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14 ; SWORD ; [EN] The Portuguese Association of Zoothecnic Engineers (APEZ), to pioneer in the organization of Animal Science and Production related events, organized, in November the 2nd, 2005, the III International Symposium on Rabbit Science. This Symposium was addressed to all professionals that work in this sector, seeking to enrich their knowledge, to provide the change of experiences and to contribute rabbit production invigorate in Trás-os-Montes Region and in Portugal. This event occurred at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) in Vila Real and gathered about 180 participants, among producers, technicians and students. Lectures were exposed by several specialists on themes like feeding of reproductive does and growing rabbits, physiology of reproduction, selection and improvement of future breeders, bio-safety, hygiene and prophylaxis. In the opening session, producers were alerted about the expected changes in management and administration of farms aiming a final product of high quality, since food safety is a growing concern of consumers, a legal demand and it also should be a purpose of producers and of all intervenient in the production chain. In the last session were evaluated the importance of the producers association was enhanced as a form of acquaintance of advantages, either in the negotiation with other agents of the sector. (2005). Abstracts of the "III International Symposium on Rabbit Science - APEZ". Portugal, 2 November 2005. World Rabbit Science. 14. doi:10.4995/wrs.2006.537

National audience The article discusses the etio-pathogeny of the conversion process. He returned to the traditional interpretation which made the conversion symptoms a symbolic representative of a rejected conflict, a conflict relating, therefore, to a choice of object whose pushed representation returned to the body. It proposes a different hypothesis, which, moreover, does not necessarily exclude the previous situation: the conversion corresponds to a form of mimetism between the subject and the object of his desire, the symptoms then not being the symbolic representative of an objective-type relationship, but the trace in the body of an identificatory relationship. ; National audience L'article discute l'étio-pathogénie du processus de conversion. Il revient sur l'interprétation traditionnelle qui fait du symptôme de conversion un représentant symbolique d'un conflit refoulé, conflit relatif, par conséquent, à un choix d'objet dont la représentation refoulée fait retour dans le corps. Il propose une hypothèse différente, qui n'exclut d'ailleurs par nécessairement l'hypothèse précédente : la conversion correspondrait à une forme de mimétisme entre le sujet et l'objet de son désir, le symptôme n'étant pas alors primitivement le représentant symbolique d'une relation de type objectal, mais la trace dans le corps d'une relation de type identificatoire.

Recently, the Court of Justice of the European Union issued decision C-131/12, which was considered a major breakthrough in Internet data protection. The general public welcomed this decision as an actualization of the controversial "right to be forgotten", which was introduced in the initial draft for a new regulation on data protection and repeatedly amended, due to objections by various Member States and major companies involved in massive processing of personal data. This paper attempts to delve into the content of that decision and examine if it indeed involves the right to be forgotten, if such a right exists at all, and to what extent it can be stated and enforced.

Ranking systems are becoming a fundamental tool in many areas, including the Web environment for ranking pages. PageRank, the most popular method, is based on the links stemming from a page and defined so as to be immune to their inflation, a property called intensity-invariance. This paper introduces and characterizes a new intensity-invariant method, called the handicap-based method. The method assigns not only a ranking to the items but also weights to the experts on which the ranking is based. Ranking and weights form an equilibrium for a relationship based on the notion of handicaps. The method is, in a sense made precise in the paper, the counterpart of the counting method in environments that require intensity-invariance.

