text: Sydney eScholarship Collection: http://hdl.handle.net/2123/6046 2019-09-19T13:53:23Z DFAT's Culture and Approach to China: Understanding the impact of organisational culture on institutional behaviour http://hdl.handle.net/2123/20517 Title: DFAT's Culture and Approach to China: Understanding the impact of organisational culture on institutional behaviour Authors: Morris, Ciara Abstract: The Australia-China relationship is arguably Australia's most complex and important bilateral relationship of the 21st century. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the principal government department responsible for crafting this relationship. This thesis is significant because it goes beyond the existing literature on the Australia-China relationship. It does so by deepening our understanding of a key public institution from the controversial theoretical perspective of organisational culture theory. I ask two important and under investigated questions; what is DFAT's organisational culture; and how does this culture impact DFAT's approach to China? I use a mixed method approach of content analysis, discourse analysis and elite interviewing. I identify that DFAT has a culture driven by alliance geopolitics. DFAT's behaviour can be characterised as risk averse and emphatic about maintaining the US-led world order. This is a consequence of anxiety over a changing world, a rising China, and an increasingly isolationist US. This culture impacts DFAT's approach to China, which sees the relationship through a lens of security concerns more so than economic opportunity. Description: Submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in the Department of Government and International Relations of the University of Sydney 2019-06-10T00:00:00Z The Facebook Formula: An experimental study into which electioneering strategies used over Facebook are most effective at influencing the Australian youth vote. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/19804 Title: The Facebook Formula: An experimental study into which electioneering strategies used over Facebook are most effective at influencing the Australian youth vote. Authors: Grace, Ben Abstract: Facebook is rapidly changing Australia's political media landscape. Young voters' growing reliance on Facebook for the consumption of political news has corresponded with politicians' increasingly prudent use of social media; suggesting that Facebook will play a defining role as an influential political arena to access future generations of voters. It is therefore important for electioneers and political scientists to understand which electioneering strategies used over Facebook are the most effective at influencing the Australian youth vote. This thesis takes a post-positivist approach to research to examine this causal relationship; using the experimental method to isolate and test the effects of extant online electioneering strategies on the voting habits of young Australians. It employs web-based crowdsourcing services to recruit participants into the experiments, and in doing so encounters sample size problems which prevent it from drawing conclusions against hypotheses. While the thesis is unable to evaluate the causal relationship between online electioneering strategies and youth voting habits, by learning from the sampling issues encountered in the study it makes an important contribution towards our understanding of experiments in Australian political science. Additionally, considering problems in the study were caused by sampling issues rather than the methodological design, the thesis is able to offer a robust methodology for future post-positivist research into this area. Description: 2018 Honours Thesis 2019-01-07T00:00:00Z Alien Agendas: A Comparative Analysis of Conspiracy Theories Across Western States http://hdl.handle.net/2123/19803 Title: Alien Agendas: A Comparative Analysis of Conspiracy Theories Across Western States Authors: Darke, Lillian Abstract: Conspiracy theories have been a topic of interest among academic and non-academic literature for decades. As of recently, the political implications of public conspiracism has begun to be taken seriously. Political science literature in the past has viewed conspiracy theories with a US-centric lens, with little focus on how conspiracy theories manifest in other states. Further, there has been a lack of communication and collaboration across disciplines, resulting in disjointed and ad hoc narratives for public conspiracy belief. The aim of this study was to explore how conspiracy theories manifest differently across western states and draw together literature from a variety of disciplines, such as political science, psychology, and sociology. 144,000 conspiracy theories across fora in the US, Australia, Canada, and England were explored and compared. Across the fora, themes were established and then analysed from three different perspectives; cultural determinism, group-dynamics, and external influences. It was found that there are important similarities between states regarding how conspiracy theories manifest, such as a broad anti-establishment narrative. It was also found that there are thematic differences between the states, such as the role of the state and unique historical influences which may have serious impacts upon the effectiveness of political intervention. It was concluded that research into non-US states is an important avenue for developing a more reliable and nuanced narrative of conspiracy belief, as well as for developing an understanding of state-specific challenges and approaches to conspiracism. Description: 2018 Honours Thesis 2019-01-07T00:00:00Z 'Equal Participation of All': A study of environmental justice and vulnerability in the Resilient Melbourne and Resilient Sydney Strategies http://hdl.handle.net/2123/19802 Title: 'Equal Participation of All': A study of environmental justice and vulnerability in the Resilient Melbourne and Resilient Sydney Strategies Authors: Simpson-Young, Alice Abstract: 'Resilient Melbourne' (RM) and 'Resilient Sydney' (RS) are City Resilience Strategies (100RC, 2017) developed to prepare cities for climate change impacts and other 'shocks' and 'stresses'. Through an environmental justice (EJ) lens, this research examines the 100RC's City Resilience Framework (CRF) and the RM and RS strategy-development processes and resulting actions and priorities. A qualitative comparative methodology using document analysis and in-depth interviewing of 18 individuals found that limited consideration of embedded power structures in the CRF prevents underlying drivers of risk and vulnerability from being addressed; as such, the resulting actions of a procedurally-unjust strategy-development process will be distributively unjust. In one city, the need to gain legitimacy in a complex metropolitan governance system was a driver of the strategy-development process that was procedurally just. This research contributes the first EJ analysis of the CRF, the first comparative analysis of 100RC member cities, the first EJ analysis of a developed nation's CRS and the first academic attention of any sort to RS. Description: 2018 Honours Thesis 2019-01-07T00:00:00Z Unresolved Sovereignty: The Origins of European Union Crisis, 1950 – 1953 http://hdl.handle.net/2123/19801 Title: Unresolved Sovereignty: The Origins of European Union Crisis, 1950 – 1953 Authors: Harrington, Nicholas T. Abstract: The dissertation identifies and analyses the origins of the present crises afflicting the European Union. It examines the Schuman Plan Conference of 1950-51 and the European Coal and Steel Community that provided the blueprint for today's supranational structure. The core argument - the unresolved sovereignty thesis – reveals that preconditions for future crises were embedded in the original institutional design. The unresolved sovereignty thesis establishes the following: (i) 'Popular sovereignty' was not a feature of Conference deliberations. The institutions were therefore designed without a mechanism connecting them to the people of Europe, creating a subsequent 'democratic deficit'; (ii) The status of nation-state sovereignty was set aside during the Conference, resulting in new institutions that were inconsistent with sovereignty understandings across the member-states; (iii) European sovereignty was not adequately theorised during the Conference. As a result, the supranational institutions provoked immediate political conflict, leading to a subsequent 'legitimacy gap'; and (iv) Creating European-level institutions without resolving questions Description: 2018 Honours Thesis 2019-01-07T00:00:00Z Cocaine crackdowns and criminal violence http://hdl.handle.net/2123/19800 Title: Cocaine crackdowns and criminal violence Authors: Broe, Rachel Abstract: In the last decade, Colombia has seen improvement in the levels of violence and the stability of the state as a result of targeting illicit narcotics traffickers. In the same period, Mexico has seen an increase in violence and the destabilisation of the state as a result of targeting illicit narcotics traffickers. This thesis will fill an important gap in the literature and answer the question of why Mexico's policies failed while Colombia's have succeeded. The answer will be presented in three parts. The first will explore physical geography, establishing its importance in illicit narcotics trafficking. The second part is state stability, which has an effect on how successfully policy is implemented. The independent and final variable is policy orientation. This thesis argues that the policy orientations pursued in Colombia and Mexico played on the geography and state stability of each state to produce radically different effects on violence. Description: 2018 Honours Thesis 2019-01-07T00:00:00Z Addressing the Impacts of Red Meat Consumption: Lessons from Australia's Tobacco Control Regime http://hdl.handle.net/2123/19799 Title: Addressing the Impacts of Red Meat Consumption: Lessons from Australia's Tobacco Control Regime Authors: Bless, Anja Abstract: In spite of the negative impacts red meat consumption is having on public health and the environment, the issue is largely absent from environmental politics literature. This thesis will address this gap by considering potential policy mechanisms to mitigate the impacts of red meat consumption, barriers these policies might face, and how these could be overcome. Using Australia as a case study, a comparative analysis between Australia's tobacco control regime and red meat consumption is conducted, supplemented by stakeholder interviews. This comparison is framed around the main influences on policy outcomes; ideas, interests, and institutions. The analysis highlights the essential roles of awareness-raising, cohesive policy networks, and a gradual increase in interventionism for ensuring policy regime success. It also demonstrates the larger scale of barriers for policy addressing the impacts of red meat consumption, and the potential policy windows that are opening due to a shift in meat consumption patterns. Description: 2018 Honours Thesis 2019-01-07T00:00:00Z A very English Brexit: A comparative analysis of the immigration debate in the news media of the four UK nations http://hdl.handle.net/2123/19798 Title: A very English Brexit: A comparative analysis of the immigration debate in the news media of the four UK nations Authors: Lavery, Sioned Ellen Abstract: This thesis compares the immigration discourses in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland during Britain's EU referendum. It has been speculated that immigration was influential in the decision to leave the European Union 23 June 2016. The decade prior to the referendum, immigration increased following EU expansion to include central and eastern European states. Migration is concentrated in south-east England with little inward migration to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Using a discourse analysis of 1476 newspaper articles from each UK nation, the thesis finds anti-immigration sentiment disseminated during the campaign to be bound in English experiences and positive experiences specific to individual nations. A sense of possessiveness in British services and culture is linked to contemporary English nationalism, informed by feelings of lost power to devolved governments, the EU and opposition to immigration. Description: 2018 Honours Thesis 2019-01-07T00:00:00Z Ministerial Advisers: How Ministers Shape Their Conduct – A Study of Ministers and Advisers in the Rudd Government http://hdl.handle.net/2123/9047 Title: Ministerial Advisers: How Ministers Shape Their Conduct – A Study of Ministers and Advisers in the Rudd Government Authors: Ashpole, Lynne Abstract: Ministerial advisers have become part of the standard advisory arrangements in Westminster governments, yet there is disagreement about their roles and behaviour. In Australia, some academic work has considered their involvement in scandals like the 2001 children overboard affair and the 1993 sports rorts controversy. However, the