No description available.

This is a study of agricultural modernization and socio-cultural change in two Bidayuh villages of Serian District, Sarawak, East Malaysia. Traditionally the people of Engkaroh and Tian were shifting cultivators producing mainly to meet their subsistence needs. Shifting cultivation is a traditional farming system and in Sarawak it has been associated with backwardness and poverty, especially by the policy makers and planners. Thus the national agricultural policy's goal of promoting agricultural commercialization is also targeted at this group of farmers. This study sought to understand how communities which practise such a system respond to change. This study demonstrates that Bidayuh agriculture in Engkaroh and Tian had evolved into a semi-commercial system and that the Bidayuh farmers were not constrained by tradition in accepting change. However, they changed in accordance to their perception of the local economic, socio-cultural, and political realities. In the field of economics, change was significantly influenced by the local pattern of change - an adaptive strategy which minimized the risks to the farming households. In the socio-cultural and political aspects, change occurred in a manner which did not jeopardise the integrity of the community. A comparative study of the two villages also shows that there were significant differences between them in their resources and relevant socio-cultural and economic environments, although they were situated in the same district and belonged to the same ethnic group. This had contributed to the difference in the responses to change of the farmers in the two villages. This finding also has important implications for the validity of centrally planned change in Malaysian government development strategies.

<p> Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among all major racial and ethnic groups in the United States (US) and worldwide. Filipinos are the second largest Asian immigrant group in the US. Healthful lifestyle behaviors are cardioprotective factors, but have been under-, overestimated, or not studied among Asian American subgroups. </p><p> Objective: The purpose of this dissertation was to describe the cardiovascular health, cardiovascular mortality, cardiometabolic and lifestyle health behaviors, acculturation, and predictors associated with CVD in the Filipino American population. </p><p> Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted which focused on the cardiovascular mortality, disease and clinical and behavioral risks of Filipinos in the US. Two secondary analyses of the 2011-2012 California Health Interview Survey dataset were conducted which focused on the cardiovascular health, CVD, acculturation, metabolic and lifestyle health behavior of Filipino Americans (n = 555). </p><p> Results: The systematic review suggested that Filipino Americans are at high risk for developing cardiovascular disease, for having CVD-related clinical health risks, for engaging in unhealthy CVD lifestyle behaviors, and dying from CVD, as compared to White, non-Hispanic and other Asian Americans in general and by gender. The prevalence of CVD was 7.4% among Filipinos in California. Hypertension, diabetes, physical inactivity, being overweight/obese, and inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables were prevalent among Filipinos. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that only hypertension was a significant predictor of CVD, controlling for the effects of age, gender, being born in the US, and diabetes. When taking into consideration acculturation factors in chronic diseases and health behaviors, US-born Filipinos had a significantly lower proportion of chronic diseases as compared to Filipinos not born in the US. Filipinos who lacked English proficiency reported more hypertension as compared to Filipinos who reported proficiency in English. A higher proportion of several positive health behaviors were reported among Filipinos not born in the US and those who did not speak English at home ate the recommended 35 or more servings per week of fruits and vegetables compared to their counterparts. </p><p> Conclusions: Further research is needed for culturally-appropriate interventions, education, and prevention programs which focus on health behaviors and chronic diseases, such as CVD, for Filipino Americans.</p>

No description available.

No description available.

<p> Much recent writing on the Occupation of Japan has challenged the traditional picture of a well-disciplined American army laying the groundwork for Japan&rsquo;s transition to democracy by the example of its behavior. Instead it depicts the Occupation, especially its opening phase, as marred by the widespread rape of Japanese women by American servicemen. In addition, many writers claim the United States encouraged, requested or even ordered the Japanese government to establish brothels for its troops. Copious documentation of American behavior from both Japanese and American sources does not support such claims. Rather, it makes very clear that though there were a fair number of reported rapes of Japanese women by American and other Allied servicemen, stories of mass rape during any period of the Occupation, including its opening phase, are simply not credible. In addition the contemporary record suggests that American authorities regarded prostitution not as a benefit for their troops, but as an entrenched social problem which they tolerated reluctantly. This raises the question of how such stories became incorporated into the mainstream. Part of the reason for this was the psychic environment in which these stories were originally created. There is an innate and deep-seated association between rape and war in the human psyche. The Japanese understanding of war in the mid-twentieth century reinforced this association. Rape also served as a metaphor for the American conquest of Japan. GHQ robbed Japanese men of their control of women&rsquo;s sexuality. Many women then used their sexual autonomy to consort with American soldiers. To many this seemed like a hypocritical seizure of Japanese women, a rape of sorts. Shortly after the Occupation ended a leftist anti-American propaganda campaign and a boom in exploitation literature coincided to produce a great number of works purporting to be true exposes of American cruelties. Though these books are wholly unreliable, and contradict contemporary evidence, many have been incorporated into mainstream history. This is an error. Stories of mass rape and organized sexual exploitation during the Occupation are better understood as metaphoric expressions of the humiliation of defeat, occupation and continuing diplomatic subordination, than as history.</p>

The aim of this thesis is to examine the Anglo-Thai relations during the period between 1945-1954, with special reference to the diplomatic, political and security aspects. This thesis begins with the discussion on the Anglo-Thai peace negotiations for the settlement of war between the two countries leading to the signing of the Anglo-Thai Formal Agreement on January 1, 1946. I end the thesis at 1954 because, by the end of the year, Thailand had succeeded in fashioning itself as the bastion of Western defence in Southeast Asia. Chapter Two and Three examine the Anglo-Thai relations before and after the November coup of 1947 and the subsequent return of Pibul Songgram to office in April 1948. As always the case in international politics, after an unusual change of government, the question of recognition will be discussed in details. The subsequent chapters deal with the Malayan-Thai border relations. Chapter Four and Five examine the development of the Malay unrest in South Thailand in the context of the Anglo-Thai relations. The outbreak of the Communist insurgency in Malaya in mid-1948 had further complicated the situation along the Malayan-Thai border. Chapter Six examines early border collaboration to suppress the Malayan Communists along their common border. Chapter Seven examines the practicalities of the Anglo-Thai Border collaboration with special reference to the Malayan-Thai Police Border Agreement of September 1949. Chapter Seven and Eight focus on Indochina crisis and the Anglo-Thai response to the Viet Minh invasion of Laos and the Thai's appeal to the Security Council. The last chapter deals with the formation of SEATO. In her search for security against Communist threat, Thailand joined SEATO in September 1954. This thesis concludes with a summing up on the Anglo-Thai relations during the 1945-1954 period. This work is based mainly on the British Colonial Office, Foreign Office and the US State Department Records and personal papers of Tengku Mahmood Hahyideen, Tengku Abdul Jalal and Miss Barbara Whittingham-Jones.

No description available.

The Chinese Communist Party’s legitimacy is crumbling within China. The government’s approach to policy making, ethnic minorities, corruption, and the environment has not satisfied citizens. Rather, as the CCP fails to address each of these domestic concerns the population grows increasingly skeptical, even critical of their ability to lead. In order to counter and distract from this dissatisfaction, the CCP is driven towards an increasingly active foreign policy. The CCP has curated a Chinese brand of nationalism founded in the “Century of Humiliation.” By providing constant reminders of the atrocities suffered at the hands of foreign invaders, the government’s intent is to establish an “us versus them” mentality that unites Chinese citizens not against the CCP, but against other countries. In the East China Sea, China has managed to incite tensions over the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands without aggressive military action; rather, a government-established history and well-placed propaganda has mobilized Chinese citizens against Japan. In the South China Sea, the CCP has been able to justify its military buildup by claiming historical and legal right to the area. By pointing out the multilateral institutions that have come together in the interest of combating China’s supposed “peaceful rise,” the CCP is able to justify its salami tactics in the region as self-defense. By finding enemies in Japan and South China Sea countries, the CCP is able to act as the righteous defender of China abroad, solidifying its approval and legitimacy with citizens.

<p> In order to investigate the actual instructional experiences for students with reading disabilities in Taiwan, a qualitative study was conducted using the method consisted of observation of the special education environment and interviews with two students with reading disabilities, one parent of the student, and three Resource Room teachers. On a macroscopic scale, the researcher looked at the special education system&rsquo;s implementation in a public middle school in Taiwan, while on a microscopic scale, the researcher focused on the remediation of the reading disabilities that the students were receiving in special education. The ultimate goal of this research was to benefit the special educational system in Taiwan in educating students with reading disabilities. Therefore, this was written in both English and Mandarin for the benefit of readers in Taiwan and in the U.S.</p>