Towards a politics and art of the land : gothic cinema of the Australian new wave and its reception by American film critics

This article will drill down to the level of the reception of two examples of Australian gothic film-making by two well-known American critics. Rayner’s comparison of Australian gothic with American film noir is useful; however, it begs the question of how American critics such as Pauline Kael and Andrew Sarris influentially shaped the reception of Australian gothic in America and in other locations (such as Australia itself) where their reviews found an audience either at the time or afterwards. The significance of the present article rests on the fact that, as William McClain observes, following in Rick Altman’s footsteps, “critics form one of the key material institutions that support generic formations” (54). This article nurtures the suggestion that knowing how Australian gothic cinema was shaped, in its infancy, in the increasingly important American market (a market of both commerce and ideas) might usefully inform revisionist studies of Australian cinema as a national mode.

Consuming environmentalism: following codes or practicing ethics?

In this article, I consider some of the pedagogical challenges presented by a new wave of environmentalism that implores individuals to "save the earth" through simple, normalised acts like recycling. In the context of teaching environmental education in higher education settings, I provide a justification for an alternative conception of environmentalism based on self-stylisation. This conception draws on the work of French philosopher, Michel Foucault, who studied ancient Greeks to contemplate a new perspective on ethics.

Multi-scaling modelling in financial markets

In the recent years, a new wave of interest spurred the involvement of complexity in finance which might provide a guideline to understand the mechanism of financial markets, and researchers with different backgrounds have made increasing contributions introducing new techniques and methodologies. In this paper, Markov-switching multifractal models (MSM) are briefly reviewed and the multi-scaling properties of different financial data are analyzed by computing the scaling exponents by means of the generalized Hurst exponent H(q). In particular we have considered H(q) for price data, absolute returns and squared returns of different empirical financial time series. We have computed H(q) for the simulated data based on the MSM models with Binomial and Lognormal distributions of the volatility components. The results demonstrate the capacity of the multifractal (MF) models to capture the stylized facts in finance, and the ability of the generalized Hurst exponents approach to detect the scaling feature of financial time series.

Solar industrial process heating in Australia - Past and current status

Thirty years ago in Australia, there was a significant research, development and demonstration programme in solar industrial process heating (SIPH). This activity was led principally by the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation, the country’s main scientific research body. Other state government bodies also funded demonstration projects. Today, there is very little SIPH activity at any level in Australia. The contrast with the progress in other renewable energy technologies like wind and solar photovoltaic systems is striking. While the implementation of these technologies has progressed, SIPH has gone backwards. If Australia is to decarbonise its economy at the rate required, a massive deployment of solar thermal technology in those industries which use large quantities of low temperature hot water is also required. Recent developments nationally and internationally may rekindle new applications of solar thermal energy use by industry. This paper reviews the past achievements in SIPH in Australia and describes the lessons learned in order to better prepare for any new wave of SIPH activity.

Wireless haptic rendering for mobile platforms

Computer haptics has so far been performed on a personal computer (PC). Off the shelf haptic devices provide only PC interfaces and software drivers for control and communication. The new wave of high capable tablet PCs and high end smart phones introduced new platforms for haptic applications. The major problem was to communicate wirelessly to provide user convenience and support mobility which is an essential feature for these platforms. In this paper we provide a wireless layered communication protocol and a hardware setup that enables off the shelf haptic devices to communicate wirelessly with a mobile device. The layers in the protocol enable the change of any hardware components without affecting the data flow. However, the adoption of the wireless interface instead of the wired one comes with the price of speed. Haptic refresh loops require a relatively high refresh rate of 1000 Hz compared to graphics loop which require between 30 and 60 only. An interpolation algorithm was demonstrated to compensate the latency and secure a stable user experience. The introduced setup was tested against portable environments and the users could perform similar functionalities to what are available on a wired setup to a PC.

