Sexual risk among female workers on cruise ships

Data were combined from two studies—qualitative interviews with 19 female cruise-ship workers in a Florida port and 192 quantitative interviews conducted with male and female cruise-ship workers in a European and a Florida port. High rates of partner change were reported in the latter sample: 39 % reported two or more sexual partners in the past year. Logistic regression analysis of 16 different variables showed that gender was the variable most strongly independently associated with a new sexual relationship: women were six times more likely than men to report a new private sexual relationship on their last contract (OR 6.20, 95 % confidence interval 2.01–19.09); 39 % of the female crew reported a new private relationship on their last contract, compared to 16 % of the men. Qualitative data suggest some reasons for this gender imbalance: sexual harassment by male superordinates, the taking of a lover for protection from harassment and the liminal character of shipboard life. Parallels are drawn with other studies depicting risk behaviour as situated actions (i.e. shaped by the material and social circumstances in which the action occurs), and with studies which see women’s greater propensity to risk behaviour in some settings as shaped by power relationships.     

Cooperation of Science and Management for Harmful Algal Blooms: Domoic Acid and the Washington Coast Razor Clam Fishery

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) may be increasing in frequency and intensity worldwide. Coastal economies suffer significant income losses when fisheries or beaches are closed to protect human health and subsistence fishing communities are at risk. Despite these hardships, managers must often conservatively close harvests across a wide area or for long periods, because they lack scientific information that would allow them to predict HAB events. The outer coast of Washington State has experienced several closures of the razor clam (Siliqua patula) fishery starting in 1991, due to domoic acid (DA) contamination caused by toxic blooms of the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia. Improved science-based management was needed to minimize the impact of DA on this fishery and the coastal communities that relied on it for income, tourism, and subsistence. The Olympic Region Harmful Algal Bloom (ORHAB) Partnership, comprised of state and tribal managers, scientists, and local stakeholders, evolved in response to this need; it has been successful in its mission. Here we examine ORHAB through the lens of the Institutional Analysis and Development framework, in order to identify key factors contributing to its success. The relevance of our findings for other ORHAB-like institutions in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere is discussed.     

Management considerations for accreting shorelines

Abstract

Natural coastal accretion in the United States occurs at river mouths, spits across embayments, inlets, capes and cuspate forelands, and pocket beaches. Human‐induced accretion occurs updrift of groins and jetties, landward of breakwaters, and in locations which are artificially nourished. Coastal accretion is usually temporary (years to tens of years). Erosion may occur due to deflection of streams and tidal current channels or to changes in sea level, weather patterns, or sediment budgets. A focus on ownership disputes or use of accreted land draws attention away from the long‐term problem of the development of land which may be subject to future erosion. Control mechanisms should be in place to direct development on accreting shorelines to make more effective use of the resource.     

高举高打的上汽自主战略

可以说,上汽的自主之路走出了自身的特色,对于致力开拓汽车强国之路的各路英雄值得探讨和借鉴。     

金属的咆哮 机械的诗歌

2009年底,三大艺术机构向公众展出了粗加工金属制成的艺术品,原型皆来自汽车。这是一场远距离的,围绕材料以及汽车地位的对话。第一件,也许是最具冲击力的一件作品,来自于Jeremy Deller的装置艺术作品,该作品获得了2004年泰纳奖(Turner Prize)。作为一个天生具备挑衅精神的英国艺术家,Deller于10月11月在芝加哥MCA展示了他的作品《它就是它,关于伊拉克的谈话(It iswhat it is:Conversation about Iraq)》。     

