Why Democracies Flounder and Fail: Remedying Mass Society Politics
Author: Michael Haas File Type: pdf Democracy is in crisis because voices of the people are ignored due to a politics of mass society. After demonstrating how the French Fourth Republic failed, wherein Singapores totalitarianism is a dangerous model, Washington is enmeshed in gridlock, and there is a global democracy deficit, solutions are offered to revitalize democracy as the best form of government. The book demonstrates how mass society politics operates, with intermediate institutions of civil society (media, pressure groups, political parties) no longer transmitting the will of the people to government but instead are concerned with corporate interests and have developed oligarchical mindsets. Rather than micro-remedy bandaids, the author focuses on the need to transform governing philosophies from pragmatic to humanistic solutions.
Author: Kirsten Dyck
File Type: pdf
From rap to folk to punk, music has often sought to shape its listeners political views, uniting them as a global community and inspiring them to take action. Yet the rallying potential of music can also be harnessed for sinister ends. As this groundbreaking new book reveals, white-power music has served as a key recruiting tool for neo-Nazi and racist hate groups worldwide. Reichsrock shines a light on the international white-power music industry, the fandoms it has spawned, and the virulently racist beliefs it perpetuates. Kirsten Dyck not only investigates how white-power bands and their fans have used the internet to spread their message globally, but also considers how distinctly local white-power scenes have emerged in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the United States, and many other sites. While exploring how white-power bands draw from a common well of nationalist, racist, and neo-Nazi ideologies, the book thus also illuminates how white-power musicians adapt their music to different locations, many of which have their own terms for defining whiteness and racial otherness. Closely tracking the online presence of white-power musicians and their fans, Dyck analyzes the virtual forums and media they use to articulate their hateful rhetoric. This book also demonstrates how this fandom has sparked spectacular violence in the real world, from bombings to mass shootings. Reichsrock thus sounds an urgent message about a global menace. **Review In this disturbing study of the risesuccess of racist rock that recruits, rallies, and rouses angry, hate-filled followers of darkly apocalyptic music, Dyck reveals a disturbing, emerging medium with global roots Highly recommended. (Choice) Fascinating and by far the most comprehensive treatment of the topic. No other book provides this level of detail regarding white power music. (Pete Simi author of American Swastika Inside the White Power Movements Hidden Spaces of Hate) About the Author KIRSTEN DYCK is an instructor of history, humanities, writing, and English as a foreign language at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She is a former fellow of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Auschwitz Jewish Center, and the German-American Fulbright Commission.
Author: Maarten Jansen
File Type: pdf
In Time and the Ancestors Aztec and Mixtec Ritual Art, Maarten Jansen and Aurora Perez present new interpretations of enigmatic masterpieces from ancient Mexico. Combining iconographical analysis with the study of archaeological contexts, historical sources and living cultural traditions, they shed light on central symbols and values of the religious heritage of indigenous peoples, paying special attention to precolonial perceptions of time and the importance of ancestor worship. They decipher the meaning of the treasure deposited in Tomb 7 at Monte Alban (Oaxaca) and of artworks such as the Roll of the New Fire (Selden Roll), the Aztec religious sculptures and, last but not least, the mysterious chapter of temple scenes from the Book of Night and Wind (Codex Borgia). **
Author: Garrett Hongo
File Type: pdf
A volume in the Poets on Poetry series, which collects critical works by contemporary poets, gathering together the articles, interviews, and book reviews by which they have articulated the poetics of a new generation. The Mirror Diary tracks the emergence of an original poetic voice and a learned consciousness amid multiple and sometimes competing influences of complex literary traditions and regional and ethnic histories. Beginning with a literary inquiry into the history of Japanese Americans in Hawaii and California, Garrett Hongo draws on his own history to consider the mosaic of American identitiespersonal, cultural, and poeticin the context of a postmodern diaspora. Hongos essays attest to the breadth of what he considers his cultural inheritance and literary antecedents, ranging from the poets of Chinas Tang Dynasty to American poets such as Walt Whitman and Charles Olson. He explains free-verse prosody by way of John Coltranes jazz praises his contemporaries, poets David Mura, Edward Hirsch, and Mark Jarman and acknowledges his mentors, Bert Meyers and Charles Wright. In other pieces he engages with controversies and contestations in contemporary Asian American literature, confronts the politics of race and the legacy of Japanese American internment during World War II, offers paeans to the Hawaiian landscape, and addresses immigrants newly arrived in America with a warm welcome. The Mirror Diary is the work of a poet fully engaged with contemporary politics and poetics and committed to the study and celebration of diverse traditions. **
Author: Marta Moreno Vega
File Type: epub
