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Monday Mailing

Year 20 • Issue 13 02 December 2013 1.

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Oregon Snow Sports by the Numbers Portland Unemployment at Lowest Point in 5 Years Pope Attacks 'Tyranny' of Markets in Manifesto for Papacy Wyden Bill Would Boost Logging to Help Counties Recycled' Glass is Actually Going to the Landfill Bill Would Help Plot to Grow Food on Oakland Lots Sriracha Factory Shut Down Over 'Offensive' Odors 8 Of The Year's Most Creative Infographics Food Stamp Cuts Leave Rural Areas, And Their Grocers, Reeling 'Rural America at a Glance': Tough News Funding Opportunities

1. Oregon Snow Sports by the Numbers Given the modest size of Oregon’s ski area offerings, the industry packs a formidable economic snowball. Direct snowsport spending accounted for $311.2 million in the 2010-11 season (most recent data) and had an estimated impact of $481.6 million. That’s about 0.3% of Oregon’s total economic output. Ski area visits fell about 15% during the recession but saw gains of 10% and 4% in the 2009-11 seasons. Of course, the industry is at the mercy of weather, but for the 2013-14 season, meteorologists are predicting a “No Niño” weather pattern, which has in past years dumped lots of snow on the state. So expect substantial economic accumulation along with it.

To access the full story, click here.

2. Portland Unemployment at Lowest Point in 5 Years Portland-area joblessness fell to its lowest point in five years last month, even as hiring slowed.

Quote of the Week: “Your body will honor you with wellness if you honor it with awareness.” ~Anonymous Oregon Fast Fact: A coin toss decided the name of Portland in 1845.

The losing name was Boston.

The seven-county metro area lost a seasonally adjusted 3,000 jobs in October, according to state estimates released today. Unemployment, meanwhile, dropped to 6.9 percent, down from 7.1 percent in September.

The trends are based on two different data sets -- one a survey of households, and the other a survey of businesses -- and sometimes conflict from month to month.

The household survey turned up the region's lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate since September 2008, the dawn of the Great Recession. Unemployment was 7.1 percent then, and quickly shot up to 7.8 percent the next month. By February 2009, joblessness topped 11 percent, and stayed there for nearly a year.

To access the full story, click here.

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3. Pope Attacks 'Tyranny' of Markets in Manifesto for Papacy Pope Francis attacked unfettered capitalism as "a new tyranny" and beseeched global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality, in a document on Tuesday setting out a platform for his papacy and calling for a renewal of the Catholic Church.

The 84-page document, known as an apostolic exhortation, was the first major work he has authored alone as pope and makes official many views he has aired in sermons and remarks since he became the first non-European pontiff in 1,300 years in March.

In it, Francis went further than previous comments criticizing the global economic system, attacking the "idolatry of money", and urged politicians to "attack the structural causes of inequality" and strive to provide work, healthcare and education to all citizens.

He also called on rich people to share their wealth. "Just as the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say 'thou shalt not' to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills," Francis wrote in the document issued on Tuesday.

To access the full story, click here.

4. Wyden Bill Would Boost Logging to Help Counties GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — Sen. Ron Wyden has come out with his bill to boost logging on federal lands in Western Oregon to help struggling timber counties.

The bill would double timber production from the so-called O&C lands to more than 300 million board feet.

But that is less than half the logging needed to fill the funding gap for timber counties left by the expiration of a longstanding federal safety net.

The safety net made up for a decline in federal logging revenues shared with counties after logging was cut by 90 percent on national forests to protect salmon and the northern spotted owl.

Counties that relied on timber revenues have struggled to pay for public safety as voters resisted tax increases.

Wyden was to announce the bill Tuesday with Gov. John Kitzhaber.

5. 'Recycled' Glass is Actually Going to the Landfill Tens of thousands of Eugene and Springfield residents routinely rinse and set aside non-deposit wine, juice and other bottles and jars, then put them out for curbside recycling in specially marked boxes.

Recycling crews haul off the glass. But that doesn’t mean the glass ends up being smelted and made into new bottles and jars.

Rather, all of it is trucked to the Coffin Butte landfill near Corvallis, or occasionally to other landfills, where it is dumped, crushed and spread out on landfill roads, or layered to help with landfill drainage.

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That doesn’t conform to the ideals held by recycling purists. The theory behind collecting used glass is that glass manufacturers can save big amounts of energy by using waste glass in the glassblowing process, rather than making new glass from scratch from silica. Using waste glass cuts energy costs by a third or more, a good thing for society as a whole, experts say.

To access the full story, click here.

