Podcasts about Civilian Conservation Corps

rWotD Episode 2906: Billy Meadows Guard Station Welcome to Random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia’s vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Friday, 18 April 2025 is Billy Meadows Guard Station.The Billy Meadows Guard Station is a Forest Service Guard Station located in the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest near Joseph, Oregon, USA. In addition to the main residence, the station also includes a garage, warehouse, barn, and oil and gas house. The residence has a rustic design; the exterior walls use shiplap to resemble a log cabin, and the gabled front porch is supported by two logs. The original gable roof was wood shingled to fit the rustic theme but has since been replaced with sheet metal. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the guard station during the Great Depression.The Billy Meadows Guard Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 6, 1991.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:20 UTC on Friday, 18 April 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Billy Meadows Guard Station on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm long-form Ruth.

Axed program designed to help with climate change Local farmers, racing to figure out how to adapt to a rapidly changing climate that has buoyed pests and led to both droughts and flooding, thought help was on the way from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But a major source of funding looks like it is about to disappear. The Hudson Valley is one of four regions in the country to receive a Climate Smart Commodities Grant through a USDA pilot program to make farms more resilient while improving air and water quality. Contracts had been signed, and planning was underway on eight local farms when the program was cut following the re-election of President Donald Trump. "We have partners who received letters out of the blue telling them that their government contracts - contracts that have been signed and that they were already doing work toward - have been canceled," said Megan Larmer of the Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming in Philipstown, which was overseeing the program. "Your government contract should be the most secure type of funding you could have." The Climate Smart Commodities Grant is one of many sources of funding for local farms that has been frozen or canceled in the past six weeks. Rocksteady Farms in Millerton had over $400,000 cut for projects such as farmer training, food access and water mitigation. A $2.5 million grant from the USDA to help Rocksteady and a dozen other farms build a food hub with barns and processing facilities is on hold. Farming is, by nature, a famously unpredictable undertaking, even without climate change. But financial cuts and freezes at the beginning of the growing season have added another layer of uncertainty, leading farmers to downgrade their plans and projections. It's also giving younger farmers second thoughts about the profession. "The fact that all this is sowing fear amongst all these organizations that are dedicated to the public good is psychologically damaging, and the repercussions of it are going to be felt for a long time," said Larmer. Among those affected is Jackie Matza, a Hudson Valley native who was living in Germany and graduated from Kiel University with a degree in sustainability. Speaking with her classmates from around the world made her realize how much her talents were needed back home. "The U.S. needs to catch up with the rest of the world in terms of climate change planning, resiliency planning, protecting land and protecting Indigenous communities," she said. "All of these things are routine in a lot of European countries. They have such a clear plan. Even the general public takes things like 'reduce, reuse, recycle' very seriously. Americans don't. It was a wake-up call for me to come back to my own country and be a part of actual change for the people who need it." Matza was hired in the fall to help administer the Climate Smart Commodities Grant at Glynwood as part of the Working Lands Climate Corps, a Biden-era program partly inspired by the Civilian Conservation Corps that helped build parks, plant trees and restore farms in the 1920s and '30s. After the November election, the program changed its name to the Working Lands Conservation Corps because of a Trump directive to eliminate any program with the word climate in it. That didn't help. The program has been canceled and Matza is out of a job that she traveled thousands of miles to take. Finding a new one will be difficult. "Anything similar to what I was doing here has either been cut or has thousands of other government employees who were just fired applying for it," she said. "The competition is quite fierce." Zach Wolf of EZ Farms in Columbia County is also out of a gig. He was helping to develop plans for the eight local farms taking part in the Climate Smart Commodities Grant, including his own. "It's a lot of things that farmers would like to do but just don't have the money," he said. The practices included planting cover crops, as well as integrating more trees to act as a...

Just announced: The next Road to Now Live is May 29 at The Hamilton Live in Washington, DC! Click here to get your tickets!   Between 1933 and 1942, the Civilian Conservation Corps enlisted more than three million young men in a project that planted two billion trees, slowed soil erosion on forty million acres of farmland, and enjoyed support across political and geographic divides. In this episode we talk with Neil Maher, author of Nature's New Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Roots of the American Environmental Movement (Oxford University Press, 2008) about how the CCC helped solidify FDR's New Deal and spread the seeds of environmental activism for generations to come.   Dr. Neil Maher is a Professor of History and Master Teacher in the Federated History Department at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University-Newark. He is also the author of Apollo in the Age of Aquarius (Harvard University Press, 2017). You can find out more about his work at NeilMaher.com.     This is a rebroadcast of episode #274 which aired as The Original Green New Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps with Neil Mahr on May 29, 2023. This rebroadcast was edited by Ben Sawyer.

“C” is for Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC was a New Deal federal initiative

Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.   Today is Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. Generation WV announces big plans to boost digital access in 18 WV counties…construction is expected to begin early next year on the Alpha Technologies data center in Huntington…and a restoration in the Blue Bend Recreation Area receives an Preservation Alliance award…on today's daily304. #1 – From WVVA-TV – Generation West Virginia has announced plans to help 18 West Virginia counties with their digital access, affordability, and skills. The goal is to equip local stakeholders with resources and tools to address gaps in broadband access and improve digital literacy. The qualifying counties will be given a comprehensive guide for expanding digital inclusion programs and applying for state and federal funding. Digital Equity Sub grants are expected to be available through the West Virginia Office of Broadband in early 2025. Check out the story at wvva.com for a list of participating counties. Read more: https://www.wvva.com/2024/10/29/generation-west-virginia-announces-plan-improve-digital-access/   #2 – From METRO NEWS – The former Appalachian Power building in Huntington will soon be converted into a new data center for Alpha Technologies. Alpha Technologies announced that $10 million will be invested into a 60,000 square-foot headquarter building on Sixth Avenue. The center will help bring high-speed fiber internet and give customers a choice of internet providers. Construction of the data center is expected to begin early in 2025. The new location is expected to employ around 30 people. Read more: https://wvmetronews.com/2024/10/30/new-alpha-technologies-data-center-coming-to-huntington/   #3 – From WV EXPLORER – One of the most significant restorations underway in West Virginia has attracted the attention of state preservationists, who are awarding its developers and proponents for their efforts. The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia has awarded the repair of a log-built picnic pavilion and other structures at the Blue Bend Recreation Area with the title of “Most Significant Save of a Historic Site.” One of the principal structures in the recreation area, which is part of the Monongahela National Forest,  is the pavilion, which was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Forest officials partnered with the non-profit HistoriCorps, the Appalachian Conservation Corps, and 20 volunteers to repair the deteriorated pavilion, rebuilding its roof and repointing its flagstone foundation.    Read more: https://wvexplorer.com/2024/10/25/blue-bend-west-virginia-preservation-alliance/   Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304. The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo.  That's all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.  

Send us a textDiscover the hidden stories of Lehman Caves with Craig the Natural Medic as your guide. Venture through the mesmerizing corridors of Great Basin National Park's famous caverns, and uncover the dramatic past that shaped this natural wonder. How did a cave once known for hosting speakeasies and movie sets become a geological marvel treasured by explorers and tourists alike? With Craig's captivating narration, you'll learn about the cave's formation over millions of years and the human impact that altered its pristine paths. From the humorous crawl through "Fat Man's Misery" to the mysterious construction of the "Panama Canal" tunnel, Craig reveals the fascinating tales that lie beneath the surface.Craig also illuminates the efforts of the Civilian Conservation Corps and the unexpected gaps in their historical records, adding an air of mystery to Lehman Caves' storied existence. Listen as he shares insights about Absalom Lehman's rediscovery in 1885 and the subsequent transformation of this natural gem into a cherished tourist destination. Whether you're a history buff or a nature enthusiast, Craig's storytelling brings the cave's wonders to life, offering listeners a unique blend of history, nature, and human ingenuity. Join us on this unforgettable expedition into one of America's hidden gems, where every turn holds a new discovery.Support the show

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was one of the most popular and successful relief programs during the Great Depression. Between 1933-1942, it put 3 million men to work throughout the United States. These young men worked on conservation and transportation projects on Federal, State, and local government lands. The CCC was the brainchild of President Franklin Roosevelt and his liberal New Deal advisors. In large part, it was successful because of the U.S. Army, a bastion of conservatism at the time, and more specifically, because of the efforts of the anti-New Deal Army Chief of Staff, General Douglas MacArthur. It was an interesting match made out of necessity. Join MacArthur Memorial historians Jim Zobel and Amanda Williams for a discussion of MacArthur and the CCC.Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can only read the texts, we can't reply) Follow us on:Twitter: @MacArthur1880; @AEWilliamsClarkFacebook: @MacArthurMemorialwww.macarthurmemorial.org

Naming the museum after George Phippen was a natural choice due to his inspirational character, artistic talent, and influence on the art of the West. His recognition as a co-founder and first president of the Cowboy Artists of America was also a contributing factor. But the fact is, George was a born Western artist. From the earliest age, he could be found creating scenes of cattle drives on the chalkboard of his one-room schoolhouse, or molding livestock from the clay he scrounged from the banks of a nearby creek. Later, after serving in the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great... For the written story, read here >> https://www.signalsaz.com/articles/george-phippen-the-cowboy-artist/Check out the CAST11.com Website at: https://CAST11.com Follow the CAST11 Podcast Network on Facebook at: https://Facebook.com/CAST11AZFollow Cast11 Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/cast11_podcast_network

