Making Labor A Powerful Force: The Role of the CBTU

[Excerpt] An Interview with Brenda Stokely by Larry Adams, concerning the AFL-CIO Full Participation Conference and moking the rhetoric of inclusion ond diversity in organized labor into a reality

A Preliminary Assessment of Tidal Flooding along the New Hampshire Coast: Past, Present and Future

This report presents the results of a preliminary study that examines several critical coastal issues for New Hampshire including sea level fluctuations (past, present and future), shoreline migrations, and tidal flooding. Included are: 1) an analysis of sea level changes over the Holocene and resulting shoreline migrations, 2) an assessment of low-lying areas with elevations below selected tidal flooding datums in coastal areas, and 3) an assessment of increases in low-lying areas that are potentially at risk to tidal flooding over the next century due to sea level rise

Parents\u27 and Teachers\u27 Perception of an Alternative School

The alternative school in this case study has experienced resistance to the assignments the past few years. Present enrollment consists mostly of African American male students, whose parents complain about constant fighting, inadequate educational resources and the lack of class selections necessary for student academic progress. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of teachers and parents regarding academic information, and general information, they perceived have had the greatest impact on behavior, discipline, and achievement in the school environment. In addition, parents\u27 primary concerns about student assignment to the alternative school were explored. Constructivist learning theory was used to guide the study and research questions addressed the perspectives of teachers and parents about best practices concerning the behavior and academic achievement problems among black males attending the school. Data collection included interviews with 20 past and present parents and 15 teachers selected using purposive sampling. Data analyses involved using Hatch\u27s nine-step typology to code data and analyze for common themes. The results indicated that the alternative school has generally been successful in promoting student achievement and facilitating correct behaviors of assigned students. However, parents\u27 views differed regarding with the school environment. To address these differences, a professional development project was developed that included working with teacher, parent and student perspectives regarding academics and behavior concerns that were affecting the functioning of the school. Positive social change might occur as stakeholders realize the return of alternative school students to the educational environment who have the potential to be productive members of the community

Speakers Committee Comes Through...

Much informal discussion time and after-dinner speaking in recent years has been devoted to the precedent of improving the professional image and the professional service of Veterinary Medicine. However, few veterinarians have had the conviction to stand before their peers and bluntly state that in the event they become aware of a legal situation concerning the professional ethics of a fellow veterinarian they personally will be waiting to appear for the plaintiff at the veterinarian\u27s trial

