An analysis of language provisions in the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement

The Nunavut Act and Nunavut Land Claims Agreement were negotiated in response to a plethora of needs and desires, as expressed by the Government of Canada, the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Nunavut Tungavik Inc., an organization representing the Inuit living in the Nunavut region. An analysis of the articles in these two documents illuminates both what these needs and desires were at the time of negotiation and what the three parties deemed to be mutually appropriate and acceptable legislation in response to these needs. One relatively minor index of such concerns is the provisions for the use of the Inuit language, Inuktitut. In this paper, we examine the clauses in the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement that deal specifically with language use in varying contexts. This systematic analysis of the language provisions reveals that although language is a minor element, it is nonetheless treated explicitly and compellingly in the two founding documents of the Nunavut Territory. The analysis further demonstrates that the application of the provisions is unambiguous and, if done conscientiously, will lead to certain intended, as well as other, perhaps unintended, results

Celebrating the joy of teaching

I am excited to be writing this article on celebrating teaching, because all too often it feels like research is celebrated more than teaching at the university. This is perhaps because research has obvious measurable rewards such as being granted research funding or producing a paper. Teaching produces its own rewards but these are far less obvious and can be different for every teacher. When I wrote my teaching portfolio I opened with the quote of “we teach to change the world” (Brookfield, 1995), and while this seems cliched, it is so very true. The rewards in teaching for me are the interactions with students and seeing that moment when there is a spark as ideas click and make sense. It is the connections with students I want to focus on in this piece because for me that is why I teach

The Transition. Convergence and discrepancy in the international and national press coverage of Spain’s major postwar international news export

The role of the national and foreign press in the news coverage of the Spanish transition to democracy (1975-1978) has been a constant reference in the historical study of the period of political change after the end of the Francoist dictatorship. In this article we present the general results of three research projects concerning the role of the foreign press, of the Spanish daily press and the magazine marketin which we can observe both convergence and discrepance in the news narrative, editorial behaviour and political standpoints. The greater independence and informative freedom of the foreign press contrasts with the proximity of the Spanish press to both King and government with the exception of the critical support to reform expressed in both the new political magazines and newspapers during the first few months of the process of political change.El papel de la prensa nacional y extranjera en la cobertura informativa de la Transición española a la democracia (1975-1978) ha sido una referencia constante en la historiografía del período de cambio político en España tras el final de la dictadura de Franco, así como en la cultura periodística. En este artículo presentamos los resultados generales de tres proyectos de investigación sobre el papel de la prensa extranjera, de la prensa diaria española y de la prensa no diaria enlos que se pueden comprobar convergencias y discrepancias en el relato informativo, las valoraciones editoriales y los posicionamientos políticos. La mayor independencia y libertad informativa de la prensa extranjera contrasta con la proximidad de la prensa española al rey y al gobierno, con la excepción del apoyo crítico a la reforma de las nuevas revistas políticas y los diarios surgidos en los primeros meses del proceso de cambio político

On the use of electron-multiplying CCDs for astronomical spectroscopy

Conventional CCD detectors have two major disadvantages: they are slow to read out and they suffer from read noise. These problems combine to make high-speed spectroscopy of faint targets the most demanding of astronomical observations. It is possible to overcome these weaknesses by using electron-multiplying CCDs (EMCCDs). EMCCDs are conventional frame-transfer CCDs, but with an extended serial register containing high-voltage electrodes. An avalanche of secondary electrons is produced as the photon-generated electrons are clocked through this register, resulting in signal amplification that renders the read noise negligible. Using a combination of laboratory measurements with the QUCAM2 EMCCD camera and Monte Carlo modelling, we show that it is possible to significantly increase the signal-to-noise ratio of an observation by using an EMCCD, but only if it is optimised and utilised correctly. We also show that even greater gains are possible through the use of photon counting. We present a recipe for astronomers to follow when setting up a typical EMCCD observation which ensures that maximum signal-to-noise ratio is obtained. We also discuss the benefits that EMCCDs would bring if used with the next generation of extremely large telescopes. Although we mainly consider the spectroscopic use of EMCCDs, our conclusions are equally applicable to imaging.Comment: 18 figures, 3 tables, 18 page

Playing Around With Morality: Introducing the Special Issue on “Morality Play”

This special issue of Games and Culture focuses on the intersection between video games and ethics. This introduction briefly sets out the key research questions in the research field and identifies trends in the articles included in this special issu

Financial Risk, Innovation and Alternative Pathways to Decarbonising the Energy System in 2050

There is a lot of forward looking work attempting to envisage the decarbonised energy system of the future as reflected with current interest in 'smart grids'. A central tenet behind most visions of the 'smart grids' of the future are the price signals that financial and commodity markets will deliver to facilitate effective and efficient resource allocation. Most of these visions take stylised and static views of financial and commodity markets despite the fact that these markets are experiencing dramatic change due to innovation and regulation. Accordingly, the paper maps the risks associated in the fusion of financial innovation with innovation in the energy system through a theoretical framework that draws on evolutionary models of paradigm shift. Risks to both the financial and energy systems are characterised as either emanating from primary or secondary markets and these are explored in terms of alternative visions of the energy system in the long run