poverty

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Record 28 Million Americans to Get Food Stamps

Slip into poverty a grim economic indicator

(Newser) - In an economic indicator that paints a grim future for swaths of the US population, an all-time record 28 million Americans are expected to be close enough to poverty to receive $36 billion in food stamps in the coming fiscal year, reports the New York Times. There is a surge...

West Can't Forget Victims of Katrina

NBA All-Star goes all out to help needy in New Orleans

(Newser) - Tonight's NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans showcases basketball's best. In the Big Easy, the lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina's devastation are part of the scene. For Hornets All-Star forward David West, they're part of everyday life, and no matter how much he does to help, it doesn't feel like...

John Edwards Drops White House Bid
John Edwards Drops White
House Bid
Jan 30, 2008 12:40 PM CST

John Edwards Drops White House Bid

Departing hopeful: Dems 'will be strong, we will be unified'

(Newser) - John Edwards ended his presidential bid today in front of a Habitat for Humanity site in New Orleans. Edwards reiterated his confidence that "a proud progressive will occupy the White House" in 2008, but “It’s time for me to step aside so that history can blaze its...

Edwards to Quit '08 Race
Edwards to Quit '08 Race
Jan 30, 2008 8:20 AM CST

Edwards to Quit '08 Race

Ends underdog bid overshadowed by fierce Obama, Clinton rivalry

(Newser) - Democratic hopeful John Edwards is ending his second quest for the presidency, reports the AP, capping a campaign in which he focused on progressive ideals and wrestled with the recurring cancer of his wife, Elizabeth. The former senator canceled campaign events last night for what was to be a major...

NY Seeks to Move Poverty Goal Post
NY Seeks to Move Poverty Goal Post
Dec 30, 2007 7:51 PM CST

NY Seeks to Move Poverty Goal Post

Updated definition of 'poor' may shape programs nationwide

(Newser) - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, fed up with the circa-1960s definition of poverty used by Washington, is developing his own measure of deciding who is entitled to financial relief, the New York Times reports. Although Bloomberg’s plan aims to help New York City's poor, officials hope it will spark...

States Snatch Child Support
States Snatch Child Support
Dec 1, 2007 7:20 AM CST

States Snatch Child Support

States are tracking down more deadbeat dads, but kids aren't getting the money

(Newser) - States are getting better at making deadbeat dads cough up child support, but not much of the cash is getting to the kids, the New York Times reports. The money's been going to repay back welfare benefits instead. Almost half of states keep all the money; most others pass along...

Black Families Need Their 40 Acres
Black Families Need Their
40 Acres
OPINION
Nov 18, 2007 3:22 PM CST

Black Families Need Their 40 Acres

The ticket to black success is property ownership, says Gates

(Newser) - With a poll last week showing that African Americans no longer think of themselves as a "single race," Henry Louis Gates Jr explores causes of  the widening gap between middle class and poor blacks. His study of 20 highly successful African Americans, from Oprah to Whoopi to...

Growing African Economies Could Lessen Poverty

Ten years of positive growth could 'put a dent' in poverty: World Bank report

(Newser) - The growth of Africa's economy over the past 10 years is strong enough to "put a dent in a dent in poverty," according to a World Bank report. Growth over the past decade has averaged 5.4%, but more foreign investment is needed to keep that going. The...

eBay Launches Microfinance Loan Site

Users can lend money to the world's poor... and earn interest

(Newser) - EBay's newly launched MicroPlace lets users make loans through PayPal or a bank account to needy entrepreneurs worldwide. The idea? Even small sums can help poor people build businesses to raise themselves out of poverty. The site's founder remembers one Bangladeshi woman who bought a handloom, thus earning enough to...

World Bank President Touts New Strategy

Zoellick calls for fast funds and alternative energy sources

(Newser) - Robert Zoellick has outlined a new strategy for the World Bank, including giving the private sector a bigger role in development, speeding aid to countries coming out of conflict, and promoting green energy alternatives, Reuters reports. The new president  has been quick to reposition the global bank's mission following the...

