Hindu Embodiment and the Internet

Hinduism is a fully embodied religion yet it is being practised in cyberspace where a degree of disembodiment occurs. In this article I consider the nature of the body in Hinduism and discuss this in the light of Hindu religious activity online. The lack of full embodiment online suggests that widespread Hindu online activity is unsuited to cyberspace. However, an investigation of the Hindu puja ceremony and its online manifestation indicates that an important aspect of embodiment remains when an individual performs the ceremony online. Furthermore, as a result of the Hindu belief that mind and the physical external body are inextricably related, cyberspace proves to be a highly suitable environment for the carrying out of the Hindu puja ceremony

Hinduism and the Internet : a sociological study

This study provides a contribution to the sociology of religion by examining the relationship between Hinduism and the Internet - an area largely neglected by scholars of religion and the Internet. A theoretical discussion as to the suitability of cyberspace for Hinduism - which concludes that there is a high level of compatibility - is followed by a discussion of embodiment (a relatively neglected topic in sociology) in Hinduism in order to assess whether online religious activity which does not require full embodiment could be problematic. Although there is no natural fit between Hinduism and online religious activity, such activity is extensive; and this gives rise to a number of empirical research questions about online practices and their implications for Hinduism 'offline'. Empirical research was carried out both online and 'offline'. Online, data was obtained through the utilisation of innovative research methods which were able to map Hinduism on the WWW and uncover the processes that are occurring. An important finding was that a relatively small number of Hindu organisations are effectively monopolising Hinduism online. Significant websites were also analysed. 'Offline', research was carried out at mandirs (Hindu Temples) in India. The prime research method used was the semi-structured interview. The informants were high-ranking mandir officials. Owners of web sites offering a puja (ritual honouring a deity) service were also interviewed. The online and 'offline' research did not constitute discrete lines of enquiry, and findings were analysed together in the light of sociological theories of embodiment and globalisation, and rational choice theory. These theories contribute to the understanding of processes that are occurring in Hinduism and, in turn, the findings suggested revisions of the theoretical ideas. The main conclusion is that despite globalisation and the pre-eminent role that the Internet plays in it - contrary to the assertions of some globalisation theorists -local sites of Hindu practice do not necessarily decline in importance. Instead, there is an interpenetration of the local and the global as a result of online Hinduism

Predictors of life satisfaction in a large nationally representative Japanese sample

© 2019 Elsevier Inc. Life satisfaction (LS), as a major indicator of subjective well-being, is a rapidly growing concern all over the world. Despite their country\u27s powerful economic status, Japanese people experience relatively low levels of LS. This paper investigates demographic, social and psychological variables associated with Japanese people\u27s life evaluation, and identifies important factors in each age and gender group. Using a representative annual survey of Japanese respondents, we find that material well-being (household income satisfaction, satisfaction with standards of living) is most strongly associated with LS. Other factors such as marital status, affective experience, and education, are also significant predictors. The data show that LS decreases over the life course and that individuals in late adulthood are the least satisfied with their lives. Furthermore, there is evidence that a gender gap exists for levels of LS at each stage of life. We identify important factors associated with LS across gender and age groups and, overall, our intensive analysis of a wide range of potential factors provides a comprehensive model of life evaluation in Japan. We conclude with the argument that follow-up studies will benefit from a consideration of key social issues in the context of Japanese society such as relative wealth, ageing, and gender inequality

ARRIVAL DATES OF MIGRATING BIRDS IN CENTRAL EUROPE AND CLIMATE VARIABILITY

Recently the study of plant and animal phenological observations has contributed much to understand the sensitivity of biosphere to the variability of its atmospheric environment. This study is based on time series of 3 bird phenological phases (‘first barn swallow’, ‘first cuckoo call’ and ‘all swallows have left’) from the archive of the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics in Vienna, which have been collected at 65 Austrian stations from 1951 – 1999. In contrast to many European countries the arrival times of barn swallow and the cuckoo have predominantly been moving to later dates in Austria. A preliminary analysis points towards dryer conditions in the sub - saharan winter quarters as possible cause for a later departure from the African winter quarters to Europe. About a third of the year to year variability of both spring bird phases can be explained by temperature and wind conditions on the migration route and local temperature

Hinduism and the Internet : a sociological study

This study provides a contribution to the sociology of religion by examining the relationship between Hinduism and the Internet - an area largely neglected by scholars of religion and the Internet. A theoretical discussion as to the suitability of cyberspace for Hinduism - which concludes that there is a high level of compatibility - is followed by a discussion of embodiment (a relatively neglected topic in sociology) in Hinduism in order to assess whether online religious activity which does not require full embodiment could be problematic. Although there is no natural fit between Hinduism and online religious activity, such activity is extensive; and this gives rise to a number of empirical research questions about online practices and their implications for Hinduism 'offline'. Empirical research was carried out both online and 'offline'. Online, data was obtained through the utilisation of innovative research methods which were able to map Hinduism on the WWW and uncover the processes that are occurring. An important finding was that a relatively small number of Hindu organisations are effectively monopolising Hinduism online. Significant websites were also analysed. 'Offline', research was carried out at mandirs (Hindu Temples) in India. The prime research method used was the semi-structured interview. The informants were high-ranking mandir officials. Owners of web sites offering a puja (ritual honouring a deity) service were also interviewed. The online and 'offline' research did not constitute discrete lines of enquiry, and findings were analysed together in the light of sociological theories of embodiment and globalisation, and rational choice theory. These theories contribute to the understanding of processes that are occurring in Hinduism and, in turn, the findings suggested revisions of the theoretical ideas. The main conclusion is that despite globalisation and the pre-eminent role that the Internet plays in it - contrary to the assertions of some globalisation theorists -local sites of Hindu practice do not necessarily decline in importance. Instead, there is an interpenetration of the local and the global as a result of online Hinduism.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceEconomic and Social Research Council (Great Britain) (ESRC)GBUnited Kingdo

