Newspapers, the early modern public sphere and the 1704-5 Worcester affair

This paper shows how the proliferation of Scottish newspapers and pamphlets in 1704-5 contributed to an international crisis in Anglo-Scottish relations over the Worcester piracy case and influenced the chain of events leading to the Union of 1707. It considers how far a Habermasian concept of the modern public sphere can be applied to this case. It finds that while newspapers helped to shape public opinion and events in what might be termed a public sphere, there is not a strong fit with the Habermasian model and the case is better understood in terms of an early modern public sphere

Taking on New Roles to Address 21st Century Problems

Co-creation: Viewing Partnerships through a New Lens, provided a fresh look at public private partnerships and the collective work forged by the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy (CCP), the Connecticut Early Childhood Funder Collaborative, and the State of Connecticut (Bowie, 2016). The partnership offered the opportunity to explore co-creation as a new paradigm and lens with which to design and assess collective work, particularly when trying to achieve large-scale systems change.In employing co-creation, the partnership established new structures and adopted processes that enabled a diverse group of individuals and entities to voluntarily contribute their skills, expertise, and resources to create a state level early childhood systems approach in Connecticut. This co-creation process also resulted in important transformations within the entities involved.For CCP, it was an opportunity to explore and test a new role and working structure in direct response to the evolving needs and desires within Connecticut's philanthropic community. Over the last 47 years, CCP has functioned as a network of various types of philanthropic organizations. CCP connects grantmakers to address issues both individually and collectively, is a resource for grantmaking where funders can access critical information and services, and is a voice for philanthropy representing the philanthropic sector to key audiences (Strategic Plan, Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, 2014).Within the public-private partnership, CCP established a new working relationship with the Early Childhood Funder Collaborative and with state government, which ultimately shifted the role of CCP. This new role moved beyond offering the typical program management and administrative support and in doing so gained the ability to bring forth different perspectives and new strategies in order to strengthen philanthropy's contribution to systems change. This shift was also in alignment with, and furthered, the mission of the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy to promote and support effective philanthropy for the public good

National opinion and the press in Scotland before the union of 1707

Vigorous extra-parliamentary public debate over the question of union helped to ensure that Scotland brought into the Union of 1707 a sense of itself as a nation with national opinions. Though the parliamentary electorate remained small, a meaningful number of Scots engaged in public political debate on the question of union. Petitions from shires, burghs and parishes spoke for local communities and pamphleteers presented Scottish voices through archetypal figures such as a ‘country farmer’. This allowed opponents to declare that incorporating union was inconsistent with ‘the publickly expressed mind of the nation’. After the Union, extra-parliamentary national opinion continued to be expressed and sustained by the Scottish press and petitions, contributing to the maintenance of Scottish national identity within the United Kingdom

Co-Creation: The Public Sector Perspective

This article continues to explore the partnership between the State of Connecticut, the Connecticut Early Childhood Funder Collaborative, and the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy. These three entities have been working to coordinate their efforts toward a shared goal of establishing a statewide early childhood system, reducing the fragmented array of Connecticut's existing early childhood services and supports, and improving outcomes for young children and their families across the State.Independently and collectively, each partner continues to adopt new processes and working structures that enable the voluntary contribution of their diverse skills, expertise, and resources to create a new approach to early childhood in Connecticut. While clearly not the only constituencies working to improve outcomes for children and families throughout the state, this partnership between the public sector and the philanthropic community has resulted in important transformations within all entities involved. This paper highlights the role of the public sector within this public-private partnership, and, more specifically, the experience and perspectives of those working within state government

Co-Creation: Viewing Partnerships Through A New Lens

Collaboration remains an on-going discourse throughout the funder community, but little has been written about explorations or innovations into different ways of working collectively, beyond what was established decades ago.The Connecticut legislation calling for a greater coordination of efforts to improve early childhood outcomes explicitly invited "philanthropic organizations" to partner in the development of new policies and a systematic approach for supporting young children and families. The Connecticut Early Childhood Funder Collaborative emerged as the platform for philanthropy to do this work.Similar to other funder collective endeavors, the Collaborative and the state can claim short-term success. They not only had tangible results, but each valued their ability to coalesce to achieve those results. The difference in this effort was the melding of knowledge, networks and funding in a new paradigm. The more difficult question is whether the short-term endeavor creates the necessary conditions to sustain their efforts long enough to realize true systems change and improved outcomes for children and families.For large-scale systems change, co-creation may be a more fitting approach; it acknowledges self-interest, existing alongside shared goals and purpose, as necessary to sustain voluntary efforts. Co-creation is predicated on the notion that traditional top-down planning or decision-making should give way to a more flexible participatory structure, where diverse constituencies are invited in to collectively solve problems.Co-creation doesn't give priority to the group or the individual, but instead supports and encourages both simultaneously. In co-created endeavors, a shared identity isn't needed; members continue to work toward their own goals in pursuit of the common result. Co-creation enables individuals to work side by side, gaining an understanding of the goals, resources, and constraints that drive the behaviors of others, and adjusting accordingly to maintain a mutually beneficial gain.The partnership of the Connecticut Early Childhood Funder Collaborative, the State, and the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy was not originally structured to be an example of co-creation. It does, though, possess many of the attributes of successful co-creation endeavors. Recognizing these similarities in structure and purpose holds much promise to help the public and private sectors understand not only what to sustain, but how best to organize and continue working to achieve the long-term goal

