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MAY, 1900. ocThe Qettysbur Mercury CONTENTS Voices Around College 69 The Ivove of Nature as Por-trayed by Milton's Poetry 70 College Songs 79 Seen Through a Glass 80 A Reverie 83 Autobiography of a Silver Dollar 85 A College Friendship 90 Editor's Desk 93 Is Power in Debate Declining. 95 College L,ife Involves More than the Acquisition of Knowledge 100 Exchanges.'. 101 FAVOR THOSE WHO FAVOR US. For Fine- Printing go to Tk Jo E. Wilt Wgtiii M©«e CARLISLE ST. GETTYSBURG, PA. C. B. Kitzmiller Dealer in Hats, Caps, Boots and . Douglas Shoes GETTYSBURG, PA. 11 ELLIOTT Dealer In Hats, Caps, Shoes and. Gents' Furnishing Goods Corner Center Square and Carlisle Street GETTYSBURG, PA. EDGAR 5. MARTIN, ^CIGARS AND SMOKERS' ARTICLES. %}*** tj*^ \>^* Chambersburg St., Gettysburg. Like to learn Spanish ? An easy Ian- f guage to learn. " / HossfeXd's Spanish Method. Self-teaching. $1.00 / / Suanish-English,Engli8h-SpanishDiction'y, El.00 ' / /y Hossfeld's Italian Method, Self-teaching. 41.00 / jT Italian-English, English-Italian Dictionary. 81.00 / ' S Hossfeld's German Method. Self-teaching. $1.00 S/ S s German-English,Enplish-GermanDictionary.s%2.Q0 / / Hossfeld's French Method. Self-teaching. $1.00 f/ ' / French-English, English-French Dictionary. $2.00 /, X Brooks'1st Latin Book. £0 ct«. / * Latin-English, English-Latin Dictionary. $3.00 / / Brooks' 1st Greek Lessons. fiO cts. / Greek-English, English-Greek Dictionary, $3.00 // Literal Translation! of the ClassicB—Latin, /y Qxeek, German, French. Eighty-five volume*, X sold separately, 60 eta. each. Sendfor list. *S ELTTDS & NOBLE, Publishers •/ I4-S-1S-14 Cooper Inrtituto N.Y.City / SchooVbooJcs ofall pub-lishers at one store. orsome other language? i .THE. GETTYSBURG MERCURY. VOI,. IX. GETTYSBURG, PA., MAY, 1900. No. 3 VOICES AROUND COLLEGE. HEARD BY AN OLD GKAD. Bursts of merry laughter through the open doors As we pass reflective down the corridors— Sunny-faced Allegro, genius of the scene, Satisfy our wonder; say, what can this mean ? With spirits light and jolly We scatter melancholy, Helping our genial task with mirth and fun ; Fair wisdom seems the sweeter And toilsome hours are fleeter, And every trouble's ended ere it's half begun. Shouts for victor athletes on the level field, Cheers for strong endeavor on our ears have pealed ; Stout and agile fellows on this classic ground, Why profane these precincts with such boisterous sound ? With spirits strong and jolly We rout old melancholy, And help our genial task with sport and game ; Fair wisdom seems the sweeter, Her triumphs are completer, When bounding health and vigor thrill the frame, i Strains of music quiver on the evening air, All the sweet inventions aiding song are there ; Saint Cecilia tell us, hast thou chosen this Academic garden for thy bower of bliss ? With hearts attuned and jolly We banish melancholy, And mix our genial task with glee and song ; Fair wisdom seems the sweeter, Her cup with joy repleter, When her gentle sister Music fares along. 7° THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. Hail, indulgent Mother, crowned with glorious years, This our boyish tumult thy loved name endears ! In the busy future oft shall Fancy deem That she hears it echo softly in her dream. With hearts aglow and jolly We scoff at melancholy ; Our genial task proceeds with mirth and cheer ; As Alma Mater listens, Her eye with feeling glistens, And her blessing falls upon her children dear. THE LOVE OF NATURE AS PORTRAYED BY MILTON'S POETRY. ROBERT D. CLARE, '00—GRAEF PRIZE ESSAY. " T TE who would not be frustrated in his hope to write well ■*• hereafter in laudable things ought himself to be a true poem." Thus wrote the youthful Milton as he stood upon the threshold of that wonderful career of literary activity, which not only made his age one of peculiar interest in the development of English literature, but also gave to our language at least one of its noblest masterpieces of poetic art. A poet is one who is himself a true poem. This definition might well stand for all ages as the highest and most beautiful conception of the real follower of the poetic art. It would not, however, possess for all the same meaning, inasmuch as it also involves a second definition of the poet's art, and its rightful province, about which there is a decided difference of opinion. In order that it may serve our present purpose, we must consider it in the light of what we know of the character and convictions of its author. To Milton the writing of poetry was a prophetic office, to be exercised by none save the most godly and consecrated. The true poet must, above all, be in perfect harmony with his poetry —"not presuming to sing high praises of heroic men or famous cities, unless he have in himself the experience and practice of all that is-praiseworthy." According to Milton, the three great con-stituents of the poetical nature were knowledge, virtue and reli-gion. Anyone not recognizing these constituents was not worthy the dignity of the office. It is to his conscientious adherence to this standard, probably more than to any other cause, that most of the adverse criticism which has been passed upon his poetry is i^Ml 7 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 71 due. Some of his critics have been pleased to find fault with his treatment of natural phenomena on the grounds that it lacks fidelity, and does not conform to the generally accepted poetical standards. Were poetry what many of our later writers seem to think it is, merely an interpretation of natural phenomena, these criticisms would be in part just; but hi the realm of poetry there must be liberty both in the selecting of themes, and in the treat-ment of the same. Milton's non-conformance to general rules should not expose him to criticism. Poetry deals primarily with man and nature. The higher life, however, encompassing both man and nature, adds another object—God. Milton recognized this last object as constituting the most important of these three poetical entities. It was to none other than the Omnipotent himself that he looked for his greatest theme, as well as his inspiration. It was to his wondrous dealings with man, the second entity, that he looked for the sub-ject- matter for his great masterpiece. It was to nature that he looked for illustration, ornamentation and a suitable setting. In thus subordinating nature, Milton did not under-estimate its importance in the poetic art; but he rather exalted to an ex-ceptionally high degree the importance of the other two entities. Anftther explanation of this seeming neglect of nature may be found in the fact that Milton was not a man who could be content with worshiping or glorifying his Creator by a laudation of his works in verse, but, in true Puritan faith and simplicity, desired rather to draw near and commune with Him face to face. Iyet us now consider the second thought involved in the defini-tion, " A poet is one who is himself a true poem." According to Milton's conception, poetry is largely subjective. The agency of nature is by no means eliminated, but rather is limited to the implanting in the mind of the first forms for the imagination. Thus furnished with material drawn from nature's great store-house, the mind can create for itself not only landscapes of sur-passing beauty, but also worlds and starry systems. It is this subjective element which gives to Milton's poetry its most char-acteristic qualities. In the later years of our poet's life, when his sight failed him, and he was left with nothing but a fertile mind and a strong imaginative faculty, this element is particularly ap-parent in his writings. However, at no period of his literary activity was he disregardful of nature's teachings, or lacking in a 72 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. due appreciation of all her varied phenomena, as has sometimes been asserted. It must be borne in mind that Milton was a man of books, not a man of the field. Although open to impressions from the world of nature, he was not a naturalist, closely observ-ing for the sake of classification all natural phenomena. " He was not concerned to register the phenomena and facts of nature, but to convey the impressions they made upon a sensitive soul. The external forms of things are to be presented to us as trans-formed through the heart and mind of the poet."—Pattiso?i. We are now able to examine with some degree of intelligence and appreciation the works of this great poet, with a view to de-termining in a more or less perfect manner the character and ex-tent of his love for nature. For our present purpose a few quotations from his best productions must suffice, although the subject merits the most careful, deliberate and painstaking study. Were we to confine ourselves to a study of Milton's earlier poems, the most likely conclusion for us to reach with reference to the criticisms to which we have already referred, would be that they are entirely groundless. Throughout this splendid collec-tion of sonnets and weightier poems there is displayed a most exquisite taste for the beauties and charms of nature. To the devout mind of our poet, nature was the glorious handiwork of the almighty Creator, and contained many of his wonderful secrets. Regarding her in this light, he could not fail to be im-pressed by her subtle influences. However, as we have before implied, he was never guilty of worshiping nature to the neglect of the great First Cause—the divine Creator—Who was back of her. By Milton, nature was regarded as the poet's ever-ready and helpful handmaid. "Willingly," to quote from Emerson, "does she follow his steps with the rose and the violet, and bend her lines of grandeur and grace to the decoration of her darling child. Only let his thoughts be of equal scope, and the frame will suit the picture. A virtuous man is in unison with her works, and makes the central figure of the visible sphere. Homer, Pindar, Socrates, Phocian, associate themselves fitly in our memory with the whole geography and climate of Greece. The visible heavens and earth sympathize with Jesus. And in common life, whoso-ever has seen a person of powerful character and happy genius, will have remarked how easily he took all things along with him THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 73 —the persons, the opinions and the day—and nature became an-cillary to a man." To treat the great body of Milton's poetry in any save a very general way would be entirely beyond the scope and purpose of this essay; hence, we shall confine ourselves for the present to a brief consideration of only a few of the works of each of the two periods of poetic activity which we recognize in Milton's life. To the former period, extending from about 1625 to 1640, belong most of his shorter poems, among which special mention should be made of L/Allegro, II Peuseroso, Arcades, Comus, L,ycidas, and a number of sonnets. To the latter period, extending from about 1660 to the year of his death, 1674, belong Paradise L,ost, Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes. Of the earlier poems, the companion pieces, 1,'Allegro and II Penseroso, L,ycidas and Comus, are richest in their natural beauty and freshness, although these qualities are by no means wanting in the other poems of the period, as may be seen from these beau-tiful lines from '' On a May Morning :'' " Now the bright morning- star, day's harbinger, Comes dancing- from the east; and leads with her The flowery May, who from her green lap throws The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose." We may search throughout the whole realm of poetry and find nothing to surpass 1/Allegro and II Penseroso in choice and faithful description of the many charms of country life. Although the poems are the expressions of opposite moods, they both fur-nish us with idealized rural scenes. Note the richness of natural description in these lines from I/Allegro : —" Right against the eastern gate, Where the great sun begins his state, Robed in flames and amber light, The clouds in thousand liveries dight; While the ploughman, near at hand, Whistles o'er the furrowed land, And the milkmaid singeth blithe, And the mower whets his scythe, And every shepherd tells his tale Under the hawthorn in the dale." That Milton was not impressed only by the great and magnifi-cent in nature is attested by many passages in his works. In II Penseroso not only the feathered songsters, but even the busy lit-tle bees, are included in his thought. ■ 74 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. " Sweet bird, that shunn'st the noise of folly, Most musical, most melancholy ! Thee, chantress, oft the woods among I woo, to hear thy even song'." * * * * * * * —" Hide me from day's garish eye, While the bee with honeyed thigh, That at her flowery work doth sing, And the waters murmuring, "With such consort as they keep, Entice the dewy-feathered sleep." In Lyridas, that superb creation of poetic art, we find the author, in his deep grief over the loss of his friend, giving life to the forms and forces of nature, and holding sad converse with them. "Yet once more, O ye laurels, and once more, Ye myrtles brown, with ivy never sere, I come to pluck your berries harsh and crude, And with forced fingers rude Shatter your leaves before the mellowing year." When he reverts to his boyhood companionship with Lycidas we find that it is inseparably associated with wild, free nature. " For we were nursed upon the self-same hill, Fed the same flock, by fountain, shade and rill; Together both, ere the high lawns appeared, Under the opening eyelids of the morn." As he proceeds in his plaintive song he fancies that not only the sorrowing shepherd—who is in fact himself—but nature, too, is lamenting over the loss of I,ycidas. "Thee, shepherd, thee, the woods and desert caves, With wild thyme and the gadding vine o'ergrown, And all their echoes mourn." In the whole range of pastoral poetry no more beautiful and lofty, yet exquisitely delicate, lines can be found than the follow-ing : " Ye valleys low, where the mild whispers use Of shades, and wanton winds, and gushing brooks, On whose fresh lap the swart star sparely looks, Throw hither all your quaint enamelled eyes, That on the green turf suck the honeyed showers, And purple all the ground with vernal flowers, Bring the rathe primrose that forsaken dies, The tufted crow-toe and the pale jessamine, The white pink and the pansy streaked with jet, THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. 75 The glowing violet. The musk-rose, and the well-attired woodbine, With cowslips wan, that hang the pensive head, And every flower that sad embroidery wears, Bid amaranthus all his beauty shed, And daffodils fill their cups with tears, To strew the laureate hearse where Lycid lies." The sweet mournfulness with which the poem begins is sus-tained to the end. In this poem Milton reached the very acme of his genius. It is in this production that he reveals his true poetic nature, and it is for this reason that we have dwelt upon it at such great length. Of the remaining poems of this earlier period we shall say but little, having presented Lycidas as the representative work of Milton's genius at this period of his life. Although the Comus, as well as several of the other shorter poems and sonnets, abound in natural richness, time and space forbid a treatment of them in this essay. We now turn to the latter period of Milton's poetic activity— the period which gave to us that wonderful epic, Paradise I_ost. It is with ithis poem that we are chiefly concerned at present. Paradise Regained and Samson Agouistes, grand as they are, do not represent our poet at his best, having been written at the close of a life that had long before been cast into darkness—a darkness springing not only from destroyed vision, but also from increasing sorrow and disappointment. The question arises : What can be said of Milton's love for nature as portrayed in Paradise L,ost; was it diminished in in-tensity or different in character ? Before answering, let us con-sider certain circumstances which are inseparably connected with a proper treatment of this question. Milton was now an old man; years of domestic trials and political strife had left upon him their evil effects ; moreover, he was now blind. Conditions such as these surely are not conducive to poetical activity. Neverthe-less, Milton still had before him his great life's work, and would never rest'satisfied till it was accomplished. Paradise I A REVERIE. CHAS. W. WEISER, '01. I. There's a beauty in the spring-time, When the first warm rays beat down From the bright, blue sky in Heaven, Giving- life to all around ; When but here and there is seen Float a white and fleecy cloud, Like a dove the messag-e bringing:— "God is wisdom, God is love." II. When the trees in all their splendor Now are robed in living green; When the woods now crowned with glory Glimmer in the morning sheen ; As we tread with heart so blithesome Through each leafy, shady bower, In pursuit of fairest nature, Sauntering after rarest flower, We drink in her grandest blessing— Glorious sunshine, purest air. And in stumbling o'er the rock-beds, By the side of rippling stream, Suddenly there bursts upon us Charming, bright, and glorious scene. In the middle of the forest Basks a meadow in the sun, And down thro' its grassy pastures, 84 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. Waters fresh do gently run. On we saunter o'er the meadow Gently plucking- tender flowers, Finding there the grass—the blue-eyed- And the pretty yellow-star Looking upward in the sunlight, Pointing- upward to the sky. III. As the sparkling mountain torrent Flows into the muddy river, And the waters, swiftly flowing Soon are blended into one; So the scented breeze of springtime Soon is blended with the summer. Yes, the busy, humming summer With its fields of rip'ning- grain, And its clattering-, rattling reaper, With its band of busy men, With its red'ning, rip'ning- cherries Hanging- tempting on the trees, With its apples in the orchard, And the clover, and the bees. All are busy, all are bustling, Gathering- in a bounteous store, While the earth is full of blessing-s, Ere the harvest-time is o'er. IV. From the ants, the bees, the harvest, We may learn a lesson true :— The work is great, the time is short, In which we have to do. The moments lost, the time ill-spent Shall never come again ; But our deeds shall yield a harvest Which will give us joy or pain. V. Slowly creeping- in its course, Southward moves the summer's sun, Quietly o'er the mountain sneaking, With his sting-, Jack Frost has come. Soon the leaves are turned to crimson, And the fruit to golden brown, Nuts are ripened, quickly gathered, As they fall upon the ground. Fruit is plucked and corn is garnered, THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. Everything- is gathered in, Leaves are falling, winds are blowing, And the winter now begins. VI. Wind is howling, snow is falling1, Fire's crackling loud within, Corn is popping, apples roasting, Merry chatter, laugh and din. All are snug and warm to-night While the earth is decked with white. 85 od style and at less cost than you can obtain same elsewhere. They are located among the mountains but their work is metropolitan. You can be convinced of this if you give them the opportunity. Mt. Holly Stationery and Printing Co. *SPRINGS, PA. H. S. BENNER, .DEALER IN. Groceries, Notions, Queensware, Glassware, Etc, Tobacco and Ggars. Yl CHAMBERSBURG ST. WE RECOMMEND THESE BUSINESS MEN. Pitzer House, (Temperance) JNO. E. PITZER, Prop. Rates $1.00 to $1.25 per day. Battlefield a specialty. Dinner and ride to all points of interest,including the tb ree days* fipht, $1.25. No. 127 Main Street. MUMPER & BENDER Furniture Cabinet Making, Picture Frames Beds, Springs, Mattresses, Etc. Baltimore St., GETTYSBURG, PA. You will find a full line of Pure Drugs and Fine Sta- People's Drug Store Prescriptions a Specialty. .GO TO. fjotel (Bettysburg, Barker Sfyop. Centre Square. B. M. SEFTON J. A. TAWNEY_^ Is ready to furnish Clubs and Bread, Rolls, Etc. At short notice and reasonable rates. Washington & Middle Sts., Gettysburg. XWYT. Tr*. rLnAnJ-LnHDJKT1, Successor to 8imoil j. Codori Dealer in Beef, Pork, Lamb, Veal, Sausage. Special rates to Clubs. York St., GETTYSBURG. Davib Croxd, Dealer in $'me (groceries anb Hotions «^c4Jork Street. .GO TO. CHAS. E. BARBEHENN, Barber In the Eagle Hotel, Cor. Main and Washing-ton Sts. YOHN BROS. Agents for the Keystone State, Waldo, Washbum, Groupner & Meyer. Highest Grade Mandolins, Guitars, Banjos, Mandollas and Mandocellos. Headquarters for Phonographs, Graphophones and supplies. Trimmings of every description. All sheet music one-half off. Large discounts on Books and studies. 326 Market St., Harrisburg, Pa. in-mmum n FAVOR THOSE WHO FAVOR US. Spalding's OFFICIAL Athletic Goods Officially adopted by the leading Colleges, Schools and Athletic Clubs of the Country. Every requisite ior Baseball, Football, Golf, Tennis, Athlet-ics, Gymnasium. Spalding's Offi-cial League Ball is the Official Ball of the Na-tional League and all the lead-ing college asso-ciations Handsome cata-logue of Athletic Sports free to any address. Spalding's Baseball Guide for 1900,10 cts. A. Q. SPALDING & BROS. New York Chicago ROWE. YOUR GROCER Carries Pull Line of Groceries, Canned Goods, Etc, Best Coal Oil and Brooms at most Reasonable Prices. OPPOSITE COLLEO.E CAMPUS. S. J. CODORL *# Druggists* Dealer in Drugs, Medicines, Toilet Articles, J> Stationery, Blank Books, Amateur Pho-tographic Supplies, Etc., Etc. BALTIMORE ST. R. H. CULP PAPER HANGER, Second Square, York Street. COLLEGE EMBLEMS. EMIL ZOTHE, ENGRAVER, DESIGNER AND MANUFACTURING JEWELER. 19 S. NINTH ST. PHILADELPHIA, PA. SPECIALTIES: Masonic Marks, Society Badges, College Buttons, Pius, Scarf Pins, Stick Pins and Athletic Prizes. All Goods ordered through A. N. Beau. To Repair Broken Arti-cles use Major's Cement Remember MAJOR'S RUBBER CEMENT, MAJOR'S LEATHER CEMENT. Meneely Bell Co. TROY, N. Y. MANUFACTURERS OF SUPERIOR BELLS The 2000 pound bell now ringing in the tower of Pennsylvania Col-lege was manufactured at this foundry. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. The Pleased Customer Is not a stranger in our establish-ment— he's right at honie, you'll see him when you call. We have the materials to please fastidious men. J. D. LIPPY, Merchant Tailor 39 Chambersburg- St., Gettysburg-, Pa. G. E. SPANGLER, Dealer in Pianos, Organs, Music, Musical Instruments, Strings, Etc. YORK STREET, 1ST SQUARE. GETTYSBURG. L. D. Miller, GROCER Confectioner and Fruiterer. Ice Cream and Oysters in Season. 19 Main St. GETTYSBURG City Hotel Main St. Gettysburg. Jt Free 'Bus to and from all Trains Thirty seconds' walk from either depot Dinner with drive over field with four or more, $1.35 Rates $1.50 to $2.00 per day John E. Hughes, Prop. Capitol Cit£ Cafe Cor. Fourth and Market Sts. HARR1SBURG, PA. First-Class Rooms Furnished. Special Rates to Private Parties. Open Day and Night. European Plan. Eunch of All Kinds to Order at the Restaurant. ALDINGER'S CAPITOL CITY CAFE. POPULAR PRICES. CALL ON F. Mark Bream, The Carlisle Street Grocer Who always has on hand a full line of Fine Groceries. .Photographer. No. 3 Main St., OETTYSBURa, PENNA. Our new effects in Portraiture are equal to photos made anywhere, and at any price. I PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS Kay$_eo, 140-142 Woodward Avenue DETROIT, MICH. Send for Catalogue and Price List. Manufacturers of High Grade Fraternity Emblems Fraternity Jewelry Fraternity Novelties Fraternity Stationary Fraternity Invitations Fraternity Announcements Fraternity Programs Special Designs on Application. MOTEL GETTYSBURG LIVERY GETTYSBURG, PA. LONG & HOLTZWORTN, Proprietors Apply at Office in the Motel for First-Class Guides and Teams THE BATTEFIELD A SPECIALTY TLhc Bolton Market Square Ibarrfeburg, ©a. Large and Convenient Sample Rooms. Passenger and Baggage Elevator. Electric Cars to and from Depot. Electric Light and Steam Heat. J. M. & M. S. BUTTERWORTH, Proprietors Special Rates for Commer-cial Men "EZ 1ST IMMER CUT ET WAS ZU WISSEN." These are the words of Goethe, the great German poet, and are as true in our day as when uttered. In these times of defective vision it is good to know something about eyes. A great deal has been learned about the value of glasses and their application since Goethe lived. Spectacle wearers have increased by thousands, while at the same time, persons losing their eyesight, have been greatly diminished. If your eyes trouble you in any way let me fell you the cause. Examination free and prices reasonable. We grind all our own lenses and fit the best lenses (no matter what anyone else has charged you) for $2.50 per pair and as cheap as SO cents per pair, or duplicate a broken lens if we have one-half or more of the old one, at a reasonable charge, returning same day received. .E. L. EGOLF. 807 and 809 North Third Street, HARRISBURG, PA. PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. ^entpol JJotel, ELIAS FISSEL, Prop. (Formerly of Globe Hotel) Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, Pa. Two doors from Court House. MODERN IMPROVEMENTS. Steam Heat, Electric Light and Call Bells all through the House. Closets and Bath Rooms on. Ever}- Floor. Sefton & Flem-ming's Ifivery is connected with this Hotel. Good Teams and Competent Guides for the Battlefield. Charges Moderate, Satisfaction Guaranteed. Rates $1.50 Per Day. GET A SKATE ON And send all your Soiled Einen to the Gettysburg Steam Laundry R. R. LONG, Prop. R. A. WONDERS, Corner Cigar Parlors. A full line of Cigars, Tobacco, Pipes, Etc. Scott's Corner, Opp. Eagle Hotel. GETTYSBURG, PA. y. Try My Choice Line of C High-Grade Chocolates L at 40c per lb. Always fresh at (a CHAS. H. McCLEARY J £ CarllsleSt.,OppositeW.M.R.R. 3 ^ Also Foreign and Domestic Fruits '/' Always on Hand. JOHN M. MINNIQH, Gonfeetionery, lee, -andIee Create Oysters Stewed and Fried. No. 17 BALTIMORE ST. BARBER SHOP@@ CHARLES C. SEFTON, Proprietor. .Baltimore Street. The place for Students to go. Only First-class Tonsorial Work. LIVERY ATTACHED. ESTABLISHED 1876 PENROSE MYERS, Watchmaker and Jeweler Gettysburg Souvenir Spoons, Col-lege Souvenir Spoons. NO. 10 BALTIMORE ST., GETTYSBURG, PENNA. L. t\. ALLEAVAH Manufacturers1 Agent and Jobber of Hardware, Oils, Paints and Queensware. GETTYSBURG, PA. The Only Jobbing House in Adams County.

