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Many books link World War II to postmodernism, but few link World War I in the same way. The author here explores the intellectual fallout from World War I as the context of the roots of post-modernism. His limited purpose in this paper is to explore one of many possible links between the unanticipated carnage of World War I, through existentialism, to the attack on meaning in history posed by postmodernism. The postmodern drive towards individual isolation and autonomy has a corrosive political impact on our world, as it does on individual well being. One of the internal inconsistencies that appeared as the Modernist paradigm matured was the political idea of the ultimate value of the nation-state. That idea challenged the fabric of political and economic life on which the modern world was built. World War I was a series of confrontations among five empires: the British Empire, which survived the war, but only for a generation, and the German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian, and Ottoman Empires, which did not survive it. They all collapsed by the end of the war. The nation-state idea revealed its dark side: each and every nationality, no matter how small, deserved to be an independent state with its own story, identity, and right of self-determination. Today we are watching this process of disintegration continue: Spain, Italy, Great Britain, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, China, Russia, and others reveal either effect or possibility of fracture. World War I provided the stage on which the inner tensions inherent in modernism were released. The splintering continues, and the paradigm will collapse completely. Someday, postmodernism will also shatter, undermined by inherent contradictions within and the radical emphasis on individual autonomy. In the meantime, people of faith have a grand opportunity to provide an alternative to the meaninglessness that our age has accepted in place of the false certainties of modernism. If anything, postmodernism is more susceptible to authentic Christian witness and solidarity that Modernism was. The future is brighter than we sometimes think.

Cet article met en lumière le rôle des Américains dans la guerre du Rif, tant comme observateurs que comme acteurs. Le capitaine Charles Willoughby, officier de renseignement de l'armée américaine, a étudié la rébellion et a tenté, à travers l'analyse réalisée de tirer un certain nombre de leçons de ce conflit. Parallèlement et contrairement aux souhaits du département d'État américain, des aviateurs américains ont servi au Maroc comme mercenaires. Au cours de l'été 1925, le gouvernement français a utilisé les pilotes américains afin de pallier les manques de l'armée de l'Air française. Mais pendant que les pilotes américains montraient leur efficacité au Maroc, les autorités de la population américaine s'opposaient à leur engagement. En dépit des progrès stratégiques réalisés au Maroc, la réaction négative de l'opinion publique américaine continuait de militer en faveur d'un retrait de l'escadrille chérifienne. Les militaires français ont tiré différentes leçons de l'engagement américain, ce qui a contribué à l'amélioration des relations franco-américaines. En dépit des raisons coloniales qui ont motivé cette guerre.

The succulent and Nama-karoo form part of the arid south-western zone of Africa, a vast region of rugged landscapes and low treeless vegetation. Studies of this unique biome have yielded fascinating insights into the ecology of its flora and fauna. This book, originally published in 1999, is the first to synthesise these studies, presenting information on biogeographic patterns and life processes, form and function of animals and plants, foraging ecology, landscape-level dynamics and anthropogenic influences. Detailed analyses of the factors distinguishing the biota of the Karoo from that of other temperate deserts are given and generalisations about semi-arid ecosystems challenged. The ideas expounded, the ecological principles reviewed, and the results presented are relevant to all those working in the extensive arid and semi-arid regions of the world

BACKGROUND: Currently there are a total of 780 post-graduate ophthalmology trainees in the United Kingdom (UK). Post-graduate ophthalmology training in the UK is 7 years in duration, and follows a comprehensive competency-based curriculum. Changes to training have been proposed as part of the government's Shape of Training paper. METHODS: UK ophthalmic trainees and trainers, in partnership with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, designed a national questionnaire to explore the confidence of trainees in different clinical and non-clinical aspects of ophthalmology. The questions and possible responses underwent a process of refinement through the Royal College of Ophthalmologists Training Committee and Trainee Group. An online survey platform was used for the questionnaire, which was sent to all ophthalmology trainees within the UK. Reminders were sent via the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and Regional Training Programme Directors. A 4-week period was allowed for responses. Quantitative data were analysed, and qualitative data analysis included collation and thematisation of free-text responses. RESULTS: A total of 188 trainees (24.1% response rate) replied. Ninety-four percent of trainees were in full-time training posts. The most popular career choice was oculoplastics (31.4%), followed by vitreo-retina (25.1%), glaucoma (24.6%) and cornea (24.0%). One-quarter had opted out of the European working time directive (EWTD), and 54.8% agreed that their work contract reflected the number of hours actually worked. In total, 34.4% of trainees thought that ophthalmic specialist training should be shortened from the current 7-year programme. Overall, 79.9% of respondents felt confident in performing phacoemulsification cataract surgery independently. For more senior trainees in years 4–7, 100% felt confident in phacoemulsification. However, overall, only 47.9% were confident in independently performing an anterior vitrectomy (91.1% of final-year trainees). Overall, 77.6% thought that all surgical ophthalmologists ...