Children as Bearers of Culture: How Authorities Interpret Law Protecting Culture in International Adoption

How is culture protected in transnational and transracial adoption? Through the examination of international, national and local laws and policies, I look at how culture is at once a global, national, racial, and individual attribute and at what aspects of these varying definitions of culture are deemed so important by adoption authorities that they are protected through policy. A content analysis of international conventions, the policies of China, Russia, Guatemala, and Native American tribes as sending countries, and the procedures of adoption agencies shows how global ideas of culture are reinterpreted to have specific meanings. I found that international laws use global ideas of culture to protect the cultural identity of individual children, national laws protect national cultural ideals, and the local adoption agencies protect nationalized, racialized, or individualized aspects of culture. This analysis also shows how using these varying aspects of culture when trying to protect children’s culture can generalize ideas of culture and exclude protection of subcultures that a child may belong to within these national or racial categories. How adoption authorities include cultural provisions in policy show what aspects of culture are valued enough to protect and can in turn show how children are viewed. The different laws protect and give meaning to children as individuals, members of families, and representatives of nations and races

An analysis of the implementation of PEPFAR's anti-prostitution pledge and its implications for successful HIV prevention among organizations working with sex workers

Introduction: Since 2003, US government funding to address the HIV and AIDS pandemic has been subject to an anti-prostitution clause. Simultaneously, the efficacy of some HIV prevention efforts for sex work in areas receiving US government funding has diminished. This article seeks to explain why. Methods: This analysis utilizes a case story approach to build a narrative of defining features of organizations in receipt of funding from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and other US funding sources. For this analysis, multiple cases were compiled within a single narrative. This helps show restrictions imposed by the anti-prostitution clause, any lack of clarity of guidelines for implementation and ways some agencies, decision-making personnel, and staff on the ground contend with these restrictions. Results: Responses to PEPFAR's anti-prostitution clause vary widely and have varied over time. Organizational responses have included ending services for sex workers, gradual phase-out of services, cessation of seeking US government HIV funds and increasing isolation of sex workers. Guidance issued in 2010 did not clarify what was permitted. Implementation and enforcement has been dependent in part on the interpretations of this policy by individuals, including US government representatives and organizational staff. Conclusions: Different interpretations of the anti-prostitution clause have led to variations in programming, affecting the effectiveness of work with sex workers. The case story approach proved ideal for working with information like this that is highly sensitive and vulnerable to breach of anonymity because the method limits the potential to betray confidences and sources, and limits the potential to jeopardize funding and thereby jeopardize programming. This method enabled us to use specific examples without jeopardizing the organizations and individuals involved while demonstrating unintended consequences of PEPFAR's anti-prostitution pledge in its provision of services to sex workers and clients

A Comparative Analysis of Vanpool and Single Occupant Commuters' Self-Reported Stress Level Before and After the Commute

Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Anchorage in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCEStress—and its impact on personal health and overall wellness—is a well-researched topic. Countless studies are devoted to the effects of stress and its correlation to various aspects of life, including the topic of transportation choice. There has been significant research conducted regarding both stress and commute choices. However, there is limited empirical data specific to vanpools. The purpose of this study is to examine whether commuters who utilize a vanpool (VP) to commute to and from work experience less stress than their single-occupant vehicle (SOV) counterparts. Survey respondents provided their personally perceived level of stress both before and after their commute. The results provide insight into the effects of stress when choosing a vanpool as a primary commute mode. This information can help people understand motivating factors that may save time and money, and benefit the environment based on their commute choice.Abstract / Background / Topic Choice / Research Methodology / Hypothesis / Analysis Tools / Survey Methodology / Survey Design / Survey Implementation / Outcomes / The Fine Print / Recommendations / Closing Remarks / References / List of Exhibits / Acknowledgement

The Use of Raids to Fight Trafficking in Persons

This report summarizes the findings of a human rights documentation project conducted by the Sex Workers Project in 2007 and 2008 to explore the impacts and effectiveness of current anti-trafficking approaches in the US from a variety of perspectives. It is among the first efforts since the passage of the TVPA to give voice to the perspectives of trafficked persons and sex workers who have experienced anti-trafficking raids. A total of 46 people were interviewed for this report, including immigrant sex workers and trafficked persons who have experienced raids or otherwise had contact with law enforcement, along with service providers, attorneys, and law enforcement personnel. The data collected from this small to medium-sized sample is extremely rich, and suggests that vice raids conducted by local law enforcement agencies are an ineffective means oflocating and identifying trafficked persons. Our research also reveals that vice raids and federal anti-trafficking raids are all too frequently accompanied by violations of the human rights of trafficked persons and sex workers alike, and can therefore be counterproductive to the underlying goals of anti-trafficking initiatives.Our findings suggest that a rights-based and "victim-centered" approach to trafficking in persons requires the development and promotion of alternate methods of identifying and protecting the rights of trafficked persons which prioritizethe needs, agency, and self-determination of trafficking survivors.They also indicate that preventative approaches, which address the circumstances that facilitate trafficking in persons, should be pursued over law enforcement based responses

NOTHING IS OVER: FTCA CLAIMS FOR TOXIC TORTS ON NATIVE LANDS

In 1976, Congress passed the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) to curtail the growing problem of disposing of hazardous waste and toxic substances generally. Decades prior, Congress established the Federal Tort Claims Act (“FTCA”) to hold the federal Government liable for tortious conduct the same way a private citizen would be. The federal government assumed the responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of Native Nations (“NN”). This is commonly referred to the “Trust Doctrine.” This duty stems from the settlement of Native American lands, and a recognition of the treaties entered into by the United States with a “moral [obligation] of the highest responsibility and trust” towards NNs. Although often necessary to encourage government action, the Discretionary Function Exception (“DFE”) to the FTCA, has substantially prevented private citizens from gaining redress for harms from toxic torts caused by the federal government. Like the DFE, the Snyder Act, 25 U.S.C. § 13 allows the discretion of the Secretary of the Interior for dealing with Indian Affairs. This note looks at strategies for the use of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), The Snyder Act, and the Trust Doctrine to overcome the DFE for NN’s looking for ways to successfully bring FTCA claims against the government for Agency actions that are unacceptable for the environment and public health and safety

