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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

 

Rural Reminder


Ok, this isn't rural education research, but it IS rural research. Plus, it involves bizarre bovine behavior, and who can resist that?


A recent study found that the large majority of grazing cows orient themselves along a north-south axis. This is the case regardless of weather conditions. Although the researchers aren't sure why cows do this, they hypothesize that the animals are somehow sensing the Earth's magnetic alignment.


So if you get lost in a pasture on a cloudy day, check which way most of the cows are standing--and you'll at least know that one way is north and the other south. No compass? Use cows!

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Posted by Caitlin Howley @ 10:52 AM  Comments (0) | |

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

 

Rural Reminder

U.S. Census Bureau Director Steve Murdock, a rural sociologist in his former life, gave a talk at the recent Rural Sociological Society meeting in which he discussed his concern about the American Community Survey's (ACS) sample size. Without funding to increase the sample, data about rural and small communities are less accurate than they ought to be. To read more about his comments, check out the latest newsletter of the Consortium of Social Science Associations.

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Posted by Caitlin Howley @ 1:43 PM  Comments (0) | |