The Overton Window
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Unabridged book (June 15, 2010) | ISBN: 144230524X | Language English | Audio CD in MP3/64Kbps | 254 MB
A devise to fall short America, the hundred years in the making, is about to be unleashed . . . can it be stopped?
There is the absolute technique called the Overton Window which can figure the lives, the laws, as well as the future. It functions by utilizing open notice so which ideas formerly suspicion of as in advance proceed to appear excusable over time. Move the Window as well as you shift the debate. Change the discuss as well as you shift the country.
For Noah Gardner, the twentysomething open family executive, it’s protected to contend which domestic speculation is the farthest thing from his mind. Smart, single, handsome, as well as insulated from the world’s problems by the resources as well as energy of his father, Noah is distant some-more endangered about the destiny of his amicable hold up than the destiny of his country.
But all of which changes when Noah meets Molly Ross, the lady who is used up by the believe which the America you know is about to be mislaid forever. She as well as her organisation of patriots have vowed to recollect the past as well as quarrel for the future—but Noah, assured they’re usually misled conspiracy-theorists, isn’t meddlesome in lending his substantial skills to their cause.
And afterwards the universe changes.
An rare conflict upon U.S. dirt shakes the nation to the core as well as puts in to suit the frightening plan, decades in the making, to renovate America as well as demonize all those who mount in the way. Amidst the chaos, many don’t know the disproportion in between swindling speculation as well as swindling fact—or, some-more important, which side to quarrel for.
But for Noah, the preference is clear: Exposing the plan, as well as divulgence the conspirators at the back of it, is the usually approach to save both the lady he loves as well as the particular freedoms he once took for granted.
After 5 back-to-back #1 New York Times bestsellers, inhabitant air wave as well as Fox News radio horde Glenn Beck has delivered the ripped-from-the-headlines thriller which seamlessly weaves together American history, frightening contribution about the benefaction condition, as well as the heart-stopping plot. The Overton Window will educate, enlighten, and, many important, entertain—with twists as well as revelations no a single will see coming.
Globalization: a very short introduction -
Publisher: Audible, Inc. (4 Aug 2009) | ASIN: B002SQBJ7M | Language English | Audio CD in MP3/Variable| Length: 4 hours and 8 min | 238 MB
This book offers a stimulating introduction to globalization and its varying impacts across, between, and within societies. It is a highly listenable text that contributes to a better understanding of the crucial aspects and dimensions of the developments and transformations that go by the name of globalization.
Globalization has become one of the defining buzzwords of our time--a term that describes a variety of complex economic, political, cultural, ideological, and environmental forces that are rapidly altering our experience of the world. In the years since World War II, we have seen national boundaries fade as financial markets, manufacturing concerns, information services, and cultural products (including movies, music, and television shows) have spread around the earth. Immigration and tourism have exploded, Japanese cars are assembled in the United States and American hamburgers are sold in Toyko. And the Internet connects virtually everyone on the planet who owns a computer. We are indeed now living in a borderless world.
In clear, accessible language, Manfred B. Steger goes beyond a narrow economic focus to cover all the major causes and consequences of globalization as well as the hotly contested question of whether globalization is, ultimately, a good or a bad thing. This new edition has been fully updated for 2009 to include recent developments in global politics and the impact of terrorism and it expands the discussion of environmental issues, devoting an entirely new chapter to this key topic. The book also examines political movements both for and against globalization, from WTO protests to the recent rise in global jihadism; considers such concepts as "Americanization" and "McDonaldization"; and explores the role of the media and communication technologies in the process of cultural globalization. Finally, Steger explains in accessible language the connection between economic globalization and multinational corporations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization.
Including maps, diagrams, figures, textboxes, and a timeline, this compact book provides a wealth of information on one of the key new forces in the modern world.
Features
* Completely revised and updated to include the latest developments and ideas from the field of global studies
* Unlike many other introductions to the subject, this short book looks beyond simple explanations of globalization as a purely an economic phenomenon
* Shows how the transformative powers of globalization reach deeply into the political, cultural, technological, and ecological dimensions of contemporary social life.
* Explores the ideological aspects of globalization - looking at political movements both for and against globalization, from WTO protests to the recent rise in global jihadism
* Examines concepts such as 'Americanization' and 'McDonaldization'
* Discusses the role of the media and communication technologies in the process of cultural globalization
* Part of the best-selling Very Short Introductions series - over two million copies sold
Theories of Global Governance
Publisher: Catholic University of America Press 1999 | 196 Pages | ISBN: 0813209374 , 0813209552 | PDF | 15 MB
For centuries, philosophers, political scientists, and jurists have struggled to understand the possibilities for justice and peace among a multiplicity of sovereign states. Like Dante, who sought to organize the world under the authority of the Holy Roman Empire, many theorists have tried to explain how sovereign states should be governed to ensure stability and peace in the absence of any established higher authority. Theories of World Governance traces the various conceptual approaches to world harmony from the close of the Middle Ages to today. Considering the immediate problems of order in a decentralized world community, Cornelius F. Murphy, Jr., outlines what he believes are the essential long-term conditions for world peace. Covering a wide range of disciplines-from theology and philosophy to jurisprudence, ethics, and sociology-Murphy explores how theorists have reflected upon the necessary components of an effective global order. At the outset, the thought of Christian Europe was shaped by a belief in a natural order established by the Creator of the universe. However, with the advent of the Enlightenment, the connections between the human and the transcendent were severed. There was a movement from a theocentric understanding of the powers of the human mind to an intellectual outlook that blurred the distinctions between the divine and human. This study in the history of ideas examines the profound effects of the fundamental shift from transcendence to immanence upon the development of international theory. Murphy discusses the thought of Leibniz, Wolff, Kant, Hegel, and Phillip Allott, among others. The study concludes with an extended reflection on the importance of a sound political philosophy to the future well-being of the global community. Possible improvements in the existing arrangements, such as reform of the United Nations, are discussed. Murphy suggests that in order for a society of sovereign states to be transformed into a world political community, human rights and self-governance within states must first be strengthened and, at the same time, individuals of all states must begin to realize their responsibilities toward the whole human family.
