KQQKQQ and the Kasparov-World Game

The 1999 Kasparov-World game for the first time enabled anyone to join a team playing against a World Chess Champion via the web. It included a surprise in the opening, complex middle-game strategy and a deep ending. As the game headed for its mysterious finale, the World Team re-quested a KQQKQQ endgame table and was provided with two by the authors. This paper describes their work, compares the methods used, examines the issues raised and summarises the concepts involved for the benefit of future workers in the endgame field. It also notes the contribution of this endgame to chess itself

Challenging the Criminal Alien Paradigm

Deportation of so-called “criminal aliens” has become the driving force in U.S. immigration enforcement. The Immigration Accountability Executive Actions of late 2014 provide the most recent example of this trend. Even for immigrants’ rights advocates, conventional wisdom holds that if deportations must occur, “criminal aliens” should be the first to go. A voluminous “crimmigration” scholarship notes the ever-growing entwinement of criminal and immigration enforcement, but does not challenge this fundamental premise. This Article calls for a rejection of the formulation of the “criminal alien”—the figure used to increasingly justify the preservation and expansion of a harmful immigration regime. It thus defends a normative claim that is starkly at odds with settled assumptions in advocacy and the literature: Deportations should not be distributed along the lines of migrant criminality. As a consequence, this Article argues that scholarship and advocacy should embrace “criminal aliens” as the priority group to defend against immigration enforcement efforts. This move is long overdue. Across the political spectrum, calls are being made to trim back the excesses of the criminal justice system, with both policing and incarceration practices suffering from crises of legitimacy. Yet the immigration system continues to layer the shortcomings and dysfunctions of the criminal justice system onto immigration enforcement efforts. The latest immigration reform effort, in the form of the Immigration Accountability Executive Actions, refines what it means to be a “criminal alien,” thereby expanding partnerships with the criminal justice system and creating stronger nets of social control over broad swaths of the noncitizen population. While offering the possibility of relief from deportation to part of the undocumented population, the Executive Actions ultimately do not curb deportations. Rather, the programs refocus enforcement efforts on an ideologically acceptable target: the “criminal alien.” To avoid this outcome, and to begin to dismantle immigrant vulnerability, the “criminal alien” paradigm must be challenged

Forensic sciences, legal discourses and the (re) configuration of citizenship

One of the outstanding features of the recent history of legal systems is the growing use of scientific resources to assist in the administration of justice. In particular, recent technological and scientific advances in genetics, such as DNA profiling and the production of genetic databases for forensic purposes have been associated with new forms of interaction between the social worlds of law and science. As in several other countries, genetic profiling is sometimes requested by the Portuguese courts, usually in serious crimes and in paternity suits. By focusing on the Portuguese magistrates’ perceptions of scientific evidence, this paper aims to raise some fundamental issues regarding the landscape of legal systems of the inquisitorial type. Indeed, we believe that the magistrates’discourses and perceptions of the potential uses of scientific resources to assist in courts services and the impact of that evidence on judicial outputs can indeed be quite different according to the framing legal culture. Through its focus on legal practitioners' discourses, this paper examines some of the issues raised by the incorporation of these scientific resources in judicial activity, as a social phenomenon located at the intersection of law, science, politics and public policy

The Shakespeare User

The Shakespeare User explores uses of Shakespeare in a wide variety of 21st century contexts, including business manuals, non-literary scholarship, database aggregation, social media, gaming, and creative criticism. Essays in this volume demonstrate that users’ critical and creative uses of the dramatist’s works position contemporary issues of race, power, identity, and authority in new networks that redefine Shakespeare and reconceptualize the ways in which he is processed in both scholarly and popular culture. This reticular understanding of Shakespeare use expands scholarly forays into non-academic practices, digital discourse communities, and creative critical works manifest via YouTube, Twitter, blogs, databases, websites, and popular fiction

Before and After Terrorism: Economic and Political Development in the Basque Country

