Issues in Australian Foreign Policy January to June 2001

The first half of 2001 saw traditional issues dominating the foreign policy agenda, with both Australia's relationship with the United States and the policy of Asian engagement still holding centre stage. But those old issues generated fresh anxieties. In the United States, the incoming Bush administration displayed a genuine radicalism in its approach to foreign policy, and that raised concerns in many Western capitals — including Canberra — about a new mood of unilateralism in Washington. At the same time, the emergence of the thesis that Australia was becoming a "branch office economy", where key decisions were taken in the capital markets of New York and London, made the government noticeably more cautious and selective in its endorsement of globalisation. Further, the issue of Asian engagement grew steadily more complex: Australian policy-makers searched unsuccessfully for a new focus for the policy of Asian engagement, as Japan's economy wallowed and Indonesia's democratic government tottered.

Drosophilidae (Diptera) of Australia's Northern Territory: Ecology and biogeography

The drosophilid fauna is well documented in eastern Australia but is poorly known in other parts of the continent. This paper summarises what is known of this fauna in the Northern Territory (NT), and includes results from banana trapping in the humid and arid zones. The 42 recorded species include species that breed in fruit, fungi and/or flowers, and a larval predator of scale insects. Drosophilids occur in all three major climate zones (humid, semiarid and arid) but predominate in the humid zone. Banana-attracted species in the humid zone (wet-dry tropics) were common in all sampled habitats: urban, rainforest and open woodland. They included predominantly urban and/or rainforest species. Of the species collected in open woodland, some are likely to be breeding there, whereas others may have been intercepted during movement across the area. The semiarid fauna is a depauperate version of that found in the humid region. Only three species have been recorded in the arid region: an endemic arid specialist, and two cosmopolitan species (D. simulans and D. melanogaster ) in urban Alice Springs. Overall, the NT drosophilid fauna represents a depauperate version of that found in eastern Australia, probably because of climatic factors and natural barriers to range expansion. There is little evidence of regional endemism, with probably only one (and at most three) species endemic to the NT, and no evidence of independent, natural dispersion from nearby Indonesia.

Peanut resistance to Sclerotinia minor and S-sclerotiorum

The fungi Sclerotinia minor and S. sclerotiorum are the causal agents of two similar diseases of peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.). Both diseases cause significant losses in the Australian peanut industry. Development of cultivars with resistance to Sclerotinia will be an important component of integrated control. The aims of this project are to generate information that will assist in breeding for Sclerotinia resistance in peanut: to identify Sclerotinia-resistant peanut germplasm, to understand the inheritance and estimate heritability of resistance, and to test the effectiveness of identified sources of resistance against both S. minor and S. sclerotiorum. This study has clearly established that material that shows resistance to S. minor in the USA is resistant to S. minor and likely to be resistant to S. sclerotiorum in Australia. The high level of resistance to both S. minor and S. sclerotiorum in germplasm from Texas, particularly TxAG-4, was confirmed. VA 93B showed good resistance in the field, which is primarily due to the open bush type rather than physiological resistance. Physiological resistance to S. minor was also identified in a cultivar and a landrace from Indonesia and a rust-resistant line from Queensland. All germplasm found to have high physiological resistance to S. minor belonged to the Spanish type. Inheritance of physiological resistance to S. minor was studied using a Generation Means Analysis (GMA) of the cross TxAG-4/VA 93B and its reciprocal. The broad-sense heritability of physiological resistance on a single plant basis was estimated at 47%, much higher than earlier estimates obtained in field studies. The average gene action of Sclerotinia resistance genes from TxAG-4 was found to be additive. No dominance effects were detected in the GMA. A small but significant reciprocal effect between TxAG-4 and VA 93B indicated that VA 93B passed on some physiological resistance maternally. An experiment was conducted to confirm the value of resistance against both S. minor and S. sclerotiorum. TxAG-4 was found to have physiological resistance to both S. minor and S. sclerotiorum. This resistance was expressed against both Sclerotinia species by progeny that were selected for resistance to S. minor. On the basis of the information obtained, the comparative advantages of 3 strategies for Sclerotinia-resistant cultivar development are discussed: (1) introduction of germplasm; (2) recurrent backcrossing with screening and crossing in the BCnF1 generation; and (3) pedigree selection. At present, introduction and backcrossing are recommended as the preferred strategies.

