GSTF Digital Library (GSTF-DL): Open Journal Systems (Global Science and Technology Forum)
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Women at a Crossroads between UK Legislation and Sharia Law
No full textThis study explores the debate concerning the implementation of Sharia Law in Britain and its consequences for the Muslim community. In recent years, Muslims in the UK have expressed particular needs: not only active participation in politics, economics and society at large, but also legal recognition as Muslim citizens, claiming for the development of a parallel legal system opposed to State Law. Operating under the Arbitration Act (1996), 85 Sharia Courts in Britain are today recognised as providing a form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Existing literature has outlined a broad historical and contextual background and has mainly focused on theoretical understandings, while little attention has been paid to the experience of the individual and the key issue of power with regards to gender relations. Since the majority of users of Sharia Councils are women, this study aims to investigate the issue of power with regards to gender relations and find out whether such unofficial mediation practices lead to equal treatment of men and women
The Lost Cantonese Identity: An Organizational Society Approach to Hong Kong Cinema
No full textThis study aims to explore the lost Cantonese identity portrayed in Hong Kong Cinema. This paper sets out a framework of the interrelated concepts of identity in an organizational society. Nine films depicting the lost identity in Hong Kong society prior to and following the 1997 handover of power are analyzed. This study finds that the lost Cantonese identity has become an important characteristic of Hong Kong cinema. It is concluded that, in the name of efficiency, the institutionalization of organizations cage individuals’ identities. At the same time, the function of the division of labour causes alienation. Being anomic becomes one choice of life of the denizens. Ironically, the time-space compression misleads the Cantonese to believe that it is easy to escape to a new identity, although eventually it is nothing but a loss
The Use of Religious Symbols in American Military Press Releases
No full textThis work crosses historical and critical cultural traditions and examines the status of religion in militaristiciconography and ritual and examines two main questions. What happens when collective goals are in opposition to the individual's personal morals and ethics? Is religion used to justify military acts or attitudes by the individual in order to come to terms with their service?This project will examine press releases on the National Guard website within a three month period. The goal is to look for meaning on how they support (or not support) the use of religion by the military and the American civil religion. It is interested in the cultural work of religion, or what religion is being used to do. A comparison will also be done against press releases that concern religious issues in the military at the time of a news event.Historically, the study will trace the uses of religious practices and rituals within the military. Historians such as Jonathan Ebel, Jolyon Mitchell, and Martha Nussbaum will inform this discussio
A Geometric Separation of the Economic Activities of the Agents
No full textThis paper considers production in a twoperiod general equilibrium model with incompletefinancial markets. It shows, by application of convexset analysis, the separation of the economic activities ofthe agents. This result is a generalization of thedecentralization theorem of the Arrow-Debreu model toincomplete financial markets
Ground Thermal Responses During Heat Exchange at EcoFarm
No full textThis paper analyzes the ground thermal responsesduring constant rate of heat injection and extraction. Theundisturbed underground temperature is assumed to be uniform.Seven types of earth material are analyzed using mean values oftheir thermal properties. Simple equation for Zone of Influence,convenient for quick engineering assessment, is derived. Theresults show that, among seven underground materials studied,dry sand and sand aquifer are the best for storage typeapplication of thermal energy; whereas igneous is the best fordissipative type application of geothermal energy
Earthquakes, liquefaction, peak ground acceleration, Van (Turkey).
