• Harley Davidson and the Bumpus dealership represent a unique part of American culture, as Fara Warner describes in 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'. Explore this culture as a group by taking a motorcycle trip or tour in your area. Eaglerider offers tours rentals in larger cities across the country, while Adventuretours rides in the Midwest and Canada, and Ridefree covers California and the Southwest. If your area is not taken care of here then more companies can be found at the motorcycle vacation guide. Be sure to familiarize yourself with motorcycle safety before going out. Hop on a Hog and enjoy!
• After the tour discuss what makes motorcycle culture so unique. Did group members feel comfortable or intimidated if they had never driven a motorcycle before? What other sports and activities have a 'rough' or 'exclusive' image?
• Consider organizing group or office participation in bike to work week. You don't have to wait for an official one to conserve energy by organizing bike trips by people in the same neighborhoods, or even regular carpools from people in your group who work in the same area of town.
• Neil deGrasse Tyson talks about connecting minds horizontally in Star Search.Have your group go horizontal for an evening of star-watching. Perhaps a member of your group works in a building with a rooftop deck where you can hold your next meeting. If not, try going out to an isolated area that has lots of wide open spaces, and invite someone from a nearby planetarium to come along and point out the relevant sights. If you're stuck in a downtown with tall buildings and no visibility try setting a special meeting up at the local planetarium, such as the Hayden or Adler. Observe the different clusters of stars (Big Bear, Orion) and organization of other bodies in the galaxies. Compare that to the organization in the workplace. Which department has the power of the sun, where all other departments revolve around it? Which is like a comet, which comes out sporadically but lets its impact be known? And which are like the planets-- fixed in number, set in orbit and traditionally stable?
• While space is popularly considered the 'final frontier', it is also a frontier typically unreachable for most people. What effect would Tyson's virtual observatory have on the study of space? Are there any potential drawbacks to the popularization of astronomy and other technical sciences?
• George Anders presents a troubling picture on the potential effects of bioterrorism in The Real Biohazards. Make sure you and your group are prepared for the next time disaster strikes. Get a local health expert, or someone from the CDC if there is a facility in your area, to come in and run a simulation like Dark Winter, which Johns Hopkins ran last summer. Consider inviting people beyond just your group members, since you'll need a large number of people to play the various relevant parts and so people outside of your group get this relevant education.
• Besides prevention, disasters require a long-term concerted volunteer effort. And organizations dependent on volunteers are always in need of manpower. See if Volunteers of America, or perhaps a local relief agency, can provide your group with the necessary training so that you can help out immediately during a crisis, or assign you to a cause that members in your group are connected with.
• Many people realized after Sept 11 that their didn't have an emergency plan, Does your office have one? Compare it to other people in your group. What makes for an effective evacuation and escape plan? Is there a designated person to 'lead' the office in evacuation? How does this plan change depending on the type of emergency (fire, hurricane, attack, etc)?
• Consider the following question: In what ways did 'smart preparation and clear communication' help out in the wake of Sept 11? In what ways did it fail? What can you do, as individuals and as a group, to improve disaster response should another situation arise?

Daniel Richards contributed this month's Next Steps.

January 2002 Connexus | Flash Points | Next Steps

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