Monday Mailing
Year 22 • Issue 26 21 March 2016 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
State of Wonder: Aug. 15, 2015 - Arts And Small Towns, A Love Story Rural Transport Toolbox What I Learned When an Angry Group Destroyed My Public Meeting New Web Resources From The Natural Hazards Center This Googler Explains How To Design Your Time Rather Than Manage It Google Greenlights New $600 Million Data Center In The Dalles A River Runs Through It – An Oregon National Forest at the Heart of a Movement Two Free Mycology Webinars With Peter McCoy Welcome To The Post-Work Economy Cleveland Neighborhood Votes on Creative Community Development The Farm Bill Drove Me Insane
1. State of Wonder: Aug. 15, 2015 - Arts And Small Towns, A Love Story We’ve been on the road a lot this summer, and we can’t help but notice that a lot of the region’s towns are thinking through the same question: “We’ve got an economy desperate for a boost and something cool going on with arts and culture. What can we do with that?” Of course, towns like Ashland, Cannon Beach and Sisters are well down the road, their streets packed all summer long with tourists wandering theaters, galleries and shops. Quote of the Week: "Almost always the creative, dedicated minority has made the world better." ~Martin Luther King Jr. Oregon Fast Fact: Multnomah Falls is a 620 foot waterfall in two stages that is the second tallest waterfall in the United States. It is located in the Columbia Gorge along the Columbia River.
But other rural communities are just now beginning the journey, after spending years searching for something to replace the logging industry that once fueled them. It’s a search made all the more urgent by the recent end of federal timber payments. To access the full story, click here. 2. Rural Transport Toolbox In 1998 the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Transportation signed a Memorandum of Understanding in which the agencies jointly agreed to address longterm agricultural transportation, rural passenger and freight mobility challenges. As a result of the Memorandum of Understanding, the agencies have pursued a variety of projects of mutual interest, including the development of this website. The Transportation Toolbox for Rural Areas and Small Communities was designed to assist public and private stakeholders in planning, developing, and improving rural areas and small communities, especially through transportation and related projects. To access the Rural Transport Toolbox, click here.
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3. What I Learned When an Angry Group Destroyed My Public Meeting When things go wrong in public engagement, they can go spectacularly wrong. The result isn't just frustration for project leaders. It can spell costly delays, failed or overturned planning efforts, or the loss of public support for politicians and government agencies. Introducing the Fiasco Files—a lighthearted opportunity to look back on those times when things went sideways. We'll have some fun with it and also draw out some valuable lessons that will help us all avoid them in the future. Names will be withheld to avoid any embarrassment to any people or organizations involved and keep the focus on the lessons learned. These stories could happen to anyone. Fiasco Files Case #1: A Vocal Minority Dismantles a Community Meeting Being vulnerable and talking about personal disasters can be intimidating, so I'll go first. This is the story about one of the last public meetings I ever facilitated. I was on the public engagement team charged with conducting a series of community workshops throughout a metropolitan region to discuss a long range regional vision for land use and transportation. The first few workshops were held in urban areas and went smoothly. We weren't aware what was brewing as we prepared for our third workshop—this one in the suburbs. To access the full story, click here. 4. New Web Resources From The Natural Hazards Center Isle de Jean Charles Resettlement In just over 60 years, erosion and sea level rise have swallowed 98 percent of Isle de Jean Charles. This has posed a significant problem for the band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Indians that has called the island their home since the early 1800s. Recently, though, island residents have received funding to resettle. This Web site will let you take the journey with them as they implement their novel plan, as well as provide background and insight into what it takes to relocate an entire community. Attributions of Extreme Weather in the Context of Climate Change Weather experts have often been cautious about connecting climate change to individual weather events, but advances in the science of extreme weather attribution are changing that. This report from the National Academies Press looks at how this relatively new branch of inquiry is advancing, and the extent to which it can separate human-caused climate change from other factors in individual weather. Tsunami Awareness Fact Sheets You don’t have to make waves to keep your community aware of tsunami dangers, thanks to these handy fact sheets from the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program. The recently updated material is available in a two-page or trifold format and has space to add your logo and contact information. Download and distribute yours today. Public Health System Training in Disaster Recovery Public health workers can play a key in disaster recovery—even more so with this helpful training program developed by the National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health. The materials— handy for individuals or organizations—include presentations, worksheets, and resources for both trainers and trainees. EERI Taiwan Earthquake Clearinghouse The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute has created a helpful clearinghouse of information related to the February 6 earthquake in Taiwan. Visit the site to find reports from EERI’s
