Rabindranath Tagore’s India and William Butler Yeats’s Ireland: The Intersection of Classical Languages, Literature, and Nation-Building in Postcolonial East and West.

Although largely unrelated phenomena, there are striking similarities between the manner in which both Ireland and India drew upon their classical languages as a mechanism for intellectual nation-building upon both states’ withdrawals from the British Empire. After examining this overarching content, the development of a national literary canon is analyzed through the framework of the relationship between the leading literary figures of both nations in the run-up to independence: W. B. Yeats and Rabindranath Tagore. Yeats’ early admiration for Tagore is contrasted with his later disillusionment and demonstrated to be part of his misconception of India as representing an idealized past which Ireland had already surpassed. Though both he and Tagore were critical of the nationalist narratives of their own states — particularly nationalist violence — Yeats’ views were clouded by his relationship with Maud Gonne, while Tagore feared Asian attempts to transform into colonial powers on the model of the West

Dramatic devices and philosophical content in Plato’s Symposium

O Banquete de Platão serve-se de recursos dramáticos diversos, tais como a história-moldura, a organização dos discursos e o ensino de Diotima enquanto meios de orientação do leitor pela mensagem filosófica subjacente, a qual inclui um exame do sistema socrático de educação. Os discípulos de Sócrates demonstram notável entusiasmo pela filosofia, mas parecem incapazes de distinguir o amor por Sócrates do amor pela sabedoria. Agatão ocupa posição de destaque: devido a um trocadilho com o seu nome, a jornada do jantar em sua casa se tornará na ascensão em direção ao Bem. Além disso, ele representa a educação sofística e poética, assim como cada um dos oradores representa algum tipo particular de conhecimento, o que implica que não se deveria simplesmente impingir pedantismo a Eurixímaco, ou tomar o discurso de Aristófanes enquanto um interlúdio cômico. Eles formam, antes, uma complexa rede intertextual. Alcibíades exibe as fraquezas de um homem inábil ou relutante em seguir a totalidade do ensino socrático. Sua solicitação de ser conduzido por Agatão simboliza a incapacidade de encontrar o próprio caminho do Bem, ao passo que a interrupção da ordem bem organizada do banquete pelos boêmios lembra a atitude dos tiranos e de outros homens hostis à filosofia. Apesar dessa crítica aos estudantes de Sócrates, o Banquete finaliza com uma nota positiva. As ações finais de Sócrates ocupam-se das outras pessoas ”“ uma crítica implícita a quem sustenta que a filosofia subverte os laços sociais

Platonism and the Tools of God

In the biblical accounts of creation (Gen. 1:1 -2:4a and Gen. 2:4bff), it is enough for God to will something to be created for this to happen. The second account may refer to God as a potter or builder, but it still differs significantly from Plato’s Timaeus, where the world is generated by the Demiurge (Greek = Craftsman) who has to literally toil at the task of ordering the cosmos; an image which was something of an embarrassment for generations of later Platonists. As the Epicurean of ND I. 19 mockingly states: “What power of mental vision allowed your master Plato to envisage the vast and elaborate architectural process adopted by God in constructing the world? What method of engineering was employed? What iron tools and levers and cranes?” (trans. LCL modified)

Platonism and the Tools of God

In the biblical accounts of creation (Gen. 1:1 -2:4a and Gen. 2:4bff), it is enough for God to will something to be created for this to happen. The second account may refer to God as a potter or builder, but it still differs significantly from Plato’s Timaeus, where the world is generated by the Demiurge (Greek = Craftsman) who has to literally toil at the task of ordering the cosmos; an image which was something of an embarrassment for generations of later Platonists. As the Epicurean of ND I. 19 mockingly states: “What power of mental vision allowed your master Plato to envisage the vast and elaborate architectural process adopted by God in constructing the world? What method of engineering was employed? What iron tools and levers and cranes?” (trans. LCL modified)

The Middle Platonist Demiurge and Stoic Cosmobiology.

Given the variety of speculation on world-generation, this article examines the extent to which use of the Demiurge of Plato’s Timaeus by subsequent thinkers canbe regarded as part of a coherent narrative. Although not advocating the existenceo a demiurgic “system,” demiurgy is defned in contrast to Judaeo-Christian creationand its chief characteristics are enumerated. While the Demiurge is not of majorimportance within the Old Academy, he survives within Stoic conceptions of the logos , which itself combines aspects of the technological or banausic imagery o the Demiurge, alongside infuences derived from Aristotelian biological theory. This article examines the extent to which the Stoic logos can be regarded as the ancestorol the Demiurge found in Philo of Alexandria and Plutarch, suggests reasons for the ubiquitous nature of the demiurgic motif during the first to third centuries CE, and considers the main philosophical problems that infuenced its development

