scholarly journals Obstacles encountered by four major European astronomical observatories belonging to academies in the 18th century

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 414-441
Author(s):  
Eric Chassefière

It is known that, in the first half of the 18th century, the conditions for astronomy at the Imperial Observatory of St-Petersburg, directed by Joseph-Nicolas Delisle, were comparable to those enjoyed by astronomers at the royal observatories of Paris and Greenwich created in the previous century. But what about the public observatories created in the first half of the 18th century in Berlin, Uppsala and Bologna? The rich correspondence maintained by Joseph-Nicolas Delisle with the astronomers working in these observatories provides elements of an answer to this question. It also provides more precise information on Delisle’s working conditions at the St-Petersburg Observatory. In this article, we present a comparative analysis of the obstacles encountered by astronomers at these different observatories, and the particular contexts in which they operated, including a breakdown by observatory of salaries and expenditure on astronomy equipment.

Author(s):  
Virginia Zanón

Resumen: El presente artículo pretende mostrar los primeros pasos de La Casa de las Luces, un proyecto cultural que nace con el objetivo de poner en valor el rico patrimonio cultural y natural del pueblo de Titaguas y su entorno. El impulso a la iniciativa por parte del Ayuntamiento busca enriquecer la vida cultural del pueblo, así como revitalizar un turismo de calidad que redunde en el desarrollo y bienestar de toda la comarca de La Serranía. La sede que ha de albergar el centro –la tradicionalmente conocida como “Casa del Tío Florencio”- es una construcción de mediados del siglo XVIII, de gran valor histórico y etnológico. El edificio se encuentra en pleno proceso de rehabilitación, y con el avance del proyecto ve garantizada su conservación y apertura al público. El discurso de su contenido otorgará un especial protagonismo a Simón de Rojas Clemente (1777-1827), personaje clave de la Ilustración y el primer liberalismo valencianos, y célebre vecino titagüeño. A través de la biografía del botánico se revisarán tanto los valores universales de la Ilustración como la cultura local y la riqueza natural que plasmó en sus escritos, así como los avatares históricos y políticos de su tiempo, de los que fue testigo de excepción. En clave de experiencia, mostramos aquí las particularidades del proyecto, los objetivos que persigue su diseño y las ventajas e inconvenientes que surgen durante el establecimiento de un centro de nueva creación como este.  Palabras clave: Simón de Rojas Clemente, Titaguas, La Casa de las Luces, patrimonio, rural, cultura.  Abstract: This paper aims to summarize the first steps of “La Casa de las Luces” (The House of Lights), a cultural project intended to emphasize the rich heritage, both cultural and natural, of Titaguas and its environment. The impulse of this initiative by the town hall, is to enrich the cultural life of the village, while also revitalizing a quality tourism that would benefit the development and welfare of the region of La Serranía. The headquarters of the center –traditionally known as “Casa del Tío Florencio” – is a  construction from the mid-18th century, of great historical and ethnological value. The building is currently in the process of rehabilitation, and this project guarantees its conservation and opening to the public. The information in its interior will give a special role to Simón de Rojas Clemente (1777-1827), a key figure of the Enlightenment and first Liberalism in Valencia, and notorious citizen of Titaguas. Through the biography of this remarkable botanist, the universal values of the Enlightenment and the local culture and natural wealth described in his works will be revisited, along with the historical and political events of his time, of which he was an exceptional witness. In terms of experience, we show here the peculiarities of the project, the objectives of its design and the advantages and disadvantages that arise during the establishment of a newly created center like this.  Keywords: Simón de Rojas Clemente, Titaguas, La Casa de las Luces, heritage, rural, culture.


2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-211
Author(s):  
James Crossley

Using the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible as a test case, this article illustrates some of the important ways in which the Bible is understood and consumed and how it has continued to survive in an age of neoliberalism and postmodernity. It is clear that instant recognition of the Bible-as-artefact, multiple repackaging and pithy biblical phrases, combined with a popular nationalism, provide distinctive strands of this understanding and survival. It is also clear that the KJV is seen as a key part of a proud English cultural heritage and tied in with traditions of democracy and tolerance, despite having next to nothing to do with either. Anything potentially problematic for Western liberal discourse (e.g. calling outsiders “dogs,” smashing babies heads against rocks, Hades-fire for the rich, killing heretics, using the Bible to convert and colonize, etc.) is effectively removed, or even encouraged to be removed, from such discussions of the KJV and the Bible in the public arena. In other words, this is a decaffeinated Bible that has been colonized by, and has adapted to, Western liberal capitalism.