The purpose of this study is to add to recent calls to develop indigenous knowledge of peace system and culture development to promote culture of peace in Africa. It assesses the indigenous Gadaa system peace concept and culture, identify its peace related values, philosophies, traditions, institutions, etc for nurturing and sustaining peace in the Oromo society, with the neighboring ethnic group, and its relevance to creating peace culture in Africa and beyond. It relates Gadaa peace system with the UN peace system initiative and framework in demonstrating the relevance of Gada peace system to peace building in multi-ethnic conflicts transformation in the Horn of Africa and beyond. Oromo people were traditionally a culturally homogeneous society with genealogical ties living in Ethiopia, Kenya, and other neighboring east African countries. They governed themselves in accordance with Gadaa (literally "era"), an outstanding democratic socio-political system long before the 16th century that has survived to date and is currently functional in Ethiopia and Kenya, and gaining importance and restored in all parts of Oromia in Ethiopia. The Gada system is an indigenous institution that pervades every aspect of an Oromo life including personal, interpersonal, social, economic and political life. The Oromo concept of peace is comprehensive and broader than western conception of absence of violence. It covers both negative and positive peace, intra-personal peace, interpersonal peace, within Oromo, with other communities, with nature, and peace with God. Therefore, to build peace culture the Gada concept of peace, truth, values, principles, and conflict resolution techniques need to be restored and promoted. It should be documented and made part of education system. The academics should do research and disseminate these values. The regional state government and civic societies should develop a peace education program based on these values and traditions so that they should be restored quickly and sustained among Oromo community in all corners of east Africa where Oromo community lives. The concepts of gender equality and participation in sustainable development of the society needs to introduced into the Oromo culture and Gada system. ; Автор акцентирует, что ключевым вопросом для всего африканского континента является установление устойчивой системы мира и безопасности, под которой он понимает устойчивое развитие, а не просто отсутствие войны или насилия. Его идея заключается в том, что в качестве инструмента для установки системы мира лучше применять традиционные ценностные и социально-организационные системы народов Африки, которые сформировались и применялись задолго до инициативы ООН по созданию культуры мира, которая сейчас сформирована в качестве базовой программы ООН для Африки и продвигает демократические ценности западной (американской и европейской) культуры. Как работающую альтернативу ооновской парадигме установления мира на африканском континенте он предлагает традиционный институт социальной организации народа оромо (населяющего различные области Эфиопии). Люди оромо традиционно были культурно однородным народом, который жил на территории Эфиопии, Кении и соседних с ними восточноафриканских стран. Они управляли собой в соответствии с Gada (буквально «эра») - совершенной демократической социально-политической системы, которая сформировалась задолго до XVI-го века, сохранилась до нашего времени и в данный момент работает в Эфиопии и Кении, приобретает все большее значение и восстанавливается во всех частях Оромия в Эфиопии. Система Gada - это институт коренных народов, который пронизывает все стороны жизни оромо, включая личные, межличностные, социальные, экономические и политические отношения. Концепция мира Оромо является более всеобъемлющей, чем западная концепция отсутствия насилия. Она регулирует эмоциональную и рациональную сферу личности оромо, ее отношения внутри культуры и вне ее, а также отношение к природе и Богу. Автор доказывает, что для построения культуры мира необходимо восстановить и продвигать концепцию мира, правды, ценностей, принципов и методов разрешения конфликтов, как это принято в Гада. Это должно быть задокументировано и включено в систему образования. Академические ученые должны проводить исследования и распространять эти ценности. Региональные государственные правительства и гражданское общество должны разработать программу по воспитанию в духе мира, основанную на этих ценностях и традициях, с тем, чтобы их можно было быстро восстановить и поддерживать среди сообщества оромо во всех уголках восточной Африки. Зато западные концепции гендерного равенства и участия в устойчивом развитии общества должны быть внедрены в культуру оромо и систему Гада. ; Автор акцентує, що ключовим питанням для всього африканського континенту є встановлення стійкої системи світу й безпеки, під якою він розуміє сталий розвиток, а не просто відсутність війни чи насильства. Його ідея полягає в тому, що в якості інструменту для встановлення системи світу краще застосовувати традиційні ціннісні й соціально-організаційні системи народів Африки, які сформувалися і застосовувалися задовго до ініціативи ООН по створенню культури світу, яка зараз сформована в якості базової програми ООН для Африки та просуває демократичні цінності західної (американської і європейської) культури. Як працюючу альтернативу оонівській парадигмі встановлення миру на африканському континенті він пропонує традиційний інститут соціальної організації народу оромо (який населяє різні області Ефіопії). Люди оромо традиційно були культурно однорідним народом, що мешкав на території Ефіопії, Кенії і сусідніх з ними східноафриканських країн. Вони управляли собою відповідно до Gada (буквально «ера») - досконалої демократичної соціально-політичної системи, яка сформувалася задовго до XVI-го століття, збереглася до нашого часу і на разі функціонує в Ефіопії і Кенії, набуває значення і відновлюється в усіх частинах Оромії в Ефіопії. Система Gada - це інститут корінних народів, який пронизує всі аспекти життя оромо, включаючи особисті, міжособистісні, соціальні, економічні та політичні відносини. Концепція світу Оромо є всеосяжнішою і ширшою, ніж західна концепція відсутності насильства. Вона регулює емоційну та раціональну сферу особи оромо, її відносини всередині культури та поза нею, її ставлення до природи та Бога. Автор доводить, що для побудови культури миру необхідно відновити й просувати концепцію світу, правди, цінностей, принципів і методів вирішення конфліктів, як це прийнято в Гада. Це має бути задокументовано і включено в систему освіти. Академічні вчені повинні проводити дослідження і поширювати ці цінності. Регіональні державні уряди і громадянське суспільство мають розробити програму з виховання в дусі миру, засновану на цих цінностях і традиціях, з тим, щоб їх можна було швидко відновити й підтримувати серед спільноти оромо у всіх куточках східної Африки. Натомість західні концепції гендерної рівності та участі у сталому розвитку суспільства повинні бути впроваджені в культуру оромо і систему Гада.