An economic analysis of crops and land use localizations in the Tungabhadra Irrigaiton Project of Mysore State, Inda

A system of Improved land use localizations for controlling the use of irrigation water is proposed for the Tungabhadra Irrigation Project (TBP) in Mysore State, India. Land use localizations determine which crops, to what extent, and in what season they can be grown. Lands are localized for light irrigated crops or for heavy irrigated paddy. To insure high levels of total production from a limited water supply, the great majority of land was initially localized for light irrigated crops. Localization regulations, however, are not being strictly enforced. This has resulted in farmers\u27 growing more paddy, which appears to be the preferred crop, than is authorized. The growing of unauthorized paddy has resulted in a disorderly distribution of water and in frequent shortages. The general objective of this study is to construct an economic model for use in analyzing agricultural phenomena in the black soil area of the TBP. The Fortieth Distributary was selected as the unit of analysis and representative farms were constructed for this distributary based on primary resource data collected from a random sample of farmers. This study investigates the profitability of various dryland and irrigated crops grown on the representative farms assuming that localization regula-tions are strictly enforced. Linear programming analysis is used to determine the most profitable crops grown on representative farms under two sets of locali-zation regulations for the Fortieth Distributary. Also, three models are considered in which various levels of operating credit and land developed for irrigation are assumed to be available. An aggregate analysis is also made to determine the total input requirements and production that are likely on the distributary under six different sets of localization regulations. Each set of regulations differs with respect to amount of acres of paddy allowed, and/or the seasons in which various crops can be grown, and/or the exact dates when irrigation water becomes available and terminates. The same representative farms used in the crop analysis are used in the aggregate analysis. Aggregate results are determined under assumed conditions of unlimited operating credit and unlimited land developed for irrigation. Results of the crop analysis show that paddy may not be a preferred crop on many farms when localization regulations are enforced. The results show that in situations of limited operating capital the dry land crops compete favorably with irrigated crops, primarily because of the higher returns per rupee invested in cash inputs on the dryland crops. If operating credit is actually as limited to farmers as it was assumed to be in the limited operating credit model then the higher returns per rupee invested for the dryland crops may explain why many farmers have not adopted irrigation. It was found that paddy competes favorably with the light irrigated crops where developed land and capital are plentiful. However, when developed land is limited it is generally more profitable to double crop with two light irrigated short duration crops than to grow one crop of longer duration paddy. Results of the aggregate analysis show that there are significant differences in aggregate production from a given supply of water, depend-ing on the set of localization regulations that Is In force* In general, there Is little justification for using water for paddy if total produc-tion Is the major goal In the TBP. Also, It was found that a set of localization regulations that allows a broad range of possibilities for double cropping light Irrigated crops will yield greater total production. It was found that summer Irrigation of light Irrigated crops results In considerably less production because of heavy water requirements during this season and, also, because some of the more profitable light Irrigated crops cannot be grown during the summer

An investigation of an innovative power pack and motor for a compressed air car of practical performance

This thesis investigates the design and potential of an automobile that is powered by compressed air supplied from an on board store charged by a separate compressor. That store is a carbon fibre sphere of 250 litres capacity and, once charged with compressed air to 30MPa, has a specific energy density the equal of conventional Ni-Mh electrochemical batteries. It is shown that this store can be built to a safe international standard and it is reasonable that the store can be expected to have a life equivalent to the life of the vehicle. In contrast, all electric vehicle batteries can be expected to have a life of 3 – 5 years. The range and efficiency of the vehicle are contributed to by a lightweight heat pipe based heat exchanger that takes heat from ambient air and uses it to raise the temperature of the compressed air stream that is initially at 60K below ambient temperatures. The compressed air stream’s temperature is raised to within 10K of the ambient temperature and that increase in enthalpy makes a significant difference to the performance of the system. It is shown that this is equivalent to at least a 13% increase in storage capacity. The inclusion of this heat exchanger increases the system energy density to equal the best Ni-Mh electrochemical batteries. Almost all electric battery vehicles have a regenerative braking system that collects a proportion of the vehicles braking energy, normally lost to the environment. This project has investigated a unique design of regenerative braking system that uses a heat pipe heat exchanger to collect the heat resulting from braking. Those heat pipes then transfer the heat to a water/alcohol based heat store. Further heat pipes transfer the heat to the compressed air flow once the vehicle is moving and re-uses that energy to further increase the energy available to the compressed air motor/prime mover. The first system tested was an open system that allowed the hot air to escape to the atmosphere after one pass through the heat exchanger. Whilst being an easily implemented system it proved to be inefficient at capturing the heat of braking and it was replaced by a closed system in which the hot air was recirculated through the brake and heat exchanger. This final system achieved an efficiency of 70% with potential for further improvements. It is believed that this is the first system of its type to be used in this kind of application. In order to maximise the range of any future compressed air driven vehicle it was necessary to design a new kind motor. The basic design is that of a rotary multi-vane expander. In order to maximise the motor’s efficiency, whilst dealing with the wide range of motoring demands that a commuting vehicle can expect to make upon its motor, it was necessary to make several elements of the motor’s geometry adaptable. Some of these can vary their geometry whilst the motor is in operation. Initial tests suggest an efficiency of 88% has been achieved but higher efficiencies are expected with further work