Milestones and signposts in twentieth century planning

My credentials for speaking to you on my chosen theme are that I describe myself as a planning historian. This might invite a certain derision; after all, in some quarters history has a low rep­utation (did not Henry Ford dismiss history as ‘bunk’, describing it as ‘just one damned thing after another’?) and as for planning, some would see it merely as a fickle and arbitrary disci­pline where the laws of chance are sub­stituted by those of error. Putting the two together - history and planning - may be tempting fate, the subject readi­ly dismissed as an indulgence

On the Brink: The Impact of Nuclear Weapons on Conflict Behavior Between States

Abstract This paper examines the impact of nuclear weapons on conflict behavior between states. Using the Soviet Union and China engaging in conflict with the United States from 1950 to 1965 as case studies, this paper provides support for the theory that nuclear weapons do impact conflict behavior. It was found that newer nuclear states will rely on bold brinkmanship strategies while older nuclear states will rely on deterrence. Non-nuclear states will use avoidance and deterrence when engaging in conflict with a nuclear power. Keywords: nuclear weapons, deterrence, brinkmanship, conflict, conflict behavio

Final arrangements following death: Maori indigenous decision making and tangi

Death is a universal event. It will happen to all of us, yet how we respond to death is particular and influenced by our cultural worlds. This study offers an investigation of the idiographic, of how one woman responded to, and made arrangements to, mourn and bury her mother. Specifically, we explore how she and her whanau (family) under pressure of time and grief and in the absence of clear final wishes, met to consider issues and make decisions about the situation they were confronted with. This case forms part of a much larger programme of research into Maori death rituals, change and adaption. Informing a scholarly audience unfamiliar with the Maori world requires a significant amount of contextual information. The case study is a powerful strategy to achieve this and one that draws readers into deep understanding (Willig, 2008). This case provides insight into the struggles of an indigenous fourth-world people living within the heterogeneity of Aotearoa/New Zealand society; it demonstrates how values change across generations as people live their lives increasingly away from their ancestral homelands; and how traditionally defined roles and responsibilities within the whanau (family) are challenged by members living away from each other

What can we learn from SOCRATES: more questions than answers?

This editorial refers to ‘Vericiguat in patients with worsening chronic heart failure and preserved ejection fraction: results of the SOluble guanylate Cyclase stimulatoR in heArT failurE patientS with PRESERVED EF (SOCRATES-PRESERVED) Study’, by B. Pieske et al., on page 1119

The Overreaction against Islamic Charities

The title of this article may be tempting fate. The British counter-terrorist services have reported that the financial trail leading to the 7 July 2005 attacks on London included direct or indirect links to eight unspecified charities. A single major terrorist outrage anywhere in the world, clearly funded through abuse of an established Muslim charity, would decisively blacken the reputation of the whole sector. However, from the evidence available at the time of writing, one of the repercussions of 9/11 has been hyper scrutinization of Islamic charities by the United States government that uncomfortably recalls the McCarthy period

Behaving Optimistically: How the (Un)Desirability of an Outcome Can Bias People’s Preparations for It

Past research on the desirability bias and on bracing for bad news has focused on the potential influence of outcome desirability on people’s stated expectations. The present studies examined its influence on behavior—that is, what is done in anticipation of, or preparation for, an uncertain outcome. In five studies, the desirability of possible outcomes for an event, which was uncertain and uncontrollable by the participant, was manipulated, and preparation behavior was measured. Study 1 used a hypothetical‐events paradigm. Studies 2 and 3 involved a computer activity in which behavior was tracked on a trial‐by‐trial basis. In Studies 4 and 5, the uncertain event was the ending of a videotaped basketball game. Rather than exhibiting bracing or a reluctance to tempt fate, participants tended to behave in a manner consistent with an optimistic desirability bias. In a subset of studies, predictions and likelihood judgments were also solicited; the differential effects of outcome desirability on these measures are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135587/1/bdm1918_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135587/2/bdm1918.pd

Who is responsible for health and safety of temporary workers? EU and UK perspectives

There have been several attempts to provide certain protection to temporary agency workers at the EU level by Directive 91/383/EEC in respect of health and safety and most recently by Directive 2008/104/EC in respect of other working conditions. However, the precarious employment status of temporary workers has been a stumbling block in clear understanding of who owes duties and responsibilities for health and safe of these workers. By seeking to address this issue, the paper analyses the existing legal provisions relating to health and safety of temporary agency workers at the EU and UK levels in the context of a more general problem associated with the employment status of such workers, and suggests a number of alternatives to the existing legal regime which could potentially clarify the situation

To catch a comet 2: Technical update on CAN-DO

Since the presentation of, To Catch a Comet, was given at the last G.A.S. Symposium, many events have impacted the CAN-DO Comet Halley program. This paper summarizes the changes to the payload and its mission, including improvements in camera control and CAN-DO's participation in the Halley Armada