International and Area Studies Commons^™

Notes And News For Vol.17 No.2

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

No abstract provided.

Review Of The National Grasslands: A Guide To America's Undiscovered Treasures., Mary Ann Vinton

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

The aptly named "guide to America's undiscovered treasures" is an informative and user-friendly summary of the areas that comprise the 4 million-acre national grassland system. The terrain, plants, wildlife, public facilities, and unique features of each of the 20 grasslands ranging from western Oregon to eastern North Dakota are described, with detailed maps and 10utras's evocative photography interspersed throughout. Most areas (17 of 20) are located in the Great Plains. The aim of the book is ambitious: Moul attempts to place the national grasslands in context, with a look at the history of the grassland system as well as an …

Regional Dynamics Of Grassland Change In The Western Great Plains, Mark A. Drummond

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

This paper examines the contemporary land-cover changes in two western Great Plains ecoregions between 1973 and 2000. Agriculture and other land uses can have a substantial effect on grassland cover that varies regionally depending on the primary driving forces of change. In order to better understand change, the rates, types, and causes of land conversion were examined for 1973, 1980, 1986, 1992, and 2000 using Landsat satellite data and a statistical sampling strategy. The overall estimated rate of land-cover change between 1973 and 2000 was 7.4% in the Northwestern Great Plains and 11.5% in the Western High Plains. Trends in …

Review Of Wild Orchids Ofthe Prairies And Great Plains Region Of North America., Doris Ames

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

There are orchidophiles who think big, and the prolific author of this book, which covers a vast geographical area and includes 73 species and varieties of wild orchids, is surely one of them.

Annual Index For Vol.17 (2007)

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

5 pages

Acorn, John. Deep Alberta: Fossil Facts and Dinosaur Digs, reviewed, 17:232
through
Zontek, Ken. Buffalo Nation: American Indian Efforts to Restore the Bison, reviewed, 17:225

Potential Aboriginal-Occupation-Induced Dune Activity, Elbow Sand Hills, Northern Great Plains, Canada, Stephen A. Wolfe, Chris H. Hugenholtz, Christopher P. Evans, D. J. Huntley, Jeff Ollerhead

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Geomorphological and archeological evidence indicates potential linkages between Plains aboriginal occupation and dune activity in the Elbow Sand Hills of southern Saskatchewan, Canada. Vegetation encroachment has rapidly outpaced migration of an active dune complex over the last 65 years. Optical ages of stabilized dune remnants indicate that dune activity predates Euro-Canadian settlement (ca. AD 1900). Early Euro-Canadian explorers observed local occupation and exploitation of the sand hills by aboriginal groups for herding and impounding bison. Mapping of archeological sites in relation to physiography reveals that sand dunes, in close proximity to permanent water resources, were preferred areas of occupation. Collectively, …

Prospects For Developing Countries, Mariah Hudnut

Undergraduate Research Symposium (UGRS)

While developing countries generally shared the sentiment that they were going to suffer from the effects of climate change policy, evidence to the contrary has emerged during the short time since the Kyoto Protocol’s entry into force. Defying expectations that developing nations could only lose from climate change policy, Brazil has shown that it is actually quite possible to benefit significantly from these policies. Brazil has been proactive in developing the infrastructure to become involved in climate change negotiations, as well as using policy tools such as the CDM. Its actions have resulted in significant economic, developmental, and environmental benefits. …

Cod Fish, Walrus, And Chieftains: Economic Intensification In The Norse North Atlantic, Sophia Perdikaris, Thomas H. Mcgovern

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

Introduction

Just over a thousand years ago, Scandinavian voyagers crossed the grey waters of the North Atlantic to briefly explore the coast of North America. These now well publicized transatlantic trips were part of larger economic, environmental, and social developments of the Viking Age, and were the product of an Iron Age chiefly society with a complex economy incorporating both classic “prestige goods” and “staple goods” components. The Viking Age expansion was the result of linked factors of economic intensification, military and technological advances, climate change, and intense com-petition among chiefly elites and between elites and commoners. The period saw …

