National

New Health and Environment Grant Opportunities Kresge Foundation

Editor2 — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:47:59 -0500

Kresge Foundation Announces New Grantmaking Programs in Health and Environment

Deadline: Open

The Kresge Foundation has announced two new comprehensive grant- making
programs: the Health Program and the Environment Program.

Historically, the foundation has worked in six fields of interest:
health, the environment, arts and culture, education, human services, and community development. With the announcement of these two new programs in health and the environment, the foundation is expanding its commitment and narrowing its focus in each field for maximum long-term impact in its strategic areas of interest.

Green Jobs Now Day of Action: September 27

Editor2 — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:20:05 -0500

On September 27, the Ella Baker Center, Green for All, 1Sky and the We Campaign will join with tens of thousands of Americans for Green Jobs Now, a national day of action for green jobs.

The Ella Baker Center's Green-Collar Jobs Campaign is organizing a special event with our allies in Oakland (details to come), with scores of other events happening throughout the country.

Take part in a Green Jobs Now event near you!

Adopted & Fostered Adults of the African Diaspora: Inaugural Gathering

Editor2 — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:42:51 -0500

Start: Nov 7 2008 - 09:00

End: Nov 9 2008 - 12:30

Calling all Adopted & Fostered Adults of the African Diaspora!

AFAAD’s inaugural gathering of black and mixed adoptees and foster care alums will take place in downtown Oakland November 7-9, 2008. This event will provide space for making personal connections, professional networking, healing, and celebration amongst transracial, kinship, international and domestic adoptees and foster care alums. Also on the agenda will be time to co-create AFAAD’s long-term plan for establishing a permanent home for our global community.

For more details, please visit: http://afaad.wordpress.com/

Webinar: Closing the Business Wealth Gap

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:36:59 -0500

Start: Aug 28 2008 - 11:00

End: Aug 28 2008 - 13:00

Join us for a web-based presentation on:

Closing the Business Wealth Gap
Thursday, August 28, 2008 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Pacific

Please register for the webinar here.

Labor Day

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:06:50 -0500

Start: Sep 1 2008 - 21:00

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September. The holiday originated in 1882 as the Central Labor Union (of New York City) sought to create "a day off for the working man".

U.S. unemployment rate hits 4-year high

Editor2 — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Sam Zuckerman, Chronicle Staff Writer

(08-01) 13:51 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- The nation's job market contracted in July and unemployment rose to a four-year high as employers across a broad swath of industries hunkered down.

Payrolls outside the farm sector dipped by 51,000, while the jobless rate rose to 5.7 percent, up 0.2 percentage points from June, the Labor Department reported Friday.

The economy has lost jobs every month this year, with payrolls down by 463,000 since December. The unemployment rate hasn't been this high since March 2004.

Heavy? It Might Be Your Neighborhood's Fault

Editor2 — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500

It could be your neighborhood that's making you fat - or keeping you slender.

A new study found that the year your neighborhood was built may be just as important as diet and exercise for shedding pounds. Those who live in neighborhoods built before 1950 are trimmer than their counterparts who reside in more modern communities, the study reported.

"The older neighborhoods had a reduced level of obesity because they were generally built with the pedestrian in mind and not cars," said Ken Smith, a co-author of the study and professor in the department of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah. "This means they have trees, sidewalks and offer a pleasant environment in which to walk."

U.S. cities scrambling to meet rising mass transit demands

Editor2 — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500

By Manav Tanneeru

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- U.S. cities are racing to cope with ever-increasing demand on public transportation as gas prices remain at record levels.

Even regions that have traditionally resisted giving up cars and have limited access to mass transit are reporting a surge in public transportation use.

From trains and trolleys to subways and buses, the growth encompasses all modes of travel, according to the American Public Transportation Association, a Washington D.C.-based industry group.

Cities are using a variety of measures to meet that demand, according to an informal APTA survey of some transit systems.

House addresses high gas prices by investing close to $2 billion in public transportation

Editor2 — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:40:47 -0500

House addresses high gas prices by investing close to $2 billion in public transportation

Responding to record-high gas prices and the rising use of public transportation, the House of Representatives today passed HR 6052, the Saving Energy through Public Transportation Act, by a vote of 322 to 98 which authorizes $1.7 billion dollars to transit agencies across America to expand services and reduce fares.

This investment is part of a long-term solution that gives Americans affordable and convenient alternatives to driving and allows transit agencies to keep up with drastic increases in ridership brought on by high gas prices.

Obama Calls for Regional Approach to Inner City Problems

admin — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:11:37 -0500

Barack Obama's speech today in Miami to the U.S. Conference of Mayors June 21,2008

This is something of a homecoming for me. Because while I stand here today as a candidate for President of the United States, I will never forget that the most important experience in my life came when I was doing what you do each day – working at the local level to bring about change in our communities.