Back Yard Research Articles

Forced migration and health - diarrhoea among adult Zimbabwean immigrants in Limpopo

To the Editor: The political and economic decline in Zimbabwe has forced many Zimbabweans to migrate to neighbouring countries and abroad. 1 A large number of Zimbabwean migrants live in poverty in the border region. The high demand for shelter forces some people to create and occupy very basic dwellings 2 and cook food in tin cans over fires. Many live in cardboard and plastic shelters, some in the back yards of overcrowded homes where they have to pay rent. Others sleep under trees next to roads or on open fields on farms, at railway stations or on the street. 3

An evolution of professionalism

I would agree with the components of the current preferred model of new professionalism1 outlined by Dr Stanton et al., but I believe there is something missing when they talk about accountability. They cover the dynamic between patients and professionals and the benefit of assuming a stronger sense of responsibility for the ways in which the wider health system works, but they seem to miss a fundamental plank of professionalism which is accountability to and for your peers. For my part, I feel it is vital that the profession is seen to tackle issues apparent in its own back yard. Revalidation, rightly in my view, is going to depend absolutely on annual appraisal, hopefully whole practice appraisal to cover all aspects of a doctor's practice (NHS and/or private). If appraisal is really going to work to protect patients and encourage continuous quality improvement, then it must be a rigorous and fair peer review. As soon as a doctor with doubtful data or unanswered issues is ‘let off the hook’, the appraiser has failed in that accountability, both to peers and public. It is a big responsibility, but surely crucial to be carried out consistently and effectively if we are to maintain our independence as a profession. An area which might be tackled via appraisal, but which professionals need to be aware of between appraisals, is significant unwarranted variation (particularly outliers, say outside three standard deviations from the mean). I was talking to an orthopaedic audience recently and used the example of knee arthroscopy for osteoarthritis, for which there is almost no evidence of effectiveness in the absence of mechanical locking. To be fair, they were astounded when I told them about the thousands of knee arthroscopies that health insurers pay for per annum; that the rate in private practice was substantially more than the rate in the NHS and that we knew of one orthopaedic surgeon who was probably doing around 2000 a year overall in his private practice. The point I was making was that in this, and multiple other situations in both public and private sectors, professional colleagues often sense where there are elements of poor practice and, as clinical data feedback improves, outliers in local clinical practice will now be increasingly exposed; so, it must surely be up to the profession to tackle these issues because, if they don't, others (e.g. health insurers) will which, while it may protect patients, will undermine professionalism, old or new … but, sadly, the professionals will only have themselves to blame.

Urban wind power and the private sector: community benefits, social acceptance and public engagement

Given the ambitious government targets for renewable energy generation in the UK, there has been a push by government and industry towards various types and scales of Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs). This paper explores the implications of commercial urban wind projects for local communities, drawing on a case study of proposals by ASDA to construct wind turbines in two semi-urban locations in the UK. The paper argues that community responses to the proposals were complex and varied and could not adequately be encapsulated by ‘nimby’ (not in my back yard) assignations. It concludes that while ASDA followed a process of consulting local people, this process highlighted the problems of the ‘business as usual’ approach to public engagement employed by ASDA, and assumptions made about public acceptance of RETs.

Integration of high volume portable aerosol-to-hydrosol sampling and qPCR in monitoring bioaerosols