ARRIVAL DATES OF MIGRATING BIRDS IN CENTRAL EUROPE AND CLIMATE VARIABILITY

Recently the study of plant and animal phenological observations has contributed much to understand the sensitivity of biosphere to the variability of its atmospheric environment. This study is based on time series of 3 bird phenological phases (‘first barn swallow’, ‘first cuckoo call’ and ‘all swallows have left’) from the archive of the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics in Vienna, which have been collected at 65 Austrian stations from 1951 – 1999. In contrast to many European countries the arrival times of barn swallow and the cuckoo have predominantly been moving to later dates in Austria. A preliminary analysis points towards dryer conditions in the sub - saharan winter quarters as possible cause for a later departure from the African winter quarters to Europe. About a third of the year to year variability of both spring bird phases can be explained by temperature and wind conditions on the migration route and local temperature

Inter-comparison of satellite sensor land surface phenology and ground phenology in Europe

Land surface phenology (LSP) and ground phenology (GP) are both important sources of information for monitoring terrestrial ecosystem responses to climate changes. Each measures different vegetation phenological stages and has different sources of uncertainties, which make comparison in absolute terms challenging, and therefore, there has been limited attempts to evaluate the complementary nature of both measures. However, both LSP and GP are climate driven and therefore should exhibit similar interannual variation. LSP obtained from the whole time series of Medium-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer data was compared to thousands of deciduous tree ground phenology records of the Pan European Phenology network (PEP725). Correlations observed between the interannual time series of the satellite sensor estimates of phenology and PEP725 records revealed a close agreement (especially for Betula Pendula and Fagus Sylvatica species). In particular, 90% of the statistically significant correlations between LSP and GP were positive (mean R2 = 0.77). A large spatiotemporal correlation was observed between the dates of the start of season (end of season) from space and leaf unfolding (autumn coloring) at the ground (pseudo R2 of 0.70 (0.71)) through the application of nonlinear multivariate models, providing, for the first time, the ability to predict accurately the date of leaf unfolding (autumn coloring) across Europe (root-mean-square error of 5.97 days (6.75 days) over 365 days)

EVALUATION OF THE OPERATIONAL OZONE FORECAST MODEL OF THE ZAMG WITH MEASUREMENTS OF THE AUSTRIAN AIR QUALITY NETWORK

Operational model forecasts of ozone concentrations are compared to the observations of about 150 air quality stations in Austria. Evaluations of the last three summers revealed that exceedances of the information threshold could be predicted quite well by the model. Investigation of a heat period in summer 2006 indicates possible sources of precursors. The Lagrangian particle model LASAT (www.janicke.de) is used additionally to the chemical model CAMx (www.camx.com) to show the dispersion of the plumes of stacks with high emissions of NOx in the vicinity of Vienna. For two months in summer 2007 sensitivity studies with different input parameters were performed. Model runs with different parameterisations for the vertical diffusion coefficient (Kv) are conducted and experiments with different values of the minimum values of Kv in the lower levels show the influence of this parameter on the nocturnal ozone decrease for different sites. Different model runs with variable boundary conditions at the top of the modelling domain as well as variable total ozone column data are performed

IIASA/EQU Justice Framework: A descriptive guideline for science and policy

The consideration of justice has become a critical area of focus for researchers, as awareness is increasing that (perceived) injustices are a main barrier for effectively tackling the interconnected global grand challenges, such as the climate and the biodiversity crises. Insufficient attention to perceptions of justice is a major issue slowing progress on climate change and other major policy issues. Justice, however, is difficult to grasp as it is a multi-dimensional and culturally diverse term and is in many instances of global socio-environmental issues not formally institutionalized. This working paper introduces the first version of the IIASA/EQU justice framework, which comprehensively outlines justice in its multiple aspects with the aim to facilitate justice assessment across diverse research and policy contexts. It is thus a descriptive framework with no normative objectives. The framework is grounded in philosophy and is applied and tested in a variety of applications, to be useful for research and decision-making. It is meant to be accessible across disciplines, powerful in terms of capacity to express a variety of justice ideas, and modular so researchers can select and deploy the aspects that are most appropriate or useful. The framework as presented here serves as a baseline for further refinement, expansion, applications, and evaluation across disciplines, subject areas, and cultural backgrounds

Past and future impacts of land-use changes on ecosystem services in Austria

Environmental and socio-economic developments induce land-use changes with potentially negative impacts on human well-being. To counteract undesired developments, a profound understanding of the complex relationships between drivers, land use, and ecosystem services is needed. Yet, national studies examining extended time periods are still rare. Based on the Special Report on land use, land management and climate change by the Austrian Panel on Climate Change (APCC), we use the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework to (1) identify the main drivers of land-use change, (2) describe past and future land-use changes in Austria between 1950 and 2100, (3) report related impacts on ecosystem services, and (4) discuss management responses. Our findings indicate that socio-economic drivers (e.g., economic growth, political systems, and technological developments) have influenced past land-use changes the most. The intensification of agricultural land use and urban sprawl have primarily led to declining ecosystem services in the lowlands. In mountain regions, the abandonment of mountain grassland has prompted a shift from provisioning to regulating services. However, simulations indicate that accelerating climate change will surpass socio-economic drivers in significance towards the end of this century, particularly in intensively used agricultural areas. Although climate change-induced impacts on ecosystem services remain uncertain, it can be expected that the range of land-use management options will be restricted in the future. Consequently, policymaking should prioritize the development of integrated land-use planning to safeguard ecosystem services, accounting for future environmental and socio-economic uncertainties