J.R.R. Tolkien: the Forest and the City (2013), edited by Helen Conrad-O’Briain and Gerard Hynes.

J.R.R. Tolkien: the Forest and the City (2013), edited by Helen Conrad-O’Briain and Gerard Hynes. Book Review by Kelley M. Wickham-Crowle

Ancillary space in Anglo-Saxon churches

This thesis examines documentary, architectural andarchaeological evidence for ancillary space and its range ofpossible uses. Ancillary space (additions to the basic church formof nave and chancel would be added based on liturgical or secularneed and available resources. Three areas of additions areclassified by form and correlated with possible uses. An appendixafter each chapter gives detailed descriptions and speculations onspecific churches. Notably, all three groups seem to have bothautonomous and integrated functions, but autonomous functionspredominate. Chapter one deals with porticus, aisles and transepts. Usesinclude burial chambers, chapels, meditation chambers, libraries,lodgings, and places of sanctuary and storage. These forms arethose most likely to be restricted to clerical use or shared byclearly and laity. Chapter two examines the development of thewest end and its use for burials and chapels again, penitents,catechumens, baptism rites, and liturgical elaboration centeringon increase in attention to relics. The acquisition of relicsemerges as the single most important factor in the development ofthe west end. Chapter three deals with the tower, singularlysymbolic form in Christianity that invokes, among others, theimages of the Last Supper and the heavenly Jerusalem. The rangeof uses makes it the addition most likely to have combined secularand religious functions

Auge y declive de los gobiernos de guerrilla en América Latina

[ES] El artículo trata de explicar los procesos a través de los cuales un gobierno llega a suceder a otro en situaciones revolucionarias, haciendo especial hincapié en los movimientos guerrilleros en América Latina desde la Revolución cubana hasta finales de la década del sesenta, y que están experimentando un resurgimiento en la actualidad. El autor sugiere cinco proposiciones que vinculan a gobernantes y gobernados en un contrato social, ya sea implícito o explícito, que elabora basándose en estudios de este período más temprano y que es posible encontrar también en los movimientos revolucionarios/gobiernos guerrilleros de los años setenta y ochenta.[EN] The article tries to explain the processes of how one government comes to succeed another in revolutionaly situations, emphasizing the guerrilla movements in Latin America from the Cuban revolution until the late 1960's and which are currently experiencing a revival. The author suggests five propositions linking governors and governed in a social contract, implicit or explicit, which he ellaborates based upon studies of the earlier period and that is also possible to find them in the revolutionary movements/guerrilla governments in the 1970's and 1980's

Gradient-Based Habitat Affinities Predict Species Vulnerability to Drought

Ecological fingerprints of climate change are becoming increasingly evident at broad geographical scales as measured by species range shifts and changes in phenology. However, finer-scale species-level responses to environmental fluctuations may also provide an important bellwether of impending future community responses. Here we examined changes in abundance of butterfly species along a hydrological gradient of six montane meadow habitat types in response to drought. Our data collection began prior to the drought, and we were able to track changes for 11 years, of which eight were considered mild to extreme drought conditions. We separated the species into those that had an affinity for hydric vs. xeric habitats. We suspected that drought would favor species with xeric habitat affinities, but that there could be variations in species-level responses along the hydrological gradient. We also suspected that mesic meadows would be most sensitive to drought conditions. Temporal trajectories were modeled for both species groups (hydric vs. xeric affinity) and individual species. Abundances of species with affinity for xeric habitats increased in virtually all meadow types. Conversely, abundances of species with affinity for hydric habitats decreased, particularly in mesic and xeric meadows. Mesic meadows showed the most striking temporal abundance trajectory: Increasing abundances of species with xeric habitat affinity were offset by decreasing or stable abundances of species with hydric habitat affinity. The one counterintuitive finding was that, in some hydric meadows, species with affinity for hydric habitats increased. In these cases, we suspect that decreasing moisture conditions in hydric meadows actually increased habitat suitability because sites near the limit of moisture extremes for some species became more acceptable. Thus, species responses were relatively predictable based upon habitat affinity and habitat location along the hydrological gradient, and mesic meadows showed the highest potential for changes in community composition. The implications of these results are that longer-term changes due to drought could simplify community composition, resulting in prevalence of species tolerant to drying conditions and a loss of species associated with wetter conditions. We contend that this application of gradient analysis could be valuable in assessing species vulnerability of other taxa and ecosystems

Longitudinal maturation of auditory cortical function during adolescence

Cross-sectional studies have demonstrated that the cortical auditory evoked potential (CAEP) changes substantially in amplitude and latency from childhood to adulthood, suggesting that these aspects of the CAEP continue to mature through adolescence. However, no study to date has longitudinally followed maturation of these CAEP measures through this developmental period. Additionally, no study has examined the trial-to-trial variability of the CAEP during adolescence. Therefore, we longitudinally tracked changes in the latency, amplitude, and variability of the P1, N1, P2, and N2 components of the CAEP in 68 adolescents from age 14 years to age 17 years. Latency decreased for N1 and N2, and did not change for P1 or P2. Amplitude decreased for P1 and N2, increased for N1, and did not change for P2. Variability decreased with age for all CAEP components. These findings provide longitudinal support for the view that the human auditory system continues to mature through adolescence. Continued auditory system maturation through adolescence suggests that CAEP neural generators remain plastic during this age range and potentially amenable to experience-based enhancement or deprivation

Legal Pluralism in Theory and Practice

Legal pluralism has vast policy and governance implications. In developing countries, for instance, non-state justice systems often handle most disputes and retain substantial autonomy and authority. Legal pluralism's importance, however, is rarely recognized and dramatically under theorized. This article advances scholarly understanding of legal pluralism both theoretically and empirically. It proposes a new typological framework for conceptualizing legal pluralism through four distinct archetypes – combative, competitive, cooperative, and complementary – to help clarify the range of relationships between state and non-state actors. It posits five main strategies used by domestic and international actors in attempts to influence the relationship between state and non-state justice systems: bridging, harmonization, incorporation, subsidization, and repression. As post-conflict situations are fluid and can feature a wide range of relationships between state and non-state actors, they are particularly instructive for showing how legal pluralism archetypes can be shifted over time. Case studies from Timor-Leste and Afghanistan highlight that selecting an appropriate policy is vital for achieving sustainable positive outcomes. Strategies that rely on large scale spending or even the use of substantial military force in isolation are unlikely to be successful. The most promising approaches are culturally intelligible and constructively engage non-state justice networks of authority and legitimacy to collectively advance the judicial state-building process. While the case studies focus on post-conflict states, the theory presented can help understand and improve efforts to promote the rule of law as well as good governance and development more broadly in all legally pluralist settings

(Re-)Emergent Orders: Understanding the Negotiation(s) of Rebel Governance

The concept of order is often neglected in the study of conflict – seemingly such a ‘disordering’ process. With the recent increase in the examination of rebel governance however, bringing order back into our understanding of rebel and insurgent groups has much to offer in exploring the everyday politics which connect authorities, rebel movements and the population itself, in a complex mass of intersubjective and power-based interactions and negotiations. Rebels both shape and are shaped by existing forms of order in complex and ongoing ways. This article explores how varying elements interact in the negotiation, framing and enforcement of order and develops an original analytical framework to examine the perpetual negotiations of rebel movements in their attempts to cement their control