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8/22/1998: On August 22, 1998, Barry Black led a Ku Klux Klan rally in Carroll County, Virginia. The Supreme Court considered the constitutionality of his prosecution for cross burning in Virginia v. Black (20030.

The article deals with the contradictory effect of civil society and civility discourses for the theory ofmodern democracy. The author concentrates on observed two main theoretical approaches towards the role andposition of civil society in new democracies. Following the cautious optimism of "neotocquevillians" thetransition from undemocratic regime to the democracy was influenced of universal and global spread ofdemocracy. In the transitional period civil society comes into play as the guarantee for consolidatingdemocracy. Scientists skeptics don't share this view and not consider civil society as the panacea buildingdemocracy.Civility can be described as an ethos of citizens conduct, necessary condition for real democracy. Socialcapital theory inspired discussion on the influence of "republican virtues" upon the modern democracy.However, the more important question is what type of civil society promotes democracy.The manifestations of civility discourse complicated the creation of liberal democracy at the initial stage ofpostcommunist transformations in East and Central European countries. Seeking more authentic reflection ofmodern democracy in their own country Lithuanian social scientists should: 1) discard all the uncriticalapproaches to the Western models of civil society; 2) propose the original decision while trying to solve thedilemma of modern democracy, because the one suggested by L. Siedentop is hardly applicable for societieswhich lack the liberal hinge.

The article deals with influence of modern innovations on enterprises competitiveness. The different concepts of competition, from D. Ricardo and H. Adams up to M. Porter and Kim Chan and R. Mouborgne are analysed. The results of comparative analysis are provided in table 1. Different models of competition and competitiveness are analyzed. There is stressed that very important role plays M. Porters' 5 market forces, Diamod and Dubble diamond models and latest modifications made in the model. Some drawbacks of competitiveness models from K. Lancaster up to A. Rugman and latest authors as well as the author are submitted in table 2. The weakness of the Diamond model discovered and modification of Diamond model is made by incorporating the innovation in the model as it is proposed in picture 1. The importance of innovations for competition of enterprises is disclosed. The definitions of innovation and competitiveness of different authors are submitted. Innovation as risky process in competition from J. Shumpeterian economic view to innovation up to P. Drucker and McMeekin and D. Soutterton commercionalization as well as EU innovation policy are analyzed. Short analysis of Lithuania's position in the EU economy on innovation is made. The G. Brennan's optimistic idea on innovations at recession period that innovation could be a chance for companies to leapfrog their competition is stressed. Some data from Fray's analysis demonstrating the idea mentioned are provided in the article. According to Ch. Frey, founder and editor of Innovation tools, innovation climate has improved in 47,5 % of companies, and only for 25,9 % of respondents – has worsened at recession. But because the customers even at recession tend to the innovative, reasonably priced and hyped-up products and because the markets at recession are tightened, it is good time to invest in research and renew the products, processes, structure and management as main elements of competitiveness, as it has been recommended by Lisbon strategy. The impact of main areas ...

Innovations play a significant role in surviving in economic and marketgames. However the innovation is not self-sufficient tool for response of all futurechallenges and needs. It requires potential for new knowledge generation, adaptationand commercialization, and support of government. Therefore the article presents aconceptual analysis of the relationship between innovation and entrepreneurship,with the main focus being on the business sector, highlighting the role of governmentpolicy in the promotion of innovation through entrepreneurship.It is said that the dimension of innovation is at the core of entrepreneurship, butat the same time these concepts still often are defined singly. The concept of entrepreneurshipis often wrongly explained, just as business activity or establishment ofnew enterprises without focus on innovation. In this respect, there is a suggestion toadopt the concept of innovative entrepreneurship as the new direction for developmentof innovation through entrepreneurship.

Growing consumption of goods, production and usage of various chemicals influence the amount of different hazardous waste (HW) flows. Society is increasingly facing the problem how to treat and where to dispose of waste in environmentally sound, and economically efficient way, also taking into account a social aspect.Waste management is one of the principal pollution problems in many countries, and its control has so far not been addressed in a sustainable analysis. Each year in the European Union alone people throw away 1.3 billion tons of waste, 40 million tons of which being hazardous. HW generally constitutes about 1% of the total waste amount generated in Europe; nevertheless, it presents a serious risk to the ecosystem and human health if not managed and treated properly. Several EU countries report HW treatment rates over 40%, the others export a large of portion of HW. Recently, lots of efforts having been put into proper HW identification, treatment, recycling, storage, transportation and/or disposal, this issue is still hot among the governments of the EU.In spite of the fact that all European Union legal requirements concerning HW management are transferred to Member States legal framework, there are still a number of problems concerning inefficiency of an HW management system and Lithuania is not the exception. The total amount of waste generated in 2008 in Lithuania is about 7.8 million tons; about 145 thousand tons are considered as HW. While the incineration plant and landfill for HW is not built, HW is temporarily stored, processed, exported or managed in the companies which have the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) permits. It aims to manage HW in a more environmentally friendly way. However, the current HW management is not developed on an integrated approach, which allows to evaluate the environmental impact throughout the life cycle and to use cost-effective HW management processes, and all available technical and technological capabilities. The legal system determines the main HW ...

In the public sector, the decision-making process is multidimensional. Themethodological framework for all decision-making theories is the rationalisttradition, according to which mankind is inherently rational and seeks to maximizeits goals. The proponents of the main decision-making theories—the rationalcomprehensivetheory, the incremental theory and the mixed scanning theory—seekto argue in favour of their postulated values and the approaches to avoidunnecessary risks of the decision-making process. Those theories are aimed atpromoting innovative solutions in the new public management environment. Toimprove the decision-making process, it is necessary to improve the management ofinformation flows which would allow an accurate and objective information analysisby distorting the information necessary for decision-making.

The paradox in the formation of Union citizenship is that, on the one hand, its list of rights is primarily relevant for migrants and – again apart from the parliamentary permit - largely resembles the elements of enhanced denizen ship many member states had introduced before for their settled immigrants, but, on the other hand, its definition of the population to whom these rights apply excludes third country aliens, i.e. the great majority of migrants living in the territory of the Union. Union citizenship, first introduced in the Maastricht Treaty, confers a broad range of rights on national of the member states, including rights of movement, political rights, protection in non-EU states, and rights to petition. The relationship to national citizenship was clarified in the Treaty of Amsterdam: Union Citizenship is meant to supplement, not supplant, national citizenship. The European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights, signed and proclaimed in Nice December 2000, laid out the range of civil, political, economic and social rights conferred both to Union Citizens and other persons resident in the EU.The Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed in Lisbon on 13 December 2007 and amends the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community, sought in particular to reinforce the democratic fabric of the European Union. One of its major innovations is to introduce the European citizens' initiative. It provides that "not less than one million citizens who are nationals of a significant number of Member States may take the initiative of inviting the Commission, within the framework of its powers, to submit any appropriate proposal on matters where citizens consider that a legal act of the Union is required for the purpose of implementing the Treaties". It also provides that the procedures and conditions required for such a citizens' initiative, including the minimum number of Member States from which citizens must come, shall be determined in a Regulation to be adopted by the European Parliament and ...