Science Fiction and the Myth of Trajectory Evolution

Stephen Jay Gould first proposed the idea of “iconographies of progress.” Today, one of the most prominent forms of progress iconography is the science fiction story. Science fiction as a genre frequently portrays evolution as a linear trajectory of increasing complexity, and in doing so, furthers a worldview that is not unlike the pre-Darwin understanding of human beings as both the center and the pinnacle of the natural world

The political economy of public-private partnerships : forestry co-management in northwest Saskatchewan

This thesis examines the political economy of public-private partnerships (PPPs), specifically how power has been shared among the partners involved in the co-management of forestry lands in Northwest Saskatchewan. It uncovers the political agendas of the groups involved, how decisions have been made and costs/benefits been shared, and considers the implications this model of co-management has for the future of forestry in this province. This study reveals a complex partnership in which power is not being shared equally. A private corporation, Mistik Management Ltd., possesses power over production, knowledge and credit. It purports to be working together with stakeholders in the co-management of forestry lands in Northwest Saskatchewan, but in truth Mistik is managing this resource with minimal input from forest users and residents in the region. The company does, however, appear sincere in its consultation process with stakeholders and is trying to improve the level of their engagement in day to day forestry operations. In addition, and despite this deficiency in stakeholder engagement, Mistik is practicing what is arguably the most environmentally sustainable forestry management in the province

Collaborative Approaches to Translation in Social Change Movements

The focus of this thesis is on collaborative translation as a reflection of the contexts in which it takes place. I consider a wide range of contexts, including both historical and present day social change movements. Drawing on the principles that were outlined by scholars during the cultural turn in translation studies that took place during the 1980s and 90s, I examine cultural translation as something that can take place on many levels, from the translation of words and sentences to the translation of the values of a movement. As an example of the holistic approaches that are part of cultural translation, I look in-depth at Our Bodies, Ourselves, a feminist book that has been written and translated collaboratively by women all over the world. I then expand my survey of collaborative approaches to include the translation of literary and religious texts, including the translation of Don Quixote into Kichwa, as part of an indigenous movement, as well as historical and present day team translations of Buddhist sutras in the U.S. and China, and numerous collaborative Bible translations spanning centuries and continents. I also explore the relationship between amateur translators, collaborative approaches, and activism in social movements. Part of my aim is to bridge the gaps between translator training and translation theory, practice, and policy. In some cases, amateur translators are a manifestation of the values of a movement; in other cases they are a necessity due to limited financial resources, and activists take a variety of approaches to the problem of budgetary constraints. One approach is collaboration, which can make a translation project economically viable by dividing work amongst volunteers. Another solution is to form worker cooperatives. In addition, the use of technology can help to increase efficiency and save money. Translators in social change movements frequently solve problems and carry out their values by taking holistic approaches. From integrating modern technology and time-tested historical practices to drawing on translation traditions from a variety of cultures, collaborative translation projects demonstrate a wide range of ways in which the values of social change movements can be reflected in the translation process

Will black hole-neutron star binary inspirals tell us about the neutron star equation of state?

The strong tidal forces that arise during the last stages of the life of a black hole-neutron star binary may severely distort, and possibly disrupt, the star. Both phenomena will imprint signatures about the stellar structure in the emitted gravitational radiation. The information from the disruption, however, is confined to very high frequencies, where detectors are not very sensitive. We thus assess whether the lack of tidal distortion corrections in data-analysis pipelines will affect the detection of the inspiral part of the signal and whether these may yield information on the equation of state of matter at nuclear densities. Using recent post-Newtonian expressions and realistic equations of state to model these scenarios, we find that point-particle templates are sufficient for the detection of black hole-neutron star inspiralling binaries, with a loss of signals below 1% for both second and third-generation detectors. Such detections may be able to constrain particularly stiff equations of state, but will be unable to reveal the presence of a neutron star with a soft equation of state.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

The L Word: Nonprofits, Language, and Lobbying

Despite the many benefits associated with policy advocacy, many nonprofit organizations do not lobby. Recently, scholars have called attention to the possibility that the vagueness and ambiguity of the term lobbying may hinder policy advocacy activities, though few studies have systematically explored the relationship between nonprofit professionals\u27 perception of this term and political activity. This study explored the social construction of the term lobbying by examining nonprofit leaders\u27 beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding lobbying activities. Participants reported having a strong aversion to the term lobbying and preferred alternative language to describe their political activities. Implications for practice and research are discussed

Maize in the Philippines: Production Systems, Constraints, and Research Priorities

Crop Production/Industries,

Why Trade Credit Financing is More Important than Developing Large Customer Relationships for Video Game Suppliers

Trade credit extended to suppliers in the video game industry does not serve as a commitment device for large customers in determining which vendors to make relationship-specific investments in. Suppliers of video games are better off investing in relationships with trade creditors than seeking out large customers. The costs of large customer relationships are lower sales growth and less long-term debt leverage. Also, large customers don’t form relationships with suppliers in this industry, which has high research and development expenditures nor do they facilitate economic viability with regard to continued independent operational performance or listing on a stock exchange