61 research outputs found
Archaeobotanical data and analyses for the Neolithic sites of Sharara and el-Hemmeh, Jordan
No full textArchaeobotanical data from the Pre-Pottery, or Early, Neolithic sites of Sharara and el-Hemmeh in southern Jordan, and R code for analyses undertaken on the data
A Diplomatic Tightrope: The Whitlam Government and the Diego Garcia Dilemma
No full textThis article focuses on Australia's response to the joint Anglo-American effort to expand military facilities on the island of Diego Garcia in early 1970s. The primary emphasis will be on the Whitlam government's rationale behind its diplomatic manoeuvre towards great power rivalries in the Indian Ocean and its supportive position towards the concept of building the Indian Ocean as a peace zone. It argues that the Whitlam government's policy towards the international diplomacy around Diego Garcia contributed to the shaping of a unique Australian foreign policy, one free from attachment to British and American considerations, although still mindful of the need to factor the interests of the UK and the USA into Australia's calculations of its own best interests.HistoryA&[email protected]
Plant carbon stable isotope values for the Neolithic sites of Sharara and el-Hemmeh, Jordan
No full textSupplements Whitlam, J., P. Flohr, A. Bogaard, M. Charles, B. Finlayson, C. A. Makarewicz. 2024. Preprint: Developmental plasticity and genetic selection shaped cereal evolution in the Early Holocene southern Levant. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.18.608467. This dataset consists of sample information, carbon and to some extent nitrogen stable isotope values, and FTIR spectra of wheat and barley grains of the Pre-Pottery/Early Neolithic sites of Sharara and el-Hemmeh in southern Jordan. Initial mass spectrometer results and processed results are made available for optimal reuse conditions.
Please see the attached README file 'FlohrWhitlam_Isotope_Dataset_README.txt
Introduction to the special issue on ‘Plant use and management during the emergence of farming in southwest Asia: recent insights and new approaches’
No full textFossil fuels, global warming and democracy: a report from a scene of the collision
No full textWhat happens to democracy when the fossil fuel industry collides with global warming?
Introduction
Democracy is caught in a collision between two forces: the need to respond to global warming by cutting carbon emissions, and the demands of the fossil fuel industry to increase carbon use and production. This is a slow motion collision that will take decades to conclude, though its ending seems inevitable: coal, and then oil and natural gas, will be replaced by more sustainable energy sources, but only after great damage to the environment.
In this paper I explore the question, What happens to democracy when the fossil fuel industry collides with global warming?
This collision is already making its marks on democratic practices. The fossil fuel industry is using every tool it can to preserve its wealth and power by pressuring governments, political parties, universities, regulators, courts, and voters. It is a process of tough, aggressive, and sophisticated politics that ultimately depends on denying the evidence that global warming poses a danger that needs to be urgently confronted.
Without a theoretical framework to focus this inquiry, it could easily produce little more than a list of anecdotes about politics and influence. The value of good theory is that it reveals the patterns in the evidence, showing how the disparate pieces are connected to one another, and to larger historical, social, and economic factors. In this paper, I drew theory from (among others) Valerie Bunce, Timothy Mitchell, and most importantly Terry Lynn Karl.
I use the work of these scholars to focus on the Canadian province of Alberta. Alberta provides an example of what can happen to democracy in places where fossil fuel production predominates. From time-to-time I link the paper to Australia, which depends even more than Canada on mineral extraction, and which is on the burning edge of global warming.
This paper should be read as a warning to people everywhere who are concerned about fossil fuel dependence, global warming, and democracy. Those who value democracy must ask, Can democracy as we know it survive global warming
Cutting the mustard: New insights into the plant economy of Late Neolithic Tepe Khaleseh (Iran)
No full textExcavations at Tepe Khaleseh, a small-settlement mound in the Zanjan Province of northwest Iran, have uncovered numerous structures dating to the second half of the sixth millennium B.C., including a pottery kiln. The charred plant remains recovered from the site provide evidence for the cultivation of a diverse spectrum of cereals, along with pulses, which are rare at contemporary sites in the region. Analysis of the archaeobotanical assemblage has also permitted a reconstruction of fuel use at the site, with wild mustards identified as having played a key role in the settlement’s fuel economy. The results presented here expand significantly on our understanding of plant management in northern Iran during the Late Neolithic, a period when we see the spread of farming out of the Fertile Crescent and into Eurasia
Lukutaidottomuuden hinta teollisuusmaassa
No full textThe author is Australia’s Ambassadress of Literacy in her position as Chairperson for the National Consultative Council for International Literacy year. ln this article she examines the social and personal price of illiteracy in an industrial nation such as Australia.Maansa lukutaidonlähettiläs, the Chairman for the National Consultative Council for International Literacy Year, erittelee artikkelissaan lukutaidottomuuden yhteiskunnallista ja yksilöllistä hintaa Australian kaltaisessa teollisessa kulttuurissa
Military loyalty as a moral emotion
No full textLoyalty between soldiers is idealized as an emotion that promotes cohesion and combat effectiveness. However, little empirical work has examined how military personnel understand, feel, and enact loyalty. We use a symbolic interactionalist informed frame to explore the lived experience of 24 retired Australian Defence Force members via in-depth semi-structured interviews. Our analysis revealed three core themes: (1) Loyalty as reciprocity, where there was an expectation that loyalty would be returned no matter what. (2) The importance of emotional connection for cohesion. (3) Loyalty as a prioritizing process, where a soldier’s loyalties gave them a way of choosing between competing demands. Loyalty is a moral emotion that enabled sensemaking. Close interpersonal loyalties tended to trump wider/diffused loyalties. Respondents understood their loyalties to fellow soldiers within wider social constructs of mateship and professionalism. The findings show the risks that come from a reliance on loyalty for combat cohesion
Public health and natural hazards: New policies and preparedness initiatives developed from an Australian bushfire case study
No full textRonan, KR ORCiD: 0000-0002-2698-5886Objective: Public preparedness for natural hazard events is low. With worsening severe weather events due to climate change, public health policy and practices must evolve to more effectively engage communities. This study's findings identify and suggest new strategic public health policies to shift the practice of all-hazards preparedness into routine, everyday life. Methods: Semi-structured interviews, focus groups and Thematic Analysis were used to investigate the interactions between participant groups: emergency responders and animal owners. Results: Three policies designed to improve human safety and well-being are proposed and discussed. These are (i) a new system of workplace leave, (ii) an innovative regime of financial incentives for fire-ready properties, and (iii) review of the use of firebreaks on farms and rural blocks. Conclusion: Policies proposed in this research aim to proactively narrow the awareness-preparedness gap and build adaptive capacity to minimise risk to human health in all-hazards contexts. Further research could evaluate the efficacy of trialled public policy. Implications for public health: These new policies seek to contribute to establishing and maintaining a culture of preparedness as a routine aspect of everyday life, and thus promote and protect public health in the short, medium and long terms. © 2019 The Author
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