Reflections on Poverty Assessments in Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Vanuatu

Poverty, vulnerability and corruption are not new or unique to the South Pacific, but the lack of capacity of governments to govern has seriously affected households and communities already on the edge of poverty. In Papua New Guinea, the general deterioration in government services and in transport and communication infrastructure, has increased the economic and social marginalisation of many isolated communities. The recent poverty assessments in Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Vanuatu outline a number of strategies to assist those living in, or on the edge of poverty, but these will only be successful if accompanied by strategies to achieve more effective and equitable governance

‘The Child as the Face of God’ (Mark 9 : 36–37)

The high-quality commentary of Joel Marcus on Mark’s Gospel contains at least seven illuminating comments on what he calls ‘the parable of the child’ (Mark 9:36–37). His final comment pushes beyond a mere moral exhortation to welcome or show hospitality to little children. These parables, like others, make Jesus vividly present, and so reveal God, to whom Jesus is ‘strongly connected.’ Marcus should have recognized more clearly the call to recognize in vulnerable, little children the disclosed presence of God who sent his Son into the world. The face of even insignificant children brings us the face of God. The ‘mystery of the child’ reflects the ‘mystery of God.

An Uneasy Relationship

The situation of Norfolk Island, as a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia, is one of the historical anomalies in governance, which has persisted since 1914. It reflects the direct historical linkages between the British Crown and those Norfolk Islanders who were descendants of Pitcairn Islanders of Mutiny on the Bounty fame. Yet, once Federation was in the wind, the British Government, against the expressed wishes of the Norfolk Island community, sought to divest itself of all responsibility for Norfolk Island. There is a curiously ‘Yes Minister’ quality about the negotiations which lead to the final take-over by Australia, and the appointment of the first Commonwealth Administrator of Norfolk Island. The direct involvement of Atlee Hunt, then Secretary of the Department of External Affairs, eventually ensured the appointment of Michael Vincent Murphy. In order to achieve this end, Hunt had to fend off other applicants who were busy ingratiating themselves with the Minister for External Affairs Patrick McMahon Glynn and the then Prime Minister Joseph Cook. This is essentially a study of the relationships between governors, politicians, public servants and community leaders during the years which followed the take-over of Norfolk Island, and of the struggle of one Norfolk Islander, Charles Chase Ray Nobbs, against Australian administrative authorit

Reprint: Good laboratory practice: preventing introduction of bias at the bench

As a research community, we have failed to show that drugs, which show substantial efficacy in animal models of cerebral ischemia, can also improve outcome in human stroke. Accumulating evidence suggests this may be due, at least in part, to problems in the design, conduct, and reporting of animal experiments which create a systematic bias resulting in the overstatement of neuroprotective efficacy. Here, we set out a series of measures to reduce bias in the design, conduct and reporting of animal experiments modeling human stroke

Reprint: Good laboratory practice: preventing introduction of bias at the bench

As a research community, we have failed to show that drugs, which show substantial efficacy in animal models of cerebral ischemia, can also improve outcome in human stroke. Accumulating evidence suggests this may be due, at least in part, to problems in the design, conduct, and reporting of animal experiments which create a systematic bias resulting in the overstatement of neuroprotective efficacy. Here, we set out a series of measures to reduce bias in the design, conduct and reporting of animal experiments modeling human stroke.</p

Youth in Papua New Guinea: With reference to Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu

This study of youth in society examines the colonial and pest-colonial influences on youth policies and programmes in Papua New Guinea and neighbouring South Pacific n tions. Maev O'Collins argues that youth development planners need to understand the sociocultural background of u rban and rural communities as well as the current economic and political pressures in the wider society, if youth programmes are to be effectively integrated into overall development planning

Fe y cultura

La fe cristiana necesita de una cultura, lo mismo que las culturas humanas necesitan de la fe cristiana. La fe y la cultura son aliados naturales. Hoy más que nunca la fe necesita de la cultura y la cultura necesita de la fe. ¿Por qué? Porque no sólo la fe, sino también la cultura están amenazadas y atacadas por diversas fuerzas destructoras