Moving Sustainability Forward in the Mountain State

Note: U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) recognizes schools, districts and postsecondary institutions that are 1) reducing environmental impact and costs; 2) improving health and wellness; and 3) teaching environmental education. To share innovative practices and widely-available resources in these three 'Pillars,' the Department conducts an annual Green Strides Best Practices Tour of honorees. Two non-profit organization school sustainability leaders write about the schools and district honorees visited on the tour in West Virginia.

At Eastwood Elementary, in Morgantown, West Virginia, enhanced wall and roof insulation and a geothermal heating and cooling system allow the school to use about 25 percent less energy than a conventional one of the same size. (Photo courtesy of Eastwood Elementary)

Here in West Virginia, we were excited to highlight our U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School (ED-GRS) honorees during the second annual Green Strides Best Practices Tour. West Virginia was a fitting place to kick off the 2014 tour because, when the ED-GRS program was announced a few years ago, non-profit organizations like ours were quick to offer support to our state education agency.

Before 2011, many organizations were holding green schools workshops and events that helped participants develop plans to become more sustainable. But ED-GRS has provided a common goal for those engaged in the sustainable schools movement, and a new direction for our conversation on healthy schools and high-achieving students.

What has emerged is West Virginia Sustainable Schools (WVSS) initiative, which we use to recruit applicants for the national award. Led by the West Virginia Department of Education, WVSS has become a conduit through which agencies and organizations channel sustainability programming in curriculum, health and wellness, and facilities to schools.

ED-GRS has helped what was once a small but deeply-rooted sustainability community to grow less isolated, and more effective. Now we are using a few exemplary schools to inspire other schools to expand their efforts.

For this reason, it was a particular pleasure to have federal, state and local visitors tour our ED-GRS honorees to learn about innovative, hands-on curricula, community partnerships, and sustainability practices that advance learning, health and cost savings.

From pulling invasive garlic mustard weed to monitoring water quality in a local stream, Petersburg Elementary School, our first stop, partners with field experts to effectively teach science and stewardship while conserving Appalachia's precious land.

Later, at Wyoming County Career and Technical Center, in the heart of coal country, students, school leaders, and community partners led guests through an energy efficient modular home, a 8.4 kW solar array, a biodiesel processor, and a recycling trailer, all student-built in sustainable career pathways.

Cameron Middle-High School in Cameron, West Virginia. Both the school and Marshall County, a District Sustainability Awardee, have received U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools accolades. (Photo courtesy of Cameron Middle-High School)

In Marshall County Schools, we toured Hilltop Elementary and Cameron Middle-High School. Marshall County has made sustainable building practices and learning a priority from early learning to agricultural technology programs, saving the district over $5 million in 10 years. From low-impact buses to green cleaning, recycling to school gardens, these schools are teaching environmental concepts, along with entrepreneurial and civic skills, and wellness practices, in healthy, safe, lower utility-cost facilities.

Finally, visitors toured Eastwood Elementary in Morgantown, where every attention was given to reducing environmental impact and improving health in the construction of the new facility, from its geothermal heating and cooling system to expansive daylighting to safe and healthy building materials.

Where we once felt we were facing an insurmountable task – striving for increased health and a sustainable future for the children of our state – we now feel a new sense of purpose and momentum. A sustainably literate, college- and career-ready, and civically-engaged generation of West Virginians is on the rise. Striving toward the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools' three Pillars is now our unifying Mountain State goal.

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Belief, Legend, and the Great Moon Hoax

August 26, 2014 by Stephanie Hall

During the week of August 25, 1835, the world was treated to a fantastic story of scientific discoveries by the famous British astronomer, Sir John Herschel. He had realized the speculations of his father, astronomer Sir William Herschel, as he discovered life on the moon.[1]  Or so the readers of The New York Sun were told, in a series of articles now known as the Great Moon Hoax.

When we think of stories about life on other worlds and visits to or from those worlds presented as truth rather than fiction, we usually think of legends, news reports, or hoaxes of the mid-twentieth century to the present day.  Similarly, the problem of sorting out fact from fiction in news items, especially those passed along through internet news sites and social media, seems quite modern. But speculation about life on the moon or planets in the solar system is older than the written word. News hoaxes also have a long history. Publisher Benjamin Franklin was a famous source of both legitimate news and hoaxes.[2]

Folklorists have an interest in news hoaxes, alongside interest in legends of extraordinary events and the supernatural.  News hoaxes succeed when they are written in the news style of the day and draw from contemporary factual news, while legends are stories with origins in oral traditions. But the two often parallel each other and may even include versions of the same stories. Russell Frank discussed modern "newslore" in his book talk at the Library of Congress, "Newslore: Contemporary Folklore on the Internet."

