Monumento Las Nereidas

Monumento Las Nereidas, de Lola MoraThe Monumento Las Nereidas, or "Font of the Nereids", is now located at "Costanera Sur". It was created by Lola Mora (1866 – 1936), in 1903. The sensuous and erotic sculpture met bureaucratic problems at the city's Deliberative Council, which had it moved from place to place.

 

Lola Mora was a rebel and a pioneer of women in her artistic field. At 20 years of age she began painting portraits, but soon turned to sculpting marble and granite. She studied art in her home province and then, with a scholarship, in Rome, Italy, where she created her greatest works, some of them by request of the Argentine government. In 1900 she was charged with creating two bas-reliefs for the Historical House of Tucumán (seat of Argentina's Declaration of Independence of 1816).

  

Fuente de las Nereidas

 

At the turn of the 20th century, the city of Buenos Aires inaugurated the fountain called “Fuente de las Nereidas”, otherwise known as ‘Lola Mora’.

 

A sensuous and erotic work, the monument was designed by the young and rebellious Argentine artist, Dolores Hernández-Mora, and carved completely from Carrara marble.

 

Depicting the mythical birth of Venus in ways reminiscent of a famous work by Italian painter Sandro Botticelli, Mora’s statue introduced controversial animalistic undertones to an otherwise delicate deity.

 

Featuring a retinue of nude sea nymphs and three virile figures wrestling winged horses, the fountain roused reactions from moralists who argued not only against its pornographic nature and the licentiousness of its nude figures, but also objected to its sculptor’s decision to wear trousers rather than skirt.

 

Perhaps a woman before her time, Mora married a man 20 years her senior when she was 40 years old, only to be left by him five years later. Some claimed she was bisexual, although there were also rumours that she had a love affair with Julio A. Roca, the former president of Argentina, and himself a polemic figure.

 

Originally placed in the Parque Colón Sur near the Casa Rosada, pressure from moralists resulted in the relocation of the monument to Puerto Madero’s Costanera Sur in 1918.

 

Amid the controversy that arose from its installation, Mora wrote expressing her regret at having provoked such emotions but welcomed the opinion of a public who was not yet ready for her: “I deeply regret what is happening, but I don’t see these as expressions of repudiation, rather the pure and noble voice of my people. That is the final judgment.”

 

The sculpture was recently recognised as one of the most important in the city however, when it was declared a National Historic Monument in 1997

 

The Iloilo City Trade and Investment Promotions Board

 

Making Iloilo City Business Friendly

by Jigger S. Latoza

Photo by Dan Amular, Jr.

 

Business is the lifeblood of the city’s economy. Trade and investments create jobs, and generate the much needed revenues needed by the city to finance its operations and bankroll various development programs and projects.

Yet investments set out and thrive only where there is a nurturing business and investment climate; indeed, enterprises go where the cost of doing business is reasonable, where it is fast to transport goods or provide services, where there is a significant market size and purchasing power, where public utilities are adequate and efficient, where well-educated and competent human resources are available, and where the quality of life is great.

Iloilo City today has most of these, making it a vital business and investment hub in the country.

“In fact, despite the dreary economic outlook for most parts of the country, Iloilo City remains a great magnet for investments because of its strategic geographical location, the surfeit of highly-skilled labor, modern conveniences and facilities, ideal peace and order climate, and incentives and assistance to businesses,” says City Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog.

In addition to the aforementioned factors, according to the city competitiveness framework of the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center, businesses and investments also go to the city with a local government that is responsive to the needs of the business community.

Given these premises, Iloilo City Mayor Mabilog, on September 14, 2010, issued Executive Order 019-10 creating the Iloilo City Trade and Investment Promotions Board to fill the need for a dedicated body that would proactively undertake projects and activities aimed at attracting investments in Iloilo City.

Marketing Iloilo to Investors

The Board is mandated to be a deliberative body dedicated to the following functions: (1) conceptualize trade and investment promotions programs and strategies; (2) provide a link between business groups and the city government so both can work together in making Iloilo City an investment haven; (3) organize fairs, summits and other platforms of convergence for foreign and local investors; (4) facilitate interfacing between business groups and government agencies such as the Department and Trade and Industry and Department of Tourism; (5) assist the City Government in the identification of priority areas for investments; (6) help investors find business opportunities in Iloilo City by providing them with reliable and relevant information; and (7) make recommendations to the Office of the City Mayor on how to expedite the processing of business permits, in particular, and how to make doing business in Iloilo City a great, rewarding experience, in general.

In brief, the Board is expected to market Iloilo City as an ideal place for doing business to potential investors here at home, from other parts of the country, and abroad.

Investment opportunities in the city are plenty in the following areas: manufacturing and processing enterprises; export-oriented industries; tourism-oriented industries; utility companies engaged in power generation, water distribution, and transportation support facilities; information and communication technology enterprises; agro-fishery; social services (e.g., health care services, education, low-cost housing, sports and recreation); commercial and industrial property development; and solid waste disposal system.

Yet selling an idea to seasoned businessmen could be a tough job. Hence, who could better lead a group formed to promote Iloilo City to investors than a businessman who has made it big here – from an initial capitalization of PhP 10,000? Indeed, who could better understand the mind of businessmen than a successful businessman himself?

Felicito “Felix” Tiu is a busy man. As Chairman of the Eon Group of Companies that has interests in candy manufacturing, consumer goods marketing and distribution in the Visayas, travel and tours, hotels, property development, among others, Tiu was at first hesitant to take on the chairmanship of the Iloilo City Trade and Investment Promotions Board. But he became adamant to lead the Board when he learned from Mayor Mabilog the rationale behind the creation of the group.

“Our Mayor enlightened me that if we can help him bring in investments and create jobs for the unemployed, we can help the city government increase its revenues and, in effect, improve the delivery of services to our people and uplift the lives of the poor,” Tiu shared during the induction into office of the Board of Directors last December 2010. This noble intent behind the creation of the Board was what convinced Tiu to accept his appointment as Chairman.

The Men and Women Behind the Board

The private sector-led Board has 14 members, 12 of whom come from private organizations representing real estate development, business chambers and associations, professional groups, mass media, education and management consultancy, civic groups, among others. Two members are officials of the city government, providing the necessary link between the local government and the private sector. The Board may be seen as a model of public-private partnership in the area of investment promotions.

The Board is chaired by Felicito Tiu, Chairman of the Eon Group of Companies, which is composed of Eon Realty and Development Corporation, Eon Distributor Corporation, Goldstar Philippine Traders, Guimaras Memorial Park, Eon Travel and Tours, Aris Corporation, Leisure Corporation and Eon Philippine Industries Corporation.

Serving as Vice-Chairman is Prudencio Relano Jr., proprietor and manager of Relano Realty and past president of the Iloilo City Realtors Board.

Appointed as Directors are the following: Joe Marie Agriam, CREAM magazine publisher, and president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Iloilo, Inc.; Oscar Chua, proprietor of Iloilo Plastic Center and honorary vice chairman of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Mary Ann Gumban, Business Support Program consultant and business management professor at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas; Antonio Jon, CPA, former chairman of the Iloilo Business Club; Jigger Latoza, director of research and publications at the University of San Agustin and co-chairman of the Multi-sector Coalition for Iloilo City; Irma Lim, principal, Lim and Associates, CPAs, and past president of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants-Iloilo; Valerie Maravilla, president of the Iloilo Producers Association; Ian Eric Pama, president of the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines; Salvador Sarabia Jr., former Tourism Undersecretary and current chairman of the Iloilo Convention and Visitors Bureau; Roland Uy, M.D., immediate past president of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Iloilo; and Fulbert Woo, 2009 national president of the Junior Chamber International–Philippines.

Jose Roni Penalosa, City Planning and Development Office Head, and Francis Cruz, Executive Assistant (for Economic Affairs) at the City Mayor’s Office, represent the city government in the Board.

Volunteerism is KeyThus far, the Board, through Chairman Tiu, has made representations for Iloilo City as a destination of choice for investments in various meetings, both in the country and abroad, often at his own expense. The Board has corresponded with foreign chambers of commerce and local business groups, listened to business proposals from foreign and local businessmen, exchanged ideas with officials of national government agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry, and made initial steps towards helping the Office of the City Mayor craft an economic roadmap for the city.

A major undertaking of the Board is the organization of the First Iloilo Business Summit on July 29, this year, under the theme, "Innovative and Sustainable Development for Growth." The summit brings to Iloilo City eminent speakers, widely considered as the country’s foremost captains of industry and entrepreneurship, to wit: Mr. Manuel Pangilinan of the Metro Pacific, Mr. Ramon del Rosario of PHINMA, former Ambassador Jesus Tambunting of Planters Development Bank, Mr. Cecilio Pedro of Lamoiyan Corporation, former Tourism Secretary Narzalina Lim of Asia Pacific Projects, and Mr. Jonathan de Luzurriaga of CIBI Information, Inc.

The Iloilo City Trade and Investment Promotions Board is convinced that the acceptance by the Summit’s power speakers of the Board’s invitation despite their understandably hectic schedules indicates that their business sense makes them see vast investment opportunities and economic development potentials in Iloilo City. That thought alone is already encouraging to the Board.

“I thank the members of the Board for agreeing to be part of the Team without any compensation. I thank them for sharing their time, money, and other resources. I know that they are all busy like me but they, too, realize that sharing their knowledge, skills, experiences and insights for the benefit of the city and of the less privileged in our community is more fulfilling than making a few thousands a day,” says Tiu.

Indeed, the entire Board functions on volunteerism, with no compensation except the inspiring thought that it makes its own contributions, big or small, in propelling the local economic development of Iloilo City. Its Chair, Vice-Chair, and Directors are animated only by their shared desire to make Iloilo City business friendly so that more jobs are created, more revenues are generated, and, consequently, more development will benefit more people who -- in satisfaction and gratitude – will spontaneously proclaim, “Iloilo City : My City, My Pride.”

  

as my parents have begun the long process of paring down their lives, slowing emptying the house i grew up of it's contents, i am struck sometimes with a profound nostalgia. for all the usual trials and tribulations, i had a very happy childhood. i consider myself very lucky, and continue to be grateful for that, and to my dear parents, to this day.

 

when i was home for this past holiday season, i realized i had better start snapping, to aid my memory when its inevitable failing might kick into high gear. whle i do have a vague recollection that the bathroom was redone when i was a small child, here are the same artifacts that have been hanging in the same place against the same wallpaper in the same bathroom for basically as long as i can practically remember.

 

as a result of seeing these little plastic prints every day for so many years, i have an ingrained, elemental partiality for edgar degas' work. oddly, i never really heard/read about artistide maillol until today, in researching for this photo.

 

from a small village in the pyrennes, maillol (1861-1944) was a painter and a sculptor. by turning away from pathos and expression, maillol revolutionized the sculptural field. he created a type of archcitectural beauty, using the body as his only vocabulary to represent such ideas as fertility, youth or death... deeply influenced by gaugin, he invented a type of sculpture whose smooth and rounded shapes recall archaic art forms. maillol introduced a totally modern concept which lifts beauty above reality. (musee maillol)

 

Degas' mature style is distinguished by conspicuously unfinished passages, even in otherwise tightly rendered paintings. He frequently blamed his eye troubles for his "inability to finish", an explanation that met with some skepticism from colleagues and collectors who reasoned that his pictures "could hardly have been executed by anyone with inadequate vision.".... The meticulous naturalism of his youth gave way to an increasing abstraction of form.... He was a deliberative artist whose works "were prepared, calculated, practiced, developed in stages. (wikipedia)

 

anyway, as far as the wallpaper, i don't think these colors have been reproduced by humankind in this pattern since.

 

postscript: mom informs she tried to locate similar pattern about 10 years ago, but to no avail.

Cig smokers seem to have a certain deliberative air about them, they think a lot.

March’s Friday Late welcomed attendees to engage with a myriad of contemporary activism practices, 100 years on from when a qualified group of women in the UK were granted the right to vote. From deliberative democracy workshops to installations depicting radically soft lives, from feminist zine making to tours of radical women in the history of art, this Late asked attendees to examine narratives that are too often left unaccounted.

 

Photos © PeanutButterVibes Photography

www.peanutbuttervibesphotography.com

@peanutbuttervibesphotography

 

Governing Lethal Behavior: Embedding Ethics in a Hybrid Deliberative/Reactive Robot Architecture by Ronald Arkin of Georgia Tech

 

THis was a truly thought provoking talk. Although the subject is controversial, it should not be ignored.

 

Technical Session II: Architecture of AGI Systems at the The First Conference on Artificial General Intelligence (AGI-08)

 

This room is The Zone, at the FedEx Institute of Technology, University of Memphis. It was a very good venue for this conference.

 

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) research focuses on the original and ultimate goal of AI -- to create intelligence as a whole, by exploring all available paths, including theoretical and experimental computer science, cognitive science, neuroscience, and innovative interdisciplinary methodologies. AGI is also called Strong AI in the AI community.

 

Another good reference is Artificial General Intelligence : A Gentle Introduction by Pei Wang

  

I030208 056

City of Fort Collins | Madeline Bechtel

 

CSU's Center for Public Deliberation CPD) collaborated with the City to host a Deliberative Forum on April 26, 5:30-8 p.m. Approximately 50 participants attended including representatives from HOAs and neighborhood associations, the BIPOC Alliance, Boards and Commissions, and the business community. The agenda included roundtable discussions and activities guided by student facilitators.

"Malfunctions after a power outage at the Suncor Energy oil refinery just north of Denver triggered toxic belches spewing more than 100 pounds of hydrogen sulfide and more than 500 pounds of sulfur dioxide gas into the air, exceeding state air quality limits.

 

The refinery also emitted carbon monoxide at concentrations up to 1,120 parts per million, according to a company report submitted to state health officials and reviewed by The Denver Post.

 

This was the second time in five months that a power-supply hiccup led to a sudden burst of toxic air pollution from the refinery. It’s the latest challenge at one of Colorado’s most problematic industrial sites.

 

Xcel Energy officials said power was out for 6 minutes Saturday night. Suncor spokeswoman Lisha Burnett on Thursday said power was out for more than 13 hours starting at 9:54 p.m. The unexpected power interruption triggered automatic and manual safety shut downs and refinery still wasn’t back to normal operations, Burnett said.

 

“Xcel Energy’s failure to provide the refinery with a continuous power feed caused a temporary inability of Suncor to comply with certain of its permit limits,” she said. “The loss of power was completely outside of Suncor’s control, and Suncor took a number of measures to minimize the impacts and reduce emissions caused by the loss of power.”

 

Suncor officials responded to the problem by closing Brighton Boulevard between 56th and 60th avenues Saturday night. Suncor also sent air-monitoring trucks into surrounding neighborhoods.

 

Company officials told local authorities no toxic chemicals had been detected in the surrounding neighborhoods.

 

Hydrogen sulfide, a toxic byproduct of refining and burning oil, can kill. The Environmental Protection Agency has not set a national air quality limit for hydrogen sulfide because any exposure is considered dangerous.

 

Sulfur dioxide also comes from burning fossil fuels and can inflame airways, especially in people with asthma. High concentrations of sulfur dioxide worsen particulate air pollution that can penetrate lungs. The EPA has set a health limit of 75 parts per billion for sulfur dioxide, but it’s unclear whether authorities are measuring comprehensively and enforcing that limit. Carbon monoxide can impair oxygen delivery to tissues, the heart and brain.

 

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment officials this week said they have not completed a review of the Oct. 14 Suncor incident in which an Xcel power failure resulted in the release of an estimated 75,600 pounds of sulfur dioxide — 150 times greater than the CDPHE daily limit of 500 pounds that triggers an investigation. That power outage lasted for seconds. A refinery emissions stack spewed orange-colored hydrocarbon-coated dust and gas, prompting road closures, a school lockdown and a warning to residents to remain indoors.

 

“The events of the power outage in October 2016 at Suncor are complex in nature, and CDPHE’s investigation of the incident is ongoing and deliberative,” air pollution control division director Garry Kaufman said in a response to Denver Post queries that was e-mailed by an agency spokesman. “There is no set date for completing the investigation. CDPHE has not issued a notice of violation or other enforcement document, possible or actual, related to the incident to date.”

 

But the health department has set annual limits that Suncor must meet covering numerous significant pollutants including sulfur dioxide, particulates, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide, Kaufman wrote. And Suncor cannot emit more than 0.3 pounds of sulfur dioxide per barrel of oil processed, he said.

 

The company would have to assert “an affirmative defense” to avoid civil penalties by showing state air quality rules don’t apply in the circumstances.

 

State regulators are treating the two mishaps as separate incidents. Before these incidents, CDPHE officials already were dealing with numerous previous chemical emissions problems at the plant.

