Energy And Symmetry In Language And Yoga

The structures of syllables and of yoga poses are compared. Syllables are tripartite, with sound segments rising in sonority (acoustic energy) to a peak, then falling. Likewise, asanas are tripartite, with symmetrical movements flanking the sustaining, vital energy peak. In both entities, then, symmetric structure flanks energy peaks. This organization is not a physical necessity, but a cognitive preference

The Importance of College Student Academic Goals: A Symbolic Interactionist Approach

A cross-sectional study of a sample of first and second year students attending a moderately-sized, Great Plains university is used to demonstrate the correlation between academic self-conceptions and academic goals. Multiple regression analysis shows that academic self-conceptions, academic role-taking, job goals, being a parent, and having a Job are excellent predictors of academic goals. The authors recommend that the symbolic interactionist perspective used in the study should be used to study how academic goals link academic self-conceptions with academic behaviors and outcomes

Rural Life Census Data Center Newsletter: Working Poverty

Do more jobs mean increased community wellbeing? Not necessarily if the jobs are low-paying and keep people poor. The “working poor” have increased in many South Dakota counties. Several of those counties have also made the list of U.S. counties that have changed most drastically in working poverty percentages between 1990 and 2000 (Anderson 2006)

Drought— But Not Dust Bowl

In 2006, fears that the drought in South Dakota would be worse than that of the 1930s made the pages of the New York Times (1). Indeed, this 21st Century drought is serious but, in terms of sheer human misery, it doesn’t match what was called the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, and the Dirty Thirties. Back when South Dakota State University was South Dakota A&M, rural sociologists conducted studies of the Dust Bowl, so now we can compare the two droughts. “A Graphic Summary of the Relief Situation in South Dakota (1930-1935)” shows numbers of people on relief, number living on farms, banking, and off-farm income (3). The most striking finding concerns relief

Rural Life Census Data Center Newsletter: Hispanics in South Dakota

Few topics draw more attention today than Hispanic immigration and the impacts of legal and illegal immigrants on society. As discussions and debates continue, immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries are finding work in the U.S. Hispanics now reside in South Dakota. What draws them here

Rural Life Census Data Center Newsletter: South Dakota\u27s Food Deserts

For most Americans, shopping takes little time and planning. When one runs out of sugar, a trip to the nearest grocery store is quick and easy. This trip may be more annoying and inconvenient if you live in certain rural areas. Declining populations combined with the loss of jobs often leads to grocery stores serving larger areas. Communities that lack easy access to food supplies, usually because of the lack of grocery stores, are considered food deserts

Agricultural Producers’ Use of Genetically Modified Organisms

A random sample of agricultural producers from North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin is used to examine producers’ decisions to use or not use genetically modified organisms. Using the rational choice theoretical framework to guide analyses, the associations between proportion of genetically modified corn acres grown by agricultural producers and perceived cost, perceived risk, and perceived benefit. Results indicated that 1) perceived cost was significantly, negatively associated with proportion of GM corn acres planted; 2) perceived risk was significantly, negatively associated with proportion of GM corn acres planted; and 3) perceived benefit was significantly, positively associated with proportion GM corn acres planted

Rural Life Census Data Center Newsletter: South Dakota Farm Number and Size Trends

If you have ever wondered about changes in the number of farms in your state or county, the latest U.S. Census of Agriculture can help answer your questions. New Census of Agriculture information is both interesting and useful. Census of Agriculture data can be used to analyze farm trends, inform agricultural policy, and direct farm spending (2007 Census of Agriculture)

Rural Life Census Data Center Newsletter: South Dakota\u27s Child Poverty Change

When people think of poverty in the United States, many picture inner-city ghettos with homeless men begging for money on a street corner. Yet poverty is often more severe in rural areas and affects children more than any other group (Tickameyer and Duncan 1990). In 2005, nearly all of the United States counties with the highest percentage of children in poverty were rural (O’Hare and Mather 2008)

Midwest Consumers’ Beliefs and Attitudes Regarding Agricultural Biotechnology: An Executive Summary

As part of a project investigating the social, economic, and ethical issues related to the application of biotechnology to food production and to the adoption or rejection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), we conducted a survey using a questionnaire mailed to a randomly selected sample of consumers in five Midwestern states—Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. This report highlights the responses of the 458 respondents to that completed and returned questionnaire