Report: Top Retailers Pay Poverty Wages

H&M, Gap, others mislead public about plight of garment workers in Bangladesh

(Newser) - On the eve of London fashion week, a new report blasts clothing retailers for turning a blind eye to the poverty-level wages of their workers. Marks&Spencer, H&M, the Gap, and others are singled out for paying garments workers in Bangladesh such low wages that the workers must rely...

Painkiller Is Denied to Poor
Painkiller Is Denied to Poor
Sep 10, 2007 10:08 AM CDT

Painkiller Is Denied to Poor

Morphine is cheap and available, but it's withheld because of 'opoid phobia'

(Newser) - Though morphine is cheap, effective, and widely available, most people sufferering extreme pain don't  get it, the New York Times reports. The poorest 80% of the world’s population consumes only 6% of the pain-killer. Why? Because health care workers in poor countries are afraid to prescribe morphine, or not...

Aussie Chief Pleads for APEC Peace on YouTube

Howard asks protesters for support, peace

(Newser) - Australian Prime Minister John Howard has taken to the YouTube web waves in a bid to quell protests this week in Sydney at the summit on Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. If demonstrators "really are concerned about poverty and climate change, they should support APEC not attack it," Howard pleads....

NYC to Pay the Poor for Good Parenting

Bloomberg foots part of the tab for new anti-poverty program

(Newser) - Mayor Bloomberg is flying in the face of liberals and conservatives alike with a new antipoverty program, and paying some of it out of his own pocket. He’s raised more than $40 million that he plans to give it to poor parents for certain tasks, like going to the...

US Poverty Rate Dips, but Uninsured Swell

Income inequality reaches all-time high

(Newser) - The US poverty rate has finally taken a downturn for the first time in 10 years, census figures show. The poverty rate was 12.3% in 2006, down from 12.6% the previous year, and annual household income rose to $48,200. But the news isn't all rosy: the number...

Poor Pakistanis Sell Kidneys to Rich Foreigners

Organ sales are still legal in Pakistan; prices are as low as $1,700

(Newser) - In the village of Sultanpur More, Pakistan, hundreds of people have long purple scars in their sides from selling their kidneys—for as little as $1,700—to pay off debts and to make dowry payments, the Chicago Tribune reports.  There are only a few countries that don't prohibit...

Beyond Chavez: The Other Latin America Is Booming

Brazil and Mexico lead in growth, reform

(Newser) - Despite the rhetorical drumbeat from Hugo Chavez, not all of Latin America is mired in poverty exacerbated by free-market extremes exported from the US, the Economist writes. Led by giants Brazil and Mexico, much of the region is actually better off now than at any time in 30 years; the...

China Seeks Oil in Africa
China Seeks Oil in Africa
Aug 13, 2007 10:34 AM CDT

China Seeks Oil in Africa

Eschewing the West, Beijing touts mutual prosperity with developing nations

(Newser) - China is exploring the sweltering wilderness of Chad in search of lucrative pockets of oil and other materials, the New York Times reports. Chinese officials tout the strategy as a "win-win" situation as the country develops relationships with African nations to achieve mutual prosperity by capitalizing on natural resources...

Third of Iraqis Need Critical Aid
Third of Iraqis Need Critical Aid
Jul 30, 2007 7:36 AM CDT

Third of Iraqis Need Critical Aid

Government of violence-riddled nation can't provide basics

(Newser) - A third of Iraq's population—some 8 million people—are in critical need of emergency aid because they have no food, water or shelter, according to an OXFAM report detailed in the BBC. Trapped in a maelstrom of sectarian violence, the Iraqi government is unable to provide basic needs. Some...

Bush Buddy Squelched Health Report
Bush Buddy Squelched Health Report
Jul 29, 2007 1:47 PM CDT

Bush Buddy Squelched Health Report

Appointee suppressed surgeon general's unfavorable paper

(Newser) - A Bush appointee spiked a 2006 surgeon general's report on global health issues for not promoting the administration's policy efforts, WaPo reports. Richard Steiger, an HHS official and longtime Bush family friend, suppressed a report urging Americans to take on global health problems, and discussed connections between poverty and illness.

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