 

CDPHE officials seemed to say there’s no health risk based on what Suncor officials have disclosed. The state has not conducted independent air tests.

 

“Upon initial review of the available air quality data, the measured concentrations of air pollutants at monitoring sites around the Suncor refinery remained well-below the health-based air quality standards during the power outage at Suncor,” Kaufman wrote. “Suncor personnel have deployed mobile air quality monitoring units around the perimeter of the refinery, at major intersections, and at schools in the area. Suncor’s monitors measure concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide in the air and have detected no readings of harmful emissions, according to Suncor representatives.”

 

Burnett said a full report will be submitted to state health department once the refinery returns to normal operations.

 

Xcel Energy spokeswoman Michelle Aguayo said “the actual outage lasted 6 minutes.” Aguayo added that in making repairs Xcel later shut down the power again.

 

Aguayo called the two Suncor outages “unrelated.”

 

The Oct. 14 power outage was caused by “a switching issue due to an Regional Transportation District request to relocate a transmission pole,” Aguayo said in an e-mailed response. “Saturday’s outage was the result of a sleeve failure on a transmission line, causing the line to fall into a distribution line that serves Suncor.”

 

Since 2013, state regulators have opened five cases against Suncor for possible air-quality violations, CDPHE records show. State officials are weighing possible penalties for previously identified deficiencies that include excessive sulfur dioxide and other gas emissions. In June, CDPHE officials notified Suncor officials their company could face penalties of up to $15,000 a day. In 2015, state regulators ordered Suncor to fix other pollution problems detected in 2013 and 2014. Suncor at one point negotiated a deal to avoid admitting law violations in return for paying a $214,050 administrative penalty.

 

Back in 2012, state regulators fined Suncor $2.2 million for air quality violations related to benzene air pollution from the refinery.

 

The Suncor refinery sits on an 80-year-old industrial site. Suncor bought the refinery in 2003 from ConocoPhillps in a $150 million deal. Over the past 13 years, Suncor has spent $1.6 billion on the plant.

 

Suncor officials have said it will play a key role in processing Suncor’s huge Canadian oil sands resources for the U.S. energy market.

 

Workers at the Commerce City refinery produce up to 98,000 barrels a day of gasoline and diesel fuel, jet fuel sent to Denver International Airport, and asphalt. A fifth of the oil produced at the refinery comes from the Athabasca oil sands in Canada." - Denver Post

"And, by the way, if they do, that means — not a joke, everybody; that’s why we defeated it in 2018 when they tried to do it. We went to 54 states," -- President Joe Biden, Friday, October 28, 2022

 

Watch a video of him saying that: video.foxnews.com/v/6314601578112

 

www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/president-biden-claims-us-ha...

 

President Biden claims US has FIFTY-FOUR states as concerns over age continue to mount

 

President Joe Biden made yet another blunder when he spoke in Philadelphia on Friday, claiming he had been to '54 states' at a rally to drive support for embattled Democrat John Fetterman.

 

Biden, 79, gave garbled remarks on how his administration has improved healthcare and mistakenly said 'we went to 54 states' to stop pharmaceutical companies from driving drug prices.

 

'And, by the way, if they do, that means — not a joke, everybody; that’s why we defeated it in 2018 when they tried to do it. We went to 54 states,' Biden said. 'The reason is people didn’t realize that the only reason anybody who has a pre-existing condition can get healthcare is because of that Affordable Care Act.'

 

His addition of four non-existent states is the latest in a long line of gaffes that has continued to raise concerns about the health of Biden, who is the oldest president in US history.

 

Despite those worries, Biden has insisted he'll run for a second term in 2024.

 

The president was joined by both Vice President Kamala Harris and Senate hopeful John Fetterman, who recently dented his chances by fumbling answers during a debate with opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz. He suffered a stroke in May, and faces separate questions about his own mental agility.

 

'So I may not say everything perfectly sometimes, but I'll always do the right thing if you send me to Washington, D.C.' Fetterman said.

 

Biden has made a series of worrying gaffes throughout his time as president, most recently zoning out completely when asked by reporters if his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, wants him to run for president again.

 

'I have not made that formal decision but it's my intention . . . my intention to run again. And we have time to make that decision', the president began.

 

'Dr. Biden is for it?' the MSNBC interviewer asks, only to be met with silence.

 

'Mr. President?' the reporter prods, to virtually no reaction from Biden.

 

'Dr. Biden thinks that uh, my wife thinks that uh, that I uh, that, that we're, that we're doing something very important,' Biden finally states, while managing to avoid directly answering the question.

 

He also embarrassingly mispronounced new UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's name when speaking about him at a Diwali event, calling him 'Rashee Sanook.'

 

Sunak, a 42-year-old multimillionaire former hedge fund boss, will become the country's youngest leader in modern times and its third in less than two months as his Conservative Party endures a period of considerable turmoil.

 

Fetterman's debate performance shocked some viewers and voters alike, and sowed concerns among party leaders.

 

Chris Cuomo said he 'struggled' and Barack Obama's former senior adviser said Fetterman 'did not help' his cause.

 

'Hi, goodnight everyone,' Fetterman said as he began the night's highly anticipated match-up.

 

In advance of the debate Fetterman's campaign had tempered expectations, saying there would be 'awkward pauses' and 'delays and errors,' because the Democrat would be reading closed captioning due to his auditory processing issue.

 

At one point Fetterman was asked to clarify his position on fracking, as moderators pointed to a 2018 interview where the lieutenant governor expressed broad opposition to the practice, but not a ban.

 

'I do support fracking - I don't, I don't - I support fracking, and I do support fracking,' he answered.

 

Charlie Dent, a former Republican congressman for Pennsylvania, said he was 'astounded' and 'stunned' by Fetterman's poor performance, while Alyssa Farah Griffin, Donald Trump's former communications director, said she found it 'painful to watch'.

 

www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/will-he-or-won-e2-80-99t-...

 

Will he or won’t he? Pressure mounts on Biden for post-midterm decision

 

President Biden will face mounting pressure to announce his intentions about whether he will run for reelection immediately after the midterm elections — pretty much regardless of the outcome.

 

But pressure will only intensify, some Democrats say, if their candidates perform poorly on Nov. 8.

 

That is increasingly a concern for Democrats, who have long seen holding the House majority as a longshot but held out hopes they could keep their Senate majority.

 

That’s still a possibility, but with races tightening in a number of states, including Pennsylvania, angst is rising in Democratic circles about the results.

 

For much of the summer, Democrats were feeling optimistic about the Senate, so a loss of both chambers would be a bitter pill to swallow.

 

That outcome will almost certainly lead to stronger calls for Democrats to dump Biden ahead of 2024.

 

“No matter what happens, there’s going to be pressure on him to make a decision sooner rather than later,” said Democratic strategist Jim Manley, who served as a senior aide to the late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

 

But Manley agreed a poor showing for Democrats in the midterms would be more problematic for the president.

 

“The bigger the loss, the more of a factor it will play in his own decisionmaking process,” Manley added. “If it’s a rout, obviously there are going to have to be changes in a lot of different areas.”

 

In the House, if Democrats lose dozens and dozens of seats, it will add to the pressure on Biden.

 

“If House Democrats were to take a shellacking, there will be loud voices out there asking for him to make an announcement,” Manley said.

 

It’s quite unclear that Biden wants to make an announcement one way or the other quickly after the election.

 

Biden is known to be deliberative, if not outright slow, in making electoral decisions.

 

In 2020, he was criticized for entering the race months after other Democratic rivals.

 

In 2016, as he debated whether to enter the race following his son Beau Biden’s death, many of his donors and supporters were already locked in with Hillary Clinton. He did seriously consider a late entry, but by then it was too late.

 

Biden looks back on that decision with regret given his confidence that he would have defeated former President Trump in 2016, preventing his presidency.

 

Now Trump is almost certainly on Biden’s mind again as he weighs his future. The former president is teasing a White House bid for 2024 and may make his own decision not long after the midterms.

 

Other Democrats thinking about running for the White House will want to know what Biden’s plans are quickly so they can lay the groundwork for their own campaigns.

 

Already there has been some grumbling among Democrats who view Biden’s age — he’ll turn 80 next month — as a major factor.

 

They also worry privately that he’s been unable to control the narrative on arguably the most pressing issue facing the White House and Democratic candidates in the midterms: inflation.

 

Biden saw his polling numbers inch up briefly after a string of legislative wins over the summer. But the president’s approval ratings now have slipped to 40 percent, according to a Gallup survey released this week.

 

“The questions about Biden’s re-elect only subsided because for a few months over the summer, things were going well. Now they’re not,” one Democratic strategist said bluntly. “And while Biden’s accomplishments have been substantial, there’s no getting around the fact that he’s going to be 80 and he’s not our most effective speaker.

 

“If Democrats lose Congress, it’ll feel far more consequential than a normal midterm loss, and as always, we’ll blame our messaging and our messengers,” the strategist added. “We focused on the wrong things, and we don’t have the right leaders to rally the troops.”

 

Republicans are practically eating popcorn as they ready for what they think will be another round of Democratic infighting.

 

“My instincts are that the knives will start coming out the day after the midterms that Joe is to blame,” said John Thomas, a GOP consultant who is working on some midterm races. “If progressives win, they’ll say he’s not being progressive enough.

 

“The Tim Ryans of the world will say he can’t speak to mainstream Americans on economic issues, that they’re the party of elitists,” Thomas added, referring to the Democratic congressman from Ohio who is running for the Senate in a competitive race against Republican J.D. Vance.

 

Still, Thomas said if Trump does announce soon after the midterms, “it’s a lifeline to Joe Biden. It’s the encore. ‘I came to save the country from the orange man, and I’m the only one who can beat him once again.’”

 

Biden hasn’t given a timeline for when he might announce his intentions.

 

But he has told aides and allies — including former President Barack Obama and the Rev. Al Sharpton — in private conversations that he is planning on running again.

 

And Democratic strategists say Biden, as history has shown, won’t be pressured by any kind of political timeline or public scrutiny.

 

“The smartest thing the Biden campaign did in the last election was they thought through a plan and then implemented it without panicking or changing it on every ebb and flow of what TV, Twitter, or people in D.C. were saying,” said Democratic strategist Eddie Vale.

 

“They are putting together their plans now and I think they’re going to announce on the timeline they want no matter what happens in the midterms,” Vale added. “I also don’t think the timing affects the field. If he announces tomorrow, in a month, or in a year no one who has a snowball’s chance in hell is going to run against him.”

Love the loosened laces, and "casually deliberative"

nature of the gait.

Bristol has just one memorial to Burke, a statue in Colston Avenue erected in 1894. But if Burke's connection to Bristol was fairly short-lived, it is one that will endure in the collective memory, not least because of his Speech to the Electors of Bristol of 1774. On the day of his election Burke famously argued against the idea that an MP is just the delegate of his electorate:

 

" Parliament is not a congress of ambassadors from different and hostile interests; which interests each must maintain, as an agent and advocate, against other agents and advocates; but parliament is a deliberative assembly of one nation, with one interest, that of the whole; where, not local purposes, not local prejudices ought to guide, but the general good, resulting from the general reason of the whole. You choose a member indeed; but when you have chosen him, he is not a member of Bristol, but he is a member of parliament."

 

The speech is cited in constitutional and political argument to this day. That it was made in Bristol makes it part of the city's history and heritage. Burke is by far the most distinguished political figure ever to have represented the city, and he is certainly the one with the most enduring international reputation.

 

Burke expressed his support for the grievances of the American colonies under the government of King George III and his appointed representatives. On 19 April 1774 Burke made a speech (published in January 1775) on a motion to repeal the tea duty:

 

" Again and again, revert to your old principles—seek peace and ensue it; leave America, if she has taxable matter in her, to tax herself. I am not here going into the distinctions of rights, nor attempting to mark their boundaries. I do not enter into these metaphysical distinctions; I hate the very sound of them. Leave the Americans as they anciently stood, and these distinctions, born of our unhappy contest, will die along with it.... Be content to bind America by laws of trade; you have always done it.... Do not burthen them with taxes.... But if intemperately, unwisely, fatally, you sophisticate and poison the very source of government by urging subtle deductions, and consequences odious to those you govern, from the unlimited and illimitable nature of supreme sovereignty, you will teach them by these means to call that sovereignty itself in question.... If that sovereignty and their freedom cannot be reconciled, which will they take? They will cast your sovereignty in your face. No body of men will be argued into slavery. Sir, let the gentlemen on the other side...tell me, what one character of liberty the Americans have, and what one brand of slavery they are free from, if they are bound in their property and industry by all the restraints you can imagine on commerce, and at the same time are made pack-horses of every tax you choose to impose, without the least share in granting them. When they bear the burthens of unlimited monopoly, will you bring them to bear the burthens of unlimited revenue too? The Englishman in America will feel that this is slavery; that it is legal slavery, will be no compensation either to his feelings or to his understandings."

 

In the House of Commons on 22 March 1775 Burke delivered a speech (published in May 1775) on reconciliation with America. Burke appealed for peace as preferable to civil war and reminded the House of America's growing population, its industry and its wealth. He warned against the notion that the Americans would back down in the face of force, as the Americans were descended largely from Englishmen:

 

" ...the people of the colonies are descendants of Englishmen.... They are therefore not only devoted to liberty, but to liberty according to English ideas and on English principles. The people are Protestants... a persuasion not only favourable to liberty, but built upon it.... My hold of the colonies is in the close affection which grows from common names, from kindred blood, from similar privileges, and equal protection. These are ties which, though light as air, are as strong as links of iron. Let the colonies always keep the idea of their civil rights associated with your government,—they will cling and grapple to you, and no force under heaven will be of power to tear them from their allegiance. But let it be once understood that your government may be one thing and their privileges another, that these two things may exist without any mutual relation,—the cement is gone, the cohesion is loosened, and everything hastens to decay and dissolution. As long as you have the wisdom to keep the sovereign authority of this country as the sanctuary of liberty, the sacred temple consecrated to our common faith, wherever the chosen race and sons of England worship freedom, they will turn their faces towards you. The more they multiply, the more friends you will have; the more ardently they love liberty, the more perfect will be their obedience. Slavery they can have anywhere. It is a weed that grows in every soil. They may have it from Spain, they may have it from Prussia. But, until you become lost to all feeling of your true interest and your natural dignity, freedom they can have from none but you."

 

See where this picture was taken. [?]

www.wired.com/story/larry-brilliant-covid-rapid-antigen-t...

 

Larry Brilliant Says Covid Rapid Antigen Tests Are Bad for Public Health

The epidemiologist who helped quash smallpox talks about what we're doing wrong on monkeypox, vaccines, and antigen tests.

 

This was the year that Larry Brilliant got Covid. In May, he traveled to Davos, Switzerland, to attend the elite global gabfest that had been postponed from its usual January staging. The 78-year-old epidemiologist had gotten through the first years of the pandemic virus-free. But, he now believes, traveling through a crowded Zurich airport exposed him to a recent variant of the disease that has infected over half a billion people worldwide and killed a million people in the United States alone.

 

It was further proof that this virus spares no one, not even a disease fighter who helped eradicate smallpox and had been warning the world about a potential pandemic for years. He had even advised Davos organizers on their Covid protocols. But Brilliant, of all people, knows that with ever-more virulent variants of Covid-19, even the most meticulous virus-avoider might get sick. And thus the multiple-boosted founder and CEO of Pandefense Advisory went through 17 days of testing positive and two rounds of the Paxlovid treatment.

 

Now recovered, Brilliant is once again speaking about what we might expect with our ongoing global crisis. I began interviewing Brilliant about the coronavirus in March 2020, and our first session was one of the most-read stories Condé Nast (which owns WIRED, the New Yorker, Vogue, and other publications) ran that year. This is the fifth installment of our ongoing conversation. We touched on how variants evolve, the humbling of the CDC, and why he thinks that rapid antigen tests are a menace. Brilliant makes predictions reluctantly—he distinguishes glimpses into his “crystal ball” from actual science, which proceeds on empirical trials and experiments. But if he’s right, we’ll still be talking Covid for a very long time.

 

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

 

Steven Levy: How are you feeling?

 

Larry Brilliant: I think I'm 110 percent recovered, after 17 days of positivity. Do you know about the Rockefeller Foundation retreat in Bellagio, Italy, where people go to plan conferences? I think that all the variants of Covid got together there with a list of all the people who spoke bad about them and decided: “Enough of this shit. Let’s go after those people.”

 

It certainly seems that tons of people who had been boosted and masked have gotten Covid recently.

 

Fauci and Biden have gotten it, too.

 

Why are careful people getting it now?