Journalists and the stirring of Australian public diplomacy: the Colombo Plan towards the 1960s

 Australia was an active member of the Colombo Plan for aid to South and Southeast Asia, beginning in 1951 as a loosely organized umbrella of multiple bilateral aid agreements between Commonwealth countries and quickly expanding in geographical reach and membership. Towards the end of the 1950s, as members of this ‘plan’ geared up for a new wave of aid projects, they also attached new importance to information activities associated with aid. In this Australian case study, journalists were thrust to the fore of story-generation relating to Australia’s involvement in the Colombo Plan. These written stories, and also still and moving images, were aimed at both domestic Australian audiences and also overseas audiences. Thus began some of the first important steps in what today is called ‘public diplomacy’, and what, at the time, was a new experiment in foreign policy and reputation-making.

Sisyphus and self-management : the chronic condition self-management paradox

Chronic condition self-management is promoted internationally as not only a possible solution to the health problems of our increasingly chronically ill and ageing population, but as part of a new wave of consumer-led and volunteer-managed health care initiatives. Consumers are now indicating that they want to be more involved in the management of their lives and their health care options, while, especially in rural and smaller communities in Australia, a shortage of clinicians means that health care is rapidly changing. This emphasis on self-management raises crucial questions about where consumer action and control in health care should end and where clinical and medical intervention might begin. Hence, as in the case of Sisyphus and his rock, the self-management process is a difficult and demanding one that poses major challenges and loads for health system reformers and represents a struggle in which new difficulties are constantly emerging. This paper examines some implications of new self-management approaches to chronic illness from an ideological perspective and highlights key elements that underpin the effort to promote health-related lifestyle change. While peer-led self-management programs may assist certain individuals to live engaged and meaningful lives, the essential social and economic determinants of health and wellbeing mean that these programs are not the answer to our urgent need for major reform in the health care arena. Rather, self-management, from an ideological perspective, represents a minor adjustment to the fabric of our health system.

Mature women and the New Zealand qualifications framework : realising the potential of recognising prior learning

Against a background of 'second-wave' lifelong learning in Aotearoa New Zealand a new framework for post-compulsory national qualifications was introduced. The resulting competency-based system was argued to present a number of benefits for mature women including flexibility in curriculum and delivery and portability across educational sectors. Competency-based education was to include provision for recognition of prior skills and knowledge gained in formal learning environments and the workplace as well as informal learning environments such as the home and the community. Such recognition was a significant factor in gaining support from women’s groups given the potential to recognize and value the domestic labour of women and the skills and knowledge that flow from it. This article explores the rhetoric around recognition of prior learning and discusses approaches to realise its potential. It then draws on research undertaken in Aotearoa New Zealand to suggest that the potential of recognition of prior learning is yet to be realised.

Unions and tangible investments: a review and new evidence in France

A number of conflicting theoretical hypotheses have been advanced regarding the impact of unions on investment behaviour. The net impact of unions on investment is thus an empirical issue. In this article, the available empirical literature is reviewed. In addition, new evidence of the impact of unions on investment is presented using French data. In contrast to previous studies, both aggregate and disaggregate measures of union activity are used. The results indicate that French unions, in general, have not had a negative impact on investment behaviour. However, there is some evidence that the more militant unions have a negative impact on investment.

Selection, exclusion and assimilation: the project lambert of 1931 on the reform of French immigration policy

The unemployment crisis of 1926-7 focused attention onto the question of immigration. Historians of this period have generally focused on the crisis of public policy and popular antipathies towards foreigners; more recently historians have become attuned to voices of racism. Less attention has been paid to attempts to redress the policy weaknesses through a new legislative regime on immigration. This paper reviews one such proposal, made by Charles Lambert, a deputy from the Rhone, in 1931. Instrumental in a revision of the naturalization law in 1927 to encourage the assimilation of foreigners through the acquisition of French citizenship, Lambert proposed a comprehensive statute on immigration to select “desirable” foreigners and exclude the “undesirables” to promote the assimilation of the “better” elements. The paper argues that his rationale betrays a profound fear of mounting French weakness in the face of economic and demographic decline, and grave anxieties for the future health of the French nation.