Political Ontology and Institutional Design in Montesquieu and Rousseau

Historians of political thought have been puzzled by Montesquieu's simultaneous appeals to the diversity of human practices and eternal norms of justice. Isaiah Berlin famously referred to this as an impassable “contradiction” burdening his work. Careful examination of Rousseau's appropriations from and developments on Montesquieu, however, reveal that these observations are not merely reconcilable—they provide a fruitful way to approach legislation and constitution drafting. This is accomplished by understanding his employment of the principle of transcendent constrained indeterminacy.     

Entering the Circle: The Praxis of Arts in Corrections

Abstract

When exiles create for themselves a new world in which to live and then construct that world in language, a poet, a writer, or intellectual may emerge. When the imagined world takes physical form and comes to exist in two, three, or four dimensions, it may be represented as the work of a performer or as that of a visual artist. This work creates a demilitarized zone, a place of safety, which defies old-world colonialization and presents a distillation of all the complexities within which one lives. Or, it may present a world beyond complexity that has imagined itself into synthesis. (Becker 1996, 113)     

Examination of heterogeneous crossing sequences between toner and rollerball pen strokes by digital microscopy and 3-D laser profilometry

The determination of line crossing sequences between rollerball pens and laser printers presents difficulties that may not be overcome using traditional techniques. This research aimed to study the potential of digital microscopy and 3-D laser profilometry to determine line crossing sequences between a toner and an aqueous ink line. Different paper types, rollerball pens, and writing pressure were tested. Correct opinions of the sequence were given for all case scenarios, using both techniques. When the toner was printed before the ink, a light reflection was observed in all crossing specimens, while this was never observed in the other sequence types. The 3-D laser profilometry, more time-consuming, presented the main advantage of providing quantitative results. The findings confirm the potential of the 3-D laser profilometry and demonstrate the efficiency of digital microscopy as a new technique for determining the sequence of line crossings involving rollerball pen ink and toner.     

Challenging Australia's "closed" model of neonatal care: the need for reform following Re baby D (No 2)

The withdrawal or withholding of life-sustaining treatment to compromised newborns is a subject of controversy in countries where there is now highly advanced neonatal care to keep such newborns alive. The topic has generated comparatively less debate in Australia, where case law is sparse and parents and clinicians themselves make decisions regarding the cessation of care, largely free from extemal oversight. The recent case of Re Baby D (No 2) [2011] FamCA 176 endorses this "closed" approach to neonatal decision-making. This article critically discusses some of its implications and makes suggestions for reform to ensure meaningful oversight of decisions to withdraw or withhold treatment. The authors argue that the judgment fails to address some fundamental issues, such as ensuring that those with the responsibility to make decisions are doing so on a "best interests" basis. This is important because, in a society where disability remains stigmatised and poorly understood, there is no opportunity under the approach adopted in Baby D to guarantee adequate protection of the rights of individuals born with physical or intellectual impairments.     

Inconsistency in 9 mm bullets measured with non-destructive X-ray computed tomography

Fundamental to any ballistic armour standard is the reference projectile that is to be defeated. Typically, for certification, consistency of bullets is assumed. Therefore, practical variations in bullet jacket dimensions can have far reaching consequences. Traditionally, internal dimensions could only be analysed by cutting bullets which rules out any subsequent ballistic assessment. Therefore, the use of a non-destructive X-ray computed tomography (CT) method is explored in this paper. A set of 10 bullets (9 mm DM11) was taken for analysing both intra and inter bullet jacket thickness variation. CT measurements of jacket thickness were validated with high resolution scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. An image based analysis methodology has been developed to extract the jacket thickness map and the centre of gravity. Thickness variations of the order of 200 μm were found commonly across all the bullets along the length and an angular variation of up to 100 μm was found in a few bullets. Jacket thickness and centre of gravity were also calculated for the same bullets after impact and the variations between the pre- and post-impacted bullets were compared, by establishing a common physical reference. The results show that the proposed CT scanning approach and subsequent image analysis method can bring out the statistical variations in bullet geometry pre- and post impact effectively.     

Some facts and fantasies concerning local autonomy in the Metropolitan Toronto school system

Abstract. The Metropolitan Toronto school system is a unique form of educational governance in North America, as a two-tiered federation. Tension has always existed between the levels over which had the prerogative LO make binding decisions on issues without involvement, consultation, or ratification by the other. Recently, the area school boards, which constitute the lower level, have increasingly raised this issue, protesting that their local autonomy is being eroded. This paper describes the operationalization of the local autonomy concept and points out that it is dynamic, being dependent upon at least four factors: the nature of the issue being discussed, the political context of the issue, the nature of the deadlines related to the issue, and the particular blend of people involved at the time of operationalization. The paper further explores the nature and sources of infringement upon the autonomy of local school boards in the Metropolitan Toronto federation. It identifies and discusses three major sources: (a) from the provincial level, (b) from the Metro level, and (c) from other area boards. The paper concludes that perhaps the greatest threat to area board autonomy in a period of financial cutbacks is the other area boards themselves who are forced into competition for financial resources due to the fact that accepted bases for agreeing upon relative inter-board needs have not been fully developed. Sommaire. L'organisation scolaire du Toronto métropolitain est unique en Amérique du Nord. Etant composée de tension entre les deux niveaux car chacun cherche à prendre des décisions exécutoires sans consultation avec l'autre ou ratification de sa part. Récemment les commissions scolaires qui constituent le palier inférieur ont soulevé cette question, en se plaignant de plus en plus de l'drosion de leur autonomie locale. L'auteur de cet esposé décrit l'application pratique du concept de l'autonomie locale et fait remarquer qu'il est dynamique, car il dépend d'au moins quatre facteurs: la nature de la question à l'étude et son contexte politique, la nature des échéances qui s'y rapporte, et la composition du groupe participant à l'exercice. L'auteur étudie aussi la nature et les sources d'ingérence dans les affaires des commissions scolaires locales de la fédération du Toronto métropolitain. Il dégage et étudie trois sources principales: (a) le niveau provincial, (b) le niveau métropolitain, (c) les autres commissions scolaires. Il conclut que la plus grande menace pour l'autonomie des commissions scolaires en période d'austérité financiére provient sans doute des autres commissions scolaires car elles sont forcées de se faire concurrence entre elles pour obtenir des ressources financiéres. Cette concurrence est accrue de fait que les critères d'évaluation des besoins sont encore imprécis et ne font pas l'objet dun accord général.