Poverty

Latest news on poverty

Quinn called NOW the "National Organization for Whores," said columnist Fatimah Ali should "get an American name"

On the September 3 broadcast of The War Room with Quinn & Rose, co-host Jim Quinn referred to the National Organization for Women as "the National Organization for Whores." Quinn stated: "Yesterday, I said, I wonder how long it's going to be before one of these Alinskyites -- formerly known as Democrats -- one of these Alinskyites out there suggests that Sarah Palin is not really a woman. Remember [Sen.] Kay Bailey Hutchison [R-TX] was a female impersonator, according to the National Organization for Whores?" Later in the program, Quinn aired a clip of Fox News host and Washington managing editor Brit Hume discussing a Philadelphia Daily News column by Fatimah Ali. Following the clip, Quinn said: "[Y]ou know, Fatimah, what's your real name? Come on, seriously. I mean, get an American name, will you, if you want to be an American. You don't suppose she's a liberal black Muslim, do you?" As Media Matters for America has previously noted, on the August 11 broadcast of Quinn & Rose, guest host Mike Pintek questioned the authenticity of Sen. Barack Obama's birth certificate, saying: "I still keep wondering about his birthplace and his birth certificate. I'm still not convinced that he actually was born a natural-born citizen." Additionally, during the August 27 broadcast, Quinn introduced a segment about Sen.Hillary Clinton by playing audio of the Elton John song "The Bitch Is Back." The next day, Sen. John McCain was a guest on the program. Talkers magazine ranks Quinn & Rose number 54 on its "Heavy Hundred" list, which it describes as the "100 most important radio talk show hosts in America" based on Talkers' criteria. From the September 3 broadcast of Clear Channel's The War Room With Quinn & Rose: QUINN: The Democrat [sic] Party is now the "Alinsky Party." Yesterday, I said, I wonder how long it's going to be before one of these Alinskyites -- formerly known as Democrats -- one of these Alinskyites out there suggests that Sarah Palin is not really a woman. Remember Kay Bailey Hutchison was a female impersonator, according to the National Organization for Whores? Remember that? Well, James Lewis, American Thinker: "is Sarah Palin really a woman?" [...] HUME [audio clip]: A Philadelphia Daily News columnist is warning that if John McCain wins the November election, quote, "look for a full-fledged race and class war fueled by a deflated and depressed country, soaring crime, homelessness, and hopelessness." Fatimah Ali'spiece is headlined, quote, "We need Obama, not 4 more years of George Bush." She writes that Republicans have overstayed their welcome and the country may be headed for chaos. Quote, "Plenty of Americans would rather stay in their dream state than recognize the poverty sweeping across the country right here, right now," end quote. QUINN: I'll tell you what, folks, it's the great depression. It's bread lines, soup kitchens. Fatimah Ali, writing in the Philadelphia Daily -- you know, Fatimah, what's your real name? Come on, seriously. I mean, get an American name, will you, if you want to be an American. You don't suppose she's a liberal black Muslim, do you? I'm just curious.

UK's top boffin: Renewables targets were 'a mistake'

EU premiers were in the dark: now we all will be A former chief scientific advisor to the government has said that EU renewable-energy quotas will cause widespread fuel poverty. Sir David King believes that European heads of state, in agreeing the targets, may have mistaken electricity usage for total energy consumption - leading to overly ambitious and expensive goals being set.?

Poverty fears over wind power

The Government's former chief scientific adviser warns too much wind power could push more people into fuel poverty.

SRI LANKA: ‘Animal Tracks’ Lead Villagers Out of Poverty

KOULARA, Sri Lanka, Aug 28 (IPS) - An impoverished village in southern Sri Lanka is slowly pulling out of poverty by churning out terra cotta moulds of animal footprints for tea connoisseurs all over the world.

Santo Domingo Metro Now Arriving in November

A brand new subway sure seems like it should be the last priority for a city suffering from rampant poverty, a crumbling infrastructure, and few educational opportunities. But enough about New York in 1904 -- Santo Domingo will be the second Caribbean city to have a subway when the Santo Domingo Metro officially opens in November, Tranport Reform Office (OPRET) Director Leonel Carrasco told Dominican Today. The announcement comes after four years of construction and a "soft open" in April. Not surprisingly, the prospect of a $700 million subway in the middle of a third world country is controversial, spurring serious debates over government spending and more quaint, patronizing racial jokes than an early-60s Blake Edwards movie. One poster on Dominican Today (who may be Opie and Anthony's representative to the United Nations) writes that if the Metro breaks down, "then they will have to go back to 8 people in a broken down toyota." Real classy.Many pundits feel the subway project is related to Dominican President Leonel Fernandez' obsession with New York City. Like all those people wearing Yankees hats, a subway is just another way that Santo Domingo can look like the Big Apple. Fernandez even made several important announcements about the Metro while touring the US on a re-election campaign aimed at expatriates with absentee ballots. In fact, much of Fernandez' reelection campaign has relied on the subway, even combining the Metro's unofficial opening with one of his own campaign rallies. It seems to have worked: Fernandez was sworn in for a third term on the 16th. The subway became a budget priority during Fernandez' second term, eclipsing such pressing needs as healthcare and delivery of electricity. In a twist of irony, the Metro will be powered by generators that aren't connected to the notoriously unreliable Dominican power grid. As with any public works project anywhere in the world, accusations of corruption abound. Though OPRET has been less than transparent about the whole construction process, at least the trains are clean. They're brand-new units from French manufacturer ALSTOM, running in three-car pairs across one line (for now). For a project that's been considered a political third rail, it's curious that the Metro runs on overhead caternary wires. Despite publicly expressed reservations about priorities and needs, the Metro is extremely popular. YouTube videos posted on Reuters show massive crowds charging the trains during their grand opening, chanting "Leonel! Leonel!" Several people appear to be so overjoyed that they needed medical attention. Those of us who have waited for an outbound MBTA Red Line train at rush hour know the feeling, and at least the Dominicans only had to wait four years for their train. Fernandez plans to give the people more of what they want, already planning to construct another line during his third term. Photo by Wikipedia user Edwin Casado Baez.

Thai Family Research Project: How entrepreneurship shapes economies

Robert Townsend, co-director of the Thai Family Research Project, discusses the importance of individual entrepreneurs in shaping local and regional economies and reducing poverty. His findings draw on over 10 years of data collected from nearly 3,000 households throughout Thailand. This research contributed to the creation of The Enterprise Initiative, a new project funded by the John Templeton Foundation which focuses on wealth creation and poverty reduction in developing countries.

More People Living Below Poverty Line

World Bank: more people living in poverty in developing countries.

World poverty 'more widespread'

The World Bank says there are more poor people in the world than previously thought, with one in four in poverty.

Redefining Poverty

New York City is changing the way poverty in the city is defined, while the Federal government is considering a bill to do the same. Planetizen Assistant Editor Nate Berg reports in The Christian Science Monitor. read more