Private Circles Research Articles

(225) Female Sexual Function During the Last Trimester of Pregnancy

Abstract Introduction Since antiquity and until today, sexuality remains a taboo and complex subject, often little discussed either in private circles or with healthcare professionals. Although advertising and the media sometimes use it to attract attention, sexuality is still synonymous with the unknown, raising several interrogations. These concerns are accentuated during the onset of pregnancy and all the physical, psychological, and environmental upheavals associated with this physiological state. Objective This study aims to assess the changes in female sexual function during the third trimester of pregnancy Methods It is a cross-sectional online study that took place over 5 weeks starting March 1st, 2023. All low-risk singleton third-trimester pregnant and newly delivered women enrolled in the public and private prenatal care centers of the region were contacted through the institutions’ social media groups to be recruited. The online questionnaire was a 4-item Google form elaborated in concertation with the literature and included the validated translated version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Results The study included 81 married participants (8% response rate). The median age of the participants was 30,4± 6,9 years and 65,4% of them were employed when pregnant. The mean pregnancy rate per participant was 2,7± 1,9 and 90% of the pregnancies were spontaneous. When questioned about their sexual life during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, 68% of the participants report being uncomfortable when the subject of sexuality is on the table. Most of the respondents (78%) were unsatisfied with their couple's sexuality during pregnancy. A low sexual desire was reported in 84,0%, dyspareunia in 55,6% with a decrease in lubrification in 16,0%, and orgasm disorders in 17,3%. Secondary vaginismus was described by 12,3%. Partners initiated sexual intercourse according to 72,8% of the respondent. Sexual intercourses were mutually initiated in 27,2%. Pregnant women reported a change in their sexual life during the 3rd trimester in 96,3%: the 7th month of pregnancy is associated with less frequent (70,5%) and shorter (69,2%) penetrative intercourses with lower female sexual desire (48,7%). The 8th and 9th months are associated with lower sexual desire (80,8%; 94,9%), lower sexual pleasure (75,6%; 92,3%), and less frequent orgasms (67,9%; 82,1%) and penetrative intercourses (85,9%; 93,6%). Conclusions Our results suggest that the third trimester in singleton low-risk pregnancies is associated with severe impairment of the female sexual function in relation to less frequent and shorter penetrative intercourses, lower desire, and pleasure associated with a general sexual unsatisfaction. Disclosure No.

POLITICAL AND IDEOLOGICAL DOMINANTS OF A. MAKARENKO: RETURN TO THE DISCUSSION TOPIC

One of the most “politicized” figures in the history of national education is the internationally recognized educator and writer Anton Makarenko. Although over many decades everything related to Makarenko has been turned into a rather convincing ideological myth by the efforts of both apologists and opponents of Makarenko, there are enough reasons to doubt the truth of our ideas about the political worldview of this bright representative of reformist pedagogy. During the Soviet era, the image of A. Makarenko was established as an almost ideal communist educator from the point of view of origin and political views, but new sources and biographical research destroy existing stereotypes. The key points of the analysis of the raised question is Makarenko's system of attitudes towards: a) the revolutionary idea as such, b) the idea of socialism, c) Bolshevism and Stalinism. The basis for the reconstruction of these questions became numerous works of the educator, the texts of his public statements, private correspondence, diary entries, some media materials and memoir sources. Although the material presented in the article does not provide a comprehensive assessment of the essence of A. Makarenko's ideological and political position, it certainly refutes all “Stalinist” and “communist” accusations against him. The educator was not a convinced adept of communist, let alone Bolshevik ideology, on the contrary, he not only stubbornly resisted the politicization of the educational institutions headed by him, but in a private circle sharply and unequivocally criticized the main attributes of the new political system. And all his ideological statements in the last years of his life were only forced and quite typical defensive tactics for the years of the Stalin’s dictatorship. And if we can only guess about the real political views of many of A. Makarenko's contemporaries, then his true beliefs are now becoming more or less clear. There is no doubt that today's critics of A. Makarenko have no factual grounds to unconditionally accuse a person who, in the extremely dangerous conditions of a Totalitarianism, tried to protect his thing, his family, his priceless pedagogical heritage and, ultimately, his physical existence.

