Generous Space Research Articles

Reading in Uncertain Times

Reading in Uncertain Times

Music and the Sonorous Sublime in European Culture, 1680–1880 Sarah Hibberd and Miranda Stanyon

‘Scholars in other fields have called for a moratorium on studies of the sublime, yet there are remarkably few books dedicated to the sublime and music’ (p. 1). Editors Sarah Hibberd and Miranda Stanyon thus introduce Music and the Sonorous Sublime in European Culture, 1680–1888, suggesting that music scholars have some catching up to do. In fact, books or not, the sublime has become a well-established musicological topic, especially in studies of the style formerly known as Classical. Yet the range and diversity of this new collection adds much to the existing literature, tapping new sources and repertories to explore the grand, lofty, and overwhelming experience of the musical sublime. Refreshingly, the authors do not fixate on the aesthetic-ethical theory of Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Judgment (1790), the privileged source for both postmodern critics and musicologists; they engage closely with pre-Kantian empiricist accounts of the sublime, as well as the sources perhaps closest to practical musicians—libretti and music journals. The interdisciplinary teamwork of Hibberd and Stanyon, respectively a musicologist and literary scholar, is reflected in the close attention to the uneasy translation of the sublime, originally a rhetorical category, into music. And while accounts of the musical sublime have tended to focus on instrumental music, especially the symphony, the present volume devotes generous space to opera and vocal music. With a modish focus on performance and sound, Music and the Sonorous Sublime offers fresh variations on a familiar theme, reconstructing the meaning, experience, and uses of an elusive aesthetic category.

Folclor și cultură tradițională în revista „Junimea literară” (1904 - 1914)

"In Bukovina, the cultural and especially the Romanian literary life recorded fewer moments of affirmation than the young, in German schools and universities educated intellectuals and writers here would have wanted. The literary magazines (mostly published in Chernivtsi) that existed until the beginning of the twentieth century were not at all numerous and had an existence marked by political conflicts and censorship. Frequently, their editors reproached the readers for their indifference and lack of financial support. “Foaia Societății pentru Cultura și Literatura Română în Bucovina” (1865–1869) and “Aurora română” (1881–1882), for example, were the only publications that appeared in Chernivtsi before 1900. They were exclusively oriented towards culture and literature, two fields that were present, however, in the newspapers from Bukovina, usually in supplements such as “Foiţa literară”. They were also to be found in the first Romanian (in fact, bilingual) newspaper of the province, “«Bucovina». Gazetă pentru politică, religie și literatură” (1848–1850) and later in “Revista politică” (1886–1890, Suceava), “Gazeta Bucovinei” (1891–1897, Chernivtsi) etc. In the last two decades of existence of the Duchy of Bukovina, the periodical “Junimea literară” catalyzed the literary aspirations of a new generation of young Romanian students. Founded in Chernivtsi, in January 1904, “«Junimea literară». Scientific Literary Journal” had a monthly appearance until 1914, the editor-in-chief beeing Iancu I. Nistor (1904–1908), who was joined by George Tofan in 1908. Because the journal offered especially between 1904 and 1907 a generous space for the publication of folklore material, of mythology studies and folk culture, of lyrics and folk legends and of a folk bibliography, we support in our article the statement that the mentioned periodical mirrors the folkloristic movement in Bukovina in the last decades of the 19th century, a movement intensified by the researches and folk collections of Simion Fl. Marian, Ion G. Sbiera, Elena Niculiţă-Voronca and Dimitrie Dan. The appearance of this Chernivtsi magazine coincides with the emergence and support of new orientations and approaches in the research of folklore, one of them being the ethnomusiological research of the traditional culture, which was initiated in Bukovina by Matthias Friedwagner and Alexandru Voevidca. Documentary echoes about the results of their extensive investigation (supported by hundreds of other collaborators) at the very moment of its unfolding we find also in “Junimea literară”. The conclusion of the article is that in Bukovina, before the First World War, “Junimea literară” wanted and managed to exercise a modeling cultural action on the Romanian society and language also through the published folklore materials and studies. "

