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In the U.S., 1 in 5 Can't Afford to Eat Every Day

A new Gallup poll shows that many Americans struggle with putting food on the table.
 
In the U.S., 1 in 5 Can't Afford to Eat Every Day
 
Tight times for Americans are translating to food insecurity. (Noel Hendrickson/Getty Images)

The next time you're out in public, take a look around you and imagine that one in five people you see can't afford to eat on a regular basis. That's the reality of a new poll that says a significant amount of Americans are having trouble putting food on the dinner table, reports Gallup.

The poll, based on the responses of 177,662 Americans from January to June, found that one in five adults didn't have enough money to buy food on more than one occasion in the last year. The data, which pinpoints the percentage of Americans with food security problems at 18.2 percent, is not much of an improvement from last year's results, when the percentage was 18.6 percent. 

Worse, droughts—which have wreaked havoc on crops and affected nearly 80 percent of agricultural land in the U.S.—make the horizon look bleak for food prices. The Huffington Post reports that by 2013, Americans can expect a four percent increase at the checkout line.

In the U.S., 1 in 5 Can’t Afford to Eat Every Day

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Ecuador says Julian Assange can stay at embassy indefinitely

Julian Assange, the Wikileaks founder, is welcome to stay indefinitely at Ecuador's London embassy as he fights extradition to Sweden, according to the country's president.

Julian Assange, the Wikileaks founder, is welcome to stay indefinitely at Ecuador's London embassy as he fights extradition to Sweden, according to the country's president.
President of Ecuador Rafael Correa (left) and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange Photo: AFP/Getty Images/PA
 
 

12:03PM BST 22 Aug 2012

 

Rafael Correa also said Ecuador was ready to negotiate over the fate of Mr Assange if Britain withdrew a threat to raid its embassy.

Ecuador was incensed by a veiled British threat to enter the embassy to arrest the 41-year-old former computer hacker, who is trying to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over allegations of rape and sexual assault.

Correa has offered Assange asylum and told Britain to let him leave the embassy and fly to the South American country. The leftist leader said Assange, who has been in the building for nine weeks, was welcome to stay there "indefinitely," but also said he was open to discussions.

"Despite that rude, impertinent and unacceptable remark we're still open to dialogue," Mr Correa told reporters in the coastal city of Guayaquil.

"We don't expect an apology, but of course we expect Britain to retract the extremely serious mistake they made when they issued the threat that they could violate our diplomatic mission to arrest Mr Julian Assange."

Ecuador says Julian Assange can stay at embassy indefinitely

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19 million Americans still go without broadband

Access to fast Internet is spreading in the U.S., but about 19 million Americans can't get it, according to a new government report out Tuesday.

A free Wi-Fi hotspot beams broadband internet from atop a public phone booth in Manhattan.

A free Wi-Fi hotspot beams broadband internet from atop a public phone booth in Manhattan.

The decline partially reflects Internet service providers' expansion beyond suburbs, but the FCC also attributes it to data collection that improved from its previous efforts.

The lack of access continues to hamper rural Americans in particular. About 14.5 million rural Americans — or 23.7% of 61 million people living in rural areas — had no fast Internet service offered for their homes. In contrast, only 1.8% Americans living in non-rural areas — 4.5 million out of 254.9 million — had no broadband access. The FCC categorizes an Internet service as "broadband" if it transmits at a speed of at least 4 megabits per second.

The report's ranking of states again underscored the correlation between broadband access and economic productivity. Economically struggling states fared worse than more thriving areas of the country. West Virginiahad the least amount of access, with 45.9% of the state without broadband access. Montana (26.7%), South Dakota (21.1%) and Alaska (19.6%) followed.

19 million Americans still go without broadband

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US war on whistleblowers must end - Assange

Assange makes first public statement since entering Ecuador’s London embassy

Julian Assange made his first public appearance in two months, ever since he took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

Addressing the hundreds of people gathered outside the embassy, Assange thanked them for their support, claiming it was their resolve and presence that stopped British police storming the building. 

"On Wednesday night, after a threat was sent to this embassy and police desceneded on this building, you came out in the middle of the night to watch over it, and you brought the worlds eyes with you. Inside this embassy after dark I could hear teams of police swarming up into the building through the internal fire escape," Assange said. 

"But I knew thered be witnesses. And that was because of you." 

The WikiLieaks founder thanked President Correa "for the courage he has shown" in granting him asylum, and to all the nations and individuals who have shown him support. 

Assange also addressed the US government and President Obama, calling for the persecution of WikiLeaks supporters to end. 

"The United States must pledge before the world will not pursue journalists for shining light on the secret crimes of the powerful. The US administration’s war against whistleblowers must end."

The WikiLeaks founder was granted political asylum on Thursday – a decision that ignited a wave of international responses, with the UK and Sweden opposing the verdict and Latin American countries strongly supporting Ecuador’s move.

US war on whistleblowers must end – Assange

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Presenting The Shocking Source Of US Treasury Demand In The Past Year: Japan

When one thinks US Treasurys, and demand thereof, two entities pop into mind: the Federal Reserve, which over the past 3 years has been the biggest institutional buyer of US paper, and China, which is the largest foreign holder of US TSYs. Yet over the past year something curious happened: when it comes to setting marginal demand for US Treasurys, it was neither the Fed, whose sterilized Operation Twist has kept its holdings of US Tsys relatively flat, nor China, which has actually been a major seller of US paper, that has been the dominant source of marginal demand for Uncle Sam’s never to be repaid obligations. Japan.

Presenting The Shocking Source Of US Treasury Demand In The Past Year: Japan

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