Briefly
• CITIES WITHOUT
CARS
• NIKE SUED FOR FALSE
ADVERTISING
• POVERTY ON THE
RISE
• IT’S NOT JUST YOU. DECENT
HOUSING IS OUT-OF-REACH FOR MILLIONS
CITIES WITHOUT
CARS
The streets were quiet in
Europe Sunday, 22-September.
The citizens of
more than 30 countries – and 1,400 cities – participated in Car Free
Day on September 22, the highlight of European Mobility Week. Daily events
focused on different aspects of sustainable urban mobility from September 16-22.
Focusing on a specific topic each day of the week allowed for an opportunity to
initiate a wide range of activities tackling different aspects of sustainable
urban mobility.
European Mobility Week
provides a platform for local authorities along with organizations and
associations all over Europe:
•
to promote existing policies, initiatives and best practices on sustainable
urban mobility,
• to launch new
policies and initiatives,
• to
contribute to raise awareness on the damages that current urban mobility trends
generate on the environment,
•
to establish performing partnerships with local stakeholders,
• to be part of a Europe-wide
campaign sharing a common goal and a common identity,
• to emphasize the local
commitment towards sustainable urban transport
policies.
Wouldn’t Venice benefit
from a few Car Free Days, not to mention an organized consortium promoting
sustainable urban mobility.
************
NIKE
SUED FOR
FALSE
ADVERTISING
Nike will appeal to the
Supreme Court to review a California court ruling that allows an activist to sue
the company for false advertising. Marc Kasky first brought suit against Nike
after reading an article about Nike workers in Southeast Asia. He decided, as a
consumer, to sue Nike for falsely claiming it was a fair employer and
responsible corporate citizen. Nike is also under fire for ending a contract
with a supplier in Indonesia, a move that will cost 7,000 jobs. Some
anti-sweatshop activists say that Nike is pulling out of Indonesia because of
increased unionization.
– Labor
Notes, Sept. 2002
Meanwhile, a petition
campaign has begun to keep Nike off the Boardwalk. See last month’s
Beachhead.
************
POVERTY
ON THE RISE
About 1.3 million more
people were poor in 2001 than in 2000 (32.9 million versus 31.6 million). A
Census Bereau report, released September 24, states that the nation’s
poverty rate rose from 11.3 percent in 2000 to 11.7 percent in 2001. The number
of poor families increased from 6.4 million in 2000 (or 8.7 percent of all
families) to 6.8 million (or 9.2 percent) in 2001.
As poverty increased, the median
household income fell 2.2 percent, from $43,162 in 2000 to $42,228 in 2001. As
the percent of personal income declines for poor Americans, the top 20 percent
of high income earning Americans (the rich), earn more than one-half of of the
nation’s total personal
income.
So according to the U.S. Census
Bureau, the poor got poorer and the rich got richer!
************
IT’S
NOT JUST YOU.
DECENT HOUSING IS
OUT-OF-REACH FOR
MILLIONS
On September 18, the
National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) released its year 2001 statistics
regarding rental affordability in the United States. According to the NLIHC, the
wage required (for a 40-hour work week) in order to afford a two-bedroom rental
at the fair market value in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area is $16.63 per hour.
This is 266 percent of the minimum wage ($6.25 per hour).
Between 2001 and 2002 this two-bedroom
“housing wage” increased by 5.08 percent. More than 60 percent
of minimum wage workers are family heads or their spouses.
The NLIHC states that the Fair Market
Rent for a two-bedroom unit in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area is $865 per
month. If renting a two bedroom apartment in Venice costs $1,730 then the hourly
wage required in a 40 hour work week must be somewhere around $33.26 in order to
live in a two bedroom apartment in Venice! Other options are living in a garage,
staying in your camper in a friend’s driveway, or sleeping on the beach.
Posted: Tue - October 1, 2002 at 05:47 PM