The purpose of this study is to add to recent calls to develop indigenous knowledge of peace system and culture development to promote culture of peace in Africa. It assesses the indigenous Gadaa system peace concept and culture, identify its peace related values, philosophies, traditions, institutions, etc for nurturing and sustaining peace in the Oromo society, with the neighboring ethnic group, and its relevance to creating peace culture in Africa and beyond. It relates Gadaa peace system with the UN peace system initiative and framework in demonstrating the relevance of Gada peace system to peace building in multi-ethnic conflicts transformation in the Horn of Africa and beyond. Oromo people were traditionally a culturally homogeneous society with genealogical ties living in Ethiopia, Kenya, and other neighboring east African countries. They governed themselves in accordance with Gadaa (literally "era"), an outstanding democratic socio-political system long before the 16th century that has survived to date and is currently functional in Ethiopia and Kenya, and gaining importance and restored in all parts of Oromia in Ethiopia. The Gada system is an indigenous institution that pervades every aspect of an Oromo life including personal, interpersonal, social, economic and political life. The Oromo concept of peace is comprehensive and broader than western conception of absence of violence. It covers both negative and positive peace, intra-personal peace, interpersonal peace, within Oromo, with other communities, with nature, and peace with God. Therefore, to build peace culture the Gada concept of peace, truth, values, principles, and conflict resolution techniques need to be restored and promoted. It should be documented and made part of education system. The academics should do research and disseminate these values. The regional state government and civic societies should develop a peace education program based on these values and traditions so that they should be restored quickly and sustained among Oromo community in all corners of east Africa where Oromo community lives. The concepts of gender equality and participation in sustainable development of the society needs to introduced into the Oromo culture and Gada system. ; Автор акцентирует, что ключевым вопросом для всего африканского континента является установление устойчивой системы мира и безопасности, под которой он понимает устойчивое развитие, а не просто отсутствие войны или насилия. Его идея заключается в том, что в качестве инструмента для установки системы мира лучше применять традиционные ценностные и социально-организационные системы народов Африки, которые сформировались и применялись задолго до инициативы ООН по созданию культуры мира, которая сейчас сформирована в качестве базовой программы ООН для Африки и продвигает демократические ценности западной (американской и европейской) культуры. Как работающую альтернативу ооновской парадигме установления мира на африканском континенте он предлагает традиционный институт социальной организации народа оромо (населяющего различные области Эфиопии). Люди оромо традиционно были культурно однородным народом, который жил на территории Эфиопии, Кении и соседних с ними восточноафриканских стран. Они управляли собой в соответствии с Gada (буквально «эра») - совершенной демократической социально-политической системы, которая сформировалась задолго до XVI-го века, сохранилась до нашего времени и в данный момент работает в Эфиопии и Кении, приобретает все большее значение и восстанавливается во всех частях Оромия в Эфиопии. Система Gada - это институт коренных народов, который пронизывает все стороны жизни оромо, включая личные, межличностные, социальные, экономические и политические отношения. Концепция мира Оромо является более всеобъемлющей, чем западная концепция отсутствия насилия. Она регулирует эмоциональную и рациональную сферу личности оромо, ее отношения внутри культуры и вне ее, а также отношение к природе и Богу. Автор доказывает, что для построения культуры мира необходимо восстановить и продвигать концепцию мира, правды, ценностей, принципов и методов разрешения конфликтов, как это принято в Гада. Это должно быть задокументировано и включено в систему образования. Академические ученые должны проводить исследования и распространять эти ценности. Региональные государственные правительства и гражданское общество должны разработать программу по воспитанию в духе мира, основанную на этих ценностях и традициях, с тем, чтобы их можно было быстро восстановить и поддерживать среди сообщества оромо во всех уголках восточной Африки. Зато западные концепции гендерного равенства и участия в устойчивом развитии общества должны быть внедрены в культуру оромо и систему Гада. ; Автор акцентує, що ключовим питанням для всього африканського континенту є встановлення стійкої системи світу й безпеки, під якою він розуміє сталий розвиток, а не просто відсутність війни чи насильства. Його ідея полягає в тому, що в якості інструменту для встановлення системи світу краще застосовувати традиційні ціннісні й соціально-організаційні системи народів Африки, які сформувалися і застосовувалися задовго до ініціативи ООН по створенню культури світу, яка зараз сформована в якості базової програми ООН