James LaRue - myliblog

For some 50 years or so, generations of college students participated in psychological testing. It was easy money for goofy tasks: sort silverware, look at images with your left eye, then your right. But then all that science, because that’s what it was, started to yield results. Here’s one of the experiments that stayed with me. First, you go to the park by yourself and have an ice cream. Second, you get a visit from someone who drops off a sandwich and stays to chat for a while. Third, you make a bunch of sandwiches, drop them off at a senior center, and stick around to chat with the folks there. After each of these, you are asked how you feel a half hour later, a day later, a week later, a month later. Here’s the surprising finding. All of these things make you feel a little happier. But the third task, where you do something for someone else, had enduring results, up to six months later. Science has confirmed that it is literally better to give than to receive. In a world where we ...

Back in March of this year, a Rifle library patron reported to our security guard that a man was apparently sleeping in the bathroom. The guard contacted our staff, and they went carefully to investigate. The man was not asleep. But he was unresponsive and drooling. There are people reading this that are already nodding. They’re thinking with despair, “This is my son.” Or, “My grandson.” Others are thinking, “This could be my wife.” Or, “Me.” Fortunately, library staff had received Narcan training just weeks before from High Rockies Harm Reduction. They called 911 then used the Narcan and by the time medics arrived, they had already prepared our defibrillator. The EMT told us, “If you hadn’t stepped in, the man would have died.” Libraries save lives. At the end of 2023, library staff interviewed almost 100 community leaders. The top issue in our county was housing. But the second issue was mental health, encompassing everything from anxiety to substance abuse. Since 2023, fentanyl has ...

Imagine that you drive north from Montrose, Colorado to Grand Junction. Air quality starts out pretty good, gets worse. You take I-70 east to Glenwood Springs, then angle southeast, but higher, to Aspen.    It looks like the smoke and ash of regional fires (Lee and Elk) flow up both Colorado and Roaring Fork rivers. Upvalley. I felt it in my lungs which is what got me interested. Here's the key to my slapped together chart.     0 to 50 = Good 51 to 100 = Moderate 101 to 150 = Unhealthy for sensitive groups 151 to 200 = Unhealthy 201 to 300 = Very unhealthy 301+ = Hazardous     I suspect this random bit of citizen science (data points from public resources) is no more than that. But wildfires move fast and fire isn't the only concern.