26 research outputs found
How to ikigai: cara mempraktikkan ikigai demi hidup yang bahagia dan bermakna
No full textMengapa tidak setiap hari terasa bermakna bagi setiap orang?Mungkinkah kita menjalani setiap hari dengan cara yang bermakna?Tentu saja bisa!Di sebuah pulau kecil di selatan Jepang, hiduplah orang-orang yang menjalani tujuan setiap hari. Mereka bahagia, merasa terpenuhi, dan merupakan beberapa orang yang hidup paling lama di dunia. Rahasia mereka?Ikigai—sebuah konsep kebijaksanaan kuno dari Okinawa, Jepang, yang telah teruji oleh waktu. Ikigai adalah peta sederhana untuk menjalani hidup yang bermakna dengan empat arahan utama: lakukan apa yang kamu sukai, lakukan apa yang kamu kuasai, lakukan apa yang dibutuhkan dunia, dan lakukan apa yang memberimu imbalan.Buku ini akan membantu mengubah konsep ikigai yang abstrak menjadi praktik sederhana yang dapat diterapkan oleh siapa saja. Jika konsep ini beresonansi denganmu, mungkin sudah waktunya kamu mengeksplorasi bagaimana melakukan lebih dari yang kamu sukai, yang kamu kuasai, dan yang dibutuhkan dunia sehingga hidupmu terasa lebih berarti dan memuaskan
Gandhi and Peace in the Museums of the World
No full textThe article is about Gandhi’s musealization as a pacifist leader in the world. Particular emphasis has always been placed on the figure of Gandhi as a symbol of peace, a concept that encompasses many aspects of his vision. Gandhi’s pacifism is not only a rejection of war, passive nonviolence, but it is an active force, which, in order to be realized through satya (Truth) and ahiṃsā (nonviolence), acts on two levels, spiritual and political. This includes a transformative dialogue between individuals and nations, the renunciation by the great powers of imperialist designs, nuclear disarmament, the ideal of the sarvodaya (universal uplift), and practicing voluntary poverty. To understand whether these aspects are evaluated, the author analyzes significant museums for peace in India and outside India, taking into account the particular historical and cultural contexts to which they belong. These institutions give audiences access to witnessing aspects of the universality of the Gandhian message, reflecting a communion between East and West. While recognizing that in museum’s choices we sometimes witness the exploitation and trivialization of the Mahatma, for the purpose of commercialization, they have the capacity to restore, if not the entirety and complexity of the historical figure and his message, at least a part of it and an invitation to deepen and explore its meaning
Road Traffic Crashes and Fatalities in Japan 2000-2010 With Special Reference to the Elderly Road User
No full textObjective: To investigate comparative road user crash and fatality rates in Japan between 2000 and 2010 in the elderly and young. Methods: Data from the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Vital Statistics Database and the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis were used to calculate crash rates by age group, vehicle, and license category. Results: Fatal crash rates per 100,000 licensed drivers for 4-wheeled motor vehicle drivers decreased by 53, 56, and 42 percent among the 65-69, 70-74, and >= 75 age groups between 2000 and 2010, respectively, compared to 66 and 60 percent among the 16-19 and 20-24 age groups, respectively. Fatal crash rates per 100,000 licensed riders for 2-wheeled motor vehicles decreased by 64, 23, and 33 percent in the 65-69, 70-74, and >= 75 age groups, respectively. Similarly, fatal crash rates per million population among bicyclists and pedestrians decreased in all age groups but were highest in the elderly age group in all years; the annual fatal crash rate for elderly pedestrians was 3 to 10 times higher than that for younger pedestrians. Conclusions: Despite the overall decrease in the elderly crash and fatal crash rates in all road use categories, elderly pedestrians are more susceptible to road traffic crashes and are more likely to be killed than younger persons. Further research may reduce this risk
Análisis historiográfico de la obra de Matthew Restall, Siete Mitos de la Conquista española