для Африки та просуває демократичні цінності західної (американської і європейської) культури. Як працюючу альтернативу оонівській парадигмі встановлення миру на африканському континенті він пропонує традиційний інститут соціальної організації народу оромо (який населяє різні області Ефіопії). Люди оромо традиційно були культурно однорідним народом, що мешкав на території Ефіопії, Кенії і сусідніх з ними східноафриканських країн. Вони управляли собою відповідно до Gada (буквально «ера») - досконалої демократичної соціально-політичної системи, яка сформувалася задовго до XVI-го століття, збереглася до нашого часу і на разі функціонує в Ефіопії і Кенії, набуває значення і відновлюється в усіх частинах Оромії в Ефіопії. Система Gada - це інститут корінних народів, який пронизує всі аспекти життя оромо, включаючи особисті, міжособистісні, соціальні, економічні та політичні відносини. Концепція світу Оромо є всеосяжнішою і ширшою, ніж західна концепція відсутності насильства. Вона регулює емоційну та раціональну сферу особи оромо, її відносини всередині культури та поза нею, її ставлення до природи та Бога. Автор доводить, що для побудови культури миру необхідно відновити й просувати концепцію світу, правди, цінностей, принципів і методів вирішення конфліктів, як це прийнято в Гада. Це має бути задокументовано і включено в систему освіти. Академічні вчені повинні проводити дослідження і поширювати ці цінності. Регіональні державні уряди і громадянське суспільство мають розробити програму з виховання в дусі миру, засновану на цих цінностях і традиціях, з тим, щоб їх можна було швидко відновити й підтримувати серед спільноти оромо у всіх куточках східної Африки. Натомість західні концепції гендерної рівності та участі у сталому розвитку суспільства повинні бути впроваджені в культуру оромо і систему Гада.

Traditionell werden Stichprobenerhebungen so geplant, dass nationale Statistiken mit einer adäquaten Präzision geschätzt werden können. Dies kann zu sehr kleinen Stichprobenumfängen für bestimmte Subpopulationen führen, so dass direkte, designbasierte Schätzmethoden keine Schätzungen für besagte Untergruppen mit einer akzeptablen Genauigkeit erlauben. Hier bietet sich die Verwendung modellbasierter Schätzverfahren an, welche auch bei kleinen Stichprobenumfängen noch präzise Schätzungen erlauben. Eine Besonderheit der modellbasierten Verfahren ist, dass in vielen Fällen keinerlei Designinformationen bei der Schätzung betrachtet werden. Hieraus können Verzerrungen resultieren, welche die Anwendbarkeit besagter modellbasierter Verfahren stark einschränken. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich daher speziell mit dem Zusammenspiel zwischen dem Stichprobendesign und statistischen Modellierungen im Bereich der Small Area " Statistik. Dabei werden insbesondere zwei Fragestellungen betrachtet: rn1. Wenn wir bereits wissen, dass wir später statistische Modelle für die Stichprobendaten schätzen müssen, wie können wir dann ein Stichprobendesign so ausgestalten, dass nationale Statistiken präzise geschätzt werden können, gleichzeitig aber keine Verzerrungen für modellbasierte Schätzverfahren resultieren?rn2. Wenn erst nach Ziehung der Stichprobe bekannt wird, dass modellbasierte Small Area " Schätzungen benötigt werden, wie können wir dabei das Stichprobendesign angemessen berücksichtigen, so dass Verzerrungen vermieden werden?rnrnIn dieser Arbeit werden nach einer Vorstellung des obigen Zielkonflikts designbasierte Schätzmethoden vorgestellt, die für große und geplante Domains ausreichend präzise Ergebnisse liefern. Anschließend werden gängige modellbasierte Small Area - Schätzverfahren vorgestellt, wobei neben der Mittelwertschätzung aus gemischten linearen Modellen ein Schwerpunkt auf die Small Area - Schätzung unter nicht-linearen Transformationen gelegt wird. Schließlich werden verschiedene Ansätze zur Auswahl eines geeigneten statistischen Modells sowie zur Überprüfung der Modellannahmen diskutiert und anhand zweier Datensätze illustriert.rnIm Folgenden wird das Problem der Verzerrungen modellbasierter Verfahren aufgrund des Stichprobendesigns ausführlich erörtert und verschiedene Lösungsstrategien für gemischte lineare Modelle präsentiert. Darauf aufbauend werden Vorschläge zur Vermeidung besagter Verzerrungen für den optimalen Schätzer unter einem lognormalverteilten gemischten Modell bei Unit Level " Informationen entwickelt. Dieses Problem wurde bislang in der Literatur noch vernachlässigt. Als Lösungsansatz wird in dieser Arbeit ein optimaler Schätzer unter einem erweiterten Modell vorgeschlagen, wobei das Modell durch die Berücksichtigung einer Funktion des Design-Gewichts als zusätzlicher Kovariable ergänzt wird. Für diesen Schätzer werden anschließend Ansätze zur Schätzung des mittleren quadratischen Fehlers (MSE) herausgearbeitet. Die Ergebnisse einer Simulationsstudie demonstrieren die Eignung des vorgeschlagenen Schätzers zur verlässlichen Schätzung trotz Verzerrungen aufgrund des Stichprobendesigns. rnAnschließend wird ein neues Konzept zur Vermeidung von informativen Stichprobendesigns erarbeitet, welches trotzdem eine präzise Schätzung von nationalen Statistiken mittels designbasierter Verfahren erlaubt. Das Konzept verfolgt die Idee, entsprechend einer Hilfsvariablen