Leading up to the Great Moon Hoax was another story published in June, 1835. Edgar Allen Poe wrote a story in  the Southern Literary Messenger, told as if true: "Hans Phaall, a Tale." It described the return of an explorer to his native Holland with stories of life and adventures on the moon. In his day, a satire was counted as successful if a good portion of its readers thought it to be true. But in this case Poe's sense of humor betrayed him and his article was quickly recognized as fiction by many of his readers. TheSouthern Literary Messenger was a periodical of fact and fiction that was only ten months old when Poe wrote this story, so it did not have a wide circulation at that time.

But someone, likely a writer on the staff of The New York Sun, either read Poe's story or was thinking along the same lines. There was excitement about the return of Comet Halley expected in the fall and a predicted transit of Mercury, as well as astronomer John Herschel's expedition to catalog the stars of the southern hemisphere. In the world of philosophy, the Scottish minister, amateur astronomer, and popular author, Rev. Thomas Dick, was making imaginative claims about intelligent life on other worlds. For example, he calculated the population of the solar system at over twenty-one trillion. This was a time of exciting events, theories, and claims. Stories playing on curiosity about astronomy could sell newspapers.

The author of the Great Moon Hoax series, unlike Poe, composed the serialized article as if reported by an astronomer who had accompanied Herschel on his expedition, the fictitious Andrew Grant.  He included many quotes from Herschel, reporting discoveries made through close observation the moon. The articles cited the Edinburgh Journal of Science as the source for the story and was written in a style similar to that of both William and John Herschel. They may even have been inspired by an 1824 article by the German astronomer Baron Franz von Paula Gruithuisen, with a title that translates into English as "Discovery of Many Distinct Traces of Lunar Inhabitants, Especially of One of Their Colossal Buildings" (in German).

While Poe had begun his story with the dramatic appearance of a balloon-like craft arriving from the moon, the author of the Moon Hoax articles reeled his readers in slowly, beginning with the reasons for the expedition to South Africa and an elaborate description of a new type of telescope invented by Herschel. This grounded the story in some facts. Herschel had gone to South Africa, taking with him a  large reflecting telescope he had built, though Herschel's telescope was not combined with the latest in microscope technology as described in the story. Towards the end of the second installment, the forests and plants of the moon were described with a few birds and mammals, including a unicorn-like creature. At this point other newspapers began reprinting the story from the beginning.  In the third installment, the author described the geography, flora, and fauna of the moon in greater detail, with miniature bison and beavers that stood on two legs. A live volcano was described, which corresponded to William Herschel's report of what seemed to be a volcanoes in his observations in 1787.[3] The segment concluded with a description of an island with cliffs studded with sapphires. This had Americans talking.  In the fourth installment on August 28, 1835, the world learned that Herschel and his team had discovered humanoids: "We could then perceive that they possessed wings of great expansion, and were similar in structure to this of the bat, being a semi-transparent membrane expanded in curvilineal divisions by means of straight radii, united at the back by the dorsal integuments. But what astonished us very much was the circumstance of this membrane being continued, from the shoulders to the legs, united all the way down, though gradually decreasing in width." Two more exciting installments followed, ending with an unfortunate accident in which the powerful lens of the telescope causes a fire, disrupting the research. (The full text may be found on the Museum of Hoaxes website.)

What happened next is a mix of history and legend, as the Moon Hoax itself has legends attached to it. One idea about this story from the time of its publication until the present day it was widely believed and represents an example of the gullibility of the public. But the hoax was carefully crafted to appear to be a genuine scientific report of its day. Hershel, who actually was doing research in South Africa, was not able to respond quickly to deny the claims. The August 28th edition describing winged people did tip the scales, and led many to stop believing the reports. On the 29th several papers cried hoax. The New York Evening Post, (page 3) a competing paper, ran an editorial that began "If Jonah swallowed a whale, according to one version of the story, he did not take down a larger mouthful than some of the sage conductors of the [illegible] quarter of the world show themselves capable of doing when they swallow, without a wry face, the ingenious hoax about certain lunar discoveries, a portion of which was published yesterday, and give another portion  this forenoon."  On the same day the  Massachusetts paper, The Gloucester Telegraph,not only informed its readers that the account was probably a hoax, but named papers that believed the articles to be authentic and those that "speak of it as mere moonshine" (page 2).

