Signifier of Kiwi Identity

Contested myths of origin surround one of New Zealand’s best-loved cultural icons, or ‘kiwiana’: a pull-along children’s toy called the Buzzy Bee. This paper clarifies those domains by presenting new information gleaned from Betty Schlesinger, widow of the bee’s inventor. Clarification is important because the Buzzy Bee is, as kiwiana, a material item strongly associated with Kiwi identity. As a Māori word, ‘Kiwi’ is a common, often self-ascribed, term identifying people from Aotearoa New Zealand. In clarifying the Buzzy Bee’s history, this paper adds new information to the knowledge base of what it means to be Kiwi. That knowledge base is enhanced, because this paper notes that the Buzzy Bee was invented and first manufactured here in New Zealand by Betty Schlesinger’s husband Maurice Schlesinger. Betty Schlesinger’s account contrasts more popular and well-known origin myths that have served to cloud the Bee’s definitive history. In clarifying the Buzzy Bee’s genesis using Betty Schlesinger’s narrative, this paper also emphasises the important link between identity, materiality and national identity

The University of Alaska - Juneau Whalesong

UAJ student lobby committee takes action -- Alaska state vocational association conference held: Stell given leadership award Oremos named teacher of the year -- Preschool teacher certification endorsed -- Editorials -- Guest editorial by Greg Stevens: Draft counseling: accurate information on alternatives -- Close encounters with the Whalesong: Paquin is the UAJ voice heard up to 500 times daily -- Installation delayed -- Counselor's corner -- Through the porthole -- Sports & activities -- Third & fourth month entertainments -- Baleen cuisine -- UAJ teachers attend language festiva

An Old Debate Bubbles Up – Should Soft Drinks or Sugar Sweetened Beverages be Prohibited for Purchase with Federal Food Stamps?

Food stamps are a food relief program that provides subsidies to needy Americans for the purchase of foods to supplement their diets in the interest of improving nutrition levels. The program currently allows the purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) despite scientific research that has implicated consumption of these items in the incidence of a host of negative health outcomes including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and dental cavities. Recently, the governments of Minnesota and New York have proposed the prohibition of SSB purchase with food stamps in order to address the bourgeoning obesity epidemic that has been linked with high consumption of SSB. While groups as diverse as anti-hunger organizations and beverage industry lobbyists have pushed back on these proposals, a compelling argument to continue allowing SSB purchase with food stamps has yet to be made. This paper lays out the history of the food stamp program to illuminate its current goals and trajectory, provides evidence of the health risks associated with SSB consumption, and deconstructs some of the most prevalent arguments against banning SSB purchase from the food stamp program. The proposal to ban SSB purchases with food stamps is in line with a growing body of empirical research and the clear aim of the food stamp program to improve nutrition and health, and opponents have yet to produce any clear and compelling arguments against its implementation. Pilot programs should be initiated and evaluated before this promising initiative goes flat

A Meta-Analysis of Procedures to Change Implicit Measures

Using a novel technique known as network meta-analysis, we synthesized evidence from 492 studies (87,418 participants) to investigate the effectiveness of procedures in changing implicit measures, which we define as response biases on implicit tasks. We also evaluated these procedures’ effects on explicit and behavioral measures. We found that implicit measures can be changed, but effects are often relatively weak (|ds| \u3c .30). Most studies focused on producing short-term changes with brief, single-session manipulations. Procedures that associate sets of concepts, invoke goals or motivations, or tax mental resources changed implicit measures the most, whereas procedures that induced threat, affirmation, or specific moods/emotions changed implicit measures the least. Bias tests suggested that implicit effects could be inflated relative to their true population values. Procedures changed explicit measures less consistently and to a smaller degree than implicit measures and generally produced trivial changes in behavior. Finally, changes in implicit measures did not mediate changes in explicit measures or behavior. Our findings suggest that changes in implicit measures are possible, but those changes do not necessarily translate into changes in explicit measures or behavior

Humans, robots and values

The issue of machines replacing humans dates back to the dawn of industrialisation. In this paper we examine what is fundamental in the distinction between human and robotic work by reflecting on the work of the classical political economists and engineers. We examine the relationship between the ideas of machine work and human work on the part of Marx and Watt as well as their role in the creation of economic value. We examine the extent to which artificial power sources could feasibly substitute for human effort in their arguments. We go on to examine the differing views of Smith and Marx with respect to the economic effort contributed by animals and consider whether the philosophical distinction made between human and non-human work can be sustained in the light of modern biological research. We emphasise the non-universal character of animal work before going on to discuss the ideas of universal machines in Capek and Turing giving as a counter example a cloth-folding robot being developed in our School. We then return to Watt and discuss the development of thermodynamics and information theory. We show how recent research has led to a unification not only of these fields but also a unitary understanding of the labour process and the value-creation process. We look at the implications of general robotisation for profitability and the future of capitalism. For this we draw on the work of von Neumann not only on computers but also in economics to point to the {\em real} threat posed by robots