“The heart above the ruins”: Miriam Waddington’s Poetry, the Spanish Civil War, and Jewish Canadian Literature

The Jewish Canadian writer Miriam Waddington returned repeatedly to the subject of the Spanish Civil War, searching for hope amid the ruins of Spanish democracy. The conflict, a prelude to World War II, inspired an outpouring of literature and volunteerism. My paper argues for Waddington’s unique poetic perspective, in which she represents the Holocaust as the Spanish Civil War’s outgrowth while highlighting the deeply personal repercussions of the war – consequences for women, for the earth, and for community. Waddington’s poetry connects women’s rights to human rights, Canadian peace to European war, and Jewish persecution to Spanish carnage.L’écrivaine juive canadienne Miriam Waddington est fréquemment revenue sur le sujet de la guerre civile d’Espagne, cherchant la lumière dans les ruines de la démocratie espagnole. Le conflit, prélude de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, a suscité beaucoup d’engagement et inspiré de nombreuses œuvres littéraires. Mon article met en avant la perspective poétique unique de Waddington, où elle représente l’Holocauste comme une émanation de la Guerre d’Espagne tout en éclairant les répercussions profondément intimes de la guerre – ses conséquences pour les femmes, pour la terre et pour la communauté. La poésie de Waddington fait dialoguer droits des femmes et droits de la personne, paix canadienne et guerre européenne, persécution juive et carnage espagnol

What does home mean in displacement? A case study of refugee women in the South of England.

Home is a complex, multi-faceted concept, yet it is frequently thought of as a static concept synonymous with a place of origin. Such construction of home, however, creates tensions between analyses of displacement, on the one hand, and the experience and meaning of home in contexts of forced migration, on the other. This study explores these tensions and contributes to existing debates at the intersection of migration and gender studies, specifically those which explore refugee women’s experiences and practices of home-making. Based on ethnographic research conducted with a group of women of various origins seeking asylum in the South of England, this research uses transnational and feminist frameworks to explore the meaning of home for the women themselves who took part in the study. It engages with visual methodologies, interviews, and informal group conversations to generate meaningful insights on the mundane, sensory, and affective registers through which women seeking asylum (re)create the meaning of home in contexts of displacement and resettlement. From this theoretical and methodological vantage point, this study aims to contribute to and expand current understandings and discussions on, home, gender, and displacement across migration studies

Writing as a Means of Resistance: Benefits of Writing Programs in Carceral Settings

When individuals enter into penal institutions, they often are stripped of their autonomy and individuality. In an attempt to resist "not mattering," incarcerated individuals seek out ways to reclaim their sense of self. Creative writing programs in carceral settings offer incarcerated writers adaptive mechanisms to do so. Such programs foster opportunities for expression of selfhood, critiques of social systems, and commentary on social issues. Much of the current research in this field concentrates on analyzing the writing that comes out of prison writing programs, rather than directly engaging with incarcerated writers themselves. In doing so, previous research has failed to determine how these individuals perceive writing programs. This study strives to fill in these gaps by foregrounding the voices and insights of incarcerated writers themselves. Drawing from qualitative surveys with writers incarcerated in Northern Nevada, this thesis explores how incarcerated individuals enrolled in creative writing courses engage with writing

Life satisfaction trajectories during adolescence and the transition to young adulthood: Findings from a longitudinal study of Mexican-origin youth.

Despite the importance of life satisfaction for health and well-being, there is a paucity of longitudinal studies tracking changes in life satisfaction in ethnic minority youth. In a sample of 674 Mexican-origin youth, the present research examined life satisfaction trajectories from middle (age 14) to late adolescence (age 17) and from late adolescence to young adulthood (age 21). On average, life satisfaction did not change significantly from age 14 to 17, and then decreased from age 17 to 21 (d = .30), perhaps reflecting difficulties transitioning into adult roles. Drawing on ecological systems theory, we examined both proximal (i.e., family) and distal (i.e., social-contextual) environmental factors (measured via self- and parent-reports) that may account for between-person variation in life satisfaction trajectories. Youth with more positive family environments in middle adolescence (age 14) had higher mean life satisfaction from middle adolescence to young adulthood (age 21). In contrast, youth with more negative family environments and who experienced greater economic hardship and more ethnic discrimination in middle adolescence (age 14) had lower life satisfaction during this period. Many of these factors also predicted change in life satisfaction from middle (age 14) to late adolescence (age 17), but not from late adolescence to young adulthood (age 21). This research extends the current understanding of life satisfaction during a critical developmental period in an understudied population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Canadian Jewish Poetry: A Roundtable

Is Canadian Jewish Poetry a meaningful category of study? Are there particular traits that differentiate Canadian Jewish poets from poets of other countries, or from writers in other genres? How do contemporary poets confront the looming legacy of Irving Layton, Leonard Cohen, and A.M. Klein? Six prominent poets and scholars conduct a roundtable discussion to articulate recent developments in the field.La poésie juive canadienne est-elle une catégorie d’étude significative? Y a-t-il des traits particuliers qui différencient les poètes juifs canadiens des poètes d’autres pays, ou des écrivains d’autres genres? Comment les poètes contemporains font-ils face à l’héritage imminent d’Irving Layton, Leonard Cohen et A.M. Klein ? Six poètes et universitaires éminents organisent une table ronde pour exposer les développements récents dans ce domaine

Genomic survey of edible cockle (Cerastoderma edule) in the Northeast Atlantic: a baseline for sustainable management of its wild resources.

