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Friday, October 28th

In Loving Memory of Democracy
See this new item in our Marketplace click here

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 10.28.05 @ 07:52PST

Thursday, October 27th

Get A Free New Colonist Sticker!
Hey folks-get yer free NewColonist.com sticker. It's easy! Just send a self-addressed, stamped envelope (inside another envelope of course) to The New Colonist Sticker Offer P.O. Box 661 Duncansville, PA 16635. When my dad hobbles to the post office to get the mail, your sticker will be on its way.

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 10.27.05 @ 19:30PST

Wednesday, October 26th

Census Bureau Releases First-Ever Data On Daytime Populations for Cities and Counties
If it seems a little crowded on weekdays in cities like Washington, D.C.; Irvine, Calif.; Salt Lake City, Utah; or Orlando, Fla.; it’s not your imagination. Among cities with 100,000 or more people, these four show the highest percentage increases in population during the day as opposed to their resident population.

The findings come from the first-ever U.S. Census Bureau estimates of the daytime population for all counties and more than 6,400 places across the country, based on Census 2000 data.

The concept of the daytime population refers to the number of people, including workers, who are present in an area during normal business hours, in contrast to the resident population present during the evening and nighttime hours.

“Information on the expansion or contraction experienced by different communities between nighttime and daytime is important for many planning purposes, including those dealing with transportation and disaster relief operations,” said Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon. “By providing information on the number of people not living in the area, but nevertheless greatly affected by the event, the data can provide a clearer picture of the effects of disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.”

The places where the largest percent increases in daytime over nighttime populations occur tend to be those with small resident populations. For example, among medium-sized cities, Greenville, S.C., has a daytime population that is 97 percent higher than its nighttime population. Palo Alto, Calif., increases by about 81 percent, and Troy, Mich., by 79 percent. Among very small places, gains approached 300 percent in Tysons Corner, Va. (292 percent); and El Segundo, Calif. (288 percent). (See Table 1.)

Other highlights:

New York City has the largest estimated daytime population, at more than 8.5 million persons. The increase of more than half a million people over the nighttime population is bigger than that found in any other area. However, the 7 percent increase puts New York in the middle of the pack on percentage change among cities with more than a million residents.

The second highest numeric daytime increase is in Washington, D.C., where 410,000 workers boost the capital’s population by 72 percent during normal business hours.

Other big cities with large daytime gains are Atlanta (62 percent), Tampa (48 percent) and Pittsburgh and Boston (both around 41 percent).

Typical examples of sizable expansion of daytime populations in small cities can be found in places such as Paramus, N.J.; Redmond, Wash.; and Beverly Hills, Calif., among others.

About 250,000 people worked in New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina. Almost 150,000 of these workers were residents of New Orleans, but the remaining 100,000 lived outside the city.

One of the most extreme examples of daytime population increase is Lake Buena Vista, Fla., which has almost no permanent residents but swells to an employment center of more than 30,000 people during the day.

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 10.26.05 @ 13:39PST

Tuesday, October 25th

Sierra Club: BY THE NUMBERS: AMERICA’S ENERGY SUPPLY AND DEMAND
GAS PRICES

$2.80 - Average retail price for regular gasoline, up 88 cents over the last year.

$2,873 - Amount average family of four will spend on gasoline this year

$64.67 - Price per barrel of crude oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up $15.81 from last year.

OIL DEPENDENCE

58% - Total U.S. dependence on net imports of foreign oil in 2005, up from 44.5% in 1995.

25% - The percentage of world oil production consumed by the United States.

3% - Percentage of world’s oil reserves located in the United States.

130,000 - Additional barrels of oil consumed per day by the United States as a result of the energy bill extending loopholes for the auto industry that weaken federal fuel economy standards.

RECORD PROFITS

$25.3 billion - Exxon Mobil's record-setting profits last year.

$3.4 billion - Fourth-quarter 2004 profit for Chevron-Texaco Corp, double the profit for the same quarter of the previous year.

218% - Exxon Mobil profit increase last year.

145% - ConocoPhillips profit increase last year.

51% - Shell profit increase last year.

39% - ChevronTexaco profit increase last year.

35% - BP profit increase last year.

22.8 cents - Amount of money U.S. oil refiners made in 1999 for every gallon of gasoline.

40.8 cents - Amount refiners made in 2004 – an 80 percent jump.

99 cents - Amount refiners were making during September 2005 price spikes.

$228 billion - Combined profits for the five biggest refiners from 2001-2005.

OIL SPILLS

8,000,000 - Gallons of oil spilled in southeast Louisiana during and after Hurricane Katrina.

11,000,000 - Gallons of oil spilled from Exxon Valdez tanker off the coast of Alaska in 1989.

285,600 - Gallons of oil spilled from Trans-Alaska pipeline in 2001 when a hunter shot a bullet into it.

3,000,000 - Gallons of oil spilled from offshore oil and gas operations in 73 incidents between 1980 and 1999.

ARCTIC REFUGE, PUBLIC LANDS AND COASTS

1 cent - Amount of savings for consumers at the pump if we drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

20 years - When consumers would see the penny savings.

6,052 - Amount of drilling permits the BLM issued on federal lands in 2004 – a record number.

2,702 - Number of new wells the oil and gas industries actually drilled.

80 - Percentage of the nation’s undiscovered Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) gas that is located in areas already open to the oil and gas industry.

