Towards (re)conciliation: the post colonial economy of giving

Paper for presentation at the Wits History Workshop, June 1999, on truth, reconciliation and memory. Draft not to be cited without author's permission.This paper examines three different post-colonial sites where there is a need for reconciliation. The mode of analysis suggested here is based on the notion of post-colonialism. This is not a repudiation of the African past but an engagement with the manner in which Africa has dealt with institutions and practices that it has inherited. The three sites, Australia, Palestine and Rwanda, were examined through the lens of the notion of the uncanny. Although each of these locations is different, they nevertheless share the experience of colonisation. It is an experience which has divided all these societies. The effect on post-colonial subjects living in these societies is one of trauma. It is the uncanny which must be overcome if any genuine process of reconciliation is to take place. It is argued that this can be accomplished through the gift. A post-colonial economy of giving is necessary in order to break down categories and identities which have been ascribed or constructed in order to maintain power structures. A postcolonial economy of giving which is linked inextricably to organic intellectuals and a reconceptualised sense of citizenship is one that can further processes of (re)conciliation

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Assessment of Vaccine Wastage during a Pulse Polio Immunization Programme in India

A study to assess the wastage factor of oral polio vaccine (OPV) in the Pulse Polio Immunization (PPI) programme of the Government of India was undertaken by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) at approximately 31,000 immunization booths all over the country. The study was conducted through the network of 31 Human Reproduction Research Centres (HRRCs) and other ICMR institutes. Wastage at the point of administration of OPV was estimated to be 14.5% with a wastage factor of 1.17 which is well below the assumed wastage of 33% and the corresponding wastage factor of 1.5 in the PPI programme. The wastage and wastage factor as estimated in the present study were also less than the wastage of 25% and the wastage factor of 1.33 recommended by the World Health Organization. Minimum wastage (6.3%) at Kanchipuram and maximum wastage (22.1%) at Kanpur were observed. Further, the wastage of unopened vials and vials during use was also observed following colour changes on the vaccine vial monitor (VVM), indicating poor coldchain maintenance at the immunization site. In total, 13 booths reported wastage of nine or more unopened vials, whereas 19 booths reported wastage of nine or more vials during use because of colour changes on VVM. Other reasons for wastage of vaccine were also observed from a sample of booths. The technology of introducing VVM on OPV vials for monitoring the cold-chain proved useful in situations in which mass vaccination programmes such as PPI are carried out

Two-loop Radiative Neutrino Mechanism in an SU(3)L×U(1)NSU(3)_L\times U(1)_N Gauge Model

By using the $L_e$ - $L_\mu$ - $L_\tau$ symmetry, we construct an $SU(3)_L\times U(1)_N$ gauge model that provides two-loop radiative neutrino masses as well as one-loop radiative neutrino masses. The generic smallness of two-loop neutrino masses leading to $\Delta m^2_\odot$ compared with one-loop neutrino masses leading to $\Delta m^2_{atm}$ successfully explains $\Delta m^2_{atm}$ $>>$ $\Delta m^2_{\odot}$ by invoking the $L_e$ - $L_\mu$ - $L_\tau$ breaking. The Higgs scalar ($h^+$) that initiates radiative mechanisms is unified into a Higgs triplet together with the standard Higgs scalar ($\phi^+$, $\phi^0$) to form ($\phi^+$, $\phi^0$, $h^+$), which calls for three families of lepton triplets: ($\nu^i_L$, $\ell^i_L$, $\omega^i_L$) (i = 1,2,3), where $\omega^i$ denote heavy neutral leptons. The two-loop radiative mechanism is found possible by introducing a singly charged scalar, which couples to $\ell^i_R\omega^j_R$ (i,j = 2,3).Comment: with 10 pages, revtex, including 2 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D (with undefined latex citation indices removed