Stuff YOU Should Know
Paradise, California: Six Months Later
Six months ago, btw brought you the story of the devastating California Camp fire, which killed at least 85 people and destroyed thousands of structures, including homes. Eight thousand families survived the blaze, but lost their houses. Today, half a year later, roughly a thousand families in the town of Paradise–which was effectively leveled by the blaze–are still homeless as a result. Part of the trouble is that, even before the fire, many people lived in rural Paradise because it was more affordable than the surrounding area. Because many of the inhabitants were already facing economic challenges before the fire occurred, the loss of their homes was particularly devastating. Meanwhile, the price of rental units and campground fees has climbed ridiculously high due to the continuing high demand.
So why doesn’t the government step in to help? They have–to the tune of $85 million distributed to survivor households. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is also building hundreds of trailers as living quarters for survivors. But these efforts don’t go far enough to address the widespread need: there is simply no affordable housing to be had. Plus, people living in surrounding towns often are resistant to the government building large amounts of cheap housing near their neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, efforts to rebuild the town have been delayed, first by bad weather, then by the discovery of toxins in the water supply. Officials now say that it could take up to three years to finish cleaning up debris and the water before rebuilding efforts can begin.
What Do You Think? While some argue that more resources should be devoted to speeding up the process of rebuilding, others are concerned that rebuilding towns like Paradise in areas prone to wildfires is irresponsible, because climate change and increasing numbers of severe wildfires mean that the same tragedy could happen all over again. Which side do you agree with, and why?
Walk in the Clouds
Are you afraid of heights? If so, you may want to consider skipping out on the SkyBridge.
Located in the Smoky Mountains in the populist tourist destination of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, the SkyBridge–which will open to the public on May 17–boasts that it is the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America. It stretches 680 feet across, and is 140 feet in the air. If you’re good with heights, you may be interested to know that the flooring in the midpoint of the bridge (the highest point) contains glass panels, so you can look down at the valley below as you walk. Even the experience of getting to the bridge is extreme: visit SkyLift Park in Gatlinburg and take a chairlift five hundred feet up from the town to the top of Crockett Mountain. Step off the chairlift and onto the bridge, where you can stay as long as you like and enjoy breathtaking views of Gatlinburg below and the Great Smoky Mountains all around you.
If crossing between two mountain peaks on a thin, wobbly suspension bridge isn’t for you, no worries: also on May 17, SkyLift Park is opening SkyDeck, an outdoor patio seating area complete with a café and gift shop. That way, you can still enjoy the breathtaking views of the Smokies, but with your feet planted firmly on the ground.
Dig Deeper So SkyBridge is the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America. But what’s the longest one in the world? How long is it?
The Future of Nuclear Energy?
It’s no surprise that in order to combat climate change, we must find ways to produce clean energy. And nuclear energy is one of the cleanest forms of energy around. Yet over the next decade, many of the U.S.’s 98 nuclear reactors are at risk of shutting down. Why? These plants are large, complicated, and expensive to operate, and as a result, they can’t compete with other, cheaper forms of energy. One Oregon company has responded to that with a deceptively simple solution: building a smaller nuclear power plant.
Here’s how it works: instead of using one large reactor, as is traditionally the case, the plant will operate by using a chain of up to twelve small modular reactors. The small reactors can also work in conjunction with renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, rather than in competition with them. Even more importantly, there are automatic built-in safety features that older nuclear plants simply don’t have. For example, the reactors are housed in an underground containment vessel surrounded by heat-absorbing water, so that even if one fails, it’s not a safety hazard.
The design for the new plant hasn’t been approved yet. Because it’s different from the traditional model, it faces a lot of safety questions and challenges. The company behind the project hopes to have the plant up and running by 2026.
Dig Deeper Using Internet resources, make a list of the pros and cons of nuclear energy. Now imagine that a company wants to build a nuclear power plant in your town. Would you support this plan? Why or why not?
A New Commitment to Voter Security
Chances are, ever since the 2016 presidential election, you’ve been hearing a lot about voting fraud. In fact, Trump has regularly complained about it ever since he was elected. But while these claims are often overinflated, they can do real damage. That’s because, over time, if people start to believe that elections are “rigged,” they become less likely to vote, which is damaging to our whole system of democracy. So restoring and maintaining public confidence in the most important part of democracy–voting–is critical. But how do we do that?
Microsoft may have developed a solution? The company has developed ElectionGuard, a software development kit to be incorporated into the voting system. ElectionGuard would provide each user with a unique code, which can then be used to “track” your vote from the time it is cast until it is counted. (While your vote itself is tracked, the way you vote remains anonymous.) If you’ve ever tracked a package through the mail, you’re already familiar with the concept.
If you’re nervous about this system replacing paper ballots, don’t be: the two systems will work together. The bigger problem is affordability. Some small counties may not have enough money to upgrade to the new system. It also takes a while to implement. While Microsoft hopes that ElectionGuard will be piloted in a few places in 2020, it likely won’t be used on a widespread basis until 2024.