The module was administered as a post-election interview. The resulting data are provided along with voting, demographic, district and macro variables in a single dataset.

CSES Variable List
The list of variables is being provided on the CSES Website to help in understanding what content is available from CSES, and to compare the content available in each module.

Themes:
MICRO-LEVEL DATA:

Identification and study administration variables:
weighting factors;election type; date of election 1st and 2nd round; study timing (post election study, pre-election and post-election study, between rounds of majoritarian election); mode of interview; gender of interviewer; date questionnaire administered; primary electoral district of respondent; number of days the interview was conducted after the election

Demography:
age; gender; education; marital status; union membership; union membership of others in household; current employment status; main occupation; employment type - public or private; industrial sector; occupation of chief wage earner and of spouse; household income; number of persons in household; number of children in household under the age of 18; attendance at religious services; religiosity; religious denomination; language usually spoken at home; race; ethnicity; region of residence; rural or urban residence

Survey variables:
respondent cast a ballot at the current and the previous election; respondent cast candidate preference vote at the previous election; satisfaction with the democratic process in the country; last election was conducted fairly; form of questionnaire (long or short); party identification; intensity of party identification; political parties care what people think; political parties are necessary; recall of candidates from the last election (name, gender and party); number of candidates correctly named; sympathy scale for selected parties and political leaders; assessment of the state of the economy in the country; assessment of economic development in the country; degree of improvement or deterioration of economy; politicians know what people think; contact with a member of parliament or congress during the past twelve months; attitude towards selected statements: it makes a difference who is in power and who people vote for; people express their political opinion; self-assessment on a left-right-scale; assessment of parties and political leaders on a left-right-scale; political information items

DISTRICT-LEVEL DATA:

number of seats contested in electoral district; number of candidates; number of party lists; percent vote of different parties; official voter turnout in electoral district

MACRO-LEVEL DATA:

founding year of parties; ideological families of parties; international organization the parties belong to; left-right position of parties assigned by experts; election outcomes by parties in current (lower house/upper house) legislative election; percent of seats in lower house received by parties in current lower house/upper house election; percent of seats in upper house received by parties in current lower house/upper house election; percent of votes received by presidential candidate of parties in current elections; electoral turnout; electoral alliances permitted during the election campaign; existing electoral alliances; most salient factors in the election; head of state (regime type); if multiple rounds: selection of head of state; direct election of head of state and process of direct election; threshold for first-round victory; procedure for candidate selection at final round; simple majority or absolute majority for 2nd round victory; year of presidential election (before or after this legislative election); process if indirect election of head of state; head of government (president or prime minister); selection of prime minister; number of elected legislative chambers; for lower and upper houses was coded: number of electoral segments; number of primary districts; number of seats; district magnitude (number of members elected from each district); number of secondary and tertiary electoral districts; compulsory voting; votes cast; voting procedure; electoral formula; party threshold; parties can run joint lists; requirements for joint party lists; possibility of apparentement; types of apparentement agreements; multi-party endorsements; multi-party endorsements on ballot; ally party support; constitutional prerogatives of the head of state; constitutional powers of prime minister; methods of cabinet dismissal; dissolution of legislature

The climate crisis and loss of biodiversity, two closely related threats to human and planetary health, meet the criteria for the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare an international public health emergency, as occurred with COVID-19 (1), and urged by numerous scientific journals (2).
Attaining decent work, understood as "opportunities for women and men to work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity" (3), in the context of the climate emergency, creates a paradox for worker health. Outdoor workers (notably those in agriculture and construction), many of them informal workers, are among the populations most vulnerable to climate-related hazards. Simultaneously, they are inevitably at risk of exposure due to their role in maintaining the economy and functioning of society. A similar situation happened during the pandemic with essential workers (4). The WHO declaration of a public health emergency helped manage that global crisis.
A consequence of the industrial revolution The current climate crisis is a direct consequence of the Industrial Revolution where key processes emerged to explain the current situation: the appearance of wage labor and the working class, with consumerism as a basic economic driver, and the exploitation of natural resources – especially fossil fuels – in their own territories and in the colonies.
The extension of this capitalist model of society to virtually the entire planet is a reality. Now, we see how this economic system has brought both great harm and significant benefits.
Since its beginning, capitalism has wrought great suffering for people, masterfully described, among others, by Fredrich Engels in the Manchester of 1845 (5) or the London of 1838 in Charles Dickens` Oliver Twist (6). Although working conditions have since improved in many countries, there are still unbearable examples worldwide of worker exploitation and suffering. Among them, child labor, where 70% are working in agriculture (7) or some underregulated platform work (8), in a context of ever-increasing social inequalities (9).
On the other hand, due to improved working and life conditions, there has also been an extraordinary increase in the world population, from one billion at the beginning of the 19th century to approximately eight billion today, leading to a linear increase in life expectancy at birth, which doubled globally between the beginning of the 20th century and the present. In 2015, the Lancet Commission on Planetary Health (10) pointed out that never before has humanity faced such an unintended paradox. While human well-being has been improving, the planet has been degrading. A contradiction that can no longer be sustained.
We have lived as if our planet`s resources are unlimited. Based on comparisons to average temperature readings of the planet between 1850 and 1900, the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change estimated in its latest report that temperatures increased by 1.1° C between 2011 and 2020. This increase is very close to the 1.5° C established by the 2015 Paris Agreement as the limit beyond which climate impacts may become irreversible. Beyond any reasonable doubt, this is mostly attributable to the greenhouse effect produced by CO2 emissions, a consequence mainly of human activity and our way of living initiated by the Industrial Revolution.
This global increase in temperature, with heat waves, floods and other extreme temperature events as its most obvious manifestations, is already having effects on worker health (12, 13). Climate change is also having effects on the economy and the labor market, both in the primary (agriculture and fishing) and services (tourism) sectors, with reductions in productivity and employment. Estimates from the European Commission reveal an average loss of 3% of GDP among EU countries between 1980 and 2020 (14). Simultaneously, we should not forget that the capitalist society that emerged from the Industrial Revolution is based, among other pillars, on full or near full employment. As such, wages represent the main economic resource for the majority of people, in addition to being the primary source of wealth generation for society, on whose income and taxes the welfare state was built. Of course, employment means much more than wage earning, as it plays a fundamental role in the social processes that sustain human dignity and social cohesion (15). However, only approximately 50% of the employed population, mainly in high-income countries, enjoy decent employment with a living wage and social rights (16).
The resulting Gordian knot before us is enormous, with humanity facing the climate emergency and trying to move from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, while simultaneously seeking to maintain and increase decent employment for all Earth`s inhabitants, boosting the welfare states at the same time (17).
Controlling climate-related hazards and just green transition The alternatives proposed to escape this crossroads vary between those that propose a new paradigm, which radically changes the current economic model, betting on measures that break drastically from the capitalist economy (18), versus a gradual process, supported by mitigation, adaptation, and compensation policies (19).
Favoring this second alternative, but without ruling out the need to profoundly change human consumption patterns with important repercussions on the productive system (energy, transportation, food, etc.), gradualist policies will also directly or indirectly impact employment and working conditions during the transition from carbon emission energy to green energy.
To cope with this urgent situation, specific control measures have been proposed over the last few decades. Schulte and colleagues have systematically reviewed the literature (20, 21, 22), identifying new and exacerbated old climate-related hazards such as extreme temperatures, air pollution, ultraviolet radiation, natural disasters, biological hazards, indoor air quality, etc., and they also assessed the impact of employment transition and economic burden on occupational health equity and mental health. On this basis, the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has elaborated recommendations to mitigate and control the impact of several climate-related hazards on worker health and well-being (23). Similarly, the EU Agency for Safety and Health at Work has published guidelines for heat at work (24). Going further, some governments, such as Spain, have begun regulating and enforcing specific measures (25).
Implementation of these workplace preventive measures to mitigate the impact of climate change is the responsibility of employers, with full participation of workers. Devoting resources to hazard recognition; performing risk assessments to identify which workers are most vulnerable to climate change-related hazards; and implementing a control strategy with policies, procedures, equipment, and work organization changes aiming to eliminate or minimize the impact of these hazards can improve employer preparedness (26).
Adaptation policies to reduce emissions of CO2 and other gases that are driving the greenhouse effect, still with limited results, could mean a loss of six million jobs worldwide, according to estimates of the International Labor Organization (ILO) (27). This same estimation predicts a promising creation of 24 million jobs, mainly in economies emphasizing recycling and reutilization of manufactured products (the so-called "circular economy"), infrastructure construction, development of renewables and energy efficiency. Also, during this transition, new forms of work will emerge (e.g., human-robot interfaces and artificial intelligence), and with them the need to train workers, both new and existing, to adapt to those new forms of work.
While waiting for positive results from mitigation and adaptation policies, a just transition to a green economy must simultaneously incorporate compensation policies. To achieve this, it is essential to strengthen social protection systems, a cornerstone of decent employment. For example, there were measures adopted during the pandemic, such as temporary employment regulation for employees or benefits covering the cessation of activity of the self-employed. Similar compensation measures may help workers affected by mitigation and adaptation policies during a transition phase, possibly to a lesser degree than in the pandemic, but lasting longer.
In summary, as was the case in the most recent public health emergency, the COVID-19 pandemic, declaring the climate emergency as an international public health emergency by the WHO could play a critical role in managing this new global health crisis. Research programs, supported by global occupational health surveillance systems, to monitor the effectiveness of mitigation, adaptation and compensation measures are urgent.
Conflict of interest statement The authors report no conflicts of interest.
References 1. WHO. International Health Regulations, 3rd edition. Geneva: WHO; 2016. Available on: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241580496. Accessed 4 February 2024. 2. Zielinski C. Time to treat the climate and nature crisis as one indivisible global health emergency. BMJ Open. 2023;13(10):e080907. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-080907 3. International Labour Organization. Report of the Director-General: decent work. Paper presented at the 87th Annual International Labour Conference, Geneva, 1999. Available at: https://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc87/rep-i.htm [Accessed March 9 2024]. 4. Burdorf A, Porru F, Rugulies R. The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic: consequences for occupational health. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2020; 46(3):229-230. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3893 5. Engels, F. The condition of the working class in England (D. McLellan, Ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2009. https://doi.org/10.1093/owc/9780199554652.003.0151 6. Dickens C. Oliver Twist. London: Lacy; 1938. https://doi.org/10.1093/oseo/instance.00121337 7. Piketty, T. Capital in the twenty-first century (A. Goldhammer, Trans.). London: Belknap Press; 2017. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvjnrvx9 8. International Labour Organization, Issue paper on child labour and climate change, Geneva: ILO; 2023. Available on: https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_905673/lang--en/index.htm. 9. Eurofound. Back to the future: Policy pointers from platform work scenarios, New forms of employment series. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union; 2020. 10. Whitmee S, Haines A, Beyrer C et al. Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch: report of The Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission on planetary health. Lancet. 2015;386(10007):1973-2028. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60901-1 11. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Synthesis report (SYR) of the IPCC sixth assessment report (AR6). Available on: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-cycle. Accessed 4 February 2024. 12. Martínez-Solanas È, López-Ruiz M, Wellenius GA, Gasparrini A et. Evaluation of the impact of ambient temperatures on occupational injuries in Spain. Environ Health Perspect. 2018;126(6):067002. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP2590 13. Johnson RJ, Wesseling C, Newman LS. Chronic kidney disease of unknown cause in agricultural communities. N Engl J Med. 2019;380(19):1843-1852. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1813869 14. European Environment Agency. Economic losses and fatalities from weather and climate-related events in Europe. Available on: https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/economic-losses-and-fatalities-from#:~:text=Between%201980%20%20and%202020%2C%20total,of%20these%20losses%20were%20insured. Accessed 4 February 2024. 15. Budd JW. The thought of work. J Ind Rel. 2012;54(4):542-545. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022185612456331 16. Frank J, Mustard C, Smith P, Siddiqi A, Cheng Y, Burdorf A et al. Work as a social determinant of health in high-income countries: past, present, and future. Lancet. 2023 Oct 14;402(10410):1357-1367. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00871-1 17. Benavides FG, Serra C, Delclos GL. What can public health do for the welfare state? Occupational health could be an answer. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2019;73(12):1141-1144. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2018-211561 18. Saito K. El capital en la era del Antropoceno. Barcelona: Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, 2022. 19. Eurofound. Impact of climate change and climate policies on living conditions, working conditions, employment and social dialogue: A conceptual framework. Luxembourg: Eurofound research paper, Publications Office of the European Union; 2023. 20. Schulte PA, Chun H. Climate change and occupational safety andhealth: establishing a preliminary framework. J Occup Environ Hyg. 2009; 6:9, 542-554. https://doi.org/10.1080/15459620903066008 21. Schulte PA, Bhattacharya A, Butler CR et al. Advancing the framework for considering the effects of climate change on worker safety and health. J Occup Environ Hyg. 2016;13(11):847-65. https://doi.org/10.1080/15459624.2016.1179388 22. Schulte PA, Jacklitsch LB, Bhattacharya A et al. Updated assessment of occupational safety and health hazards of climate change. J Occup Environ Hyg. 2023;20(5-6):183-206, https://doi.org/10.1080/15459624.2023.2205468 23. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Occupational safety and health and climate. Available on: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/climate/default.html. Accessed 6 February 2024. 24. European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. Heat at work - Guidance for workplaces. Available on: https://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/heat-work-guidance-workplaces. Accessed 7 February 2024. 25. Real Decreto-ley 4/2023, de 11 de mayo, por el que se adoptan medidas urgentes en materia de […] prevención de riesgos laborales en episodios de elevadas temperaturas. Available on: https://www.boe.es/eli/es/rdl/2023/05/11/4. Accessed at 7 February 2024. 26. Levy, Barry S, Cora Roelofs. Impacts of climate change on workers' health and safety. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Global Public Health. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190632366.013.39 27. International Labor Organization (ILO). World employment and social outlook 2018: Greening with jobs. Geneva: ILO; 2018. Available on: https://www.ilo.org/weso-greening/documents/WESO_Greening_EN_web2.pdf. Accessed at 7 February 2024.

Es ist ein wichtiger Tag für die deutschen Schulen: Bund und Länder sagen Ja zum Startchancen-Programm. Jetzt gilt es, schnell die Formalitäten und offenen Verfahrensfragen zu klären. Die zähen Verhandlungen verlagern sich währenddessen auf ein anderes Programm.






Foto: Anne, Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.






ES WAR EIN FOTO-FINISH für die Startchancen. Noch am Mittwochabend wagte in den 16 Kultusministerien kaum jemand die Prognose, ob ihre Chefs am Freitag tatsächlich den finalen Haken
setzen würden unter den Vertrag mit dem BMBF über dieses Milliardenprogramm zur Förderung benachteiligter Schüler. Obwohl alle wussten: Wenn es jetzt nichts wird, wäre die Blamage
maximal. Für Bundesbildungsministerin Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP), die bildungspolitisch seit langem fast alles auf die "Startchancen" setzte. Aber auch für die Kultusminister und den
Bildungsföderalismus, der aktuell wieder einmal besonders unbeliebt ist.



 



Seit 2022 hatten die Länder untereinander und mit dem Bund verhandelt, ein beständiges Stop-And-Go, ein Vor und Zurück zwischen dem Feilschen um die großen Verteilungsmechanismen und
die kleinen Details. Begleitet von Phasen, in denen es zwischen Bund und Ländern eher darum ging, sich gegenseitig mit Vorwürfen mangelnder Ernsthaftigkeit zu überziehen.



 



Den Termin zur digitalen Sondersitzung der Kultusministerkonferenz (KMK) am Freitagmorgen hatte man vor Wochen bereits vorsorglich gemacht, dazu den Auftritt gemeinsam mit
Bundesbildungsministerin Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) am Freitagnachmittag in der Bundespressekonferenz eingefädelt. Aber immer, und das trotz maximalen öffentlichen Erwartungsdrucks, unter
Vorbehalt.



 



"Substanzielle Fortschritte" beim
Digitalpakt als Voraussetzung?



 



Zuletzt hing die Entscheidung vor allem an einigen wenigen Ländern mit Unionsregierung, die zusätzliche Garantien forderten. Dafür, dass der Bund nach der Startchancen-Besiegelung noch genug
Wille und Geld hat, um die Fortsetzung eines anderen Milliardenprogramms durchzuziehen: des Digitalpakts. Der aus Sicht aller Kultusminister genauso wichtig ist wie die Startchancen, nach
Meinung etlicher sogar noch wichtiger. Wiederholte Bekenntnisse Stark-Watzingers in den vergangenen Monaten, sie setze sich mit Nachdruck für diesen Digitalpunkt 2.0 ein, hatten
zumindest Bayern und Sachsen bis diese Woche nicht gereicht.



 



Am Mittwoch saß die Digitalpakt-Verhandlungsgruppe erneut zusammen. "Substanzielle Fortschritte" hatten die Länder vorab verlangt, und einige Unionsminister ließen diese auf den
Digitalpakt bezogene Forderung immer noch wie eine Bedingung für die Startchancen klingen. Bis am Donnerstag im Anschluss an verschiedene Schaltkonferenzen auf Länderseite
durchsickerte: Alle 16 Kultusminister machen mit. Auch Bayern und Sachsen.



 



Die Zustimmung der Länder sei letztlich auch deshalb möglich geworden, weil der Bund ein deutliches politisches Zeichen für den Digitalpakt 2.0 gegeben habe und auch hier substanzielle
Fortschritte hätten erzielt werden können, sagte die neue Koordinatorin der CDU-Bildungspolitik in den Ländern, Schleswig-Holsteins Bildungsministerin Karin Prien, nach der
Startchancen-Besiegelung am Freitag. Von einem "klaren Bekenntnis"  zur Digitalpakt-Forsetzung, das die Länder vom BMBF bekommen hätten, sprach auch KMK-Präsidentin Christine
Streichert-Clivot.



 



Unklar war allerdings zunächst, worin  genau dieses deutliche politische Zeichen und Bekenntnis bestanden hatte. Zumal nicht alle von Priens und Streichert-Clivots Kollegen offenbar ein
solches gesehen haben. So kritisierte Armin Schwarz, der neue CDU-Bildungsminister von Hessen, am Freitag, es werde ein neues Projekt aufgesetzt, ohne die Fortführung eines für die Zukunft
entscheidenden Programmes geklärt zu haben: des Digitalpakts. Hier benötigten die Länder und die kommunalen Schulträger langfristige Planungssicherheit. "Dies wäre eine wirkliche, effektive
Unterstützung, die ohne neue bürokratische Hürden umgesetzt werden könnte." Doch habe ausgerechnet "die selbsternannte Digitalpartei FDP beim Digitalpakt bisher alles blockiert".



 



Woraus man umgekehrt folgern könnte, dass Stark-Watzinger diesen Teil der politischen Geduldspiels mit den Ländern für sich hat entscheiden könnten. Zumindest ging sie am Freitagnachmittag auch
in der gemeinsamen Pressemitteilung von BMBF und KMK mit keinem Wort auf die Digitalpakt-Fortsetzung ein, sondern hob allein die Bedeutung des Startchancen-Programms hervor, "das größte
und langfristigste Bildungsprogramm in der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland". In der Pressekonferenz sagte Stark-Watzinger laut Bildung.Table, sie wolle beim Digitalpakt
zunächst über das Konzept sprechen, während Streichert-Clivot sagte, dessen Finanzierungsvolumen sei "noch offen".



 



Wobei das BMBF in internen Gesprächen gesagt haben soll, dass der neue Pakt mindestens das gleiche Volumen – eine Milliarde pro Jahr – haben soll wie bisher. Nur eben nach Vorstellung des Bundes
mit einer anderen Kostenbeteiligung der Länder (50 statt zehn Prozent), was mit ein Knackpunkt bei den Verhandlungen ist. Doch gilt schon die BMBF-Aussage übers Volumen unter den meisten Ländern
als das, was sie als "substanziellen Fortschritt" sehen, ebenso die Verabredung eines festen Zeitplans mit einer nächsten Klausurtagung im März und der Fertigstellung der Bund-Länder-Vereinbarung
bis Mitte Mai – also genau dann, wenn der Digitalpakt 1.0 offiziell ausläuft.