From Private Circles to Public Circulation: Aldus Manutius & the Emergence of the “Public Sphere” in Renaissance Italy

The establishment of the Aldine Press in 1494 marked a pivotal moment in the history of printing and publishing in Western Europe. The range of technological and typographical innovations introduced by Renaissance educator-turned-publisher Aldus Manutius (ca. 1451–1515), as well as their lasting impact on our cultural history, has been extensively documented. However, a key aspect of Aldus’s larger cultural and intellectual mission remains understudied and merits further attention: the cultivation of a “rational-critical” literary public through the printing and wide circulation of high-quality editions of classical works. Drawing from critical reformulations of Habermas’s theory of “the public sphere” (specifically as revisited by Michael Warner), this paper seeks to investigate and understand how, and to what extent, Aldus’s expansive *pedagogical* and *civic* project contributed to the development of a proto-form of public discourse, in the modern sense, by leveraging the potential of the printing press to reach wider publics, beyond private familial and scholarly circles.

What to Wear? Black and Brown Interpreters’ Perspective on Professional Attire and Appearance

This study explores how Black and Brown ASL-English interpreters navigate their presentation of professionalism and how they handle hyper-criticism with respect to attire. This qualitative case study of 10 participants was designed to collect the lived experiences of Black and Brown interpreters, specifically focusing on how they dress for interpreting assignments. Identifying the similarities and differences of perspectives on this topic, the researcher conducted two focus group discussions to uncover the unique experiences of Black and Brown interpreters in the interpreting community and shed light on a topic which has not received much attention outside private circles of Black and Brown communities. Coding of themes occurred through inductive and deductive design.

The Rivals

The Rivals

Development and Preliminary Validation of the Questionnaire “Evaluation of the Constitution of Social Circles” in Patients Treated for Cancer of the Upper Aerodigestive Tract

Purpose: The constitution of social circles around patients treated for cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) has a major influence on factors that affect quality of life (QOL) but is poorly assessed, mainly due to a lack of tools. The objective of this study is to develop a questionnaire that assesses the constitution of social circles in a population treated for UADT cancer and to analyze the construct (structural and clinical validity) and criterion validity. Methods: The Evaluation of the Constitution of Social Circles (ECSC) questionnaire was developed in French by a committee of experts. Structural validity was analyzed using inter-item correlations. The scores of a group of patients treated for UADT cancer were compared with those of a group of healthy subjects (clinical validity). For criterion validity, the ECSC scores were compared to those from various questionnaires that assess social functioning (QFS), psychological status (HAD), perceived speech impairment (PHI), and QOL (EORTC QLQ-H&N35) in patients. Results: Structural validity shows low to moderate inter-item correlations which is consistent with the construction of the questionnaire not assessing underlying concepts. Clinical validity was satisfactory regarding the frequency of contact (p = 0.01), satisfaction with the frequency of contact in the private circle (p = 0.03), and the size of the social circles of family and friends (p ≤ 0.01). Criterion validity was adequate with moderate correlations between the ECSC scores and the QFS sub-scores of interest (rs > 0.56, p < 0.05). Anxiety (HAD) had a low correlation (|rs| = 0.46, p < 0.05) with satisfaction with exchanges and the frequency of contact with family. Satisfaction with exchanges with the private circle was moderately correlated with the EORTC QLQ-H&N35 score (rs = 0.56, p = 0.01) and showed a negative trend on the PHI (rs < −0.39, p ≥ 0.05). Conclusion: While the test-retest reliability is yet to be evaluated and the sample size should be increased, this preliminary study shows that the ECSC is a valid tool for assessing the constitution of social circles in patients treated for UADT cancer. It highlights the links between social circles and their functional impact on communication and QOL.

