Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Carbon Frame: Lobbying For Renewable Energy In The European Union, Kyle S. Herman

Master's Theses

This paper demonstrates how using the word "carbon" within global warming debates severely impedes lobbyists in favor of building stronger renewable energy policies in the European Union (EU). Within the EU, carbon is widely used to speak about many of the perils of climate change, global warming, energy policy, and contingent subject matters. In political circles, media outlets, and public debates, carbon acts a the pillar for many policies, discussions, and ideas related to fundamental errors of transferring energy from fossil fuels and nuclear sources. At the same time, however, limiting carbon does not necessarily preclude fossil fuels, such as …

Demographic Analysis Of Recovery Act Supported Jobs In Massachusetts, Quarters 1 And 2, 2010, David Sparks, Paige Ransford, Carol Hardy-Fanta, Christian Weller, Meryl Thomson, Robert Turner

Christian Weller

Massachusetts policy makers decided to go beyond existing ARRA federal reporting requirements and collect additional data in order to gauge the effectiveness of ARRA’s fiscal policy by counting the number of individuals who have received an ARRA-funded paycheck. In addition, policy makers wanted to look at some of the demographic characteristics of this population. This report provides an in-depth analysis of the data that the MA Recovery Office collected during the first and second quarters of 2010, with a particular focus on job creation and retention by race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, and geographic location. Highlights of the report include: …

The Oecd And Phases In The International Political Economy, 1961-2011, Judith Clifton, Daniel Díaz-Fuentes

Judith Clifton

In 2011, the OECD turned fifty. To provide a broad foundation for further thinking on this organization, we analyse its evolution over half a century from two perspectives: phases in the international political economy and the literature on IPE. By so doing, we uncover two paradoxes. Firstly, we find that the organization’s evolution closely mirrored major phases in the postwar international political economy until recently. However, the OECD’s long-term dependence on theWest has now become an obstacle to its efforts to adapt to the latest phase, characterised by the rise of non-Western powers. Secondly, we show that, during the OECD’s …

The Urban Fabric Of The Great Plains, Andrew Becker

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

To most Americans the Great Plains region of North America is mysterious place. There are disagreements when defining its limits, and some people just refer to it as the Midwest. The Great Plains has been a place under an ocean, a place under glaciers, and a place on fire. It was once dubbed “the Great American Desert,” but is now known for its agricultural viability. The Great Plains sparks imagination because it is so massive and was one of the final frontiers for Euro-American settlement. The Great Plains is seen as a rural place but the majority of the region’s …

November Roundtable: The Palestine Bid For Statehood At The Un, Introduction, Claudia Fuentes Julio

Human Rights & Human Welfare

An annotation of:

“Statehood versus “Facts on the Ground””. By Richard Falk. Aljazeera, September 20, 2011.

Sustainability Leader Competencies: A Grounded Theory Study, Pamela G. Schwalb

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Scholarship

The purpose of this critical qualitative study was to develop a theory of the competencies of a sustainability leader, grounded in research. A sustainability leader is generally described as an individual who creates profit for his/her stakeholders, while protecting the environment and improving the lives of those for whom he/she impacts as a result of his/her leadership. Nearly 60 individuals familiar with sustainability were asked to characterize an effective leader of a sustainability initiative or a sustainability organization.

The study revealed there is more than one way to be a sustainability leader—different paths can result in decisions and actions that …

Community Voices: New State Voting Districts In Final Stages, Carroy U. Ferguson Dr.

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

Last week the Massachusetts Legislature produced redistricting legislation that will forever change the direction of state politics for blacks, Latinos and Asians. By this time next year, the number of state house elected officials of color can increase by 100 percent, from 10 to 20 members. And communities of color will be well positioned to elect a person of color to the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in the history of the state.

Global Socio-Economic Risks, Impacts, And Recommendations For Space Weather Policies And Initiatives, Emma Kiele Fry

Von Braun Symposium Student Posters

No abstract provided.

Secession Leads To Demining Challenges In Sudan, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In the months following South Sudan’s July 2011 electoral secession from the former Sudan, the South’s ability to successfully maintain a demining program has become heavily dependent on its economic and post-conflict recovery. At this point in time, however, much of the South’s sustainability is ultimately reliant on its relationship with the North and, more significantly, the international community, thereby rendering its demining program into an uncertain future.

