Despite what you may have heard from suburbanites, Hartford is a very bike-able city.  It’s relatively small in geographic size.  Many shoulders are wide enough to provide safe bike passage.  And, Hartford even has a few bike lanes.   Plus, Connecticut in recent years passed legislation that protects bikers on the road (see also: the three foot law) and is supporting it with public displays on billboards and buses.   Read the full story

The latest in a series of battles between public health officials and Food Not Bombs happens tomorrow, August 11, at the Department of Public Health, 410 Capitol Avenue in Hartford.  Through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, members of Food Not Bombs learned that the DPH has specifically targeted Food Not Bombs chapters across the state with the aim of disrupting or stopping them completely.  Food Not Bombs is a loosely organized, national grassroots food distribution network that provides free, weekly vegetarian meals to anyone who wants to eat.  Read the full story

Interview with Jill Zorn from the Universal Healthcare Foundation of CT (healthcare4every1.org) about Sustinet which is currently being debated in Connecticut government.

Click here to download the MP3

Seeing the movie Che at Real Art Ways recently brought back to my attention the issue of world statistics.  While that doesn’t sound particularly exciting, the state of Cuba at the time laid the groundwork for what became a popular uprising against the US-backed Batista regime.  Che, played by Benecio Del Toro, talks about the conditions which helped make the Cuban revolution possible in 1959 – among them were infant mortality and literacy rates.  When I was in college, I remember being shocked when I read the State of the World Atlas – a visual, statistical guide to these types of data across the globe.   The United States is far from the best in many of these categories.  This is something the powers that be ought to come to terms with, especially as they play Robin Hood in reverse.  Read the full story

Interview with Sarah Uhl, Coordinator of the Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut.  Uhl discusses the Coalition’s upcoming legislative agenda, which focuses on phasing out toxic chemicals such as Bisphenol-A (BPA) from consumer products.

Click here to download the MP3

Caitlin Corner-Dolloff wants you to think outside the bottle, the water bottle, specifically those plastic ones.  Corner-Dolloff has brought the global fight against corporate water privatization to Connecticut.  She is the Field Organizer for Corporate Accountability International (CAI), a 30+ year old non-profit dedicated to fighting corporate abuse. Read the full story

Interview with Curtis and Kristin Griffing of Healthpath, the Windsor-based health education organization, which teaches about the health benefits of a raw food diet.

Click here to download the MP3

Health care advocates and community activists will gather Tuesday to send a message to state government that it’s time for universal coverage in CT.   Sponsored by he Healthcare4Every1 campaign, the rally will showcase a new proposal that would ensure all of Connecticut’s residents have access to quality health coverage.   Read the full story

With just a couple weeks left to the Bush regime, largely seen as the worst in American history, the supposedly liberal New York Times ran this story today: “Expansion of Clinics Shapes Bush Legacy.”  The author, Kevin Sack, makes it seem as though Bush’s legacy can be summed up by his doubling of federal funding for health centers that serve medically underserved areas.  Read the full story

Latino Health Summit
November 20 & 21
Latino Policy Institute
RECEPTION: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2008, 5:30 PM TO 7:00 PM
LOCATION: THE ATRIUM, LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING

SUMMIT: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST, 2008, 8:30 AM TO 4:00 PM
LOCATION: UCONN SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK, 1798 ASYLUM AVE. WEST HARTFORD, CT

The Latino Policy Institute is delighted to welcome Elena Rios, M.D., MSPH, a nationally recognized expert on health disparities and a champion of improving the health of Latinos, as our keynote speaker for the Latino Health Summit.

“At some point in our lives, we all face health care problems,’’ Rios said in September during a speech to delegates at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis. “But the deck is stacked against some of us.’’

Dr. Rios comes to Connecticut fresh from appearances at both the Republican and Democratic conventions last summer.

Registration for this free conference is filling up fast.
PLEASE CALL 860.527.0856, EXT. 270, EMAIL LPI@HISPANICHEALTH.COMThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , OR REGISTER ON-LINE BY CLICKING HERE.
PLEASE SEND REGISTRATION BY NOVEMBER 14TH.