focus on exceptional events means advisers' everyday roles and conduct have not been given sufficient weight and those conclusions are therefore distorted. This paper finds that ministers exert a dominant influence over their advisers' behaviour and that advisers continue to see themselves as agents of their ministers. Based on interviews with four Rudd government ministers and their advisers, the research shows advisers have strong norms of behaviour and that formal and informal accountability mechanisms operate to constrain their conduct. Advisers are not 'out of control' or operating in a 'black hole of accountability' as often claimed 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z The Foundation and Composition of Egypt's Role in the Arab World http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8890 Title: The Foundation and Composition of Egypt's Role in the Arab World Authors: Rottinger, Karina Abstract: The choice of topic "The Foundation and Composition of Egypt's Role in the Arab World" is not purely out of interest. It rises out of the abundance of literature and discourse that places Egypt at the centre of the Arab world with very ambiguous reasoning and seemingly haphazard confusion. This thesis thus seeks to do two things. First it aims to show that through the suspension of material capabilities we can instead focus on the norms surrounding regional powers as well as role conception, which can lead to a better understanding of Egypt's status in the region which is often ascribed as more political, cultural and social rather than based around military and economics. This research uses certain fixed variables to better understand this; Egypt's self-conception as a leader, its identity and its absorbing nature. Secondly, it aims to map out, historically, how Egypt's role has taken different forms and manifested itself differently throughout time. This thesis uses the presidencies of Gamal Abdel Nasser, Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak as three distinct eras that can provide us an insight into three different ways we can observe Egypt occupying a distinct role in the Arab world. In order to understand how role behaviour is not static, it is posited that it is necessary to recall some of the major political events and how they have acted as catalysts, for more general contextual changes. It is noted however that all the variables cannot be taken into account further research is suggested on this topic. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Fact or Fiction? Hate Crime in Sweden and it's Representations in Swedish Popular Culture http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8889 Title: Fact or Fiction? Hate Crime in Sweden and it's Representations in Swedish Popular Culture Authors: Ralph, Ngaire Abstract: Sweden's global representation suggests that it is one of the most gender- equal, open and forward- thinking countries in the world. This thesis, however, exposes Sweden's darker side, where hate crime towards immigrants, women and homosexuals is a serious social and political issue. Through a case study analysis of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy and Swedish white power music, this thesis examines the role of popular culture in the dissemination of ideas, protest against cultural and political norms, and the way in which it exposes ideologies which threaten the Swedish global image. This thesis finds that popular culture is a valuable medium through which the ideology of hatred can be studied. It finds that Swedish artists and authors use popular culture to convey their concerns about society but that it is also used as a tool through which hate ideology can be disseminated throughout society too. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Parables Of Mass Atrocity: A Comparative Analysis Of The Nigerian And Liberian http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8888 Title: Parables Of Mass Atrocity: A Comparative Analysis Of The Nigerian And Liberian Authors: Yu, Chuan (Catrina) Abstract: In the aftermath of conflict, the demand for societies to acknowledge the existence and impact of political violence has instigated creative policy developments in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs) operate as mediated sites of historical contestation, offering states an opportunity to 'come to terms' with their own pasts. Despite the extensive body of scholarship assessing the TRC's potential in promoting developmental goals, minimal academic attention has been given to the Report the Commissioners are mandated to produce. This study adopts a critical approach in comparatively examining key sections of the Nigerian and Liberian Commission Reports by using the 'judgment' substructure, as part of the 'Appraisal System'. This thesis argues that the Reports, in summarising the findings of the TRC's investigations, do not seek to recount objective 'facts'; rather, project a specific image of the past, framed by the Commissioners' assessment of how state power should be judged. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Taiwan's Changing Economic Policymaking towards China: http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8886 Title: Taiwan's Changing Economic Policymaking towards China: Authors: Liu, Yun Abstract: The central question this thesis seeks to answer is: why has there been a change in Taiwan's economic policymaking towards China since the 1990s. The study looks at this changing relationship through the lenses of two International Political Economy theories, economic nationalism vis-à-vis economic liberalism. By examining three distinctive Taiwanese administrations: Lee Teng-hui (1990-1999), Chen Shui-bian (2000-2007) and Ma Ying-jeou (2008-Present), this study explores the motivations underpinning Taiwan's different economic policy choices. To illustrate, the study considers internal factors,Taiwan's domestic politics and the role of its business society, and external factors,China's rise in economic, diplomatic and military aspects and an important regional/global event. This thesis finds that it is the nationalist goal of protecting Taiwan's security and maintaining its 'sovereignty' that has motivated its cross-Strait economic policies, and in the case of Taiwan, this nationalist purpose is dependent upon the assessment of China's expanding strength. These findings are important because, as the thesis suggests, there is a potential framework to understand the way in which small states embrace policy choices reflecting their regional realities with large powerful states. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z The Harm of a Label: The effect of Party Affiliation upon Criminal Sentencing in the United States http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8885 Title: The Harm of a Label: The effect of Party Affiliation upon Criminal Sentencing in the United States Authors: Day, Jane Frances Abstract: This thesis examines why sentencing disparity between partisan elected and non-partisan elected judiciaries exists. I contend that partisan elected judiciaries produce harsher sentences. The theoretical reasoning provided, is that political parties converge to the mean on politically popular issues, in this case a perceived "toughness on crime". Therefore party affiliation and party primary selection causes judicial officers to conform their sentencing practices to party demands in order to gain selection, election and retention. I conducted a quantitative analysis of the conviction and imprisonment data from circuit courts in geographically and demographically similar counties of Illinois (partisan election) and Michigan (non-partisan election) to test this theory. In my case study this severity of sentence is measured by the number of criminal convictions that result in imprisonment. The partisan elected judiciary produced significantly higher rates of imprisonment, suggesting that party affiliation is a contributing factor to sentencing disparity between judicial selection systems. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z The Banality of Arcadia http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8884 Title: The Banality of Arcadia Authors: Crump, Edwin Abstract: Flags are highly valued – flown at sporting events, in war and even placed on the moon – but, nevertheless, are under-researched as symbolic devices. This thesis employs and extends Michael Billig's Banal Nationalism theory to examine how a local flag operates within the context of Lord Howe Island, a small island 600km east of the Australian mainland. Utilising a combination of survey data and in-depth interviews, it firstly demonstrates the significance of "place" for the creation and remembrance of a unique Lord Howe Island identity as well as exploring the interaction of the Islanders between their spatial context and their civil–political relations. It secondly argues how flags can be simultaneously unifying and divisive symbolic devices within and without communities by exploring the process of encoding locally constructed mythologies onto flags, before finally examining the relationship between the social construction of meanings of flags and the citizens who themselves construct it, including the importance of origin myths in establishing the legitimacy of a flag. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Identity and Interests: Understanding the Meltdown in Israeli-Turkish Relations 2002-2012 http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8883 Title: Identity and Interests: Understanding the Meltdown in Israeli-Turkish Relations 2002-2012 Authors: Cook, Katherine Abstract: The recent deterioration of the strong bilateral alliance between Israel and Turkey has significant affects on the balance of power within the Middle East. As such, it is important that scholars determine why this meltdown has occurred. This thesis sought to explain the deterioration of relations between Israel and Turkey and overcome gaps in the existing literature concerned with this meltdown of bilateral relations by taking a fresh look into the role of identity and the interests it creates. Hence, the framework of Wendtian constructivism was applied in order to examine the social origins and impacts of identity and interests on alliance formation and deterioration. In this thesis, I suggested that Israel's identity has changed slowly over the past decade and as such, should be perceived as 'relatively' stable. Conversely, however, Turkey's national identity changed sharply, drifting away from the Ataturk agenda of Westernisation and secularism towards an Islamic heritage. In order to strengthen my argument that this shift in Turkish identity has primarily accounted for the deterioration of its relations with Israel, I analysed Turkish attitudes towards foreign policies other than its bilateral relationship with Israel, as well as its newly defined interests. Thus, whereas Israel's relatively stable national identity and domestic policies were matched by its relatively stable foreign interests over the past decade, deep changes to Turkey's national identity redirected its domestic policies under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's government. Consequently, Turkey has employed a number of political tensions and events as pretexts in order to unilaterally disengage from its relations with Israel so that it can further new foreign policies and interests. Identity matters, and for better or worse, identity changes precede foreign policy change, a lesson we must not forget. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Comparative Nationalism: Imperial Legacies and the Strength of Nationalism: The Case of China and India since the 1990s http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8882 Title: Comparative Nationalism: Imperial Legacies and the Strength of Nationalism: The Case of China and India since the 1990s Authors: Zylowski, Maike Abstract: Since the 1990s, there have been strong displays of nationalism in China, while in India the once dominant 'secular' nationalism has been challenged by a fragmentation of national identity along ethno--‐religious lines. This thesis seeks to explain why Chinese nationalism, since the 1990s, appears to be stronger and indeed more prevalent than nationalism in India. The phenomenon of nationalism in India and China has been extensively researched, yet there remains a deficiency in comparative research. Thereby, this thesis takes a historical Comparative approach through which five explanatory hypotheses are evaluated; these are entitled: direct rule, types of foreign rule, regime type, foreign threat, and diversity. The findings of this thesis suggest that China's nationalism remains more prevalent since the 1990s, due to its experience of informal imperialism, a strong centralized Chinese state, and higher levels of militarized inter--‐state disputes. Simply, it is illustrated that because the experience of informal imperialism has centrally defined Chinese nationalism, it reacts Intensely to foreign threats that are equated to imperial acts, while the unified nature of nationalism is reinforced by a strong centralized state. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z The President as a Perception-setting agent: Presidential Rhetoric, the Russian State and Identity, and the Search for Political Legitimacy in Post-Soviet Russia. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8881 Title: The President as a Perception-setting agent: Presidential Rhetoric, the Russian State and Identity, and the Search for Political Legitimacy in Post-Soviet Russia. Authors: Thorncraft, Kyra Abstract: Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 the state that has emerged, the Russian Federation, has been engulfed in a search for a legitimate and valuable identity and role for the state. This search was given new life in 2000, with the ascendency of Vladimir Putin to the Presidency, and a new Russia attempted to rise from the decay and instability of the 1990's. The Presidential perceptions of the Russian state and identity, under Putin and his successor Dmitri Medvedev, have represented a concerted and largely continuous attempt at crafting a Russian idea that both projects an image of the Russian state and identity, and simultaneously confers legitimacy to state structure. Through a discourse analysis of the President's Annual Address to the Federal Assembly, from 2000 to 2011, this perception of state and identity can be illuminated. The use of narratives, symbols, myths and cultural memory to create this continuous image of Russia and craft Presidential legitimacy from this narrative, constitutes the main concern of this thesis. The research aims to analyse the Presidential perceptions of state and identity, asking two core questions: how has the Presidency attempted to shape the Russian state and identity through their rhetoric? and Why? Analysing the specific narratives used, the attempts at narrating an idea of Russia that provides continuity with periods of past state legitimacy and the attempt at legitimating both Presidential power and the new state (the Russian Federation), this article provides an invaluable understanding of the President's attempts at shaping and legitimising the new Russia. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Responding to Riots A Comparative Study of Elite Responses to Cronulla 2005 and England 2011 http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8878 Title: Responding to Riots A Comparative Study of Elite Responses to Cronulla 2005 and England 2011 Authors: Thirunavukkarasu, Hariharan Abstract: In recent summers, rioting around Cronulla and throughout England has sparked debates about their causes. While there has been a concerted effort to analyse these, there has been less attention on the response of political elites. Ultimately, the response of political elites determines if public policy is used to address the causes of the rioting. This study seeks to remedy this omission by conducting a comparative study of the response of political elites and the media to the Cronulla Riots of 2005 and English Riots of 2011. It contends that political elites in Australia responded to the riots by framing the riots largely as a law and order problem. In contrast, British political elites offered a greater variety of explanations in their analysis of their rioting. Similarly, media outlets in both nations explored a variety of causes for the riots, including race, class, poverty and a culture of criminality. This study claims that the anomalous response of Australian political elites elucidates certain idiosyncrasies of Australia's political culture, including its reluctance to discuss race, and tendency to respond to complex issues through a law and order framework. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z The 2011-2012 Russian protests and the precedents of protest in post-Soviet Eurasia http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8877 Title: The 2011-2012 Russian protests and the precedents of protest in post-Soviet Eurasia Authors: Putilin, Serge Abstract: This study places the 2011-2012 Russian protests within the framework of Eurasian mass-civil mobilisation. Researchers have examined the shared and divergent properties of these events, commonly labelled "colour revolutions." However, research has not employed the experience of the colour revolutions to understand the current civil unrest in Russia. Drawing on existing research, this study generates a "colour revolution" framework and applies it to the case study of the 2011-2012 Russian protests. This approach allows the Russian protests to be analysed in relation to "colour revolutions" in societies that are geographically, politically and historically proximate. This study finds that the current protests are the immediate result of perceptions of extensive electoral fraud. However, the underlying drivers are gradual socio-economic shifts toward the growth of the middle class, and the increasing predisposition of the Russian government towards a "managed democracy." This thesis concludes that based on the idiosyncrasies and political diversity of the Russian pro-democracy protests, it must be considered a "Grey Revolution" – a mix of colours. Due to these factors it is unlikely that the movement will succeed in its goals in the short term. However, the need for future research to focus on the longer-term prospects of this "Grey Revolution" is clear. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Power/Knowledge in Discourses of Climate Justice http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8875 Title: Power/Knowledge in Discourses of Climate Justice Authors: McLoughlin, Liam Abstract: Rawlsian political philosophers and theorists approach climate justice using ideal theories of the fair distribution of climate change burdens, and the rights to be protected in the face of those burdens. Other theorists and activists embrace these ideal principles, but also identify structural causes of climate injustice, calling for the profound transformation of the global political, economic, and cultural order. Using a Foucaultian framework, this thesis argues that liberal and activist discourses of climate justice are specific configurations of power/knowledge with particular constraints and material effects. Distributive and rights-based climate justice discourses vitiate the voices of those most affected by climate change, overlook and conceal root causes of climate injustice, marginalise alternative political projects, and thereby reinforce existing power relations. By contrast, across critical, utopian, and spatial dimensions, activist climate justice discourse exposes and confronts these fundamental relations of oppression and domination. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Fear, Itself The Threat Constructions Of Tea Party Candidates In The 2010 Republican Primaries http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8874 Title: Fear, Itself The Threat Constructions Of Tea Party Candidates In The 2010 Republican Primaries Authors: Humphries, Thomas Abstract: This study explores the role that a faith-driven discourse has played in the electoral success of the Tea Party movement. The popularity of the Tea Party movement among conservative Protestant populations has led researchers to depict an emerging theological political ideology. Few have considered the historical and religious influences on the Tea Party brand, despite the fact that it has garnered support from a segment of the conservative American population which have traditionally used religious rationalisation as the basis for their political opinions. This thesis examines these historical and religious influences by means of a discourse analysis. This allows for the success of Tea Party candidates to be understood in the context of the mobilisation of a "nation at threat" narrative, cast ostensibly in religious language. I find that the linking of political opponents to the concepts of socialism, unconstitutional practices and immoralism allowed for a consistent narrative to emerge, whereby certain conceptions of the American identity were prioritised and deemed "acceptable". I conclude that the electoral success of the Tea Party can be explained by the mobilisation of a primarily faith-driven discourse that gains traction through the mobilisation of threat to American society. The need for further research to account for the religious and economics aspect of the Tea Party movement is clear 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z The Case of Egypt (1981-2011) http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8873 Title: The Case of Egypt (1981-2011) Authors: Hudson, Antonia Abstract: The 2011 Egyptian revolution ousted President Hosni Mubarak after nearly thirty years in power. An agency centred approach dominated the discourse that followed the revolution. This dissertation contends that this lilterature is inadequate because it fails to consider structural factors at play in Egypt. Sultanism is a valuable heuristic tool by which to elucidate the role of the nature of the regime and its breakdown. The characteristics of the sultanistic category include: 1) fusion of regime and state, 2) personalism, 3) dynasticism, 4) constitutional hypocrisy, 5) narrow social base, and 6) distorted capitalism. These features have important implications in shaping relationships between key actors that determine paths out of sultanism. In addition, while analysing Egypt, this dissertation simultaneously performs an immanent critique of sultanism. The application of sultanism to Egypt reveals the need for two particular revisions to the theory: 1) the integration with the insights of 'gray zone' theory, and 2) consideration of the regional political climate. Thus, this dissertation puts forward a meaningful framework by which to assess the 2011 Egyptian revolution and the theory of sultanism. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z EU Influence and the Politics of Memory Postwar Croatia & Serbia in a Comparative Perspective http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8872 Title: EU Influence and the Politics of Memory Postwar Croatia & Serbia in a Comparative Perspective Authors: Hristovska, Stephanie Abstract: This thesis argues that the EU has indirectly influenced domestic perceptions of the past in postwar Croatia and Serbia through these states' desire for EU membership. Informed by EU conditionality criteria, which include democratic policies, regional cooperation, and issuelinkage with the ICTY, political elites have tailored new discourses that confront past atrocities to improve EU trajectory. However, the depth of this process—called "the politics of memory," has differed in both states primarily because Serbia was unable to extradite their war criminals at the pace of Croatia. This was the result of negative patterns that stemmed from the dynamics of regime transition, and the strength of old regime spoilers and nationalist parties who have perpetuated myths and discourses of victimisation in the new regime. In addition, desire for EU membership itself has fluctuated because of greater contest at the elite level between reformist and nationalist politicians 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Military, Inc. Private Military Companies And State-Centrism In International Relations. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8871 Title: Military, Inc. Private Military Companies And State-Centrism In International Relations. Authors: Meyering, Alexander Barrett Abstract: This study sheds light on the relationship between military privatisation and state-centrism in international relations. The growth of the private military industry has led many to consider the operational implications of the military privatisation program, focusing on the merits of the industry and its inadequate regulation. Few have considered the ontological implications of military privatisation; that as the state outsources what many consider to be its core function and purpose – public security – military privatisation challenges the nature of the state and its central role in international relations. This thesis seeks to further the ontological argument by employing an English School approach to international relations. This approach allows for the puzzle to be interrogated at multiple levels and within three separate yet overlapping realms; the International System, International Society, and World Society. In contrast to existing research, I find that the state remains central to international relations. I conclude that although private military companies do not challenge the notion of state-centrism in international relations, the English School remains a powerful tool for exploring international phenomena. I also demonstrate the need for international relations theory to account for the changing identity of security actors and interplay between states. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Australian Financial Governance: The Power of The Australian Financial Industry Over Public Policy-Making In The Lead-Up To The Global Financial Crisis http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8870 Title: Australian Financial Governance: The Power of The Australian Financial Industry Over Public Policy-Making In The Lead-Up To The Global Financial Crisis Authors: CAREY, LACHLAN Abstract: The recent Global Financial Crisis (GFC) has once again highlighted the significance of finance and the financial industry to modern economies, the societies they affect and the ability of governments to make autonomous policy decisions. In general, the blame for this crisis is argued to be upon the 'new financial architecture' of modern finance, which was ushered in by the large financial firms and their disproportionate influence over government. The paradox of the Australian experience however, is that despite its financial system being firmly embedded in this 'new financial architecture', its regulatory framework is generally considered to have eased Australia's passage through the crisis. Therefore, this thesis seeks to analyse how such a regulatory framework has come into existence and more importantly, whether the Australian financial industry was important in that process. To do so, this thesis will employ the 'three faces of power' conceptual framework to existing and original theoretical and empirical evidence so as to better understand the nature of discursive, structural and instrumental power in Australian financial governance. From this analysis one can infer that while finance as an ideal has significant power over the policy-making agenda of government, individual financial actors encounter sufficient structural and institutional checks and balances so as to be on a relatively equal playing field to other politically interested actors. 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Exploring Secularity Studying Australian Secularists http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8869 Title: Exploring Secularity Studying Australian Secularists Authors: Abadee, Daniel 2012-01-01T00:00:00Z Gendering the Agenda - Discursive Constructions of Gender within the Security Council's 'Women, Peace and Security' Agenda http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8341 Title: Gendering the Agenda - Discursive Constructions of Gender within the Security Council's 'Women, Peace and Security' Agenda Authors: Frazer, Jessica Abstract: In 2000, the adoption of Security Council resolution 1325 on the issue of 'Women, Peace and Security' (WPS) heralded the Council's adoption of a new gender-sensitive approach to security. While an extensive literature has 'assessed the impact' of the implementation of this new agenda, limited attention has been paid to interrogating the ways in which WPS policy and its resulting implementation have functioned to discursively reproduce certain understandings of the power relations between women and men. Through a discursive analysis of the four WPS resolutions, this thesis problematises the ways in which the Council has understood and reproduced understandings of gender. It then extends previous analyses of the Council's practice of WPS policy through a quantitative content analysis and a qualitative discursive analysis of the gender content that appears in the 609 non-WPS resolutions that have been passed since resolution 1325. The study concludes that while gender-sensitive policies may seek to address and prevent gendered forms of oppression and exclusion, the discourses of gender that underpin these policies can function to unconsciously reproduce these very forms of oppression and exclusion. 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z The Female Citizen as a Precursor to Political Revolution in the Middle East – A Comparative Study of Turkey and Iran http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8290 Title: The Female Citizen as a Precursor to Political Revolution in the Middle East – A Comparative Study of Turkey and Iran Authors: Mostaghim, Manna Abstract: Gender politics has existed at the periphery of academic analysis regarding social and political movements prior to dramatic political upheaval or revolution. In contrast to existing research, this study seeks to contend that there is an underlying female narrative to political revolution. To this end, it proposes a constructivist analysis that relies on discourse analysis to understand political and social movements. Through a comparative study of the gendered politics within Turkey and Iran, Four main premises are considered — the central assumptions regarding the 'Muslim woman'; the woman's personification of nationalism within domestic politics; the role of the woman in the public sphere; and the role of the woman in the private sphere. These discussions will establish the woman as a pre-cursor for revolution and an essential arbiter that determines the trajectory of political upheavals in Middle Eastern nations. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z American Knowledge and Ignorance In Comparative Perspective http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8289 Title: American Knowledge and Ignorance In Comparative Perspective Authors: Gumley, Lindsay E. Abstract: How does foreign affairs knowledge in America compare cross-nationally? Are Americans really as ignorant as commentators and scholars suggest? Despite the interest in the topic, there are surprisingly few serious works of scholarship that consider how the American public compares cross-nationally. In an attempt to fill this gap in the literature, this thesis does four things. Firstly, it employs a new method for analyzing foreign affairs knowledge cross-nationally (namely, extracting "don't know" responses from relevant questions in a global public opinion survey). Secondly, it considers the structure of foreign affairs knowledge and ignorance. Thirdly, in order to understand American knowledge and ignorance in its global context, this thesis considers what Americans know, and how that compares to knowledge levels across 24 other nations. Finally, it explores knowledge and ignorance in reference to theories on what influences the 'breadth and depth of citizen's political information, as well as adding two new explanatory variables; economic and social globalization. In so doing, this thesis aims to challenge current assumptions about the nature and level of ignorance within the US and add to the debate on public knowledge about foreign affairs. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Political Parties and Australia's Migration Program, 1972-2010: A Partisan Difference? http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8285 Title: Political Parties and Australia's Migration Program, 1972-2010: A Partisan Difference? Authors: Crowe, Shaun Abstract: This thesis examines the historical relationship between political parties and Australia's permanent migration program. Whilst the existing empirical literature has often compared the decisions of specific, consecutive governments (for instance, the work comparing the Fraser, Hawke-Keating and Howard administrations) it has not yet viewed the parties themselves as central units of analysis. In practice, this means that it has not yet explicitly tested whether, over multiple administrations, the Labor and Liberal parties have supported distinct or coherent permanent intakes. This thesis explores this precise question. From 1972-2010, it examines whether Australia's major parties have promoted programs of a different size or composition. Throughout this analysis, the paper recognises the influence of external factors in limiting and framing party autonomy. In particular, it acknowledges employment's historical impact on migration decisions. Because of this, the thesis' empirical analysis attempts to both acknowledge and control for the labour market. Ultimately, whilst not suggesting one single, overarching narrative about specific parties and migration outcomes, the paper emphasises the often distinct ways in which (because of both different responses to economic imperatives and different partisan motivations) Australia's political parties have shaped the migration program's size, composition and trajectory. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Lifting the Shroud: Government, Investment Banks and Power in Post Financial Crisis United Kingdom - A critical deconstruction of the relationship between government and investment banks in the United Kingdom post global financial crisis (2007 – 2011) http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8284 Title: Lifting the Shroud: Government, Investment Banks and Power in Post Financial Crisis United Kingdom - A critical deconstruction of the relationship between government and investment banks in the United Kingdom post global financial crisis (2007 – 2011) Authors: Maheswaran, Sharangan Abstract: The late 2000s Global Financial Crisis swept the advanced world and spilled into the developing, creating chaos in its wake. At the crux of the crisis were the high-risk activities of investment banks in the developed world – and especially United Kingdom. Since then, academic and public discussion has revolved around the questionable relationship between investment banks and government that resulted in subpar regulation and the costly bank 'bailouts' of 2008 and 2009. What this thesis will to do is holistically assess how the power relationship between British investment banks and the United Kingdom government has evolved since the crisis, utilising Doris Fuchs' Three Dimensional Approach to Business Power and Governance and a wide array of research to address those structural, instrumental and discursive elements of business power. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Riots in Lyon and Oldham: A comparative study http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8283 Title: Riots in Lyon and Oldham: A comparative study Authors: Prahl, Sabine Abstract: In recent years both Britain and France have witnessed riots by ethnic minority youth. This thesis will conduct a comparative study into the riots which broke out in Oldham in 2001 and Lyon in 2005. This is guided by two questions: firstly, why did riots erupt in these two cities; and secondly, why was it that Lyon"s riots were composed of two parties (police and ethnic youth) and Oldham"s riots three parties (police, ethnic youth and right wing activists)? This thesis will argue that the role of the police is central to answering both questions. Firstly, it will argue that harassment by the police created grievances that led to rioting. Secondly, it will argue that the different composition of the riots was caused by the nature of the harassment employed by the police, which was in turn influenced by the nature of the relationship between the state and the police. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z For God's Sake! Rethinking Secularism in Australia http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8282 Title: For God's Sake! Rethinking Secularism in Australia Authors: Brown, Melanie Abstract: This dissertation proposes a new way of thinking about Muslims, religion and politics in Australia. It critically engages those commentators, academics and politicians who in recent years have used the language of 'secularism' to denounce publicly what they see as a major social and political threat posed by Australia's growing Muslim population. The worn-out nineteenth-century ideology of secularism they draw upon presupposes the irrational primitivism of religion and fails to recognise present-day counter-trends. It should be rejected. This dissertation calls for a radical rethinking of the appropriate relations between religion and politics in a democratic society like Australia. It suggests that the principle of 'religious secularity' might be the answer: a new twenty-first century secularism which has room for the public flourishing of religions at the level of society, but maintains the independence of the state from religion. The dissertation shows, contrary to common perceptions, and despite the resilience of their highly visible and public religiosity, that Australia's large Muslim communities overwhelmingly support the autonomy of state institutions from religious influence, and that they are important protagonists of the new secularism. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z National Television in Putin's Russia - The Media's Changing Role in Society and the Consolidation of Competitive Authoritarianism http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8281 Title: National Television in Putin's Russia - The Media's Changing Role in Society and the Consolidation of Competitive Authoritarianism Authors: Sokolovskaja, Margarita Abstract: Over the course of Putin's two terms as president, national television, the most important form of media for the Russian population, fell increasingly under the control of the state and many independent channels were dismantled. Employing the 2000 and 2008 presidential elections as case studies, this thesis looks at the decline of media independence in Russia since the 1990s and considers the changing role of the mass media in Russian society and politics. In the late 1990s national television served as a means for competing oligarchs to propagate their views and political aspirations to the public. However, by 2008, pro-Kremlin coverage had become the dominant voice on national television. This is a reflection of wider trends of the time. Putin transformed the weak government that lacked sufficient coercive and organisational capacity to respond to elite challenges into a competitive authoritarian regime, where elections remain competitive, but the media and other crucial resources are biased in favour of the incumbent candidate. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Globalisation and Comparative Capitalism: The Industrial Relations of Volkswagen and Ford in South African Export Zones http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8280 Title: Globalisation and Comparative Capitalism: The Industrial Relations of Volkswagen and Ford in South African Export Zones Authors: Cartwright, Madison Abstract: In the modern era of "globalisation" the strategic autonomy of both firms and states is considered to be on the decline. Developing countries such as South Africa are considered to be especially susceptible the demands of highly mobile and fickle capital. The result is said to be a convergence on neoliberal policies, including in labour relations. However the Varieties of Capitalism (VoC) approach has argued that the modern era of globalisation has seen a continuance of diversity amongst Liberal and Coordinated Market economies. This diversity, in turn, influences the strategies of firms that are embedded in these economies. Using a case study in a VoC analysis, this thesis will show that Volkswagen and Ford retain the industrial relations strategies of their home economies, even when operating in institutional environments considered to be the most conductive to convergence; Export Processing Zones in a developing country (in this case South Africa). The thesis thus illustrates the path dependency of firms in their multinational operations. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z The Responsibility to Protect: Answering Civil Conflict in the 21st Century – A RAMSI Case Study http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8279 Title: The Responsibility to Protect: Answering Civil Conflict in the 21st Century – A RAMSI Case Study Authors: Pearson, Lucy Abstract: This thesis will attempted to analyse the Responsibility to Protect, whether the doctrine has a future in the workings of the international system as an effective mechanism for conflict resolution and for consensus on issues that surround violations of life, liberty and security of person. The R2P is acknowledged as a very new doctrine, the that has its fair share of warranted criticism and a long way to go before it becomes customary law in the international system. Through an in-depth analysis of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, the thesis aimed to highlight the potential of the R2P in addressing modern conflict situations and providing long standing stability through committed assistance in capacity development. Despite failures in the RAMSI intervention, and the relatively small scale nature, it stands as a significant success in implementation of the R2P and exemplifies the doctrine"s potential in application. At its base the R2P demonstrates a powerful normative shift towards the protection of the fundamental human rights of all people, and a shift away from traditional understandings of sovereignty as absolute. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Sustaining Policies- A Case Study Comparison of University Implementation of Sustainability Policies http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8278 Title: Sustaining Policies- A Case Study Comparison of University Implementation of Sustainability Policies Authors: Collins, Lisette Abstract: We are now more than halfway through the UN"s "Decade for Education for Sustainability." Universities around the world are working to teach and exemplify sustainable modes of thinking. This thesis is a case study comparison of two universities in Sydney, Australia who have declared a commitment to becoming more sustainable with a view to systemic transformation. The thesis outlines the different implementation paths of the University of Sydney and Macquarie University and concludes with the presentation of a model to explain the differences in implementation. Through inductive research, based on open-ended interviews, it is understood that the universities have achieved different levels of fulfilment in "groundwork factors" of Vice-Chancellor (VC) support, position in university structure and financial support. These factors are shown to affect the ability of sustainability teams to communicate and promote sustainability "visibility" on campus. Further analysis uncovers that Macquarie University has entered a "positive" capacity cycle that requires the sustainability team to be adaptive in their implementation while the University of Sydney is caught in a "negative" capacity cycle which stalls implementation. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z The Republic of South Africa: the Southern African Regional Hegemon - Analysing the 'irresponsible' leadership of a regional Southern African hegemon; post-apartheid, through case studies of Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8277 Title: The Republic of South Africa: the Southern African Regional Hegemon - Analysing the 'irresponsible' leadership of a regional Southern African hegemon; post-apartheid, through case studies of Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe Authors: Schirmer, Kelsey Ann Abstract: Numerous informal regional leaders exist all around the world. These include Japan in South East Asia, the United Kingdom (UK), France and Germany in Europe, and the United States (US) in North America. However, southern Africa as a region and the question of South African regional leadership is an area that remains uncertain, and under researched. This thesis examines the issues that arise when there is an irresponsible informal leader of a region of states, through a focus on South Africa's role in the southern African region, with an indepth look at its relationship with Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. Further, a working theory has not been formulated for the role of a hegemon on the southern African region, and indeed there is not a fully applicable theory that can be used to theorize about a host of post-colonial states that are at such different levels of development, and have a wide variety of cultures, languages, and social dynamics. As such, this thesis uses South Africa's current relationships with a select few states to form an analysis of the role of the hegemon, and develop a set of objectives for the South African government to turn around its leadership to become beneficial and effective to the development of the region as a whole. During the apartheid era South Africa played the role of a "regional surrogate", and now it is time for South Africa to shake off this colonial image and become a responsible regional leader (Conteh-Morgan, 1997:55). 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Lebanon: The Cycle of Death http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8276 Title: Lebanon: The Cycle of Death Authors: Elias, Joseph Abstract: This essay addresses the fact that as most countries in the Middle East have managed to protect themselves from external interference, why does Lebanon continue to be a target for intervention. Since the regional elements is the same for all the states in the Middle East, the paper focuses on internal factors within the Lebanese state that allow for foreign influence to prosper. Based on the evidence from crises that took place in 1958, 1975, and 2008; the paper argues that the political system and foreign policy of the Lebanese state are responsible for exposing Lebanon to foreign intervention. In response, proposals are put forward to resolve this inherent weakness of the Lebanese state. They include introducing a decentralised political system and introducing constant status of neutrality to Lebanese foreign policy. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z The Boat as a Prop in Election Theatrics: Constructing Maritime Asylum Seekers as a 'Problem' http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8275 Title: The Boat as a Prop in Election Theatrics: Constructing Maritime Asylum Seekers as a 'Problem' Authors: McCleary, Jessica Abstract: This article is concerned with the way Maritime Asylum Seekers (MAS) were constructed as a problem and negatively framed during the 2010 Australian Federal Election. It draws upon a comparative study of the representations of MAS in the 2001 and the 2010 election campaigns, through an analysis of election-seeking officials' rhetoric and use of symbols, and the portrayal of the issue in select newspapers. It asserts that the construction of MAS as a problem has commonly been addressed within a broad 'securitization' framework or through explanation of MAS as 'the other', but that neither of those frameworks adequately explains that the issue involves pertinent humanitarian obligations. It introduces the concept of the 'reverse humanitarian' framework, and suggests that actors have used this framework to demonize and dehumanize MAS within the very framework that is supposed to provide protection. It suggests that the 'reverse humanitarian' framework better explains how the election-seeking officials in 2010 constructed MAS as 'undeserving' refugees, and also how select mainstream media challenged these constructions. Ultimately what the study shows is that rather than offer leadership on the issue, the election-seeking officials relied on the political opportunities of negatively constructing MAS. Such a finding emphasizes the need for leadership on issues of humanitarian concern. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z The Tcard Implementation Failure - The Need to Reconfigure Pre-existing Structures http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8274 Title: The Tcard Implementation Failure - The Need to Reconfigure Pre-existing Structures Authors: Lee, Jenny KJ Abstract: The Tcard was first promised in time for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but serious implementation plans only started in 2003 when the company ERG was contracted to deliver the Tcard. An amendment bill was passed to establish an organisation to overlook the technical rollout of the Tcard and massive financial investment followed. However, the Tcard was never implemented and the contract with ERG was cancelled in 2008. Meanwhile other global cities – Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, London as well as other Australian cities have successfully implemented smartcard systems over the last two decades. This study uses two theoretical frameworks to find out what caused the failure of Tcard implementation. Both frameworks reveal that the key actors' decisions to leave pre-existing legacy fares and bureaucratic structures led to the failure. The study also uncovers beyond the direct findings of the two frameworks, exposing that key actors failed to reform pre-existing structures due to their confinement in electoral interests, causing policy myopia and a major misunderstanding of public demands on transportation. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Organised Crime and State Sovereignty - The conflict between the Mexican state and drug cartels 2006-2011 http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8273 Title: Organised Crime and State Sovereignty - The conflict between the Mexican state and drug cartels 2006-2011 Authors: Damnjanovic, Jelena Abstract: Since December 2006, the government of Mexico has been embroiled in a battle against numerous criminal organisations seeking to control territory and assure continued flow of revenue through the production and trafficking of drugs. Although this struggle has been well documented in Mexican and international media, it has not received as much scholarly attention due to the difficulties involved with assessing current phenomena. This thesis seeks to play a small part in filling that gap by exploring how and why the drug cartels in Mexico have proved a challenge to Mexico's domestic sovereignty and the state's capacity to have monopoly over the use of force, maintain effective and legitimate law enforcement, and to exercise control over its territory. The thesis will explain how the violence, corruption and subversion of the state's authority have resulted in a shift of the dynamics of power from state agents to criminal organizations in Mexico. It also suggests implications for domestic sovereignty in regions experiencing similar problems with organized crime, perhaps pointing to a wider trend in international politics in the era of globalization. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z The Politics of Nostalgia and Its Discontents: An Intensive Case Study of the Tea Party Social Movement in the United States of America http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8272 Title: The Politics of Nostalgia and Its Discontents: An Intensive Case Study of the Tea Party Social Movement in the United States of America Authors: Mason, William Abstract: The focus of the thesis is an intensive case study of the processes accompanying the mobilisation and growth of the social movement known as the Tea Party in the United States of America. The thesis is grounded in an analytical lens of issue framing, which has come to be regarded as an equally-important framework in understanding the dynamics of social movements (Benford and Snow 2000: 612) alongside the more traditional lenses of resource mobilisation theory and political opportunity structure. The thesis combines a cultural approach to the social movement with the political sociology of emotion by examining the emotional implications of cultural foci like historical narratives, figurative rhetoric and archaic artifacts, which have been utilised by the Tea Party in its protest performances. The thesis finds that by appropriating the cultural history of the United States in its resonant collective action frames, the Tea Party has consciously and rationally exacerbated the emotions of distrust of the government, outrage towards existing policies but hope for the future amongst its activist bases in order to mobilise and grow in support. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z China's Rule of Law is Australia's Business http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8271 Title: China's Rule of Law is Australia's Business Authors: Cutbush, Vivienne Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the implications of China's rule of law, in the context of commercial corruption, on the Australia-China business relationship. This paper involves the analysis of three separate case studies: the 'Melamine milk case', the 'Stern Hu case' and the 'Matthew Ng case'. The research undertaken in this paper is divided into two main sections. The first section involves a content analysis of media frames in both the Chinese and Australian news coverage in three separate cases. The section undertakes a critical analysis of Australian media and political discourse concerning the three cases. This research demonstrates the different conceptions of the rule of law between China and Australia, and that essentially China's practice of the rule of law impacts on Australia. This paper's originality is in its refinement about understanding China's rule of law and its place in broader debates concerning the Australian-China business relationship. Moreover, this dissertation takes a unique research angle in this field through the use of discourse analysis. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Illicit Narcotic Economies and State Fragmentation: Colombia and Afghanistan http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8270 Title: Illicit Narcotic Economies and State Fragmentation: Colombia and Afghanistan Authors: Cheng, Huixin Shirley Abstract: This thesis argues that the illicit narcotics economy in Afghanistan and Colombia is the central force fragmenting state power through two main processes of internal regression and external attack. Internal regression refers to the capture, infiltration and corruption of the state by the drug industry that impairs effective state function. External attack refers to the territorial control, coercive force and political legitimacy that the illicit economy provides non-state armed actors. In this way, I contend that the fragmentation of state power by the illicit narcotics economy is two- fold. First, it diminishes state power in absolute terms - hindering the effective state function in terms of key institutions. Second the illicit narcotics reduces state power in relative terms - drug rents providing for the growth in reach and operational capacities of non-state power rivals when the state at the same time is losing its own. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Ties and Tiers: Decentralisation and Ethno-Communal Mobilisation in Post-Suharto Indonesia http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8269 Title: Ties and Tiers: Decentralisation and Ethno-Communal Mobilisation in Post-Suharto Indonesia Authors: McCarthy, Gerard Abstract: Decentralisation of governance responsibilities to sub-national authorities has been one of the most significant trends in state-reform since the 1980s. Debate continues, however, regarding the consequences of the expansion of local/district government for ethno-communal relations. This study develops a strategic-relational theory of decentralisation and ethno-communal voter mobilisation, testing it in relation to electoral processes in two ethno-religiously diverse districts in Indonesia. It finds that in the context of city or district politics, outcomes of voter mobilisation can only be accounted for via the interaction between institutional incentives and candidates' mobilisation of diverse personal, group and associational ties. This study has implications for analysing and theorising the impacts of decentralisation- especially the expansion of local and district government- upon patterns of ethno-communal mobilisation in other ethnically and religiously diverse societies undergoing transitions to democratic rule. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Citizenship Status and Pressure Group Action http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8267 Title: Citizenship Status and Pressure Group Action Authors: Dietrich, Dominic Abstract: This thesis investigates the intersection between citizenship status and pressure group action. It asks a two-pronged question. First, does variation in citizenship status (to be citizen or noncitizen) produce variation in pressure group action? Second, where there is variation, how is it that citizenship status matters; where there is no variation, how is it that citizenship status (a decidedly political status) does not matter? In response to this two-part question, a two-part theoretical framework has been developed. To answer the question of whether citizenship status matters, an interactive model of action has been developed. This provides a common measure through which similarities and differences in action-paths between citizen and non-citizen pressure groups can be uncovered. It is found that citizenship status does have an effect on pressure group action, notably in a pressure group's interaction with a) their constituency; b) potential allies; c) other-state political institutions; and d) other-state media. To answer the question of how citizenship matters and does not matter, the idea of the capability mechanism has been developed. This asserts that variation in citizenship status - understood through either a rights or identity framework - produces, reduces, or removes capabilities. This, in turn, shapes action. This model is also used to explain similarities. Both the empirical findings and the theoretical frameworks developed within this thesis are useful for further analysis of the significance of citizen or non-citizen status on one's relationship to political systems. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Seas of Change - The Effects of China's Naval Modernisation on Southeast Asia. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8266 Title: Seas of Change - The Effects of China's Naval Modernisation on Southeast Asia. Authors: Liu, Daniel Kai Abstract: China's naval modernisation and assertiveness in the South China Seas (SCS) is causing major concerns for Southeast Asia. While substantial scholarship documents how Southeast Asian states have employed a ‗hedging' strategy, chartering middle way approaches between engagement/bandwagoning and containment/balancing, new evidence provided by this study suggest recent developments in China's naval and maritime policy over the past 5 years is pushing Southeast Asian states to recalibrate their individual hedging policies towards measures that more resembles balancing. Though a comparative study of reactions to China's naval rise from the Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore, this thesis updates existing scholarship by with two key findings: First, caused by increase Chinese naval modernisation and its activities in the SCS, there is a region wide shift towards negative threat perceptions and increased balancing measures. Second, variances in responses by individual states can be explained by a hybrid model proposed by this thesis amalgamating and amending Walt's Balance of Threat theory with Kuik's Spectrum of Hedging Responses, explaining how Economic Dependence, Historic memory and Geographic Proximity of Interests inform the extent of balancing measures of each state's reaction to China's naval rise. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z Bush Level Bureaucrats - National Parks Rangers' Use of Discretion in Implementing Wild Dog Policy http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8264 Title: Bush Level Bureaucrats - National Parks Rangers' Use of Discretion in Implementing Wild Dog Policy Authors: Craven, Alice Abstract: Wild Dog policy in New South Wales is controversial. There is a clear conflict between wild dog control methods as specified by the policy, and the need to conserve the rapidly diminishing numbers of dingoes in Australian ecosystems. Through an analysis of the types of discretion that National Parks rangers use in their implementation of Wild Dog Policy, this thesis will analyse the way in which discretion can be used as a means of resolving conflict in controversial policy areas. An initial understanding of the background to the complex issue of wild dog management, and the legislation and policies surrounding wild dog control provides substance to theories of discretion. These theories have been applied to the interview data of nine National Parks rangers, and an analysis of their experiences in implementing the controversial policy issue. Fundamentally this thesis finds that the different 'types' of discretion allow rangers to resolve conflict and implement a difficult policy area effectively. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z


text:
The wanderer came upon a dark town. There he met a silent merchant with a peculiar wooden box. Inside he had built a cruel game with gears, knobs, wires... and Volty. Help Volty!
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
It is probably not the easiest time to be assistant to the president for economic policy.
On the day Keith Hennessey came to breakfast with reporters, a four-column, front-page headline in the Wall Street Journal shouted "Dollar's Dive Deepens as Oil Soars." Earlier in the week, financial pages focused on an accelerating decline in home prices.
Mr. Hennessey, who coordinates White House economic-policy development as director of the National Economic Council, predicted tepid economic growth for the first three months of 2008. He said his "best guess" is that the first quarter of 2008 "will look a lot like" the fourth quarter of 2007. On Feb. 28, the government issued a revised estimate for economic growth in the final three months of 2007, leaving it unchanged at a weak 0.6 percent annual rate.
Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts and congressional passage of a stimulus package that the president recommended, "is going to bump [gross domestic product] a bit in the second quarter and fairly significantly in the third quarter [of 2008]," Hennessey said. "The numbers I have seen are adding something like a point to GDP in the third quarter."
At the Monitor-sponsored session with reporters, Hennessey argued against having Congress pass a second economic stimulus package this year. "The action that was taken was a wise action, give it time to work. We do not anticipate the need at this point in time for additional stimulative policy from the Congress and I don't anticipate a new proposal coming in that regard."
He also argued against providing relief to borrowers who can afford to make mortgage payments but choose not to because they owe more than their home is worth and don't expect real estate values to improve soon. The investment banking firm Goldman Sachs estimates that as much as $3 trillion of mortgages – or roughly one third of the total home loans outstanding – could be underwater by year's end.
"There is the equity question which is that there are a lot of families and a lot of people around the country who are homeowners who have to make very tough trade-off choices every month when they are making their monthly mortgage payment," Hennessey said. "Why is it fair to distinguish among them and say: This group of people we are going to provide financial relief to and this group we are not."
