Economic and Workforce Development Task Force Report, August 2008

The 2008 disasters devastated businesses, farms, homes, schools, non-profit institutions, entire communities, and people’s lives across the state of Iowa. The Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commission (RIAC) is charged by the Governor to guide the state’s recovery and reconstruction process. The Economic and Workforce Development Task Force is respectfully submitting this report to be included and considered in the deliberations of the RIAC. While economic and workforce development are two issues that are inextricably linked and critical to Iowa’s rebuilding strategies, each also requires extraordinary attention in determining what needs to be considered in the very immediate and longer-term recovery

Strange journey : the life of Dorothy Eckersley

Three days before the outbreak of the Second World War, William Joyce, the leader of the British Nazi group, the National Socialist League, was in Berlin. He and his wife, Margaret, had fled there fearing internment by the British government if war broke out. Yet as war drew nearer, Joyce was unsure whether to return to Britain or not. But a meeting that day sealed his fate, leading to years of broadcasting for German radio, notoriety as ‘Lord Haw Haw', and his execution for treason in January 1946. The meeting was accidental, with the Joyces bumping into one of his English supporters - Mrs Frances ‘Dorothy' Eckersley - in a Berlin restaurant. Dorothy Eckersley was surprised to see Joyce, to whom she had recently sent £50 to help the NSL find a new headquarters in London. Now, having a far better network of friends and acquaintances in Berlin than the almost friendless Joyces, she was able to put him in touch with officials who recruited Joyce to the radio propaganda microphone. And by the end of 1939, Dorothy, and her son, James, would join the English language team broadcasting German propaganda to the UK. At 46, Dorothy had already led an extraordinary life that had taken her from the stage in America to the microphone in Berlin, marriage with one of the most gifted radio engineers of the time, and years of political activism with the radical socialist Independent Labour Party. Yet now she was a committed follower of Hitler and a national socialist..

Wildlife Tourism and the Gulf Coast Economy

The U.S. Gulf Coast is endowed with exceptional natural beauty and ecological diversity, including wetlands, waters, beaches, forests, and all the wildlife that inhabit them. Wildlife tourism constitutes a major regional "industry." Each year, wildlife watching, recreational fishing, and hunting draw 20 million participants annually in the five states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. The wildlife tourism industry consists not only of wildlife guide and outfitter businesses that directly serve wildlife tourists, but also the lodging and dining establishments where they eat and sleep. Wildlife tourism depends on healthy ecosystems, which are the region's "natural capital." However, the future health and productivity of these ecosystems are in peril, in part due to natural events, such as storms, but also because human activities have altered the natural hydrology and halted natural processes, leading to severe land loss and a decrease in the health of the region's estuaries. For example, one of the most significant and far-reaching alterations is the channelization of the Mississippi River within its delta. This deltaic system has historically played a key role in the ecologic and economic well-being of the Northern Gulf of Mexico. While the channelization of the river by an extensive levee system has benefitted commerce, ports, and communities, this way of managing the river has all but stopped the natural deltaic processes that once built and maintained the regions wetlands and barrier islands. Dredging and construction of a vast network of canals and pipelines for the oil and gas industry have also caused considerable damage to the wetlands and wildlife. These human alterations, combined with natural processes, such as wetlands subsidence, extreme weather and sea-level rise, have led to a loss of nearly 1,900 square miles of land since 1932. Large-scale land loss and decrease in water quality throughout the Gulf threatens wildlife, habitats and the tourism activities they make possible. Without bold action, the Gulf Coast economy risks losing billions of dollars in revenue. In 2012, Congress passed the RESTORE Act, legislation mandating that 80% of Clean Water Act fines from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill go to the five Gulf Coast states to restore the ecosystem and economy. Supplementing the RESTORE Act funds, Gulf states are expected to receive significant new revenues from settlement of BP's criminal liability for the oil spill (administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation), and from payments for damages from the spill under NRDA (the federal Natural Resource Damage Assessment process). Combined, these new revenue sources provide an unprecedented opportunity to reverse decades of harm to the Gulf Coast and to begin restoring the environment to a healthy and resilient condition.Because a healthy ecosystem is at the heart of the region's economy, restoring the Gulf ecosystem is the best way to help the region economically. Owners of wildlife tourism businesses who were interviewed for this study clearly indicated what is at stake for their industry; where ecosystems can no longer support wildlife, visitors have no reason to come. This suggests the urgency of restoring ecosystems to avoid losing a key part of the economy. Funds from the RESTORE Act and other legal settlements provide an unprecedented opportunity to protect not only the coastal environment but also one of the region's most important economic drivers

