College of Charleston economist Frank Hefner cautioned that while the unemployment rate is good, it is a bit deflated by seasonal adjustments and folks giving up on finding jobs. Hefner added that despite the caveats, 6.6 percent “is a great number. We’re still chugging along.” And he noted that the 1.9 percent growth rate “is […]
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Charleston harbor pilots look to fewer, but bigger, cargo ships
“It’s like the railroad with transition to larger trains and more technology, and that means the need for fewer people,” said Kent Gourdin, director of global logistics and transportation programs at the College of Charleston. http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20140126/PC16/140129526/1177/charleston-harbor-pilots-look-to-fewer-but-bigger-cargo-ships
Shark Species Thought to Be Extinct Turns Up in Fish Market
By Mike Robertson on January 24, 2014 in CofC Expert, CofC Expert Quoted, CofC Research, In the News, National News
The concern for the smoothtooth blacktip’s conservation status is “the same as for any sharks or rays,” said Gavin Naylor, a professor of biology at the College of Charleston, Medical University of South Carolina, who also worked on the 2011 study. “They are what we call K selected animals, meaning they are long lived and have […]
What Happens When the Poor Receive a Stipend?
By Mike Robertson on January 24, 2014 in CofC Expert, CofC Expert Quoted, In the News, National News
But Douglas Walker, an economist at the College of Charleston who has done some consulting for pro-gaming organizations, says many of the studies on gaming have methodological problems. Increased criminal behavior may simply be a function of more visitors to the casino area, he says. If the population increases periodically, it’s natural to expect crime […]
Once Failing Biology Society Thrives as It Nurtures New Disciplines
By 1959, new discipline-focused divisions had emerged: developmental biology, comparative endocrinology, comparative physiology, and animal behavior, among them. But in the 1990s, ASZ was teetering, so weak financially that it appealed to its members for bailout donations. Soul-searching resulted in a greater emphasis on cross-cutting topics. “People thought that having a program that was truly […]
Methane hydrate offshore is tempting, perilous natural gas
Mitchell Colgan isn’t so sure. Colgan is a College of Charleston geology professor who formerly worked in exploration research for Shell Oil Co. “The problem you face is how much money you pay for that lease,” he said. Shell Oil paid more than a half billion dollars for a lease off Alaska more than two […]
Portsmouth gambling proposal still faces long odds
“I would say they’re exaggerated,” said Doug Walker, an economics professor at the College of Charleston who has written two books about the impact of casinos. “I think the positives outweigh the cost.” Walker and casino gambling researcher Clyde W. Barrow say some studies indicate that casinos don’t increase crime rates or make areas less […]
Quietly, Hillary Clinton supporters taking stock in S.C.
College of Charleston political scientist Kendra Stewart said any effort, no matter how small, can earn dividends. “It’s never too early to start raising money or building a network,” she said. Stewart said Clinton supporters, like those for any serious presidential hopeful, will start getting the wheels going in every state “or at least the […]
Ragusa: An historical take on the filibuster (op/ed)
What changed, exactly, now that the U.S. Senate has “gone nuclear”? Is this really a big deal? And is this unconstitutional? As a technical matter, last month’s reform wasn’t a change in the Senate’s rules. In “going nuclear,” Harry Reid and Senate Democrats merely “reinterpreted” the rule requiring a three-fifths vote to end debate on […]
Universe’s Largest Structure is a Cosmic Conundrum
Scientists found the new structure by mapping the locations of gamma ray bursts. These fleeting, but high-energy outbursts are believed to be caused by exploding massive stars. “It’s a great tracer of where something was,” astronomer Jon Hakkila, with the College of Charleston in South Carolina, told Discovery News.