Oceanographic observations for the Mazatlan Project: October 1966 - August 1967

ENGLISH: To learn more about the early life of yellowfin tuna in their immediate environment, the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission initiated a 2-year cooperative investigation with the Direccion General de Pesca e Industrias Conexas (DGP) of Mexico in August 1966. The project called for monthly cruises of about 5 days duration to be made in a triangular track between Mazatlan, Cape San Lucas and the Tres Marias Islands. Laboratory space for the field work was provided by the DGP in their biological station in Mazatlan and the research vessel Yolanda, property of the DGP, was made available for the monthly cruises. SPANISH: Con el fin de obtener un conocimiento mas avanzado sobre la vida temprana de estos atunes aleta amarilla, y del ambiente que los rodea, 1a Comision Interamericana del Atun Tropical inicio una investigacion colaborativa de 2 anos con la Direccion General de Pesca e Industrias Conexas (DGP) de Mexico, en agosto de 1966. El proyecto requirio cruceros mensuales de unos 5 dias de duracion para que fueran realizados en un rumbo triangular entre Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas y las Islas Tres Marias. La Direccion General de Pesca ofrecio amab1emente las facilidades del laboratorio para el trabajo experimental en la estacion biologica de Mazatlan, y e1 barco de investigacion Yolanda para los cruceros mensuales. (PDF contains 256 pages.)

Applying Habermas's critical theory to public administration and policy: A case study of Florida Everglades restoration program

The foundation of Habermas's argument, a leading critical theorist, lies in the unequal distribution of wealth across society. He states that in an advanced capitalist society, the possibility of a crisis has shifted from the economic and political spheres to the legitimation system. Legitimation crises increase the more government intervenes into the economy (market) and the "simultaneous political enfranchisement of almost the entire adult population" (Holub, 1991, p. 88). The reason for this increase is because policymakers in advanced capitalist democracies are caught between conflicting imperatives: they are expected to serve the interests of their nation as a whole, but they must prop up an economic system that benefits the wealthy at the expense of most workers and the environment. Habermas argues that the driving force in history is an expectation, built into the nature of language, that norms, laws, and institutions will serve the interests of the entire population and not just those of a special group. In his view, policy makers in capitalist societies are having to fend off this expectation by simultaneously correcting some of the inequities of the market, denying that they have control over people's economic circumstances, and defending the market as an equitable allocator of income. (deHaven-Smith, 1988, p. 14). Critical theory suggests that this contradiction will be reflected in Everglades policy by communicative narratives that suppress and conceal tensions between environmental and economic priorities. Habermas’ Legitimation Crisis states that political actors use various symbols, ideologies, narratives, and language to engage the public and avoid a legitimation crisis. These influences not only manipulate the general population into desiring what has been manufactured for them, but also leave them feeling unfulfilled and alienated. Also known as false reconciliation, the public's view of society as rational, and "conductive to human freedom and happiness" is altered to become deeply irrational and an obstacle to the desired freedom and happiness (Finlayson, 2005, p. 5). These obstacles and irrationalities give rise to potential crises in the society. Government's increasing involvement in Everglades under advanced capitalism leads to Habermas's four crises: economic/environmental, rationality, legitimation, and motivation. These crises are occurring simultaneously, work in conjunction with each other, and arise when a principle of organization is challenged by increased production needs (deHaven-Smith, 1988). Habermas states that governments use narratives in an attempt to rationalize, legitimize, obscure, and conceal its actions under advanced capitalism. Although there have been many narratives told throughout the history of the Everglades (such as the Everglades was a wilderness that was valued as a wasteland in its natural state), the most recent narrative, “Everglades Restoration”, is the focus of this paper.(PDF contains 4 pages)