(Continuing the policy of promoting diaries from officeholders and officeseekers. Some text moved subfolda to conserve real estate on the FP. – promoted by kestrel9000)

For over a decade, our nation has honored Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday and participated in community service.  I have my own reasons.  My father risked his life fighting for civil rights down South, and was sentenced to jail for two years where he was assigned to a prison chain gain and went on hunger strikes to protest being thrown into solitary confinement without cause.   So on MLK day, I feel as if I am honoring both my father and Dr. King by making sure I take time to help others in my community.

Today, many Vermonters are struggling.  Nonprofit organizations who support low-income Vermonters, provide retraining to the unemployed, and give support to children are stretched beyond thin.  The populations they serve are growing at the same time that their revenue sources are cutting back on philanthropic giving.  Worse, those that get public funding are learning about massive reductions in the coming year.  

Fortunately, serving others is a strong Vermont tradition. When I was the head of AmeriCorps*VISTA, I learned that Vermont had more Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and VISTA alumni per capita than any other state. “Why?” I was asked.  “What is it about Vermont that makes it, “The Service State?”

My answer: we understand at a fundamental level the importance of community, particularly during hard times.  This might explain why we have such strong volunteer support for our nonprofits; why Green Up Day so quickly became a state tradition; and why we are known throughout the world as a leader in social entrepreneurship.

But this is not a recent phenomenon. As Calvin Coolidge wrote in his most famous speech about the state of his birth:

“I love Vermont because of her hills and valleys, Her scenery and invigorating climate, but most of all because of her indomitable people. They are a race of pioneers who have almost beggared themselves  to serve others.”

Those of us in public life have a particular obligation to lead by example.

As Dr. King said, “Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.” Now more than ever, we have the opportunity to come together on this national day of service and show the country how, once again, the small state of Vermont can lead a nation.

This Monday, I hope Vermonters will join me as we give back to the State we love.  Under the leadership of the “VISTA Mayor” Peter Clavelle, Burlington’s CEDO became a national model for public private partnerships that support a broad spectrum of nonprofit organizations to strengthen a city.  I will be joining the CEDO activities in Burlington, but you can find projects near you at http://vtcncs.vermont.gov/MLKDay

Martin Luther King and my father knew that their sacrifices were more than just about voting and sitting in the front of a bus.  They were about finding the passion in all of us to ensure all people are empowered to succeed. If there was ever a state that could achieve this dream, it would be the service state of Vermont.

Please also remember those in Haiti who are enduring some horrific problems. While most of us can’t be there in person, giving to organizations that can will make a big difference at this time and is also a superb way to celebrate Dr. King’s live. As MLK famously said, “An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” To find a relief organization click here: Crises Response Page.

Sometimes there are clear and obvious reasons that birds wander into very unusual territory.  In the case of the Northern Hawk Owl, for example, they tend to get pushed south when their natural food supply is weak in North American Boreal Forest so they are pushed south.  

This is not a frequent occurrence, but it does happen from time to time.  Last year, there were Northern Hawk Owls spotted throughout New England when there hadn’t been one identified in the region for nearly a decade prior.  We also had enormous numbers of pine siskins routinely in our yard, when I’d never seen more than one or two at a time before.  (at one point, we counted over 150).

And then there’s this guy:

The bird doesn’t look that much like anything unusual, but the black-tailed gull is not a bird that hangs out in an entirely different part of the Atlantic.  It hangs out in an entirely different part of the Pacific and, for some reason, in October of 2005 it hung out in Lake Champlain (Eastern US, between Vermont and New York).  

I remember this in particular because it was when we first realized we weren’t just kind of into birding, but really into birding.  We drove more than 6 hours just to see an unusual gull, and we were really happy we did it.