Issues in Australian Foreign Policy: January to June 2002

No abstract

Practical and economic advantages of choice feeding systems for laying poultry

Poultry can be managed under different feeding systems, depending on the husbandry skills and the feed available. These systems include the following: (1) a complete dry feed offered as a mash ad libitum; (2) the same feed offered as pellets or crumbles ad libitum; (3) a complete feed with added whole grain; (4) a complete wet feed given once or twice a day; (5) a complete feed offered on a restricted basis; (6) choice feeding. Of all these, an interesting alternative to offering complete diets is choice feeding which can be applied on both a small or large commercial scale. Under choice feeding or free-choice feeding birds are usually offered a choice between three types of feedstuffs: (a) an energy source (e.g. maize, rice bran, sorghum or wheat); (b) a protein source (e.g. soyabean meal, meat meal, fish meal or coconut meal) plus vitamins and minerals and (c), in the case of laying hens, calcium in granular form (i.e. oyster-shell grit). This system differs from the modern commercial practice of offering a complete diet comprising energy and protein sources, ground and mixed together. Under the complete diet system, birds are mainly only able to exercise their appetite for energy. When the environmental temperature varies, the birds either over- or under-consume protein and calcium. The basic principle behind practising choice feeding with laying hens is that individual hens are able to select from the various feed ingredients on offer and compose their own diet, according to their actual needs and production capacity. A choice-feeding system is of particular importance to small poultry producers in developing countries, such as Indonesia, because it can substantially reduce the cost of feed. The system is flexible and can be constructed in such a way that the various needs of a flock of different breeds, including village chickens, under different climates can be met. The system also offers a more effective way to use home-produced grain, such as maize, and by-products, such as rice bran, in developing countries. Because oyster-shell grit is readily available in developing countries at lower cost than limestone, the use of cheaper oyster-shell grit can further benefit small-holders in these countries. These benefits apart, simpler equipment suffices when designing and building a feed mixer on the farm, and transport costs are lower. If whole (unground) grain is used, the intake of which is accompanied by increased efficiency of feed utilisation, the costs of grinding, mixing and many of the handling procedures associated with mash and pellet preparation are eliminated. The choice feedstuffs can all be offered in the current feed distribution systems, either by mixing the ingredients first or by using a bulk bin divided into three compartments.

Stock discrimination and movements of narrow-barred Spanish mackerel across northern Australia as indicated by parasites

The parasite fauna of Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus commerson from 10 sites across northern Australia and one site in Indonesia, was examined to evaluate the degree of movement and subsequent stock structure of the fish. Kupang fish (Indonesia) had very few Terranova spp.. Grillotia branchi, Otobothrium cysticum or Pterobothrium sp. compared to Australian fish, indicating that no Australian fish enter the Kupang fishery. Univariate and discriminant function analysis of four 'temporary' parasite species, the copepod Pseudocyenoides armatus and the monogeneans Gotocotyla bivaginalis, Pricea multae and Pseudothoracocotyla ovalis, demonstrated little similarity between areas of northern Australia, indicating minimal short-term exchange between neighbouring groups of S. commerson. Analyses of five 'permanent' parasite species, the larval helminths G. branchi, O. cysticum, Pterobothrium sp., Callitetrarhynchus gracilis and Paranybelinia balli, also revealed large differences between areas thus indicating long-term separation. There are at least six parasitological stocks across northern Australia: Fog Bay/Bathurst Island, Cape Wessel. Groote/Sir Edward Pellew. Mornington Island, Weipa. and the Torres Strait. The occurrence of a few irregular fish in the samples suggested that LIP to 5% of fish moved between stocks during their lifetime. The similarity of within-school variability to that between schools showed that the fish do not form long-term school associations. (C) 2003 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Local colours for Indonesian National police

As a result of the local autonomy program that commenced in Indonesia in Jan 2001, there is a concern regarding the applicability of the formalized model of security & the possibility of that being replaced by a local community-based security model. This rather informal security model is then promoted to be the only form of security used between societies & the nation. However, this model does not solve the problem because of widespread corruption, collusion, & nepotism, & the many limitations of the Indonesian National Police (Polri), a police department that has a mediocre & generalized level of service. In relation to autonomy, the effort of empowering the police units from the regional police down will bridge the gap between the people's ability to protect themselves & the limitations of those that are sworn to uphold the law. 17 References. Adapted from the source document.

