Feminazi, breastfeeding nazi, grammar nazi. A critical analysis of nazi insults in contemporary media discourses

Nazi is a well-known political insult in many languages, and since entering the English language, it has spawned a substantial number of expressions, including feminazi, breastfeeding nazi, grammar nazi. The range of expressions and their plentiful use in online and social media suggest that the link between nazi in its historical sense and in its relatively recent metaphorical sense is becoming less apparent. Therefore, a grammar nazi, for example, is arguably not a type of nazi, but rather a “fanatic” or “strict enforcer” of language rules. In this article, I will examine critically the connections between nazi as a historical, political and metaphorical insult. With a particular focus on feminazi, I will argue that its offensiveness as an insult is strongly dependent on its associations with National Socialism. The article will also discuss the interlingual and cross-cultural significance of nazi insults; in particular, the recent trend in German towards employing expressions such as feminazi and Grammatiknazi (“grammar nazi”) in online and social media discourses

The Coordination and Design of Point-Nonpoint Trading Programs and Agri-Environmental Policies

Agricultural agencies have long offered agri-environmental payments that are inadequate to achieve water quality goals, and many state water quality agencies are considering point-nonpoint trading to achieve the needed pollution reductions. This analysis considers both targeted and nontargeted agrienvironmental payment schemes, along with a trading program which is not spatially targeted. The degree of improved performance among these policies is found to depend on whether the programs are coordinated or not, whether double-dipping (i.e., when farmers are paid twice-once by each program-to undertake particular pollution control actions) is allowed, and whether the agri-environmental payments are targeted. Under coordination, efficiency gains only occur with double-dipping, so that both programs jointly influence farmers' marginal decisions. Without coordination, doubledipping may increase or decrease efficiency, depending on how the agri-environmental policy is targeted. Finally, double-dipping may not solely benefit farmers, but can result in a transfer of agricultural subsidies to point sources.Environmental Economics and Policy,

THE DESIGN AND COMPARATIVE ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF ALTERNATIVE SECOND-BEST POINT/NONPOINT TRADING MARKETS

There is considerable interest in the use of pollution trading between point and nonpoint sources to improve the cost-effectiveness of water pollution control, but little literature to guide the design of trading systems involving nonpoint sources. We explore the design of two types of trading systems that would allow trading among and between point and nonpoint sources.Environmental Economics and Policy,

THE VALUE OF ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC INFORMATION IN WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Replaced with revised version of paper 08/25/03.Environmental Economics and Policy,

The SED of the TeV BLLac 1ES 1426+428 after correction for the TeV--IR absorption

The recent HEGRA detection and spectrum of 1ES 1426+428 at TeV energies, once corrected for absorption using present estimates of the diffuse extragalactic IR background, suggest that the high energy peak of the Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) could be much higher than the synchrotron one ($L_c/L_s>10$), and lie at energies above 8-10 TeV. To see if such an SED could be accounted for, we have applied a "finite injection time" SSC model, and present here some preliminary results. Within this model, we found the need of an external ("ambient") contribution to the energy density of seed photons, in order to account for both the high Compton dominance and the hard spectrum.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the conference "Relativistic jets in the Chandra and XMM era", Bologna, 23-27/9/02 (New Astr. Rev.

Asymptotic Dynamics in Quantum Field Theory

A crucial element of scattering theory and the LSZ reduction formula is the assumption that the coupling vanishes at large times. This is known not to hold for the theories of the Standard Model and in general such asymptotic dynamics is not well understood. We give a description of asymptotic dynamics in field theories which incorporates the important features of weak convergence and physical boundary conditions. Applications to theories with three and four point interactions are presented and the results are shown to be completely consistent with the results of perturbation theory.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figure

'You taught me language; and my profit on't/Is, I know how to curse': cursing and swearing in foreign language learning

This article will discuss why cursing and swearing, as manifestations of emotional language, should be addressed in foreign language learning (FLL). Psycholinguistic and pragmatic studies have argued that cursing and swearing are a central component of an individual's communicative repertoire, fulfilling a variety of functions, including expressions of surprise, joy, frustration, anger and pain. Sociolinguistic studies not only confirm this but also highlight the taboo nature of these utterances, as well as the complex social and group constraints that dictate their usage. Given the central yet controversial status of cursing and swearing, it is hardly surprising that it is largely ignored in FLL, although strong arguments have been advanced in favour of teaching emotional language, which incorporates swearing. This paper will explore the possibilities for making cursing and swearing part of a foreign language curriculum, particularly for advanced learners, and will assess the role currently played by teaching materials. Given the marginalised function of cursing and swearing, and questions of interlanguage synonymy and equivalences, should the acquisition and understanding of cursing and swearing remain outside formal language learning, or do learners need to be made aware of the possibilities for emotional expression, making appropriate use of vulgar and taboo registers?. © 2013 Taylor & Francis

Mobilisation or dilution? Nitrate response of karst springs to high rainfall events

peer-reviewedNitrate (NO3−) contamination of groundwater associated with agronomic activity is of major concern in many countries. Where agriculture, thin free draining soils and karst aquifers coincide, groundwater is highly vulnerable to nitrate contamination. As residence times and denitrification potential in such systems are typically low, nitrate can discharge to surface waters unabated. However, such systems also react quickest to agricultural management changes that aim to improve water quality. In response to storm events, nitrate concentrations can alter significantly, i.e. rapidly decreasing or increasing concentrations. The current study examines the response of a specific karst spring situated on a grassland farm in South Ireland to rainfall events utilising high-resolution nitrate and discharge data together with on-farm borehole groundwater fluctuation data. Specifically, the objectives of the study are to formulate a scientific hypothesis of possible scenarios relating to nitrate responses during storm events, and to verify this hypothesis using additional case studies from the literature. This elucidates the controlling key factors that lead to mobilisation and/or dilution of nitrate concentrations during storm events. These were land use, hydrological condition and karstification, which in combination can lead to differential responses of mobilised and/or diluted nitrate concentrations. Furthermore, the results indicate that nitrate response in karst is strongly dependent on nutrient source, whether mobilisation and/or dilution occur and on the pathway taken. This will have consequences for the delivery of nitrate to a surface water receptor. The current study improves our understanding of nitrate responses in karst systems and therefore can guide environmental modellers, policy makers and drinking water managers with respect to the regulations of the European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive (WFD). In future, more research should focus on the high-resolution monitoring of karst aquifers to capture the high variability of hydrochemical processes, which occur at time intervals of hours to days.Teagasc Walsh Fellowship Programm