MinnCentral Currents

As the 2021 holiday season approaches, many of us are looking forward to seeing our beloved family and friends gather around the table together once again after a long time apart. Many  of us are also dreading the possibility of having hard conversations at these gatherings.How can we prepare to have hard conversations with people we genuinely care about?Guests: Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Conference panelists:

Wendy Bjorklund, St. Cloud State University

 

Pam Secklin, St. Cloud State University

 

Jennifer Senchea, St. Cloud State University

 

Suzanne Stangl-Erkens, St. Cloud State University

 

Scott Wells, St. Cloud State University

Show Notes:Book: Talking across the divide: How to Communicate with People You Disagree with and Maybe Even Change the World  

Bridge Alliance

More in Common

Common Ground Committee

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Featured Songs:I'm Still Listening - Justnormal

Meet You There - Eric Feinberg

Today I’m joined by State Auditor Julie Blaha to discuss what exactly it is that a state auditor does, and what we can expect from changes to Minnesota’s Civil asset  Forfeiture laws that passed the legislature this past session.

Guest: State Auditor Julie BlahaShow Notes:Changes to Minnesota's civil asset forfeiture laws pass Legislature

Office of the State Auditor

 

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Featured Songs:Odd Numbers - Frank Jonsson

Lucky Number Ten - Martin Klem

It’s fair to say that most of us go day to day without giving a second thought to how healthy the soil is beneath our feet.But for our friends and neighbors in the agriculture industry, the health of their soil is quite  important.What is soil health, and why is it so important? Guests: Jim Chamberlin, ConservationistShow Notes:

Sustainable Farming Association of MinnesotaHappy Dancing Turtle - based in Pine River, MN: From soil health and regenerative agriculture to nature play and environmental education we aim to provide programs, experiences, and learning that changes lives.Slake test - NRCS Agronomist Ray Archuleta demonstrates a simple way to test the  health and stability of your soil.  Symphony of the Soil - Drawing from ancient knowledge and cutting edge science, Symphony of the Soil is an  artistic exploration of the miraculous substance: soil. (2 hrs 17 min)  

Conquest of the Land - Commissioned by the first chief of the Soil Conservation Service during the Dust Bowl,  Conquest of the Land Through 7000 Years looks at the history of agricultural  conservation and how it has determined the survival of civilizations over time.  

Articles from Natural Resources Defense Council  

Dirt to Soil: Proving the Power of Regenerative Agriculture (October 2018)  

Why Regenerative Agriculture  

SECOND STATE OF THE CARBON CYCLE REPORT  

SOCCR2 is an authoritative decadal assessment of carbon cycle science across North  America, developed by over 200 experts from the U.S., Canadian and Mexican governments,  national laboratories, universities, private sector, and research institutions. 

Kiss the Ground - Netflix documentary on regenerative agriculture - 84 minutes 

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Featured Songs:Into the Earth - King Peaks

Silent Earth - Walt Adams

The pandemic has shone a light on how much we rely on our ability to connect to one another online when we are unable to connect in-person. And, as with many other areas of our infrastructure, it exposed where our communities fall short at connecting the public to businesses, schools, and services across the digital divide. 

Where does Minnesota stand when it comes to providing accessible high speed internet service state-wide? Guests: Diane Wells, Office of Broadband Development 

Show Notes:

Minnesota Office of Broadband Development

A look at Minnesota's digital divide during a pandemic

Minnesota lawmakers agree to spend $70 million on improving broadband access across the state

Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Minnesota Population Trends

Infrastructure Bill Passed by Senate Includes Historic, Bipartisan Broadband Provisions

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Featured Songs:Divine Wire - Martin Klem

Digital Dreams - Nylonia

Digital Jungle - Lucention

We’ve been hitting some pretty heavy topics hard and fast lately, so we decided to slow down and wander up for a visit to the Minnesota Fishing Museum and Hall of Fame in Little Falls, Minnesota.Guest: Brenda Perlowski, Museum DocentShow Notes:

Minnesota Fishing Museum and Hall of Fame

Fishing Tackle Value Guide mentioned in the episode

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Featured Songs:A Day Like Yesterday - Headlund

Flying Kites - Station Story

You and the Sun - Station Story

Ducklings Gone Fishing - Martin Klem

For many people the labor movement is a snapshot in time. It evokes memories of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seger singing songs at rallies and black and white photos of workers on strike. We might be reminded now and then that we have our weekends thanks to the Labor movement, but… that “we” doesn’t actually include all of us. Not everyone is afforded the same considerations for their personal time, and not everyone is paid for the real value of their labor.