But the next rare bird chase was the one that verified it.   The Western Reef Heron is a bird that has only been identified in the United States four times.  We went to Kittery, ME, to find it,  It took us the better part of the day.  We got there early and it wasn’t in its usual harbor.  But there were birders everywhere looking for it and that’s when we realized that birders are kind of awesome.  Not only did people help us with tips, people who recognized us from the morning pulled over to give us leads when they spotted us down the line.  When we finally found the bird and got good looks at it, it was entirely because other birders led us there.  I remember one point at which we had the bird, but it flew across the harbor.  Then someone spotted a group of birders on the other side of the water getting really excited, put his scope on them to see where they were looking and then we all ran to our cars (“to the birdmobile!”) to get to the new spot.  Eventually I got some photos of the bird:

notice that there are two birds in that photo.  The white morph of the western reef heron is extremely similar to the snowy egret shown next to it.  We suspect that it simply ended up with the wrong flock, following around a bunch of snowy egrets, assuming they were its kin.

Other birds are not unheard of, but very uncommon.  This rufous hummingbird, for example…

>

…is believed to be trending east.  We’re seeing more frequent sightings of them on our coast, but it was still a real treat to find one close to home:

Things get weirder when it comes to nesting behavior.  This Mississippi Kite not only decided to visit Newmarket, NH.  It actually decided to start a family.  It had an active nest in the area and successfully fledged chicks:

But right now, my favorite of these unusual migrants is the Sage Thrasher for one fairly simple reason: I saw my first one yesterday.  A Western Bird, for some reason, has shown up in Salisbury, MA.  Here it is feeding on juniper berries:

There are lots of reasons that birds end up off their usual paths.  In some cases, we have irruptions, which are mass migrations beyond the normal territory to look for stronger food sources (note the siskins I referenced before).  This is especially common when there is a boon year for a bird’s food source, followed by a weaker year produces larger numbers of birds than usual, with less food to share, forcing them into new territory.

But that’s generally a minor expansion: a few hundred miles further south than usual.   Crossing a whole continent?  A bird which winters in the Baja Peninsula showing up in frigid New England?  A Japanese bird showing up in Lake Champlain?

I don’t know what causes this.  It might be a bird that just wanders off its path.  It might be a bird that was taken as a pet and released.  It might simply be a bird having been stuck in a cargo hold for a couple days until it found a way out when the hold was opened.  

I really have no answers to this, but I love these opportunities to see things that are almost unheard of in my territory.  Sage Thrasher?  I vaguely remember having heard of one before but until this week, it was completely off my radar, and as of yesterday, I’ve got a new life bird.  

I’ll close with a photo I’ve posted many times before: the earlier referenced Northern Hawk Owl

Mental health, its funding mechanisms, delivery, methods, and treatments are always a critical component of public health policy. Although I was tempted to use this piece here as a commentary of sorts, it’s really not necessary, although I suppose one  could view these photos as a metaphor for the state of health care in this country. They've made an indelible impression on my psyche, that's for sure.

  Jump below the fold for a glimpse into a forgotten place, one of a rather dismal era in mental health care.

The abandoned Hudson River State Hospital (originally called Hudson River State Hospital for the Insane), which I visited recently, is more or less right on the Hudson, in Poughkeepsie, NY. The 160 acre campus was first built in the late 1800's. The plan was known as a Kirkbride system, an institutional plan developed by Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride:

Once state-of-the-art mental healthcare facilities, Kirkbride buildings have long been relics of an obsolete therapeutic method known as Moral Treatment. In the latter half of the 19th century, these massive structures were conceived as ideal sanctuaries for the mentally ill and as an active participant in their recovery. Careful attention was given to every detail of their design to promote a healthy environment and convey a sense of respectable decorum. Placed in secluded areas within expansive grounds, many of these insane asylums seemed almost palace-like from the outside. But growing populations and insufficient funding led to unfortunate conditions, spoiling their idealistic promise.  

Within decades of their first conception, new treatment methods and hospital design concepts emerged and the Kirkbride plan was eventually discarded. Many existing Kirkbride buildings maintained a central place in the institutions which began within their walls, but by the end of the 20th century most had been completely abandoned or demolished. A few have managed to survive into the 21st century intact and still in use, but many that survive sit abandoned and decaying—their mysterious grandeur intensified by their derelict condition.

