Buber's perception of Judaism. Its character and development.

The thesis enquires into Buber's concept of Judaism and his self- understanding as a Jew. Scholars in the field have been concerned with many aspects of Buber's dialogical philosophy but except for articles written from the point of view of Jewish orthodoxy, no in- depth work has been produced specifically examining the nature of his Judaism. The thesis draws out neglected and misunderstood aspects of Buber's thought and aims to conclude that his understanding of religious experience and life is profoundly Jewish. That is to say, his perception of what is essential to Judaism and to Jewish religious experience and life draws on the same (traditional) sources as orthodoxy and maintains Buber within a specific Jewish continuum. Consequently while the influences on Buber's developing thought are carefully examined the emphasis of the argument is on Buber's understanding of God and revelation, and of the nature of man's responsibility. These are considered after an examination of the I- Thou/I-It word-pairs which represent the attitudes associated with Buber's dialogical philosophy. The problems concerning Buber's belief that law cannot be a part, of the content of revelation, and the subsequent issue of his non-observation of mitzvot, are dealt with in depth. A parallel emphasis is given to Buber's involvement with Zionism, his work for Jewish communities in Germany before and during Hitler, and his continual work for Arab-Jewish rapprochement both in Palestine and after the establishment of the Israeli state. It is by an analysis of the inextricable relationship between Buber's thought and practical work that the argument of the thesis establishes the reasons why Buber's self-perception is valid in terms of Jewish religious belief and life

Successful ageing in an area of deprivation: Part 1—A qualitative exploration of the role of life experiences in good health in old age

Objectives: To determine the life histories and current circumstances of healthy and unhealthy older people who share an ecology marked by relative deprivation and generally poor health. Study design: In-depth interview study with a qualitative analysis. Methods: Matched pairs of healthy and unhealthy ‘agers’ were interviewed face-to-face. Healthy ageing was assessed in terms of hospital morbidity and self-reported health. Study participants consisted of 22 pairs (44 individuals), aged 72–89 years, matched for sex, age and deprivation category, and currently resident in the West of Scotland. All study participants were survivors of the Paisley/Renfrew (MIDSPAN) survey, a longitudinal study commenced in 1972 with continuous recording of morbidity and mortality since. Detailed life histories were obtained which focused on family, residence, employment, leisure and health. This information was supplemented by more focused data on ‘critical incidents’, financial situation and position in social hierarchies. Results: Data provided rich insights into life histories and current circumstances but no differences were found between healthy and unhealthy agers. Conclusions: It is important to understand what differentiates individuals who have lived in circumstances characterized by relative deprivation and poor health, yet have aged healthily. This study collected rich and detailed qualitative data. Yet, no important differences were detected between healthy and unhealthy agers. This is an important negative result as it suggests that the phenomenon of healthy ageing and the factors that promote healthy ageing over a lifetime are so complex that they will require even more detailed studies to disentangle

Dryland tree data for the Southwest region of Madagascar: alpha-level data can support policy decisions for conserving and restoring ecosystems of arid and semiarid regions

We present an eco-geographical dataset of the 355 tree species (1 56 genera, 55 families) found in the driest coastal portion of the spiny forest-thickets of southwestern Madagascar. This coastal strip harbors one of the richest and most endangered dryland tree floras in the world, both in terms of overall species diversity and of endemism. After describing the biophysical and socio-economic setting of this semiarid coastal region, we discuss this region’s diverse and rich tree flora in the context of the recent expansion of the protected area network in Madagascar and the growing engagement and commitment to ecological restoration. Our database, DTsMada (short for Desert Trees of Madagascar), is part of a larger ‘work-in-progress’, namely an eco-geographical database on desert and dryland trees of the world. DTsMada draws heavily on the Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Madagascar (MadCat) project, in which floristic, ecological and endemism parameters are compiled, together with available conservation status assessments based on IUCN Red List criteria. Both are projects within the plant systematics database, Tropicos®, developed at Missouri Botanical Garden and maintained on the Garden’s website. To highlight the need for greater study of the interactions between biological, bioclimatic, and anthropogenic determinants of current and potentially changing biogeographical patterns and community dynamics in the tree strata of vegetation in the study area, we consider four contrasting groups of native trees: Adansonia spp. (Malvaceae), Pachypodium spp. (Apocynaceae), Baudouinia spp. (Fabaceae), and all 1 1 species in the 4 genera of Didiereaceae in Madagascar. We discuss DTsMada as a prototype dataset of alpha level information vital for effective conservation, landscape planning, sustainable use and management, and ecological restoration of degraded arid and semiarid ecosystems, in Madagascar and elsewhere. RÉSUMÉNous présentons un ensemble de données éco-géographiques sur les 355 espèces d’arbres (1 56 genres, 55 familles) présentes dans les fourrés et forêts épineux de la frange côtière aride et semiaride du Sud-ouest de Madagascar. Cette région possède un des assemblages d’arbres de climat sec les plus riches (en termes de diversité spécifique et d’endémisme), et les plus menacés au monde. Après une description du cadre biophysique et de la situation socio-économique de cette région, nous présentons cette flore régionale dans le contexte de la récente expansion du réseau de des aires protégées de Madagascar et de l’engagement croissant dans le domaine de la restauration écologique. Notre base de données DTsMada (raccourci de «d Desert Trees - Madagascar d », en anglais) s’inscrit dans le cadre d’une base de données éco-géographique plus large que nous développons, regroupant les espèces d’arbres des régions arides et semiarides du monde entier, avec un accent particulier mis sur leur utilisation dans la conservation, gestion et restauration écologique. Nombre des informations présentées dans DTsMada proviennent du projet MadCat (Catalogue des plantes vasculaires de Madagascar) qui regroupe des données floristiques et écologiques, et les statuts d’endémisme et de conservation des espèces végétales, basés sur les critères de l’UICN. Ces deux projets font partie de la base de données taxonomique Tropicos®, du Jardin Botanique du Missouri. Pour souligner le besoin de disposer de plus d’études pour comprendre d : les interactions entre les facteurs biologiques, bioclimatiques et anthropiques qui affectent la biogéographie et les dynamiques des communautés dans les strates arborées de la végétation dans la région étudiée, qu’il s’agisse de la situation actuelle ou celle d’un futur qui sera éventuellement modifié, nous considérons quatre groupes bien différents d’espèces d’arbres indigènesd : Adansonia spp. (Malvaceae), Pachypodium spp. (Apocynaceae), Baudouinia spp. (Fabaceae) et les 1 1 espèces dans les 4 genres de la famille des Didiereaceae du Sud-ouest de Madagascar. Nous traitons DTsMada comme prototype d’une base de données de niveau alpha, vitales pour la conservation, la planification, le développement durable, la gestion et la restauration écologique des écosystèmes arides et semiarides de Madagascar et d’ailleurs