No full textLa conquista de América trajo consigo la necesidad por parte de los españoles de encontrar justificaciones para las medidas tomadas en esta empresa americana. Por otro lado, los grupos protestantes, especialmente los ingleses, holandeses y algunos españoles, viéndose influenciados por sus necesidades político-económicas encontraron en América y sus escritos una manera de desprestigiar y deslegitimar al imperio español en sus decisiones concernientes al trato indígena, temas legales y administrativos, entre otros. El cuerpo documental generado por estos “enemigos de España” constituye la “Leyenda negra” mientras que el de los “defensores de España” es denominado como la “Leyenda blanca (o rosa)”. El conflicto de estos dos cuerpos bibliográficos construyó todo un sistema de mitos, que existen aún en la historia popular y académica. Es en la falta de un consenso común que obras tales como Los Siete Mitos de la Conquista española de Matthew Restall se vuelven necesarias para evitar degenerarse en los supuestos que tales mitos han infundido en la memoria colectiva americana y europea, y que aparecen en el mundo académico. En el presente artículo, se desarrollará un análisis historiográfico de dicha obra mencionando los mitos planteados por el autor y los argumentos que este brindada. Se explica la importancia que tal texto puede ofrecer a estudiantes de historia y al mundo académico de la Conquista de América.The conquest of the Americas gave the Spanish the necessity to look for justifications for the actions undertook in this American venture. On the other hand, protestant groups, specifically the English, Dutch and some Spanish, being influenced by their own political and economical interests found in America and its writings a way to discredit and delegitimize the Spanish Empire in its decisions concerning Indian treatment, legal and administrative tasks, among others. The documentary corpus generated by these “Spain’s enemies” constitutes the “Black Legend”; while for the “defenders of Spain” it’s defined as the “White Legend (or Pink)”. The conflict of those two documentary corpuses built a whole system of myths, which stillexist to this day in popular and academic history. It’s in the absence of a common ground that texts like “Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest” by Matthew Restall become of great necessity in order to avoid falling in the assumptions that these myths have founded in the collective memory of Americans and Europeans alike and which appear in the academic world. In the present article a historiographical analysis of such text will be presented, mentioning the myths presented by the author and his respective arguments, and it’s explained the importance that this text can offer to History students and the academic world of the Conquest of America
Gender differences of suicide in Japan, 1947-2010
No full textBackground: The effects of socio-economic factors on suicide were gender-dependent. Japanese suicide mortality gender ratio (male: female) had gradually increased during the twentieth century. Methods: With the data covering 1947-2010 collected from Japanese official websites, we conducted non-parametric rank test, curve estimations, spearman ranking correlation and quantile regression in succession with Stata version 12.0. Results: The suicide mortality rate in male with a "U" shape had been always higher than that in female with a "J" shape. The male suicide mortality peaked around in 1955 (38.5 per 100,000 populations), dropped quickly afterwards until the 19705; it increased in the 19805 with another peak in 2003 (33.2 per 100,000 populations). For female, an overall decreasing trend was seen with a peak during the 1950s (23.5 per 100,000 populations in 1958). It dropped gradually afterwards with small variations in 1970s and 80s, and was stabilized after 1995 (9.3 per 100,000 populations). The unemployment rate could be used as a single positive predictor of suicide mortality for men (p < 0.01), while the total fertility rate (TFR) (p < 0.01) and divorce rate (p < 0.01) were significantly associated positively and negatively with women's suicide, respectively. Limitations: The impact of mental disorders was not analyzed and age specific analysis was not conducted. Conclusion: The findings of these gender differences in, and the associated factors with, suicide in Japan, warranted further studies including delineation of the implications of differential economic pressure between genders, as well as child rearing pressure and marriage satisfaction. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Relationships between lifestyle and dental health behaviors in a rural population in Japan
No full textThe aim of this study was to determine associations of lifestyle with dental health behaviors such as tooth brushing frequency, use of extra cleaning devices, and regular dental visits to a dentist. Methods: Data were collected from 1182 dentate residents 18 years of age or older who resided in a typical farming district. The data included data on the demographic factors, dental health behavior, and various aspects of lifestyle, i.e. mental condition, alcohol consumption, smoking habit, physical activity, social activity, dietary habits, and presence of systemic diseases. Results: Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that subjects in a younger group (18–39 years of age) and subjects who had never smoked brushed their teeth more frequently. Experience of social volunteer work and presence of systemic disease were correlated with use of extra cleaning devices. Associations of female gender with frequency of tooth brushing and use of extra cleaning devices were weakly positive. The subjects who considered dietary combination carefully and those who lived alone were predisposed to visit a dentist regularly. Conclusions: The results indicate that dental health behavior is associated with lifestyle as well as demographic factors
