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On the Rocks, Below the Rocks: A study of intertidal life in the low, middle and high zones of the Puerto Cabuyal – Punta San Clemente Marine Reserve during an El Niño event
Get PDFThe rocky intertidal zone is one of the most difficult environments for organisms to survive in due to its harsh biotic and abiotic conditions. As such, it is also one of the best indicators of climate change and an important barrier to beach erosion. This study looked at the rocky intertidal zone of the Puerto Cabuyal-Punta San Clemente Marine Reserve in the Manabí province of Ecuador, with a focus on observing and identifying the organisms found in the area. Data was collected along 30 m transects at varying elevations along the shore using quadrants of two sizes: 50x50 cm for sessile organisms and algae and 1x1 m for macroinvertebrates. That data was then compared with other studies along coastal Ecuador where it was determined that Puerto Cabuyal does hold a similar level of species richness and diversity as well as similar species. A total of 56 species were identified from the following phyla: Mollusca (20 species), Arthopoda (12), Ochrophyta (6), Echinodermata (5), Rhodophyta (5), Chlorophyta (2), Chordata (2), Cnidaria (2), and Platyhelminthes (2). The low transects, measured at the level closest to the water, were shown to have the highest species richness. The data collected in this study can be used in the future to understand changes in the diversity of the intertidal zone of this marine reserve and for comparisons along coastal Ecuador.
La zona intermareal rocosa es uno de los ecosistemas más difíciles para que los organismos sobrevivan debido a las condiciones bióticas y abióticas. Como tal, también es uno de los mejores indicadores del cambio climático y un bloqueo importante de la erosión de las playas. Esta investigación se centró en la zona intermareal rocosa de la Reserva Marina Puerto Cabuyal- Punta San Clemente en la provincia de Manabí, Ecuador, con el objetivo principal a observar e identificar los organismos que se encuentran en la zona. Los datos fueron colectados en transectos de 30 m en diferentes elevaciones en la playa utilizando cuadrantes de dos tamaños: 50x50 cm para organismos sésiles y algas y 1x1 m para macroinvertebrados. Esos datos se compararon con otros estudios de la costa de Ecuador, donde se determinó que Puerto Cabuyal tiene un nivel similar de riqueza y diversidad de especies, así como especies similares. Se identificaron un total de 56 especies de los siguientes filos: Mollusca (20 species), Arthopoda (12), Ochrophyta (6), Echinodermata (5), Rhodophyta (5), Chlorophyta (2), Chordata (2), Cnidaria (2), and Platyhelminthes (2). Los transectos bajos, medidos en el nivel más cerca al agua, mostraron la mayor riqueza de especies. Los datos colectados en este estudio pueden ser utilzados en el futuro para comprender los cambios en la diversidad de la zona intermareal de esta reserva marina y para comparaciones en el resto de la costa ecuatoriana
Lo Nuestro: Turismo y la Revalorización de la Cultura Kichwa Karanki en la Parroquia de Angochagua
No full textUtkalla yuyaykuna
Angochagua ayllu llaktapi, chiri suyu, Ecuador mama llaktamanta, kichwa Karanki runa kawsayka asha llaki kan, wakinka llukshishka ayllaktamanta hatun markakunaman yachana wasiman rinkapak, wakinka llamkakapak.
Chayra kay watakunapi shuk mushuk muyukuna wiñarikun Angochaguapi chikan mashikunata ñanta paskankapak.
Angochagua ayllu llaktaka kimichin chikan mashikunata, sumak allpata rikuchinkapak, shinallata runa kawsayta malichinkapak. 2022 watapi, Angochaguata riksichinkuna sumak llakta kashkamanta, 32 ayllu llaktakuna akllashka ashka hatun pachapi, Organización Mundial del Turismo tantanakuypi. Kay llamkayta rurankapakka achka mashikunata kay hawa tapurkani, kawsarkanipash kimsa hunkaykunata pakta pakta Potosi Chuquin ayllukunawan, Angochagua ayllu llaktapi.
Paykunawan allpapi llamkashpa, paykunawan mikushpa, maykunashina muskushpa. Kay llamkayka tantachin sumak yuyaykunata, muskuykunatapash, llakikunatapash, ñukanchik sumak angochaguamanta kawsaykunata Kichwa Karanki kashkamanta. Chikan mashikunata chaskishpa, Kichwa kawsayta sinchiyachispa, shinallata kullkita hapishpa ayllukunawan ñawpakman katinkapak ashta mirarishpa.
Traducción gracias a Gladys Potosí Chuquin.