Kontribusi Budaya Organisasi Islami dalam Upaya Meningkatkan Kinerja

This paper discussed developing organizational culture in both government and private circles. This research is a literature review, by conducting a study of documents following the research topic. This study concludes that organizational culture in government and private institutions will develop if you apply a balanced concept between general organizational management and religious management, especially from an Islamic perspective. Islam as a religion is known for its concept of discipline and a combination of working earnestly and trusting. Especially in the current pandemic era, the idea of organizational culture by including Islam as a perspective is very suitable. Administrative culture management can be balanced and create quality workers and employees.

Rethinking Commemorative Narratives through Exhibition: The Contact Relics of Michael Collins

Rethinking Commemorative Narratives through Exhibition:The Contact Relics of Michael Collins Siobhán Doyle (bio) Commemorative exhibitions are practices of remembrance and communication that shape, transfer, and disseminate narratives about the past and are significant in examining the construction and reevaluation of historical narratives. These narratives constantly shift rather than remaining fixed, and material artifacts are part of these interpretive devices that cause that shift. In the immediate aftermath of Michael Collins's death at Béal na Bláth in August 1922, conscious commemorative actions began to take place. Photographs were taken of his remains, a death mask was created, and artifacts were carefully safeguarded by those close to him, but also opportunistically collected by those who encountered Collins's remains. This research examines how Collins's death transformed the meaning of his personal possessions. Their circulation, first within private circles and eventually into public-museum collections, demonstrates how they acquired a value beyond material means and have become "treasured relics" of the dead leader.1 This body of objects, based around the evidence of and proximity to Collins's death, constitutes the material culture that played a significant role in creating and reinterpreting narratives of commemoration. Commemorative exhibitions are part of the commemorative process and a "cultural system of representation" whereby past events are represented as meaningful through messages conveyed to visitors in the display of images and artifacts.2 Many of these artifacts, [End Page 147] including Collins's scapular and greatcoat, have been displayed publicly for many years in both permanent exhibitions and temporary displays. A substantial collection of artifacts relating to his death has survived, and each one within this collection has varying display histories. Notably, the military cap he wore at the time of his death, which has visible signs of blood and "organic" brain matter, was removed from display in the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) for ethical and conservation reasons. The cap is among several artifacts that occupy a position at the edge of commemorative narratives, and their entry into the public domain is sometimes to the antipathy of Collins's descendants. This research reflects on how decisions over the display of Collins's contact relics reveal the challenges and complexities of commemorating the Irish Civil War, including the highly politicized remembrance of the past in the public sphere, the conservation requirements of artifacts, and the ethics of display. The motivation for this research is to explain how the display of artifacts associated with the death of Collins gives a dynamic insight into developments of commemorative narratives in museums. The practices of commemoration associated with Collins's contact relics discussed here are spread across different temporalities, from the creation of a death mask in the days after his killing to the first public display in 2014 of a coin believed to have been in his pocket at the time of his death. The distinctive commemorative gestures at different historical distances from Collins's death all contribute to the formation of varying representations and display cultures of the Civil War in museums. In theorizing the relationship between history and collective memory, Pierre Nora asserts that collective memory does not function in an organic, natural way but instead transforms itself according to temporal continuities, progressions, and the relations between things.3 Edward Said implies a similar reasoning in his consideration of how methods of collective memory are selectively used by "manipulating certain bits of the national past, suppressing others, elevating [End Page 148] still others in an entirely functional way."4 The decisions over whether to confine Collins's contact relics to private collections, donate them to museums, or display them to the public relates to the suppression and elevation of commemorative narratives of the Civil War, yet such narratives can generate dissatisfaction and condemnation. This subject will be discussed later. The various forms, genres, and media of Collins's contact relics in commemorative exhibitions are examined through exploring three themes: narrative in museums, indexicality, and display cultures. Narratives in museums are particularly meaningful within complex and rapidly changing political and cultural contexts, such as Ireland during the Decade of Centenaries. Indexicality is based around the evidence and immediacy of conflict, whether through...

