Enregisterment, commodification and historical context: "Geordie" versus "Sheffieldish"

This article examines a range of texts from nineteenth-century Newcastle and Sheffield, both in the north of England, to demonstrate how the urban dialects of these cities, known respectively as "Geordie" and "Sheffieldish," became enregistered in this period. Features that were actually more widespread in the north of England and in Scotland were "claimed" as unique to each of these new urban dialects, and in each case, a repertoire of features emerged that continues to be cited and indeed used by speakers and writers today, albeit often in performative contexts. The article goes on to consider how awareness of a distinct "Geordie" accent/dialect arrived much earlier and became more widespread than that of "Sheffieldish" and how this is reflected in the commodification of the former but not the latter

Tolkien, Eucatastrophe, and the Re-Creation of Medieval Legend

Using comparative literary analysis, this essay examines three case studies from J.R.R. Tolkien’s oeuvre, in which Tolkien practiced eucatastrophic rewriting: his folk-tale, “Sellic Spell,” in which he re-creates the Old English poem Beowulf; his poem, “Princess Mee,” in which he re-envisions aspects of the myth of Narcissus and the Middle English dream vision poem, Pearl; and the character of Éowyn from The Lord of the Rings, in which he re-imagines the fate of Brynhild, a shield-maiden and valkyrie from Norse legend. In each case, Tolkien rewrites the original so that sorrow is transformed into happiness in Tolkien’s new versions. As part of the analysis of these transformations, this essay also considers a possible personal motivation as well as a larger purpose behind Tolkien’s artistic choices: his relationship to his beloved wife, Edith, and a desire to convey to others the hope he found in his own Christian faith

Town of Charlotte and International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 264

In the matter of the fact-finding between the Town of Charlotte, employer, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 264, union. PERB case no. M2009-118. Before: Donna R. Beal, fact finder

Why is Bilbo Baggins Invisible?: The Hidden War in The Hobbit

Why is Bilbo Baggins invisible? This study suggests that Tolkien’s knowledge of philology, theology, philosophy, literature, history, and his own life experience all contribute to the development of the symbolic, moral, and psychological significance of invisibility in The Hobbit. On one level, Tolkien’s theology is informed by his philology, so that being invisible (or “not able to be seen”) becomes a way of symbolically representing the Augustinian concept of evil as the absence of good in the world. On another level, Tolkien’s use of invisibility in The Hobbit demonstrates his knowledge of the philosophic and literary tradition associated with the story of the ring of Gyges in Plato’s Republic, a story that suggests that when people’s actions are not visible and open to the moral scrutiny of others, people may become self-serving and cease to be virtuous. Finally, in his historic role as a signals officer in World War I, Tolkien was often, in effect, invisible to those he was serving and seeking to save on the battlefield. Like Bilbo when he was invisible, he could be heard, but not seen. So invisibility in The Hobbit may correspond to the psychologically traumatizing experience of being in combat. At each of these three levels, invisibility in The Hobbit relates to a hidden war: the conflict between good and evil in the macrocosm of the universe, the resistance to temptation in the microcosm of the heart, and, in a sense, to World War I itself. Readers who understand the deeper symbolic, moral, and psychological significance of invisibility in The Hobbit will no longer see it as a mere magic trick to move the plot forward, but will instead appreciate the deeper meaning of the motif

Efficacy in noise of the Starkey Surflink Mobile 2 technology in directional versus omnidirectional microphone mode with experienced adult hearing aid users

The Starkey SurfLink Mobile 2 is a remote microphone accessory. Starkey claims that by placing the SurfLink’s internal microphone in the directional microphone setting, the participant will hear better in noise over the omnidirectional setting. This study aims to test the thisthe claim about the devic

SPECTRASAT: A concept for the collection of global directional wave spectra

The synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery from SEASAT revealed a rich tapestry of backscatter patterns from the surface of the ocean. Although still far from being fully understood, these patterns occurred on nearly all spatial scales accessible to the SAR, that is from its spatial resolution of 25 m to its full swath width of 100 km. Futhermore, the backscatter signature appear to reveal a large variety of atmospheric and oceanic processes that occur above, at, and below the ocean surface. Proper interpretation of these signatures of varying scales with respect to their underlying geophysical causes is a major objective of SAR ocean research. Even now, however, it is clear that SAR offers a unique means to monitor wind and waves over global scales. A properly designed, configured, and complimented orbiting SAR system should yield substantial improvements in operational forecasts vital to marine activities. Since wind and wave information is optimally extracted in the spectral domain, the name SPECTRASAT is proposed for this global collection scheme

Survey of Rehabilitation and Return-to-Work Practices Among U.S. Disability Carriers

[Excerpt] Disability insurance provides financial protection for workers who become disabled and are unable to perform their occupations. It is beneficial to both disabled employees and their employers to have their employees return to work as soon as they are able to do so. For disabled employees, benefits are typically 60% to 66 2/3% of their pre-disability income. For employers, an employee’s indefinite absence due to a disability involves the loss of productivity and the extra cost of training a new employee. In addition, the disabled employee often has on-the-job knowledge that may take a new employee many years to acquire. Many employees who receive disability benefits subsequently recover and return to work. Frequently, the cause of disablement is successfully treated with appropriate medical care, and the employees are able to return to their jobs with no additional assistance. However, for some claimants, the nature of their disability is severe enough to require extra support to facilitate their return

Authenticity in the Skateboarding World

The purpose of this chapter is to illustrate the values and norms that constitute legitimacy, or authenticity, in the skateboarding world. Both authors spent a considerable amount of time with the skateboarding world in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Lisa Weidman worked at a skateboarding magazine for several years, and Becky Beal did an extensive ethnographic study of skateboarders. Using our experiences and research, we describe the characteristics that skateboarders and the industry use to identify an authentic skateboarder. The first section, on the skaters\u27 perspective, is based primarily on Beal\u27s interactions with skateboarders; the second section, on the industry\u27s perspective, is based on Weidman\u27s experiences and interpretations of advertisements placed in the skateboarding magazines by companies selling skateboards and related products and services

Jamestown Board of Public Utilities and IBT Local 264 (Blue Collar Unit)

In the Matter of Fact Finding Between Jamestown Board of Public Utilities and IBT Local 264 (Blue Collar Unit). PERB CASE NO. M2007-221. Before: Donna R. Beal