Involving Young Emirati Women in the Pre-Occupancy Evaluation of “Modern” Housing Designs: Simple Versus Advanced Participatory Tools

The recent shift from the traditional design of citizens’ housing in the United Arab Emirates, with its generous habitable spaces, to a more compact “modern” design has been experienced in the federal housing program in the country. Despite taking the social needs into considerations, the modern designs of this housing category have been professionally developed without genuine residents’ participation especially the young Emirati women (between 18 and 24 years old) who are considered the backbone of the new Emirati families benefiting from this housing program. The research poses this question: How can young Emirati women effectively participate in the pre-occupancy evaluation of the design of the “modern” housing models? To answer this question, the comparative potentials and constraints of utilizing both the simple versus the advanced Virtual Reality (VR) design participatory tools were investigated on a design of a selected model house. Both tools have shown the same trend for the overall satisfaction/dissatisfaction of the house architectural style, the suitability of the functional areas, the spatial organization, and the sizes and numbers of windows as a source for daylighting. Still, the use of the VR has elaborated the respondents’ perceptions and hence changed some responses form satisfaction to dissatisfaction or neutral. Some technical difficulties associated with utilizing the VR tool render it a non-inclusive participatory technique. Finally, it seems that an ideal pre-occupancy evaluation tool for involving young Emirati women in their housing design is through exploiting a hybrid participatory technique combining both simple and advanced VR tools. This could accurately facilitate the pre-occupancy evaluation process while helping save some cost and time.

Improving road traffic by rerouting flows based on various regulation scenarios analysis

One of the major road traffic problems in Pitesti is manifested in the roundabout at Podul Viilor, which, although occupying a fairly generous space, has a very low level of service during peak hours, due to difficult access from one of the arms. The research, based on traffic measurements performed with DataFromSky software and micro-simulation traffic analyses performed with Vissim PTV software, indicated as the only solution the redirection of road flows from the intersection, which required traffic analysis for a larger area. The results obtained for the proposed scenarios - by estimating the degree of road congestion not only in the respective intersection, but also in the adjacent intersections, through which some road flows are reoriented - indicate that in this way a substantial improvement of the road traffic can be obtained for the intersection of Podul Viilor, without significantly affecting the traffic in the adjacent area. Thus, it is found that the service level of an intersection can be increased not necessarily through new road arrangements, but only through better regulation of road traffic in the area, based on the analysis of various scenarios using measurement software and traffic modelling.

Political theatres in the urban periphery: Medellín and the Library-Parks Project

Los Parques-Biblioteca de Medellín son cruciales en el proyecto de ‘mejoramiento urbano y social’ de esta ciudad. Ellos consisten en una combinación de programas culturales y generosos espacios exteriores y interiores para uso público, construidos con la intención de producir un nuevo sentido de comunidad y ciudadanía mediante la arquitectura y su apropiación. Este hecho abre una serie de preguntas sobre el uso instrumental de la arquitectura dentro de proyectos más amplios de transformaciones urbanas. En particular, estos proyectos urbanos intentaron transformar áreas que hasta ahora eran periféricas en la economía, la cultura y la política de esta ciudad. Este artículo intenta abordar cómo el ‘Proyecto de Parques-Biblioteca’ materializa y produce ideologías de política y cultura en contextos de periferia (cultural, económica y política).