 



"Wir brauchen eine bildungspolitische Trendwende",
sagt BMBF-Chefin Stark-Watzinger



 



Zurück zur Startchancen-Einigung. Noch nie sei der Handlungsdruck so groß wie jetzt gewesen, sagte Stark-Watzinger. "Wir brauchen eine bildungspolitische Trendwende, und sie muss bei den
Grundkompetenzen beginnen. Mit der Verständigung auf das Startchancen-Programm werden Bund und Länder den großen Hebel ansetzen: 20 Milliarden Euro in zehn Jahren für etwa 4.000 Schulen mit einem
hohen Anteil sozial benachteiligter Schülerinnen und Schüler." 



 



60 Prozent der geförderten Kinder sollen an Grundschulen sein. Der Fokus des liegt auf einer Stärkung der Basiskompetenzen Lesen, Schreiben und Rechnen und der Entwicklung der Schulen als
Lernort. Der Bund zahlt eine Milliarde pro Jahr, die Länder beteiligen sich in gleichem Umfang – wobei ein Teil der komplizierten Verhandlungen sich zuletzt genau darum drehte: Was genau
können die Länder als ihren Anteil einbringen?



 



Auch KMK-Präsidentin Streichert-Clivot, im Hauptberuf SPD-Bildungsministerin im Saarland, sagte, Bund und Länder unterstützten mit den "Startchancen" die Schulen im Transformationsprozess.
"Mutig und mit vereinten Kräften können wir Schule verändern – mit wissenschaftlicher Begleitung, einem veränderten Ressourcen-Ansatz und multiprofessionellen Teams." Im Zentrum stünden dabei die
Belange von Kindern und Jugendlichen. "Sie fordern zu Recht, dass wir stärker auf ihre Bedürfnisse eingehen und uns nicht in Kompetenzgerangel verlieren. Deshalb ist es unsere gemeinsame
Verantwortung, diesen Bedürfnissen mit gezielter und individueller Unterstützung gerecht zu werden." 



 



Karin Prien wiederum sprach von einem guten für gerechtere Bildung in Deutschland, "auch wenn es ein sehr langer und beschwerlicher Weg gewesen ist". Das Programm, das auf wissenschaftlichen
Erkenntnissen und guten Erfahrungen in einigen Ländern aufbaue, könne für die im Ergebnis aufwachsend 4000 Schulen "als ein Element" dafür sorgen, mehr Bildungsgerechtigkeit in Deutschland
umzusetzen. "Ein Wermutstropfen ist auch in diesem Fall wieder die bürokratische Belastung, die Schulträgern und Schulen durch das Programm droht." Bevor Prien wieder einen Schlenker zum
Digitalpakt 2.0 machte: Bei dem "müssen wir sehr darauf achten, die bürokratischen Hürden abzubauen und Verfahren zu vereinfachen." Und Prien forderte: Der zweite Digitalpakt dürfe sowohl
vom Volumen als auch von der Aufteilung der finanziellen Belastungen nicht hinter dem ersten Digitalpakt zurückstehen.



 



"Jetzt fängt die Arbeit richtig an",
sagt SPD-Bildungsministerin Hubig



 



Priens Konterpart Stefanie Hubig, Koordinatorin der SPD-Bildungspolitik in den Ländern, formulierte etwas überschwänglicher. Bund und Länder stärkten die Bildungsgerechtigkeit und
Bildungsqualität in Deutschland und zeigten, dass sie gemeinsam handeln könnten. "Wir schnüren ein großes Paket für jene Kinder und Jugendliche, die unter schwierigen Bedingungen ins Leben
starten." Noch immer hänge der Bildungserfolg zu sehr vom Geldbeutel oder vom Status der Eltern ab. "Mit Hilfe des Startchancen-Programms werden Schulen zu besseren Lern- und Lebensorten. Sie
fügte hinzu: "Und jetzt fängt die Arbeit richtig an!“



 



In der Tat. Zumal das Startchancen-Vertragspaket formal noch längst nicht unterschrieben ist. Jetzt startet erst einmal der Ratifizierungsprozess in Bund und Ländern, im Frühjahr wollen
Stark-Watzinger und Kultusminister dann zur rechtsverbindlichen Unterschrift antreten. Vielleicht ist ja genau das der Grund, warum Bayern und Sachsen sich am Donnerstag doch einen Ruck geben
konnten? Schon in der Vergangenheit hatten CDU-Minister wiederholt darauf hingewiesen: Wirklich besiegelt ist das Programm erst, wenn alle 16 Länder rechtskräftig ratifiziert haben. Dient
diese vermeintliche Formalie so als letztes im Hintergrund gehaltenes Druckmittel, bis der Digitalpakt 2.0 von Bundesfinanzminister Christian Lindner (FDP) im Haushaltsentwurf für 2025
verankert ist? Umgekehrt hat der Bund womöglich das noch bessere Druckmittel: den Lockruf des Geldes. Erst wenn alle 16 Länder unterschrieben haben, kann Lindner die laut Vertrag
vorgesehene Änderung des Finanzausgleichsgesetzes für die Umsatzsteuerpunkte-Umverteilung (siehe unten) angehen. 



 



Offiziell tun Bund und Länder jetzt ohnehin so (und müssen es), als sei das Programm auch formaljuristisch unter Dach und Fach, denn zum 1. August 2024 soll es starten. Ein wichtiger Aspekt
dabei ist, was Prien in ihrem Statement andeutet: Auch wenn im Endausbau rund 4.000 Schulen in herausfordernder Lage und damit rund zehn Prozent aller Schülerinnen und Schüler in Deutschland
unterstützt werden sollen, fängt es erstmal in kleinerem Rahmen an. Darauf haben sich Bund und Länder zuletzt verständigt. Ganz einfach, weil es nicht möglich sein wird, gleich zum
Schuljahresanfang alle 4000 Schulen ausgewählt zu haben, und so kurzfristig überall das nötige zusätzliche Personal dafür eingestellt zu haben. Darum sollen es nun zunächst mindestens 1.000
Schulen im ersten Programmjahr sein, bis zum Schuljahr 2026/27 sollen dann alle 4.000 Schulen feststehen.  



 



Das Besondere ist, dass die Höhe der Fördermittel, die ein Land erhält, auch die dortigen sozialen Rahmenbedingungen berücksichtigt, konkret den Anteil der Kinder und Jugendlichen aus
armutsgefährdeten Familien und mit Migrationsgeschichte, darüber hinaus in geringerem Umfang die Wirtschaftsleistung pro Kopf der Bevölkerung. Der einst erhoffte ganz große Paradigmenwechsel in
der Bildungsfinanzierung weg von der Gießkanne ist es aber nicht geworden, weil ein Großteil des Geldes doch nach üblichen Verteilungsmechanismen (Umsatzsteuerpunkte) in die Länder fließen soll.



 



Bildungspolitische Seltenheiten und
zeitliche Herausforderungen 



 



Weil die Länder das Geld wiederum an diejenigen Schulen verteilen sollen, die es besonders brauchen, müssen sie dafür laut Vereinbarung geeignete, wissenschaftsgeleitete Kriterien anlegen. Für
die gute Hälfte der Länder, die bereits sogenannte Schul-Sozialindizes einsetzt, gut machbar. Solche Sozialindizes bilden den sozialen Hintergrund der Schülerschaft aller Schulen
im jeweiligen Bundesland ab. Für die Kultusministerien, die Vergleichbares (noch) nicht haben, eine weitere zeitliche Herausforderung.



 



40 Prozent des Startchancen-Geldes gehen in die sogenannte Säule eins, bauliche Investitionen in eine bessere und damit lernförderlichere Infrastruktur und Ausstattung der Startchancen-Schulen.
30 Prozent können die Schulleitungen frei verfügbare "Chancenbudgets" in vor Ort passende Maßnahmen der Schul- und Unterrichtsentwicklung stecken (Säule zwei), etwa in die gezielte
Lernförderung in den Kernfächern Deutsch und Mathematik. Die übrigen 30 Prozent dienen zur personellen Verstärkung der Schulsozialarbeit und mulitprofessioneller Teams (Säule drei), rein
rechnerisch lässt sich laut BMBF und KMK allein mit den Bundesmittel eine volle zusätzliche Stelle pro Startchancen-Schule finanzieren.



 



In dieser Form immer noch eine bildungspolitische Seltenheit ist auch, dass die wissenschaftliche Begleitung und Evaluation als integrale Bestandteile des Programms vorgesehen sind,
ebenso der Transfer der gewonnenen Erkenntnisse über die geförderten Schulen hinaus. Allerdings soll es jetzt auch bei der wissenschaftlichen Begleitung erst später losgehen.


"Reicht nicht, ein Elterncafé oder eine Bibliothek zu bauen"


Der bildungspolitische Sprecher der CDU-/CSU-Bundestagsfraktion, Thomas Jarzombek, sagte, es sei ein gutes Signal, dass sich der Bund nicht
vollständig aus bildungspolitischen Fragen herausziehen werde. Doch löse das "Startchancen-Programm von Frau Stark-Watzinger" die drängenden Probleme der Schulen nicht. "Wenn die Kinder in die
Schule kommen und kein Deutsch können, dann reicht es nicht, ein Elterncafé oder eine Bibliothek zu bauen." Dringend notwendig sei ein verpflichtendes, vorschulisches Programm für Kinder mit
Förderbedarf im fünften Lebensjahr. "Stattdessen investiert die Bundesbildungsministerin vor allem in Baumaßnahmen und erhöht die Berichtspflichten für Schulleitungen und Lehrkräfte." Die Gelder
für Baumaßnahmen würden vermutlich über Jahre nicht abfließen. "Und die weiteren Mittel vergibt der Bund nach Umsatzsteuerpunkten, ohne ihre Verwendung tatsächlich steuern zu
können." 



 



Stark-Watzinger habe sehr lange gebraucht, um ein verhandlungsfähiges Konzept für ihr "Prestige-Projekt" vorzulegen. Ab jetzt beginne für Länder und Kommunen ein
sehr sportlicher Umsetzungszeitplan, fügte Jarzombek hinzu. "Das setzt nun alle Akteure unter erheblichen Druck, insbesondere die Kommunen, die wesentliche Elemente in kurzer Zeit umsetzen müssen
und bis heute noch nicht darauf vorbereitet wurden."



 



Eine parlamentarische Anfrage der CDU-/CSU-Bundestagsfraktion hatte ergeben, dass es bislang nur ein einziges Gespräch des BMBF mit den kommunalen Spitzenverbänden
hatte, und zwar auf Staatssekretärsebene. "Die Ministerin hat sich selbst überhaupt nicht eingebracht", kritisierte Jarzombek. Auch in den Verhandlungen zum Digitalpakt 2.0 brauche es jetzt
einen echten Durchbruch und wieder mehr Planungssicherheit für Kommunen, Schulen und Lehrkräfte.



 



Von einem guten Tag für die Bildungsgerechtigkeit in Deutschland sprachen die Vorsitzende der grünen Bundestagsfraktion, Katharina Dröge, und
Nina Stahr, die bildungspolitische Sprecherin der Fraktion. Das Programm werde besonders Schüle aus einkommensschwachen Familien erreichen. "Dies ist dringend notwendig, denn die
jüngsten alarmierenden PISA-Ergebnisse belegen zum wiederholten Male, dass der Bildungserfolg in Deutschland viel zu sehr mit der sozio-ökonomischen Herkunft zusammenhängt". Über das
Startchancen-Programm hinaus brauche es aber endlich auch eine gemeinsame bildungspolitische Strategie von Bund, Ländern und Kommunen mit gesamtstaatlichen Bildungszielen. "Als Gesellschaft und
auch als Volkswirtschaft können wir es uns nicht leisten, weiter an der Bildung zu sparen. Deswegen erwarten wir auch eine zeitnahe Einigung beim Digitalpakt 2.0, dem zweiten großen
bildungspolitischen Leuchtturmprojekt unserer Koalition."



 



Die stellvertretende FDP-Fraktionsvorsitzende Gyde Jensen nannte das Startchancen-Programm einen lange ersehnten "Paradigmenwechsel in
der 




Bildungsfinanzierung". Mit dem Ja zu dieser Kooperation bewiesen die Bundesländer Verantwortungsbewusstsein und den Mut, "endlich neue Wege in der Bildungspolitik
zu wagen, um Bildungschancen von der Herkunft zu entkoppeln. Die großen Herausforderungen des Bildungsstandorts Deutschland werden endlich als gemeinsame Aufgabe erkannt." Die monatelangen
Verhandlungen seien nicht immer einfach gewesen, doch zähle das Ergebnis. "Auf diesem Fundament der Zukunft unserer Kinder müssen Bund und Länder jetzt weiter gemeinsam und zielorientiert
aufbauen."



 



Der Geschäftsführer der Wübben Stiftung Bildung, Markus Warnke, mahnte, mit der Einigung seien nun alle 16 Bundesländer in der Pflicht,
die Schulen im Brennpunkt in ihrem Land zu identifizieren "und bis Sommer ein Programm zu entwickeln, das ihnen wirklich hilft. Das ist ein großer
Erfolg für mehr Bildungsgerechtigkeit in Deutschland." Das Ziel, den Anteil der Schülerinnen und Schüler, die die Mindeststandards in den Fächern Mathematik und Deutsch nicht erreichen, innerhalb
von zehn Jahren zu halbieren, sei ambitioniert", sagte Warnke. "Der Weg ist anspruchsvoll, das Ziel mit einer Kennziffer klar formuliert. Das ist für die deutsche Bildungspolitik ungewöhnlich und
mutig."



 



Von den drei Programmsäulen aus Schulbau und -ausstattung, Chancenbudget sowie Personal für multiprofessionelle Teams sei das Chancenbudget wohl mit größten
Erwartungen verbunden. "Hier haben sich die Länder einen großen Gestaltungsspielraum ausgehandelt", gab Warnke zu denken: "Eine noch deutlichere
Fokussierung auf die Stärkung der Basiskompetenzen wäre wünschenswert gewesen. Es bleibt zu hoffen, dass das primäre Ziel des Programms auf der Ebene der Schülerinnen und Schüler die Richtschnur
sein wird."



 



Die linke Bildungspolitikerin Nicole Gohlke sagte: "Den Enthusiasmus vieler eines angeblich bevorstehenden 'Paradigmenswechsels' in allen
Ehren, aber dieses Startchancen-Programm ist angesichts der immensen Herausforderungen im Bildungssystem völlig unterdimensioniert und von einer Trendwende sind wir weit entfernt." Allein der
Sanierungsstau der Schulen belaufe sich auf 50 Milliarden Euro. Das sei umso dramatischer, als dass das Startchancen-Programm durch keinerlei weitere Maßnahmen flankiert werde. Die
Bundesregierung habe ebenfalls keine Strategie, woher die benötigten Fachkräfte kommen sollten. "Das hat heute Morgen auch die SPD-Parteivorsitzende eingesehen, die in der letzten Minute auf die
Idee kommt, das Ganze müsse doch größer sein."



 



Am Freitagmorgen hatte Saskia Esken ihre Forderung aus dem November wiederholt, die Startchancen-Mittel zu verfünffachen. "Es wäre notwendig, das
Programm auf zumindest die Hälfte der Schulen auszuweiten", sagte die SPD-Chefin dem Handelsblatt. Das seien zehn Milliarden Euro pro Jahr.








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In eigener Sache: Blog-Finanzierung














Welche guten Nachrichten ich in Sachen Blogfinanzierung habe, warum ich weiter dringend Ihre Unterstützung brauche – und welche Artikel im
Dezember am meisten gelesen wurden.



 



Mehr lesen...

2023 was a year marked by devastating conflicts from Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine to Hamas's horrific terror attacks on Israel, from that country's indiscriminate mass slaughter in Gaza to a devastating civil war in Sudan. And there's a distinct risk of even worse to come this year. Still, there was one clear winner in this avalanche of violence, suffering, and war: the U.S. military-industrial complex.In December, President Biden signed a record authorization of $886 billion in "national defense" spending for 2024, including funds for the Pentagon proper and work on nuclear weapons at the Department of Energy. Add to that tens of billions of dollars more in likely emergency military aid for Ukraine and Israel, and such spending could well top $900 billion for the first time this year.Meanwhile, the administration's $100-billion-plus emergency military aid package that failed to pass Congress last month is likely to slip by in some form this year, while the House and Senate are almost guaranteed to add tens of billions more for "national defense" projects in specific states and districts, as happened in two of the last three years.Of course, before the money actually starts flowing, Congress needs to pass an appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2024, clearing the way for that money to be spent. As of this writing, the House and Senate had indeed agreed to a tentative deal to sign onto the $886 billion that was authorized in December. A trillion-dollar version of such funding could be just around the corner. (If past practice is any guide, more than half of that sum could go directly to corporations, large and small.)A trillion dollars is a hard figure to process. In the 1960s, when the federal budget was a fraction of what it is now, Republican Senator Everett Dirksen allegedly said, "A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money." Whether he did or not, that quote neatly captures how congressional attitudes toward federal spending have changed. After all, today, a billion dollars is less than a rounding error at the Pentagon. The department's budget is now hundreds of billions of dollars more than at the height of the Vietnam War and over twice what it was when President Eisenhower warned of the "unwarranted influence" wielded by what he called "the military-industrial complex."To offer just a few comparisons: annual spending on the costly, dysfunctional F-35 combat aircraft alone is greater than the entire budget of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2020, Lockheed Martin's contracts with the Pentagon were worth more than the budgets of the State Department and the Agency for International Development combined, and its arms-related revenues continue to rival the government's entire investment in diplomacy. One $13 billion aircraft carrier costs more than the annual budget of the Environmental Protection Agency. Overall, more than half of the discretionary budget Congress approves every year — basically everything the federal government spends other than on mandatory programs like Medicare and Social Security — goes to the Pentagon.It would, I suppose, be one thing if such huge expenditures were truly needed to protect the country or make the world a safer place. However, they have more to do with pork-barrel politics and a misguided "cover the globe" military strategy than a careful consideration of what might be needed for actual "defense."Congressional FolliesThe road to an $886-billion military budget authorization began early last year with a debt-ceiling deal negotiated by President Biden and then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. That rolled back domestic spending levels, while preserving the administration's proposal for the Pentagon intact. McCarthy, since ousted as speaker, had been pressed by members of the right-wing "Freedom Caucus" and their fellow travelers for just such spending cuts. (He had little choice but to agree, since that group proved to be his margin of victory in a speaker's race that ran to 15 ballots.)There was a brief glimmer of hope that the budget cutters in the Freedom Caucus might also go after the bloated Pentagon budget rather than inflict all the fiscal pain on domestic programs. Prominent right-wing Republicans like Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) pledged to put Pentagon spending reductions "on the table," but then only went after the military's alleged "woke agenda," which boiled down to cutting a few billion dollars slated for fighting racism and sexual harassment while supporting reproductive freedom within the armed forces. Oh wait, Jordan also went after spending on the development of alternative energy sources as "woke." In any case, he focused on just a minuscule share of the department's overall budget.Prominent Republicans outside Congress expressed stronger views about bringing the Pentagon to heel, but their perspectives got no traction on Capitol Hill. For instance, Kevin Roberts, the head of the Heritage Foundation, perhaps America's most influential conservative think tank, made the case for reining in the Pentagon at American Conservative magazine:"In the past, Congress accepted the D.C. canard that a bigger budget alone equals a stronger military. But now, facing down a record debt to the tune of $242,000 per household, conservatives are ready to tackle an entrenched problem and confront the political establishment, unaccountable federal bureaucrats, and well-connected defense contractors all at once in order to keep the nation both solvent and secure."Even more surprising, former Trump Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller released a memoir in which he called for a dramatic slashing of the Pentagon budget. "We could," he argued, "cut our defense budget in half and it would still be twice as big as China's."Ultimately, however, such critiques had zero influence over the Pentagon budget debate in the House, which quickly degenerated into a fight about a series of toxic amendments attacking reproductive freedom and LGTBQ and transgender rights in the military. Representative Colin Allred (D-TX) rightly denounced such amendments as a "shameful display of extremism" and across-the-board opposition by Democrats ensured that the first iteration of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2024 would be defeated and some of the most egregious Republican proposals eliminated later in the year. In the meantime, virtually all mainstream press coverage and most congressional debate focused on those culture war battles rather than why this country was poised to shove so much money at the Pentagon in the first place.Threat Inflation and the "Arsenal of Democracy"Perhaps you won't be surprised to learn that the strategic rationales put forward for the flood of new Pentagon outlays don't faintly hold up to scrutiny. First and foremost in the Pentagon's argument for virtually unlimited access to the Treasury is the alleged military threat posed by China. But as Dan Grazier of the Project on Government Oversight has pointed out, that country's military strategy is "inherently defensive":"[T]he investments being made [by China] are not suited for foreign adventurism but are instead designed to use relatively low-cost weapons to defend against massively expensive American weapons. The nation's primary military strategy is to keep foreign powers, and especially the United States, as far away from its shores as possible in a policy the Chinese government calls 'active defense.'"The greatest point of potential conflict between the U.S. and China is, of course, Taiwan. But a war over that island would come at a staggering cost for all concerned and might even escalate into a nuclear confrontation. A series of war games conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) found that, while the United States could indeed "win" a war defending Taiwan from a Chinese amphibious assault, it would be a Pyrrhic victory. "The United States and its allies lost dozens of ships, hundreds of aircraft, and tens of thousands of servicemembers," it reported. "Taiwan saw its economy devastated. Further, the high losses damaged the U.S. global position for many years." And a nuclear confrontation between China and the United States, which CSIS didn't include in its assessment, would be a first-class catastrophe of almost unimaginable proportions.The best route to preventing a future Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be to revive Washington's "One China" policy that calls for China to commit itself to a peaceful resolution of Taiwan's status and for the U.S. to forswear support for that island's formal independence. In other words, diplomacy, rather than increasing the Pentagon budget to "win" such a war, would be the way to go.The second major driver of higher Pentagon budgets is allegedly the strain on this country's arms manufacturing base caused by supplying tens of billions of dollars of weaponry to Ukraine, including artillery shells and missiles that are running short in American stockpiles. The answer, according to the Pentagon and the arms industry, is to further supersize this country's already humongous military-industrial complex to produce enough weaponry to supply Ukraine (and now Israel, too), while acquiring sufficient weapons systems for a future war with China.There are two problems with such arguments. First, supplying Ukraine doesn't justify a permanent expansion of the U.S. arms industry. In fact, such aid to Kyiv needs to be accompanied by a now-missing diplomatic strategy designed to head off an even longer, ever more grinding war.Second, the kinds of weapons needed for a war with China would, for the most part, be different from those relevant to a land war in Ukraine, so weaponry sent to Ukraine would have little relevance to readiness for a potential war with China (which Washington should, in any case, be working to prevent, not preparing for). The Disastrous Costs of a Militarized Foreign PolicyBefore investing ever more tax dollars in building an ever-expanding garrison state, the military strategy of the United States in the current global environment should be seriously debated. Just buying ever more bombs, missiles, drones, and next-generation artificial intelligence-driven weaponry is not, in fact, a strategy, though it is a boon to the military-industrial complex and an invitation to a destabilizing new arms race.Unfortunately, neither Congress nor the Biden administration seems inclined to seriously consider an approach that would emphasize investing in diplomatic and economic tools over force or the threat of force. Given this country's staggeringly expensive failures in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in this century (which cost trillions of dollars), resulting in hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties, and leaving staggering numbers of American veterans with physical and psychological injuries (as extensively documented by the Costs of War Project at Brown University), you might think a different approach to the use of your tax dollars was in order, but no such luck.There are indeed a few voices in Congress advocating restraint at the Pentagon, including Representatives Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Barbara Lee (D-CA), who have proposed a $100 billion reduction in that department's budget as a first step toward a more balanced national security policy. Such efforts, however, must overcome an inhospitable political environment created by the endlessly exaggerated military threats facing this country and the political power of the arms industry, as well as its allies in Washington. Those allies, of course, include President Biden, who has labeled the U.S. an "arsenal of democracy" in his efforts to promote a new round of weapons aid to Ukraine. Not unlike his predecessor, he is touting the potential benefits of arms-production investments in companies in electoral swing states.Sadly, throwing more money at the arms industry sacrifices future needs for short-term economic gains that are modest indeed. Were that money going into producing green jobs, a more resilient infrastructure, improved scientific and technical education, and a more robust public health system, we would find ourselves in a different world. Those should be the pillars of any American economic revival rather than the all-too-modest side effects of weapons development in fueling economic growth. Despite huge increases in funding since the 1980s, actual jobs in the arms manufacturing industry have, in fact, plummeted from three million to 1.1 million — and, mind you, those figures come from the arms industry's largest trade association. The United Auto Workers, one of the unions with the most members working in the arms industry, has recognized this reality and formed a Just Transition Committee. As noted by Spencer Ackerman at the Nation, it's designed to "examine the size, scope, and impact of the U.S. military-industrial complex that employs thousands of UAW members and dominates the global arms trade." According to Brandon Mancilla, director of the UAW's Region 9A, which represents 50,000 active and retired workers in New York, New England, and Puerto Rico, the committee will "think about what it would mean to actually have a just transition, what used to be called a 'peace conversion,' of folks who work in the weapons and defense industry into something else."The UAW initiative parallels a sharp drop in unionization rates at major weapons makers (as documented by journalist Taylor Barnes). To cite two examples: in 1971, 69% of Lockheed Martin workers were unionized, while in 2022 that number was 19%; at Northrop Grumman today, a mere 4% of its employees are unionized, a dip that reflects a conscious strategy of the big weapons-making firms to outsource work to non-union subcontractors and states with anti-union "right to work" laws, while exporting tens of thousands of jobs overseas as part of multinational projects like the F-35 program. So much for the myth that defense industry jobs are more secure or have better pay and benefits than jobs in other parts of the economy.A serious national conversation is needed on what a genuine defense strategy would look like, rather than one based on fantasies of global military dominance. Otherwise, the overly militarized approach to foreign and economic policy that has become the essence of Washington budget-making could be extended endlessly and disastrously into the future, something this country literally can't afford to let happen.This story was republished, with permission, from Tom Dispatch

