True Motives Research Articles

融资惯性、控制权收益和民营化效率——基于星美联合的案例分析

Based on the facts of Stellar Megaunion Corporation,this paper finds that after the privatization of state-owned enterprises,the private enterprise that take over the privatized state-owned enterprises still get continuous bank loans with quite low interest rates,and financing inertia resulting from this kind of path-dependence supports the rapid growth of corporate assets through massive debt. At the same time,because privatization has never changed the control right benefits of the controlling shareholders,the controlling shareholders who take over the privatized state-owned enterprises have strong motive for tunneling the accumulated assets resulting from financing inertia by related party transactions,and escape from the constraints of large amounts of bank loans further through making full use of the bankruptcy reorganization and the defects of non-tradable shares reform,thereby resulting in double losses of state-owned assets. It is thus clear that the true motive for privatization is the critical factor affecting privatization efficiency,and the separation between control right and residual claim straightly leads to the tunneling of listed companies by large shareholders. And defects of state-owned capital management,loan management of financial enterprises and the regulation of transactions of listed companies provide a guarantee of double losses of state-owned assets. This paper makes a pioneering research of specific sources of benefits from control right and argues that financing inertia leads to the increase in controlling shareholders' benefits from control right after privatization,which is a concealed channel concerning double tunneling of state-owned assets. Therefore,the perfection of loan mechanisms in financial institutions and the enhancement of the regulation and punishment of tunneling listed companies are the basis of avoiding the expropriation of state-owned assets by financing inertia in the process of state-owned enterprise withdraw and private enterprise entry.

Unbundling political and economic rationality: A non-parametric approach tested on transport infrastructure in Spain

This paper suggests a simple quantitative method to assess the extent to which public investment decisions are dominated by political or economic motivations. The true motivation can be identified by modeling each policy goal as the focus of the optimization anchoring a data envelopment analysis of the efficiency of the observed implementation. In other words, we rank performance based on how far observed behavior is from the optimal behavior under each possible goal, and the goal for which the distance is smaller reveals the specific motivation of investment or any policy decision for that matter. The approach is tested on Spain's land transport infrastructure policy since it is argued by many observers to be driven more by political than economic concerns, resulting in a mismatch between capacity investment and traffic demand. The method clearly shows that investments have generally been more consistent with a political objective (the centralization of economic power) than with an economic objective (maximizing mobility).

The Guise of the Bad

My topic is the possibility of acting in the belief that the action is bad and for the reason that it is, as the agent believes, bad. On route, I examine another question – namely whether agents can, without having any relevant false beliefs, perform actions motivated by the badness of those actions. The main worry is the compatibility of action for the sake of the bad with the thesis of the Guise of the Good (roughly that actions undertaken with an intention to perform them are undertaken because they are, as the agents see things, good in some respects). The examina-tion is helped by considering the way reason explanations and the more widely understood normative explanations can explain actions, in light of the conditions for the rationality of actions and the bearing of masking beliefs (broadly: self-deceived beliefs that mask the agents’ true motives or reasons from them) on the explanation of their actions. The discussion leads to consideration of the possibility of various conceptual mistakes. Given the variety of human motivations, I focus on the interpretation of one case: the Luciferian motive, understood, roughly, as the drive to defy the limits of thought or of rational thought.