Studying Work in the Post Reform Era

This paper emerged from the first stage of what is to be a three-stage multi-disciplinary research project examining work in the 'post-reform era '. The key foci of that research project are the organisation of work, the determination of wages, and the well-being of workers at the workplace level. It will examine how the nature of work varies across workplaces of different sizes and in different competitive environments. The present paper draws on the first stage of the research to share some of the problems experienced while attempting to study workplaces in New Zealand today. It draws on research in 19 Auckland workplaces and reveals serious definitional, theoretical, and methodological problems that are likely to constrain any such research in the present environment. In our case, the problems raised, and the solutions offered, have led to a fundamental rethink of the larger project's research objectives, strategies, and ways to operationalise concepts into empirical measures

Optical air data systems and methods

Systems and methods for sensing air outside a moving aircraft are presented. In one embodiment, a system includes a laser for generating laser energy. The system also includes one or more transceivers for projecting the laser energy as laser radiation to the air. Subsequently, each transceiver receives laser energy as it is backscattered from the air. A computer processes signals from the transceivers to distinguish molecular scattered laser radiation from aerosol scattered laser radiation and determines one or more air parameters based on the scattered laser radiation. Such air parameters may include air speed, air pressure, air temperature and aircraft orientation angle, such as yaw, angle of attack and sideslip

Optical air data systems and methods

Systems and methods for sensing air outside a moving aircraft are presented. In one embodiment, a system includes a laser for generating laser energy. The system also includes one or more transceivers for projecting the laser energy as laser radiation to the air. Subsequently, each transceiver receives laser energy as it is backscattered from the air. A computer processes signals from the transceivers to distinguish molecular scattered laser radiation from aerosol scattered laser radiation and determines one or more air parameters based on the scattered laser radiation. Such air parameters may include air speed, air pressure, air temperature and aircraft orientation angle, such as yaw, angle of attack and sideslip

The reliability of performance during computer-simulated varying gradient cycling time trials

Ergometer based time trials are commonly used to assess performance changes due to training or other interventions. This investigation establishes the reliability of a novel computer simulated cycling time trial. Nineteen cyclists (age: 32 ± 12 years, mass 73 ± 11 kg, height 178 ± 5 cm) completed four time trials over a 20-km course which included numerous changes in gradient. The time trials were completed over a 4-week period in order to establish both short and long-term reliability. Performance time (mean ± SD) for trials one to four was 2265 ± 149 s, 2252 ± 153 s, 2236 ± 146 s and 2240 ± 154 s respectively; the corresponding power output for consecutive trials was 293 ± 35 W, 297 ± 36 W, 299 ± 35 W and 299 ± 35 W. The coefficient of variation (± 90% confidence limits) of performance for trials separated by 7, 14, 21 and 28 days was 1.1% (0.8% – 1.5%), 1.3% (1.1% – 1.9%), 1.3% (1.1% – 1.9%) and 1.5% (1.1% – 2.1%) respectively for time; the corresponding values for power output were 2.0% (1.5% – 2.7%), 2.3% (1.8% – 3.2%), 2.6% (2.0% – 3.6%) and 3.2% (2.5% – 4.5%). Further analysis based on rider ability indicated slower riders were less reliable than faster riders by a factor of ~1.1. Reliability of time trial performance diminishes with increasing time between trials. Additionally, faster riders show better reliability than slower riders over time. Researchers should consider the effect of time between trials and athlete ability when making conclusions about intervention effectiveness

Heterometallic cobalt(ii) calix[6 and 8]arenes: synthesis, structure and electrochemical activity

Heterometallic cobalt p-tert-butylcalix[6 and 8]arenes have been generated from the in situ reaction of lithium reagents (n-BuLi or t-BuOLi) or NaH with the parent calix[n]arene and subsequent reaction with CoBr2. The reverse route, involving the addition of in situ generated Li[Co(Ot-Bu)3] to p-tert-butylcalix[6 and 8]arene, has also been investigated. X-ray crystallography reveals the formation of complicated products incorporating differing numbers of cobalt and lithium or sodium centers, often with positional disorder, as well as, in some cases, the retention of halide. The electrochemical analysis revealed several oxidation events related to the subsequent oxidation of Co(ii) centers and the reduction of the metal cation at negative potentials. Moreover, the electrochemical activity of the phenol moieties of the parent calix[n]arenes resulted in dimerized products or quinone derivatives, leading to insoluble oligomeric products that deposit and passivate the electrode. Preliminary screening for electrochemical proton reduction revealed good activity for a number of these systems. Results suggest that [Co6Na(NCMe)6(μ-O)(p-tert-butylcalix[6]areneH)2Br]·7MeCN (6·7MeCN) is a promising molecular catalyst for electrochemical proton reduction, with a mass transport coefficient, catalytic charge transfer resistance and current magnitude at the catalytic turnover region that are comparable to those of the reference electrocatalyst (Co(ii)Cl2)