die Einheiten der Population so zu klumpen, dass die Einheiten innerhalb eines Klumpens möglichst heterogen sind. Es resultiert ein Stichprobendesign, welches die Schätzung von Modellen nicht stört, und für eine Vielzahl von praxisrelevanten Situationen eine präzise Schätzung nationaler Statistiken erlaubt. Dies wird für einige Modelle theoretisch nachgewiesen. Darüber hinaus erfolgt ein Vergleich mit anderen Varianzreduktionsverfahren im Rahmen von Simulationsstudien. Dabei zeigt sich auch das große Potenzial der entwickelten Methode zur Kompensation einer etwaigen Modellfehlspezifikation sowie zur präziseren modellbasierten Schätzung von Armutsgefährdungsquoten, wenn die Armutsgrenze aus der Stichprobe geschätzt werden soll.rnSchließlich werden in einem weiteren Kapitel ausgewählte Anwendungen von Small Area " Verfahren in einer designbasierten Umgebung mittels Simulationsstudien präsentiert. Die erste Anwendung bezieht sich auf die Small Area " Schätzung für Unternehmensstichproben. Hierbei stellt sich vor allem die Problematik extrem schiefer Verteilungen, so dass die Anwendbarkeit von Modellen sehr erschwert wird. Hiernach folgt die Schätzung von Beschäftigten- und Arbeitslosenzahlen anhand der Luxemburger Arbeitskräfteerhebung. Zum Schluss wird noch eine Studie zur Schätzung der Armutsgefährdungsquoten für Small Areas präsentiert. Hier wird neben der Frage, wie das Stichprobendesign aussehen könnte, insbesondere thematisiert, welche Art von Small Area " Modellierungen besonders aussichtsreich ist. ; Surveys are commonly tailored to produce estimates of aggregate statistics with a desired level of precision. This may lead to very small sample sizes for subpopulations of interest, defined geographically or by content, which are not incorporated into the survey design. We refer to subpopulations where the sample size is too small to provide direct estimates with adequate precision as small areas or small domains. Despite the small sample sizes, reliable small area estimates are needed for economic and political decision making. Hence, model-based estimation techniques are used which increase the effective sample size by borrowing strength from other areas to provide accurate information for small areas. The paragraph above introduced small area estimation as a field of survey statistics where two conflicting philosophies of statistical inference meet: the design-based and the model-based approach. While the first approach is well suited for the precise estimation of aggregate statistics, the latter approach furnishes reliable small area estimates. In most applications, estimates for both large and small domains based on the same sample are needed. This poses a challenge to the survey planner, as the sampling design has to reflect different and potentially conflicting requirements simultaneously. In order to enable efficient design-based estimates for large domains, the sampling design should incorporate information related to the variables of interest. This may be achieved using stratification or sampling with unequal probabilities. Many model-based small area techniques require an ignorable sampling design such that after conditioning on the covariates the variable of interest does not contain further information about the sample membership. If this condition is not fulfilled, biased model-based estimates may result, as the model which holds for the sample is different from the one valid for the population. Hence, an optimisation of the sampling design without investigating the implications for model-based approaches will not be sufficient. Analogously, disregarding the design altogether and focussing only on the model is prone to failure as well. Instead, a profound knowledge of the interplay between the sample design and statistical modelling is a prerequisite for implementing an effective small area estimation strategy. In this work, we concentrate on two approaches to address this conflict. Our first approach takes the sampling design as given and can be used after the sample has been collected. It amounts to incorporate the survey design into the small area model to avoid biases stemming from informative sampling. Thus, once a model is validated for the sample, we know that it holds for the population as well. We derive such a procedure under a lognormal mixed model, which is a popular choice when the support of the dependent variable is limited to positive values. Besides, we propose a three pillar strategy to select the additional variable accounting for the design, based on a graphical examination of the relationship, a comparison of the predictive accuracy of the choices and a check regarding the normality assumptions.rnrnOur second approach to deal with the conflict is based on the notion that the design should allow applying a wide variety of analyses using the sample data. Thus, if the use of model-based estimation strategies can be anticipated before the sample is drawn, this should be reflected in the design. The same applies for the estimation of national statistics using design-based approaches. Therefore, we propose to construct the design such that the sampling mechanism is non-informative but allows for precise design-based estimates at an aggregate level.

