Photo courtesy of Zazzle.com
All shook up? The animals weren’t
South Korea Votes
Batten Down the Hatches! Irene is coming!
Biden’s “damn” tour of Asia
Unemployment a “state of emergency”
and West Coast taunting [video]
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
]]>
Photo courtesy of Fox News
Half of America felt the ground move beneath them yesterday.
The epicenter of the quake was just miles from Washington DC.
Where were our national leaders during the big shake, you might you ask?
Many were on vacation but a skeleton crew of US Senators were in town at work hunkered down in a basement.
These pol’s had adjourned to an underground shelter using card tables for a mock parliament style Pro Forma Session.
Oddly enough, in case of an emergency, Congress has additional facilities that are authorized for Congressional business. This one happens to be near Union Square and the Postal Square Building.
The meeting lasted (for a record breaking?) 22 seconds.
Senator Chris Coons commenced and concluded the meeting swiftly.
“Under the previous order, the Senate stands in recess until 11:15 a.m. on Friday,” he said.
“O.K., that’s a wrap,” someone said.”
Just as the earth moved yesterday, let’s hope Congress is moved to help the economy when they return from their recess.
]]>Just posted on Free Matthew VanDyke: “Great news! [Matthew VanDyke '02] called from Tripoli a few minutes ago. The prison where he has been held has been “liberated” and he reports that he is safe and well. More details to follow once the State Department sorts everything out. Thank you all for your ongoing support.”
*Updates*
-Video interview in the Washington Post
- Story on CNN.com
- Interview with VanDyke on BBC.com
Tell us what you make of this…
A new report, “The State of America’s Children: 2011,” published by the Children’s Defense Fund publishes alarming figures about the state of America youth.
The report, which can be accessed here, ranks America among other industrialized countries. And as you may or may not expect, the statistics are rather damning. Some of the gems:
First in GDP
First in billionaires
First in prison population size
First in health expenditures
First in student expenditures
First in military expenditures, technology, and global wars
First in weapons exports
17th in reading scores
23rd in science scores
30th in infant mortality rates
31st in math scores
31st in wealth gap between rich and poor
Last in relative child poverty
Last in adolescent birth rates (ages 15 – 19)
Last in protecting children from gun violence
Only America and Somalia (a country ravaged by war, poverty and starvation with no functioning government) haven’t ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Other disturbing information includes:
Every second a public school student is suspended.
Every eight seconds a high school student drops out.
Every 18 seconds an unwed mother gives birth.
Every 20 seconds a public school student is a victim of corporal punishment.
Every 21 seconds a child is arrested.
Every 34 seconds a child is born in poverty.
Every 42 seconds a baby is born without health insurance.
Every 42 seconds a child is abused or neglected.
Every minute a teenage mother gives birth.
Every two minutes a low birth-weight child is born.
Every four minutes a child is arrested for illegal drug possession.
Every eight minutes a child is arrested for committing violence.
Every 18 minutes a baby dies before age one.
Every 45 minutes an accident kills a child or teen.
Every three hours a child is shot and killed.
Every five hours a child or teen commits suicide.
Every five hours a child dies from abuse or neglect.
Every 16 hours a mother dies from childbirth or pregnancy complications.
Heard enough?
]]>