Knowledge on correlations between environmental factors and genome divergence between populations of marine species is crucial for sustainable management of fisheries and wild populations. The edible cockle (Cerastoderma edule) is a marine bivalve distributed along the Northeast Atlantic coast of Europe and is an important resource from both commercial and ecological perspectives. We performed a population genomics screening using 2b‐RAD genotyping on 9309 SNPs localized in the cockle's genome on a sample of 536 specimens pertaining to 14 beds in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean to analyse the genetic structure with regard to environmental variables. Larval dispersal modelling considering species behaviour and interannual/interseasonal variation in ocean conditions was carried out as an essential background to which compare genetic information. Cockle populations in the Northeast Atlantic displayed low but significant geographical differentiation between populations (F (ST) = 0.0240; p < 0.001), albeit not across generations. We identified 742 and 36 outlier SNPs related to divergent and balancing selection in all the geographical scenarios inspected, and sea temperature and salinity were the main environmental correlates suggested. Highly significant linkage disequilibrium was detected at specific genomic regions against the very low values observed across the whole genome. Two main genetic groups were identified, northwards and southwards of French Brittany. Larval dispersal modelling suggested a barrier for larval dispersal linked to the Ushant front that could explain these two genetic clusters. Further genetic subdivision was observed using outlier loci and considering larval advection. The northern group was divided into the Irish/Celtic Seas and the English Channel/North Sea, while the southern group was divided into three subgroups. This information represents the baseline for the management of cockles, designing conservation strategies, founding broodstock for depleted beds and producing suitable seed for aquaculture production

A net-zero emissions economic recovery from COVID-19

Economic growth will be a high priority for all countries in the months and years following COVID-19. The transition to net-zero emissions can significantly contribute to the recovery. Lessons can be learnt from the recovery packages introduced following the 2008 financial crisis, but the COVID-19 crisis is structurally different on the demand and supply side. In the lead up to COP26, the UK could provide guidance and methodologies to evaluate proposed recovery packages for consistency with the Paris Agreement and net-zero emissions. The UK could lead by example with a recovery package including components on net-zero buildings, energy storage, clean industry, transport and greenhouse gas removal. Institutionally, this could be supported by establishing a ministerial Climate Change Emergency Committee along with a Net Zero Delivery Body to implement a coherent response. Financially, a new National Investment Bank and focus on green financial instruments could enable the process. Building on these domestic efforts, as COP26 President, the UK could coordinate a global response through a new flexible intergovernmental Sustainable Recovery Alliance

Using Observational Data to Calibrate Simulation Models

BACKGROUND: Individual-level simulation models are valuable tools for comparing the impact of clinical or public health interventions on population health and cost outcomes over time. However, a key challenge is ensuring that outcome estimates correctly reflect real-world impacts. Calibration to targets obtained from randomized trials may be insufficient if trials do not exist for populations, time periods, or interventions of interest. Observational data can provide a wider range of calibration targets but requires methods to adjust for treatment-confounder feedback. We propose the use of the parametric g-formula to estimate calibration targets and present a case-study to demonstrate its application. METHODS: We used the parametric g-formula applied to data from the HIV-CAUSAL Collaboration to estimate calibration targets for 7-y risks of AIDS and/or death (AIDS/death), as defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention under 3 treatment initiation strategies. We compared these targets to projections from the Cost-Effectiveness of Preventing AIDS Complications (CEPAC) model for treatment-naïve individuals presenting to care in the following year ranges: 1996 to 1999, 2000 to 2002, or 2003 onwards. RESULTS: The parametric g-formula estimated a decreased risk of AIDS/death over time and with earlier treatment. The uncalibrated CEPAC model successfully reproduced targets obtained via the g-formula for baseline 1996 to 1999, but over-estimated calibration targets in contemporary populations and failed to reproduce time trends in AIDS/death risk. Calibration to g-formula targets improved CEPAC model fit for contemporary populations. CONCLUSION: Individual-level simulation models are developed based on best available information about disease processes in one or more populations of interest, but these processes can change over time or between populations. The parametric g-formula provides a method for using observational data to obtain valid calibration targets and enables updating of simulation model inputs when randomized trials are not available