Public accountability, public accounts committee and constitutional design: a case study of Fiji

This paper discusses the constitutional provisions relating to Fiji’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC). While many Pacific jurisdictions have inherited the British Westminster system, there is variation in their constitutions with regards to PACs -- specifically the mandate, composition, and leadership of the PAC. Most research and international best practice recommends that PACs must be chaired by a non-government member and should also be dominated by non-government members. Such a structure is argued to enhance the independence of PACs, which will in turn lead to a more effective scrutiny of government spending. While some Pacific Island Countries (PICs) have PAC provisions stipulated in their constitutions, the authority of PACs in Fiji stems from Parliamentary Standing Orders. The differences in the constitutional authority of PACs provides greater discretion to Fiji’s Parliament, and other countries in the Pacific with similar structures, to change aspects of PACs. In 2014, the Fiji Parliament made an unprecedented move to amend Standing Orders, which allows a Government member to chair the PAC. Fiji’s case highlights post-colonial states’ growing awareness that the “rules of the game” can be changed and may be a catalyst for other PICs to circumvent parliamentary oversight systems and institutions

Teachers of Color\u27s Perception on Identity and Academic Success: A Reflective Narrative

Research and scholarship in multicultural education has consistently affirmed that as a result of the long standing racial academic achievement gap and the current teaching force not reflecting the changing demographics of students in the United States, students of color continue to be deprived from having teachers who look like them and who may bring similar life, social, and cultural experiences that can increase the value they place on academics. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of teachers of color and how they perceive their identity as significant and meaningful to their profession and its influential impact on the academic success of students of color. It is the role-model premise that students can benefit from seeing teachers with similar racial/ethnic background in a position of authority in school. This research was grounded on the depth that qualitative inquiry brings to the field of education and was critical to the ongoing thematic interpretation of teachers of colors’ often preconceived views of identity. Findings were extracted from 14 teachers of color participants who were engaged in a reflective process that revealed emerging themes from their individual and common perceptions and experiences. This study affirms that teachers of color are vital in the education system and as anticipated, their reflective narratives each produced a landscape of stories that brought meaning into their different backgrounds, personal stories, challenges, belief system, and career that surfaced their initial motivation for entering the teaching profession. This study is also embedded within a framework that draws particularly from two theoretical lenses; identity theory and identity construction theory. Employing identity studies to teachers is an extension of ways in which theoretical views intersects with teachers’ lives, experiences and perceptions of their role and educational practices. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu)

Naming ranges in Excel

When working with functions in Excel you can reference a range of cells by simply selecting the cells. For instance if you wanted to sum all your first month sales located in the range B3:B16, the function would be =SUM(B3:B16)

Regional integration 2.0 : facilitating regional integration and development with collaborative technologies

The current global economic instability and the vulnerability of small nations provide the impetus for greater integration between the countries of the South Pacific region. This exercise is critical for their survival. Past efforts of regional integration in the South Pacific have mostly failed. However, today&rsquo;s IT collaborative capabilities provide the opportunity to develop a shared IT infrastructure to facilitate integration in the South Pacific. In developing an IT-backed model of regional integration, this study identifies and reports on the antecedents of the current stage for integration in the Pacific. We conducted interviews with twenty five individuals from various sectors and find that while most respondents were optimistic about the potential of IT-backed regional integration, significant challenges exists. The study identifies and discusses these challenges providing policy implications to stakeholders in the regional integration process. The findings will assist in suggesting a model of regional integration 2.0 for the Pacific region.<br /

A crucible for bottom-up regionalism? The digital renaissance: West Papuan media suppression and social media in the Pacific

Commentary: West Papua has one of the most repressive media landscapes in the world. Consequently, West Papuans have increasingly harnessed social media platforms to broadcast human rights violations committed in West Papua. Through this, Pacific Islanders around the region are increasingly leveraging social media as a political tool for showing solidarity and support for West Papuans. As a result, in recent years there has been a regional groundswell in support for West Papuan demands for self-determination, with prominent political figures such as Peter O’Neill of Papua New Guinea, and Gordon Darcy Lilo alluding to the awareness on West Papuan issues that have been raised through social media. This commentary explores how the rise of West Papua solidarity, is resulting in a heightened Pacific regional consciousness at the community level

Climate change advocacy in the Pacific: The role of information and communication technologies

This article explores the phenomenon of the use of ICT for climate change activism in the Pacific. Climate change activism in the Pacific is characterised by the use of ICT tools such as social media. The article draws on semi-structured interviews and an analysis of social media sites to examine the use of social media in Pacific climate change campaigns. While other campaigns such as relating to West Papua have also been facilitated by social media, it has been generally NGO, citizen-led and varied in Pacific government support. In contrast, climate change campaigns in the Pacific are fully supported at the NGO, citizen, and state levels. Furthermore, while early Pacific ICT-based climate change campaigns used iconic images of Pacific Islanders leaving their homelands, more recent campaigns have leveraged social media to depict Pacific Islanders not as victims but as ‘warriors’. This new imagery aims to empower Pacific Islanders and engender a regional Pacific identity that shows strength and solidarity on the Pacific’s stance towards climate change

Distribuição geográfica e dispersão de moluscos (Gastropoda, Planorbidae) do gênero Biomphalaria (Preston, 1910) no estado do Paraná com ênfase aos hospedeiros intermediários do Schistosoma mansoni (Sambon, 1907)

Orientador: Prof. Dr. Ennio LuzCoorientadora: Prof.ª Dr.ª Edilene Alcântara de CastroDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Microbiologia, Parasitologia e Patologia Geral. Defesa : Curitiba, 30/03/2011Inclui referências: p.107-130Área de concentração: ParasitologiaResumo: A esquistossomose se expande lenta e silenciosamente e a identificação de áreas de risco é fundamental para a elaboração de ações efetivas. Os hospedeiros intermediários, caramujos pertencentes ao gênero Biomphalaria, são essenciais na cadeia de transmissão da doença. O principal objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a distribuição geográfica e dispersão destes moluscos no estado do Paraná. A metodologia de captura ocorreu de acordo com normas técnicas (Brasil, 2008) e os pontos de coleta foram identificados através de geoprocessamento. A técnica de dissecação utilizada foi a proposta por Deslandes (1951) e a determinação específica dos moluscos foi realizada pela observação das partes moles de acordo com Paraense (1961). Foi organizado um acervo com os exemplares coletados. Foram pesquisados 210 municípios do Paraná, abrangendo 56% da área total do estado, onde foram coletados 33.001 exemplares de moluscos de 7 espécies do gênero Biomphalaria: B. peregrina, B. occidentalis, B. tenagophila, B. straminea, B. glabrata, B. intermedia e B. oligoza. A única espécie presente em todas as mesorregiões foi B. peregrina. A mais abundante foi B. occidentalis seguida por B. peregrina, B. straminea e B. glabrata, enquanto B.tenagophila foi encontrada em menor quantidade. Alguns municípios apresentaram até 5 espécies diferentes. As 3 espécies de maior importância epidemiológica: B. glabrata, B. straminea e B. tenagophila, foram encontradas em simpatria em 5 municípios. A espécie B. straminea teve uma expansão impressionante, mesmo em áreas distantes dos locais onde já havia registro de sua presença e em municípios de intensa circulação. As áreas de maior risco para esquistossomose no Paraná continuam localizadas no Norte Pioneiro, avançando para o Norte-Central. Áreas com presença de B. tenagophila e B. straminea necessitam ser monitoradas, pois representam risco para a transmissão de S. mansoni no estado. Palavras-chave: Esquistossomose. Schistosoma mansoni. Parasitose. Levantamento Paraná. Malacologia. Biomphalaria. Planorbideo. Molusco.Abstract: Schistosomiasis is expanding slowly and silently and the identification of the areas of risk is fundamental to the development of effective actions. The intermediate hosts, snails of the genus Biomphalaria, are essential in the chain of disease transmission. The main objective of this study was to investigate the geographic distribution and dispersal of mollusks in the state of Parana. The method of capture based on technical standards (Brazil, 2008) and the collection points were identified through GIS. The dissection technique was proposed by Deslandes (1951) and specific determination of molluscs was performed by observing the soft parts according to Paraense (1961). A collection of the specimens was organized. 210 municipalities of Paraná were investigated, covering 56% of the total area of the state, where 33,001 specimen were collected from 7 shellfish species of Biomphalaria: B. peregrina, B. occidentalis, B. tenagophila, B. straminea, B. glabrata, B. intermedia and B. oligoza. The only species present in all regions was B. peregrina. The most abundant was B. occidentalis followed by B. peregrina, B. straminea and B. glabrata, while B.tenagophila found in smaller quantities. Some cities had up to 5 different species. The three species of most epidemiological importance: B. glabrata, B. straminea and B. tenagophila, were found in sympatry in five municipalities. The species B. straminea had an impressive expansion, even in areas far from the places where they had record of his presence and in cities with heavy traffic. The highest risk areas for schistosomiasis in Parana are still located in North pioneer, advancing to the North-Central. Areas with presence of B. tenagophila and B. straminea need to be monitored because they represent risk for the transmission of S. mansoni in the state. Keywords: Schistosomiasis. Biomphalaria. Schistosoma mansoni. Planorbidae. Malacology. Parasitosis. Shellfish