We don't know how lucky we are [updated]

Further to the famous (in New Zealand) Kiwi anthem "We don't know how lucky we are", embedded below:

• The Cal State system implements mandatory furloughs to avoid staffing cuts with state budget cuts


• U Southern Mississippi cuts its entire economics department

Yikes. Note that the Southern Mississippi results are despite that U Southern Miss is one of the most successful schools at drawing in Congressional earmarked funds.

The database, which was put together using the Center for Responsive Politics's data on lobbying and the information on earmarks compiled by Taxpayers for Common Sense, shows universities filling 9 of the 10 top slots, and 13 of the top 20 positions, in a list of organizations that both lobbied the government and benefited from pork barrel projects from their representatives. The University of Alabama led the way with $40.55 million in earmarks (it spent $360,000 on lobbying in 2009 and individuals contributed $138,494 to political candidates). Four of the next five slots were filled by Mississippi universities (U. of, Mississippi State, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and the University of Southern Mississippi), and one interesting recipient in the top 20 was Teach for America, which spent $509,000 on lobbying and got $2 million in earmarks.

Not a Kiwi anthem as yet, but some good fun from Kiwi FM on my drive in to work this morning: Kiwi band Bear Cat's song "New Zealand Adopt This Panda". Apparently, Bear Cat only writes songs about pandas. Excellent fun. If they had an album, I'd buy it.