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| This Week's Titles: |
| Improving
The Lives Of Students |
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Don't Fear Mad Cow Disease |
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| Grouchy
Cows Bring Lower Paychecks |
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| Payday
Loans Increase Financial Problems |
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| Neutral
Weather Pattern This Winter |
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| Improving
The Lives Of Students |
1:30 |
Young people in a Central Georgia
county are working to improve the lives of other students. |
Many student in Hancock
county were developing low-self esteem, and not putting forth
their best effort in school. Greg Glover, a county extension
agent in Hancock County developed a mentoring program around
a Project called P.U.R.P.O.S.E, which stands for Partnership
Using Reading to Promote Outstanding Self Esteem. The program
provided many positive benefits. "These young people are some
of our brightest students who have aspiration of going to college
but they also want to provide an opportunity for students behind
them, to really see the importance of education and to realize
that they're other opportunities other than getting into the
streets and being involved in gang activity or selling drugs
or doing other things that we consider self-destructive." Greg
Glover with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
The young people are currently undertaking a book for the library
campaign, an adopt-a-street clean-up campaign, and many other
projects within the Hancock County 4-H program. John Harrell,
University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences, reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
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| Don't
Fear Mad Cow Disease |
1:37 |
Producers and consumers should
not wring their hands with worry about Mad Cow Disease. |
Late December turned gloomy
for beef cattle producers and beef lovers, when a single case
of Mad Cow Disease was reported in Washington state. Despite
this first case of Mad Cow Disease in the United States, an
animal scientist with the University of Georgia Extension Service
says this proves the system in place to detect Mad Cows Disease
in cattle herds is doing its job. "The system in place to catch
an incidence of BSE worked, and I think that is instrumental
in the fact that science based information and science based
technology is working as it was designed." That was Robert Stewart
with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Consumers and beef lovers should not back down, but continue
enjoying beef products, knowing the U.S. supply of beef is still
safe. Beef cattle farmers should not panic and make quick decisions,
but continue to have a positive outlook, since most experts
believe market prices for beef cattle will recover from this
slump John Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
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| Grouchy
Cows Bring Lower Paychecks |
1:34 |
College scientists have found
naughty cows bring lower paychecks, which makes cattlemen grumpy. |
Most of the state's cattle
farmers have had to spend time and money repairing damage to
gates, fences, and other equipment caused by grouchy calves.
Scientists with the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences have found calves with a poor disposition
will also have beef that is tougher, and less appealing to consumers.
"We do this mechanically we've got a machine that measures the
amount of force necessary to cut through a piece of meat. And
those calves that are very fast, their steaks are tougher it
takes more pressure to cut them." That was Jerry Baker with
the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The
research found troubled, angry calves bolt and run faster when
released from a squeeze chute. A calm, happy calf will ease
out and not hurry when released. Calves with higher chute-exit
speeds tend to gain less weight after weaning, which can affect
a farmer's paycheck when the time comes to sell that grumpy
calf. John Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
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| Payday
Loans increase Financial Problems |
1:27 |
Getting involved with payday
loans can cause a lot of financial headaches. |
The holiday spirit caused
many people to spend beyond what their budget allowed. So the
new year greets them with a tidal wave of red ink, as they try
to squeeze out dollars until the next paycheck. Michael Rupured,
a Financial Management Specialist with the University of Georgia
Extension Service says payday loans are not the solution. He
adds payday loans are very expensive. "New research that I have
just seen recently from the Center For Responsible Lending says
that these loans are costing U.S. families $3.4 billion dollars
every year." Michael Rupured with the College of Family and
Consumer Sciences, who adds the Annual Percentage Rate on these
loans, on average, ranges from three-hundred to over one-thousand
percent. In many cases, the person taking out a payday loan
can't pay back the loan because his paycheck will not cover
the amount borrowed, and the fee. Borrowers may then get a loan
extension, which adds more fees, and increases their debt. John
Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences, reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
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| Neutral
Weather Pattern This Winter |
1:44 |
Georgia's weather pattern is
in neutral this winter. |
Since the mid-nineties,
Georgia's weather has been dictated by El Nino, or La Nina weather
patterns. This caused several years of drought, and temperatures
above normal. Other years were cooler than normal, with heavy
rains. But the State Climatologist and a Professor of Engineering
at the University of Georgia says there are no signs of El Nino
or La Nina this winter. He adds a neutral weather pattern can
bring warm days, but also days that are very cold. "What this
means for Georgia is that we can expect a roller-coaster in
temperatures, with extremely cold outbreaks followed by warming
within a few days. I will not be surprised if low temperatures
in the coastal plain of Georgia are in the low teens to even
single digits in some colder areas." That was David Stooksbury
with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
The state climatologist expects rainfall across the state to
be near normal this winter, and some areas of the state could
see more sleet or snow. Since strong cold fronts could cause
significant changes in temperatures, the threat of severe weather
also increases when the weather pattern is neutral. John Harrell,
University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences, reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
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