Demand management in suburban settings

This paper provides findings from a review of employer based demand management strategies for reducing traffic congestion in several areas of the United States. The research was carried out by K.T. Analytics, Inc. in 1989 under a contract with the Federal Department of Transportation, Transportation Systems Center. Relying on a review of employer based programs in 26 sites, as well as selected literature, the paper draws conclusions about the effectiveness of employer based transportation systems management (programs to encourage carpooling, transit, biking, cycling, walking and flextime) and parking management (preferential parking for carpoolers, removal of parking subsidies, and other measures) aimed at reducing solo driving and peak period commuting.Several conclusions are offered for local planners and policy makers. Demand Management programs can be effective in reducing traffic congestion, provided they are targeted to larger employment centers, accompanied by transit development, high occupancy vehicle incentives and parking management strategies, especially pricing. Flextime should not be encouraged without careful evaluation as it may discourage ridesharing. Guaranteed ride home services appear promising and deserve attention. With all strategies, long term vigilance will be necessary as programs are susceptible to change over time. Stringent public policies do not appear necessary for development of effective programs. Ordinances should require plans not specific strategies, as it is difficult estimating the probable effectiveness of particular strategies. Ordinances should contain sanctions for employers not carrying out agreed to plans, and should include fees and financing to support public sector review of plans and on-going monitoring.     

It is time to give the “true PRT” concept a fair test

True Personal Rapid Transit (PRT), in concept and technology, is considerably advanced over PRT as proposed in the 1960s and 1970s. It is one of the few advanced transit concepts—perhaps the only one—that offers a prospect of overcoming the continued serious deficiencies of conventional transit systems. Past criticisms of PRT were often invalid, but even those questions that deserved to be taken seriously then no longer justify a postponement of serious PRT testing. Conventional transit, in spite of over two decades of considerable governmental support, is proving unable to satisfy major transportation needs of American urban areas, which are increasingly dispersed and multi-centered. There is no indication that conventional transit can overcome sufficiently its performance and economic deficiencies. If PRT is not given a chance to be tested, local public officials will continue to be faced with too limited options as between auto-dominated transportation services and high subsidies for inadequate transit solutions.     

Suburban congestion: Recommendations for transportation and land use responses

Transportation congestion is reaching intolerable levels in many urban and suburban areas in the US. Reliance upon traditional responses, such as transit and new highway capacity, is not working — especially in suburban areas. Although methods for dealing with suburban congestion are often different, there are a number of common features that must be considered in developing short term as well as more permanent and long lasting solutions. In proposing short term solutions, a Menu of Actions is described. It includes transportation actions (the traditional transit and transportation management options) where there are opportunities for getting more out of the existing systems; land use/growth management actions which will result in more rational land use-transportation interactions; financial incentives, to encourage or discourage appropriate actions; more comprehensive and systematic land use and transportation planning; and the organizational and institutional actions required to implement rational solutions.While the Manu of Actions provides a broad array of possible actions to provide relief in the short run, over time the growth in traffic is likely to outpace their effectiveness. Consequently, longer term and often more difficult solutions must be considered and implemented as appropriate. They could include changes in land use development and land use management policies; changes in lifestyle and business practices; improvements through technological innovation; changes in the traditional ways of providing transportation services; and greatly expanded research and development.     

美国对汽车尾气排放的控制措施

一、概述 30年来,美国政府不断提高严重污染地区的新车和在用车尾气排放标准,在治理机动车污染方面取得了明显效果。提高汽车的尾气排放标准也促成了一些新的汽车尾气排放控制技术和检测与保养(I/M)计划,其中包括:根据车龄制定排放标准或限值;测定催化转换器的有效性;减低造成臭氧的氮氧化物(NO_x);提高检测技术与美国联邦检测规程(FTP)的关联性,     

Coastal Management Using Public Judgments,Importance Scales,and Predetermined Schedule

A predetermined schedule of sanctions and regulations that reflect both scientific knowledge of resources and the preference and judgments of resource users in the community may provide a useful guide for management decisions involving complex coastal resource systems. Such a schedule can be implemented by constructing scales reflecting public judgments of the relative importance of adverse impacts on resources, or of activities causing such impacts. The importance scales can then be used to assess existing regulations and current management priorities and to serve as a guide for revisions and changes to current practice, for the design of new policy, for rationalizing regulatory controls, and for determining damage awards and other deterrence sanctions. The resulting evolution of a schedule can improve the consistency of resource use with community preferences by, for example, prescribing more severe restrictions on what are widely agreed to be more serious harms and lesser controls on less important ones. The application of this approach is demonstrated using Ban Don Bay, Thailand.