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Glass Beads from Champlain's Habitation on Saint Croix Island, Maine, 1604-1613
Get PDFOne of the earliest French attempts at settlement in northeastern North America occurred on a small island in the St. Croix River along the Maine/New Brunswick border. Built under the auspices of Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons, and his young lieutenant, Samuel de Champlain, this settlement barely survived the winter of 1604-1605 and was abandoned the following summer. Given its clear historical association and brief occupation, the glass beads from St. Croix Island are an important archaeological marker for reconstructing French influence during the first decades of the 17th century. Knowing who used these beads in trade, however, does not indicate where they were made. Current evidence suggests that many, and perhaps most, of these beads were produced at the Carel-Soop glasshouse in Amsterdam (1601-1624) and are a material expression of the culturally diverse partnerships that sponsored many of the early-17th- century voyages to Terra Nova
Abstraction and Empathy on the Eve of World War I
Get PDFThis essay considers continuities between the impetus towards abstraction within Jugendstil and Expressionism. Both Hermann Obrist and Franz Marc sought through empathy to intuit and image abstract forces at work within the materiality of the organic and inorganic natural worlds. Their creative practice and theoretical writings share much with Wilhelm Worringer’s discussion of the “expressive abstraction” found in the Gothic style, which unified the organic with the abstract. This essay explores the trajectories of this visual and textual discourse, paying particular attention to their nexus during 1914 in Obrist’s monumental sculptures at the Werkbund Exhibition in Cologne and the development of Marc’s paintings over the course of that year
Hemispheric and Transborder Perspectives: Racialization of Mexicans through Time
Get PDFThis article embeds a discussion of contemporary transborder communities—communities spread out in multiple locations in the U.S. and Mexico—in the history of U.S.-Mexico relations as seen through the colonial and contemporary mapping of space, place, people, race, and ethnicity both visually through the creation of maps and then metaphorically through U.S. immigration policy in the 19th and 20th centuries. I argue that the concept of “transborder” which can include borders of coloniality, ethnicity, race, nation, and region can help us to illuminate U.S.-Mexico relationships through time and the complexities of the racialization of Mexicans in the U.S
Twombly's Roses
Get PDFFollowing a studied detour through C. G. Jung, T. S. Eliot, D. H. Lawrence, and particularly R. M. Rilke, this essay tracks the lineage along which Cy Twombly, like a child, is “drawn to paint.
Determinants of VMT in Urban Areas:A Panel Study of 87 U.S. Urban Areas 1982-2009
Get PDFThis paper uses econometric techniques to examine the determinants of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in a panel study using data from a cross section of 87 U.S. urban areas over the period 1982-2009. We use standard OLS regression as well as two-stage least squares techniques to examine the impact of factors such as urban density, lane-miles, per capita income, real fuel cost, transit mileage, and various industry mix variables on per capita VMT. We use a distributed lag model to estimate long-run elasticities and find that the long-run price elasticity of demand for per capita VMT is approximately five times larger than in the short run. Preliminary empirical results show the per capita demand for VMT in urban areas is positively and significantly impacted by lane miles, personal income, and the percent of employment in the construction and public sectors. Fuel price and transit use and the percent of employment in manufacturing, retail, and wholesale sectors are all found to be statistically significant and negatively related to VMT per capita. After correcting for endogeneity, urban population density exerts a negative, but not always statistically significant, impact on per capita VMT. Finally, per capita VMT is found to differ significantly by geographic region, being higher the more western and the larger the population size of an urban area
Measuring Spatial and Temporal Market Structure in a Transportation Sector: For-hire Grain Trucking on the Alberta-Saskatchewan Border in Canada
Get PDFWhile the trucking industry across North America is now fully de-regulated, truck markets and movements are diverse enough that the level of competition in truck transportation almost certainly varies across space, commodities, and even time. Most studies of market power in transportation do not measure or account for spatial or temporal variation in levels of competition, and in addition, it is not clear to what degree such variation affects shippers. For example, there is anecdotal evidence that trucking of certain commodities in Western Canada is characterized by considerable market power that only manifests at certain times of the year. In this light, we examine both spatial aspects as well as the dynamics of rates in the medium-to-long-haul grain trucking sector in West-Central Alberta and East-Central Saskatchewan on the Canadian prairies. We attempt to characterize market power over both space and time within this regional trucking sector. This is done using a unique