Starved for Attention interactive exhibit heading to Philly!

From DoctorsWithoutBorders.tumblr.com:

On Friday, NY1 featured two clips on the Starved for Attention interactive exhibit. The exhibit drew more than 2,000 visitors during its run in New York, and will be heading to Philadelphia this weekend. Sign the petition there or online to help us rewrite the story of malnutrition.

Definitely go sign it. I already did.

What we should really be worried about (no, it's not terrorism)

CoalSpeaker recently mentioned that I should keep calming his nerves.  To that I replied that I'd do my best but that some things made *my* nerves uncalm (*not really a word).  Then, what do I see today but the above article in the NYT.  Let's examine a bit of it:

Another 2.6 million people slipped into poverty in the United States last year, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday, and the number of Americans living below the official poverty line, 46.2 million people, was the highest number in the 52 years the bureau has been publishing figures on it.

To anyone watching the decay in value of the USD and the export of American jobs, this is not a surprise at all.  Actually, what is a surprise to me is that it took us quite a bit longer to get here than I expected.  Of course, if our leaders in government had been paying attention as closely as people like me, they might have tried to avoid such a result.  Instead they were effectively paid to turn a blind eye to corporations putting profits above the welfare of American citizens they allegedly service.  Now, even they are suffering since their customers (us) have no money to spend on their products.

I mean, seriously, you don't pay the salaries of American citizens and you're surprised when they have no money to buy your stuff?  Seems like our leaders in government aren't the only people who haven't been paying attention.  Imagine if Apple paid Americans some of their huge pile of cash to make iPods instead of Chinese laborers?

And in new signs of distress among the middle class, median household incomes fell last year to levels last seen in 1997.

There's still a middle class?

“This is truly a lost decade,” Mr. Katz said. “We think of America as a place where every generation is doing better, but we’re looking at a period when the median family is in worse shape than it was in the late 1990s.”

Notice he used the word DECADE.  So no blaming Obama for this shit. This is Bush and the Republican's fault and even Clinton's fault, to a certain degree, since anyone looking forward could have seen this coming.  When my dad got laid off from a major broadcaster's R&D department back in 1992, that should have been a sign of decline (no Research and Development means less innovation which means less new stuff to sell which means less jobs for people making and selling).

The bureau’s findings were worse than many economists expected, and brought into sharp relief the toll the past decade — including the painful declines of the financial crisis and recession —had taken on Americans at the middle and lower parts of the income ladder. It is also fresh evidence that the disappointing economic recovery has done nothing for the country’s poorest citizens.

This "recovery" hasn't done much for anyone, even for the rich, as the article goes onto explain a bit further down:

Median household income for the bottom tenth of the income spectrum fell by 12 percent from a peak in 1999, while the top 90th percentile dropped by just 1.5 percent.

So, even rich folks are getting hurt by this--even if only a little.

Overall, median household income adjusted for inflation declined by 2.3 percent in 2010 from the previous year, to $49,445. That was 7 percent less than the peak of $53,252 in 1999.

So, even in 1999, the tail end of the Clinton Era, things were not great for most American families.  I mean, I remember when I was a kid hearing from my parents that teachers generally didn't get paid much--$30k or so. That was in the 1980s.  So, if a two income household is making $7k less than twice that in 1999, that's some pretty crappy income right there.  Of course, eleven years later in 2010, households made just under $50k and that's worse than it looks, compared to the 1999 and 1980s number once you think about inflation.

So, sorry CoalSpeaker, while creepy/bizarre sounds and solar flares aren't bad things to be concerned about, my nerves don't like news like this.  Especially since it's been a while since I've seen a paycheck. :

 

 

 

 

amodernmanifesto:

cognitivedissonance:

Cost of one Tomahawk cruise missile: Approximately $756,000-$2,000,000 per missile

Congress appropriated $6,734,000,000 for WIC in fiscal year 2011.

Let’s compare these numbers for perspective:

When Operation Iraqi Freedom began, more than 725 Tomahawk cruise missiles had been fired into Iraq by early 2003. That’s an approximate cost of $548,100,000 to $1,450,000,000 - nearly 20% of WIC’s 2011 budget in a matter of weeks.

War is expensive, but for some reason, it’s easier to to write those costs off than the costs of helping families in need. War is also profitable, whereas assisting the impoverished, well, not so much.