Final Comment

Final Comment

The effect of a compressed air stimulus on blocking times in a concentrate feeding station for horses in group housing

Concentrate feeding stations are used to meet the different feeding requirements of group-housed horses. In practice, blocking times caused by horses remaining in the feeding station without concentrate allowance constrain the feeding process considerably. To date, the application of an electric shock seems to be the most effective stimulus to prevent these blocking times.The aim of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of an innovative stimulation device in preventing the occurrence of blocking times. The study was carried out in a so called active barn, a group housing system with a generous space offer which is subdivided into different functional areas (resting, water intake, concentrate intake, roughage intake, paddock, pasture). Each of the 16 horses observed was fed with the help of a concentrate feeding station. As standard, the concentrate feeding station was equipped with a stimulation device that is intended to encourage the horses to leave the station after feed intake. The stimulation device consisted of an acoustic signal (beeper) and a touch trigger (thin stick) that should drive the horses from the feeding station. In the course of the present study, an additional stimulus was implemented, namely the application of compressed air between the horses’ hind legs. The behaviour of the horses was recorded with video observation and analysed over a period of 3×24h in each of the trial periods (1. Status quo=no application of compressed air; 2. Compressed air; 3. Compressed air after two weeks of application; 4. Compressed air after six weeks of application).It was observed that the average daily blocking durations, as well as the average daily blocking frequencies of the horses, could be reduced significantly by the application of compressed air. However, an increase of the observed blocking durations and blocking frequencies during the six weeks of the trial period indicates the occurrence of a habituation effect over time. In the course of the present study it became obvious that there are great individual differences concerning the reaction of the horses to the applied stimulation devices. As the emergence of blocking times is a very complex issue, the authors strongly recommend further scientific research on this topic. Possible future research focuses are discussed in the course of the present study.

CONSIDERATIONS RELATING TO CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE APPEAL IN THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE

The appeal constitutes a judicial mechanism made available to consumers and to the Prosecutor that aims straight for errors committed by a Court of law in its approach of jurisdiction. The term judicial error must be understood in this context as defined in its broad, drawing together both errors of fact and errors of law. Therefore, the appeal is made for the one dissatisfied with the Court decision as a veritable juridical panacea.The role of the right of appeal is not limited to conferring the possibility of requesting a new retrial of the case. They serve the interests of private individuals higher interests, being accused of public order needs. Thus, the existence of remedies is required by principles such as finding out the truth, the right to a fair trial and the reasons for the population’s confidence in the judiciary or the respect due to justice.The new code of criminal procedure1 has reformed the system of appeal may be exercised in criminal matters, giving them a generous space between regulators, art. 408 and 470. We meet thus, in penal matters, the following remedies: appeal, opposition, and cancellation, opposition in cassation, review and reopening of criminal trial resulting from the absence of the person convicted. Distinct from these, we encounter the complaint which may be made against preventive measures (judicial review and judicial control on security) prepared by the Prosecutor during criminal proceedings and which is addressed to judge rights and freedoms. Still exemplifying, we may meet and demand the cancellation or reduction of the fine, governed by art. 284 of NCPP, and the examples do not stop there. We must note that, in our opinion these latter examples may be considered legal remedies only in the usage of the term largo sensu „remedy”. From the etymological point of view, the appeal originates in French, designating a claim appel, a calling application, a request etc. addressed to persons or institutions in order that the latter to settle claims by the appellant.

Taking Room and Giving Room: Displacement, Generous Spaces, and Impossibility of Existence in Nabokov’s “Cloud, Castle, Lake”

“Cloud, Castle, Lake” can be read as an inquiry into the spatiality of pressure and coercion. The story examines pressure in its literal implications; its emphasis on narrow rooms and rooms made narrow by heavy and bulky objects and bodies indicates that pressure cannot be divorced from the notion of space and that pressure always goes hand in hand with a taking up room or displacement. Each of the Germans’ coercions that Vasiliy Ivanovich has to comply with entails a displacement: an intrusion upon his existence in terms of Ludwig Binswanger’s notion of “impressionability” which curtails what could be called with Max Scheler the protagonist’s “sphere of power and volition” and thus finally denies him the possibility to exist. Nabokov’s story contrasts these displacements by spaces giving or granting room, or, to borrow an expression from Rilke’s Duino Elegies , “generous spaces.” The term “generous space” will be used in the following for spaces giving existence room in the sense of Heidegger’s einraumen ; i.e. for spaces giving existence room to unfold and to dwell. Such a space is the enigmatic landscape at the story’s center which constitutes what Jean-Louis Chretien calls a “joyous space”—a space engendering itself in the experience of joy. Nabokov’s protagonist is denied generous spaces by his German tormentors. However, set in Germany in “1936 or in 1937,” the story points beyond itself. For it is not only in “Cloud, Castle, Lake” that room is taken up and existence is made impossible. Room to exist and to dwell was made rare and taken, above all, in Nazi Germany, where taking up room—pressuring, the curtailing of personal liberties, the erosion of civil rights, an aggressive territorial expansion—was a political objective that prepared the ground for the genocide. The existential thus becomes a metaphor for the political.