Update 9/15: The Biden Administration announced Thursday that it will only withhold $85 million of its committed military aid to Egypt, releasing $235 million of aid that had been conditioned on improving human rights in the country. The administration had withheld $130 million in 2021 and 2022.Today, the State Department must decide whether to withhold some of the $1.3 billion in military support that the U.S. gives to Egypt each year. Under normal circumstances, this would have been an easy decision. Washington has given Cairo more than $50 billion in weapons aid since 1978, a testament to the long and close relationship between the two countries.But the past few years have been more complicated. As President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi has increasingly cracked down on dissent in the country, a growing group of Democratic lawmakers has fought to reduce aid to his government. The Biden administration withheld $130 million each of the last two years in response to heavy congressional pressure, and the State Department announced on Monday that it would block at least $85 million in aid this year. But lawmakers are determined to go further."Over the last year, Egypt's human rights record has continued to deteriorate, despite the Egyptian government's claims to the contrary," wrote a group of leading Democratic senators in July. "Therefore, we urge you to withhold the full amount of $320 million.""[T]he bilateral security relationship can be effectively sustained at a reduced level of assistance while upholding our values," argued the lawmakers, which included prominent progressives like Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as well as centrist leaders like Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).To better understand the factors influencing today's decision and the history of the relationship, RS spoke with retired Maj. Gen. F.C. "Pink" Williams, who served as the U.S. defense attaché to Egypt from 2008 to 2011. Williams recently wrote a chapter on the history of U.S.-Egypt military relations in an edited volume entitled "Security Aid in the Middle East." The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.RS: The State Department is set to decide whether it will withhold up to $320 million in military aid to Egypt, citing human rights concerns. How should the Biden administration think about that decision?Williams: It's a mixed bag whether this does any good or not. Over the years, we've threatened to withhold aid. Sometimes we've carried through with that; sometimes we haven't. My personal opinion is that it hasn't had any broad effect on governance or the human rights situation in Egypt.There are those that would argue that it's somewhat effective around the edges, and I could probably support that. When Sisi releases a few political prisoners, some people will say, "well, that's in part because of the pressure we applied on the funds." I think that's hard to assess, but I do believe that withholding of funds is not going to make any substantive change in how Sisi acts.RS: Something you talked about in your chapter in this recent book is this idea that Egypt and the U.S. have pretty different views of the military relationship. Can you spell that out a little bit?Williams: Given that the whole relationship was initially built around the Camp David Accords, Egypt decided that the funding was basically a reward, or a bribe, if you want to put it that way. They've never really moved away from that. They're not trying to change the world here. They're trying to, frankly, get money for their regime and their government.Now, we, on the other hand, began to move away from the Camp David [approach] as we saw that it was unlikely that another conflict would occur between the Israelis and the Egyptians. We don't see the aid anymore as needed to get the Egyptians to keep the peace because it's clearly in their best interest to do so anyway. So then we started coming up with other reasons why we're giving the aid. As human rights and democracy became tied more and more to foreign aid, it was only natural that we would go down that road. So we started with some differences anyway, but then they widened quite a bit over time.RS: In the long sweep, how has U.S. military aid in particular affected the shape of politics and the political system in Egypt?Williams: I don't think it's had very much effect. We tend to forget that nations and regimes act in their perceived best interest. It's only natural that they would do so. Of course, we see support for democracy and human rights as not just an altruistic goal but also something that's in our best interest. However, when you push those themes in other countries with other cultures and other backgrounds, I think you have to be careful. From the Egyptian point of view, the regime's going to do what it thinks it needs to to strengthen itself and to ensure its longevity. Unfortunately, many authoritarian regimes see repression as a tool for staying in power. It's just that simple. So the idea that, for any amount of money, a dictator is going to do something that he thinks is going to weaken his position is pretty far-fetched.RS: What most surprised you about the relationship during your time in Cairo? Did Egypt's military and that relationship meet the expectations you had going in?Williams: I'm a fighter pilot by trade, and when we sold Egypt the F-16 back in 1980, I was part of that program. They sent two of us to Egypt as instructors for a year. When I returned many years later, I was not surprised at the state of the Egyptian military or their ability to effectively use the equipment that we had provided because I had the background from early on.What surprised me quite a bit was the shallowness of the relationship. We really didn't — and do not, as far as I know, to this day — have any significant knowledge of the Egyptian planning processes, their strategic plans. We're still just giving them money and equipment, and they're keeping the peace. They are doing other things for us too that I shouldn't give short shrift in terms of intelligence, but I was very surprised that we didn't have a deeper relationship after all those years.RS: Can you talk more about what the U.S. does get out of the relationship? It's kind of striking that you're saying that our influence appears limited.Williams: Some of that comes back to expectations. The idea of influence is that we'll give them this money, and we'll guide them. Again, you go back to differences in culture and differences in perceived interest. This idea that you're going to have all this influence because you give them money — which is a very widespread opinion in Washington in my experience — is unrealistic.However, on a practical level, the intelligence situation is not something we can go into in any depth, but obviously they are positioned and have resources that we don't have that can provide some decent information to us. And on the counterterrorism front, I think they've been quite helpful. And the Suez Canal priority and the overflight [permissions] that they provide us save us all kinds of time and money.RS: You were stationed in Egypt during the Arab Spring protests. How did that political turmoil affect your work and affect the country's ties with the US?Williams: Everything didn't come to a complete standstill, but it really ground down. All the non-essential personnel were evacuated from the embassy. There were roughly 400 embassy personnel on a normal day, and we were down a little bit below 100.We had various bases scattered about Egypt, where we had small contingents of American pilots and maintainers and other advisers. We pulled all those people in from those bases, and they were either subsequently evacuated or they worked work for me in the embassy. So all the interaction and advising at the outlying sites came to a halt. From the point of normal day-to-day interaction, it was pretty much nil.Now there was a lot of interaction because there was, of course, great concern in Washington about what the Egyptian military was going to do with all this. If you recall, they weren't doing anything initially. They were trying to stay out of it initially. When people wanted to talk to the Egyptians, they generally would come through my office because they knew that we could get contact with them and access to them, and we could set up phone calls. The way they were doing it was that they would have a counterpart call their counterpart. In other words, they would have Robert Gates, who was secretary of defense, and he would want to talk to the Egyptian defense minister [Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein] Tantawi.They were trying to maintain this contact and get some assurances from these guys that there's not going to be a bloodbath out there in Tahrir Square. The majority of those contacts were negotiated and coordinated by the Office of Military Cooperation because we had the access. So what do we get for all this money? Well, we at least got them to take our phone calls. And they were not taking [other calls]. There were ambassadors from other countries calling me saying, "What do you know? What is happening?"That is not the same thing as me claiming that we materially influenced the actions of the [Egyptian Armed Forces] in that time. They are sitting there assessing the situation and saying, "What is in our best interest? How do we get through this and still be an intact military and an intact regime on the other side?"RS: That's a really good example of an acute moment where there's an attempt to have an influence in favor of democracy, in favor of human rights. Do you think over the long term that U.S. aid to Egypt has had a positive effect on human rights in the country?Williams: It's probably had some good effect in individual cases. In other words, we're bringing pressure, and Sisi or [former President Hosni] Mubarak is looking to get us off his neck, so he releases some political prisoners. For those people, that's a big, big outcome. Not being in Egyptian prison is a really good thing.I would not ever claim that it has resulted in some philosophical shift in the outlook of either the Mubarak regime or the Sisi regime or the [Mohamed] Morsi regime for that matter. They view things differently, and they run governments differently than we do.I'll give you an example. During the revolt, of course, we were right there. We were very close to Tahrir square. I walked into work one morning, and I get a photo. My staff says, "Look at this." It's a photo taken from the embassy looking out, and there's an Egyptian tank with some soldiers, and they've got this guy strung up by his heels on the gun barrel there. I don't know what he did or what caused the situation, but there he was, and he's alive and everything. So I take this over to the Egyptians and say, "Hey, guys, this is exactly the kind of thing that you don't need to be doing. You don't need to hurt yourself with this." And that was a theme we were talking to them about. We were talking to them about these stories coming through of interior forces abusing people, and that's bad. Frankly, [we told them] "That's bad press. It hurts your cause, and you should not be doing this." Well, I show him this photo, and what are they interested in? They were taken at night, right? What they're interested in is "How did you get that photo? What is that technology?" They didn't even blink about this guy strung up from his heels on this tank. It just kind of shows you the mindset.RS: How should we handle the future of US aid to Egypt?Williams: First, we need to stay engaged. When people say, "Why are we doing all that for Egypt?" I say, "look at a map. You can't change geography." Same reason we have to put up with Turkey. You can't change geography. So we need to stay engaged. Russian influence building, Chinese influence building, the perception throughout the region that we can't be trusted — all these things only make it harder to try to engage and have any influence at all. Nevertheless, I think we have to try.To the money, we're not talking about a ton of money here. I would continue to fund it. You can tie it to human rights, but I wouldn't go through this exercise of conditioning the funds or taking away the funds once a year. They know we're interested in human rights. We can have those discussions. But I don't know that tying the funds has had any substantive effect.So I would stay engaged, I would be careful about tying the aid to their human rights performance, and I would try to assure them that, as we have been there through the years for the long haul, we're still going to be there for the long haul.

NOTICIAS / NEWS ("Transfer", 2016) 1) CONGRESOS / CONFERENCES: 1. Languages & the Media – Agile Mediascapes: Personalising the Future, Hotel Radisson Blu, Berlín, 2-4 Nov. 2016 www.languages-media.com 2. Third Chinese Drama Translation Colloquium Newcastle University, UK, 28-19 Junio 2016. www.ncl.ac.uk/sml/about/events/item/drama-translation-colloquium 3. 16th Annual Portsmouth Translation Conference – Translation & Interpreting: Learning beyond the Comfort Zone, University of Portsmouth, UK, 5 Nov. 2016. www.port.ac.uk/translation/events/conference 4. 3rd International Conference on Non-Professional Interpreting & Translation (NPIT3) Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Suiza
5-7 Mayo 2016. www.zhaw.ch/linguistics/npit3 5. 3rd Postgraduate Symposium – Cultural Translation: In Theory and as Practice. University of Nottingham, UK, 18 Mayo 2016. Contact: uontranslation2016@gmail.com 6. 3rd Taboo Conference – Taboo Humo(u)r: Language, Culture, Society, and the Media, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona) 20-21 Sep. 2016.
https://portal.upf.edu/web/taco 7. Postgraduate Conference on Translation and Multilingualism Lancaster University, UK, 22 Abril 2016. Contacto: c.baker@lancaster.ac.uk 8. Translation and Minority University of Ottawa (Canadá), 11-12 Nov. 2016. Contacto: rtana014@uottawa.ca 9. Translation as Communication, (Re-)narration and (Trans-)creation Università di Palermo (Italia), 10 Mayo 2016 www.unipa.it/dipartimenti/dipartimentoscienzeumanistiche/convegni/translation 10. From Legal Translation to Jurilinguistics: Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Study of Language and Law, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla,
27-28 Oct. 2016. www.tinyurl.com/jurilinguistics 11. Third International Conference on Research into the Didactics of Translation. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 7-8 Julio 2016 http://grupsderecerca.uab.cat/pacte/en/content/second-circular-1 12. EST Congress – Expanding the Boundaries or Strengthening the Bases: Should Translation Studies Explore Visual Representation? Aarhus University (Dinamarca), 15-17 Sep. 2016 http://bcom.au.dk/research/conferencesandlectures/est-congress-2016/panels/18-expanding-the-boundaries-or-strengthening-the-bases-should-translation-studies-explore-visual-representation/ 13. Tourism across Cultures: Accessibility in Tourist Communication Università di Salento, Lecce (Italia). 25-27 Feb. 2016 http://unisalento.wix.com/tourism 14. Translation and Interpreting Studies at the Crossroad: A Dialogue between Process-oriented and Sociological Approaches – The Fourth Durham Postgraduate Colloquium on Translation Studies Durham University, UK. 30 Abril – 1 Mayo 2016. www.dur.ac.uk/cim 15. Translation and Interpreting: Convergence, Contact, Interaction Università di Trieste (Italia), 26-28 Mayo 2016 http://transint2016.weebly.com 16. 7th International Symposium for Young Researchers in Translation, Interpreting, Intercultural Studies and East Asian Studies. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 1 Julio 2016. http://pagines.uab.cat/simposi/en 17. Translation Education in a New Age The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China 15-16 Abril 2016. Contact: Claire Zhou (clairezhou@cuhk.edu.cn) 18. Audiovisual Translation: Dubbing and Subtitling in the Central European Context, Constantine the Philosopher University, Nitra (Eslovaquia). 15-17 Junio 2016. https://avtnitraconference.wordpress.com 19. Cervantes, Shakespeare, and the Golden Age of Drama Madrid, 17-21 Oct. 2016 http://aedean.org/wp-content/uploads/Call-for-papers.pdf 20. 3rd International Conference Languaging Diversity – Language/s and Power. Università di Macerata (Italia), 3-5 Marzo 2016 http://studiumanistici.unimc.it/en/research/conferences/languaging-diversity 21. Congreso Internacional de Traducción Especializada (EnTRetextos) Universidad de Valencia, 27-29 Abril 2016 http://congresos.adeituv.es/entretextos 22. Translation & Quality 2016: Corpora & Quality Université Charles de Gaulle Lille 3 (Francia), 5 Feb. 2016 http://traduction2016.sciencesconf.org/?lang=en 23. New forms of feedback and assessment in translation and interpreting training and industry. 8th EST Congress – Translation Studies: Moving Boundaries, Aarhus University (Dinamarca), 15-17 Sep. 2016. www.bcom.au.dk/est2016 24. Intermedia 2016 – Conference on Audiovisual Translation University of Lodz (Polonia), 14-16 Abril 2016 http://intermedia.uni.lodz.pl 25. New Technologies and Translation Université d'Algiers (Argelia). 23-24 Feb. 2016 Contacto: newtech.trans.algiers@gmail.com 26. Circulation of Academic Thought - Rethinking Methods in the Study of Scientific Translation. 11 - 12 Dec. 2015, University of Graz (Austria).https://translationswissenschaft.uni-graz.at/de/itat/veranstaltungen/circulation-of-academic-thought 27. The 7th Asian Translation Traditions Conference Monash University, Malaysia Campus, 26-30 Sep. 2016. http://future.arts.monash.edu/asiantranslation7 28. "Translation policy: connecting concepts and writing history" 8th EST Congress – Translation Studies: Moving Boundaries Aarhus University (Dinamarca), 15-17 Sep. 2016 http://bcom.au.dk/research/conferencesandlectures/est-congress-2016/panels/13-translation-policy-connecting-concepts-and-writing-history 29. International Conference – Sound / Writing: On Homophonic Translation. Université de Paris (Francia), 17-19 Nov. 2016 www.fabula.org/actualites/sound-writing-on-homophonic-translationinternational-conference-paris-november-17-19-2016_71295.php 30. Third Hermeneutics and Translation Studies Symposium – Translational Hermeneutics as a Research Paradigm Technische Hochschule, Colonia (Alemania), 30 Junio-1 Julio 2016 www.phenhermcommresearch.de/index.php/conferences 31. II International Conference on Economic Financial and Institutional Translation. Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (Canadá), 17-18 Agosto 2016. www.uqtr.ca/ICEBFIT 32. International Congress - liLETRAd 2016-Cátedra LILETRAD. Literature Languages Translation, Universidad de Sevilla, 6-8 Julio 2016. https://congresoliletrad.wordpress.com 33. Transmediations! Communication across Media Borders Linnæus University, Växjö (Suecia), 13–15 Oct. 2016 http://lnu.se/lnuc/linnaeus-university-centre-for-intermedial-and-multimodal-studies-/events/conferences/transmediations?l=en 34. Translation Education in a New Age, 15-16 Abril 2016. School of Humanities and Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. Contacto: chansinwai@cuhk.edu.cn 35. Translation and Time: Exploring the Temporal Dimension of Cross-cultural Transfer, 8-10 Diciembre 2016. Departamento de Traducción, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Contacto: translation-and-time@cuhk.edu.hk. 36. Du jeu dans la langue. Traduire les jeux de mots / Loose in Translation. Translating Wordplay, 23-24 Marzo 2017, Université de Lille (France) https://www.univ-lille3.fr/recherche/actualites/agenda-de-la-recherche/?type=1&id=1271. Contacto: traduirejdm@univ-lille3.fr, julie.charles@univ-lille3.fr 37. Translation and Translanguaging across Disciplines. EST Congress 2016 "Translation Studies: Moving Boundaries", European Society for Translation Studies, Aarhus (Dinamarca), 15-17 Sep. 2016 http://bcom.au.dk/research/conferencesandlectures/est-congress-2016/panels/12-translation-and-translanguaging-across-disciplines/ Contacto: nune.ayvazyan@urv.cat; mariagd@blanquerna.url.edu; sara.laviosa@uniba.it http://bcom.au.dk/research/conferencesandlectures/est-congress-2016/submission/ 38. Beyond linguistic plurality: The trajectories of multilingualism in Translation. An international conference organized jointly by Bogaziçi University, Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies, and Research Group on Translation and Transcultural Contact, York University, Bogaziçi University, 1-12 Mayo 2016. Contacto: sehnaz.tahir@boun.edu.tr, MGuzman@glendon.yorku.ca 39. "Professional and Academic Discourse: an interdisciplinary perspective". XXXIV IConferencia Internacional de la Sociedad Española de Lingüística Aplicada (AESLA), 14-16 Abril 2016. Interuniversity Institute for Applied Modern Languages (IULMA) / Universidad de Alicante. http://web.ua.es/aesla2016. Contacto: antonia.montes@ua.es. 2) CURSOS, SEMINARIOS, POSGRADOS / COURSES, SEMINARS, MASTERS: 1. Seminario: Breaking News for French>English and English>French Translators King's College Cambridge, UK, 8-10 Agosto 2016 Contacto: translateincambridge@iti.org.uk 2. Curso on-line: Setting Up as a Freelance Translator Enero – Marzo 2016. Institute of Translation & Interpreting, UK https://gallery.mailchimp.com/58e5d23248ce9f10c161ba86d/files/Application_Form_SUFT_2016.pdf?utm_source=SUFT+December+Emailer&utm_campaign=11fdfe0453-Setting_Up_as_a_Freelance_Translator12_7_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6ef4829e50-11fdfe0453-25128325 3. Curso: Using Interpreters for Intercultural Communication and Other Purposes (COM397CE) http://darkallyredesign.com/what-we-do/using-interpreters-for-intercultural-communication 4. Workshop: How to Write and Publish Your Scholarly Paper In cooperation with the European Association of Science Editors (EASE) New Bulgarian University, Sofia (Bulgaria), 21-23 Marzo 2016 www.facebook.com/events/1511610889167645 http://esnbu.org/data/files/resources/ease-nbu-seminar-march-2016-fees.pdf 5. Posgrado: II Postgraduate Course on Spanish Law Taught in English "Global study". Universidad Internacional de Andalucía / Colegio de Abogados de Málaga. www.unia.es/cursos/guias/4431_english.pdf 3) CURSOS DE VERANO / SUMMER COURSES: 1. STRIDON – Translation Studies Doctoral and Teacher Training Summer School, Piran (Eslovenia), 27 Junio – 8 Julio 2016 www.prevajalstvo.net/doctoral-summer-school 2. Training in Translation Pedagogy Program School of Translation and Interpretation, University of Ottawa (Canadá), 4-29 Julio 2016. https://arts.uottawa.ca/translation/summer-programs 3. 2016 Nida School of Translation Studies. Translation, Ecology and Entanglement, San Pellegrino University Foundation, Misano Adriatico, Rimini (Italia), 30 Mayo – 10 Junio 2016. http://nsts.fusp.it/Nida-Schools/NSTS-2016 4. TTPP - Intensive Summer Program in Translation Pedagogy University of Ottawa (Canadá), 4-29 Julio 2016. http://arts.uottawa.ca/translation/summer-programs-2016/ttpp 5. CETRA Summer School 2016. 28th Research Summer School University of Leuven, campus Antwerp (Bélgica), 22 Agosto – 2 Sep. 2016. Contacto: cetra@kuleuven.be. http://www.arts.kuleuven.be/cetra 4) LIBROS / BOOKS: 1. Varela Salinas, María-José & Bernd Meyer (eds.) 2016. Translating and Interpreting Healthcare Discourses / Traducir e interpretar en el ámbito sanitario. Berlín : Frank & Timme. www.frank-timme.de/verlag/verlagsprogramm/buch/verlagsprogramm/bd-79-maria-jose-varela-salinasbernd-meyer-eds-translating-and-interpreting-healthcare-disc/backPID/transued-arbeiten-zur-theorie-und-praxis-des-uebersetzens-und-dolmetschens-1.html 2. Ordóñez López, Pilar and José Antonio Sabio Pinilla (ed.) 2015. Historiografía de la traducción en el espacio ibérico. Textos contemporáneos. Madrid: Ediciones de Castilla-La Mancha. www.unebook.es/libro/historiografia-de-latraduccion-en-el-espacio-iberico_50162 3. Bartoll, Eduard. 2015. Introducción a la traducción audiovisual. Barcelona: Editorial UOC. www.editorialuoc.cat/introduccion-a-la-traduccion-audiovisual 4. Rica Peromingo, Juan Pedro & Jorge Braga Riera. 2015. Herramientas y técnicas para la traducción inglés-español. Madrid: Babélica. www.escolarymayo.com/libro.php?libro=7004107&menu=7001002&submenu=7002029 5. Le Disez, Jean-Yves. 2015. F.A.C.T. Une méthode pour traduire de l'anglais au français. París: Ellipses. www.editions-ellipses.fr/product_info.php?cPath=386&products_id=10601 6. Baker, Mona (ed.) 2015. Translating Dissent: Voices from and with the Egyptian Revolution. Londres: Routledge. www.tandf.net/books/details/9781138929876 7. Gallego Hernández, Daniel (ed.) 2015. Current Approaches to Business and Institutional Translation / Enfoques actuales en traducción económica e institucional. Berna: Peter Lang. www.peterlang.com/download/datasheet/86140/datasheet_431656.pdf 8. Vasilakakos, Mary. 2015. A Training Handbook for Health and Medical Interpreters in Australia. www.interpreterrevalidationtraining.com/books-and-resources.html 9. Jankowska, Anna & Agnieszka Szarkowska (eds) 2015. New Points of View on Audiovisual Translation and Media Accessibility. Oxford: Peter Lang. www.peterlang.com/index.cfm?event=cmp.ccc.seitenstruktur.detailseiten&seitentyp=produkt&pk=83114 10. Baer, Brian James (2015). Translation and the Making of Modern Russian Literature, Londres: Bloomsbury. Translation and the Making of Modern Russian Literature is the inaugural book in a new Translation Studies series: Bloomsbury's "Literatures, Cultures, Translation." 11. Camps, Assumpta. 2016. La traducción en la creación del canon poético (Recepción de la poesía italiana en el ámbito hispánico en la primera mitad del siglo XX). Berna: Peter Lang. 5) REVISTAS / JOURNALS: 1. JoSTrans, The Journal of Specialised Translation, nº especial sobre Translation & the Profession, Vol. 25, Enero 2016. www.jostrans.org 2. Translation and Interpreting – Nº especial sobre Community Interpreting: Mapping the Present for the Future www.trans-int.org/index.php/transint. 3. inTRAlinea – Nº especial sobre New Insights into Specialised Translation. www.intralinea.org/specials/new_insights 4. Linguistica Antverpiensia NS-Themes in Translation Studies, 2015 issue, Towards a Genetics of Translation. https://lans-tts.uantwerpen.be/index.php/LANS-TTS/issue/view/16 5. Quaderns de Filologia, Nº especial sobre Traducción y Censura: Nuevas Perspectivas, Vol. 20, 2015. https://ojs.uv.es/index.php/qdfed/issue/view/577 6. The Translator – Nº especial sobre Food and Translation, Translation and Food, 2015, 21(3). www.tandfonline.com/eprint/ryqJewJUDKZ6m2YM4IaR/full 7. Current Trends in Translation Teaching and Learning E, 2015, 2 www.cttl.org/cttl-e-2015.html 8. Dragoman Journal of Translation Studies. www.dragoman-journal.org 9. Current Trends in Translation Teaching and Learning E. Edición especial sobre Translation Studies Curricula Across Countries and Cultures. www.cttl.org 10. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, Nº especial sobre Translation Policies and Minority Languages: Theory, Methods and Case Studies http://fouces.webs.uvigo.es/CallForPapersIJSLTranslationPolicies.pdf 11. Nº especial de The Interpreter and Translator Trainer 11(2) – Employability and the Translation Curriculum www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1750399X.2015.1103092 12. InTRAlinea. Nº especial sobre Building Bridges between Film Studies and Translation Studies www.intralinea.org/news/item/cfp_building_bridges_between_film_studies_and_translation_studies 13. Nº especial de TranscUlturAl: Comics, BD & Manga in translation/en traduction https://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/TC/announcement/view/290 14. The Journal of Translation Studies 2015, 16(4) Nº especial sobre Translator and Interpreter Training in East Asia Contacto: Won Jun Nam: wjnam@hufs.ac.kr, wonjun_nam@daum.net 15. TRANS Revista de Traductología, 19(2), 2015. www.trans.uma.es/trans_19.2.html 16. Between, 9, 2015 – Censura e auto-censura http://ojs.unica.it/index.php/between/index 17. Translation Studies, Nº especial sobre Translingualism & Transculturality in Russian Contexts of Translation http://explore.tandfonline.com/cfp/ah/rtrs-cfp3 18. Translation & Interpreting, 7:3, 2016 www.trans-int.org/index.php/transint/issue/view/38 19. "The translation profession: Centres and peripheries" The Journal of Specialised Translation (Jostrans), Nº. 25, Enero 2016. The Journal of Translation Studies is a joint publication of the Department of Translation of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University Press. Contact: jts.tra@cuhk.edu.hk, james@arts.cuhk.edu.hk 19. Nuevo artículo: "The Invisibility of the African Interpreter" por Jeanne Garane, Translation: a transdisciplinary journal http://translation.fusp.it/. Contact: siri.nergaard@gmail.com.