This podcast hit paid subscribers' inboxes on July 27. It dropped for free subscribers on Aug. 3. To receive future pods as soon as they're live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe to the free tier below:WhoPeter Disch, General Manager of Mount Sunapee, New Hampshire (following this interview, Vail Resorts promoted Disch to Vice President of Mountain Operations at its Heavenly ski area in California; he will start that new position on Aug. 5, 2024; as of July 27, Vail had yet to name the next GM of Sunapee.)Recorded onJune 24, 2024About Mount SunapeeClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: The State of New Hampshire; operated by Vail ResortsLocated in: Newbury, New HampshireYear founded: 1948Pass affiliations:* Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass, Northeast Value Epic Pass: unlimited access* Northeast Midweek Epic Pass: midweek access, including holidaysClosest neighboring (public) ski areas: Pats Peak (:28), Whaleback (:29), Arrowhead (:29), Ragged (:38), Veterans Memorial (:42), Ascutney (:45), Crotched (:48), Quechee (:50), Granite Gorge (:51), McIntyre (:53), Saskadena Six (1:04), Tenney (1:06)Base elevation: 1,233 feetSummit elevation: 2,743 feetVertical drop: 1,510 feetSkiable Acres: 233 acresAverage annual snowfall: 130 inchesTrail count: 67 (29% beginner, 47% intermediate, 24% advanced)Lift count: 8 (2 high-speed quads, 1 fixed-grip quad, 2 triples, 3 conveyors – view Lift Blog's inventory of Mount Sunapee's lift fleet.)History: Read New England Ski History's overview of Mount SunapeeView historic Mount Sunapee trailmaps on skimap.org.Why I interviewed himNew Hampshire state highway 103 gives you nothing. Straight-ish and flattish, lined with trees and the storage-unit detritus of the American outskirts, nothing about the road suggests a ski-area approach. Looping south off the great roundabout-ish junction onto Mt. Sunapee Road still underwhelms. As though you've turned into someone's driveway, or are seeking some obscure historical monument, or simply made a mistake. Because what, really, could be back there to ski?And then you arrive. All at once. A parking lot. The end of the road. The ski area heaves upward on three sides. Lifts all over. The top is up there somewhere. It's not quite Silverton-Telluride smash-into-the-backside-of-a-box-canyon dramatic, but maybe it's as close as you get in New Hampshire, or at least southern New Hampshire, less than two hours north of Boston.But the true awe waits up high. North off the summit, Lake Sunapee dominates the foreground, deep blue-black or white-over-ice in midwinter, like the flat unfinished center of a puzzle made from the hills and forests that rise and roll from all sides. Thirty miles west, across the lowlands where the Connecticut River marks the frontier with Vermont, stands Okemo, interstate-wide highways of white strafing the two-mile face.Then you ski. Sunapee does not measure big but it feels big, an Alpine illusion exploding over the flats. Fifteen hundred vertical feet is plenty of vertical feet, especially when it rolls down the frontside like a waterfall. Glades everywhere, when they're live, which is less often than you'd hope but more often than you'd think. Good runs, cruisers and slashers, a whole separate face for beginners, a 374-vertical-foot ski-area-within-a-ski-area, perfectly spliced from the pitched main mountain.Southern New Hampshire has a lot of ski areas, and a lot of well-run ski areas, but not a lot of truly great pure ski areas. Sunapee, as both an artwork and a plaything, surpasses them all, the ribeye on the grill stacked with hamburgers, a delightful and filling treat.What we talked aboutSunapee enhancements ahead of the 2024-25 winter; a new parking lot incoming; whether Sunapee considered paid parking to resolve its post-Covid, post-Northeast Epic Pass launch backups; the differences in Midwest, West, and Eastern ski cultures; the big threat to Mount Sunapee in the early 1900s; the Mueller family legacy and “The Sunapee Difference”; what it means for Vail Resorts to operate a state-owned ski area; how cash flows from Sunapee to Cannon; Sunapee's masterplan; the long-delayed West Bowl expansion; incredible views from the Sunapee summit; the proposed Sun Bowl-North Peak connection; potential upgrades for the Sunapee Express, North Peak, and Spruce lifts; the South Peak beginner area; why Sunapee built a ski-through lighthouse; why high-speed ropetows rule; the potential for Sunapee night-skiing; whether Sunapee should be unlimited on the Northeast Value Pass (which it currently is); and why Vail's New Hampshire mountains are on the same Epic Day Pass tier as its Midwest ski areas.Why I thought that now was a good time for this interviewShould states own ski areas? And if so, should state agencies run those ski areas, or should they be contracted to private operators?These are fraught questions, especially in New York, where three state-owned ski areas (Whiteface, Gore, and Belleayre) guzzle tens of millions of dollars in new lift, snowmaking, and other infrastructure while competing directly against dozens of tax-paying, family-owned operations spinning Hall double chairs that predate the assassination of JFK. The state agency that operates the three ski areas plus Lake Placid's competition facilities, the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), reported a $47.3 million operating loss for the fiscal year ending March 30, following a loss of $29.3 million the prior year. Yet there are no serious proposals at the state-government level to even explore what it would mean to contract a private operator to run the facilities.If New York state officials were ever so inspired, they could look 100 miles east, where the State of New Hampshire has run a sort of A-B experiment on its two owned ski areas since the late 1990s. New Hampshire's state parks association has operated Cannon Mountain since North America's first aerial tram opened on the site in 1938. For a long time, the agency operated Mount Sunapee as well. But in 1998, the state leased the ski area to the Mueller family, who had spent the past decade and a half transforming Okemo from a T-bar-clotted dump into one of Vermont's largest and most modern resorts.Twenty-six years later, that arrangement stands: the state owns and operates Cannon, and owns Sunapee but leases it to a private operator (Vail Resorts assumed or renewed the lease when they purchased the Muellers' Triple Peaks company, which included Okemo and Crested Butte, Colorado, in 2018). As part of that contract, a portion of Sunapee's revenues each year funnel into a capital fund for Cannon.So, does this arrangement work? For Vail, for the state, for taxpayers, for Sunapee, and for Cannon? As we consider the future of skiing, these are important questions: to what extent should the state sponsor recreation, especially when that form of recreation competes directly against private, tax-paying businesses who are, essentially, subsidizing their competition? It's tempting to offer a reflexive ideological answer here, but nuance interrupts us at ground-level. Alterra, for instance, leases and operates Winter Park from the City of Denver. Seems logical, but a peak-day walk-up Winter Park lift ticket will cost you around $260 for the 2024-25 winter. Is this a fair one-day entry fee for a city-owned entity?The story of Mount Sunapee, a prominent and busy ski area in a prominent and busy ski state, is an important part of that larger should-government-own-ski-areas conversation. The state seems happy to let Vail run their mountain, but equally happy to continue running Cannon. That's curious, especially in a state with a libertarian streak that often pledges allegiance by hoisting two middle fingers skyward. The one-private-one-public arrangement was a logical experiment that, 26 years later, is starting to feel a bit schizophrenic, illustrative of the broader social and economic complexities of changing who runs a business and how they do that. Is Vail Resorts better at running commercial ski centers than the State of New Hampshire? They sure as hell should be. But are they? And should Sunapee serve as a template for New York and the other states, counties, and cities that own ski areas? To decide if it works, we first have to understand how it works, and we spend a big part of this interview doing exactly that.What I got wrong* When listing the Vail Resorts with paid parking lots, I accidentally slipped Sunapee in place of Mount Snow, Vermont. Only the latter has paid parking.* When asking Disch about Sunapee's masterplan, I accidentally tossed Sunapee into Vail's Peak Resorts acquisition in 2019. But Peak never operated Sunapee. The resort entered Vail's portfolio as part of its acquisition of Triple Peaks – which also included Okemo and Crested Butte – in 2018.* I neglected to elaborate on what a “chondola” lift is. It's a lift that alternates (usually six-person) chairs with (usually eight-person) gondola cabins. The only active such lift in New England is at Sunday River, but Arizona Snowbowl, Northstar, Copper Mountain, and Beaver Creek operate six/eight-passenger chondolas in the American West. Telluride runs a short chondola with four-person chairs and four-person gondola cars.* I said that the six New England states combined covered an area “less than half the size of Colorado.” This is incorrect: the six New England states, combined, cover 71,987 square miles; Colorado is 103,610 square miles.Why you should ski Mount SunapeeSki area rankings are hard. Properly done, they include dozens of inputs, considering every facet of the mountain across the breadth of a season from the point of view of multiple skiers. Sunapee on an empty midweek powder day might be the best day of your life. Sunapee on a Saturday when it hasn't snowed in three weeks but everyone in Boston shows up anyway might be the worst. For this reason, I largely avoid assembling lists of the best or worst this or that and abstain, mostly, from criticizing mountain ops – the urge to let anecdote stand in for observable pattern and truth is strong.So when I do stuff ski areas into a hierarchy, it's generally grounded in what's objective and observable: Cottonwoods snow really is fluffier and more bounteous than almost all other snow; Tahoe resort density really does make it one of the world's great ski centers; Northern Vermont really does deliver far deeper snow and better average conditions than the rest of New England. In that same shaky, room-for-caveats manner, I'm comfortable saying this: Mount Sunapee's South Peak delivers one of the best beginner/novice experiences in the Northeast.Arrive childless and experienced, and it's likely you'll ignore this zone altogether. Which is precisely what makes it so great: almost completely cut off from the main mountain, South Peak is free from high-altitude bombers racing back to the lifts. Three progression carpets offer the perfect ramp-up experience. The 374-vertical-foot quad rises high enough to feel grown-up without stoking the summit lakeview vertigo. The trails are gently tilted but numerous and interesting. Other than potential for an errant turn down Sunnyside toward the Sunapee Express, it's almost impossible to get lost. It's as though someone chopped a mid-sized Midwest ski area from the earth, airlifted it east, and stapled it onto the edge of Sunapee:A few other Northeast ski areas offer this sort of ski-area-within-a-ski-area beginner separation – Burke, Belleayre, Whiteface, and Smugglers' Notch all host expansive standalone beginner zones. But Sunapee's is one of the easiest to access for New England's core Boston market, and, because of the Epic Pass, one of the most affordable.For everyone else, Sunapee's main mountain distills everything that is great and terrible about New England skiing: a respectable vertical drop; a tight, complex, and varied trail network; a detached-from-conditions determination to be outdoors in the worst of it. But also impossible weekend crowds, long snow draughts, a tendency to overgroom even when the snow does fall, and an over-emphasis on driving, with nowhere to stay on-mountain. But even when it's not perfect, which it almost never is, Sunapee is always, objectively, a great natural ski mountain, a fall-line classic, a little outpost of the north suspiciously far south.  Podcast NotesOn Sunapee's masterplan and West Bowl expansionAs a state park, Mount Sunapee is required to submit an updated masterplan every five years. The most transformative piece of this would be the West Bowl expansion, a 1,082-vertical-foot pod running skiers' left off the current summit (right in purple on the map below):The masterplan also proposes upgrades for several of Sunapee's existing lifts, including the Sunapee Express and the Spruce and North Peak triples:On past Storm Skiing Podcasts:Disch mentions a recent podcast that I recorded with Attitash, New Hampshire GM Brandon Schwarz. You can listen to that here. I've also recorded pods with the leaders of a dozen other New Hampshire mountains:* Wildcat GM JD Crichton (May 30, 2024)* Gunstock President & GM Tom Day (April 15, 2024) – now retired* Tenney Mountain GM Dan Egan (April 8, 2024) – no longer works at Tenney* Cranmore President & GM Ben Wilcox (Oct. 16, 2023)* Dartmouth Skiway GM Mark Adamczyk (June 12, 2023)* Granite Gorge GM Keith Kreischer (May 30, 2023)* Loon Mountain President & GM Brian Norton (Nov. 14, 2022)* Pats Peak GM Kris Blomback (Sept. 26, 2022)* Ragged Mountain GM Erik Barnes (April 26, 2022)* Whaleback Mountain Executive Director Jon Hunt (June 16, 2021)* Waterville Valley President & GM Tim Smith (Feb. 22, 2021)* Cannon Mountain GM John DeVivo (Oct. 6, 2020) – now GM at Antelope Butte, WyomingOn New England ski area densityDisch referenced the density of ski areas in New England. With 100 ski areas crammed into six states, this is without question the densest concentration of lift-served skiing in the United States. Here's an inventory:On the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)From 1933 to 1942 – the height of the Great Depression – a federal government agency knows as the Civilian Conservation Corps recruited single men between the ages of 18 and 25 to “improve America's public lands, forests, and parks.” Some of this work included the cutting of ski trails on then-virgin mountains, including Mount Sunapee. While the CCC trail is no longer in use on Sunapee, that first project sparked the notion of skiing on the mountain and led to the development of the ski area we know today.On potential Northeast expansions and there being “a bunch that are proposed all over the region”This is by no means an exhaustive list, but a few of the larger Northeast expansions that are creeping toward reality include a new trailpod at Berkshire East:This massive, village-connecting expansion that would completely transform Waterville Valley:The de-facto resurrection of New York's lost Highmount ski area with an expansion from adjacent Belleayre:And the monster proposed Western Territories expansion that could double the size of Sunday River. There's no public map of this one presently available.On high-speed ropetowsI'll keep beating the crap out of this horse until you all realize that I'm right:A high-speed ropetow at Spirit Mountain, Minnesota. Video by Stuart Winchester.On Crotched proximity and night skiingWe talk briefly about past plans for night-skiing on Sunapee, and Disch argues that, while that may have made sense when the Muellers owned the ski area, it's no longer likely since Vail also owns Crotched, which hosts one of New England's largest night-skiing operations less than an hour south. It's a fantastic little operation, a once-abandoned mountain completely rebuilt from the studs by Peak Resorts:On the Epic Day PassHere's another thing I don't plan to stop talking about ever:The Storm explores the world of North American lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.The Storm publishes year-round, and guarantees 100 articles per year. This is article 48/100 in 2024, and number 548 since launching on Oct. 13, 2019. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

Send us a Text Message.To list all of the features of Forbes State Forest would be pointless. That's because it has so much to offer so many people. You want trails, it's got it. You want overlooks, its got it. You want waterfalls, it's got it. Forbes State Forest has some of the best land in Pennsylvania for everything from mountain biking and hiking to ATV riding and wildlife watching.The forest is comprised of 15 tracts totaling almost 59,000 acres in Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands. You could spend decades exploring this wonderful forest and still discover new things every single day. Forbes State Forest is just special. Plain and simple.The abundance of forest land over such a large portion of southwest Pennsylvania provides visitors with so many options. Maybe today I'll check out Mt. Davis, the highest point in Pennsylvania. Or maybe I'll see the wildflower blooms. Or perhaps I'll explore the remnants of two Civilian Conservation Corps. Camps.On any visit, you'll find it difficult to pick any one thing you like most about Forbes State Forest. There's just too many. On this episode, I speak with Rachael Mahony. Rachael is the Environmental Education Specialist for Forbes State Forest. Be sure to check out and support our sponsors for the 2024 season:Keystone Trails AssociationKTA is dedicated to providing, preserving, protecting and promoting recreational hiking trails and hiking opportunities in Pennsylvania. Use code "HELLBENDERS" to receive $5 off a yearly membership.Purple Lizard MapsPurveyors of incredibly detailed, highly curated, and waterproof trail maps of Pennsylvania's state forests. Find them at your local outfitters, bike shops, and bookstores or visit PurpleLizard.com.Pennsylvania Parks and Forests FoundationThe Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation began in 1999 as a statewide nonprofit organization to provide a voice for the Commonwealth's 124 state parks and 2.2 million acres of forest land. They rally volunteers, raise funds, and advocate for these precious lands. Join the movement at PAParksandForests.org to preserve and enjoy our outdoor treasures. Support the Show.Visit our website to listen to the podcast, download free outdoor kids' activities, learn more about our public lands and to purchase merch. Follow us on Instagram and Meta to stay connected. You can support the podcast by clicking “Support this show” in the podcast description to provide a monthly donation. Hosting, production and editing: Christian AlexandersenMusic: Jon SauerGraphics: Matt Davis

Welcome to another exciting episode of the Mixtape with Scott! Today, I get to have on the show someone who has become something of a friend the last few years, an expert in health economics and social policy, Adriana Lleras-Muney at UCLA, a Professor of Economics at UCLA.Dr. Lleras-Muney's journey in economics is super impressive and even involves traveling through all the alleyways of causal inference. After earning her Ph.D. from Columbia University where she wrote a job market paper on compulsory schooling, at a time where it had just become accepted wisdom that the Angrist and Krueger 1991 article needed a fresh take. She then went to Princeton, the birth place of causal inference in labor, before making her way to UCLA where Guido Imbens had just gotten to, and who is also now one of her coauthors in a new article at the Quarterly Journal of Economics. So when I think about her story, it's hard for me not to hear the echoes, I guess, of the history of causal inference too. Her academic accolades are too many to name, but I'll name a few. She's an associate editor for the Journal of Health Economics and serves on the board of editors for both the American Economic Review and Demography. She's also been a permanent member of the Social Sciences and Population Studies Study Section at the National Institute of Health and an elected member of the American Economic Association Executive committee. In 2017, her contributions to the field were recognized with the prestigious Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).But what really sets Adriana apart is her groundbreaking research. She's been at the forefront of exploring the relationships between socioeconomic status and health, with a particular focus on education, income, and policy. Her recent work has taken a fascinating turn, examining the long-term impact of government policies on children. She's been digging into programs like the Mother's Pension program and the Civilian Conservation Corps from the first half of the 20th century, uncovering insights that are still relevant today. Her work has appeared in all the major journals in economics such as the American Economic Review, Econometrica, The Review of Economic Studies, and the Quarterly Journal of Economics.So, all that said, I hope you find this interview as interesting as I did. The video will be posted most likely later to YouTube; my Scottish hotel has surprisingly very slow internet and I'm still downloading the video, and so will likely be uploading it too all night. But thank you again for all your support. Scott's Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Scott's Substack at causalinf.substack.com/subscribe

Applications are open for federal jobs that address climate change. The Biden Administration's Climate Corps is modeled after the country's 1933 Civilian Conservation Corps. It hires young people in career fields associated with renewable energy, conservation and climate resilience.

AI unchecked is a massive problem. "We need a place, or places, in public service where we can collaborate with citizens and private sector partners to develop new ways to conduct the business of public service." The A Team – Chuck Brooks, Dr. David Bray, and Dr. Tiffany Vora – tackle the challenge. We love it when a plan comes together!

The Sharvette Mitchell Radio Show | www.Sharvette.com | EveryTuesday Tune in as we chat with Dr. Yemaja Jubilee about the upcoming JULY JUBILEE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION featuring Dr. Opal Lee, the Grandmother of Juneteenth!   JULY JUBILEE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION July 5 -7, 2024 Twin Lakes State Park  bit.ly/twinlakesjuneteenth The rich history of the Connect, Communicate, & Collaborate Team (CCC Team) was formed in September 2023 by Dr. Yemaja Jubilee. Her father, 98-year-old Rev. John Henry Brown, (Charlotte County, VA) a member of the 1390 Black Battalion, Civilian Conservation Corps, helped build the dams for the 1930s segregated Prince Edward Lake (Black recreation park) and Goodwin Lakes (White recreation park). The Civil Rights Acts of 1964 legally ended segregation; however, in 1986, the Park was integrated and renamed Twin Lakes. A ceremony honoring Rev. Brown was held at Twin Lakes in June 2023. Following Dr. Jubilee's production of this celebration, she had a vision to invite Dr. Opal Lee, the grandmother of Juneteenth, Fort Worth, Texas, to be the guest speaker at the 2024 Juneteenth Celebration. In collaboration with Kevin Faubion, Park Director at Twin Lake State Park, and The Friends of Twin Lakes State Park a 501(c)(3) organization, Dr. Jubilee began the uphill task of working together to bring her vision to fruition.    --- Dr. Jubilee is an Inspirational Speaker, SOUL-FULL POET/ SPOKEN WORD ARTIST, Life Coach, author, Creative Consultant, and song writer. She is an Inclusivity & Diversity Consultant through NCBI. As a renown inspirational speaker/workshop facilitator, Dr. Jubilee spreads her message of love and inclusivity.     