The Love Potion by Frank Martin

Frank Martin, The Love Potion. 30 Sept., 1, 9 Oct, 2016. Chicago Opera Theater, Music Box Theatre, Chicago, ILThe Chicago Opera Theater, Chicago's innovative, younger, and feistier opera company, is praised (sometimes scorned) for taking risks. Its record may be somewhat spotty, but the 2016-2017 season has opened with a low-key, but poignant, success in its courageous revival of Frank Martin's well-known, but rarely performed opera (oratorio), Le Vin Herbe (not entirely accurately or subtly translated as The Love Potion).Frank Martin, a Swiss composer, came of age musically in his fifties, chronologically in the late 1930s, and composed steadily until his death in 1974, ten days after he stopped work on his last cantata. He died in the Netherlands, where he had lived for many years, and was buried in Geneva. His Swiss passport was helpful for his career, but perhaps less useful for his reputation. He composed peacefully during the war, but was performed somewhat infrequently afterward, suspicions raised by his popularity in Paris under the occupation. Since then suspicions have declined in ferocity and relevance, and he has achieved a secure position in the musical hierarchy, but he is still performed less frequently than he deserves. The COT performance made a strong case for his continuing value.Martin studied with Emile Jacques-Dalcroze (of eurhythmics fame), but later came under the more profound influence of Arnold Schoenberg. Like many composers in the 40s and after, Martin relaxed the rigors of the strict twelve-tone scale and found generous spaces for tonality. His music has a certain Schoenbergian coolness, but that does not disallow moments of beauty and, as Le Vin Herbe proves, moments of heart-breaking poignancy.When, according to the program notes, Martin was asked by Robert Blum to write a half-hour piece for his Madrigal Choir, he turned to Bedier's 'novel,' and chose the chapter, Le Philtre, to set to music. He later decided to add La Foret du Morois and La Mort. The resulting work for a chorus with soloists is usually defined as an oratorio, but, while there is a little action, there is passion and incident, so the urge to perform it is as a drama and call it an opera is entirely understandable. While the chorus of twelve in this production spends much of its time discreetly seated in the chairs at the back of the stage in front of illuminating projections, no harm is done and much clarity and is gained when they get off their chairs and act out the various personae of the drama. …

在不同原子汽室空间中原子相干特性的比较

在不同原子汽室空间中原子相干特性的比较

Description ofMoniliformis kalahariensis(Acanthocephala: Moniliformidae) from the South African Hedgehog,Atelerix frontalis(Erinaceidae) in South Africa