The Basque Country, a region along the Spanish-Franco border, has a long history of independence and autonomy. In the modern era, from 1959 until 2011, the domestic terrorist group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) waged a campaign of political violence primarily concentrated in the Basque Autonomous Community in pursuit of the region’s independence from Spain. The group was ultimately unsuccessful and declared a permanent ceasefire in 2011. I analyze the important political and economic factors that contributed to ETA’s prolonged existence. In the economy, high youth unemployment in the 1980s and 1990s created a large pool of recruits that helped sustain ETA’s campaign. At the same time, ETA’s activities reinforced negative economic performance by damaging the region’s economy. Basque nationalist political parties also pushed for independence from Spain but sought to do so through established political processes. Despite being officially distinct entities, the “nationalist left” tacitly accepted ETA’s violence for many years and viewed the group as the military wing of the nationalist movement. This support eroded over time as ETA hampered nationalist parties’ ability to further their goals and the electorate’s opposition to the group grew. Ultimately, a loss of support among nationalist left parties led to ETA’s demise and declaration of a ceasefire. Since the ceasefire in 2011, there has been increased support for the nationalist left and improvements in the region’s economy

Implementing Preventive Tobacco Policies : The role of contextual factors in policy implementation at school and national levels

Terveyden edistämiseen tähtäävät poliittiset toimet, kuten lait ja säädökset, ovat keskeisiä väestön terveydelle ja hyvinvoinnille, sillä ne auttavat rakentamaan terveyttä tukevia ympäristöjä. Poliittisten toimien vaikutukset riippuvat kuitenkin siitä, miten ne on toimeenpantu. Esimerkiksi globaalit tupakkapoliittiset toimet voivat vähentää nuorten tupakka- ja nikotiinituotteiden käyttöä vain, jos ne sisällytetään kansalliseen lainsäädäntöön ja sääntelyyn ja jos niitä toteutetaan osana organisaatioiden, kuten koulujen, arkea. Koulut ovat yksi keskeisistä terveyden edistämisen ja tupakkatuotteiden käytön ehkäisyn ympäristöistä, koska ne tavoittavat lähes kaikki nuoret. Vaikka ennaltaehkäisevät tupakkapoliittiset toimet ovat ratkaisevan tärkeitä kansanterveyttä edelleen rasittavan tupakkaepidemian lopettamiseksi, maiden välillä ja maiden sisällä koulujen välillä on huomattavia eroja siinä, miten kattavasti nämä toimet on implementoitu ja miten johdonmukaisesti niitä toteutetaan. Huolimatta tupakkapoliittisten toimien kattavamman ja johdonmukaisemman toimeenpanon tarpeesta tupakkatutkimus ei ole toistaiseksi juurikaan keskittynyt toimeenpanon tutkimiseen. Tämän väitöstutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selittää ennaltaehkäisevien tupakkapoliittisten toimien implementointia kouluissa ja kansallisella tasolla. Tutkimus keskittyi seuraaviin Maailman terveysjärjestön tupakoinnin torjuntaa koskevan puitesopimuksen (WHO FCTC) mukaisiin toimiin: savuttomat ympäristöt, verotus, tuotesääntely, pakkausmerkinnät, mainonta- ja markkinointikiellot sekä ikärajat. Väitöskirja koostuu neljästä kansainvälisestä artikkelista ja yhteenvedosta. Tutkimuksessa hyödynnettiin monikansallista tutkimusasetelmaa ja laadullisia tutkimusmenetelmiä, joiden tieteenfilosofisena lähtökohtana on kriittinen realismi. Ensimmäinen artikkeli oli realistinen katsaus, joka selitti koulun henkilökunnan tupakointikieltojen toteuttamista (artikkeli I). Katsauksen tuottamaa ymmärrystä täydennettiin analysoimalla kouluhenkilökunnan haastatteluja (n=84) seitsemästä Euroopan maasta temaattisen analyysin avulla (artikkelit II ja III). Neljännessä artikkelissa arvioitiin ja vertailtiin narratiivisen katsauksen avulla pohjoismaisen tupakkalainsäädännön ja sääntelyn kattavuutta ja sen toimeenpanoon vaikuttavia syitä (artikkeli IV). Yhteenvetoartikkelissa tulokset koostettiin ohjelmateoriaksi, joka selittää miten konteksti on vuorovaikutuksessa poliittisten toimien kanssa ja vaikuttaa niiden toimeenpanoon tiettyjen mekanismien kautta. Analyysia ohjasi monitieteinen käsitteellinen viitekehys toimeenpanosta. Se auttoi selittämään muun muassa kontekstitekijöiden roolia osana kompleksisia toimeenpanoprosesseja. Koulun henkilökunnan tupakointikieltojen toteuttamista selitti kolme mekanismia: velvollisuudentunto, motivaatio ja