The Effects Of The Madrid And London Subway Bombings On Europe’S View Of Terrorism, Katie Friesen

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Terrorism within Europe, until 2004, was limited to internal, historical conflict between the state and dissenting factions, such as Spain’s Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) or the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the United Kingdom. Islamic violence was strongly linked to the Middle East, as well as to America’s “War on Terror” initiative following the attacks of September 11. However, after the Madrid bombings in 2004 and the London subway bombings in 2005, Islamist terrorism has not only become a very real threat, it has also developed into an issue with which Europeans identify personally. The bombings resulted in mass casualties …

Uzbekistan At The Crossroads, Latife Bulur

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Uzbekistan is at the crossroads of the Central Asian region. Because of its strategic location and natural resources, Uzbekistan is becoming an interest to many different states, including the United States. However, many states that are interested in Uzbekistan are cautious about developing relations due to civil and governmental unrest.

Human Rights In Russia And The Former Soviet Republics: Introduction, Arianna Nowakowski

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, a state of political, economic, and social disarray was accompanied by a renewed hope for improved human rights conditions in Russia and the former Soviet Republics. However, transitions toward more democratic forms of governance and market economies have faced many obstacles, and have not necessarily facilitated the protection of such rights. As this eclectic compilation of essays and bibliographies in the current digest reveals, many legacies of Soviet rule persist and continue to plague the region today.

Human Rights And The War On Terror: Complete 2005 - 2007 Topical Research Digest, Jack Donnelly, Simon Amajuru, Susannah Compton, Robin Davey, Syd Dillard, Amanda Donahoe, Charles Hess, Sydney Fisher, Kelley Laird, Victoria Lowdon, Chris Maggard, Alexandra Nichols, Travis Ning, Toni Panetta, Greg Sanders, James Smithwick, Angela Woolliams, Chris Saeger, Sarah Bania-Dobyns, Eric Dibbern, David Gillespie, Latife Bulur, Katie Friesen, Arika Long, Arianna Nowakowski, Joel R. Pruce

Human Rights & Human Welfare

“9/11 changed everything.” Not really. In fact, there has been far more continuity than change over the past six years in both international and domestic politics. Nonetheless, human rights often have been harmed—although not by terrorism but by “the war on terror.”

Political Repression Of Islam, Amy Swift

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Central Asia, once one of the least known regions in the world, has become important to the United States since 9/11, the resulting U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, and the new “War on Terror.” Tajikistan, often considered the poorest and most obscure of the five Central Asian “Stans,” was thrust into the public view when it became useful to the United States in its 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.

Prospects For Democracy, Nick Stokes

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Upon the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia that had hitherto lived behind the Iron Curtain inherited new independence and uncertain political futures. Since then, the world has watched a political entity that once covered 8.6 million square miles shatter into 15 new nation-states, each with the potential to throw off the shackles of the past and forge new democracies. Fifteen years after the fall, we see elections at state and local levels, multi-party systems, and constitutions touting freedoms of press and religion. While these elements are vital to the survival …

Repatriation Of Ethnic Groups, Kirsten Benites

Human Rights & Human Welfare

From 1943 to 1949, almost 1.5 million ethnic minorities were deported from their homes in the southern USSR to Central Asia. Thousands died either during the trip or within the first few years after their arrival. For years, it was as if they had simply disappeared off the face of the earth. It was not until 1956 that the deportations were even acknowledged by the Soviet government, and only recently has repatriation begun. While some groups have had a relatively successful repatriation experience, others have experienced ethnic discrimination, making the return to their homelands difficult and in some cases impossible.

Laos: A Reserve For Thai Growth, Supalak Ganjanakhundee

Asian Review

The ending of the Cold War in the 1980s ushered in a new era in relations between Thailand and Laos. Old security concerns were replaced by a focus on economic relations. On the Thai side, business politicians and like-minded technocrats drove policymaking. On the Lao side, leaders welcomed foreign investment to overcome the legacy of war and poor economic management. But Laos has become nervous about Thai economic domination, and sensitive to cultural subordination. The recent rise of China as an investor in Laos presents new problems for both Laos and Thailand.