Moniliformis kalahariensis Meyer, 1931 (Moniliformida Schmidt, 1972: Moniliformidae Van Cleave, 1924) is redescribed from long, unsegmented juveniles and pseudosegmented mature adults collected from the South African hedgehog Atelerix frontalis Smith, 1831 (Erinaceidae) in South Africa. The species has not been taxonomically treated since Meyer's original description of only segmented adults from the same host, A. frontalis, as well as from the unusual host, the Namaqua sandgrouse, Pterocles namaqua (Gmelin, 1789) (Pteroclididae), in Botswana and from cystacanths from Blattella (Phyllodromia) germanica Linnaeus, 1767 (Blattidae Karny, 1908) in Bombay, India. Despite the generous space Meyer devoted to the description of mature adults of M. kalahariensis in 1931, and his shorter description in 1932, both accounts lacked considerable important information. We examined some of Meyer's original adults and cystacanths from Berlin's Museum fur Naturkunde by optical microscopy and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Meyer did not measure or illustrate the proboscis hooks but reported 14 hook rows with 9-10 hooks each in his adult and cystacanth specimens. The proboscis of our juvenile and adult specimens from South Africa had 16 hook rows each with 9-11 hooks. One adult from Meyer's specimens that we examined using SEM had at least 16 proboscis hook rows, and one of his cystacanths had 14 hook rows each with 10-12 hooks. Our report provides new illustrations and morphometric data of the long juvenile and mature adults and gives the full range of measurements of proboscis armature. We further describe, for the first time, the 2 apical pores on the proboscis in all stages; the proboscis hooks and their lateral slits and the spiniform hooks in adult worms; hook roots; the reproductive system in both males and females (only the size and placement of testes were reported and an egg was illustrated by Meyer in 1931 and 1932); sensory pores; and the sensory plates near the posterior end of adult males. Lastly, we also describe the large unsegmented juveniles to which Meyer made no reference.

Fiduciary responsibility in retail funds: clarifying the prospects for SRI

This article assesses the fiduciary law context governing socially responsible investing (SRI) in retail funds in order to understand the scope for promoting sustainable development. Most scholarship on this subject has focused on institutional investors such as pension plans, yet the legal, institutional and market context of retail funds has some distinct characteristics. The article argues that although the retail sector offers the most generous legal space for SRI of any financial sector, SRI practice is far from mainstream owing to a range of organizational and economic impediments coupled with the drawbacks of a relatively permissive legal milieu. This article highlights that the obsessive focus on the supposed fiduciary law barrier to SRI can overlook other institutional obstacles to its practice, as well as to stress that it is insufficient merely to have a legally enabling framework if we wish SRI to make a more fundamental contribution to sustainability. Furthermore, any analysis of the fiduciary responsibility of retail funds is incomplete without taking into account the impact of other legal standards and duties in this sector such as from contract law and financial regulation.

Rebranding: Yes or no?

Marketing managers have to keep their brands relevant for consumers, and they do this in a variety of ways. Two popular ways are: constantly developing new products that are relevant for consumers; and refreshing the corporate visual identity (CVI) from time to time. Both strategies have their own pluses and minuses. As students of marketing usually study topics in isolation, they usually fail to appreciate the intricacies that marketing managers face in real-time when the topics interact with each other and create complex decision-making scenarios. This case study has been developed with the objective of sensitising students of marketing towards the finer nuances of marketing decision making that top managers face in real organisations. The case concerns a situation where a top car brand from India is facing an identity crisis. The brand is handled by a young manager, Raghav, who is the protagonist of the story. As expected, he uses a copy-book approach towards handling the problem but finds himself in a very tough situation. The case allows readers to become well-versed in the techniques of critical analysis of the situation as well as of the information available. It will also help readers dig deeper into the domains of new product development and brand repositioning. The case study will aid in triggering debate because it touches upon an area of particular interest to marketers. Furthermore, readers (being consumers themselves) have first-hand experience of brand repositioning. As this is a very interesting area, the business press and academic research allocate generous space to covering cases whenever and wherever they occur. Thus, students will not lack material to analyse and on which build their point of view.

Wilderness and Kinesiology

In this article I examine the theme of wilderness through the lens of American philosopher Henry Bugbee. His conception of wilderness goes beyond the literal sense of the word to what Mooney (1999) terms “a generous space of listening, mutuality of address and presence” (p. ix). I contend that Bugbee's metaphorical expression of wilderness has purchase for our discipline. For those involved in Kinesiology, this wilderness theme has a bearing on the way we approach our career, relate to our students and colleagues; it provides guidance for the integrity by which we hold together our inner and outer selves. My purpose here is to delineate Bugbee's use of the term wilderness and describe the upshot of the wilderness metaphor for Kinesiology.

