Surveillance and the city: patronage, power-sharing and the politics of urban control in Zimbabwe

From 2000, ZANU(PF) suffered repeated electoral defeat in the cities and lost control of municipalities to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). This turned urban governance into a battlefield, as ZANU(PF) dramatically recentralised powers over local authorities, developed ‘parallel’ party structures and used militia to control central markets and peri-urban land. Taking the case of Harare and environs during the period of Zimbabwe's Inclusive Government (IG), this article explores contestations over urban authority, focusing on the office of councillor and urban spaces dominated by ZANU(PF)-aligned militia. I argue that surveillance was central to ZANU(PF)'s strategy for urban control and to the politics of patronage. Inconvenient councillors were disciplined by threats and enticements from the feared Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) and were also vulnerable to suspension, while ZANU(PF) militia made political loyalty a condition of access to market stalls, land and housing cooperatives. Dominant political science characterisations of the African postcolonial state and ethnographic accounts of precarity and vigilance mislead in this context if they fail to capture the disciplining roles and social reach of a centralised partisan state security agency and militarised party structures that suffuse work and social life within local government institutions and contested city spaces. Analyses of power-sharing need to reach beyond the national stage not only because conflict over local authorities can undermine transitional political processes but also for the light they can shed on the changing character of the state and its relationship to reconstituted ZANU(PF) powers

The role of objective and subjective evaluation in the production and marketing of goats for meat

Objective and subjective evaluations of goats for meat production are related to important determinants of production and profitability. The most important attributes in assessment of goats for market are: live weight; body condition score; and the age of goats. As goats grow, their carcass and body organs increase in weight in proportion to the empty body weight. For farmers and field workers the linear regression approach for estimating carcass weight by measuring live weight is the most suitable as it accounts for 88 to 97% of the variation in carcass, offal and boneless meat weight. Live weight scales or heart girth tapes should be used and the risks and errors associated with these methods are summarized. The proportion of a live goat that is the carcass, known as dressing percentage, increases from 35% to about 50% as goats grow. The usefulness and errors associated with dressing percentage in field estimation are discussed. A valuable subjective method for estimating the nutritional status of goats is the use of body condition scoring as it accounts for 60 to 67% of the variation in live weight change, carcass weight and fat reserves of goats. A method for body condition scoring and a similar fat scoring system are explained. Body condition score is also associated with mortality risk and reproductive performance of goats. The number of permanent incisors in the lower jaw of goats is a method of estimating the age of goats but is biased by differences in live weights of goats. The value and role of ultrasound scanning the carcasses of goats is summarized. For the marketing of kid meat no permanent incisors should have erupted. Other useful practices for the successful marketing of goat meat are discussed including: knowing market specifications and chemical withholding periods; animal health; prevention of bruising; identification of goats; size of consignments; timeliness; provision of paperwork. A checklist is provided. The use of subjective and objective assessment techniques in evaluating goats for meat production will provide the best results. Where only subjective assessment techniques are available they will provide satisfactory performance provided the skills have been learnt and are applied.<br /

Towards a taxonomy of musical inspiration

This article summarises the rather sparse literature on inspiration as an part of the composition process and suggests that part of the problem is that there is a lack of a specific vocabulary and a suitable taxonomy for exploring aspects of the nature and working of inspiration in music. In order to help develop a means of achieving a meaningful discourse in this somewhat neglected area of the musical creative process the article proposes a taxonomy and vocabulary building upon the three stages of musical composition found in the work of Theodor Adorno: Einfall,; Die Arbeit ; Werden. Einfall is expanded into a classification Einfall – ‘Validation’, and through examination of the opening motif of Rihm’s 4th string quartet in various sketch forms a network of sub-categories is established – Validation through Content, through Context, and through Detail. Similarly Die Arbeit is expanded into Die Arbeit – ‘Conceptualisation’ with sub categories of ‘Essence’ and ‘Purposefulness’. Finally Werden is expanded into Werden - ‘Mindfulness’ and the article closes by exploring the idea that these three elements appear to be cyclic through the composition process

Direct climate action as public pedagogy:the cultural politics of the Camp for Climate Action

Discourse theory is employed to analyse the public curriculum generated through the Camp for Climate Action. This movement emerged as a germinal response to tensions within the dominant discourse on ‘Climate Action’ by articulating it into a broader history of civil disobedience and staging spatial interventions that ostensibly identified the root causes of climate change. This generated learning opportunities over time for both activists and the wider public. However, this attempted redefinition of ‘Climate Action’ was threatened by coercive state action, which sought to link it with ‘domestic extremism’. Tensions emerged between ‘liberal’ and ‘radical’ participants as the meaning of ‘Climate Action’ once again became contested. The article concludes by exploring the implications of these tensions for the movement’s pedagogical efforts

Does charity begin and end at home for tax exemptions?

Charitable organisations have remained exempt from income tax in Australia since the first comprehensive state income tax legislation in 18841 through to the current Income Tax Assessment Act 1977. The charitable exemption was also part of the English income tax legislation from its inception in 1799. The Federal Treasurer has released exposure draft legislation which seeks to remove taxation exemptions from some tax exempt organisations that perform any of their activities outside Australia or make trust distributions overseas. The proposed legislation is in response to alleged tax avoidance arrangements which involve tax exempt organisations and charitable trusts. The paper begins by describing the current charity tax exemption provisions under the Income Tax Assessment Act (ITAA). It then turns to tracing the background policy history of the amendments which appear to be at odds with the form and intent of the proposed provisions. The proposed amendments and their practical consequences are then closely scrutinised and found wanting in a number of respects. Alternative strategies are suggested to arrive at an equitable solution to the avoidance mischief

Bullying - The Perspective of the Accused

Bullying - The Perspective of the Accused takes a practical, realistic view of interactions between people and demonstrates that accusations of bullying are not always as easy to interpret and to unravel as might be thought. This work considers that whilst research and understanding of the bullying and the effect on targets, the voice of the alleged bully is seldom heard. The confusion between performance management and bullying is considered along with a comprehensive examination of employers' duty of care, organizational policies and procedures and the levels of support offered to those accused of workplace bullying. While there are many case studies outlining shocking, undoubtedly bullying behaviour by individuals or organizations, it seems there are very few detailing the extremely negative impact on some of those who are accused

Using benchmarking to improve the financial and social sustainability of commercial goat meat, cashmere and mohair farms in Australia

Production and financial benchmarking was undertaken with commercially motivated mohair, cashmere and goat meat farmers in Australia. There were large differences in animal and fleece production and financial returns between the best and worst performing farms. Farmers and industry groups reported that the process and results were helpful and resulted in them changing management practices. Benchmarking demonstrated that there is substantial scope to increase productivity and profitability through improved genetic selection and improved management of pastures, breeding flocks and in kid survival and growth.<br /