Caribbean forum: Shaping a sustainable development agenda to address the Caribbean reality in the twenty-first century

Includes bibliography.

“Crye Fredome”? Medievalism and Twenty-First-Century Scottish National Identity

It is a well-documented fact that the Middle Ages have had a long history of instrumentalisation by nationalisms. 19th-century Eu¬rope in particular witnessed an origins craze during the process of nation-building. In the post-Shoah, post-modern West, on the other hand, we might expect this kind of medievalist master nar¬rative to have been consigned to the dustbin of history. And yet, as nationalism surges again in Europe, negotiations of national identi¬ties in medieval dress seem to have become fashionable once more. In order to come to terms with the fragmented and often contradictory presence of the Middle Ages in these discourses of national identity, I propose we consider medievalism a utilitarian product of the cultural memory. Rather than representing any ‘real’ Middle Ages, then, medievalism tailors available knowledge of the medieval past to the diverse social needs and ideologies of the present. This paper looks at a selection of Scottish examples of present-day medievalism in an attempt to investigate, in particular, the place of the medieval Wars of Scottish Independence in contemporary negotiations of ‘Scottishness’. Both the relationships envisioned between self and other and the role played by ‘the land’ in these cultural, social and political instances of national introspection offer starting points for critical inquiry. Moreover, the analysis of a scholarly intervention in the run-up to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum indicates an intriguing dialogue of academic and non-academic voices in the context of Scottish medievalist cultural memory. We thus find a wide array of uses of the Scottish Middle Ages, some of which feed into the burgeoning nationalism of recent years, while others offer more pensive and ambivalent answers to the question of what it means to be Scottish in the 21st century.

Wale watu

"Paul and Mary are two people who are from different tribes and deeply in love. Their families share a close relationship and everything looks well for their wedding. However, with the out break of the post-election violence. Dr. Sawega, Paul's father, loses his clinic and his brother through arson. Stoked by politicians and tribalists, things get tense between the two families and the entire nation."--Spaceyangu.com.ar

Pivot or periphery? Xinjiang's regional development and Chinese-Central Asian relations at the century's end

Xinjiang, once described by Owen Lattimore as the "pivot of Asia", has played a strategically important role in China's national defense and security. Historically linked on the famous Silk Road with Central Asia, Xinjiang was crucial to East-West economic and cultural exchanges. During the period of Russian/Soviet expansion into Central Asia and Sino-Soviet rivalry, China's need for Xinjiang's defense and territorial integrity became paramount, and consequently Xinjiang's economy was relegated to the periphery.^ The demise of the Soviet Union--which resulted in the independence of five Central Asian states--and China's reform suggest dramatic new possibilities for Xinjiang's regional development as well as interregional cooperation. As China has begun to shift regional emphasis to the interior, Xinjiang's economic development will be accelerated. With the growth of Sino/Xinjiang-Central Asian relations, Xinjiang's importance will not only be borne out in terms of defense and security, but more significantly in terms of trade and economics. At the century's end and the beginning of the 21st century, Xinjiang will likely move away from the periphery and play an increasingly pivotal role in the economy. ^

Presence and possible cause of periodicities in 20th-century extreme coastal surge: Belfast Harbour, Northern Ireland.

Identifying 20th-century periodic coastal surge variation is strategic for the 21st-century coastal surge estimates, as surge periodicities may amplify/reduce future MSL enhanced surge forecasts. Extreme coastal surge data from Belfast Harbour (UK) tide gauges are available for 1901–2010 and provide the potential for decadal-plus periodic coastal surge analysis. Annual extreme surge-elevation distributions (sampled every 10-min) are analysed using PCA and cluster analysis to decompose variation within- and between-years to assess similarity of years in terms of Surge Climate Types, and to establish significance of any transitions in Type occurrence over time using non-parametric Markov analysis. Annual extreme surge variation is shown to be periodically organised across the 20th century. Extreme surge magnitude and distribution show a number of significant cyclonic induced multi-annual (2, 3, 5 & 6 years) cycles, as well as dominant multi-decadal (15–25 years) cycles of variation superimposed on an 80 year fluctuation in atmospheric–oceanic variation across the North Atlantic (relative to NAO/AMO interaction). The top 30 extreme surge events show some relationship with NAO per se, given that 80% are associated with westerly dominant atmospheric flows (+ NAO), but there are 20% of the events associated with blocking air massess (− NAO). Although 20% of the top 30 ranked positive surges occurred within the last twenty years, there is no unequivocal evidence of recent acceleration in extreme surge magnitude related to other than the scale of natural periodic variation.