GEO FENCING: A MARKETING TOOL

Since the beginning of modern retailing, retailers have used geographic information to determine the trading area around their stores (Christensen and Tedlow 2000). Subsequently elaborated spatial marketing techniques have emerged and sophisticated models have been developed to address location based marketing efforts (Huff 1964, 1966; Applebaum 1966; Nakanishi, Cooper and Kassarjian 1974; Huff and Batsell 1977; Gautschi 1981; Malhotra 1983; Cliquet 1995, 2006; Baray and Cliquet 2006; Post and Kagan 2012). Today, the emergence of m-commerce and location based services (LBS) represent a new marketing challenge as well as opportunities for retailers. The ability to track customers’ moves through their smartphone Geographic Positioning System (GPS), allows retailers to refine their trading area and deliver timely and relevant promotional strategies to customers in their immediate vicinity through geofencing. This paper explores approaches for the effective integration of several focal areas of advanced analytics on currently achievable big data platforms to enable timely, and maximally effective, geofence-triggered interventions (push marketing) that leverages viral or exponential returns. The viral or exponential growth behavior of modern social media-based interactions has garnered much attention in both public and private circles. The potential for harnessing and controlling these epidemic-like dynamics of spread or diffusion represent a significant and, as yet, underdeveloped marketing approach. This is especially true in the context of geo-fencing strategies and designs. Despite the potential for highly-leveraged returns for location-based services (LBS) several barriers remain. Due to privacy concerns, legal issues, the immaturity of big analytics, and constraints presented by physical-level communications and geo-tracking enabling technology, LBS has remained underdeveloped and under-actualized. This reality is rapidly changing.

“After the massacre, the silence”

Katya Petrovskaya (author of the German-language book “Vielleicht Esther”) found out early on about the atrocity that took place at Babi Yar in 1941 from the private circle of her family. Yet in the public sphere, Babi Yar was for many years a symbol of the impossibility of remembering. Too few people had survived who were able to remember the victims. The nature of the suffering among the millions of victims of the war varied too widely, and Soviet anti-Semitism and the ideologically motivated censorship was too oppressive. At the same time, Babi Yar, which today is a park in the middle of Kyiv, remained inseparably linked to the massacre, of which no trace can be found. There are no corpses; only a narrative remains. Remembrance entails physical and psychological effort. It requires a language of its own.

COV IMPACT : analyse des différents facteurs de stress du personnel hospitalier dans 2 centres hospitaliers en France lors de la pandémie COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has swept through our hospitals which have had to adapt as a matter of urgency. We are aware that a health crisis of this magnitude is likely to generate mental disorders particularly affecting exposed healthcare workers. Being so brutal and global, this one-of the kind pandemic has been impacting the staff in their professional sphere but also within their private circle. The COV IMPACT study is an early assessment survey conducted for 2 weeks in May 2020, of the perception by all hospital workers of the changes induced in their professional activity by the pandemic. The study was carried out by a survey sent to the hospital staff of Béziers and Montfermeil. The readjusted working conditions were source of increased physical fatigue for 62 % of the respondents. Moral exhaustion was reported by 36 %. It was related to the stress of contracting the infection (72 %) but above all of transmitting it to relatives (89 %) with a broad perception of a vital risk (41 %). This stress affected all socio-professional categories (CSP) and was independent of exposure to COVID. Change in organisation, lack of information and protective gear and equipment were major factors of insecurity at the start of the epidemic. Work on supportive measures is necessary. It should focus on the spread of information, particularly towards the youngest, as well as bringing more psychological support and a larger amount of medical equipment, beyond healthcare workers and the COVID sectors.