How can we make the radical social changes needed to address the climate crisis? What kind of large ecological disaster or mass mobilization in the streets needs to take place before we take meaningful climate action?Dana R. Fisher is the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity and Professor in the School of International Service at American University. Fisher's research focuses on questions related to democracy, civic engagement, activism, and climate politics. Current projects include studying political elites' responses to climate change, and the ways federal service corps programs in the US are integrating climate into their work. She is a self-described climate-apocalyptic optimist and co-developed the framework of AnthroShift to explain how social actors are reconfigured in the aftermath of widespread perceptions and experiences of risk. Her seventh book is Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action.“The American Climate Corps builds on the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps, which came out of the New Deal after the Great Depression in the United States when the country was getting very close to there being a toppling of the government because there was such a crisis here after the Depression. There were Dust Bowls. People were migrating all over the country to try to find work. And it was a really dark time in the United States. So part of the New Deal included establishing this Conservation Corps, where–and it was only men at the time–young men could go to work, earn a liveable wage, work on teams, and help to build things in the United States. And some of them planted trees. So some of it was conservation, some of them planted trees. They helped with the railroads. They built all sorts of things with the Army Corps of Engineers. So there has been a call for a while now to build an American Climate Corps, which is building off of this legacy. The Biden administration finally announced the American Climate Corps last September during Climate Week. In fact, the announcement came out, and one of the unfortunate things about the Climate Corps is that it builds on this amazing legacy, but it didn't receive much funding because the funding was originally going to be part of the Build Back Better Act, which the Biden administration proposed early on. The climate-related policy that ended up being reformulated and repackaged as the Inflation Reduction Act. the Climate Corps was not funded as part of that. So it's coming out in a much more limited manner, but what it basically is doing is merging a number of preexisting programs that are designed to help train young people to do work around climate change broadly defined across different agencies in the U. S. government to train them so that they have experience working on addressing climate change in a variety of ways, and also have a pathway into doing green jobs. Be they in the federal government, for nonprofits, or elsewhere in the government. And so it's a wonderful opportunity. The hope is that it will expand out to be thousands, if not more than thousands, tens of thousands of jobs.”https://danarfisher.comhttps://cece.american.eduwww.acc.govwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastCredit Sarah Fillman from FillmanFoto, 2023

“The American Climate Corps builds on the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps, which came out of the New Deal after the Great Depression in the United States when the country was getting very close to there being a toppling of the government because there was such a crisis here after the Depression. There were Dust Bowls. People were migrating all over the country to try to find work. And it was a really dark time in the United States. So part of the New Deal included establishing this Conservation Corps, where–and it was only men at the time–young men could go to work, earn a liveable wage, work on teams, and help to build things in the United States. And some of them planted trees. So some of it was conservation, some of them planted trees. They helped with the railroads. They built all sorts of things with the Army Corps of Engineers. So there has been a call for a while now to build an American Climate Corps, which is building off of this legacy. The Biden administration finally announced the American Climate Corps last September during Climate Week. In fact, the announcement came out, and one of the unfortunate things about the Climate Corps is that it builds on this amazing legacy, but it didn't receive much funding because the funding was originally going to be part of the Build Back Better Act, which the Biden administration proposed early on. The climate-related policy that ended up being reformulated and repackaged as the Inflation Reduction Act. the Climate Corps was not funded as part of that. So it's coming out in a much more limited manner, but what it basically is doing is merging a number of preexisting programs that are designed to help train young people to do work around climate change broadly defined across different agencies in the U. S. government to train them so that they have experience working on addressing climate change in a variety of ways, and also have a pathway into doing green jobs. Be they in the federal government, for nonprofits, or elsewhere in the government. And so it's a wonderful opportunity. The hope is that it will expand out to be thousands, if not more than thousands, tens of thousands of jobs.”Dana R. Fisher is the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity and Professor in the School of International Service at American University. Fisher's research focuses on questions related to democracy, civic engagement, activism, and climate politics. Current projects include studying political elites' responses to climate change, and the ways federal service corps programs in the US are integrating climate into their work. She is a self-described climate-apocalyptic optimist and co-developed the framework of AnthroShift to explain how social actors are reconfigured in the aftermath of widespread perceptions and experiences of risk. Her seventh book is Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action.https://danarfisher.comhttps://cece.american.eduwww.acc.govwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

How can we make the radical social changes needed to address the climate crisis? What kind of large ecological disaster or mass mobilization in the streets needs to take place before we take meaningful climate action?Dana R. Fisher is the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity and Professor in the School of International Service at American University. Fisher's research focuses on questions related to democracy, civic engagement, activism, and climate politics. Current projects include studying political elites' responses to climate change, and the ways federal service corps programs in the US are integrating climate into their work. She is a self-described climate-apocalyptic optimist and co-developed the framework of AnthroShift to explain how social actors are reconfigured in the aftermath of widespread perceptions and experiences of risk. Her seventh book is Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action.“The American Climate Corps builds on the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps, which came out of the New Deal after the Great Depression in the United States when the country was getting very close to there being a toppling of the government because there was such a crisis here after the Depression. There were Dust Bowls. People were migrating all over the country to try to find work. And it was a really dark time in the United States. So part of the New Deal included establishing this Conservation Corps, where–and it was only men at the time–young men could go to work, earn a liveable wage, work on teams, and help to build things in the United States. And some of them planted trees. So some of it was conservation, some of them planted trees. They helped with the railroads. They built all sorts of things with the Army Corps of Engineers. So there has been a call for a while now to build an American Climate Corps, which is building off of this legacy. The Biden administration finally announced the American Climate Corps last September during Climate Week. In fact, the announcement came out, and one of the unfortunate things about the Climate Corps is that it builds on this amazing legacy, but it didn't receive much funding because the funding was originally going to be part of the Build Back Better Act, which the Biden administration proposed early on. The climate-related policy that ended up being reformulated and repackaged as the Inflation Reduction Act. the Climate Corps was not funded as part of that. So it's coming out in a much more limited manner, but what it basically is doing is merging a number of preexisting programs that are designed to help train young people to do work around climate change broadly defined across different agencies in the U. S. government to train them so that they have experience working on addressing climate change in a variety of ways, and also have a pathway into doing green jobs. Be they in the federal government, for nonprofits, or elsewhere in the government. And so it's a wonderful opportunity. The hope is that it will expand out to be thousands, if not more than thousands, tens of thousands of jobs.”https://danarfisher.comhttps://cece.american.eduwww.acc.govwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastCredit Sarah Fillman from FillmanFoto, 2023

“The American Climate Corps builds on the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps, which came out of the New Deal after the Great Depression in the United States when the country was getting very close to there being a toppling of the government because there was such a crisis here after the Depression. There were Dust Bowls. People were migrating all over the country to try to find work. And it was a really dark time in the United States. So part of the New Deal included establishing this Conservation Corps, where–and it was only men at the time–young men could go to work, earn a liveable wage, work on teams, and help to build things in the United States. And some of them planted trees. So some of it was conservation, some of them planted trees. They helped with the railroads. They built all sorts of things with the Army Corps of Engineers. So there has been a call for a while now to build an American Climate Corps, which is building off of this legacy. The Biden administration finally announced the American Climate Corps last September during Climate Week. In fact, the announcement came out, and one of the unfortunate things about the Climate Corps is that it builds on this amazing legacy, but it didn't receive much funding because the funding was originally going to be part of the Build Back Better Act, which the Biden administration proposed early on. The climate-related policy that ended up being reformulated and repackaged as the Inflation Reduction Act. the Climate Corps was not funded as part of that. So it's coming out in a much more limited manner, but what it basically is doing is merging a number of preexisting programs that are designed to help train young people to do work around climate change broadly defined across different agencies in the U. S. government to train them so that they have experience working on addressing climate change in a variety of ways, and also have a pathway into doing green jobs. Be they in the federal government, for nonprofits, or elsewhere in the government. And so it's a wonderful opportunity. The hope is that it will expand out to be thousands, if not more than thousands, tens of thousands of jobs.”Dana R. Fisher is the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity and Professor in the School of International Service at American University. Fisher's research focuses on questions related to democracy, civic engagement, activism, and climate politics. Current projects include studying political elites' responses to climate change, and the ways federal service corps programs in the US are integrating climate into their work. She is a self-described climate-apocalyptic optimist and co-developed the framework of AnthroShift to explain how social actors are reconfigured in the aftermath of widespread perceptions and experiences of risk. Her seventh book is Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action.https://danarfisher.comhttps://cece.american.eduwww.acc.govwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

How can we make the radical social changes needed to address the climate crisis? What kind of large ecological disaster or mass mobilization in the streets needs to take place before we take meaningful climate action?Dana R. Fisher is the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity and Professor in the School of International Service at American University. Fisher's research focuses on questions related to democracy, civic engagement, activism, and climate politics. Current projects include studying political elites' responses to climate change, and the ways federal service corps programs in the US are integrating climate into their work. She is a self-described climate-apocalyptic optimist and co-developed the framework of AnthroShift to explain how social actors are reconfigured in the aftermath of widespread perceptions and experiences of risk. Her seventh book is Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action.“The American Climate Corps builds on the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps, which came out of the New Deal after the Great Depression in the United States when the country was getting very close to there being a toppling of the government because there was such a crisis here after the Depression. There were Dust Bowls. People were migrating all over the country to try to find work. And it was a really dark time in the United States. So part of the New Deal included establishing this Conservation Corps, where–and it was only men at the time–young men could go to work, earn a liveable wage, work on teams, and help to build things in the United States. And some of them planted trees. So some of it was conservation, some of them planted trees. They helped with the railroads. They built all sorts of things with the Army Corps of Engineers. So there has been a call for a while now to build an American Climate Corps, which is building off of this legacy. The Biden administration finally announced the American Climate Corps last September during Climate Week. In fact, the announcement came out, and one of the unfortunate things about the Climate Corps is that it builds on this amazing legacy, but it didn't receive much funding because the funding was originally going to be part of the Build Back Better Act, which the Biden administration proposed early on. The climate-related policy that ended up being reformulated and repackaged as the Inflation Reduction Act. the Climate Corps was not funded as part of that. So it's coming out in a much more limited manner, but what it basically is doing is merging a number of preexisting programs that are designed to help train young people to do work around climate change broadly defined across different agencies in the U. S. government to train them so that they have experience working on addressing climate change in a variety of ways, and also have a pathway into doing green jobs. Be they in the federal government, for nonprofits, or elsewhere in the government. And so it's a wonderful opportunity. The hope is that it will expand out to be thousands, if not more than thousands, tens of thousands of jobs.”https://danarfisher.comhttps://cece.american.eduwww.acc.govwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcastCredit Sarah Fillman from FillmanFoto, 2023

“The American Climate Corps builds on the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps, which came out of the New Deal after the Great Depression in the United States when the country was getting very close to there being a toppling of the government because there was such a crisis here after the Depression. There were Dust Bowls. People were migrating all over the country to try to find work. And it was a really dark time in the United States. So part of the New Deal included establishing this Conservation Corps, where–and it was only men at the time–young men could go to work, earn a liveable wage, work on teams, and help to build things in the United States. And some of them planted trees. So some of it was conservation, some of them planted trees. They helped with the railroads. They built all sorts of things with the Army Corps of Engineers. So there has been a call for a while now to build an American Climate Corps, which is building off of this legacy. The Biden administration finally announced the American Climate Corps last September during Climate Week. In fact, the announcement came out, and one of the unfortunate things about the Climate Corps is that it builds on this amazing legacy, but it didn't receive much funding because the funding was originally going to be part of the Build Back Better Act, which the Biden administration proposed early on. The climate-related policy that ended up being reformulated and repackaged as the Inflation Reduction Act. the Climate Corps was not funded as part of that. So it's coming out in a much more limited manner, but what it basically is doing is merging a number of preexisting programs that are designed to help train young people to do work around climate change broadly defined across different agencies in the U. S. government to train them so that they have experience working on addressing climate change in a variety of ways, and also have a pathway into doing green jobs. Be they in the federal government, for nonprofits, or elsewhere in the government. And so it's a wonderful opportunity. The hope is that it will expand out to be thousands, if not more than thousands, tens of thousands of jobs.”Dana R. Fisher is the Director of the Center for Environment, Community, & Equity and Professor in the School of International Service at American University. Fisher's research focuses on questions related to democracy, civic engagement, activism, and climate politics. Current projects include studying political elites' responses to climate change, and the ways federal service corps programs in the US are integrating climate into their work. She is a self-described climate-apocalyptic optimist and co-developed the framework of AnthroShift to explain how social actors are reconfigured in the aftermath of widespread perceptions and experiences of risk. Her seventh book is Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action.https://danarfisher.comhttps://cece.american.eduwww.acc.govwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Oklahoma was a state for almost thirty years before the state park system was created. Thanks to federal funds and free labor provided by the Civilian Conservation Corps, seven new state parks were constructed starting in 1935. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss the political conditions that led to Oklahoma creating the State Park Commission, the invaluable work of the CCC, and lasting impact of the parks. Their guest is Dr. Matthew Pearce, State Historian for the Oklahoma Historical Society.  

The American Climate Corps, an initiative that will employ 20,000 Americans in its first year to combat the climate crisis, is launching this week as the Biden Administration delivers on another campaign promise. Learning from previous national service programs such as FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps and AmeriCorps, the American Climate Corps will give young people the opportunity to learn new skills, build a pathway to a career in the clean energy economy, and earn a competitive wage. On this special Earth Day 2024 episode, White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi joins us to explain how the American Climate Corps works, how people can participate, and why more money should be invested in growing the program to expand its reach and impact. We also talk about President Biden's Solar For All announcement which will fund $7 Billion in clean energy grants. Learn more about the American Climate Corps at www.ACC.gov As always, follow us @climatepod on Twitter and email us at theclimatepod@gmail.com. Our music is "Gotta Get Up" by The Passion Hifi, check out his music at thepassionhifi.com. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Subscribe to our YouTube channel! Join our Facebook group.        

Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.   Today is Tuesday, March 5, 2024. Learn more about programs offered through the WV Economic Development Authority. Book a cozy cabin stay at a WV state park or forest. And a local craftsman's leap pays off when he lands a deal on The Property Brothers…on today's daily304. #1 – From WV EDA – The West Virginia Economic Development Authority is made up of a team of expert loan officers and financial specialists knowledgeable in streamlining processes to help West Virginia businesses succeed.  Programs offered through the WV EDA include direct loans, loan insurance, broadband loan insurance, industrial development bonds and foreign trade zones. Learn more: https://eda.wv.gov/programs/ #2 – From WV STATE PARKS – Are you yearning for a tranquil escape surrounded by the beauty of nature? Look no further than West Virginia's state parks and forests, where over 300 cozy cabins await to make your getaway truly unforgettable. These cabins strike the perfect balance between rustic charm and modern comforts, providing an ideal setting for making cherished memories with your loved ones. Whether you're planning a romantic retreat for two or a family vacation, West Virginia State Park cabins cater to every need. Accommodations include rustic Pioneer cabins, charming Legacy cabins that were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, modern Classic Cabins, and, for larger groups, Vacation Cabins. You can also book a stay in the historic Company Houses at Cass Scenic Railroad. Visit www.wvstateparks.com to learn more and book your Almost Heaven cabin experience!  Read more: https://wvstateparks.com/cozy-cabin-stays-for-your-bucket-list/   #3 – From WV LIVING – Woodworker, entrepreneur, and Braxton County native Doug Gerwig isn't afraid to take chances, and sometimes, it pays off big.  G2 Handwerker Designs, Gerwig's handmade furniture and woodworking business, has become known through its relationship with the popular HGTV show Property Brothers—the result of a chance Gerwig took. “We were sitting around one evening watching TV, and I asked, ‘How cool would it be to be on Property Brothers?'” He found contact information for the WVScott Brothers Entertainment team and shot them an email offering to supply his handcrafted items for their show.  They responded immediately and soon accepted his proposal of partnership. He's since supplied pieces for four seasons of the show and become a juried artist at Tamarack, all while raising a family and traveling the country roads he grew up on. Read more: https://wvliving.com/returning-home-for-good/   Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304. The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo.  That's all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.  

In this episode we are triple fortunate to have three of the smartest individuals in a discussion on science and policy from the Federation of American Scientists (fas.org), a nonpartisan think tank connecting scientific research with policy making to address today's most urgent needs. Transition to renewable energy is urgent! We talk about how we can transition to solar fast, and how science and policy need to work together to get the job done, and how individuals can get involved.   Guests: Erica Goldman, on systems thinking and solar Alice Wu, on tipping points Zoë Brouns, on the workforce needed to meet the moment   Topics discussed: American Climate Corps, which is an IRA program intended to mobilize the green workforce on par with the FDR programs (see Civilian Conservation Corps), modeled similarly to the successful AmeriCorps. DOE (US Department of Energy) Virtual Power Plant Commercial Liftoff Report DOE Commercial Liftoff homepage Clean Energy Talent Workforce report FAS History Manhattan Project Los Alamos Clean Energy and Climate Policy Science, Policy and Policy Entrepreneurship SUBMIT YOUR IDEAS! Congress White House Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) 2021 Follow FAS's work via their newsletter I am honored to have hosted the podcast with the most intelligent people ever on any podcast in history. Erika, Alice and Zoë's backgrounds are very impressive! Be sure to click on their names above, or find them on LinkedIn to see what I mean. We are talking Einstein-level conversation at times, especially when Alice told us about triplet excitons. This is an exciting conversation!   Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean's classes at www.HestSpring.com/Sean

Get ready for Season 9 of Operation Climate: Green Horizons. This season we're focusing on big institutions like universities and government… what role do they have in the climate movement? We'll focus on Duke University and their now one year old Climate Commitment, which aims to tackle the whole spectrum of sustainability from operations to eduction. Then, we'll zoom out to take a look at an exciting new government-sponsored program: the American Climate Corps. Modeled off of FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps, the American Climate Corps will mobilize citizens to work in sustainable industries, green energy in particular.  We can't wait to share these episodes with you all, so make sure to stay tuned for Season 9: Green Horizons! And if you aren't already, give us a follow on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts as well as instagram at @operationclimate.  Audio from:  Duke University. (2022, September 21). Duke Climate Commitment | In it for Life [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mUK3caob6w  MSNBC News. (2023, September 21). Biden launches Climate Corps; pairs new jobs with climate, infrastructure work [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnDfCa4iHoI&t=6s ______ Visit our website to keep up with the OC team! ⁠⁠https://operationclimatepo.wixsite.com/operationclimate⁠⁠ Follow us on Instagram at ⁠⁠@operationclimate⁠⁠! Follow us on Twitter at ⁠⁠@opclimate!⁠⁠ Subscribe to us on ⁠⁠Youtube!⁠⁠ To contact us, DM us on Instagram or email us at operationclimatepodcast@gmail.com! ____________ Host: Mira Polishook, with help from Kendra Rentz Audio Editor: Emily Nagamoto Music Credit: Cali by Wataboi, Inspired by Kevin Macleod --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/operation-climate/support

Vermont's skiing had a big year in 1934. Ninety years ago, the first rope tow opened in Woodstock. It's also when the Stowe Ski Patrol got its start, when the Civilian Conservation Corps were busy building trails in Vermont, and when the first purpose cut ski trail was completed on Mount Mansfield. Brian Lindner of Waterbury is a historian, ski patroller, and outdoor enthusiast. While hiking on Camel's Hump when he was a boy in the 1960s, he stumbled upon World War II plane wreckage, which sparked his lifelong interest in local history. In this episode, Brian talks with host Erica Houskeeper about the story of the plane that crashed into Camel's Hump, the early days of Stowe Mountain Resort, and the spot along Interstate 89 that goes over the top of the engine room of an old rope tow.

When FDR came into the presidency he promised to act swiftly in order to help the nation face the dark realities of the moment. FDR wasted no time in implementing his plan for economic recovery, which would come to be known as the New Deal. When we talk of the New Deal we often link it to the 3 Rs ( Relief, Reform & Recovery).  He implemented various programs, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, which aimed to create jobs and provide financial assistance to those struggling the most. One of the most significant pieces of legislation passed during this time was the Glass-Steagall Act, which separated commercial and investment banking and aimed to prevent another stock market crash. Today we are joined by Neil Maher, a history professor at NJIT and author. He's written multiple books but his book, Nature's New Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Roots of the American Environmental Movement is the focus of our discussion today.  Some of the other programs we discuss include: Works Progress Administration (WPA) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) The FDIC The Social Security Administration (SSA) Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) Public Works Administration (PWA) The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)   That is a lot of letters and acronyms that Jeananne will get into!   Always more to learn...see you on the other side.   Jimmy & Jean  

AirTalk is off this week, so we'll be supplying our podcast listeners with reruns of our Southern California history segments. Today's episode is on Griffith Park. If you'd like to suggest a topic for a future SoCal history segment, email it to atcomments@laist.com.  Griffith Park dwarfs other city parks. Its 4,300 acres make it about five times bigger than New York's Central Park. And, unlike Central Park's man-made rolling hills, Griffith Park is a true urban wilderness, comprised of a chunk of the Santa Monica Mountains. The park, originally Tongva-Gabrielino land, was gifted to the city by Welsh philanthropist Griffith J. Griffith in 1896, who also provided funds for the Griffith Observatory and the Greek Theatre. Griffith is a divisive figure: in 1903, he assaulted his wife with a gun and subsequently served time in prison. According to Casey Schreiner in his book Discovering Griffith Park, in its lifetime, “the park has been home to an airfield, multiple zoos, a landfill, a Civilian Conservation Corps work camp, a pre-internment camp and prisoner-of-war camp during World War II, housing for veterans, and more.” Joining us to discuss the history of the park and how Angelenos use it today are Mike Eberts, author of Griffith Park: A Centennial Historyand Casey Schreiner, founder of the site Modern Hiker and author of Discovering Griffith Park: A Local's Guide.

In the many years I worked for someone else as a reporter, I always had the idea of creating a podcast version of the stories I was writing because I got my start in radio. I love hearing other people's voices and trying to capture events in a sonic fashion. The December 19, 2023 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement once again focuses on a single meeting in a fashion approaching my vision. I'm Sean Tubbs, still trying to figure out how one listens to something visible. On today's show:* Charlottesville's Human Rights Commission celebrates a milestone* Preservation Piedmont salutes the city for work to locate unmarked graves of enslaved persons in Pen Park * Several people have been appointed to Boards and Commissions in Charlottesville* Charlottesville City Council won't be taking a trip to Maryland anytime soon* City Council approves two large rezonings near the University of Virginia Insert e-mail here for regular information:First shout-out: Camp AlbemarleToday's first subscriber-supported public service announcement goes out to Camp Albemarle, which has for over sixty years been a “wholesome rural, rustic and restful site for youth activities, church groups, civic events and occasional private programs.”Located on 14 acres on the banks of the Moorman's River near Free Union, Camp Albemarle continues as a legacy of being a Civilian Conservation Corps project that sought to promote the importance of rural activities. Are you looking to escape and reconnect with nature? Consider holding an event where the natural beauty of the grounds will provide a venue to suit your needs. Visit their website to view the gallery and learn more! Today's edition of the newsletter has audio from the December 19, 2023 City Council This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Today we're going back to the earliest days of the Appalachian Trail to learn more about the critical role that the Civilian Conservation Corps played in making the trail a reality. 

