#46 Preservationists Push for More Tax Credits

Preservationists Push for More Tax Credits

From the News and Tribune of Indiana, October 5, 2011

Advocates of historic preservation are pushing state lawmakers to expand a tax credit they say will create economic development and help boost restoration of Indiana’s downtowns.

According to Marsh Davis, president of Indiana Landmarks, the Indiana Historic Preservation Tax Credit is ineffective.  The annual allotment of credits is so low that developers must wait more than a decade to reap the tax credit's rewards.  According to Davis, they should be promoting the Tax Credit as a preservation tool but can't because of the backlog.

Lawmakers, though, said that while the tax credit is a worthy program, any expansion would cost the state money at a time when the budget is already tight.

State lawmakers say that paying off the credits that have so far been approved but for a future date would cost almost $5 million.

According to Senator Brandt Hershman (R):

“A tax credit in essence means someone has to pay more in taxes or some program has to be cut to keep a balanced budget,” Hershman said. “I like this program. But how are we going to make this work and keep our fiscal house in order?”

The tax credit was created in 1994.  The credit, "offers users a state income tax credit of up to 20 percent of the cost of the preservation or restoration, up to a maximum of $100,000 per project."  The structure must be at least 50 years old, on the Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures, and be income-producing.  The property must be certified by the Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology.

The total amount of credits annually can not be more than $450,000 so credits are pushed into future years.  Legislation introduced in January would have immediately increased the cap to $2 million and increased $2 million every year until the cap reached $10 million per year.  Half of the money would have been used for backlog credits and the other half for new projects.

Sounds good to me.

The state is torn between stimulating economic development but would cost the state more money.

According to Davis, Indiana's tax credit program is the least effective of the 31 states that offer similar programs.

Representatives are worried that the tax credit will mostly be applied in Indianapolis and not state wide.  The program is still under review and no decisions have been made to date.

Are tax credit programs working in your state?  Any problems?  Are there better solutions to encouraging the preservation of historic places in economically ravaged downtown areas?  Interesting story.

Written in Sparks, Nevada

 Handmark

2008  The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (iPad App), Oxford University Press, 2nd ed.   Developed by Handmark, Inc.

Rabotage Excavation technique in which the surface of a deposit is carefully scraped with a trowel, knofe, or sharp spade to reveal features and cuts represented by differences in texture, color, or composition.  The technique is especially useful in silty and sandy soils.

#45 The Magic of Reality - A Review

"The Magic of Reality" for iPad.  Text by Richard Dawkins (c) 2011; Illustrations by Dave McKean (c) 2011; iPad App Developed by Somethin' Else for Transworld Publishers.  Available on iTunes in the App Store for $14.99

This book is fascinating for at least two major reasons.  It is a phenomenal book that is both insightful and creative while being rational and scientific.  This book is also a great leap forward in the way we read and consume material by way of the iPad application.  By the way, the book is also available as a beautiful paper book and as an audio book.  Although, I would recommend reading this book by one of the two visual methods because that is the best way to get all there is out of this amazing resource.  This review will focus on the iPad app since that is the one I read.

First, let me discuss the app's success so far as an example of how the information is being received by the public.  The iPad app was released on September 23, 2011 and as of October 8, 2011 was listed third in a list of top paid iPad apps in the "Books" category.  The list is based on total number of downloads.

The "Magic of Reality" is listed on another list in the app store.  This is a list of Top Grossing iPad Apps, again in the "Books" category.  This list is based on the purchase price of the book and it is listed fourth.  Not too bad for only being out for a few weeks.  I'd also like to point out that Dawkins' book is three positions ahead of the Bible which, at least this version, has been out since 2009, six months after the iPad's debut.  Do not be confused by the Bible App's listed price of "Free".  There are several pricey in-app purchases that tend to advance it within this list's ranks.  Now, on to the review.

The book is split into twelve chapters.  They deal with everything from magic to the beginnings of life, the beginnings of the universe, aliens, earthquakes, miracles, and much more.  Each chapter begins with common myths surrounding the topic.  For example, chapter 2, called, "Who was the first person?" starts with several myths regarding the beginning of humans from different indigenous cultures around the world.  Accompanying the text are amazing pictures, graphics, and illustrations.  In the image below, the hands descend from the sky to light up the body with a beating heart.  Following the mythology of the topic, Dawkins gives a simplified, yet not dumbed-down, explanation of the subject using current scientific principles and excepted theories.  The book is certainly not written for scholars of these topics, rather it is written for people that have rudimentary knowledge of a few of the topics but not all.  However, the book covers more than most people have a familiarity with and can teach even the most scholarly among us at least something.

The moving images and illustrations are well drawn and keep you interested.

Often, an image is important to the text for several pages.  Using the format of an iPad app, the image can stay on the screen while a page turn simply moves new text onto the page.  The days of referring back several pages to a figure mentioned in the text are over.  Authors now have the freedom to adjust the format of the book to better suit their needs and to more adequately present the information to the reader.