Death in Veracruz by Héctor Aguilar Camín

Reviewed by: Death in Veracruz by Héctor Aguilar Camín Amanda Zastrow (bio) Héctor Aguilar Camín. Death in Veracruz. Shaffner Press, 2015. Set during the oil wars of Mexico in the 1970s, Héctor Aguilar Camín’s noir novel Death in Veracruz jumps right into a tale of corruption and intrigue that revolves around politician Francisco Rojano and his enemy, union leader Lázaro Pizarro. The novel’s first person narration, recounted by a man readers only know as Negro, a nickname which appears to have been affectionately granted him by Rojano’s wife, Anabela, offers the direct and unportending story of Rojano and Pizarro’s never clear, never obvious double-dealings, as Negro, journalist and lifelong friend of Rojano, constantly works to obtain the truth pertaining the various atrocities described as occurring behind the scenes. As is repeated various times throughout the novel, Pizzaro’s chilling motto, “Destroy to create. Whoever can add can divide,” suggests that Pizzaro be defined as Camín’s character most culpable for the novel’s concerning events; however, as the novel moves forward, Pizarro’s words become a pithy axiom for several of the main characters, eliciting the idea that within such an intense setting, rarely is anyone, truly, the novel’s only “bad guy.” Camín uses the character of Rojano to show that Pizarro is not the only one to blame for the corruption and dishonesty that is described as permeating throughout the country. While the supposed wrongdoings of Pizarro, the novel’s named villain, are the reason Rojano calls upon Negro for assistance, Negro, despite his obvious loyalty to his friend, offers up situations and descriptions in his narration that immediately disrepute the character of Rojano as well. Although the famous tagline belongs to Pizarro, destroying to create rather quickly is shown to describe Rojano’s methods as well as Rojano comes to Negro with what appears to be an up-and-coming news story, something that he knows would be of interest to Negro. Following this interaction, however, the anthem of destroy to create reveals its wicked head as it becomes clear that Rojano’s personal motives in the situation far outweigh any benefit that Negro’s career might reap. After telling Negro about the underhanded offers and mysterious deaths that lead back to Pizarro’s want of acreage, Rojano requests that Negro, “[K]eep your eyes open […]. Help me investigate this whole business. Let something drop in the national press when the time is ripe.” Here, Rojano’s true motives in the matter become clear; his aim to sully Pizarro’s name in an effort to become mayor of Chicontepec is the creation that, in order to generate, he is willing to destroy for. As he doesn’t think about the consequences for Negro when he asks him to investigate a man who is a known murderer, Camín’s plot and descriptions place Rojano into the same context as this criminal, Pizarro. While it is clear that Pizarro will do what he has to do to get what he wants, Camín also elucidates that Rojano is a character of the same breadth: both of these men are willing to destroy the lives of others to create the future reality that they refuse to lose; thus, in such a harsh landscape as that [End Page 58] of the battlegrounds of Mexico, one cannot be too careful when it comes to trust and confidence. Camín’s use of homogeneous characters works to imply that such a situation as this requires unprincipled and amoral individuals: his depiction of Rojano explains that Pizarro is not alone in this classification. Through his description of Rojano’s wife, Anabela, Camín again paints the unscrupulous terrain of Mexico in the ‘70s in such a light that elicits the necessary presence of unsavory and ruthless characters, and alongside the growing understanding of Rojano’s persona, Camín also explains that conniving individuals are not restricted to the male sex. Just as Rojano has no qualms when asking Negro for his assistance, his wife, in turn, treats Negro as an object to be used so that she can have...

Getting real with the upcoming challenge of electronic nicotine delivery systems: The way forward for the South-East Asia region.

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are being marketed to tobacco smokers for use in places where smoking is not allowed or as aids similar to pharmaceutical nicotine products to help cigarette smokers quit tobacco use. These are often flavored to make them more attractive for youth - ENDS use may lead young nonsmokers to take up tobacco products. Neither safety nor efficacy as a cessation aid of ENDS has been scientifically demonstrated. The adverse health effects of secondhand aerosol cannot be ruled out. Weak regulation of these products might contribute to the expansion of the ENDS market - in which tobacco companies have a substantial stake - potentially renormalizing smoking habits and negating years of intense tobacco control campaigning. The current situation calls for galvanizing policy makers to gear up to this challenge in the Southeast Asia Region (SEAR) where the high burden of tobacco use is compounded by large proportion of young vulnerable population and limited established tobacco cessation facilities. Banning ENDS in the SEAR seems to be the most plausible approach at present. In the SEAR, Timor-Leste, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and Thailand have taken the lead in banning these products. The other countries of the SEAR should follow suit. The SEAR countries may, however, choose to revise their strategy if unbiased scientific evidence emerges about efficacy of ENDS as a tobacco cessation aid. ENDS industry must show true motivation and willingness to develop and test ENDS as effective pharmaceutical tools in the regional context before asking for market authorization.

An Overview of the Banking Sector Consolidation in India: A Conceptual Framework

This paper aims to take a look at the literature available on the bank consolidation with a special stress on Indian scenario. It appears that that until and unless the true motive of consolidation is properly understood at this point of time proper conclusion cannot be drawn. Evidence of collusion, corruption, crony capitalism which may have given rise to the high level of NPA complicates the matter. Greater transparency is required before any research can be designed to suggest the most appropriate measure in this regard.

ДМИТРО МАНУЇЛЬСЬКИЙ – КЕРІВНИК ЗОВНІШНЬОПОЛІТИЧНОГО ВІДОМСТВА УКРАЇНСЬКОЇ РСР (1944-1952 рр.)