6. Bill Would Help Plot to Grow Food on Oakland Lots A survey of city blight records in two East Oakland districts shows that owners of at least 86 vacant properties owe blight clean-up fees to the City of Oakland, back taxes to Alameda County, or both.

The tab for just this sampling of delinquent landownership is $5 million, in a town where illegal dumping and blight are rampant, resources to stop it are limited, and tax rolls perpetually fall short of need.

Meanwhile, Oakland is known as a national leader in the urban agriculture movement. The city is home to scores of organizations, such as the Oakland Food Policy Council, which share the goal of pushing urban ag beyond hobbyists and demonstration projects to a level where it helps feed families and children - with inexpensive produce that does not require proximity to a supermarket.

To access the full story, click here.

7. Sriracha Factory Shut Down Over 'Offensive' Odors A judge has given a dose of cold water to the hot sauce Sriracha, ruling Tuesday that the factory that manufactures the trendy condiment must partially shut down after neighbors complained of the spicy smells it was producing.

Judge Robert H. O'Brien found in favor of the city of Irwindale where Sriracha recently relocated, saying sauce maker Huy Fong Foods must stop any operations that could be causing the odors and make changes to mitigate them.

O'Brien's injunction, given in response to a lawsuit filed by the city on Oct. 21, does not specify what types of actions are required or force the factory to shut down altogether, the Los Angeles Times (http://lat.ms/17SSD2h) reported.

Huy Fong Foods did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Times or The Associated Press.

The company had previously argued that there is no reason to close the plant now because harvest season and subsequent grinding of red-hot Jalapeno peppers, the sauce's key ingredient, has passed.

That suggests that the injunction may not have a major immediate effect on the company's production or the nation's hot sauce supply as Huy Fong keeps up its year-round mixing and bottling.

To access the full story, click here.

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8. 8 Of The Year's Most Creative Infographics Fancy flowcharts! Colorful maps! A running cheetah made see-through! In this age of information overload, infographics have evolved into a vital new vernacular, transforming the Internet’s daily avalanche of facts and figures into digestible and often beautiful images.

Edited by Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Gareth Cook and with an introduction by polymath musician-writer-data visualization fanatic David Byrne, The Best American Infographics 2013 offers 165 pages of graphic answers to questions you never thought to ask, from “How fast is Usain Bolt?” to “Who reads erotica?” to “How do you move a coffee cup with your mind?” Click on the slide show above to see our selections for the best ofThe Best--eight of the year’s most creative data visualizations.

To access the full story, click here.

9. Food Stamp Cuts Leave Rural Areas, And Their Grocers, Reeling One recent evening, some shoppers at the Countryside Market in Belvidere, Ill., were loading up on staples, like milk and eggs. Others, like Meghan Collins, were trying to plan Thanksgiving on a newly tightened budget.

"My work has been cut," says Collins. "I'm working half the hours I used to work. So yeah, I'm making half of what I made last year."

That could be bad news for stores like Countryside, which are already bracing for the ripple effect from the recent $5 billion reduction in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps. It's the first Thanksgiving since a temporary increase in those benefits expired on Nov. 1, affecting some 47 million Americans.

To access the full story, click here.

10. 'Rural America at a Glance': Tough News Folks looking for good news in the 2013 “Rural America at a Glance” report had better pack a lunch – you could be hunting for a while.

The annual report from the Economic Research Service of USDA shows that job growth in nonmetro counties has stalled, poverty has spread and the rural population shrank in real terms for the first time since the federal government started tracking this statistic generations ago.

One bright spot in the economic and demographic report is that rural unemployment is declining.

But that’s because there are fewer people looking for work, not because there are more jobs.

Significant regional variation also provides a hint of what might be to come for rural America, as manufacturing jobs decline and energy jobs expand.

To access the full story, click here.

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11. Funding Opportunities Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) Program <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTM xMTE4LjI1MzQ3OTYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEzMTExOC4yNTM0Nzk 2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3ODc1Njk3JmVtYWlsaWQ9c21pdGhAdW 9yZWdvbi5lZHUmdXNlcmlkPXNtaXRoQHVvcmVnb24uZWR1JmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZ hcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&100&&&http://www.raconline.org/funding/2512/?utm_source=healt h&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=update110813> - Graduate medical education payments to support community-based training. Payments will cover the costs of new residency programs in community-based ambulatory primary care settings. Sponsor: Bureau of Health Professions…