Road to Success: Tales of Great Schools

This report details our visits in 19 vibrant communities and 47 impressive classrooms across Minnesota. We hope the proof points that educators and community leaders shared will inspire fellow teachers, administrators, community leaders -- and policymakers -- in classrooms and at the capitol. It's critical to learn from and collaborate with Minnesotans working to make great public schools available to all kids

PENGENALAN DAN PEMANFAATAN APLIKASI VIRTUAL TOUR SEBAGAI MEDIA PROMOSI WISATA

Abstrak: Terdapat 21 wisata di Kabupaten Brebes salah satunya adalah wisata Pulau Cemara. Kondisi pandemic mengakibatkan sektor wisata mendapatkan dampak dari kebijakan pemerintah yakni PPKM. Salah satunya adalah desa wisata di desa Sawojajar yakni di pulau cemara mengalami penurunan pengunjung.  Karena kondisi PPKM maka wisata pulau cemara ditutup sementara. Sehingga dengan kondisi tersebut dilakukan pengabdian masyarakat kepada pengelola dan pokdarwis dengan dinas pariwisata dengan 20 peserta.  Tujuan untuk mengenalkan dan pemahaman aplikasi virtual tour yang digunakan sebagai media promosi mengenalkan objek wisata.  Kegiatan PKM ini dilaksanakan pada tanggal 11-12 Januari 2022. Kegiatan PKM ini berupa sosialisasai pemberian materi kaitannya pengenalan dan kegunaan aplikasi virtual tour, dilanjutkan praktik penggunaan dari aplikasi virtual tour dan pendampingan. Hasilnya peserta mengetahui dan mengenal aplikasi virtual tour sebagai media promosi secara lancar dan antusias dengan hasil evaluasi kepada peserta yang mengikuti dengan pengisin quisioner diperoleh sebesar 85% peserta sudah dapat mengenal, memahami dan menggunakan aplikasi tersebut. Abstract: There are 21 tours in Brebes Regency, one of which is Cemara Island tourism. The pandemic condition has resulted in the tourism sector being impacted by the government's policy, namely PPKM. One of them is a tourist village in Sawojajar village, which is an island that has decreased visitors. Due to PPKM conditions, the Cedar Island tour was temporarily closed. So that with these conditions, community service was carried out for managers and Pokdarwis with the tourism service with 20 participants due to PPKM conditions, fir island tourism is temporarily closed. So with these conditions, community service is carried out to managers and Pokdarwis with the tourism office. The purpose is to recognize and understand the virtual tour application that is used as a medium to introduce tourist objects. This PKM activity was carried out on January 11-12, 2022. This PKM activity was in the form of socialization through the provision of application materials and the use of virtual tour applications, followed by the practice of virtual tours and mentoring. The result is that participants know the virtual tour application as a promotional medium smoothly and enthusiastically with the results of the evaluation of participants who take part in the questionnaire, it is obtained that 85% of participants are able to recognize, understand and use the application

Rebuild Iowa Office Quarterly Performance Report 3rd Quarter, April 2009

As the anniversaries of 2008 tornado’s and floods approach, the Rebuild Iowa Office vision of a safer, stronger and smarter Iowa is coming into sharper focus. While much more remains to be done, hundreds of displaced Iowans and businesses are on the road to recovery and the building blocks for communities coming together. While recovery is a marathon and not a sprint, the work done so far couldn’t have been accomplished without an extensive recovery planning effort and an unprecedented level of cooperation among local, state and federal governments, private citizens, businesses and non-profit organizations, there is a rebirth and recovery underway in Iowa

Iowa Railroad Ties, Fall 2007

Quarterly newsletter of the Iowa Department of Transportation's Office of Rail Transportation