Predators and Parasites: Persistent Agents of Transnational Harm and Great Power Authority
http://news.techworld.com/security/3228198/obama-internet-kill-switch-...
Go to: | A US Senate committee has approved a wide-ranging cybersecurity bill that some critics have suggested would give the US president the authority to shut down parts of the Internet during a cyberattack. | Senator Joe Lieberman and other bill sponsors have refuted the charges that the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act gives the president an Internet "kill switch." Instead, the bill puts limits on the powers the president already has to cause "the closing of any facility or stations for
Risk and Security Management: Protecting People and Sites World Wide
Publisher: Princeton University Press 2007 | 256 Pages | ISBN: 0691134073 | PDF | 1 MB
A comprehensive, detailed, survey of e-government practices, this book is a significant contribution to the field.
"URBAN SAFETY MANAGEMENT: GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES"
‘Generation Zero’ — The Truth About the Financial Meltdown
A controversial new documentary film, “Generation Zero” which provides a unique perspective on the causes of the recent financial meltdown and the economic debacle it triggered, will be premiering in a special screening at the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville today.
Andrew Breitbart will provide introductory remarks concerning the film. Breitbart will also be introducing keynote speaker, Gov. Sarah Palin the following evening.
—–
Small Change: Why Business Won't Save the World
A Beginner's Guide to the World Economy
Getting down to business: an agenda for corporate social innovation
Economic Prosperity Recaptured: The Finnish Path from Crisis to Rapid Growth...Due diligence for global deal making
When Money Was In Fashion: Henry Goldman, Goldman Sachs, and the Founding of Wall Street
Islamic Banking and Finance in the European Union: A Challenge Featuring more than 40 leading experts, authors, and pundits from across the political spectrum, “Generation Zero” exposes how the mindset of the “Greatest Generation” — to not let their children suffer through the same economic hardships that they did during the Great Depression and WWII — led to the “Me Generation” and ultimately the Clinton/Bush era of trading campaign contributions for government “cover” in the form of guaranteed bailouts of Wall Street’s speculative investments, thus sowing the seeds of economic disaster that would be reaped by coming generations.
“We are honored to be asked to share this film with the members of the Tea Party Nation, whose relentless efforts against ‘‘big government’ and wasteful spending are one of the country’s best hopes in making sure the ominous predictions of ‘Generation Zero’ do not come to fruition,” stated David N. Bossie, President of Citizens United Productions and Executive Producer of the film. Citizens United Productions produced the film in association with Victory Media.
Citizens United Productions, the leading production company for conservative films, released “Hilary The Movie,” the film that recently brought about the landmark First Amendment decision by the Supreme Court. In addition, Citizens United has produced such award winning films as “Perfect Valor,” “Border Wars”, “Hype: The Obama Effect” and “Rediscovering God in America,” among others.
“Generation Zero” was written and directed by awarding-winning director, Stephen K. Bannon (”In the Face of Evil: Reagan’s War in Word and Deed,” “Titus“). In addition Mr. Bannon and Alan Peterson (Hilary The Movie, Hype: The Obama Effect) acted as producers.
“This film is about a crisis – one that is as profound as The Revolution, The Civil War, or The Great Depression and WWII,” says Bannon. “The title ‘Generation Zero’ is ironic, as it refers to both the Baby Boomers and the generation born today: the one generation whose greed and fiscal mismanagement has destroyed the financial legacy and inheritance of the other.”
An examination of the causes of the global economic crisis which began in 2008, studying how decades of social changes have influenced financial systems and practices.
Cast:
* Michael Barone
* Bruce Bartlett, Former United States Treasury Department official
* John Bolton, Former U.S. Ambassador
* Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute
* Lou Dobbs, Former CNN anchor and talk radio host
* David Frum, Former speechwriter for George W. Bush
* John Fund, columnist for the Wall Street Journal
* Victor Davis Hanson
* Newt Gingrich, Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives
* Steven Heyward
* Neil Howe
* David Kaiser
* Roger Kimball
* Dr.Charles Krauthammer, columnist for The Washington Post
* Lawrence Kudlow, television host of The Kudlow Report on CNBC
* Heather Mac Donald
* Myron Magnet
* Thaddeus G. McCotter, Republican Congressman from Michigan
* Richard Miniter, editor at The Washington Times and author
* Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D., fellow at the CATO Institute and former economist for the United States Senate Finance Committee
* Stephen Moore, editorial board of the Wall Street Journal
* Peter Morici
* Dick Morris, former advisor to President Bill Clinton
* Michael Novak
* Michael Panzner, author
* James Quinn
* Barry Ritholtz
* Peter Schweizer
* Amity Shlaes, Senior Fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations and
* Tobin Smith
* Shelby Steele
* John Xenakis, author of Generational Dynamics: Forecasting America's Destiny
The current economic crisis is not a failure of capitalism, but a failure of culture. Generation Zero explores the cultural roots of the global financial meltdown - beginning with the narcissism of the 1960's, spreading like a virus through the self-indulgent 90's, and exploding across the world in the present economic cataclysm.
Generation Zero goes beneath the shallow media headlines and talking head sound bites to get to the source of today's economic nightmare. With a cutting edge style and haunting imagery, this must see documentary will change everything you thought you knew about Wall Street and Washington.
Featuring experts, authors, and pundits from across the political spectrum, Generation Zero exposes the little told story of how the mindset of the baby boomers sowed the seeds of economic disaster that will be reaped by coming generations.
White Thunder Centauro Inside Out
Following the news of the Trumpeter Centauro to be released some time in the future comes this timely new publication from Blue Steel books dealing with the Italian Centauro Armoured car which is armed with a 105mm main gun as part of the UN deployment in the Lebanon.
The soft cover book is in the same format as previous Blue Steel books with 64 pages entirely in colour with English text and covers the later Centauro with the additional turret and hull armour as well as showing both the short and long hulled versions in standard overall green finish as well as the overall white UN livery.