 

Even the most careful person will get the most transmissible virus in history. Also, mRNA vaccines are based on the formulations from the original strain.

 

Every evolution produces a more evasive variant—it won’t win the race unless it’s the fastest pony. So instead of only finding new customers in the unvaccinated population, this BA.5 variant increases its market by being able to infect people who’ve had three doses of the vaccine, or people who have had Covid a month ago. In addition, this puppy might be infectious earlier and later than when you first have symptoms. The CDC has guidelines of ending isolation—or going back to work—after five days. With BA.5, that’s ridiculous.

 

You were one of those people with four doses.

 

That’s right, and I was also able to get a prophylactic monoclonal antibody. That’s probably why I think I got a relatively mild disease. But it persisted for 17 days, and I had to have two courses of Paxlovid.

 

By the way, I don't think we should call this a rebound. A better way to say it is that we don’t have the dosing schedule correct. It’s possible that Paxlovid probably requires a course of seven or 10 days.

 

So if I get Covid, I can ask my doctor to give me seven or 10 day’s worth of Paxlovid instead of five? [Note: The official guidance is that Paxlovid should be administered for five days, though some physicians have spoken out about the need for clearer guidance.]

 

Not yet. When people say they’re following the science, what they should be saying is they’re following the published science, which is always based on a study done on something that happened before. You’re always behind.

 

Sometimes it seems like politics, not science, is determining policy. Biden said that he’d remain in isolation longer than the recommended five days if he kept testing positive. Who’s right?

 

Biden is modeling very good behavior. That’s really refreshing since the last president modeled the worst.

 

Sure, but it’s strange that the president has to disregard his own agency to do the right thing. [Note: After this interview, Biden ended up leaving isolation after five days when he tested negative, then reentering isolation after experiencing a rebound case.]

 

In part, this is because when Trump was president, he attacked the CDC. There was so much political interference that there was an exodus of the CDC’s top people and a loss of its institutional memory. But there’s also been a failure of the CDC to communicate well and update their recommendations.

 

Also, the CDC is slow. In some ways, you’d like that to be the case—you like your doctor to be deliberative. But not too slow. Even though their advice may have been perfect a year ago, it’s not perfect now. So now the administration is talking about shifting pandemic preparedness to what used to be a small agency—ASPR [Administration for Strategic Preparedness & Response].

 

Why does that make sense?

 

The CDC’s mandate is much more than pandemics. It works on health promotion, prevention. It’s responsible for looking at heart disease and diabetes, international relations with other countries doing all health programs—all the public health units of all the different counties. But of course right now we’re necessarily focused on the pandemic and infectious diseases, and we’re really dealing with Covid and monkeypox.

 

I was going to mention monkeypox. What’s going on there?

 

Let’s go back to 1967. The WHO had the idea that the whole world should work together to eradicate smallpox. But what about other poxes? The smallpox vaccine protects against monkeypox, too. If you eradicate smallpox, and subsequently you stopped vaccinating, what happens to the other poxes that were held in check by continuing to vaccinate? We could have kept vaccinating. But we didn’t, and now no one under the age of 40 has a vaccination scar.

 

It was certainly justifiable to use that vaccine against the disease that killed one out of three. But monkeypox is relatively mild, killing very few people. It’s understandable that people would say, ‘Well, what’s the fuss?’ Well, there’s two reasons. First, we got over 20,000 cases. The people who are affected the most by this outbreak are men who have sex with men—but it’s also people who have sex in general, or anybody who rubs bodies with each other for any reason at all, or, of course, anybody who's immunocompromised is at greater risk of getting it, giving it, and maybe having the bad side effects of it. That’s one reason.

 

But there’s another reason. If we had acted sooner—when there were 100 cases, 1,000 cases—we could have eliminated it as a significant problem. We could even do this now by identifying every case and vaccinating all the contacts. We could stop this outbreak. The United States is not doing it. Because it would require identifying every case and the complicated issues around who’s getting it. We don’t want to stigmatize the gay community; we did that with HIV/AIDS, with horrific results.

 

Monkeypox is not a disease of gay men. It’s also not a disease of monkeys. We are not the natural host of this virus. This is primarily a disease of rodents, but it was first identified in monkeys, and that’s where it got the name.

 

If we don’t act right now to contain the spread of monkeypox—if it’s subjected to the same laissez-faire epidemiology, “let it rip” ideology we are using with Covid—how far are you going to let it go? A hundred thousand? Two hundred thousand? A million? Speed is critical. If we quickly work to contain monkeypox, we don’t have to worry about 20 years of having urban rodent pox that spreads to humans. That’s why I’m unhappy about what we’re not doing now. I’m unhappy about letting the cat out of the bag when we still have a bag. [Note: After our conversation, the World Health Organization declared monkeypox an emergency.]

 

Back to Covid. You just used the term “laissez-faire epidemiology.” Do you feel that our approach now, based on individual choices, is misguided?

 

Yes. Remember Trump’s Covid advisor Scott Atlas, who promoted the idea that we should do away with lockdowns? When he said that, we didn’t have vaccines. Millions more people would have died, certainly. In the United States, hundreds of thousands more people would have died.

 

The death rates are down now, but it’s still very bad, for a hundred reasons. When you say, “Everybody’s on their own,” we’re forgetting that we have a duty of care. At least 20 percent of our population are either over the age of 65 or immunocompromised. They are at high risk of dying if they don’t get vaccinated and they’re not careful, they’re not wearing masks. … So if you just say, “OK, well, everybody’s gonna get it,” you endanger the people who are most vulnerable. That’s where the death rate is. That’s where the hospitalization rate is.

 

Second, the longer this virus continues, the more variants we’re going to have. We don’t know exactly what forms a variant, but for sure one factor is immunocompromised people who have the virus puttering around longer in their system—not for 17 days like me, but for months. The body can’t clear the virus completely. You’ve created ideal circumstances for reassortment, recombination.

 

Another issue is that we don’t have a good handle on numbers because we never got testing, right?

 

What if I said to you that antigens, those rapid at-home tests we all use now, were bad for our public health? It’s stupid that antigen tests were approved without the requirement to report positive cases.

 

How would you enforce that?

 

Through technology. It’s not that hard to build the technology to do automatic reporting. There’s now a class of at-home molecular tests that can already do that. They’re almost as good as PCR tests.

 

Aren’t those more expensive?

 

The only thing that makes them expensive is the lack of scale. Right now we can get antigen tests for as little as $5. If you’re doing a billion molecular tests, you can bring the cost down as well.

 

When those molecular tests go to the FDA for approval, they say that all positives should be reported. That makes them much better than antigen tests, which are great at the back end of the disease when you’re trying to determine if you’re still infectious. But they're terrible for the first two days, when the rate of false negatives is so high. Between the false negatives and the fact that they don’t report into public health, antigen tests are dangerous to the public health.

 

Would you ban them?

 

I would regulate them.

Italien / Lombardei - Como

 

Life Electric by Daniel Libeskind

 

Life Electric von Daniel Libeskind

 

Como (Italian: [ˈkɔːmo] locally [ˈkoːmo] Comasco: Còmm [ˈkɔm],[ Cómm [ˈkom] or Cùmm [ˈkum]; Latin: Novum Comum) is a city and comune (municipality) in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como.

 

Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps has made Como a tourist destination, and the city contains numerous works of art, churches, gardens, museums, theatres, parks, and palaces: the Duomo, seat of the Diocese of Como; the Basilica of Sant'Abbondio; the Villa Olmo; the public gardens with the Tempio Voltiano; the Teatro Sociale; the Broletto or the city's medieval town hall; and the 20th-century Casa del Fascio.

 

Como was the birthplace of many historical figures, including the poet Caecilius mentioned by Catullus in the first century BCE, writers Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, Pope Innocent XI, scientist Alessandro Volta, and Cosima Liszt, second wife of Richard Wagner and long-term director of the Bayreuth Festival, and Antonio Sant'Elia (1888–1916), a futurist architect and a pioneer of the modern movement.

 

History

 

Ancient History

 

The hills surrounding the current location of Como were inhabited, since at least the Iron Age, by a Celtic tribe known as the Orobii, who also, according to Pliny the Elder and modern scholars, had relations with the Ancient Ligurians, a people very similar to the Celts. Remains of settlements are still present on the wood-covered hills to the southwest of town, around the area of the modern town's district of Rebbio. In the areas of the districts of Breccia, Prestino and the neighbouring towns of San Fermo della Battaglia and Cavallasca there were also settlements of the Golasecca Culture, built in the Iron Age. Later, a second Celtic migration brought the Gaulish peoples in the area of Como, especially the tribe of the Insubres.

 

Around the first century BC, the territory became subject to the Romans. The town centre was situated on the nearby hills, but it was then moved to its current location by order of Julius Caesar, who had the swamp near the southern tip of the lake drained and laid the plan of the walled city in the typical Roman grid of perpendicular streets. The newly founded town was named Novum Comum and had the status of municipium. In September 2018, Culture Minister Alberto Bonisoli announced the discovery of several hundred gold coins in the basement of the former Cressoni Theater (Teatro Cressoni) in a two-handled soapstone amphora, coins struck by emperors Honorius, Valentinian III, Leo I the Thracian, Antonio and Libius Severus dating to 474 AD.

 

Early Middle Ages

 

After the so-called "fall of the Western Roman Empire", the history of Como followed that of the rest of Lombardy, being occupied by the Goths, the Byzantines, and later the Langobards. The Langobards were a significant people in the region. Originating in Scandinavia, this Germanic group arrived in the Po Valley in 568, led by King Alboin. The Langobards established the Lombard Kingdom, which initially encompassed only modern-day Northern Italy, but later expanded to include Tuscany, Umbria, and portions of Southern Italy. Under Lombard rule, Como continued to flourish, particularly due to the reconstruction of Queen Theudelind's road, which connected Germany and the Italian Peninsula, providing the town with strategic access to commerce. In 774, Como surrendered to the invading Franks led by Charlemagne and subsequently became a center of commercial exchange.

 

Communal Era

 

The Commune of Como likely originated in the 11th century as an "association of prestigious families on a treaty basis," bound by an oath of adhesion to the commune, which was renewed periodically in front of municipal authorities until the 1200s, and later in the presence of the mayor. Despite resistance from parts of the feudal nobility of the diocese, this pact quickly extended to the entire free male population of the town. This expansion aimed to strengthen the political independence of Como and its diocese, especially from neighboring Milan, and to affirm the sovereignty of the bishop of Como. The bishop soon became the de facto "head of state", while an assembly of citizens convened in the "Broletto" (Town Hall), called "Brolo". This assembly consisted of representatives of the local nobility, known as consuls, and later included representatives of the guilds. The Commune had a set of laws and conventions that regulated urban activities, commerce, agriculture, fishing, hunting, law enforcement, and taxation.

 

The first explicit written mention of the Commune of Como dates back to 1109. Initially, the deliberative assembly of the commune was likely the plenary assembly. In the early 12th century, the role of this assembly was assumed by the council (or "Credenza"), known after 1213 as the "General council" or "Bell council". From the second half of the 13th century, this assembly was divided into a large and a small council. Starting in 1109, the communal organization included an executive body called the "collegial magistracy of the consuls". Before 1172, this body was divided into two institutions: the consuls of justice and the consuls of the municipality. In the early 13th century, the latter were replaced by the podestà, who had broader special powers in criminal matters.

 

The territory of the Commune extended beyond the town of Como itself, encompassing the entire diocese, which included most of present-day Province of Como, modern-day Canton of Ticino, Valtellina, Valchiavenna, and Colico. Thanks to its strategic position on Lake Como and the important Road of Queen Theudelind, which linked the Italian Peninsula with Germany: the heart of the Holy Roman Empire, Como quickly became a wealthy and powerful town.

 

During this period of growth, Como and Milan quickly became rivals. The Commune of Milan experienced significant population growth but lacked strategic communication routes. Consequently, Milan planned to conquer neighboring territories to gain access to their strategic positions. Tensions first arose over the County of Seprio, as both communes sought control of the area. Meanwhile, Milan acted aggressively against other Lombard towns, leading to the outbreak of the war of Lodi when soldiers from Lodi, Pavia, and Cremona attacked Tortona, an ally of Milan. In this conflict, Milan, supported by Crema and Tortona, fought against the communes of Lodi, Pavia, and Cremona, ultimately achieving a significant victory that established Milan as the dominant power in Lombardy.

 

This left the Commune of Como as Milan's only remaining rival. Tensions escalated when Emperor Henry IV appointed Landolfo da Carcano, who sympathized with Milan, as the bishop of Como. In response, the people of Como elected Guido Grimoldi as their bishop and exiled Landolfo. Despite his exile, Landolfo continued to interfere in Como's affairs, prompting the town to besiege his castle under the leadership of consul Adamo del Pero. Landolfo was captured and imprisoned, igniting a crisis between Como and Milan, as Milanese soldiers had defended Landolfo's castle.

 

This conflict led to the Decennial War between Como and Milan in 1118. The war is well-documented thanks to an anonymous poet who recorded the events in a poem titled "Liber Cumanus, sive de bello Mediolanensium adversus Comenses". Initially, Como seemed to prevail due to smart tactics, but after the death of Guido Grimoldi, the tide turned, and Como lost the war in 1127. Milanese soldiers destroyed every building in Como, sparing only the churches.

 

After the war, the Commune was forced to pay tribute to Milan. However, this changed when Frederick Barbarossa came to power and restored Como's independence from Milan. The Comaschi avenged their defeat when Milan was destroyed in 1162. Frederick promoted the construction of several defensive towers and small castles around the town's limits, of which only the Baradello remains. He also assisted the town in rebuilding its defensive walls, most of which still survive today.

 

When the Guelph communes organized the Lombard League to oppose the Holy Roman Emperor, Como maintained its Ghibelline alignment. Frederick I Barbarossa formally recognized the Commune of Como with an imperial diploma in 1175 (Concession of Frederick I 1175), allowing the town to elect the mayors of the county. This was a reward for Como's defection from the Lombard League and its shared anti-Milan policy. Subsequent agreements in 1191 and 1216 saw Emperors Henry VI and Frederick II extend additional concessions to Como, similar to those made in the Peace of Constance to the cities participating in the League.

 

In 1281, Como adopted its first written legislative code, the "Statuta Consulum Iustitie et Negotiatorum", followed by a second code in 1296.

 

The rise of Rusca/Rusconi family to power

 

In the second half of the 12th century, the Rusca family (also known as Rusconi) began to gain prominence in the town of Como. The Rusca were a noble family originating in Como in the 10th century. They led the Ghibelline faction in the town, with their principal rivals being the members of the Vitani family.

 

In 1182, Giovanni Rusca became a consul of the commune and was later appointed podestà of Milan in 1199, thanks to his abilities during a peace treaty with the rival city. Between 1194 and 1198, he was joined by two other relatives, Adamo and Loterio, who also became consuls of Como. The Rusca quickly became the most influential family in Como, with several members attempting to establish a lordship over the town with varying degrees of success.

 

Loterio Rusca was the first to attempt this goal. He was acclaimed "Lord of the People" in 1276 and, with the trust of the Comaschi, he began his rise to power. However, he faced resistance from the bishop of Como, Giovanni degli Avvocati, who was consequently exiled. Giovanni was hosted by the Visconti of Milan, providing Ottone Visconti with a pretext to start a new war against Como. Unexpectedly, Loterio prevailed and signed a favorable peace treaty with Milan in the town of Lomazzo. Milan was forced to recognize Loterio as the ruler of their rival town and return the town of Bellinzona to Como.

 

Thanks to this success, the family secured titles such as Lords of Como, Bellinzona, Chiavenna, and Valtellina, as well as Counts of Locarno, Lugano, and Luino. Following Loterio's death, the next notable family member was Franchino I Rusca, who established a personal lordship over Como and its territories and became an imperial vicar.

 

In 1335, a new war between Como and Milan broke out due to the expiration of conditions established in Lomazzo. This time, under the leadership of Azzone Visconti, Milan won the war and Como was annexed to the Duchy of Milan. The people of Como sought to regain their administrative freedom, and an opportunity arose in 1402 when Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan, died. Franchino II Rusca led a rebellion against the Milanese, which ended in 1412 when his son, Loterio IV Rusca, gained the title of Lord of Como and drove out the Milanese occupiers. However, this did not end the political unrest, and a period of conflicts and massacres ensued until Como once again fell under the control of Filippo Maria Visconti, becoming part of the Duchy of Milan in 1416.