Abstracto
En la parroquia de Angochagua en la sierra norte de Ecuador, la continuidad de la cultura kichwa karanki está amenazada por la migración a centros urbanos en buscar de educación y trabajo. En años recientes, un movimiento de revitalización cultural ha crecido en la parroquia en conexión a la industria turística. Angochagua atrae turistas debido a su hermoso paisaje y su cultura tradicional. En 2022, Angochagua fue nombrado uno de los pueblos turísticos mejores por la Organización Mundial del Turismo. A través de entrevistas y observaciones de tres semanas en Angochagua, esta monografía elabora los pensamientos, esperanzas, y preocupaciones que tiene miembros indígenas de la comunidad en relación al turismo comunitario y la conservación de su cultura kichwa karanki. El turismo ofrece un método de conservar su cultura mientras desarrolla la economía local, pero en el proceso también conecta formación cultural a las necesidades de un negocio. Esta monografía captura una comunidad rural en transición, manejando el deseo doble de desarrollar la economía y conservar el pasado
“Without water, nothing”: Examining the water saving practices of women in Amman under periodic water supply
Get PDFJordan is among the most water-scarce countries in the world. Consequently, water is only pumped to households once a week and households store water in tanks to last them until the next water day. Women conducting housework do so under conditions of environmental stress that this research calls resource-scarce domestic labor. In this study, I apply an eco-feminist lens to examine the water-saving practices women employ to manage and conserve domestic water supplies. I explore the larger causes of these behaviors including climate change, government management, and regional politics. Resource-scarce domestic labor is not a practice unique to Jordan and should be explored in contexts across the world. As global climate change continues to worsen, exploring the impacts of environmental factors on women is critical in building climate resilience and designing policies and interventions that mitigate the impact of climate change
Coming Out in South Africa: What’s Beyond the Closet?
Get PDFFor many queer individuals, coming out is a significant moment in their lives. In South Africa, this process is made even more difficult due to prevalent homophobia, discrimination, and anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes. The colonial influence of Dutch and British colonization has perpetuated the notion that homosexuality is un-African, adding to the challenges faced by queer individuals as they navigate their racial and cultural identities. Coming out can be dangerous for them, as it challenges expectations of the patriarchy, marriage, and childbirth. The response to a queer person\u27s coming out greatly impacts their sense of self, safety, and acceptance. This study aims to fill a gap in literature by exploring the experiences of coming out in South Africa. Using semi-structured interviews with members of Durban\u27s LGBTQ+ population, we will examine the process of coming out through a postmodern feminist lens and Yuval-Davis\u27s framework of belonging. By understanding the never-ending choice to come out and resist heteronormative expectations, we can shed light on the impact this process has on individuals. The study will employ a narrative research strategy, conducting two one-on-one interviews and a focus group with participants sourced through local networks and a local organization, Transhope. This project is relevant to those studying the experiences of queer South Africans and will contribute to a deeper understanding of how LGBTQ+ individuals navigate the coming out process in a conservative, heteronormative society
Representations and Realities: Misali Island\u27s Biodiversity in Hybrid Narratives
Get PDFMarine Protected Areas (MPAs) are complex organisms that ebb and flow between strict and unyielding conservation doctrines often at the cost of community engagement. Misali Island is different. Conceived and advocated for by community members, this organism has navigated a tumultuous tenure of environmental degradation, periods of high and low funding, and a looming tourism presence. On top of these challenges has been a growing fishing community attempting to share in the bounty of this shockingly biodiverse setting. This study sorts through the grey space of Misali Island by applying a hybrid narrative that interfaces the marine context of the meat weight of 12 selected key species with interviews and participant observations using the patrolled non-extraction zone as a microcosm. The resulting overlaps and complexities reveal the value of the non-extraction zone in harboring large pelagic species of economic value and at the same time a window into the rangers and their work leveraging the informal networks of the fishermen to support their work and the integrity of the MPA in the face of lacking governmental resources and support
Minimum Exchange Rate and A Negative Interest Rate: The Swiss National Bank’s Unconventional Monetary Policy during Eurozone Volatility
Get PDFMonetary policy is one of the most important tools that a government has to influence its economy. This means the ability for a country to determine their own monetary policy is important to that country’s autonomy. Switzerland has consistently based its decisions on what would afford it the highest level of autonomy, including the decision not to join the European Union and subsequently the decision to retain their own currency.
The Swiss National Bank retains the mandate to keep price levels (inflation) stable, but it is challenged by an appreciating currency. Because the Swiss Franc is a safe-haven currency, money flows into the country during times of volatility or uncertainty in global financial markets, most notably after the global financial crisis and subsequent European sovereign debt crisis in the early 2010s. This results in an appreciation of the Swiss Franc compared to other important currencies, especially the Euro. This paper presents research into the tools that the Swiss National Bank, the central bank of Switzerland, used to protect the Swiss economy during this time of volatility, capital inflows, and currency appreciation.