Author(s):  
Konrad RÓŻOWICZ

Aim: In the practice of awarding public contracts, sometimes the behavior of market actors, instead of competing with other entities, are aimed at illegal cooperation, including bid rigging. The above shows that healthy competition is not possible without efficient market control. In public procurement market this control is, primarily, carried out by public procurement entities: the President of the Public Procurement Office (Prezes UZP) and the National Appeal Chamber (KIO), and furthermore by President od the Office of Competition (Prezes UOKiK) and Consumer Protection and the Court od Competition and Consumer Protection. and Consumer Protection (SOKiK). The interesting issue is how the activities of the President of Office of Competition and Consumer Protection targeted  to contend with bid rigging affects on the activities of President of the Public Procurement Office (Prezes UZP) or the National Appeal Chamber (KIO). Design / Research methods: analysis and comparison decisions/ judgment issued by the President of the Public Procurement Office, National Appeal Chamber, the President of  the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection and the Court of Competition and Consumer Protection. Conclusions: The analysis has shown that the existence of specificities in the activities of the decision-making bodies and the judgments examined. However, in keeping with the specificity of the forms and objectives of control, these entities should cooperate, to a greater extent than before. Expanding the scope of cooperation would make it possible to better contend with bid rigging without changing the competition protection model. The introduction of institutionalized instruments for cooperation between the authorities seems to be valuable in terms of system solutions. Value of the article: The main value of the article is the comparison of selectively selected decisions and judgments representative of the problem under consideration and their comparative analysis in order to achieve the research objectives. The article deals with issues relevant to both public procurement practitioners and the state bodies dealing with procurement matters.


2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-43
Author(s):  
Nadja Reinhard

Abstract According to Jürgen Habermas, equality amongst those of unequal social standing in 18th-century society was limited to the private sphere. Though Gottsched shows how to use this sphere strategically for private policy and cooperation, he knows how to modify his publication strategies wisely in order to achieve the greatest and best possible effectiveness in his attempt to popularise Enlightenment. By his Moralische Wochenschriften as well as by his more popular way of academic writing for students he spreads controversial ideas such as theoretical and practical reason’s primacy over theologic argumentations, the academic education of women, or female authorship. Yet, he does so prudently and expertly uses the opportunities offered by publishing anonymously or under a pseudonym to support scientific integration of women. Gottsched relied upon a variety of rhetorical strategies to introduce controversial ideas to the broader public without embracing them openly. Employing different strategies of publication, he pursued his agenda as a moral educator, promoted emancipation from religious authorities, and advanced his own brand of cultural nationalism in order to unfold and popularise the German literary tradition. He thus significantly contributed to the structural transformation of the public sphere as described by Heinrich Bosse.


Author(s):  
E. V. Sitnikova

The article considers the historical and cultural heritage of villages of the former Ketskaya volost, which is currently a part of the Tomsk region. The formation of Ketsky prison and the architecture of large settlements of the former Ketskaya volost are studied. Little is known about the historical and cultural heritage of villages of the Tomsk region and the problems of preserving historical settlements of the country.The aim of this work is to study the formation and development of the village architecture of the former Ketskaya volost, currently included in the Tomsk region.The following scientific methods are used: a critical analysis of the literature, comparative architectural analysis and systems analysis of information, creative synthesis of the findings. The obtained results can be used in preparation of lectures, reports and communication on the history of the Siberian architecture.The scientific novelty is a study of the historical and cultural heritage of large settlements of the former Ketskaya volost, which has not been studied and published before. The methodological and theoretical basis of the study is theoretical works of historians and architects regarding the issue under study as well as the previous  author’s work in the field.It is found that the historical and cultural heritage of the villages of the former Ketskaya volost has a rich history. Old historical buildings, including religious ones are preserved in villages of Togur and Novoilinka. The urban planning of the villages reflects the design and construction principles of the 18th century. The rich natural environment gives this area a special touch. 


Author(s):  
Jürgen Schaflechner

Chapter 3 introduces the tradition of ritual journeys and sacred geographies in South Asia, then hones in on a detailed history of the grueling and elaborate pilgrimage attached to the shrine of Hinglaj. Before the construction of the Makran Coastal Highway the journey to the Goddess’s remote abode in the desert of Balochistan frequently presented a lethally dangerous undertaking for her devotees, the hardships of which have been described by many sources in Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Sindhi, and Urdu. This chapter draws heavily from original sources, including travelogues and novels, which are supplanted with local oral histories in order to weave a historical tapestry that displays the rich array of practices and beliefs surrounding the pilgrimage and how they have changed over time. The comparative analysis demonstrates how certain motifs, such as austerity (Skt. tapasyā), remain important themes within the whole Hinglaj genre even in modern times while others have been lost in the contemporary era.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Matias López ◽  
Juan Pablo Luna

ABSTRACT By replying to Kurt Weyland’s (2020) comparative study of populism, we revisit optimistic perspectives on the health of American democracy in light of existing evidence. Relying on a set-theoretical approach, Weyland concludes that populists succeed in subverting democracy only when institutional weakness and conjunctural misfortune are observed jointly in a polity, thereby conferring on the United States immunity to democratic reversal. We challenge this conclusion on two grounds. First, we argue that the focus on institutional dynamics neglects the impact of the structural conditions in which institutions are embedded, such as inequality, racial cleavages, and changing political attitudes among the public. Second, we claim that endogeneity, coding errors, and the (mis)use of Boolean algebra raise questions about the accuracy of the analysis and its conclusions. Although we are skeptical of crisp-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis as an adequate modeling choice, we replicate the original analysis and find that the paths toward democratic backsliding and continuity are both potentially compatible with the United States.


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