Healing from Despair: Choosing Wholeness in a Broken World (review)

Reviewed by: Healing from Despair: Choosing Wholeness in a Broken World Simkha Y. Weintraub (bio) Healing from Despair: Choosing Wholeness in a Broken World, by Elie Kaplan Spitz. Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2008. For twelve years, on the second Wednesday of every month, Jews in New York City who have lost a close loved one to suicide have gathered to give and get support from one another in a network called M’kom Shalom. Reeling from their terrible trauma and tragic losses, they turn to the Jewish community and the Jewish tradition seeking something—understanding, meaning, a safe place to grieve, some form of “healing.” As the founder and co-facilitator of this group, having myself been personally [End Page 113] touched by suicide, I am repeatedly struck by the driving, seemingly universal need to tell the story, to somehow put the pieces together in some coherent narrative—and yet how complex and elusive that project generally turns out to be. In Healing from Despair: Choosing Wholeness in a Broken World, Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz weaves accounts of various kinds: among them, his family’s Holocaust legacies and his own first-person encounters with near-obliterating darkness; the existential struggles of Rachel, Moses, and Job; Rambam’s crisis when his beloved ḥman’s tormented soul; the odysseys of Lincoln, Churchill, and Buber; and the bold, somewhat “implausible” history of our people’s triumphant survival and flourishing against the odds. Powerfully, Rabbi Spitz traces the Torah’s treatment of God’s grave disappointments and despair, God’s regret over creation, divine rage and divine forgiveness as role-modeling instruction for our own processes on the bumpy road of life. Throughout, he shares his own hard-won wisdom and insights, an authentic and “takhlitic” gift-of-the-self that ensures that the teacher is as present as the many texts he lays out before us. Perhaps the downside of this extremely readable book—with just five chapters, large type, generous space between lines, and accessible “tools” following each chapter—is that some matters are necessarily given short shrift. The pervasive, underlying problem of shame, for example, needs much greater discussion, as does the complicated path of forgiveness; the use of Psalms for healing is similarly complex if not knotty, and requires more explication. And the clinical reader may bristle at some popular treatments (e.g., even Elizabeth Kübler-Ross acknowledged that the five stages of grief are not linear, and “acceptance” of a loved one’s suicide is certainly multifaceted and ongoing). But developing all these angles would have yielded a weighty tome less helpful to those who are struggling, and to those who are struggling to help them. I recently shared chapter 3, “Forgiving the Lost Soul,” with the M’kom Shalom group. This chapter takes us through the stories of the biblical suicides of Samson, Saul, Ahitophel, and Zimri and then traces the evolving Jewish approach to suicide from the Talmud through the Middle Ages and into contemporary times—a moving testament to our tradition that truly “gets” suffering, reveres life, and seeks to respond, imitatio Dei, with presence, compassion, and comfort, so that we can all become a blessing. We owe Elie Kaplan Spitz much gratitude for the personal and professional Torah that he interlaces in Healing from Despair. Simkha Y. Weintraub Simkha Y. Weintraub, LCSW, serves as rabbinic director of the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services in New York City, guiding its New York Jewish Healing Center and the National Center for Jewish Healing. He is editor of Healing of Soul, Healing of Body, published by Jewish Lights in 1994 and Guide Me Along the Way: A Jewish Spiritual Companion for Surgery, published by the National Center for Jewish Healing of the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services in 2002. Copyright © 2011 The Rabbinical Assembly

