http://cityinvincible.org News and Commentary that Matter to Urban Communities Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:48:59 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Union leadership is out of touch with the rank and file—and the public—on health care. A coalition of major labor unions and liberal organizations has recently created what it calls “a national grassroots campaign organizing millions of Americans to win a guarantee of quality, affordable health care for all.” Health Care for ... http://cityinvincible.org/2008/11/passing-on-single-payer-health-care/ An article I wrote, titled "Passing On Single-Payer," was published in the latest issue of Dollars and Sense magazine. It's about how the leadership of unions like AFSCME and SEIU have ignored the popularity of single-payer healthcare in order to pursue a public-private health insurance system in the US. Both ... http://cityinvincible.org/2008/10/published-in-dollars-and-sense/ After about two months of work, I finally finished the new Healthcare-NOW! website. It's a vast improvement over the old site, which had me incredibly frustrated and scared off potential single-payer healthcare supporters. Once again, I used WordPress to develop the site and redesigned, with my friend Brian, a theme ... http://cityinvincible.org/2008/10/new-healthcare-now-website/ http://cityinvincible.org/2008/09/kucinich-on-the-bailout/ Many homeless advocates dispute HUD's recent announcement that the number of homeless people in the US decreased by 12 percent between 2005 and 2007. It seems that "the declines occurred because HUD changed guidelines in late 2006 for counting the homeless, requiring an interview with each person counted. In 2005, counters ... http://cityinvincible.org/2008/08/hud-claims-reduction-in-us-homeless/ A friend of mine recently told me about Dark Days, a documentary about the homeless living in New York City's subway tunnels. I highly recommend seeing this movie--as it's both beautifully shot and emotionally stirring. Below is the film in its entirety. However, I suggest renting or ... http://cityinvincible.org/2008/07/dark-days/ Apparently, the Democrats are trying to hide the homeless during their convention in Colorado. A group that's helping organize the convention says it's going to distribute 500 tickets to the movies, the zoo, and museums to the homeless to get them away from the Democratic convention. Food Not ... http://cityinvincible.org/2008/07/dnc-to-homeless-dont-show-your-face-around-here/ Note: I wrote this about three weeks ago, before the Homeless US Cup took place. Homeless athletes from all over the US will converge on Washington, DC from June 27 though June 29 to participate in the Homeless US Cup soccer tournament. The tournament, which includes about 10 teams ... http://cityinvincible.org/2008/07/america%e2%80%99s-homeless-suit-up-for-homeless-us-cup-soccer-tournament/ Recent “ Sweeps” in Seattle and San Diego Leave Those with Little, Nothing City politicians, often pressured by the public, sometimes take drastic and dehumanizing measures to deal with homelessness. San Diego County’s “Operation Clean Sweep” is among the more sinister methods. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, “Sheriff's deputies converged ... http://cityinvincible.org/2008/07/sweeping-the-homeless-under-the-rug/ According to Sheffield Hallam University's website, "A student at Sheffield Hallam University has created a unique cardboard bicycle, which aims to reduce thefts and encourage people to get out of their cars and 'on their bikes.'" The bike costs about $30 to make and its body is biodegradable.  Unfortunately, the bike can't ... http://cityinvincible.org/2008/07/new-cardboard-bike-is-awesome/