Towards Evidence-based ICT Policy and Regulation Volume Two , Policy Paper 2, 2010 ; This paper provides an executive overview of the communications sector's National Regulatory Authorities' (NRAs') website benchmark results for Africa in 2010, which were evaluated between March and April 2010. The analysis ranks the online component of information provision and facilitation of regulatory processes. This study follows previous regional surveys conducted in 2008 (Kerretts-Makau, 2009) and in 2004-05 (Mahan, 2004), which examined the extent to which regulators were using websites to inform and communicate with the public – including consumers and citizens, the private sector, media actors and researchers and other governmental and non-governmental organizations. The benchmarking assessment documents the incidence of different aspects that are important for a regulator's web presence across the categories of basic information and responsiveness, factual information about the national telecom sector, consumer and citizen information including universal service and complaints procedures, business related information and forms, and information about the regulator and regulatory processes. The ranking of the elements is derived from the 2001 UN "Benchmarking E-government" report categories. Each ranking examined the information offered in terms of its being up-to-date and facilitating inclusive and informed regulatory processes. The ranking was based on qualitative evidence, but subjectivity was reduced by using the following defined categories rather than simply relying on perceptions. 1. Emerging: Only basic and largely static information is available. 2. Enhanced: Content and information is updated regularly, and information is available not only in its original format (such as acts and legislation) but is also explained and digested. 3. Interactive: Users can download forms, contact officials and make requests. Available information has further value added, such as being hyper-linked to relevant legislation. 4. Transactional: Users can submit forms online – for example to request information, or to submit a request for a license form. The sub-categories were classi!ed with each thematic element assigned a value from one to four based on the stages described above, with each category contributing to a !nal score. It should be noted that a value of zero (0) was used to indicate the lack of information or a service. As shall be seen throughout the Africa analysis !ndings, countries that had no data within a given category were ranked with a zero. Intermediate scores were also used to provide a more precise assessment. For example, if information was available but not completely up to date and lacked su"cient explanation it was recorded as a score of 1.5. Benchmarking implies that comparisons are undertaken between similar websites to identify good practices and to engender a sharing of strategies by which the functional pro!le of the websites may be enhanced, and informed regulatory processes may be facilitated. Because this is a rapidly evolving area, the primary focus of this methodology and this paper is the current state of the art, rather than progress over time. However, although the subcategories may be altered from one evaluation year to the next, the overall framework does allow individual regulatory agencies to access the evolution of their websites. A country's inclusion into the assessment was contingent on the country having an independent authority1 and the authority having a functioning website. Out of a total of 54 countries in Africa, 30 had regulatory institutions that could be classi!ed as independent with websites, and 24 did not have websites and/or had websites that were not working as at April 8th 2010 and or were merged with the ministries. The benchmarking results show marked di#erences across countries and regions. While ranking per se was not the major focus of the analysis, it is tempting to rank the countries in terms of their overall achievement. Egypt received the highest score and performed well across all categories. Nigeria, Mauritius, Kenya and South Africa were ranked in the top !ve. Following closely are Uganda, Algeria, Senegal and Tanzania. The top ten NRAs were considered to have had adequate content in support of users being informed and being able to participate in regulatory processes. Towards Evidence-based ICT Policy and Regulation 1 1 The term independent is used loosely here to refer to an institution mandated as the regulator of the sector not also functioning in the dual role of a !xed mobile operator or mobile operator or ministry Overall, the total African regional average was low, with a benchmark of between one and two, indicating that national regulatory authority websites hover between static and emerging levels of information provision. Nonetheless, it is not necessarily the case that a value of four is the desirable value for a particular area of information provision. In some instances clear and up-to-date information that is well explained may be preferable to a complicated interactive site. In the same vein, use of Web 2.0 tools have not been speci!cally included in the assessment. However, this NRA survey ranks information provision in terms of increased interactivity and functionality, and hence websites with higher scores such as evidenced by countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt and Tunisia have more likely embraced Web 2.0 philosophies of interconnectedness and sharing of information, if not the actual tools themselves. In this regard, !ndings indicate that there is room for development of best