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Una identidad caribeña: Representada simbólicamente por el sincretismo religioso en la literatura y cinematografía contemporánea [A Caribbean Identity: Symbolically Represented by Religious Syncretism in Contemporary Cinema and Literature]
No full textThis essay analyzes the religious syncretism of the Caribbean and identifies it as an essential part of its multidimensional and syncretic identity. Through the analysis of the two characters, Nancy and Sirena, of the works Fresa y Chocolate and Sirena Selena vestida de pena, we see the religious syncretism characteristic of the Caribbean and its importance in the development of the characters’ binary identity, which, in turn, serves to exemplify the syncretic identity of the Caribbean itself. In order to formulate this connection, the religious syncretism of Cuba and Puerto Rico, the homelands of Nancy and Sirena, is first illustrated, providing the reader the necessary background of the interconnectivity and syncretism that exists in the religious practices and beliefs of the Caribbean. From there on, the religious acts of Nancy and Sirena are compared and analysed, depicting a clear example of the discussed religious syncretism, through their combined belief in different religions such as Yoruba, Christianity, and “Santería.” Their religious acts lead to the interpretation of the binary identities of the two characters, as we can symbolically compare them with religious figures, important in the Caribbean, who themselves have syncretic identities. Having made these connections, Nancy and Sirena not only illustrate the religious syncretism particular to the Caribbean, but embody its multidimensional and diverse identity, which has developed and become part of its individual and collective character
A Dialogical Séance with the Void of #socialmedia: Public Opinion in American Foreign Policy Towards China
No full textOn October 3, 2013 U.S. President Barack Obama cancelled his trip to the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit due to the government shut-down. This decision came after an intense period of U.S. foreign policy directed at containing China’s military ambitions while encouraging its economic rise. Using Twitter as source material and the method of intertextual analysis, this paper gauges public opinion in America towards China in the wake of Obama’s cancelled trip amongst both elites (those who practice foreign policy) and the general public. The results suggest that public opinion towards China is negative in the wake of the cancellation, begging the question: was Obama’s trip cancelled as a ploy to win sway in domestic politics or was it a foreign policy maneuver? Is there a grand strategy at work or is the so-called pivot towards Asia dead on arrival
Understanding Canada's Physician Supply Through the Lens of Distribution, Gender, and Age
No full textCanada currently has more physicians than at any point in its history, yet there is a belief that there is a shortage particularly in the area of general or family physicians. This has been kept in the forefront of public discourse by the mainstream media which fuels public paranoia that the healthcare system is “not what it used to be.” Much of this debate stems from a series of policy changes made in the 1980s and early 1990s, which by the end of that decade left the impression that it was a system in peril. Government responded by expanding physician resources, which increased the physician population ratio almost 17% from 1993 to 2011, and 30% compared to 1980. This paper seeks to determine why the perception of physician shortages continues despite the record levels of total and per-capita physicians. To answer this, a critical examination of physician activity in three areas—location, gender, and age—was conducted. The results show a sharp decline in the number of hours available for direct care as a result of an ageing, and increasingly female, work force. Results also indicate that the location of physician practice—urban or rural—has an impact on the perception of physician shortage, with rural populations having access to significantly fewer physician resources. The paper concludes that, from a policy perspective, Canada must move beyond absolute numbers and ratios in the evaluation of physician resources, and instead focus on how many direct-care hours are actually available for patients
Asserting Canadian Arctic Sovereignty: Is the Best Offence a Good Defence?
