[The Illustration uses 'mouse-overs' to demonstrate 'class']
A House Divided An interactive illustration of how the other half lives By Keri Rosebraugh 01 Mar 2006
The wrong side of the tracks: we often talk about a figurative gulf between rich and poor in the United States, but as this phrase suggests, there is also a literal chasm between the classes.
If you live in poverty in this country, odds are you live in the "bad" parts of town -- the parts that are dirtier, more dangerous, harder to access, underserved by schools and stores and social services, and short on the aesthetic charms and everyday conveniences that the wealthy take for granted. That, in turn, affects virtually everything about how you interact with the environment, from the air you breathe to the food you buy, from the length of your commute to the length of your life expectancy.
In "A House Divided," visual artist Keri Rosebraugh offers a creative interpretation of this class divide and its consequences.
http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2006/03/01/other_half/index.html?source=weekly
Also @ Grist:
I Will Simply Survive While the wealthy may strive for "simple living," the poor try simply surviving
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately," wrote Henry David Thoreau. His experiment in stripping down has inspired generations of environmentalists to cast off possessions, or at least aspire to -- but simple living doesn't look so appealing when it's the only choice you have. Anthropologist Elizabeth Chin puts a new spin on environmental consciousness as she examines rich and poor consumers, and the difference between simple living and survival.
http://www.grist.org/comments/soapbox/2006/03/01/chin/index.html?source=weekly
Leigh www.leighm.net http://leighm.wordpress.com/