A  new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that 25.1% of black homes were food insecure in 2011. According to The Washington Informer, food insecurity comes about when their isn't sufficient access to food because of lack of resources -- including money. Overall 85.1% of the U.S. population was food secure, while 14.9% of the population has trouble providing adequate levels of food for themselves and their families. The black population exceeds the level of food insecurity for the general population by about 10 percentage points.

The percentage of food insecure only went up by a small amount (from 14.1 percent in 2011), so the USDA says it's not "statistically significant." Nearly six percent of the population had very low food security, meaning they went without meals for a few days at some point over the course of seven months during the year.

  • The report said, "For households with incomes near or below the Federal poverty line, households with children headed by single women or single men, and Black and Hispanic households, rates of food insecurity were substantially higher than the national average." Hispanic households experienced food insecurity at a rate of 26.2 percent.
  • The Senate has already passed a plan in June that would lower the funding for food stamps. The use of food stamps reached a record level that month; 46.7 million people were using food stamps. Spending on food stamp programs also reached a record $75.7 billion. As far as we're concerned, this is money well-spent.

CHECK IT OUT

 

  • more BlackBerrys and men own more Android devices. Rebtel, the second-largest VoIP service after Skype, surveyed 753 mobile phone users for its Labor Day Communications study. The survey found that men were approximately 50% more likely to use an Android device, while women were more likely to use an iPhone (36.2% to 32.6%) or a Blackberry (26.3% to 12.1%). The iPhone was still the most popular device used for business overall (33% of respondents used one). iPhone users were also more likely than Android users to say they owned their own business (17.3% to 11.9%). In addition, respondents overwhelmingly claimed to prefer using voice for work communication, as opposed to email (53.1% to 33.7%). (AskMen.com)

ASK YOUR LISTENERS

  • What do you think of someone who doesn't have a smartphone?
  • Do you judge people based on what type of phone they have?
  • What stereotypes do you associate with each phone?

MOMS SPEND MORE ON DAUGHTERS THAN SONS: Moms really do spend more money on daughters than sons. A new study found that parents spend an average of $200 more on their girls than their boys when shopping at the beginning of a school year. Girls also get more financial attention when it comes to shopping for special occasions, with parents splurging about $339 on their daughters, while boys' clothes only cost approximately $270. The reason moms give? Girls clothing is cuter. (Daily Mail)

MEN AND WOMEN CAN'T BE FRIENDS: Being attracted to friends of the opposite sex is a burden and can harm relationships, researchers have claimed. The new study found that the majority of people believe that opposite sex friends are actually a burden because attraction is common between people in opposite-sex friendships. When participants were asked to list benefits and drawbacks of having opposite-sex friends, 32 percent listed feelings of attraction as a cost, while just 6 percent listed these feelings as a benefit. Women were more likely than men to say attraction was a drawback: 47 percent of women ages 18 to 23 listed attraction as a cost of an opposite-sex friendship, while 22 percent of men said the same. In the study, 38 percent of women and 25 percent of men ages 27 to 50 said jealousy from their romantic partners was one cost of maintaining an opposite-sex friendship. (Daily Mail)

VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES ARE GOOD? Contrary to popular belief, violent video games may actually be good for you. A study found that the games give people a higher pain threshold. The study at Keele University found that 40 volunteers were able to stomach pain for 65 percent longer after playing violent 'first person shooter' games, than those who had played a non-violent golf game. Participants played both the violent and non-violent game on separate occasions for 10 minutes and then placed one of their hands in ice-cold water to test their reaction to pain. (UPI)

THINGS GUYS DO IN MOVIES THAT THEY'D NEVER DO IN REAL LIFE (Glamour)

1. Have access to their apartment building roof and a no-shame flair for twinkle-light stringing.

2. Give each other tips on dancing, flirting, and kissing.

3. Make denying that love even exists their "thing."

4. Make bets that involve convincing women to fall in love with them.

5. Have Buddha-like patience when the woman they love does something all-out crazy, such as throwing food around your apartment and turning up your stereo for no good reason.

6. Get over being cheated on superfast-especially in high-stakes scenarios.

7. Fall in love with women wearing masks. I mean, masks just make people uncomfortable. Nine guys out of ten choose the woman not wearing a mask every time. Because MASKS ARE WEIRD. So don't let Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray trip you up. It's not a good idea to wear a mask.

8. Wait for women for hours on their doorstep. A simple "u home?" text usually clears things up nicely.

9. Run after women.

10. Run after women through airports. This one's just prohibited by law.

11. Let girls make a whole speech in the doorway, then open the door to reveal the other girl they're making out with. I don't think it's that hard. Either come outside right away, or don't open the door at all.

12. Remember special dates and return to special places per the terms of an agreement forged years ago on one magical night. If I ask my husband to meet me somewhere in ten minutes, he's going to forget. If I tried to recreate that Serendipity scene, here's roughly how his response would go: Bring your what? Glove? What glove? A black glove? In a bag? On the top shelf? I don't like to mess with the top shelf. OK, OK. I'll see you at Burger King. You did say Burger King, right? Hey, I'm here, I'm getting a Whopper, what do you-the ice rink? Why there? Fine, I'm on my way. No, I didn't bring your gloves, I could only find the one.

IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION

What percentage of children consider reading to be "cool"?