This paper argues that the SNB used two main unconventional monetary policy tools in response to the currency appreciation: first, a minimum exchange rate to the Euro, which the SNB maintained by buying foreign currency. And second, a negative interest rate, which goes against the conventional monetary policy theory that interest rates must stay at zero or above. While the SNB was not the first to use either of these strategies at the time, their high-profile deployment in the 2010s provide a helpful case study for other countries to follow in times of crisis. The Swiss public is also still affected by the side-effects of both policies
Perspectives on Psychosis from Dharmashala’s Tibetan Community in Exile
Get PDFWhat is psychosis? The term itself is relatively recent. Yet clinicians and religious figures have tried to explain ‘psychosis’ from pathological and nonpathological perspectives for hundreds of years. From an allopathic, medical standpoint, psychotic disorders are devastating diseases. Up to 3% of the world’s population struggle with hallucinations, delusions, and cognitive impairments that make it difficult or impossible to function in society. Tibetan Buddhism does not have an exact analogue to the clinical term ‘psychotic disorders’. Nevertheless, Tibetan medicine understands some cases of psychosis as pathological. For instance, the Tibetan word smyo nad (སྡོ་ནད་) roughly translates to madness. Yet in Tibetan society psychosis is not inherently unhealthy. For example, people may purposefully become possessed for religious and ceremonial purposes. Through this project, I hope to investigate Tibetan Buddhism as an alternative to allopathic medicine understandings of psychosis. Based on fieldwork in the Tibetan settlement of Dharamsala, India, I aim to explore Tibetan medicine’s and religion’s conception, and treatment, of psychosis. I will also explore the role of people with psychosis in the community. Finally, I will consider if, and how, Tibetan and allopathic understandings of psychosis can be reconciled
If We Were Fiction: Insect-Human Stories
Get PDFThis creative project delves into the nonlinear, interconnected web of insect-human relations in Nepal. Through exploring humans’ perceptions and stories of insects, this work intends to remedy the limits of traditional entomological knowledge, which forgets the ubiquitous reality of insects as more than biological and ecological agents. Insects are social, economic, and ethical “characters” in our lives, and recognizing this opens up possibilities for connection, hope, and evolution in this world. The potential of the mundane, the forgettable, pulses within humans’ unique attitudes toward insects and the forces that shaped them. This potential is represented in the final product of this project: a children’s book titled Knowing Karma, the story of a shape-shifting, open-minded insect. By synthesizing qualitative interviews conducted in Pokhara and Beni, two areas of Nepal, and theories of understanding human relations with insects and the environment, such as multispecies justice, Knowing Karma illuminates fractals of insect-human relations
La práctica de interculturalidad crítica: Un caso de estudio de la ONG Corporación La Matriz y la comunidad migrante haitiana en Barrio Puerto, Valparaíso
No full textDadas las tensiones en torno al tema de la migración, donde se considera a los recién llegados como una amenaza para la sociedad, es vital comprender cómo las comunidades receptoras pueden promover y han promovido la inclusión de los migrantes. Un actor a menudo pasado por alto en la recepción e integración de los migrantes son las organizaciones no gubernamentales (ONG), que, especialmente en ausencia de una respuesta integral por parte del Estado, han asumido papeles cruciales de apoyo para los migrantes. Este estudio explorará las acciones y relaciones de la Corporación La Matriz, una ONG ubicada en el distrito histórico de Valparaíso, con la comunidad haitiana. Al analizar las dinámicas interculturales a una escala micro, también articulará un enfoque nuevo de la interculturalidad, un concepto principalmente asociado con los movimientos indígenas en Sudamérica. Los resultados de este análisis cualitativo contribuyen al creciente sub-campo de los estudios migratorios locales y destacan el potencial de las ONGs como actores válidos que desarrollan los proyectos “desde abajo” a la inclusión e integración de los migrantes.
Given the current tensions surrounding immigration in which newcomers are considered a threat to society, it is vital to understand how host communities can and have promoted the inclusion of immigrants. An often-ignored actor in the reception and integration of immigrants is non-governmental organizations (NGO), who, especially in the absence of a comprehensive response from the State, have stepped into crucial support roles for immigrants. This study will explore the actions and relationships of Corporación La Matriz, a NGO located in Valparaíso’s historic district, with the Haitian community. By analyzing intercultural dynamics on a micro-scale, it will also articulate a new approach to interculturality, a concept most often associated with indigenous movements in South America. The results of this qualitative analysis contribute to the growing subfield of local migration studies and highlight the potential of NGOs as valid actors who develop bottom-up approaches to immigrant inclusion and integration
Arab Feminism and the Hijab: Exploring the Intersection of Feminism and Islam in Jordan
Get PDFThe goal of this qualitative research is to procure a definition of Arab Feminism from the religious and cultural beliefs of Jordanian Muslim women while also highlighting the feminist roots of Islam. The hijab is the perfect symbol to analyze Arab feminism under and discuss the difference between religion and culture.
This paper first dives into the history of the Jordanian women’s movement and the origins of today\u27s activism. This hinges on the work of Rana Husseini, who has the only in-depth account of the Jordanian women’s movement. This history allows the reader to better understand the current conditions of women in Jordan and the role Muslim women have played in the political history of the movement. Then, the definition of Arab feminism based on the opinions of Muslim women in Jordan is provided. Under this definition, the Qur’an is described as a feminist text. Furthermore, this definition exposes the weakness and Orientalist foundations of mainstream Western feminism.
The opinions of Jordanian, Muslim women are further unfurled to uncover the religious or cultural reasons why women wear the hijab. This dichotomy of culture and religion is further discussed to highlight the dangers of conflating religion and culture/Bid3a (misrepresenting Islam). Bid3a is the root of oppressive cultural practices that are falsely justified as being religious