Episode 110: Countless studies have shown that there has been a steep drop in adult friendships over the past decade, and this decline is more serious that it might first sound. Research shows that being lonely can have negative effects on public health, and has been compared to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss what's behind this trend and what can be done to reverse it. Links to stories discussed during the podcast: How to find authentic connections in a digital world, by Richard Kyte Americans more than ever have no friends. Here are 5 steps to make more friends, by Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Think How having five friends boosts the adolescent brain — and educational performance, by Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian and Christine Langley, The Conversation Ditching a friend who is not like you can deepen social inequality, by Mark C. Paschucki and Anthony Palk, The Conversation About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. His forthcoming book, "Finding Your Third Place," will be published by Fulcrum Books. Episode transcript Note: The following transcript was created by Headliner and may contain misspellings and other inaccuracies as it was generated automatically: There has been a steep drop in adult friendships over the past decade Scott Rada: Hello, and welcome to episode 110 of The Ethical Life, a place where each week we talk about the intersection of ethics and modern life. I'm Scott Rodda, social media manager for Lee Enterprises. And as always, I'm joined by Rick Kyte, who is the head of the Ethics Institute at the  Viterbo  University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Hello, Rick. Richard Kyte: Hi, Scott. Scott Rada: Countless studies have shown that there has been a steep drop in adult friendships over the past decade, and this decline is more serious than it might first sound. Research shows that being lonely can have negative effects on public health, and one study even compared it to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Rick, this trend has been going on for the past ten years or so, but it seems to have been made worse by the isolation required at, the start of the pandemic. How optimistic are you that we can find a way to fix and turn this around? Richard Kyte: My optimism stems from hearing so many people talk now about the importance of social connection. We're finally paying real attention to something that's actually been kind of an ongoing problem. We've tracked a real decline in number of friendships over the last 30 years. We got pretty good data on this. And so you can use something called the Google Ngram viewer to look at word usage from 1800 to the present day. If you compare two words, friend and self, what you find is, like, in 1800, the word friend occurred roughly twice as often as the word self in print. Scott Rada: I have a prediction, but go ahead. Richard Kyte: Today, the word self appears about three times as much as the word friend. Scott Rada: Yeah. Richard Kyte: And they cross paths around 1900. This isn't a new thing, and it seems to be a result of industrialization. As we become more prosperous, we become more independent, but we're at a point now where we're starting to really see the effects of not just loneliness, but all the things that happen. When you have more social fragmentation, you have increased polarization, you have real lack of trust in kind of businesses and government, all kinds of institutions. you have more conspiracy theories. All these things that we're seeing that are kind of, like, at the root of our great social dissatisfaction seem to be due to our loss of friendship. You say the start of the pandemic made people think about isolation more Scott Rada: And I started off by saying that there was obviously a dip in a lot of connectedness at the start of the pandemic, and you also expressed some optimism, saying that people are talking about this more. I wonder if those can maybe be stitched together a little bit is at least for a lot of people. I think the isolation and the disconnectedness people felt, in the worst months of the pandemic really almost made them appreciate more when you could get back out and could reconnect with friends and go on a trip or just be out among people. And do you think that sort of in some ways made people think and talk about this more. The pandemic that is, I know for. Richard Kyte: A fact it made people think and talked about, it more because people were talking about their isolation, they didn't like it, and they were talking about the effects. The problem is it also changed a lot of habits. Yeah, right. And it ended up closing a lot of businesses that were public gathering places. Primary way in which people make friends today is in the workplace Richard Kyte: What comes to our attention is really important, what we talk about, but also our daily habits and kind of what sociologists refer to as social infrastructure. Like, what are the patterns of life that we've developed that allow us to have connections and interaction? And in a way, the pandemic disrupted a lot of these usual patterns. For example, a primary way in which people make friends today is in the workplace. Richard Kyte: We have a lot more people working from home. Yeah. Scott Rada: When you say in the workplace, you mean like in the office or in the factory or in the retail environment where they work, not across zoom phone calls. Richard Kyte: Yeah. People really don't establish meaningful relationships, in that way. Meaningful relationships kind of develop when you share information about yourself. And so, like on a zoom call for work, you're sticking to an agenda. You're not just visiting. Right. But usually find times in the workplace. There's times and places to do that. And so we've done things to our society not really intentionally, but just what has happened that make it harder for us to make social acquaintances. Here's the real problem. We have fewer daily interactions with strangers. Right. So if you think of your life as these circles, there's all these people you don't know, then there's a pretty big circle of acquaintances. People you know, you recognize, you recognize, they recognize you, you know their names, that sort of thing. They're in that acquaintance. Then you have this other area of friends, or kind of loose friends. You spend a little bit of time, you have some things in common, but they aren't really close. Then you have circle of close friends or good friends, and then your best friends. Right. So it's these concentric circles. Or we're changing all the things that allow us to have a lot of people in that acquaintanceship circle, like acquaintances or companions, that sort of thing. That outermost circle of friendship that is shrinking for just about everybody. Scott Rada: And that's sort of the conversion funnel, in some ways, of getting those people from the outer rings into the center ring. Richard Kyte: Right, absolutely. Because the only people that make it into that center ring are the people that you find a lot in common with. So you really want to because you have shared interests or something else. You spend a lot of time and then you kind of get past the shared interest inwards. You're really sharing really kind of intimate information about yourself. You're sharing stories and your history and everything else. We can talk about that later, like how really close friendships develop. But the key thing is you need a lot of people in those outer circles just to find, like, who of all those 100, 200, 300 people, do you really want to do some activities with and spend a little more time with? Scott Rada: In most cases, and I think probably for both of us, when you're young and you're in school, that's really the time, because you're around a bunch of people about your age, and that's where it's really easy to make friends. It's also when friendship becomes maybe the most important thing in your life. Right. Because I don't know of many high school kids who would say their family or their schoolwork is more important than their friend group. I'm sure there's exceptions, but I bet if you surveyed and broke it up into those three chunks, most high schoolers would say their friend group is the most important. Yeah, and I'm not sure that's the right order at that time. And maybe it is and maybe it's not. But we certainly quickly reorder things over the next 510 years of our lives. And I just find that interesting and kind of too bad. Richard Kyte: Like, this is one way in which you can describe friendship. Friendship. I think C. S. Lewis said this. Friends are people who go on a journey together. Like during that time, say, in, say, middle school, high school, and then into college, it's really up. And for most people, up until about age 25, when your life really kind of settles down into some kind of predictable patterns. Scott Rada: Yeah, right. Richard Kyte: You're pretty fluid. That means you're meeting a lot of different people, but you're also going through a transformative period of your life where you're becoming the person who you're going to be. Now, friends are people that go through that with you. That is, your very closest. Friends are people that go through something transformative with you so that you kind of become who you are going to be together. And that's why with old friends, you can pick up the phone with somebody you haven't talked to for a year. And if you've been through those transformative periods of your life with them, you don't have to go through the process of getting reacquainted. Whereas if it's like a high, school classmate that you really didn't spend much time with, and you kind of meet somebody out there, like you meet them at a bar or restaurant or something like that, you have no idea what's going on with their life. And it's like meeting a stranger. You know their name, but you have to get reacquainted. Right. We even have a word for it. Scott Rada: Old friends. Richard Kyte: You don't you know who they are because they're kind of part of you. This period up to about 25, so we find some really interesting things about it. So, like, young people who have a pretty large circle, that outer circle, that acquaintance, they're going to end up probably having more close friends later in life because they had kind of more raw material to drop. Scott Rada: Yeah. Richard Kyte: And also we find some evidence that people who go to college, especially people who go to college and stay in dorms, like that sort of thing, they tend to have more friends later in life because they have a longer period of time where they're in that transitional period of their life where they're making friends. And it's something that we often forget about. What is the purpose of college? It's not just job preparation. It's kind of this process of maturing in life. And so extending that period out building. Scott Rada: Your social fitness in a way. Richard Kyte: Right. that's why I love things that we sometimes talk about. Should we bring back the Civilian Conservation Corps, something like that, from the New Deal, M or what? Like things like, AmeriCorps different projects that you can serve in. These end up being really important, not for the work, only for the work they do, but also for the way in which they develop our relationships well. Scott Rada: And I want to pause on that for a second. And I've never served in the military, but I know people who have. And it seems like that is one place where you can really form those strong bonds, especially when you're young. And it seems like and again, thank goodness we don't have this much at the moment, but people who have served in wartime even build those closer bonds. You hear stories about, Well, I serve. You'll hear 80 year old men talking about somebody they're still in touch with, who they served in Korea with, or wherever it might be. Because those clearly very dangerous and life altering experiences, when you share that with a person or two, that's a connection that really is strong, I would imagine. Richard Kyte: So we call these formative experiences, and the word is a really good one because they form your personality, they form your character. And when you go through a formative experience with somebody else, they form your character together. So Augustine says, like a friend has been called, half my soul. There's something like you kind of share a soul. You share something that's quite deep together because you've been through an experience together. 12% of Americans report having no friends, according to a recent study Scott Rada: And I think it's also worth pointing out, and we'll link to some of these stories on our website, but as we talk about sort of the problems as we see it, a recent study in 2021 said that 12% of Americans report having no friends. That's, compared to just 3%, back in the 1990s. But what stood out for me is that these numbers are even worse for men who tend to have more friends early in life but experience a steeper decline. Do you have a sense as to why that might be? Richard Kyte: I think a lot of it has to do with less, social interaction for men, because I don't think that this is true in all cultures, but in American culture, certainly our history has been, that men are less likely to join social groups and spend, like, what we call sociable time or leisure time with others. They'll spend time especially, like, say, in high school, in organized sports. But there's not that many men who are doing the kind of sports activities, the way that they used to. Scott Rada: Like a softball league, softball league, bowling. Richard Kyte: Golf, those sorts of things. It turns out men are much more likely to make friends in those kinds of active social pursuits. Women are much more likely to form themselves into different kinds of social groups in which most of what they do is talk. Well, it's the talking in which we really get close, where we share things about ourselves and share stories. many men need some kind of like a sporting activity or some other pursuit in order to engage in the talk. Women, just for whatever reason, seem much more able to just get together and start talking right away. Scott Rada: I heard somebody talk about this issue once, and I don't know what their source was. And maybe this was you that said this. I don't remember but saying that there was a study that the best way for women to again, we're generalizing here, but the best way for women to talk and get to know each other is when they're facing each other over coffee or just talking about whatever is going on in their lives, but they're facing each other. For men, it's often side by side activities, whether they're golfing or out for a walk or out for a more active thing. And I guess studies have shown that that is, a better way for men to communicate with other men. And I found that interesting. Richard Kyte: So you certainly see that you see this with especially fathers and sons, have a hard time talking. That's a notoriously fraught relationship between fathers and sons, say, in high school, as the sons are getting more independence. But they can often have a talk when they're driving somewhere in a car where they're side by side. I think with men is face to face is too confrontational. It's competitive. Whereas when you're side by side, you're in a cooperative mode and take some of that competitiveness out of it. By the way, we're sitting face, to face right now. Scott Rada: We are. Although, yeah, maybe we should do a podcast side to side. That would be interesting. Although I guess we've done a couple of zoom ones. And that is a different experience too, I suppose. Richard Kyte: Yeah. But I think we want a little competitiveness here. There we go. Over the years, adults have spent fewer time with their friends Scott Rada: you mentioned the father son thing, and one thing that in some of the reading, I did for the show that really jumped out at me talking about these trends where over the years, adults spend fewer time with their friends. And there's lots of reasons, sometimes because of work demands, sometimes demands around the house. But what really jumped out at me is that adults parents spend much, much more time with their kids than they did just a few generations ago. And again, as I've talked on the show, I don't have children. But just from the people I know and just from observing out in the world, that just seems true to me, that you see kids with their parents so much more. Is that a good thing in that it makes those relationships stronger? And if it's at the cost of other friendships, then so be it. Or is that maybe not a great thing? Because you're sort of stifling your own growth because the kids won't be in the house forever, and also, you're not letting the kids sort of figure out who they are, away from the watchful gaze of a parent. Richard Kyte: Yeah, I think it's not good for all those reasons. We know that there's been a real decline, especially for young kids, in unstructured playtime, and they really need that. That's really good for them. And we're not giving them enough of it in our culture because the parents are too involved in structuring their time and oftentimes being with them and supervising, and then it's not good for the adults. Because what happens is this is a pretty common phenomenon at the time when kids social life is increasing. They get old enough, they're going out and doing more things. The parents who are, like, spending a lot of time with those kids have to give up their own friend relationships. It turns out, like a lot of parents of middle school and high school kids, most of their adult social interaction is with parents of other kids the same age. At sporting events or clubs or wherever it happens to be, that's who they're hanging out with. Then their kids go off, they graduate, they go off somewhere, and they've got no friendship circle. They're alone with each other. Right. so that's a really common phenomenon. That wasn't such a common thing. Like, when I grew up, my parents, they had their own friends, and they might interact a little bit with the parents of my friends, but they weren't in their social circle. And now you were finding adults completely change their social circle after they have kids, and then when their kids are. Scott Rada: Gone one other piece I read that said and obviously we kind of painted a little bit of a dire scenario here, but it's not at all true to say that people don't have friends. Most adults do have friends, and maybe not as many as they'd like. Richard Kyte: But in 1990, the same survey you quoted, 33% of adults reported having ten or more friends, ten or more good friends in 1990. And today, I think the number is 13%. Scott Rada: Yeah. So it's dropped significantly. Richard Kyte: Significantly. Scott Rada: But I guess the question, though, is that I read somewhere that said there is a benefit to when you have friends to make sure they're not all like you, that they may come from different backgrounds, may come from different socioeconomic parts of your community who may have a bunch of kids and you have no kids or whatever the case might be. And I think it is easy, just like you said, to sort of, find people around you who you have things in common with. And you even said earlier that you sort of have this when you were talking about the circles, a group, an outside group of people, and you sort of maybe identify folks you have something in common with, and you have some common, interests, and they sort of march their way toward the center of that circle. Richard Kyte: Is. Scott Rada: It good, though, sometimes to try to and maybe this is too intentional, but to try to identify people who are in that outer circle but you think might add a different or interesting perspective to your life than you may not have otherwise. And to try to, even though it might take a little more, build a, connection there. Richard Kyte: If you joined some groups of, people that are involved in different kinds of activities, I'm talking, like, oftentimes churches, service organizations, like the Big Three, Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions, bowling leagues, right? any kind of groups in which you have large numbers of people participating, then spending time together, you are going to meet people very different from yourself and people with very different backgrounds, very different interests. This is the important thing about joining something, is that when you join, you spend repeated time, sometimes over a period of years, with people, and you get to know them beyond the superficiality, which makes you think, like, yeah, I