Historical Perspective. The Norwalk School District has a history of being proactive to assure racial balance in its schools. Ac- cording to Connecticut State statute, racial imbalance exists when the proportion of minority students is less than 25% or more than 75% of the total school population. In 2003, none of the elementary schools in Norwalk were racially imbalanced according to State regulations. However, with a minority popula- tion of 74.63% compared to a district elementary school minority population of 55.6%, Jefferson Ele- mentary School was fast approaching racial imbalance by the State’s definition. Figure 1 provides a school- by-school breakdown by minority and ethnic distri- bution.
Historical Perspective. Space law is at the intersection of science and history. Every advance in technology has required an advance in law. It should be no surprise that, as science provides the ability to leave the home planet, another framework of laws becomes necessary. The Moon Treaty recognizes this in its call for adaptive governance, creating new regulations only when advances in technology require them. The early 21st century is an extraordinary time. Humanity has been presented with an historic opportunity as it prepares to leave its home planet. Like those who went forward during the Age of Exploration some 500 years ago, the decisions made today will affect humanity for centuries, perhaps millennia. If ever there has been a time to determine how to implement humanity’s collective vision for the future, it is now. In October 1957, people all over the world stood outside their homes as the sun set, looking to the sky as a blinking light passed overhead, the tumbling upper stage booster of the world’s first satellite, Sputnik. Because of the Cold War there was some fear, but for most the overwhelming emotions were excitement, inspiration, and hope. Despite all its imperfections, all its follies, and all its deadly conflicts, humanity had managed to throw off the shackles of gravity and reach the stars. All the stuff of science fiction suddenly seemed possible. And not just the stuff about technological advances; the writers, the poets, those who dared to dream of a better future saw a day when humanity could resolve its differences by peaceful means and move forward together. [16] This dream was enhanced a decade later, in December 1968, when our view of the world literally changed. As Apollo 8 rounded the Moon, the astronauts on board were suddenly overwhelmed as humans saw the Earth rising above the lunar horizon for the first time. The picture taken at that moment showed our home planet, beautiful and fragile, hanging in the vastness of space. Humanity as a species began to realize that we are all one, living together on a small planet hurtling through the cosmos. [17] But even though no borders were visible, war and suffering continue to wrack the home world. In the half-century since, people have begun to lose faith in their governments, their private institutions, even in humanity itself. Every day people wake up to news of the increasingly disastrous effects of climate change, racial/gender injustice, worsening economic inequality, and assaults on democracy. To th...
Historical Perspective. The District desires to seek alternative sources of revenue to continue and/or enhance the quality of its education programs. Strong community support to assist the District in maximizing alternative revenue sources requires reciprocal commitment and support from the District. Community involvement in raising funds for educational programs achieves an investment in the school district and builds a strong community of philanthropy which will benefit students for years to come. The formation of the Foundation was a community desire expressed through the District’s Strategic Plan. As a result, the Foundation was established in 1997 as the philanthropic arm of the District.
Historical Perspective. Cocaine is a psychoactive alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant (Erythroxylum coca) indigenous to Peru, Colombia and Bolivia. From archaeologi- cal findings and studies on the presence of cocaine metabolites in mummies it has become evident that coca use dates back to as far as 2500 – 1800 BC 94,208,551. Chewing of coca leaves was an integral part of many pre-Hispanic cultures where it was first used in religious ceremonies and celebrations by priests and members of the upper social classes. Only from the time of the Inca empire (1450-1530), the whole of the population could access coca and its psychostimulant properties started to outweigh its symbolic meaning 15,208. When the Spanish colonised South America, physicians recognised the beneficial effects of coca on mood and energy status of the indigenous population. However, it was not until the 19th century, when cocaine was first isolated by the German sci- entist Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx (1855) that the drug came into focus of western medicine. Rapidly after the discovery of this new alkaloid, two important events occurred that changed cocaine use: Xxx Xxxxx recognised cocaine’s analgesic properties and Xxxxxxx Xxxxx described its euphoric and psychomotor effects 377,669,747. By the end of the 19th century (between 1880 and 1930) the drug was readily prescribed as remedy for all kinds of indications such as asthma, mountain- and sea sickness, pregnancy vomiting and cramping pains and it was sold in various forms including cigarettes, powder, wine and even in coca cola™ 15,669. In contrast to Xxxxx’x earlier observation that ‘Absolutely no craving for the further use of cocaine appears after the first, or even after repeated taking of the drug...’ it became evident by the turn of the 20th century that cocaine does possess addic- tive properties and several waves of cocaine abuse were reported throughout this century, peaking in the 1980’s when, in America alone, 1.6 million new cases of cocaine use were reported (SAMHSA, Office of Applied Studies, National Survey of Drug Use and Health, 2002 and 2003). The recognition of scientists that drug dependence is a chronic relapsing brain disease, characterised by lasting changes in brain chemistry and function, rather than a ‘weakness of character’, has paved the way for the ongoing scientific research into the neurobiology of addiction that has started only around 30 years ago (reviewed in: 441).