A: 33%

A recent survey of over 21,000 children found that reading is in the decline and almost one in five kids would be "embarrassed" to be caught reading a book by their friends. However -- 33% considered reading to be "cool." But overall, teens are spending less time reading and more time watching television and using their mobile devices.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

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No Politicians at 9/11 Anniversary Ceremony Today at World Trade Center Site

There will be no politicians speaking at today's (September 11th) 9/11 anniversary ceremony at the World Trade Center site for the first time since the annual commemoration began on the first anniversary of the attacks. Politicians from mayors to presidents have spoken at the lower Manhattan ceremonies, reading from parts of meaningful and historic texts. But after last year's 10th anniversary celebration, which drew a lot of attention as it marked a decade since the attacks and unveiled the 9/11 Memorial, and at which the speakers included President Obama and former President George W. Bush, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum announced in July that this year's event would be politician-free. The organization, led by New York City Mayor Mike Bloombergas board chairman, said this year's ceremony would include only relatives reading victims' names, although politicians may still attend. Memorial President Joe Daniels said the point was, quote, "honoring the victims and their families in a way free of politics." Reaction from the victims' families has been mixed, with Debra Burlingame, whose brother was the pilot of the hijacked plane flown into the Pentagon, expressing the two sides of the issue. She told AP that although she believes the politicians' involvement lends gravity to the remembrances, and others have said it shows the nation's respect, she understands the reason for excluding them. She explained, "It's the one day, out of 365 days a year, where, when we invoke '9/11,' we mean the people who died and the events that happened," rather than all the political and cultural layers surrounding it."

QUESTIONS:

  • What do you think of the decision this year to exclude politicians from speaking at the anniversary ceremony at the World Trade Center site?
  • If you agree with it, do you think it should remain that way, except perhaps for landmark years, such as the 15th anniversary, or 20th or 25th?
  • What do you think of the two sides of the issue, as expressed by Burlingame?
  • With last year's commemoration marking a decade since the attacks, is it time to shift the annual ceremonies over more to the families?

 

Maryland Lawmaker Reverses Attack on Ravens Player Over Public Gay Marriage Support

A Maryland state lawmaker has backed away from his attack on Baltimore Ravens player Brendon Ayanbadejo for his public support of gay marriage, conceding the NFL player has a right to free speech. Democratic Delegate Emmett C. Burns, who represents part of Baltimore, wrote to Ravens owner Steven Bisciotti last week, saying he found it inconceivable that Ayanbadejo was speaking out in support of gay marriage. Burns demanded that Bisciotti, quote, "inhibit such expressions from your employee and that he be ordered to cease and desist from such injurious actions." He charged that the linebacker, who'd recently raffled off Ravens tickets to support a pro-gay marriage group, was, quote, "dividing the fan base" and shouldn't bring politics into the sport. Ayanbadejo responded on Twitter, tweeting, "You know something is wrong when a politician is telling you to keep quiet. So much for freedom of speech, Mr. Burns." That was followed by a scathing, at-time profane open letter to Burns from Ravens punter Chris Kluwe, who accused the lawmaker of trying to strip his teammate of his First Amendment rights and also defended gay marriage. In a subsequent interview with the Baltimore Sun, Burns backtracked from his letter, saying, "Upon reflection, [Ayanbadejo] has his First Amendment rights, and I have my First Amendment rights. . . . Each of us has the right to speak our opinions. The football player and I have a right to speak our minds."

QUESTIONS:

  • What do you think of Burns' original letter demanding that the Ravens' owner silence his player?
  • How do you about sports figures, especially team sports players, being vocal about their stances on political issues?
  • What do you make of Burns backtracking and saying players have a First Amendment right to speak out?
  • Whether you agree with Burns trying to get the Ravens' owner to silence Ayanbadejo or not, do you think he's right that public political stances by players divide the fan base?
  • Would you like your favorite team any less if you disagreed with a player's political stance and he was vocal about it? Would you like the player himself any less as someone you root for on the playing field?

 

Lawyer for Trayvon Martin's Family Accuses George Zimmerman Defense of 'Witch Hunt'

The lawyer for Trayvon Martin's family yesterday (September 10th) accused George Zimmerman's defense team of launching a, quote, "witch hunt" by seeking the school and social media records of the 17-year-old who was killed by neighborhood watch volunteer Zimmerman in February. Attorney Ben Crump declared, "I think certainly is it a witch hunt to try to find something to attack the character of a dead child and it's completely irrelevant, because his school records had nothing to do with [Zimmerman] shooting Trayvon Martin in the heart on February 26th." Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O'Mara, announced last week that he'd subpoenaed Martin's entire school file, including test scores, any disciplinary actions and attendance records. At the time of Martin's death, as the unarmed teen was walking back from a convenience store to the home where he was staying with his father, he was serving a 10-day school suspension after being caught with a plastic baggie that contained traces of marijuana. Barring a court order blocking the release of Martin's school records, the school district said they will give them O'Mara.

QUESTIONS:

  • Do you think Zimmerman's defense team is justified in seeking Martin's entire school record, including his test scores, any disciplinary actions and attendance records, or do you think it's a "witch hunt," as Crump declares?
  • Do you think school records are something that should legally be allowed to be turned over?
  • In turn, should the prosecution have access to things beyond Zimmerman's criminal record, like his job performance reviews or even his own school records?
  • Do you have a position on this case, or are you withholding judgment until more information comes out at trial?




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