don't really have much in common with this person. I'm not going to pursue that kind of relationship. But if you join a group where you're sitting down or you're engaged in activities with a group of people every week, for, say, a couple of years, two or three years, you're going to slowly realize that there are people that you really like, that you share some deeper connection with beyond kind of the superficial differences. And if you hadn't spent those years with them, you would have never discovered that. And this is, in some ways, the real key to friendship. It's not so much like what it brings to you. So I've been researching friendship quite a bit for this book that I'm writing on Third Places, because I think this is the main function of third places in communities is, they are where we meet people different from ourselves that we're introduced to them. So then we form deeper relationships. And when we form these different relationships with people quite different from different economic backgrounds, different cultural backgrounds, different political kind of, alliances or sympathies. We start to feel like actually, it seems like I'm living in a world with all these people, all these strangers, all these people are very different, but it's just that I haven't spent enough time with them. I could potentially become friends with anybody. And the 18th and 19th, century Scottish philosophers like Adam Smith, David Hume, Francis Hutchison, they talked a lot about sympathy as being the grounding of, ethics, also the grounding of politics like sympathy. The other word they used for it was fellow feeling, from which we get the word fellowship. Right. It's spending time with others, you find that you're able to take kind of imaginatively experience, what the other people do, what they experience, what they're going through, and that becomes really lively in your mind. And so that you are literally pained when something bad happens to a friend. Right. Even just hearing bad news about something that happened to a friend, you will feel pain as a result, or joy. Scott Rada: If something good happens. Richard Kyte: Joy if something good happens. You don't have to see them experiencing that emotion to have that emotion yourself, because you have what they called fellow feeling. When you have this within a whole community or within a nation that we share something like fellow feeling, that is the basis to be able to collaborate, to work together. And right now, our politics is just contaminated by the idea that we define ourself by our differences. And there's no way to move together to any sort of, agreement or compromise any understanding of working towards the common good. But if we have a sense that, yeah, not only do we have something in common, we actually feel what we have in common together, and that's deeper than our superficial, then then we're going to have a really healthy democracy. Replika allows customers to custom design their own virtual companion Scott Rada: Rick, I know this is an issue like you mentioned you're writing quite a bit about, and you were doing some research over the past few days, and it led you down kind of a strange path. Maybe you could tell folks about that a bit. Richard Kyte: I came across a website called Replika, which, is a, site that uses AI or artificial intelligence to allow customers to custom design their own virtual companion, and give it all kinds of characteristics exactly what they would imagine a good companion would be. And so, inevitably, what people do, they design somebody who is happy and helpful and pleased to talk to them. Available 24 hours a day whenever they need somebody to listen, who is never disagreeable, never puts their own demands and their own interests upon the person. Right. I was amazed to find how many testimonials there are, in some ways, got a really moving testimonials of how great it's been to create this kind of virtual dream companion that people have. And I find it really kind of eerie. Scott Rada: I think I know the answer, but I'll, of course, ask because so. Richard Kyte: I think what's happening is we're using AI to create something that wasn't possible before without AI, because, like with Chat GPT, we can create these bots, these chat bots that simulate real people. So well, you can't really tell the difference, like when you're texting with one of these chat bots in real person. And so they're taking advantage of that technology to really fool us. So people develop these real, quite profound, deep, sincere emotional connections with these chat bots. Right. They name them. There's even a report that was in the Daily Mail of a woman who married the chat bot that she created after falling in love with it over a period of a couple of years. Right. And I don't think it's a joke. I think that was really sincere. And what she said in one of the interviews is, well, I love this person that she created. He doesn't come with any baggage. Right? Well, people come with baggage. Scott Rada: Okay, well, but isn't that the problem in a way? Because you just got done saying it sounds like when you kind of create this character and I'm guessing again, I've not done this, but I'm guessing you can say, I want this person to be kind, or I want this person to be intelligent or witty or whatever these things is. I mean, unless you're just doing it as sort of a joke, you're not going to go and say, I want to create some dumb, racist idiot who, says inappropriate things all the time. I mean, nobody's going to do that. And not that we'd want to be friends with someone who is, but at the same time, none of our friends, no matter how close and good they are, are perfect people. And in some ways, dealing with those people's imperfections is part of what being like human is all about. And isn't that sort of also part of the problem here is that you're creating this idealized character that might even make it more difficult than to go into the real world and encounter people who are far, far from perfect because of how much time you've spent with someone who is just the way you'd like him or her to be. Richard Kyte: yeah, that's it exactly. And when we're talking about the real world being full of these imperfect people that we wouldn't really choose to be friends with, well, we're one of them. Yeah. Right. And the real benefit of friendship is, I find, like, none of these websites talk about this in a way disturbingly. Very few of the articles that I've been reading that are in the popular press and that you can find on various websites that talk about the benefits of friends and all the, like, how to make friends. They never talk about. What I think is the most important part about it is that they make demands upon us. we become useful to somebody. We become meaningful to another person. And this is really the key to loneliness, is not just that we're alone. It's that we feel that nobody needs us, right? And so who needs us? Only imperfect people. Perfect people don't need us. The gods don't need us. It's like imperfect human beings that need a friend. And that's why I need friends, because I'm imperfect, too. And it's the mutuality of friendship that takes us out of a, very kind of narrow conception of the self. So if I could have said, like, at age 22, this is my ideal life, this is the kind of person I want to be and all of that, I would be a much more kind of shallow, superficial, impoverished person than I am today. Scott Rada: Probably richer, maybe. Richard Kyte: Yeah. Right. Yeah. But I wouldn't, because all the people I've met in my life have changed who I am. and they've kind of, in some ways, forced me to grow. And this is what, like George McDonald says, it's the love of neighbor that takes us out of the dungeon of the right, because the self is a dungeon. Websites like Replika and Project December and some of these others, what they do is create a really attractive dungeon, and then we pay them to be able to go into it and to furnish it their dungeon the way we want it. But we're still entering a dungeon. That virtual companion that doesn't help me grow, doesn't get me out of myself, out of the narrow self that I am, into something larger. We end each show by tackling an ethical dilemma Scott Rada: We end each show by tackling an ethical dilemma. And Rick, what is your question for me? Richard Kyte: Well, Scott, let's say that you have your eye on a motorcycle. It's not a brand new one, but it's a late model motorcycle. It's going to cost you a little money. you know that your partner is not going to be very keen on this idea. For one thing, it's going to be kind of dangerous. The other thing is, it's a real big expense. And generally in the past, you and your partner have always talked over big expenses together. But you're worried if you bring up that you want to take out a loan to buy this motorcycle, which is something you really want to do, it's just going to cause an argument. but it's your money. You and your partner, you both have your own jobs. You keep separate checking accounts. And so what do you do in a case like this? Do you just go ahead and buy the motorcycle and then realize, okay, there might be some hurt feelings, but you'll get over it? And that's a lot easier than creating a big argument to begin with and then going ahead and buying the motorcycle anyway. Scott Rada: So a couple of things. I'll try to answer this dilemma as best I'm able, but, I will admit and. I think this is probably because I spent a long time working in newspaper newsrooms and reading about motorcycle crashes so often. But I would never want to get a motorcycle because I personally view them as extremely dangerous. And, I think I have probably spent in my life 2 hours on a motorcycle, and that might be the last 2 hours I ever spent on a motorcycle is my guess. So it's hard for me to exactly fit into this scenario. And also, you bring up a point, too, is that buying a motorcycle is in this case, a financial decision. But it's also like the risky part of this too, right? Because you are it's more dangerous than going out and spending that same money and buying a piece of fine art that hangs on your wall, which has virtually no risk. But to, put myself in that position, I think there's two things from everything I've read, that couples argue about the most, and it's either kids or money. I'm lucky, and I guess Travis and I are lucky that, first of all, we don't have kids, so it's hard to argue about that. But we don't really argue about money. We were pretty good about that. And I think part of it is because we do obviously have some shared expenses, but we do, have some autonomy for each other to sort of spend money how we're able. And luckily, we're in a position where not every nickel we scrape together has to go to a bill or the house payment or something like that. So maybe here's the closest to a real life situation, as we've talked about on the show, that, I'm a big baseball fan. And, as we're recording this, we're just days away from the baseball playoffs starting. And I sort of made the decision and I had enough flexibility with work that I'm going to take much of a week off and go to Minneapolis and watch the Twins hopefully win a, playoff game, which they haven't done since I think, like 22,002 or something awful like that. Richard Kyte: So you're planning to go to multiple games in the multiple games? Win one, yeah, hopefully they'll win one. Scott Rada: And obviously there's an expense involved in that, not only for the tickets, which are more busier playoffs, but you have to get lodging and all that. And we talked it over and I said I told him how much it was. And it's like, hey. And he's like, yeah, that's your thing. Richard Kyte: Unluckily. Scott Rada: I don't have tons of expensive Hobies, so it's fine. And I'm actually to go to our conversation, or our topic earlier in the episode, I'm actually going to the game with a friend of mine from high school. And we went to dozens of games back when we were in high school. And we have reconnected and have gone to a handful of games since. Richard Kyte: So let me interrupt. Would it be different if you were thinking, I'm going to go to Las Vegas and gamble for a week, would that be a different kind of, mean? Scott Rada: I guess it know, unless you're going to spend the whole thing on the penny. Mean yeah, I think that probably so. But again, I think what your question is about is how much autonomy should financial autonomy should people have in their private relationships and how should you talk about it? How should you talk about it? Yeah, I think you talk about it in advance. And I think if I were to suddenly decide that a motorcycle, was the best thing for me, that I would try to make my case. But I think we'd make that decision together not only for the money part, but also for the other part. So I think yeah, but I guess I come at this with sort of a, bias, because I don't necessarily have a problem talking about these sort of things. So, to me, this would be an easy conversation to have, because maybe this is going to sound ridiculous, but I've really never come across something like this where it has been a, huge, significant purchase that I want to make that I know is going to be, unpopular. But if that were to come up, obviously, I think what's the old saw is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. In this case, probably is not a good way to go. Richard Kyte: Yeah, I think that's probably right. When my wife and I were much younger and money was much tighter, even small purchases, sometimes we had to really talk them over because, we had to pool everything just to make ends meet, those conversations. We had to make sure that we had every conversation right to maintain our relationship really well. Now, as we're older and the kids are gone and so forth, I find that we have a little more autonomy. But the big purchases, still need to be discussed. Scott Rada: Yeah, there's been studies on every single thing in this world. So I'm sure there's been a study on this, but I would be curious to know. My guess, it probably tracks a little bit by age and generation, but in married couples, how many of them have separate bank accounts? And it's like, I remember I'm thinking of my grandparents. Not only did they have just but one bank account, my grandmother signed her checks, Mrs. And then my grandfather's name. I mean, that was just that generation. And I think certainly there's not many 25 year old women signing their checks mrs and then their husband's name, that's sort of gone out of favor. And that's probably a good thing. But I think there is more autonomy when it comes to finances. Again, assuming that, again, not every nickel has to go to meet your basic needs. And I don't know, I sense that that's generally probably a good thing. But yeah, you don't want to show unless you're just ridiculously wealthy, showing up and saying, oh, I bought a new car, I hope that's okay. Or I bought a new motorcycle or a boat or whatever it might be. That seems to not show a lot of respect. Richard Kyte: You mentioned boats. this was a running joke. In our house, we at one point had lots of boats, like most of old junkie boats. Right. Small like that became an issue one time when a friend gave me an old canoe and then I show up with yet another boat and put it inside the house. Scott Rada: But that's a storage issue at some point. Richard Kyte: Actually, it was much more of a storage issue than an expense issue because. Scott Rada: I think I've been in your garage. You don't have a lot of high end boats. Richard Kyte: None. Yeah, so this only came up because I was at a yard sale recently and this guy had this motorcycle for sale. it was about a 20 year old bike, but it had really low miles. It was in great shape. I was thinking, oh, that'd be really cool. I really have no serious interest in buying motorcycle. And for one is the accident rate is just too high. And I think that would put a strain on a relationship, like starting a hobby. That was really it just, it went through my head, like, what would that conversation be like saying, hey, Cindy, here's what I'm thinking. And I was thinking like, that would be a tough. Scott Rada: So I'm just curious. I think I can probably count the number of times I've been on a motorcycle on one hand. And it probably is like a total of 2 hours. How about for you? Richard Kyte: Yeah, probably. So when I was in high school, dirt bikes. That's not like street bikes. Very only twice that I can remember. And they were like, once on our friends and once on our relatives. and a long time ago. I ridden a motorcycle for decades. Scott Rada: Yeah, sort of the same here. and I think at least for me, it's going to be, like I said, a long time till I rhyme. What? Again? Richard Kyte: I'm pretty sure I'm going to die of something else. Scott Rada: Well, hopefully that's a long time from now. And assuming it is a long time from now, we have a whole lot more podcasts to record. Richard Kyte: How many more do we have to record? Scott Rada: Oh gosh, I would feel really awkward starting the show. Scott Rada: Welcome to episode 4367 of The Ethical Life. That would be a lot to say, so we'll stop before that. Richard Kyte: Okay. Scott Rada: Somewhere between 111 and 4367. Richard Kyte: Yeah. Okay. Scott Rada: So there's a lot more to come. So make sure, good listener, that you subscribe to The Ethical Life on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, or Spotify. And be sure to check out Rick's column about ethics. And that can be found on all Lee newspaper websites. For Rick Kite. I am Scott Rata. Thank you for joining us.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.   Today is Monday, Oct. 2 Get ready for FestivFALL returning to Charleston this month…WV's new Advanced Air Mobility industry aims to transform the skies…and learn more about the stream restoration that took place recently at Kanawha State Forest…on today's daily304. #1 – From GAZETTE-MAIL – Got plans for fall? You do now! FestivFALL, Charleston's annual fall arts and music festival, takes place Oct. 13-22. The event sees the return of favorites like the Harvest Art Fair, the Carriage Leaf Trail Walk and Glow in the Park at Slack Plaza. There's also a Grateful Dead tribute, a country music festival, and a showing of the classic film, “Ghostbusters.” In addition, the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences also has released its fall lineup of Sound Check performances. The series runs from early October through mid-December. Learn more about these events and performances at www.festivallcharleston.com and www.theclaycenter.org. Read more: https://www.wvgazettemail.com/arts_and_entertainment/in-short-festivfall-returns-sound-checks-lineup-announced/article_fa3ce78d-1cb6-5db9-94d9-9524b6695328.html   #2 – From VERTX PARTNERS –  The future of transportation is coming to Appalachia!  Advanced Air Mobility is the next generation of aviation systems and services aiming to provide safe, efficient, and sustainable transportation solutions using technologically advanced aircraft.  Vertx Partners President Sean Frisbee and VP of Operations Mary Cook discuss AAM's growing impact on the world and how West Virginia is poised to capitalize on and accelerate this progress.  Watch the video and find out how Vertx Partners is bringing Appalachian innovators and businesses together to transform the skies. Watch the video: https://vertxpartners.org/advanced-air-mobility/   #3 – From WV STATE PARKS – Work was completed earlier this year on the removal of the Davis Creek Dam at Kanawha State Forest. The dam's removal was designed to increase fishing opportunities at the forest and allow the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources to begin stocking trout. It marked the end of an era for the dam, which was completed in 1940 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The resulting impoundment created a swimming hole -- named Ellison Pond -- that was promoted as the first public, natural swimming pool in the Greater Kanawha Valley.  Eventually the swimming pool was converted to a fishing hole. But throughout the years, it became too costly to dredge the pond of sediment to keep the pond habitable for aquatic life. Thus began the lengthy and careful stream restoration project to remove the Ellison Pond Impoundment.  Learn more about the process on West Virginia State Parks' website.  Read more: https://wvstateparks.com/the-decommissioning-of-davis-creek-dam/   Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304. The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo.  That's all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.