The distribution of biodiversity richness in the tropics

We compare the numbers of vascular plant species in the three major tropical areas. The Afrotropical Region (Africa south of the Sahara Desert plus Madagascar), roughly equal in size to the Latin American Region (Mexico southward), has only 56,451 recorded species (about 170 being added annually), as compared with 118,308 recorded species (about 750 being added annually) in Latin America. Southeast Asia, only a quarter the size of the other two tropical areas, has approximately 50,000 recorded species, with an average of 364 being added annually. Thus, Tropical Asia is likely to be proportionately richest in plant diversity, and for biodiversity in general, for its size. In the animal groups we reviewed, the patterns of species diversity were mostly similar except for mammals and butterflies. Judged from these relationships, Latin America may be home to at least a third of global biodiversity

A double-edged sword: the merits and the policy implications of Google Translate in higher education

Machine translation, specifically Google Translate is freely available on a number of devices, and is improving in its ability to provide grammatically accurate translations. This development has the potential to provoke a major transformation in the internationalisation process at universities, since students may be, in the future, able to use technology to circumvent traditional language learning processes. While this is a potentially empowering move that may facilitate academic exchange and the diversification of the learner and researcher community at an international level, it is also a potentially problematic issue in two main respects. Firstly, the technology is at present unable to align to the socio-linguistic aspects of university level writing and may be misunderstood as a remedy to lack of writer language proficiency – a role it is not able to fulfil. Secondly, it introduces a new dimension to the production of academic work that may clash with Higher Education policy and, thus, requires legislation, in particular in light issues such as plagiarism and academic misconduct. This paper considers these issues against the background of English as a Global Lingua Franca, and argues two points. First of these is that HEIs need to develop an understanding and code of practice for the use of this technology. Secondly, three strands of potential future research will be presente

Nomenclatural changes in Coleus and Plectranthus (Lamiaceae): a tale of more than two genera

A synopsis of the genera Coleus Lour, Equilabium A.J.Paton, Mwany. & Culham and Plectranthus L’Hér. (Lamiaceae, Tribe Ocimeae, Subtribe Plecranthinae) is presented. Generic delimitation follows a recently published molecular phylogeny which identified Coleus as the sister of the remaining genera of Subtribe Plectranthinae; Plectranthus as sister to Tetradenia Benth. and Thorncroftia N.E.Br., and a separate phylogenetically distinct genus Equilabium comprising species previously placed in Plectranthus. In this treatment, 294 species of Coleus, 42 of Equilabium, and 72 of Plectranthus are recognized. All but one of the combinations in Equilabium are new as only the genus and type species have been previously published. Two-hundred and twelve names are changed to combinations in Coleus from Plectranthus, Pycnostachys Hook. and Anisochilus Benth

Education and older adults at the University of the Third Age

This article reports a critical analysis of older adult education in Malta. In educational gerontology, a critical perspective demands the exposure of how relations of power and inequality, in their myriad forms, combinations, and complexities, are manifest in late-life learning initiatives. Fieldwork conducted at the University of the Third Age (UTA) in Malta uncovered the political nature of elder-learning, especially with respect to three intersecting lines of inequality - namely, positive aging, elitism, and gender. A cautionary note is, therefore, warranted at the dominant positive interpretations of UTAs since late-life learning, as any other education activity, is not politically neutral.peer-reviewe