He called the question of how long it takes the housing market to recover "the big short-term question for the economists."
Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama have made changing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to better protect American workers a key part of their battle for the Democratic presidential nomination. Hennessey is staunchly opposed to changing the trade deal.
"Obviously, NAFTA was an excellent policy, NAFTA should remain as it is. NAFTA should not be reopened, that is clear," Hennessey said. While largely avoiding political topics at the hour-long meeting with reporters, Hennessey said it was "almost nonsensical to suggest that somehow it is going to be reopened and problems that they are concerned with will be resolved without having to give up something in exchange. And that is how trade agreements work."


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Call our friendly local electrical team on 1300 809 716 for FAST Same day electrical services in Wanda. We carry all our work out according to Australian Standards with a money back guarantee.
If you would like to see what suburbs we have local electricians situated, please check out our serviced areas page


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So apparently LeBron James sort of ruined basketball last night, and maybe sports in general? Eesh! Let's save the state of sports by tossing in some gear to spice it up, shall we?
Send your best entries to me at email@example.com with Sports Tech in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs or GIFs under 800k in size, and use a FirstnameLastname.jpg naming convention using whatever name you want to be credited with. Send your work to me by next Tuesday morning, and I'll pick three top winners and show off the rest of the best in our Gallery of Champions. Get to it!


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You've heard the rumors. Cooking your morning eggs on an aluminum skillet may lead to Alzheimer's disease down the road. Those pretty copper pots leach poison into your food. And nonstick pans? Not worth the convenience. They may cause cancer.
The facts about pots and pans, however, tell a different story. Current studies have all but exonerated aluminum cookware from any connection to Alzheimer's. Most have an anodized surface that reduces the amount of metal seeping into food. You won't easily find a saucepan made of pure copper (which can leach into food and cause gastrointestinal problems) without a protective stainless steel finish -- unless you are rummaging in Grandma's attic. As for brands like Teflon, research indicates that most Americans have trace levels of perfluorooctanoic acid in them. This potentially carcinogenic chemical is used to make nonstick coating, but the jury's still out as to how it enters our bodies (environmental pollution, more than home cooking, may be to blame). To reduce risk, avoid damaging the nonstick surface and don't use the pan on high heat.
Cookware safety often relates to factors in your control: the quality of the pots you buy, their care, and choosing the right pan for the job. A cast iron skillet browns meat beautifully, for instance, but reacts with certain acidic foods, such as tomatoes, altering the taste of ingredients. Knowing your cookware is your best bet for cooking well -- and safely.
(From left to right)
Carbon Steel
Heats quickly and withstands high temperatures; good for high-heat searing, stir-frying, and low-fat cooking. Imparts iron, a necessary nutrient, to foods.
Reacts with acidic foods to alter taste.
Washing Up
Hand wash with hot water and sponge (no soap or scouring pads), dry thoroughly, and treat with cooking oil to maintain surface.
Extra Care
Season before first use to create a nonstick surface and prevent rust.
14-inch wok: $15 to $59
Precise control and fast, even heating helps with soups, stocks, and cream- or egg-based sauces. Stainless-steel lining provides durable, nonporous finish and keeps copper salts out of food.
Can be pricey. Long-simmering acidic foods may damage protective coating.
Washing Up
Hand wash with mild soap and water.
Extra Care
Polish with a salt-and-lemon-juice paste to maintain shine.
3-quart pot: $80 to $300
Anodized Aluminum
Anodizing creates a hard finish that resists scratching and sticking, reducing the leaching of metal into foods. It doesn't react with acidic ingredients such as tomatoes, lemon, and rhubarb.
Can't use with induction ranges, which require a magnetic-based material, such as steel or iron.
Washing Up
Hand wash with mild soap and water.
4-quart saute pan: $35 to $185
Enameled Cast Iron
Heats and cools slowly, distributing heat well for stewing and caramelizing. Nonreactive.
Washing Up
Dishwasher safe.
Extra Care
Avoid high heat and metal utensils -- they can damage enamel.
5.75- to 6.75-quart French ovens: $110 to $220
Cast Iron
Heats and cools slowly, distributing even heat; perfect for browning, frying, and baking. Provides a relatively nonstick surface, if well seasoned. Like carbon steel, it imparts iron to food.
Reactions with acidic foods can alter taste and discolor pan.
Washing Up
Hand wash with hot water and stiff brush (no soap). Dry thoroughly and treat with cooking oil to maintain surface.
Extra Care
Season before first use.
10.5-inch skillet: $12 to $22
Allows for low-fat cooking with less oil and butter. Easy to clean.
Doesn't brown food well.
Washing Up
Dishwasher safe.
Extra Care
To prevent coating from eroding or flaking into food, use low or medium heat only and avoid using abrasive cleaners, metal scourers, or metal utensils. Overheated pans can emit irritating or poisonous fumes, so never leave dry or empty nonstick cookware on hot burners.
8-inch stainless nonstick skillet: $15 to $100
Want more tips for a healthy kitchen?
Stock up with these healthy food staples.
Learn how to buy better groceries.
Get 10 steps to a healthy home.
Text by Jennifer Roberts; photograph by Kate Sears


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User talk:RWSmith
From MeritBadgeDotOrg
m (→Welding)
m (→Welding: Moved)
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== [[Welding]] ==
== [[Welding]] ==
[[]]''''' '[[:|]]:, January , 2012 (EST)
Revision as of 11:33, January 30, 2012
If you want to leave a message, please do so at the bottom and using headings, for better formatting. You can do this by simply pressing the plus sign (+) on the top of this page. Don't forget to enter a relevant topic at the beginning of your post; and, please, always sign your messages posted in here by typing four tildes, like this, ~~~~ at the end of your posts.
Attention: Wikipedians, like everybody else, dislike fragmented discussions. So:
- If you leave a comment for me, I will most likely respond to it in here, in this same page, on my talk page, as an effort to keep the entire conversation in one place.
- By the same token, if I leave a comment on your talk page, always feel free to respond to it there, on your talk page.
Remember, we can each (individually) use our watchlists to keep track of when responses are made. Also, feel free to leave me an alert on this page about a comment you have left elsewhere that you want me to check out. Thank you! --RWSmith 04:31, April 6, 2007 (EDT)
World Conservation Award
On the Wolf page, in the additional awards section, the World Conservation Award link goes to the Boy Scout requirements. This should go to the Cub Scout requirements. Since I do not have access, would you mind making the change? It is the same for the Bear and Webelos pages as well.
Thanks for your help Jzweiac 21:31, January 1, 2011 (EST)
- Actually, you do have access to that... it was wrapped inside a template. (See Recent changes or Template:Cub Scout awards (history).) But, that's okay. Good eye there... thanks. I fixed it up, BTW. Thanks, again. —RWSmith (Bureaucrat), 22:57, January 1, 2011 (EST)
- Thanks for doing that. I followed your links and now I think I understand the templates thing. Not a problem, since my Scout is a Wolf right now, it is what I am paying attention the most to. In a few years, I will have gone through the entire Cub Scout section! :) Jzweiac 22:29, January 5, 2011 (EST)
Hello! I have been coming to meritbadge.org for about a year now. I have recently joined Boy Scouts and would like to contribute to this site. I know however that I can not edit without adminship. So I would like to request it! I am currently working on the First Class rank right now. My local scout shop let me volunteer because I am very knolegable in awards! I noticed that the pictures on this wiki are a little outdated. I would like to upload some replacements when or if I am promoted administrator. Please consider this,
- PS:I am working on Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class simultaneously. I am also working on the Dog Care merit badge. HoloNet Kamino 15:07, February 14, 2011 (EST)
Good Articles and Featured Articles
Hello! I think I have a good idea that will help to grow the wiki. Here is my idea: we create a system of good articles and featured articles. Good articles are articles that are perfect in format and are above average. Featured articles are articles that are the best articles on the wiki. These would be displayed on the main page. My idea gives users some competition to grow the wiki. I created these images; they can be lowered in size to put on good or featured article pages.
Good Article - Featured Article
The articles would be nominated on a nomination page. Please consider my idea!
HoloNet Kamino 18:14, February 23, 2011 (EST)
Marbles Belt Loop
Moved to: Talk:Cub_Scout_Marbles#Pin requirement 4. —RWSmith (Bureaucrat), 08:53, February 26, 2011 (EST)
Hello, RWSmith. I was wondering how you created this wiki; asuming that you were the one who created it. Did you by any chance create it using this? I am starting my own wiki, and I would like to know.
HoloNet Kamino 15:23, April 6, 2011 (EDT)
- If you would read our Policies here, you would find that, in order to remain registered here, you must also be registered on MeritBadge.Net. Then, you could ask such technically sensitive questions (above) at "MeritBadge.Org -- The Wiki (Registered Users)", which is available to registered users only. —RWSmith (Bureaucrat), 15:55, April 7, 2011 (EDT)
Webelos to Scout Transition
Can you delete this page? It already exist and I don't know why I could not get it to return in the search when I made it, but I found Webelos Transition today. I am sorry for being a pain. Jzweiac 23:17, October 29, 2011 (EDT)
- Hey; it's not a problem... none whatsoever. (Heck; I've done it, too.) Also, about the search bar... take a good look at Search. You'll find some interesting tips there. Lastly, I very much appreciate your efforts. Thank you for all you do here. —RWSmith (Bureaucrat), 00:43, October 30, 2011 (EDT)
- Thanks, I appreciate the help and the unharshness! This is pure enjoyment for me, thank you for allowing others to particiapte and being patient when it takes a while to get ideas into a workable format from this random mind. Jzweiac 16:03, October 30, 2011 (EDT)
Sidebar location in Firefox
- NOTE: Moved to MediaWiki talk:Sidebar#Sidebar location in Firefox. —RWSmith (Bureaucrat), 11:21, January 29, 2012 (EST)
- NOTE: This topic has been moved from User talk:RWSmith#Welding ⇒ Talk:Welding#Hobby vs Trade. —RWSmith (Bureaucrat), 09:33, January 30, 2012 (EST)


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Whether you have an affinity for Judd Apatow or love yourself a little Les Mis, the 2012 holiday season is bursting with blockbusters. And, because we can't think of a better distraction from the cooking and shopping, we always make time for our rom-coms during December. It's a known fact that movies offer viewers a release from reality for those cherished couple of hours, but Glamour 's rundown of the chick-flick moments that never happen IRL had us seriously ROFLing!