and detailed data set of trucking rates charged to shippers (farmers) for grain transportation to a common destination (Lloydminster, AB) from the numerous dispersed farms in the region. To frame the unique spatial aspects of this issue, we begin by using geographic information systems (GIS) software to build freight rate contours for this trucking market through space. A set of suppositions regarding the possible shape of these contours as they relate to transportation market structure is also developed. Subsequently, a subset of the data is used to conduct an econometric estimation of short-run freight rate dynamics. These latter estimates reveal evidence of less than competitive transportation markets through time and space. Ultimately, we find that market power in trucking is not persistent within this market, but we do observe uncompetitive pricing behavior at certain times of the year. Given that trucking is deregulated, the latter finding is somewhat unexpected. We suspect that this set of conditions very likely affects trucking rates across more markets and regions than the one examined here
Network-Based Simulation of Air Pollution Emissions Associated with Truck Operations
Get PDFEstimating greenhouse gases (GHGs) and other emissions (especially diesel particulates) is an increasingly important basis for regional policy analysis. According to the EPA (2010a), the transportation sector contributed 27.2% of total GHG emissions in 2008, and 50% of these were from truck operations. This research focuses on estimating GHGs and other emissions (e.g., PM) from freight movements on roads in California as well as the concurrent effects of various mitigation scenarios. The study demonstrates that interregional freight flow data, along with FAF data can be important data sources for emission models. The results are useful not only for estimating GHGs and other emissions based on estimated freight flows, but also for evaluating area-specific environmental impacts of policy alternatives. The analysis shows that emissions impacts vary by study area as well as by policy. A policy alternative that has a significant impact in a specific area may have a trivial impact in a broader region. Also, an emissions reduction in one area may be because of emissions increases in another area. Therefore, it is important to simulate possible emissions impacts by applying a spatially disaggregated model to help decision makers weigh alternatives. The study can also be applied for analyzing environmental justice when the emission results are disaggregated into small areas
Introduction of Heavy Axle Loads
Get PDFThe Association of American Railroads (AAR) initiated the Heavy Axle Load (HAL) Research Program in 1988 in order to “provide guidance to the North American railroad industry about whether to increase axle loads and to determine the most economic payload consistent with safety” (Kalay and Martland 2001). The research demonstrated the technical feasibility and economic desirability of increasing axle loads and the ability of technology to mitigate the adverse effects of heavier loads. In 1991, the industry decided to accept cars with 286,000 lb. gross vehicle weight (286k GVW) in interchange service. Since then, more than 90% of all bulk equipment acquired has been rated for 286k GVW. By 2010, nearly 100% of coal traffic and 30% of general freight moved in 286k loads. Technological improvements resulting from the HAL research program have been critical in enabling the industry to reduce costs of 286k operations. Stronger materials, better designs, and improved maintenance techniques reduced life cycle costs for rail and other track components. Bridge costs did not increase as much as expected, because of technological developments and better understanding of their ability to withstand HAL loads. Net benefits of HAL operations to railroads, suppliers, and their customers were approximately 600 million in 2010. Benefits included reductions in equipment expense, more efficient operations, and increases in line capacity. Given the technological advances in railroad engineering over the past 20 years, further increases in GVW or loading density should now be considered. OVERVIEW OF THE HAL RESEARCH PROGRAMThis paper has two major objectives. First, it estimates the net benefits achieved by increasing the maximum GVW to 286k, taking into account impacts on operations and infrastructure. Second
Rail Market Share of Grain and Oilseed Transportation
Get PDFThe share of the grain and oilseed harvest moved by rail has been declining since 1980, when the Federal Motor Carrier Act and the Staggers Rail Act were passed. Large structural changes associated with these acts affected the decline over the following two decades. Yet, even though the large structural changes had already taken place by 2000, the rail market share of grain and oilseed transportation has continued to decline. This paper develops a state-level statistical model for 21 of the top grain-producing states (which produce 86.6% of all grain and oilseeds) to investigate which major factors have been responsible for the decrease in the rail market share of grain and oilseed transportation since 2001. Twenty variables are tested in the model, and 10 are found to have a statistically significant impact on rail market share. Of these, three are most important in the decrease of rail market share: ethanol production, biodiesel production, and the concentration of animal feeding