practise around using Web 2.0 technologies on regulatory websites. Interactivity on NRA websites is usually centred around forms to request information or to submit requests, comments, etc. and hyperlinking within the site. The full data analysis is provided in another report. The following analysis provides a summarised overview of the performance of African regulatory websites within the benchmarking criteria. It should be noted that this analysis does not judge websites by their look and feel, rather the main aim of the analysis focuses on revealing best practise of what NRAs are doing within their websites. The analysis thus reveals the type of content provided and the ease of using or accessing the requisite information. Ranking, per se, is thus only a by-product of the exercise. It is hoped that this study will provide African regulators with an insight into what their users will most likely be looking for when searching through their websites. The study also highlights best practices that can be replicated. ; This paper provides an executive overview of the communications sector's National Regulatory Authorities' (NRAs') website benchmark results for Africa in 2010, which were evaluated between March and April 2010. The analysis ranks the online component of information provision and facilitation of regulatory processes. This study follows previous regional surveys conducted in 2008 (Kerretts-Makau, 2009) and in 2004-05 (Mahan, 2004), which examined the extent to which regulators were using websites to inform and communicate with the public – including consumers and citizens, the private sector, media actors and researchers and other governmental and non-governmental organizations. The benchmarking assessment documents the incidence of different aspects that are important for a regulator's web presence across the categories of basic information and responsiveness, factual information about the national telecom sector, consumer and citizen information including universal service and complaints procedures, business related information and forms, and information about the regulator and regulatory processes. The ranking of the elements is derived from the 2001 UN "Benchmarking E-government" report categories. Each ranking examined the information offered in terms of its being up-to-date and facilitating inclusive and informed regulatory processes. The ranking was based on qualitative evidence, but subjectivity was reduced by using the following defined categories rather than simply relying on perceptions. 1. Emerging: Only basic and largely static information is available. 2. Enhanced: Content and information is updated regularly, and information is available not only in its original format (such as acts and legislation) but is also explained and digested. 3. Interactive: Users can download forms, contact officials and make requests. Available information has further value added, such as being hyper-linked to relevant legislation. 4. Transactional: Users can submit forms online – for example to request information, or to submit a request for a license form. The sub-categories were classi!ed with each thematic element assigned a value from one to four based on the stages described above, with each category contributing to a !nal score. It should be noted that a value of zero (0) was used to indicate the lack of information or a service. As shall be seen throughout the Africa analysis !ndings, countries that had no data within a given category were ranked with a zero. Intermediate scores were also used to provide a more precise assessment. For example, if information was available but not completely up to date and lacked su"cient explanation it was recorded as a score of 1.5. Benchmarking implies that comparisons are undertaken between similar websites to identify good practices and to engender a sharing of strategies by which the functional pro!le of the websites may be enhanced, and informed regulatory processes may be facilitated. Because this is a rapidly evolving area, the primary focus of this methodology and this paper is the current state of the art, rather than progress over time. However, although the subcategories may be altered from one evaluation year to the next, the overall framework does allow individual regulatory agencies to access the evolution of their websites. A country's inclusion into the assessment was contingent on the country having an independent authority1 and the authority having a functioning website. Out of a total of 54 countries in Africa, 30 had regulatory institutions that could be classi!ed as independent with websites, and 24 did not have websites and/or had websites that were not working as at April 8th 2010 and or were merged with the ministries. The benchmarking results show marked di#erences across countries and regions. While ranking per se was not the major focus of the analysis, it is tempting to rank the countries in terms of their overall achievement. Egypt received the highest score and performed well across all categories. Nigeria, Mauritius, Kenya and South Africa were ranked in the top !ve. Following closely are Uganda, Algeria, Senegal and Tanzania. The top ten NRAs were considered to have had adequate content in support of users being informed and being able to participate in regulatory processes. Towards Evidence-based ICT Policy and Regulation 1 1 The term independent is used loosely here to refer to an institution mandated as the regulator of the sector not also functioning in the dual role of a !xed mobile operator or mobile operator or ministry Overall, the total African regional average was low, with a benchmark of