Texas economy to ride higher in the saddle in 2011

The Texas economy grew moderately in 2010, outperforming most other states. Jobs increased by 209,000, a growth rate of about 2 percent—near the state’s average pace since 1980. Strength in the high-tech and energy sectors was an important source of Texas’ economic might relative to other parts of the country. The state also suffered less from housing price declines. ; Leading indicators, generally positive at the end of 2010, suggest an improving outlook in 2011 as consumers and businesses regain confidence in the economy. The Dallas Fed forecasting model projects Texas job growth of 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent this year.>Economic conditions - Texas ; Economic indicators

Spotlight: Farm real estate values: Texas holds steady in 2008, bucking U.S. trend

The value of Texas agricultural land has followed national trends since the early 1990s. Last year, however, the state's average price per acre remained unchanged, a sharp contrast to the nation's first decline in 17 years. Texas was one of only eight states that didn't see falling farm values in 2008.Farms - Valuation ; Agriculture - Economic aspects

The Score is Strong with this One: A Musical Analysis of the Star Wars Saga

With the release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, the Star Wars franchise began a new, three-part narrative arc. It introduces new characters and plot elements, many of which are shrouded in mystery. With only the first installment of the trilogy having been released thus far, fan theories have arisen in an attempt to address unanswered questions, particularly those about Rey, the lead character of The Force Awakens. Theories have been proposed to explain how Rey fits into the storyline of Episodes 1–6, linking her to other characters through both similarities in personality and/or circumstance. However, few have looked at the music of Star Wars as a basis for analysis. Given how important the music is to the each of the films—in terms of the outsized role the music plays and how iconic it continues to become—it seems natural that important elements of the story and characters might be embedded in the music. And since all the existing films have been scored by John Williams, they exhibit a great deal of musical consistency. I argue that the score for Episode VII suggests a link between Rey and characters from the earlier films. By analyzing themes associated with Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, and Rey, as well as some less familiar motives, I have developed a theory that connects Rey to one of the central characters of the franchise and positions her in the grand scheme of the Star Wars narrative

Afghan Renewal

A young alum reflects on her year in Kabul, where she worked to provide crucial educational and healthcare support to the war-torn but resolute populace

Developing the Rapid Assessment of Problem Solving for Kids (RAPS-K)

The Rapid Assessment of Problem Solving (RAPS) was created by Dr. Robert Marshall in order to assess an individuals’ problem solving abilities. This assessment is set up like the popular twenty-questions game and is used to assess adults with cognitive impairments. An administrator chooses a picture from a board of thirty-two pictures and the subject must ask yes or no questions in order to guess the target picture in as few questions as possible. Analysis assesses integration planning scores, question asking efficiency scores, and question types to determine a level of problem solving abilities. Smith and Jones (2018) used the original RAPS to assess problem solving skills in neurotypical children and discovered many limitations such as the inability of children to recognize the pictures used and the number of pictures they were able to integrate. Perdew (2019) created a modified version of the RAPS called the Rapid Assessment of Problem Solving for Kids (RAPS-K) that addressed these limitations, in hopes it would be more valid and reliable when used with the child population. The RAPS-K consists of twelve total boards of varying sizes that fit into three levels of difficulty. This capstone project aims to analyze data gathered through the piloting of the RAPS-K on neurotypical kids. From this research, any limitations of the new boards or of the original scoring system when used in conjunction with the new boards will be identified and modified for future use. Additionally, a protocol and administration manual will be created in order to make administration more uniform and valid

Federalism in Campus Sexual Violence: How States Can Protect Their Students When a Trump Administration Will Not

Title IX has become shorthand for the issue of campus sexual assault. So common is Title IX attention on campus sexual violence that it is easy to forget how recently campus sexual violence was a neglected issue. Only after years of student activism did the federal government begin to address campus sexual violence. In 2014, President Obama created the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault. In his work on the issue, President Obama likely became the first U.S. president to even mention campus sexual violence, let alone work to combat it