Entre ecos e narcisos: estudo de caso sobre a prática teatral com adolescentes como atividade extracurricular numa escola de nível médio

This masters thesis discusses the studying and the teaching of drama and its implications among teenagers of the contemporary world. This paper also analyses an extracurricular project entitled Drama in the development of citizenship , which was carried out in the public state school Berilo Wanderley in Natal/RN, between 1999 and 2005 with high school students. It comprises a case study that aimed at understanding how and why they chose to take drama classes outside of the school curriculum and even after they graduated, some of them never left the school project and even started participating in the cultural and artistic context of the city of Natal quite actively, both as part of an audience as well as on artistic, political, social and pedagogical performance. The project was high significant for its participants, for the school and for the community, by creating a sense of recognition of the relevance of the pedagogical and artistic production in the public school, as it managed to yield knowledge that helped students to understand the values of group work, sharing information, collaborative assessment and, most of all, to engender actions of protagonism by the teenagers themselves within their social environments. The empirical process developed is placed in a contemporary historical context where educational paradigms shifts occur, and where categories of youth empowerment and protagonism are fundamental to the educational process in the 21st century. The objective of this study is to reflect upon the pedagogical dimension of drama classes for teenagers, aiming at providing further discussions on the role of acting classes in the construction of the personality among youngsters, thus hoping to contribute to other teaching practices, including drama and other subjects of general education

Entre ecos e narcisos: estudo de caso sobre a prática teatral com adolescentes como atividade extracurricular numa escola de nível médio

This masters thesis discusses the studying and the teaching of drama and its implications among teenagers of the contemporary world. This paper also analyses an extracurricular project entitled Drama in the development of citizenship , which was carried out in the public state school Berilo Wanderley in Natal/RN, between 1999 and 2005 with high school students. It comprises a case study that aimed at understanding how and why they chose to take drama classes outside of the school curriculum and even after they graduated, some of them never left the school project and even started participating in the cultural and artistic context of the city of Natal quite actively, both as part of an audience as well as on artistic, political, social and pedagogical performance. The project was high significant for its participants, for the school and for the community, by creating a sense of recognition of the relevance of the pedagogical and artistic production in the public school, as it managed to yield knowledge that helped students to understand the values of group work, sharing information, collaborative assessment and, most of all, to engender actions of protagonism by the teenagers themselves within their social environments. The empirical process developed is placed in a contemporary historical context where educational paradigms shifts occur, and where categories of youth empowerment and protagonism are fundamental to the educational process in the 21st century. The objective of this study is to reflect upon the pedagogical dimension of drama classes for teenagers, aiming at providing further discussions on the role of acting classes in the construction of the personality among youngsters, thus hoping to contribute to other teaching practices, including drama and other subjects of general education

Contemporary English drama : a program of study for the South Carolina Federation of Women's Clubs

This program-bulletin has been prepared by Dr. G. A. Wauchope, head of the English Department of the University: of South Carolina, for the use of Women's Literary Clubs and for the guidance of any who would acquaint themselves with the recent dramatic movement in Great Britain. A list of authors and their works are discussed.

