The Urban Superintendent: Creating Great Schools While Surviving on the Job

Captures the highlights of a colloquium of successful former superintendents of urban public schools. Offers some general guidance to help guide new superintendents as they accept the multiple challenges of overseeing a large urban school system

Telling the market story through organic information interaction design and broadcast media : submitted to the College of Creative Arts as requirement for the degree of Master of Design, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand, 2007

Interaction Design, which is essentially story-creating and telling, is at once both and ancient art and a new technology. Media have always effected the telling of stories and the creation of experiences. (Shedroff, N., 1994, p. 2) Advances with visual representations within broadcast design have been applied to areas such as weather simulations, sporting events, and historical reconstruction's. However, financial market information presentation is fairly uniform in television news broadcasting, showing little progression in pace with other news information catego­ries. While stock market news segments make limited use of supporting graphics, addi­ tional information that may assist the viewer is filtered out, effecting viewers interest, understanding and decision making process often associated with market related stories. Research to date has been limited to single visualisations. There has been little re­search into the use of multiple information views that are composed to support news presentations. People use many different information sources on a daily basis. News sources are used to stay informed about events, to some sources, viewer evaluation of informa­tion is a part of that process. News information and other data commodity sources are now more accessible, allowing designers to look at ways of transforming them into new or improved information services. This research explores the display of stock market information by looking at ap­propriate media delivery methods combined with Organic Information Interaction Design to enhance information relationships. Organic Design and Information Inter­action Design 1 principles are combined. This denotes a 'living' relationship between elements, incorporating hierarchy principles with enhanced information delivery and user experiences. Four themes are tied together through the use of a conceptual prototype. [FROM INTRO

A note on the 'Natural Rate of Subjective Inequality' hypothesis and the approximate relationship between the Gini coefficient and the Atkinson index

In a recent paper in this journal, Lambert et al (2003) sought to establish the Natural Rate of Subjective Inequality (NRSI) hypothesis. In this note, their test of the NRSI hypothesis is critically evaluated and an alternative reason is offered as to why their empirics appeared to support it. The findings, based on simulation, do not overturn the NRSI hypothesis, but indicate the need for deeper and more thorough analysis if this insightful and potentially far-reaching hypothesis is to be established.Natural rate of subjective inequality; inequality indices; simulation

Axiomatic Characterization of Ordinary Differential Cohomology

Cheeger-Simons differential characters, Deligne cohomology in the smooth category, the Hopkins-Singer construction of ordinary differential cohomology and the recent Harvey-Lawson constructions are each in two distinct ways Abelian group extensions of known functors. In one desciption these objects are extensions of integral cohomology by the quotient space of all differential forms by the subspace of closed forms with integral periods. In the other they are extensions of closed differential forms with integral periods by the cohomology with coefficients in the circle. These two series of short exact sequences mesh with two interlocking long exact sequences (the Bockstein sequence and a DeRham sequence) to form a commutative DNA-like array of functors called the Character Diagram. Theorem 1.1 shows that on the category of smooth manifolds and smooth maps any package consisting of a functor into graded abelian groups together with four natural transformations that fit together so as to form a Character Diagram as above is unique up to unique natural equivalence. Theorem 1.2 shows the natural product structure on differential characters is uniquely characterized by its compatibility with the product structures on the known functors in the Character Diagram. The proof of Theorem 1.1 couples the naturality with results about approximating smooth singular cycles and homologies by embedded pseudomanifolds.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures (figs. 3 and 4 have 2 parts each

Trust in Scientists and Food Manufacturers, with Implications for the Public Support of Biotechnology

The purpose of this paper is to determine what factor affect trust in scientists and food manufacturers, and to examine how trust in these institutions affects public support for biotechnology. Data from the U.S. Biotechnology Study reveal that benefits from biotechnology and expectations of trustworthiness are correlated with trust in scientists, but benefits and costs of biotechnology, and expectations of trustworthiness and competence of biotechnology institutions, are important determinants of trust in food manufacturers. The data also reveal that trust in scientists and food manufacturers has a large and important effect on public support for biotechnology, but trust in scientists is more important for public support than trust in food manufacturers.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, L65, Q18,