DEATH CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Obituary publication has experienced a remarkable revival in the British press during the past 20 years. Newspapers of quality now allocate generous column space on a daily basis, establishing the modern obituary as a literary phenomenon of appreciable magnitude. This shared enthusiasm, however, enjoys a varied manifestation on the pages themselves. That combined surge in column inches, and the consequent influence on public opinion by posthumous appraisal, has been accompanied by scholarly research into obituary publishing. Until now, however, quantitative studies of contemporary practice within the British press have been limited in scope. This article addresses that omission. Drawing on findings from the first large-scale study of its type, it examines 1183 obituaries published by the “quality quartet” (Times, Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Independent) over a three-month period (1 March to 31 May 2007), combined with interviews with obituary editors and writers, to determine: style and presentation factors; subject selection by gender and demographic description; the dominant form of reference applied in naming each obituary's central character; contemporaneousness of publication; and the extent to which cause of death is included in the text. In analysing the technique applied by each of these four newspapers, this study reports the policies of their obituary editors, discusses the forces which shape contemporary practice, and creates a platform for further scholarship within the immediate field.

Sow stalls and animal welfare

Caulfield and Cambridge1 have written a thoughtful essay arguing that the criteria for assessing the welfare of animals should be widened from a consideration of scientific evidence to encompass moral and ethical considerations. They have drawn from a review of the Code of practice for the welfare of animals – pigs and argue, among other things, against the individual confinement of sows in stalls. They recognise that the available science finds no one system of housing superior to others under all conditions and according to all criteria of animal welfare. Citing Duncan, who states that human experience, and what is distressing to a member of another sentient species, must be taken into account, the authors argue that the question of how sows should be housed can be answered only by approaching the question from this broader viewpoint. Hemsworth and others2 over the last three decades have researched the welfare of animals from several perspectives. They argue that the attitude and behaviour of the people looking after the animals are major determinants of animal welfare in farm animals. Fear, methods of interaction with human handlers, stocking density, group size and pen design all have an impact on welfare status.3 Within the welfare science discipline, the welfare of an animal can be defined as how well the animal copes with its environment.4 As defined by Broom, this refers to both how much has to be done in order to cope with an event or situation, as well as the extent to which coping attempts are succeeding. Thus, biological functions (growth, reproductive performance, immune response) are compromised by an adverse welfare environment. This implies that as the animal's welfare status improves, its biological output should continue to improve, assuming that people are clever enough to understand and manage the system. Pig producers moved sows into stalls not because they were fundamentally cruel people, but because, 50 years ago, they saw an advantage in terms of the care of the sow, her nutrition and protection from other aggressive sows. Sows under these conditions were easier to manage and the stalls enabled a high standard of care in a financial environment that has always been competitive. The focus through the 1980s was on productivity and there were plenty of studies and experiences worldwide demonstrating the superior output of sows in stalls compared with various group housing arrangements. During this period, the importance of the stockperson to improved herd output, including the level of knowledge, competency to apply that knowledge, and the attitudes and behaviour of stockpeople towards pigs, were just starting to be investigated. Higher notions of animal welfare, beyond the basic care of the animal, were a peripheral issue for the livestock sectors. Approximately 50% of Australian producers house their sows in stalls for the entire pregnancy and over the past 20 years new construction of large-scale farms has leant towards this method of housing. Welfare science through the 1980s and 1990s failed to demonstrate consistent differences in welfare status5 because of different housing systems at a time when the Australian industry focus was on domestic competition and later competition from imports. Those producers housing their sows in stalls recognised a production advantage6 and the threat of a possible 2% reduction in return on equity if they changed their system to provide more generous space allowances. More recent data7 suggest there's not much difference between the two. Perhaps this is a reflection of the Australian industry's increasing focus on staff understanding of animal management and innovation in housing design. Producers need a stable environment for them to invest in food production of any sort. They have demonstrated that they can change food production practices, but they are also cautious of change where the outcomes are uncertain. There are plenty of studies to demonstrate that individual attitudes to ethical positions do not necessarily rationally translate at the point of purchase. It is clear that community perceptions of livestock production in general, and the acceptability of different housing and husbandry practices, are evolving and that the animal welfare debate is becoming more polarised. There are many views. As the resolution of the debate in terms of the Welfare Codes pragmatically moves toward the centre, it risks satisfying no-one completely. While commending Caulfield and Cambridge on their essay, it is ultimately consumers making their choices in the supermarket who can encourage the pig industry to invest in the construction of new housing accommodation for sows that is financially sustainable for the farmer, and also perceived as ‘welfare-friendly’. In fact, consumers are now able to purchase certified range-bred or RSPCA badged products. Perhaps Government should assist producers and the welfare groups by facilitating increased demand for the latter products, rather than try and regulate on the strength of moral opinion, whatever that may be.

