Trafficking in human beings and Foucauldian biopower : A case study in the expansion of the human rights phenomenon

Trafficking in human beings has become one of the most talked about criminal concerns of the 21st century. But this is not all that it has become. Trafficking has also been declared as one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time. In this sense, it has become a part of the expansion of the human rights phenomenon. Although it is easy to see that the crime of trafficking violates several of the human rights of its victims, it is still, in its essence, a fairly conventional although particularly heinous and often transnational crime, consisting of acts between private actors, and lacking, therefore, the vertical effect associated traditionally with human rights violations. This thesis asks, then, why, and how, has the anti-trafficking campaign been translated in human rights language. And even more fundamentally: in light of the critical, theoretical studies surrounding the expansion of the human rights phenomenon, especially that of Costas Douzinas, who has declared that we have come to the end of human rights as a consequence of the expansion and bureaucratization of the phenomenon, can human rights actually bring salvation to the victims of trafficking? The thesis demonstrates that the translation process of the anti-trafficking campaign into human rights language has been a complicated process involving various actors, including scholars, feminist NGOs, local activists and global human rights NGOs. It has also been driven by a complicated web of interests, the most prevalent one the sincere will to help the victims having become entangled with other aims, such as political, economical, and structural goals. As a consequence of its fragmented background, the human rights approach to trafficking seeks still its final form, consisting of several different claims. After an assessment of these claims from a legal perspective, this thesis concludes that the approach is most relevant regarding the mistreatment of victims of trafficking in the hands of state authorities. It seems to be quite common that authorities have trouble identifying the victims of trafficking, which means that the rights granted to themin international and national documents are not realized in practice, but victims of trafficking are systematically deported as illegal immigrants. It is argued that in order to understand the measures of the authorities, and to assess the usefulness of human rights, it is necessary to adopt a Foucauldian perspective and to observe the measures as biopolitical defence mechanisms. From a biopolitical perspective, the victims of trafficking can be seen as a threat to the population a threat that must be eliminated either by assimilating them to the main population with the help of disciplinary techniques, or by excluding them completely from the society. This biopolitical aim is accomplished through an impenetrable net of seemingly insignificant practices and discourses that not even the participants are aware of. As a result of these practices and discourses, trafficking victims only very few of fit the myth of the perfect victim, produced by biopolitical discourses become invisible and therefore subject to deportation as (risky) illegal immigrants, turning them into bare life in the Agambenian sense, represented by the homo sacer, who cannot be sacrificed, yet does not enjoy the protection of the society and its laws. It is argued, following Jacques Rancière and Slavoj i ek, that human rights can, through their universality and formal equality, provide bare life the tools to formulate political claims and therefore utilize their politicization through their exclusion to return to the sphere of power and politics. Even though human rights have inevitably become entangled with biopolitical practices, they are still perhaps the most efficient way to challenge biopower. Human rights have not, therefore, become useless for the victims of trafficking, but they must be conceived as a universal tool to formulate political claims and challenge power .In the case of trafficking this means that human rights must be utilized to constantly renegotiate the borders of the problematic concept of victim of trafficking created by international instruments, policies and discourses, including those that are sincerely aimed to provide help for the victims.

Kaupunkipurot Helsingissä - Veden laatu vuonna 2004

In recent years urban hydrology and individual urban streams have been in focus and subjects to research also in Helsinki. However, until now there has been lack of research covering simultaneously the whole area of the city of Helsinki. The aim of this study was to find out the general state of water quality in small urban streams in the city of Helsinki. 21 streams were studied: Mätäjoki, Korppaanoja, Mätäpuro, Näsinoja-Tuomarinkylänoja, Tuomarinkartanonpuro, Kumpulanpuro, Tapaninkylänpuro, Tapaninvainionpuro, Puistolanpuro, Longinoja, Säynäslahdenpuro, Viikinoja, Porolahdenpuro, Mustapuro, Marjaniemenpuro, Mellunkylänpuro, Vuosaarenpuro, Rastilanpuro, Ramsinkannaksenpuro, Skatanpuro and Yliskylänpuro. Water samples were collected from 48 sampling points, each stream having at least one point. Four water samples were collected from each point, sampling periods being 9.-11.2., 26.-28.4., 29.6.-1.7. and 25.-27.10.2004. Field measurements associated with water sampling included water temperature, oxygen concentration, pH and electrical conductivity. Water samples were analysed in the Laboratory of Physical Geography in the University of Helsinki and in the Environmental Laboratory of the City of Helsinki Environment Centre for following properties: suspended solids, dissolved substances, alkalinity, principal anions and cations (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, F-, Cl-, NO3-, PO43- and SO42-), colour, turbidity, biological and chemical oxygen demand (BOD7 and CODMn-values), nutrient concentrations and bacterial indicators of hygienic quality. The main water quality issues found in this study were low oxygen levels in many streams and poor hygienic quality at least occasionally. E.g. in summer oxygen levels were under 60 % in every stream. Amount of total dissolved substances and nutrients were high in some of the streams studied. Compared to other Finnish streams the values of alkalinity and pH were higher. Although these problems were common, the variation between different streams and sampling points was significant. This was probably due to local conditions. Best overall water quality was found in Mätäpuro and Tuomarinkartanonpuro streams. Seasonal variation was evident in almost all water quality properties. For example the total amount of dissolved substances was largest in winter and decreased during the year. Colour and turbidity were smallest in winter and increased towards the end of the year. The same was true for suspended solids, which had smallest concentration in winter and greatest in autumn. It must be kept in mind that the spring samples were collected after the spring flood otherwise the largest suspended solid concentrations would have been expected in spring. Finnish general water quality classification was used to assess the quality of urban stream waters. Its suitability for small urban streams is not, however, completely trouble-free. This classification does not take into account the quick changes in such small streams but evaluates only the yearly mean values. This can oversimplify the picture of the water quality situation in the streams. Also in order to better reflect the urban environment the analysed water quality properties should also include total dissolved substances and e.g. concentrations of chloride and sodium.

