A question of confidence: an appraisal of the operation of the Gene Technology Act 2000

[Abstract]: This article examines the Gene Technology Act 2000 and its operation during its short existence. The Act is examined from the perspective that the regulatory regime in the controversial area of gene technology should engender the confidence of the public and industry if the innovative technology is to be accepted, especially in relation to food crops. The provisions of the Act are examined in comparison with Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The article also looks at the nature of some applications to the Regulator, the manner with which these have been dealt and some administrative issues which have arisen. Critical issues in relation to the operation of the Act are the absence of any economic or marketing considerations and the declaration or threatened declaration by some States of moratoriums on the commercial release of GMOs

The 'ideal square' of logographic scripts and the structural similarities of Khitan script and han'gul

A comparison of the Khitan Small Script and Korean han'gŭl shows a striking structural similarity of two essentially phonetic scripts that combine 'letters' into large blocks. These blocks in han'gŭl correspond to the syllable, whereas in Khitan they correspond to the word-level. I shall compare these two systems structurally with both the linear alphasyllabic principle of Brahmi-derived scripts and the principle of an 'ideal square' (or 'ideal oblong') that characterizes Chinese, Egyptian or Mayan logographic scripts in order to establish why the Khitan and Korean scripts share a rare structural principle

Different on the inside... Third Culture Kids' transition experiences : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand

Third Culture Kids (TCKs) are children who have spent a significant part of their upbringing in a country or countries different from their passport country. This thesis explored the experiences of TCKs growing up abroad, and how this may have impacted their transition to their passport country, following high school. In particular, this thesis considered: the benefits of the TCK lifestyle; TCKs’ unique strengths; their cultural identity development; meaning of home and belonging; acculturation and the TCKs’ challenges during transition. It is envisioned that through increasing knowledge and understanding of TCKs, social workers, counselors, tertiary institutions and parents will be better able to address the specific needs of the TCKs during transition to their passport country. By means of a narrative approach to the research, the participants provided insights into their TCK lifestyle and the specific challenges they experienced during their transition back to their passport country. Consideration was given to the theoretical social work perspectives that can benefit social work practice when supporting TCKs. Subsequently, the implications for social work practice provision were established. The research findings identified the many benefits but also challenges to the TCK lifestyle. Much of the challenges TCKs experienced during transition to their passport country resulted from their sociocultural adjustment, highlighting the need for both social and cultural support during their transition. In addition to support, the findings revealed that the TCK lifestyle, cultural identity, family relationships, friendships have a significant perceived influence on the TCK’s successful transition to their passport country

The bond scheme

Under the bond scheme, a pre-determined series of payments would compensate farmers for lost revenues resulting from policy change. Unlike the Single Payment Scheme, payments would be fully decoupled: recipients would not have to retain farmland, or remain in agriculture. If vested in a paper asset, the guaranteed, unencumbered, income stream would be similar to that from a government bond. Recipients could exchange this for a capital sum reflecting the net present value of future payments, and reinvest in other business ventures, either on- or offfarm.With a finite, declining flow of payments, budget expenditure would reduce, releasing funds for other uses

Conversion farm case studies

This report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference. The poster presents some preliminary findings of work in progress on case studies of farmers interested in conversion. This work is part of the EU-funded project ‘Barriers to conversion to organic farming-QLRT-1999- 31112’

Organic farming policies and the growth of the organic sector in Denmark and the UK: a comparative analysis

There has been little systematic analysis of the extent to which organic farming policies have influenced growth in the organic sector. Analyses of organic farming policy instruments, for the most part, provide extensive and detailed reviews of instruments applied either in a single country or across countries. Hence, there is a great need to examine systematically whether there is a relationship between the introduction of organic farming policies and the growth of the organic food sector, and whether particular designs of organic farming policies are more effective than others. In this paper, we take the first step in the endeavour of analysing the effects of organic farming by undertaking an econometric analysis of the relationship between organic farming policies in Denmark and the UK and their effects on the number of farmers and growers converting to organic production

A note on mixed boundary value problems involving triple trigonometrical series

This study was motivated by the two-dimensional hydrodynamic slamming problem of a steep wave hitting a vertical wall. The fundamental problem considers dual impact on the wall at the lower and upper regions resembling the impact of a wave at the time of its breaking. The solution method results into a mixed-boundary value problem that involves a triplet of trigonometrical series which, to the author’s best knowledge, has not been investigated in the past. The formulation of the mixed-boundary value problem is generic and could be used in different fields as well

Decoupling EU Farm Support: Does the New Single Payment Scheme Fit within the Green Box?

Recent reform of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has led to a further decoupling of farm support. The EU believes that the new Single Payment Scheme, which replaces the former system of area and headage payments to farmers, tied to production, will qualify for green-box status in the WTO. We examine this contention, particularly in light of the recent WTO panel report on upland cotton.decoupling, EU, green box, Single Payment Scheme, WTO, Agricultural and Food Policy,