 

At the Duke's death, Como reclaimed its independence, and in 1447, the "Republic of Saint Abundius" was founded. In January 1449, Francesco Sforza, who claimed the title of Duke of Milan (though the city was under the control of the Ambrosian Republic), sent Giuseppe Ventimiglia to attack Como. He was repelled by the citizens led by Giovanni della Noce, forcing him to retreat to Cantù, in Brianza. Monzone assisted the Rusca against the Vitani, who were Guelphs allied with the Milanese, ultimately defeating them with Ghibelline forces. In April 1449, Ventimiglia attacked Como again, and in January 1450, he unsuccessfully attacked the Ambrosian garrisons in Monza, intended to reunite with the Venetians of Colleoni to support Milan against Sforza. These events, known as the Battles of Cantù and Asso, culminated in March 1450 when Como was defeated following the fall of the Ambrosian Republic, due to exhaustion and lack of resources. Como was definitively subjected to the reconstituted Duchy of Milan under Francesco Sforza, who in 1458 profoundly reformed the Statutes of Como.

 

Modern Era

 

Subsequently, the history of Como followed that of the Duchy of Milan, through the French invasion and the Spanish domination, until 1714, when the territory was taken by the Austrians. Napoleon descended into Lombardy in 1796 and ruled it until 1815, when the Austrian rule was resumed after the Congress of Vienna. By 1848, the population had reached 16,000. In 1859, with the arrival of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the town became part of the newly formed Kingdom of Italy under the House of Savoy.

 

20th century

 

The Rockefeller fountain that today stands in the Bronx Zoo in New York City was once in the main square (Piazza Cavour) by the lakeside. It was bought by William Rockefeller in 1902 for Lire 3,500 (the estimated equivalent then of $637).

 

At the end of World War II, after passing through Como on his escape towards Switzerland, Benito Mussolini was taken prisoner and then shot by partisans in Giulino di Mezzegra, a small town on the north shores of Lake Como.

 

21st century

 

In 2010, a motion by members of the nationalist Swiss People's Party was submitted to the Swiss parliament requesting the admission of adjacent territories to the Swiss Confederation; Como (and its province) is one of these.

 

Geography and Climate

 

Situated at the southern tip of the south-west arm of Lake Como, the city is located 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Milan; the city proper borders Switzerland and the communes of Blevio, Brunate, Capiago Intimiano, Casnate con Bernate, Cernobbio, Grandate, Lipomo, Maslianico, Montano Lucino, San Fermo della Battaglia, Senna Comasco, Tavernerio, and Torno, and the Swiss towns of Chiasso and Vacallo. Nearby major cities are Varese, Lecco, and Lugano.

 

Climate

 

According to the Köppen climate classification, Como has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa); until the late 20th century winters used to be quite cold, with average daily temperatures well below freezing; recently, occasional periods of frost from the Siberian Anticyclone have been recorded; however, due to global warming average temperatures in winter have gradually risen since the turn of the 21st century, reaching a record high of 21 degrees Celsius (70 °F) on 27 January 2024; spring and autumn are well marked and pleasant, while summer can be quite hot and sultry. Wind is uncommon although sudden bursts of foehn have been registered in different occasions. Pollution levels rise significantly in winter when cold air clings to the soil. Rain is more frequent during spring; summer is subject to thunderstorms and occasionally violent hailstorms.

 

Economy

 

The economy of Como, until the end of the 1980s, was traditionally based on industry; in particular, the city was world-famous for its silk manufacturers, and in 1972 its production exceeded that of China and Japan, but since the mid-1990s increasing competition from Asia has significantly reduced profit margins and many small and mid-sized firms have gone out of business. As a consequence, manufacturing is no longer the economic driver, and the city has been absorbed into Milan's metropolitan area where it mainly provides workers to the service industry sector. A significant number of residents are employed in the nearby Swiss towns Lugano and Mendrisio, primarily in the industrial sector, health care services and in the hospitality industry; the 30 km (19 mi) commute is beneficial as wages in Switzerland are notably higher. For these reasons, tourism has become increasingly important for the city's economy since the late 1990s, when local small businesses have gradually been replaced by bars, restaurants and hotels. With about 400 thousand overnight guests in 2023, Como was one of the most visited cities in Lombardy.

 

The city and the lake have been chosen as the filming location for various recent popular feature films, and this, together with the increasing presence of celebrities such as Matt Bellamy who have bought lakeside properties, has heightened the city's attractiveness and given a further boost to international tourism; since the early 2000s the city has become a popular "must-see" tourist destination in Italy.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Life Electric (sometimes referred to as The Life Electric) is a contemporary sculpture by Daniel Libeskind, dedicated to the physicist Alessandro Volta (1745–1827). Completed in 2015, it is installed on the breakwater (Diga Foranea) in Lake Como, Como, Italy.

 

The work was commissioned by the non-profit association Amici di Como. Libeskind, who established an architecture school in Como in 1988, donated the design to the city. Project documents state the design relates to the Rationalism movement in architecture, prominent in Como in the 1920s-1930s.

 

History

 

Construction of Life Electric began in September 2014. The estimated cost for the construction and pier reinforcement was reported as €599,926.07. While Libeskind donated the design, the construction costs, including work to reinforce the pier, were funded by the Amici di Como through donations. The technical project review was conducted by architect/engineer Antonio Gianmarco Martorana Capsoni and validated by Mercury Engineering SpA.

 

The initial target completion date was 1 May 2015, coinciding with the opening of Expo 2015 in Milan. However, the project experienced delays, reportedly including 19 days due to weather and 25 days for a summer break. Construction finished in August 2015, after approximately 119 additional days.

 

The official inauguration took place on 2 October 2015. Attendees included the mayor of Como, Daniel Libeskind and his family, Luigi Martino Volta (a descendant of Alessandro Volta), and actress Nastassja Kinski. Events included a reception at the Yacht Club Como and a presentation at the Aero Club Como hangar. A local ice cream shop created a flavor named "Life Electric" for the occasion.

 

Location

 

Life Electric is situated at the end of the Diga Foranea breakwater (pier), which extends into Lake Como. This pier, named after the physicist Piero Caldirola, required structural consolidation to support the sculpture. The location places the sculpture between two other local landmarks associated with Volta: the Tempio Voltiano museum and the Faro Voltiano lighthouse. The pier is publicly accessible via the Lungolago Mafalda di Savoia promenade. The placement was intended to provide high visibility for the artwork.

 

Structure

 

The sculpture stands 13.75 meters (45.1 ft) tall, or 14.25 meters (46.8 ft) including its base.[ It consists of two opposing sine wave-like forms made of calendared steel clad in 6 mm thick stainless steel (type 316) panels. The total weight is approximately 11,000 kg (11 t; 12.1 short tons).

 

At the base, a circular stone wall (75 cm high) contains a shallow pool of water (10 cm deep) intended to reflect the monument. The base was designed to allow seating underneath the structure. Due to its size and weight, the sculpture components were transported across Lake Como by barge and assembled on the pier using a crane.

 

The pier's structure required reinforcement before installation, involving underwater work by divers in early 2015. The sculpture incorporates a waterproof LED lighting system with over 300 points and smoke effects, designed for nighttime illumination, while the polished steel surfaces reflect the surrounding lake and landscape during the day.

 

Design Concept

 

According to the architect, the form of Life Electric is inspired by the electric tension between the two poles of a battery, honoring Alessandro Volta's invention. The project description positions the sculpture as an "idealistic third pole" connecting the nearby Voltiano Lighthouse and Voltiano Temple. The design is intended to evoke connections between light, wind, and water. Libeskind stated the work aims "to create geometries that connect the sky, lake and mountains," reflecting the Lake Como landscape and metaphorically representing Volta's scientific contributions.

 

The Life Electric is inspired by the electric tension between two poles of a battery, the great gift from Volta to the humanity.

 

— Daniel Libeskind, As described in Como municipal project documentation

 

Public Reaction and Controversy

 

The project generated public debate in Como. In October 2014, the local political group Adesso Como initiated a petition calling for a referendum on whether the sculpture should be installed at the proposed location. Concerns were raised by some citizens and architects regarding the potential visual impact of the large-scale sculpture on the lake's landscape. By December 2014, the petition reportedly gathered 4,478 signatures, exceeding the threshold required to request a referendum.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

However, in August 2015, the municipal government (giunta) decided not to proceed with the referendum. Reasons cited included the advanced stage of construction and the estimated cost of holding the referendum (€180,559).[23][22]

  

Como (früherer deutscher Name: Chum) ist eine Stadt in der italienischen Region Lombardei mit 83.361 Einwohnern (Stand 31. Dezember 2022) und Hauptort der Provinz Como. Die Stadt liegt 45 Kilometer nördlich von Mailand, am gleichnamigen See und an der Grenze zum Kanton Tessin (Schweiz).

 

Geografie

 

Como liegt am Fuß der italienischen Voralpen, am Südwestende des Comer Sees, der sich auf der Höhe von Menaggio nach Süden in zwei Arme (Lago di Como und Lago di Lecco) teilt. Weil der Abfluss des Comer Sees, die Adda, den See bei Lecco verlässt und der andere Arm des Sees keinen Abfluss hat, wird zu Zeiten der Schneeschmelze und besonders starker Niederschläge, ganz besonders bei Nordwind, der das Wasser gegen Como staut, die Stadt fast jährlich von Hochwasser heimgesucht. Die Stadt liegt verkehrsgünstig an der Eisenbahnlinie Mailand–Zürich und an der Autostrada A9, die sich in der Schweiz als A2 fortsetzt, was zur Ansiedlung vieler Industriebetriebe geführt hat. Como ist die größte Stadt der schweizerisch-italienischen Metropolregion Tessin, die insgesamt mehr als 500.000 Einwohner hat.

 

Die Nachbargemeinden sind: Blevio, Brunate, Capiago Intimiano, Casnate con Bernate, Cavallasca, Cernobbio, Grandate, Lipomo, Maslianico, Montano Lucino, San Fermo della Battaglia, Senna Comasco, Tavernerio, Torno, Chiasso (CH-TI) und Vacallo (CH-TI).

 

Klima

 

Der Winter in Como wird durch den mildernden Einfluss der Wassermassen des Sees relativ stark beeinflusst. Die Tiefsttemperaturen im November, Dezember, Januar, Februar und manchmal auch im März können in der Regel unter den Nullpunkt sinken und gehen meist mit einer hohen Luftfeuchtigkeit einher. Der Nebel, der für die nahe gelegene Brianza und die Poebene charakteristisch ist, fehlt hingegen völlig und ist nur teilweise jenseits der Hügel südlich des so genannten „Convalle“, d. h. des Stadtzentrums, vorhanden. Schneefall ist relativ häufig, wenn auch je nach Winter unregelmäßig, wobei die durchschnittlichen jährlichen Schneemengen vom Tal (ca. 20/30 cm pro Jahr) bis zu den Vorstädten (ca. 40/50 cm pro Jahr) ansteigen. Die letzten bedeutenden Schneefälle waren am 24. und 25. Februar 2013, am 13., 14. und 15. Dezember 2012, am 31. Januar, 1. und 2. Februar 2012, am 17. Dezember 2010, am 21. und 22. Dezember 2009, am 2. Februar und 6. und 7. Januar 2009 sowie am 26., 27. und 28. Januar 2006. Im Februar 2012 blieb der Schnee aufgrund der sehr niedrigen Temperaturen länger liegen, mit Höchstwerten unter Null sogar im Zentrum für fast eine Woche.

 

Der Sommer ist relativ heiß, auch wenn die Spitzenzeiten relativ kurz sind (nicht mehr als zwei aufeinanderfolgende Wochen). Gelegentlich können die Temperaturen 35 bis 36 °C erreichen. Die Niederschlagsmenge ist mit durchschnittlich 1500 mm pro Jahr recht hoch und liegt in den nördlichsten Bezirken noch höher. Das Gebiet hat eine starke Neigung zu Unwettern. In der Gemeinde gibt es Unterschiede bei den nächtlichen Mindestwerten zwischen den Vierteln, je nachdem, ob sie nächtlichen Brisen ausgesetzt sind oder nicht. Während der Sommersaison sind die Temperaturen in den am See gelegenen Bezirken aufgrund der Seebrise am Morgen oft niedriger als in den Bezirken im Landesinneren, doch gleichen sich die Temperaturen am Nachmittag aufgrund der Drehung des Windes oft aus.

 

Geschichte

 

Das Gebiet auf den Hügeln südlich des Comer Sees wies seit dem 10. Jahrhundert vor Christus eine dichte dörfliche Besiedlung auf. Nach einer Blütephase im 5. Jahrhundert vor Christus kam es nach den Einfällen der Kelten zu einem Niedergang. Laut dem älteren Cato soll Comum (wie die Römer Como nannten) vom Stamm der Orobier gegründet worden sein. Iustinus gibt an, dass Comum eine Gründung der Gallier war, nachdem diese Norditalien erobert hatten; allerdings spezifiziert Iustinus den diesbezüglichen gallischen Stamm nicht näher. Die Siedlung wird nur einmal während der Kriege zwischen Römern und Galliern 196 v. Chr. erwähnt, als der Konsul Marcus Claudius Marcellus Comenses (Name der Einwohner von Comum) und Insubrer besiegte und Comum eroberte. Nach der Unterwerfung von Gallia cisalpina dürfte sich eine Anzahl römischer Siedler in Comum niedergelassen haben. Doch diese erlitten durch Einfälle der benachbarten Räter immer wieder Schäden. Um 89 v. Chr. schickte Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo beträchtlich mehr Siedler nach Comum und machte es zu einer Kolonie latinischen Rechts, die bald darauf um weitere 3000 Kolonisten verstärkt wurde. Gaius Iulius Caesar siedelte 59 v. Chr. 5000 weitere Kolonisten, darunter 500 angesehene Griechen, in der Stadt an. Diese bekam nun den Namen Novum Comum. Kurz vor Ausbruch des Bürgerkriegs zwischen Caesar und Pompeius suchten die Feinde Caesars diesen dadurch zu treffen, dass sie Comum den privilegierten Status einer Kolonie latinischen Rechts wieder entziehen lassen wollten. Nach Caesars erfolgreichem Vormarsch nach Italien verlieh er aber 49 v. Chr. den Einwohnern von Comum zusammen mit jenen der übrigen Gemeinden der Gallia Transpadana das römische Bürgerrecht.

 

Seit augusteischer Zeit war die Stadt ein municipium und wurde allgemein nur Comum genannt. Der Ort war wohlhabend; er hatte eine wichtige Eisenindustrie und die Ufer des Sees waren mit Villen übersät. Er war der Ausgangspunkt für die Überfahrt über den See, um zum Splügenpass und zum Septimerpass zu kommen (siehe auch Chiavenna). Como war der Geburtsort sowohl Plinius des Älteren als auch Plinius des Jüngeren. Letzterer gründete hier Bäder und eine Bibliothek und spendete Geld zur Unterstützung von Waisen. Im späten Kaiserreich gab es einen praefectus classis Comensis und Comum wurde als starke Festung betrachtet. Noch heute zeigt die Stadt den planimetrischen Grundriss des römischen castrum. Reste der römischen Umfassungsmauer verlaufen unterirdisch parallel zu den noch sichtbaren mittelalterlichen Stadtmauern.

 

Como litt erheblich unter den frühen germanischen Invasionen. Viele der Einwohner nahmen auf der Isola Comacina bei Sala Zuflucht, kehrten aber in der langobardischen Zeit zurück. In dieser Zeit begannen die Magistri Comacini eine privilegierte Zunft der Architekten und Steinmetze zu gründen, die auch in anderen Teilen Italiens beschäftigt wurden. Como kam dann unter die Herrschaft der Erzbischöfe von Mailand, gewann gegen Ende des 11. Jahrhunderts aber seine Freiheit wieder. Zu Beginn des 12. Jahrhunderts brach zwischen Como und Mailand Krieg aus, nach zehn Jahren wurde Como eingenommen und seine Befestigungen wurden 1127 geschleift. 1154 zog es aus der Ankunft Friedrich Barbarossas Vorteil und blieb ihm während des ganzen Krieges mit dem Lombardenbund treu. Im Jahre 1169 verwüstete Como die Isola Comacina, die von Mailand gegen Como befestigt worden war. 1183 erhielt Como im Konstanzer Frieden wie alle lombardischen Kommunen die Unabhängigkeit. Im 13. Jahrhundert wurde Como Zeuge der erbitterten Kämpfe zwischen den Vittani (Guelfen) und den Rusconi (Ghibellinen). Nach häufigen Kämpfen mit Mailand fiel Como von 1335 bis 1447 unter die Macht der Visconti. Nach einer kurzen Zeit der Unabhängigkeit als Repubblica di Sant’Abbondio unterwarf sich Como 1450 Francesco Sforza, dem Herzog von Mailand. 1521 wurde Como von den Spaniern belagert und geplündert und fiel wie der Rest der Lombardei unter die spanische Herrschaft. Im Frieden von Rastatt kam Como zusammen mit dem Gebiet Mailands 1714 an Österreich, später zur Cisalpinischen Republik, zum napoleonischen Königreich Italien und wieder zu Österreich. In der napoleonischen Ära war es die Hauptstadt des Départements Lario. Seine Seidenindustrie und die Lage am Eingang der Alpenpässe verliehen ihm selbst da einige Bedeutung. Como trug in den „Fünf Tagen“ im März 1848 (Cinque giornate) zusammen mit Mailand wesentlich zu den nationalen Aufständen gegen die österreichische Garnison bei. 1859 empfing Como Giuseppe Garibaldi nach dem Sieg von San Fermo als Befreier von der österreichischen Herrschaft.