The impact of vascular calcification on ambulatory and central aortic blood pressure in a South African dwelling dialysis population : a clinical, radiological and pathophysiological study of vascular health in a young prevalent dialysis population in a developing country
No full textIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.In Sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of vascular calcification (VC) in CKD-5D is unknown. We undertook to determine the effect of ethnicity on VC, the risk factors for VC, the utility of abdominal X-ray (AXR) in predicting coronary calcium score (CCS) and the effect of VC on central aortic systolic pressure (CASP) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) in South African dialysis patients. ... Black race significantly protects from VC in South African CKD-5D patients and warrants further study. The AXR is a useful screening tool for CCS in our population. VC does not appear to influence CASP in our population
Empowering Ni-Vanuatu women: Amplifying Wantok authority and achieving fair market access
No full textThe Republic of Vanuatu (2004) report on Vanuatu’s implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) notes that many urban disenfranchised Ni-Vanuatu women live in poverty and have little access to paid employment. The women who do gain paid employment in formal jobs rarely gain access to positions of authority. The United Nations (UN) offered two strategies to improve the position of Ni-Vanuatu women in Vanuatu. The first is informed by CEDAW in Article Eleven on Employment. The “Equity Desk of the Vanuatu Department of Strategic Management” and the “Vanuatu Department of Women’s Affairs Gender Planner” (The Republic of Vanuatu, 2004, pp. 12-13) have been charged with the responsibility of implementing Article Eleven and developing Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) programmes for the public sector. This strategy aims to increase women’s access to paid employment in the formal employment sector and encourage women to achieve positions of authority. The second strategy offered by the UN is the establishment of microfinance projects aimed at providing disenfranchised urban women unable to find employment with a means to own and run microfinance businesses to earn a living. Both these strategies have the overarching aim of improving the well-being of Ni-Vanuatu women.
This study has investigated the extent to which access to formal sector jobs and the implementation of microfinance businesses in the informal sector addresses the well-being of Ni-Vanuatu women. These programmes are being implemented within a complex historical, socio-political cultural and economic environment (Van Trease, 1995). This complexity includes the continuance of Wantok systems of governance in the form of matrilineality (predominant in Vanuatu) and patrilineality (adopted from Christian influences in 1800s and colonial legacy in 1906) (Van Trease, 1987; Facey, 1981; Allen, 1981 & Macdonald-Milne & Thomas, 1981). Matrilineal cultural values bequeath patrimony and legacy of lineage and land inheritance from mothers to daughters. Matrilineal women share power with men in community affairs (Maltali, Sandy & Tamashiro, 2009). In patrilineal communities, patrimony and legacy of lineage and land inheritance is passed from fathers to sons (Van Trease, 1987). Patrilineal mothers and daughters have no lineage, land inheritance, or power-sharing rights (Stege, Maetala, Naupa & Simo 2008). Both Wantok systems are based on communal values practised primarily in the rural sector. Urban centres are organised around a modern-cash and market-economy and a governance framework based on the British Westminster model and the French Head of State model (ILO, 2006). This European generated governance system is underpinned by values informed by liberal competitive individualism and an assumed commitment to meritocracy. It is, however, a system of governance steeped in patriarchal nuances as a direct legacy of the colonial regime now adapted and administered by the Vanuatu’s ruling elite, referred as Vanuatu’s urban patriarchy throughout this thesis.