The northern part of the campus houses the Kirkbride setup, with this gothic, massive structure as its centerpiece:

Inside the main building, which at one time housed some patients. It became primarily an administrative center, and had labs and quarters in its earlier years:  

The main building was flanked by a male and female ward. In most Kirks, the wards are symmetrical, but at Hudson, the male ward was much bigger, due to both financial considerations and many more male inmates. The wards were more or less empty by the late 70's, and the main building was active until the nineties.

The male ward was completely gutted by fire in 2007. This was taken from the roof of the main building:

The female ward, is still standing. However, it is in an advanced state of decay:  

As we explored these ruins, I cannot even begin to describe the intensity of it all. Aside from the obvious heightened senses due to the darkness and avoiding the obvious structural perils, the mind wanders. You know all those cliched "abandoned mental hospital" stories? This is exactly what they were about. As I looked in the various rooms, such as the one below, I could envision the sadness and torment that was so prevalent in this institution, which once housed over 6,000 patients.

There are also many buildings behind the main one. There were maintenance buildings, staff quarters and residences, a massive power plant and several churches. There was lots of farmland, as well, as it played a critical role in Kirkbride's "Moral Therapy'.  

You can view the entire slideshow of the Kirkbride here.  

South of the Kirkbride is a cluster of more modern buildings, such as the ominous, ten-story Cheney Building (no, it's not named after Dick, but it would've been appropriate). It was built in the mid-50's:  

This was not a nice place. Lacking any of the human touches of the Kirkbride, this was basically a big box filled with lots of little boxes to store people in. It was abandoned in 2000. Good riddance.

It's amazing what happens when a building is left to the elements. Paint peels. Things collapse. Windows break. There are plenty of signs of humanity, just one that is out of order. It almost has a post-apocalyptic feel to it at times. For example, in the women’s ward’s industrial kitchen, there were dozens of massive kettles, food warmers and trays strewn about. Wheelchairs and beds everywhere. Abandoned typewriters and computers, you name it. There were literally thousands of x-rays in this room:  

You can view the complete slideshow of the Cheney Building, as well as the Snow Rehab Center here.  

All in all, aside from an intense mental and physical workout, this visit most certainly gave me something that will stay with me a very long time. If I believed in the paranormal, it would've undoubtedly been thrilling on that level, too. But reality here is creepy enough as it is. It's also an archaeology of sorts, one that reminds us that, even though there is still work to be done, we have come a long way in terms of the treatment of mental illness in this country, not to mention the importance of preserving our historic architecture.  

There are very few Kirkbrides left in the country, and we are losing one or two every year.There are plans for the Kirkbride here to be preserved, but its future is far from certain. For a great site filled with many amazing pics of the different Kirkbrides,as well as lots of historical bckground, have a look at Kirkbride Buildings.  

For more info on HRSH, please visit Historic 51, which has a timeline, history, and a virtual museum, with lots of photos from back in the day.

Some links, if anybody’s curious, to some other stuff out there I wrote or said that’ll be sure to piss folks off (hey, I aim to please).

From HuffPo, a follow-up of sorts to an earlier Guardian piece I penned a ways back, this one titled For the Angry Center, Reality Bites. And if that title itself pisses you off, click at your own risk.

And last night, in response to this diary at Huffington Post from Senator Sanders, I put up this one which is probably a better statement of how I feel about all this health care reform and progressive demoralization stuff than my previous ones.

Finally, I talked about similar stuff, as well as giving Cenk Uygur a bit of a primer on the Dean/Bernie, Moderate/Left dynamic in Vermont in recent history, on Sirius radio’s The Young Turks program. The interview can be found (along with that same stupid picture I use for everything) by following this link.

I need a new picture.

From today's Burlington Free Press:

Robert C. Krebs of South Hero will fill Trombley's seat. Oliver K. Olsen will replace Hube in the House. Both will take the oath of office and their seats in the House chamber Tuesday.

Krebs wasn't one of the three candidates recommended by the local Democratic Party, noted House Democratic Leader Floyd Nease, D-Johnson.