Respostas fisiológicas de plantas amazônicas de regiões alagadas às mudanças climáticas globais

Conforme previsões do último relatório do IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel of Climatic Change) em 2007, até meados deste século haverá um aumento na concentração de CO2 na atmosfera podendo chegar a 720 μmol mol-1. Consequentemente haverá uma elevação da temperatura de até +3 °C, o que ocorrerá em conjunto com mudanças no padrão de precipitação. O mesmo relatório sugere que isto poderá acarretar uma substituição gradual da floresta tropical por vegetação similar a uma savana na parte oriental da Amazônia, porém nada é conclusivo. Diante dessas possibilidades, pergunta-se - Como as espécies de árvores que compõem as regiões de alagamento da Amazônia irão responder às alterações climáticas por vir? Apesar dessas previsões serem pessimistas, o alagamento ainda ocorrerá por vários anos na Amazônia e é de grande importância compreender os efeitos do alagamento sobre as respostas fisiológicas das plantas num contexto das mudanças climáticas. Os principais efeitos sobre a sinalização metabólica e hormonal durante o alagamento são revisados e os possíveis efeitos que as mudanças climáticas poderão ter sobre as plantas amazônicas são discutidos. As informações existentes sugerem que sob alagamento, as plantas tendem a mobilizar reservas para suprir a demanda de carbono necessário para a manutenção do metabolismo sob o estresse da falta de oxigênio. Até certo limite, com o aumento da concentração de CO2, as plantas tendem a fazer mais fotossíntese e a produzir mais biomassa, que poderão aumentar ainda mais com um acréscimo de temperatura de até 3 °C. Alternativamente, com o alagamento, há uma diminuição geral do potencial de crescimento e é possível que quando em condições de CO2 e temperatura elevados os efeitos positivo e negativo se somem. Com isso, as respostas fisiológicas poderão ser amenizadas ou, ainda, promover maior crescimento para a maioria das espécies de regiões alagáveis até o meio do século. Porém, quando a temperatura e o CO2 atingirem valores acima dos ótimos para a maioria das plantas, estas possivelmente diminuirão a atividade fisiológica.

Dependência de Internet e de jogos eletrônicos: uma revisão

OBJETIVO: Com a inclusão das novas tecnologias contemporâneas, a Internet e os jogos eletrônicos tornaram-se ferramentas de uso amplo e irrestrito, transformando-se em um dos maiores fenômenos mundiais da última década. Diversas pesquisas atestam os benefícios desses recursos, mas seu uso sadio e adaptativo progressivamente deu lugar ao abuso e à falta de controle ao criar severos impactos na vida cotidiana de milhões de usuários. O objetivo deste estudo foi revisar de forma sistemática os artigos que examinam a dependência de Internet e jogos eletrônicos na população geral. Almejamos, portanto, avaliar a evolução destes conceitos no decorrer da última década, assim como contribuir para a melhor compreensão do quadro e suas comorbidades. MÉTODO: Foi feita uma revisão sistemática da literatura através do MedLine, Lilacs, SciELO e Cochrane usando-se como parâmetro os termos: "Internet addiction", pathological "Internet use", "problematic Internet use", "Internet abuse", "videogame", "computer games" e "electronic games". A busca eletrônica foi feita até dezembro de 2007. DISCUSSÃO: Estudos realizados em diferentes países apontam para prevalências ainda muito diversas, o que provavelmente se deve à falta de consenso e ao uso de diferentes denominações, dando margem à adoção de distintos critérios diagnósticos. Muitos pacientes que relatam o uso abusivo e dependência passam a apresentar prejuízos significativos na vida profissional, acadêmica (escolar), social e familiar. CONCLUSÕES: São necessárias novas investigações para determinar se esse uso abusivo de Internet e de jogos eletrônicos pode ser compreendido como uma das mais novas classificações psiquiátricas do século XXI ou apenas substratos de outros transtornos.

Diversity and Emotion: The New Frontiers in Organizational Behavior Research

This article provides a review of recent developments in two topical areas of research in contemporary organizational behavior: diversity and emotions. In the section called “Diversity,”we trace the history of diversity research, explore the definitions and paradigms used in treatments of diversity, and signal new areas of interest. We conclude that organizational behavior in the 21st century is evolving to embrace a more eclectic and holistic view of humans at work. In the section called “Emotions,” we turn our attention to recent developments in the study of emotions in organizations. We identify four major topics: mood theory, emotional labor, affective events theory (AET), and emotional intelligence, and argue that developments in the four domains have significant implications for organizational research, and the progression of the study of organizational behavior. As with the study of diversity, the topic of emotions in the workplace is shaping up as one of the principal areas of development in management thought and practice for the next decade. Finally, we discuss in our conclusion how these two areas are being conceptually integrated, and the implications for management scholarship and research in the contemporary world.

