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Georges F. Doriot: 1899–1987: Dream Builder

Edward Morris

in Wall Streeters: The Creators and Corruptors of American Finance

The chapter describes Georges Doriot and the formation of the American Research and Development Company, the world’s first venture capital firm.

Armageddon

Craig Allen

in Univision, Telemundo, and the Rise of Spanish-Language Television in the United States

Period: 1976–1986. A return to 1976 begins an account of a U.S. broadcast landmark: the demise of a TV network. Fouce’s lawsuit against SIN protracts when judges suspect violations of the foreign ... More

Period: 1976–1986. A return to 1976 begins an account of a U.S. broadcast landmark: the demise of a TV network. Fouce’s lawsuit against SIN protracts when judges suspect violations of the foreign ownership rule making SIN an illegal firm. After ten years of proceedings, the FCC revokes SIN’s licenses and banishes Anselmo. The matter reverts to the original trial judge, Mariana Pfaelzer, who ends the lawsuit by persuading remaining SIN defendants to sell the firm. But, presiding over the sale, Pfaelzer affirms that, under the law, she cannot prevent the new owner from converting SIN from Spanish to English. On its pledge to preserve Spanish-language TV, Hallmark Cards becomes the new owner. Immediately, Hallmark is challenged. Needing to continue the network’s Televisa programming, Hallmark must pay Azcárraga’s huge fee. Then, the Reliance Insurance Company announces a rival network called “Telemundo.” Days before competition begins, Hallmark concludes a court-ordered reorganization by dissolving SIN and rechristening the network “Univision.”Less

Acuity cards and the search for risk factors in infant visual development

François Vital-Durand, Louis Ayzac, and Gabriel Pinzaru

in Infant Vision

It is widely accepted that the major steps of visual development occur during the first eighteen months of life. Resolution, measured with acuity cards, improves steadily from birth where it is close ... More

It is widely accepted that the major steps of visual development occur during the first eighteen months of life. Resolution, measured with acuity cards, improves steadily from birth where it is close to one cycle per degree (20/600) to near fifteen cycles/degree (20/40) toward the end of the first year. Introduction of Teller Acuity Cards (TAC) has been a strong incentive to promote early detection of visual defects by allowing the estimation of resolution at any age as well as in infants afflicted by visual deficits. Specifically, this chapter investigates the sensitivity and specificity of TAC in clinical practice, when considered as a single test in a standard battery of tests. Few studies have described a general population of infants in terms of visual capacity. The present study is based on data gathered over four years from a large population of infants.Less

Games

Edward William Lane and Jason Thompson

in An Account of the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians

Chess, draughts, backgammon, and “mankaleh” (a board game), were all commonly played particularly by lower classes in coffeehouses. “Tab,” and “seegeh,” were also played by the lower classes and the ... More

Chess, draughts, backgammon, and “mankaleh” (a board game), were all commonly played particularly by lower classes in coffeehouses. “Tab,” and “seegeh,” were also played by the lower classes and the rules of these two plus “mankaleh” are given in detail. Cards were played by all social ranks and almost always for money. Sports were very uncommonly played, but this chapter explains that occasionally wrestling was seen at festivals and that a game called “gareed,” played in teams on horses, would take place in particular in Upper Egypt at a celebration (of a wedding for example) of someone wealthy.Less

House of Cards: The Aesthetics of Abstraction

Ed Finn

in What Algorithms Want: Imagination in the Age of Computing

This chapter explores the rise of algorithmic aesthetics through the lens of Netflix. The company’s rejection of a big-data statistics approach to taste in favor of a hybrid human-computational model ... More

This chapter explores the rise of algorithmic aesthetics through the lens of Netflix. The company’s rejection of a big-data statistics approach to taste in favor of a hybrid human-computational model has led to the Borges-esque project of taxonomizing all real and potential films into one of 76,897 genres. This massive analytical enterprise shapes the company’s creative investments in original work, particularly its original television series House of Cards. The story of the show’s development, distribution, and aesthetics illuminates algorithmic models of culture that are increasingly influential and inescapable. House of Cards embodies a pillar of the algorithmic age: the seduction of bespoke and intimate content personalization underwritten by monolithic computational enterprises. The chapter closes by arguing that Netflix demonstrates the power and pitfalls of cultural arbitrage by manipulating certain kinds of computational abstraction to achieve cultural and financial success.Less