Most pages have just two photos with some a single large photo and a few others with 3 or 4 photos per page which allows plenty od detail to be seen even with overall shots of the vehicles, the text is kept to a minimum with just brief photos captions more from a modeller's viewpoint than any technical descriptions.
The photos are a mixture of semi-close up and close up detail shots and as mentioned the larger sized photos still show plenty of details.
The first 28 pages have walkarounds of a short hull version with the supplementary hull and turret armour in overall while finish and it's interesting that not all the vehicle is painted white with some parts such as the turret sights, inside the hatches, some intake and exhaust grills as well as part of the barrel still in the original green finish which will add interest to the model instead of being just plain white.
Close-up shots show the spaced turret room armour as well as the sight, hatches and periscopes plus the gun mantlet and several inside views of the spaced armour added to the turret sides showing the mountings as well as the inner brackets that will be more than useful when building the kits.
The other general views show many of the hull and turret details and fittings as well as the large wheels to good effect and also illustrate that the plain white is again not just plain white with many variations in colour due to crew use and the elements that will add further interest.
The next 17 pages cover Centauros still in their original overall green finish for a good contrast to the white UN scheme and feature the short hull version as well as a longer hulled Centauro with the special set of add on armour for the rear hull sides and rear that included side skirts over the rear two wheels that give the vehicle a completely different appearance and being all flat plates would be an easy conversion if not included in the kit when it appears.
Again there are plenty of semi-close up shots mixed with close-ups of the rear add on armour fittings plus additional hull and turret details to supplement those in the first section, these vehicles also have the add on turret armour which all the Lebanon Centauros have.
The next ten pages concentrate on a long hull Centauro with good shots of the rear hull and crew entry door which is different from the short hull type as well as side by side shot of the short and long hull to clearly illustrate the differences making it easier to identify these versions when looking at photos.
We then have ten pages with interior shots of the Centauro that shoe the driver's compartment and the turret and rear hull areas giving some excellent details such as the driver's seat and controls, the turret ring and associated fittings as well as the gun breech and the 105mm ammo storage around the inside of the vehicle.
Other details shown are the Commander's and gunner's stations showing the various instruments and periscopes as well as good internal shot of the double armoured rear entry door. There is also the obligatory cartoon depiction of the Centauro in Lebanon as we see in all Blue Steel books for a bit of light hearted relief.
Also included amongst the photos of the Centauro are a few shots of the crews wearing the new stylised digital camouflage recently introduced into the Italian Army to help in painting any crew figures as well as two shots of Italian Leopard recovery vehicles thrown in for good measure.
There is good coverage of both the short and long hulled versions as well as the additional hull armour package along with shots of both the original green and overall white UN schemes to provide more interest.
Nations at War: A Scientific Study of International Conflict (Cambridge Studies in International Relations)
Extreme Politics: Nationalism, Violence, and the End of Eastern Europe
The Philosophy of International Law
Publisher: Oxford University Press 2010 | 624 Pages | ISBN: 0199208573 , 0199208581 | PDF | 2 MB
International law has recently emerged as the subject-matter of an exciting new field of philosophical investigation. The Philosophy of International Law contains 29 cutting-edge essays by leading philosophers and international lawyers, all published here in English for the first time, that address the central philosophical questions about international law.
The volume's overarching theme is the moral and political values that should guide the assessment and development of international law and institutions. Some of the essays tackle general topics such as the sources and legitimacy of international law, the nature of international legal adjudication, whether international law can or should aspire to be 'democratic', and the significance of state sovereignty. The other contributions address philosophical problems arising in specific domains of international law, such as human rights law, international economic law, international criminal law, international environmental law, and the laws of war.
This volume is the most up-to-date and comprehensive treatment of the philosophy of international law in existence. It is also distinguished by its 'dialogical' methodology: there are two essays on each topic, with the second author engaging with the arguments of the first. It is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the nature and value of international law.
About the Author
Samantha Besson is Professor of Public International Law and European Law at the University of Fribourg. Her publications and research interests lie in legal philosophy and democratic theory, in particular as applied to international and European law-making. Besides numerous publications in French, she is the author of the monograph The Morality of Conflict (Hart Publishing: Oxford, 2005) and the co-editor of the forthcoming collection of essays Legal Republicanism: National and International (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2009).
John Tasioulas is a Reader in Moral and Legal Philosophy at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He is also a Principal Research Fellow at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at the Australian National University. He has published on various topics in moral, legal and political philosophy. He is currently working on a monograph on the philosophy of human rights with the support of a British Academy Research Development Award.
Supreme Court nominee Solicitor General Elena Kagan meets and greets senators on Thursday, May 13, 2010.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
(CNSNews.com) – Elena Kagan, President Barack Obama’s choice to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens on the Supreme Court, is best known for moving Harvard Law School away from the 100-year old “case-law method” of legal study.
But in the process, critics say, she moved the nation’s premier law school away from requiring the study of U.S. constitutional law towards the study of the laws of foreign nations and international law.
As dean, Kagan won approval from the faculty in 2006 to make major changes to the Harvard Law's curriculum.
“My understanding is that she instituted three new courses to the required curriculum and, in so doing, got rid of a requirement to take constitutional law,” Robert Alt, senior legal fellow and deputy director of the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at the Heritage Foundation, told CNSNews.com.
“Currently, at Harvard, constitutional law is not required for first-year law students, or even for graduation,” Alt added.
Indeed, according to Harvard documents, constitutional law is not listed among the law school’s academic requirements, though the catalogue for 2010-2011 does list more than a dozen elective courses dealing with some form of constitutional law.
But in a 2006 Harvard news release explaining the changes, Kagan explained the move away from constitutional law was deliberate: “From the beginning of law school, students should learn to locate what they are learning about public and private law in the United States within the context of a larger universe -- global networks of economic regulation and private ordering, public systems created through multilateral relations among states, and different and widely varying legal cultures and systems.