 

1885 wurden die Gemeinden Camerlata und Monte Olimpino eingemeindet.

 

Wirtschaft

 

Comos Wirtschaftsleben basiert hauptsächlich auf Tourismus und Industrie. Die Stadt besitzt unter anderem eine weltbekannte Seiden-Manufaktur.

 

Die im Jahr 1940 von Toblach nach Como verlegte elektrotechnische Produktionsgesellschaft UNDA von Max Glauber kam wegen zu schneller Ausweitung der Produktion nach dem Krieg in Zahlungsschwierigkeiten, wurde verkauft und 1962 definitiv geschlossen.

 

Verkehr

 

Die Stadt liegt direkt an der Grenze zur Schweiz; die Grenze befindet sich im unmittelbar benachbarten schweizerischen Chiasso.

 

(Wikipedia)

Where Has Democracy Gone?

Are the impacts of immigration and/or globalization the reasons for the actual crises in the world?

What Anglo-Saxons use to call “globalisation” in order to express the increase of trades around the world, is in fact an economic revolution triggered by technology which started more than a quarter of a century ago. Technology driven societies have transformed the world deeply and calmly but being the norm today they determine the entire world system of the 21st century and our regards towards democracy. Nowadays, we are questioning ourselves whether globalization is useful for African and Asian countries, or whether we are going to continue complaining about this situation like most European countries are likely to do or the United States which has elected D. Trump with his slogan “America First” for president in order to protect themselves against globalization? However, we have to face the facts and the reality of the actual conditions teaching us that the impact of the globalization will be even more important than the industrial revolution which had started about 300 years ago.

Being aware of the fact that communication and mutual understanding is the oxygen of a sustainable peace and assuming that the actual democracy of The People (German: “Das Volk”) is not in the position to manage these four different groups because they lack common interests, they don’t share common goals and above all, they have a low understanding of global facts, it is possibly maybe necessary to develop and extend and if necessary to substitute the actual deliberative Democracy by a pluralistic Expertocracy. Pluralistic Expertocracy refers to models whereby the votes of those, who have a proven better knowledge about important questions of a country, about critical political and societal issues, who have less prejudices, etc., are weighted higher than of those who do not fulfill such kind of criteria. And these criteria have to be fulfilled by the political candidates respectively actors as well.

Can we summarize, that the so-called dictatorship in Africa is a form of Expertocracy, as it is a common practice in several African countries that the language of public administration, services and education is that of their former colonial “masters”, meaning that the population do not understand what the political leaders are saying, planing or doing respectively? How and when will the population be taken into consideration as conversational partner?

Can the causality of south-south and south-north immigration be explained by the failures of the world system in terms of the international order and the redistribution of world resources? How to establish the new world order without a war?

 

The reality of globalization evolved four categories of people:

1. “The non-political Bohémien”, who is not interested in politics at all

2. “The Hooligan”, a type of political believer, who forms him/herself in groups of political activists

3. “The Vulcanian”, the rational intellectual, who is politically interested, who wants to break with the traditional belonging of the left or right wings

4. “The Terrorist”, the violent believer, who doesn’t respect anything else than his/her own believe and uses violence as language of communication.

In terms of these four character groups above, there is a further question: Is the impact of immigration (mass migration), discrimination and related societal conflicts an extended problem of the societal dysfunction in the Western hemisphere?

Am Podium diskutierten Dr. Yves Ekoué Amaïzo, Cindy Nägeli-Dupont, Dr. Camillus E. Konkwo, Dr. Jean-Alain Ngapout, Mag. Simone Prenner, Hubert Mvogo, Mag. Sintayehu Tsehay

Moderation: Dr. Di-Tutu Bukasa

   

Due to their more open and deliberative nature, democracies are perceived as more vulnerable to conflict and violence. Even in established democracies, the role of democracy itself in underpinning national security and international stability is in doubt.

 

In June 2016, the Community of Democracies, an international forum dedicated to common action among democracies, launched the Democracy and Security Dialogue to foster greater collaboration among democracies to improve security outcomes and create a better environment for strengthening democracy around the world. Former Prime Minister of Tunisia Mehdi Jomaa, and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright co-chaired the initiative, which was designed to combine top-quality research on democracy and security with a participatory consultation process.

 

On September 13, as governments gathered in Washington for the 9th ministerial conference of the Community of Democracies, Foreign Policy at Brookings hosted Secretary Albright and Prime Minister Jomaa to launch the Dialogue’s final report. The co-chairs were joined by the two principal researchers for the report—Cheryl Frank, head of Transnational Threats and International Crime Programme for the Institute for Security Studies, and Ted Piccone, senior fellow in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings—for a discussion of the findings and what they tell us about the links between democracy and security.

 

Brookings President Strobe Talbott provided introductory remarks.

 

Photo credit: Sharon Farmer

1812 N St. NW

Henry Martyn Robert (May 2, 1837 – May 11, 1923) was the author of Robert's Rules of Order, which became the most widely used manual of parliamentary procedure and remains today the most common parliamentary authority in the United States.

 

Robert was born in Robertville, South Carolina and raised in Ohio, where his father moved the family because of his strong opposition to slavery. After graduating fourth in his class at West Point in 1857 he became a military engineer.

 

Under command of Silas Casey during the Pig War he built the fortifications on San Juan Island. In the American Civil War, he was assigned to the Corp of Engineers and worked on the defenses of Washington, Philadelphia, and several New England ports.

 

Robert served as Engineer of the Army's Division of the Pacific from 1867-1871. He then spent two years improving rivers in Oregon and Washington and six years developing the harbors of Green Bay and other northern Wisconsin and Michigan ports. He subsequently improved the harbors of Oswego, Philadelphia, and Long Island Sound and constructed locks and dams on the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers. As Southwest Division Engineer from 1897 to 1901, Robert studied how to deepen the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River.

 

Robert was president of the Board of Engineers from 1895 to 1901. He was made brigadier general on April 30, 1901, and was appointed Chief of Engineers. He served until May 2, 1901, when he retired from the Army. Following his retirement, he chaired a board of engineers that designed the Galveston seawall following the Galveston Hurricane of 1900.

 

He died in Hornell, New York.

 

He is most famous for his Pocket Manual of Rules of Order for Deliberative Assemblies -- a collection of rules regarding paliamentary procedure, published in 1876. He wrote the manual in response to his poor performance in leading a church meeting. He resolved that he would learn about parliamentary procedure before attending another meeting. The rules are loosely based on procedures used in the House of Representatives but the rule book was not intended for use in national and state legislatures.

 

His son, Joseph T. Robert, would be the first president of Morehouse College. There is a dormitory on the campus named after him.

  

The reason for this photo can be summed up as follows: "The Scottish referendum of 1979 was a post-legislative referendum to decide whether there was sufficient support for a Scottish Assembly proposed in the Scotland Act 1978 among the Scottish electorate. This was an act to create a devolved deliberative assembly for Scotland. An amendment to the Act stipulated that it would be repealed if fewer than 40% of the total electorate voted Yes in the referendum. The result was that 51.6% supported the proposal, but with a turnout of 64%, this represented only 32.9% of the registered electorate. The Act was subsequently repealed."

Collecting signatures in advance of the referendum was the SNP's Andrew Welsh MP, with two gentlemen who were in little doubt as to where their loyalties lay.

Where Has Democracy Gone?

Are the impacts of immigration and/or globalization the reasons for the actual crises in the world?

What Anglo-Saxons use to call “globalisation” in order to express the increase of trades around the world, is in fact an economic revolution triggered by technology which started more than a quarter of a century ago. Technology driven societies have transformed the world deeply and calmly but being the norm today they determine the entire world system of the 21st century and our regards towards democracy. Nowadays, we are questioning ourselves whether globalization is useful for African and Asian countries, or whether we are going to continue complaining about this situation like most European countries are likely to do or the United States which has elected D. Trump with his slogan “America First” for president in order to protect themselves against globalization? However, we have to face the facts and the reality of the actual conditions teaching us that the impact of the globalization will be even more important than the industrial revolution which had started about 300 years ago.

Being aware of the fact that communication and mutual understanding is the oxygen of a sustainable peace and assuming that the actual democracy of The People (German: “Das Volk”) is not in the position to manage these four different groups because they lack common interests, they don’t share common goals and above all, they have a low understanding of global facts, it is possibly maybe necessary to develop and extend and if necessary to substitute the actual deliberative Democracy by a pluralistic Expertocracy. Pluralistic Expertocracy refers to models whereby the votes of those, who have a proven better knowledge about important questions of a country, about critical political and societal issues, who have less prejudices, etc., are weighted higher than of those who do not fulfill such kind of criteria. And these criteria have to be fulfilled by the political candidates respectively actors as well.

Can we summarize, that the so-called dictatorship in Africa is a form of Expertocracy, as it is a common practice in several African countries that the language of public administration, services and education is that of their former colonial “masters”, meaning that the population do not understand what the political leaders are saying, planing or doing respectively? How and when will the population be taken into consideration as conversational partner?

Can the causality of south-south and south-north immigration be explained by the failures of the world system in terms of the international order and the redistribution of world resources? How to establish the new world order without a war?

 

The reality of globalization evolved four categories of people:

1. “The non-political Bohémien”, who is not interested in politics at all

2. “The Hooligan”, a type of political believer, who forms him/herself in groups of political activists

3. “The Vulcanian”, the rational intellectual, who is politically interested, who wants to break with the traditional belonging of the left or right wings

4. “The Terrorist”, the violent believer, who doesn’t respect anything else than his/her own believe and uses violence as language of communication.

In terms of these four character groups above, there is a further question: Is the impact of immigration (mass migration), discrimination and related societal conflicts an extended problem of the societal dysfunction in the Western hemisphere?

Am Podium diskutierten Dr. Yves Ekoué Amaïzo, Cindy Nägeli-Dupont, Dr. Camillus E. Konkwo, Dr. Jean-Alain Ngapout, Mag. Simone Prenner, Hubert Mvogo, Mag. Sintayehu Tsehay

Moderation: Dr. Di-Tutu Bukasa

   

Please join us for the launch of a new report, "The State of African Resilience: Understanding Dimensions of Vulnerability and Adaptation," which identifies major dimensions of resilience from the perspective of more than a dozen vulnerable communities across sub-Saharan Africa. The report is based on the research and analysis of the ResilientAfrica Network (RAN), a partnership that includes fifteen African universities that are engaging with local communities to understand how best to prevent, mitigate, and overcome the recurrent shocks and stresses to which they are most vulnerable.

How are communities in Uganda contending with the effects of climate variability and post-conflict recovery? How are communities in South Africa addressing the link between HIV/AIDS and poverty? How are urban populations in Ghana addressing the economic and public health challenges associated with rapid urbanization? Bringing together faculty, students, and community members, the RAN is developing interventions designed to increase resilience capacity at the community level and, more broadly, making its data publicly available to allow for development practitioners in the future to more easily identify the vulnerabilities and existing capacities of communities.

The RAN, funded by USAID's Higher Education Solutions Network, is led by Makerere University in Uganda and co-led by Tulane University's Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy, in partnership with Stanford University.

Featuring:

 

David Ferguson

Director, Center for Development Innovation, U.S. Global Development Lab, USAID

 

William Bazeyo

Dean, School of Public Health, Makerere University

Chief of Party, RAN

 

Ky Luu

Executive Director, Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy, Tulane University

Co-Chief of Party, RAN

 

Lekan Ayo-Yusuf

Dean, University of Limpopo's Medical University of Southern Africa

Director, Southern Africa RILab

 

Dennis Chirawurah

Lecturer, University for Development Studies' School of Medicine

Director, West Africa RILab

 

James Fishkin

Professor of Communication, Stanford University

Director, Center for Deliberative Democracy, Stanford University

Programs

AFRICA PROGRAM

Topics

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND RECONSTRUCTION, FOOD AND WATER, ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE, DEVELOPMENT POLICY, GLOBAL PROSPERITY

 

New York, 29 September 2008

 

Statement by Dr. Thongloun SISOULITH, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Head of Delegation of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic at the General Debate of the 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

 

Mr. President,

 

First, let me express, on behalf of the Lao PDR Delegation, my heartfelt congratulations to you, a veteran diplomat of Nicaragua on your election as President of the 63rd Session of the UN General Assembly. I trust that with you at the Presidency, the work of the General Assembly is in good hands. I would also like to commend H.E. Srgjan Kerim for the effective manner in which he presided over our work during the previous session.

 

Mr. President,

 

The Lao PDR is of the belief that the United Nations remains an important and preeminent forum for addressing issues relating to international cooperation for economic development, peace and security, and human rights and the rule of law, based on dialogue, cooperation and consensus-building amongst States. For over half a century, the UN has played a crucial role in maintaining international peace and security and promoting the socio-economic advancement of member States, especially developing countries. Yet, as the world situation evolves ever more complex and unpredictable, the UN increasingly needs more robust and effective institutions. In our opinion, the UN reform must be comprehensive, transparent, inclusive and balanced and pursued in an effective and accountable manner. We must strengthen the role and authority of the General Assembly, including in questions related to international peace and security, as the chief deliberative, policy-making and representative organ of the UN. We must revitalize its work which must be guided by the principles of democracy, transparency and accountability. We must also reform the Security Council, turning it into a more democratic and representative organ, comprising both new permanent and non permanent members in order to enable it to better preserve and promote international peace and security. No less important, we must substantially reinforce the development pillars of the UN, which include the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, UNCTAD, Regional Commissions and the Development Account, enabling them to better support developing countries to achieve internationally agreed development goals, on the basis of their national development strategies.

 

In this context, we commend Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s reform efforts aimed at transforming the UN into a more responsive, dynamic, multi-functional and effective organization. The Secretary-General’s personal dedicated engagement for the cause of peace as well as his endeavours in search for solutions to the three global crises of finance, fuel and food deserve special recognition.

 

Mr. President,

 

The current difficult and complex situation in the field of disarmament continues to be a cause of concern. We recognize the threat posed by the permanent existence of nuclear weapons and the possible use or threat to use them. It is hence incumbent upon the nuclear States to honour their unequivocal commitment to work towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Renewed efforts are needed to resolve the impasse in achieving nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in all its aspects.

 

Mr. President,

 

While globalization brings with it numerous opportunities for economic development, the obstacles that the world faces deserve significant attention. Developing countries, in particular the most vulnerable groups, namely the least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS), have taken important steps to further integrate themselves into the global economy. Nevertheless, these countries remain beleaguered by poor-quality basic infrastructure, limited access to markets, capital, new technology, and low supply of finance and investment.

 

The sudden increase in oil and food prices has led to a period of economic instability in many countries. However, this global phenomenon has had a more amplified impact on developing countries, given their particular low financial and technical capacities to deal with sudden international shocks. To combat this problem, we stress the need for the full and effective implementation of the Rome Declaration and the establishment of a Global Food Bank and an International Food Fund to ensure long-term food security for developing countries, particularly the most vulnerable among them. In addition, the great untapped potential of these countries should be explored and exploited to the maximum extent, through increased investment and technology transfer by developed countries and other development partners for mutual benefit. We also emphasize that global energy policies should aim to support the efforts of developing countries, in particular LDCs to purge poverty and achieve sustainable development.

 

Thus, if developing countries are to be able to benefit truly from globalization, the international community must create a favorable environment that is conducive to development, whereby the interests of developing countries can be tangibly promoted. Therefore, grant aid and soft loans should be increased, appropriate measures to address the instability and weakness of commodity markets be undertaken, special and preferential tariffs for exports from developing countries, in particular from the most vulnerable groups among them be granted, debt sustainability be achieved, mechanism for technology transfers be improved and international financial architecture be reformed.

