The neighbourhood effect won't go away: Observations on the electoral geography of England in the light of Dunleavy's critique

Many studies of British electoral geography suggest that class is the major influence on voting patterns, with the neighbourhood effect presented as an ‘explanation’ for variations around the class cleavage. Recently Dunleavy has criticised this model. Analyses undertaken in the light of his critique find clear patterns of inter-constituency variation in voting that are consistent with the neighbourhood effect.     

The Solar Mass-Ejection Imager (SMEI) Mission

We have launched into near-Earth orbit a solar mass-ejection imager (SMEI) that is capable of measuring sunlight Thomson-scattered from heliospheric electrons from elongations to as close as 18 to greater than 90 from the Sun. SMEI is designed to observe time-varying heliospheric brightness of objects such as coronal mass ejections, co-rotating structures and shock waves. The instrument evolved from the heliospheric imaging capability demonstrated by the zodiacal light photometers of the Helios spacecraft. A near-Earth imager can provide up to three days warning of the arrival of a mass ejection from the Sun. In combination with other imaging instruments in deep space, or alone by making some simple assumptions about the outward flow of the solar wind, SMEI can provide a three-dimensional reconstruction of the surrounding heliospheric density structures.     

Huhu grubs,bull semen shots and koki: Visceral geographies of regional food festivals in Aotearoa

This article draws attention to the visceral geographies of two unique Aotearoa New Zealand regional food festivals – Kāwhia KaiFest and Wildfoods Hokitika. We address the question: how do organisers and attendees sensually experience place through food festivals? Interviews, participant ‘sensing’, the researchers’ own bodies and ‘gut feelings’ were used as research instruments. The affective work of visceral pleasure and disgust highlight food that is deemed (in)edible. We argue that the visceral is crucial to understanding place for wild Hokitika or calm Kāwhia. The two food festivals provide insights and paradoxes into the embodied experiences of regional and culturally diverse tourism geographies.