For a Sustainable Agriculture, We Need More Adam Smith, Not Less

There are two competing approaches sustainability in agriculture. One stresses a strict economic approach in which market forces should be allowed to guide the activities of agricultural producers. The other advocates the need to balance economic with environmental and social objectives, even to the point of reducing profitability. This paper shows how the writings of the 18th century moral philosopher Adam Smith could bridge the debate. First, he is recognized by those advocating the economic approach as an architect of modern economics. Second, his writings are consistent with many aspects of sustainable agriculture. Smith argues that people ought to exercise restraint in their pursuit of self-interest. He also recognizes the need to balance economic with environmental and social considerations. One implication is that advocates of sustainable agriculture might be more effective by actively promoting the work of Adam Smith.Environmental Economics and Policy, Political Economy,

Low and moderate-income home financing : what are the trends in Kansas City?

Over the last decade, many significant developments have influenced home lending. Among these developments are the longest expansion period in U.S. history, pathbreaking technological and financial innovations, new regulatory and legislative incentives for low- and moderate-income lending, and continued growth of community organizations and special home lending programs. ; This article takes a look at these trends and their possible effect on home purchase lending in the Kansas City metropolitan area between 1992 and 2001. The article examines changes in home financing across the entire metropolitan area, as well as among low- and moderate-income borrowers and within low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. Also analyzed are the contributions of different types of lenders—banks and thrifts with local banking offices, banks and thrifts with no Kansas City banking offices, and independent mortgage companies. ; Among the more noteworthy findings in this analysis is the substantial growth that has occurred in home purchase lending for the entire Kansas City metropolitan area, with an increasing share of this lending going to low- and moderate-income borrowers and neighborhoods. Of further interest is the growing importance of home lending by banking organizations without deposit-taking offices in Kansas City. In particular, the rapid emergence of such organizations in low- and moderate-income lending provides a strong signal that this lending is meeting many of the same market tests as other forms of lending, thus foreshadowing a more continuous flow of financing to lower income neighborhoods.Loans ; Federal Reserve District, 10th

FINDING SOLUTIONS TO ETHICAL PROBLEMS IN AGRICULTURE

This paper distinguishes between two types of ethical Problems. A Type I ethical problem is one in which there is no consensus as to what is ethical. A Type II ethical problem is one in which there is a consensus as to what is ethical, but incentives exist for individuals to behave unethically. This paper shows that Type I ethical problems can only be resolved by making, challenging and reasoning through moral arguments, and Type II ethical problems can only be resolved by changing the institutional environment so that people do not have incentives to behave Unethically. Applications to and examples from agricultural and environmental problems are provided.Political Economy,

The changing structure of banking : a look at traditional and new ways of delivering banking services

In the short span of just ten to fifteen years, Tenth District banking has made the dramatic leap from predominantly a unit banking or single office framework to one that encompasses both statewide branching and interstate banking. This article examines the major factors behind these changes and then looks at the District's evolving banking structure. Overall, the total number of banks operating in Tenth District states has declined by about 40 percent since 1985. This decline, though, has been accompanied by a significant increase in the number of bank branches and facilities. ; Other significant changes are also occurring. About one-third of all banking deposits in Tenth District states is now under the control of out-of-state organizations. In addition, banks are developing and expanding alternative ways for delivering services. For instance, the District's ATM population continues to grow rapidly and an increasing number of banks are opening branches in supermarkets and other retail locations. Moreover, the Internet Web sites of District banks have expanded quickly over the last year both in terms of number and the complexity of services offered. While all of these developments pose a variety of issues and challenges for District bankers and customers, this changing banking framework is opening up new opportunities and will likely lead to a more convenient and efficient banking system, with a broader choice of services.Federal Reserve District, 10th ; Banks and banking - Customer services