itseluottamus. Erilaiset kontekstitekijät vaikuttivat näiden mekanismien aktivoitumiseen, ja niistä yksi keskeisimmistä oli henkilökunnan toiminnan yhdenmukaisuus kieltojen toteuttamisessa. Toiminnan yhdenmukaisuutta haastoi kuitenkin kaksi asiaa. Ensinnäkin osa henkilökunnasta jätti puuttumatta sääntörikkeisiin, koska he eivät luottaneet selviytyvänsä oppilaiden kielteisten reaktioiden kanssa. Henkilökunnan itseluottamusta tukivat kuitenkin tietyt kontekstitekijät. Sääntörikkeisiin puuttuminen oli helpompaa silloin, kun henkilökunta koki oman toimintansa olevan legitimoitua, uskoi pystyvänsä rakentavaan vuorovaikutukseen opiskelijan kanssa ja luotti saavansa kollegiaalista tukea mahdollisiin haasteisiin. Toinen henkilökunnan yhdenmukaista toimintaa haastavista tekijöistä oli haavoittuvassa asemassa olevat opiskelijat, jotka toistuvasti rikkoivat tupakointikieltoja. Tulokset osoittivat, että henkilökunnan jäsenet eivät puuttuneet näiden opiskelijoiden sääntörikkeisiin, kun he kokivat kieltojen toteuttamisen olevan ristiriidassa opiskelijoiden koulumenestyksen tukemisen kanssa, kun he odottivat tiukempien kurinpitokeinojen olevan tehottomia ja aiheuttavan vakavampia ongelmia tai kun he eivät kokeneet saavansa tukea nuorten tupakointiin keskeisesti vaikuttavilta sidosryhmiltä, kuten vanhemmilta. Pohjoismaiden vertailu osoitti, että WHO FCTC sekä tupakkatuotteita, verotusta ja mainontaa koskevat Euroopan unionin (EU) direktiivit ovat yhdenmukaistaneet tupakkapoliittisten toimien implementointia eri maissa. Niillä on varmistettu, että keskeiset ehkäisevät toimet, kuten sisätilojen tupakointikiellot ja 18 vuoden ostoikäraja, on sisällytetty kansalliseen lainsäädäntöön. WHO FCTC ja EU-direktiivit selittivät kuitenkin myös eri maiden yhteisiä lainsäädännöllisiä heikkouksia, jotka näkyivät erityisesti savuttomien ja uusien tupakka- ja nikotiinituotteiden vaihtelevassa ja puutteellisessa sääntelyssä. Kansalliset tupakkapoliittiset toimijat, kuten terveysministeriö ja kansanterveysjärjestöt, ja näiden välinen yhteistyö olivat keskeisiä syitä kattavaan ennaltaehkäisevien tupakkapoliittisten toimien implementointiin. Nämä toimijat ovat myös mahdollistaneet sen, että useat Pohjoismaat ovat ottaneet käyttöön edistyksellisiä tupakkapoliittisia toimia jopa maailman ensimmäisten maiden joukossa. Tällaisia toimia olivat esimerkiksi sähkösavukkeiden makuainekiellot Suomessa ja kattavat ulkoalueiden tupakointikiellot Ruotsissa. Neljän artikkelin tulokset yhdistävä ohjelmateoria havainnollistaa, miten kontekstitekijät ovat vuorovaikutuksessa tupakkapoliittisten toimien kanssa ja näin vaikuttavat kansalliseen ja koulutason toimeenpanoon tiettyjen mekanismien kautta. Nämä kausaaliprosessit auttavat ymmärtämään, miten toimeenpanoa voitaisiin tukea kontekstitekijöitä vahvistamalla. Suosituksissa korostuu se, että toimijoiden välisen yhteistyön vahvistaminen on tärkeää eri toimeenpanotasoilla ja niiden välillä niin kansallisesti kuin kansainvälisesti. Yhteistyön vahvistaminen voi auttaa ratkaisemaan nykyisiä toimeenpanohaasteita, edistää kattavampien tupakkapoliittisten toimien implementointia ja tukea sellaisten keinojen löytämistä, joiden avulla eri toimeenpanotasot voisivat parhaalla mahdollisella tavalla tukea toinen toisiaan yhteisten tavoitteiden saavuttamiseksi: nuorten tupakka- ja nikotiinituotteiden käytön vähentämiseksi ja tupakkaepidemian lopettamiseksi.Healthy public policies play a crucial role in the health and well-being of populations, as they help to build health-promoting environments. However, the impact of these policies depends on their implementation. For example, global tobacco prevention policies can decrease adolescent tobacco and nicotine use only if they are implemented into national regulations and enforced in the everyday practices of organisations such as schools. Schools are one of the core settings for tobacco prevention and health promotion, as they reach almost all young people. Although preventive tobacco policies are critical for ending the tobacco epidemic, which continues to burden public health, countries vary considerably in how comprehensively the policies are implemented at the national level or enforced in schools. Despite the need for more comprehensive and consistent tobacco policy implementation, so far tobacco research has paid little attention to implementation. In this doctoral thesis I explain the school- and national-level implementation of preventive tobacco policies. In line with