This quote is truth.

This quote makes me so angry.

….but then, so does the truth.

Very puzzling video—can anyone please explain to me how 12 year-old girl can be the solution the world needs right now? According to this video, I mean. Because I don’t get it.Found via poptech:The clock is ticking… See how a 12-year-old girl could be the solution the world needs right now.(via Girl Effect)And even poptech’s explanation doesn’t help.I’m all for helping kids in poverty but there doesn’t seem to be anything logical in this video that explains why girls are victimized anymore than one would expect them to be. Usually videos like this bring to light a problem people don’t really think about. I don’t think anyone would say they weren’t aware that teen-pregnancy hampers the careers of girls. And, tell me what the problem is that the 12 year-old girl in the video solves?And, on a side note, exactly *how* does she go from *maybe* surviving childbirth to maybe being forced into prostitution? I’m sure it happens, but does it always happen? And I love how the worst thing that comes of her after she is forced into prostitution is that she might get and spread HIV. Jesus Christ, this is supposed to help us care for little girls in poverty? I can avoid HIV by being monogamous with someone else who is monogamous. Luckily, I have a soul and understand child prostitution has psychological effects on the girls. BUT IT’S OK: We can go back in time to when she’s 12 again! We can inexplicably make sure she goes to the doctor! And that she stays in school! Where nothing bad can happen to her! And at 18, she uses her education to smash down all the walls and glass ceilings that have held woman back for centuries!! Oh. I mean, she earns a living (because really, that’s all a girl from poverty should expect to do—aim high, little poverty girl!)Now she’s calling the shots! AndItLooksSomethingLikeThis:She can avoid HIV (unless she is raped by someone with HIV). She can marry (like all good women should want to do).And have children (again, like all good women should want to do).And her children are healthy, like she is (because nothing ever goes wrong once you’re earning a living!).Now imagine this continuing generation after generation. Um, I can’t. Well, I can, but I’d have to use my imagination since that’s just not reality.Nah, I don’t get the picture.50 millions 12 year-old girls in poverty equals 50 million solutions.REALLY? So, we should keep them in poverty?50 million girls in poverty is the power of the girl effect?Maybe I don’t get this video because an adult male?Also, do 12 year-olds have boobs at all? I don’t know these things, but it seems like the pig tails would have been enough of tip to know she was a girl.Also, also: WHAT’S WITH THE YELLING? IS YOUR CAPS LOCK BROKEN, MR. CAPTIONING VON YELLYPANTS?Also, also, also: this whole thing reminds me of this pro-Obama video that Demi and Ashton did where they and a stack of other pro-Obama celebs pledged their allegiance to Barack Obama. Much like many Republicans did for Bush, which was much like what many Hitler Youth kids did for Hitler.Sigh…

friendlyatheist:

LOL god: Santa gives more to rich kids than poor kids.

Substitute Santa with god and the argument still holds.

FA’s got a good point there.  And hey, God is just Santa for adults.

Why are there 40 million poor people in America? When you begin to ask that question, you are raising questions about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy.

Why are there 40 million poor people in America? When you begin to ask that question, you are raising questions about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy.

- Martin Luther King Jr

(via thecollectedworksof)

(via underpaidgenius)

Martin Luther King Jr. was much more than just a civil rights leader.

John Edwards and Poverty, the Lost Cause #bad08

So, it's Blog Action Day and so all of us bloggers taking part are supposed to be writing about poverty today. The thing is, I'm in politics-mode until November 4 (and probably after) so I've been wrestling with what to write. While pondering, I remembered John Edwards.

He was the first politician to make me feel like there was hope for the future. How did he do this?

By talking about poverty.

They always say that you can tell the moral strength of a nation by how they treat their prisoners. Well, I think they should change that saying to refer to poor people.

Our country hates the poor and strangely, John Edwards, back, during the 2004 presidential campaign was talking about poor folks and poverty. Yep--a rich, successful white man was talking about poverty. The thing is that he wasn't just talking about how poor people needed help, he was talking about how it was impossible for them to get it because there were two different Americas--one for the rich and the other for the poor.