“Accordingly, the Law School will develop three foundation courses, each of which represents a door into the global sphere that students will use as context for U.S. law,” the guide said.
Among the three new required courses Kagan introduced, one focuses on public international law, involving treaties and international agreements, and the second is on international economic law and complex multinational financial transactions, according to a Harvard news release.
But the third course, on comparative law, “will introduce students to one or more legal systems outside our own, to the borrowing and transmission of legal ideas across borders and to a variety of approaches to substantive and procedural law that are rooted in distinct cultures and traditions,” the release said.
In a 2008 article published in The Greenbag, a sometimes humorous journal of serious legal writing, Kagan explained the reasoning for her changes by saying that lawyers need “tools for all the roles they will be called on to play," which, she suggested, include solving problems “ranging from climate change to terrorism to economic insecurity," and "crafting frameworks that enable scientific and artistic creativity, and devising workable approaches to chronic conflicts around the world.”
“Our mission is not simply to train lawyers; more broadly, we must seek to train leaders--visionary thinkers and practitioners capable of designing new institutions to meet individual and societal needs,” Kagan wrote.
Alt, meanwhile, agreed that some of the changes Kagan instituted made sense.
But, he said, “What doesn’t make sense, I would say, is throwing out constitutional law, as a focus of study, and replacing it with international law."
Professor Ronald Rotunda of Chapman Law School in Southern California agrees that it is appropriate to add an international perspective, but not at the expense of constitutional law.
Rotunda is the author of a leading course book on constitutional law being used in law schools, Modern Constitutional Law, and his books and law articles have been cited more than a thousand times by state and federal courts at every level, from trial courts to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Any English major, even if her specialty is early Victorian literature, should have familiarity with Shakespeare, " said Rotunda. "That’s just something that any English major should have. And any lawyer, even if he or she never argues a constitutional law case, should know the basic principles of constitutional law."
Alt, meanwhile, said the changes raise questions about Kagan, especially in light of what we don’t know about her.
“One of the things which we don’t know about Kagan, which she has not been terribly forthcoming on in previous questioning (during her nomination) for solicitor general, is how she views international law,” Alt said. “Should domestic law be influenced or modified by international law? We don’t know what she thinks.”
Alt said it is important to know just how much she supports reliance on international law.
“This is an important question because there are others in the Obama administration, like Harold Koh, for instance, who have suggested with regard to the First Amendment, for instance, that perhaps the First Amendment should be modified in some way in accordance with international norms, in order to facilitate compliance with international agreements.”
The First Amendment, by the way, reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
Law and Legalization in Transnational Relations ...
Publisher: Routledge | 2007 | ISBN 0415423287 | PDF | 257 pages | 1.1 MB
Closing the Books: Transitional Justice in Historical Perspective .
http://depositfiles.com/files/m28raav4e
http://rapidshare.com/files/402099434/0415423287.zip
This volume addresses the emergence of multiple legal and law-like arrangements that alter the interaction between states, their delegated agencies, international organizations and non-state actors in international and transnational politics.
Political scientists and legal scholars have been addressing the legalization of international regimes and international politics, and engaging in interdisciplinary research on the nature, the causes and the effects of the norm driven controls over different areas and dimensions of global governance.
Written by leading contributors in the field, the book claims that the emergence and spread of legal and law-like arrangements contributes to the transformation of world politics, arguing that legalization does not only mean that states co-operate in more or less precise, binding and independent regimes, but also that different types of non-state actors can engage in the framing, definition, implementation and enforcement of legal and law-like norms and rules. To capture these diverse observations, the volume provides an interpretative framework that includes the increase in international law-making, the variation of legal and legalized regimes and the differentiation of legal and law-like arrangements.
Law and Legalization in Transnational Relations is of interest to students and researchers of international politics, international relations and law.
The United Nations World Water Development Report 3: Water in a Changing World
3rd UN World Water Development Report, 2009 | |
 | :: Full report [PDF 30 MB] |
| Media Corner | Workspace for WWDR-3 collaborators |
announce that the Third edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR-3) was presented at the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey on March 16, 2009. The development of the WWDR, coordinated by WWAP, is a joint effort of the 26 UN agencies and entities which make up UN-Water, working in partnership with governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders.
New Features of the 3rd edition
The Third edition of the Report presents several changes compared to the previous two editions. Unlike the earlier Reports, which were structured along UN agency lines, the WWDR-3 has a new, holistic format. It will address a number of themes through out the report, including climate change, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), groundwater, biodiversity, water and migration, water and infrastructure, biofuels, etc.
Some of the new features include:
- A new Table of Contents (ToC). The ToC was endorsed during the UN-Water meeting held in Stockholm on August 12th, 2007. It was further developed through the discussion and contributions of members of UN-Water, professional organizations, non-governmental organizations, and WWDR-3 writers and contributors in attendance at the ‘Inception Meeting’ in November 2007.
- A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). The experience gained during the development of the first two WWDRs and insights learned from consultations and assessments on WWAP’s past performance demonstrated that the program will benefit from the involvement of a body comprised of scientists, policy and decision makers, stakeholders and representatives from member states. The TAC is composed of members from academia, research institutions, non-governmental organizations, public and professional organizations, and two ex-officio members (Chair of UN-Water and WWAP Coordinator).
- Seven Expert Groups. To strengthen the scientific basis as well as possible implementation of the report and its recommendations, interdisciplinary expert groups were created for a number of topics, including ‘Indicators, Monitoring and Databases’, ‘Business, Trade, Finance and Involvement of the Private Sector’, ‘Policy Relevance’, ‘Scenarios’, ‘Climate Change and Water’, and ‘Legal Issues’ and ‘Storage’.
- Accompanying Publications. A number of side publications will accompany the WWDR-3, which are intended to provide more focused, in-depth information, scientific background knowledge, policy guidelines and interface with other, less conventional water sectors. These publications will include scientific side papers, sector and topic-specific reports, briefs for policy makers and a Dialogue Series.
