(Credit: Ashley Goodwin)
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said today that the number of chronically homeless people living on the streets is down nearly 12 percent. The press release attributes the decline mainly to an increase in supportive housing (housing that provides homeless folks with services and, uh, support):
HUD's analysis found that more than 20,000 persons moved from the streets into transitional and permanent supportive housing between 2005 and 2006.According to data from 3,900 cities and counties across the country, HUD found that more than 1,500 communities reported a reduction in the number of long-term homeless persons over a one-year period. HUD's analysis indicates there were 155,623 chronically homeless individuals in 2006, down from 175,914 from the year before -- an 11.5 percent decrease.
The data comes from counts done in cities across the country. Unfortunately, the most recent count by Charlotte's Homeless Services Network indicates that homelessness is up here.
In the Valley of Elah
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Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, is investigating the finances of six televangelists. CBS News is reporting the ministries under investigation are headed by Paula White, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Eddie Long, Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn.
Neither Morris Cerullo nor his son David, who CL wrote about last spring, are among them.
For what it's worth, I attended a Benny Hinn conference last spring here in Charlotte. He spent nearly as much time name-dropping heads of state as he did preaching the prosperity gospel.
The last time members of the original Star Trek crew appeared on the big screen was in 1994’s Star Trek Generations. Yet fans of the classic 1960s TV series can see their old favorites once again larger than life as approximately 300 movie theaters across the nation will present two nights of Star Trek: The Original Series.
The line-up will consist of the two-part Season 1 story “The Menagerie.” The series regulars – William Shatner as Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Spock, DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy, and the rest – all take part in this episode, whose plotline ties back into the original rejected pilot that starred Nimoy and Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike. (This rare episode only came to light in the 1980s, and I remember catching it at a special showing at UNC-Charlotte.)
Locally, the screening will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, and 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, at Regal Stonecrest, Starlight, Concord Mills and Movies at Birkdale. Tickets cost $12.50. To order, call the participating theaters or go to www.FathomEvents.com.
(Credit: Ashely Goodwin)
By Barack Obama
11/1/07 2:50 PM EST | Chicago
Now, I was going to wait to bring out this idea, but it's clear I have to be more aggressive and bold in this campaign. Look -- I've already told you how I'm going to end this era of partisanship. I've told you how I'm going to stop the drug companies from doing whatever it is you think you hate them for. I'm going to solve global warming, neutralize hurricanes and harness their power to run our factories. But the best part is something that I haven't mentioned yet.
And that is, as President, I will make leap year permanent, and designate it a national holiday, which will be known as "Middle-Class Day". On this day, every year, everyone will get a paid day off from work, which they will spend watching Everybody Loves Raymond marathons, shopping at Best Buy with their government granted $10 gift card, and eating barbecued food cooked on their George Foreman grill.
Where will we get the extra day, you ask? We'll just scrape together about 4 minutes from every other day. You won't even notice they're gone. But you'll sure notice that great day at the end of February: watching sitcoms, buying as many as two decent-but-not-great DVDs, and eating food which has been drained of its fat by the former heavyweight champion of the world. Sounds pretty good right? Well, if you think Hillary Clinton is going to add another day to the year, you're kidding yourself. She's too much a part of the status quo -- the partisan bickering, lobbyist influenced, solar-based calendar status quo.
Oh, and on "Middle-Class Day," you'll still get your mail. See you there.
News Groper features more than 50 parody blogs by politicians, celebrities, business tycoons, and foreign despots.
Credit: Ashley Goodwin
— Cartoon by Jim Hunt