The worsening economic crunch is causing the tab for food assistance programs to balloon, and with the rising costs has come an intensifying debate over whether — and how — the U.S. government can tackle simultaneously the paradoxically linked problems of hunger and obesity. More: continued here

Not long ago, the men and women minding the federal budget were pure number crunchers. But in choosing Peter R. Orszag to run the Office of Management and Budget, President-elect Barack Obama indicated yesterday that the job will have a more expansive portfolio in his administration. More: continued here

Say you are interested in selling rings on ebay. You know your who your buyers are and what they like. You know they will spend anywhere from $40 to $120 with an average profit of around $80 per sale. More: continued here

The number of welfare cases is on the rise with more poor, elderly and disabled residents seeking help in economic tough times. More: continued here

Update from two level blocks from the post officeExaminer.com –21 hours agoI still have had no mail delivery this week. Apparently today for the first time there was a delivery to the other side of my block, but not to this side. … More: continued here

Backbenchers want a legal limit on the stake private operators can take in Royal Mail under the Government’s partprivatisation plans. More: continued here

You might think Abraham Lincoln has been a popular subject on U.S. postage stamps. But you’d be wrong. The Kentucky-born president is on fewer than two dozen stamps, compared to the hundreds that have featured George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. More: continued here

Campaigners are calling on Lord Mandelson to ditch his plans for the partial sale of the Royal Mail. More: continued here

Iran – China – Fest A stamp featuring the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) won awards at the ninth Chinese International Foreign Stamps Festival. According to a report by Public Relations Department of Iran’s Post Company, the stamp was designed by Iranian experts working for the company. More: continued here

BBC News All you don't want for ChristmasBBC News, UK –5 hours agoBy Stephen Robb A quick search on auction site eBay for the words "Christmas" and "unwanted" already brings up hundreds of results. … More: continued here