Good Thursday morning. This week is FLYING and I am literally running full-tilt to catch up.
I have written before about the four-day workweek, which sounds amazing, but truthfully? It would never work for me. I would have to work quite literally 16-hour days just to keep my head above water.
I’ve been on something of a pro-book kick of late. Maybe it has to do with fall and the back-to-school season during which we all (supposedly) buckle down and start the learning process again, which, if you haven’t been paying attention, has been rather disturbingly disrupted by the pandemic.
Somewhat related is the fact that today is International Literacy Day, which was founded by proclamation of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, in 1966 “to remind the public of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights.”
Rates of literacy, which, by definition, is the ability to read and write, speak and listen and effectively communicate, have been rising steadily over the past five decades. However, it’s estimated that some 773 million adults across the globe still can’t read or write, and the bulk of those individuals are women.
This is extremely significant, as being illiterate makes a person dependent on others because they are largely unable to make their own way in the modern world. So women who are in bad situations – abusive, for example, or otherwise harmful – find it all the more difficult to escape if they are unable to communicate on their own behalf.
Here in the U.S., the Department of Education estimates that 54% of adults 16-74 years old – about 130 million people – lack proficiency in literacy, and read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level – if they read at all.
Being illiterate is not merely a matter of not having access to adequate education opportunities. In some cases, causes of low literacy in adults can include: Undiagnosed learning disabilities, hearing or vision loss, lack of a role model, household stresses and more.
This might surprise you, but the state with the lowest literacy rate is California.
Nearly 1 in 4 people over the age of 15 lack the skills to decipher the words in this sentence. Only 77 percent of adults in the Golden State are considered mid to highly literate, according to the nonpartisan World Population Review.
In New Hampshire, by contrast, which is the most literate state in the country, only about 5 out of 100 lack English reading and writing skills, and the literacy rate hovers near 95 percent.
Interestingly, California also has the highest number of public libraries (1,130) of any state in the nation. But because of its huge and incredibly diverse population, it falls below the per-capita national average of libraries, with 4.5 per 100,000. (The national average is 5.2).
Lest you start to get too smug about the fact that California is leading the illiteracy pack, New York is not far behind. In fact, we’re No. 2 on the “five worst literacy rates” list with a rate of 77.9. Florida, Texas, and New Jersey round out the list with scores in the low 80s.
The theme of this year’s International Literacy Day is “Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces”, an “opportunity to rethink the fundamental importance of literacy learning spaces to build resilience and ensure quality, equitable, and inclusive education for all.”
And if you’re wondering what you might be able to do to help improve literacy rates, click here. I, for one, am doing far more than my share in the book donation department. (Brushes off shoulders with pride).
I hope you haven’t packed away those short-sleeved tees and bathing suits just yet, as we’re heading back into summery weather territory with temperatures in the low 80s and mostly sunny skies – a trend that will last through Monday.
In the headlines…
President Joe Biden’s request for more than $47 billion in emergency funding to help Ukraine and tackle COVID-19, monkeypox and natural disasters is encountering deep skepticism from Senate Republicans, signaling a showdown ahead.
GOP senators said they were skeptical of the administration’s $22.4 billion ask for Covid money, as well as its $4.5 billion request for combating monkeypox — citing unspent money and frustration with what they view as Democrats’ previous spending largesse.
Former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama returned to the White House for the unveiling of their official portraits, which were acquired and commissioned by the White House Historical Association.
In a break with tradition, there was no ceremony while former President Donald Trump held office. Biden unveiled the Obama portraits: his by Robert McCurdy, hers by Sharon Sprung.
Sprung, an instructor at the Art Students League of New York, is a realist painter of the old school.
A federal judge in Texas ruled that key parts of the Affordable Care Act that require insurers to cover many preventive services for free are unconstitutional.
Biden has taken pains to show that he understands there is a difference between what he calls extremist “MAGA Republicans” and other members of the Republican Party.
Biden next week will highlight his plans for drastically reducing cancer deaths and boosting treatments for the disease in what he has called this generation’s moonshot”, the White House announced.
The Federal Reserve appears to be on a path to raise interest rates by another 0.75 percentage point this month in the wake of Chairman Jerome Powell’s public pledge to reduce inflation even if it increases unemployment.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says it’s unlikely she could ever be elected president of the United States — because so many people in America “hate women” and “would never let that happen.”
As Biden’s approval rating continues to bounce back from its summertime lows, a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll now shows him leading former President Donald Trump in a 2024 rematch by the widest margin since March.
As Trump considers launching another bid for the White House, more than six in 10 Americans do not want him to run in 2024, according to a new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll.
The Justice Department faces a complex and consequential decision this week: whether to appeal all, part or none of a court order requiring it to turn over to an independent arbiter materials seized last month from Trump’s home in Florida.
Former Attorney General William Barr said he thinks the Department of Justice is “getting very close” to having the evidence to indict Trump — but hopes the agency declines to charge the ex-president.
Federal prosecutors issued a subpoena to William S. Russell, a onetime personal aide to Trump, as part of the investigation into the events leading up to the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, people familiar with the matter said.
Republican defenders of Trump won’t or can’t answer the questions that are at the root of the intrigue over why classified documents were at Mar-a-Lago and the troubling question of whether national security was put at risk.
Democrats and liberal groups, determined to bar Trump from returning to office, are preparing a variety of ways to disqualify him, including drafting new legislation and readying lawsuits using an obscure clause in the Constitution to brand him an insurrectionist.
New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez tested positive for COVID-19, his office announced – the third Democratic senator to test positive so far this week.
