Setting the Global Agenda: Advocacy & Attention on Global Displacement Crises

Systematically investigating why some issues get on the political agenda and others receive little attention has been a traditionally difficult endeavor since the universe of issues is endless, how do we study the issue that wasn’t there? When we move to talking about the “global agenda” this becomes even more difficult. Likewise, systematically investigating the counterfactual of interest group influence is equally troubling, since we cannot rewrite history and either insert or remove the participation of an advocacy organization. The paper seeks to shed light on these topics by studying advocacy on a certain set of global issues: protracted displacement crises. This set of issues is unique in that it is largely fixed, there are currently 62 major refugee and internal displacement crises with over 10,000 people displaced, many of which have been going on for years, some decades. In these situations, tens of millions of people around the globe live at the edge of existence, their human rights are violated on a regular basis, and the deplorable nature of their condition threatens to spill over as insecurity to the region. In short, these are ALL issues, what varies is our attention to them in the Global North. This paper is a first exploration in systematically collecting data on the “global agenda” – which massive forced displacement crises are being discussed in the powers of the Global North? How does attention vary across the power players in the Global North? Can advocacy by human rights organizations or the governments of the US or the EU member states explain attention to some issues over others? Data is presented from a cross-sectional database on attention to all 62 protracted refugee and internal displacement crises in American and European media outlets in 2010

Imagining a Common Ground: Place, Community, and the Possibility for Place-Based Education through Flannery O\u27Connor\u27s \u27Greenleaf\u27

Through literature, news outlets, media, parents, teachers, and peers, youth are currently being made aware that there are severe problems in the environmental and social realms. However, the imagined but representative stories found in literature also offer opportunities for students to learn how to combat these crises, and instilling the value of place in students through pedagogy will help them become proactive adults. The particular dynamic between community and place is one we see at work in “Greenleaf” by Flannery O\u27Connor, an author who has been left out of ecopedagogical conversations but can be useful in finding imaginative connections between place and community. This essay explains the importance of these lessons and how literature is a useful tool in conveying them, next offering an ecopedagogical reading of “Greenleaf” showing how it might be used in the classroom to help students think through the questions raised throughout the essay. Using literature in place-based learning can help students reach beyond the local place and see how they themselves, and their place, fit into a larger world context. A fictional world gives students an opportunity to imagine and represent important social and environmental issues by presenting a different kind of lived experience. Harsh in its observance of the human condition, “Greenleaf” raises questions and concerns about social problems that still affect most people today, also addressing issues of the human drive to control nature and the part people play in cultivating their environment. The story renders many opportunities for students to discuss and reflect upon their position amongst each other, their communities, their environments, and their global space

Partners in Advocacy: Lobbyists and Government Officials in Washington

One of the most important demonstrations of power in Washington is the ability to recruit sitting government officials to become active proponents of one’s position. Many have suggested money is the key: Campaign contributions buy friends, access, and perhaps even policy activism. We provide an alternative view based on a deceptively simple observation: Lobbyists rarely lobby alone. We show empirically that government policymakers respond to the overall structure of conflict, not the resources of individual lobbying groups. Our project is based on in-depth interviews with over 300 policy advocates and systematic information on each of more than 2,000 advocates playing a significant role in a random sample of 98 policy issues in the United States federal government from 1999 to 2002

'Keeping ourselves safe' : investigating the development, implementation and reactions to the programme

This research project examined the development and implementation process of the 'Keeping Ourselves Safe' child sexual abuse protection programme developed by the New Zealand Police in collaboration with the Department of Education. There was an emphasis on investigating the controversy it provoked from the outset. This was achieved by a thorough examination of all the Police files and documentation pertaining to the development of the programme and chronologically documenting relevant aspects of the process and concerns as a narrative description. The results indicated that throughout the process of development there were several difficulties that were a consequence of regulations and legal requirements set by the Department of Education and which caused significant delays. These included difficulties regarding aspects of the content and especially the use of precise terminology. In addition there was an ongoing problem trying to raise adequate finances to complete the programme. Although there were numerous concerns expressed by individuals and community groups over the content of the programme the majority of concerns came from groups and individuals associated with the moral right. These were because of the moral right's perception that the programme would allow the state to intrude into the privacy of family life. In addition the moral right believed the programme would inappropriately introduce sexuality education to children at too young an age