the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) I focus on policies such as smoke-free environments, price and tax measures, product regulations, packaging and labelling, bans on advertising and promotion, and age limits. The thesis consists of four international journal articles and a summary article. I used a cross-country research design and qualitative methods with critical realism as an ontological basis. First, I conducted a realist review to explain school staff members’ enforcement of school tobacco policies (STPs) (Article I). This understanding was complemented by a thematic analysis of interviews with school staff (n=84) from seven European countries (Articles II and III). In the fourth article, I used a narrative review to assess and compare the comprehensiveness of tobacco policies in the Nordic countries and the reasons for their implementation (Article IV). In the summary article, I synthesised the findings into a programme theory that explains how context interact with policies and influence their implementation via specific mechanisms. The analysis was guided by a multidisciplinary conceptual framework on policy implementation, which helped to explain among other things the role of contextual factors in complex policy implementation processes. The school-level results showed that three mechanisms – responsibility, motivation and confidence – explained school staff’s enforcement of STPs. The emergence of these mechanisms was influenced by certain contextual factors, with consistency of staff enforcement behaviour being one of the key factors. However, consistent staff enforcement was challenged by two key issues. First, some staff did not intervene in rule violations because they were not confident in their own ability to cope with students’ negative responses. Staff confidence was supported by certain contextual factors. Intervening in rule violations was easier when staff felt legitimised in their actions, believed they could interact constructively with students, and expected collegial support in the face of challenges. The second issue that challenged consistency was enforcement with vulnerable students who persistently violated smoking bans. The results demonstrated that staff did not intervene in rule violations if they felt that STP enforcement conflicted with support for students’ school performance, if they expected stricter disciplinary measures to be ineffective and cause more serious problems, or if they did not feel supported by other stakeholders involved in the young people’s smoking behaviour, such as parents. The Nordic comparison showed that countries’ tobacco policies were harmonised by the WHO FCTC and European Union (EU) directives on tobacco products, taxation and advertising. These measures ensure that core policies, such as indoor smoking bans and the 18- year age limit on sales, are included in national legislation. However, the WHO FCTC and EU directives also explained shared deficiencies across the countries, which were especially visible in the inconsistent or absent regulation of smokeless and novel tobacco and nicotine products. The main reasons for the comprehensive implementation of tobacco policies were national tobacco control actors, such as health ministries and civil society and their networks. These actors also facilitated the Nordic countries to implement some advanced tobacco policies, and indeed to be among the first countries in the world to do so. These advanced policies included, for instance, flavour bans on e-cigarettes in Finland and comprehensive outdoor smoking bans in Sweden. The programme theory that synthesises the results from the four articles outline how the context interact with policies and influence national- and school-level implementation via specific mechanisms. These causal pathways help us to understand how to support policy implementation by strengthening contextual factors. The recommendations highlight the importance of strengthening collaboration between actors, both within and between implementation levels, and both nationally and internationally. Strengthening collaboration may help to address current implementation challenges, contribute to the implementation of more comprehensive tobacco policies, and support the identification of ways in which different implementation levels can best support each other to achieve the common goals: reducing adolescents’ use of tobacco and nicotine products and ending the tobacco epidemic