Creating of Ukrainian SSR’ foreign policy department during the Soviet constitutional reform in 1944, whatever the true motives and intentions of official Kremlin policy, – systemic great strategy, tactical move, situational political maneuvering or diplomatic farce, – had a positive consequence. After more than two decades of forced interruption, the concept of «State Ukraine» appeared in diplomatic correspondence the Ukrainian SSR formally acquired the status of a subject of international law and was the «initial member» of the United Nations. The very fact of «the republic’s emergence in the international arena» certainly contributed to the growth of national consciousness of Ukrainians, feeling them myself nation that is worth full representation in the international community. «First among equals» the Soviet Union republic was collaborating with international life, gradually formed its own corps of skilled diplomats, that gained experience of employment activities in international organizations, mastered new methods and the art of negotiation, the ethics of international communication, realized the strength and weakness of the Kremlin diplomacy and simultaneously observed visually slighted status of the Ukrainian SSR in foreign policy. The deep sense of a unique Ukrainian «drift» to international life could not to eviscerate any sophisticated Kremlin filters. The article spotlights the role of D. Manuilsky in launching the «golden age of Ukrainian Soviet diplomacy», whose best achievements diplomatic service of independent Ukraine is developing.

Inversions and Competitiveness: Reflections in the Wake of Pfizer/Allergan

The recent announcement that Pfizer Inc. has reached a merger agreement with Allergan PLC , with the combined entity being tax-resident in Ireland, is a good occasion to reconsider U.S. policy options in regard to inversions. We consider an “inversion” any transaction in which a U.S. corporation becomes foreign for tax purposes without a meaningful change to its underlying business or management activities.This short article explains what we believe to be the true motives of inversion transactions, as well as potential policy reposes, in light of the Pfizer inversion. Part I explains what is unique about the Pfizer inversion, so as to make it a case study worthy of special consideration. We use the Pfizer deal to reject the argument that inversions are driven by “competitiveness” considerations.Part II explains the true motives for corporate inversions and the limited effectives of recent Treasury notices issued in response to recent inversion transactions. We suggest that Pfizer (as well as other U.S. corporations) engaged in the inversions simply because they can, and that inversions have nothing to do with maintaining a “competitiveness” edge. Inversion is a legal, cost-effective way to reduce a corporation’s tax burden, which is enough of a reason for a corporation to engage in it. From a policy perspective, however, inversions are unjustified as they deny the U.S. tax revenue from multinational corporations that extensively use U.S. infrastructure. The burden of financing such infrastructure thus shifts from U.S. multinationals, to small and medium local businesses and individual taxpayers.Treasury’s responses to date, while commendable for their effort, fall short. The reason is that Treasury’s authority is limited, and as such Treasury’s responses only affect particular transaction structures. Only Congress can address the root causes of inversions. Congress did make an effort to do so when it enacted section 7874 in 2004, but its reliance on shareholder-level definitions of inversion made the proverbial “rod” of 7874 vulnerable to becoming a “snake” that limits Treasury’s efforts to curb second wave inversions.The third part addresses available policy options to respond to inversions. Since competitiveness is not what drives inversions, “competitiveness” based solutions to the problem – such as a move to a territorial system and a reduction of corporate tax rates – are unlikely to solve the problem in any meaningful way. A move to a territorial system to solve that inversion problem, is analogous to solving a debt-collection problem by forgiving the debt.Specifically, if the United States moves to a territorial system, inversions may indeed stop, but not because the U.S. became more “competitive”. Inversions would stop because multinational will be able to achieve the same unjustified tax outcomes, with no need to engage in inversions. Under current proposals for territorial taxation, all the United States will get to keep are the corporations’ “nationality”. Corporations will still be able to operate in the U.S. and avoid taxation in the U.S. The United States will not recuperate any of the tax base lost to inversions. It will simply give up the tax base. In this context, we use the UK’s response to its inversions problem (which included a shift to a territorial system) as a case study for a failed response to a corporate inversion problem.Instead, we suggest that the preferred course of action to eliminate inversion transactions, and at the same time maintaining competitiveness, and maintaining the U.S. tax base, is a change to corporate tax-residence rules under IRC 7701, combined with a reduced corporate tax rate. This is the only solution that will put local and multinational business at par in the U.S. market, competitively speaking. Given that such a solution is unlikely to be adopted any time soon, we explore legislative agenda targeted at preventing inversions. We also briefly outline some additional ways by which we believe Treasury may enhance its response to the inversion phenomenon.