Notice he didn't have a third America for the middle class. I think he understood that the middle class was dwindling and ultimately didn't account for anywhere near as many votes as the poor people did. Or it could have been that he just cared about people who lived every day below the poverty line. When ever I hear any leader (especially white leaders) talk about poverty I get excited because I know it's the biggest crime that continues to occur on our planet.

Just yesterday I read on CNN.com (here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/10/14/world.health.report/index.html ) about how the World Health Organization is freaking out because so many people are suffering, unable to get the health care they need. Just the article's summary points are scary enough:

# Health care disparities make world "neither stable nor secure," WHO director says
# Report: 43 percent of women giving birth this year will do so without medical help
# Tajikistan, Sierra Leone have 40-year gap in life expectancy despite expenditures
# Report applauds Iran, Cuba for finding ways to improve health care

It's disgusting how we let profit run everything because it's letting so many people suffer and die every day. Poverty isn't just a problem in other countries, either. It's a problem right here in the US. When I lived in the Carolinas back in the 90s, I discovered the existence of a community that lived inside a junk yard. Called The Blackmon Road Community, these people have had a generation be born and grow up there. APlaceForHope.Net is the website of a non-profit that delivers services to the people in this neighborhood and has done so for years. On the site's history page they explain more about the Blackmon Road Community:

The Blackmon Road Community is comprised of approximately 20 families (75-100 individuals) living along Archer Dr., Joe Louis Blvd., and Blackmon Rd., just off of SC 72.

The neighborhood area has drawn York County’s poor and destitute for several decades, harboring those unable to find affordable housing, as well as those suffering from the afflictions of alcohol and drug addiction. Many of the residents today live without electricity or indoor plumbing, and in a number of cases, are literally homeless squatters. The past efforts of the county to address the extreme poverty of the community have been hindered by complicated property ownership issues, and have ultimately resulted in little significant support for the area. Residents of the community have depended upon the compassion of churches and faith based initiatives, concerned individuals, and community organizations to help them meet their most immediate needs.

So, having been touched by the plight of these people, hearing John Edwards run for president on a platform that would address the issues facing these people made me very happy. I saw him talk at an event televised on C-SPAN (yay C-SPAN!) and immediate went to Edward's campaign site and donated $20.

To this day, that is the only money I've ever donated to any campaign ever.

When he announced he was running again in 2008 I was excited. I was really pulling for him again. Sure, I didn't agree with him on a lot of fronts (and he is a YAWG - Yet Another White Guy), but he cared about poor people!! This was huge! Hell, the last guy who did that and ran for president was Bobby Kennedy. We all know what happened to him.

Lucky for Edwards, no one assassinated him. Though you could easily argue that he assassinated himself.

When he dropped out of the race for president, I was disappointed. However, for a while there, it looked like Obama might pick Edwards as his running mate. This got me excited all over again. But as it turned out, there was already something in Edwards' past that would assassinate his career.

We all know how that story ended now.

But flashback to when Edwards dropped out of the race--he spoke with Obama and Clinton and then assured his followers that both had promised to pursue poverty in their platforms.

Since then, I haven't heard anything about poverty from either Clinton or Obama.

So, with Edwards' lost political career so is his favorite cause lost in the shuffle--poverty.

What's so wrong with helping people out? I don't get it.

It kills me every time I hear the phrase "get a job" because not only does it mean that someone has no compassion for their fellow human, but it means there's another person who buys into the system and the idea that everything is equal and that everyone's on their own (and that this is OK).

We're NOT on our own. None of us are--we're on a planet with 6 billion other people, yet too many of us starve every night. Too many of us are homeless. Too many of us feel alone.

And for what? For an ideology--capitalism is best! The free market rules!

Well, the free market left 90,000 people homeless in Los Angeles according to statistics I remember hearing a few years back. Those numbers are disgusting.

Where do 90,000 people "get a job"?

Where do wages for 90,000 people come from?

Government programs (if properly funded) could help these people train for jobs (if any can be found). But oooh, no! We can't have government programs! They'd be too expensive!

Instead, what do we spend our tax dollars on?

Two failed wars.

A monstrous bailout of companies that violated the rules of the free market in order to get rich.

Ah well, Happy Blog Action Day '08!

Got a poverty post? Link to it in the comments. I'd love to check it out!



OH yeah and one least thing: If you're a good person and you think you're a good leader (or if people tell you that you are) don't cheat on your spouse. Just don't.

Thanks.