Geologies of Finitude: The Deep Time of Twenty-First-Century Catastrophe in Don DeLillo’s Point Omegaand Reza Negarestani’s Cyclonopedia

The twenty-first century has seen a transformation of twentieth-century narrative and historical discourse. On the one hand, the Cold War national fantasy of mutually assured destruction has multiplied, producing a diverse array of apocalyptic visions. On the other, there has been an increasing sobriety about human finitude, especially considered in the light of emerging discussions about deep time. This essay argues that Don DeLillo’s Point Omega (2010) and Reza Negarestani’s Cyclonopedia: Complicity with Anonymous Materials (2008) make strong cases for the novel’s continuing ability to complicate and illuminate contemporaneity. Written in the midst of the long and disastrous U.S. incursions in the Middle East, DeLillo and Negarestani raise important political questions about the ecological realities of the War on Terror. Each novel acknowledges that though the catastrophic present cannot be divorced from the inevitable doom at the end of the world, we still desperately need to imagine something else

We Hold These Truths

What appears to be a small minority of private colleges (no DSR schools) have expressed some concern regarding the suitability of the current intercollegiate debate proposition. Some critics of the question feel that to argue for diplomatic recognition of Red China is to approve its conquests, possibly mislead the immature student and provide communists with propaganda material. None of these arguments seems to have sufficient validity to merit the action proposed—change to another proposition. There has been some effort to make a public issue of this matter, and on October 22 your president was asked by one of the wire services to comment. The text of a statement he issued to the United Press follows: The current intercollegiate debate proposition, \u27Resolved: That the United States should extend diplomatic recognition to the Communist Government of China,\u27 was announced by the national committee representing the Speech Association of America, the four national forensic honor societies, and those unaffiliated colleges desiring to participate in the balloting. In the preferential poll, this topic led all others by a substantial margin. The issue is one of the most troublesome confronting the nation and the world. If we are to reach a peaceful solution to the Asiatic problem, it is of vital importance that all our citizens be fully and objectively informed on this and related matters. In a democracy where full, free and objective discussion is possible because there is faith in the judgment of the people, we should be derelict in our responsibility if we did not provide students with the opportunities to discuss all such problems. I have full faith in the ability of college students to evaluate public issues if given the opportunity to test the arguments in the competition of public forums. When we hesitate to discuss freely, we have bowed to the authoritarian philosophy we seek to oppose. To study and discuss this problem does not imply that the Communist Government of China is condoned, approved or supported in any of its acts or aspirations. Such discussion does not imply that Red China should be admitted to the U.N. We may seek to understand even a loathsome and regrettable fact. To ignore such problems is to unrealistically ignore the best interests of the U.S. At the University of Colorado we propose to debate this problem both on and off the campus. We shall also discuss and debate other problems and issues of local, state and national nature. As national president of the oldest intercollegiate forensic organization, Delta Sigma Rho, I am urging every chapter to recognize its responsibilities, recall the traditions of our society and resist any efforts to censor or in any way restrict the social and political problems students may discuss so long as the activities are carried on in the American tradition of free, open public meetings

Vom Modell zum Algorithmus

Fragestellungen aus der Kombinatorischen Optimierung, die mit Hilfe von Graphenalgorithmen gelöst werden können, begegnen uns in verschiedenen Alltagssituationen. Beispiele aus der Optimierung von Bahnnetzen oder der Routenplanung in Straßennetzen sind dabei auch für Schülerinnen und Schüler greifbar und eigenen sich somit hervorragend, um Probleme der Diskreten Mathematik im Schulunterricht zu behandeln. Wir wollen die Lernsoftware Visage vorstellen, mit deren Hilfe solche Themen im Mathematikunterricht der Sekundarstufen umgesetzt werden können

Forensics Programs and Dynamic Democracy...

Surveys conducted in 1947 indicated that the number of students participating in collegiate forensics had returned to prewar levels, and reports on the 1947-1948 season marked a new high in both interest and activity. In the midst of this upsurge, we may inquire as to what forensics are doing for and to the student, and ultimately for society. As we find ourselves in a season of squad meetings, practice sessions, tournaments, and post-tournament lamentations, it may be well to inquire if our forensic programs are developing students who want to make democracy work as well as enjoy its blessings

PRODUCTIVITY IN THE SERVICE SECTOR

Un fenómeno observado en la práctica totalidad de las economías occidentales ha sido el distinto ritmo de avance, tanto de la productividad de trabajo como de la productividad total de los factores, en el sector servicios y en el de las manufacturas. El crecimiento más lento del primero se ha explicado acudiendo a distintas razones, entre las cuáles caben destacar los siguientes: problemas conceptuales y de medida; el más bajo potencial de los servicios para incorporar nuevas tecnologías; y la mayor protección de los servicios frente a la competencia tanto internacional como nacional. El documento se centra en los problemas teóricos de medida que plantean las convenciones estadísticas adaptadas por los paises y en la descripción de los desarrollos más recientes en la medida del output. Estos desarrollos tienen como objetivo prioritario la medición de los cambios en la calidad, bien a través de la utilización de índeces hedónicos de precios (hedonic price indexes) 6 bien midiendo los cambios en calidad en términos de sus efectos sobre el bienestar haciendo uso de la teoría de la demanda de características. El documento concluye con la enumeración de los problemas pendientes que deben figurar de forma prioritaria en la agenda de trabajo de la OCDE An observed phenomenon in practically 41 westem countries has been the different evolution rhythm of the work productivity as well as of the total factor productivity in the service and manufacturing sectors. The view and measure problems, the lower potential of the services in incorporating new technologies and the greater protection of the services against international and national competition stand out as the main reasons, amongst others, assessed to the growth slowdown of the work productivity. The paper concentrates on the theoretical problems of measure posed by the adopted statistical conventions and the description of the fresher developments in the measure of the output. The main purpose of these developments is the measure of the changes in quality, either by means of the use of hedonic price indexes or measuring the changes in terms of their effect on the welfare making use of the characteristics demand theory. The paper finishes enumerating the pending problems which should take pnority in the work agenda of the OECD researchers.

Einflussfaktoren von Immobilienpreisen bei Renditeobjekten

Die Immobilienbewertung von Renditeobjekten erfolgt in Deutschland derzeit überwiegend über das so genannte Ertragswertverfahren, welches gesetzlich in der Wertermittlungsverordnung (WertV) verankert ist und mit dem Discounted-Cash-Flow (DCF) Verfahren aus dem angelsächsischen Raum vergleichbar ist. Bei Anwendung dieser Verfahren bestimmt sich der Wert eines Objekts insbesondere durch die über einen absehbaren Zeitraum anfallenden (erwarteten) periodischen Ein- und Auszahlungen. Mögliche Wertunsicherheiten werden durch einen risikoadjustierten Diskontierungszins berücksichtigt, der von Branchenexperten festgelegt wird. Eine sachgerechte, statistisch fundierte Ableitung dieses Zinssatzes erfolgt oftmals nicht. Vor diesem Hintergrund liegt das Ziel des vorliegenden Beitrags in der Analyse von Determinanten des Diskontierungszinses im Rahmen der Bewertung von Renditeobjekten. Dabei werden zunächst Wertermittlungsmethoden vorgestellt und die Bestimmung des sachgerechten Diskontierungszinses gemäß Adams/Jackson/Cook (2001) diskutiert. Die nachfolgende empirische Analyse stellt einige signifikante Einflussfaktoren objektspezifischer und makroökonomischer Art des Diskontierungszinses heraus