Licensed to Practice: The Supreme Court Defines the American Medical Profession by James C. Mohr (review)

Reviewed by: Licensed to Practice: The Supreme Court Defines the American Medical Profession by James C. Mohr Gregory Dolin, M.D. James C. Mohr, Licensed to Practice: The Supreme Court Defines the American Medical Profession, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013 When picking up a book titled Licensed to Practice: The Supreme Court Defines the American Medical Profession, one cannot be faulted for expecting a rather dry legal (and perhaps historical) discourse on the Supreme Court case(s) that cemented medical licensure as the norm of American life. James Mohr dispels these expectations from the very first page of the volume. Instead of recitation of legal doctrine (on which more later), Mohr begins with a murder mystery. While we know from the very first pages the answer to “whodunit,” the rest of the book masterfully explains why they did it. As it turns out, what led to the murder was an intense fight over the proper way to practice medicine. Mohr’s work is an entertaining read, but behind the colorful history of some larger-than-life characters in post-Civil War West Virginia lie [End Page E-6] real lessons and questions about the control over access to the medical profession. After setting the stage with the murder of one of the book’s protagonists, Mohr sheds light on the unenviable state of medical science in post-Civil War America. The reader learns that most physicians and their prescribed treatments were not grounded in any science, and many were outright fraudulent. While that, in and of itself, is perhaps not a great revelation, what is striking is that these shortcomings afflicted not just fly-by-night charlatans, but also the “Regular” physicians who held degrees from prestigious institutions. And to the extent that the latter group did have some scientific underpinnings for its practices, the patients were still no better off, as the scientific knowledge of the day (such as it was) rarely translated into clinical success. That is certainly not the story that is often presented by, among others, the American Medical Association. Instead, the late 19th and the early 20th century are often presented as a time when the benevolent forces of education, science, and true medical cures battled the dark forces of ignorance, superstition, and harmful medical treatment. As Mohr shows, the reality was far more complex. Not only were multiple scientific questions unsettled, thus making multiple (and often conflicting) methods of treatment quite appropriate (even if with the passage of time, one of the methods proved to be erroneous or even detrimental), but the clinical outcomes were hardly dependent on the level of scientific knowledge. Thus, the fight over medical education, practice, and licensure, was ultimately a fight over economics and prestige. Mohr’s book does an excellent job in showing this to be the true motive for the moves towards licensure rather than the encomiums to “[s]cientific advancement, standards for medical education, launching a program of medical ethics, improved public health” (AMA). The true motives for the initial push for physician licensure identified by Mohr are hardly confined to the late 19th century. The guild mentality that drove Dr. James Reeves – the early chief proponent of West Virginia’s licensure regime – has survived him and is alive and well in today’s licensure boards and medical societies. While Mohr’s book was limited to the initial fights over the licensure and in the Supreme Court case that resolved the legality of these laws, and therefore it is understandable that the book doesn’t delve into licensure and credentialing debates subsequent to Dent v. West Virginia, Mohr seems to accept that the purpose of licensure in today’s America is finally patient’s protection rather than physicians’ economic interests. Thus, he writes “[f]ortunately for American society, [End Page E-7] the policy wager made in West Virginia in 1882—and elsewhere over the next four decades—eventually paid off in the form of significantly better treatments for a host of maladies” (160). But in many ways, this confuses correlation with causation. It is true that the licensing laws helped drive from the marketplace out-and-out charlatans, and it is equally...

An Approach to Science in the Qurʾān

The purpose of this analytical study is to re-examine Ṭanṭāwī Ǧawharī’s (1862-1940) so-called scientific exegesis of the Qurʾān. Some academics have praised him, while others critiqued or even called him a dreamer. However, this study takes into account Ṭanṭāwī’s view concerning science and explores his true motives for invoking science. The main purpose for analyzing his view in the course of this article is to further explore his definition of science. Nonetheless, the essential question is: Was science a tool he employed to help comprehend the Qurʾān or a vehicle by which to convey his personal messages? In this regard, two phases will be considered: (a) Ṭanṭāwī and his exegesis; and (b) Ṭanṭāwī’s definition of science in his exegesis, which will be achieved through an investigation of his viewpoints about different Qurʾānic verses.

