Forced marriage, slavery, and plural legal systems: An African example

Slavery, long abolished under international law, left a devastating imprint on Africa. However, enslavement of women through forced marriages remains a common phenomenon in many African states. These African states share the common feature of legal pluralism where traditional legal systems continue to be observed alongside national laws in which slavery is outlawed. Where traditional practices condone the marriage of underage girls who are legally unable to consent, the questioning of age-old accepted forms of marriage can generate strong reactions. This article traces the position of forced and child marriages in international law, and investigates how legality becomes a moveable target when legal systems exist in parallel. Despite international and African Union conventions on slavery and human rights declaring that marriages not based on the full and free consent of both parties are considered a violation of human rights and a form of slavery, these practices persist. These instruments are assessed to gauge the level of conformity (or variance) of African state practice where forced marriages commonly occur. Importantly, the reasons behind noncompliance and the impact of legal pluralism are explored in African states where forced marriages commonly occur

Gendered Pathways to Office for Members of the 112th U.S. House of Representatives

Research both asserts that there is a particular path through careers in either business or law that many political candidates take to Congress and that female candidates do not always follow this standard path. Female candidates have been found to emerge from a wider array of experiences outside of business and law. Differences in pathways male and female candidates take to public office have been widely studied, yet little attention has been focused on whether or not female candidates having experience serving on the board of a non-profit organizations can be a part of a viable alternate pathway to public office. Variables including the educations, occupations, and organizational membership, including whether or not representatives sat on the board for any non-profit organizations, are examined for the male and female members of the 112th U.S. House of Representatives in order to determine if there are differences for the men and women in their experiences before serving in Congress

Alcohol Consumption and Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Australia: A Prospective Cohort Analysis of the New South Wales 45 and Up Study.

In 2011, it was estimated that over 5% of the burden of disease and injury in Australia was attributable to alcohol consumption. There is a clear relationship between alcohol consumption and diseases such as cancer and liver disease, but whether there are beneficial effects afforded by moderate drinking on other health outcomes, such as all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, remains controversial. A systematic review of systematic reviews of the impact of alcohol on all-cause mortality was performed, which identified a number of methodological biases, such as the ‘sick-quitter effect’, which may explain part or all of these associations. Whether patterns of drinking such as heavy episodic drinking alter risk of cancer beyond total alcohol consumption is also under-researched. Data from the New South Wales 45 and Up Study (2006-2014) linked to cancer registry and death records were used to examine 1) the clustering of behavioural risk factors, including alcohol consumption, among participants by country of birth; 2) examination of the ‘sick quitter’ effect by quantifying the association of newly acquired health conditions with alcohol consumption cessation; 3) the impact of alcohol consumption and drinking pattern on cancer incidence; 4) the impact of alcohol consumption and drinking pattern on all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Alcohol consumption was associated with risk of a range of cancer and mortality outcomes, and drinking patterns were associated with risk independent of total alcohol consumption. It was shown that failure to account for the ‘sick-quitter effect’ may result in biased risk estimates, particularly underestimates of risk for cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. The findings that heavy episodic drinking independently increases cancer and mortality risk, and that mortality risk may be underestimated due to ‘sick-quitter effect’, have implications for Australian drinking guidelines and strategies to reduce alcohol-related harm

The Normalization of Surveillance in Superhero Films

This study examines how surveillance and surveillance technology has evolved and become normalized in 21st century superhero films. It examines 51 live-action films released between 2000 and 2013. Superhero films have become immensely popular, with films planned for release well into the next decade. Understanding superheroes as filling the role of watchful guardians of civil society, how they are seen to be carrying out their roles takes on greater importance in an age where security concerns are clashing with privacy concerns. The theoretical backbone of the study is Michel Foucault’s panopticon and Zygmunt Bauman’s liquidity. While the former presents surveillance as an oppressive exercise of power that results in subjects self-regulating their behaviour, the latter focuses on how the flow of information an individual generates, from both ascribed physical data and consumer-driven data, seduces the individual to behave in a manner commiserate with apolitical capitalist ideals. The major contribution coming from this study is a new theoretical concept, the dissolved panopticon. The concept contains three categories: Liquid Technology, Solid Technology, and Non Technology. It was developed to synthesize the panopticon and liquidity, placing technological and non technological surveillance techniques under a one umbrella concept that allows future research to examine surveillance as an interaction between a subject and the technique of surveillance, rather than as separate parts. The study was conducted using a manifest content analysis, which allowed for a clear picture of how surveillance has evolved. This research indicates that surveillance in superhero films has increased over the course of the study period, with much of the growth occurring within the categories of Liquid Technology and Solid Technology

Gendered Pathways to Office for Members of the 112th U.S. House of Representatives

Research both asserts that there is a particular path through careers in either business or law that many political candidates take to Congress and that female candidates do not always follow this standard path. Female candidates have been found to emerge from a wider array of experiences outside of business and law. Differences in pathways male and female candidates take to public office have been widely studied, yet little attention has been focused on whether or not female candidates having experience serving on the board of a non-profit organizations can be a part of a viable alternate pathway to public office. Variables including the educations, occupations, and organizational membership, including whether or not representatives sat on the board for any non-profit organizations, are examined for the male and female members of the 112th U.S. House of Representatives in order to determine if there are differences for the men and women in their experiences before serving in Congress