REAL SOLUTIONS

4 million - The number of barrels of oil per day that the United States would save if fuel economy standards were raised to 40 miles per gallon within 20 years. This is more oil than we currently import from the entire Persian Gulf and could ever take out of the Arctic Refuge, combined.

$2,200 - Amount that the average driver would save at the gas pump over the lifetime of their vehicle if fuel economy standards were raised to 40 miles per gallon over the next 10 years.

6 - Percentage by which we can reduce natural gas consumption by getting 20 percent of our energy from clean sources like wind and solar.

$26.6 billion - Amount this would save consumers by 2020.

12.6 - Percentage of natural gas (projected to be used in 2020) that we could save by using technology available today to make homes, buildings and industry more energy efficient.

Supporting information is available at the Sierra Club's website.

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 10.25.05 @ 11:49PST

SIERRA CLUB LAUNCHES NATIONAL COOL CITIES CAMPAIGN
At a time when U.S. oil dependence is increasing, and the threat of global warming is heating up, the Sierra Club has launched its new "Cool Cities" campaign that encourages local leaders throughout the country to move forward with innovative solutions to reduce heat-trapping global warming pollution. This campaign showcases local leadership on the part of over 180 U.S. mayors to curb global warming in stark contrast to the Bush administration's history of missed opportunities and broken promises on global warming.

At the first event on the Cool Cities campaign in Chicago, the Sierra Club praised Chicago Mayor Richard Daley for signing on to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection agreement, which was launched in 2005 by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. Mayor Daley has joined 182 other mayors nationwide, representing nearly 40 million Americans in 38 states, who have pledged to reduce global warming carbon dioxide pollution in their cities to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.

The launch is the beginning of a national fall tour to over 20 "Cool Cities" in Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin in the Midwest; Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire in New England; and North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky in the Southeast. Each tour stop will feature a rally where "Cool City" mayors and local Sierra Club leaders will call for proven local energy solutions that will re-energize our cities and help curb heat-trapping global warming pollution.

To accompany the tour, the Sierra Club has released a new guide, "Cool Cities: Solving Global Warming One City at a Time." The guide explains the steps toward making cities "cool" and tells success stories from a broad range of cities, from greening municipal vehicle fleets with hybrid cars in Houston and Charlotte; energy efficient street lights and buildings in Salt Lake City and Scottsdale, Arizona; to renewable energy investments in Waverly, Iowa and Columbia, Missouri. The guide is available online.

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 10.25.05 @ 11:42PST

EPA Green Power Partnership Tops 3 Billion Kilowatts, Enough to Power 300,000 Homes
EPA's Green Power Partnership has grown to 600 partner organizations purchasing more than 3 billion kilowatt hours (KWh) of green power annually, enough to power 300,000 American homes each year. This voluntary program includes Fortune 500 companies, universities, and local, state, and federal agencies.

Green power is electricity generated from environmentally preferable, renewable resources such as mainstream the purchasing of green power electricity generated by renewable energy sources including solar, wind, water (hydro), geothermal, biomass (combustion of organic materials) and biogas (combustion of naturally-produced methane). Green power currently accounts for just 2 percent of America's electricity supply, but voluntary purchasing of renewable energy is accelerating the development of new renewable energy sources. The voluntary green power market currently supports over 2,200 megawatts of new renewable generating capacity.

The Green Power Partnership has grown dramatically since it was launched with 21 Founding Partners in 2001. The 3 billion KWh purchased by the partnership has doubled in the past 15 months and grew 10-fold over the past four years. This EPA voluntary program standardizes green power procurement as part of best practice environmental management. Partners in the program pledge to switch to green power for a specified minimum percentage of their electricity needs in return for EPA technical assistance and recognition.

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 10.25.05 @ 11:32PST

Friday, October 21st

Direct Local Involvment, Better Communications Needed for Improved Disaster Response
Even with improved intergovernmental responses to national disasters, local governments should be prepared to “be on their own” for the first 48 to 72 hours before federal assistance arrives, according to a representative from the National League of Cities (NLC). Testifying today before the House Committee on Homeland Security, Audwin M. Samuel, mayor pro tem of Beaumont, Tex., said that his recent experience with Hurricane Rita showed how challenging disaster response can be when local governments are not full and equal partners in the decision-making process.

Samuel serves as vice-chair of NLC’s Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy Committee, and was an active participant in his city’s response to Hurricane Rita. Samuel said Beaumont had planned carefully for the hurricane and participated in numerous conference calls with other city, county and state officials to discuss their incident management system.

Samuel also expressed concern about the problem with emergency communications. State and local police were unable to communicate with each other since their systems were not interoperable. “Local police, with personal knowledge of the geographic layout of the city and back roads, had to be paired with other law enforcement agencies to serve as communication conduits to the state and other officials,” Samuel said.

Samuel presented a set of recommendations from the National League of Cities for the House Committee to consider as they work to establish a more effective national preparedness and response plan.

1) Federal and state emergency management officials must work closely with and directly involve local officials in key decisions affecting homeland security, disaster preparedness and response. The US Dept. of Homeland Security should continue to maintain a central office for coordinating local and state domestic preparedness activities. Local officials should also be afforded the maximum flexibility to use the federal and state technical and financial funds to meet the needs of their constituents.

2) Adequate funding is needed for local emergency preparedness and disaster planning so a city can tailor its plans to meet the special circumstances and needs of the area, including those with facilities such as the oil refineries in Texas and those with dense populations that have the potential to be terrorist targets or are prone to natural disasters.