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Al Taee and Noor A. Radhi The impact of working capital on cash management under IAS 7 framework: An examination of tourism listed companies in Indonesia and Turkey Tri Damayanti and Tuba Derya Baskan A nexus between mergers & acquisitions and financial performance of firms: A study of industrial sector of Pakistan Fiza Quareshi, Mukhtiar Ali, and Salar Hussain Decentralized approach to deep-learning based asset allocation Sarthak Sengupta, Priyanshu Priyam, and Anurika Vaish Sustainability and Environmental Issues Blockchain technology applied to the Consortium Etna DOC to avoid counterfeiting Matarazzo Agata, Edoardo Carmelo Spampinato, Sergio Arfo, Ugo Sinigaglia, Antonino Bajeli, and Salvino Benanti Eco-label certification, hotel performance and customer satisfaction: Analysis of a case study and future developments Michele Preziosi, Alessia Acampora, Roberto Merli, and Maria Claudia Lucchetti The integration of circular economy in the tourism industry: A framework for the implementation of circular hotels Martina Sgambati, Alessia Acampora, Olimpia Martucci, and Maria Claudia Lucchetti Using the theory of planned behavior to explore green food purchase intentions Katrina Anna Auza and Kamel Mouloudj Survey on purchasing methods of food products in Tarragona and Catania Matarazzo Agata, Vazzano Tommaso Alberto, and Squillaci Carmelo Information Technology Comparative analysis of tools for matching work-related skill profiles with CV data and other unstructured data Florian Beuttiker, Stefan Roth, Tobias Steinacher, and Thomas Hanne State-of-the-art next generation open innovation platforms Murielle De Roche, Monika Blaser, Patrick Hollinger, and Thomas Hanne The coverage of AIOT based functional service: Case study of Asian futuristic hotel Gege Wang, Irini Lai Fun Tang, Eric Chan, and Wai Hung Wilco Chan The effect of the blockchain technology on service companies and food retailers: An overview of the blockchain use cases and applications Gokhan Kirbac and Erkut Ergenc The regulation problem of cryptocurrencies Lamiha Ozturk and Ece Sulungur Understanding information technology acceptance by physicians: Testing technology acceptance model Anuruddha Indika Jagoda

This is the second volume of the Advances in Global Services and Retail Management Book Series. This volume has the following parts: Part 1: Hospitality and Tourism Part 2: Marketing, E-marketing, and Consumer Behavior Part 3: Management Part 4: Human Resources Management Part 5: Retail Management Part 6: Economics Part 7: Accounting and Finance Part 8: Sustainability and Environmental Issues Part 9: Information Technology ISBN: 978-1-955833-03-5 Hospitality and Tourism Significance of VR in the spa: A spatial analysis Irini Lai Fun Tang, Schultz Zhi Bin Xu, and Eric Chan Social media marketing in rural hospitality and tourism destination research Samuel Adeyinka-Ojo and Shamsul Kamariah Abdullah All aboard! Is space tourism still a fantasy or a reality: An investigation on Turkish market Emrah Tasarer, Vahit Oguz Kiper, Orhan Batman, and Oguz Turkay Strategic consciousness and business performance relationship of open innovation strategies in food and beverage businesses Muhsin Halis, Kazim Ozan Ozer, Hasan Cinnioglu, and Zafer Camlibel The effects of COVID-19 epidemic on guided tours and alternative tour samples from Turkey Bayram Akay The effect of COVID-19 phobia on holiday intention Halil Akmese and Ali Ilgaz The effect of the usage of virtual reality in tourism education on learning motivation Sarp Tahsin Kumlu and Emrah Ozkul The impact of effective implementation of customer relationship management to the success of hotels in Afikpo North local government of Ebonyi State, Nigeria Ogboagha Callister and Managwu Lilian The influence of study travel on quality-oriented education: The case of Handan, China Wang Jingya and Alaa Nimer Abukhalifeh The impact of U.S. Cuba policies on Cuban tourism industry: Focus on the Obama and Trump Administration Jukka M. Laitamaki, Antonio Diaz Medina, and Lisandra Torres Hechavarria Determination of students' characteristics and perspectives about social entrepreneurship: A case of Anadolu University Muhammed Kavak, Ipek Itir Can, and Emre Ozan Aksoz The place of Kazakhstan tourism sector in the countries of the region in terms of transportation infrastructure Maiya Myrzabekova, Muhsin Halis, and Zafer Camlibel What are tour guides most praised for? A sharing economy perspective Derya Demirdelen-Alrawadieh and Ibrahim Cifci An examination of representations for USA in tourism brochures for Chinese market Yasong Wang An exploratory study on cognitive internship perception of tourism students Ozge Buyuk and Gulsah Akkus Are you afraid to travel during COVID-19? Gulsum Tabak, Sibel Canik, and Ebru Guneren Destination management during the health emergency: A bibliometric analysis Valentina Della Corte, Giovanna Del Gaudio, Giuliana Nevola, Enrico Di Taranto, and Simone Luongo Determination of food neophobia levels of International Mersin Citrus Festival participants Sevda Sahilli Birdir, Nurhayat Iflazoglu, and Kemal Birdir Analysis of effectiveness of industrial exposure training undertaken by students of hospitality management in star hotels G. Saravana Kumar Conceptualization of ecotourism service experiences framework from the dimensions of motivation and quality of experiences: Four realms of experience approach Jennifer Kim Lian Chan Does Coronavirus (COVID-19) transform travel and tourism to automation (robots)? M. Omar Parvez, Ali Ozturen, and Cihan Cobanoglu Efficiency of internal control systems and the effect of organizational structure and culture on internal control systems in accommodation industry Kadriye Alev Akmese and Ali Ilgaz Ethical perceptions of housekeeping department employees: A study in Izmir Province Tuba Turkmendag and Bayram Sahin Factors that prevent participation of tourists in online co-creation activities Resat Arica, Feridun Duman, and Abdulkadir Corbaci Health sector after COVID-19: Salt thermal facilities example Azize Serap Tuncer and Sinan Bulut PRISMA statement and thematic analysis framework in hospitality and tourism research Samuel Adeyinka-Ojo Evaluation of Turkish nights as a tourism product: The case of Cappadocia Meral Buyukkuru, Eda Ozgul Katlav, and Firdevs Yonet Eren Customer perceptions against COVID-19 precautionary measures of the restaurants: The case of Istanbul-Turkey Elif Kaymaz and Sevki Ulema Analysis of e-complaints regarding hotel restaurants during COVID-19 process: The case of Antalya Sevim Usta and Serkan Sengul Marketing, E-marketing, and Consumer Behavior Materialistic social consumption amidst COVID-19 pandemic: Terror management theory in the Malaysia context Seong-Yuen Toh and Siew-Wai Yuan A conceptual framework for the mediating role of the flow experience between destination brand experience and destination loyalty Ipek Kazancoglu and Taskin Dirsehan Investigating drivers influencing choice behaviour of Islamic investment products Hanudin Amin Local food festivals within the scope of destination branding Hatice Akturk and Atilla Akbaba Marketing a destination on social media: Case of three municipalities of Izmir Huseyin Ozan Altin and Ige Pirnar Perceived usefulness, ease of use, online trust and online purchase intention: Mediating role of attitude towards online purchase Muhammed Yazeed, Mohammed Aliyu Dantsoho, and Adamu Ado Abubakar Social media framework for businesses Nawel Amrouche Social media marketing the African door of return experience in Badagry-Nigeria Huseyin Arasli, Maryam Abdullahi, and Tugrul Gunay The effect of corporate social responsibility on consumer-based brand equity: A research on automobile brands Ali Koroglu and Ibrahim Avci The effect of superstitions on consumer luck, horoscope and evil eye-oriented purchasing behavior: A study in Turkey Ibrahim Avci and Salih Yildiz The evaluation of S-D orientation on service innovation and performance of airline Inci Polat and Ozlem Atalik Brand new leisure constraint: COVID-19 Guliz Coskun The impact of consumers price level perception on emotions towards supermarkets Abdulcelil Cakici and Sena Tekeli The impact of TikTok's plastic surgery content on adolescents' self-perception and purchase intention Markus Rach Accelerated modernity: What are the social media stories undergraduate students engage with? Pericles Asher Rospigliosi and Sebastian Raza-Mejia Virtual influencer as celebrity endorsers Fanny Cheung and Wing-Fai Leung Does millennial shopping orientation using augmented reality enabled mobile applications really impact product purchase intention? Anil Kumar Exposure to e-cigarette marketing and product use among highly educated adults Onur Sahin Extending the theory of planned behavior to explain intention to use online food delivery services in the context of COVID -19 pandemic Ahmed Chemseddine Bouarar, Smail Mouloudj, and Kamel Mouloudj Factors affecting investors' buying decision in real estate market in Northern Cyprus Gurkan Arslan and Karen Howells From home to the store: Combined effect of music and traffic on consumers shopping behaviour Luigi Piper, Lucrezia Maria de Cosmo, Maria Irene Prete, and Gianluigi Guido Market expansion and business growth from the perspective of resources and capabilities: The case of a micro-enterprise Jose G. Vargas-Hernandez and Omar C. Vargas-Gonzalez How learning style interacts with voice-assisted technology (VAT) in consumer task evaluation Bonnie Canziani and Sara MacSween Effect of brand credibility and innovation on customer based brand equity and overall brand equity in Turkey: An investigation of GSM operators Suphan Nasir and Ozge Guvendik Value chain for a B school in India Vimal Chandra Verma and Devashish Das Gupta Management AI as a boost for startups companies: Evidence from Italy Irene Di Bernardo, Marco Tregua, Greco Fabio, and Ruggiero Andrea The role of quality management applications for corporate reputations Ibrahim Sapaloglu and Isik Cicek Toxicity in organizations: A sample study on the perceived toxicity in Turkish academicians Mustafa Hakan Atasoy and Muhsin Halis Which resources are matter to healthcare performance? A case study on Bahrain Mahmood Asad Ali and Mohamed Sayed Abou Elseoud Case study: HereWay Inc. European expansion: A facility location problem Mikhail M. Sher, Michael T. Paz, and Donald R. (Bob) Smith In search of the effective mission statement: Structural support of the firm's culture to augment financial performance Seong-Yuen Toh Innovation labs to support tourism organization in transforming crisis into opportunities: Insight from a case study Francesco Santarsiero, Daniela Carlucci, and Giovanni Schiuma Novelty and success of healthcare service innovation: A comparison between China and the Netherlands Yu Mu, Rujun Wang and Ying Huang Public private partnership in selected countries: A comparative analysis Bekir Parlak and Abdullahi Suleiman Hashi Strategic orientation of service enterprises towards customers Korhan Arun and Saniye Yildirim Ozmutlu The effects of organizational culture on information sharing attitude Mohammadi Lanbaran Nasrin and Cicek Isik The impact of industry 4.0 strategy on the work-life balance of employees Ali Sukru Cetinkaya The mediating effect of psychological empowerment on inclusive leadership and innovative work behaviour: A research in hotels Emete Toros, Ahmet Maslakci, and Lutfi Surucu Assessment of industry 4.0 on manufacturing enterprises: Demographic perspective Ali Sukru Cetinkaya and M. Kemal Unsacar Human Resources Management Affective commitment in new hires' onboarding? The role of organizational socialization in the fashion retail industry Pui Sze Chan, Ho Ching Ching, Pui Yi Ng, and Annie Ko Do burnout perception levels of nurses working in the health sector differ according to demographic characteristics? Irfan Akkoc and Korhan Arun Examining a moderating effect of employee turnover between recruitment and selection practice and organizational performance in Maldives civil service sector Fathmath Muna, Azam S. M. Ferdous, and Ahmad Albattat Personnel relationships in the workplace Ali Sukru Cetinkaya, Shafiq Habibi, and Umut Yavuz The evolution of human resources empowerment theory: A literature review (1970–2020) Theodoros Stavrinoudis and Moschos Psimoulis Teamwork, satisfaction and mediating effect of affective, continuance and normative commitments on employee's loyalty Thalita Aparecida Costa Nicolleti, Eduardo Roque Mangini, Leonardo Aureliano-Silva, Cristiane Sales Pires, and Carolina Aparecida de Freitas Dias Perceptions of teachers in educational institutions regarding the principles of teaching professional ethics Gulsah Aki, Nejat Ira, and Hasan Arslan Influence of psychological empowerment on employee competence in Nigerian universal basic education system: The mediating role of work engagement Isah Sani, Rashidah Binti Mohammad Ibrahim, and Fazida Karim Retail Management Artificial intelligence in retailing Ibrahim Kircova, Munise Hayrun Saglam, and Sirin Gizem Kose Customer value in retailing (2000-2020): A narrative review and future research directions Rajat Gera and Ashish Pruthi Effect of social media marketing on online retail performance of Konga Nigeria LTD Abubakar Ado Adamu, Muhammed Yazeed, Mohammed Aliyu Dantsoho, Jamilu Abdulkadir, and Aliyu Audu Gemu Employment of blue-collar workers in organized retail sector: The case of Turkey Inci Kayhan-Kuzgun Saving grace: Digitization to stay or address crisis? Smitha Vasudevan Inclusion of disabled consumers in online retail landscape: Web accessibility conformance of Turkish organized food retailers' web sites Asiye Ayben Celik A customer segmentation model proposal for retailers: RFM-V Pinar Ozkan and Ipek Deveci Kocakoc Economics Nigeria's economic management: Reflections through monthly interest rate movement from 1996 to 2020 and beyond Job Nmadu, Halima Sallawu, and Yebosoko Nmadu A qualitative study of perceptions of the residents of Sidon, Lebanon regarding the economic effect on Sidon with reference to repatriation of the Palestinian refugees Raja El Majzoub and Karen Howells Three keys of development: Knowledge, efficiency and innovative entrepreneurship Irfan Kalayci, Ali Soylu, and Baris Aytekin Tourism and women empowerment: Empirical findings from past experience and predictions for the post-COVID era Burcu Turkcan COVID-19 effect on FDI motivation and their impact on service sector: Case of Georgia Vakhtang Charaia and Mariam Lashkhi Economic cooperation between Central Caucasus, China, and EU, under COVID-19 challenges Vakhtang Charaia and Mariam Lashkhi Effect of real exchange rate and income on international tourist arrivals for Turkey Erhan Aslanoglu, Oral Erdogan, and Yasin Enes Aksu Innovative entrepreneurship in Turkey: Micro and macro perspectives Irfan Kalayci, Baris Aytekin, and Ali Soylu Optimal fiscal and price stability in Germany: Autoregressive distributed lags (ARDL) cointegration relationship Ergin Akalpler and Dahiru Alhaji Birnintsabas Struggle with COVID-19 crisis within the scope of financial national security: The example of the Republic of Turkey Silacan Karakus The nexus between fiscal freedom and investment freedom: The case of E7 countries Mehmet Bolukbas To be or not to be a female entrepreneur in the Mexicali Valley Roberto Burgueno Romero and Jose David Ledezma Torrez Accounting and Finance Comparative measurement of working capital efficiency for Borsa Istanbul restaurants and hotels for the COVID-19 period and previous quarters Fatih Gunay and Gary Cokins Relationship between business confidence index and non-financial firms foreign exchange assets and liabilities: Evidence from ARDL bound approach Ilkut Elif Kandil-Goker The impact of RTGS on internal control - A comparative study between some Iraqi banks Salowan H. Al Taee and Noor A. Radhi The impact of working capital on cash management under IAS 7 framework: An examination of tourism listed companies in Indonesia and Turkey Tri Damayanti and Tuba Derya Baskan A nexus between mergers & acquisitions and financial performance of firms: A study of industrial sector of Pakistan Fiza Quareshi, Mukhtiar Ali, and Salar Hussain Decentralized approach to deep-learning based asset allocation Sarthak Sengupta, Priyanshu Priyam, and Anurika Vaish Sustainability and Environmental Issues Blockchain technology applied to the Consortium Etna DOC to avoid counterfeiting Matarazzo Agata, Edoardo Carmelo Spampinato, Sergio Arfo, Ugo Sinigaglia, Antonino Bajeli, and Salvino Benanti Eco-label certification, hotel performance and customer satisfaction: Analysis of a case study and future developments Michele Preziosi, Alessia Acampora, Roberto Merli, and Maria Claudia Lucchetti The integration of circular economy in the tourism industry: A framework for the implementation of circular hotels Martina Sgambati, Alessia Acampora, Olimpia Martucci, and Maria Claudia Lucchetti Using the theory of planned behavior to explore green food purchase intentions Katrina Anna Auza and Kamel Mouloudj Survey on purchasing methods of food products in Tarragona and Catania Matarazzo Agata, Vazzano Tommaso Alberto, and Squillaci Carmelo Information Technology Comparative analysis of tools for matching work-related skill profiles with CV data and other unstructured data Florian Beuttiker, Stefan Roth, Tobias Steinacher, and Thomas Hanne State-of-the-art next generation open innovation platforms Murielle De Roche, Monika Blaser, Patrick Hollinger, and Thomas Hanne The coverage of AIOT based functional service: Case study of Asian futuristic hotel Gege Wang, Irini Lai Fun Tang, Eric Chan, and Wai Hung Wilco Chan The effect of the blockchain technology on service companies and food retailers: An overview of the blockchain use cases and applications Gokhan Kirbac and Erkut Ergenc The regulation problem of cryptocurrencies Lamiha Ozturk and Ece Sulungur Understanding information technology acceptance by physicians: Testing technology acceptance model Anuruddha Indika Jagoda

