The changing face of protests in the digital age: on occupying cyberspace and Distributed-Denial-of-Services (DDoS) attacks

On 7th January 2013 the Anonymous hacking collective launched a White House petition asking the Obama administration to recognize DDoS¹1. Distributed Denial of Service attacks, thereafter referred to as DDoS attacks as a valid form of protest, similar to the Occupy protests. The ‘Occupy’ movement against financial inequality has become an international protest phenomenon stirring up the debate on the legal responses to acts of civil disobedience. At the same time, online attacks in the form of DDoS are considered by many as the digital counterparts of protesting. While the law generally acknowledges a certain level of protection for protesting as a manifestation of the rights to free speech and free assembly, it is still unclear whether DDoS attacks could qualify as free speech. This paper examines the analogies between offline protests and DDoS attacks, discusses legal responses in both cases and seeks to explore the scope for free speech protection.     

公共政策的价值目标与公正原则

公共政策的价值目标在于捍卫和促进社会公正 ,社会公正的完整内涵包括四个层次 :即 ( 1)公民基本权利的平均主义分配 ,( 2 )经济活动收益的效率主义分配 ,( 3)社会底线需求的平均主义分配 ,以及 ( 4)促进社会和谐的综合回应分配。其中 ,第一层次优先于其他三个层次 ,第四层次是对前三个层次的有效补充。     

论民事诉讼中自由证明的构建

自由证明作为与严格证明相对立的一种证明模式,体现了根据不同待证事实的特性采用不同证明方式的诉讼分流理念及价值,并已在较多国家得到广泛确立和适用。而我国目前的民事诉讼证明制度中尚未确立这一证明模式,理论界更是未对其引起足够的重视和研究,这就极大地限制了我国民事诉讼中证明制度的体系化和多元化构建。如何在我国民事诉讼的证明制度中合理构建自由证明制度,使其在证明待证事实中发挥自身应有的优势,逐步实现我国民事诉讼证明制度的体系化和多元化构建,从而为法院合理有效地认定待证事实提供一个更为高效、公正的制度环境是值得研究和探讨的问题。     

基于风险控制的职业健康和安全管制权力配置研究

职业健康和安全管制本质上属于社会性管制的范畴,其管制过程受到经济市场个体理性与政治市场制度选择的双重影响,这两个要素之间也存在着相互影响、相互制约的关系。权力配置作为外生性制度环境的要素基础,对内生性的经济市场理性具有调节作用,并决定着管制风险的发生概率和管制均衡的实现程度。论文从风险控制与效率优化的角度分析了职业健康和安全管制权力配置的边界、形态及其对权力协作、管制均衡所产生的影响。论文以此为分析框架,分析了不同时期中国职业健康和安全管制的权力配置形态、效率状况及风险控制等问题。论文认为,中国职业健康和安全管制的权力配置应实现由多元分散式协调管理模式向一元单向式综合管理模式的转变。     

International communication: shifting paradigms,theories and foci of interest

Abstract

This article aims to be a stock-taking exercise of the development of paradigms and foci of interest, in attempts to theorise the vast developments and far-reaching changes as well as the impact and effects of global communication in the world of today. Attention is firstly given to the current nature, impact and implications of global communication in the first decade of the 21^st century, as well as to a shift in emphases in the (sub)discipline of international communication. A critical overview is then given of discourses on the free flow of information, modernisation theory, dependency theory, the structural theory of imperialism, world system theory, hegemony, political economy, critical theory, the public sphere, cultural studies, the information society and globalisation. Since many of these paradigms have been borrowed or taken over from media studies, international relations or other (sub)disciplines, attention is given specifically to their application in theorising international communication. The article concludes with a critical overview of the current ‘state of the art’ with regard to the body of theory in international communication.     

国家财政性教育经费地区分配问题研究

2012年国家财政性教育经费占国内生产总值比例达到4%,这是我国教育史上的一座丰碑。随着国家财政性教育经费数量的不断增长,经费的地区分配问题就越显突出。文章对我国东部、中部和西部地区过去14年间的国家财政性教育经费分配状况进行实证研究,发现经费分配自身及其所引发的问题,提出合理分配国家财政性教育经费应做到"一延续、二提高、三扩大、四发展"。     

犯罪地理学：理论与实证研究

犯罪地理学是一个交叉学科,国外学术界对犯罪地理研究比较深入,在理论和实践上都有许多成果。国外犯罪地理研究领域中的三个方面,即犯罪地理理论研究、犯罪空间分布研究及犯罪和空间环境的关系研究,对我国在该领域的研究工作提供了有益的借鉴。     

Race and ethnicity: Voters’ party preference in South African elections

Abstract

Genuine, periodic, free and fair elections are one of the key defining features of a vibrant multi-party democracy. They provide a public mechanism for regular peaceful institutional competition for power and the opportunity for people to change, review or legitimise government through their freely expressed will. This article interrogates the behaviour of South African voters using a qualitative analysis of available studies covering the national and provincial elections held in 1994, 1999, 2004 and 2009, and the municipal election of 2011. One of the notable trends is that while the number of registered voters keeps increasing, voter turnout is on the decrease. There are other salient observable tends but they are not the focus of the article. For the purposes of the article the first conclusion is that among the various competing variables influencing voters’ choice of a particular political party in South African public elections, the race issue, however weak some might suggest it is, still looms large and is a dominant factor despite denials by some researchers. Second, in contrast to what obtains in many other African countries, ethnic identity happily has only a marginal influence on South African voters. This second conclusion should however not be regarded as cast in stone, given the ever-changing dynamic nature of people's identity and behaviour as well as the election campaign strategies of participating political parties and the role of the media. Given that there is a complex interrelatedness of ethnic and racial identity and interests, the electorate might well be more sophisticated than many realise.     

磁珠直接吸附法对体态检材游离DNA的提取

目的采用磁珠直接吸附法对人体尿液、唾液、血液3种体态生物检材中的游离DNA进行提取检验,为法医物证中游离DNA的研究及检验工作提供参考。方法对3种生物检材采取离心吸取上清液的方法分离游离DNA,然后采用磁珠直接吸附法进行提取纯化,Identifiler-Plus试剂盒进行复合扩增后常规STR检测。结果在3种检材中均检出了游离DNA,其中血液中游离DNA检出率为100%,唾液为90%,尿液为70%。结论人体体态生物检材中存在游离DNA,同时磁珠直接吸附法可高效、快捷的提取生物检材中的游离DNA。     

确保分配过程公平的对策研究

分配过程公平包括初次分配过程公平和再分配过程公平两个方面,它是实现分配公平的主要环节,只有分配过程的公平才能有分配的公平。确保分配过程公平,既是分配领域的重大问题,也是党和政府面临的重大课题之一。