Long cloaked in protective secrecy, demonized by Western society, and distorted by Hollywood, Santeria is at last emerging from the shadows with an estimated 75 million orisha followers worldwide. In The Altar of My Soul, Marta Moreno Vega recounts the compelling true story of her journey from ignorance and skepticism to initiation as a Yoruba priestess in the Santeria religion. This unforgettable spiritual memoir reveals the long-hidden roots and traditions of a centuries-old faith that originated on the shores of West Africa. As an Afro-Puerto Rican child in the New York barrio, Marta paid little heed to the storefront botanicas full of spiritual paraphernalia or to the Catholic saints with foreign names Yemaya, Ellegua, Shango. As an adult, in search of a religion that would reflect her racial and cultural heritage, Marta was led to the Way of the Saints. She came to know Santeria intimately through its prayers and rituals, drumming and dancing, trances and divination that spark sacred healing energy for family, spiritual growth, and service to others. Written by one who is a professor and a santera priestess, The Altar of My Soul lays before us an electrifying and inspiring faithone passed down from generation to generation that vitalizes the sacred energy necessary to build a family, a community, and a strong, loving society.**
Author: T. K. Lim
File Type: pdf
Volume 9 is part of a multicompendium Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, on plants with edible modified stems, roots and bulbs from Acanthaceae to Zygophyllaceae (tabular) and 32 selected species in Alismataceae, Amaryllidaceae, Apiaceae, Araceae, Araliaceae, Asparagaceae, Asteraceae, Basellaceae, Brassicaceae and Campanulaceae in detail. This work is of significant interest to medical practitioners, pharmacologists, ethnobotanists, horticulturists, food nutritionists, botanists, agriculturists, conservationists, and general public. Topics covered include taxonomy common vernacular names origin distribution agroecology edible plant partsuses botany nutritivemedicinal properties, nonedible uses and selected references. **From the Back Cover This book continues as volume 9 of a multi-compendium on Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants. It covers such plants with edible modified storage subterranean stems (corms, rhizomes, stem tubers) and unmodified subterranean stem stolons, above ground swollen stems and hypocotyls, storage roots (tap root, lateral roots, root tubers), and bulbs, that are eaten as conventional or functional food as vegetables and spices, as herbal teas, and may provide a source of food additive or nutraceuticals. This volume covers plant species with edible modified stems, roots and bulbs from Acanthaceae to Zygophyllaceae (tabular) and 32 selected species in Alismataceae, Amaryllidaceae, Apiaceae, Araceae, Araliaceae, Asparagaceae, Asteraceae, Basellaceae, Brassicaceae and Campanulaceae in detail. The edible species dealt with in this work include wild and underutilized crops and also common and widely grown ornamentals. To help in identification of the plant and edible parts about 120 colored illustrations are included. As in the preceding eight volumes, topics covered include taxonomy (botanical name and synonyms) common English and vernacular names origin and distribution agro-ecological requirements edible plant parts and uses plant botany nutritive, medicinal and pharmacological properties with up-to-date research findings traditional medicinal uses other non-edible uses and selectedcited references for further reading. This volume has separate indices for scientific and common names and separate scientific and medical glossaries.
Author: Jane A. Bullock
File Type: pdf
Each year, disasters such as house fires, car accidents, tsunamis, earthquakes, and hurricanes impact hundreds of thousands of children. Child victims can suffer disproportionately and the physical and psychological damage sustained can far outweigh the same effects in adults, often requiring years of therapy. Sadly, emergency planners to date have largely failed to adequately recognize and accommodate the particular requirements of children in times of disaster. Identify NeedsHighlighting the infrastructure that supports children in a safe and secure community, Managing Children in Disasters begins by identifying the special needs of children, including physical security, emotional stability, family unity, and ongoing education. It looks at how hazard mitigation actions can reduce the long- term impact of a disaster on this infrastructure, and outlines the many steps that can be taken by parents, emergency managers, school officials, and child care providers to prepare for a future incident. Target ResourcesThe book reviews what agencies and organizations can do to ensure that children are protected and families remain intact. It examines evacuation plans and processes, emergency shelters, and the recovery and rebuilding process. The final chapter provides a list of resources in emergency planning, psychosocial recovery, training and education courses, technical assistance, and other organizations. It includes examples of existing programs, reports, sample plans, and guides written for children.Offering guidance for the family and community, this book discusses the types of efforts that can be undertaken in all phases of emergency management including preparation, immediate response, and recovery.ReviewManaging Children in Disasters is a welcome addition to the growing body of literature in an area that has sorely needed it. The authors cite the latest studies and best practices on the subject, referencing the current list of resources available from leading children advocacy organizations. The result offers an invaluable resource on the challenges of providing for the needs of children during crises and natural hazard events. Mark K. Shriver, Chairman of the National Commission on Children in Disasters and Senior Vice President of Save the Childrens U.S. ProgramsAbout the AuthorJane Bullock is a Research Scientist and Adjunct Professor at the Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management at the George Washington University in Washington, DC. She is also Principal in Bullock and Haddow LLC, a homeland security and disaster management consulting firm. George D. Haddow holds is a Research Scientist and Adjunct Professor at the Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management at the George Washington University in Washington, DC. He is the second Principal at Bullock and Haddow LLC.
Author: Samir Jeraj
File Type: pdf
Deregulation, revenge evictions, corruption, and day-to-day instability these are realities becoming ever more familiar for those of us who rent our homes or apartments. At the same time, house prices are skyrocketing and the promise of homeownership is now an impossible dream for many. This is the rent-trap, an inescapable consequence of market-induced inequality. Samir Jeraj and Rosie Walker offer the first in-depth case study of the private rental sector in the United Kingdom, exploring the rent-trap injustices in a first-world economy and exposing the powers that conspire to oppose regulation. A quarter of British MPs are landlords rent strike is almost impossible and sudden evictions are growing. Nevertheless, drawing on inspiration from movements in the United Kingdom, continental Europe, and elsewhere, The Rent Trap shows how people are starting to fight back against the financial burdens, health risks, and vicious behavior of landlords, working to create a world of fairer, safer housing for alllessons that extend well beyond the borders of the UK. **Review It is time to change what is possible. Rents are too high. Rights are minimal. The market has failed. Rosie Walker and Samir Jeraj have explored all the possible escape routes and found the way out. -- Danny Dorling, Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography, University of Oxford, and author of All That is Solid (Penguin, 2015) Every private renter in the UK needs to buy this book so they can realise just how victimised they truly are by a housing situation thats rapidly destroying the chances of millions of people to live a decent life. -- Shiv Malik, Guardian investigative journalist and co-author of Jilted Generation About the Author Samir Jeraj is a journalist whose work has appeared in the Guardian, New Statesman and the New Internationalist. Rosie Walker writes on housing, poverty, employment rights and debt. She was formerly a researcher for London School of Economics, University of Bristol, and University of Brighton, and was a journalist for the Independent.
Author: Santiago Zabala
File Type: pdf
Gianni Vattimo is one of the worlds most important philosophers, yet he has received scant attention in the English-speaking world. The essays in Weakening Philosophy, from leading figures such as Umberto Eco and Charles Taylor, introduce his ideas to a wider audience. Moving away from Jacques Derridas deconstructionism and Paul Ricoeurs hermeneutics, and building on his experiences as a politician, Vattimo asks if it is still possible to speak of moral imperatives, individual rights, and political freedom. Acknowledging the force of Nietzsches God is dead, Vattimo argues for a philosophy of pensiero debole or weak thinking that shows how moral values can exist without being guaranteed by an external authority. His secularising interpretation stresses anti-metaphysical elements and puts philosophy into a relationship with postmodern culture. Bringing together twenty-one influential philosophers, theologians, and literary critics, Weakening Philosophy is an important assessment of Vattimos influence and the major tenets of his thought.**
Author: Ronald L. Sandler
File Type: pdf
Advances in our scientific understanding and technological power in recent decades have dramatically amplified our capacity to intentionally manipulate complex ecological and biological systems. An implication of this is that biological and ecological problems are increasingly understood and approached from an engineering perspective. In environmental contexts, this is exemplified in the pursuits of geoengineering, designer ecosystems, and conservation cloning. In human health contexts, it is exemplified in the development of synthetic biology, bionanotechnology, and human enhancement technologies. Designer Biology The Ethics of Intensively Engineering Biological and Ecological Systems consists of thirteen chapters (twelve of them original to the collection) that address the ethical issues raised by technological intervention and design across a broad range of biological and ecological systems. Among the technologies addressed are geoengineering, human enhancement, sex selection, genetic modification, and synthetic biology. This collection advances and enriches our understanding of the ethical issues raised by these technologies and identifies general lessons about the ethics of engineering complex biological and ecological systems that can be applied as new technologies and practices emerge. The insights that emerge will be especially valuable to students and scholars of environmental ethics, bioethics, or technology ethics. **