Cultural Compactness

The Supreme Court’s opinions in LULAC v. Perry, the Texas redistricting case, confounded expectation. While many believed that the Court would develop the law governing partisan gerrymandering in one direction or another, it did not. As exactly before, such claims are justiciable but there is no law to govern them. In other words, the courthouse doors are open, but until some plaintiff advances a novel theory persuasive to five justices, no claims will succeed. On the other hand, few expected the Court to make any major changes to doctrine under the Voting Rights Act and Shaw v. Reno. But LULAC did. One change, in fact, may have far-reaching consequences. In an unexpected turn, the Court adopted a new requirement—cultural compactness— under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. This requirement reflects a theoretical perspective that many progressive theorists of race and gender have long advocated: anti-essentialism. That, by itself, is surprising. In what follows, I lay out how LULAC developed this requirement and what it may mean to voting rights law and to antidiscrimination law more generally. If it is taken seriously, the lesson may be bittersweet: be careful what you wish for

Cultural Compactness

The Supreme Court’s opinions in LULAC v. Perry, the Texas redistricting case, confounded expectation. While many believed that the Court would develop the law governing partisan gerrymandering in one direction or another, it did not. As exactly before, such claims are justiciable but there is no law to govern them. In other words, the courthouse doors are open, but until some plaintiff advances a novel theory persuasive to five justices, no claims will succeed. On the other hand, few expected the Court to make any major changes to doctrine under the Voting Rights Act and Shaw v. Reno. But LULAC did. One change, in fact, may have far-reaching consequences. In an unexpected turn, the Court adopted a new requirement—cultural compactness— under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. This requirement reflects a theoretical perspective that many progressive theorists of race and gender have long advocated: anti-essentialism. That, by itself, is surprising. In what follows, I lay out how LULAC developed this requirement and what it may mean to voting rights law and to antidiscrimination law more generally. If it is taken seriously, the lesson may be bittersweet: be careful what you wish for

Transfer of Learning Effectiveness: PC-Based Flight Simulation

Sixty college students with no previous flight experience performed a designated aircraft maneuver so transfer of learning between a computer-based training device (CBTD) and an aircraft could be analyzed. Thirty of the subjects were trained in a CBTD before flying; the remaining 30 were taken directly to the aircraft. This study demonstrated a positive transfer of learning between the CBTD and the aircraft: CBTD-trained students took an average of 12 minutes, while the others took 20 minutes to complete the maneuver. The result was t-value of 5.11 which exceeded the critical t of 2.0, and the transfer of effectiveness ratio formula revealed a 48 percent transfer of learning. Further research is recommended to determine the role of CBTDs in the training of pilots

Studying HIV Risk in Vulnerable Communities: Methodological and Reporting Shortcomings in the Young Men’s Study in New York City

This article considers demographic categories used in the Young Men’s Study on HIV risk for men who have sex with men. We critique oversimplified pan-ethnic categories and the polarization of US racial discourse. We also interrogate the use of certain gender and sexuality markers that produced confusing results in this study. We use a critical standpoint derived from cultural studies to suggest that quantitative and qualitative methods of studying health risks and intimate behaviors in vulnerable populations require reorganization to more accurately represent the lives of members of these groups. Interviews, surveys, and statistics can be crude and lacking in practical information. Finally, we address media and governmental response to the Young Men’s Study, and the continued need for organizing across minoritized communities

Instrumentos jurídicos, económicos y sociales para la protección ambiental : áreas protegidas y pago por servicios ambientales

136 páginasFirst of all, this document includes a complete analysis about the protected areas figure as a legal instrument for the protection of the Colombian environment legal system, besides constitutional and legal background. in the same way the classification of protected areas and their current state of operation will also be presented. Additionally, the environmental services provided by nature will be under examination, as well as their definition and classification by the international and national authorities. However, it's also matter of subject the economic impact of these environmental services of the protected areas in the Colombian market. Secondly, the payment for environmental services figure will be analyzed as an economic and social instrument to promote the sustainable use of natural resources. Furthermore, the application of these figures as a way to solve social problem within our territory will be matter of discussion. Finally, some considerations are going to be made about the instrument of payments for environmental services and its practical effectiveness.El presente trabajo examinará, en primer lugar, la figura de áreas protegidas como instrumento jurídico para la protección del medio ambiente en el ordenamiento jurídico colombiano, además de sus antecedentes constitucionales y legales. De igual forma, se expondrá la clasificación de las áreas protegidas y su estado de funcionamiento actual. Adicionalmente, se estudiarán los servicios ambientales que provee la naturaleza su definición y clasificación a nivel internacional y nacional. Así mismo, se mencionarán los servicios ambientales de las áreas protegidas y su impacto económico en el mercado colombiano. En segundo lugar, se analizará la figura de pago por servicios ambientales como instrumento económico y social para el fomento de la utilización sostenible de los recursos naturales. Adicionalmente, se examinará la aplicación de estas figuras para la solución de problemas sociales inmersos dentro de nuestro territorio. Finalmente se harán unas consideraciones sobre el instrumento de pagos por servicios ambientales y su efectividad práctica.Abogado(a)Pregrad