 

Mr. President,

 

The goal of achieving peace and prosperity remains the highest priority of the international community. Yet, this goal remains impeded by interstate conflict, terror, and unlawful unilateral sanctions and interventions. We are greatly distressed by the persistent conflict that has plagued the lives of the peoples of the Middle East for decades, particularly the Palestinian people who have been fighting for the exercise of their right to self-determination and Statehood. We are deeply saddened by the number of casualties and material damage inflicted upon the nations of Iraq and Afghanistan. And we remain troubled by the embargo that has been imposed on the Republic of Cuba by the Government of the United States of America, an act that is clearly not legally warranted and does not respond to the legitimate interests of the peoples of both nations. In this regard, the Lao PDR sincerely urges the parties concerned in the aforementioned conflicts to seek ways to peacefully resolve their differences. It is our fervent hope that the peoples living in these conflict-ridden areas could enjoy peace and prosperity as swiftly as possible.

  

Mr. President,

 

Unlike most calamities, global warming affects not only the livelihood of every being on the planet but also the course of human history. Climate change will become all the more worrisome, as it leads to many other social and economic problems that our world faces today. That is why there is a need for immediate global action to address climate change in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. In formulating policies confronting climate change, we should promote the integration of all three components of sustainable development that is economic development, social development, and environmental protection. In this respect, we call for the full implementation of the Bali Roadmap.

 

As widely expressed at the Millennium Development Goals High-level Event, the lack of effective implementation of the Internationally Agreed Development Goals (IADGs), including the MDGs remains a deep concern. Therefore, the highest priority should be given to securing the effective and full implementation of the agreed goals and commitments. In this context, we underscore the urgency to address the special needs of LDCs and LLDCs through the full, timely and effective implementation by all stakeholders of the Brussels Programme of Action and the Almaty Programme of Action, as called for in the 2005 World Summit Outcome.

 

Landlocked developing countries face a unique impediment in not having access to the sea. International cooperation is crucial to the success of the development goals of these countries. We therefore would like to stress the significance of the upcoming mid-term review of the Almaty Program of Action to be held on 2 and 3 October 2008 here in New York which should provide the international community with the opportunity to assess progress made, lessons learned, and constraints encountered in the implementation of the Almaty Program of Action. We hope that the session will galvanize the global partnership for development to assist landlocked developing countries in not only strengthening their effective participation in international trade and the world economy, but also in fulfilling the goals of internationally agreed development goals.

 

Mr. President,

 

Being a member country, Lao PDR is gratified to witness the continued stability, growing from strength to strength and deepening integration of ASEAN which is an important contribution to the maintenance of peace and further cooperation in the region and the world. A recent momentous and milestone event is the signing of the ASEAN Charter thus transforming ASEAN into a rule-based regional organization.

 

The Lao PDR continues to enjoy solid political stability and social order. Thus, our socio-economic development has registered significant achievements as reflected in high and sustained GDP growth . Notwithstanding these achievements, the Lao PDR still faces impediments. Rising oil prices, inflation and a global economic slowdown all stand in the way of our path to economic prosperity. This year, we are also experiencing a severe flood, inflicting huge material loss nationwide. Yet, in spite of all this, by improving the quality of basic infrastructure, human resources and cooperating with international partners, we are determined to pursue our twin strategies of poverty eradication and regional integration. At this pace, we hope to extricate our country from the shackles of underdevelopment by the year 2020.

 

Mr. President,

 

I can not conclude without reaffirming that development remains central and must come first for the intertwined peace and human rights to succeed. Therefore the full, timely and effective implementation of the outcomes of the major UN Summits and Conferences is indispensable. The Lao PDR reiterates its unshakable commitment to continued full cooperation with the international community in pursuit of a world free from fear and want, rooted in a new, just and equitable order. Together, I am sure, we will be able to reach new heights.

 

Thank you

Where Has Democracy Gone?

Are the impacts of immigration and/or globalization the reasons for the actual crises in the world?

What Anglo-Saxons use to call “globalisation” in order to express the increase of trades around the world, is in fact an economic revolution triggered by technology which started more than a quarter of a century ago. Technology driven societies have transformed the world deeply and calmly but being the norm today they determine the entire world system of the 21st century and our regards towards democracy. Nowadays, we are questioning ourselves whether globalization is useful for African and Asian countries, or whether we are going to continue complaining about this situation like most European countries are likely to do or the United States which has elected D. Trump with his slogan “America First” for president in order to protect themselves against globalization? However, we have to face the facts and the reality of the actual conditions teaching us that the impact of the globalization will be even more important than the industrial revolution which had started about 300 years ago.

Being aware of the fact that communication and mutual understanding is the oxygen of a sustainable peace and assuming that the actual democracy of The People (German: “Das Volk”) is not in the position to manage these four different groups because they lack common interests, they don’t share common goals and above all, they have a low understanding of global facts, it is possibly maybe necessary to develop and extend and if necessary to substitute the actual deliberative Democracy by a pluralistic Expertocracy. Pluralistic Expertocracy refers to models whereby the votes of those, who have a proven better knowledge about important questions of a country, about critical political and societal issues, who have less prejudices, etc., are weighted higher than of those who do not fulfill such kind of criteria. And these criteria have to be fulfilled by the political candidates respectively actors as well.

Can we summarize, that the so-called dictatorship in Africa is a form of Expertocracy, as it is a common practice in several African countries that the language of public administration, services and education is that of their former colonial “masters”, meaning that the population do not understand what the political leaders are saying, planing or doing respectively? How and when will the population be taken into consideration as conversational partner?

Can the causality of south-south and south-north immigration be explained by the failures of the world system in terms of the international order and the redistribution of world resources? How to establish the new world order without a war?

 

The reality of globalization evolved four categories of people:

1. “The non-political Bohémien”, who is not interested in politics at all

2. “The Hooligan”, a type of political believer, who forms him/herself in groups of political activists

3. “The Vulcanian”, the rational intellectual, who is politically interested, who wants to break with the traditional belonging of the left or right wings

4. “The Terrorist”, the violent believer, who doesn’t respect anything else than his/her own believe and uses violence as language of communication.

In terms of these four character groups above, there is a further question: Is the impact of immigration (mass migration), discrimination and related societal conflicts an extended problem of the societal dysfunction in the Western hemisphere?

Am Podium diskutierten Dr. Yves Ekoué Amaïzo, Cindy Nägeli-Dupont, Dr. Camillus E. Konkwo, Dr. Jean-Alain Ngapout, Mag. Simone Prenner, Hubert Mvogo, Mag. Sintayehu Tsehay

Moderation: Dr. Di-Tutu Bukasa

   

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Department of Administration (DA) Assistant Secretary Gregory Parham present the Abraham Lincoln Honor Award to USDA Natural Resources and Conservation (NRCS) (sponsor) Clearwater Basin Collaborative (Public Lands Access Year-Round, Orofino, Idaho and Great Burn Study Group, Missoula, Montana) Team Leaders Alex Irby (accepting for Irby is Joyce Dearstyne) and Dale Harris at USDA’s 2015 Abraham Lincoln Honor Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015. The Clearwater Basin Collaborative received their award for their example of thoughtful, deliberative problem solving that resulted in accelerated restoration and ecological, social and economic benefits for the citizens of north-central Idaho. USDA photo by Bob Nichols.

“I was on a deliberative downward spiral. I wasn’t trying to kill myself. But at the same time I didn’t care if it happened. Drinks and drugs was a big part of my life. I was a roadie for punk bands. People think it’s easy but it was hard work and not at all glamorous. I’d travel across the country. I’d be away for months at a time. I found myself in positions where I had to keep working. It was relentless. And I did it for years and years on end. Eventually it caught up with me. I fell into a massive state of depression. The turning point was meeting my wife. We had a collective moan at a Facebook post about Judge Dredd. Both being comic book fans we commented on how the comic version of the character never takes his helmet off. And within 20 minutes Sylvester Stallone has shown his face in the film. We started to chat online and found we were going through similar things. We both saved each other.”

www.esotericarchives.com/tritheim/stegano.htm

---

Steganographia (Secret Writing), by Johannes Trithemius. 1500.

 

This digital edition Copyright © 1997 by Joseph H. Peterson. All rights reserved.

 

This is Trithemius' most notorious work. On the surface it is a system of angel magic, but within is a highly sophisticated system of cryptography. It claims to contain a synthesis of the science of knowledge, the art of memory, magic, an accelerated language learning system, and a method of sending messages without symbols or messenger. In private circulation, the Steganographia brought such a reaction of fear that he decided it should never be published. He reportedly destroyed the more extreme portions (presumably instructions for prophecy/divination) but it continued to circulate in mss form and was eventually published posthumously in 1606.

 

The edition I (James J. O'Donnell) have used is:

 

1579. Trithemius, Steganographie: Ars per occultam Scripturam

animi sui voluntatem absentibus aperiendi certu, 4to, Darmst. 1621. (Written 1500. First printed edition: Frankfurt, 1606.)

------------------------------

Location: London, British Library, printed books

Shelf mark: 819 e 14

Author: J. Tritheim

Title: Steganographia: Hoc est: Ars per occultam, etc.

Place and date of publication: 1621

---

faculty.georgetown.edu/jod/avatars/

by James J. O'Donnell

 

This page offers supplementary materials to illustrate and continue the discussion initiated by Avatars of the Word, published in June 1998 by Harvard University Press: Table of Contents. A Spanish translation was published in 2000. The full text is now available in the ACLS History E-Book project for subscribing participants.

 

In March 1999, I (James J. O'Donnell) appeared at a Cambridge Forum and delivered a talk "From Papyrus to Cyberspace", followed by commentary and discussion (one-hour program, available here in RealAudio).

 

Jerome idealized: the late antique polemicist and translator rehistoricized as Renaissance cardinal.

Plato's Phaedrus, in Jowett's 19th century translation.

The totemic power of Alexandria as image of the perfect library:

The Alexandria Digital Library at UC-Santa Barbara

Late Antique resources:

Augustine

Cassiodorus

Cosmas Indicopleustes -- the only real flat-earther in history?

"Worlds of Late Antiquity", syllabus to a wide-ranging undergraduate course.

"Internet Medieval Sourcebook"

Johannes Trithemius on secret forms of writing

Marshall McLuhan:

Who Was Marshall McLuhan?

The "Cathach", O'Donnell family good luck charm, with or without a book inside.

A.E. Housman, "A Shropshire Lad"

Kipling's Stalky & Co

Matthias Corvinus: an illuminated manuscript from his library

Mark Hopkins on a bench: I allude to this old saw in the book, and afterwards wrote more expansively on the theme in an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

"New Views of Medieval Europe": pictures from a 1962 National Geographic article discussed in the book.

---

In: FOUR - A Rediscovery of the 'Tetragonus mundus' - Marten KUILMAN (1996/2011). Falcon Press, Heemstede. ISBN 978-90-814420-1-5

 

(Fig. 127) - Johannes Trithemius (1462 - 1516) is one of the great explorers of the mind. He did not set sail to foreign continents, but tried to find new territories in the human mind with a similar optimism and in the same spirit as the sailors, who headed for the faraway places of the earth. A portrait of Hans Burgkmair from Augsburg around 1510.

 

The life of the Benedictine friar and abbot Johannes Trithemius (1462 - 1516; fig. 127) can be classified as ‘pivotal’. He was an intriguing and colorful figure, who embodied the spirit of his time. This friend and teacher of Henri Cornelius Agrippa 'charted the arduous route to Heaven along a very narrow and perilous course between two opposing ‘monsters’. The first monster, the Scylla, is a languorous and deliberative state still known by its half-Greek name of acedia (distress of heart, lethargy), and the second monster at the opposite pole, the Charybdis, excessive and indiscreet zeal' (BRANN, 1981; p. 117; BRANN, 1999).

Trithemius was a passionate reformer, teacher, book collector and history-writer. He described, in his 'De Origine Gentis Francorum (1514), a history of the Franks from 439 BC to 841 AD, partly on fictitious evidence (KUELBS & SONKOWSKY, 1987). 'He appears by hindsight to have been a transitional or 'Janus-like' figure', said BORCHARDT (1972) in his article on Trithemius.

His greatest reputation was due to a curious book called the 'Steganographia', published in 1606, but earlier circulating as a manuscript. 'The technical side of this science is very complex, involving pages and pages of elaborate calculations, both astrological and in connection with the numerical values of the angel-names', said Frances YATES (1964, p. 145).

Yates reckoned that Giordano Bruno's preference for the figure thirty was to trace back to Trithemius' 'Steganographia'. In that situation Bruno would have seen a manuscript. YATES (1966, p. 208) pointed to an abstract of this work later made for Bruno, where a list of thirty-one spirits was changed into thirty. Wayne SHUMAKER (1982) emphasized the cryptographic intentions of the 'Steganographia' rather than the demonic mysticism for which it became reputed.

Trithemius is one of the great explorers of the mind in a time, which coincided with the discoveries in the geographical field. Both were generated by an urge to go into extremes, to reach hitherto unknown boundaries. Names like Ficino, Pico della Mirandella, Bruno, Reuchlin, Agrippa and Fludd are just as important as those of Columbus, Vasco da Gama and Magelhaen, although the latter are often more celebrated because of the visible evidence of their discoveries.

   

Where Has Democracy Gone?

Are the impacts of immigration and/or globalization the reasons for the actual crises in the world?

What Anglo-Saxons use to call “globalisation” in order to express the increase of trades around the world, is in fact an economic revolution triggered by technology which started more than a quarter of a century ago. Technology driven societies have transformed the world deeply and calmly but being the norm today they determine the entire world system of the 21st century and our regards towards democracy. Nowadays, we are questioning ourselves whether globalization is useful for African and Asian countries, or whether we are going to continue complaining about this situation like most European countries are likely to do or the United States which has elected D. Trump with his slogan “America First” for president in order to protect themselves against globalization? However, we have to face the facts and the reality of the actual conditions teaching us that the impact of the globalization will be even more important than the industrial revolution which had started about 300 years ago.

Being aware of the fact that communication and mutual understanding is the oxygen of a sustainable peace and assuming that the actual democracy of The People (German: “Das Volk”) is not in the position to manage these four different groups because they lack common interests, they don’t share common goals and above all, they have a low understanding of global facts, it is possibly maybe necessary to develop and extend and if necessary to substitute the actual deliberative Democracy by a pluralistic Expertocracy. Pluralistic Expertocracy refers to models whereby the votes of those, who have a proven better knowledge about important questions of a country, about critical political and societal issues, who have less prejudices, etc., are weighted higher than of those who do not fulfill such kind of criteria. And these criteria have to be fulfilled by the political candidates respectively actors as well.

Can we summarize, that the so-called dictatorship in Africa is a form of Expertocracy, as it is a common practice in several African countries that the language of public administration, services and education is that of their former colonial “masters”, meaning that the population do not understand what the political leaders are saying, planing or doing respectively? How and when will the population be taken into consideration as conversational partner?

Can the causality of south-south and south-north immigration be explained by the failures of the world system in terms of the international order and the redistribution of world resources? How to establish the new world order without a war?

 

The reality of globalization evolved four categories of people:

1. “The non-political Bohémien”, who is not interested in politics at all

2. “The Hooligan”, a type of political believer, who forms him/herself in groups of political activists

3. “The Vulcanian”, the rational intellectual, who is politically interested, who wants to break with the traditional belonging of the left or right wings

4. “The Terrorist”, the violent believer, who doesn’t respect anything else than his/her own believe and uses violence as language of communication.

In terms of these four character groups above, there is a further question: Is the impact of immigration (mass migration), discrimination and related societal conflicts an extended problem of the societal dysfunction in the Western hemisphere?

Am Podium diskutierten Dr. Yves Ekoué Amaïzo, Cindy Nägeli-Dupont, Dr. Camillus E. Konkwo, Dr. Jean-Alain Ngapout, Mag. Simone Prenner, Hubert Mvogo, Mag. Sintayehu Tsehay

Moderation: Dr. Di-Tutu Bukasa

   

Brookings President Strobe Talbott greets former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Due to their more open and deliberative nature, democracies are perceived as more vulnerable to conflict and violence. Even in established democracies, the role of democracy itself in underpinning national security and international stability is in doubt.

 

In June 2016, the Community of Democracies, an international forum dedicated to common action among democracies, launched the Democracy and Security Dialogue to foster greater collaboration among democracies to improve security outcomes and create a better environment for strengthening democracy around the world. Former Prime Minister of Tunisia Mehdi Jomaa, and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright co-chaired the initiative, which was designed to combine top-quality research on democracy and security with a participatory consultation process.

 

On September 13, as governments gathered in Washington for the 9th ministerial conference of the Community of Democracies, Foreign Policy at Brookings hosted Secretary Albright and Prime Minister Jomaa to launch the Dialogue’s final report. The co-chairs were joined by the two principal researchers for the report—Cheryl Frank, head of Transnational Threats and International Crime Programme for the Institute for Security Studies, and Ted Piccone, senior fellow in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings—for a discussion of the findings and what they tell us about the links between democracy and security.

