“An Opening Toward the Possible”: Assembly Politics and Henri Lefebvre's Theory of the Event

ABSTRACT

In this article, I outline how Henri Lefebve's theory of the event helps conceptualise the emergence of recent assembly movements. Scholars of time and temporality have critiqued conventional framings of events, instead often understanding these as ruptures in temporal narratives. Moving beyond the deconstruction of framings of events, several scholars have begun to engage with the contested forms of timing and rhythm emerging from them. Lefebvre's theory provides tools to build on this approach in order to conceptualise the event of assembly politics. Lefebvre's theory furthers the turn to timing by highlighting the interrelationship between space and time and engaging with the complex “totality” from which movements emerge. Lefebvre's theory provides a framework to track how seemingly micropolitical phenomena emerges from and reverberates on a worldwide scale. The insights gained from Lefebvre's theory are illustrated through an analysis of the emergence of the 15M movement in Spain.     

Vital reactions to frostbite of the ear and paw skin in guinea pigs exposed to the cold

Vital reactions to frostbite in the paw and ear skin of guinea pigs were studied in order to find an animal model for frostbite in cases of accidental hypothermia. One group of animals was rendered hypothermic (rectal temperature, 30 degrees C) by exposure to an ambient temperature of -20 degrees C, and samples were taken from the frozen skin. A second group was rendered hypothermic and rewarmed in warm air at 45 degrees C, and samples were taken from the thawed skin. The only vital reaction in the first group (freezing time, 4-5 h) was mild initial inflammation, which was expressed in granulocyte adhesion to the vessel wall and the migration of a few cells into the dermis. The inflammatory reaction was more distinct in the second group (freezing and thawing together 5-7 h), with a large number of granulocytes being present in the dermis. Oedema and hyperaemia were also present in the frostbitten tissue after thawing, but no signs of necrosis developed. The alkaline-phosphatase reaction demonstrated the presence of granulocytes more clearly than H & E or Masson trichrome staining. Vital reactions were more advanced in the ear skin. It is concluded that vital reactions are very scarce in cases of frostbite, even after several hours' exposure, unless the tissue is allowed to thaw.     

The problem of determining the manner of death as suicide or accident in borderline cases

The purpose of this study was to check the reliability of the classification of death in cases regarded primarily as accidents or undetermined. The material used for the analysis consisted of the documents of autopsies performed at our department in 1981. There were altogether 283 cases of suicides, accidents or undetermined deaths, accounting for 8.4% of total mortality, and of these 180 cases were of the two last categories. In 125 cases primarily regarded as non-suicides (accidents or undetermined) there were some features of suicide leading to reclassification as probable suicide in 24 cases. Fifteen of these were primarily poisoning "accidents", mainly alcohol intoxications. The result indicates that the suicide rate would be 3.7% instead of 3.0% of the total mortality. It may thus be concluded that the official figure for suicides could be as much as 18.9% smaller than the "actual" figure.     

The possibility of secular human rights: Alan gewirth and the principle of generic consistency

This article explores Alan Gewirth’s argument for a secular foundation for the idea 2 of human rights as a possible response to Michael J. Perry’s claim “that the idea of 3 human rights is…ineliminably religious.” I examine Gewirth’s reasoning for constructing 3 a theory, namely that existing theories are fundamentally flawed and leave the idea of human rights without a logically consistent foundation, before considering in detail his claims for the Principle of Generic Consistency (PGC). Having looked at his critique of numerous other theories, as well as at his own argument about human action grounding basic rights to freedom and well-being, I then offer a critique of Gewirth’s PGC. Ultimately my conclusion is that Gewrith's 3 theory relies too heavily on the notions, first that we have a meta-desire not to contradict ourselves and, second, that we are unable to find persuasive justifications for our behavior that might allow us to avoid self-contradiction. If one is not troubled by charges of self-contradiction or, as is more often the case, one does not recognize that one’s victim is as much a human being as oneself, Gewirth’s theory 5 V 3 will not seem particularly persuasive. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A28BB025 00003     

Statistical analysis of barefoot impressions

Comparison of the shapes of barefoot impressions from an individual with footprints or shoes linked to a crime may be useful as a means of including or excluding that individual as possibly being at the scene of a crime. The question of the distinguishability of a person's barefoot print arises frequently. This study indicates that measurements taken from the outlines of inked footprint impressions show a great degree of variability between donors and a great degree of similarity for multiple impressions taken from the same donor. The normality of the set of measurements on footprint outlines that we have selected for this study is confirmed. A statistical justification for the use of the product rule on individual statistical precisions is developed.     

Oxidative enzyme activities and respective histochemical reactions in ischemic rat myocardium

To evaluate the diagnostic role of histochemically demonstrated aerobic dehydrogenases in ischemic myocardial injury NADH-diaphorase, succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (HBDH) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) were demonstrated histochemically and the corresponding enzyme activities were measured biochemically in isolated perfused rats hearts after global ischemia from 0 to 12 h. The present data show that the enzyme-histochemical methods when used properly are more sensitive indicators of early ischemic injury than classical histological staining procedures. From the enzymes tested here the histochemical demonstration of HBDH turned out to be best suited for use when suspecting ischemic myocardial injury at autopsy.     

State,Law and Religion in Edith Stein's Thought

This article presents a paradox in the thought of Edith Stein betweenher attitudes in relation to the state/law problem and her vision ofreligion. I seek to explain the paradox through the study of the Theoryof the State and Sovereignty. In this regard, basing herself onclassical authors, Edith Stein disagrees with the great jurists of hertime who did not always recognise the priority of the concept ofsovereignty. The examination of the relationship between the State andlaw breaks new ground within her phenomenological position, by, on theone hand, defending a strong concept of sovereignty of the State seen asa legal a priori while on the other hand stating that the State doesn'trelate to spiritual values. This leads us to propose a particular viewof the semiotic processes relevant to the relation between law/stateand religion, illuminating the semantic-pragmatic factors which promptedStein towards the above contradiction.     

Celan and the Heart Cry

Paul Celan's poem, `In die Ferne' tells us that the poem is not timeless, even if it lays claim to infinity. It exists finitely, like the breath. Thus, for Celan, poetry does not forget or deny one's finitude and death. Instead it is a mode of being towards death. Hence, Celan's poetry comes close to Martin Heidegger's freedom towards death, i.e. freedom to die one's own death. For Celan the task of the poet is to remind us of this fact, which is also the fundamental law of humanity. The article analyses what is the meaning and importance of this fundamental law, which is both the destiny and possibility for human beings. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Does Market Access Mitigate the Impact of Seasonality on Child Growth? Panel Data Evidence from Northern Ethiopia

Seasonality in agricultural production continues to shape intra-annual food availability in low-income countries. Using high-frequency panel data from northern Ethiopia, this study attempts to quantify seasonal fluctuations in children’s weights. Consistent with earlier studies, we document considerable seasonality in children’s age and height adjusted weights. While children located closer to local food markets are better nourished compared to their counterparts residing farther away, their weights are also subject to considerable seasonality. Further analysis shows that children located closer to food markets consume more diverse diets than those located farther away but the content of the diet varies across seasons. This leads us to conclude that households located near these food markets are not able to insulate their children from seasonal weight fluctuations. We discuss some policy options with potential to address this threat to child wellbeing.