- Side Processes. A number of side processes are planned to address relevant issues over time within the general framework of WWAP. These include “Scenario development and modelling”; “Indicator development, monitoring and reporting”; “WWDR Living Document”; “Data/ meta data bases”; and “Capacity development.”
Seaweeds and their Role in Globally Changing Environments ..
The Structure and Process
In addition to the WWDR-3’s new features, there have been a number of changes to its production process, which is compressed into a period of 18 months. The WWDR-3’s holistic approach to addressing the world’s water resources is reflected in a new structure and stages for its development.
The structure of the WWDR-3 has four main chapters, apart from the introduction and the recommendations: ‘drivers of change’, ‘the use of the resource for humans and for ecosystems’, ‘the state of the resource’, and ‘responding to a changing world: what are the options?’ This requires a much deeper level of integration of the content coming from contributing institutions, compared to the earlier reports.
To ensure this integration, each chapter has a core team of two persons, a coordinator from a UN agency, and a facilitator from WWAP. Additionally, a number of topics which require specific attention in the process will be addressed by expert groups and specialists.
The first step in making the report is to produce a table of contents for each chapter. A draft ToC for each chapter was prepared through the discussion and contributions of members of UN-Water, professional organizations, non-governmental organizations, and WWDR-3 writers and contributors through two rounds of comments. The first round took place at the UN-Water meeting during the World Water Week in Stockholm in August 2007. Based on the ToC drafted during this first meeting, WWAP, in collaboration with UN partners and other contributors, developed the main messages and storyline of the Report and produced an annotated table of contents on a chapter-by chapter basis. The second round of contributions and comments were incorporated during the Inception Meeting held in November 2007 to produce the final ToC for each chapter, a list of accompanying publications, and the production schedule for writing the first draft.
The second preparatory meeting, or “Integration Meeting,” took place in Perugia, Italy at the new WWAP Headquarters in April 2008. At this meeting, members of the Technical Advisory Committee, members of UN-Water, contributors, writers, and other participants discussed the final drafts of the chapters and their integration. Conclusions and recommendations of the WWDR-3 were also addressed.
Timeline for the WWDR-3:
16 March 2009: Launching of the WWDR-3 at the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey.
North American homeland security: back to bilateralism?
Anil Hira, Imtiaz Hussain, Satya R. Pattnayak - North American Homeland Security: Back to Bilateralism?
Publisher: Praeger | 2008-10-30 | ISBN: 0313356866 | PDF | 344 pages | 5.88 MB
Did 9/11 revive a North American guns-butter trade-off? Established in the largest administrative overhaul since World War II, the Department of Homeland Security was charged with keeping the United States safe within a wider security community, but confronted the Washington Consensus-based Western Hemisphere free trade movement, beginning with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and extending to the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) in 2003, to materialize a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) compact. Whether 9/11 restrictions impeded these trade-related thrusts or not, embracing neoliberalism permitted Canada and Mexico to pursue their own initiatives, such as proposing free-trade to the US—Canada in 1985, Mexico in 1990, but, as during the Cold War, security imperatives ultimately prevailed.
This work investigates Canada's and Mexico's Department of Homeland Security responses through three bilateral studies of policy responses along comparative lines, case studies of security and intelligence apparatuses in each of the three countries, and a post-9/11 trilateral assessment. Ultimately, they raise a broader and more critical North American question: Will regional economic integration continue to be trumped by security considerations, as during the Cold War era, and thereby elevate second-best outcomes, or rise above the constraints to reassert the unquenchable post-Cold War thirst for unfettered markets replete with private enterprises, liberal policies, and full-fledged competitiveness?
The Civilian-Military Divide: Obstacles to the Integration of Intelligence in the United States
USAID: Military Affairs - Planning Division
Abstract: | |
A response to the attacks of September 11, 2001 presents both a political and legal problem for the United States government. It is a political problem because people demand protection, preparedness, and prevention of such attacks. These functions and activities are performed by the security forces of the country—the military for fighting war, and state and local civilian officials for fighting crime. These security forces develop and rely upon intelligence. Today, there is a global insurgency, one of whose tactics is terrorism and whose major target is the USA. A response, a counterinsurgency operation, requires a political-military strategy integrating civilian and military activities in a unity of effort through sharing of intelligence. If this strategy were available in the US, it would enable the security forces to identify support in the USA for the insurgency. Yet, the military and state and local civilian officials of the USA rarely interact within the USA. I intend to show that a unified military and civilian response would be a legal problem because this situation—separation of efforts—exists because of the US constitutional system. Its features—separation of powers, federalism, and separation of the civilian sector from the military sector—preclude such a political-military strategy and unity of efforts through intelligence integration. This paper seeks to understand the consequences of the US system of government on the effectiveness of a domestic response in the US and on how that response affects the global counterinsurgency effort. |
Preparing for Peace: Military Identity, Value Orientations, and Professional Military Education
http://books.google.com/books?id=MY263Oqmn-4C&dq=Preparing+for+Peace:+Military+Identity,+Value+Orientations,+and+Professional+Military+Education&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=kF0nTKImx_KeB9OGxYoB&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CCkQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false
Publisher: Praeger Publishers | 1995 | ISBN 0275950182 | PDF | 218 pages | 13.2 MB
This book examines the military organization, strategy, and tactics of the Salvadoran FMLN guerrillas during their efforts to overthrow the government. It is largely based on the authors' personal collections of guerrilla documents captured in the war, interviews with former and captured guerrillas, and personal combat experience during one of the fiercest wars fought in the Western hemisphere in the 20th century. The book describes the guerrilla tactics from a technical point of view, and their evolution during the war in El Salvador.
Reputation and Civil War: Why Separatist Conflicts Are So Violent ..
Military Symbols for Land Based Systems
This standard provides common operational symbology along with details on its display and plotting to ensure the compatibility, and to the greatest extent possible, the interoperability of NATO Land Component Command, Control, Communications, Computer, and Intelligence (C4I) systems, development, operations, and training.