No full textThe Canadian Arctic has always occupied a space within our identity as a nation. However, propelled by a changing climate, the expanding search for natural resources, and the actions of international actors, the Arctic has recently assumed a position of political prominence as well. Canada’s Northern Strategy, introduced in 2009, outlines four areas of priority: exercising Canadian Arctic sovereignty, protecting environmental heritage, promoting social and economic development, and the devolution of Northern governance. Furthermore, 2010 saw the announcement of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS)—a 3.1 billion plan to procure Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships is explored through consideration of the October 2014 budget analysis released by the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. Finally, the social implications of the current government’s Defence-heavy approach are framed by the narrow definition of human security that they imply. The current NSPS initiative is found to be incompatible with the existing political environment of the Arctic circumpolar region, not only for economic reasons, but because of social implications that threaten Canada’s Arctic sovereignty itself
The Genetic Study of Genes Regulating Larva Foraging Behaviour in Drosophila Melanogaster
No full textThe study of animal behaviour from the perspective of genetics is essentially the study of how an organism interacts with its environment—that is, how genes interact with their environment. The task of studying behavioural genetics is difficult because most animal behavioural traits are expressed on a continuous spectrum and are polygenic. This research project uses the Drosophila melanogaster larvae foraging behaviour as a model in order to the study animal behaviour. Two genes are known to control the foraging behaviour of Drosophila melanogaster larvae: the foraging gene and the Chaser gene. The foraging gene has two forms: a “rover” allele (which causes the third instar larvae to move longer distances while foraging) and a “sitter” allele (which results in less movement during foraging). This study measures the longevity of sitter and rover flies, and found that rover flies live longer than sitter flies. The longevity patterns observed in this experiment were replicated with the use of transgenic Drosophila melanogaster containing Gal4/UAS and RNAi transgenes. The research project examines the Chaser gene, which is also able to modify the amount a larva moves during foraging. Although the location of this gene was previously mapped to the cytological region 95F7-96A1, this study proposes a modern deletion mapping to narrow the Chaser gene’s candidate region to cytological band 95f8. The study was able to narrow the region where Chaser can exist to a region containing only three genes. Further experimentation is needed to determine which of the three is the Chaser gene
TRIPS and India: A Fight for Seed Freedom
No full textAfter a brief overview of agriculture in India, this research project focuses on the World Trade Organization’s Trade-related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement, and its role as a tool that, along with other economic actors, aids in the violation of articles 1 and 6 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights— specifically, the right to quality food and traditional farming. The roles of the local regime, human rights, and the cultural significance of growing one’s own food are considered, and potential solutions are proposed
Is Garlic Mustard (Alliaria Petiolata) Causing a Decline in Native Species’s Richness?: A Literature Review and Case Study on Long-Term Data Sets from Two Parks in Southwestern Ontario
No full textIn the past two decades, research to identify the direct and indirect impacts of garlic mustard on the diversity and richness of native species present in North American forests has increased significantly. My literature review aims to assess the evidence for whether the presence of garlic mustard in a disturbed or an undisturbed area is likely to be the sole or major cause of declines in native plant species richness and diversity. I review the literature on the relative number of short-term and long-term research studies on garlic mustard ecosystem impacts, and note that only 11 studies out of a sample of 100 focus on the long-term impacts of garlic mustard. Findings from the literature review are applied to a case study, a long-term data set (1995-2009) examining the correlation between garlic mustard density and plant species richness in two parks in Southwestern Ontario: Point Pelee National Park and Rondeau Provincial Park. The goal of the case study is to compile previous field data and to assess whether garlic mustard density is negatively correlated with native plant species richness
The Effect of Understanding Fetal Alcohol Syndrome on School Disciplinary Practices
No full textFetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a neuropsychological disorder caused by prenatal alcohol exposure and has serious consequences for the child, both in terms of physical and social deficiencies. The characteristics of children diagnosed with FAS include hyperactivity, poor attention span, cognitive and perceptual problems, school behaviour problems, and speech and language deficits (Short & Hess, 1995). Because the chain of developmental impairments begins early in life and causes serious problems for life adaptation later, a considerable proportion of these children remain dependent on support from a sensitive environment such as family and school (Steinhausen & Spohr, 1998). By displaying inappropriate behaviour, due to the syndrome, in a school setting, a child may incur frequent punishment and be stigmatized by others (Wilkins & Velicer, 1980). Furthermore, the reactions of others to inappropriate behaviour may cause these children to become ostracized or even to become the targets of peer abuse, increasing their emotional burden and lowering their self-esteem (Fausett, 2003). The purpose of our research project is to gauge whether people feel empathy for children with FAS and tolerate inappropriate behaviours when they lack detailed information about the disease, but know only a diagnosis. We hypothesize that people who understand the syndrome and its consequences would consider it inappropriate to punish a child with FAS, because they may empathize with the child and understand the reason for disturbing behaviours. Likewise, those who are aware of a diagnosis, but don’t understand the syndrome and its consequences may be more likely to consider punishment to be appropriate
Something in the Water: The American Acid Endemic
Get PDFThis study is an analysis of the reaction against the use of the substance LSD-25 in the United States of America during the 1960s. It seeks to answer why and how the drug appeared and vanished from the cultural landscape so rapidly, drawing from a pool of historical writings as well as primary documents from both academic and popular sources. It begins with a brief history of the scientific origins of LSD during the 1950s and the drug’s place in the fields of chemistry, psychology, and among respectable figures of the international intelligentsia. The rest of my paper analyzes the methods and motives of government and moral authorities against the acid-fuelled counterculture that was emerging. This was in the wake of the ban of all sales and production of the substance in the United States by 1965. In this paper, I propose that the reaction against LSD use followed the paradigm of moral panic theory, and explain the perceived threat apparent in the relationship between LSD culture and the contemporary, mainstream American culture regarding the role of science and medicine, religion, racial tension, an affluent and educated youth culture, and anti-communist paranoia. My research findings suggest that the cause of the establishment’s strong reaction against LSD and the surrounding subculture was not that it opposed the fundaments of mainstream American culture; rather, that it adhered perfectly to those core themes of American life and pushed them to the breaking point
