Northern European perceptions of the Barcelona Process

The northern member-states of the European Union endorsed the Euro-Mediterranean Global Partnership relatively late in its gestation, and with some reluctance. None the less, their participation in the Barcelona process reflects an increase in interest and concern among the northern states in relation to the southern Mediterranean. While the nationstate remains fundamental to perceptions of interest, it is useful up to a point to generaliseabout northern and southern outlooks on the Euro-Mediterranean process within the EU. The traditional ‘trade versus aid’ divergence between northern and southern European states over their preferred means of supporting the development of North Africa has become less pronounced, but has not disappeared. The northern European states areparticularly keen to fulfill the economic objectives of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, and in some respects may be better placed than the southern Europeans to encourage North African states to pursue the political objectives of the process, involving liberalisation. The EU as a whole has an economic doctrine which is being exported through the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, but so far neither its northern nor its southern member-states have managed to formulate a political strategy for the promotion of democratic values

The Economics of Organic Versus Conventional Cow-calf Production

Costs, returns, and profitability of cow-calf farms that are organic or transitioning to organic are compared with those of cow-calf farms that are non-organic. A method of matching samples is used for the comparison. Results suggest higher cost of organic production due to higher unpaid labor, taxes and insurance, and overhead costs.Matching Samples, Profit, Costs, Farm Management, Production Economics,

Murray-Darling basin freshwater shells: riverine reservoir effect

We report carbon isotope measurements on pre-bomb museum samples of freshwater mussel shells collected alive from riverine locations in New South Wales, Australia. The calculated reservoir ages, ranging from -60 to +112 years, are much smaller than those for Australian marine shells and not considered significant for the radiocarbon dating of Late Pleistocene freshwater shells from the Murray-Darling Basin

Building Healthy Families Through Intergenerational Worship Ministry

Although literature exists concerning family ministry in the local church, there is little research that gives explicit insight into music and worship ministry’s role in helping to strengthen families. Since worship is one of the ultimate functions of both the church and the family, this study integrates family ministry methodology with worship ministry methodology to discover theological sound and practical ways to build up the family through corporate worship, structured music programs, and community involvement. Guided by biblical and historical foundational teachings on church and family, this qualitative research study identifies perspectives that have not yet been explored and documented concerning the worship ministry of the local church and its role in helping struggling families by exploring existing literature, examining church ministries, and conducting worship leader interviews. The twenty-first century’s post-Christian worldview has impacted the church and family negatively. The subjectivity of autonomous individualism directly opposes the universal truth found in the Bible. The church and its various ministries must find ways to effectively engage a hostile culture that undermines God’s design for the family. As worship ministries discover methods to connect the generations within the church, they will, as a result, unify the church, bring healing to the family, and counter the effects of secular culture

Intensive versus Extensive Dairy Production Systems: Dairy States in the Eastern and Midwestern U.S. and Key Pasture Countries the E.U.: Determining the Competitive Edge

In recent years, significant structural and production system changes have been noted in the U.S. and European Union, as well as increased interest in pasture-based dairy systems. Technical efficiency, returns to scale, and farm characteristics are compared by size and production system in traditional U.S. dairy states and E.U. countries.U.S., EU Countries, Dairy Systems, Technical Efficiency, Returns To Scale, Size, Technology, Land Prices, Production Economics, Q12,