Clearing Minefields In Israel And The West Bank, Dyhan Or, Heidi Kuhn

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Recent legislation in Israel has opened the door to demining in Israel and the West Bank. Roots of Peace campaigned for this legislation and will begin demining a village near Bethlehem before the end of 2011.

The Information Management & Mine Action Programs, Eric Sawyer

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Information Management & Mine Action Programs use information management and technology to increase humanitarian mine-action safety and efficiency. The work conducted in Iraq, which supports mine-clearance and victim-assistance activities, is an example of iMMAP facilitating improved information sharing in HMA. In addition, these improved information-management activities allow iMMAP to provide ongoing victim-assistance services to persons with disabilities in Iraq and to other patient populations.

Mine Action And Security Challenges, Abdul Qudos

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mostly from the 1979 Soviet invasion and an internal conflict from 1992 to 2001, Afghanistan is affected by a wide array of landmines and explosive remnants of war and remains highly contaminated (approximately 650 square kilometers [250 square miles] are currently contaminated). Recently, insurgents have added to the contamination and this hinders the ability of the Mine Action Programme of Afghanistan to clear the land. MAPA is committed to developing innovative approaches to mine action, including implementing Community Based Demining, to facilitate demining and to relieve mine-affected communities.

Mine-Action Challenges And Responses In Georgia, Emil M. Hasanov, Petri Nevalainen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Following an international conflict in 2008, Georgia faces a greater threat from landmines and explosive remnants of war than that posed by previous violence. In response to this threat, Georgia, with assistance provided by the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) and the Government of Canada, created national bodies to coordinate and implement landmine and ERW clearance. This article documents Georgia’s past ERW, landmine and cluster-munitions contamination, as well as efforts to remove these threats.

Landmines In Libya, Colin King

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Landmines are an unfortunate part of Libya’s past and present. As such, the author discusses the various types of mines that have been found so far, providing a technical overview of each. With his landmine analysis, King warns of the difficulties that lie ahead as deminers begin to address the problem.

Pathways To Resilience Workshop Promotes Leadership And Peer Support, Anne Stewart, Lennie Echterling, Cameron Macauley, Nicole Neitzey, Hasan Hamdan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Pathways to Resilience (P2R) created a unique leadership program to help landmine survivors promote resilience and create secure collegial relationships. This article provides background regarding the curriculum and training activities and recounts how P2R helped survivors experience posttraumatic growth after tragedy.

Metal Detector Pinpointing Accuracy Under Field Conditions, Kazunori Takahashi

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

As ordnance and landmine-detection technology advances, mine-action organizations across the world are increasingly using more sophisticated types of metal detectors. Each metal detector contains its own strengths and weaknesses, and until now, no accurate way exists to quantify the differences between the models. In this article, a method is shown to successfully evaluate metal-detector accuracy in a controlled field condition and provides data on the differences between single coil, double-D coil and other metal-detector types. The International Test and Evaluation Program for Humanitarian Demining conducted the 2009 evaluation in Germany that provides the data used in this article.

The Journal Of Erw And Mine Action Issue 15.3 (2011), Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Focus: Cluster Munitions | Government Stability and Mine Action Support | Notes from the Field | Research and Development

Nepal Declared Mine-Free, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

After four years of demining operations, Nepal’s final landmine was destroyed on 14 June 2011, rendering the country officially mine-free.

Japan Funds Humanitarian Demining In Sri Lanka, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Ambassador of Japan Kunio Takahashi recently extended a grant valued at US$650,000 (70 million rupees) to support the Government of Sri Lanka’s humanitarian-demining efforts in northern Sri Lanka.

The Eu And The U.S. Provide Grant To Lao Pdr, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

MAG (Mines Advisory Group) has recently been tasked with a new project to collaborate with the UXO sector in Lao PDR to clear UXO from Boualapha, Mahaxay and Xatbuathong of Khammouane province.

