11.19.2012

RESILIENCE / BOUNCING BACK / REBOUNDING

capacidade de recuperação/adaptação
           "The resilience frame speaks not just to how buildings weather storms but to how people weather them, too. Here, psychologists, sociologists and neuroscientists are uncovering a wide array of factors that make you more or less resilient than the person next to you: the reach of your social networks, the quality of your close relationships, your access to resources, your genes and health, your beliefs and habits of mind.
          For example, “resilience thinking” is starting to shape how urban planners in big cities think about updating antiquated infrastructure, much of which is robust in the face of normal threats like equipment failures but — as was just demonstrated in the New York region — fragile in the face of unanticipated shocks like flooding, pandemics, terrorism or energy shortages.
          “After 9/11, Lower Manhattan contained the largest collection of LEED-certified, green buildings in the world,” he said, referring to a rating program for eco-friendly design. “But that was answering only part of problem. The buildings were designed to generate lower environmental impacts, but not to respond to the impacts of the environment” — for example, by having redundant power systems."
Source: NYT

11.04.2012

“In behalf of” vs. “on behalf of”

Q: Which is proper, “on behalf of” or “in behalf of”?
A: Both expressions are correct, but they mean slightly different things.
“In behalf of” means “for the benefit of” or “in the interest of.”
“On behalf of” means “in place of” or “as the agent of.”
So I might give a donation, “on behalf of” my gardening club, to be used “in behalf of” tree restoration in the park.