Historical Perspective. Xxxxxxx Public Library Board of Trustees has successfully operated the Xxxxxxx Public Library (“Library”) as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization for 45 years, since 1978, with public support from the Town of Front Royal, Warren County and the community at large. The library’s history dates back to 1799, when the Front Royal Library Society was chartered as the second subscription library in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Thus, the Library has operated in service to, and with the support of, the citizens of Front Royal and Warren County for over two centuries. On or about November 21, 2017, the Warren County Board of Supervisors and the Board of Trustees of the Library entered a Memorandum of Agreement (“2017 MOA”) which noted that: “the Warren County Board of Supervisors requested the formation of an ad-hoc committee to examine the management structure of Xxxxxxx Public Library and potential options that could save County taxpayers money in the long run. The Board of Supervisors understands that the Xxxxxxx Public Library Board of Trustees is a separate entity and that the County cannot dictate how the library is operated”. Further, the 2017 MOA acknowledged that “Xxxxxxx Public Library compares favorably in respect to facilities, operations, and staff of other libraries in our geographic area. The library is a source of pride for our residents and is widely used.” After a comprehensive review, the Board of Supervisors adopted the recommendation of the Ad-Hoc Committee that “Xxxxxxx Public Library continue to operate as an independent operation with management by its Board of Trustees.”
Historical Perspective. Although it was Xxxxxxxxxxx ‘the father of medicine’ who first described the presence of lymph nodes and chyle in humans in the 5th century BC, it wasn’t until much later, in the 16th century, that the Swedish intellectual Xxxxx Xxxxxxx explained the proper structure of the lymphatic system. Helped by the discovery by Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx of the blood circulatory system, Xxxxxxx correctly observed that fluid in lymphatic vessels drained away from tissue and converged at the thoracic duct, where it re-entered circulation via the blood. He also described the presence of valves in the large lymphatic vessels. The most comprehensive study of the human lymphatic system was published in 1938 by the French anatomist Rouviere. This was a continuation of the work of Xxxxxx, who had developed a technique to visualise the lymphatic vessels of human cadavers using mercury (92).
Historical Perspective. The exploration of outer space and its militarization dates back to the Nazi Germany and their attempts for developing weaponry. Though their efforts didn‘t materialize into tangible results, the usage of outer space entered the arena of military strategization.
Historical Perspective. The issue of Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) came to forefront during the Tokyo Round (1973 to 1979) of multilateral negotiations; during which time the WTO members signed the TBT Agreement. The SPS Agreement came as the following step to the TBT agreement, with a more focused attention on food trade. This was signed during the Uruguay Round of WTO. The primary objective of the agreement was to safeguard plant and animal health via ensuring food safety. The methodology adopted for this was to regulate the technical requirements of production, inspection mechanisms and labeling of the food products. ‘Harmonization’ and ‘Transparency’ were to be the guiding principle of the agreement. Some incidents in the following years caused a concern among the nations of the developed world, regarding the health of its residents. The sudden outburst of diseases like mad cow, plague etc. in certain parts of world, and accidents like the Bhopal gas tragedy in India, created an impression that the food imports coming from these countries may be infected by certain disease-causing agents. All these resulted in signing of the SPS Agreement by the member countries. At the Mid-term review of the Uruguay Round, in December 1988, the priority areas of SPS were recognized as: • International harmonization on the basis of the standards developed by the international organizations. • Development of an effective notification process for national regulations. • Setting up of a system for the bilateral resolution of disputes. • Improvement of the dispute settlement process. • Provision of the necessary input of scientific expertise and judgment, relying on relevant international organizations. The agreement recognizes the need of member nations to impose sanitary and phytosanitary measures. At the same time it aims at ensuring “that these are not applied in a manner which would constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination between members where the same conditions prevail, or a disguised restriction on international trade”4.
Historical Perspective. In hierarchical societies, the act of garmenting gains the connotations of a psycho-social, class and context phenomenon. A mirror reflection of the body, the garment becomes screen and extension of the individual, an attribute of his personality, conferring upon him distinction and individuality. In the visible world of conventions, the garment may become a more accurate marker than the morphological characters when it comes to identifying an individual or a group of individuals, thus becoming a projection of the wearer’s social image [7]. The case was the same in the Romanian Countries. The garment, a complement of attitude and status, was one of self-image, bringing its contribution to valuating the individual. In the overall representation, not only the general appearance mattered but also the way in which it attributed the particularity of movement to itself, which defined posture. Silk and thread textiles represented a value added to the quality of the person wearing it. Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx’x and his brother Xxxxxx Xxxxxx’x embroidered portraits from Suceviţa, show monumental, severe, strongly individualized characters. The funeral embroidery from Suceviţa presenting Ieremia Movilă becomes a transmitter of the visual message of authority, dignity, strength, energy and lastly, of power. The forms and materiality of the object-function thus pervade the sphere of formal connotations, of eccentrically personalization of the wearer. The identity of garment “substitutes itself to the human identity” [8]. The form and shape became congruent centripetal forces of the power in function. The votive portrait created as “portrait of honor and family portrait” adds to this as a “representation accessory” [8]. Fashion progress takes the shape of the culture of appearances; new relations are established between the garment value and the wearer. In the decorative grammar of the two tomb veils, like in the one of Xxxxx xx Xxxxxx’s from Putna, the taste for decorative, brilliance and pomp becomes the substitute of power itself in a visual challenge of Baroque influence, in a “civilization of sight” [8] in which Aulic garment become “instruments for visual propaganda” [9]. The aspects presented above have a large temporal coverage in the Romanian society. From the votive painting in Dobrovăţ depicting Xxxxxxx xxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxx XXX and Xxxxx Xxxxx, to Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx represented in the group depicted in the fresco of Snagov Abbey, to the representation of Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx...
Historical Perspective. The California Department of Health Services (DHS), Children’s Medical Services Branch (CMS), California Children Services (CCS), and the California Department of Education (CDE), Special Education Division, have a long history of laws and regulations that link them together in service provision to special needs populations and collaboration in this endeavor.
