Got Controversy - Milk Does

This article analyzes ongoing controversy over how to best label rBST-free milk. Recombinant bovine somatotropin is a genetically engineered drug administered by some farmers to their dairy herds to increase milk production. FDA first approved its use in 1994, despite great controversy. The FDA also issued labeling guidelines that allowed voluntary disclosure of rBST-free milk, so long as it carried the disclaimer that no difference could be detected between milk produced with rBST and rBST-free. The controversy continues today as consumers express a preference for rBST-free milk and many rBST-free producers label their milk this way. Conventional milk (with rBST) is viewed by the FDA as materially the same as rBST-free. So, conventional producers have continually challenged marketing that is meant to convey rBST free milk is superior or more nutritious. This article specifically analyzes the recent activities surrounding rBST - an FTC petition, an FDA petition to withdraw rBST approval, and several states\u27 rulemaking and legislation to tighten rBST-free labeling. One of the state\u27s rules has also spawned federal litigation. The article recommends that stakeholders must generate consumer survey data to understand the effect of rBST labels on consumers, and then use that data to design better milk labels

Galois Got his Gun

This paper appeals to the figure of \'Evariste Galois for investigating the gates between mathematics and their "publics." The figure of Galois draws some lines of/within mathematics for/from the outside of mathematics and these lines in turn sketch the silhouette of Galois as a historical figure. The present paper especially investigates the collective categories that have been used in various types of public discourses on Galois's work (e.g. equations, groups, algebra, analysis, France, Germany etc.). In a way, this paper aims at shedding light on the boundaries some individuals drew by getting Galois his gun. It is our aim to highlight the roles of authority some individuals (such as as Picard) took on in regard with the public figure of Galois as well as the roles such authorities assigned to other individuals (such as the mediating role assigned to Jordan as a mediator between Galois's "ideas" and the public). The boundary-works involved by most public references to Galois have underlying them a long-term tension between academic and public legitimacies in the definition of some models for mathematical lives (or mathematics personae

How the Universe got its Spots

The universe displays a three-dimensional pattern of hot and cold spots in the radiation remnant from the big bang. The global geometry of the universe can be revealed in the spatial distribution of these spots. In a topologically compact universe, distinctive patterns are especially prominent in spatial correlations of the radiation temperature. Whereas these patterns are usually washed out in statistical averages, we propose a scheme which uses the universe's spots to observe global geometry in a manner analogous to the use of multiple images of a gravitationally lensed quasar to study the geometry of the lens. To demonstrate how the geometry of space forms patterns in observations of the microwave sky, we develop a simple real-space approximation to estimate temperature correlations for any set of cosmological parameters and any global geometry. We present correlated spheres which clearly show geometric pattern formation for compact flat universes as well as for the compact negatively curved space introduced by Weeks and another discovered by Best. These examples illustrate how future satellite-based observations of the microwave background can determine the full geometry of the universe.Comment: 16 pages, 26 figure

How Amsterdam got fiat money

We investigate a fiat money system introduced by the Bank of Amsterdam in 1683. Using data from the Amsterdam Municipal Archives, we partially reconstruct changes in the bank's balance sheet from 1666 through 1702. Our calculations show that the Bank of Amsterdam, founded in 1609, was engaged in two archetypal central bank activities—lending and open market operations—both before and after its adoption of a fiat standard. After 1683, the bank was able to conduct more regular and aggressive policy interventions, from a virtually nonexistent capital base. The bank's successful experimentation with a fiat standard foreshadows later developments in the history of central banking.

Your EQ Skills: Got What it Takes?

Your EQ skills: got what it takes? So you thought the CPA exam was your last test? Read on. Question: Is success in life and career determined primarily by rational intelligence (the IQ or intelligence quotient) or emotional intelligence (the EQ or emotional quotient)? In other words, what\u27s more important: intelligence or intuition? Historically the professional accounting literature has placed little emphasis on behavioral issues such as EQ, although human behavior underlies most of what is written and taught about professional accounting. Now managers place increased value on behavioral skills that help people in the workplace. Look at this statistic: The productivity of one-third of American workers is measured by how they add value to information. Doesn\u27t that describe CPAs exactly? This article will examine the ways in which EQ is crucial to CPAs\u27 success and how they can cultivate EQ if they haven\u27t got a lot of it. The AICPA and the Institute of Management Accountants recognize that emotional intelligence skills are critical for the success of the accounting profession. In CPA Vision 2011 and Beyond: Focus on the Horizon (www.cpavision.org), the AICPA identifies emotional ..

What's Trust Got To Do With It?

Based on focus groups with parents, explores why school turnaround options such as closing failing schools and replacing principals and staff provoke community opposition. Outlines ways for leaders to build trust, address concerns, and engage parents

What has trust got to do with it? Non-payment of service charges in local authorities in South Africa

A major financial problem in many municipalities in South Africa is the inadequate collection of service charges due to widespread non-payment. The prevailing view is that non-compliance is caused by poverty and the existence of an 'entitlement culture'. However, huge variations in compliance exist both within poor communities and between communities with similar socio-economic characteristics. How can these differences be explained? Moreover, what factors determine citizens' compliance? This paper argues that non-payment is not only related to inability to pay and 'a culture of entitlement', but also to whether citizens perceive the local government to act in their interest. In particular, three dimensions of trust may affect citizens' compliance: (1) trust in the local government to use revenues to provide expected services; (2) trust in the authorities to establish fair procedures for revenue collection and distribution of services; and (3) trust in other citizens to pay their share.Public finance Service charges Trust Local government South Africa