In this study, the integration of a high volume, portable aerosol-to-hydrosol sampling technique and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was investigated for bioaerosol monitoring by adapting the RCS High Flow to sample air with mineral-oil-strips. Bacillus subtilis var niger and Pseudomonas fluorescens were aerosolized and collected by the RCS High Flow loaded with mineral-oil-strips for 1, 2 and 5 min. In addition, the adapted aerosol-to-hydrosol sampler was also tested for sampling environmental bacterial aerosols in four different environments (a back yard, a student dorm, a dining hall, and a play ground). The performances of the RCS High Flow with mineral-oil-strips were compared with the use of agar strips under similar conditions in all experiments. Air samples collected by the RCS High Flow were cultured, and in addition those collected with mineral-oil-strips were also quantified using qPCR. When sampling B. subtilis var niger aerosols, the use of mineral-oil-strips was shown to report significantly higher culturable concentrations than those obtained by agar strips regardless of the sampling time tested (p-value = 0.04). In contrast, the differences between the two methods when sampling P. fluorescens aerosols were not statistically significant (p-value = 0.5). When coupled with qPCR, the RCS High Flow loaded with mineral-oil-strips obtained significantly higher bacterial aerosol concentrations than those detected by the culturing method. The sampling time was observed to have negligible effects on the efficiency of the technology developed here. When sampling in different environments, the use of mineral-oil-strip was observed to yield significantly higher, about 4-12 times, culturable bacterial aerosol concentration levels compared to the use of agar. This study demonstrated a high volume (100 L min⁻¹) portable aerosol-to-hydrosol sampling technique, holding broad promise in monitoring airborne biological threats when coupled with qPCR technology. Yet, caution should be taken in relating the bioaerosol concentrations to health risks as qPCR detects both culturable and non-culturable cells including inactivated ones.

Organic Poultry Farming in India- issues and approaches

In the last few decades poultry industry has transformed from mere back yard poultry to commercial farm, but the issues of food safety and quality remains unaddressed. Hence, organic poultry farming has become as an approach to address these issues. This paper attempts to discuss the various issues of organic farming along with necessary interventions required in poultry breeding, feeding, housing and health care management under Indian Scenario. Further, necessary policy interventions were also suggested in order to promote organic poultry farming. The poultry sector of modern India has FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission transformed from backyard rearing to become defines organic farming as unique production commercial organized, scientific and vibrant industry management system which promotes and enhances in last four decades ago. Poultry sector plays a agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, significant role in improving the socio-economic biological cycles and soil biological activity, and this condition of rural masses, by generating gainful is accomplished by using on-farm agronomic, employment and augmenting family income, biological and mechanical methods in exclusion of all particularly among the landless labourers, small and synthetic off-farm inputs. The main aim of organic marginal farmers and women in rural areas. Now day farming is to establish and maintain soil - plant, plant- by day, consumers are becoming more aware of safety animal and animal- soil interdependence and to and quality of food products consumed by them. produce a sustainable agro-ecological system based Further, as Purchasing Power (PP) of common people on the local resources. Organic farming does not is increasing persistently, they are interested to require external inputs (i.e. fertilizer, antibiotics etc.) consume safer product without bothering to pay more. but prominently rely on ecosystem management. The So, the production of safer poultry products without agriculture cycle is in complete without the any chemical and microbial residues is the order of the involvement of domesticated livestock that play a day. On the other hand, emerging importance of major role in cycle under the organic livestock animal (poultry) welfare started showing its adverse production. The establishment of organic animal/ implications for trade at international level, as there is poultry husbandry requires a specific period called as growing argument that intensive cage rearing, forced conversion period. This period is the time taken moulting etc., are unethical and against the animal between the start of the organic management on farm welfare. Therefore, laying greater emphasis on and certification of livestock farm and its product. organic poultry farming can help us to produce safer Changing from conventional to organic management poultry products without compromising the animal system for livestock enterprises requires a careful and (poultry) welfare. The present paper is an attempt to gradual approach. In organic poultry farming the appraise the need for development of organic poultry preference should be given to local breeds. Animal and to provide an assessment of potential must be born to organically managed dams if they are interventions required to promote organic poultry to be slaughtered for organic meat production production in India. (Chander et.al., 2006). Further, maximum care should

Involving Community Residency Programs in Research: The Residency Research Network of Texas

For research to be a core value, it cannot remain the province of a small cadre of our members.1 For years, family medicine leaders have been urging members to increase research productivity and promote a strong research culture. Still, research inhabits a tiny corner of the family medicine world, concentrated in academic centers. Most residents (84%) graduate from community residency programs, and most of these lack the resources to promote research among faculty and residents. How can we expect our graduates to appreciate, support, and participate in research when the great majority has little exposure? In the middle 1990s, these concerns led us to examine our own back yard. While our university faculty were research-friendly, our department had done little to spread these values beyond our walls. To correct this situation, we applied to the US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and received funding in 1997, 2000, 2003, and 2009 to support the Residency Research Network of Texas (RRNeT). We proposed a two-fold mission: to examine health issues relevant to family medicine patients in Texas; and to increase community program faculty and residents’ involvement in research.