Mr. Putin: operative in the Kremlin

Today Crimea. Tomorrow ...? Many Putin watchers believe that being able to anticipate the quixotic Russian president's next move - whether it's hosting another grandiose spectacle, crushing a political rival, or annexing part of a neighboring country - depends on uncovering the real Vladimir Putin and his true motives. In this revised and updated edition of their acclaimed study Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, Russia experts Fiona Hill and Clifford Gaddy argue that Putin is in fact a man of many complex identities. Drawing on a range of sources, including their own personal encounters, they describe six that are most essential: the Statist, the History Man, the Survivalist, the Outsider, the Free Marketeer, and the Case Officer. Understanding Putin's multiple dimensions is crucial for policymakers trying to decide how best to deal with Russia.

Scott Jacques and Richard Wright: Code of the Suburb: Inside the World of Young Middle-Class Drug Dealers

Jacques and Wright’s Code of the Suburb: Inside the World of Young Middle-Class Drug Dealers offers a unique glimpse into the lives of several upper-class adolescent drug dealers. The authors delve into this distinctive world and use interviews with several of the dealers to share their findings as well as the youths’ perspective on their chosen lifestyle. The book focuses on a town called Peachville, which according to the authors ‘‘epitomizes what average Americans think of as the ‘suburbs’’’ (Jacques and Wright 2015, p 1). The authors seek to inform readers that the American idea of a typical drug dealer is not always what they might expect. When Americans tend to think of true drug dealers, they likely are inundated with images of a low-class neighborhood filled with minority individuals. Those same individuals are viewed as lacking a proper education and are pictured slinging guns and drugs around on filthy streets of some unknown, bullet-ridden community. This is in fact, according to the authors, not always the case. Code of the Suburb invites readers to explore an unimaginable world where kids of wealth, high education, and in the pursuit of college dreams, also double as drug dealers. However, even though society might choose to reject the portrayal, this unimaginable world is a realistic depiction of some suburban communities. In chapter one, ‘‘The Pursuit of Coolness,’’ the authors suggest that the true motivation of these adolescent drug dealers is the elusive search for a status of ‘‘coolness’’ among their peers. While these youths’ parents have already established themselves as successful, productive, and financially lucrative members of society, the authors explain that all of these adolescents do not have the means to afford the luxuries that their peers view as cool. In turn, they resort to dealing as a way to meet these demands instead of waiting until adulthood to acquire these ‘‘cool’’ items or activities. The authors term this ‘‘...compensating for their lack of conventional status’’ (Jacques and Wright 2015, p 8). Throughout the chapters of this book, many other questions are posed, which the authors address and elaborate on. For instance, a ‘‘subchapter’’ in the first chapter is ‘‘The Allure of Drug Use,’’ which coincides with the general notion of the chapter that ‘‘coolness’’ is the beall and end-all for these youth, which is why they are drawn to drug use. Drug use symbolizes a certain status among the youth’s peers, and opens the door for them to engage in many other cool activities, often with their peers. A line that really brings this statement to life is ‘‘Doing drugs allowed students to exhibit traits that made them likable and desirable to be around’’ (Jacques and Wright 2015, p 8). The authors further suggest that, once the adolescents enter these activities of drug use and dealing, the activities become a routine part of the teen’s life. The second chapter, ‘‘Securing a Supply,’’ answers some questions as to how the dealers really get their hands on their drugs of choice. This chapter highlights that these individuals are not under their own governance; rather, they are under the scrutiny of their parents, teachers, and society. The adolescents cannot come and go as they please, and they have to schedule around their conventional age specific activities such as school and extracurricular activities. Although these obstacles sometimes prove to be a challenge, the adolescents often come up with creative and elusive ways to evade their parents and other authority figures. For instance, school is a very risky place to deal or do drugs. However, the adolescents often secure connections through their friends and peers during the school day, & Maria Latimer mnlatime@indiana.edu

The true motives behind the adoption of QLASSIC-CIS 7: 2006

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate contractors’ awareness level and adoption of QLASSIC assessment system in construction industry and to identify the variables that influenced the adoption of QLASSIC assessment system. Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative research method was adopted in order to test the above issues. The questionnaire composed for two parts: awareness and adoption of QLASSIC system; and the factors that influenced the adoption of QLASSIC system. Those contractors who registered under grade 6 and 7 are the scope of respondents in this study. Findings – The adoption of QLASSIC assessment is not significantly affected by the awareness whereas the motivations and barrier factors do. It was discovered that the contractors perception on QLASSIC adoption are basically due to the significant factors; the internal motivations and barrier. The major influencing factors are internal motivation factors, external motivation factors and barrier factors. Originality/value – This study reveals the true motives behind the adoption of QLASSIC assessment in the construction industry, where this finding significantly contributes to the understanding of contractors’ perception on this quality assurance program for the construction industry.

