Creating Sustainable, Cost-Effective, and Equitable Waste-Management Programs in Maine Communities

The authors present several perspectives on popular municipal solid waste (MSW) policies and programs that can help guide decision making to address the waste hierarchy as well as to extend thinking in regard to MSW

The Illusion of Change, The Politics of Illusion: Evolution of the Family Support Act of 1988

The enactment of the Family Support Act was the outcome of a six-year legislative and administrative review of, and debate about, welfare policy and programs. Heralded as the opportunity of the century, it did little, however, to alter existing policy. This article examines the evolution of the Family Support Act within the United States Congress, spotlighting two important time periods leading up to its enactment: 1981 to 1985 and 1986 to 1988. Original documentsfroin the files of the late Senator Moynihan, legislative sponsor of the Family Support Act, as well as a comprehensive investigation of Congressional records of hearings and debates, media editorials and commentaries, and extensive Congressional interviews form the basis for this analysis which vividly illustrates the politics of welfare policy-making in the United States. It concludes with observations about the policy implications of the Family Support Act and offers insight into how its passage paved the wayfor the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996

Welfare Reform and Post-Secondary Education in Maine: A Supplemental Bibliography

In the September 2005 issue of the Journal, Charles Price authored an article entitled Reforming Welfare Reform Postsecondary Education Policy: Two State Case Studies in Political Culture, Organizing, and Advocacy (Volume XXXII, Number 3: 81-106). It is a timely article; the issue of access to postsecondary education for women on welfare is a crucial one. Not only did the 1996 welfare reform law heighten the already harsh and punitive attitudes toward poor women raising children on their own, newly incorporated restrictive elements severely hampered, and in some cases eliminated, these women\u27s ability to move off welfare and into stable, well-paying jobs and careers. And while higher education is clearly a key element in attaining those stable, well-paying jobs and careers, it is precisely this pathway, access to and participation in postsecondary education, which was drastically restricted by the 1996 law and subsequent modifications

The Parents as Scholars Program: A Maine Success Story

Federal “welfare reform” enacted in 1996 strongly discouraged states from including post-secondary education in their welfare reform programs. As Sandra Butler and Luisa Deprez discuss here, Maine persevered through its Parent as Scholars (PaS) program to make college possible for low-income parents. In this article they report on their long-term follow-up of a cohort of PaS participants, all of them women, who have benefited greatly from participation in the program. Butler and Deprez note that Maine’s PaS improves welfare recipients’ chances of moving out of poverty. The program itself remains as a model for other states

Women\u27s Lives and Poverty: Developing a Framework of Real Reform for Welfare

The historic 1996 welfare reform is typically regarded as a successful public policy. Using the limited success metric of reducing welfare rolls, welfare evaluations and analysis have obscured the lived experiences of recipients, particularly among women, who are disproportionally represented among welfare recipients. While it is true that welfare numbers are down, those women who have been forced off or left behind are not doing well. In this paper we seek to explore and critically evaluate the lived experiences of women, to challenge mainstream understandings of women\u27s success post-welfare, and propose a theoretical and methodological framework, based on an intersectional analysis, that will create more effective policy

First report of multinodular pulmonary fibrosis associated with equine herpesvirus 5 in Belgium

A 20-year-old horse was evaluated for symptoms of weight loss, anorexia, fever and lethargy. Clinical examination revealed tachypnea, poor body condition and increased breath sounds on auscultation. Ultrasound showed multiple consolidations on the lungs. Thoracic radiography revealed a severe nodular pattern. The horse was treated with antibiotics, corticoids and supportive medication. Since no improvement was observed, the horse was euthanized. At necropsy, numerous coalescing fibrous nodules were present in the lungs. Histology revealed diffuse interstitial fibrosis and macrophages containing abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm and oval eosinophilic to amphophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies. Tissue samples tested positive for the presence of equine herpes virus 5 (EHV 5) on the basis of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. A diagnosis of equine multinodular pulmonary fibrosis (EMPF) was made. This is the first report of EMPF in Belgium. EMPF can be suspected based on the ultrasonographic, radiographic and histological changes. EMPF is associated with EHV 5, but the etiological role of EHV 5 still remains to be proven

The Miseducation of Welfare Reform: Denying the Promise of Postsecondary Education

When Congress enacted “welfare reform” in 1996, decades of progress in assisting low-income mothers obtain a college education in order to escape poverty was nearly eradicated. The federal welfare reform law strongly discouraged states from incorporating postsecondary education into their welfare reform programs and focused instead on “work-first” policies. As a direct result, hundreds of thousands of low-income mothers across the country were forced to drop out of college and find jobs in order to comply with strict “work-first” welfare rules. Despite the pressure imposed by the federal law, the State of Maine persevered in its effort to make college a reality for low-income mothers. Advocates in Maine were adamant that welfare reform policies focus on raising families out of poverty and endeavor to change the position of women in the labor market in order to relieve poverty for low-income single mothers. These farsighted views, embodied in the Maine Parents as Scholars program, have paid off for welfare recipients and for the state, with dividends. As the welfare reform law expires, Congress has the opportunity to reverse course and support states in providing access to postsecondary education for welfare recipients. In this paper, we will reveal how “work-first” ideology pushed the merits of postsecondary education for low-income women to the background despite the well-known, intimate relationship between higher education and women\u27s earnings, employment, and well-being. We will highlight the innovative approach taken in Maine to overcome the pressures of the federal welfare reform law and report on positive outcomes for Maine welfare recipients who were able to access higher education despite federal restrictions. Finally, we will explore the current Congressional proposals for renewing the welfare reform law in a manner more conducive to allowing low-income mothers access to education

Differential response at the seafloor during Palaeocene and Eocene ocean warming events at Walvis Ridge, Atlantic Ocean (ODP Site 1262)

The Latest Danian Event (LDE, c. 62.1 Ma) is an early Palaeogene hyperthermal or transient (<200 ka) ocean warming event. We present the first deep-sea benthic foraminiferal faunal record to study deep-sea biotic changes together with new benthic (Nuttallides truempyi) stable isotope data from Walvis Ridge Site 1262 (Atlantic Ocean) to evaluate whether the LDE was controlled by similar processes as the minor early Eocene hyperthermals. The spacing of the double negative δ13C and δ18O excursion and the slope of the δ18O–δ13C regression are comparable, strongly suggesting a similar orbital control and pacing of eccentricity maxima as well as a rather homogeneous carbon pool. However, in contrast to early Eocene hyperthermals, the LDE exhibits a remarkable stability of the benthic foraminiferal fauna. This lack of benthic response could be related to the absence of threshold-related circulation changes or better pre-adaptation to elevated deep-sea temperatures, as the LDE was superimposed on a cooling trend, in contrast to early Eocene warming

Investing in Human Capital in Difficult Times: Maine’s Competitive Skills Scholarship Program

The authors describe how the Competitive Skills Scholarship Program, administered by the Maine Department of Labor, aims both to meet the needs of Maine employers through improved access to a skilled labor force and to improve job prospects for low-income Mainers by providing access to educa­tion, training, and support. They note that many currently unemployed workers do not have the skills or experience to take advantage of the new job opportunities that are likely to arise, and that there is a demonstrated correlation between higher levels of education and training and both higher income and reduced unemployment. Preliminary data suggest a high level of satisfaction by program participants and that graduates are finding positions in high-growth, high-wage occupations