Conselhos municipais de pol??ticas p??blicas: uma an??lise explorat??ria

Os Conselhos Gestores s??o f??runs h??bridos onde se viabiliza a participa????o popular no desenho das pol??ticas p??blicas, nas negocia????es de interesses da coletividade, na elabora????o de programas e projetos sociais e na fiscaliza????o das a????es governamentais. O significado e a dimens??o dos Conselhos para a democracia participativa s??o enormes, justificando a import??ncia da realiza????o deste estudo, que se baseou na an??lise explorat??ria de 12 Conselhos locais do munic??pio mineiro de Vi??osa, com o objetivo de avaliar o desempenho dos mesmos. A avalia????o do desempenho levou em considera????o os mesmos par??metros dimensionais, tanto para a coleta de dados prim??rios quanto para a coleta secund??ria. A coleta de dados prim??rios foi realizada a partir da aplica????o de question??rios semi-estruturados aos presidentes dos Conselhos em an??lise. Utilizou-se o programa SPSS, vers??o 15.0, para an??lise estat??stica das quest??es objetivas dos question??rios e a t??cnica de an??lise de conte??do para exame das quest??es abertas. Ap??s essa etapa, realizou-se um workshop com os presidentes dos Conselhos, visando ?? obten????o de novos dados e informa????es. Os Conselhos municipais analisados apresentaram resultados pouco discrepantes entre a teoria aplicada ao tema e a sua efetiva pr??tica no campo p??blico. Contudo, a pesquisa revelou que o grau de desenvolvimento institucional dos Conselhos n??o ?? homog??neo, ou seja, h?? alguns melhores gestores que outros. A escolha independente e democr??tica dos membros n??o-governamentais dos Conselhos em Vi??osa revelou o seu grau de independ??ncia do Poder Executivo. Por??m, a capacita????o de conselheiros precisa ser implementada para evitar uma desfigura????o dos Conselhos. No que tange ?? governan??a, destacouse em Vi??osa o seu grau e formas de aplicabilidade observadas na gest??o de v??rias pol??ticas. Da mesma forma, foi observado um n??vel de governabilidade que confere legitimidade ??s pol??ticas implementadas. Por fim, verificou-se que a efetividade da accountability societal tem sido instrumentalizada pelos Conselhos no ??mbito das diversas pol??ticas setoriais. J?? os dados secund??rios da an??lise foram obtidos por meio das s??nteses dos relat??rios de fiscaliza????o de munic??pios do Estado de Minas Gerais, realizadas pela Controladoria Geral da Uni??o. Foram identificados todos os registros pertinentes aos Conselhos Gestores Municipais do Estado de Minas Gerais, no per??odo de 2003 a 2006. Verificou-se que os maiores problemas se referem aos Conselhos Municipais de Sa??de e Assist??ncia Social. Entre as in??meras falhas apontadas, destacam-se problemas graves na constitui????o e operacionaliza????o dos Conselhos, resultando na inoper??ncia desses mecanismos nos munic??pios fiscalizados. A avalia????o do desempenho dos Conselhos locais de Vi??osa possibilitou concluir que esses mecanismos apresentaram um desempenho bem satisfat??rio na gest??o e controle das pol??ticas p??blicas no munic??pio.

Das prescrições às práticas de pesquisa/formação compartilhadas : o lugar do livro didático na educação física

