Destroying the Joint and Dying of Shame? A Geography of Revitalised Feminism in Social Media and Beyond

Has feminist geography really lost all relevance? This paper examines what the revitalisation of interest in feminist thought and practice, especially in Australia, means for geography. We illuminate the trajectory of the feminist revitalisation in new media and beyond through developing a spatial analysis influenced by Rose and Fincher. Notions of paradoxical space and issue publics inform this reading of two pivotal moments in the feminist revitalisation: first, the creation of Destroy the Joint, a campaign launched and maintained in Facebook and Twitter spaces; and second, the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's speech against sexism and misogyny in Parliament in October 2012. Both these moments, coming from political and public spaces, received worldwide interest, and we critically examine the context and ramifications of these instances while situating the institutional processes surrounding them within the growing feminist revitalisation. In so doing, we argue that these Australian‐based cases indicate a growing feminist movement that is open and multiply focused, connecting personal politics to public campaigning, and achieving material impacts. We conclude that developing a feminist geography of new media is a challenging task, as these spaces circumvent and renegotiate traditional spatial dimensions – including scale and place – through their dynamic networks. It is, nevertheless, a task worth doing.     

Preservation of old‐growth forests: a case study of Big Timber Park,Whistler, BC

This paper explores the concepts of old‐growth forests, preservation and natural disturbance and demonstrates how contemporary biogeographic theory contributes to successful preservation of old‐growth forests. The case study analyzes the composition, structure, age and growth histories of trees in Big Timber Park, Whistler, British Columbia. Composition. The structure of the forest was diverse and tree ages ranged from 122 to 305 years. The densities of large old Douglas‐fir, shade‐tolerant trees and all snags are indicative of old‐growth forests; however, maximum tree diameters and densities of large snags and logs do not meet quantitative criteria for old‐growth forests. The abundance of tree regeneration and understory vegetation are relatively low. We conclude that some aspects of Big Timber Park are transitional between the mature and old‐growth stages of forest development. In the future, fine‐scale canopy gaps caused by tree senescence and interactions among insects, pathogens and wind are expected to dominate stand dynamics. Forest structure will become increasingly complex, exemplifying the dynamic nature of old‐growth forests. To successfully preserve Big Timber Park and La préservation des forêts other old‐growth forests in Canada requires understanding of natural disturbances. Preservation and the criteria and indicators used to measure successful preservation must explicitly include elements of natural change.     

NONLINEAR SHAKE TABLE IDENTIFICATION AND CONTROL FOR NEAR-FIELD EARTHQUAKE TESTING

The primary focus of a structural shake table system is the accurate reproduction of acceleration records for testing. However, many systems deliver variable and less than optimal performance, particularly when reproducing large near-field seismic events that require extreme table performance. Improved identification and control methods are developed for large hydraulic servo-actuated shake table systems that can exhibit unacceptable tracking response for large, near-field seismic testing. The research is presented in the context of a 5-tonne shake table facility at the University of Canterbury that is of typical design. The system is identified using a frequency response approach that accounts for the actual magnitudes and frequencies of motion encountered in seismic testing. The models and methods developed are experimentally verified and the impact of different feedback variables such as acceleration, velocity and displacement are examined.

The methods show that shake table control in testing large near-field seismic events is often a trade off between accurate tracking and nonlinear velocity saturation of the hydraulic valves that can result in severe acceleration spikes. Control methods are developed to improve performance and include both acceleration and displacement feedback to reduce the acceleration spikes, and record modification, where the reference signal is modified to conform to the shake table's operational parameters. Results show record modification gives exact tracking for near-field ground motions, and optimal system response for reference signals with velocity components greater then the system capabilities. Overall, the research presents a methodology for simple effective identification, modelling, diagnosis and control of structural shake table systems that can be readily generalised and applied to any similar facility.     

E. J. Nanson,Social Choice and Electoral Reform

The most distinctive Australian contribution to institutional design is the construction of electoral systems. This paper locates the work of E. J. Nanson 1850-1936; Professor of Mathematics, University of Melbourne, 1875-1922 in its intellectual context. After setting out the puzzle of the frequent discoveries and disappearances of axiomatic social choice, and its awkward relationship with electoral reform, the paper explores Nanson's arguments in both social choice and electoral reform. The first were good; the second disappointingly weak. Nanson's failure to influence Australian institutional design at the foundation of the Commonwealth and the subsequent adoption of Nanson's recommendations for Senate elections are analysed.