Npa’S Survey And Clearance Of Cluster Munitions Along The Thailand-Cambodia Border, Atle Karlsen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The February conflict at the Thailand-Cambodia border over disputed territory has left Cambodia with the burden of clearing cluster munitions. By applying to the Thai-Cambodian conflict strategies for cluster munitions removal that were successful in other post-conflict areas, NPA is assisting the Cambodian Mine Action Centre in cleaning up the problem. Thailand and Cambodia have not acceded to the ban on cluster munitions established in the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions and are therefore not subject to its provisions. Both countries attended the CCM 2011 intersessional meeting in June, leaving many hopeful that the two countries will become States Parties.

Survey And Clearance Of Unexploded Submunitions Versus Landmines And Other Erw, Åsa Gilbert, Michael Creighton

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The authors argue that survey and clearance methods in areas contaminated solely by unexploded submunitions (from cluster munitions) should be different than those in areas contaminated by mines and other explosive remnants of war to achieve the most efficient outcome. This article seeks to explain how and why procedures are different, and proposes a land-release methodology for dealing with unexploded submunitions.

Kabul City Clearance Project, Mohammad Akbar Oriakhil

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

After decades of conflict in Afghanistan, the Kabul City Clearance Project is addressing the dangers of mine and unexploded ordnance that pose a threat to the safety and livelihood of Kabul’s expanding urban population. KCCP is an 18-month collaborative project that utilizes the resources of Afghan Technical Consultants, a local clearance nongovernmental organization, to implement a mine-clearance plan in 36 impacted communities.

New Database Provides Resource For Mine-Action Community, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Launched in July 2011, the World Bank’s Landmine Contamination, Casualties and Clearance database is a valuable resource for those working in mine action. The database allows users to create spreadsheets, reports and graphics based on a wealth of landmine-contamination data from around the world.

The Impact Of Erw On Children, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article provides a brief description of the threat cluster munitions, landmines and other explosive remnants of war pose to children worldwide. The discussion of children’s physical susceptibility and the psychological and socioeconomic effects that accompany wounds and disabilities provides a broad picture of the impact ERW have on children. The article also explores rehabilitative support, as several sources provide a variety of recovery strategies that focus on community support for the future well-being of child survivors.

Thailand And Compliance With The Apmbc: Mission Impossible... Or A Feasible Task?, Håvard Bach

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article addresses the mine-action challenges Thailand faces in maintaining compliance with the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. Given the uncertainty of mine locations and the Thailand Mine Action Centre’s limited capacity, the delegation of Thailand’s mine-action resources can be an issue, as hazardous areas can be difficult to determine. The emergence of a new national land-release mineaction standard, however, means that Thailand’s ability to efficiently identify hazardous areas will allow limited resources to be appropriately assigned to areas needing clearance.

Lateral-Approach Methodology And Hstamids, Clifford Allen, Shathel Fahs

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

MAG Cambodia has used the Handheld Standoff Mine Detection System (HSTAMIDS) with lateral-approach methodology for three years within an operational field evaluation funded by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate. MAG’s current research tested the productivity of two ways of using LAM combined with HSTAMIDS against the productivity of the traditional one-man one-lane drill methodology; this article presents the findings.

Syria Plants Landmines On Lebanese Border, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

According to BBC and CBS news reports, Syrian troops planted landmines along its border with Lebanon, further perpetuating the uprising that began in March 2011 against President Bashar Assad and his regime.

Conflict Resolution In The Twenty-First Century: Principles, Methods, And Approaches, Book Review

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In Conflict Resolution in the Twenty-first Century: Principles, Methods, and Approaches, Bercovitch and Jackson create an accessible and well-organized analysis of the best approaches to resolving conflicts in the world today.

Toward Locostra: Blast-Resistant Wheels Test, Emanuela Cepolina, Matteo Zoppi, Vittoria Belotti

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Technical Survey, often an efficient method of achieving land release, can also be prohibitively expensive for certain communities due to the utilization of the same hulking, heavily-armored machines used in clearance operations. If Technical Survey could be achieved through the use of less expensive agricultural equipment that is already present in communities near suspected areas, land release could be achieved at a much lower price. The following study explores this possibility by examining the explosion resilience of four different designs of blast-resistant tractor wheels, each made of commercial off-the-shelf components and designed for easy reproduction in mine-affected communities.