United States

Angelica Gonzales graduated at the top of her high school class and headed off to one of the nation’s top universities. Four years later she is back home, without a degree.  Photo: NYT

For poor, leap to college often ends in a hard fall

by Jason DeParle New York Times December 22, 2012

GALVESTON, Tex. — Angelica Gonzales marched through high school in Goth armor — black boots, chains and cargo pants — but undermined her pose of alienation with a place on the honor roll. She nicknamed herself after a metal band and vowed to become the first in her family to earn a college deg...

The “undeserving” poor: The American welfare system has grown, but so have the ranks of the poor, and as the US tries to focus help on tho...

by Kristina Cooke, David Rohde and Ryan McNeill Reuters December 20, 2012

The American welfare state has grown, but so have the ranks of the poor. As the U.S. tries to focus help on those deemed most worthy, millions of adults are getting squeezed....

Across the country, tens of thousands of underemployed and jobless young people, many with college credits or work histories, are struggling to house themselves in the wake of the recession, which has left workers between the ages of 18 and 24 with the highest unemployment rate of all adults. Photo: Matthew Ryan Williams/New York Times

After recession, more young adults are living on the street

by Susan Saulny New York Times December 18, 2012

SEATTLE — Duane Taylor was studying the humanities in community college and living in his own place when he lost his job in a round of layoffs. Then he found, and lost, a second job. And a third....

HSBC—Too big to indict? A dark day for the rule of law (editorial)

by New York Times December 11, 2012

It is a dark day for the rule of law. Federal and state authorities have chosen not to indict HSBC, the London-based bank, on charges of vast and prolonged money laundering, for fear that criminal prosecution would topple the bank and, in the process, endanger the financial system. They also have no...

HSBC bank to pay US government a $1.3 billion fine for vast drug and other money-laundering “lapses”

by Devlin Barrett and Evan Perez Wall Street Journal December 11, 2012

WASHINGTON—HSBC Holdings PLC on Tuesday acknowledged that for years it ignored possible money laundering as part of a record $1.9 billion settlement with U.S. authorities that caps the bank's disastrous foray into the U.S. market...

Homeless rates in US held steady during recession, study says, but big gains are elusive

by Annie Lowrey New York Times December 10, 2012

WASHINGTON — The federal government has made big strides in reducing the ranks of the chronically homeless and of veterans who are homeless, but it probably will not reach its goal of ending homelessness among those two populations by 2015, according to a government report to be released on Monday...

Tabitha Rouzzo yearns to take a different path than those around her in New Castle, Pa., but leaving poverty requires a more exhaustive effort than it once did in America. Photo: Linda Davidson/Washington Post

In Rust Belt, a teenager’s climb from poverty

by Anne Hull Washington Post December 8, 2012

The college catalogues barely fit in the mailbox. They stuck out like gift-wrapped presents against white aluminum siding gone dingy from decades of wear. On the porch were three new Linen Breeze decorative candles — a nice try, thought the actual Tabitha Rouzz...

Jobless rate edges down to its lowest level in 4 years

by Nelson D Schwartz New York Times December 8, 2012

Despite fears of a slowdown caused by gridlock in Washington, the economic recovery moved forward at a steady pace in November, pushing unemployment to its lowest level in four years....

US food banks raise alarm as drought dents government supplies

by Lisa Baertlein Baertlein Reuters November 21, 2012

The worst U.S. drought in more than half a century has weakened the safety net for the 50 million Americans who struggle to get enough to eat, and the nation's food banks are raising the alarm as the holiday season gets into full swing....

Farm workers picking peppers in the Bakersfield, California area.  Photo: Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times/MCT

The biggest challenge to immigration bill may be guest workers

by Franco Ordonez McClatchy Newspapers November 20, 2012

As immigration talks resume, the public debate has once again zeroed in on the merits of granting some type of so-called amnesty to 11 million illegal immigrants. But another, more complicated dispute – where the sides are equally entrenched – is brewing behind the scenes between organized labor...

  • World Hunger Education
    Service
    P.O. Box 29015
    Washington, D.C. 20017
  • For the past 40 years, since its founding in 1976, the mission of World Hunger Education Service is to undertake programs, including Hunger Notes, that
    • Educate the general public and target groups about the extent and causes of hunger and malnutrition in the United States and the world
    • Advance comprehension which integrates ethical, religious, social, economic, political, and scientific perspectives on the world food problem
    • Facilitate communication and networking among those who are working for solutions
    • Promote individual and collective commitments to sustainable hunger solutions.