 

Brookings President Strobe Talbott provided introductory remarks.

 

Photo credit: Sharon Farmer

Aboriginal Tent Embassy camp near Old Parliament House

  

See a short history of Aboriginal Australia since The First Fleet...

www.aboriginalheritage.org/history/history/

  

Wish I had this list of Aboriginal words on our travels...

www.welcometocountry.org/26-aboriginal-words-australians-...

We do now!

Now to learn them......

  

See the origins of our democratic institutions arising from our convict forebears..

www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-29/political-convicts-chartis...

 

Uluru Statement from the Heart in English

5m

SBS Radio - in consultation with the Uluru Dialogue, Indigenous Law Centre UNSW - is sharing the Uluru Statement from the Heart in various languages to continue the national dialogue. For the first time, this podcast collection includes more than 20 Aboriginal languages (from communities in the Northern Territory and from Northern Western Australia), which will continue to grow as more First Nations languages are translated. The collection also includes more than 60 languages for Australia’s Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities. The Uluru Statement from the Heart is an invitation to the Australian people to walk with First Nations peoples to create a better future. In May 2017, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates came together at the First Nations National Constitutional Convention near Uluru and presented the Uluru Statement from the Heart to the Australian people. The Statement calls for a First Nations Voice to Parliament, enshrined in the constitution, and a process for agreement making (Treaty) and truth-telling. It was the culmination of 13 deliberative Regional Dialogues across Australia with First Nations communities. The Statement seeks to establish a relationship between Australia's First Nations peoples and the Australian nation based on truth, justice and self-determination. Music by Frank Yamma. Photo by Jimmy Widders Hunt. Video collection: www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/uluru-statement-from-the-heart-in... Podcast collection: www.sbs.com.au/language/ulurustatement

New York, 29 September 2008

 

Statement by Dr. Thongloun SISOULITH, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Head of Delegation of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic at the General Debate of the 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

 

Mr. President,

 

First, let me express, on behalf of the Lao PDR Delegation, my heartfelt congratulations to you, a veteran diplomat of Nicaragua on your election as President of the 63rd Session of the UN General Assembly. I trust that with you at the Presidency, the work of the General Assembly is in good hands. I would also like to commend H.E. Srgjan Kerim for the effective manner in which he presided over our work during the previous session.

 

Mr. President,

 

The Lao PDR is of the belief that the United Nations remains an important and preeminent forum for addressing issues relating to international cooperation for economic development, peace and security, and human rights and the rule of law, based on dialogue, cooperation and consensus-building amongst States. For over half a century, the UN has played a crucial role in maintaining international peace and security and promoting the socio-economic advancement of member States, especially developing countries. Yet, as the world situation evolves ever more complex and unpredictable, the UN increasingly needs more robust and effective institutions. In our opinion, the UN reform must be comprehensive, transparent, inclusive and balanced and pursued in an effective and accountable manner. We must strengthen the role and authority of the General Assembly, including in questions related to international peace and security, as the chief deliberative, policy-making and representative organ of the UN. We must revitalize its work which must be guided by the principles of democracy, transparency and accountability. We must also reform the Security Council, turning it into a more democratic and representative organ, comprising both new permanent and non permanent members in order to enable it to better preserve and promote international peace and security. No less important, we must substantially reinforce the development pillars of the UN, which include the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, UNCTAD, Regional Commissions and the Development Account, enabling them to better support developing countries to achieve internationally agreed development goals, on the basis of their national development strategies.

 

In this context, we commend Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s reform efforts aimed at transforming the UN into a more responsive, dynamic, multi-functional and effective organization. The Secretary-General’s personal dedicated engagement for the cause of peace as well as his endeavours in search for solutions to the three global crises of finance, fuel and food deserve special recognition.

 

Mr. President,

 

The current difficult and complex situation in the field of disarmament continues to be a cause of concern. We recognize the threat posed by the permanent existence of nuclear weapons and the possible use or threat to use them. It is hence incumbent upon the nuclear States to honour their unequivocal commitment to work towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Renewed efforts are needed to resolve the impasse in achieving nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in all its aspects.

 

Mr. President,

 

While globalization brings with it numerous opportunities for economic development, the obstacles that the world faces deserve significant attention. Developing countries, in particular the most vulnerable groups, namely the least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS), have taken important steps to further integrate themselves into the global economy. Nevertheless, these countries remain beleaguered by poor-quality basic infrastructure, limited access to markets, capital, new technology, and low supply of finance and investment.

 

The sudden increase in oil and food prices has led to a period of economic instability in many countries. However, this global phenomenon has had a more amplified impact on developing countries, given their particular low financial and technical capacities to deal with sudden international shocks. To combat this problem, we stress the need for the full and effective implementation of the Rome Declaration and the establishment of a Global Food Bank and an International Food Fund to ensure long-term food security for developing countries, particularly the most vulnerable among them. In addition, the great untapped potential of these countries should be explored and exploited to the maximum extent, through increased investment and technology transfer by developed countries and other development partners for mutual benefit. We also emphasize that global energy policies should aim to support the efforts of developing countries, in particular LDCs to purge poverty and achieve sustainable development.

 

Thus, if developing countries are to be able to benefit truly from globalization, the international community must create a favorable environment that is conducive to development, whereby the interests of developing countries can be tangibly promoted. Therefore, grant aid and soft loans should be increased, appropriate measures to address the instability and weakness of commodity markets be undertaken, special and preferential tariffs for exports from developing countries, in particular from the most vulnerable groups among them be granted, debt sustainability be achieved, mechanism for technology transfers be improved and international financial architecture be reformed.

 

Mr. President,

 

The goal of achieving peace and prosperity remains the highest priority of the international community. Yet, this goal remains impeded by interstate conflict, terror, and unlawful unilateral sanctions and interventions. We are greatly distressed by the persistent conflict that has plagued the lives of the peoples of the Middle East for decades, particularly the Palestinian people who have been fighting for the exercise of their right to self-determination and Statehood. We are deeply saddened by the number of casualties and material damage inflicted upon the nations of Iraq and Afghanistan. And we remain troubled by the embargo that has been imposed on the Republic of Cuba by the Government of the United States of America, an act that is clearly not legally warranted and does not respond to the legitimate interests of the peoples of both nations. In this regard, the Lao PDR sincerely urges the parties concerned in the aforementioned conflicts to seek ways to peacefully resolve their differences. It is our fervent hope that the peoples living in these conflict-ridden areas could enjoy peace and prosperity as swiftly as possible.

  

Mr. President,

 

Unlike most calamities, global warming affects not only the livelihood of every being on the planet but also the course of human history. Climate change will become all the more worrisome, as it leads to many other social and economic problems that our world faces today. That is why there is a need for immediate global action to address climate change in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. In formulating policies confronting climate change, we should promote the integration of all three components of sustainable development that is economic development, social development, and environmental protection. In this respect, we call for the full implementation of the Bali Roadmap.

 

As widely expressed at the Millennium Development Goals High-level Event, the lack of effective implementation of the Internationally Agreed Development Goals (IADGs), including the MDGs remains a deep concern. Therefore, the highest priority should be given to securing the effective and full implementation of the agreed goals and commitments. In this context, we underscore the urgency to address the special needs of LDCs and LLDCs through the full, timely and effective implementation by all stakeholders of the Brussels Programme of Action and the Almaty Programme of Action, as called for in the 2005 World Summit Outcome.

 

Landlocked developing countries face a unique impediment in not having access to the sea. International cooperation is crucial to the success of the development goals of these countries. We therefore would like to stress the significance of the upcoming mid-term review of the Almaty Program of Action to be held on 2 and 3 October 2008 here in New York which should provide the international community with the opportunity to assess progress made, lessons learned, and constraints encountered in the implementation of the Almaty Program of Action. We hope that the session will galvanize the global partnership for development to assist landlocked developing countries in not only strengthening their effective participation in international trade and the world economy, but also in fulfilling the goals of internationally agreed development goals.

 

Mr. President,

 

Being a member country, Lao PDR is gratified to witness the continued stability, growing from strength to strength and deepening integration of ASEAN which is an important contribution to the maintenance of peace and further cooperation in the region and the world. A recent momentous and milestone event is the signing of the ASEAN Charter thus transforming ASEAN into a rule-based regional organization.

 

The Lao PDR continues to enjoy solid political stability and social order. Thus, our socio-economic development has registered significant achievements as reflected in high and sustained GDP growth . Notwithstanding these achievements, the Lao PDR still faces impediments. Rising oil prices, inflation and a global economic slowdown all stand in the way of our path to economic prosperity. This year, we are also experiencing a severe flood, inflicting huge material loss nationwide. Yet, in spite of all this, by improving the quality of basic infrastructure, human resources and cooperating with international partners, we are determined to pursue our twin strategies of poverty eradication and regional integration. At this pace, we hope to extricate our country from the shackles of underdevelopment by the year 2020.

 

Mr. President,

 

I can not conclude without reaffirming that development remains central and must come first for the intertwined peace and human rights to succeed. Therefore the full, timely and effective implementation of the outcomes of the major UN Summits and Conferences is indispensable. The Lao PDR reiterates its unshakable commitment to continued full cooperation with the international community in pursuit of a world free from fear and want, rooted in a new, just and equitable order. Together, I am sure, we will be able to reach new heights.

 

Thank you

Uluru Statement from the Heart in English

5m

SBS Radio - in consultation with the Uluru Dialogue, Indigenous Law Centre UNSW - is sharing the Uluru Statement from the Heart in various languages to continue the national dialogue. For the first time, this podcast collection includes more than 20 Aboriginal languages (from communities in the Northern Territory and from Northern Western Australia), which will continue to grow as more First Nations languages are translated. The collection also includes more than 60 languages for Australia’s Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities. The Uluru Statement from the Heart is an invitation to the Australian people to walk with First Nations peoples to create a better future. In May 2017, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates came together at the First Nations National Constitutional Convention near Uluru and presented the Uluru Statement from the Heart to the Australian people. The Statement calls for a First Nations Voice to Parliament, enshrined in the constitution, and a process for agreement making (Treaty) and truth-telling. It was the culmination of 13 deliberative Regional Dialogues across Australia with First Nations communities. The Statement seeks to establish a relationship between Australia's First Nations peoples and the Australian nation based on truth, justice and self-determination. Music by Frank Yamma. Photo by Jimmy Widders Hunt. Video collection: www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/uluru-statement-from-the-heart-in... Podcast collection: www.sbs.com.au/language/ulurustatement

This graphic outlines the main steps in the process of engaging citizens in policy making.

 

Although there are many variations on deliberative democracy, the basic idea is the same: Choose a representative sample of citizens, ask them to tackle a knotty public issue like abortion or same-sex marriage, give them time to deliberate among themselves and query experts, and then ask them to produce an informed opinion.

 

===

 

Read more in Knowable Magazine

 

It’s time for a government reset — and the ideas are flourishing

It started with thinking about sustainability. But after the many traumas of 2020, a lot of people are determined to make some fundamental changes in the machinery of governance.

knowablemagazine.org/article/society/2021/its-time-govern...

 

A deliberate fix for democracy

Q&A — Political scientist John Gastil: Take a group of random citizens, give them the facts and let thoughtful discussion unfold

knowablemagazine.org/article/society/2019/deliberate-fix-...

 

Take a deeper dive: Selected scholarly reviews

 

Sustainability Science: Toward a Synthesis

Sustainability Science: Toward a Synthesis

www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-environ-012420-...

 

===

 

Knowable Magazine from Annual Reviews is a digital publication that seeks to make scientific knowledge accessible to all. Through compelling articles, beautiful graphics, engaging videos and more, Knowable Magazine explores the real-world impact of research through a journalistic lens. All content is rooted in deep reporting and undergoes a thorough fact-checking before publication.

 

The Knowable Magazine Science Graphics Library is an initiative to create freely available, accurate and engaging graphics for teachers and students. All graphics are curated from Knowable Magazine articles and are free for classroom use.

 

Knowable Magazine is an editorially independent initiative produced by Annual Reviews, a nonprofit publisher dedicated to synthesizing and integrating knowledge for the progress of science and the benefit of society.

 

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Please join us for the launch of a new report, "The State of African Resilience: Understanding Dimensions of Vulnerability and Adaptation," which identifies major dimensions of resilience from the perspective of more than a dozen vulnerable communities across sub-Saharan Africa. The report is based on the research and analysis of the ResilientAfrica Network (RAN), a partnership that includes fifteen African universities that are engaging with local communities to understand how best to prevent, mitigate, and overcome the recurrent shocks and stresses to which they are most vulnerable.

How are communities in Uganda contending with the effects of climate variability and post-conflict recovery? How are communities in South Africa addressing the link between HIV/AIDS and poverty? How are urban populations in Ghana addressing the economic and public health challenges associated with rapid urbanization? Bringing together faculty, students, and community members, the RAN is developing interventions designed to increase resilience capacity at the community level and, more broadly, making its data publicly available to allow for development practitioners in the future to more easily identify the vulnerabilities and existing capacities of communities.

The RAN, funded by USAID's Higher Education Solutions Network, is led by Makerere University in Uganda and co-led by Tulane University's Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy, in partnership with Stanford University.

Featuring:

 

David Ferguson

Director, Center for Development Innovation, U.S. Global Development Lab, USAID

 

William Bazeyo

Dean, School of Public Health, Makerere University

Chief of Party, RAN

 

Ky Luu

Executive Director, Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy, Tulane University

Co-Chief of Party, RAN

 

Lekan Ayo-Yusuf

Dean, University of Limpopo's Medical University of Southern Africa

Director, Southern Africa RILab

 

Dennis Chirawurah

Lecturer, University for Development Studies' School of Medicine

Director, West Africa RILab

 

James Fishkin

Professor of Communication, Stanford University

Director, Center for Deliberative Democracy, Stanford University

Programs

AFRICA PROGRAM

Topics

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND RECONSTRUCTION, FOOD AND WATER, ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE, DEVELOPMENT POLICY, GLOBAL PROSPERITY

 

Please join us for the launch of a new report, "The State of African Resilience: Understanding Dimensions of Vulnerability and Adaptation," which identifies major dimensions of resilience from the perspective of more than a dozen vulnerable communities across sub-Saharan Africa. The report is based on the research and analysis of the ResilientAfrica Network (RAN), a partnership that includes fifteen African universities that are engaging with local communities to understand how best to prevent, mitigate, and overcome the recurrent shocks and stresses to which they are most vulnerable.

How are communities in Uganda contending with the effects of climate variability and post-conflict recovery? How are communities in South Africa addressing the link between HIV/AIDS and poverty? How are urban populations in Ghana addressing the economic and public health challenges associated with rapid urbanization? Bringing together faculty, students, and community members, the RAN is developing interventions designed to increase resilience capacity at the community level and, more broadly, making its data publicly available to allow for development practitioners in the future to more easily identify the vulnerabilities and existing capacities of communities.

The RAN, funded by USAID's Higher Education Solutions Network, is led by Makerere University in Uganda and co-led by Tulane University's Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy, in partnership with Stanford University.

Featuring:

 

David Ferguson

Director, Center for Development Innovation, U.S. Global Development Lab, USAID

 

William Bazeyo

Dean, School of Public Health, Makerere University

Chief of Party, RAN

 

Ky Luu

Executive Director, Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy, Tulane University

Co-Chief of Party, RAN

 

Lekan Ayo-Yusuf

Dean, University of Limpopo's Medical University of Southern Africa

Director, Southern Africa RILab

 

Dennis Chirawurah

Lecturer, University for Development Studies' School of Medicine

Director, West Africa RILab

 

James Fishkin

Professor of Communication, Stanford University

Director, Center for Deliberative Democracy, Stanford University

Programs

AFRICA PROGRAM

Topics

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND RECONSTRUCTION, FOOD AND WATER, ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE, DEVELOPMENT POLICY, GLOBAL PROSPERITY

 

Last night wasn't perfect. For one, Californians voted to support bigotry, and that breaks my heart.

 

But.

 

We just elected Barack Obama to be our next president!

 

I'm wearing a white shirt today. My family has always had a tradition, after an election, of wearing black if things didn't go our way, as a way of mourning what could have been. I first remember doing this when Harvey Gantt lost to Jesse Helms down in NC in 1990 (I was 7). I tend to credit Helms with destroying my faith in humanity, during that campaign (though having learned, a couple years earlier, what "trickle down economics" meant, and that Reagan and his followers believed in it, had already done some serious damage to it). To see someone use such blatantly racist advertising and techniques during their campaign, and for that person to win...it certainly shattered my little 7-year-old sense of justice.

