World Hunger and Poverty

I watched the State of the Union address earlier tonight.
First and foremost, Bush talked about his tax cuts and urged Congress not to let his “tax relief” expire. But, as I pointed out in my last post, his unfair tax cuts mean the working class has to pay more in taxes. Basically, changing the tax […]

I just read an interesting interview with Bob Edgar, president of Common Cause.
For the sake of remaining bipartisan, he does not take positions on presidents. But he does make some good points about issues. Internationally, he wants the next U.S. president to focus on ending secret prisons, torture and pre-emptive war. Domestically, he stressed the […]

At the World Economic Forum, Bill Gates said that we need to revise capitalism so that it also serves poor people, which he calls creative capitalism.
I usually avoid suggesting “capitalism” as a way to alleviate poverty, because so many people have such different interpretations of what the word means, and because “capitalism” usually seems to […]

I just read an interesting article about Bono addressing the World Economic Forum alongside Gore.
While I appreciate all the work Bono does in regards to poverty, he strikes me as somewhat of a self-serving phony who cares more about his own wealth and fame than actually solving problem of global poverty. But I have not […]

I just read an interesting article about a study by Frank Furstenberg that shows that teen motherhood does not perpetuate poverty.
According to the 30-year-study, postponing motherhood does not have a significant impact on a person’s chances of escaping poverty. For all intents and purposes, impoverished girls who bear children tend to do just as well […]

I just read an unfortunate story from the UK press. According to the article, nearly 2 million people in the UK retiring before April 2010 could face poverty.
They face poverty because they do not qualify for full basic state pensions. To qualify, men currently need to have made “national insurance contributions” for 44 years, while […]

Today, the shower in my house will no longer turn off. While waiting for it to get fixed (by the landlord or a plumber), we turned off the water in the house, which seems more desirable than leaving the water running all day. Anyway, not having running water is very unpleasant, so it made me […]

The nationwide Community Action Network has suggested 5 themes and strategies that local communities can use to alleviate poverty. Essentially, they advised:

Get everyone involved.
Build an economy that works for everyone.
Put money into healthcare and education.
Maximize opportunities for people.
Eliminate false stereotypes such as the myth that poor people are lazy.

Generally, I agree with those 5 points. […]

I just read an article on Waterford Today about the threat that spiraling food prices pose in the battle against world hunger. The costs of basic foodstuffs have jumped 40% in the past year, according to the the UN’s food price index.
The article points to fuel as the main reason. Mainly, it says that the […]

Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister of the UK, referred to reading as a ladder out of poverty. He also said, “It’s not just the joy of reading, father-to-son or in the classroom. It’s also the benefits of reading. It’s probably one of the best anti-poverty, anti-deprivation, anti-crime, anti-vandalism policies you can think of.”
I do not […]