Incentive compatible mechanisms for group ticket allocation in software maintenance services

A customer reported problem (or Trouble Ticket) in software maintenance is typically solved by one or more maintenance engineers. The decision of allocating the ticket to one or more engineers is generally taken by the lead, based on customer delivery deadlines and a guided complexity assessment from each maintenance engineer. The key challenge in such a scenario is two folds, un-truthful (hiked up) elicitation of ticket complexity by each engineer to the lead and the decision of allocating the ticket to a group of engineers who will solve the ticket with in customer deadline. The decision of allocation should ensure Individual and Coalitional Rationality along with Coalitional Stability. In this paper we use game theory to examine the issue of truthful elicitation of ticket complexities by engineers for solving ticket as a group given a specific customer delivery deadline. We formulate this problem as strategic form game and propose two mechanisms, (1) Division of Labor (DOL) and (2) Extended Second Price (ESP). In the proposed mechanisms we show that truth telling by each engineer constitutes a Dominant Strategy Nash Equilibrium of the underlying game. Also we analyze the existence of Individual Rationality (IR) and Coalitional Rationality (CR) properties to motivate voluntary and group participation. We use Core, solution concept from co-operative game theory to analyze the stability of the proposed group based on the allocation and payments.

Aquaculture Asia, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp.1-58, January-March 2003

*Table of Contents* Sustainable Aquaculture Fertilization, soil and water quality management in small-scale ponds part II:Soil and water quality management S. Adhikari Fisheries and aquaculture activities in Nepal Tek Gurung Peter Edwards writes on rural aquaculture: A knowledge-base for rural aquaculture Farmers as Scientists: Commercialization of giant freshwater prawn culture in India M.C. Nandeesha Aquaculture in reservoir fed canal based irrigation systems of India – a boon for fish production K.M. Rajesh, Mridula R. Mendon, K. N. Prabhudeva and P. Arun Padiyar Research and Farming Techniques Production and grow-out of the Black-lip pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera Idris Lane Breeding of carps using a low-cost, small-scale hatchery in Assam, India: A farmer proven technology S.K. Das Genes and Fish: Hybridisation – more trouble than its worth? Graham Mair Breeding and culture of the sea cucumber Holothuria scabra in Vietnam R. Pitt and N. D. Q. Duy The potential use of palm kernel meal in aquaculture feeds Wing-Keong Ng Using a Simple GIS model to assess development patterns of small-scale rural aquaculture in the wider environment Simon R. Bush Aquaculture fundamentals: Getting the most out of your feed Simon Wilkinson Marine finfish section Status of marine finfish aquaculture in Myanmar U Khin Kolay Regional training course on grouper hatchery production Aquatic Animal Health Advice on aquatic animal health care: Problems in Penaeus monodon culture in low salinity areas Pornlerd Chanratchakool

Desarrollo de servicios para vigilancia tecnológica

[EN]If a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out; but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. Without de ability to observe changing environmental conditions, the frog can find itself boiled alive before realizing it is in trouble. This is known as the boiling frog syndrome. In the same manner, it is impossible to be competitive without knowing and being aware of the environmental changes. From here comes the necessity for the Technological Watch and Competitive Intelligence. The main goals of this project are to evaluate the current Technological Vigilance System of the IK4-Tekniker research center and to develop services that help in improving the system. For that purpose, first of all the Technological Vigilance is going to be placed in the business field and its origins are going to be explained. Following that, the Technological Vigilance system of IK4-Tekniker is going to be analyzed for its evaluation. Finally the creation of the services previously mentioned are going to be described in detail, showing the technologies and tools used for that purpose like the Responsive Web Design.

Zientzien irakaskuntza: Argumentazio gaitasuna eta datuen erabilera sustatzeko esku-hartze proposamen berritzailea

Gaur egun, konpetentzia zientifikoen garapena Lehen Hezkuntzako eskolan gutxi garatuta eta eztabaidagarria den gaia da. Ikasleek kultura zientifikoan murgiltzeko forma aurkitu eta, bereziki, argumentazio gaitasuna garatzen laguntzea, zientziak hitz egiteko aukerak emanez, ez da batere arrunta gure eskoletan. Esku-hartze berritzaile hau egoera honi aurre egiteko eta arazoari irtenbide bat bilatzeko diseinatuta izan da. Honen bidez, Lehen Hezkuntzan zientzienganako interesa sustatzen saiatzen da, zientziako klaseetan datuen erabilerari eta argumentazioari lehentasuna emanez. Ekimena 2013-2014ko martxoan jarri da martxan.