Ninety years after the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Biden administration is mobilizing a national workforce to tackle today's crisis of climate disruption. The American Climate Corps aims to train 20,000 young people in its first year for jobs in clean energy, climate resilience, and land restoration. Also, governments are increasingly touting clean and renewable energy as the way of the future. But if you follow the money, you'd find that fossil fuels are receiving massive subsidies, worth around $7 trillion dollars each year, according to a recent report from the International Monetary Fund. And with a few tools and a fresh log, you can grow delicious mushrooms in your backyard that will come back year after year. The Living on Earth crew teams up to inoculate a log with shiitake mushroom spawn. -- Want to dig deeper on these stories? Check out our website loe.org for a full transcript, photos, and links to further reading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris talks with Interpretive Ranger Charlie Ewing about Davis Mountains State Park and Indian Lodge, their beautiful mountain setting and a bit about their history, with structures built by the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps.

As of August 30, 2023 is now two thirds of the way until the end. Perhaps one way of thinking about that is that we have now heard both sides of a long-playing record designed to play at 33 revolutions per minute. It is at this point where the metaphor perhaps falls apart, but I'm still curious to know: What are you going to listen to in the next 166,656 minutes or so? This is Charlottesville Community Engagement.On today's program:* Amazon Web Services announces they will invest $11 billion in two data center campuses by the year 2040* Charlottesville City Council and the Planning Commission learn that allowances for AirBnB and other forms of short-term rentals will not be eliminated as part of the zoning reform* Charlottesville seeks input on steps to keep improving on the city's accessibility * The Albemarle Economic Development Authority signs grant paperwork for biotech startup Agrospheres * The Free Enterprise Forum releases a periodic report on local government spending * Charlottesville City Council is briefed on ranked choice voting Charlottesville Community Engagement is perhaps kind of like an afternoon newspaper, and one looking to boost its circulation. Sign up for free!First shout-out: Plant Northern Piedmont NativesSince the beginning of this newsletter, one Patreon supporter has dedicated their shout-out to an organization that seeks to draw awareness of the importance of native species to the ecosystem. As summer comes to an end and fall begins, Now is the time to visit  Plant Northern Piedmont Natives to learn what you can about what species are specific to your region! Plant Northern Piedmont Natives is one of ten regional campaigns for ten different ecosystems across Virginia, including Eastern Shore. Take a look at the full map below for the campaign for native species where you are in the Commonwealth. You can also download a free copy of their handbook: Piedmont Native Plants: A Guide for Landscapes and Gardens. In this guide, Piedmont native plants are defined as those that evolved before the influence of European settlements shaped and changed the landscape. Plants included in the guide were selected from the Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora and occur naturally within the region. Amazon to invest $11 billion in Louisa County Louisa County has announced that Amazon Web Services will invest $11 billion to build two data center campuses within two Technology Overlay Districts. “The campuses will position AWS as one of the largest private-sector employers in Louisa and will create hundreds of new jobs,” reads a press release sent out this afternoon. The county's website describes the technology overlay districts as areas within Louisa's growth area that are close to road networks and electric transmission lines. They're also areas where residential and retail development are not being encouraged. Supervisors approved the technology overlay districts in April, according to the Central Virginian. The vote to add the districts to the county's Land Development Regulations was 6 to 1. Earlier this year, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced Amazon Web Services would invest $35 billion in Virginia by 2040. That now includes this investment in Louisa. “We're proud to partner with AWS to expand their operations in a world with a growing demand for cloud computing infrastructure,” said Louisa County Board Chairman Duane Adams.Amazon Web Services is looking at two specific sites according to Louisa County Community Engagement Manager Cindy King. “AWS is evaluating two sites,” King said in an email. “What would become the Lake Anna Technology Campus (LATC) near the North Anna Power Station; and the North Creek Technology Campus (NCTC) near the Northeast Creek Reservoir.”King said construction activity could begin as soon as 2024. The Board of Supervisors will enter into a performance agreement with Amazon Web Services. That agreement could also see the rebate of tax revenues with details to be worked out in the future. Homestay provisions will not be eliminated as part of zoning code updateAs Charlottesville plans for public hearings on a new zoning code, a proposed prohibition on short-term rentals of “homestays” has been pulled from consideration.“We've gotten substantial comment back and in conversations with various of my colleagues and others in the community, we believe that this is a larger issue than we might have anticipated and one that we would recommend we kick out of this process and take up after the zoning ordinance is adopted,” said James Freas, the city's director of Neighborhood Development Services. A consolidated draft of the Development Code released earlier this month had removed “Homestay” from a list of accessory uses that would be allowed under the new zoning. That had not been included in previous drafts released earlier this year. Freas said this is one example of how the city's zoning code should be considered a living document that will be updated over time. He made his comments at a briefing given to the Planning Commission and the City Council on Tuesday. “The intent here is for the Planning Commission to conduct a public hearing on Thursday, September 14,” Freas said. “That hearing will be in Council Chambers so note the change in venue and it will begin at 4 p.m.”Notice has been mailed to property owners in the city about the public hearing. Those who wish to speak will be limited to two minutes. Freas said it will be up to the Planning Commission to determine if they would like to vote on a recommendation or if that will be done at a later time. Dates have been reserved for September 19 in Council Chambers and September 26 at City Space. Once the Commission is done with their work, Freas said Council will hold their own work sessions on a range of topics. If any changes are to be made, a new draft will be produced for Council before their vote. The plan is for Council to hold their own public hearing. Once adopted, the zoning won't take effect until a specific date after the day a vote is taken. Some projects currently in the process may have the opportunity to proceed under the old rules, but where that line will be drawn is not yet known. Freas also addressed another item that is not in the draft zoning code. The Comprehensive Plan's Future Land Use map designated “Sensitive Community Areas” which depicted places where residents are subject to displacement pressure. “We have not moved forward with an overlay or zoning specific to Sensitive Community Areas,” Freas said. “I would note that a number of the recommendations that are in the Sensitive Community Area recommendation page… have been incorporated into the general zoning ordinance.” Freas said this includes allowing for more units to be built across the city and changes to allow smaller lot sizes in some residential zoning areas. He said there was a sense that restricting development in those area would limit wealth-building opportunities.“If the displacement is a result of rising taxes, there are other ways of addressing that issue as well,” Freas said.  City Councilor Michael Payne said he did not support the lack of a specific overlay.“I would expect that this will definitely be one of the topics we need to have a work session about,” Payne said. “I know it was pretty integral into the original plan and strategy and the connection to the [Affordable Housing Plan] and I know just in the past week or two, this has been of particular interest to the 10th and Page Neighborhood Association as well as the Fifeville Neighborhood Association.”Freas pointed out that the Comprehensive Plan clearly states that specific non-zoning interventions may need to be made for each community. A question from me: Who should do that work? The city government? Non-profits? Individual homeowners? This particular part of the conversation is not over. Charlottesville seeks input on update of accessibility planThe city of Charlottesville is in the early stages of updating a plan that seeks to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The federal legislation became effective in 1990 and requires localities to make sure public facilities can be accessed by anyone. In Charlottesville, that means the update of a Transition Plan with work underway. The last version was adopted by Council on June 3, 2013. “While we are continuously working on improving accessibility, an updated Transition Plan will help us benchmark where we are now and develop a roadmap for where we can be in the future,” said Paul Rudacille, the city's ADA coordinator. As part of the work, crews have completed a self assessment of 165 miles of sidewalk owned by the city to identify potential barriers. This fall, the city's parks and other facilities will be reviewed as will services. Nothing happens in this community without a survey. There's a longform version that takes up to ten minutes to fill out. There's also a shorter one.The city has hired the firm Precision Infrastructure Management to oversee production of the new plan. There will also be a town hall meeting on September 20. Albemarle EDA signs agreement for Agrospheres fundingThe Board of Directors for the Albemarle Economic Development Authority has ratified a performance agreement with a local company that seeks to expand its sale and manufacture of a new generation of pesticide delivery systems.Agrospheres has set up operations at 1180 Seminole Trail and recently was awarded $200,000 from the Commonwealth of Virginia's Development Opportunity Fund. There's also a $36,000 from the Virginia Jobs Investment Program. “They've committed to $25 million of capital investment and creating 53 new jobs for research and development and a test of a manufacturing area,” said J.T. Newberry, Albemarle's interim director for economic development. AgroSpheres got its start as a laboratory venture at the University of Virginia. The company will be seeking to hire people with experience in biotech fermentation, plant molecular biologists, and other types of scientists. Payam Pourtaheri, founder and CEO of AgroSpheres, told the EDA's Board on August 22 that 14 of those jobs have been created so far.“The facility isn't up and running yet so a lot more jobs will be created,” Pourtaheri said. “We've recently received organic approval for our technology that helps basically to provide a controlled release of biological pesticides.” Pourtaheri said the technology is free of microplastics unlike other delivery systems. “Really excited about that and that's what we're going to be manufacturing here in Albemarle County,” Pourtaheri said. Approval from the United States Environmental Protection Agency is needed before the product can become commercially available. Pourtaheri said he's hopeful the green light will be given within a year. * Review the performance agreement* Review the resolution authorizing a local match for the two state grantsSecond shout-out: Camp AlbemarleToday's second subscriber-supported public service announcement goes out to Camp Albemarle, which has for over sixty years been a “wholesome rural, rustic and restful site for youth activities, church groups, civic events and occasional private programs.”Located on 14 acres on the banks of the Moorman's River near Free Union, Camp Albemarle continues as a legacy of being a Civilian Conservation Corps project that sought to promote the importance of rural activities. Are you looking to escape and reconnect with nature? Consider holding an event where the natural beauty of the grounds will provide a venue to suit your needs. Visit their website to view the gallery and learn more! Free Enterprise Forum releases local spending report A nonprofit group that tracks activities of local governments throughout the region has released the annual report of spending activity. “The Free Enterprise Forum Local Government Spending Index (LGSI) is modeled after the statistical methodology used to calculate the Consumer Price Index,” reads the introduction of the fifth Choices and Decisions report.Data comes from the Commonwealth of Virginia's Auditor of Public Accounts, an office that produces a Comparative Report on Local Government Revenue and Expenditures. The Free Enterprise Forum whittles down the localities to Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson. Some interesting highlights:* Charlottesville had the highest per capita spending in the region at $5,385 in FY22* Albemarle's per capita spending in FY22 was $3,643.90* Nelson County's per capita spending in FY22 was $3,392.21 * Louisa County's per capita spending was $3,356.56 * Greene County's level of spending per person is $3,212.20  * Fluvanna County's per capita spending in the period was $2,836.63. That's the lowest amount. What else is in the report? Take a look on the Free Enterprise Forum's website.Council briefed on ranked choice voting Should Charlottesville switch to an alternative form of voting that proponents say could increase participation? The earliest the city could make a transition to what is known as “ranked choice voting” is in 2025, but the five-member City Council got a briefing at its meeting on August 21. “Instant runoff voting, or ranked choice voting, is a voting system where a voter can rank their ballots sequentially in order of preference rather than just give a single or limited number of candidates for their choice of winner,” said Taylor Yowell, the city's registrar. Proponents of this method of voting argue that it can help expand the number of candidates who seek office. (view Yowell's presentation)The votes are counted in order and individuals who receive enough votes to pass the threshold qualify for the ballot. If there are more slots remaining, the candidate who received the fewest votes is dropped from the second round.“The process will continue until a winner has earned over the election threshold,” Yowell said. That threshold depends on how many seats are available. This method was authorized by the General Assembly in 2020 as one of the electoral reforms introduced when Democrats held both Houses in Richmond. “In the session of the legislature in 2020, a bill was passed to allow ranked choice option for City Council and Board of Supervisors elections throughout the state,” said Jim Nix, one of three members of the Charlottesville Electoral Board and the only Democrat. In August 2011, Nix presided over the Charlottesville Democratic Party's use of a “firehouse primary” to select its three candidates for City Council that year from seven candidates. “I counted the votes for it,” said Charlottesville Mayor Lloyd Snook.“That was fun,” Nix said. “I was there, too,” The contest resulted in the the nomination of Satyendra Huja to a second term as well as the first nominations for both Kathy Galvin and Dede Smith. Galvin and Huja got a plurality of votes in the first round, but Smith didn't secure enough votes until the fifth round when she edged out Paul Beyer by 29 votes. (view the results on cvillepedia)Nix said the legislation that passed in 2020 has a sunset date of 2031. He said Arlington used ranked-choice to select two members of its County Board in a primary race this past spring. “It appears to have been successful,” Nix said. “The process worked as intended. The results were published quickly. Actually, too quickly, but we don't need to go into that. The outcome was clear and unchallenged and public satisfaction was high based on the results of some online surveys that were done.” However, Nix said criticisms have emerged about the tabulation method that had been used and a decision has been made in Arlington County to not proceed with ranked choice in the general election.  He said one issue is that the voting software used only allowed voters three choices for the two seats. Charlottesville's software would allow voters to rank six. The first time Charlottesville could use ranked choice voting would be in the June 2025 primary when the seats held by Juandiego Wade and Brian Pinkston would be up. That's less than 22 months away! Yowell said only the City Council races could be conducted with ranked choice voting, and not School Board races. She said there would be a cost associated with educating the public about how the new process works, should Council decide to proceed. Yowell said the city should also update to a new version of its Hart software at a cost of around $4,000. For more details, view the video of the meeting on the city's streaming service. A factor to consider and a question to you. This year, five candidates sought three Democratic nominations for three seats on Council. Only three candidates are on the ballot. Only five people submitted paperwork to be on the School Board ballot for four seats. Only four qualified. If any locality pursues ranked choice, what steps might be taken to encourage more people to actually run? Reading material:* Charlottesville City Council approves new employee pay policy, Allison Metcalf, Cavalier Daily, August 29, 2023* Charlottesville leaders, residents split over zoning rewrite, Jason Armesto, Charlottesville Daily Progress (paywall), August 29, 2023#571 shall go gently into that good night There are six segments in this installment, two more than anticipated when I began writing everything out this morning. In the three years of this newsletter, it's become an afternoon newsletter that harkens back to my childhood when my family got a freshly printed paper around 5 p.m. every day. There's been a ridiculous amount of change in my 50 years. I think one thing that remains the same is a need for as many people as possible to know what's happening. This work is about establishing a common set of facts which is why I make as many links to other periodicals as possible. For now it's just me doing the work with the aim toward eventually getting one out by 5 p.m. every single day. It's a good goal and one that motivates me.Paid subscriptions motivate me and keep me fed. If you've done so yet, do consider a paid subscription through Substack. If you do, Ting will match your initial subscription! Ting's support for Charlottesville Community Engagement is not an afterthought. The internet company wants to support community knowledge and they will match the initial subscription for every new Substack subscription. And perhaps you are a UVA student looking for fast Internet service? If you sign up for Ting at this link and enter the promo code COMMUNITY, you'll get:* Free installation* A second month for free* A $75 gift card to the Downtown Mall This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Join the crew this week for another history lesson with our favorite history buff ross. this week we'll be discussing the CCC. An organization designed to help provide the nation with skilled labor and young men with a job and a purpose during the great depression. You'll be surprised at what all they accomplished in Florida and in your area. UPO Social Media- https://linktr.ee/underpressureoutdoorsHazmore Outdoor Products- https://hazmore.net/Use Code UPO15 at checkout for 15% off your next order!HangFree- https://hangfree.co/ Use code UPO10 at checkout for 10% off your next order!Charpia Law- https://www.charpialaw.com/about-us/

This week the Florida Madcaps discuss their experiences visiting Florida Caverns State Park and taking the underground tour.  Not only is it a rare natural feature in Florida it is also a Civilian Conservation Corps-era state park.  Here Florida history, underground caves, and many other features are sure to impress.Please subscribe! Shares and reviews are much appreciated!Get your FREE sticker from the Florida Springs Council at https://www.floridaspringscouncil.org/madcapsQuestions and comments can be emailed at thefloridamadcaps@gmail.comRyan can be found on Instagram at: the_fl_excursionistChris and Chelsey can be found at https://www.instagram.com/sunshinestateseekers/?hl=en

Following the Crash of 1929 and into the Great Depression of the 1930s, the US Government began involvement with "prehabilitation camps" that sought to make the American males fitter following WWI. Spinning around this movement was the Civilian Conservation Corps program--the CCC. Men could sign up for the CCC for one full year and get room, board, plenty of good food (which was hard to find in the 1930s), and make a small wage while they learned manual skills they could use to get a job after their service year. The government was involved in building their morale, character, and financial independence "through the physical bodies" of the men. Through this process, they eliminated the "feminine dependence" upon the state such as standing in the soup lines and getting free handouts. What the men really needed was WORK and work SKILLS. Here's a quick share about this fascinating era of American history and fitness.Reference: "Governing Bodies: American Politics and the Shaping of the Modern Physique" by Rachel Louise Moran (2018)Graphic Credit: Works Progress Administration, Federal Art Project; Albert M. Bender, designer

In the last few years, many on the left have been calling for a “Green New Deal,” but we might have already had that. Between 1933 and 1942, the Civilian Conservation Corps enlisted more than three million young men in a project that planted two billion trees, slowed soil erosion on forty million acres of farmland, and enjoyed support across political and geographic divides. In this episode we talk with Neil Maher, author of Nature's New Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Roots of the American Environmental Movement (Oxford University Press, 2008) about how the CCC helped solidify FDR's New Deal and spread the seeds of environmental activism for generations to come. Dr. Neil Maher is a Professor of History and Master Teacher in the Federated History Department at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University-Newark. He is also the author of Apollo in the Age of Aquarius (Harvard University Press, 2017). You can find out more about his work at NeilMaher.com.   This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher

Monday moves majestically, meandering more mysteriously, making many mighty memories. Maybe. Or it's another day like any other as we all spend time inhabiting a world that alternates constantly between light and dark. However, Charlottesville Community Engagement is not a tribute to the poetic but is more concerned with the anecdotal and the wonky. I'm Sean Tubbs until I am not. On today's program:* Albemarle Supervisors will hold a special meeting Wednesday perhaps to purchase property* We learn from the county executive's office that there's a new disc golf course in Albemarle* The Commonwealth Transportation Board will meet in Charlottesville tomorrow* The Greenbrier Neighborhood Association has held the second of several candidate forums for three Democratic nominations for City Council New to this? Sign up to get this in your inbox when its produced. Payment encouraged but not mandatory, but paying the bills is mandatory for continued publication!First shout-out: Camp AlbemarleToday's first subscriber-supported public service announcement goes out to Camp Albemarle, which has for sixty years been a “wholesome rural, rustic and restful site for youth activities, church groups, civic events and occasional private programs.”Located on 14 acres on the banks of the Moorman's River near Free Union, Camp Albemarle continues as a legacy of being a Civilian Conservation Corps project that sought to promote the importance of rural activities. Camp Albemarle seeks support for a plan to winterize the Hamner Lodge, a structure built in 1941 by the CCC and used by every 4th and 5th grade student in Charlottesville and Albemarle for the study of ecology for over 20 years. If this campaign is successful, Camp Albemarle could operate year-round. Consider your support by visiting campalbemarleva.org/donate.Albemarle purchasing land on Wednesday?The next regular meeting of the Albemarle Board of Supervisors is not until June, but the six members will meet in closed session this Wednesday. Virginia's open meetings laws allow for elected bodies to discuss certain matters without the public present. The notice for the May 24 meeting at 1 p.m. cites two provisions of the state code. (view the agenda) The first is “to discuss or consider the acquisition of real property in the Rivanna Magisterial District.” The second is “to consult with and be briefed by legal counsel regarding specific legal matters requiring legal advice relating to such acquisition.” Immediately after the closed session, Supervisors will vote on a resolution to authorize purchase of property and assets. There are no further details but Supervisors will convene in Room 241 after this vote to hold a media briefing. Albemarle Executive report: New disc golf course at Chris Greene Lake, HARTS team in placeIn Virginia, a locality's top manager actually performs the business of government and is responsible for executive actions. In Charlottesville that's interim City Manager Michael C. Rogers. In Albemarle that is County Executive Jeff Richardson. Often reports on what's happening are made to the elected body. On May 17, Albemarle Supervisors got a report from Trevor Henry, the Deputy County Administrator. They learned there is now a new 18-hole disc golf course at Chris Greene Lake.“The development of this new amenity in the northern part of the county was a successful partnership between Parks and Recreation by providing the space and in-kind services and the Blue Ridge Disc Golf Club whose members devoted 1,100 volunteer hours to construct the course,” Henry said. Henry also said graduate students at the University of Virginia School of Architecture are working with the county have helped with the creation of a Regional Digital Equity Plan that is being developed by the Broadband and Accessibility Office.“This is in partnership with community organizations, the city of Charlottesville, and [the University of Virginia],” Henry said. “Their analysis resulted in several key recommendations that the coalition will incorporate into their final plan.”To learn more about that project, here's the March meeting of the Coalition:Henry also had news about the Human Services Alternative Response Team that Albemarle is putting together. The HARTS Team is intended to answer calls where a person is believed to be having a mental health crisis. “The team has been formed and will be adjusting to responses based on each situation to ensure the safety and best outcomes for individuals involved,” Henry said. “As they are forming, they are beginning training and developing protocols to implement the co-responder model. That work will continue with procedures and training as they become operational and start responding to mental health calls for service.” Henry also reported on the results of an archaeological study from materials uncovered at the location of the former Swan Tavern in Court Square in Charlottesville. That's the site of the future General District Court that will be jointly used by both the city and Albemarle County. “These artifacts include a Moravian press pipe, bowls, antique glass bottles and more,” Henry said. “This project is a good reminder for the important of preserving our county's history. The artifacts that were uncovered during this dig period are being cleaned and catalogued and we expect a final report by the end of this calendar year.” CTB to meet in Charlottesville this weekThe body that approves funding across the Commonwealth of Virginia will meet this week at the Residence Inn on West Main Street in Charlottesville, steps away from a now-canceled project. The Commonwealth Transportation Board will begin with a workshop at 8:30 a.m. that will feature a large amount of state-wide business. One item to watch is a discussion on the fifth round of Smart Scale, which is a mechanism that helps decide what transportation projects are funded.  (workshop agenda) The CTB will make a final decision in June, but here are three area projects currently in the running:* Avon Street Multimodal Improvements  (only for the Druid Avenue to Avon Court section) – $15.8 million (Charlottesville-Albemarle MPO)* US 250/Peter Jefferson Parkway Intersection Improvements, Park and Ride, and Access Management – $20.55 million (Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission) * Belvedere Boulevard/Rio Road Intersection Improvements – $4.89 million (Albemarle County)On Wednesday is the action meeting unless the workshop on Tuesday finishes early. Opportunity for public comments is taken at this meeting. (action meeting agenda)The CTB meeting is just steps away from what had been Phase 1 of the West Main Streetscape. Charlottesville had slowly assembled money for a nearly $50 million project to be built in four phases, but canceled them last year in order to put the local match toward the renovation and expansion of Buford Middle School. (read my story)Sponsored message: Buy Local Charlottesville Community Engagement's continued existence means that many of you support local information. Want to support some local businesses as well? The Buy Local campaign is in full swing, and both the Albemarle and Charlottesville Offices of Economic Development want people to consider spending locally as they shop throughout the year.The Buy Local campaign highlights small businesses within Charlottesville and Albemarle County through a multi-channel, multimedia promotional and educational campaign designed to reinforce how important supporting area small businesses is to the local economy. Locally-owned, independent businesses with a brick-and-mortar presence in the City or County interested in being featured in the campaign should visit www.showlocallove.org or contact info@showlocallove.org. For more information on the Buy Local campaign, visit www.ShowLocalLove.org or follow us on Facebook and Instagram @BuyLocalCvilleAlbemarle or on Twitter @BuyLocalCville.Council candidates introduce themselves to Greenbrier neighborhoodLast week, the Greenbrier Neighborhood Association held the second of many planned candidate forums for the three nominations for Charlottesville City Council. The event began with opening statements beginning with Dashad Cooper who was unable to attend the May 10 event I co-hosted with Neil Williamson of the Free Enterprise Forum. (view that event)“As a Council member, I believe it is crucial that we have an open and honest discussion about the vision of Charlottesville, and I'm here to share my vision,” Cooper said. “Together I believe we can work towards a solution that would benefit all members of society.”       Cooper is a social services assistant who said he sees many people struggling with mental health issues who are affected by increases in rent. “I think mental health has been overlooked for far, far too long and the pandemic has put the mental health at the forefront and the people need help now,” Cooper said. Former City Councilor Bob Fenwick used much of the same opening statement he made at the May 10 forum but leaned in with his skepticism of the city's ability to provide solutions for one intractable problem. “The notion that affordable housing can be addressed with yet another program without better management, including adequate funding for all of the peripherals that go with it is very much in the air,” Fenwick said. Fenwick said the big issues he is hearing about are the zoning code rewrite, increased property assessments and public safety. “And the biggest issue tonight is probably going to be the zoning rewrite as well it should be as it hasn't been fully crafted and is virtually incomprehensible,” Fenwick said.  Challenger Natalie Oschrin also used much of the same opening statement as the May 10 event but I'll quote different parts from a previous story.  She said her primary job has skills that would apply to time on Council. “I've worked in the hospitality industry for over ten years, mostly planning and organizing weddings,” Oschrin said. “As you might imagine there's a lot of coordinating and managing in addition to cajoling and negotiating that needs to happen to pull the event off successfully and within budget.” Oschrin said she supports efforts to build more places to live within the city.“I've worked with a lot of people who have to commute from outlying communities for their job in the city [and] that means close to an hour in the car each way,” Oschrin said. “Our teachers, nurses, firefighters deserve to live in Charlottesville and not be pushed out by high housing costs.” Councilor Michael Payne is seeking his second term and also had many of the same introductory comments. “For those of you who don't know me, I grew up in the area and after college moved back here and worked for Habitat for Humanity of Virginia in affordable housing as well as gotten involved in politics through community organizing with Indivisible Charlottesville and the Charlottesville Low-Income Housing Coalition and have been on Council since January 2020,” Payne said. Payne said the past few years have been difficult for city government but Council has begun to make progress with the adoption of a climate action plan and an affordable housing plan that comes with $10 million a year in funding.“We've started to stabilize city staff and build a strong staff team within the city as well as made historic investments in schools and are moving toward being able to create a regional transit authority to strengthen our bus system,” Payne said. Charlottesville Mayor Lloyd Snook also addressed many of the same themes as the May 10 opening statement beginning with a general slogan for his campaign in 2019.“My overall slogan was ‘Let's Work Together' and ‘Let's Try to Make Charlottesville Work again,” Snook said.Snook said he and Payne both voted to adopt that affordable housing plan in March 2021 and they worked together to identify the funds to invest in the renovation and expansion of Buford Middle School. He said he wants four more years to ensure that work is completed. “Not only make sure that Buford gets finished but also start thinking about the next step in the school reconfiguration process,” Snook said. “That's to look at Walker and the elementary schools. In his opening statement, Snook pointed out that many of Fenwick's critiques of the zoning code were inaccurate given that a final draft has not been presented to Council yet. For more on that topic, take a look at my next column in C-Ville Weekly, out on newsstands Wednesday. Now I have to write it. (view the 20 articles I've written to date)Reading material:* What happens next? Buckingham commission weighs mining question, Brian Carlton, Farmville Herald, May 19, 2023* Buckingham GOP nominates recently fired registrar for seat on elections board, Graham Moomaw, Virginia Mercury, May 19, 2023* Embattled Charlottesville SPCA to replace director, Charlottesville Daily Progress, May 20, 2023* Rep. Bob Good asking if federal dollars were used to fund Montpelier exhibits on slavery, WINA, May 22, 2023Concluding thoughts for #535This is the first Monday edition of this program in a while! The perfect situation is when there is one of these a day to keep an eye on the happenings and not-happenings of local government. I'm grateful for the hundreds of paid subscribers who are helping me at least attempt to be a one-person time-keeping canine, or something like that. You can join them with a contribution through Substack either at the $5 a month, $50 a year, or $200 a year level. And if you do, Ting will match that first payment. If you join through Patreon, a portion of those proceeds will now go to hire other people to do work to make this newsletter better. I reviewed the foundational documents for my work this weekend and then and now I believe you should know how your money is spent!And if you sign up for Ting at this link and enter the promo code COMMUNITY, you'll get:* Free installation* A second month for free* A $75 gift card to the Downtown MallThanks to Wraki for incidental music in the podcast, which you can't hear unless you listen to it. Check out the work on BandCamp! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Associated Links: Support unbanked/underbanked regions of the world by joining the "at home in my head" Kiva team at ⁠⁠https://www.kiva.org/team/at_home_in_my_head⁠⁠ Blog Link: https://harrisees.wordpress.com Podcast: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/XIhI8RpZ4yb Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoS6H2R1Or4MtabrkofdOMw Mastodon: https://universeodon.com/@athomeinmyhead Paypal: http://paypal.me/athomeinmyhead Helpful Resources: UN Declaration of Human Rights:https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights History of the CCC:https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/civilian-conservation-corps Wiki for CCC:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_Conservation_Corps Gov't Archive for CCC:https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2006/fall/ccc.html Reviving the CCC:https://www.wired.com/story/the-case-for-reviving-the-civilian-conservation-corps/ Legislation to Revive the CCC:https://www.casey.senate.gov/news/releases/casey-introduces-legislation-to-renew-job-creation-revitalize-civilian-conservation-corps Heavy tax subsidies going to corporations and billionaires:https://www.facebook.com/TRNShow/videos/6480354135321632/ Music Credits: “Wishful Thinking” – Dan Lebowitz:⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOg3zLw7St5V4N7O8HSoQRA --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tracie-harris/support

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Started in 1933 during the Great Depression as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal Program, the CCC was created to put young men back to work. However, this 9-year program did more than provide employment during difficult economic times. It was instrumental in improving our national parks and forests and establishing hundreds of state parks. Many of the facilities we enjoy today are the result of the incredible work done by the CCC.   In this episode, we talk about some of the CCC's many accomplishments, give you a glimpse into what life was like as a member of the corps, and talk about a program that honors the members of the CCC for whom we owe a debt of gratitude.   Links: ·     Here is the website where you can find a list of all the CCC Worker Statues ·     And, follow this link to learn about the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps   Thank you to all our supporters on Patreon! Our Patreon account is now up and running with many bonus audio and video episodes. Follow this link to check it out.   Don't forget to visit our online merch store at www.dirtlander.com.   Subscribe to The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen, and if you've enjoyed our show, please leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcasts. Five-star ratings help other listeners find our show.   Follow us on Instagram at @mattandkarensmith, on Twitter at @mattandkaren, on Facebook at dearbobands, or check out our blog at www.mattandkaren.com.   To advertise on The Dear Bob and Sue Podcast, email us at mattandkarensmith@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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On April 5, 1933, FDR creates the Civilian Conservation Corps. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paul Gill, Sr. was the Third Mate on the Liberty Ship SS Nathanael Greene which sailed to Archangel, Russia, with Convoy PQ18 in September 1942. Armageddon in the Arctic Ocean is Gill's memoir chronicling his life from the Great Depression through his service in the US Navy during WWII and his later graduation from Harvard Business School. Along the way, readers will learn of Gill's enrollment in the Civilian Conservation Corps at age fifteen; how he joined the Merchant Marine and made eight passages to European ports as a sixteen-year-old; his riding the rails across the United States in search of work in 1938; his return to the Merchant Marine and ascension "up the hawse pipe" to become a licensed Merchant Marine officer; his participation in the biggest convoy battle of World War II; the destruction of the Nathanael Greene off the coast of North Africa by U-565; and more.

In "Misfit" by Robert A. Heinlein we experience the Civilian Conservation Corps in space and see how in the frontier a natural genius can succeed. Not sure how more American you can get than this story.

The Civilian Conservation Corps was established in 1933 to provide jobs for unemployed men during the Great Depression. Over the nine years of its existence the Corps, known as the “CCC,” employed about three million men. They were paid thirty dollars a month, a princely sum during the depths of the Depression. Most of the money was sent home to their families.

The Civilian Conservation Corps was founded by Franklin Roosevelt in 1933, and operated for roughly a decade until the program was ended in 1942. In this episode, Jim and Will Pattiz, from More Than Just Parks, explain why they believe America should resurrect this popular conservation initiative.

Today Jason and I will cover the sustainable stories from the month of October including Apple switching to USB-C chargers, the Detroit Tree Equity partnership, and Carbon Capture projects. We will also touch on how I took a week off from podcasting this month for mental sustainability. After midterms, I decided to get off the grid for a weekend and we traveled to Hocking Hills, Ohio and learned a bit about the Civilian Conservation Corps. Follow us on social media @sustainabiliME.pod Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/26/iphone-usb-c-lightning-connectors-apple-eu-rules https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/detroit-tree-equity-partnership-to-bring-jobs-tree-canopy-to-city/ https://www.americanforests.org/tools-research-reports-and-guides/tree-equity-score/ https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/44-pt-more-carbon-capture-and-storage-projects-in-the-pipeline/ 

The Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the ensuing worldwide Great Depression left families in economic shock and despair. International trade collapsed to less than half of its previous levels and unemployment skyrocketed. Into this devastating mess stepped Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who began his long presidency in 1933. FDR spearheaded a series of programs known as the New Deal to revive the United States. The most popular of these was the government work relief program called the Civilian Conservation Corps, which ran from 1933 to 1942. Three million American men joined the Corps, gaining skills and employment while also attending to widespread conservation problems. With us to explain the significance of the Civilian Conservation Corps is Neil Maher. Neil is a professor of history in the Federated History Department at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University, Newark, and he is the author of Apollo in the Age of Aquarius and Nature's New Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Roots of the American Environmental Movement.