“We're disappointed that the governor chose the local party's choice in three of four cases,” Nease said. Douglas recently made appointments to three other legislative seats. “The one Democrat he was replacing, he didn't respect the wishes of the local party.”

Long-time readers will remember the saga of Jon Anderson. Back in 2007 there was a House vacancy in Montpelier when Francis Brooks stepped down to be Sergeant at Arms. The Montpelier Democratic Committee proposed three active Democrats to replace him but Douglas, rejecting the Town Committee's nominations, appointed Montpelier attorney Jon Anderson, who came in fifth out of five choices in Town Committee voting. In short order Anderson took office and in the space of about a week, voted with Douglas and against the entire Democratic caucus on an important veto override vote. Montpelier Democrats were virtually unanimous in criticizing this vote, although Anderson steadfastly claimed that there were no political considerations or payoff involved in his vote.

Fast-forward to 2008. Montpelier Mayor Mary Hooper announces her House candidacy and Anderson comes in a weak third in the Democratic primary. Anderson's total time in office: just shy of two years, a time when he was almost totally ineffective because of his choice to alienate the entire Democratic caucus.

Now the newest Democratic House member is about to take office in what is going to be a very difficult legislative session. I don't know Robert Krebs, I've never met him, and I really know nothing about his politics. Floyd Nease is saying that he's a good guy, which is definitely worth something.

Still, especially given what things are going to be like in Montpelier this year, I predict that people will be paying close attention to his votes this year.

Although not a member of “Mensa”, I do believe that I am able to comprehend diverse concepts and empirical data and draw rational conclusions from the information. However often it appears that essential information is lost in the fog and generalities of the general public discussions of current issues. As an example consider the following:

Wednesday’s issue of The Burlington Free Press the newspaper published an article on the Vermont Legislature’s proposal to “achieve a $1.6 million in savings” in the Current Use Program. (For those unfamiliar with the program , Vermont created the program in 1978 that enacts a tax policy that taxes farm and forest lands based upon use rather than fair market value with the State paying to the community the discounted property tax amount. Facing a $150 Million revenue shortage the Legislature is looking at “all options” to balance the State’s budget.  Below is a link to the article and some facts about the program.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress…

Highlighted in the article are some “Current Use Program Facts” including the point that the lands participating in the program comprise 1/3rd of the total acreage of the State of Vermont.

Juxtapose the information about the “Current Use Program” with the summary from the findings in the annual report produced by the Vermont Housing Finance Agency entitled Between a Rock and a Hard Place which finds:

• 61 % of Vermont households cannot afford to purchase the median priced home $200,000

• The median price of a newly constructed home is $270,000

• The Fair Market monthly rent for a modest 2 bedroom apartment is $914.00

• 52% of non farm workers cannot afford the Fair Market rent for a 2 bedroom apartment

• Vermont has the lowest rental market vacancy rate in the nation

The conclusion is that in order to create more affordable housing “changes to unnecessary regulatory obstacles to housing development and support from Vermonters … who will be advocates for housing in the face of almost inevitable opposition to new housing development.”

The full report and additional housing data can be found at the link below.

http://www.vhfa.org/documents/…

Now create a pie chart divided into 3 equal parts; one to represent lands in the State already committed to their existing use, i.e., existing structures, mountain tops, local roads, interstate highways and other transportation corridors, cliffs, wetlands and other natural areas. Use the Second 1/3rd of the pie chart to represent the lands in the Current Use Program. And the last third of the pie chart to represent the balance of the State’s acreage which would be available for development of affordable housing. Even with an elementary understanding of the economic theory of supply and demand the obvious conclusion is that when demand exceeds supply the cost of the limited available resource increases.

So, when you, dear reader, “connect the dots” presented by the information above; what image to you see of the State’s effort to address the issue of affordable housing?  

As people are thinking about Haiti, and what limited help we can provide, I wanted to post some information about organizations that can put your donations to work right away.

 At this point, I would recommend the larger independent NGOs such as the two below.
1.    •Partners in Health – PIH has already set up two field hospitals in Port-au-Prince. According to WCAX, a delegation of doctors from Dartmouth is heading down there on Saturday.
2.    •Doctors Without Borders, a very well known and respected doctor's organization with people already on the ground in Haiti.