Constitution questions are not new

Considers historical precedents for the writing of a new Scottish constitution in the event of a yes vote in the 2014 referendum. Argues that the tensions inherent in the Union of Crowns (1603-1707) led the Scots to write and rewrite their constitution through new parliamentary statutes and coronation oaths regulating the powers of the monarchy

Shortjaw kokopu (Galaxias postvectis Clarke) distribution, habitat selection and seasonal activity in the northern Tararua Ranges : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of a Masters of Science in Ecology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Freshwater fish communities were surveyed at 59 sites in the Mangatainoka, Makakahi and Ruamahanga catchments of the northeastern Tararua Ranges during 2000/01. At each site, habitat characteristics were recorded and fish identified by spotlighting over a 100 m reach. Benthic invertebrate samples were also collected from 50 of these sites. Shortjaw kokopu (Galaxias postvectis Clarke) occurred at 16 sites, located in the Mangatainoka and Makakahi catchments only. Ninty-five shortjaw kokopu were caught in total, ranging from juveniles (120 mm), with adults comprising approximately 75% of the population. Six other fish species were also recorded. Koaro (G. brevipinnis GÜnther), longfin eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii Gray), Cran's bully (Gobiomorphus basalis Gray), torrentfish (Cheimarrichthys fosteri Haast) and brown trout (Salrmo trutta Linnaeus) all co-occurred with shortjaw kokopu; and a single banded kokopu (G. fasciatus Gray) was found in the Ruamahanga catchment. Discriminant analysis found six habitat factors defined shortjaw kokopu presence. These were low percentages of debris jams, pasture and backwaters; high percentages of shrubs and riffles; and high conductivity. The invertebrate community also proved effective at predicting shortjaw kokopu presence. However, it appears that shortjaw kokopu are limited in distribution by recruitment rather than habitat. Different age classes of shortjaw kokopu were also found to use distinct microhabitats. Sand substrate, pool length, width at the top of the pool, velocity, gradient below the pool, and cobble in the habitat above the pool were found to discriminate between the age class microhabitats. At three sites in the Mangatainoka River, surveys were undertaken monthly, for 16 months. Number of shortjaw kokopu observed was greatly reduced at all three sites during winter and at a maximum in autumn. This showed that shortjaw kokopu exhibited reduced activity rather than seasonal movements within the catchment. Three methods for surveying fish communities were tested on shortjaw kokopu. Gee-minnow traps failed to catch any shortjaw kokopu, but electrofishing and spotlighting both proved effective. While spotlighting caught more shortjaw kokopu at more sites, no significant difference in performance was found between the two methods

Impact of Selected Infrared Wavelengths Treatment on Inactivation of Microbes on Rough Rice

Formation of harmful microbes and their associated mycotoxins on rough rice during storage present negative socioeconomic impacts to producers and consumers. The objective for this study was to investigate the impact of treating rough rice with selected infrared (IR) wavelengths at different IR intensities and heating durations, followed by a tempering step for further inactivation of microbes (mold and bacteria) on the grain. Freshly-harvested long-grain, hybrid, rough rice (XL 745) with initial moisture content (IMC) of 18.4% wet basis (w.b.) was used. Two-hundred grams (200 g) of the samples were treated at different IR wavelengths (λ) which were 3.2, 4.5, and 5.8 μm for 10, 20 and 30 seconds (s) at product-to-emitter gaps of 110, 275, 440 mm. This was then followed by tempering the grain; putting them in air-tight jars and held at a constant temperature of 60 oC for 4 hours (h). The inoculated Petrifilm plates for mold and bacterial analyses were incubated at 25oC for 120 h and 35oC for 48 h respectively. . The samples treated at wavelength 3.2 μm (product-to-emitter gap 110 mm) for 30 s showed the highest reduction in mold and bacterial load; approximately 3.11 and 1.09 log reduction in the mold and bacterial loads, respectively. Tempering treatment further reduced the microbial load at each IR treatment condition. Molds showed more susceptibility to the IR decontamination than bacteria population. This study provides useful information on the effectiveness of IR heating and tempering on microbial inactivation on rough rice

1707 and a Nation Divided on Union

Assesses attempts to create a closer union between Scotland and England in the Union of Crowns period (1603-1717). Observes that those opposed to closer union insisted first on parliamentary, and then popular approval of any union proposal. The desire to resist union generated radical ideas about the political rights and power of the people, but ultimately the making of the union in 1706-7 ratified the concept of parliamentary sovereignty in the new United Kingdom

Poverty, Disability and Social Exclusion: New Strategies for Achieving Inclusive Development

[Excerpt] Despite international investments in development initiatives targeted to people who have a disability – investments by domestic governments in support to people who have a disability and commitments by governments to international and domestic human rights commitments – little if any progress has been made in improving the economic, political or social status of people who have a disability in developing countries. To understand why people with disabilities continue to be among the most disadvantaged people in the world we must consider how people with disabilities are perceived by policy makers and how development policy addresses disability. If real progress is to be made in achieving better lives for people with disabilities both the perception of people with disabilities and our policy objectives must change. This paper outlines the need for a shift from disability policy to inclusive development policy and proposes that civil society organizations require expanded strategies to contribute to this shift. The global strategy developed by Inclusion International to promote the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities and their families in the UN Millennium Development Goals illustrates what this shift means for an international disability organization and demonstrates how we can “link local voices to global change”