The Face of Fayum in Beijing

The moment I set eyes on one of the Fayum portraits depicting a middleaged man on a coffin lid in Cairo's Egyptian Museum, I was hooked. His pensive gaze and striking resemblance with many Egyptian friends put me on a journey of learning more about these spectacular mummy portraits, many of which reside in diaspora far away from home. Little did I know back then that my next encounter with them would be in no other place than the capital of China.     

As-Salamu Alaykum From Beijing!

It's December—that time of year again. No, not Christmas; I'm talking about the UN Arabic Language Day which falls on December 18.UNESCO initially started to observe this day in 2012 to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity. The selfproclaimed linguist I am, I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate this day while in Beijing than by exploring Arabic through the eyes of its Chinese apprentices.     

The legal implications of student use of social networking sites in the UK and US: current concerns and lessons for the future

This paper provides a comparative snapshot of the current state of the law in the US and UK with respect to potential liability of university and college students for use (and misuse) of social networking sites. It reviews the limited case law on this topic, highlights the differences in the two nations’ laws of defamation and the various possible legal claims available to individuals allegedly harmed by postings on these social networking sites, and concludes that neither country currently offers a satisfactory legal or quasi-legal model for resolving these disputes.     

Health for All by the Year 2000: What about the nomads?

Health for All by the Year 2000 (HFA/2000) was a goal embraced in 1978 by all countries, especially the developing countries. Therefore to that end, many countries have since established policies and plans to make healthcare accessible to all of their citizens. Such access has come to be regarded as a right, and the last 30 years have seen major growth in national systems of healthcare provision. However, while remarkable advances have been made in both health status and the healthcare sector in general, nomadic people still lag the furthest behind in every field of progress. They continue to be neglected and left out of the development mainstream, including access to health services. Some countries have large nomadic populations, such as Somalia, with more than 60% of its population nomads. All nomads share characteristics which include an unstable life pattern, an interest in livestock, suspicion of outsiders, strong cultural beliefs, and faith in their traditional medicine. Nomads' self-reliance and independence, their sense of identity and community organization, and the predictability of their movements between water-points favor the development of health services. In the interests of equity and social justice, and if HFA/2000 is to become a reality, nomadic people must have equal rights to better healthcare.     

Market-Mobilized Capital

Theory suggests that capital is more likelyto be efficiently allocated via marketmechanisms, such as bank lending and stockissuance, than via non-market allocation. Consequently, we conjecture that increasedmarket allocation of capital will enhanceeconomic growth. We also posit that goodcollateral and corporate law will increasethe allocation of capital via debt andequity markets, respectively. Usingmeasures of statutory law as instrumentsfor market-mobilized capital, to controlfor its endogeneity in a cross-countrygrowth regression, we demonstrate a clearcausal link between financial marketdevelopment and economic performance.     

Staff transfer and management in the government health sector in Balochistan,Pakistan: problems and context

Despite the existence of rigid civil service systems in many developing countries providing relative stability of public officials, staff posting and transfers are often based on short‐term political criteria. This means high staff circulation in key government posts, leading to a situation of ‘instability within stability’. This article analyses high staff circulation in the government health services in Balochistan, Pakistan. The analysis is based on literature review, a small pilot study and authors' experience in the province. The article notes that high staff turnover and, more specifically, circulation are context‐specific. Four issues are raised. Firstly, the extent of staff turnover is analysed and references are made to its frequency, the organization and cadre. Secondly, the social and political underpinning of high staff circulation is outlined: political patronage, low implementation of rules, staff preferences and public sector control. Thirdly, the problems of staff turnover are raised with specific reference to the problems of continuity, change and participation. Fourthly, the issue of solutions is raised at two levels: structural change to lessen high staff turnover, and dealing with it on a day‐to‐day managerial level. Lastly, substantive and methodological issues are raised with respect to taking the analysis further. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stalin and the Soviet Famine of 1932 – 33: A reply to Ellman

This Reply, while confirming that Stalin's policies were ruthless and brutal, shows that there are no serious grounds for Ellman's view that Stalin pursued a conscious policy of starvation of the peasants during the famine. It also rejects Ellman's claim that in their recent book [Davies and Wheatcroft (the authors neglect Soviet policy and leadership perceptions in their account of the famine.