3) Local governments must have appropriate emergency communication systems.
Since the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, NLC has been an outspoken advocate for legislation to permanently clear broadcast spectrum for emergency communications. Most recently, NLC has called on Congress to pass the Homeland Emergency Response Operations Act (HERO), H.R. 1646.

4) Local governments must be provided with the technical assistance and regional training devoted to disaster preparedness and response.

5) The federal government must find a way to share information with local governments without jeopardizing national security. The federal government should collect data on the effects of the disasters and lessons learned from Katrina and Rita and disseminate that analysis to assist state and local disaster-related efforts.

6) The federal government should provide assistance to state and local governments so they can conduct annual hazard and risk assessments to determine the vulnerability of particular areas or structures that might be susceptible to disasters or terrorist acts based on historical and/or intelligence information.

7) A uniform emergency warning system should be developed to ensure that as people travel throughout the nation they will be informed of existing emergencies and advised how to respond.

8) Local governments should be supported in their efforts to encourage the public and private sectors to retrofit existing structures to reduce future losses from natural disasters and to locate new construction outside of high-risk areas such as flood plains, coastal areas or on or near earthquake faults.

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 10.21.05 @ 20:10PST

Wednesday, October 19th

NARP: Amtrak Board Creating Infrastructure Subsidiary
It was revealed recently that the Amtrak Board of Directors, at its September 22, 2005, meeting, approved a resolution directing management to take all appropriate action to create a wholly-owned Northeast Corridor Subsidiary that would take title to Amtrak's Northeast Corridor infrastructure.

The resolution states, in part, that the action is undertaken for purposes of facilitating and furthering future capital investment, financing, development, oversight and operation of the NEC Infrastructure with the intent to enhance the performance and capacity of the NEC Infrastructure for the benefit of the Corporation and all current and future users of NEC Infrastructure.

The board's action appears to reflect a sharp departure from the position it took in the April 2005 Strategic Reform Initiatives and FY06 Grant Request.

The reasons for the Board's sudden change of position, and the reasons they kept their action secret for so long, are unclear. The board currently has only four voting members rather than the seven the law envisions. Only one, Chairman David Laney, has been confirmed by the Senate. A second, Jeffrey Rosen, represents Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta, who has made many negative (and frequently inaccurate) statements about Amtrak this year. The other two members, Floyd Hall and Enrique Sosa, are recess appointments whose terms will expire when Congress adjourns for the year. Some observers have speculated that the White House would reappoint Messrs. Hall and Sosa, but the legality of a re-recess appointment is unclear.

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 10.19.05 @ 20:06PST

New Analysis Offers First-Ever State-by-State Look at Links Between Marriage, Fertility and Other Socioeconomic Characteristics
A new analysis looking at links between marriage, fertility and other socioeconomic characteristics was released today by the U.S. Census Bureau, providing the first-ever state-by-state analysis of median age at first marriage. The analysis of the multi-year marriage and fertility data from the American Community Survey (ACS) also shows how socioeconomic characteristics such as mother''s income, age, work status and language spoken at home are correlated with birth rates.

The report, Indicators of Marriage and Fertility in the United States From the American Community Survey, 2000 to 2003, found that states with a high estimated median age at first marriage tended to have higher proportions of unmarried-couple households and lower proportions of married-couple households.

The analysis of family structure variables showed marked geographic patterns. States in the Northeast had some of the highest levels of unmarried-couple households, particularly Maine (7.3 percent of all households), New Hampshire (7.2 percent) and Vermont (7.1 percent). States in the South, including Alabama (3.0 percent), Arkansas (3.6 percent) and Mississippi (3.8 percent), were among those with the lowest percentages of unmarried-partner households.

Southern states (and the District of Columbia) also tended to have a higher percentage of unwed mothers with infants compared with the national average. These included the District of Columbia (53.4 percent), Mississippi (45.7 percent) and Louisiana (40.2 percent of all mothers).

Among the states with the lowest percentages of unwed mothers with infants were Utah (14.7 percent), Minnesota (20.6 percent) and Idaho (21.6 percent).

Teen births were also more prevalent in the South, with Arkansas (where 13.3 percent of births were to teens), Mississippi (12.8 percent) and Louisiana (12.1 percent) among those above the national average (7.7 percent).

The analysis, from a sample of over 3 million covering four years of American Community Survey data (2000 'C 2003), showed a link between the proportion of mothers with infants living below the poverty level and low levels of labor force participation, as well as a high proportion of teen births among unmarried mothers.

In fact, one in every two unmarried mothers who had recently given birth were living below the poverty level--four times the rate of their married counterparts. Nearly 30 percent of all new mothers were unmarried.

Other highlights:

Men and women in the Northeast marry later, on average, than their counterparts in the rest of the United States.

One-fifth of all women who gave birth in California in the last year either did not speak English well or did not speak it at all. Texas (14.4 percent), Arizona (14.4 percent) and Nevada (14.2 percent) were among the states with rates higher than the national average (8.2 percent).

Fifteen percent of all women who gave birth within the last year were noncitizens.

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 10.19.05 @ 20:02PST

ST. LOUIS HOPE VI DEVELOPMENTS PROGRESS
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson joined Senator Christopher "Kit" Bond and Congressman William "Lacy" Clay in St. Louis for a ribbon cutting ceremony in celebration of the completion of the first phase of one of the city's HOPE VI developments. They also broke ground for another HOPE VI project soon to be under construction.