A Study on Empowerment of SHGs for Addressing Gender Inequality in India- With Special Reference to Women Empowerment

Abstract Gender equality by 2030 requires critical activity to dispense with the many main drivers of discrimination that despite everything abridge women's rights in private and public circles. For instance, discriminatory laws need to change and enactment received to proactively propel equality. However 49 nations despite everything need laws protecting women from domestic violence, while 39 bar equal legacy rights for girls and children. Disposing of gender-based violence is a need given this is one of the most inescapable human rights violations on the planet today. In view of information from 87 nations, 1 out of 5 women and girls under the age of 50 will have encountered physical as well as sexual violence by a private partner inside the most recent a year. Hurtful practices, for example, child marriage, take the childhood of 15 million girls under age 18 consistently. Women do 2.6 occasions more unpaid wages and domestic work than men. While families, societies and economies rely upon this work, for women, it drives lower profit and less time to engage in non-work exercises. Notwithstanding equal distribution of economic resources, which isn't just a right, yet quickens development in various territories, there should be a reasonable equalization of obligation regarding unpaid consideration work among men and women. Empowering women and promoting gender equality is essential to quickening sustainable development. Consummation all forms of discrimination against women and girls isn't just an essential human right however it likewise has a multiplier impact over all other development regions. India has 300 million poor people with no entrance to fundamental educational aptitudes, opportunities or occupations. 70% of India lives in the villages and larger part of the people are chiefly reliant on agriculture. Eighty to eighty-five percent of the agriculture work is finished by women beginning from planting to gathering the harvests. The whole world is preparing to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by United Nations to reduce poverty, improve the lives of poor people and increment the pace of development in a sustainable manner. India has additionally set focuses for its tenth five-year plan as per the MDGs. Be that as it may, markers, for example, Child Mortality Rates (CMR), Maternal Mortality Rates (MMR), immunization, rate of lack of healthy sustenance in children, and female education are major impediments in India's endeavors to meet the MDGs. Higher hazard to child health brings about expanded birth rate. Poverty, poor health and education are between connected and put direct weight on regular resources. Low degree of education among women additionally has its environmental sway. Hence, the present study has been conducted with a view to highlight empowerment of Self-Help Groups for addressing gender inequality in India especially for Women Empowerment.

Strengthening Top-Down Design, Fortifying Categorized Management, and Promoting Healthy Development—A Few Reflections on Discussions of the “Regulations for the Implementation of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Promotion of Private Education (Revised) (Draft for Review)”

The “Regulations for the Implementation of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Promotion of Private Education (Revised Version) (Draft for Review)” issued by the Ministry of Justice triggered strong reverberations, drawing a high degree of attention in society. With respect to the revision process, main content, and logical thrust, its impact and effects have been positive and constructive. However, due to gamesmanship between interested parties in the course of public policy formulation, the inevitable reshaping of national policies on private education, efforts to firmly implement the policy of categorized management, the failure to appropriately handle lingering historical problems, the need for more concrete measures supporting the reform orientation, and other reasons, the relevant provisions have struggled to win universal approval within private education circles. To build a sturdy legal system for private education, we must unswervingly implement categorized management, firmly block the policy loopholes for nondistinction between for profit and nonprofit as well as inconsistency between names and reality, implement various measures to support the development of private schools, encourage localities to be boldly innovative with regard to private education policies, and strengthen the correct interpretation of laws and regulations for private education.

Forestieri a Napoli nell'Ottocento: attrazioni, socialità e cultura

At the beginning of the nineteenth century Naples consolidated its reputation as a center of culture, developed during the eighteenth century, with new forms of attractions, spread by the romantic culture. In the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, during the decades of the Bourbon restoration, the forms of sociability, the attractions and the cultural opportunities for foreign guests - which during the eighteenth century were primarily organized in private circles or amongst the aristocrats - are no longer valid. The new travellers have different expectations and request holidays which guarantee services and freedom of movement. However Naples is governed by a reactionary police establishment. From the 1840’s foreigners began leaving the capital and heading around the Gulf. In Sorrento, the islands of Capri and Ischia they found a more liberal ambient combined with new attractions, sociability and culture.

