The Transition Town Network: a review of current evolutions and renaissance

The Transition Network started as a movement with Transition Totnes (Devon, UK) in late 2005, with Rob Hopkins as its founder. To date it has grown to encompass 313 official Transition Network initiatives spread across the world from the UK (with roughly 50% of all initiatives) to the USA, Canada, Italy, Japan, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Chile, the Netherlands, Brazil and so on (Transition Network, 2010a). For any social movement, this could most certainly be described as something of a success and warrants a closer examination. Indeed, the aim of this profile is to explore the movement's aims and modus operandi, the problematics it has faced and how it is now evolving. The profile draws on my auto-ethnographic encounters with the movement in Transition Nottingham and at the recent Transition Network Conference 2010, whilst also being grounded in the material made publically available on the Transition Network and Transition Culture websites (see Transition Network, 2010b and Transition Culture, 2010a)

Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) Invade San Salvador, Bahamas: Early Population Characteristics, and Comparisons of the Coral and Fish Communities on Shallow Patch Reefs in 2001 and 2007

Biological invaders are a leading contributor to global losses of biodiversity. A recent invader to the waters surrounding San Salvador, Bahamas, the red lionfish, Pterois volitans, was first reported in 2006; by 2009 they were common in waters 2 - 40 m deep around the island. Among the 5,078 fish observed on shallow patch reefs in 2007, only two were P. volitans; they were much more prevalent in deeper water along San Salvador\u27s wall. Captured P. volitans ranged in size from 19-32 cm, all longer than maturity length. Pallid goby ( Coryphopterus eidolon), black cap basslet ( Gramma melacara) and red night shrimp (Rynchocienetes rigens) were the most commonly identified stomach contents. My study in 2007 also collected data on coral communities and fish assemblages at three patch reef complexes (Rice Bay, Rocky Point, Lindsay Reef), during the initial phase of the invasion, and compared the results to a similar study done in 2001, before P. volitans colonized San Salvador. Scleractinian and, therefore, total coral species richness decreased significantly from 2001 to 2007; however, coral percentage cover increased significantly by ~50% from 2001 to 2007, probably due to a more precise estimation procedure rather than a real increase in coral cover. Significantly more fish species and numbers were observed in 2007 than in 2001, again probably due to a difference in counting procedures (2.25 more and increasing population of P. volitans on San Salvador\u27s reef ecosystem are uncertain at this time; future monitoring of lionfish and potential changes in coral and fish communities on the patch reefs of San Salvador is recommended

A Multi-University Examination of College Student-Athlete & Coach Fit

This study examines the relationship between student-athletes’ personality traits and satisfaction with their collegiate coaching experience, as guided by vocational research and theory on job satisfaction and turnover. Specifically, this study was designed to examine both broad and narrow personality traits in relation to student-athletes’ satisfaction across four dimensions of the student-athlete/coach relationship and to explore intent to transfer as a dependent of these variables. This study is an expansion of a previous study investigation of personality and satisfaction with coaching (Levy, Alexander, & Lounsbury, under review). A national sample of NCAA Division I, II, and III collegiate student-athletes was surveyed (N=204). Findings demonstrated that personality traits of emotional stability and optimism in addition to the demographic variables academic classification and role on the team significantly predicted satisfaction with coaching experience, accounting for over 13% of the variance. Additionally, satisfaction with coaching along with the personality traits emotional stability, extraversion and openness significantly predicted intent to transfer, accounting for close to 19% of the variance. The results of this study offer valuable insight into variables that significantly influence the satisfaction of student-athletes and contribute to their retention. Theory of Work Adjustment and the Attraction-Selection-Attrition model support these findings (Juntunen & Even, 2012; Schneider, Goldstein, & Smith, 1995). Practical implications and may include developmental programming, coaching education, and recruitment processes that incorporate measures of personality and satisfaction as a means for improving the experience and retention of this special population. Directions for future research and limitations of the current study are discussed

(Pre)determined Occupations: The Post-Colonial Hybridizing of Identity and Art Forms in Third World Spaces

In this article, we present the effects of globalization on art forms in Peru and on teacher identity in India while exploring hybridization as an ongoing global paradigm in both contexts (Bhabha, 1994; Said, 1979). Peruvian art forms are continuously shifting as global cultures meld and become more technologically connected, which ultimately brings about questions of authenticity. The identities of Indian art educators are evolving, and shifting indicating an assemblage or structure containing many parts working together to perform a particular function. In realizing its function, the structure can be named or its form made visible (Deleuze & Guattari, 1987). This article examines some of these functions through post-colonial lenses to explore the notion of authenticity. In a process of self-reflexivity, both authors ponder how we occupy and are pre-occupied by our identities, roles as art educators and researchers, and how this affects power dynamics in our work. Both researchers’ accounts are important as a means to study the changes of cultures, identity, and art forms (inter)nationally, and to enable equitable processes of cultural exchange and learning in art education

The Higher Power of Religiosity Over Personality on Political Ideology

Two streams of research, culture war and system justification, have proposed that religious orientations and personality, respectively, play critical roles in political orientations. There has been only limited work integrating these two streams. This integration is now of increased importance given the introduction of behavior-genetic frameworks into our understanding of why people differ politically. Extant research has largely considered the influence of personality as heritable and religiosity as social, but this view needs reconsideration as religiosity is also genetically influenced. Here we integrate these domains and conduct multivariate analyses on twin samples in the U.S. and Australia to identify the relative importance of genetic, environmental, and cultural influences. First, we find that religiosity’s role on political attitudes is more heritable than social. Second, religiosity accounts for more genetic influence on political attitudes than personality. When including religiosity, personality’s influence is greatly reduced. Our results suggest religion scholars and political psychologists are partially correct in their assessment of the “culture wars”—religiosity and ideology are closely linked, but their connection is grounded in genetic predispositions

A study of the individual and organizational characteristics influencing event planner's perception on information content and channel choice

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on December 21, 2009).Thesis advisor: Dr. Dae-Young Kim.Includes bibliographical references.M.S. University of Missouri--Columbia 2009.Dissertations, Academic -- University of Missouri--Columbia -- Food science.Based on the understanding of the role of event planners within the context of organizational decision making process, the main purpose of this study is to examine factors (i.e., organizational vs. individual) that influence event planners perception of information contents and channel choices. An online survey questionnaire was sent to a sample of members of International Special Events Society (ISES) and 189 usable responses were received. The results reveal that personal interaction is the most valuable channel whereas meetings room information appears to be most influential for event planners' decision-makings. It is also observed that individual factors more influence event planners' channel choices and perceptions. The results of this study are anticipated to provide valuable marketing implications for destination marketing organizations such as CVBs