U.S. recovery, rest in peace

By Colin Barr 8 June 2011 The recovery is over. So says UCLA economist Ed Leamer. He notes that May brought the first year-over-year decline in the Pulse of Commerce Index of domestic diesel fuel use since the end of 2009 – the latest yellow flag to be raised over the sputtering U.S. economy. The […]

Ethiopia drought: ‘The worst is yet to come’

By Audree Montpetit25 May 2011 I arrived in Borena Zone, Oromia Region, in the southern part of Ethiopia two days ago. I am here with my CARE colleagues to conduct a deeper assessment on the impact of the current drought on women, men, boys and girls. We have talked to different groups, and even though […]

Cost of Texas drought climbing with each dry day

By Betsy Blaney, Associated Press writer25 May 2011 LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — A historic drought has already cost Texas farmers and ranchers an estimated $1.5 billion, and the cost is growing daily as parched conditions persist in much of the state. May is typically the wettest month in Texas, but parts of the state haven’t […]

Commemorating the one-year anniversary of the devastating 2010 Pakistan floods

Contact: Javeria Malik (0300 8325911) javeria.malik@actionaid.org Zakaria Nutkani (0300 5193304) Zakaria.nutkani@actionaid.org May 25 (ActionAid) – “Women and girls have been the worst victims of 2010 floods due to their pre-existing vulnerabilities.  After almost a year of the devastating floods, millions of women are still desperately striving to rebuild their lives and livelihoods. “Therefore it is […]

Oil-rich nations export water stress to ensure food security through African ‘land grab’

Contact: info@maplecroft.com or call +44 (0)1225 42000018 May 2011 18/05/2011 The Gulf nations of Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are rated as the world’s most water stressed countries, with the least available water per capita, by a new ranking of 186 countries. The Water Stress Index, released by risk analysis and mapping firm Maplecroft, […]

More U.S. seniors going hungry

By Elizabeth Crisp, USA TODAY17 May 2011 JACKSON, Miss. – Addie Mae Payton waits every Thursday for the Meals On Wheels man to bring her lunch. “It’s things like chicken, rice and vegetables that I can heat up in the microwave,” says Payton, 85. “You get full off of it, you sure do.” Even with […]

Nearly 30 percent of U.S. home mortgages underwater – Home values see biggest drop since 2008

May 9 (Reuters) – U.S. home values fell in the first quarter at the fastest rate since late 2008, real estate data firm Zillow said on Monday, suggesting that a bottom will not be seen until 2012 at the earliest. Zillow said its home value index fell 3 percent in the first three months of […]

Half of adults in Detroit are functionally illiterate

By Matthew Yglesias5 May 2011 Something that I think drives at least some of my disagreements with other liberals about education policy is that I think a lot of middle class liberals implicitly underestimate the extent of really bad learning outcomes. Take this report (PDF) from the Detroit Regional Workforce Fund which notes “that 47% […]

Graph of the Day: FAO Food Price Index, 1990-April 2011

The FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) averaged 232 points in April 2011, virtually unchanged from the revised March estimate, 36 percent above April 2010, but 2 percent below its peak in February 2011.  A sharp increase in international grain prices in April more than offset declines in dairy, sugar, and rice, while oils and meat […]

Wal-Mart: Our shoppers are ‘running out of money’

By Parija Kavilanz, senior writer28 April 2011 NEW YORK (CNNMoney) – Wal-Mart’s core shoppers are running out of money much faster than a year ago due to rising gasoline prices, and the retail giant is worried, CEO Mike Duke said Wednesday. “We’re seeing core consumers under a lot of pressure,” Duke said at an event […]

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