Ahead of the Labor Day weekend, we wanted to stop for a moment to look at the labor movement - what it has given us, what it looks like today, and what changes in our culture of work mean for labor moving forward. Guests: Joe Baratta, Union MemberShow Notes:History of the Labor Movement

A Brief History: The US Department of Labor 

The history of the AFL-CIO 

After this CEO raised his company's minimum wage to $70,000, he said the number of babies born to staff each year grew 10-fold and revenue soared 

 

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Featured Songs:Tired of Fighting Blues - Will Harrison

The Oldest Tale - Benjamin Carey

A Hard Day's Work - Medite

Nothin' Left Blues - Peter Crosby

More Hard Work - Josef Falkenskold

Parks, public land, and green spaces are important to us for so many reasons. They provide that place where we can connect to nature -  something that can be hard to do in this modern world. They offer habitat and food sources for wildlife. They help keep our climate in balance. How do we ensure that the green spaces we enjoy today are preserved for future generations?

Parks, public land, and green spaces are important to us for so many reasons. They provide that place where we can connect to nature -  something that can be hard to do in this modern world. They offer habitat and food sources for wildlife. They help keep our climate in balance. How do we ensure that the green spaces we enjoy today are preserved for future generations?Guests: Kris Larson, Executive Director, Minnesota Land Trust

Eve and Gary Wallinga, Community MembersShow Notes:

Minnesota Land Trust

Sierra Club - North Star ChapterAudubon Society - Minnesota Chapters

City of St. Cloud Comprehensive Plan - Parks, Recreation, and Environmental Features

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Featured Songs:Fairview Park - Ove Meyers

Human Nature - Francis Wells

In the Park - Ecovillage.mp3

Decades ago, oil companies like Exxon were already studying the science of Climate Change. According to an investigation that uncovered internal documents from the 1970s, senior scientist James Black of Exxon warned the management committee, “In the first place, there is general scientific agreement that the most likely manner in which mankind is influencing the global climate is through carbon dioxide release from the burning of fossil fuels," Black continues, “present thinking holds that man has a time window of five to 10 years before the need for hard decisions regarding changes in energy strategies might become critical."

 

That was in 1977. Since then, a review of climate models developed during the 1970s has shown that scientists were, in fact, correct in their predictions about the changing climate.

 

The impact of burning fossil fuels is undeniable - even from within fossil fuel companies. The good news is that some of these companies are now making an effort to shift to providing energy from greener sources. But we still have a long way to go in a short time.

 

How do we reduce the output of carbon and other greenhouse gases in a way that encourages big corporations to act with haste without the burden of saving our future falling on the shoulders of those with the fewest resources?

Guest: Henry Jakubowski, Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus CSB/SJUShow Notes:

 

Citizens Climate Lobby

 

Join the CCL

 

Contact Your Minnesota Congress Members and Senators

IPCC Report

White House: Clean energy tax credits, electricity standard are priorities for reconciliation packageWhy has Andy Karsner frightened the mighty ExxonMobil?

Even 50-year-old climate models correctly predicted global warming

St. Cloud dam generators shut down due to low river flows for first time since 1988

Dozens of residences evacuated as northeastern Minnesota wildfire spreads

Sartell issues complete ban on non-essential water use due to drought

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Featured Songs:Fire Still Burning - Craft CaseThe To-Do List - Craft Case

The pandemic has been and continues to be a revelatory event, exposing the strengths and weaknesses in so many aspects of our infrastructure, economy, and culture. 

 

One thing, above all else, caused a massive ripple in all three: Closed child care centers.

What value does our society place on our children - all of our children - having access to safe, quality care? And what does the state of child care access look like today?

 

Guest:Marcia Schlattman, a Program Director at Milestones

Show Notes:

Article: Policymakers Used to Ignore Child Care. Then Came the Pandemic

Article: COVID-19’s disruptions disproportionately hit child care workers

Resource: State of Minnesota Child Care Resources

Resource: Milestones

Resource: Parent Aware

Phone Resource: 651-290-9704 ext 260 Child Care Information Specialist

 

Episode Manager: Kelli OlsonBecome a Patron of our show! Produced by Riverside Productions LLC

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Featured Songs:More Hard Work - Josef Falkenskold

Hard at Work - Trabant 33

A couple of episodes ago, I spoke with two Civics and Social Studies teachers about the importance of learning about Civic Engagement. We discussed how this important topic is covered starting as young as Kindergarten, and how it is vital to continue to challenge ourselves into adulthood to keep up with our civic knowledge and engagement.

That episode was brought about in part because of the rumblings out there that claimed “they don’t teach civics anymore.”Well, today’s episode can be framed, in part, as a response to “they don’t teach critical thinking skills anymore” So what are we talking about today?Early Childhood Education, and why it is important to the development of future adults with strong critical thinking skills. Guest:

Jennie VonderHaar, Preschool Teacher and Director of Bethlehem Lutheran Early Childhood Center

 

Show Notes:

Paper Monsoon

InBrief: The Science of Early Childhood Development

Parent Aware 

Robert Munsch

 

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Featured Songs:Not Much of a Trouble - More than FamilyThe Eyes Have It - Jerry Lacey