Archeota, Fall 2019

This is the Fall 2019 issue of Archeota, the official publication of SJSU SAASC. Archeota is a platform for students to contribute to the archival conversation. It is written BY students, FOR students. It provides substantive content on archival concerns and issues, and promotes career development in the field of archival studies. Archeota upholds the core values of the archival profession. It is a semiannual publication of the Student Chapter of the Society of American Archivists at the San Jose State University School of Information.https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/saasc_archeota/1010/thumbnail.jp

The Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy: A Centennial Lesson

The Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy (P.S.O.T.) was one of five founding occupational therapy academic programs in the United States. The program was led by two powerful occupational therapists, Helen S. Willard and Clare S. Spackman, for nearly a half century. After 60 years, P.S.O.T. was closed. This article provides a historical overview of the progression of occupational therapy education in the United States over the last century, using the story of P.S.O.T as a case study. The historical legacy and lesson from P.S.O.T. is that excellence in today’s academy may not mean security. Historically relevant today, the interaction between education and societal demands is explored, starting from the founders of the National Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy in 1917, through the World Wars, and casting forward. Curricular expansion, the addition of accreditation requirements, financial concerns, and faculty research requirements are presented as influential to the history of occupational therapy education. Lessons for current occupational therapy educational programs are discussed

Caloric restriction in C57BL/6J mice mimics therapeutic fasting in humans

BACKGROUND: Caloric restriction (CR) has long been recognized as a dietary therapy that improves health and increases longevity. Little is known about the persistent effects of CR on plasma biomarkers (glucose, ketone bodies, and lipids) following re-feeding in mice. It is also unclear how these biomarker changes in calorically restricted mice relate to those observed previously in calorically restricted humans. RESULTS: Three groups of individually housed adult female C57BL/6J (B6) mice (n = 4/group) were fed a standard rodent chow diet either: (1) unrestricted (UR); (2) restricted for three weeks to reduce body weight by approximately 15–20% (R); or (3) restricted for three weeks and then re-fed unrestricted (ad libitum) for an additional three weeks (R-RF). Body weight and food intake were measured throughout the study, while plasma lipids and levels of glucose and ketone bodies (β-hydroxybutyrate) were measured at the termination of the study. Plasma glucose, phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol, and triglycerides were significantly lower in the R mice than in the UR mice. In contrast, plasma fatty acids and β-hydroxybutyrate were significantly higher in the R mice than in the UR mice. CR had no effect on plasma phosphatidylinositol levels. While body weight and plasma lipids of the R-RF mice returned to unrestricted levels upon re-feeding, food intake and glucose levels remained significantly lower than those prior to the initiation of CR. CONCLUSION: CR establishes a new homeostatic state in B6 mice that persists for at least three weeks following ad libitum re-feeding. Moreover, the plasma biomarker changes observed in B6 mice during CR mimic those reported in humans on very low calorie diets or during therapeutic fasting

Archeota, Fall/Winter 2020

Archeota is a platform for SJSU iSchool students to contribute to the archival conversation. It is written BY students, FOR students. It provides substantive content on archival concerns and issues, and promotes career development in the field of archival studies. Archeota upholds the core values of the archival profession. It is a semiannual publication of the Student Chapter of the Society of American Archivists at the San José State University School of Information.https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/saasc_archeota/1012/thumbnail.jp

Differential Epidemiology: IQ, Neuroticism, And Chronic Disease By The 50 U.S. States

Current research shows that geo-political units (e.g., the 50 U.S. states) vary meaningfully on psychological dimensions like intelligence (IQ) and neuroticism (N). A new scientific discipline has also emerged, differential epidemiology, focused on how psychological variables affect health. We integrate these areas by reporting large correlations between aggregate-level IQ and N (measured for the 50 U.S. states) and state differences in rates of chronic disease (e.g., stroke, heart disease). Controlling for health-related behaviors (e.g., smoking, exercise) reduced but did not eliminate these effects. Strong relationships also existed between IQ, N, disease, and a host of other state-level variables (e.g., income, crime, education). The nexus of inter-correlated state variables could reflect a general fitness factor hypothesized by cognitive epidemiologists, although valid inferences about causality will require more research.