Paul K. Haeder

Work In Progress

• By Paul K. Haeder
It made sense to me two weeks ago to write an impassioned column on Earth Day. Hell, four months back, when I was first tasked with the challenge of co-organizing a killer of a celebration around Earth Day 2010, I envisioned huge media fanfare, tens...
• Tags: Comment, earth, day, county, spokane, richard, one, some, environmental

Gutting Classrooms

Higher education is a great leveler and — especially in these times — a safety net we can’t afford to tear apart

• By Paul K. Haeder
His essay, describing how the unit he was in had to clean up the “mess” when his convoy accidentally hit an elderly woman carrying bread from a market, was gut-wrenching. “Â… [I]t was the first time I cried as a Marine Â… she reminded me of my mom back home.
• Tags: Comment

Color Spokane's U-District Green

The U-District could become a model of sustainable growth in the city. Just ask the Dutchman who runs Portland State.

• By Paul K. Haeder
That was the message of the new president of Portland State University, Wim Weiwel — an expert on the role of universities in sustainable urban development — when he blew into town recently to impart his ideas to local politicians and business leaders.
• Tags: Comment

College, the Last Refuge

Just when more people want to attend college, state governments are slicing higher-education budgets

• By Paul K. Haeder
Unfortunately, that’s not what we’re seeing. Our students are a microcosm of American culture — and we just don’t know how to resist, or fi ght back anymore, according to clinical psychologist Bruce E. Levine in his book, Surviving America’s Depression Epidemic.
• Tags: Comment

Thank a Reporter

Journalists keep an eye on the prize, reporting on humanity’s contextualized struggle

• By Paul K. Haeder
As we approach 2010, prognosticators will assess the breaking-news headlines of 2009: hemorrhaging employment, foreclosures, climate change, society’s struggle against corporations, Wall Street and banks, the continuing irrelevance of the Republican Party and all things tied to sports, celebrities and consumerism.
• Tags: Comment