From Covid-19 vaccines to propaganda, Beijing has prioritized politics over science, creating conditions that make it difficult for China to join other countries in adapting to life with the coronavirus.
People who felt stressed, anxious, lonely, depressed or worried about Covid before getting infected were at higher risk of developing long-term symptoms from their illness, a new study found.
Several scientists are beginning to study a potential link following evidence of increased cases of depression and suicidal thoughts among people with long Coivd, as well as a growing number of known deaths.
A group of top researchers, clinicians and patients stepped up efforts to combat long Covid, launching a new billionaire-backed initiative to search for drivers of the poorly understood condition and ultimately find treatments.
The virus that causes Covid-19 can remain in some people’s bodies for a long time. A growing number of scientists think that lingering virus is a root cause of long Covid.
Israeli scientists say they have identified antibodies that are so powerful in neutralizing the coronavirus that they could eliminate the need for more vaccine boosters.
The number of workers who say they are actively disengaged from their jobs – defined as workers who are unhappy about their work and resentful their needs aren’t being met – is rising, according to new research by Gallup.
The data may help explain “quiet quitting,” where employees coast at work and draw a paycheck. Gallup said quiet quitters now make up half the U.S. workforce.
Myles Sanderson, the second of two brothers sought by the police after a stabbing rampage in western Canada that killed 10, has been arrested, the authorities said.
Sanderson died after going into medical distress after his arrest, according to Royal Canadian Mounted Police officials.
“I can’t speak to this specific manner of death. That’s going to be part of the autopsy that will be conducted,” Rhonda Blackmore, assistant commissioner with the RCMP unit in Saskatchewan, said at a press conference.
A Memphis man killed at least two people in a shooting spree across the city yesterday, police said. Cops identified the suspect as 19-year-old Ezekiel Kelly. He was arrested late last night.
Transit riders will no longer be required to wear masks on New York City subways, buses, and commuter rail lines, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced, bringing an end to one of the region’s last surviving mask mandates in public places.
“This is our subway sign,” Hochul said, referring to the new notifications the state has implemented. “So places like shelters, correctional facilities, detention centers, and, yes, mass transit, you’ll see this little character. Masks are encouraged but optional.
State officials are also getting rid of mask requirements in homeless shelters, but they will remain in health care facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes, she added.
Hochul and state Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett emphasized that a new Covid-19 booster shot available yesterday will be a critical tool for the winter ahead.
As the governor lifted the requirement for mass transit, passengers said they were already making their own personal risk assessments.
Hochul’s campaign released another round of digital ads as she continues to blast her GOP rival Rep. Lee Zeldin over the Jan. 6 attacks and abortion rights. Zeldin pointed to the state’s nation-leading population loss and pledged to reverse it if elected.
Zeldin is backing lower Manhattan residents blasting a proposed resiliency project approved by the Battery Park City Authority — which is controlled by Hochul.
This summer, the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision changed how packages can be delivered in state prisons, posing challenges for families.
One of New York’s top cannabis regulators said the application period for most marijuana businesses would begin in the middle of next year, marking a significant timeline shift from prior statements that the entire adult-use market would likely be online by then.
The Adams administration has opted not to set up a Council-requested program to catch drivers who ignore flashing red lights on school buses even though one of the co-sponsors of the Council’s initiative now runs the Department of Transportation.
Adams joined union workers to rally support for a proposed affordable housing development in the Bronx opposed by local residents — including the area’s Council member, who holds sway over whether the project will come to fruition.
Torian Easterling, who served as the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s first chief equity officer, is stepping down.
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon is expected to face New York state criminal charges today following an investigation into a crowdfunding campaign to build a wall along the southern U.S. border, according to people familiar with the matter.
Brooklyn prosecutors are seeking to throw out 378 criminal convictions — mostly low-level drug and traffic offenses, dating to 1999 — that relied on 13 former New York Police Department officers who were later convicted of crimes related to their work.
After intense pushback from dozens of advocacy groups, New York City’s education department is no longer considering cuts to restorative justice programs, officials said.
Isabella Pollok, one of the Sarah Lawrence students who fell under the influence of Lawrence V. Ray, pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder money.
United Airlines is threatening to stop all flights out of John F. Kennedy International Airport if the Federal Aviation Administration doesn’t greenlight more flights.
The district attorney prosecuting the case against the man accused of stabbing the writer Salman Rushdie said his office was poring over 30,000 files and pieces of evidence as investigators tried to determine the suspect’s motivation and whether he acted alone.
A key bridge spanning the Northway at Sitterly Road in Clifton Park has reopened to traffic after months of repairs following damage caused last year when an oversized truck hit the structure.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan’s administration intends to ask the Common Council to approve a series of raises later this month for nonunion employees after examining the data from a pay study completed earlier this year.
An Albany City councilwoman has put forth a proposal to lower speed limits on city streets from 30 to 25 mph.
Schenectady City Council President Marion Porterfield has continued to benefit from property tax exemptions worth thousands of dollars put into place on her home by her now-deceased mother.
Death Wish Coffee, which opened its Saratoga Springs retail store in 2020, closed its outlet on Sunday to better concentrate on getting into retail stores such as supermarkets and boosting its online sales.
The campaign of Democratic Rep.-elect Pat Ryan pointed to abortion rights — and connecting the issue to broader themes like democracy and freedom — helped propel his victory last month in the special election for the Hudson Valley’s NY-19.
A county official in Las Vegas was arrested on a murder charge yesterday, hours after the police searched his home in connection with the fatal stabbing of a reporter at The Las Vegas Review-Journal, the district attorney said.