No full textThe ErciÅŸ-Van earthquake with magnitude Mw:7.2 that struck at 13:41 local time on Sunday, October 23,2011 in northern part of Van province affected an area ofabout 13.500 square kilometer at the Eastern Turkey.After several days from the ErciÅŸ- Van earthquake,another quake with magnitude Mw: 5.6 occurred onNovember 9, 2011 at am 21:23 local time in southwest ofthe city centre of Van province. Thousands of aftershocks,many in the magnitude 4.0 to 5.0 range, occurred duringthe next few months. This investigation describes theeffects of the aforementioned earthquakes on structuraldamage. In the first part, ground motion parameters andground deformations during earthquakes were presented.The second part deals with the local site conditions ofaffected settlement areas. In the last part, the attention isfocused on the effect of soil conditions on structuraldamage
The Environment with Chinese Characteristics: Implications for Policy, Governance, and Political Change
No full textMultiple strains of China’s major philosophical /religious / cosmological ideologies variously emphasize harmony,respect, non-action, non-interference, or careful stewardship ofhuman relationships to the natural world. Yet throughout mostof its history, China’s land and resources have more often thannot been subject to highly anthropogenic processes that arematerially transformative: natural features have been rigorouslycontrolled or shaped to suit human purposes. These materialdevelopments contrast sharply with a wide range of more gentleattitudes toward nature expressed in Taoist, Buddhist, andConfucian ideologies. This paper examines such contradictions,starting with early periods of Chinese political history, through toMao’s “attack on nature†during The Great Leap Forward, butit concentrates on specifically Chinese characteristics regardingcurrent environmental tensions, problems, policies, andimperatives it its current era of rapid development and economicgrowth. The primary questions asked are: Is there anyrelationship between current environmental problems and waysof thinking about or acting on them that facilitate the possibilityof political change? Do newly emerging forms of environmentalconsciousness now replace other forms of political consciousnessin China, such as class, given a new climate of prosperity and therise of both capitalist enterprise and middle-class concerns aboutconsumption and quality of life? Is environmental consciousnessenough to tip the balance toward real political/social change?This paper makes the case that environmental managementalways reflects political structures and that the terms ofengagements between social institutions and the natural worldhave always been significant. Whereas China has had a historyof centralized authoritarianism, political isolation, and attemptsto keep foreign influences at a distance, such stances are nolonger viable given the global nature of environmentalresponsibility and concern. Current environmental politicalthought that recognizes that proper “governance†ofenvironmental issues can not be left to governments alone. Alsorequired are a wide range of localized, public / private, orgovernment / community / individual partnerships. China seemsto have recognized and affirmed such link-ups in the domain ofeconomic development. Now the task seems to be to apply suchpartnerships toward the goal of environmental sustainability. Ina political culture in which NGOs still need official recognition inthe form of sponsorship by a government agency China still has along way to go in realizing this widely recognized mode ofenvironmental management success in which power is not justgovernmental but also popular. Given the scale of China’s globalenvironmental impact, these are crucial questions for our timeand they significantly affect China’s position within the worldcommunity
Analyzing LMS Affordances through the RAT Framework for Online Language Teacher Education: A Case Study
No full textThe involvement of institutions of higher learning indistance education has increased dramatically in the last decade.However, there is still room for participation in distanceeducation at the programmatic level, including participation bylanguage teacher education programs. One of the most importantdecisions made by universities seeking to offer online courses isthe choice of a learning management system (LMS), and in a fieldthat emphasizes student-centered learning, it is important tostudy the affordances of a LMS for such student-centeredlearning. The LMS affordances in this study were analyzedthrough the RAT framework, which categorizes use oftechnology into replacement, amplification, and transformation.This paper focuses on the data obtained from one of nineprofessors identified as integrating technology in exemplary waysin his totally online graduate level education course at aMidwestern US university. Data sources included a preinterview,observation field notes, and a post-interview. Inductivethematic analysis was conducted. Preliminary findings suggestthat most LMS affordances fell within the amplification categorywith some affordances having the potential for transformation.There were also instances of the replacement use of technologybut none of the transformative use of technology. This paperends with implications for language teacher education
An Appraisal-based analysis of staff perceptions of recycling in an Australian regional university
No full textThis paper utilises Appraisal Theory to criticallyanalyse staff perceptions, aspirations, expectations and practicesof recycling in an Australian regional university. The analysisfocuses attention on the lexico-grammatical resources thatparticipants used to manage interpersonal meaning in semistructuredinterviews. The analysis is framed within the contextof Education for Sustainability in the Higher Education sector
What Do U.S. Law Professors, Student Editors, Attorneys, and Judges Think about U.S. Law Reviews and the Need for Reform?
No full textWe surveyed 1325 law professors, 338 studenteditors, 215 attorneys, and 156 judges about theirbeliefs about U.S. law reviews and the need for reforms.Law reviews play a critical role in the law and legaleducation in the U.S. They are also one of the bestmeans for social scientists to convey research about thelaw to legal professionals. Law professors weregenerally the most critical of law reviews and studenteditors were usually the least critical. Respondentsidentified several problems with law reviews. Theybelieved that law review articles are too long. Mostrespondents also believed that U.S. law reviews have anegative effect on law professors’ careers and that theyare not meeting the needs of attorneys and judges. Thevast majority of respondents indicated that reforms areneeded and that U.S. law reviews should implementblind, peer reviews. We also discuss the significance ofour findings for the U.S. legal system and for socialscientists who study the law