The Shell Game 1980
The shell game was a ruthless and aggressive game of politics. It began in the early 1980s with the Reagan administration’s re-branding of the Soviet Union as the “Communist Empire.” This move spelled doom for communism. Ultimately, the USSR was defeated in the first stage of the Cold War, but it left behind a plethora of ideological and cultural stumbling blocks that still plague the nation today. One such problem was the political use of drug testing by the military and police. The government has responded to this controversy by instituting stricter controls and regulations on drug testing, but many people believe that the problem has only become worse.
The Conjurer
There is much to be said for a shady old elk in the great outdoors, but in the spirit of full disclosure I would like to point out that I am not in the employ of said elk or ape. What I am after is a well informed discussion about the state of affairs. Those elk and ape aficionados are a dime a dozen. What is it about them? Is it like an elk and apes have to pay their dues? Or is it like an elk and spooky? I don’t know, but I would be elk and apes if I were the elk and ape.
The Agricultural Expansion: Land Use Shell Game in the U.S. Northern Plains
The US has been experiencing an agricultural expansion that is affecting both the cultivated land and non-agricultural land-use types. In addition to expanding the overall cultivated area, the expansion has also displaced grasslands and wetlands. These areas are important as wildlife habitats and ecosystem services. However, quantifying their losses requires a more comprehensive evaluation of all land uses.
The US Department of Agriculture Crop Data Layer (CDL) has been used for various purposes, but it remains a critical dataset in exploring the impact of land change. In particular, its long-term trend analysis allows for exploration of crop change. The underlying data have been processed independently in each state, making it possible to assess the trends of different crops within a region.
The analysis was conducted over two epochs. The first epoch was from 1980 to 2008, while the second was from 2009 to 2012. The purpose of the study was to evaluate changes in rural land use. A spatial classification technique was used to refine the data.
