Gorad Beuno: investigation of an ancient fish-trap in Caernarfon Bay, N. Wales

Aerial reconnaissance in 1989 revealed a semicircular structure lying just off the coast at Clynnog Fawr in Caernarfon Bay, North Wales. The similarity in shape of the structure to other coastal fish-traps in the area promoted further study. Several avenues of research were followed. Historical sources were scrutinized in an attempt to find a date for the construction of the structure. A hydrographic survey was used to obtain the exact position and shape of the anomaly. A survey of the cliff and beach directly inland of the site was also made.
The anomaly was seen to lie further out to sea today than would have been the case at the time of its construction, indicating an area of coastal erosion. In an attempt to understand this process, the marine and atmospheric forces acting on the area were examined. In association with the processes of coastal erosion, soil tests were undertaken to assess the nature of the material being eroded.
Using both historical and physiological evidence it was concluded that the anomaly was indeed a fish-trap, constructed at about the beginning of the 13th century. The results from the different avenues of study have shown a sea-level rise of about 2.84 m and a cliff recession of about 118 m since its construction.     

Engineers and engineering history: problems and perspectives

In past decades, the history of engineers and engineering has seen spectacular development. Despite this, major interrogations are still left unanswered. This article examines some of these pending questions, like the type of relation that exists between engineering knowledge and practice, or the complex articulation between continuities and discontinuities that characterizes engineering history. Finally, the article proposes to focus on engineering rationality as a possible way to address some of these issues. In order to do so, engineering rationality is not to be confused with some kind of generic and abstract logic. On the contrary, it must be historicized.     

In Retreat from Excellence: The Single Six-Year Presidential Term

Analysis of the effects of the single, six-year term proposal by assessing its probable impact on presidential tenure in the past reveals that it would have reduced the tenure of highly regarded presidents who were relatively successful in dealing with Congress and increased the tenure of presidents with lackluster reputations and limited success in congressional relations. Thus, by inference, the adoption of this widely-touted institutional reform might undermine rather than strengthen presidential leadership in American politics.     

Revitalizing Economic Geography through Teaching Excellence: Some Pedagogic Reflections

In this position paper, the authors outline some of the pressing trends in the recent development of economic geography as a sub-discipline in human geography. In particular, they note the lack of critical discussion of important pedagogical issues in teaching what might be termed ‘new economic geographies’, and particularly those associated with the ‘cultural turn’. In doing so, the most challenging politics and practices of teaching economic geography are introduced. Drawing on the various contributions to this symposium, five areas for pedagogical developments and cross-fertilization are outlined.     

De Potentia Dei: Some Western and Byzantine Perspectives

One of the questions that presented itself with the rise and development of the Christian faith was the problem of divine omnipotence. By resolving the problem of divine power, it became possible to explain many focal problems of mankind and the world, including, for example, the problem of the existence of evil, or of suffering. This article deals with two perspectives on this problem. Usually, the eleventh-century theologian Peter Damiani is pointed to as a pioneer and originator of the discussion of divine powers. But, St. Isidor's considerations were developed five centuries before Damiani wrote his famous treatise De divina omnipotentia. On the other hand, the debate in Scholasticism emerged as a long and lively discussion of different ways of defining the problem. The distinction of potentia absoluta and potentia ordinata contributed greatly to debating the general question of divine omnipotence. However, although it was useful in the theological-philosophical sense, this distinction later on provoked political solutions which sometimes served the interest of only one man.     

从敦煌看佛教的社会化

序 伴随着历史的发展,学术观念需要不断更新,许多学术方面的问题也应该重新认识.这就算是我们近年来所说的与时俱进吧!与时俱进这个词反映的内容可能有一种消极和盲目,与我们讲的开拓进取是不太相符.但反过来讲,消极也好,盲目也好,总得先跟上时代的发展;另一方面,对于宗教来讲,与时俱进可以说是非常恰当和合理的.宗教如果不能适应时代的要求,就会被时代的发展所淘汰.     

Assimilation and Exclusion of Foreign Trained Engineers in Canada: Inside a Professional Regulatory Organization

Professional labour markets in Ontario, Canada, are culturally regulated to the disadvantage of foreign‐born and foreign‐trained immigrant practitioners. In this paper we draw on Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of institutionalized cultural capital and habitus to examine processes of distinction between foreign and Canadian‐trained professionals. Based on fieldwork investigating Ontario's professional engineering regulatory system as a case study, we interpret institutionalized cultural familiarity in the licensing criteria enforced by regulatory bodies as processes of distinction that undermine immigrants' access to the engineering profession relative to Canadian‐born and Canadian‐trained applicants. In addition to assessing the value of non‐Canadian credentials, regulatory bodies attempt to reproduce the social and cultural integrity of the professional membership by requiring applicants to internalize cultural norms specific to the profession as it is practiced in Canada. Licensing procedures can thus facilitate the cultural exclusion of immigrant practitioners     

The Bajada Canals of the Safford Basin,Southeastern Arizona: Excellence in Prehistoric Engineering

A large network of exceptionally well-engineered prehistoric canals has been discovered near Safford, Arizona. Within an area of roughly 450 km², 12 distinct canal systems, comprised of 41 canals, have been identified originating in the bajada of the Pinaleño Mountains. Conveying water from runoff and springs, the longest canal is about 13?km, and the total length of all systems exceeds 125?km. While a few canals may date to ca. a.d. 1100, the vast majority date to between ca. a.d. 1250 and 1450 and appear to be constructed by migrants from northeastern Arizona. These features represent the second largest network of canal systems in the American Southwest, and, while smaller in size and total length than the canal systems of the Phoenix Basin, they exhibit engineering sophistication not found in those systems. These canals have expanded the knowledge of prehistoric water management engineering and agricultural intensification in the American Southwest.