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reconnaissance team, information on specific building damage, maps and photos, and other resources. Canadian Climate Opinion Maps If you want to know what Canada thinks about climate change, there’s a map for that. This project from the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication visualizes Canadian opinions on issues such as human contribution to earth warming, cap and traded systems, and support for increasing taxes on carbon-based fuels. Available in English and French. Affordability of National Flood Insurance Program Premiums This two-part report by the National Academies of Sciences examines recent changes to National Flood Insurance Program premiums which, although implemented to make the program more fiscally sound, ended up making flood insurance unaffordable for many homeowners. Together, the reports provide an overview of the program and offer alternatives for evaluating when premium increases make pricing unaffordable. East Coast Lab: Life at the Boundary Life at the boundary of two tectonic plates is all about natural hazards—earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and coastal erosion—and so is East Coast Lab. This project, led by a collection of New Zealand’s national and regional agencies and universities, offers opportunities to participate in citizen research, monitor hazards in real time, and discover more about the hazards off the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island. Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP) The Federal Emergency Management Agency has stepped up its game for the STEP program with a recently revamped curriculum. Teachers will find updated resources, lessons, and handouts for the program, which aims to teach kids in fourth and fifth grades the basics of emergency planning, preparedness, and communication. Temblor Many people in the United States are at risk from damaging earthquakes, and many know it. Still, it’s one thing to realize the risk and another entirely to understand it. Temblor is a beta-version webbased app that can help. Enter an address and building details, and learn the risk for experiencing quakes, what a serious quake would cost, and how much cheaper and safer retrofitting would make you. The National Center for Climate and Security Warriors and Weather Compilation Alone, The Economist’s video, Warriors and Weather: Climate Change and National Security in America is a useful, ten-minute look into how the U.S. Department of Defense is approaching climate issues. But the National Center for Climate and Security takes that reporting a step further, pairing it with a list of suggested readings that range from statements by the administration to government reports and testimony. NCDMPH Access and Functional Needs Video Series It’s important to consider people with special access and functional needs during disaster, and communities that have worked to address these issues have a lot to share. Now, the National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health is collecting their stories in a series of videos that explores how such challenges can be met. Take a look at the first in the series, which discusses the relationship between Oklahoma’s State Emergency Preparedness and the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
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5. This Googler Explains How To Design Your Time Rather Than Manage It For many of us, work can feel like a never-ending cycle of long meetings, overflowing inboxes, and urgent demands. No matter how fast we go or how hard we work, there’s far more to do every day than there is time to do it. That's a recipe for burnout, and it's one that many time management strategies aren't always cut out for avoiding. Sometimes that's because "managing" time starts from the premise that your workload is going to be what it's going to be, and the best you can do is keep it "manageable." But what if you could design your workday instead? Sure, it's partly just a shift in mind-set—from small-scale tactics to big-picture strategy—but it can be transformative. Here's an approach I've developed at Google for "designing" my time instead of just managing it. To access the full story, click here. 6. Google Greenlights New $600 Million Data Center In The Dalles Google said Friday that it would go ahead with a new $600 million data center in The Dalles on property about a mile from its existing server farm. The company won tax breaks last summer for the project, on 23 acres along the Columbia River, but didn't immediately commit to build it. On Friday, Google said it will indeed go ahead and scheduled a ceremonial groundbreaking for Thursday afternoon. The data center industry is booming as companies and individuals move more of their businesses and lives onto the Internet. Amazon, Google, Facebook and Apple all have large installations in eastern and central Oregon, drawn partly by low energy prices but primarily by an unusually attractive tax structure. To access the full story, click here. 7. A River Runs Through It – An Oregon National Forest at the Heart of a Movement Oregon’s McKenzie River has a lot to boast about. One of the cleanest and coldest rivers in the country, it’s the most important tributary for wild spring Chinook salmon and Bull trout production in the entire Willamette River Basin. It’s part of more than 100 miles of streams that the Willamette National Forest and many partners have restored over the last 10 years. “What happens around these headwaters has important implications downstream,” said Kate Meyer, a fisheries biologist on the Willamette National Forest. “Land managed by the Forest Service makes up 66 percent of the McKenzie River Sub-basin and 24 percent of the Willamette River Basin, and it’s the source of 74 percent and 31 percent of the water feeding each river respectively.” Efforts to protect and restore streams for the fish and wildlife that depend on them are part of one of the most remarkable restoration efforts in the country. The Willamette National Forest and various partners throughout the Willamette River Basin are part of a movement which spans vast areas from small headwater streams to major rivers and demonstrates how the Willamette River— like all rivers—connect us all. To access the full story, click here.
