And it's about time. Time magazine cover story this week calls for universal but voluntary national service for America. (I disagree. It shouldn't be voluntary. But it's a start.)

Here's the proposal from Time:

1. Create a National-Service Baby Bond

Every time an American baby is born, the Federal Government would invest… more

Writing for USA Today, John Ritter looked at cities where the proportion of African-Americans has decreased since 1970. They include Washington (71.1% to 56.8%), Houston (35.7% to 23.5%), Los Angeles (17.9% to 9.9%) and San Francisco (13.4% to 6.5%). In only one city -- Chicago -- did he cite a… more

I love to see a city come back. The latest is Philadelphia, which is about to get a very good new mayor, Michael Nutter.

Last Sunday's New York Times Magazine featured the cool shops that are making the "sixth borough" hot. Local talent is showcased at Art Star, Vagabond Boutique… more

Design makes a difference. Just take look at these photos of McDonald's in London. Now, imagine every fast food restaurant in your city looking this iinviting.

The New York Times Style section today reports that sagging jeans may get you jail time in Delcambre, LA and in Mansfield, LA. It really is a source of fascination that these guys (a) think it's attractive, (b) can walk and (c) can keep their pants on, but jail time… more

If you want to get a taste of what globalization feels like at ground zero, read Louis Uchitelle's poignant story on the loss of Maytag and its well-paying middle-class jobs in Newton, Iowa reported in The New York Times. There are no guarantees in life, but part of the… more

The retirement of thousands of baby boomers coupled with the departure of younger teachers frustrated by the stress of working in low performing schools (and no doubt the school culture generally) is fueling a crisis in teacher turnover that is costing school districts substantial amounts of money as they scramble… more

A new study from researchers at Harvard, Duke, and NYU proposes the elimination of H-1B visas, that is "wonderful for technology companies" because it allowed companies to "control employees and often underpay them." They propose replacing the visa with green cards -- permanent resident status for skilled workers. "If these… more

Can the 30%+ drop in crime rates in the 90s be traced back to the removal of lead from gasoline 20 years earlier?

That's the conclusion of a study by economists Rick Nevin and Jessical Wolpaw Reyes reported in today's Chicago Tribune. While some criminologists are skeptical, others say the… more

From the UK Dott 07... In terms of one’s carbon footprint, one holiday in New Zealand is equivalent to 60 short visits to the North East [in the UK]. But 60 new holidays in Newcastle will not be sustainable if they require investment in heavy new infrastructure, and/or stimulate wasteful… more

TiVo Stop/Watch has found that the TV commercials least likely to be fast forwarded are the most unlikely: Bowflex, CORT Furniture Rentals, Dominican Republic Tourism and Hooters. As Business Week columnist Burt Helm wrote, they "aren't funny, they aren't touching, and they aren't clever. And they don't have big budgets."… more

Portland and "green" stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore have a lot in common these days - they're getting tons of attention for what they are doing to save the planet. That's the way The Oregonian framed it in an editorial published this week about the latest accolades for… more

Our colleague Joe Cortright presented us with an interesting set of data that seems to turn the idea of the “American Dream” of homeownership on its head.

People tout homeownership as a marker of economic success. But high levels of home ownership seem to be strikingly correlated with deeply troubled… more

If you weren't paying attention, you may have missed the brief remarks U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters made to Gwen Ifill on PBS's Newshour regarding government spending on bike paths and trails. But her comments, which seem to insinuate that biking is not a form of transportation to be invested… more

Many American cities are rethinking their approaches to dealing with homeless populations by placing people in apartments instead of temporary shelters. The new strategy is not only reducing the number of chronically homeless, but it is also more cost-effective for cities, according to a story in the Christian Science… more

USA Today 8.9.07 reported that new Census Bureau demographic data show "Young people are moving out of cities for neighborhoods in the suburbs and beyond." The article continued, "The 20-34 year old populations declined in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, NYC, and Seattle, while their numbers grew rapidly in nearby counties… more

New Yorkers live longer. Why? Speculation is because they walk farther and faster. New York Magazine explains why cities are good for your health and why living and working in New York is even better for your health. Definitely worth reading.

As jobs keep morphing, providing less security and certainty, some people are leaning into the trend by becoming career slashers... as in filmmaker/longshoreman or investor/philanthropist/art dealer.

The slash career may be a recognition of a serious hobby that becomes more than avocational. Or it may simply be an adjustment to… more

According to the New York Times, professionals with the financial wherewithal are forsaking the city to move to resort towns. "As technology enables people to live and work wherever they want, increasingly that are clustering in resort playgroups... that have natural amenities, good weather -- and now lots of people… more

Blank walls and deserted lots are one of the most recognizable signs of change in neighborhoods. In some instances, empty lots remain abandoned and unused for years. A current project facilitated by the Neighbor’s Project, New Life for Dead Spaces, encourages community members to be creative:

If you see an… more