Suchergebnisse

Bent SïŽrensen, one of the world's leading experts in the field of renewable energy systems, explores the current hurdles to the universal adoption of renewable energy sources and proposes solutions to the current situation in this new inspiring work. He discusses the social, political and economic issues that make sustainability seem like such an attainable goal, and explores the ways through which change can be achieved without loss of welfare. Even though the author has written several scientific monographs covering the technical issues behind the energy and social transitions mentioned in this book, and bases his conclusions on solid facts and analysis, SïŽrensen avoids specialist jargon in this text. He therefore addresses scientists and engineers directly involved in sustainable technologies, as well as energy planners and decision makers in industry and government, and also those interested in the direction in which our societies are moving. This book can be a good basis for discussions and debate, whether in academic or in political circles, and may even be used as complementary reading for students in the field of energy generation, implementation, planning, management, markets and policy

This article examines the role of popular music in the construction of communal belonging and cultural memory in contemporary Ireland, focusing on a single case, namely that of the former lead singer of Planxty, Christy Moore—ever a politically active songwriter and performer, who was named as "Ireland's greatest living musician" in RTÉ's People of the Year Awards in 2007.[1] Moore's solo album, Listen (2009), by its very title invites his audience to listen to a summation of his influences, his past and his diagnosis of the present. The album refers to history—personal, communal and national—in three different areas: Musical history (that of Ireland at large—"Rory's Gone"), as well as Christy Moore's personal role in it ("Barrowland"); Irish immigration and diaspora history ("Duffy's Cut"); and world political history at large ("The Disappeared/Los Desaparacidos"), and yet it also emphasises the present cultural state and critiques it. The article examines this album as a glocal Irish artefact and cultural text. [1] Awarded for "decades of exceptional contribution to Irish music," http://www.rehab.ie/press/article.aspx?id=304.

"The only piece of art on the moon is a 3″-tall aluminium sculpture titled Fallen Astronaut . It was created by Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck and installed by Apollo 15 astronaut David Scott, along with a plaque bearing the names of the 14 astronauts and cosmonauts who died in the service of space exploration prior to 1971". This surprising message on a website called The Proceedings of the Athanasius Kircher Society captured my imagination in connection with the call for papers for the Tampere conference with its theme: American bodies, American violence. The art piece in question seems to raise a number of issues of relevance for this theme: First of all, the art-work is commemorative in nature, as much American art honouring the heroic, violently dead is. Often such art uses the body metonymically in its representation strategy. Secondly, the role of the astronaut in 'installing' the art-work raises interesting issues about the production of art and agency vis-à-vis an individual piece. Third, the role of the spectator or audience for this work seems particularly problematic - after all the piece is on the Moon and has never been revisited, seen or documented since its original installation, or to be even more precise, may very likely no longer be intact, given the extreme temperature spectrum of the environment it was placed in and the lack of a protective atmosphere up there. The moon, in other words seems a particularly violent milieu for a work of art to be in. Fourth, taking into consideration that the piece is not on public display itself and known to us exclusively through its mediated forms, to wit, a photo kept in NASA's archives and reproduced in various ways on web sites and in other mass media, and a replica of the sculpture found at the Space Museum in Houston, we are forced to reflect on wherein the piece really consists: Hoeydonck's preparation of the figurine and plaque (not documented), the original gesture of installation performed by Scott when he dropped the figurine into the moon dust in 1971 (not preserved in images), the act of documenting the piece with a camera, performed by him immediately after, or the act of publicising the performance which the astronauts carried out at their press conference after returning to Earth - or all of the above. Fifth, the apparently simple homage to heroism embedded in the installation seems to be problematized by the peculiar contract between Van Hoeydonck and the Apollo 15 crew not to make money off the event, the piece or replicas thereof - and not least the fact that this contract was broken by Van Hoeydonck in 1972 when he sold 950 signed replicas of the piece at 750$ a pop (against NASAs wishes, since NASA religiously guarded the non-commercialization of space for fear the Russians would use any American attempts at monetary gains off space against them in the Cold War propaganda effort) As a nice twist in that side plot the Apollo 15 crew were severely reprimanded for selling stamped envelopes that they had brought with them to the moon without the prior knowledge of and approval by NASA. Finally, the fact that the names on the memorial plaque are those of both American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts points to a surprisingly political gesture on the part of the Apollo 15 crew: in the midst of the Cold War space race this reminder of the shared respect for the profession of space traveller and fellow soldier harks back to traditions from other wars where soldiers from the warring sides found a common ground and respect, before proceeding again to attempt to slaughter one another. Thus rather than a gesture of détente the inclusion of Russian names in an American memorial is a nostalgic gesture backward to 'good' wars of the past where enemies were also fellow human beings - an innocence the loss of which was marked by WW II (Holocaust and Hiroshima) and proved gone for good by the horrors of Vietnam.

West European security Implications of five alternative defense scenarios arc assessed for the period 1985 to 2000. The main characteristics of each of the five scenarios are (1) current nuclear and conventional posture trends, (2) a submarine based, West European strategic nuclear force, no tactical or land-based nuclear weapons, but current conventional posture, (3) same as regards nuclear posture, but a high-technology area defense with low mobility, (4) no nuclear weapons at all, territorial high-technology defense wit h some mobility, and (5) no military defense, but defense budget spent on international conflict prevention. Security is appraised with respect to nuclear destruction and with respect to foreign occupation. Scenario (1) is found to lower security against nuclear destruction, (4) is roughly stable in this respect, and the remaining scenarios increase security. As for territorial occupation, (4) is again fairly stable, while the other scenarios except (5) improve security. These estimates are based on the assumption that Western Europe carries through its alternative defense policy unilaterally. Arms control agreements with potential aggressors could improve security under (3), (4), and (5).