Jackson, Bond and Clay were at the new Renaissance Place at Grand, formerly Blumeyer Homes public housing development, to break ground for a senior building and family rental housing that is already under construction. When completed the development will consist of a 110-unit building for seniors, a 30-unit building for families and 94-unit building for mixed-income families. Jackson and the Congressional members also cut a ribbon at the new community center to celebrate the completion of the first phase at Renaissance Place at Grand, which consists of 158 mixed-income family units.

Earlier in the day, Jackson broke ground on the first phase of the Cochran Gardens HOPE VI development. This first phase will include 121 public housing and affordable housing units. When all three phases are completed, Cochran Gardens will house 266 families, including 24 in affordable single-family homes.

The St. Louis Housing Authority has received three HOPE VI Revitalization grants since the program began in 1993. It received a $46.7 million grant in 1995 to redevelop the public housing at Darst-Webbe, now named Near Southside. Three of six phases of this development are completed, with the remaining phases under construction. Renaissance Place is being developed with a 2001 HOPE VI grant for $35 million. The most recent HOPE VI funding was a 2003 grant for $20 million for Cochran Gardens.

The HOPE VI program, also known as the Urban Revitalization Demonstration, was created in 1992 as a result of a report by the National Commission on Severely Distressed Public Housing, which found approximately 86,000 public housing units in the U.S. needed revitalization. The first HOPE VI Revitalization grants were awarded in 1993.

HUD has awarded 224 grants to 121 cities that total $5.6 billion since the HOPE VI program began awarding grants in 1993. To date 42 HOPE VI communities are completed. With more than $2.4 billion funds awarded, but not yet spent, HOPE VI funding will continue to positively impact communities well into the future.

When the first HOPE VI grants were awarded 13 years ago, it was the only significant means of leveraging private capital to revitalize public housing properties. Today new financial tools are available to PHAs to transform aging public housing developments. For example, HUD has approved bond and loan transactions under its Capital Fund Financing Program that have leveraged approximately $2.3 billion in the last two years. By using this program, PHAs borrow large amounts of cash to do major capital improvements or construct new units. They pay the debt using a portion of their annual Capital Fund allocation from HUD.

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 10.19.05 @ 20:00PST

Tuesday, October 18th

It's Only Rain....
Southern California this week began its annual rediscovery of rain as a phenomenon. This is a big deal here only because the local denizens insist on going everywhere by car, and cars, with their wide tires, are inherently prone to hydroplaning. (On my bicycle I worry only about metal plates and manhole covers, as far as rain traction goes. And cars, of course!) So accidents left and right clog up the roads and freeways, as cars and trucks skid all over. After all, it's apparently a god-given right here to drive as if you were the only traveler on a clear dry road, no matter what the weather. Hey, it's dry inside the car, isn't it?

The total disconnect from life that cars impose engenders imbecility in their users. Several people are dead now, and half a dozen freeways have been closed because of spectacular accidents, including a flaming fuel tanker explosion. And a bit of excess water and some mud closed I-5 just north of here, resulting in a gigantic traffic jam.

While Randal O'Toole and other motorheads decry rail as an assault on freedom, somehow, I wonder how many folks sitting trapped in the rain in a sheep-like huddle of stalled cars wish they were free of their predicament right now. (Shades of the Houston evacuation, but now wet and cold as well!)

The Metro will be nice and warm and running smoothly underground, and few are the light-rail trains I've heard of that skidded off the tracks. I'll be on my bike this morning, but if I were taking the train as I used to do, I wouldn't mind the freedom to sit back and enjoy the newspaper, or a quick nap, or a chat with a stranger myself.

And on my bike, since I don't hog all the road space, if some idiot does block the lane with the carcass of his SUV--I'll just go around it.

A rain cape keeps me dry enough. Dryer than my colleagues at the store who have to walk from their parking spots to the front door, anyway.

Richard Risemberg (rrisemberg@newcolonist.com), on 10.18.05 @ 07:28PST

Monday, October 17th

Chicago's Neighborhoods and What We Need For Life
“Is it getting better or getting worse?” I asked a cab driver while whizzing through Chicago’s streets. “Getting better,” he replied. This particular driver was the first I encountered who could be considered friendly. The previous two had spent the ride talking on their cell phones. Having attempted conversation by asking where I was from, I asked the driver if he had been in Chicago long. Fifteen years, it turned out.

On each trip I make to Chicago, the city does seem to improve. This trip I stayed in Hyde Park, South of the Loop. Traveling by train from Midway airport, I changed trains at Roosevelt. At that station I noticed a relatively new condo complex built above a Walgreens drug store. A block or so west was the red bulls-eye marking the location of a Target store.

We could lament the demise of local department stores and mom-and-pops (apparently even Marshall-Fields will join the ranks of the stores that were), but the view from the Roosevelt L stop was one showing the new urban life that is being sought out by increasing numbers of Americans. The residents of these condos have virtually every product they need for their daily lives at their disposal.

They don’t need to drive or even take a cab or bus to find a plastic box, a new shirt or some Whole Wheat Total. Living in a neighborhood that lacks such services, these stores, though they may be chains, are a welcome sight. With them, shopping can be done in less than one hour at no expense beyond the items themselves. Because it requires driving to a suburb, parking and then driving between stores, in Pittsburgh, shopping can be an afternoon endeavor.

