Worldwide, People Divided on Whether Life Today Is Better 

Than in the Past

Pew Research Center | READ STORY

Fifty years ago, the world was a very different place. The United States and its allies were locked in a Cold War with the Soviet Union, personal computers and mobile phones were the stuff of science fiction, and much of the world’s population had yet to experience substantial improvements in life expectancy and material well-being. 

5 Maps Show How Important Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Are to the Environment

World Resources Institute |

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Indigenous Peoples and local communities are some of the best environmental stewards. Their livelihoods and cultures depend on forests, clean water and other natural resources, so they have strong incentives to sustainably manage their lands. Today LandMark, the first global platform to provide maps of land held by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, released new carbon storage, tree cover loss, natural resource concessions, dam locations and other data layers that shed light on the environment in which these lands exist. Now anyone, anywhere can view and analyze indigenous and local communities’ environmental contributions and identify threats to specific lands.

Funding and Staff Shortages Keep Rural Libraries Focused on the Basics

The Daily Yonder | READ STORY

Despite improvements in recent years, rural libraries tend to spend more per capita for fewer services and fewer open hours, according to a report from the American Library Association (ALA).

Technology challenges, access to high speed internet, and funding to pay for staff and facilities are the main challenges facing rural community libraries, the report says.

A Global Snapshot of Same-Sex Marriage

Pew Research Center | READ STORY

With the Australian Parliament’s recent passage of legislation legalizing gay marriage, 26 countries now permit gays and lesbians to wed. And if a recent high court ruling in Europe’s Austria takes effect as expected in 2019, that country also will Join the Ranks of nations allowing same-sex unions. These events follow a number of other high-profile victories in recent years for gay marriage advocates, including Germany’s decision in June 2017 to allow gays and lesbians to wed and a Supreme Court ruling ruling two years earlier that made same-sex marriage legal in the United States.

Youth Migration in the West

Headwaters Economics |

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Western counties are experiencing a wide disparity in youth migration. While some are attracting and keeping young adults and families, others are struggling. One of the biggest challenges facing rural Western counties today is keeping and attracting youth, who help maintain population, keep schools open, and provide the workforce and customers needed to sustain local businesses. As the interactive map immediately below shows, almost all western metro counties either are holding steady or gaining population from the in-migration of those aged 39 and under. Not surprisingly, the share of westerners living in urban areas is growing and is higher than the rest of the country.