3D analysis and investigation of traffic noise impact from a new motorway on building and surrounding area

This study analyzes and investigates the impact of traffic noise on the high-rise building and surrounding area by the side of a new motorway that links Bangkok to the new Suwannaphum International Airport and Pattaya. A traffic noise simulation model in 3D form is applied on a GIS system. Visualized noise levels are formulated in vectored contours for noise mapping on all surfaces of the building and surrounding ground in a 3D platform. Noise impact is then investigated based on this 3D noise mapping in LAeq,1 h noise contours. The investigation shows that there is a high traffic noise impact on the foreground and front façade of the building, rendering this area unsuitable for residential purposes. The ground area by the sides of the building and the building side panels receive a lower noise impact. Most of these areas are still not acceptable for residential use; however, all of the side panels and most of the ground area by the sides of the building can be used for commercial and business purposes. The back yard and back panel, together with the rooftop, have the lowest traffic noise impact. They are the safest places for use as residential areas, except for a small strip along the front edge of the rooftop. From this study, residential areas that are sensitive to noise impact must be located far away from the front façade and side panels of a building. It is also shows that the building height is not an effective means of reducing motorway noise on the upper part of the building.

The Wizard of Oz Effect and a new Emerald City

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop three key concepts to the future of knowledge work: knowledge work is a natural, ever‐changing process – not something that can be certified; open education, connection and interaction are the way of the future; and the future of knowledge work hinges on enabling shared practical knowledge globally.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is filled with metaphor mixed with research from recognized knowledge management (KM) experts as well as extensive social media sources such as Wikipedia. The intent is to demonstrate as well as describe the natural process and potential of global connection and interaction.FindingsKnowledge can be found in one's own back yard (or as close as one's pocket) and one's ability to connect to the world. Open education will be increasingly available to support community‐generated certification of knowledge workers.Originality/valueThe paper uses a unique approach to forward a new, inclusive way of looking at knowledge worker certification. It also suggests pragmatic approaches for accomplishing community‐generated certification.

NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF FOREIN DIRECT INVESTMENTS - Experiences from different countries-

According to theories on direct foreign investments and examples in practise, and using directions from normative and historic method, in this paper are analysed negative consequences of foreign direct investments on economies of different countries, with emphasis on agriculture. There are many support to foreign direct investments (FDI) from the government, as the only salutary solution for slacken economy, in countries like Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, Albania, etc. Real positions of economies (in Poland, Hungary, Mexico, Egypt, Croatia, Serbia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, etc), where FDI were welcomed as the only salutary solution, recommended from IMF and WB, by title “structural adjustment”, “macroeconomic stability and competitiveness” for economy and government of these countries, reveal the true face of FDI. According to Goldsmith E., Mender J., 1996, ruthless search for lowest wage, softest provisions (often on the edge of the law) and the cheapest resources in the aim of achieving extra profit, are often called “race to the bottom”, where “employees and government race for job with other workers and other countries, and competition is based on following: Who will work for less money? Who will accept half time job? Who will abandon social insurance and provisions regarding protection on working place? Who will allow that toxic waste is thrown in his back yard?”