The theoretical frameworks used in this research draw on both liberal feminist studies and on an adaptation of subaltern scholarship (Thomas & Humphries, 2010 & 2011). The focus is on the legacy of imperialism and colonisation, the politics of power and hegemony, and the expressions of equal rights, emancipation and empowerment as these pertain to the well-being of women in Vanuatu.
Three sets of qualitative empirical observations were collected: i) a focus group discussion with 20 employer and employee representatives; ii) 36 conversations with women employed in the formal employment sector who held positions of authority within their respective organisations; and iii) 39 conversations with women who owned a microfinance business. My field notes were analysed thematically using a point and counterpoint framework crafted from my interest in the work of Huxley (cf Baker & James, 2000a & 2000b & Dawson, 2009). The point is informed by a liberal feminist lens (Gamble, 1999 & Heywood, 2000). A counterpoint to this liberal feminist interpretation is generated from a post-colonial feminist perspective through an adaptation of subaltern studies (Thomas & Humphries 2010 & 2011; Gamble, 1999 & Spivak, 1988). I draw on my Matrilineal Wantok Feminist Voice (MWFV) to form a standpoint in the discussion and to frame insights drawn from the ideas associated with the solidarity economy (Allard, Davidson & Matthaei, 2009; Harvey, 2006 & Harding, 2004).
Point/counterpoint/standpoint for the research as a whole
Point: Liberal feminist strategies for the emancipation of women (and the intended improvement and well-being of their families associated with this perspective) encourage women to pursue better living standards, achieve empowerment in the home, and seek formal jobs or other market-based income opportunities. If in formal jobs, women are encouraged to seek positions of authority. For these women, the major transition in orientation is the move from Wantok-related patterns of responsibilities and opportunities to those made available in the formal Western-generated economy. These Western ways, with emphasis on individualized opportunity, appear to offer financial gain and familial influences, particularly to women born into patrilineal lineage descent groups.
Counterpoint: Viewed through the adaptation of subaltern perspectives that I have applied to the liberal feminist remedies for the enhancement of well-being for the women of Vanuatu, it appears that the women of Vanuatu are involved in multiple and simultaneous complex master/slave relationships (Kohn, 2005 & Honderich, 1995). These relationships are exemplified in salaried/professional occupations held by women, between the women and their employers and work-place cultures, between women and rural and urban patriarchal hegemonies, and between women and the cash and market economy. While EEO activities can be seen to make a difference in the lives of some women, taken together, these interventions are reducing the overall well-being for Ni-Vanuatu women more generally. For the Vanwods microfinance women entrepreneurs, master/slave relationships could be discerned between the Vanwods MFI’s social control of the Mamas, the Vanuatu Government’s imposition of high business licence fees to the Mamas, the Mamas and their greater dependence on the cash and market economy, and the Mamas and their relationship with rural and urban patriarchal hegemonies (Thomas & Humphries, 2010 & 2011). These forms of systemic subservience interpreted from the women’s narratives provide a caution against the uncritical adoption of Western liberal feminist ideals (DeVault, 1990). It is matrilineal women; however, who appear to suffer the most from their move into the urban centres as there they must contend with an urban patriarchal hegemony, an impediment which they had not encountered in their former rural communities governed in accordance with matrilineal Wantok values.
Standpoint: The research findings suggest that all women in this study worked long hours, experiencing discrimination and oppression, received low pay, and experienced increased financial obligations as a result of their engagement in formal and informal jobs. As well as being increasingly dependent on inadequate and unsustainable livelihoods in the urban areas, family and Wantok social relations were challenged and diminished as a consequence of their necessary commitment to their jobs and the demands of urban living. Access to traditional forms of authority and sustenance was undermined.