The difference conservation makes to extinction risk of the world's ungulates.

Previous studies show that conservation actions have prevented extinctions, recovered populations, and reduced declining trends in global biodiversity. However, all studies to date have substantially underestimated the difference conservation action makes because they failed to account fully for what would have happened in the absence thereof. We undertook a scenario-based thought experiment to better quantify the effect conservation actions have had on the extinction risk of the world's 235 recognized ungulate species. We did so by comparing species' observed conservation status in 2008 with their estimated status under counterfactual scenarios in which conservation efforts ceased in 1996. We estimated that without conservation at least 148 species would have deteriorated by one International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List category, including 6 species that now would be listed as extinct or extinct in the wild. The overall decline in the conservation status of ungulates would have been nearly 8 times worse than observed. This trend would have been greater still if not for conservation on private lands. While some species have benefited from highly targeted interventions, such as reintroduction, most benefited collaterally from conservation such as habitat protection. We found that the difference conservation action makes to the conservation status of the world's ungulate species is likely to be higher than previously estimated. Increased, and sustained, investment could help achieve further improvements.

Making Sense of Radicalization

The self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s (ISIS) burning to deathof Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasba and beheading of twenty-one Egyptiansin Libya are just the latest incidents in a series of escalating acts of violencethat epitomize the seemingly senseless carnage that so often results from thepolitical radicalization of individual Muslims. As the international media zeroesin on such instances, one often struggles to make sense of the perpetrators’true motives. But understanding the circumstances that lead up to such viciousnessis key if governments are to minimize such acts in the future.What motivates an individual to join a terrorist organization? Is it ideology,politics, poverty, or something else? What might be done to de-radicalize anindividual who has joined a terrorist group? The reality is that there is no singlepathway toward radicalization. In a May 2010 report entitled “Why Youth Joinal-Qaeda,”1 U.S. Army Colonel Matt Venhaus suggested that those seeking tojoin jihadist networks can be divided into revenge seekers needing an outletfor their frustration, status seekers needing recognition, identity seekers in needof a group to join, and thrill seekers looking for adventure.2 Clearly the motivesfor terrorism are differentiated and complex, as opposed to uniform and simple.Thus identifying an overarching pattern to understanding how individualsmight become susceptible to terrorist recruiters and what intervention strategiescan be employed to stop it becomes a very difficult task ...

Review of Tricia Rose. 2008. The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip Hop-And Why It Matters . New York: Basic/Civitas Books

As hip hop slowly settles into middle age, the pitched battles of its younger years have frozen in a stalemate. Critics of hip hop repeat the same attacks they leveled at NWA, decrying violence, misogyny, and homophobia in hip­ hop lyrics, and in the most extreme cases branding its creators as Typhoid Marys for a particularly virulent social pathology. Defenders respond with rebuttals codified in the early 1990s, lauding the aesthetic value and social relevance of their favorite corners of the hip-hop world, eliding any problems inherent in the rest, and questioning the true motives of hip hop's critics. As Tricia Rose tells it, these arguments have remained essentially static, even as hip hop experienced two remarkable-though opposing-developments. First, hip hop expanded. The dress, music, dance, and visual style that grew up in the South Bronx not only took hold throughout American culture, but throughout cultures of the world. Within the US media landscape, hip hop music, fashion, and visual aesthetics became ubiquitous. Outside of the US, local hip-hop movements emerged around the world, whether in the form of a few MCs in a bedroom reciting Tupac lyrics in English, or a full-fledged scene in a local language and style. Remaining closely identified with urban, black youth (in ways that Rose describes as sometimes quite unhealthy), hip hop has become an aspect of self-definition for a widespread and diverse group of people, many of whom identify as part of the "Hip-Hop Generation" united less by a period of birth than by a set of shared cultural practices (Kitwana 2002). Thanks in no small part to Rose herself, hip hop has also found a home in the academy. The "Hip-Hop University" that began with scholars like Rose (1994), Todd Boyd (1997), and Michael Eric Dyson (2001) has been populated with an ever growing list of names that includes Mark Anthony Neal (2004), Robin Kelley (1997), Bakari Kitwana (2002), Murray Forman (2004), Jeff Chang (2005), Imani Perry (2004), and dozens of others working across a wide range of disciplines and perspectives. The number of courses on hip hop offered in the American universities reaches into the hundreds, and institutional forums for hip-hop scholarship like the Hiphop Archive at Harvard's W.E.B DuBois Institute and a variety of formal study groups for graduate students and more senior scholars have sprung up across the country.l

Beyond rationalization: Voting out of duty or expressing duty after voting?

