Mainely Phenology 7/21/18

Producers/Hosts: Hazel Stark and Joe Horn

Birds Fledging

Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at mainelyphenology.wordpress.com

Fledgling birds are decidedly weird-looking. Having just started to explore the world on their own for the first time, their feathers may be a bit unkempt, their colors may seem muted compared to the adults of the species, and their actions are not accomplished confidently. Observing these young birds, I often wonder how they do not all get eaten up by the plethora of predators that are constantly on the hunt for such an easy meal, but this strategy of fledging before they are full-grown adults is actually much safer than staying in the nest long-term.

Democracy Forum 7/20/18

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine  
Engineer: Amy Browne

Distrust in Government: A Necessary Evil or a Weapon of Destruction?

Key Discussion Points:
a) the waxing and waning of Americans’ trust in government
b) why a little skepticism may be a good thing
c) how partisanship plays into the equation
d) how too much distrust may be a self-fulfilling prophecy

Guests:
Amy Fried, Professor & Department Chair, Political Science, University of Maine https://umaine.edu/polisci/faculty-and-staff/amy-fried/
Thomas E. Mann, Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at The Brookings Institution and Resident Scholar, Institute of Governmental Studies, University of California, Berkeley https://www.brookings.edu/experts/thomas-e-mann/

To learn more about this topic:
– Public Trust in Government: 1958-2017, Pew Research Center, December, 2017.
– The Strategic Promotion of Distrust in Government in the Tea Party Age, Amy Fried, 2015.
– Finding the Common Good in an Era of Dysfunctional Governance Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein, Daedelus, Spring 2013.
– A More Perfect Union, New York Times book review of Garry Willis’s book, A Necessary Evil: A History of American Distrust of Government, 1999.

The all-volunteer team at the League of Women Voters – Downeast who plan and coordinate this series includes:
Starr Gilmartin
Maggie Harling
Linda Hoskins
Sheila Kirby
Ann Luther
Maryann Ogonowski
Pam Person
Leah Taylor
Linda Washburn

FMI re League of Women Voters of Maine: www.lwvme.org