South Dakota Agricultural Land Market Trends 1991-2015

Summary: The 2015 SDSU Farm Real Estate Market Survey report contains information on current agricultural land values and cash rental rates by land use in different regions of South Dakota, with comparisons to values from earlier years. Key findings are highlighted below.Agricultural land value changes in the past year reflect the sharp declines in crop prices and returns compared to record prices and returns for beef cattle.During the past year (from 2014 to 2015), all-agricultural land values increased 1.4%, compared to an increase of 6.1% from 2013 to 2014 and increases varying from 16.5% to 33.6% in the three previous years. Cropland values declined 4.8% this past year compared to an increase of 5.4% from 2013 to 2014 and annual increases varying from 17.7% to 37.8% in the prior three years. Rangeland and pasture values continued to increase at double-digit rates which was above the increases of 7.9% and 4.0%, respectively, from 2013 to 2014 and similar to the double-digit rates from 2010 to 2013.Cash rental rates for cropland and hay land declined statewide and in several regions, while cash rental rates for pasture / rangeland increased. Statewide, from 2014 to 2015, average cash rental rates per-acre decreased $5.00 for cropland and$2.25 for hay land, and increased $3.00 for rangeland. Cash rental rates for all land uses increased in western South Dakota and decreased or held steady in the southeast region. Cropland cash rental rates declined in all regions east of the Missouri River, while pasture / rangeland cash rental rates increased in almost all regions of South Dakota. Current average rates of cash return on agricultural land in South Dakota remain very low.For 2014 the average ratio of gross cash rent to current land value was 2.9$2,505 per-acre. Non-irrigated agricultural land varies from $5,186 per-acre in the east-central to$737 per-acre in the northwest region. Average non-irrigated cropland values per-acre vary from $6,329 in the east-central to$3,895 in the central and $1,193 in the northwest region.Average rangeland values vary from$2,727 per-acre in the east-central to $630 per-acre in the northwest. Within each region, differences in land productivity and land use account for substantial differences in per-acre values.The highest non-irrigated cropland values and cash rental rates continue to occur in the Minnehaha-Moody county cluster where the average value of cropland in 2015 is$7,837 peracre and average cash rental rate for cropland is $244 per-acre. Cropland values average$7,138 per-acre and cropland cash rental rates average $240 per-acre in the Clay-Lincoln-Turner-Union county cluster.At the regional level, average cash rental rates per-acre for non-irrigated cropland in 2015 vary from$204 in the east-central region to $43.60 in the southwest region. Average rangeland and pasture rental rates vary from$76.50 per-acre in the east-central region to $18.30 per-acre in the southwest region.The longer-term trends in land values, cash rental rates, and cash rates of return are closely related to key economic factors affecting demand for agricultural land. These demand factors include economies of size, net farm income, agricultural productivity, and land as an investment. Specific factors important in South Dakota include: 1. Technology changes in agriculture that expanded the geographic range of corn and soybean production, along with rapid development of ethanol production in South Dakota. 2. Sharp declines in farm mortgage interest rates from early 2001 to late 2004 and continued relatively low mortgage interest rates. 3. General economic conditions of low inflation rates in most years. 4. Persistence of farm expansion, via land purchase or leasing, as the major response to pervasive economies of size in production agriculture. 5. Substantial increase in use of crop insurance for yield or revenue protection along with other federal farm program provisions. From 1991 to 2014, agricultural land values increased more rapidly than the rate of general price inflation in all regions of South Dakota. Continued increases in cash rental rates provided underlying support for increases in land values. These basic economic factors, along with relatively low mortgage interest rates, attract interest in farmland purchases by investors and by farmers expanding their operations. During the past year, 2014 to 2015, land values and cash rental rates by land use were greatly affected by the sharp declines in crop prices in contrast to record high beef cattle prices.Farm expansion and investment potential continue to be cited as the major reasons for purchasing farmland. The major reasons for selling farmland are realizing gains from high sale prices, settling estates, and retirement from farming.Low mortgage interest rates, high livestock prices, and relatively good crop yields were the three most cited positive factors in the farmland market. Declining crop prices, especially for corn and soybeans, dominated the negative factors influencing the farm real estate market. Rising input costs and economic uncertainty, including interest rate risks, were other negative factors.The booming market psychology of recent years, especially for cropland, has been replaced by concern on adjusting cash rents and land purchase prices to declining crop prices and lower prospective returns. Respondents continue to remain more optimistic about rangeland markets.More than half of respondents forecast decreases in cropland values for next year, while one-half of respondents forecast increases in rangeland values. Among respondents forecasting changes, the ratio of positive to negative forecasts is 1:3 for cropland compared to 3:1 for rangeland values. There is a lot of concern that cropland values and cash rental rates will decline further, while rangeland values and cash rental rate forecasts assume continued optimistic conditions

Multiple Boom Deployment

Some embodiments of the invention include a boom deployment system. The boom deployment system, for example, may include a housing, a spool, a first boom, and a second boom. The spool may be disposed within the housing and configured to rotate around an axis that is fixed relative to the housing. The first boom and/or the second boom may have a cylindrical shape in a deployed configuration, a flattened shape in a stowed configuration, and a slit that extends along the longitudinal length of the boom in the deployed configuration. The first boom and/or the second boom may be stowed in the stowed configuration flattened and wrapped around the spool. The first boom and/or the second boom may transition from the stowed configuration to the deployed configuration as the spool rotates around the axis

Extendible Boom

An asymmetric mast is disclosed that can be used for solar arrays. The asymmetric mast can have an asymmetry out of the plane of the solar blanket. The mast may include two or more booms that comprise slit tube longerons. In some embodiments, a single mast can be used with one or two solar blankets