green innovation, help lower the levels of unsustainable farming, and empower women in their communities.
Video of the Day: Ricky Gervais: newspapers’ future? What a silly question
“Are you going to be unhappy when there’s no more perambulators to put your baby in?” We sense the comedian doesn’t understand just how serious this whole newspaper death thing is.
The world can no longer afford Africa’s poverty
With refugees spilling over borders, pirates hijacking ships, and terrorists finding shelter, it is clear that, although Africa’s solutions are its own, its problems are not, writes Robert Skidelsky.
From slums to a shining town on the hill
The citizens of Kaputei, an eco-town rising from the plains south of Nairobi, finally own something that has eluded them their whole lives: a flushing toilet.
Why the poor pay more
In America, having no car, no washing machine and no checking account means things cost more for the poor than the middle class. The Washington Post explains why.
2009 budget is oversold and unfair
Yes, there were good bits, but as a social document based on fairness, the 2009 federal budget wasn’t crash hot.
First world narcissism
To deal with international terrorism, first world countries need to stop being so consumed by their own problems, argues Peter Hartcher.
Won’t somebody think of the rich people?
With the world gearing up for a year of economic pain like no other, the media has taken up the usual strategy of documenting the devastating effects on the rich, writes Andrew Crook.