Naturally, the list includes a slew of Kate Hudson scenes — from going bonkers over the bouquet in Bride Wars to her perfectly styled waves in Something Borrowed (there's no one in Hollywood quite like the blonde and her ability to stretch the truth). Let's face it — no one takes the toss that seriously, and we challenge you to find someone whose hair looks that perfect after a round of badminton on the beach. There's also the example of Carrie Bradshaw's ability to run in stilettos, LiLo's job promo in Just My Luck, and looking chic while working out à la Jessica Biel in Valentine's Day. Frustrating? For sure.
The harsh truth is, films exist to transport ticket holders from the real world to a fictional land where women hang out with their girlfriends in just their underwear. Sugarcoating the facts can be infuriating at times, but the escape from reality is oftentimes much-needed — so, we have to ask, what other so-faux guilty-pleasure pics have peeved you? (Glamour)
Photo: Via Glamour


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What Your Child's Blood Lead Test Means
- "What Your Child's Blood Lead Test Means" is also available as a PDF. (PDF, 873KB, 2pg.)
- Spanish – ¿Qué significa el análisis de plomo en la sangre de su hijo? (PDF, 860KB, 2pg.)
- French – Ce que signifie l'examen du taux de plomb de votre enfant (PDF, 860KB, 2pg.)
- Russian (PDF, 981KB, 2pg.)
- Arabic (PDF, 1.5MB, 2pg.)
- Haitian Creole (PDF, 2.6MB, 2pg.)
- Hindi (PDF, 1.6MB, 2pg.)
- Karen (PDF, 5MB, 2pg.)
- Maay Maay (PDF, 3MB, 2pg.)
- Somali (PDF, 2.8MB, 2pg.)
The blood lead test tells you how much lead is in your child's blood. Lead can harm a child's growth, behavior, and ability to learn. The lower the test result, the better.
Most lead poisoning occurs when children lick, swallow, or breathe in dust from old lead paint. Most homes built before 1978 have old lead paint, often under newer paint. If paint peels, cracks, or is worn down, the chips and dust from the old lead paint can spread onto floors, windowsills and all around your home. Lead paint dust can then get onto children's hands and toys, and into their mouths.
Most children have had some contact with lead in old paint, soil, plumbing, or another source. This is why New York State requires doctors to test all children with a blood lead test at age 1 year and again at age 2 years. For children up to age six years, your doctor or nurse should ask you at every well child visit about ways your child may have had contact with lead. Children who have had contact with lead should be tested.
A high test result using blood from a fingertip should be checked again with a second test using blood taken from a vein (often in the arm). If the second result is still high, you should follow the steps below.
|Test Result
in micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL)
|Next Steps
|45 or higher
Child's Name: __________________________________________ Test Result: __________ mcg/dL Date:__________________
If the test result is not written here, ask your doctor or nurse for it, write it down, and save for your records.
For all test results, follow the below advice to keep your child's lead level from rising.
How to Protect Your Child from Lead Poisoning
Fix peeling lead paint and make home repairs safely.
- Keep children away from peeling or chipped paint.
- Before making repairs in a home built before 1978, call your local health department to learn how to work safely and keep dust levels down.
- Children and pregnant women should stay away from repairs that disturb old paint, such as sanding and scraping. They should stay away until the area is cleaned using wet cleaning methods and a HEPA vacuum (not dry sweeping).
Wash dust off hands, toys, bottles, windows and floors.
- Wash your child's hands and face after play, before meals, and before bed.
- Wash toys, stuffed animals, pacifiers and bottles with soap and water often.
- Mop floors often, and use damp paper towels to clean window wells and sills.
Be careful not to bring lead home on clothes, toys, or jewelry.
- Lead is in some children's jewelry, toys, keys, and old furniture. Sign-up for children's product recall alerts at www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.
- Some jobs and hobbies can involve contact with lead. These include: painting, plumbing, construction, car repair, or working with firearms, stained glass or pottery. To lower lead dust, change work clothes before going home; take shoes off at your door; wash work or hobby clothes separately; wash face, hands and uncovered skin before going home.
Keep lead out of your food and tap water.
- Let tap water run for one minute before using it, if it hasn't been run for a few hours. Town and well water could have lead from old plumbing.
- Only use cold tap water for drinking, cooking, and making baby formula. Boiling your water does not get rid of lead.
- Use lead-free dishes. Don't serve or store food in pewter, crystal, or cracked pottery.
- Call your health department, or visit the website below, to see which dishes, spices, candy, cosmetics, and health remedies have been found to have lead.
Serve foods that have calcium, iron, and vitamin C.
- These foods help keep lead from being stored in your child's body.
- Foods with calcium: milk, cheese, yogurt, tofu, and green, leafy vegetables.
- Foods with iron: beans, lean meat, fortified cereal and peanut butter.
- Foods with vitamin C: oranges, orange juice, grapefruit, tomatoes, green peppers.
Find out more about lead.
- Talk with your child's doctor or nurse.
- Call your local health department, listed in the phone book blue pages. In New York City and Rochester, call 311.
- Visit the New York State Department of Health website at: www.nyhealth.gov/environmental/lead
Publication 2526
State of New York, Department of Health


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Penelope Cruz's model sister Monica is celebrating after becoming a first-time mom.
The "Volver" star, who is pregnant with her second child with husband Javier Bardem, was reportedly by her Monica's side when she welcomed a baby girl at the Ruber International Clinic on Tuesday, according to Spain's Hola magazine.
The pair's mother, Encarna, and brother, Eduardo Cruz, also stopped by the hospital in Madrid to show their support.
Monica, 36, announced her decision to become a single mother in January after revealing she had turned to an anonymous sperm donor to get pregnant after fearing it would be "too late for motherhood" by the time she found her perfect partner.


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12mm Beveled german technology laminate floor
About my company
Changzhou Shenzhou Wooden Co. Ltd. is specialized in producing laminate flooring , which is located at North of INdustrial Park CUIqiao , Henglin town , Changzhou City. The company is adjacent to 312 national way by its south and Shanghai Nanjing express way by its North. With total invsetment of 30 million RMB in manufacturing base, it occupies a land area of 18,000 square meters . With first class automactic production line and diamond tool which is from Germany , its annual output up to 5 million square meters, which ensures products meet and even surpass Europe and national standard .
We take the lead in passing the ISO9001 and ISO 14001 Quality Management Certification .The network of sells throughout China and extends to USA, ROmania, Italy, Ireland, ukraine etc .
Our Supports And Advantages:
1) Pay more attention to laminate flooring European standard, and control the quality strickly.
2) Making samples free for all partner.
3) Developing some fashion colors for matching for your colors which is sales well in your market.
4) OEM with your brand.
5) Help you to do some inspections free, to make you know clear about your products.
6) Fighting together with you, then make a best sales method.
7) Visit your market, more in-depth understanding your market.
8) Dedication to innovation and invest in new products, really would like to cooperate with right partner
Subscribe to:
sign up for the latest catalogue, new design and promotion
- Tel:
- 86-519-88501275
- Address:
- Cuibei Industry Zone,Henglin Town,Changzhou City,Jiangsu Province,China


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This page contains links to the City Code, Land Development Code, and other development-related resources.
The City of Austin's Building Technical Codes (Chapter 25-12), contain regulations for Building, Electric, Fire, Property Maintenance, Mechanical, Plumbing, Residential, and Solar Energy. The City of Austin follows the 2015 International Building Code.
This page provides information on proposed Land Development Code amendments and Technical Criteria rule changes in progress by the Development Services Department.
The Residential Design and Compatibility or "McMansion" regulations, were designed to minimize the impact of new construction, remodels, and additions to existing buildings on surrounding properties in residential neighborhoods by defining an acceptable building area for each lot within which new development may occur.
Technical Criteria Manuals were created to interpret and specify the requirements established in the Land Development Code (Volumes 3 & 4 of the City's Code of Ordinances).
This page contains links to regulations that replace zoning in areas where compact, walkable and mixed-use development is desired.


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Mr. D.T. wrote:I agree with doing away with BB and the Go-Karts: the Karts have completely ruined Yukon Territory when they were built. They could return the classic Bugs Bunny Land and re-theme the cheesy Kidzopolis.
Guy_With_A_Stick wrote:Well today, which reached 80 degrees, and the back lot being half full, the log ride was reaching hour waits. YC, however, can leave.Sent from my VS820 using Tapatalk
Guy_With_A_Stick wrote:Did I say Yankee Clipper? Sorry, I meant Buccaneer Battle. I agree, double or nothing for the flumes.
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