It is a standard practice to include a Duty term in explanatory models of turnout. Yet the relationship between duty and voting is not that clear. Does duty really trigger voting or is it the reverse? To address this question, we present cross-lagged panel estimations of the impact of duty on turnout and of turnout on duty with two different datasets: a two-wave panel Canadian survey conducted in 2008 and 2009 and a four-wave Spanish panel conducted between 2010 and 2012. We find evidence that sense of civic duty is a true motivation that affects people’s propensity to vote, even though duty may be reinforced by the act of voting.

Home gammaglobulin therapy: a patient survey of intravenous and subcutaneous options in Canada

Introduction: For close to half a century immunoglobulin replacement therapy has been the main therapy for patients unable to produce functioning antibodies. To date, both subcutaneous (SC) and intravenous delivery methods have been successful at effectively and safely replacing immunoglobulin. Home intravenous and SC therapy programs have been established and have gained attention, but the true motivation and frequency of switching from traditional hospital-based treatment to these alternatives remains unknown. This study aims to determine the willingness of patients in Canada to switch to a home-based gammaglobulin treatment program by quantifying related experiences and preferences.Methods: A cohort of 169 patients in Ontario currently on hospital-based intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) replacement therapy (referral centers or community hospitals) were sent a 2.5 page survey consisting of 25 questions. Data were collected and statistically analyzed using Fisher, χ2, and McNemar tests, where P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Ninety-one patients responded and most agreed to consider home therapy regardless of the administration route, based on recommendations from an immunologist (IVIG, P = 0.006; SC, P < 0.001). Patients preferred switching to home IVIG rather than to SC (P = 0.01), but their concerns regarding home healthcare costs were more prominent with IVIG (P = 0.01). The main concern with current intravenous therapy was the overall loss of time (P = 0.0001), whereas for home therapy it was the loss of supervision (P = 0.0009) and possible associated costs. Patients considered home treatment more convenient, as it is less time consuming (P = 0.01), and this was perceived as an improvement in quality of life (P = 0.001). It was considered less convenient because it may be unsafe and (or) more expensive.Conclusion: This survey demonstrates that home intravenous therapy maybe the preferred option for patients with antibody deficiency in Ontario, provided this decision was supported by a specialist in the field, secured supervision was available, and it was not associated with personal expenses.Statement of novelty: The first study to examine patient willingness to try a new route of gammaglobulin administration at home.

Clearing the Forest: Colonialism and Deforestation in Nagaland, Northeast India

Despite emergence of conservative ideas of forest, desire of Empire building among the colonialists made them world leader in deforestation. In continuation of this polity, the British exploited natural resources from its colonies in Indian subcontinent and Africa etc. There are examples witnessing the disappearance of several tree species from the forest like oak forest in England. As it is well known that Indian subcontinent is prosperous in its natural resources, the British started tapping the natural resources of the country. British started giving preferential treatment to some tree species over the others there by affecting the diversity of the forests. British aim was to retain all valuable species and remove all the inferior species. This shows that British exploited the natural resources of the country to the fullest during its regime. This paper is an attempt to explain deforestation in Nagaland during colonial period. It further tries to reveal the true motive of British in India behind exploiting the natural resources for their profit against the background of rhetoric of conservation of Natural resources.

The Open-Access Movement is Not Really about Open Access

While the open-access (OA) movement purports to be about making scholarly content open-access, its true motives are much different. The OA movement is an anti-corporatist movement that wants to deny the freedom of the press to companies it disagrees with. The movement is also actively imposing onerous mandates on researchers, mandates that restrict individual freedom. To boost the open-access movement, its leaders sacrifice the academic futures of young scholars and those from developing countries, pressuring them to publish in lower-quality open-access journals. The open-access movement has fostered the creation of numerous predatory publishers and standalone journals, increasing the amount of research misconduct in scholarly publications and the amount of pseudo-science that is published as if it were authentic science.