From la migra to el amigo : the INS' campaign to befriend undocumented immigrants during IRCA

textBefore the passage of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), the relationship between undocumented immigrants and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was highly antagonistic. Undocumented immigrants were distrustful of the immigration service due to its deportation mission that implemented deceitful tactics, which included using immigrant children to lure their undocumented parents and sending letters to immigrants promising legalization only to deport them once they arrived to INS offices among many others. However, this changed for a brief period after the passage of IRCA when INS transformed its image in the eyes of immigrants and became their amigo – their friend. INS accomplished this by engaging in a furious public relations campaign and training their staff to be supportive of immigrants as they applied for legal status – unprecedented measures for an agency that was set on deporting immigrants. Immigrants began to trust INS and went to them for help to get legalization during IRCA, something that experts thought would be impossible. While the literature on IRCA has studied its legislative history, short-term effects and long-term impact, it has overlooked the central question this study analyzes: why did INS implement unprecedented measures to help undocumented immigrants attain legalization? Using congressional hearings on INS, interviews and public statements made by INS officials, institutional evaluations of IRCA’s implementation, news articles and secondary data, I show that INS was going through a legitimation crisis, meaning that Congress and other overseeing institutions questioned INS’ effectiveness and management leading to stagnation in INS’ growth, something INS wanted to change. Implementing the legalization component of IRCA successfully was one way in which INS could regain its standing in the eyes of Congress, which meant helping immigrants attain legal status. In other words, the interests of immigrants and INS converged during IRCA leading to a change in INS’ behavior. To understand this process, this study shows how INS went from being la migra (immigration services) to el amigo of undocumented immigrants during IRCA.Sociolog

Looking for Group: Sociality, Embodiment, and Institutions in World of Warcraft

This ethnography examines the varying degrees of conflict between multiple stakeholders involved in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft (WoW). The game’s designers, like many software developers in the contemporary world, tend to be guided by an ideology influenced by classical liberalism, but also inspired by a utopian view of technology in general. That ideological position has directly affected many aspects of the game, from the largely unregulated in-game economy, to the strong emphasis on individual mastery of the game’s systems to progress through the complete content of the game world. World of Warcraft advertises itself not just on its narrative and combat mechanics; it also entices players to participate because of its very nature as a multiplayer game. The structure of WoW encourages players to join together in tight-knit communities (“guilds”) not just to overcome powerful opponents, but to socialize as well. In this way the game exists for many players as a significant social outlet in their everyday lives. However, players, guilds, and designers exist in a state of tension due to the ideological and architected constraints of the game. Due to the classical liberal bent of WoW promoting individual achievement through the game’s many obstacles, players oftentimes find themselves having to break away from close friends they game with in order to follow the primary goals of the narrative. This leads to an environment where players are constantly weighing the social bonds they establish and/or maintain through play against the concerns of software programmers intent on directing them to endgame content above all else

Towards a multilevel analysis of the Western Sahara conflict and the effects of its protractedness

This extract is taken from the author's original manuscript and has not been edited. The definitive, published, version of record is available here: http://www.palgrave.com/br/book/978134995034