3. Another organization I just learned of, but provides vital connections to the outside world, is Telecoms Sans Frontieres. They are already on the ground in Haiti.

Other good groups like The Lambi Fund – a Washington-based, well run, Haitian founded NGO,  or Fonkoze – a micro-lending, Haitian-American bank that has been extremely helpful in Haiti in both development and response to emergencies, are also very good, but might not have the infrastructure in place right away for a significant emergency response.
 

( – promoted by Sue Prent)

In Woodstock, NY, last weekend:

(Continuing the policy of promoting diaries from officeholders and officeseekers. – promoted by JDRyan)

Three years ago, I called for an orderly and planned decommissioning of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant when its license is set to expire in 2012.  

I reiterated my position in 2009 due to renewed concern over actions taken by Entergy Nuclear — Vermont Yankee’s out-of-state parent company — including a failure to fulfill their commitment to the decommissioning fund and an attempt to spin off the facility into a shell corporation.

Given the recent revelations that Entergy executives misled Vermont’s Public Service Department about the existence of underground piping that may be a source of leaked radioactive material, I am unclear what further evidence is necessary to convince elected officials that the plant should be closed as planned.

Honesty and transparency are absolutely critical when partnering on an issue as serious as nuclear energy, and Entergy has failed to meet the standards Vermonters expect.

While the Douglas administration has finally made statements of “outrage” about Entergy’s conduct, that is not enough.  

Outrage without action is meaningless.

Financial penalties are also not enough.  While the Nuclear Regulatory Commission should hold Vermont Yankee accountable for any violations, the prospect of fines are likely to have minimal effect on the future behavior of a company that already does not meet its financial obligations.

I hope Vermont’s elected officials who have defended Entergy in the past, including Lieutanant Governor Brian Dubie, will reconsider their support for this aging facility run by an out-of-state company that has failed to earn the trust of Vermonters.  

The time for the Vermont legislature to clarify that Vermont Yankee should be decommissioned as scheduled is now.

Taking action now will give us time to negotiate a new energy contract, help workers transition to new jobs, and hopefully provide time to develop in-state renewable resources, including industrial scale biomass that could actually use the same electrical infrastructure around the Vermont Yankee facility, providing green collar jobs in Southern Vermont.

Now is the time for action.

~ Matt Dunne

Cross posted from Nourishing the Planet.

The story of Kasinthula Cane Growers Limited (KCGL), Malawi’s second biggest sugar farmer cooperative with 282 farmers, is just one of many examples of innovative business models made available to farmers, entrepreneurs, and NGOs by Winrock International. Emphasizing the use of environmentally sustainable production methods, Winrock collects examples of innovative Community Food Enterprises from around the world. 

The partnership between KCGL and the Shire Valley Cane Growers Trust is just one example of Winrock’s featured innovations. The two organizations, with support from the government, partnered in 1997 to become a sugarcane farmer cooperative. Despite perpetual drought, and flooding when there is rain, sugar is Malawi’s third largest export. The Trust owns ninety-five percent of the corporation and Illove, one of the largest sugar cane producers in the world, owns the remaining five percent. The Trust leases 755 hectares of sugarcane land that KCGL maintains, guaranteeing farmers—about one-third of whom are women—nearly 3 hectares of land for 25 years. The farmers produce non-organic, fair-trade certified sugar, and the profits are divided equally among the members of the cooperative. All of the sugar produced by the farmers is sold internationally by Illove, connecting the farmers and the cooperative to the global market.

KCGL, in cooperation with Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International, have also developed a plan to direct fair trade premiums towards community investments, company infrastructure and building materials for the farmers. They have built a well for the community, brought electricity to small villages, and are opening their medical clinic to the community for HIV/AIDS education and treatment.  

As part of a collective, the farmers are given a voice in an industry where they otherwise might not be competitive. In addition to increased incomes through fair-trade certification and access to the world market, the farmers who are members of KCGL receive the support and stability they need to lift their families out of poverty.