All authors: Wielgus, Maciek; Akiyama, Kazunori; Blackburn, Lindy; Chan, Chi-kwan; Dexter, Jason; Doeleman, Sheperd S.; Fish, Vincent L.; Issaoun, Sara; Johnson, Michael D.; Krichbaum, Thomas P.; Lu, Ru-Sen; Pesce, Dominic W.; Wong, George N.; Bower, Geoffrey C.; Broderick, Avery E.; Chael, Andrew; Chatterjee, Koushik; Gammie, Charles F.; Georgiev, Boris; Hada, Kazuhiro Loinard, Laurent; Markoff, Sera; Marrone, Daniel P.; Plambeck, Richard; Weintroub, Jonathan; Dexter, Matthew; MacMahon, David H. E.; Wright, Melvyn; Alberdi, Antxon; Alef, Walter; Asada, Keiichi; Azulay, Rebecca; Baczko, Anne-Kathrin; Ball, David; Baloković, Mislav; Barausse, Enrico; Barrett, John; Bintley, Dan; Boland, Wilfred; Bouman, Katherine L.; Bremer, Michael; Brinkerink, Christiaan D.; Brissenden, Roger; Britzen, Silke; Broguiere, Dominique; Bronzwaer, Thomas; Byun, Do-Young; Carlstrom, John E.; Chatterjee, Shami; Chen, Ming-Tang; Chen, Yongjun; Cho, Ilje; Christian, Pierre; Conway, John E.; Cordes, James M.; Crew, Geoffrey B.; Cui, Yuzhu; Davelaar, Jordy; Laurentis, Mariafelicia De; Deane, Roger; Dempsey, Jessica; Desvignes, Gregory; Dzib, Sergio A.; Eatough, Ralph P.; Falcke, Heino; Fomalont, Ed; Fraga-Encinas, Raquel; Friberg, Per; Fromm, Christian M.; Galison, Peter; García, Roberto; Gentaz, Olivier; Goddi, Ciriaco; Gold, Roman; Gómez, José L.; Gómez-Ruiz, Arturo I.; Gu, Minfeng; Gurwell, Mark; Hecht, Michael H.; Hesper, Ronald; Ho, Luis C.; Ho, Paul; Honma, Mareki; Huang, Chih-Wei L.; Huang, Lei; Hughes, David H.; Inoue, Makoto; James, David J.; Jannuzi, Buell T.; Janssen, Michael; Jeter, Britton; Jiang, Wu; Jimenez-Rosales, Alejandra; Jorstad, Svetlana; Jung, Taehyun; Karami, Mansour; Karuppusamy, Ramesh; Kawashima, Tomohisa; Keating, Garrett K.; Kettenis, Mark; Kim, Jae-Young; Kim, Junhan; Kim, Jongsoo; Kino, Motoki; Koay, Jun Yi; Koch, Patrick M.; Koyama, Shoko; Kramer, Michael; Kramer, Carsten; Kuo, Cheng-Yu; Lauer, Tod R.; Lee, Sang-Sung; Li, Yan-Rong; Li, Zhiyuan; Lindqvist, Michael; Lico, Rocco; Liu, Kuo; Liuzzo, Elisabetta; Lo, Wen-Ping; Lobanov, Andrei P.; Lonsdale, Colin; MacDonald, Nicholas R.; Mao, Jirong; Marchili, Nicola; Marscher, Alan P.; Martí-Vidal, Iván; Matsushita, Satoki; Matthews, Lynn D.; Medeiros, Lia; Menten, Karl M.; Mizuno, Yosuke; Mizuno, Izumi; Moran, James M.; Moriyama, Kotaro; Moscibrodzka, Monika; Müller, Cornelia; Musoke, Gibwa; Nagai, Hiroshi; Nagar, Neil M.; Nakamura, Masanori; Narayan, Ramesh; Narayanan, Gopal; Natarajan, Iniyan; Nathanail, Antonios; Neri, Roberto; Ni, Chunchong; Noutsos, Aristeidis; Okino, Hiroki; Olivares, Héctor; Ortiz-León, Gisela N.; Oyama, Tomoaki; Özel, Feryal; Palumbo, Daniel C. M.; Park, Jongho; Patel, Nimesh; Pen, Ue-Li; Piétu, Vincent; PopStefanija, Aleksandar; Porth, Oliver; Prather, Ben; Preciado-López, Jorge A.; Psaltis, Dimitrios; Pu, Hung-Yi; Ramakrishnan, Venkatessh; Rao, Ramprasad; Rawlings, Mark G.; Raymond, Alexander W.; Rezzolla, Luciano; Ripperda, Bart; Roelofs, Freek; Rogers, Alan; Ros, Eduardo; Rose, Mel; Roshanineshat, Arash; Rottmann, Helge; Roy, Alan L.; Ruszczyk, Chet; Ryan, Benjamin R.; Rygl, Kazi L. J.; Sánchez, Salvador; Sánchez-Arguelles, David; Sasada, Mahito; Savolainen, Tuomas; Schloerb, F. Peter; Schuster, Karl-Friedrich; Shao, Lijing; Shen, Zhiqiang; Small, Des; Sohn, Bong Won; SooHoo, Jason; Tazaki, Fumie; Tiede, Paul; Tilanus, Remo P. J.; Titus, Michael; Toma, Kenji; Torne, Pablo; Trent, Tyler; Traianou, Efthalia; Trippe, Sascha; Tsuda, Shuichiro; Bemmel, Ilse van; van Langevelde, Huib Jan; van Rossum, Daniel R.; Wagner, Jan; Wardle, John; Ward-Thompson, Derek; Wex, Norbert; Wharton, Robert; Wu, Qingwen; Yoon, Doosoo; Young, André; Young, Ken; Younsi, Ziri; Yuan, Feng; Yuan, Ye-Fei; Zensus, J. Anton; Zhao, Guangyao; Zhao, Shan-Shan; Zhu, Ziyan.-- Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. ; The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has recently delivered the first resolved images of M87*, the supermassive black hole in the center of the M87 galaxy. These images were produced using 230 GHz observations performed in 2017 April. Additional observations are required to investigate the persistence of the primary image feature- A ring with azimuthal brightness asymmetry- A nd to quantify the image variability on event horizon scales. To address this need, we analyze M87* data collected with prototype EHT arrays in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013. While these observations do not contain enough information to produce images, they are sufficient to constrain simple geometric models. We develop a modeling approach based on the framework utilized for the 2017 EHT data analysis and validate our procedures using synthetic data. Applying the same approach to the observational data sets, we find the M87* morphology in 2009-2017 to be consistent with a persistent asymmetric ring of ∼40 μas diameter. The position angle of the peak intensity varies in time. In particular, we find a significant difference between the position angle measured in 2013 and 2017. These variations are in broad agreement with predictions of a subset of general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations. We show that quantifying the variability across multiple observational epochs has the potential to constrain the physical properties of the source, such as the accretion state or the black hole spin. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society. ; The authors of the present paper thank the following organizations and programs: the Academy of Finland (projects 274477, 284495, 312496); the Advanced European Network of E-infrastructures for Astronomy with the SKA (AENEAS) project, supported by the European Commission Framework Programme Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation action under grant agreement 731016; the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung; the Black Hole Initiative at Harvard University, through a grant (60477) from the John Templeton Foundation; the China Scholarship Council; Comision Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica (CONICYT, Chile, via PIA ACT172033, Fondecyt projects 1171506 and 3190878, BASAL AFB-170002, ALMA-conicyt 31140007); Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACYT, Mexico, projects 104497, 275201, 279006, 281692); the Delaney Family via the Delaney Family John A. Wheeler Chair at Perimeter Institute; Direccion General de Asuntos del Personal Academico-Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (DGAPA-UNAM, project IN112417); the European Research Council Synergy Grant "BlackHoleCam: Imaging the Event Horizon of Black Holes" (grant 610058); the Generalitat Valenciana postdoctoral grant APOSTD/2018/177 and GenT Program (project CIDEGENT/2018/021); the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (grants GBMF-3561, GBMF-5278); the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) sezione di Napoli, iniziative specifiche TEONGRAV; the International Max Planck Research School for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Universities of Bonn and Cologne; the Jansky Fellowship program of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO); the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) Scholarship; the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Research Fellowship (JP17J08829); the Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS, grants QYZDJ-SSW-SLH057, QYZDJ-SSW-SYS008, ZDBS-LY-SLH011); the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Research Fellowship; the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (MPG); the Max Planck Partner Group of the MPG and the CAS; the MEXT/JSPS KAKENHI (grants 18KK0090, JP18K13594, JP18K03656, JP18H03721, 18K03709, 18H01245, 25120007); the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) Funds; the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of Taiwan (105-2112-M-001-025-MY3, 106-2112-M-001-011, 106-2119-M-001-027, 107-2119-M-001-017, 107-2119-M-001-020, and 107-2119-M-110-005); the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, Fermi Guest Investigator grant 80NSSC17K0649 and Hubble Fellowship grant HST-HF2-51431.001-A awarded by the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. , for NASA, under contract NAS5-26555); the National Institute of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan; the National Key Research and Development Program of China (grant 2016YFA0400704, 2016YFA0400702); the National Science Foundation (NSF, grants AST-0096454, AST-0352953, AST-0521233, AST-0705062, AST-0905844, AST-0922984, AST-1126433, AST-1140030, DGE-1144085, AST-1207704, AST-1207730, AST-1207752, MRI-1228509, OPP-1248097, AST-1310896, AST-1312651, AST-1337663, AST-1440254, AST-1555365, AST-1715061, AST-1615796, AST-1716327, OISE-1743747, AST-1816420); the Natural Science Foundation of China (grants 11573051, 11633006, 11650110427, 10625314, 11721303, 11725312, 11933007); the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC, including a Discovery Grant and the NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships-Doctoral Program); the National Youth Thousand Talents Program of China; the National Research Foundation of Korea (the Global PhD Fellowship Grant: grants NRF-2015H1A2A1033752, 2015-R1D1A1A01056807, the Korea Research Fellowship Program: NRF-2015H1D3A1066561); the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) VICI award (grant 639.043.513) and Spinoza Prize SPI 78-409; the New Scientific Frontiers with Precision Radio Interferometry Fellowship awarded by the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), which is a facility of the National Research Foundation (NRF), an agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) of South Africa; the Onsala Space Observatory (OSO) national infrastructure, for the provisioning of its facilities/observational support (OSO receives funding through the Swedish Research Council under grant 2017-00648) the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (research at Perimeter Institute is supported by the Government of Canada through the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and by the Province of Ontario through the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science); the Russian Science Foundation (grant 17-12-01029); the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (grants PGC2018-098915-B-C21, AYA2016-80889-P); the State Agency for Research of the Spanish MCIU through the "Center of Excellence Severo Ochoa" award for the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (SEV-2017-0709); the Toray Science Foundation; the US Department of Energy (USDOE) through the Los Alamos National Laboratory (operated by Triad National Security, LLC, for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the USDOE (contract 89233218CNA000001)); the Italian Ministero dell'Istruzione Universita e Ricerca through the grant Progetti Premiali 2012-iALMA (CUP C52I13000140001); the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 730562 RadioNet; ALMA North America Development Fund; the Academia Sinica; Chandra TM6-17006X; the GenT Program (Generalitat Valenciana) Project CIDEGENT/2018/021. This work used the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE), supported by NSF grant ACI-1548562, and CyVerse, supported by NSF grants DBI-0735191, DBI-1265383, and DBI-1743442. XSEDE Stampede2 resource at TACC was allocated through TG-AST170024 and TG-AST080026N. XSEDE JetStream resource at PTI and TACC was allocated through AST170028. The simulations were performed in part on the SuperMUC cluster at the LRZ in Garching, on the LOEWE cluster in CSC in Frankfurt, and on the HazelHen cluster at the HLRS in Stuttgart. This research was enabled in part by support provided by Compute Ontario (http://computeontario. ca), Calcul Quebec (http://www.calculquebec.ca), and Compute Canada (http://www.computecanada.ca). We thank the staff at the participating observatories, correlation centers, and institutions for their enthusiastic support. This paper makes use of the following ALMA data: ADS/JAO.ALMA#2016.1.01154.V. ALMA is a partnership of the European Southern Observatory (ESO; Europe, representing its member states), NSF, and National Institutes of Natural Sciences of Japan, together with the National Research Council (Canada), Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST; Taiwan), Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA; Taiwan), and Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI; Republic of Korea), in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. The Joint ALMA Observatory is operated by ESO, Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI)/NRAO, and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). The NRAO is a facility of the NSF operated under cooperative agreement by AUI. APEX is a collaboration between the Max-Planck-Institut fur Radioastronomie (Germany), ESO, and the Onsala Space Observatory (Sweden). The SMA is a joint project between the SAO and ASIAA and is funded by the Smithsonian Institution and the Academia Sinica. The JCMT is operated by the East Asian Observatory on behalf of the NAOJ, ASIAA, and KASI, as well as the Ministry of Finance of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the National Key R&D Program (No. 2017YFA0402700) of China. Additional funding support for the JCMT is provided by the Science and Technologies Facility Council (UK) and participating universities in the UK and Canada. The LMT is a project operated by the Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, ptica, y Electronica (Mexico), and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (USA). The IRAM 30 m telescope on Pico Veleta, Spain is operated by IRAM and supported by CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France), MPG (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Germany), and IGN (Instituto Geografico Nacional, Spain). The SMT is operated by the Arizona Radio Observatory, a part of the Steward Observatory of the University of Arizona, with financial support of operations from the State of Arizona and financial support for instrumentation development from the NSF. The SPT is supported by the National Science Foundation through grant PLR- 1248097. Partial support is also provided by the NSF Physics Frontier Center grant PHY-1125897 to the Kavli Institute of Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago, the Kavli Foundation, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation grant GBMF 947. The SPT hydrogen maser was provided on loan from the GLT, courtesy of ASIAA. The EHTC has received generous donations of FPGA chips from Xilinx Inc., under the Xilinx University Program. The EHTC has benefited from technology shared under an open-source license by the Collaboration for Astronomy Signal Processing and Electronics Research (CASPER). The EHT project is grateful to T4Science and Microsemi for their assistance with hydrogen masers. This research has made use of NASA's Astrophysics Data System. We gratefully acknowledge the support provided by the extended staff of the ALMA, both from the inception of the ALMA Phasing Project through the observational campaigns of 2017 and 2018. We would like to thank A. Deller and W. Brisken for EHT-specific support with the use of DiFX. We acknowledge the significance that Maunakea, where the SMA and JCMT EHT stations are located, has for the indigenous Hawaiian people.