Many believed that the author of the hoax was the British-born journalist Richard Adams Locke, and he was accused in the press.  On August 31, the date of the last installment of the article, Locke replied to his accusers with a letter to The New York Evening Post, which was widely reprinted, expressing shock that anyone would think he was the author of the story. He wrote, "I beg to state, as unequivocally as the words can express it, that I did not make those discoveries and it is my sincere conviction, founded on a careful examination of the internal evidence of the work in which they first appeared, that, if made at all, they were made by the great astronomer to whom all Europe, if not an incredulous America, will undoubtedly ascribe them. "  On September 5th, Philadelphia's Atkinson's Saturday Evening Post, reprinted Locke's non-denial denial, followed by an advertisement for a real estate auction for "nine thousand building lots situated in the territory recently discovered by Sir John Herschel. The tract composed of three lots is that in which the vegetable gold is found. It has hitherto been sold as pasture land, giving nourishment to large flocks of sheep with one horn and a flap over their eyes, which will be sold with the lots, if desired…." [4]

"Scoperte fatte nella luna dal Sigr. Herschell," an illustration from an Italian reprint of the story, likely published after it had been shown to be a hoax. Follow the link to the Prints and Photographs Catalog for more information.

The popularity of the story as it traveled across the globe was likely also fueled by the conflicting claims of truth or hoax. This is what everyone was talking about. Those who believed and those who disbelieved were equally eager to read the next installment. Some papers reprinted the story with editorials or disclaimers, and as seen from the above examples, some of these were entertaining as well. But it took several weeks for the cries of "hoax" to begin to catch up with the "news" of the discovery. Even long after the initial event, the story was reprinted in the US and abroad, because now it was news as one of the great journalistic hoaxes of all time.

The late Linda Dégh famously wrote that legends are crafted to excite debate on subjects of great importance.  Legends, she argued, invite those who believe and those who disbelieve to test the boundaries of our knowledge. Disclaimers and attempts to disprove legends can often spread the story further. Hoaxes sometimes work in much the same way, perpetuated as much by the interest of those who disbelieve a story as those who believe it.[5]

Poe suspected his own story idea had been stolen and reworked for The Sun, and he was sure that Richard Adams Locke was the culprit. Historians today generally agree that Locke was the most likely author. But The Sun did not retract the story or reveal the name of the author. This became a story in itself, a story about how newspapers should behave. An occasional hoax might be forgiven, but there were objections to the failure of the editors of The Sun to own up to the truth once the hoax was unveiled.

Edgar Allan Poe, whose own story had been eclipsed by the hoax, did get even in a number of ways.  He wrote another story, "The Great Balloon Hoax," based on the Great Moon Hoax, which was more successful at fooling some of his readers. Better still, it was published by Richard Adams Locke.  Today Poe's story about Hans Phaall is considered an early example of science fiction. Jules Verne, a fan of Poe, had read the story of Hans Phaall and "The Balloon Hoax"and is thought to have been inspired to write his novels From the Earth to the Moon and Around the World in Eighty Days by these early works by Poe.

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Just Call Him “Doc” : NLS Guitar Materials Featuring Doc Watson

August 28, 2014 by Amanda Smith

I grew up in the foothills of North Carolina in an area where music styles and lyrics known to the Southern Appalachians trickled down and nestled in my bones. In writing about the music culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains, what would a discussion of NC mountain music be without the mention of legendary guitar player Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson? Watson lost his sight at infancy, but went on to become one of the greatest folk musicians of the twentieth — and twenty-first — centuries.

I saw Watson perform during my undergraduate studies. He was accompanied by David Holt who led him on stage and prompted him to tell stories and anecdotes about his songs and how he learned them. 

Not just for the guitar player, but for all those with a hankering for folk, the NLS Music Section has:

• Flatpick Country Guitar, by Happy Traum and the Homespun Tapes company (you may recall Traum from my earlier post). As its title indicates, this book teaches flatpicking styles — of Watson, but of other great artists too — of performers with distinct playing techniques like the Carter Family (see book number DBM00473). Also, we have Fingerpicking, another work of the company Homespun (see book number DBM00497). 
• Ninety and Nine is the title of a single song, which musician/teacher Bill Brown uses as an instructional recording detailing how to play guitar in the style of Watson and Chet Atkins (see book number DBM02215).  

