Tag Archives: NPR

A Different Kind of Map

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NPR’s Robert Krulwich has a great blog post about alternative maps that leave the world looking a little different. These alternative maps adjust a country’s size relative to factors such as income and population. For instance, Japan is twice the size of China on the map when it comes to the number of people who live on $50 to $100 a day. Nigeria dwarfs the United States when that number goes down to the number of people living on $1 a day.
These maps come from a “bunch of map geeks” at the University of Sheffield in England. Browse their great maps at: Worldmapper.org

They’re giving how much?

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It’s hard for most of us to imagine having more money than we could ever use. But if you had it, what would you do with it?

The news came out this week that trailblazing philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett have convinced 40 other billionaires to give away at least half their wealth. That’s a lot of cash to help end hunger, fight disease, provide education and generally make things better.

Billionaire Michael Bloomberg said it was an easy decision because it makes more sense to give money away rather than letting family members inherit it all.

“And if you really care about your family, I’ve always thought that the best thing to do is to make the world better for your kids and your grandkids rather than just give them some money,” he says in a story on npr.org.

All that cash headed to nonprofits is great, especially in these rough economic times. What’s even better? Buffett said the real push behind this wave of pledges is to inspire even more giving.

RELATED:
Bill & Melinda Gates have helped to Pass on the Gift before — Follow their philanthrophic direction today and Give the Gift of Hope.

Hunger in America

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Photo from Flickr/StevenBrisson. Creative Commons.
“Hunger in America is complicated. It’s not just getting enough food, but getting the right food — and making the right choices.”
That’s the premise of a two-part NPR story on hunger and poverty in America. The author spends time with the Williamsons, a Pennsylvania family of five who live below the poverty line. As they exhibit, hunger not a simple issue. The Williamsons’ 8-year-old son, for example, looks chubby, but the calories he consumes are not nutritious. Why? Because those empty, nutrition-scarce calories (i.e., junk food) are cheaper than healthier foods.
“You can get leaner cuts of meat, but then they’re more expensive,” [Connie Williamson] says. “You can get fresh fruit every couple of days and blow half of your budget on fresh fruits and vegetables in a week’s time, easy.”

But, you argue, wouldn’t a garden with fresh vegetables solve everything? The Williamsons live in an apartment complex, and yet they still do find a place for a small garden. But a garden doesn’t balance out the cheap, sugary snacks and drinks available to kids.
All of this is part of a larger trend of food insecurity, especially among children. The number of children living in households where getting enough food to eat was a challenge hit a staggering 17 million in 2008, a more than 30 percent jump, year-over-year, according to NPR.
So what are the poor in America to do? Should they refrain from buying the empty calories, even though that’s what is available in their price range? Should kids be learning better eating habits at school as well as at home? Or have healthy, whole foods become a status symbol, only available to those who live in the right areas and with enough money?