Book Review: Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America: Complications in Facial Plastic Surgery

Richard L. Goode, Samuel P. Most Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America: Complications in Facial Plastic Surgery. New York: Elsevier, 2013. ISBN-10: 0323242219 The November issue of Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America consists of several review articles dedicated to surgical complications. The editors, Drs Goode and Most, have assembled a team of authors from both academic and private circles, drawing heavily from their home institution of Stanford. Most senior authors have extensive publications. The book contains 12 chapters dedicated to discussing complications of both cosmetic and reconstructive procedures, including surgical and nonsurgical modalities. Articles provide concise updates on the root cause, prevention, and treatment of complications in facial plastic surgery. As such, the volume is well suited to residents, fellows, and surgeons desiring up-to-date reviews of procedure-specific problem solving. Standard cosmetic procedures, such as facelifts, blepharoplasty, hair restoration, and rhinoplasty, each receive chapter-length discussion. There are 2 chapters on facial fillers and neurotoxins, as well as others on …

Typography for a Modern World? The Ways of Chinese Movable Types

This article presents a brief history and poses questions about traditional Chinese movable type printing. This is a technology that developed in the pre-modern period and never underwent in the mechanization in the ways that Western movable type printing did. Nevertheless, even today, Chinese traditional movable types continue to be used in some places in China. The authors not only describe the chronology of but also analyse significant cultural, political, and social factors affecting the development traditional Chinese typography. The first part of this article discusses the movable type made of earthenware and of wood, which are described in various sources written by scholar-officials. In the case of movable type for the Tangut script, however, the main evidence come from chiefly religious imprints which provide information about material evidence as well as a few about printers, typesetters, etc. The second section describes the long hiatus from the Yuan until the second half of the fifteenth century in the utilization of metallic typography in the private circles in Wuxi in Jiangnan, whose publications still survive, and how during the last dynasty, the movable type production reflects some trends in book publishing in general, with the important engagement of some of the Manchu emperors. In the last section of the paper, the authors explain why although wooden types existed in the Kingdom of Xixia (1032-1227) and in the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), it was only in the Ming (1368-1644) to Qing (1644-1911) periods that their use became more widespread in China. Wooden movable type played a key role in the printing of genealogies in various areas (e.g. Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan, and Fujian). That all also indicates that wood is the “material medium” of traditional Chinese printing, never mind if employed in blocks or types.

The Institutionalization of Historical Studies at the German Universities in the 19th Century

For the first time in Germany and in the course of the 19th century, the study of history had been institutionalized in university system. This process has been credited for having a close connection with the Prussian university reform and the rise of German historicism. The historical seminar was believed the final station of the institutional development of history at German universities and also the prime motor for its further development as an autonomous discipline. It has been regarded as a place where the unity of research and teaching was realized, and young students were trained to professional historians.<BR> However it was not resulted from the growth of historicist history and deliberate actions of founding fathers of modern historical scholarship such as Ranke and Droysen. Historical seminar evolved from a great number of private circles of professors and students who were engaged in the critical study of source materials, repeating and emulating the development of philological seminar with some modifications. But the famous leaders of this private scholarly circles―Ranke and Waitz―preferred a loose and unofficial form of historical studies to official ones. The official recognition of historical studies as a seminar organization was motivated by the consideration for the training of secondary school teachers.

O filme amador em movimento: os filmes da família Bernas entre o êxodo e o exílio

This article analyses the multiple discourses mobilized by home movies in displacement through the Bernas’s family films, which belong to the amateur film collection of the Forum des Images in Paris. The films shot by the amateur filmmaker Robert Bernas between 1936 and 1966 recorded the family’s displacements between Europe, Africa and North America. Four decades later, they have migrated from the intimate and private circle to the public sphere of the archive. In this context, this text seeks to map the possible readings of the role of the amateur camera as it traverses different territories of culture, memory and history.