In mentioning Doc Watson, many folk music enthusiasts are familiar with the name Eddy Merle Watson, Doc's late son. Maybe you have heard of Merlefest? It is a yearly music festival that sports many a big name in the folk and bluegrass world in the hills of western North Carolina, established to honor the life of Merle following his premature death in 1985. In 1973, twenty-four year old Merle was a known name in the music industry, evidenced by an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine in an article titled "Doc Watson and His Tall Drink O' Water Merle." It was left to interpretation in the publication as to whether or not he was fully aware of his talent or accepted it as anything more than a means to pass time.

I mention Merle to draw focus on one more selection from our collection, for the more advanced player:           

• Country Guitar Styles, narrated by Merle, opens discussion with how he started playing. On his first tour he met Mississippi John Hurt, who would inspire him to write. A major theme of this book is playing technique, which Merle — joined later by Doc — goes to great lengths to demonstrate, slowing down sections of songs in order to highlight strumming, thumb technique, lead picking, etc. And, the two offer up talk about what Merle calls "twin fingerstyle," showing off duets with double picking (see book number DBM01201).     

The night I heard Watson play, maybe I would have realized I was experiencing one of the best folk artists surely to come along within my generation if I had been a little bit older, or a little more skilled in my interests of pursuing the history of vernacular music. But, then, maybe that would have distracted me from just listening. 

When Watson passed away in the spring of 2012, I felt the weight of a legacy, that which a great artist's life can leave behind.

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NASA's Spitzer Telescope Witnesses Asteroid Smashup

This artist's concept shows the immediate aftermath of a large asteroid impact around NGC 2547-ID8, a 35-million-year-old sun-like star. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope witnessed a giant surge in dust around the star, likely the result of two asteroids colliding.

Image Credit: 

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Full image and caption

Astronomers were surprised to see these data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope in January 2013, showing a huge eruption of dust around a star called NGC 2547-ID8. In this plot, infrared brightness is represented on the vertical axis, and time on the horizontal axis.

Image Credit: 

NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has spotted an eruption of dust around a young star, possibly the result of a smashup between large asteroids. This type of collision can eventually lead to the formation of planets.

Scientists had been regularly tracking the star, called NGC 2547-ID8, when it surged with a huge amount of fresh dust between August 2012 and January 2013.

"We think two big asteroids crashed into each other, creating a huge cloud of grains the size of very fine sand, which are now smashing themselves into smithereens and slowly leaking away from the star," said lead author and graduate student Huan Meng of the University of Arizona, Tucson.

While dusty aftermaths of suspected asteroid collisions have been observed by Spitzer before, this is the first time scientists have collected data before and after a planetary system smashup. The viewing offers a glimpse into the violent process of making rocky planets like ours.

Rocky planets begin life as dusty material circling around young stars. The material clumps together to form asteroids that ram into each other. Although the asteroids often are destroyed, some grow over time and transform into proto-planets. After about 100 million years, the objects mature into full-grown, terrestrial planets. Our moon is thought to have formed from a giant impact between proto-Earth and a Mars-size object.

In the new study, Spitzer set its heat-seeking infrared eyes on the dusty star NGC 2547-ID8, which is about 35 million years old and lies 1,200 light-years away in the Vela constellation. Previous observations had already recorded variations in the amount of dust around the star, hinting at possible ongoing asteroid collisions. In hope of witnessing an even larger impact, which is a key step in the birth of a terrestrial planet, the astronomers turned to Spitzer to observe the star regularly. Beginning in May 2012, the telescope began watching the star, sometimes daily.

A dramatic change in the star came during a time when Spitzer had to point away from NGC 2547-ID8 because our sun was in the way. When Spitzer started observing the star again five months later, the team was shocked by the data they received.

"We not only witnessed what appears to be the wreckage of a huge smashup, but have been able to track how it is changing -- the signal is fading as the cloud destroys itself by grinding its grains down so they escape from the star," said Kate Su of the University of Arizona and co-author on the study. "Spitzer is the best telescope for monitoring stars regularly and precisely for small changes in infrared light over months and even years."

A very thick cloud of dusty debris now orbits the star in the zone where rocky planets form. As the scientists observe the star system, the infrared signal from this cloud varies based on what is visible from Earth. For example, when the elongated cloud is facing us, more of its surface area is exposed and the signal is greater. When the head or the tail of the cloud is in view, less infrared light is observed. By studying the infrared oscillations, the team is gathering first-of-its-kind data on the detailed process and outcome of collisions that create rocky planets like Earth.

"We are watching rocky planet formation happen right in front of us," said George Rieke, a University of Arizona co-author of the new study. "This is a unique chance to study this process in near real-time."

The team is continuing to keep an eye on the star with Spitzer. They will see how long the elevated dust levels persist, which will help them calculate how often such events happen around this and other stars, and they might see another smashup while Spitzer looks on.