 

And now we just elected a black man to be our next president. I almost wish Helms were still alive so that he could see this, see people reject, at least in part, his brand of hate and bigotry. And to see me wearing my celebratory white shirt. Take that, you bastard!

 

We just gave ourselves a calm, intelligent, compassionate, thoughtful, deliberative, rational, reasonable president...what a change. I'm so freaking happy. I love you all.

The shared governance workshop focused on the components of a sound system of institutional governance needed to keep the faculty deliberative body operating smoothly and effectively.

 

Credit: Mike Ferguson/AAUP

Clerk of Synod Bruce Martin talks with three members of a judicial

committee during a two-hour discussion Thursday evening.

Where Has Democracy Gone?

Are the impacts of immigration and/or globalization the reasons for the actual crises in the world?

What Anglo-Saxons use to call “globalisation” in order to express the increase of trades around the world, is in fact an economic revolution triggered by technology which started more than a quarter of a century ago. Technology driven societies have transformed the world deeply and calmly but being the norm today they determine the entire world system of the 21st century and our regards towards democracy. Nowadays, we are questioning ourselves whether globalization is useful for African and Asian countries, or whether we are going to continue complaining about this situation like most European countries are likely to do or the United States which has elected D. Trump with his slogan “America First” for president in order to protect themselves against globalization? However, we have to face the facts and the reality of the actual conditions teaching us that the impact of the globalization will be even more important than the industrial revolution which had started about 300 years ago.

Being aware of the fact that communication and mutual understanding is the oxygen of a sustainable peace and assuming that the actual democracy of The People (German: “Das Volk”) is not in the position to manage these four different groups because they lack common interests, they don’t share common goals and above all, they have a low understanding of global facts, it is possibly maybe necessary to develop and extend and if necessary to substitute the actual deliberative Democracy by a pluralistic Expertocracy. Pluralistic Expertocracy refers to models whereby the votes of those, who have a proven better knowledge about important questions of a country, about critical political and societal issues, who have less prejudices, etc., are weighted higher than of those who do not fulfill such kind of criteria. And these criteria have to be fulfilled by the political candidates respectively actors as well.

Can we summarize, that the so-called dictatorship in Africa is a form of Expertocracy, as it is a common practice in several African countries that the language of public administration, services and education is that of their former colonial “masters”, meaning that the population do not understand what the political leaders are saying, planing or doing respectively? How and when will the population be taken into consideration as conversational partner?

Can the causality of south-south and south-north immigration be explained by the failures of the world system in terms of the international order and the redistribution of world resources? How to establish the new world order without a war?

 

The reality of globalization evolved four categories of people:

1. “The non-political Bohémien”, who is not interested in politics at all

2. “The Hooligan”, a type of political believer, who forms him/herself in groups of political activists

3. “The Vulcanian”, the rational intellectual, who is politically interested, who wants to break with the traditional belonging of the left or right wings

4. “The Terrorist”, the violent believer, who doesn’t respect anything else than his/her own believe and uses violence as language of communication.

In terms of these four character groups above, there is a further question: Is the impact of immigration (mass migration), discrimination and related societal conflicts an extended problem of the societal dysfunction in the Western hemisphere?

Am Podium diskutierten Dr. Yves Ekoué Amaïzo, Cindy Nägeli-Dupont, Dr. Camillus E. Konkwo, Dr. Jean-Alain Ngapout, Mag. Simone Prenner, Hubert Mvogo, Mag. Sintayehu Tsehay

Moderation: Dr. Di-Tutu Bukasa

   

Where Has Democracy Gone?

Are the impacts of immigration and/or globalization the reasons for the actual crises in the world?

What Anglo-Saxons use to call “globalisation” in order to express the increase of trades around the world, is in fact an economic revolution triggered by technology which started more than a quarter of a century ago. Technology driven societies have transformed the world deeply and calmly but being the norm today they determine the entire world system of the 21st century and our regards towards democracy. Nowadays, we are questioning ourselves whether globalization is useful for African and Asian countries, or whether we are going to continue complaining about this situation like most European countries are likely to do or the United States which has elected D. Trump with his slogan “America First” for president in order to protect themselves against globalization? However, we have to face the facts and the reality of the actual conditions teaching us that the impact of the globalization will be even more important than the industrial revolution which had started about 300 years ago.

Being aware of the fact that communication and mutual understanding is the oxygen of a sustainable peace and assuming that the actual democracy of The People (German: “Das Volk”) is not in the position to manage these four different groups because they lack common interests, they don’t share common goals and above all, they have a low understanding of global facts, it is possibly maybe necessary to develop and extend and if necessary to substitute the actual deliberative Democracy by a pluralistic Expertocracy. Pluralistic Expertocracy refers to models whereby the votes of those, who have a proven better knowledge about important questions of a country, about critical political and societal issues, who have less prejudices, etc., are weighted higher than of those who do not fulfill such kind of criteria. And these criteria have to be fulfilled by the political candidates respectively actors as well.

Can we summarize, that the so-called dictatorship in Africa is a form of Expertocracy, as it is a common practice in several African countries that the language of public administration, services and education is that of their former colonial “masters”, meaning that the population do not understand what the political leaders are saying, planing or doing respectively? How and when will the population be taken into consideration as conversational partner?

Can the causality of south-south and south-north immigration be explained by the failures of the world system in terms of the international order and the redistribution of world resources? How to establish the new world order without a war?

 

The reality of globalization evolved four categories of people:

1. “The non-political Bohémien”, who is not interested in politics at all

2. “The Hooligan”, a type of political believer, who forms him/herself in groups of political activists

3. “The Vulcanian”, the rational intellectual, who is politically interested, who wants to break with the traditional belonging of the left or right wings

4. “The Terrorist”, the violent believer, who doesn’t respect anything else than his/her own believe and uses violence as language of communication.

In terms of these four character groups above, there is a further question: Is the impact of immigration (mass migration), discrimination and related societal conflicts an extended problem of the societal dysfunction in the Western hemisphere?

Am Podium diskutierten Dr. Yves Ekoué Amaïzo, Cindy Nägeli-Dupont, Dr. Camillus E. Konkwo, Dr. Jean-Alain Ngapout, Mag. Simone Prenner, Hubert Mvogo, Mag. Sintayehu Tsehay

Moderation: Dr. Di-Tutu Bukasa

   

Please join us for the launch of a new report, "The State of African Resilience: Understanding Dimensions of Vulnerability and Adaptation," which identifies major dimensions of resilience from the perspective of more than a dozen vulnerable communities across sub-Saharan Africa. The report is based on the research and analysis of the ResilientAfrica Network (RAN), a partnership that includes fifteen African universities that are engaging with local communities to understand how best to prevent, mitigate, and overcome the recurrent shocks and stresses to which they are most vulnerable.

How are communities in Uganda contending with the effects of climate variability and post-conflict recovery? How are communities in South Africa addressing the link between HIV/AIDS and poverty? How are urban populations in Ghana addressing the economic and public health challenges associated with rapid urbanization? Bringing together faculty, students, and community members, the RAN is developing interventions designed to increase resilience capacity at the community level and, more broadly, making its data publicly available to allow for development practitioners in the future to more easily identify the vulnerabilities and existing capacities of communities.

The RAN, funded by USAID's Higher Education Solutions Network, is led by Makerere University in Uganda and co-led by Tulane University's Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy, in partnership with Stanford University.

Featuring:

 

David Ferguson

Director, Center for Development Innovation, U.S. Global Development Lab, USAID

 

William Bazeyo

Dean, School of Public Health, Makerere University

Chief of Party, RAN

 

Ky Luu

Executive Director, Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy, Tulane University

Co-Chief of Party, RAN

 

Lekan Ayo-Yusuf

Dean, University of Limpopo's Medical University of Southern Africa

Director, Southern Africa RILab

 

Dennis Chirawurah

Lecturer, University for Development Studies' School of Medicine

Director, West Africa RILab

 

James Fishkin

Professor of Communication, Stanford University

Director, Center for Deliberative Democracy, Stanford University

Programs

AFRICA PROGRAM

Topics

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND RECONSTRUCTION, FOOD AND WATER, ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE, DEVELOPMENT POLICY, GLOBAL PROSPERITY

 

A National Historic Landmark

Phillips County, AR

Listed: 07/31/2003

Designated an NHL: 07/31/2003

 

Centennial Baptist Church is nationally significant for its association with Dr. Elias Camp Morris, who served as pastor from 1879 until his death in 1922. The period of his life from 1882 to 1922 was his most productive period with respect to his efforts on a national level to further the religious, political, and societal achievements of African Americans. Morris is nationally significant for his leadership of the National Baptist Convention, the largest African American organization in the United States at the end of the nineteenth century. The 1912 edition of Who's Who Among the Colored Baptists described Morris as having "reached the point where he can render the greatest service to his constituents and give to the world an exhibition of the true leadership for which such men as [William J.] Simmons, [Frederick] Douglass and Price stood unflinchingly and of which [Booker T.] Washington, [Richard H.] Boyd, [W.E.B.] Dubois and others are examples that now stand out pre-eminently." According to religious historian Quinton Dixie, as the "driving force behind the 1895 merger of three black Baptist organizations," Dr. Morris "indirectly inaugurated leadership patterns that persist today" within African American religious organizations. During Moms' presidency, Centennial Baptist Church "functioned as the headquarters of the National Baptist Convention," and it remains today as a symbol of his progressive efforts to provide African Americans with a self-directed religious organization during the Jim Crow era.

 

Reverend Morris recognized the influence of the church and its power to fill the spiritual reserves of his congregation at the local, state, and national levels, enabling African Americans to deal with life during the most difficult of times. He dedicated his life to bringing attention to the need for African American religious autonomy at the national, as well as local level. As president of the National Baptist Convention (NBC) (1895-1922), the "largest deliberative body of Negroes in the world," Morris brought attention to the right of African Americans to establish independent religious associations.

Please join us for the launch of a new report, "The State of African Resilience: Understanding Dimensions of Vulnerability and Adaptation," which identifies major dimensions of resilience from the perspective of more than a dozen vulnerable communities across sub-Saharan Africa. The report is based on the research and analysis of the ResilientAfrica Network (RAN), a partnership that includes fifteen African universities that are engaging with local communities to understand how best to prevent, mitigate, and overcome the recurrent shocks and stresses to which they are most vulnerable.

How are communities in Uganda contending with the effects of climate variability and post-conflict recovery? How are communities in South Africa addressing the link between HIV/AIDS and poverty? How are urban populations in Ghana addressing the economic and public health challenges associated with rapid urbanization? Bringing together faculty, students, and community members, the RAN is developing interventions designed to increase resilience capacity at the community level and, more broadly, making its data publicly available to allow for development practitioners in the future to more easily identify the vulnerabilities and existing capacities of communities.

The RAN, funded by USAID's Higher Education Solutions Network, is led by Makerere University in Uganda and co-led by Tulane University's Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy, in partnership with Stanford University.

Featuring:

 

David Ferguson

Director, Center for Development Innovation, U.S. Global Development Lab, USAID

 

William Bazeyo

Dean, School of Public Health, Makerere University

Chief of Party, RAN

 

Ky Luu

Executive Director, Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy, Tulane University

Co-Chief of Party, RAN

 

Lekan Ayo-Yusuf

Dean, University of Limpopo's Medical University of Southern Africa

Director, Southern Africa RILab

 

Dennis Chirawurah

Lecturer, University for Development Studies' School of Medicine

Director, West Africa RILab

 

James Fishkin

Professor of Communication, Stanford University

Director, Center for Deliberative Democracy, Stanford University

Programs

AFRICA PROGRAM

Topics

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND RECONSTRUCTION, FOOD AND WATER, ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE, DEVELOPMENT POLICY, GLOBAL PROSPERITY

 

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, jointly with the City of Mostar, is organising a Citizens’ Assembly as part of the first deliberative process of this kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the South East of Europe.

During four consecutive weekends, from 10 to 31 July 2021, the Citizens’ Assembly is bringing together a representative group of 47 randomly selected citizens to deliberate upon and make recommendations on the cleanliness of the city and maintenance of public spaces in Mostar. This topic was proposed by citizens of Mostar and chosen after consultations with civil society and the city authorities.

Where Has Democracy Gone?

Are the impacts of immigration and/or globalization the reasons for the actual crises in the world?

What Anglo-Saxons use to call “globalisation” in order to express the increase of trades around the world, is in fact an economic revolution triggered by technology which started more than a quarter of a century ago. Technology driven societies have transformed the world deeply and calmly but being the norm today they determine the entire world system of the 21st century and our regards towards democracy. Nowadays, we are questioning ourselves whether globalization is useful for African and Asian countries, or whether we are going to continue complaining about this situation like most European countries are likely to do or the United States which has elected D. Trump with his slogan “America First” for president in order to protect themselves against globalization? However, we have to face the facts and the reality of the actual conditions teaching us that the impact of the globalization will be even more important than the industrial revolution which had started about 300 years ago.

Being aware of the fact that communication and mutual understanding is the oxygen of a sustainable peace and assuming that the actual democracy of The People (German: “Das Volk”) is not in the position to manage these four different groups because they lack common interests, they don’t share common goals and above all, they have a low understanding of global facts, it is possibly maybe necessary to develop and extend and if necessary to substitute the actual deliberative Democracy by a pluralistic Expertocracy. Pluralistic Expertocracy refers to models whereby the votes of those, who have a proven better knowledge about important questions of a country, about critical political and societal issues, who have less prejudices, etc., are weighted higher than of those who do not fulfill such kind of criteria. And these criteria have to be fulfilled by the political candidates respectively actors as well.

Can we summarize, that the so-called dictatorship in Africa is a form of Expertocracy, as it is a common practice in several African countries that the language of public administration, services and education is that of their former colonial “masters”, meaning that the population do not understand what the political leaders are saying, planing or doing respectively? How and when will the population be taken into consideration as conversational partner?

Can the causality of south-south and south-north immigration be explained by the failures of the world system in terms of the international order and the redistribution of world resources? How to establish the new world order without a war?

 

The reality of globalization evolved four categories of people:

1. “The non-political Bohémien”, who is not interested in politics at all

2. “The Hooligan”, a type of political believer, who forms him/herself in groups of political activists

3. “The Vulcanian”, the rational intellectual, who is politically interested, who wants to break with the traditional belonging of the left or right wings

4. “The Terrorist”, the violent believer, who doesn’t respect anything else than his/her own believe and uses violence as language of communication.

In terms of these four character groups above, there is a further question: Is the impact of immigration (mass migration), discrimination and related societal conflicts an extended problem of the societal dysfunction in the Western hemisphere?

Am Podium diskutierten Dr. Yves Ekoué Amaïzo, Cindy Nägeli-Dupont, Dr. Camillus E. Konkwo, Dr. Jean-Alain Ngapout, Mag. Simone Prenner, Hubert Mvogo, Mag. Sintayehu Tsehay

Moderation: Dr. Di-Tutu Bukasa

   

The panelists and Brookings President Strobe Talbott enter the event. Due to their more open and deliberative nature, democracies are perceived as more vulnerable to conflict and violence. Even in established democracies, the role of democracy itself in underpinning national security and international stability is in doubt.

 

In June 2016, the Community of Democracies, an international forum dedicated to common action among democracies, launched the Democracy and Security Dialogue to foster greater collaboration among democracies to improve security outcomes and create a better environment for strengthening democracy around the world. Former Prime Minister of Tunisia Mehdi Jomaa, and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright co-chaired the initiative, which was designed to combine top-quality research on democracy and security with a participatory consultation process.

 

On September 13, as governments gathered in Washington for the 9th ministerial conference of the Community of Democracies, Foreign Policy at Brookings hosted Secretary Albright and Prime Minister Jomaa to launch the Dialogue’s final report. The co-chairs were joined by the two principal researchers for the report—Cheryl Frank, head of Transnational Threats and International Crime Programme for the Institute for Security Studies, and Ted Piccone, senior fellow in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings—for a discussion of the findings and what they tell us about the links between democracy and security.

 

Brookings President Strobe Talbott provided introductory remarks.

 

Photo credit: Sharon Farmer

March’s Friday Late welcomed attendees to engage with a myriad of contemporary activism practices, 100 years on from when a qualified group of women in the UK were granted the right to vote. From deliberative democracy workshops to installations depicting radically soft lives, from feminist zine making to tours of radical women in the history of art, this Late asked attendees to examine narratives that are too often left unaccounted.

 

Photos © PeanutButterVibes Photography

www.peanutbuttervibesphotography.com

@peanutbuttervibesphotography