Beyond the ‘back yard’: Lay knowledge about Aedes aegypti in northern Australia and its implications for policy and practice

Controlling dengue fever in Australia and internationally, relies heavily upon the actions of residents as well as community education and awareness of the risks. Although it has been well established in medical anthropology that the success of health interventions is highly dependent upon a clear grasp of lay knowledge of disease, limited attention has been given to lay understandings of dengue fever and its vectors in the extant literature. We begin addressing this hiatus through an examination of north Queensland residents’ knowledge of the breeding habitats of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Building on the insights of earlier social research, we use factor analysis to examine the results of a series of randomly selected telephone surveys and compare responses over time and between cities. Our analysis confirms that many people assume that Ae. aegypti is ubiquitous in the landscape, that it lives and breeds not only around the home, but also in a variety of geographical spaces located beyond the suburban ‘backyard’, and beyond the control of local residents. Lay understandings appear to be placing people at risk from dengue, influencing the mosquito management practices of local residents and acting as a source of resistance to public health messages that focus on individual responsibility. A way forward through the provision of new information that challenges key assumptions is provided in the discussion. We argue that rather than dismissing lay understandings as ignorance, strategies, practices and policy based on a detailed understanding of this knowledge will mean that practitioners are better able to address these assumptions and will likely be more effective at educating the public of the risks posed by dengue.

Increased Prevalence ofTrichinellaspp., Northeastern Germany, 2008

In 2008, a Trichinella spp. outbreak occurred on a small family-owned pig farm in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in northeastern Germany. To obtain epidemiologic information on this outbreak, we determined that after 2005 the prevalence of Trichinella spp. in wild boars has increased in this region of Germany. We discuss the potential role of the raccoon dog in the increase in Trichinella spp. prevalence in the sylvatic cycle in this region. We believe that this increase could pose a threat to pigs kept in back yard conditions, and we provide recommendations to ensure public health safety.

An Invoice for All Seasons

Invoice manipulation, to conceal tax evasion, account for private expenditure—such as holidays—as company expenses, commit embezzlement, or camouflage bribery, is a type of economic crime which goes back a long way in Norwegian crime history. The dark figures are considerable, or Dunkelziffer as it is coined in German—a more fitting description. At best, the tax authorities have managed to carry out some successful random checks. Prosecution of economic crime has not carried a high profile with the police in a historical perspective. The commercial sector has a long tradition of clearing up its own back yard. The definitive work on the history of economic crime in Norway has yet to be written. However, we can glimpse some patterns and some Dunkelziffer. Forged invoices used advantageously by private business men were very wide-spread in the 1970s and 1980s, and the practice is still going on. Trusted employees who want to make money at the expense of their employer and companies use similar methods. What is new about the 1990s and the years up to 2007, which is the second period this article will focus on, is that ‘outsiders’ have learned the same tricks and copy the business men, whom organized criminals have as their role models. Commercial life is now under attack from the outside, by newcomers demanding payment for services not carried out or for non-delivered goods, with help of forged invoices for relatively small amounts that are sent to thousands of firms and companies. The Internet and modern technology have opened up avenues for swift and huge swindles, which would have taken months—if they were at all possible on such a scale—in earlier times. The vast majority of the Norwegian inmates are just as poor in resources, relatively speaking, as in earlier generations. But the cleverest of the organized criminals have become smarter, because the general level of public education has after all risen, because they are keener to acquire an education while they are serving time in prison, and because of the new opportunities provided by our modern computer age. Business men who were the only ones to use such methods have met their match, to coin a phrase. We would also call it—the invoice merry-go-round.

