Morning No: No Pigs In Heaven

by: Natasha Chart

Wed Sep 02, 2009 at 06:00

- The AFL-CIO lays out the what's what on the economic situation for 18-35 year olds. Main takeaways: more of them are unemployed, fewer of them can afford to build savings or get health coverage, they're deferring education or planning for a family because of the expense, and just over a third of them are living with their parents.

- In what's likely the best news coming out of Afghanistan of late, opium profits have declined, so fewer farmers are growing it.

- Droughts are driving Kenyan farmers off their land and into slums.

- Droughts, plus debt caused the expense of paying for synthetic inputs and patented, genetically engineered seeds, are driving growing numbers of Indian farmers to suicide.

- Executives at the banks we all bailed out are going to get stock option windfalls this year.

- Obama urges the public to take steps to avoid catching the flu, particularly due to concerns about the new H1N1 swine flu. Seriously, wash your hands.

- In product quality, and it can sometimes be a good thing, there's always room at the bottom.

- If we want to keep our democracy, we need to have a functional social compact that treats all Americans as deserving.