The Diamond Anniversary of the NHS – A View from the Floor

As this issue of the Annals goes to press, the NHS is celebrating its Diamond Anniversary. At a Royal Society of Medicine lecture, the Chief Medical Officer highlighted the historical developments in public health, culminating in the recent ban on smoking in public places. Over the last 60 years, a thin line has persisted between the interests of government and those of the health of the nation as illustrated by the reluctance of successive governments to endorse the proven link between smoking and ill health on account of perceived loss of revenue from falling cigarette sales. An accompanying brochure listed the top sixty NHS figures – selected by a panel chosen by the Health Services Journal. Given the background of the panel, unsurprisingly, politicians (Margaret Thatcher and Gordon Brown included) and senior administrators topped the list. The highest-ranking surgeon (at number 31) was Sir John Charnley – curiously low in the view of the unquestionable international benefit of his pioneering arthroplasty, coupled with the momentous advances in biomedical engineering necessary to produce the initial prostheses and Charnley's own skills in operative teaching. Many hospitals held photographic exhibits to mark the occasion. One particular photograph caught my attention – that of a ward with a highly polished floor, 20 beds with a neatly folded towel at the foot and each bed occupied by a patient who was constricted by the tightest of hospital bed linen. Each nurse wore a neat uniform with a starched collar, cuffs and hat. No Staphylococcus aureus, whether methicillin resistant or common or garden, would have had the temerity to attempt to defy the withering stare of the ward sister or, indeed, the energy to cross the generous space between beds. How clinical practice has changed 60 years on: the same afternoon, modern technology had enabled me to access cross-sectional radiological images and pathology results at the touch of a button. Developments in medical instrumentation, electronics, fibre-optic technology and pharmacology had allowed two patients in my clinic to undergo minimally invasive oesophagectomy. What progress. Of the 18 patients in my clinic, however, eight had temporary or incomplete notes, one had three separate numerical identifiers on the PMS and three should never have attended a surgical clinic. Not one letter of referral was personal – all were addressed as Dear Colleague or Dear Surgeon. Is communication a victim of Choose & Book? Over the last 60 years, unimaginable benefits to patients have resulted from painstaking research into basic biomedical sciences, mathematics and medical engineering amongst others and the maturation of this into everyday clinical surgery. Politically driven and largely untrialed managerial developments (such as the NHS University and Choose & Book) arguably have resulted in poorer services to patients at an extensive and rarely acknowledged financial cost. Senior management, like the first war army staff, sit far behind the front line and know little of the consequences of their actions for the troops: sadly, the gulf between the two widens. For the profession, our trainees work half the hours of their parents: continuity of care has been lost and specialisation is leading us into a ‘silo’ mentality. What has not changed? Our patients are better educated in health matters, are more questioning and involved in decision making but still appear to respect and to have confidence in the medical profession. That, and the continued devotion of nurses, ambulance drivers, porters and other front-line staff give reason to be optimistic. I have two wishes for the Platinum Anniversary – first, that the NHS should invest in people rather than systems; second, government should cease to meddle with the NHS and give it some sea room allowing it to sail unfettered for a few years. To quote Professor Karol Sikora: ‘the government doesn't run supermarkets so why should they run health’. Happy anniversary