Chronic Hip Pain in a Boy With Mental Retardation and Cerebral Palsy

Jonny is a 13 year old boy with spastic quadriparesis and severe mental retardation following Haemophilus influenza type B (HIB) meningitis at 2-months of age. Signs of meningitis started on the evening of his 2-month immunizations that included the HIB vaccine. He presented to his pediatrician with left hip pain that occurred intermittently for a few years and more frequently in the past six months. His parents initially attributed the pain to whizzing around the back yard in a motorized wheelchair. An earlier evaluation of hip pain led to bilateral femoral osteotomies for hip dysplasia. Obesity, associated with inactivity and a tendency to consume fatty foods, complicates Jonny's disabilities. His only activity is a modest amount of physical therapy at school and "floor time" for about one hour each day at home. In the office of his pediatrician, Jonny is friendly, smiling, and verbalizing a few words with his limited expressive vocabulary. He is resistant to a hip examination and grimaces with manipulation of his left hip. Spasticity of the left leg appears increased compared to previous examinations. He has nonpitting edema of his lower legs and feet, a cryptorchid left testicle, and a somewhat tender left inguinal area. Jonny lives with his mother and father in a small house on a busy street less than one-half mile from the pediatrician's office. Jonny's pediatrician often sees him in his wheelchair, accompanied by his mother or grandmother, and waves or stops to chat. He has van services to school, and there is a Hoyer lift in the home, but his parents do not own a van. Recently, Jonny's father finds it more difficult to lift him. The family has also been challenged by the mental health problems of Jonny's two older brothers, and a serious eye injury suffered by his middle brother in a motor-vehicle accident. Jonny's pediatrician has cared for him and his two brothers since birth. Although the parents continue to believe that the HIB vaccine caused his catastrophic illness, they remain with the pediatrician. In general, they are satisfied with the individualized educational plan at a local public school. When he was 6.5 years old, Jonny's school aid reported that he attempted to touch her in the genital area. The pediatrician attended the meeting to review this incident and successfully advocated for Jonny by pointing out that this was an isolated incident; it did not occur again. At 6 years old Jonny functioned in the 1.5-2.5 year old range with motor skills in the 6-12 month level according to the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. In the past a neurologist and a physiatrist saw Jonny, but both of these individuals moved from the community. He had prior evaluations at a children's orthopedic clinic at a small community hospital and at the local Shriner's hospital. He had a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy at 7 years old. He is currently treated for constipation and receives dental care at a clinic for people with disabilities. His pediatrician has always respected the parents for their care and obvious love for their disabled child. However, parental resistance to addressing major issues such as obesity has frustrated his pediatrician. When the pediatrician suggested that Jonny was eligible for the state's managed care program, which would convert Medicaid coverage to a state sponsored program with more extensive services and case management, Jonny's mother repeatedly said that she would "think it over." At the current visit, the pediatrician recommended an adjustment of Jonny's wheelchair, a hip x-ray, a referral to Shriner's Hospital, and an appointment with a pediatric surgeon to address the undescended testicle and possible hernia. Jonny's mother mentioned that he had been to Shriner's Hospital for hip pain two years earlier but was told nothing could be done "because nothing was wrong with his bone." The hip x-ray was normal as well as a complete blood count and a C-reactive protein. The pediatric surgeon did not find a hernia and deferred treatment of the cryptorchid testicle. His parents contacted the wheelchair company to arrange adjustments. The pediatrician called the medical director at the Shriner's Hospital to discuss Jonny's case, but 2 months after the initial visit, the parents had not arranged for an appointment at the Shriner's Hospital. Jonny's hip pain persisted. The pediatrician now wonders how he can more effectively address Jonny's current problems and improve overall care for him and his family.

