Much of the rain forest news of the week centered on the Earthpark board's selection of Pella as the site for the project. You can read why David Oman thought this announcement "huge" and I thought it "non-news." ("Because nothing's changed; the project still has no money; and without the money and other basics they might as well have said they have selected a site on the moon.") See Nicholas Johnson, "Rain Forest: 'Shell and Pea Games' vs. Basics," September 28, 2006.
This week's update runs about 2200 words, and analyzes and quotes from some 22 stories. What's most interesting is what they do and don't reveal about what David Oman and others are saying (and not saying) -- not simply the "news" that this unfunded project is now set to prey upon Pella.
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[Every Monday since December 2005 there has been a weekly upload to the pre-existing Iowa rain forest Web site I maintain. In all, printed out it would run over 100 single spaced pages; there are, in addition, links to the full text of hundreds of newspaper stories and reports. It is very probably the most complete resource on the topic anywhere on the Web.
It is found at: http://www.nicholasjohnson.org/politics/IaChild.
Over the past few months the scope of the Web site has expanded from the rain forest project to include material related to the broader range of attractions and economic development generally (including gambling casinos) in which the proposed rain forest exists and by which it must be evaluated.
If you are interested in following this subject, you might also want to check in from time to time with the Iowa Pork Forest blog for comments that are often humorous and entertaining as well as insightful.]
Technorati tags: Iowa Rain Forest, economic development, attractions, tourism, rain forest, pork, Earthpark, Earthpork, Earth Park, Iowa, Pella, Pella rain forest, Iowa Child Foundation, Iowa Environmental Project, David Oman, Ted Townsend.
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