The results of this study are posted online Thursday in the journal Science.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Spacecraft operations are based at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Littleton, Colorado. Data are archived at the Infrared Science Archive housed at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at Caltech. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

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4 Essentials Your Financial Advisor Should Have

The Client-Advisor Relationship Must NOT Be Overlooked, Says Industry Veteran

Shocking stats continue to make news regarding America's preparedness for retirement, including the fact that one of five citizens near retirement age have zero money put away for the golden years, according to statistics recently released from the Federal Reserve.

About 20 percent of pre-retirees have nothing stocked away, and 31 percent of the total population also has no money for retirement. 

"This issue is making news regularly, and financial planning for retirement advertisements have spiked in recent years, in case you haven't noticed," says Rodger Alan Friedman, author of "Forging Bonds of Steel," (www.forgingbondsofsteel.com/).

"If nothing else, I hope the increased focus is lighting a fire under those who are near retirement, and I hope future generations are taking notes."

Just as the average person needs to get real with their own finances, advisors also need to get real with their clients. That means having several traits, says Friedman, who reviews them.

•  Competence: When advisors are unsure of themselves, it comes through. When presented with a set of facts, new advisors may not recognize what they are dealing with, or its importance. A seasoned advisor, on the other hand, has dealt with many clients with numerous problems several times over and knows what it takes to solve a problem. That's why I feel that an experienced financial advisor is the best answer for someone in need of retirement income and financial planning. Also, financial advisors should be very well-read, with self-imposed reading requirements. Learning new ideas and revisiting old ones keeps veteran advisors fresh.

•  Empathy: What is a client going through? Advisors must have their antennae up. Tears, anger, regrets and frustration are often bound with a person's finances, and "I have met very few 22-year-olds who can fully understand the struggles, worries and dreams most people experience throughout a lifetime," he says. Advisors have to develop an approach that helps clients feel comfortable in discussing difficult matters. The client needs to understand that the advisor truly cares and is not there merely for a transaction.

•  Ability to listen: " 'You have to have two ears and one mouth,' my mother used to say; she made it clear that I should be listening twice as much as I was talking, and that advice has served me well in my life and career," Friedman says. Clients come to an advisor for professional expertise, but they don't want to be lectured. Advisors have to first listen to clients – their problems, needs and hopes – before offering a professional response. The conversation should flow easily both ways as an advisor and client get to the heart of matters in an atmosphere of mutual respect. 

•  Perspective & insight:Perspective and insight are like twins: wherever there is one, the other is not far behind. Planners gain perspective and insight through thousands of hours of listening, collaborating, advising and acting as a steward of the financial assets and dreams of the families they serve. You know when you're in the presence of these "twins;" it is often said that people with both see with their intellect – they possess vision. Clients should keep their antennae up for these traits when meeting a prospective advisor. Pay attention to how he or she may, as if without effort, intelligently guide the two-way conversation.

About Rodger Alan Friedman

Rodger Alan Friedman grew up working in his family's New York City laundry, where he learned a strong work ethic – and about the type of work he didn't want to do. After earning a degree in political science, he became a real-estate agent trainee, then performed compliance audits for a large Wall Street brokerage firm, eventually became a stock broker, and then financial advisor and wealth management professional. Friedman's passion persists today while advising affluent retirees and near-retirees in structuring their planning and investments for the next phase of their lives. He is a managing director, founding partner and wealth manager at Steward Partners Global Advisory in the Washington metropolitan area.

Opinions expressed are those of Rodger Friedman and not necessarily those of RJFS or Raymond James. All opinions are as of this date are of subject to change without notice.

Rodger Friedman is a Wealth Manager and offers securities through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. Rodger Friedman can be contacted at 855-414-3140, and via emailRodger.Friedman@StewardPartners.com.

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Songs of the Working Man and Woman August 28, 2014

Ford factory workers in Labor Day parade, Detroit, Michigan, 1942. Farm Security Admin., Prints & Photographs Division. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.fsaowi

by Karen Fishman

In the United States, the first Monday of September is the holiday celebrating American workers. Labor Day became a legal holiday in 1894 and while it has morphed into a day of shopping, picnics, speeches and sadly, summer's farewell, the true meaning of the day, celebrating the American worker, should not be forgotten. In its honor we're offering a complete Labor Day broadcast by Studs Terkel plus a track listing.

News photo of Studs Terkel, 1979.