On first glance, Hyde Park seemed to be a place void of services. The hotel is along Lake Shore Drive, which is a highway. There was some aggravation involved with actually getting to the hotel. A morning walk along the lake, however, removed any misgivings about choosing this particular hotel. A walk to the University of Chicago this morning provided a new light on Hyde Park. A small retail area offered a Starbucks and Borders Books, but also some small galleries, local groceries, book stores and restaurants. It was before nine on a Sunday morning, and another plug for the chain stores, Starbucks was the first establishment (ok, I also walked past McDonalds) serving coffee I found that was open.

Back at the hotel, I picked up a Where Chicago magazine and glanced through an article about neighborhoods to visit. One of the neighborhoods featured was Pullman. Since writing about Pullman in college, I’ve always wanted to visit. Some of it was lost, but much of it remains. Despite the meticulous preservation, Pullman’s popularity suffers. The article notes only about 1,200 people currently live in the Pullman Historic District as compared to a population of 14,000 in the late 1800s. Why? “As evidenced by the dearth of shops, restaurants and office buildings—doesn’t offer the amenities that most Chicago neighborhoods do.”

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 10.17.05 @ 12:26PST

Power Outage
Last night, the power went out again--the fourth time in about a month, a bit unusual for our upscale neighborhood in Miracle Mile, by the Los Angeles County Art Museum. We leaned on the windowsill and jawboned with the downstairs neighbors for a while--they'd come out, from all the buildings on the block, and everyone was milling around chatting.

When it got dark we lit candles around the house, and enjoyed the mood for a while, then decided to take a walk. But we didn't get very far.

Around the corner from us is a small concert hall where a Katrina benefit was scheduled to play. Of course the power was out for them too. When we got to the corner, the crowd that had come to hear the show was milling around the entrance to the hall--and the musicians had grabbed some acoustic guitars, violins, and a mouth-blown harmonium and were giving the concert on the sidewalk!

So we stood in the dark, under the deep blue-gray of the blowing clouds, between the darkened buildings and the crowded street, and listened to the concert.

Where else but in a big and busy city could this happen?

Richard Risemberg (rrisemberg@newcolonist.com), on 10.17.05 @ 07:39PST

Friday, October 14th

Ford redoubles greenwashing efforts; activists double over laughing
Grassroots activists laughed at last week's announcement that Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F)--the EPA's longstanding last place US automaker on fuel efficiency--had launched "Fuel-Economy School" to teach Americans how to drive its gas-guzzlers more efficiently.

While Ford announced the details of its strange program to partner with police and give "citations" for free gasoline, Global Exchange and Rainforest Action Network welcomed The Ruckus Society as a new Jumpstart Ford campaign partner and announced that Ford's 10-city fuel economy tour will be followed by a 100-city November 12th "Day of Intervention" at North American Ford dealers.

Human rights and environmental activists, who have been challenging Ford's claims that it is an "innovative" and "environmental" car company, view these latest initiatives as little more than a new round of public relations-driven promises that will result in virtually no meaningful improvement of the company's bottom-of-the-barrel fleet-wide fuel efficiency.

In an October 7 press release, Ford announced a "nationwide effort to teach consumers how to improve fuel economy" including a "Fuel-Economy School" and "10-city tour to bring fuel saving driving tips to local communities." In a September 21 release, Ford promised to "increase global hybrid production ten-fold, to approximately 250,000 annually by 2010" by offering a limited lineup of optional gasoline-powered hybrid engines. Ford's projected 2010 hybrid production numbers represent just half of the 500,000 units Toyota plans to produce in 2006 and less than 3.5 percent of the 7 million cars that Ford produces annually.

Every year since 1999, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ranked Ford cars, trucks, and SUVs as having the worst overall fuel economy of any A merican automaker. A recent report from the Union of Concerned Scientists ranks Ford as having "the absolute worst heat-trapping gas emissions performance of all the Big Six automakers." From subcompacts to SUVs, Ford's current line up gets fewer miles per gallon on average than the Model-T did over 80 years ago. According to the EPA's 2006 Fuel Economy Guide, three Ford models are among the eight listed as having the "lowest fuel economy among popular 2006 vehicles."

Citing lack of consumer demand for gas-guzzlers, both Moody's Investment Service and Standard & Poor's recently took Ford to the junkyard by rating its stock as non-investment grade. To compete with record sales of more fuel-efficient models by automakers like Toyota, North American Ford dealers were forced to sell the company's gas-guzzlers at loss this summer by extending an employee discount program to consumers.

On September 2, 2004, Niel Golightly, director of environmental strategies for Ford Motor Company, told USA Today, "Clearly, the entire industry could build nothing but zero emissions cars today if it wanted to."

Launched in 2003, the Jumpstart Ford campaign is an international grassroots movement compelling Ford Motor Company to improve its fleet-wide fuel efficiency to 50 miles per gallon by 2010 and eliminate tailpipe emissions by 2020. Global Exchange, Rainforest Action Network and The Ruckus Society played a central role in organizing the 1999 mass mobilization in Seattle protesting the World Trade Organization.

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 10.14.05 @ 05:35PST

Thursday, October 13th

Bring New Orleans Back Commission to Work with Urban Land Institute on Developing Rebuilding Strategy for the City
The newly created Bring New Orleans Back Commission, led by New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, has approved a proposal by the Urban Land Institute to support the commission's goal to develop a rebuilding vision during the first three months of the entity's tenure.