BEAUTIFUL FORMS AND COMPOSITIONS ARE NOT MADE BY CHANCE: EXPLORING THE EFFICACY OF PORTABLE X-RAY FLUORESCENCE TO SORT AND SOURCE ENGLISH LEAD GLAZED CERAMICS

Advances in portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) technology have made it a viable option for the non-destructive exploration of the underlying chemical composition of ceramic artifacts for the purposes of classification. However, because the literature regarding the use of this instrument on historic artifacts is limited, it is necessary to begin with a broad scale exploratory assessment that might act as a jumping off point for future studies on this topic. Toward that end, this research uses a collection of British and Continental European ceramics ranging from 1650-1920, owned and curated by the Chipstone Foundation in Fox Point, WI, to explore the efficacy of using pXRF to sort and source those materials. The chemical patterns in the data are tested against the known provenance of these artifacts which has been pre-determined by ceramic experts and material culture analysts. Of the 102 samples that have been tested, primary focus is given to items crafted in London and Staffordshire which account for the largest portion of artifacts in the dataset. Principle component analysis is used to better understand the underlying structure of the entire dataset to ultimately reduce the number of chemical variables to those that best distinguish each group. Using those particular chemical variables, a separate dataset of London and Staffordshire mean intensity readings is subjected to factor analysis which resulted in two components being identified. The calculated factor scores are incorporated into a binary logistic regression model to determine if the samples can be correctly sorted into their pre-established provenance categories. A second model that incorporates the year of production is also presented which shows an improved ability to classify those samples. These results are ultimately situated within the historic context of the pottery making industry in England which was highly influenced by the Industrial Revolution and developments in ceramic technology

Cultural Resources Assessment of a Historic Cistern (41GU211) Inadvertent Discovery for the Medlin Street Police Parking Lot Project, City of Seguin, Guadalupe County, Texas

In November 2019, under contract with the City of Seguin (the City), TRC Environmental Corporation (TRC) conducted in field documentation of an inadvertent discovery consisting of a cistern (41GU211) identified in October 2019. The cistern was discovered during active construction of an asphalt parking lot for the Seguin City Police Department, located within the City of Seguin, Guadalupe County, Texas. Additionally, the City identified a single grave marker prior to construction located in the northwest corner of the Area of Potential Effects (APE), defined as the approximately 0.50-acre proposed parking lot. This area was also visually surveyed by TRC cultural personnel to ensure that it was avoided during construction activities. In tandem with this effort, TRC cultural personnel conducted archival research consisting of a review of the Texas Historical Commission Archeological Sites-Atlas (THC-Atlas) for the tract of land on which the inadvertent discovery/cistern is located

Short Report on an Intensive Archeological Survey for the Schertz-Seguin Local Government Corporation’s Proposed SH123/Austin Street Water Line Installation Project, Guadalupe County, Texas

Schertz-Seguin Local Government Corporation (Client) is proposing to construct an 18-inch water main pipeline along the west side of State Highway (SH) Business 123 (Stockdale Highway/South Austin Street) crossing of the Guadalupe River in the City of Seguin, Guadalupe County, Texas (Project). According to current design plans, the proposed water line would be connected to an existing pipeline located approximately 75 feet (ft) [23 meters (m)] north of the Guadalupe River near the existing Max Starke Park Water Treatment Plant and an existing main pipeline located approximately 75 ft (23 m) south of the Guadalupe River along SH 123 in Seguin, Texas. The Area of Potential Effects (APE) consists of two work areas, one north and one south of the Guadalupe River. The northern work area consists of 0.20 acres (ac) and the southern work area consists of 0.15 ac. The APE is 0.35 ac in total. The Project is within the City of Seguin, a subdivision of the state , and thus triggers a review of cultural resources under the Antiquities Code of Texas (Section 191.0525). Additionally, due to Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) permitting requirements the Project falls under the regulations of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (U.S. Code 16, §470, et seq.). TRC archeologists conducted a limited desktop literature and archives review for the proposed Project to assess whether previously recorded cultural resources are within or adjacent to the APE or within a 1-mile (mi) (1.6-kilometer [km]) of the APE. This included a review of the THC’s Archeological and Historic Sites Atlas (Atlas) which provides information related to the location of previously conducted archeological surveys and recorded archeological sites, cemeteries, properties currently listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks (RTHLs), and State Antiquities Landmarks (SALs) that may be impacted by the proposed Project. According to the THC-Atlas, no previously conducted archeological surveys, archeological sites, cemeteries, historic properties, or historical markers intersect or are adjacent to the APE. Fieldwork was conducted by TRC archeologists on February 12, 2020 under Antiquities Permit Number 9263. The intensive archeological field survey included survey of 100 percent of the APE supplemented with shovel testing and visual inspection. Survey methods followed the guidelines and survey standards set forth by the THC and Council of Texas Archeologists (CTA). Review of the project plans showed that of the 155 m (509 ft) proposed water line only 27 m (89 ft) of the line to the north and 18 m (59 ft) of the line to the south will be buried with the remainder above ground and spanning the Austin Street bridge. Survey efforts were concentrated along the buried portions of the proposed water line. Due to the high degree of ground disturbance from existing utilities, bridge construction, and the presence of steep slope only a single shovel test could be excavated. Nine additional ‘No Dig’ observation points were recorded to document the areas of disturbance and slope. No cultural resources or historic structures were identified within the APE. No additional work is recommended