Commentary

Innovation. It is a concept that is promoted from the world of business and technology to education.

Montana Nonprofits:  The Economic Engines That Could

The other day, I ran into an old friend at the grocery store.  “Are you still with United Way?” she asked.  “Yes,” I said.  “And is that what you do full-time?” she continued.  I gave her the only answer that came to mind:  “I’m trying to get it down to full time,” I said.

I simply have to shake my head at the blatantly false accusations and statements made in the press lately by a few fringe environmentalists concerning Governor Bullock’s priority landscape recommendations to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. The accusations are so false and so out-of-line that they must be corrected.

Forestry provisions in the Farm Bill are the direct result of several national concerns, fire budgets, fire risk to public safety and infrastructure, lack of management on federal lands, litigation and jobs.

Imagine you and your friends are out at a bar on a Friday night. When you came in you noticed a woman at the bar sitting alone. Later in the evening, you notice her again, now sitting with a man who keeps moving closer to her and buying her drinks. She looks uncomfortable and keeps moving her chair farther back while looking around the bar. A bit later you notice that she stands up and tries to walk away. He follows her and puts his arm on the wall to talk to her further. It looks like she’s cornered. What do you do?

When asked to name one idea that would change the world, venture capitalist Tom Perkins responded that wealthy Americans who pay more taxes should get more votes.  Pay a million dollars in taxes, get a million votes.  His audience laughed.  But Tom Perkins, a very wealthy man, wasn’t joking.  The sad fact is that, in a certain respect, his wish has already come true.

The International Panel on Climate, or IPCC, released another report on Sunday.  Written by thousands of science, policy, and economic experts, this IPCC report, along with others that have been released in the last year, represent a synthesis of existing climate research knowledge.  The findings in the reports are alarming, and while the report is very detailed in its research the results can be summarized rather easily with four main points.  One, the climate is changing.  Two, carbon pollution is almost certainly responsible for the change.  Three, the environmental, social and economic

New Efforts to Fire Proof Our Forests:  The Initiative Built into the 2014 Farm Bill[1]

Good evening Montana! Matt Elsaesser here with Recycle Montana. Next Tuesday, April 22nd, is Earth Day! Earth Day is a great time to discuss day-to-day opportunities to reduce our impact on the planet and build community. The three Rs of reduce, reuse and recycle are always a great way to start the discussion. Reducing our waste by bringing our own mug to the coffee shop or donating our used household items to a local thrift store is pretty strait forward.

Good evening.  I’m Susan Kohler, CEO of Missoula Aging Services, the Area Agency on Aging for Missoula and Ravalli counties.  Tonight I want to talk about Older Americans Month, which takes place during May, and this year’s theme “Safe Today, Healthy Tomorrow.” I will also talk about how this theme ties in with a recent keynote address about aging-in-place which I heard at the Montana Gerontology Society conference.

    A while back Charles Osgood, the host of SUNDAY MORNING, a television news magazine presented on (of all times) Sunday morning, made some remarks about the United States Postal Service which I found uncalled for.  I wrote him a letter and it reads: