Twitter-ised revolution: extending the governance empire

In this chapter we challenge the idea that technology is intimately linked to political revolution. We argue that new forms of communication such as Twitter and social networking sites of various kinds act as reinforcements of sociopolitical stratifications, rather than challenging existing political realities. As such, we seek to compare the mass demonstrations that have occurred in Iran and the Ukraine, as well as the recent ‘Occupy’ movements, to critically analyse the political mobilisation supposedly driven by the use of new communication technologies. We will demonstrate that the reinforcement of power relationships, particularly the political mobilisation of subjects in Iran and Ukraine, can be explained as materialisation of the same thing – global governmentality. While technology provides new avenues of communication, it is so heavily biased towards a particular type of user, and so heavily surveilled, that this kind of communication actually acts as a form of governance. Before users of this technology can even begin to enact radical political change, the technology itself already ensures that individuals are part of an existing framework of power relationships. Thus challenging the state becomes an exercise in futility

Prevalence of childhood eczema and food sensitization in the First Nations reserve of Natuashish, Labrador, Canada

Background: The Mushua Innu of Natuashish, Labrador, Canada seem to have a high rate of childhood eczema. Anecdotally this problem seems to be more common now than 20 years ago. There has been speculation that this could be related to food sensitization that may have arisen coincident with a move away from a traditional Innu diet. We undertook to assess the prevalence and severity of pediatric eczema in Natuashish (population 792), and investigate the level of sensitization to common food antigens. Methods: Over a three-month period we performed a population survey of all children in the community from the ages of 2–12 inclusive. The one-year prevalence of eczema was assessed using the United Kingdom Working Party’s diagnostic criteria, and graded on the Nottingham Severity Scale. All children with eczema and twice as many age/sex matched controls were offered complete blood counts, total IgE, and food specific IgE levels for egg white, cow’s milk protein and wheat. Results: One hundred and eighty two (95% of the eligible children) were assessed. Of the 182 children examined eczema was diagnosed in 30 (16.5%) - 22 females and 8 males. The majority of children with eczema (20/30) were classified as being in the moderate and severe category. Of the 22 with eczema and 40 controls who consented to venipuncture all but 3 had IgE levels above the lab's reference range. Food specific antibody assays showed that 32, 23, and 5 percent of children with eczema were sensitized to egg, milk, and wheat respectively. None of the controls were sensitized. Conclusions: The children of Natuashish, Labrador have a high rate of eczema, much of it graded as moderate or severe. IgE levels were markedly elevated in children with and without eczema, with average values at least ten-fold higher than other populations. There is no evidence of an unusual amount of sensitization to egg, milk or wheat