APP-6A contains tables that provide the user with standard frames and icons, along with guidelines for their use.
Table of Contents
RECORD OF RESEVATIONS BY NATIONS
SPECIFIC RESERVATIONS
RECORD OF AMENDMENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1. SCOPE
101 Scope.
102 Purpose.
103 Applicability.
104 Content.
105 Changes.
CHAPTER 2. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS
201 General.
202 Government documents.
203 Non-Government publications.
204 Order of precedence.
CHAPTER 3. DEFINITIONS
301 Acronyms used in this standard.
302 Definitions used in this standard.
CHAPTER 4. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
401 Objective.
402 Organization.
403 Icon-based symbols.
404 Tactical graphics.
405 Symbol modifiers.
406 Symbol ID code.
407 Use of special symbol sets.
CHAPTER 5. DETAILED REQUIREMENTS
501 Objective.
502 Organization.
503 Icon-based symbols.
504 Tactical graphics.
505 Symbol modifiers.
506 Display.
TABLE
I. Affiliations and battle dimensions.
II. Present and planned status.
III. Symbol modifier field definitions.
IV. Size /mobility.
V. Example of display option hierarchy.
FIGURE
1. Symbol components.
2a. Field positions for units, installations, and equipment.
2b. Placement of modifiers for points, areas, lines and boundaries.
2c. Placement of modifiers for NBC events.
3. Symbol modifiers.
4. Special C2 headquarters symbol.
ANNEX
A SYMBOL HIERARCHY
B SYMBOL CODING
C TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
D ICON SET
E TACTICAL GRAPHICS
F ASSOCIATED SYMBOLOGY INFORMATION
INDEX
military symbols
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/4990714/military-symbols
Private Armed Forces and Global Security: A Guide to the Issues
Private Armed Forces and Global Security: A Guide to the Issues
Praeger | 2010-03-11 | ISBN: 0313355924 | 250 pages | PDF | 1 MB
Private Armed Forces and Global Security: A Guide to the Issues is the first book to pre a comprehensive yet accessible survey of the private military groups involved in conflicts worldwide. Organized around four themes, it covers the history of private military forces since 1600, the main contemporary actors and their defining characteristics, the environments in which private armed forces operate, and pres an analysis of the logic behind privatizing security.
This book goes beyond conventional knowledge, offering both a theoretical approach and a new, practical perspective to advance the understanding of the ongoing climate of global instability and relevant players within it. Numerous examples help the reader grasp the full range of real-world challenges and conceptual facets surrounding this fascinating, yet highly polarizing topic.
The Global Manufacturing Revolution: Product-Process-Business Integration and Reconfigurable Systems
Wiley | 2010 | ISBN: 0470583770 | 399 pages | PDF | 6,1 MB
The concrete tools manufacturing enterprises need to thrive in today's global environment
Ark of the broken covenant: protecting the world's biodiversity hot spots ..
For a manufacturing enterprise to succeed in this current volatile economic environment, a revolution is needed in restructuring its three main components: product design, manufacturing, and business model. The Global Manufacturing Revolution is the first book to focus on these issues. Based on the author's long-standing course work at the University of Michigan, this unique volume proposes new technologies and new business strategies that can increase an enterprise's speed of responsiveness to volatile markets, as well as enhance the integration of its own engineering and business.
Introduced here are innovations to the entire manufacturing culture:
•An original approach to the analysis of manufacturing paradigms
•Suggested methods for developing creativity in product design
•A quantitative analysis of manufacturing system configurations
•A new manufacturing "reconfigurable" paradigm, in which the speed of responsiveness is the prime business goal
•An original approach to using information technology for workforce empowerment
The book also offers analysis and original models of previous manufacturing paradigms' technical and business dimensions—including mass production and mass customization—in order to fully explain the current revolution in global manufacturing enterprises. In addition, 200 original illustrations and pictures help to clarify the topics.
Globalization is creating both opportunities and challenges for companies that manufacture durable goods. The tools, theories, and case studies in this volume will be invaluable to engineers pursuing leadership careers in the manufacturing industry, as well as to leaders of global enterprises and business students who are motivated to lead manufacturing enterprises and ensure their growth.
What had the Kyoto Protocol Wrought?: The Real Architecture of International Tradable Permit Markets
AEI Press | January-1-1999 | ISBN: 084477135X | 39 pages | PDF | 1.3MB
This volume investigates a central issue of climate policy architecture: the structure and potential performance of the Kyoto Protocol's international trading mechanisms in the presence of diverse types of domestic greenhouse policy instruments. The authors focus on that issue because the protocol explicitly and prominently provides for domestic sovereignty regarding instrument choice and because previous policy experience suggests that many or most countries may not choose tradable permits as their sole or even primary domestic vehicles.
Hahn and Stavins find that although the Kyoto Protocol can provide for an internally consistent international tradable permit program, a fully cost-effective international emissions trading program is not compatible with the notion of full domestic sovereignty regarding the choice of instrument. The authors conclude that individual nations' choices of domestic policy instruments to meet the Kyoto Protocol's targets can substantially limit the cost-saving potential of an international trading program. Because international permit trading remains an attractive approach to achieving global greenhouse targets, policymakers need to analyze the likely cost savings from feasible, as opposed to idealized, approaches to reducing international greenhouse gas emissions.
Faces of power: Alexander's image and Hellenistic politics
Publisher: University of California Press | ISBN: 0520068513 | edition 1994 | CHM | 545 pages | 10,5 mb
The Hellenistic Settlements in Syria, the Red Sea Basin, and North Africa (Hellenistic Culture and Society)
Alexander the Great changed the face of the ancient world. During his life and after his death, his image in works of art exerted an unprecedented influenceon marbles, bronzes, ivories, frescoes, mosaics, coins, medals, even painted pottery and reliefware. Alexander's physiognomy became the most famous in history. But can we really know what meaning lies behind these images? Andrew Stewart demonstrates that these portraitswildly divergent in character, quality, type, provenance, date, and purposeactually transmit not so much a likeness of Alexander as a set of carefully crafted clichs that mobilize the notion "Alexander" for diverse ends and diverse audiences. Stewart discusses the portraits as studies in power and his original interpretation of them gives unprecedented fullness and shape to the idea and image called "Alexander."