Studs Terkel, the Chicago oral historian, author and radio host, always commemorated Labor Day with a program he devoted to the working man and woman. First airing in 1960, his program featured songs about sailors, farmers, miners, railroad workers, street callers and ended with the satiricalHallelujah, I'm a Bum!  Terkel wove commentary, psalms and poems throughout his broadcast reciting American poet Edwin Markham's poem,The Man with the Hoe,  W. H. Davies poem,Leisure, and The Wayfarer, by Stephen Crane, among others. 

 

Listen to the entire 1974 Labor Day broadcast (it takes about 8 seconds to load). The songs and poems you'll hear include:

[media player not shown]

1.  An excerpt from Psalm 107.

2.  Haul on the Bowline, a traditional short-drag sea shanty used for few pulls on a rope, in this case, the bowline.

3.  The Man with the Hoe, poem by Edwin Markham.  It's said Markham was inspired to write his poem after seeing the painting  L'homme à la houe by the French artist, Jean-François Millet.

2.  The Farmer Boy Song, traditional English folk song performed by J.O. Abbatt, a Canadian lumberjack and farmer.

3.  The Shantyman's Life, a song about the life of a lumberman, performed by Pete Seeger.

4.  Boll Weevil Blues, performed by Lead Belly (Huddie Ledbetter) and recorded by Alan Lomax in 1934.

5.  Gartan Mother's Lullabye, written by Herbert Hughes and Joseph Campbell in 1904 and performed by Mary O'Hara, Irish soprano and harpist.

6.  Hunger, monologe by Aunt Molly Jackson, a traditional singer and story teller from Clay County, Kentucky.  Recorded by Alan Lomax in 1935.

7.  Sixteen Tons, describes a coal miner's life, performed by Merle Travis.

8.  The Collier Laddie, traditional English folk song, performed by Ewan MacColl.

9.  Fresh peanuts caller,  John Henry Johnson.

10.  The Cobbler, Irish folk song performed by Tommy Makem.

11.  Hallelujah I'm a Bum, an I.W.W. (Industrial Workers of the World) song.  Harry McClintok wrote the parody to a hymn, Revive Us Again, written by John Jenkins Husband in the early 1800s. Performed by Fats Waller.

12.  I Ride an Old Paint, a cowboy song frequently used to calm down cattle and keep them from stampeding, performed by Harry Jackson.

13. Railroad caller, Joe Warner.

14.  Automation, a  satirical song about new factory technology, performed by Joe Glazer.

15.  Money, poem by Richard Armor.

15.  Talking Fishing Blues, performed by Woody Guthrie.

16.  The Wayfarer, poem by Stephen Crane.

17.  Amazing Grace, performed by Horton Barker.  Terkel says this is the hardest work of all.

18.  Hallelujah, I'm a Bum, performed by Utah Phillips.

19.  Reprise of Hallelujah, I'm a Bum, performed by Fats Waller.

 

The entire Studs Terkel Collection of sound recording is currently being digitized at the Library's National Audio-Visual Conservation Center under an agreement with the Chicago History Museum. The recordings are available for listening in the Recorded Sound Research Center. You can find other programs at the The Studs Terkel / WFMT Oral History Archives, online at both Chicago History Museum and the Studs Terkel Archive.

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LIVE MUSIC IMPORTED FROM GERMANY

 Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest Brings in Two German Bands to Perform Live,

Expands Outdoor Stage, Adds Contests and Even Gets Unplugged for a Night

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif./ August 28, 2014 – The 44^th Annual Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest celebrates German-style excitement for seven straight weekends with more German flare than ever before. This year, Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest presents not one, but two German bands on the second, third and fourth weekends of the seven-weekend stretch that starts September 13 and endsOctober 25.

Each band performs traditional polkas and sing-alongs mixed with today's hottest dance hits. The Goldeizen Band, an eight-piece band that hails from Bavaria, performsSeptember 20, 21 and 27. The Goldeizen Band has gained the attention of its fellow countrymen when it was nominated in 2013 for the Best Oktoberfest Hits CD produced by the world-renowned Munich Oktoberfest. The Aalbachtal Express, also from Southern Germany, performs September 28, October 3, 4 and 5. This 11-piece band has played together for 35 years strong, and has grown a solid reputation throughout Europe for its authenticity and upbeat live shows. The Express Band, Southern California's premier German band perform the first weekend (Sept. 13-14) and final two and a half weekends (Oct. 11-12, 18-19, and 25). Each band slated to perform at Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest plays a unique blend of traditional German polkas and American pop music. 