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8. Two Free Mycology Webinars With Peter McCoy Next month, Peter McCoy will be offering two free webinars on many of groundbreaking topics discussed in Radical Mycology, one of the most comprehensive books on fungi and mushroom cultivation ever written. These unique talks will be live streamed with the ability for viewers to chat with Peter directly and ask him questions from anywhere in the world. There will also be free book giveaways and special discounts offered to all viewers. SEEING FUNGI April 14 at 6PM Pacific (9PM Eastern) Fungi are everywhere around us, creating and maintaining whole ecological webs. For many, learning to recognize these relationships is one of the most incredible and inspiring aspects of working with the fungal kingdom. In this presentation, Peter will walk through the critical ecological roles that fungi fulfill from the poles to the oceans and from the forests to the deserts. Along the way, Peter will detail how fungal ecologies have influenced the development human cultures throughout time, including a wealth of incredible evidence that he has uncovered on the importance of fungi in the origins and evolution of life. Whether you are new to mycology or well versed in the topic, this talk will leave you overwhelmed with fascination for the incredible fifth kingdom! WORKING WITH FUNGI FOR GLOBAL RESILIENCE April 28 at 6PM Pacific (9PM Eastern) Mycology is proving itself to be a nearly inexhaustible field for innovation. As new discoveries are constantly being made, there seems to be no end to what fungi can offer humans, their communities, and the environments they touch. In this talk, Peter will explore the wide range of ways to cultivate fungi and integrate them into our lives, homes, and landscapes. Along with detailing some of the most appropriate mycotechniques currently being developed, Peter will also unveil unprecedented protocols for accessibly growing edible and medicinal mushrooms as well as new learning opportunities for advancing the future of human-fungal relations. To register for these two free talks, click here. 9. Welcome To The Post-Work Economy If the goal of the economy is to provide decent-paying work for everyone, that economy clearly isn't doing a good job at the moment. Real wages for most Americans haven't increased in 40 years. Real unemployment—which includes the "under-employed"—is above 10%. Many jobs are now parttime, flexi-time, or "gigs" with no benefits and few protections. And, we spend a lot of money to subsidize so-called "bullshit jobs": more than 50% of fast food workers receive some form of public assistance, for instance. And, even for people who are employed, work often isn't that fun. For all the talk of the meaning and purpose of our jobs, most people see them merely as a means to an end. Only 29% of employees in North America say they're engaged (worldwide, the number is 13%). And the reality is that a lot of work will soon be done by computer. Processing-type technology has already eliminated many "routine manual" and "routine cognitive" activities, notably in factories and offices. And new artificially intelligent machines are likely to take away more, even within professional occupations. Forty-seven percent of jobs are at risk over the next 20 years, one study showed. To access the full story, click here. 10. Cleveland Neighborhood Votes on Creative Community Development On a recent Wednesday afternoon in North Collinwood in Cleveland, an unusual experiment in local democracy was unfolding. Even as the nation fixated on the ongoing presidential primaries, dozens
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of voters flooded the Salvation Army for a completely different reason: to decide which among 34 applicants would receive a share of $120,000 in artist project funding. If you want to know why millennials are far more economically liberal than other generations, consider the news that colleges have started opening on-campus food banks to keep their students from going hungry. The Ballot Box Project, which its backers say is Ohio’s first experiment with participatory budgeting, has generated intense competition among artists and a slew of creative ideas for improving the neighborhood. Residents entering the polling location walked down a long hallway where artists had set up sciencefair-style trifolds marketing their projects. The Collinwood Teen Literary Project and Lit Jam Poetry Prize promised to offer youth writing and performance workshops with a final competition for a $500 prize. “Operation: Vegetables” aims to spur healthy eating habits through a giant, familyfriendly board game. Riff Mechanics envisions a “Splice-cream truck,” a mobile recording studio intended to capture the neighborhood’s oral history. To access the full story, click here. 11. The Farm Bill Drove Me Insane In fall 2011, in an act of what can be described only as hubris, I had the bright idea of teaching a course on the farm bill. For nearly 25 years, I had been writing and teaching about food politics and policy at New York University, and I knew that the farm bill dictated not only agricultural policy, but also such things as international food aid and feeding the hungry in America. It had to be one of the most important laws affecting food systems—if you care about such matters, likely the most important. With the 2008 farm bill up for renewal, I wanted to know more about it, and professor that I am, I thought: What better way to learn something than to teach it? Big mistake. From the minute I started preparing the course, I could see that the farm bill was going to be too big, bloated and sprawling for any one human mind to absorb, certainly not mine. At one point, I tried to catalog the hundreds of programs it covers, each with its own set of arcane stipulations and invested lobbyists. Beyond the obvious—that its agricultural programs are heavily slanted to benefit Big Agriculture—its details defeated me. My students, most of them enrolled in graduate programs in nutrition, food studies, public health, public policy or law, were deeply invested in farm bill issues but they too were soon overwhelmed. The bill not only lacked an overarching vision, but seemed designed to obfuscate how the programs actually worked To access the full story, click here.
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