Determinants Of French Colonial Expansion In Southeast Asia, 1880-93, Deniz Kocak

Asian Review

The essay analyzes and highlights the motives, determinants and scopes of three French influential actor groups: The French government, geographic societies and colonial associations, and the "men on the spot". While the government faced domestic struggles and set the colonial agenda, the geographic societies and colonial associations promoted French expansionist imperial rule, and the men on the spot, who represented France at the periphery, shaped the expansion by their own interests and ideas. The aim of this essay is to point out that the French colonial policy under the government of Jules Ferry did not follow any well elaborated concept, …

Notes For Contributors

Asian Review

No abstract provided.

Thailand And Myanmar: Permanent Enemies Turned Friends?, Pornpimon Trichot

Asian Review

Historically Thailand has viewed Burma/Myanmar as the "national enemy." Until the end of the Cold War, the main stakeholders of Thai foreign policy towards Burma were the security agencies which viewed Burma in this light. Yet on the ground, the long border developed a vibrant economy. Policy was reoriented in the late 1980s. The Burmese government wanted better relations with Thailand in order to deal with political threats, spur its economy, and solidify relations with ASEAN. In Thailand, business-based politicians took power and became new stakeholders in making foreign policy. Under policies initiated in the Chatichai era and upheld by …

The Portuguese In Siam: A Quinquacentennial Retrospect, Edward Van Roy

Asian Review

Thailand's present-day population of "Thai of Portuguese descent," concentrated at Bangkok, represents a scarcely discernible remnant of Portugal's erstwhile Asian empire, created between 1507 and 1527 via a chain of strongpoints stretching from Muscat, Ormuz, and Goa to Malacca, Macao, and the Spice Islands. Along that route the Portuguese Crown in 1516 established diplomatic relations with the kingdom of Siam, and Portuguese settlements emerged at Ayutthaya and other Thai ports soon thereafter. The quinquacentennial anniversary of that historic watershed presents an opportune moment to reflect on the distinctive contribution made by Portuguese merchants, mercenaries, missionaries, and mestizos to Thai history …

Disparities In Health And Well-Being Among Latinos In Washington Heights/Inwood, 2000–2005, Ana Motta-Moss

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This report analyzes how well the residents of Washington Heights/Inwood (WH/IN) have fared on selected health indicators set forth by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygene between 2000 and 2005.

Methods: Data on Latinos and other racial/ethnic groups were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, reorganized for public use by the Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, IPUMSusa. Cases in the dataset were weighted and analyzed to produce population estimates.

Results: Immigrant families in particular face a multitude of health concerns, as well as specific barriers to accessing health care services. The socioeconomic and …

The Man-Made Disaster: Fire In Cities In The Medieval Middle East, Anna Akasoy

Publications and Research

Considering the building materials and climatic conditions in the medieval Middle East, fires must have been a major problem. This article provides a first survey of sources which are relevant for studying the impact of fires in urban environments. Evidence can be found, for example, in historiographies such as Ibn Kathīr's The Beginning and the End, or in legal discussions. Most fires mentioned in these sources were caused during riots or war, or by accidents in markets. The article also analyses how far fires fit into the general pattern of discussions around disasters in medieval Arabic literature.

Sandhill Crane Abundance And Nesting Ecology At Grays Lake, Idaho, Jane Austin, Adonia Henry, I. Joseph Hall

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

We examined population size and factors influencing nest survival of greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) at Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Idaho, USA, during 1997–2000. Average local population of cranes from late April to early May, 1998–2000, was 735 cranes, 34% higher than that reported for May 1970–1971. We estimated 228 (SE = 30) nests in the basin core (excluding renests), 14% higher than a 1971 estimate. Apparent nest success in our study (x = 60%, n = 519 nests) was lower than reported for Grays Lake 30–50 years earlier. Daily survival rates (DSRs) of all nests …

Estimating Water Storage Capacity Of Existing And Potentially Restorable Wetland Depressions In A Subbasin Of The Red River Of The North, Robert A. Gleason, Brian A. Tangen, Murray K. Laubhan, Kevin E. Kermes, Ned H. Euliss Jr.

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Concern over flooding along rivers in the Prairie Pothole Region has stimulated interest in developing spatially distributed hydrologic models to simulate the effects of wet¬land water storage on peak river flows. Such models require spatial data on the storage volume and interception area of existing and restorable wetlands in the watershed of interest. In most cases, information on these model inputs is lacking because resolution of existing topographic maps is inadequate to estimate volume and areas of existing and restorable wetlands. Consequently, most studies have relied on wetland area to volume or interception area relationships to estimate wetland basin storage …

Femur-Marrow Fat Of White-Tailed Deer Fawns Killed By Wolves, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

I present marrow fat (MF) data from a large sample of white-tailed deer fawns killed by wolves and a sample of fawns that died by accident in a single area, and I use these data to explore the extent that poor nutritional condition may have predisposed fawns to wolf predation. Percent MF of 110 5–10-month-old white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns killed by wolves (Canis lupus) from November through April 1984–2002 in northeastern Minnesota, USA, was lower than MF for 23 fawns killed by accidents in the same area and period. The MF of both male and …

A Proposed Ethogram Of Large-Carnivore Predatory Behavior, Exemplified By The Wolf, Daniel Macnulty, L. David Mech, Douglas Smith

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Although predatory behavior is traditionally described by a basic ethogram composed of 3 phases (search, pursue, and capture), behavioral studies of large terrestrial carnivores generally use the concept of a ‘‘hunt’’ to classify and measure foraging. This approach is problematic because there is no consensus on what behaviors constitute a hunt. We therefore examined how the basic ethogram could be used as a common framework for classifying large carnivore behavior. We used >2,150 h of observed wolf (Canis lupus) behavior in Yellowstone National Park, including 517 and 134 encounters with elk (Cervus elaphus) and American bison …

Interleukin-6 And Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Values In Elk Neonates, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer, Craig R. Johnson, Michael P. Murtaugh, L. David Mech, P. J. White

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Serological indicators of general condition would be helpful for monitoring or assessing ungulate wildlife. Toward that end, we report the 1st reference values for 2 cytokines, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), in neonatal elk (Cervus elaphus). We obtained blood samples from 140 calves ≤ 6 days old in Yellowstone National Park during summer 2003–2005. IL-6 values ranged from 0 to 1.21 pg/ml with a median of 0.03 pg/ml. TNF-α values ranged from 0 to 225.43 pg/ml with a median of 1.85 pg/ml. IL-6 and TNF-α concentrations were not significant predictors of elk calf survival through 21 …

Venezuela In The Times Of Chavez: A Study On Media, Charisma, And Social Polarization, Jorge Capetillo-Ponce

Sociology Faculty Publication Series

My main objective in this study is to deepen the reader's understanding of Venezuela's ongoing socio-political conflict by focusing on the struggle for control over one of the key agents of mobilization and politicization in the country: the media outlets, and particularly television. My methodology strives to interweave the chronological record of events with analysis of the equally relevant theoretical, institutional, political, economic, and cultural components that helped to create those events. Central to my presentation is its analysis of the decline of Venezuela's two traditional parties and the emergence of a charismatic and populist form of leadership.

Fiasco: The American Military Adventure In Iraq By Thomas E. Ricks, Kevin Mills

Global Tides

A book review of Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq (2006) by Thomas E. Ricks.

Israeli Immigration: An Analysis, Kevin Mills

Global Tides

Israel is one of the most unique sociological experiments of immigration and assimilation in the modern world. Since its formation in 1948, Israel has depended on immigration of the Jewish Diaspora for nearly its entire population and continues to grant automatic citizenship to Jews hailing from all countries of the globe. The country has an official policy of assimilation and does not recognize ethnic differences among Jews. Such a situation has made Israel one of the most culturally pro-immigrant countries in the entire world. However, recent influxes of culturally diverse Jewish populations from the former USSR have emigrated to Israel …