China and Africa Rebooted: Globalization(s), Simplification(s), and Cross-cutting Dynamics in “South–South” Relations

The relationship between and Africa in twenty-first century is a subject whose importance for contemporary globalization and development is only matched by entrenched disagreements on how to approach subject conceptually. Despite significant differences in disciplinary focus, methods, and analysis, all scholarship on relations between and Africa converges on notion that there has been a profound deepening, in both quality and quantity, of a range of China-Africa relations over past fifteen years. This deepening and thickening both augments and reflects a set of processes loosely called the Rise of China in a wider arc of neoliberal and post-neoliberal globalization, and has a set of profound and varied effects for Africa.This intensification of engagement has been most visible, and most commented on, in realms of public diplomacy and bilateral trade and economic relations. Both public diplomacy and trade are regularly promoted through FOCAC (the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation), which has a permanent secretariat, a readily accessible Web site that collects relevant official documents, and most notably has convened high-profile ministerial meetings with African states on a triannual basis since 2000. Not surprisingly, sudden increase in China-Africa trade and economic relations is a perennial topic of discussion within business and economic policymaking circles worldwide. There is now a much larger range of opportunities and competition in Africa than was case only a decade ago, largely as a result of China's involvement on continent. According to no less an authority than People's Daily (Cui Peng 2011), China-Africa trade has increased exponentially since 2000, with per annum increases of 28 percent, culminating in China's Africa's largest trade partner in 2011. This information, released as a bland official statement, refers to a welter of economic and political engagements over this time period: high profile deals in sectors as different as oil, mining, and agriculture have been concluded between Chinese and African governments. Meanwhile, under FOCAC umbrella, Chinese government has announced a large number of initiatives for aid, economic cooperation, education, training, and technology transfer. And finally, even most casual visitors to Africa are often struck by Chinese presence, reflected in everything from logos that announce major tranches of Chinese investment in basic infrastructure of Africa to Chinese characters on signs of small mom-and-pop convenience stores at crossroads of small settlements in rural parts of continent.Although ways in which is changing surface of Africa are visible and concrete (new roads, new shops, new stadiums, new signs), there is little agreement about what these changes signify underneath shiny new exterior. The official Chinese narrative is one that dominates even in private circles among Chinese. It robustly, even dogmatically, insists that this transformation of Africa is all to good. In so doing, this rhetoric of falls back on a discourse of a half century that doggedly insists on a set of unchanging principles (often obliquely juxtaposed against those of West): political equality and noninterference; nonconditionality of aid and investment; long-standing friendship with other developing nations of world. In this conception, is a nation with a long history of shared underdevelopment and friendship in common with Africa; from revolutionary Maoist period to present, it has taken moral high road in always refusing to interfere in domestic affairs of other sovereign nations. Now that is well on route to becoming a well-off country and working its way out of underdevelopment, it is in a position to help Africa through extending nonconditional loans on basis of win-win results and mutual benefit. …

Grief and Consolation in Early Modern Lutheran Devotion: The Case of Johannes Christoph Oelhafen'sPious Meditations on the Most Sorrowful Bereavement (1619)

This article seeks to make an original contribution to the study of early modern Christian devotion by examining a source that has received no scholarly attention of any kind: Johannes Christoph Oelhafen'sPious Meditations on the Most Sorrowful Bereavement(1619). Oelhafen, a prominent Nuremberg lawyer, composed thePious Meditationsshortly after his wife, Anna Maria, died. He did so in order to console himself and his eight children in the midst of their considerable grief. Drawing on well-known rhetorical devices and consolatory remedies, Oelhafen produced a work of private devotion that is remarkable in terms of its rich affectivity and considerable artistic skill. ThePious Meditationswas never published, rather Oelhafen intended it for a private circle of intimates, especially his children and their posterity. The work illustrates especially well the theme of spiritual self-care that was so prominent in early modern Lutheran devotion. ThePious Meditationsalso demonstrates how creative and resourceful early modern Christians could be as they sought to contend with mortality, loss, despair, the obligations of parenthood, and the frequently mysterious workings of providence.