Elias Aboujaoude MD, Lorrin M. Koran MD, "Impulse Control Disorders"
Cambridge University Press | ISBN: 0521898706 | February 8, 2010 | 328 pages | 2.5 MB
In the last decade, much needed attention and research has been focused on the group of psychiatric conditions termed "impulse control disorders" or ICDs. ICDs are now clearly distinguished from OCD, with a unique clinical approach for diagnosis and treatment. This is the first book to bring together medical and social knowledge bases related to these disorders.
by Mitch Battros - Earth Changes Media Below is a list of Mayan elders warning of events to come. However, Carlos reminds us we are not doomed to see these events actualized. We have a choice; through a united effort of peoples around the world, we can become empowered to make a difference in our lives and our world.
Carlos Barrios of the 'Clan de Aguila' (the Eagle clan), has recently met with his Mayan elders. He states there is a heighten warning to their earlier interpretation of Mayan prophecy.
(2001 Dec 14: Annular Solar Eclipse )
January 25 2001 - (India) A magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook the Indian Province of Gujarat. It was one of the two most deadly earthquakes to strike India in its recorded history. The death toll was 19,727, number of injured at 166,000, over 600,000 people were left homeless, with 348,000 houses destroyed and an additional 844,000 damaged.
(2003 May 31: Annular Solar Eclipse )
May 2 2003 - (Turkey) At least 176 people have died and 521 people were injured after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that shook the eastern Turkey's Bingol province. Several public buildings collapsed in the centre of Bingol city and its vicinity. The last official report concerning the consequences of the earthquake in the city indicates about 570 buildings were collapsed and about 6000 others were damaged.
May 21 2003 - (Algiers) A strong earthquake measuring 6.8 magnitude struck the coastal region east of Algiers and the Tell Atlas mountains of Algeria. 2,251 people died, another 1,200 missing, 10,243 were injured and 200,000 made homeless.
May 26 2003 - (Japan) A 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit northern Japan, however, there were no casualties and very few people were injured due to the depth (about 44 miles underground) of the epicenter of the earthquake.
(2003 Nov 23: Total Solar Eclipse)
Nov 17 2003 - (Alaska) A 7.8 earthquake hits Aleutian Islands, Alaska; tsunami warning issued.
(2004 Apr 19: Partial Solar Eclipse)
April 2004 - (United States) Yellowstone Super Volcano experienced over 400 quakes within three days. This type of increase in earthquake activity is called a "swarm". Parts of the caldera were closed to the public with areas of surface temperatures reaching over 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Some reports were telling of the sole of on-lookers shoes were melting just prior to the area's closing.
(2004 Oct 14: Partial Solar Eclipse)
October 23 2004 - (Japan) A series of powerful earthquakes the strongest with a magnitude of 6.7 jolted northern Japan, killing at least 30 people and injuring more than 2000 people largely as the result of building collapse. The strongest earthquakes occurred during a period of several hours with the main epicenter located near Yamakoshi village, Niigata Prefecture. Thousands of landslides were triggered by the earthquakes and aftershocks with much associated damage to roads, agricultural fields, and residential.
(2007 Mar 19 Partial Solar Eclipse)
March 3 2007 - (Sumatra) Two strong earthquakes shook the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Tuesday, killing at least 70 people, 460 serious injuries have been reported, spread across many towns and regencies in West Sumatra. Over 43,000 houses were damaged, with over 12,000 of those severely damaged.
(2007 Sept 11 Partial Solar Eclipse)
August 15 2007 - (Peru) Large 8.0 earthquake hits Peru. Over 514 died, with 1,090 injured, and around 40,035 families rendered homeless. A further 30,542 families have been affected.
Sept 12, 2007 Sumatra, Indonesia - 8.5 Quake 25 Killed
(2008 Feb 07 Annular Solar Eclipse)
Feb 12th 2008 - (United States) A "swarm" of over 100 earthquakes hit Baja California, Mexico. Swarms also began off the Oregon Coast, Northern Calif., and Alaska. They are still occurring with no sign of letting up.
(2009 Jan 26 Annular Solar Eclipse)
December 27th 2008 - Montserrat Volcano Hurls Lava, Rocks, Ash - A volcano on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat has resumed its rumbling and hurled rocks and lava toward the abandoned capital. The observatory said Friday that the Soufriere Hills volcano spewed ash 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) into the air on Christmas Eve.
January 14th 2009 - Swarm of Earthquake Activity Over For Now at Yellowstone National Park. This sequence of more than 500 seismic events was most intense on December 27, 2008. The sequence included sixteen events of magnitude 3 to 3.9 and approximately 70 of magnitude 2 to 3 (as of Sunday afternoon, Jan. 4, 2009).
February 10th 2009 - Earthquake 'Swarm' Hits North of San Francisco - Just north of San Francisco, an area called 'The Geysers' which is not unfamiliar to earthquake swarms. However, a recent escalation in magnitude has invited a heightened concern. A 3.7 magnitude quake occurred on Feb. 20th which is a triggering signal for seismologist to take note and monitor more closely.
**Reminder: This article is not about scaring you, it is about encouraging preparedness. No need to panic, but perhaps a need to take an inventory on your general preparedness list. Those who have a general 7 day preparedness kit, not only are better off physically, but emotionally as well. Just knowing you have basic equipment and protocol, eases the mind and reduces the potential for panic.
Study: Sun Sounds Cause the Earth to Shake
European Space Agency scientists have proved sounds generated deep inside the Sun cause the Earth to shake and vibrate. It is believed when a full solar eclipse occurs, it caused the Earth to quickly cool, then heat up once again. This action could cause mantle plates to vibrate or slip. As a result of this action, earthquakes occur and volcanoes are awakened.
