Unions in a Fragmented Society

It is now well documented that over the past forty years, participation in civic organizations has declined across-the-board. All factors indicate that society is more fragmented today than in the nineteenth century. In response, various political and legal theorists have called for a return to a republican—as opposed to our current liberal—conception of freedom. Under this view, associations, such as unions, hold a special and protected place because in associations individuals learn the habits essential to self-government. Yet. if society is so fragmented, then should we not base re- form upon that fragmentation? This Note argues that we cannot ignore our differences. For unions, this means giving up the idea of exclusive representation and allowing individuals to organize around their own agendas, whether economic or political

Unions in a Fragmented Society

It is now well documented that over the past forty years, participation in civic organizations has declined across-the-board. All factors indicate that society is more fragmented today than in the nineteenth century. In response, various political and legal theorists have called for a return to a republican—as opposed to our current liberal—conception of freedom. Under this view, associations, such as unions, hold a special and protected place because in associations individuals learn the habits essential to self-government. Yet. if society is so fragmented, then should we not base re- form upon that fragmentation? This Note argues that we cannot ignore our differences. For unions, this means giving up the idea of exclusive representation and allowing individuals to organize around their own agendas, whether economic or political

HAS THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION PROMOTED SUCCESSFUL REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS?

This study uses econometric gravity equations to test whether the WTO has promoted successful regional trade agreements (RTA). Two important findings emerge. First, we find that two countries that are members of the GATT/WTO and enter into a regional trade agreement stimulate trade. However, the effect on trade is not nearly as large as that between two RTA members that belong to the GATT/WTO. Contrary to the findings in Rose (2004), this result tends to support the fact that the GATT/WTO has liberalized multilateral trade, outside of RTAs. In other words, the effect of an RTA on countries’ trade who are not party to the GATT/WTO should generate a large RTA trade response due to relatively large pre-existing trade distortions. Second, we show that the GATT/WTO has not promoted successful RTAs using explicit RTA variables that controls for the notification status (to the GATT/WTO) of an RTA. Interestingly, non-notified RTAs trade significantly more than their notified counterparts.International Relations/Trade,

Stones, Slabs, and Stelae: The Origins and Symbolism of Contemporary Oromo Burial Practice and Grave Art

This study addresses many of the issues relative to the study of contemporary Oromo society and tradition. While the primary focus is the study of contemporary Oromo burial traditions and grave art, there is also insight into the ways in which Oromo history and cultural tradition have been dispossessed among the Oromo today. There is an attempt to understand Oromo burial practices and grave art within a larger African burial tradition that extends across East Africa and far into ancient and prehistoric times. Traditional Oromo burial practices have been identified and documented at the extent to which they are practiced today. Furthermore, there is an attempt at identifying common themes in Oromo memorial grave art and other forms of ancient and contemporary East African grave art. These attempts demonstrate a clear relationship between Oromo burial practices and those of greater African traditions

Influences on food and lifestyle choices for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: an Aboriginal perspective

Influences on food and lifestyle choices for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: An Aboriginal perspective The care and management of chronic diseases and comorbidity impose a substantial burden on the Australian government, Aboriginal Medical Services (non-government primary health care organisations) and mainstream health services and systems. Nowhere is this burden more felt than upon Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian individuals, their families and communities. Most health research studies that have measured the burden of chronic disease tend to take only a partial view of the socio-economic consequences, focusing on measuring the burden on the health system of responding to an illness rather than apply a holistic perspective of the overall historical, political, social, cultural and emotional wellbeing (psychological distress) that impact upon Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their families and communities. The analytical framework applied in this thesis used mixed methods of research, study design, data collection and analysis in order to provide a holistic assessment of the population, socio-economic and cultural burden of disease. Research was undertaken in a number of different settings; including Aboriginal Medical Services and the Eora (TAFE) College. Responses provided by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants in the 45 and Up longitudinal cohort study were analysed. The framework incorporated features to assess the key dimensions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and incorporated a holistic definition of Aboriginal health: “Aboriginal health is not just the physical well-being of an individual but refers to the social, emotional and cultural well-being of the whole community in which each individual is able to achieve their full potential as a human being, and thereby contributing to the total well-being of their Community. It is a whole-of-life view that includes the cyclical concept of life-death-life”. (NACCHO 2013) The findings of all these studies highlight that there is a need to investigate further the resilience factors, relationships and psychological distress, which influence Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s food choices, diet patterns, risky behaviour and lifestyle choices

Influences on food and lifestyle choices for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: an Aboriginal perspective

Influences on food and lifestyle choices for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: An Aboriginal perspective The care and management of chronic diseases and comorbidity impose a substantial burden on the Australian government, Aboriginal Medical Services (non-government primary health care organisations) and mainstream health services and systems. Nowhere is this burden more felt than upon Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian individuals, their families and communities. Most health research studies that have measured the burden of chronic disease tend to take only a partial view of the socio-economic consequences, focusing on measuring the burden on the health system of responding to an illness rather than apply a holistic perspective of the overall historical, political, social, cultural and emotional wellbeing (psychological distress) that impact upon Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their families and communities. The analytical framework applied in this thesis used mixed methods of research, study design, data collection and analysis in order to provide a holistic assessment of the population, socio-economic and cultural burden of disease. Research was undertaken in a number of different settings; including Aboriginal Medical Services and the Eora (TAFE) College. Responses provided by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants in the 45 and Up longitudinal cohort study were analysed. The framework incorporated features to assess the key dimensions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and incorporated a holistic definition of Aboriginal health: “Aboriginal health is not just the physical well-being of an individual but refers to the social, emotional and cultural well-being of the whole community in which each individual is able to achieve their full potential as a human being, and thereby contributing to the total well-being of their Community. It is a whole-of-life view that includes the cyclical concept of life-death-life”. (NACCHO 2013) The findings of all these studies highlight that there is a need to investigate further the resilience factors, relationships and psychological distress, which influence Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s food choices, diet patterns, risky behaviour and lifestyle choices

The phylogenetic affinities of Crenichthys and Empetrichthys using mtDna

Crenichthys (Springfish) and Empetrichthys (Poolfish) are two relictual genera of cyprinodontiform fishes that are restricted to the state of Nevada. Of five families proposed, three, Cyprinodontidae, Goodeidae, and Empetrichthyidae, are still under consideration. The Goodeidae, fishes endemic to the Mexican Plateau, are viviparous, whereas Crenichthys and Empetrichthys are oviparous. Approximately 300 base pairs of the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome-b were sequenced in order to address the familial phylogenetic relationships of Crenichthys and Empetrichthys. All analyses concur that Crenichthys and Empetrichthys are related to members of the family Goodeidae rather than to the Cyprinodontidae. Therefore, this phylogeny supports a model of historical biogeographic affinities between fishes of the Mexican Plateau and fishes of the Mojave and Great Basin deserts