The metaphors and illustrations that Dawkins chooses to use as tools for illustrating the principles of the chapters are easy to understand and clearly get the point across.

There are interactive pages within almost every chapter.  The image above is one such page.  After pressing the hand symbol you are asked to blow into the microphone on the iPad.  This has the effect of moving the iguanas on the debris flows onto the islands in the Galapagos where they experienced a divergent evolution.  This exercise allows the reader to visualize a method in which the iguanas arrived on the islands.

The Magic of Reality is simply amazing, both for its information and it's presentation.  Dawkins represents the achievements of science to explain much of what was mystery a short time ago and it represents an evolution in the way we will read books in the future.  I'm excited for other scientific books to come out in this format with this level of interactivity and highly recommend it to any student of science or anyone who wants to learn about how the world works.

Written in Sparks, Nevada

Handmark

2008  The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (iPad App), Oxford University Press, 2nd ed.   Developed by Handmark, Inc.

Archaic In America, this term refers in a generic sense to a simple hunter-gatherer lifestyle involving small bands of people pursuing a pattern of seasonal movements linked to the migrations and periodic abundance of animal and plant foods.

#43 Change and Outreach

The field of Cultural Resource Management is responsible for most of the archaeological discoveries in this country.  Did you know that?  Does anyone know that?  Absolutely everyone that I talk to about what I do, that is not in the business, has no idea what CRM is.  Why is that?  Is it our fault?  Is it our client’s fault?  I don’t know.

What I do know is that something has got to give.  The public has a right to know about THEIR cultural resources so they can appreciate them the way we do.  I love this country and it’s rich history but all most people ever learn about it is what gets distilled into text books and from soundbites on cable TV.

How can we change this?  I don’t know that either.  As CRM professionals we are highly censored as to what we can say.  We sign confidentiality agreements that are intended to protect the client, the company, and the resources, so we can’t really say anything.  Trust me on this.  I’ve made several posts on this blog that have had to be removed or heavily edited because someone thought I crossed a line.  In all honesty I thought I had removed any information that could be linked to a client, my company, or even me, for that matter.  It doesn’t matter.  You can’t talk about work.  No matter what.  I understand why the rules are in place and I don’t fault company leaders for enforcing them.  It is a situation that they have been put in by tradition and by their clients.

There are reports and papers published about some cultural resources, that’s true.  However, the bulk of the finds never see the light of day and sit, “protected” in a BLM and/or SHPO file cabinet.  Is there a way that an abstract of the report, striking out location and client information, can be put online for anyone to see?  Is that a bad idea?  I don’t think so.

What can we do to bring archaeological discoveries to the people that they belong to?  We are not special.  We should’t hold onto the information and guard it with our lives.  What we find belongs to the American people and they have a right to know about it.

Any suggestions?

Comment here so everyone can participate in the discussion.

Written in frustration.

 Handmark

2008  The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology (iPad App), Oxford University Press, 2nd ed.   Developed by Handmark, Inc.

 

"Archaeological Resource Management (ARM): A branch of archaeology, also known as public archaeology, that is concerned with the identification, mapping, recording, assessment, evaluation, and documentation of archaeological sites and objects at all scales in order to assist in their conservation, protection, preservation, presentation, and exploitation through effective mitigation strategies, excavation, and nondestructive study.  Major aspects of this work involve: the administration of legislation that bears on archaeological remains; informing the decision-making process as it applies to the potential impacts of development on archaeological remains; issuing permits and licenses; monitoring and managing contract archaeology; the definition and application of research policies; and the development of public education programs.  In the USA and Australia, where it also covers the management of the contemporary material culture of the indigenous populations, this branch of archaeology is often referred to as cultural resource management (CRM)."

#42 The Crazy Ones

 

 “Here’s to the Crazy Ones.

The misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers,

The round pegs in the square holes,

The ones who see things differently.

They are not fond of rules and

They have no respect for the status quo.

You can quote them,

Disagree with them,

Glorify or Vilify them.

But the only thing you can’t do,

Is ignore them

Because they change things.

They push the human race forward.

And while some may see them as,

The Crazy Ones

We see genius.

Because the people who think they are crazy enough

To think they can change the world,

Are the ones who do.”

 

-From an un-aired Apple commercial

#41 Environmental Irony

[Reposted because the reason for taking this entry down doesn't exist anymore]

To work on an active mine in this country you have to get annual training from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA, pronounced em-shaw).  If it's your first time or if you let your training lapse, you have to get 24 hours of classroom instruction.  The first 20 hours are given by an approved MSHA instructor.  The remaining four hours are site specific and are given by the mine you will be working on.  Each time you go to a mine you either haven't worked on before or haven't worked on in a calendar year you have to get four hours of site specific training.

The initial MSHA training is mostly videos and stories of people getting killed and why they got killed.  The instructor and students relate stories of tragedy and near tragedy all day long.  There are a few safety videos, some of which may actually apply to you, most of which don't.