Not Available ; The land resource inventory of Kavalur East-6 microwatershed was conducted using village cadastral maps and IRS satellite imagery on 1:7920 scale. The false colour composites of IRS imagery were interpreted for physiography and these physiographic delineations were used as base for mapping soils. The soils were studied in several transects and a soil map was prepared with phases of soil series as mapping units. Random checks were made all over the area outside the transects to confirm and validate the soil map unit boundaries. The soil map shows the geographic distribution and extent, characteristics, classification, behavior and use potentials of the soils in the microwatershed. The present study covers an area of 441 ha in Koppal taluk and district, Karnataka. The climate is semiarid and categorized as drought - prone with an average annual rainfall of 662 mm, of which about 424 mm is received during south –west monsoon, 161 mm during north-east and the remaining 77 mm during the rest of the year. An area 98 per cent is covered by soils and 2 per cent is by water bodies. The salient findings from the land resource inventory are summarized briefly below.  The soils belong to 10 soil series and 19 soil phases (management units) and 4Land management units.  The length of crop growing period is 150 cm).  About 97 per cent area has clayey soils at the surface and small area of 200 mm/m) in available water capacity.  An area of about 94 per cent has very gently sloping (1-3%) lands and 4 per cent area has nearly level (0-1%) lands.  About 19 per cent area is slightly eroded (e1) and about 79 per cent area is moderately eroded (e2) lands.  Entire area is moderately alkaline (pH 7.8-8.4) to very strongly alkaline (pH >9.0) in soil reaction.  The Electrical Conductivity (EC) of the soils are dominantly 0.75%) in 3 per cent area.  An area of about 96 per cent is low (337 kg/ha) in available potassium.  Available sulphur is low (20 ppm) in 16 per cent area.  Available boron is low (1.0 ppm) in 3 per cent area.  Available iron is deficient (0.6 ppm) in 24 per cent area.  Available copper and manganese is sufficient in all the soils.  The land suitability for 28 major crops grown in the microwatershed were assessed and the areas that are highly suitable (S1) and moderately suitable (S2) are given below. It is however to be noted that a given soil may be suitable for various crops but what specific crop to be grown may be decided by the farmer looking to his capacity to invest on various inputs, marketing infrastructure, market price and finally the demand and supply position. Land suitability for various crops in the microwatershed Crop Suitability Area in ha (%) Crop Suitability Area in ha (%) Highly suitable (S1) Moderately suitable (S2) Highly suitable (S1) Moderately suitable (S2) Sorghum 59 (13) 203 (46) Pomegranate 194 (44) Maize - - Guava - - Bajra - - Jackfruit - - Groundnut - - Jamun - 54 (12) Sunflower 23 (5) 170 (39) Musambi 23 (5) 170 (39) Cotton 59 (13) 203 (46) Lime 23 (5) 170 (39) Red gram - 91 (20) Cashew - - Bengalgram 59 (13) 203 (46) Custard apple 59 (13) 203 (46) Chilli - - Amla - 263 (59) Tomato - - Tamarind - 54 (12) Drumstick - 194 (44) Marigold - 263 (59) Mulberry 164 (37) Chrysanthemum - 263 (59) Mango - - Jasmine 68 (15) Sapota - - Crossandra - 127 (29) Apart from the individual crop suitability, a proposed crop plan has been prepared for the 4 identified LMUs by considering only the highly and moderately suitable lands for different crops and cropping systems with food, fodder, fibre and other horticulture crops.  Maintaining soil-health is vital for crop production and conserve soil and land resource base for maintaining ecological balance and to mitigate climate change. For this, several ameliorative measures have been suggested for these problematic soils like saline/alkali, highly eroded, sandy soils etc.,  Soil and water conservation treatment plan has been prepared that would help in identifying the sites to be treated and also the type of structures required.  As part of the greening programme, several tree species have been suggested to be planted in marginal and submarginal lands, field bunds and also in the hillocks, mounds and ridges. That would help in supplementing the farm income, provide fodder and fuel, and generate lot of biomass which inturn would help in maintaining the ecological balance and contribute to mitigating the climate change. SALIENT FINDINGS OF THE SURVEY  The data indicated that there were 176 (52.78%) men and 68 (47.22%) women among the sampled households.  The average family size of landless farmers' was 4.33, marginal farmers' was 3.75, small farmers' was 4.07 and semi medium farmers' was 5.  The data indicated that, 25 (17.36%) people were in 0-15 years of age, 67 (46.53%) were in 16-35 years of age, 40 (27.78%) were in 36-60 years of age and 12 (8.33%) were above 61 years of age.  The results indicated that Kavalur East-6 had 22.92 per cent illiterates, 38.89 per cent of them had primary school education, 3.47 per cent of them had middle school education, 20.83 per cent of them had high school education, 7.64 per cent of them had PUC education, 1.39 per cent did ITI, 3.47 per cent of them had degree education and 1.39 per cent did masters.  The results indicate that, 80.56 per cent of household heads were practicing agriculture, 11.11 per cent of household heads were practicing agriculture, 5.56 per cent of household heads were practicing general labour and 2.78 per cent of the household heads were government service.  The results indicate that agriculture was the major occupation for 60.42 per cent of the household members, 10.42 per cent were agricultural laborers, 2.78 per cent were general laborers 2.08 per cent were in government service and private service, 21.53 per cent were students and 0.69 per cent were housewives.  The results show that, 100 per cent of the population in the micro watershed has not participated in any local institutions.  The results indicate that 2.78 per cent of the households possess thatched house, 88.89 per cent of the households possess katcha house and 8.33 per cent of them possess pucca/RCC house.  The results show that 80.56 per cent of the households possess TV, 55.56 per cent of them possess mixer/grinder, 36.11 per cent of the households possess bicycle, 33.33 per cent of the households possess motor cycle and 88.89 per cent of the households possess mobile phones.  The results show that the average value of television was Rs. 9,034, mixer grinder was Rs. 1,865, bicycle was Rs.1769, motor cycle was Rs. 29,333 and mobile phone was Rs. 1,425.  About, 2.78 per cent possess tractor and 97.22 per cent of them possess weeder.  The results show that the average value of tractor was Rs. 300,000 and the average value of weeder was Rs.46.  The results indicate that, 2.78 per cent of the households possess bullocks, local cow and sheep and 5.56 per cent of the households possess sheep. 2  The results indicate that, average own labour men available in the micro watershed was 1.70, average own labour (women) available was 1.20, average hired labour (men) available was 12.27 and average hired labour (women) available was 10.23.  The results indicate that, 83.33 per cent of the households opined that the hired labour was adequate.  The results indicate that, households of the Kavalur East-6 micro-watershed possess 34.62 ha (100%) of dry land. Marginal farmers possess 13.01 ha (100%) of dry land. Small farmers possess 19.59 ha (100%) of dry land. Semi medium farmers possess 2.02 ha (100%) of dry land.  The results indicate that, the average value of dry land was Rs. 256,960.84. In case of marginal famers, the average land value was Rs. 330,460.48 for dry land. In case of small famers, the average land value was Rs. 219,396.82 for dry land. In case of semi medium famers, the average land value was Rs. 148,200.00 for dry land.  The results indicate that, farmers have grown bajra (7.3 ha), Bengal gram (4.67 ha), green gram (0.93 ha), groundnut (4.19 ha), maize (3.24 ha), red gram (0.81 ha), sesamum (0.40 ha), sorghum (9.18 ha) and sunflower (3.79 ha). Marginal farmers have grown Bengal gram, green gram, groundnut, maize, red gram, sesamum, sorghum and sunflower. While small farmers have grown bajra, bengal gram, groundnut, maize, sorghum and sunflower. Semi medium farmers have grown sorghum. T  The results indicate that, the cropping intensity in Kavalur East-6 microwatershed was found to be 95.18 per cent.  The results indicate that, the total cost of cultivation for bajra was Rs. 28992.94. The gross income realized by the farmers was Rs. 34995.53. The net income from bajra cultivation was Rs. 6002.58. Thus the benefit cost ratio was found to be 1:1.21.  The total cost of cultivation for bajra was Rs. 34877.34. The gross income realized by the farmers was Rs. 44337.49. The net income from Bengal gram cultivation was Rs. 9460.14. Thus the benefit cost ratio was found to be 1:1.27.  The total cost of cultivation for groundnut was Rs. 43383.96. The gross income realized by the farmers was Rs. 40726.29. The net income from groundnut cultivation was Rs. -2657.67. Thus the benefit cost ratio was found to be 1:0.94.  The total cost of cultivation for maize was Rs 21032.13. The gross income realized by the farmers was Rs. 29369.84. The net income from maize cultivation was Rs. 8337.71. Thus the benefit cost ratio was found to be 1:1.4.  The total cost of cultivation for sesamum was Rs. 22791.12. The gross income realized by the farmers was Rs. 4940.00. The net income from sesamum cultivation was Rs. -17851.12. Thus the benefit cost ratio was found to be 1:0.22. 3  The total cost of cultivation for sorghum was Rs. 20253.85. The gross income realized by the farmers was Rs. 25009.37. The net income from sorghum cultivation was Rs. 4755.52. Thus the benefit cost ratio was found to be 1:1.23.  The total cost of cultivation for sunflower was Rs. 26256.96. The gross income realized by the farmers was Rs. 34281.62. The net income from sunflower cultivation was Rs. 8024.66. Thus the benefit cost ratio was found to be 1:1.31.  The results indicate that, 8.33 per cent of the households opined that dry fodder and green fodder was adequate.  The results indicate that the annual gross income was Rs. 84,000 for landless farmers, for marginal farmers it was Rs. 53,328.13, for small farmers it was Rs. 110,565.38 and for semi medium farmers it was Rs. 106,000.  The results indicate that the average annual expenditure is Rs. 9,690.31. For landless households it was Rs. 10,638.89, for marginal farmers it was Rs. 2,164.58, for small farmers it was Rs. 15,414.20 and for semi medium farmers it was Rs. 50,000.  The results indicate that, sampled households have grown 4 coconut trees in their field and 1 coconut tree in their backyard.  The results indicate that, households have planted 1 teak, 15 neem and 2 banyan trees in their field and 1 teak and 1 neem in their backyard.  The results indicated that, bajra, Bengal gram, groundnut, maize, red gram sorghum and sunflower was sold to the extent of 100 per cent and sesamum was sold to the extent of 50 per cent.  The results indicated that, about 86.11 per cent of the farmers sold their produce to local/village. The results indicated that, 86.11 per cent of the households used tractor.  The results indicated that, 19.44 per cent of the households have experienced soil and water erosion problems in the farm.  The results indicated that, 83.33 per cent have shown interest in soil test.  The results indicated that, 63.89 per cent of the households used firewood and 36.11 per cent of the households used LPG as a source of fuel.  The results indicated that, piped supply was the major source of drinking water for 100 per cent of the households.  Electricity was the major source of light for 100 per cent of the households in micro watershed.  The results indicated that, 25 per cent of the households possess sanitary toilet facility.  The results indicated that, 94.44 per cent of the sampled households possessed BPL card and 5.56 per cent of the households did not possess PDS card.  The results indicated that, 25 per cent of the households participated in NREGA programme. 4  The results indicated that, cereals and pulses were adequate for 97.22 per cent of the households, vegetables were adequate for 8.33 per cent, fruits were adequate for 11.11 per cent, milk, egg and meat was adequate for 100 per cent.  The results indicated that, cereals and pulses were inadequate for 2.78 per cent of the households, oilseeds were inadequate for 100 per cent, vegetables were inadequate for 91.67 per cent and fruits were inadequate for 88.89 per cent of the households.  The results indicated that, lower fertility status of the soil, frequent incidence of pest and diseases, inadequacy of irrigation water, high cost of fertilizers and plant protection chemicals and high rate of interest on credit was the constraint experienced by 83.33 per cent of the households, wild animal menace on farm field and low price for the agricultural commodities (80.56%), lack of marketing facilities in the area (55.56%), inadequate extension services (8.33%) and lack of transport for safe transport of the agricultural produce to the market (8.56%). ; Watershed Development Department, Government of Karnataka (World Bank Funded) Sujala –III Project

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Under a Creative Commons license.-- Review.-- et al. ; Targeted therapies and the consequent adoption of >personalized> oncology have achieved notablesuccesses in some cancers; however, significant problems remain with this approach. Many targetedtherapies are highly toxic, costs are extremely high, and most patients experience relapse after a fewdisease-free months. Relapses arise from genetic heterogeneity in tumors, which harbor therapy-resistantimmortalized cells that have adopted alternate and compensatory pathways (i.e., pathways that are notreliant upon the same mechanisms as those which have been targeted). To address these limitations, aninternational task force of 180 scientists was assembled to explore the concept of a low-toxicity >broad-spectrum> therapeutic approach that could simultaneously target many key pathways and mechanisms. Using cancer hallmark phenotypes and the tumor microenvironment to account for the various aspectsof relevant cancer biology, interdisciplinary teams reviewed each hallmark area and nominated a widerange of high-priority targets (74 in total) that could be modified to improve patient outcomes. For thesetargets, corresponding low-toxicity therapeutic approaches were then suggested, many of which werephytochemicals. Proposed actions on each target and all of the approaches were further reviewed forknown effects on other hallmark areas and the tumor microenvironment. Potential contrary or procar-cinogenic effects were found for 3.9% of the relationships between targets and hallmarks, and mixedevidence of complementary and contrary relationships was found for 7.1%. Approximately 67% of therelationships revealed potentially complementary effects, and the remainder had no known relationship. Among the approaches, 1.1% had contrary, 2.8% had mixed and 62.1% had complementary relationships. These results suggest that a broad-spectrum approach should be feasible from a safety standpoint. Thisnovel approach has potential to be relatively inexpensive, it should help us address stages and types ofcancer that lack conventional treatment, and it may reduce relapse risks. A proposed agenda for futureresearch is offered. ; Amr Amin was funded by Terry Fox Foundation Grant # TF-13-20 and UAEU Program for Advanced Research (UPAR) #31S118; Jack Arbiser was funded by NIHAR47901; Alexandra Arreola was funded by NIH NRSA Grant F31CA154080; Alla Arzumanyan was funded by NIH (NIAID) R01: Combination therapies for chronic HBV, liver disease, and cancer (AI076535); Work in the lab of Asfar S. Azmi is supported by NIH R21CA188818 as well as from Sky Foundation Inc. Michigan; Fabian Benencia was supported by NIH Grant R15 CA137499-01; Alan Bilsland was supported by the University of Glasgow, Beatson Oncology Centre Fund, CRUK (www.cancerresearchuk.org) Grant C301/A14762; Amancio Carnero was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity, ISCIII (Fis: PI12/00137, RTICC: RD12/0036/0028) co-funded by FEDER from Regional Development European Funds (European Union), Consejeria de Ciencia e Innovacion (CTS-6844 and CTS-1848) and Consejeria de Salud of the Junta de Andalucia (PI-0135-2010 and PI-0306-2012). His work on this project has also been made possible thanks to the Grant PIE13/0004 co-funded by the ISCIII and FEDER funds; Stephanie C. Casey was supported by NIH Grant F32CA177139; Mrinmay Chakrabarti was supported by the United Soybean Board; Rupesh Chaturvedi was supported by an NIH NCCAM Grant (K01AT007324); Georgia Zhuo Chen was supported by an NIH NCI Grant (R33 CA161873-02); Helen Chen acknowledges financial support from the Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Foundation Graduate Studentship; Sophie Chen acknowledges financial support from the Ovarian and Prostate Cancer Research Trust, UK; Yi Charlie Chen acknowledges financial support from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission/Division of Science Research, his research was also supported by NIH grants (P20RR016477 and P20GM103434) from the National Institutes of Health awarded to the West Virginia IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence; Maria Rosa Ciriolo was partially supported by the Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC) Grants #IG10636 and #15403; Helen M. Coley acknowledges financial support from the GRACE Charity, UK and the Breast Cancer Campaign, UK; Marisa Connell was supported by a Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship; Sarah Crawford was supported by a research grant from Connecticut State University; Charlotta Dabrosin acknowledges financial support from the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Research Society; Giovanna Damia gratefully acknowledges the generous contributions of The Italian Association for Cancer Research (IG14536 to G.D.); ; Santanu Dasgupta gratefully acknowledges the support of the University of Texas Health Science Centre at Tyler, Elsa U. Pardee Foundation; William K. Decker was supported in part by CPRIT, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas; Anna Mae E. Diehl was supported by NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the NIH National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), Gilead and Shire Pharmaceuticals; Q. Ping Dou was partially supported by NIH/NCI (1R01CA20009, 5R01CA127258-05 and R21CA184788), and NIH P30 CA22453 (to Karmanos Cancer Institute); Janice E. Drew was supported by the Scottish Government's Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division; Eyad Elkord thanks the National Research Foundation, United Arab Emirates University and the Terry Fox Foundation for supporting research projects in his lab; Bassel El-Rayes was supported by Novartis Pharmaceutical, Aveo Pharmaceutical, Roche, Bristol Myers Squibb, Bayer Pharmaceutical, Pfizer, and Kyowa Kirin; Mark A. Feitelson was supported by NIH/NIAID Grant AI076535; ; Dean W. Felsher was supported by NIH grants (R01CA170378, U54CA149145, and U54CA143907); Lynnette R Ferguson was financially supported by the Auckland Cancer Society and the Cancer Society of New Zealand; Gary L. Firestone was supported by NIH Public Service Grant CA164095 awarded from the National Cancer Institute; Christian Frezza "would like to acknowledge funding from a Medical Research Council CCU-Program Grant on cancer metabolism, and a unique applicant AICR project grant"; Mark M. Fuster was supported by NIH Grant R01-HL107652; Alexandros G. Georgakilas was supported by an EU Marie Curie Reintegration Grant MC-CIG-303514, Greek National funds through the Operational Program 'Educational and Lifelong Learning of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF)-Research Funding Program THALES (Grant number MIS 379346) and COST Action CM1201 'Biomimetic Radical Chemistry'; Michelle F. Green was supported by a Duke University Molecular Cancer Biology T32 Training Grant; Brendan Grue was supported by a National Sciences Engineering and Research Council Undergraduate Student Research Award in Canada; Dorota Halicka was supported by by NIH NCI grant NCI RO1 28704; Petr Heneberg was supported by the Charles University in Prague projects UNCE 204015 and PRVOUK P31/2012, by the Czech Science Foundation projects 15-03834Y and P301/12/1686, by the Czech Health Research Council AZV project 15-32432A, and by the Internal Grant Agency of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic project NT13663-3/2012; Matthew D. Hirschey wishes to acknowledge Duke University Institutional Support, the Duke Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC) Program in Aging Research supported by the National Institute of Aging (P30AG028716-01) and NIH/NCI training grants to Duke University (T32-CA059365-19 and 5T32-CA059365); ; Lorne J. Hofseth was supported by NIH grants (1R01CA151304, 1R03CA1711326, and 1P01AT003961); Kanya Honoki was supported in part by the grant from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (No. 24590493); Hsue-Yin Hsu was supported in part by grants from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (CCMP101-RD-031 and CCMP102-RD-112) and Tzu-Chi University (61040055-10) of Taiwan; Lasse D. Jensen was supported by Svenska Sallskapet for Medicinsk Forskning, Gosta Fraenkels Stiftelse, Ak.e Wibergs Stiftelse, Ollie och Elof Ericssons Stiftelse, Linkopings Universitet and the Karolinska Institute, Sweden; Wen G. Jiang wishes to acknowledge the support by Cancer Research Wales, the Albert Hung Foundation, the Fong Family Foundation, and Welsh Government A4B scheme; Lee W. Jones was supported in part by grants from the NIH NCI; W Nicol Keith was supported by the University of Glasgow, Beatson Oncology Centre Fund, CRUK (www.cancerresearchuk.org) Grant C301/A14762; Sid P. Kerkar was supported by the NIH Intramural Research Program; Rob J. Kulathinal was supported by the National Science Foundation, and the American Cancer Society; Byoung S. Kwon was supported in part by National Cancer Center (NCC-1310430-2) and National Research Foundation (NRF-2005-0093837); Anne Le was supported by Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund Grant 80028595, a Lustgarten Fund Grant 90049125 and Grant NIHR21CA169757 (to Anne Le); Michael A. Lea was funded by the The Alma Toorock Memorial for Cancer Research; Ho-Young Lee. ; This work was supported by grants from the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning (MSIP), Republic of Korea (Nos. 2011-0017639 and 2011-0030001) and by a NIH Grant R01 CA100816; Liang-Tzung Lin was supported in part by a grant from the Ministry of Education of Taiwan (TMUTOP103005-4); Jason W. Locasale acknowledges support from NIH awards (CA168997 and AI110613) and the International Life Sciences Institute; Bal L. Lokeshwar was supported in part by United States' Public Health Services Grants: NIH R01CA156776 and VA-BLR&D Merit Review Grant No. 5I01-BX001517-02; Valter D. Longo acknowledges support from NIH awards (P01AG034906 and R01AG020642) and from the V Foundation; Costas A. Lyssiotis was funded in part by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network as a Pathway to Leadership Fellow and through a Dale F. Frey Breakthrough award from the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation; Karen L. MacKenzie wishes to acknowledge the support from the Children's Cancer Institute Australia (affiliated with the University of New South Wales, Australia and the Sydney Children's Hospital Network); Maria Marino was supported by grant from University Roma Tre to M.M. (CLA 2013) and by the Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC-Grant #IG15221); ; Ander Matheu is funded by Carlos III Health Institute (AM: CP10/00539), Basque Foundation for Science (IKERBASQUE) and Marie Curie CIG Grant (AM: 2012/712404); Christopher Maxwell was supported by funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, in partnership with the Avon Foundation for Women (OBC-134038) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator Salary Award (MSH-136647); Eoin McDonnell received Duke University Institutional Support; Kapil Mehta was supported by Bayer Healthcare System G4T (Grants4Targets); Gregory A. Michelotti received support from NIH NIDDK, NIH NIAAA, and Shire Pharmaceuticals; Vinayak Muralidhar was supported by the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology Research Assistantship Award; Elena Niccolai was supported by the Italian Ministry of University and the University of Italy; Virginia R. Parslow gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre (ACSRC); Graham Pawelec was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF) Grant number 16SV5536K, and by the European Commission (FP7 259679 "IDEAL"); Peter L. Pedersen was supported by NIH Grant CA-10951; Brad Poore was supported by Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund Grant 80028595, the Lustgarten Fund Grant 90049125, and Grant NIHR21CA169757 (to Anne Le); Satya Prakash was supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Grant (MOP 64308); Lizzia Raffaghello was supported by an NIH Grant (P01AG034906-01A1) and Cinque per Mille dell'IRPEF–Finanziamento della Ricerca Sanitaria; Jeffrey C. Rathmell was supported by an NIH Grant (R01HL108006); Swapan K. Ray was supported by the United Soybean Board; Domenico Ribatti received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under Grant agreement n°278570; Luigi Ricciardiello was supported by the AIRC Investigator Grants 10216 and 13837, and the European Community's Seventh Framework Program FP7/2007–2013 under Grant agreement 311876; Francis Rodier acknowledges the support of the Canadian Institute for Health Research (FR: MOP114962, MOP125857), Fonds de Recherche Québec Santé (FR: 22624), and the Terry Fox Research Institute (FR: 1030); ; Gian Luigi Russo contributed to this effort while participating in the Fulbright Research Scholar Program 2013–14; Isidro Sanchez-Garcia is partially supported by FEDER and by MICINN (SAF2012-32810), by NIH Grant (R01 CA109335-04A1), by Junta de Castilla y León (BIO/SA06/13) and by the ARIMMORA project (FP7-ENV-2011, European Union Seventh Framework Program). Isidro Sanchez-Garcia's lab is also a member of the EuroSyStem and the DECIDE Network funded by the European Union under the FP7 program; Andrew J. Sanders wishes to acknowledge the support by Cancer Research Wales, the Albert Hung Foundation, the Fong Family Foundation, and Welsh Government A4B scheme; Neeraj K. Saxena was supported by grant funding from NIH NIDDK (K01DK077137, R03DK089130); Dipali Sharma was partially funded by NIH NCI grants (R01CA131294, R21 CA155686), the Avon Foundation and a Breast Cancer Research Foundation Grant (90047965); Markus David Siegelin received funding from National Institute of Health, NINDS Grant K08NS083732, and the 2013 AACR-National Brain Tumor Society Career Development Award for Translational Brain Tumor Research, Grant Number 13-20-23-SIEG; Neetu Singh was supported by funds from the Department of Science and Technology (SR/FT/LS-063/2008), New Delhi, India; Carl Smythe was supported by Yorkshire Cancer Research and The Wellcome Trust, UK; Carmela Spagnuolo was supported by funding from Project C.I.S.I.A., act n. 191/2009 from the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance Project CAMPUS-QUARC, within program FESR Campania Region 2007/2013, objectives 2.1, 2.2; Diana M. Stafforini was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute (5P01CA073992), IDEA Award W81XWH-12-1-0515 from the Department of Defense, and by the Huntsman Cancer Foundation; John Stagg was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; Pochi R. Subbarayan was supported by the University of Miami Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Pilot Research Grant (CTSI-2013-P03) and SEEDS You Choose Awards; Phuoc T. Tran was funded by the DoD (W81XWH-11-1-0272 and W81XWH-13-1-0182), a Kimmel Translational Science Award (SKF-13-021), an ACS Scholar award (122688-RSG-12-196-01-TBG) and the NIH (R01CA166348); Kathryn E. Wellen receives funding from the National Cancer Institute, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Pew Charitable Trusts, American Diabetes Association, and Elsa U. Pardee Foundation; Huanjie Yang was partially supported by the Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Oversea Scholars, State Education Ministry and Scientific and Technological Innovation Project, Harbin (2012RFLXS011); ; Paul Yaswen was supported by funding from the United States National Institutes of Health (ES019458) and the California Breast Cancer Research Program (17UB-8708); Clement Yedjou was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (Grant # G1200MD007581), through the RCMI-Center for Environmental Health; Xin Yin was supported by NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Training Grant T32HL098062.; Jiyue Zhu was supported by NIH Grant R01GM071725; Massimo Zollo was supported by the European FP7-TuMIC HEALTH-F2-2008-201662, the Italian Association for Cancer research (AIRC) Grant IG # 11963 and the Regione Campania L.R:N.5, the European National Funds PON01-02388/1 2007-2013. ; Peer Reviewed