Investiga o livro didático na Educação Física tendo como fonte a produção acadêmica publicada em periódicos, a forma e conteúdo de sete propostas didáticopedagógicas e a análise de proposta construída pelo Proteoria, que tem como eixo central as práticas pedagógicas de professores. Caracteriza-se como uma pesquisa plurimetodológica, utilizando-se de estudo bibliográfico, documental e da (auto)biografia. Na pesquisa bibliográfica, mapeia e analisa textos que abordam propostas didático-pedagógicas para o ensino da Educação Física e aponta aumento de interesse sobre o tema, sobretudo a partir da década de 2000, publicações que têm sido produzidas na relação de parceria entre consultores das universidades e professores das instituições escolares, valorizando a participação dos docentes. Na pesquisa documental, analisa sete propostas didáticopedagógicas com o objetivo de investigar, nas suas formas, os dispositivos de leitura elaborados para projetar as práticas pedagógicas, e, no conteúdo, as representações sobre identidade da Educação Física como componente curricular. Conclui que essas propostas são produto da parceria entre universidade e instituições escolares, dialogando com os professores das redes de ensino. Suas formas e conteúdo indicam relação com as atuais políticas nacionais de reconfiguração da educação básica pelos princípios da integralização, interdisciplinaridade em áreas de conhecimento, especialmente no ensino médio. Na pesquisa (auto)biográfica, ao investigar o livro didático produzido pelos professores de Educação Física das redes de ensino da Grande Vitória-ES em parceria com docentes e alunos da Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, observa coerências entre o propósito do projeto, como o protagonismo e autoria do professor, a produção de conhecimento a partir das experiências e o livro didático como caixa de utensílios. Discute, ainda, a necessidade de se aprofundar a progressão e complexidade dos conteúdos, o diálogo entre diferentes conhecimentos escolares e a valorização do protagonismo dos alunos na produção de livros didáticos.

Carta aberta aos presidentes Obama e Putin pelo avião abatido

A negligência é punível e não pode deixar de ser punível. É urgente a investigação, é urgente a acusação e o julgamento escorreito desse conjunto de energúmenos que, por puro dolo, ou puro atrofiamento mental, foram capazes de tais acções ou omissões. Caso não haja qualquer outra hipótese em termos legais internacionais, deverá ser criado – se for necessário, adequado e proporcional - um Tribunal had hoc internacional que julgue com especificidade este caso concreto. Basta de impunidade perante situações injustas como esta, onde tudo acaba por terminar no esquecimento. Abstract: Negligence is punishable and can only be punishable. There is an urgent investigation, it is urgent to prosecution and the trial this group of lunatics who, by pure malice, or pure mental atrophy, were capable of such acts or omissions. If there is no other choice in international law, should be created - if necessary, appropriate and proportionate - a Court had international hoc judges with this specific case. No more impunity unjust situations like this, where everything turns out to finish the wayside.

PÁSCOA, CRUZADOS E GENOCÍDIOS (M/18)

“Acredita-se que mais de cem milhões de cristãos enfrentam perseguições diariamente em todo o mundo por causa da sua fé em Jesus Cristo”, Eric Metaxas, “comparou a atitude da maior parte das lideranças cristãs com o silêncio dos cristão no tempo da Alemanha nazi”, Metaxas escreveu uma biografia de Dietrich Bonhoeffer, torturado e morto pelos nazis – 1906/45, foi um teólogo pastor luterano e membro da resistência anti-nazi, tendo estado envolvido com o Almirante Canaris da Abwehr para assassinar Hitler. Bonhoeffer, que foi um crítico das perseguições aos judeus, tinha por lema: “O silêncio diante do mal é o próprio mal”. § "It is believed that over one hundred million Christians face persecution every day around the world because of their faith in Jesus Christ," Eric Metaxas, "compared the attitude of most Christian leaders with Christian of silence in the German time Nazi, "Metaxas wrote a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, tortured and killed by the Nazis - 1906/45, was a pastor Lutheran theologian and member of the anti-Nazi resistance, having been involved with Admiral Canaris of the Abwehr to assassinate Hitler. Bonhoeffer, who was a critic of the persecution of Jews, had a motto: "Silence in the face of evil is evil itself."

Electronic government policies in Brazil: context, ICT management and outcomes

The State Reform processes combined with the emergence and use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) originated electronic government policies and initiatives in Brazil. This paper dwells on Brazilian e-government by investigating the institutional design it assumed in the state's public sphere, and how it contributed to outcomes related to e-gov possibilities. The analyses were carried out under an interpretativist perspective by making use of Institutional Theory. From the analyses of interviews with relevant actors in the public sphere, such as state secretaries and presidents of public ICT companies, conclusions point towards low institutionalization of e-gov policies. The institutional design of Brazilian e-gov limits the use of ICT to provide integrated public services, to amplify participation and transparency, and to improve public policies management.