title: Recreation Benefits of U.S. Parks

authors: Kaval, Pamela

subjects: outdoor recreation

abstract: Over 90 percent of people living in the United States participate in some type of outdoor recreation, from walking the dog to rock climbing. These activities increase a person’s well-being and are examples of recreation benefits. These benefits can be measured by using a variety of available techniques to calculate consumer surplus values. Consumer surplus values for recreation in U.S. parks were collated from an extensive literature review. Studies conducted between 1967 and 2003 yielded over 1,200 observations of non-market benefits. From this meta-analysis, it was determined that an average day of recreation in U.S. parks provide people with a non-market benefit of $60.50/day (2006 US$). With an estimated 924 million visitor days, the benefit of outdoor recreation on federal park lands during 2006 was estimated at $54.7 billion dollars. This analysis did not include state, county, and city parks, and hence the total benefit of outdoor recreation in all U.S. parks would be significantly higher.

text: Recreation Benefits of U.S. Parks Over 90 percent of people living in the United States participate in some type of outdoor recreation, from walking the dog to rock climbing. These activities increase a person’s well-being and are examples of recreation benefits. These benefits can be measured by using a variety of available techniques to calculate consumer surplus values. Consumer surplus values for recreation in U.S. parks were collated from an extensive literature review. Studies conducted between 1967 and 2003 yielded over 1,200 observations of non-market benefits. From this meta-analysis, it was determined that an average day of recreation in U.S. parks provide people with a non-market benefit of $60.50/day (2006 US$). With an estimated 924 million visitor days, the benefit of outdoor recreation on federal park lands during 2006 was estimated at $54.7 billion dollars. This analysis did not include state, county, and city parks, and hence the total benefit of outdoor recreation in all U.S. parks would be significantly higher.

year: 2007-06

title: Provably correct smart contracts: An approach using DeepSEA

authors: Britten, Daniel

subjects: blockchain

abstract: It is possible to download a piece of software over the internet and then verify its correctness locally using an appropriate trusted proof system. However, on a blockchain like Ethereum, smart contracts cannot be altered once deployed. This guarantee of immutability makes it possible for end users to interact collectively with a 'networked' piece of software, with the same opportunity to verify its correctness. Formal verification of smart contracts on a blockchain therefore offers an unprecedented opportunity for end users to collectively interact with a deployed instance of software that they can verify while not relying on a central authority. All that is required to be trusted beyond the blockchain itself is an appropriate proof system, a component which always needs to be in the trusted computing base, and whose rules and definitions can be public knowledge. DeepSEA (Deep Simulation of Executable Abstractions) could serve as such a proof system.

text: Provably correct smart contracts: An approach using DeepSEA It is possible to download a piece of software over the internet and then verify its correctness locally using an appropriate trusted proof system. However, on a blockchain like Ethereum, smart contracts cannot be altered once deployed. This guarantee of immutability makes it possible for end users to interact collectively with a 'networked' piece of software, with the same opportunity to verify its correctness. Formal verification of smart contracts on a blockchain therefore offers an unprecedented opportunity for end users to collectively interact with a deployed instance of software that they can verify while not relying on a central authority. All that is required to be trusted beyond the blockchain itself is an appropriate proof system, a component which always needs to be in the trusted computing base, and whose rules and definitions can be public knowledge. DeepSEA (Deep Simulation of Executable Abstractions) could serve as such a proof system.

year: 2022

title: “Literacy is not a Māori thing": Debunking the deficit discourse

authors: Derby, Melissa

abstract: Literacy has been entrenched in Māori society for more than 200 years, meeting needs that range from serving a political purpose to reading purely for pleasure. Literacy is not solely a Western competency, and Māoristriving for excellence in literacy is not an act of modern-day colonisation. Instead, what the evidence shows is that literacy is a skill at which Māori have excelled, and can excel, without compromising their identity asMāori. I challenge us to be conscious of the discourses underpinning statements related to Māori learners, however well-meaning those statements might be, and reiterate that literacy is indeed “a Māori thing” – both historically and in contemporary times.

text: “Literacy is not a Māori thing": Debunking the deficit discourse Literacy has been entrenched in Māori society for more than 200 years, meeting needs that range from serving a political purpose to reading purely for pleasure. Literacy is not solely a Western competency, and Māoristriving for excellence in literacy is not an act of modern-day colonisation. Instead, what the evidence shows is that literacy is a skill at which Māori have excelled, and can excel, without compromising their identity asMāori. I challenge us to be conscious of the discourses underpinning statements related to Māori learners, however well-meaning those statements might be, and reiterate that literacy is indeed “a Māori thing” – both historically and in contemporary times.

year: 2022-03-22