The Financialization of Anti-capitalism? The case of the ‘Financial Independence Retire Early’ Community

The Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) community consists of individuals each personally dedicated to reducing consumption, so as to build up financial surpluses that are eventually adequate to live off. While it shares certain features in common with other ‘financial independence’ ideologies and self-help communities, one thing that distinguishes it is the emphasis on frugality. Freedom comes to consist not only in independence from the labour market, but also from materialism, consumerism and consumer debt. At the same time, this freedom is predicated on passive investment in the stock market and reliance on financial techniques for representing the future. Using semi-structured interviews with leading FIRE advocates and analysis of books and blog content, this paper assesses the ambivalent moral economy of FIRE, to understand how and why individuals seek this unusual relationship to capitalism, that pursues the status of rentier through the strategic rejection of materialism

Status of CHIPS: A NASA University Explorer Astronomy Mission

In the age of Faster, Better, Cheaper , NASA\u27s Goddard Space Flight Center has been looking for a way to implement university based world class science missions for significantly less money. The University Explorer (UNEX) program is the result. UNEX missions are designed for rapid turnaround with fixed budgets in the $10 million US dollar range. The CHIPS project was selected in 1998. The CHIPS mission has passed the Concept Study and will be having the Confirmation Review in August 2000. Many lessons have already been learned from the CHIPS UNEX project. This paper will discuss the early issues surrounding the use of commercial satellite constellations as the bus and the politics of small satellites using foreign launchers. The difficulties of finding a spacecraft in the UNEX price range will be highlighted. The advantages of utilizing Internet technologies from the earliest phases of the project through to communications with the spacecraft on orbit will be discussed. The current state of the program will be summarized and the project\u27s plans for the future will be charted

Participation and representation in ATSIC elections: a ten-year perspective

This paper examines participation and representation in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) elections over the ten-year period since its inception in 1990. It attempts to identify patterns of participation that seem to be emerging and what these might suggest about ATSIC's operation. By examining numbers of nominees compared to positions available, the paper suggests that ATSIC elected office has fairly keenly and consistently sought and competed for by Indigenous people, though there may have been some slight initial reticence in the 1990 elections. By examining voter numbers and voter turnout, the paper suggests that voter participation nation-wide rose slightly from 1990 to 1996 and then largely stabilised in 1999. It also suggests that there have been significant variations from this national pattern at State and Territory levels and it explores some reasons for this, such as change in postal voting procedures. The paper also examines voter numbers and voter turnout at the ATSIC regional level since 1993 and finds that there has been a much higher voter turnout in the sparsely settled regions of northern Australia and much lower voter turnout in the southern and urban areas. This is explained in terms of ATSIC program and expenditure priorities and in terms of polling place access. The final two sections of the paper examine the representation of women and Torres Strait Islanders among ATSIC elected representatives. Both are seen as significant issues, which should be of some ongoing concern within ATSIC, alongside the issue of the southern/northern difference in voter participation

A Shift in Values

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75745/1/j.1541-0072.1995.tb01743.x.pd

Critical X-ray Scattering Studies of Jahn-Teller Phase Transitions in TbV1−x_{1-x}Asx_{x}O4_{4}

The critical behaviour associated with cooperative Jahn-Teller phase transitions in TbV$_{1-x}$As$_{x}$O$_{4}$ (where \textit{x} = 0, 0.17, 1) single crystals have been studied using high resolution x-ray scattering. These materials undergo continuous tetragonal $\to$ orthorhombic structural phase transitions driven by Jahn-Teller physics at T$_C$ = 33.26(2) K, 30.32(2) K and 27.30(2) K for \textit{x} = 0, 0.17 and 1 respectively. The orthorhombic strain was measured close to the phase transition and is shown to display mean field behavior in all three samples. Pronounced fluctuation effects are manifest in the longitudinal width of the Bragg scattering, which diverges as a power law, with an exponent given by $x=0.45 \pm 0.04$, on approaching the transition from either above or below. All samples exhibited twinning; however the disordered x = 0.17 sample showed a broad distribution of twins which were stable to relatively low temperatures, well below T$_C$. This indicates that while the orthorhombic strain continues to develop in a conventional mean field manner in the presence of disorder, twin domains are easily pinned by the quenched impurities and their associated random strains.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Status of CHIPS: A NASA University Explorer Astronomy Mission

In the age of Faster, Better, Cheaper , NASA\u27s Goddard Space Flight Center has been looking for a way to implement university based science missions for significantly less money. The University Explorer (UNEX) program is the result. UNEX missions are designed for rapid turnaround with fixed budgets in the $10-$15 million US dollar range. The CHIPS project was selected in 1998. The CHIPS mission passed the Design Verification Review in April 2001 and is now proceeding into implementation with a launch in mid-2002. Many lessons have already been learned from the CHIPS UNEX project. The 2000 paper discussed the early issues surrounding the use of commercial satellite constellations and the politics of small satellites using foreign launchers. The difficulties of finding a spacecraft in the UNEX price range were highlighted. The advantages of utilizing Internet technologies from the earliest phases of the project through communications with the spacecraft on orbit were discussed. The 2001 paper will discuss the implementation status of CHIPS, the first of this new class of NASA mission, and the lessons learned. The current state of the program will be summarized and the project’s plans for the future will be charted

Burgerville: Instilling a Sustainable Culture

From a single store to a regional chain, Burgerville has differentiated from other national chains by maintaining a strong relationship with its customers, supply partners, employees and the community. A case study from PSU\u27s School of Business delves deeper into Burgerville\u27s commitment to instilling a sustainability culture by assessing the impact of the company\u27s mission to Serve with Love. The analysis in this study covers Burgerville’s strategic changes in: Product development – BV\u27s commitment in using locally and seasonally sourced ingredients throughout its menu Supply chain management – BV\u27s approach to maintaining strong relationships with suppliers, and preferentially purchasing from Food Alliance certified producers. Use of renewable energy – BV\u27s purchase of wind power credits equal to 100% energy use in its restaurants and corporate headquarters. Recycling and composting – BV\u27s commitment to providing recycling and composting stations. In addition, nearly all of BV’s packaging materials come from 100% renewable materials. Employee relations – BV\u27s commitment to offering healthcare benefits to any employee working more than 20 hours per week. Training – BV’s commitment to training employees at all levels to convey its core beliefs in sustainability and community. Transparency – BV’s commitment to educating customers about exactly what they are eating by providing specific nutritional information on each receipt Burgerville\u27s commitment in implementing these strategic changes has shaped its reputation as the alternative place to go for quality, local, fast food