AMÉRICA LATINA Miles de brasileños salen a las calles a protestar. Para más información:http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2013/07/01/le-bresil-gagne-la-cote-de-dilm a-rousseff-s-effondre_3439765_3222.htmlhttp://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/28/world/americas/brazil-protests-favelas/index.htmlhttp://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/lo-que-han-conseguido-las-marchas-en-brasil_12899837-4http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1596783-la-popularidad-de-dilma-cae-en-picadahttp://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-brazil-protests-20130629,0,31 27511.story Popularidad de Dilma Rousseff cae 27 puntos tras protestas. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/protestas-en-brasil_12900702-4Lhttp://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/mayora-de-brasileos-apoya-la-protesta-social_12891964-4 Rousseff alista plan para plebiscito. Para más información:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1597538-dilma-rousseff-presento-ante-el-congreso-el-p edido-de-pebiscito-para-reformar-el-sistema-polhttp://www.eluniversal.com.mx/internacional/83223.html Bachelet arrasa en las primarias chilenas. Para más información:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-23121534http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/07/01/actualidad/1372651043_01 7566.htmlhttp://www.eluniversal.com.mx/internacional/83212.htmlhttp://www.lanacion.com.ar/1597042-bachelet-arraso-en-las-primarias-y-nada-parec e-frenar-su-regreso-al-poderhttp://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/elecciones-primarias-en-chile_12902 524-4http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-chile-election-20130701,0,1891 457.story Marcha por la educación chilena: hubo decenas de heridos y detenidos por los incidentes en Santiago. 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Para más información:http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/30/world/europe/eu-nsa/index.htmlhttp://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2013/07/02/l-europe-divisee-cherc he-une-reponse-aux-soupcons-d-espionnage-americain_3440331_3210.htmlhttp://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-snowden-20130629,0,77 11506.storyhttp://www.lanacion.com.ar/1596980-indignada-con-el-espionaje-la-ue-le-pide-ex plicaciones-a-eeuuhttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2013-07/01/content_16700216.htmv Dimiten dos altos cargos del banco del Vaticano. Para más información:http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/28/world/europe/italy-vatican-probe-arrest s/index.htmlhttp://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/07/01/actualidad/1372703 510_523831.htmlhttp://religion.blog.lemonde.fr/2013/07/02/le-menage-continue-a-la-banque-d u-vatican/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/02/world/europe/italy-2-top-managers-at- vatican-bank-step-down.html?ref=world&gwh=C3A08B3EE421BE046020436A EC47E0F9 Estalla en el aire un cohete ruso que transportaba tres satélites. Para más información:http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-russian-rocket-crashes-20130701,0,6736432.storyhttp://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/estalla-en-el-aire-un-cohete-ruso-que -transportaba-tres-satlites_12905847-4http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1597434-se-estrello-un-cohete-ruso-segundos-des pues-de-su-lanzamientohttp://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/02/world/europe/russia-rocket-explosion/index.ht ml?hpt=wo_c2 Rusia mantiene conversaciones con Corea del Norte para culminar con el programa nuclear del régimen de los Kim. Para más información:http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/29/world/asia/north-korea-russia-nuclear-talks/index.html?hpt=ieu_c2 Dimite el ministro portugués de Finanzas. Para más información:http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/07/01/actualidad/137269 5401_287409.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23135573 España arresta a ocho sospechosos de pertenecer a la red de Al Qaeda. Para más información:http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/21/world/europe/spain-terror-arrests/index.html Cámara alta rusa aprueba la ley contra la 'propaganda' homosexual. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/ley-contra-propaganda-homosexual-en-rusi a_12896426-4http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2013-07/01/content_16693533.htm España estudia usar ayudas europeas para rebajar cotizaciones al empleo juvenil. Para más información:http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/06/28/actualidad/13724387 58_497110.html El poder imparable de Silvio Berlusconi se pone a prueba. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/poder-de-silvio-berlusconi_12901233-4http://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2013/07/02/l-etrangere-du-gouvernement-italien_3440545_3214.html Un juez del Tribunal para la ex Yugoslavia denuncia que su presidente presionó para absolver a presuntos criminales de guerra. Para más información:http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/06/30/actualidad/137260289 4_696290.html En Bélgica las empresas tendrán que pagar impuestos sobre las ganancias de al menos el 5%. Para más información:http://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2013/07/02/en-belgique-les-entrepr ises-devront-payer-un-impot-sur-les-benefices-d-au-moins-5_3440298_3234.html Envían a la cárcel al ex tesorero del PP. Para más información:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1596177-envian-a-la-carcel-al-ex-tesorero-del-pp ASIA- PACÍFICO/ MEDIO ORIENTE Aumentan a más de 850 los muertos en las inundaciones en el norte de la India. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/asia/inundaciones-en-india_12894664-4http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-23145924http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/23/world/asia/india-floods/index.html Terremoto sacude a Indonesia. Para más información:http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/02/world/asia/indonesia-earthquake/index.htm l?hpt=ias_c2http://www.lemonde.fr/asie-pacifique/article/2013/07/02/indonesie-un-seisme-f rappe-la-province-d-aceh_3440482_3216.html Disturbios dejaron 27 muertos en región musulmana de Xinjiang (China). Para más información:http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-china-crackdown-20130630,0,6192697.storyhttp://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/asia/china-27-muertos-en-disturbios-en-xinjiang-china_12896162-4 Hong Kong se unió a la ola mundial de protestas callejeras. Para más información:http://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2013/07/02/les-hongkongais-veul ent-tenir-la-chine-a-distance_3440380_3210.htmlhttp://www.lanacion.com.ar/1597310-hong-kong-se-unio-a-la-ola-mundial-de -protestas-callejerashttp://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/asia/hong-kong-pide-el-voto-universal_1290 4265-4 Decenas de personas son condenadas por conspirar para derrocar al gobierno de Emiratos Árabes Unidos.Para más información:http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/02/19247518-dozens-convicted -jailed-over-coup-plot-in-united-arab-emirates?litehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23142248http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/02/world/meast/uae-trial/index.html?hpt=imi_c2 Continúa la violencia y los atentados en Afganistán. Para más información:http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2013-07/01/content_16697758.htmhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/03/world/asia/suicide-attack-afghanistan.h tml?ref=worldhttp://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/19/world/asia/afghanistan-security-talks/inde x.htmlhttp://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/medio-oriente/atentado-en-kabul-afganistn_ 12894222-4http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/01/world/asia/afghanistan-violence/index.htm l?hpt=ias_c1http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23127933 Cameron visita Pakistán y Afganistán. Para más información:http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/29/world/asia/afghanistan-uk-cameron/index.ht ml?hpt=ieu_c2http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-bombings-20130701,0,3205657.story Ataques dejan decenas de muertos es Pakistán. Para más información:http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/01/world/asia/pakistan-violence/index.htm l?hpt=wo_bn7http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-karachi-politics-20130622,0,5791307.story Irak víctima de varios ataques suicidas. Para más información:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23152066http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/02/world/meast/iraq-violence/index.html?hpt =imi_c2http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2013-07/01/content_16692920.htmhttp://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-47-dead-in-iraq-20130702,0,1629150.storyhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/02/world/middleeast/iraq-attacks-north-of-ba ghdad-kill-at-least-25-people.html?ref=world&gwh=607A6C23979374587693873D 6BBA697B Continúa la crisis política y humanitaria en Siria. Para más información:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23112222http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/27/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html?h pt=imi_c2http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/07/02/actualidad/13727538 73_716974.htmlhttp://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/rebeldes-sirios-decapitam-um-sacerdote-catolico-8882364#ixzz2XtplBaby Activistas del matrimonio gay salen a manifestarse en China. Para más información:http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/27/world/asia/china-gay-rights-jiang/index.html John Kerry visita Medio Oriente con objetivo de alcanzar la paz. Para más información:http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-kerry-optimist-20130701,0,5352126.storyhttp://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-kerry-middle-east-peace-20130628,0,5967175.storyhttp://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/30/world/meast/kerry-mideast-talks/index.ht ml?hpt=wo_c2 Hassan Rowhani pide "interacción constructiva" en la política exterior y respalda a los medios de comunicación libres. Para más información:http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iran-president-20130630,0 ,7247038.story ÁFRICA Miles demandan salida de Moursi en Egipto. Para más información:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/03/world/middleeast/egypt-protests.html?re f=world&_r=0http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23154233http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/30/3478008/egypt-protesters-gather-to -demand.htmlhttp://www.lanacion.com.ar/1597594-el-presidente-de-egipto-rechaza-el-ultimatu m-del-ejercitohttp://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/02/19246354-egypts-morsi-sa ys-he-wont-step-down-vows-to-protect-his-legitimacy?litehttp://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/933273.htmlhttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2013-07/03/content_16712076.htmhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/02/world/middleeast/egypts-young-activist s-rouse-protests-but-leave-next-steps-in-hands-of-public.html?ref=worldhttp://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/presidente-rejeita-ultimato-militar-agrava-crise- no-egito-8881653#ixzz2XtpIET4t http://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2013/07/egypthttp://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/07/02/actualidad/137274216 7_249635.htmlhttp://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2013/07/02/la-presidence-egyptienne-r ejette-l-ultimatum-de-l-armee_3440080_3212.html Obama realiza gira por países africanos. Para más información:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-23141473http://oglobo.globo.com/videos/t/todos-os-videos/v/webchamada/2667109http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-obama-africa-20130702,0,61 47803.storyhttp://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-obama-food-security-20130629,0,3937951.storyhttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2013-07/01/content_16694415.htmhttp://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/02/19244981-obama-bush-h onor-victims-of-osama-bin-ladens-opening-salvo-against-us?lite El mundo sigue en vilo por la salud de Mandela. Para más información:http://www.latimes.com/news/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-mandela-court-battle-20130702,0,6824949.storyhttp://www.eluniversal.com.mx/internacional/83222.htmlhttp://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/27/world/africa/south-africa-mandela/index.html ?hpt=wo_bn10http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/02/world/africa/mandelas-relatives-argue- over-burial-plans.html?ref=world&gwh=CFB0271FBA8705BE7B76E06622F3BC73 Fuerzas de Paz de la ONU comienzan sus operaciones en Mali. Para más información: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-23125615 Ex presidente de Chad es acusado en Senegal por crímenes de guerra. Para más información:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-23153532 Para muchos en África la falta de electricidad es una barrera al crecimiento. Para más información:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/02/world/africa/for-many-in-africa-lack-o f-electricity-is-barrier-to-growth.html?ref=world OTRAS NOTICIAS Fin de pobreza extrema debe ser nuevo objetivo mundial para 2030: ONU. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/estados-unidos/la-onu-dice-que-el-fin-de-la -pobreza-extrema-debe-ser-nuevo-objetivo-mundial-para-2030_12845943-4 "Los Angeles Times" presenta portal sobre el crecimiento de la población mundial. Para más información:http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/population/ "The Economist" presenta su informe semanal: "Business this week". Para más información:http://www.economist.com/news/world-week/21580206-business-week

Mucho es lo que se ha escrito acerca de un tema tan delicado como es la erosión de la hegemonía del Estado en el ámbito internacional a causa de la globalización, y escasa ha sido la aproximación a resultados concretos. Año tras año, el lector puede asistir a una amplia variedad de artículos que tocan el tema de una manera muy general y abstracta como para elaborar las tajantes conclusiones a las que desembocan.Llevar adelante una investigación de esta índole requiere un análisis más minucioso, llevando a tierra el tópico, para de esta manera poder descifrar y comparar resultados claros sobre si la globalización ha deteriorado el accionar del Estado en el campo de las relaciones exteriores. Esto es lo que hacen de manera excepcional los autores Norrin M. Ripsman y T.V. Paul en su libro "Globalization and the National Security State". En el mismo, decidieron neutralizar determinadas implicancias, y centrarse en evaluar el impacto que tiene la globalización en la elaboración de políticas de seguridad nacional por parte de los Estados. En las próximas líneas nos encargaremos de elaborar un pequeño ensayo de crítica metodológica sobre el libro, deseando que sirva de cierta ayuda para los estudiantes de la carrera al momento de enmarcarse en proyectos de investigación."Globalization and the National Security State"En 2010 los autores Norrin M. Ripsman y T. V. Paul presentaron una investigación referida al impacto de la globalización –y principalmente la aceleración que este proceso experimentó en la última década– sobre las políticas de seguridad nacional de diferentes Estados. Para este trabajo los investigadores delimitaron el período 1990, como fin de la Guerra Fría y comienzo del nuevo orden mundial, y 2007, el año más próximo en cuanto a disponibilidad y veracidad de información. No obstante, dejan en claro que el lapso estudiado es efímero, dadas las dimensiones del estudio y la evolución del tema a lo largo de los años. Pretenden "poner a prueba los principales elementos del paradigma de la globalización y la seguridad desde el fin de la Guerra Fría hasta 2008". Si bien el foco del análisis son las políticas de seguridad nacional, la supuesta variable independiente para Ripsman y Paul era la globalización, por lo que a modo de suprimir terceras variables, decidieron observar su posible impacto en diferentes rubros, aparte del que motivaba sus esfuerzos. Así, lograrían arribar a un esbozo de la influencia general del proceso globalizador, además de determinar los efectos particulares en el área central de trabajo. Del mismo modo, identifican las características sobresalientes del entorno internacional del lapso analizado. La ausencia de guerras, la carrera armamentística, el crecimiento de las fuerzas militares, la proliferación de ONG y organizaciones internacionales en el campo de la seguridad nacional, y las políticas implementadas a tal fin, son aristas incluidas en este estudio de casos. En "Globalization and the National Security State" los autores toman, además, puntos de vista de teóricos defensores de diferentes corrientes. Al fragmentar el estudio en múltiples causas logran un abordaje más profundo y holístico de la situación, fortaleciendo el soporte de su conclusión final. Ripsman y Paul buscan más de una explicación en diferentes áreas -compatibles o no- y abordan cada una desde la concepción de que allí puede radicar la razón del efecto estudiado.Por ejemplo, dedicarán especial atención a considerar si existió una reducción significativa del presupuesto o de la fuerza militar, a nivel global y en cada país seleccionado. El número de guerras interestatales, la conformación de la agenda de seguridad nacional, el papel que desempeñan los organismos internacionales nuevos y renovados, configuran segmentos de análisis previos a la evaluación global. También presentan un análisis comparativo de países y regiones preseleccionadas, para conocer el impacto de la globalización. El punto de partida de la gran mayoría de las teorías en este aspecto, es que el avance de las relaciones internacionales y la expansión de las fuerzas económicas tienen consecuencias uniformes en todos los países. Si bien Ripsman y Paul analizarán si el poder y la posición que ostenta un Estado en el sistema internacional determinan el grado de influencia de 0estos factores, y cómo los afectan, esta relativización de factores no condiciona las afirmaciones. Pese a haber dividido cada área de estudio en unidades tan simples como fuera posible, los autores realizan una selección de Estados basándose en condiciones del contexto en el cual desarrollan sus relaciones. Se establecen categorías de acuerdo al grado de conflicto que rige la región de esos Estados, la posición internacional que poseen, entre otros aspectos que también podrían ser influyentes en la consecuencia final. Tras desplegar un minucioso análisis de cada etapa y área mencionada, Ripsman y Paul concluyen tres aspectos, en cierta forma discordantes con las derivaciones del texto "El Estado-nación en la globalización y en el reordenamiento internacional". Por un lado, establecen que las tendencias globales no son completamente consistentes con la escuela de predicciones de la globalización, para la cual este proceso determina los cambios que cada Estado implementará en sus respectivas áreas de acción. En este aspecto, advierten que si bien el presupuesto militar a nivel mundial se redujo en el inicio de 1990, volvió a incrementarse al final de esa década manteniendo la tendencia en el nuevo siglo. "De hecho, parece que la riqueza nacional provocada por la globalización económica alentó a muchos Estados a aumentar el gasto militar y modernizar sus fuerzas armadas", sentencian. Más aún, las instituciones destinadas a la seguridad global y regional no lograron sustituir la primacía del Estado en la provisión de seguridad. Además, Ripsman y Paul señalan que las premisas de los teóricos de la globalización están sobrevaloradas. Los Estados de todas partes del mundo siguen practicando las políticas de seguridad tradicionales, mucho más de lo que desearían los defensores de dicha escuela. Más aún, en los casos en que se cumplen las condiciones establecidas por estos analistas, más que la globalización, las circunstancias estratégicas parecen ser el motivo.Análisis estructuralComo se indicó, la investigación de Ripsman y Paul consta de diferentes estudios segmentarios que derivan en datos, los que serán sostén de la conclusión final. Cada subdivisión exige un minucioso análisis que se desarrolla en la obra, como si fueran proyectos de investigación diminutos dentro de la obra final.Es así que se realiza un abordaje en áreas no directamente relacionadas con el objetivo general del trabajo. Estudios sobre el impacto de avances económicos, consecuencias de la reducción de presupuesto militar o cambios en las relaciones interestatales e intrarregionales.Pregunta de investigaciónImplícita pero presente con relativa claridad, la pregunta de investigación apunta a saber en qué medida los elementos de los paradigmas de la globalización y de la seguridad nacional delinearon los cambios en las políticas de seguridad nacional desde el final de la Guerra Fría. De esta forma, los autores pondrán a prueba cada una de las premisas que fundamentan esos paradigmas, contrastándolos con la realidad observada. A pesar que la pregunta no se presenta como tal, cumple con creces su propósito. Además, condice con los datos previos y con el análisis posterior, y no limita el campo de trabajo.Definición de las variablesLa falta de definiciones claras y concisas (no solo sobre las variables a estudiar sino también de posibles variables externas que puedan afectar el resultado final) es un serio problema que adolecen los artículos que hablan sobre el tema, en gran medida producto de su extensión. Es por esto que en este libro se le otorga suma importancia a la definición de los conceptos de globalización y Estado-nación, dedicándole un extenso pasaje de la introducción. Para hacerlo, no se limita a citar a otros autores sino que se incluyen datos estadísticos, y referencias históricas sobre el rol y la influencia de cada uno de estos factores en diferentes países o regiones. A su vez, definen variables exógenas a las que desean estudiar para poder aumentar el control sobre éstas y mejorar la validez del trabajo final. Esta característica termina resultando clave para la validez de las conclusiones finales.TeoríaPara elaborar la teoría, Ripsman y Paul hacen referencia al propósito del Estado-nación desde su creación, las diferentes etapas históricas y la época contemporánea. Tras citar las principales corrientes de pensamiento sobre la interacción entre esta forma política y la globalización, concordantes y discordantes, advierten que la gran mayoría son conjeturas, puesto que nunca hubo intentos de falsar ninguna de sus predicciones. Los autores sentencian al respecto que "la globalización es un término utilizado con frecuencia pero que carece de precisión, al punto que su significado varía de acuerdo a cada persona. La vinculación del mismo con las políticas de seguridad nacional de un Estado es aún vaga." A diferencia del texto inicial, los datos previos manejados en este estudio son amplios y no respaldan directamente el propósito de la investigación. Más aún, se provee una definición de globalización compuesta de diversos factores, buscando una mayor extensión conceptual que allane la posterior aplicación del término al objeto de estudio.HipótesisLa hipótesis que impulsa la investigación es que "la posición que ostenta un país en el sistema internacional determina el grado en que lo afectan los cambios del proceso globalizador."Siguiendo con la línea esbozada en la teoría, en la hipótesis los autores evitan radicalizar la supuesta influencia de la globalización en las decisiones de un Estado, cuidando una línea de generalización que no sesga el resultado final, sino que es lo suficientemente amplia como para aceptar cambios inesperados de fondo y de forma, en caso que la investigación arroje datos contundentes no previstos. Por el contrario, como ya se indicó, en el primer texto la ambigüedad y la falta de precisión debilita la relación causa efecto.Diseño de investigaciónEl diseño de investigación consta de variados recursos, métodos comparativos, análisis generales y particulares de Estados y su vinculación con el mundo y la región, confrontación de teorías, entre otras. La apertura del campo de investigación es tal, que se identifican hasta siete tipos de argumentación en la materia. Ya sea, desde la escuela que toma la globalización de la economía como factor primordial causante de cambios estratégicos, hasta los que hacen un enfoque de una suerte de cultura global, pasando por los defensores del liberalismo comercial como motor de variaciones o los institucionalistas.ConclusionesSe deja constancia de que la implicancia que pudo haber tenido la globalización en la búsqueda de la seguridad nacional, fue irregular. Los actores más poderosos se adaptaron a la globalización sólo cuando sus efectos eran consistentes con sus propósitos estratégicos. Si bien en las regiones de estabilidad los Estados modificaron sus políticas para acompasarlas a los objetivos de la tendencia globalizadora, en las zonas de conflicto no se observa el mismo cambio. Por si esto fuera poco, en áreas de mayor debilidad, con relaciones internacionales frágiles, los patrones de seguridad nacional sufrieron las presiones de la globalización.Consideraciones finalesEn definitiva, la clave de la obra de Ripsman y Paul reside en la fragmentación el campo de estudio en áreas minúsculas, cuyo análisis es más accesible, obteniendo resultados que luego se comparan, constatan y contrastan con los demás hallazgos, hasta llegar a respuestas que permitan elaborar conocimiento general. De esta manera, los autores lograron romper con la abstracción de los conceptos, trayéndolos a la realidad mediante el enfoque en únicamente ciertas variables, neutralizando al resto. La vasta alternativa de recursos metodológicos y el amplio espectro de herramientas con que se abarca el diseño de investigación, hacen que la posible influencia de otras implicancias se reduzca al mínimo, aumentando la precisión de los resultados finales. Sin embargo, es menester destacar que a pesar de ser un excelente trabajo de investigación, en las ciencias sociales nunca hay una verdad incuestionable, sino que toda teoría que se plantee va a tener tantos partidarios como detractores, y la posibilidad de que sea refutada está permanentemente presente. Si de este caso se trata, siempre habrá lugar para la discusión y el debate acerca de si la globalización modifica los comportamientos de los líderes políticos de las principales potencias mundiales o si, por el contrario, son estos los que moldean el fenómeno globalizador para beneficiarse y concretar sus objetivos, siguiendo los mismos intereses que siempre motivaron su accionar. La relevancia de la dicotomía aumenta a medida que se proyecta el campo de las relaciones internacionales de los próximos años o décadas. La guerra de intereses que se observa en África o la dispar anuencia que recibieron los diferentes países en el proceso de la Primavera Árabe son dos ejemplos útiles a la hora de cuestionarse si el equilibrio de poder cambió, está cambiando o simple y contrariamente se fortalece a la sombra de herramientas y métodos renovados, guante de la misma mano que por años ha sostenido la cruceta. Sobre los autoresEstudiantes de la Licenciatura en Estudios Internacionales de la Universidad ORT – Uruguay.