between one and two, indicating that national regulatory authority websites hover between static and emerging levels of information provision. Nonetheless, it is not necessarily the case that a value of four is the desirable value for a particular area of information provision. In some instances clear and up-to-date information that is well explained may be preferable to a complicated interactive site. In the same vein, use of Web 2.0 tools have not been speci!cally included in the assessment. However, this NRA survey ranks information provision in terms of increased interactivity and functionality, and hence websites with higher scores such as evidenced by countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt and Tunisia have more likely embraced Web 2.0 philosophies of interconnectedness and sharing of information, if not the actual tools themselves. In this regard, !ndings indicate that there is room for development of best practise around using Web 2.0 technologies on regulatory websites. Interactivity on NRA websites is usually centred around forms to request information or to submit requests, comments, etc. and hyperlinking within the site. The full data analysis is provided in another report. The following analysis provides a summarised overview of the performance of African regulatory websites within the benchmarking criteria. It should be noted that this analysis does not judge websites by their look and feel, rather the main aim of the analysis focuses on revealing best practise of what NRAs are doing within their websites. The analysis thus reveals the type of content provided and the ease of using or accessing the requisite information. Ranking, per se, is thus only a by-product of the exercise. It is hoped that this study will provide African regulators with an insight into what their users will most likely be looking for when searching through their websites. The study also highlights best practices that can be replicated.

"In the wake of ten years of police murders of Black people, including Michael Brown, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor; massacres of women by incels like Elliot Rodger; anti-LGBTQ mass murders like Colorado Springs; and numerous white-supremacist activities during Trump's presidency, including Unite the Right, a number of progressive movements and actions, from the Women's March on Washington to #MeToo and most significantly Black Lives Matter, encouraged some to see in Biden's 2020 election signs of a triumphant success. But for many on the Left what is unfolding, exemplified by the ruling elite's cooptation of protest, is the evisceration of the radical potential of resistance, a continuation of the status quo since the aftermath of the 1960s. Resistance has been personalized and emptied of its revolutionary critique of socioeconomic domination, a consequence of neoliberalism; it has been defined as political protest and dissent rather than as the work of a life to overthrow existing institutions; and finally it has been criminalized, subsumed under the rubric of national security. Resistance has been replaced by resilience, the ability to adapt to and benefit from adversity. Given its long history of disappointments, can there be a form of resistance that works? What would it look like? Alix Olson and Alex Zamalin argue that, if resistance is to be successful in the struggle against neoliberal racial capitalism, it must take the form of what they call "unruly world-building," which already exists in movements such as BLM, Extinction Rebellion, and Standing Rock. Often leaderless or led by young people from marginalized groups, they articulate a refusal to be defined by a "politics of maturity"; they reject realism, pragmatism, compromise. They aim not to reform but to overturn the capitalist state. These movements break norms; their members think beyond personal freedom toward living collectively and in solidarity with one another and with the planet. Learning from and nourishing them are our only means of talking seriously about the future"--

What is the relationship between thought and practice in the domains of language, literature and politics? Is thought the only standard by which to measure intellectual history? How did Arab intellectuals change and affect political, social, cultural and economic developments from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries? This volume offers a fundamental overhaul and revival of modern Arab intellectual history. Using Hourani's Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age, 1798–1939 (Cambridge, 1962) as a starting point, it reassesses Arabic cultural production and political thought in the light of current scholarship and extends the analysis beyond Napoleon's invasion of Egypt and the outbreak of World War II. The chapters offer a mixture of broad-stroke history on the construction of 'the Muslim world', and the emergence of the rule of law and constitutionalism in the Ottoman empire, as well as case studies on individual Arab intellectuals that illuminate the transformation of modern Arabic thought.

"Addressing areas as diverse as the philosophy of higher education, gender, citizenship, human rights, and indigenous agency, and providing fascinating and little-known examples of decolonial thinking, education, and art, Madina V. Tlostanova and Walter D. Mignolo deconstruct the modern architecture of knowledge--its production and distribution as manifested in the corporate university. In addition, the authors dwell on and define the echoing global decolonial sensibilities as expressed in the Americas and in peripheral Eurasia"--Publisher's description