The training at the mine is more of the same with a few interesting differences.  After you've been to a few mines, and I've been to three new ones in the past three months, you start to notice a common thread with the training.  They are really satisfied with themselves, the work they are doing, and the way they are treating the environment.

Now, before we go any further, let me discuss my views on open-pit mining.  A lot of people are opposed to open-pit mining because of the massive devastating effect that it has on the landscape and on the surrounding environment.  I completely agree that it is a bad thing when the mine is upstream of populated areas.  The run-off is often poorly managed at best.  However, out here in Nevada we have literally millions of acres of land that absolutely no one ever visits.  No ranchers, no hunters, and often, no wildlife.  I've been in areas where you won't see a single person or animal for weeks.  Out here, where there are no amber waves of grain and where the buffalo wouldn't dare to roam, there is no reason why you shouldn't operate an open-pit mine.  If you disagree come take a look for yourself.  It will take you hours to get to any of the large mines and you will likely get lost along the way. 

Now that that is out of the way, let's talk about the environmental impacts and policies.

All of these mines are proud of three things: their safety record, their environmental policy, and their production numbers.  In public and in front of contractors it is usually in that order, although, I think in the main office the CEO might be a little more concerned with production when he is thinking about shareholders.

Somewhere in Nevada. From Google EarthThe talk about the environmental policy is the one that really gets to me.  They love to show people how good they are to the environment because they clean up spills, recycle, mitigate cultural resources, and are mindful of animals.  Those are all good things and aside from the mile wide hole in the ground and the new mountains created solely from waste rock that now sit on the playas and valley floors, they are doing pretty well.  The question is, why are they doing what they do?  Why the environmental policy?  Do they feel guilty?  Not likely.  They do it because our elected officials told them to.

That's right.  The government that Republican and Tea Party members would like to reduce and/or get rid of entirely is responsible for the meager amount of environmental regulation these mines have to abide by.  With the price of gold continuing to rise, despite the latest hiccup, I think that mining should be more heavily regulated and fines should be steeper.  They can afford it.  And, not only can they afford it, no amount of money or regulation will ever put the land back to it's original condition.

I feel like I got off track a bit.  The point of this post is to discuss the ironic way that the mines talk about their environmental policy.  Yesterday morning I was listening to a guy talk about how good they are to the environment while sitting less that half a mile from fifteen large open pits, most of which are closed down and dormant.  Are they blind? Do they not see that just cleaning up your spills and planting seed on waste rock is not "treating the environment well"?  Maybe it simply comes down to money.  The miners need money and jobs, the company wants to prosper, and the world needs gold.  Still, it's difficult for me to keep my mouth shut during those sermons.  After all, my company and I need money and jobs too.

Five miles north of the previous image. From Google EarthI guess the point of all of this is being proud of something you are told to do and are actually heavily fined if you don't.  It's clear that mines would not have an environmental policy if they didn't have to.  The older mines that we record are a testament to that theory.  Just a few weeks ago I recorded a mine from the 40s that had a cyanide-hardened waste rock platform that we parked on.  The smell was a bit worrying.  The white chalky powder in some of the barrels was a bit suspect too.

Food for thought: the next time you think there is too much government regulation, imagine a world without it.  You probably wouldn't like what you see.

Written in Eureka, NV, "The friendliest town on the loneliest road in America".

#40 Live Blog During SGU24

At 5:00 pm PST the Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast began a live, 24 hour, podcast.  They are in the “Skeptilair” one of the guy’s basement, and are attempting to increase skepticism and awareness of science around the world.  It is after 1:00 am PST.  We are over eight hours into this.  No one is sure why they started at 8 pm EST, where they are all from (except for Rebecca Watson who lives in England and flew here for the event).

For the most part I’m quite impressed with the event so far.  To even attempt an undertaking like this takes an extreme amount of patience and passion.  There have been some technical difficulties and I think that some people in Europe are having trouble with the feed.  However, everything seems to be running as well as can be expected.

In addition to the video and audio feed I’m following the discussion in a chat room and on Twitter (#sgu24).  It is amazing to me how mean some people can be.  Do the people in the chat room think that the panelists aren’t watching the chat?  Occasionally the discussion has slowed down a bit and a few times they probably weren’t discussing topics that are interesting to everyone.  That is no reason to say that you are bored or that a speaker is boring.  You wouldn’t do that in a lecture.  Why would you do it here?

I’m not sure how long I’m going to make it.  Luckily I don’t have to work tomorrow.  The drive and ambition of the Skeptics Guide Rouges are keeping me awake and making me want to be a part of this ground-breaking podcast.

Also, I’m looking forward to listening to Skeptics from around the world as we progress through this 24 hour event.  Right now they are talking to Richard Saunders and others from the Skeptic Zone, a skeptical podcast from Australia.  Keep it going guys.  I don’t think you realize the impact you are having on people around the world right now.  How many podcasts and blogs will be spawned by the excitement of the event and the contagious passion being exhibited by the Skeptical Rouges?  Time will tell.

 

Written in during hour 9 of the SGU 24 hour podcast event, from Sparks, NV