In/visible Men: Hurston, "Sweat" and Laundry Icons

In/visible Men:Hurston, "Sweat" and Laundry Icons Barbara Ryan (bio) Man, don't hang out that dirty washing in my back yard. The tale of Delia the washwoman is one of Zora Neale Hurston's best known. It's also been judged "by far the best of [her] early writings" and "arguably [her] finest short story." As a result, "Sweat" (1926) has incited wide-ranging discussion. Not fully appreciated, though, is how teasingly it dances at the dizzy edge of dangerous wit. So dizzy is that edge that critics are still falling into a trap set by the laughing-up-her-sleeve satirist who remains half-known, only, to the academy. That was the risk run by an artist whose aesthetic merged anti-racist initiatives with ironization of figurations circulated so energetically, over so many years, that they signified as icons. With the passage of time, those icons' disappearance has left even labor-alert readers likely to miss trenchant play in "Sweat." I spotlight that play by tackling the misapprehension that the laundry Delia whitens laboriously symbolizes her "innate goodness."1 That interpretation is short-sighted for two reasons. One, white laundry puns on the means by which she bought and keeps the house in which she invests so much (too much?) love. Two, goodness doesn't mesh with her decision to say nothing when her unloved husband Sykes intrudes on a rattlesnake. The morality play enacted by her silence is honored by realization that "Sweat" blurs folkloric narrative methods [End Page 69] into allegory.2 That's a vital insight. Vital too, though, are selections of the same narratology in representations of washwomen penned by Langston Hughes and Carter G. Woodson. Explaining shared topic, and tactics, is the prevalence in their day of laundry icons. Visuals aren't common in Hurston scholarship. Nor are Hurston, Hughes and Woodson usually studied in converse with each other. True, the Hurston recognized as a race-alert feminist is often allied with the "Negro Poet Laureate." That makes sense, since she and Hughes were good friends. Both, moreover, spent time on the payroll of the journal Woodson edited. His efforts aren't often studied in conjunction with those of the younger writers because he was less radical on a left-right axis. Woodson was in several respects a populist, nonetheless; that, indeed, is why he worked hard to establish Black History Month. As a populist, Woodson had cause to keep a close eye on Hurston and Hughes as they found ways to draw readerships, sell politicized interventions, and explore new genres and subjects. Judging by Woodson's oeuvre, I would not expect him to have noticed, as Deborah Clarke did in 2001, that in Their Eyes Were Watching God (1935), Hurston "examines the process of learning to see and be seen." Hughes could have noticed this, though, or realized what Hurston would reveal in her autobiography: "I am so visual minded," she attested in Dust Tracks on a Road (1942), "that all the other senses induce pictures in me."3 This essay tracks a visual genealogy—a heritage of icons—repudiated by plot and character decisions in "Sweat." I look more briefly at how Hughes and Woodson contributed to that genealogy to sketch a reception history which, for all its sketchiness, indicates what Hurston risked with high-wire wit. My interest in reception was sparked by Vivyan Campbell Adair's observation that the story of a hymn-singer and her wastrel husband "alienated readers" who felt affronted by how that tale "threatened traditional literary and social conventions." But I learned, also, from Warren J. Carson's explanation of that reaction. "Many were put off by [Hurston's] portrayals of characters and situations they had just as soon forget," he explained in 2007, "in a time when they were trying to be recognized for their American-ness instead of their blackness." Carson's specification of Richard Wright and Alain Locke, in this context, suggests an elite attitude rather than a general consensus. When, however, we ask what Hurston intended, "Sweat"'s debut in the radical forum FIRE!! implies the purposefulness of any alienation experienced by conventional readers. Why would she want to alienate...

Public Attitude toward Mobile Base Station Siting: More than Nimby

The opposition to mobile base station siting is a clear and practical problem with highly social and economic costs. The conflicts between local residents and operators are brewing a long time and become a barrier to the development of telecommunications. It is critical for operators to understand what residents’ attitude toward the station siting and what factors they really concern about. This study aims to incorporate “not in my back yard (NIMBY)” reaction and to analyze the influential factors of attitude toward mobile base station siting in Taiwan. 258 effective respondents are interviewed by questionnaires within the 50-meter neighborhood of base stations. Proximity and risk perception is empirically proven to be the most influential factor. Trust in authority “National Communication Commission” would encourage reward as well as depress risk, and become a significant determinant to conduct the public to have a positive attitude toward station siting. Interestingly, it is found that plenty of knowledge on electromagnetic fields (EMF) and base station would lead residents to more anxious sentiments and to have negative impact on attitudes toward station siting indirectly. The cognitive dissonance of the public results from residents’ high sensitivity on negative information and unavailability of accurate knowledge. Therefore, this stereotype effect of EMF deeply influences the resident’s negative cognition of mobile base station.

