NASA astronaut Ed Lu took this image of the eye of Hurricane Isabel from the International Space Station on Sept. 13, 2003. At the time of the image, Isabel was a Category 4 hurricane. The storm was located about 450 miles northeast of Puerto Rico. (Ed Lu via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Marrton Dormish

Need in the News, Vol I, Issue 8

NASA astronaut Ed Lu took this image of the eye of Hurricane Isabel from the International Space Station on Sept. 13, 2003. At the time of the image, Isabel was a Category 4 hurricane. The storm was located about 450 miles northeast of Puerto Rico. (Ed Lu via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
NASA astronaut Ed Lu took this image of the eye of Hurricane Isabel from the International Space Station on Sept. 13, 2003. At the time of the image, Isabel was a Category 4 hurricane located about 450 miles northeast of Puerto Rico. (Ed Lu via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

An overview of “stories of need” with links to news articles, editorials, press releases and blog posts from around the area, the nation and the world:

 

Front-Page

  • CARIBBEAN & UNITED STATES: Hurricane season has begun. The Tropical Storm Isaac killed at least 24 people and caused the evacuation of thousands in Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It approached and struck the Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane leaving hundreds of thousands of homes in Louisiana and Mississippi without power and causing minor damage in New Orleans. While the hurricane defenses in New Orleans have withstood the storm, surrounding areas of Louisiana have been harder hit than in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina. The Wall Street Journal estimated $700 million to $2 billion of damage compared to $41 billion from Katrina. Isaac weakened after landfall, but is still causing heavy rain in the Mississippi Valley and the Midwest.
  • ETHIOPIA: The death of Meles Zenawi, the Ethiopian prime minister, raised concerns over instability in the Horn of Africa.
  • UNITED STATES: Recent studies have found that it is harder for Americans to rise from the lower rungs of society than it is for people in other countries.
  • UNITED STATES: A Seattle tent city struggled to survive, even as city officials debated what to do about it.
  • AFGHANISTAN: Seventeen people were found beheaded after a mixed-gender party near Musa Qala.
  • UNITED STATES: A recent study highlighted hunger as observed by teachers in Colorado classrooms.

 

Fighting the Good Fight

 

Major Troublespots

  • DARFUR: The world has moved on, but deadly clashes continue.
  • KENYA: Riots gripped the city of Mombasa after the death of a Muslim cleric.
  • SYRIA: Who is telling the truth about the ongoing violence in Syria? Meanwhile, thousands are left vulnerable by the violence.
  • HORN OF AFRICA: The U.N. reported an all-time high in the number of refugees fleeing across the Red Sea and the Sea of Aden to Yemen.
  • UNITED STATES: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges recently wrote about the dark under-world of “hillbilly heroin.”

 

Reflections & Reviews

  • ISAAC: The latest storm to hit the Caribbean and Gulf Coast highlighted the vulnerability of some Caribbean nations and the different risk mitigation approaches taken by those in the path of the hurricane.
  • GRAMEEN: The governing body of Grameen Bank is in the midst of a fight with the government of Bangladesh over the appointment of the bank’s managing director. This comes after Grameen was cleared of charges of financial wrongdoing, and its founder Muhammad Yunus was not retained as managing director by order of the government.
  • AKIN’S COMMENTS: How often does rape lead to pregnancy?
  • IMMIGRATION: Metro State University of Denver recently established an tuition rate break for undocumented immigrant students. Is this a good solution to immigration in America?
  • BINGE DRINKERS: They report being “happier” than non-binge drinkers.
  • REFUGEES: Cross a border to escape natural disasters, enter a black hole of international law.
  • BIN LADEN’S DEATH: Was he fighting back when he was killed? Should it matter?
  • DATA CHALLENGE: A recent convocation of aid techies examined the usefulness of data provided by governments and aid agencies.
  • MUST SEE:
    • Margin Call: An uncomfortably-close-to-real-life depiction of what sparked the recent economic downturn. Do we do what’s right or do we survive?
    • The Pruitt-Igoe Myth: A documentary examining the rise and fall of a housing project in St. Louis, Mo.

 

Published in August on EverydayEpics.com

  • Our community as a parish — A commentary on church, local needs and how a different mindset could help people of faith engage with their neighbors.
  • Neighborly Mobile-ity — A profile of Karen and Rene Calderon, retired pastors and Broomfield, Colo., residents.
  • Ministers without borders — A commentary on faith communities’ opportunity to go to people in need in their communities.
  • Stories from Mizzou — Items worth sharing from the most recent edition of my alumni magazine.
  • Who pays for it? — A commentary on the ways people on the underside of the health care system are suffering.
  • Uninsured Underside (July 31) — A profile of the gaps in state and local health care.

 

Coming Up

  • Commentary: More from the “good news project” and “The Sweep Gospel.”
  • Stories: Immigration, advocacy and the history of social safety nets.

 

Share your thoughts about this month’s review of “need in the news” or offer additional links below.

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