New Media, Public Sphere, and Arab Spring： Demystifying the Power of Social Networks

This paper looks at the new media, communication, and political environment in both Tunisia and Egypt during and after the revolution. The new environment provided activists, politicians, civil society, and youth among others, who want to express their opinions and share their views, with various channels and means of corranunication to be part of the political action and to participate in the decision-making process. Social media played an important role in mobilizing youth to rally and protest. This is to say that a new model of communication has emerged with this new environment. The receiver has become the sender and the producer of the message. The process of communication, therefore, has been changed from one to many to from many to many, and everybody became sender and receiver at the same time. The main research question this paper aims to answer is： Are social networks enough to change the political and economic scene in the Arab World？ And is there a relationship between the new communication environment and Arab spring？ The year 2011 has been in the Arab world the year of social networks and radical changes in the political scene where a score of dictators were ousted. New political communication networks and mechanisms took place, and for the first time in Arab political communication, public opinion was a major political player. Social networks helped tremendously the formation of new public sphere where the public finds its way in the media and communication processes. At their best, new media can mobilize crowds and masses to rally and protest. They can give a social perspective to movements. However, they can＇t make change and implement democracy. After the collapse of the regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, things are not getting any better. There is no democratic transition, and both countries are experiencing complex economic, social, and political problems.

＂Trades＂ and ＂Social Membership＂ into the Context of Feudal Friulian Society during Late Middle Ages （13th Century- 1511）

It is a very hard job for historians to keep themselves neutrals in from of the events they find during their studies. It is also difficult to notice the correlations among the different times of the history without falling in anachronistic mistakes. In fact, it is well-known that a historian must be wise and rational when he finds those correlations, because every society has its own characteristics, structures, and mentality. This brief essay focuses on the social structures in a north eastern italic region, which is called Friuli, between the 12th and 16th centuries. In the above mentioned centuries, it is possible to notice an evolution from a feudal ecclesiastical principality, ruled by prince-patriarchs, ecclesiastical institutions and nobility, to a more fluid and dynamic constitution formed by new classes which rose up in times of urban and economic development. But this development struggles to delete the old system, which persisted until the end of 18th century with the arrival of Napoleon. The transition from the Patriarch＇s power to Venice＇s dominion seems to have created two main consequences： by one hand a more bureaucratic and modem structure of the State, by the other hand a consolidation of the old connections between patrons and clients, consequence of the ＂modem＂ feudal system that consolidated its roots in the Late Middle Ages centuries.

How People Use Earthquake Information and Its Influence on Household Preparedness in New Zealand

Forty-eight interviews were undertaken with residents in Timaru, Wanganui and Napier, New Zealand, in 2008 to explore how people understand and use information about earthquake hazards and preparedness, and how this process affects actual preparedness. Three main types of information were identified as being utilized by people： passive information （e.g., newspapers, brochures, TV, radio, websites）, interactive information （e.g., community activities, school activities~ and workplace activities）, and experiential information （e.g., experiencing a hazardous event, responding to an event, and working in an organization that deals with hazards）. People tended to either contextualize hazard and preparedness information around any prevailing beliefs they had or form new beliefs on exposure to information. A number of core beliefs were identified as crucial for helping people consider that preparing is important and motivating actual adjustment adoption. Society also has an influence on how people interpret information and form intentions to prepare. People are often influenced by the opinions of others, and as preparing for disasters is not seen as a societal norm, this can cause people not to prepare. Feeling a responsibility for others （e.g., children） appears to be a major driver of preparedness. Other societal factors such as trust, leadership and sense of community also influence interpretation, dissemination and use of hazards and preparedness information. Finally, a number of resource issues can help or hinder preparedness.

Politics of Rail Transport Development in Developing Countries： Case of Nigeria

Rail transport in most developing countries, is usually the least developed mode. For instance, in Nigeria the vibrant fortune of rail transport operations and development has been on decline since mid 1970s.The developmental gap in rail transport in Nigeria is responsible for a significant level of access denial to a safer, affordable and environmentally-friendly mode of transport, to the younger generation of Nigerians. Through a critique of past railways developmental projects and policies, this paper was able to identify the principal factors responsible for its intangible contributions to the socio-economic development of Nigeria. It further highlighted the role（s） politics of policies inconsistency and somersault plays, to the detriment of realization of a vibrant railway system in Nigeria. The findings revealed that discontinuity and incoherence in policy implementation by successful governments, policy reversal as well as uncoordinated national transport policy goal and objectives as clogs in the wheel of progress of railways development in Nigeria. In conclusion, the paper hinged the rapid development of the rail industry in Nigeria on institutional paradigm shift, whereby the rail authority will enjoy a reasonable level of autonomy in decision making, finance and investment in rail operations, infrastructure supply and technological advancement in Nigeria.

Arab Attitudes Toward Gender Roles： From Homogeneous Stereotype to Heterogeneous Reality

Western society has historically perceived Arab attitudes toward gender roles in a stereotypically negative light. This perception has had great influence on international public opinion toward Arab treatment of women, Western foreign policy toward the Arab world and development aid programs in the Middle East. This paper seeks to question the legitimacy of this perception by advancing the hypothesis that Arab attitudes toward gender roles are heterogeneous rather than homogeneous. To do so, it uses cross-cultural analysis in examining survey data regarding women＇s status in the Arab world, the significance of which contributes to a more accurate and well-rounded understanding of Arab attitudes toward gender roles. Results confirm the hypothesis that Arab attitudes toward gender roles are heterogeneous rather than homogeneous. Indeed, contrary to the Western stereotype regarding Arab attitudes toward gender roles and Arab treatment of women, cross-cultural analysis of the statistical information provided showed that Arab societies differ from one another in their attitudes toward gender roles and that Arab states differ from one another in their governmental approaches to gender equality in terms of personal status laws, gender-based discrimination in the workplace, and overall policies aimed at the advancement of women.