Mississippi // Current

Earthquake Awareness Week (February 1-5) in Mississippi

Portions of the state are located along the New Madrid seismic zone, which stretches... more

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Winter Storm Warning expanded across Northern Mississippi; damaging ice accumulations likely

The National Weather Service has expanded the Winter Storm Warning to include much of... more

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The U.S. Food Crisis: 1 in 5 Went Hungry Last Year. Now What? « SpeakEasy

Sometime in the fall last year, I was at my local supermarket in San Francisco’s Mission District, picking through some melons when I heard the unmistakable sound of a body hit the floor behind me — hard. I turned to find a woman being handcuffed and led into an employees-only area, as she pleaded with the security guard: “I lost my job and need to feed my children.” It was nothing short of heartbreaking.

Later, as I waited to pay for my groceries at the register, I watched another woman set off an alarm as she ran out of the supermarket with bananas and baby food in her arms. She made it — and presumably was able to feed her child that night.

I thought of that desperate day again when I read an extensive report released today on the state of food hardship in America (pdf) by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). In it comes the striking news that one in five Americans went hungry at some point in 2009.

Food hardship was measured as those who responded affirmatively to the question, “Have there been times in the past twelve months when you did not have enough money to buy food that you or your family needed?” By the end of last year, the national food hardship rate was 18.5 percent. For households with children, the rate was much higher, at 24.1 percent.

For the general population, food hardship, which is the most basic indicator of general socio-economic hardship, was higher in 2008 than in 2009, but let’s not pat ourselves on the back just yet — one in eight Americans are on food stamps today. Indeed, it appears that thanks to social programs like SNAP, food hardship did not continue to skyrocket throughout last year. With the recession, eligibility for food stamps was eased and benefits were increased. (Thank you, welfare state!)

Most of the report’s stats are dismal — and I could continue enumerating them to paint a more detailed picture of our hunger crisis, but I would rather hone in on the data that might hold some real political capital. You can speak about national hunger rates but hawking national data doesn’t hold reluctant or deluded politicians accountable — America is a large, amorphous entity for which everyone ought but often no one feels responsible or moved to act.

That’s why I am especially excited by the fact that the FRAC report gives us a highly localized look at hunger in America — and breaks it down by congressional district:

Of the 436 Congressional Districts (including the District of Columbia), 311 had a food hardship rate of 15 percent or higher. In 139 of them the rate was 20 percent or higher. Practically every Congressional District in the country had more than a tenth of respondents reporting food hardship.

Districts with the worst rates can be found in a whole range of states — California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, Mississippi, New York — but, on the aggregate, hunger is most widespread in the South. These are districts represented in Washington, for the most part, by right-wingers and Democrats-only-in-name generally opposed to the expansion of welfare programs, even in the face of a massive recession.

This report could not have come at a better time. Just this morning came news that the Senate is planning a $80 billion job-creation bill that will cut Americans’ extended unemployment benefits (the House bill would not do this). This is the kind of boneheaded move that is predicated on the infallibility of the welfare-state-is-bad and/or anything-but-debt theses, and not in reality.

The battle worth fighting in 2010 is one that steers the government back to caring for the interests of regular Americans — and away from the corporations and financial institutions that have benefited most from governmental attention in this recession.

More at link:Sometime in the fall last year, I was at my local supermarket in San Francisco’s... more

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El Nino contributes to over 35 reports of tornadoes over a 5 day period across the Southern U.S.

A very active and stormy El Nino Pattern over the last week led to over 35 reports of... more

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World Exclusive Photos…Tiger Woods In Sex Rehab…Spotted at Gentle Path…

PHOTOS: Tiger Woods Spotted at Gentle Path These are the exclusive first photos of... more

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21 days ago
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2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita loans to be forgiven

Vice President Joe Biden announced on Friday that the U.S. government will begin... more

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25 days ago
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Mississippians among the survivers and missing from the Haiti Earthquake Disaster

There is some good news coming out of the Haiti earthquake disaster for some relatives... more

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27 days ago
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Haiti Earthquake Disaster; how much more can this island nation take?

Haiti is dealing with its worst disaster in its history after the strongest earthquake... more

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28 days ago
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Arctic cold temperatures freeze and or burst 70 Jackson waterlines; State of Emergency declared

Arctic cold temperatures over the last week have resulted in 70 waterline freezes and... more

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29 days ago
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Deadly Cold Wave across the United States; at least 17 dead from exposure in 9 states

The coldest airmass in at least 10 years has proven deadly across the country.

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Arctic cold becomes deadly in Mississippi; at least 2 confirmed dead from exposure

The very cold arctic outbreak has turned deadly in Mississippi with even colder... more

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Ice build-up on roadway leads to a deadly school bus vs car collision in Northern Mississippi

One person was killed Tuesday morning when a bus from the Holly Springs Municipal... more

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Arctic cold air invasion with snow and or ice spans worldwide

Arctic cold temperatures have plunged deep into the Southern United States with an... more

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Science and the Scriptures

While scores of theological scholars have been studying the literal meaning of... more

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2009 monthly weather highlights in Mississippi; snow, derechos, tornadoes, etc.

The end of 2009 is near, so it is time to look back at the weather events that... more

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Roni On Location - Road Trip 2009 Preview

Roni Weiss travels the world on the cheap, letting you into the excitement that is his... more

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2 months ago
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Snow invades the Deep South with Houston recording its earliest snow ever!

A developing storm system has combined with an unusually cold airmass from Canada to... more

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2 months ago
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Ceara’s Season - Girl Banned for Wearing a Tux

Wesson, MISS - "...Last month, she got word from her Wesson Attendance Center... more

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3 months ago
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Ida weakens to a tropical storm; Hurricane Warnings replaced with Tropical Storm Warnings

~y2009m11d9-Ida-weakens-to-a-tropical-storm-Hurricane-Warnings-replaced-with-Tropical-S... more

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Hurricane & Tropical Storm Warnings as Ida approaches the northern Gulf Coast

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TAGS

tagged w/ Mississippi

Earthquake Awareness Week (February 1-5) in Mississippi

Winter Storm Warning expanded across Northern Mississippi; damaging ice accumulations likely

The U.S. Food Crisis: 1 in 5 Went Hungry Last Year. Now What? « SpeakEasy

El Nino contributes to over 35 reports of tornadoes over a 5 day period across the Southern U.S.

World Exclusive Photos…Tiger Woods In Sex Rehab…Spotted at Gentle Path…

2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita loans to be forgiven

Mississippians among the survivers and missing from the Haiti Earthquake Disaster

Haiti Earthquake Disaster; how much more can this island nation take?

Arctic cold temperatures freeze and or burst 70 Jackson waterlines; State of Emergency declared

Deadly Cold Wave across the United States; at least 17 dead from exposure in 9 states

Arctic cold becomes deadly in Mississippi; at least 2 confirmed dead from exposure

Ice build-up on roadway leads to a deadly school bus vs car collision in Northern Mississippi

Arctic cold air invasion with snow and or ice spans worldwide

Science and the Scriptures

2009 monthly weather highlights in Mississippi; snow, derechos, tornadoes, etc.

Roni On Location - Road Trip 2009 Preview

Snow invades the Deep South with Houston recording its earliest snow ever!

Ceara’s Season - Girl Banned for Wearing a Tux

Ida weakens to a tropical storm; Hurricane Warnings replaced with Tropical Storm Warnings

Hurricane & Tropical Storm Warnings as Ida approaches the northern Gulf Coast

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