"It's the bands that really bring a feel-good vibe to our Oktoberfest," said Monica Marini, director of The Convention Center at Big Bear Lake. "This is the first time that we'll have two different bands from Germany performing in the same year. It gives our patrons an opportunity to see two different versions of authentic German music. Of course, our local Express band knows a thing or two about traditional German song and dance too, and they always get the dance floor moving!"

In addition to the main stage inside the Convention Center is an outdoor stage in the Spaten Bier Garten called Spaten Rocktoberfest Stage. The stage was added to give festival goers more entertainment and keep a lively atmosphere throughout the festival grounds. Also, it now provides an extra stage for log sawing and stein holding contests.

Fun competitions and contests at Oktoberfest include log sawing, stein carrying, shoot & yodel, a version of beer pong, sausage eating, stein holding, and limbo dancing. Children's fun and games include pretzel eating contests, kiddy mug holding matches and Midway carnival-style games. TheChicken Dance is the definitive favorite dance at Oktoberfest and always amusing. Every weekend expect to see a huge dance floor filled with hundreds of revelers clucking away to the Chicken Dance.

Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest once again goes "Unplugged" for one Friday night in October. This special event give patrons an inside look at the early days of Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest and its 44-year old history through storytelling and song and dance. The intimate Friday evening event presents a fine dining experience with a five-course German dinner paired with a variety of German beers and spirits. Oktoberfest Unplugged includes traditional German polkas and sing-alongs as well as amusing storytelling by Oktoberfest founder/ Über -Burgermeister Hans Bandows and other Oktoberfest personalities. TheFriday evening Oktoberfest Unplugged date is Friday, October 17. The cost is $97 per person, which includes a five-course pairing meal, entertainment, a commemorative one-liter dimple stein, and free admission for the Saturday and Sunday Oktoberfest celebration.

The Big Bear Lake Oktoberfest beginsSaturday, September 13 and runs for seven consecutive weekends through Saturday, October 25, 2014. The weekend festivities take place at The Convention Center of Big Bear Lake located at 42900 Big Bear Blvd. Big Bear Oktoberfest kicks off with American's Hero weekend on Saturday, September 13 offering free admission for all past and present military, fire fighters and law enforcement. The first three weekends (Sept. 13-14 to Sept. 27-28) general admission on Saturdays is $14 for adults, $10 for seniors (65+), and $8 for children 12 and under; Sunday admission prices are $7 for adults, $5 for seniors with children 12 and under FREE. The next four weekends (Oct. 4 to Oct. 25) general admission on Saturdays is $18 for adults, $14 for seniors (65+), and $8 for children 12 and under; Sunday admission prices $9 for adults, $5 for seniors with children 12 and under FREE. Oktoberfest Unplugged events on October 17 are $97 per person. For more details regarding online ticket savings, Burgermeister and Über Burgermeister Party Packs, Kindermeister Party Packs (kid's fun packs) and general information, log on towww.BigBearEvents.com or call 909-585-3000.  

For all there is to see and do in Big Bear, make lodging reservations or request a free Visitors Guide log on to www.bigbear.com or call 800-424-4232. 

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EPA Takes Action to Protect Public from Hazardous Waste

EPA Takes Action to Protect Public from Hazardous Waste Fines SUNY Downstate Medical Center for Improper Storage and Handling of Hazardous Waste

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a legal complaint against SUNY Downstate Medical Center for violating federal hazardous waste law. The hospital must come into compliance with hazardous waste requirements and faces fines up to $156,710 for the improper management and storage of hazardous wastes in two buildings in its Brooklyn, New York campus. EPA inspections revealed the hospital had generated and stored chemical wastes in corroded and leaking containers, many of which were not properly labeled.

"Hospitals and research facilities should take steps to reduce the generation of hazardous waste, and ensure wastes are properly stored and handled," said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. "When not properly handled, hazardous wastes can pose a danger to employees and those living in the surrounding community."

Under federal hazardous waste law, hazardous wastes must be stored, handled and disposed of properly to safeguard public health and the environment. Facilities must also have properly trained staff, as improperly stored hazardous waste can spill and pose a risk to people and the environment.

In June 2013, the EPA conducted inspections of SUNY Downstate Medical Center's campus. Among the violations of federal hazardous waste law discovered during these inspections were:

The failure to determine which substances should be considered hazardous waste to ensure that they are managed properly.

The storage of hazardous waste without a permit. Owners or operators of facilities used for the treatment, storage or disposal of hazardous waste must first obtain a permit or qualify for interim status, unless they meet certain conditions for short term storage of waste without a permit.

The failure to maintain and operate its facilities in a manner that minimized the possibility of a fire, explosion or accidental release of chemicals.

The failure to ship hazardous waste to an authorized facility.

The failure to use hazardous waste manifests for the transportation of hazardous wastes from its facility. Generators of hazardous waste must prepare a manifest before shipping hazardous waste for transport off-site.

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Artist Concept: Space Launch System Takes Flight

Artist concept of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) 70-metric-ton configuration launching to space. SLS will be the most powerful rocket ever built for deep space missions, including to an asteroid and ultimately to Mars. The first SLS mission -- Exploration Mission 1 -- will launch an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the moon and bring it back to Earth to demonstrate the integrated system performance of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft's re-entry and landing prior to a crewed flight.

Image credit: NASA/MSFC

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New Online Community Seeks to Crowdsource Teacher Leadership to Improve Education

"Commit to Lead" Advances Leadership Ideas from the Classroom and Beyond

AUGUST 28, 2014

Contact:  

 Press Office, U.S. Department of Education, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov 

Aparna Kumar, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, (703) 312-7283, akumar@nbpts.org 

As students and teachers across the country head back to school, the U.S. Department of Education and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards today unveiled Commit to Lead, a new online community that makes it easy for educators to share ideas for teacher leadership and collaborate to bring these ideas to fruition. The community enables educators everywhere to provide feedback and vote on each other's ideas, allowing the most talked about ideas to rise to the top so they can gain traction and prominence in the field. Commit to Lead is the online platform of Teach to Lead, an initiative to promote teacher leadership convened by the Department and the National Board.

"Commit to Lead directly engages educators in defining what teacher leadership can and should look like in their communities, so that collectively we can help make teacher leadership part of the fabric and culture of every school," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "It builds on the great work that already exists in the field, and invites the creation of new ideas. It represents one step in our ongoing commitment to listen to educators and support their vital leadership of their profession."

Commit to Lead invites members to post quick ideas—in under 300 words—that advance teacher leadership in their school, district or state to address a pressing problem in education and improve student outcomes. Reflecting the diversity of teacher leadership efforts, members are asked to select from a broad list of categories for their idea. To ensure a productive dialogue, the community does not allow political statements or advertisements, only genuine ideas and input to advance teacher leadership. Members can promote their ideas on social media, helping to spur the conversation beyond their own school buildings and districts, and can search existing ideas by keywords and location.

"In all true professions, the voices of accomplished practitioners are at the forefront of shaping policy and practice—the same must be true for teaching," said Ronald Thorpe, president and CEO of the National Board. "The National Board is working with the U.S. Department of Education and supporters to build a continuum in teaching that makes board certification the norm for teachers and supports multiple paths for more experienced teachers to spread their expertise to their colleagues through both formal and informal roles."

Ideas posted during a beta launch of Commit to Lead include:

• Adding teacher perspective to state policy by inviting state education leaders to visit classrooms to speak directly with teachers and inviting educators to participate in feedback sessions and working groups at the State Department of Education. (Submitted by member in Plantsville, Connecticut.)
• Building a pipeline of new teacher leaders by creating a partnership between a college of education and a local K-12 school connecting freshman pre-service teachers with established teacher leaders. (Submitted by a member in Palatine, Illinois.)
• Starting an online professional learning community for Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers to share resources and strategies for integrating literacy into their classes. (Submitted by a member in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.)
• Training lead teachers to serve as peer observers to provide feedback and support to their fellow teachers. (Submitted by a member in Palo Alto, California.)

The National Board also is working to cultivate teacher leadership through its Network to Transform Teaching (NT3) initiative, which is engaging labor, management and practitioners across six sites to strengthen polices and structures for teachers to attain board certification and serve in instructional leadership roles in high-need schools. Through its Teacher Leadership Initiative with the National Education Association and the Center for Teaching Quality, the National Board has helped develop a set of teacher leadership competencies, which articulate teacher leadership along three pathways: instructional leadership, policy leadership and association leadership.

The U.S. Department of Education has promoted teacher leadership in multiple ways through grants such as Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED), Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) and Investing in Innovation (i3), as well as through programs such as the RESPECT Project, which engaged educators in a nationwide dialogue for transforming the teaching profession and resulted in a blueprint. In addition, through the Teaching and Principal Ambassador Fellows program, educators spend a year at the Department in integrated roles to shape education policy and programs.

About Teach to Lead (www.teachtolead.org)
Teach to Lead is a joint initiative of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the U.S. Department of Education that is focused on expanding opportunities for teacher leadership in ways that enhance student learning and make it possible for teachers to stay in the classroom while leading in the profession.

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