Researchers involved in the HISCALE experiment -- Heliosphere Instrument for Spectra, Composition and Anisotropy at Low Energies -- aboard the Ulysses spacecraft found Earth's magnetic field, atmosphere and terrestrial systems are also affected by solar sound vibrations.
The researchers - David Thomson, Louis Lanzerotti, Frank Vernon, Marc Lessard and Lindsay Smith -- have determined distinct, isolated tones, predicted to be generated by pressure and gravity waves in the Sun, manage to reach Earth and are detectable in our environment.
The scientists discovered the tones in seismic data and have found them in voltages induced on ocean cables, along with a wide variety of terrestrial systems. Although the tones are all around us, they are undetectable by the human ear; however, many animal species do appear to notice and often act out in unusual behavior.
FULL ARTICLE - CLICK HERE
"As Within - So As Without"
Mayan prophecy tells us we are closely enmeshed with our planet Earth. "Within" would refer to personal human challenges in the way of emotional discord. This could be related to relationships, employment, finances, injuries or illness, and displacement. Our Mayan elders have told us the period we are in has put us at a crossroads. We have a choice to shed what no longer works and embrace the essence of 'integrity'. Or, we have the choice of holding on to what is familiar and known. The latter suggest the holding on to old ways of being that may no longer be useful, and most likely have become self-defeating.
No one can argue change can be very difficult, especially if it comes quickly. This is exactly what we are facing in the world right now, and for some time. Most of us will slumber behind the elements of fear and foreboding. Once our fears, resistance, disheveled thoughts of knowingness, which now appear as no longer knowing, places us further yet into a heightened state of angst which quickly evolves into undefined free-floating-anxiety. To put in simple layman's terms --our individualized personal worlds could be turned upside down.
It will depend on each individual's ability to adjust to rapid change. The vast majority of all humans of the world are ill prepared for the magnitude of a shifting paradigm. Most of us world-wide have fallen asleep into the rush-rush world of survival. We have detached from our primal selves. From the innate genes of our ancestors who knew the way of the world, the way of community, the way of tribal relations, the way of living on - and with the Earth as our nurturing giver of life.
As a result of evolving (or devolving) in this manner -- we have departed from our sacred self. But don't blame yourself. The elders tell us this is exactly the way it was supposed to be. And Now -- we are at the crossroads of choosing something else. The something else is named "Integrity". Are we in harmony with or true spiritual selves? Have we become so dumbed-down that we are blind to what has become.
Perhaps the more important question is - do we have what it will take to right ourselves to survive the "internal" shift which is beginning to press hard into our lives. One predominate example is to witness 'in our lifetime', the demise of the United States becoming a 'subordinate nation'. There is every indication the US dollar will no longer be the world standard of trade by year's end.
As our current Mayan elders have been telling us over the years and on Earth Changes Media since 1998, "Greed has contaminated the world". When this was told to us just 10 years ago, most of us just kind-of nodded our head thinking yea, yea you're right, but our governments would never let greedy corporate dictators take over. We now see how wrong and naïve we were.
But there is a greater good coming our way. It will have the effect of a "check-mate" on this devolution road we are on. There is a force which will give us little choice but to join back together as communities. This force will be Mother-Nature herself. Yes, it will be the earth changing events which are to unfold as the "external" fulfills its mission.
Most all scientific disciplines in the area of earth science and space weather have provided empirical evidence an escalation of earth changes events will unfold in our lifetime. We have entered the "window" -- that is to say "window of opportunity" for the two forces to join together which will facilitate (I would like to think by divine order) the 'transition' ancient text has long outlined for this very time.
General McChrystal and Afghanistan
The reason for General McChrystal being fired is simple. He told the truth. Although some of us have long realized there is no exit plan with Iraq or Afghanistan, for the first time publically, a General has come forward and spoke the truth.
The tipping point - Once the US administration went public with its "new reason" for fighting in Afghanistan, it was the final straw that broke the camel's back.
And what was that "new reason"? GREED. A new public relations ploy was presented to the world telling of untold riches which lay in Afghanistan soil. The Afghan's were sitting on "trillions of dollars worth of lithium, gold, copper, pegmatite, lead, and zinc.
An internal Pentagon memo states "Afghanistan could become the 'Saudi Arabia of lithium,' a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries for laptops and BlackBerrys."
And who discovered this vast wealth? Quote for Pentagon memo: "The vast scale of Afghanistan's mineral wealth was discovered by a small team of Pentagon officials and American geologists. The Afghan government and President Hamid Karzai were recently briefed, American officials said."
General McChrystal had enough of Washington sending his boys out to be killed - not for winning a war against "evil doers", but to rape the land and people of its riches. This story is far too familiar, and I think we all know how this ends.
FULL ARTICLE - CLICK HERE
Cambridge University Press | 2010 | ISBN: 0521760518 | 460 pages | PDF | 10,3 MB
Heliophysics is a fast-developing scientific discipline that integrates studies of the Sun's variability, the surrounding heliosphere, and the environment and climate of planets. The Sun is a magnetically variable star and, for planets with intrinsic magnetic fields, planets with atmospheres, or planets like Earth with both, there are profound consequences. This volume, the second in a series of three heliophysics texts, integrates the many aspects of space storms and the energetic radiation associated with them - from causes on the Sun to effects in planetary environments. It reviews the physical processes in solar flares and coronal mass ejections, interplanetary shocks, and particle acceleration and transport, and considers many space weather responses in geospace. In addition to its utility as a textbook, it also constitutes a foundational reference for researchers in fields from heliophysics to climate science.
12 June 2010 Issue Contents - New Scientist
New Scientist - 12 June 2010
English | 55 pages | PDF | 18.64 MB
New Scientist is a weekly international science magazine and website covering recent developments in science and technology for a general English-speaking audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of Reed Elsevier. New Scientist has maintained a website since 1996, publishing daily news. As well as covering current events and news from the scientific community, the magazine often features speculative articles, ranging from the technical to the philosophical.
No comments:
Post a Comment