“Not in My Back Yard”

“Not in my back yard” (NIMBY) is characterized as behavioral opposition to proposed change and reflects vested interest and perceived negative personal consequences. The present research examined the role of arousal in moderating the relationship between vested interest and oppositional behavior. Two studies replicated previous research with high vested interest associated with greater oppositional behavior and greater attitude-behavior consistency than that observed with low vested interest. Moreover, a misattribution of arousal manipulation (Study 1) resulted in reduced oppositional behavior, whereas an induced arousal manipulation (Study 2) resulted in greater oppositional behavior. These results provide experimental support for the role of arousal underlying vested interest and behavioral opposition. Implications of the results for applications and further research are considered.

El lado oscuro de la sociedad actual: los residuos

Se pretende traer a discusión la basura, los residuos, no sólo en su etapa final sino precisamente también antes de serlo, desde el origen, incluido el diseño de los productos, el consumo de éstos, la forma de deshacernos de ellos, así como el reciclaje y la reutilización por parte de los propios consumidores y empresas especializadas, técnicos, creadores y políticos. La legislación, promovida por las distintas administraciones, es otro elemento muy relevante al escuchar a los distintos actores sociales y sus demandas pero también al ir marcando la ruta a seguir para que el ser humano, como triunfador del momento, y el medio ambiente, como paciente, puedan sobrevivir a duras penas y, lo más importante, no se produzca un colapso a corto plazo porque nadie quiera soportar los desperdicios del resto o, a la larga, porque esos desperdicios tienen una vida tan prolongada que dejamos una herencia insoportable para próximas generaciones. La sociedad tiene que tomar cartas en el asunto sin tácticas dilatorias pues esto comienza a oler mal.

Reviving the United States' Commitment to Pakistan and Afghanistan

As President Obama is in the midst of deciding whether additional U.S.combat forces are needed in Afghanistan in addition to the 21,000 troops recently committed, he must realize that additional armed forces are only a stopgap measure in Afghanistan's downward spiral into an 'undergoverned' failed state. Similarly, as Pakistan's fragile and fractured civilian government continues to appease the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella organization of Pakistani Pashtun tribesmen with Taliban cultural values led by Baitullah Mehsud and others, it comes closer to the concept of a "misgoverned" failed state, possessing a small arsenal of nuclear arms. The problem for the U.S. administration is that neither of these countries can be allowed to fall further into disrepair. At the same time each requires a different and unique approach to the threat of "Talibanization" that faces each country—the control of territory within each country by Islamic radicals seeking to impose their ultraconservative interpretation of shar'ia law onto the general populace. Generally acknowledged is the belief that what has tentatively worked in Iraq, that is, the additional U.S. troops and employment of former Sunni insurgents to help fight foreign fighters associated with al-Qaida, will not work in either Afghanistan or Pakistan. While a regional approach to the conflict in these two countries is warranted, Afghanistan and Pakistan are on two different economic, social, and political playing fields. Hence, there cannot be a one-size-fits-all solution for the two countries, especially one that draws on the Iraq playbook. In addition to its internal political problems, Pakistan also faces the issue of al-Qaida and Taliban training camps positioned in its literal back yard, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA or Tribal Areas). Resolution of the War on Terror cannot come to fruition without addressing the problems that exist in the Tribal Areas. This largely self-governed terrain has come under Taliban influence and serves as a safe haven for Taliban and foreign-fighter cross-border attacks into Afghanistan and, more recently, large-scale attacks into Pakistan itself.

Have you talked with an astronaut lately? - [myfavoriteexperiment

In the February 2008 I&M Magazine, we learned how easy it was to spot passing satellites, the Shuttle, and even the International Space Station (ISS) from our back yards in an exper iment titled "Tonight There Are Hundreds of Visible Satellites in Orbit, How Many Can You Spot?" [1]. This experiment carries that theme one step farther. How would you like to actually talk with an astronaut on the ISS? Or query the internal sensors of an operating satellite? Or perhaps just use the onboard transmitter of a satellite as a relay to speak to someone on the other side of the world? It's not as hard as it sounds.

Symposium 18: Citizen Science in Ecology: the Intersection of Research and Education

Symposium 18: Citizen Science in Ecology: the Intersection of Research and Education