"Now is the time to create an implementable vision for the new New Orleans," said ULI Chairman Marilyn J. Taylor. "ULI will bring its expertise in land use policy, sustainability and development to support the knowledge of the commission, local ULI members, community leaders, and citizens in creating a vision for rebuilding this great American city. New Orleans deserves to be redesigned and rebuilt with equity and sustainability."

ULI, an international research and education institute dedicated to responsible land use, will assist the commission with its master visioning efforts. The program of work will be carried out through four key activities: 1) the formation of an advisory panel of international and national experts on post-disaster redevelopment and urban regeneration; 2) the development of Ten Principles for Temporary Communities; 3) input from the breadth of ULI's membership; and 4) coordination with other groups who have dedicated valuable resources to the rebuilding effort.

The activities are designed to facilitate immediate action; create a process to ensure that actions are proactive, rather than reactive; capitalize on the knowledge gained from the recovery experiences of other communities affected by natural or manmade disasters; and provide a practical guide on creating a successful rebuilding strategy.

ULI Louisiana Chairman Tara Carter Hernandez and members throughout the state will be engaged in ULI's program of work. Former ULI Chairman Joseph Canizaro, a business and civic community leader in New Orleans, serves on the city's commission.

The cost for creating and implementing ULI's program of work for rebuilding New Orleans is being completely covered by funds raised by the ULI Foundation, which supports Institute activities. Through the Foundation, ULI is raising $1 million to aid in rebuilding the Gulf Coast region, including providing assistance in planning the redevelopment of New Orleans. This fund was initiated with the stipend from the ULI J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development program. Albert B. Ratner, 2005 laureate of the prize and co-chairman of Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises, Inc., declined the prize's $100,000 stipend and requested that ULI apply the funds to create a program of work to help plan a revitalization strategy for New Orleans. In addition, the Ratner family and Forest City made a donation of $100,000 to support ULI's work in New Orleans.

The advisory panel, which is scheduled to visit New Orleans during mid-November, will include ULI members and other land use professionals with experience in urban and post-disaster redevelopment, including the areas of planning, design, economic development and finance, all of whom will work with local government representatives, and civic, business and citizens' organizations to establish a rebuilding strategy.

To support the advisory panel, ULI is organizing research teams to gather data and information (both pre- and post-Hurricane Katrina) regarding demographics, housing, commercial development, retail, tourism, land use and infrastructure, educational and medical institutions, environmental resources and economic development. This information will be reviewed by expert teams of ULI members, who will use it to guide the panel¡¯s work, with a specific focus on the areas of market and economic development, land planning and urban design, and institutional organization and implementation of the rebuilding plan. The expert teams and advisory panel members will meet at ULI's Fall Meeting in early November to discuss the research and develop key areas for the panel to address during the New Orleans visit. In addition, the Institute will gather input on rebuilding New Orleans from the 6,000-plus ULI members attending the Fall Meeting during various roundtable discussions.

The panel's initial recommendations will be made to the commission and the public in late November. A detailed report will be issued afterward, and panel members and ULI staff representatives will also be available, as needed, to assist with the planning process.

The panel is being organized through ULI's advisory services program, in which the Institute assembles experts in the fields of real estate and land use planning to participate as volunteers on panels worldwide, offering recommendations for complex planning and development projects, programs and policies. ULI has organized advisory panels in several other areas of the U.S that have experienced both natural and manmade disasters, including the earthquakes in Watsonville, California; floods in Grand Forks, North Dakota; the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City; the riots in south central Los Angeles; and the 9-11 terrorist attacks in New York City.

In addition to the advisory panel, ULI is working with its members to develop the Ten Principles for Temporary Communities to help New Orleans and other communities faced with the dilemma of creating temporary homes for its displaced residents. These principles will be based on experiences of other communities that have dealt with natural disasters and other events that have necessitated the creation of temporary housing.

All of the Institute's work on rebuilding New Orleans will be conducted in coordination with the work of other organizations, noted ULI President Richard M. Rosan. "Many of these groups work closely with ULI on other efforts, and we will ensure that our work and theirs is coordinated and complementary. The key to ULI's effectiveness is its inclusive process, which results in constructive participation."

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 10.13.05 @ 00:42PST

Tuesday, October 11th

Brats
After I pedaled home and had a bite, I shouldered my knapsack to walk over to the Farmer's Market for a bit of shopping. At Sixth Street, well after the light turned green for my direction, two drivers roared through the red light in front of the several cars and pedestrians who were waiting to cross.

No doubt their excuse would be that they were in a hurry to get home to their microwaved dinners and idiotainment from the tube. In other words, they just felt like it.

No manners, really just brats. They all are when they get behind the wheel--except when they need directions; then they roll down their windows and ask, not their fellow autoholics, but me on my bike or on the sidewalk. Because you can talk to a human being, but you can't talk to a car. After which they go back to cursing the traffic in front of them, while the driver in their mirror curses the traffic in front of him, ad infinitum.

Silly, isn't it? Or it would be, if it weren't destroying the world.

Richard Risemberg (rrisemberg@newcolonist.com), on 10.11.05 @ 22:14PST

Friday, October 7th

Cities Will Press On in the Senate to Defeat Bad Energy Bill
City leaders today vowed to press on in their fight against H.R. 3893, the Gasoline for America's Security Act of 2005, as it moves to the Senate following today's close vote in the House. Officials from the National League of Cities (NLC) see the bill as a serious preemption of the historic rights of cities and towns to determine where facilities such as refineries can be located.

In a very close vote that seesawed back and forth for more than 45 minutes, the bill, sponsored by Rep. Joe Barton (news, bio, voting record) (R-Tex), was adopted 212 to 210.

NLC's opposition is prompted by concerns that the bill would:

-- Override state and local zoning and land use authority by stripping away any local citizen involvement and placing it into the hands of Washington decision makers.

-- Discourage local governments from advocating on the behalf of their residents by establishing a "loser-pays" standard. Specifically, the bill forces localities to pay the attorney's fees of the industry if a city loses; however, if the local government wins the case, the industry is not required to pay cities for the expense of the litigation.

-- Reduce the number of possible blends of diesel and gasoline, without regard for the individual needs of localities that depend on these special blends to reduce emissions from mobile sources. This could cause wide-spread increases in emissions from these sources, affecting the health and well-being of Americans everywhere.

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 10.07.05 @ 18:36PST

U.S. Conference of Mayors Outraged by Unprecedented Congressional Vote to Prohibit Loan-Forgiveness in Disaster Relief Bill
On behalf of the nation's mayors, The United States Conference of Mayors today sent a letter to the Senate leadership rejecting legislation that, for the first time in history, prohibits the possibility of loan forgiveness for disaster relief funds if it is needed.

The provision is part of a larger measure that was passed on the Senate floor today to provide $750 million through FEMA's community disaster loan program for fiscal assistance to cities and counties with budgets that have been devastated by the recent hurricanes. This would not be new funding, but would be carved out from the $62 billion packages previously approved by Congress according to Senate staff.

In her recent fact-finding mission to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, Mayor O'Neill learned that the mayors of the Gulf-Coast cities have lost most of their tax base and will soon be without the funds needed to pay first responders, public works employees, and other key local personnel that are leading the recovery effort. Without a functioning local government, the private sector will be stymied in efforts to invest in the reconstruction effort, and it will be impossible for volunteer relief efforts to be coordinated and to function.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,139 such cities in the country today, each represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the Mayor.

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 10.07.05 @ 18:33PST

Japanese Manufacturing Leads the World in Energy Efficiency
According to an article in the Octoer 7th Wall Street Journal (subscriber access only), Japanese manufacturing leads the world in energy efficiency:

When oil supplies contract, oil-dependent economies suffer--and Japan prospers. Investors are bullish on Japan's manufacturing sector, which has been investing in energy efficiency since the oil crisis of the early 1970s. Faced then with few domestic energy sources and near total dependence on foreign oil, the nation's industrial base set out to lessen its exposure to future energy shocks by fine-tuning production lines, installing advanced systems for power generation, and more. The effort's paying off: A 2002 study shows that Chinese competitors used 52 percent more energy to produce the same ton of cement as a typical Japanese manufacturer, while European and South Korean firms used 30 percent more, and U.S. companies 77 percent more. And now efficient Japanese companies can cash in on a new business opportunity: consulting on energy recycling and advanced power generation with foreign firms.

Synopsis from Grist Magazine

Richard Risemberg (rrisemberg@newcolonist.com), on 10.07.05 @ 12:34PST

Thursday, October 6th

Vancouver tops liveability ranking/Pittsburgh and Cleveland best in US
A new survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit assessing the "liveability" of 127 cities worldwide has found Vancouver to be the most attractive destination. The survey shows cities in Canada, Australia, Austria and Switzerland as the most ideal destinations thanks to a widespread availability of goods and services, low personal risk and an effective infrastructure.

The Economist Intelligence Unit's LIVEABILITY RANKING, part of the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, assesses living conditions in 127 cities around the world by looking at nearly 40 individual indicators grouped into five categories: stability; healthcare; culture and environment; education; and infrastructure. The survey gives a rating of 0%-100% and judges a city with a lower score to be the more attractive destination. A rating of 20% is where real problems are seen to begin - anything over 50% places severe restrictions on lifestyle.

Is west the best?

Sixty-three cities - almost half of those surveyed in total - fall into the top liveability bracket. This reflects the fact that many global business centres have a developed infrastructure and widespread availability. Still, the overwhelming majority of cities in the top liveability range are based in western Europe and North America.

Only three cities in eastern Europe fall into this bracket along with 13 cities from Asia. All cities in North America and western Europe have ratings below 20%. In contrast all cities in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East exceed this.

The worst destinations in the survey are those of Algiers and Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea - where many aspects of daily life present challenges. All ten cities where the liveability index exceeds 50% are in Asia, Africa or the Middle East.

Europe: A closing gap?
Despite the clear difference in living standards between eastern and western Europe, the expansion of the EU and the strong economic development experienced in eastern Europe since the break-up of the Soviet Union is helping the east catching up with the west.

The three cities in eastern Europe with the best liveability indices (Budapest, Bratislava and Prague) are found in EU accession countries. Factors such as improved transport and communications infrastructure along with greater availability of goods, services and recreational activities have played a part in slowly bringing these cities into line with the west. Much less desirable are states beset by corruption and instability further to the east. Tashkent and Baku in the former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan score among the worst in the region with ratings of 42% and 38% respectively. Both countries are prone to corruption and civil unrest, with the threat of petty crime, terror and a lack of general amenities also playing a part. Istanbul, in EU accession-hopeful Turkey, has an unenviable liveability rating of 39% - in part due to recent terror attacks including the 2003 attacks which specifically targeted expatriates.

Conversely, Austria's capital Vienna shares joint second spot with Geneva, Switzerland. Both cities have a rating of 2%, with their climates, a factor beyond human control, as the main pitfall to living there. Athens, the least liveable destination in Western Europe, also suffers from climate issues, although its infrastructure also serves to bring its ranking down. Despite this Athens still occupies the top tier of the Economist Intelligence Unit's liveability scale.

Canada betters neighbour
With low crime, little threat from instability or terrorism and a highly developed infrastructure, Canada has the most liveable destinations in the world. With a rating of just 1% (as a result of a small threat from petty crime) Vancouver is the highest ranked city of all 127 surveyed. A further two Canadian cities (Calgary and Toronto) feature in the top five with ratings of just 3%. All 4 cities surveyed score well in all respects.

Although higher crime rates and a greater threat of terror puts US cities below those of Canada, US cities are still among the world's most liveable. Cleveland and Pittsburgh are the joint best scoring cities in the United States (7%), in joint 26th place in the global ranking. A lack of availability of recreational activities and certain infrastructural shortfalls put Lexington as the least liveable US city surveyed, in 56th place-although its rating of 13% is still low.

Latin America dogged by instability
Although no Latin American city surveyed manages to present ideal living conditions, neither do any fall into the category where extreme difficulties are faced - although Bogota in Colombia (117th) comes close with a rating of 49%. Bogota, like Caracas, Venezuela, has been subject to high profile levels of instability, unrest and violence. The two cities score 90% and 75% respectively in terms of stability due to widespread guerrilla warfare in Colombia and violent civil unrest in opposition to Venezuela's President, Hugo Chavez.

With scores of 20%, Montevideo in Uruguay, Santiago in Chile and Buenos Aires in Argentina (joint 64th) offer the best living conditions in Latin America. This is largely thanks to relatively efficient infrastructure and the availability of goods and services. These are closely followed by US commonwealth territory San Juan in Puerto Rico (23%), ranked 68th and Latin America's longest serving unbroken democracy, San Jose in Costa Rica (24%) ranked 70th.

Asia : The best and worst of both worlds
Alongside Canada, Australia is has some of the most liveable places in the world. Melbourne is ranked joint second overall with a rating of just 2%. Perth, Adelaide and Sydney join Zurich, Toronto and Calgary in joint 5th place with ratings of 3%. Just below this is Brisbane in joint 11th place. Elsewhere in the region cities in Japan, New Zealand, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan all offer a good standard of living, with a humid climate bringing scores down slightly.

Just North of Australia, however, a very different picture emerges, with Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, returning the joint worst score of all 127 cities surveyed. With a rating of 66%, Port Moresby suffers from high crime rates, corruption, instability, low availability of entertainment, goods or services and a dilapidated infrastructure. The proximity of Port Moresby to Australia highlights the two-tiered nature of liveability in Asian countries, with a number of well developed urban centres next door to countries where less favorable conditions apply.

The influx of investment in China alongside the increased availability of goods following WTO entry has helped all six Chinese cities surveyed perform relatively well, scoring between 24% and 30%. Alongside them are other emerging business centres such as Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. Less developed cities, especially those where unrest or terrorism is an issue, fare much worse - with Phnom Penh (55%), Karachi (60%) and Dhaka (61%) all falling into the worst liveability category.

Africa and the Middle East: A long way to go
Africa and the Middle East, where cities have an average rating of 40%, fares worst of any region. Recent instability in the Middle East has made the threat of terror a key issue - although in Israel this is offset by a generally high level of development making Tel Aviv (23%) the best destination surveyed in the region.

Strong anti-crime measures in many Arab states are also a stabilising factor, although a low crime rate can be outweighed by the many cultural restrictions in place. As a result, only Dubai (25%) and Abu Dhabi (26%) in the United Arab Emirates and Manama in Bahrain (27%) have similar liveability ratings to Israel.

Cities perform much more poorly overall in Africa. The civil unrest and volatile nature of many countries, and the current political and economic climate mean cities such as Harare (53%), Lagos (59%), Abidjan (54%) and Douala (53%) prop up the ranking as some of the worst destinations. Alongside these are Tehran in Iran (52%), where the threat of war has been enhanced by concerns over the country's nuclear programme. With a rating of 66% Algiers, in Algeria, comes joint bottom of the liveability scale with Port Moresby. Although the threat of civil war has diminished slightly, the country has a ravaged infrastructure and has very little available by way of entertainment or goods and services to ease the cultural restrictions in place.

Eric Miller (editor@newcolonist.com), on 10.06.05 @ 15:34PST

Wednesday, October 5th

Author Unknown

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American. The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, and sing a few songs...I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well, my friend, that's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Mexican.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife, and spend your evenings doing what you like and enjoying your friends."

Preach it, brother!

If anyone knows who wrote this, send me an email me, and I'll add the attribution.

Richard Risemberg (rrisemberg@newcolonist.com), on 10.05.05 @ 09:56PST

Tuesday, October 4th

Parks
Nothing in a proper park is for sale, nothing clamors for attention, nothing reminds you that you're late for something else, nothing is poised to enrage or humiliate.

Richard Risemberg (rrisemberg@newcolonist.com), on 10.04.05 @ 22:42PST