Supplanting the Planters

Summary

After briefly examining the plantation-as-hotel model, this contribution focuses the remainder of its attention on the conversion of plantation slavery into entertainment on the Caribbean island of Barbados. First, and by way of contextualization, it is shown that an extensive and well-documented history of plantation life exists, one that is drawn from early accounts of travelers, missionaries and others, as well as later expert commentaries offered by indigenous and extra-regional scholars. Second, it is argued that the tourism industry has largely ignored or been highly selective in borrowing from this rich source of material in its attempt to supply the sort of a-historical diversion which it believes its clientele enjoys. Examples provided include the Open House Programme of the Barbados National Trust, the annual Crop Over Festival and Plantation Spectacular dinner shows. Finally, a few suggestions are advanced in order to try and understand the success of this type of tourism. They include references to postmodernity, nostalgia, dark tourism and varieties of promotion.     

Huntington's disease,critical illness insurance and life insurance

We describe briefly a model of Huntington's disease (HD), a highly penetrant, dominantly inherited, fatal neurological disorder. Although it is a single-gene disorder, mutations are variable in their effects, depending on the number of times that the CAG trinucleotide is repeated in a certain region of the HD gene. The model covers: (a) rates of onset, depending on CAG repeat length as well as age; (b) post-onset rates of mortality; and (c) the distribution of CAG repeat lengths in the population. Using these, we study the critical illness and life insurance markets. We calculate premiums based on genetic test results that disclose the CAG repeat length, or more simply on a family history of HD. These vary widely with age and policy term; some are exceptionally high, but in a large number of cases cover could be offered within normal underwriting limits. We then consider the possible costs of adverse selection, in terms of increased premiums, under various possible moratoria on the use of genetic information, including family history. These are uniformly very small, because of the rarity of HD, but do show that the costs would be much larger in relative terms if family history could not be used in underwriting. We point out some difficulties involved in applying a moratorium that recognises simply a dichotomy between ‘carriers’ and ‘non-carriers’ of any mutation in a gene when these mutations are, in fact, very variable in their effects. These complexities suggest that restrictions on the disclosure, rather than on the use, of genetic information, if it became established as a principle, could deprive insurers of information needed for risk management even if not used in underwriting.     

The social scientific turn in UK financial accounting research: A philosophical and sociological analysis

The demise of the classical programme of financial accounting research is generally represented as a progressive development. This paper argues that the academy's abandonment of classical methods was justified neither by the fruitfulness of post‐classical programmes nor by their incontestable epistemological superiority. Rather, what occurred was a turn to mainstream social science, reflecting sociological characteristics of the UK financial accounting research community. The paper concludes with a call for a revival of the classical programme.     

The Needham puzzle,the Weber question,and China's miracle: Long-term performance since the Sung dynasty

This paper attempts a brief overview of China's economic performance since the Sung dynasty. It discusses Chinese long economic stagnation since the Sung dynasty and explores the reasons why it was quickly lagging behind western countries from the 1800s. It explains why the industrialization and modernization led by Chinese government from 1949 to 1978 failed in narrowing the gap between China and the developed countries. It examines Chinese rapid economic growth during its reform and opening up period.     

“SWEEPING THE HEAVENS FOR A COMET”: WOMEN,THE LANGUAGE OF POLITICAL ECONOMY,AND HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE US

Abstract

The importance of increased levels of education in improving the status of women throughout the world is well established. Higher levels of education are associated with lower birth rates, higher incomes, and greater autonomy for women. Yet, women's struggle to have a voice in higher education has been fraught with difficulties in the US and worldwide, particularly in overcoming widely held perceptions that limit their entrance into certain academic fields, tenured positions, and elite universities. This essay examines the role political economy has played in providing narratives that rationalize women's limited participation in higher education. By examining the representation of women in the academic culture of the nineteenth- and twentieth-century US, we can perhaps better understand women's struggle to obtain an authoritative voice in higher education worldwide.     

浅谈紫砂陶的艺术发展历程

紫砂陶,何以成为历代陶器玩赏家的偏爱?她又是如何地发展、演变,成为高超的艺术品?本文从追溯紫砂的发展历史入手,带领读者漫步紫砂艺术圣殿。     

The Poverty of Accounting Discourse

Competence-based learning and qualifications have been developed and progressively introduced into vocational and professional education and training within the United Kingdom over the past decade. This paper traces their development and history. The reasons for the development of the competence-based system and some of the main features of the NVQ system of qualifications are outlined. The paper ends with a review of the issues which remain to be fully addressed.     

Untersuchung über die Kränklichkeit in den staatlich unterstützten Krankenkassen Schwedens

Abstract

Von den Vorschriften, die für die staatlich unterstützten Krankenkassen gelten, werde ich hier nur so viel mitteilen, was für den Aufbau der mathematiscben Formeln notwendig ist, sowie einige Tatsachen, die bei Vergleichen mit anderen Kränklichkeitsmaterialien von Bedeutung sind. Im übrigen wird auf das Gesetz über Krankenkassen hingewiesen.     

The Fable of the Allegory: The Wizard of Oz in Economics

L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has become popular as a teaching tool in economics. It has been argued that it was written as an allegory of Populist demands for a bimetallic monetary system in the late 19th century. The author argues that Baum was not sympathetic to Populist views and did not write the story as a monetary allegory.     

谈“角色扮演”在“中外动画史”教学改革中的运用

动画是一门独立的综合性艺术,它融合了音乐、文学、诗歌、电影、漫画的许多特征,是一种直观性较强的艺术形式。截止2006年底,动画专业成为近年全国各高校竞相开办的新兴专业,但相当一部分新增设动画专业的学校,忽视了自身的办学条件和生源质量,造就了许多学校重技术轻理论的培养方式,导致动画培养目标与市场需求脱节,因此动画专业理论课教学改革方面的思考显得尤为迫切。