Mental health nursing standards and practice indicators for Australia: a review of current literature

There are many changes and challenges facing the mental health care professional working in Australia in the 21st Century. Given the significance of their number and the considerable extent to which care is delivered by them, mental health nurses in particular must be at the forefront of the movement to enhance and improve mental health care. Mental health nurses in Australia must not only keep up with the changes, we should be setting the pace for others across the profession worldwide. The increasingly complex field of mental health nursing demands nurses who are not only equipped to face the challenges but are confident in doing so. Definitive guidelines for practice, clear expectations regarding outcomes and specific means by which to evaluate both practice and outcomes are vital. Strengthening the role and vision of mental health nursing so that there is clarity about both and highlighting core values by which to perform will enable us to become focused on our future and what we can expect to both give to and receive from our chosen profession and how we can, and do, contribute to mental health care. The role of the mental health nurse is undergoing expansion and there are new hurdles to overcome along with the new benefits this brings. To support this, nationally adopted, formalised standards of practice and means by which to measure these, i.e., practice indicators formerly known as clinical indicators, are required. It is important to have national standards and practice indicators because of the variances in the provision of mental health across Australia – different legislation regarding mental health policies and processes, different nursing registration bodies and Nursing Councils, for example – which create additional barriers to cohesion and uniformity. Improvements in the practice of mental health nursing lead to benefits for consumer outcomes as well as the overall quality of mental health care available in Australia. The emphasis on rights-based care, particularly consumer and carer rights, demands evidence-based, up-to-date mental health care delivered by competent, capable professionals. Documented expectations for performance by nurses will provide all involved with yardsticks by which to evaluate outcomes. Flowing on from these benefits are advances in mental health care generally and enhancements to Australia’s reputation and position within the health care arena throughout the world. Currently, the ‘Standards for Practice’ published by the Australian New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses (ANZCMHN) in 1995 and the practice indicators developed by Skews et al. (2000) provide a less formal guide for mental health nurses working in Australia. While these earlier standards and practice indicators have played some role in supporting mental health nurses they have not been nationally or enthusiastically adopted and there are a multitude of reasons for this. This report reviews the current literature available on practice indicators and standards for practice and describes an evidence-based rationale as to why a review and renewal of these is required and why it is important, not just for mental health nurses but to the field of mental health in general. The term ‘practice indicator’ is used, except where a quotation utilises ‘clinical indicator’, to more accurately reflect the broad spectrum of nursing roles, i.e. not all mental health nursing work involves a clinical role.

The Rural Clinical Division: a student journey to rural medicine

Background: The University of Queensland has through an Australian Government initiative, established a Rural Clinical Division (RCD) at four regional sites in the southern and central Queensland. Over the fi rst four years of the existence of the RCD, an integrated package of innovative medical education has been developed. Method: The integrated aspects of the RCD program include: The Rural Medical Rotation: Every medical student undertakes an eight week rural rotation in Year 3. Year 3 and 4 MBBS - 100 students are currently spending one to two years in the rural school and demand is increasing. Interprofessional Education - Medical and Allied Health students attend lectures, seminars and workshops together and often share the same rural clinical placement. Rural health projects - allow students to undertake a project of benefi t to the rural community. Information Technology (IT) - the Clinical Discussion Board (CDB) and Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) demonstrate the importance of IT to medical students in the 21st century. Changing the Model of Medical Education - The Leichhardt Community Attachment Placement (LCAP), is a pilot study that resulted in the addition of three interns to the rural workforce. All aspects of the RCD are evaluated with surveys using both qualitative and quantitative free response questions, completed by all students regularly throughout the academic year. Results: Measures of impact include: Student satisfaction and quality of teaching surveys – 86-91% of students improved their clinical skills and understanding across all rotations. Academic results and progress – RCD students out-perform their urban colleagues. Intent to work in rural areas – 90% of students reported a greater interest in rural medicine. Intern numbers – rural / regional intern placements are increasing. Conclusions: The RCD proves to be a site for innovations all designed to help reach our primary goal of fostering increased recruitment of a rural medical workforce.