“They might as well be walking around the inside of a biscuit tin”: Barriers to Employment and Reintegration for ‘Politically Motivated’ Former Prisoners in Northern Ireland

The prisoner provisions under the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement clearly emphasised the importance of the reintegration and civic inclusion of ‘politically motivated’ former prisoners; however, numerous barriers to full reintegration remain. Even though these prisoners were released as part of a peace process, based on principles of conflict transformation and reconciliation, there were still The prisoner provisions under the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement emphasised the importance of the reintegration and civic inclusion of ‘politically motivated’ former prisoners; however, numerous barriers to full reintegration remain. Notwithstanding the fact that these prisoners were released as part of a peace process, based on principles of conflict transformation and reconciliation, there were still numerous conditions placed upon them as part of their release process and they continued to hold a ‘criminal’ record upon release. As with ‘ordinary’ ex-prisoners, these ‘politically motivated’ former prisoners have subsequently faced numerous obstacles in their attempts to reintegrate back into society, particularly in the area of employment. Recognising that they needed to deal with the consequences of imprisonment, ‘politically motivated’ former prisoners formed numerous self-help organisations to assist in the reintegration process and have mobilised to lobby for protection against the discrimination and unequal treatment experienced by ex-prisoners seeking employment. This article explores the remaining barriers to employment for ‘politically motivated’ former prisoners and the consequences of these barriers. The article moves to assess how prisoner groups have subsequently used a ‘rights based’ discourse to engage local government in their struggle to overcome existing obstacles before finally concluding that any piecemeal attempt to remove barriers to full reintegration will only impede the longer term conflict transformation process in Northern Ireland.

Tobramycin Inhalation Powder™:a novel drug delivery system for treating chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in cystic fibrosis

Lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF) is typified by the development of chronic airways infection culminating in bronchiectasis and progression to end-stage respiratory disease. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a ubiquitous gram-negative bacteria, is the archetypical CF pathogen and is associated with an accelerated clinical decline. The development and widespread use of chronic suppressive aerosolized antibacterial therapies, in particular Tobramycin Inhalation Solution (TIS), in CF has contributed to reduced lung function decline and improved survival. However, the requirement for the aerosolization of these agents through nebulizers has been associated with increased treatment burden, reduced quality of life and remain a barrier to broader uptake. Tobramycin Inhalation Powder (TIP™) has been developed by Novartis with the express purpose of delivering the same benefits as TIS in a time-effective manner. Administered via the T-326™ (Novartis) Inhaler in four individual 28-mg capsules, TIP can be administered in a quarter of the time of traditional nebulizers and is inherently portable. In clinical studies, TIP has been shown to be safe, result in equivalent or superior reductions in P. aeruginosa sputum density and produce similar improvements in pulmonary function. TIP offers significant advantages in time saving, portability and convenience over traditional nebulized TIS with comparable clinical outcomes for individuals with CF.

'Strange Visitor From Another Planet': Genre, Corporate Identity and the Arrival of American Telefantasy on British Television

While the BBC had been broadcasting television Science Fiction productions from as early as 1938, and Horror since the start of television in 1936, American Telefantasy had no place on British television until ITV’s broadcast of Adventures of Superman (1952-1958) in 1956. It would be easy to assign this absence to the avoidance of popular American programming, but this would ignore the presence of Western and adventure serials imported from the US and Canada for monopoly British television. Similarly, it would be inaccurate to suggest that these imports were purely purchased as thrilling fare to appease a child audience, as it was the commercial ITV that was first to broadcast the more adult-orientated Science Fiction Theatre (1955-7) and Inner Sanctum (1954). This article builds on the work of Paul Rixon and Rob Leggott to argue that these imports were used primarily to supply relatively cheap broadcast material for the new channel, but that they also served to appeal to the notion of spectacular entertainment attached to the new channel through its own productions, such as The Invisible Man (1958-1959) and swashbucklers such as The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-60). However, the appeal was not just to the exciting, but also to the transatlantic, with ITV embracing this conception of America as a modern place of adventure through its imports and its creation of productions for export, incorporating an American lead into The Invisible Man and drawing upon an (inexpensive) American talent pool of blacklisted screenwriters to provide a transatlantic style and relevance to its own adventure series. Where the BBC used its imported serials as filler directed at children, ITV embraced this transatlantic entertainment as part of its identity and differentiation from the BBC.

Distribution and pattern of moraines in Far NE Russia reveal former glacial extent

Here we present a series of six maps illustrating the distribution of end moraines in Far NE Russia. The maps are the first to systematically document the distribution of moraines across this region from the Verkhoyansk Mountains at the westernmost limit of our study area to the Chukchi Peninsula in the NE and to Kamchatka in the south, covering almost 4 million km2. Moraines were identified and mapped from analysis of satellite images and digital elevation model data. A total of 2173 moraines are identified, and we highlight some 197 more speculative features (perhaps moraines) that require further investigation. The distribution of moraines indicates that much of the region, now largely ice-free, was formerly occupied by glaciers centred upon the region’s uplands and that glacier outlets were typically < 200 km in length. The maps demonstrate the usefulness of remote sensing to derive an improved understanding of the glacial history of this vast and isolated region, and we present them to stimulate further work and act as a systematic framework for targeted geochronometric dating.

Children of the revolution: parents, children and the revolutionary struggle in late imperial Russia

While there has been a considerable growth in scholarly interest in Russian child- hood and youth, the presence of children in the revolutionary movement has largely been overlooked. Studies of female revolutionaries have acknowledged that family concerns often had an impact on women’s party careers, but few have explored fully the relationship between mothers and their children. Similarly, “general” historical works on the Russian revolution have rarely engaged with questions about the family lives of the predominantly male party members. This article will assess how becoming a parent affected the careers of both male and female revolutionaries, as well as the ways in which familial concerns and the presence of children had an impact on the movement itself. It will highlight that children could have both positive and negative effects on the operations of the underground, at times disrupting activities, but at others proving to be useful decoys and helpers. Children’s attitudes to their parents’ revolutionary careers will also be examined, highlighting that while some children wished they had less politically active parents, others enthusiastically helped the movement. Though expanding the scholarly gaze on the Russian underground to take in the presence of children does not change the grand narrative of the revolution, it enriches our understanding considerably and offers a new insight into the daily struggles of the revolutionary movement.

Treatment options for cutaneous warts in family practice

Natural regression should not be advocated as a treatment option for cutaneous warts, given the infectious nature of this condition. Although there are numerous treatments for this condition reported in the literature, many trials are uncontrolled and many regimens are unsuitable for general practice. Specific treatment is influenced by age of patients, number and sites of warts and availability of treatment. This paper reviews the international literature on treatment methods, with particular emphasis on effectiveness, patient acceptability and application in family practice.

A computerized audit of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug prescribing in general practice

The two group practices based in a city health centre decided to prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in generic form from an agreed date. The practices' computer was used to identify the number of repeat prescriptions being issued for this group of drugs and to monitor the effectiveness of the changeover. Although both practices showed a marked increase in the level of generic prescribing there was considerable interpractice variation. Generic prescribing for one practice increased from 4% to 64% and for the other from 1% to 38% of repeat prescriptions issued for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs over the study period. The reasons for this variation, the advantages of computerized audit and the problems associated with this self-imposed audit are discussed.