Becoming a Border Commuter

Sergio Chávez

in Border Lives: Fronterizos, Transnational Migrants, and Commuters in Tijuana

This chapter documents how current border crossers obtained legal documents that allowed them to live in Mexico and cross the border to work in the United States at two different historical periods. ... More

This chapter documents how current border crossers obtained legal documents that allowed them to live in Mexico and cross the border to work in the United States at two different historical periods. It details the migration and labor-market strategies that one group of migrants and residents employed to obtain legal documents following the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. With these documents in hand, this group was able to live in Mexico and work in San Diego. Modern-day crossers also use labor-market and social-network strategies to obtain Border Crossing Cards. These cards allow them to cross the border to shop and visit relatives in the United States but people use them in a variety of ways to generate income from the United States. The chapter argues that the daily crossing strategies of both groups help to construct a transborder economy.Less

Epilogue: Border Lives a Decade Later

Sergio Chávez

in Border Lives: Fronterizos, Transnational Migrants, and Commuters in Tijuana

The epilogue revisits the lives of several key actors almost a decade after the initial fieldwork. It asks whether border livelihoods were sustainable in a region that has experienced a sharp ... More

The epilogue revisits the lives of several key actors almost a decade after the initial fieldwork. It asks whether border livelihoods were sustainable in a region that has experienced a sharp increase in border enforcement and immigration restriction over the years. The epilogue provides several surprises, finding that some respondents had lost their legal documents to cross the border. One migrant was finally able to obtain legal documents after years of trying and strategizing. The epilogue stresses that for border residents who are legally and economically vulnerable, sustaining a binational life becomes an especially daunting task to maintain over their life course. Thus, the agency of migrants must be studied longitudinally and ethnographically to understand why people are able to overcome political and economic structures at certain times but not others.Less

The Role of the Opposition

Meg Russell and Daniel Gover

in Legislation at Westminster: Parliamentary Actors and Influence in the Making of British Law

This chapter analyses the opposition’s contribution to scrutiny of government bills and policy-making at Westminster. Westminster is classically seen as dominated by an adversarial ‘opposition mode’, ... More

This chapter analyses the opposition’s contribution to scrutiny of government bills and policy-making at Westminster. Westminster is classically seen as dominated by an adversarial ‘opposition mode’, giving opposition politicians little policy impact. This chapter argues that there are actually several distinct ‘opposition modes’, which can be more consensual. It summarizes existing literature on opposition, and sets out the basics of how opposition parties are organized in both chambers. The bulk of Westminster legislative amendments are proposed by opposition parliamentarians, and the motivations behind these are explored. Many amendments are actually driven by objectives other than policy change—including seeking government explanations, and embarrassing the government. Hence it is important not to overstate ‘failure’ of such amendments. In addition, many opposition amendments go on to trigger government concessions, particularly via the House of Lords. In various ways, the opposition at Westminster is hence more influential on policy than is often assumed.Less

The Role of Government Backbenchers

Meg Russell and Daniel Gover

in Legislation at Westminster: Parliamentary Actors and Influence in the Making of British Law

This chapter explores how government backbench parliamentarians in both chambers at Westminster influence the content of government legislation and the dynamics of politics. Government backbenchers ... More

This chapter explores how government backbench parliamentarians in both chambers at Westminster influence the content of government legislation and the dynamics of politics. Government backbenchers are often thought to be Westminster’s most influential policy actors, operating through the ‘intraparty mode’. As summarized here, governments have recently become less able to rely on their votes, thanks to declining party cohesion. Yet governments are rarely defeated as a result of rebellious votes. This chapter analyses government backbenchers’ amendments proposed to the 12 case study bills—some of which served purposes other than immediate policy change—and their role as ‘pivotal voters’ in resolving legislative disputes with other (particularly opposition) actors. It also emphasizes their influence on legislation before it is introduced, and the importance of ‘anticipated reactions’. For example, ministers introduced the Corporate Manslaughter Bill only reluctantly, following backbench pressure. Backbenchers hence have subtle, and often hidden, influence in the legislative process.Less