I conclude that, overall, the implementation of CEDAW-EEO programmes along with the establishment of microfinance projects devised for the emancipation of the disenfranchised women of Vanuatu, while apparently proving beneficial from a liberal feminist interpretation in granting urban women with access to incomes, property and power-sharing, may provide an element of liberation for women of patrilineal descent groups but add new dimensions of patriarchal inhibitors for women of matrilineal descent groups who take up employment under the Westminster rules of governance. The remedies taken as a whole, while promising improved well-being through market-based income generation, remove women from the Wantok kinship social support networks embedded in their indigenous Wantok governance frameworks causing complex problems and hardships for them. Drawing on my Matrilineal Wantok Feminist standpoint position, I suggest that the Solidarity Economy, which combines aspects of market access while still engaging in the traditional systems of social organization, offers an alternative organisational and economic framework for developing and enhancing community well-being in both the rural and urban areas of Vanuatu
Awareness and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS among residents of Kandy, Sri Lanka
No full textCurrently, interventions for HIV/AIDS control in Sri Lanka are only carried out among the most-at-risk populations. This study was conducted to identify the level of awareness and stigma-related attitudes among the general population of Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 869 residents of 18-64 years of age in Kandy, Sri Lanka. A self-administered questionnaire was utilised to obtain information about stigma, discrimination and HIV/AIDS-related knowledge. Chi-square test and multivariate analysis were applied to find possible associations between HIV-related variables and socio-demographic indicators. Response rate was 82.0%. Overall, 93.5% of the participants have heard of HIV/AIDS but the knowledge on HIV/AIDS was low with an average score of 51.7%, no statistically significant difference between genders (p = 0.352). Only 58.1% were aware that a condom was an effective tool for its prevention. There were many misconceptions related to epidemiology of HIV/AIDS. The participants showed more positive attitudes towards HIV/AIDS and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) for all questionnaire items except for those listed under shame and blame. Positive attitudes towards PLHIV were observed to be greater among those with a better HIV/AIDS-related knowledge score. There was no significant association between the attitudes towards PLHIV and socio-demographic characteristics such as ethnicity and religion. There is a greater need of making attempts towards educating the public regarding HIV/AIDS to eliminate misconceptions prevalent in the society. Stigma-related attitudes are mainly due to shame and blame associated with the disease. As the attitudes towards PLHIV were more positive among those with a better HIV/AIDS-related knowledge score, targeted HIV/AIDS-related health education interventions maybe recommended in this regard
Gender gaps in life expectancy: Generalized trends and negative associations with development indices in OECD countries
No full textBackground: Life expectancy (LE) is a major marker of individual survival. It also serves as a guide to highlight both the progress and the gaps in total social and societal health. Comparative LE in concert with measures of gender-specific experience, indices of empowerment and societal happiness and development offer a comparative tool to examine trends and similarities of societal progress as seen through the lens of cross-national experience. Methods: To determine the gender gaps in LE (GGLE) trends, we performed a longitudinal analysis, covering a period of 49 years (1960-2008). To examine the association of GGLE with development indices, we used the 2007 GGLE data, the newest happiness data mostly drawn from 2006; the 2006 Human Development Index (HDI) data and the 2006 Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) data. Results: It revealed that most of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries had a GGLE trend that occurred in an inverted U-curve fashion. We divided them into three subgroups based on the peak years of respective GGLE. The earlier the peak year, the happier the countries, the higher the HDI and the smaller the current GGLE are. Association analysis indicates that Happiness, HDI and GEM are all negatively associated with GGLE. Conclusion: This pattern suggests that GGLE undergoes three phases of growth, peak and stability and decline. Japan will soon be seeing its GGLE gradually shrinking in the foreseeable future. The continuing increases in Happiness, HDI and GEM are associated with a decrease in GGLE, which should be carefully taken into consideration. © The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved
