Sustainability and Consumerism

The Brundtland Commission report Our Common Future in 1987 gave birth to the concept of sustainable development. The meaning is benefitting the present without compromising the future. It was felt that, unless conventional growth and development are replaced by sustainable development through environmentally friendly actions, doomsday is very near. However, such sustainable development was followed by a global spree of consumerism that only added to the environmental burden. This dichotomy needs to be understood, and for the same purpose, one needs to go back to that point of Earth's history when ecology and economy were synonymous. From then on, the drift between the ecology and economy that has brought us to today's scenario needs to be understood. In this background, the chapter raises questions on how green the green sectors are. Furthermore, can sustainable development and consumerism be captured as one body of ‘sustainable consumerism'?

The bioeconomy paradigm as a factor stimulating companies innovation in SMEs sector

Purpose of the study: This study intended to do an assessment of the bioeconomy paradigm importance for companies’ innovation in the SMEs sector. Methodology: The research material was collected on the basis of desk research method using professional literature, including book publications, scientific articles, presentations, reports, as well as various legal acts and press sources in paper and electronic form. Case studies of selected companies were prepared on the basis of the European Commission report. Main Findings: The concept of knowledge-based bioeconomy has become an important factor determining the innovation of enterprises. In the face of global eco-threats, companies that implement strategies in areas convergent with the new development paradigm are increasingly using innovative biotechnologies in their manufacturing processes or replacing non-renewable production resources with biodegradable bio-materials. In the process of changes, an important role is played by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), whose activities are to fill the gap between scientific research and the implementation of innovation, especially in such areas as food, agriculture and fisheries, and biotechnology. Therefore, despite numerous implementation barriers, this sector has gained a new source of competitive advantages thanks to the bioeconomy. Applications of this study: The presented material may become a source of knowledge for entrepreneurs interested in developing activities in the area of bioeconomy and for institutions focused on creating innovation support programs for the SMEs sector. The originality of this study: In the literature the bioeconomy is considered mainly as the sustainable production of renewable resources and the possibility of their transformation into food, feed, bio-based products or bioenergy. The new development paradigm should therefore be considered as a valuable source of competitive advantages for enterprises. This study documented its importance as a factor stimulating the innovation activity of small and medium-sized enterprises. This phenomenon is particularly important from the point of view of the Polish SMEs sector, whose innovations are most often of an imitative nature.

Arab Prophylactic Measures to Protect Individuals with Disabilities from the Spread of COVID-19

This descriptive research is aimed to assess the prophylactic measures used to deal with individuals with disabilities (IDs) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Arab countries. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission report for Western Asia (ESCWA, 2020) has been reviewed. The report included prophylactic measures employed to protect IDs during the COVID-19 pandemic in 15 Arab countries. The methodology of the research included using an analysis method to identify the nature and viability of the prophylactic measures used in Arab countries during the pandemic. The result showed that 65% of the prophylactic measures were governmental, and 35% were non-governmental. 55% of these measures dealt with all disability categories, 30% with hearing impairment, 10.83% with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and 4.17% with visual impairment. Saudi Arabia and Jordan were the two Arab countries that provided the most prophylactic measures to IDs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mobilizing knowledge

Many linguistic studies have analyzed the ways in which reported speech is used to mobilize knowledge in academic writing, but there have been far fewer such studies of knowledge mobilization in non-academic genres. This study analyzes the functions of reported speech in a Canadian quasi-judicial public inquiry report, a genre that is intertextually situated between research genres (through academic expert witnesses) and policy genres (through its role in making policy recommendations to the government). All instances of explicitly marked citation and reported speech in the commission report were identified and coded by function. The findings show citation and reported speech had specific functions that contributed to knowledge mobilization by discursively creating evidence, transporting worldviews and values, and changing knowledge status in the legal genres. The analysis also raises theoretical questions in linguistics, resulting in the argument that reported speech is not a static, formal category but a discursive status negotiated by the participants.

THE AWARDING OF POST-DIVORCE MAINTENANCE TO A MUSLIM EX-WIFE AND CHILDREN IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN COURTS: THE INTERACTION BETWEEN DIVINE AND SECULAR LAW

The article discusses the differences between the South African civil law and Islamic law with specific reference to post-divorce spousal maintenance as well as postdivorce maintenance of children in light of recent case law, Mahomed v Mahomed [2009] JOL 23733 (ECP). The issue of post-divorce spousal maintenance is especially controversial and it is noted that in both systems the issue should not beseen in isolation, but in conjunction with the other protection possibilities within each of these systems. The apparent conflict between the South African constitutional principles and the principles of Islam is noted and compared to the Indian legal and constitutional experience, although reference is also made to the Algerian legal position. Drawing an analogy with the South African legal developments vis-à-vis customary marriages, the article concludes and submits that any enactment by the South African legislature, dealing with the maintenance of spouses and children after divorce, whether in the format of the Muslim Marriage Bill as set out in the 2003 South African Law Reform Commission Report, or in any other format, should take cognizance of the rulings and teachings of Islam.

Food Consumption Pattern and Dietary Diversity among the Farmers in Kanyakumari and Perambalur Districts of Tamil Nadu

Aims: To study the consumption pattern and dietary diversity among the farmers in rural areas. Study Design: Random Sampling. Place and Duration of Study: Primary data were collected from the Kanyakumari and Perambalur districts of marginal and small farmers between July and August 2020. Methodology: The study was conducted in Kanyakumari and Perambalur districts based on Tamil Nadu state planning commission report 2017.The Simpson index of dietary diversity was calculated to score the quantity and consumption of food items were consumed. The multiple linear regressions were used to understand the variation of socio-economic and demographic features of the household members. Results: The overall result of the SIDD score for Kanyakumari district was 0.73 and 0.72 for Perambalur district. When compared to Perambalur district, the results clearly showed that Kanyakumari district farmers had a higher dietary diversity. Because the food habits of Kanyakumari district farmers differ significantly from those of Perambalur district farmers, owing to a higher intake of nutritious foods in Kanyakumari district farmers. Conclusion: The factors like monthly income and education most influence the household dietary pattern and nutrition status of Kanyakumari district rather than the Perambalur district.

A Church with the Soul of a Nation

World War II generated concern for restoring values in Western civilization. The Harvard Report of 1945 urged study of the best in the West, including religious texts as one source of such values. The Truman Commission report of 1947, Higher Education for a Democratic Society, added more practical concerns for the new mass higher education. Humanists such as Robert Hutchins were appalled. The postwar era saw a broad religious revival in mainstream higher education, blending broadly Protestant, democratic, and humanistic ideals. Reinhold Niebuhr and other leading scholars provided guidance. The problem, though, was that the liberal Protestant emphasis on freedom tended to undercut any specific religious demands. Senator Joe McCarthy’s anticommunist crusade helped test the extent and limits of freedom. Leading educators often saw Catholics and their schools as too authoritarian. William F. Buckley’s critique of Yale’s claim to be a meaningfully Protestant institution should be understood in this context.