Deadline: Dec. 2, 2013 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTM xMTE4LjI1MzQ3OTYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEzMTExOC4yNTM0Nzk 2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3ODc1Njk3JmVtYWlsaWQ9c21pdGhAdW 9yZWdvbi5lZHUmdXNlcmlkPXNtaXRoQHVvcmVnb24uZWR1JmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZ hcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&101&&&http://www.raconline.org/funding/263/?utm_source=health &utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=update110813> - Grants to fire departments and EMS organizations for equipment, training, personnel wellness programs, capital funding, and collaboration efforts. Sponsor: U.S. Department of Homeland Security… Deadline: Dec. 6, 2013 Rural Health Network Development Grant Program (RHND) <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTM xMTE4LjI1MzQ3OTYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEzMTExOC4yNTM0Nzk 2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3ODc1Njk3JmVtYWlsaWQ9c21pdGhAdW 9yZWdvbi5lZHUmdXNlcmlkPXNtaXRoQHVvcmVnb24uZWR1JmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZ hcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&102&&&http://www.raconline.org/funding/61/?utm_source=health &utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=update110813> - Grants for health care networks in rural areas to assist with increasing access to and maintaining the quality of health care services. Sponsor: Office of Rural Health Policy… Extended deadline: Dec. 6, 2013 Technical Assistance and Training Grant for Solid Waste Management Grant <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTM xMTE4LjI1MzQ3OTYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEzMTExOC4yNTM0Nzk 2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3ODc1Njk3JmVtYWlsaWQ9c21pdGhAdW 9yZWdvbi5lZHUmdXNlcmlkPXNtaXRoQHVvcmVnb24uZWR1JmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZ hcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&104&&&http://www.raconline.org/funding/2497/?utm_source=healt h&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=update110813> - Grants for organizations that assist communities with water or wastewater operations through technical assistance and/or training.

Sponsor: USDA Rural Development… Deadline: Dec. 31, 2014.

William T. Grant Foundation Invites Letters of Inquiry for Distinguished Fellows Program <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTM xMTE4LjI1MzQ3OTYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEzMTExOC4yNTM0Nzk 2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3ODc1Njk3JmVtYWlsaWQ9c21pdGhAdW 9yZWdvbi5lZHUmdXNlcmlkPXNtaXRoQHVvcmVnb24uZWR1JmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZ hcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&105&&&http://e.foundationcenter.org/a/hBSfWu$B8ixfdB82Wj8AA CSSkyc/rfpb17> - Fellowships providing up to $175,000 for learning projects designed to help midcareer practitioners, policy makers, and researchers better understand the creation and use of research related to youth and youth settings.... Deadline (Letters of Inquiry): Jan. 8, 2014

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NEA Invites Creative Placemaking Proposals for 'Our Town' Grant Program <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTM xMTE4LjI1MzQ3OTYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEzMTExOC4yNTM0Nzk 2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3ODc1Njk3JmVtYWlsaWQ9c21pdGhAdW 9yZWdvbi5lZHUmdXNlcmlkPXNtaXRoQHVvcmVnb24uZWR1JmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZ hcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&106&&&http://e.foundationcenter.org/a/hBSfWu$B8ixfdB82Wj8AA CSSkyc/rfpb16> - Grants ranging from $25,000 to $200,000 to partnerships of nonprofits, government entities, and other organizations working on arts-based creative placemaking projects that contribute toward the livability of communities.... Deadline: Jan. 13, 2014 Big Read Accepting Grant Applications for Community-Wide Reading Programs <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTM xMTE4LjI1MzQ3OTYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEzMTExOC4yNTM0Nzk 2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3ODc1Njk3JmVtYWlsaWQ9c21pdGhAdW 9yZWdvbi5lZHUmdXNlcmlkPXNtaXRoQHVvcmVnb24uZWR1JmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZ hcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&107&&&http://e.foundationcenter.org/a/hBSfWu$B8ixfdB82Wj8AA CSSkyc/rfpb15> - Seventy-five grants of up to $20,000 to nonprofit organizations to conduct community-wide reading programs that encourage participation by diverse audiences....Deadline: Jan. 28, 2014 Lowe's Charitable and Education Foundation Announces 2014 Toolbox for Education Grant Program<http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTI wMTMxMTE4LjI1MzQ3OTYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEzMTExOC4yNT M0Nzk2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3ODc1Njk3JmVtYWlsaWQ9c21pd GhAdW9yZWdvbi5lZHUmdXNlcmlkPXNtaXRoQHVvcmVnb24uZWR1JmZsPSZleHRyYT1Nd Wx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&108&&&http://e.foundationcenter.org/a/hBSfWu$B8ixfdB8 2Wj8AACSSkyc/rfpb21> - Grants of up to $5,000 in support of facility improvement projects that have a permanent impact on a K-12 school community.... Deadline: Feb. 14, 2014

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