Academic literature on the topic 'Heads of state – south america – fiction'

The article presents an analysis of the recent dismantling of the Union of South-American Nations (UNASUR) under the governments of the liberal-conservative turn recently experienced in South America. Through the mobilization of excerpts from speeches by Heads of State in the region, it is possible to note that the allegedly “ideological” character of UNASUR is presented as the main justification for leaving the institution. Having that in mind, the main objective of the article is to interrogate narratives about the ‘ideological’ character of UNASUL. For that, the article presents a literature review on regionalism, pragmatism and ideology to challenge this narrative. It is argued, first, that pragmatism and ideology in regionalism are not dichotomous, but complementary concepts. Moreover, despite UNASUR’s ideological elements, the organization represents a series of alignments and pragmatic factors in its institutionalization and performance. Finally, it is argued that the proposals for “de-ideologization” and “pragmatic realignment” of the regionalism of the new rights in South America are, in fact, more ideological than pragmatic as they claim.

The Moroccan Sahara conflict is a regional dispute considered to be artificially created by Algeria with the aim of countering the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco. This dispute, which has undergone changes over time, originated as part of the decolonization process and subsequently evolved into an ideological and geopolitical conflict characteristic of the Cold War. Today, it persists as a problem of separatism and terrorism, driven by the struggle for hegemony in the Maghreb and Africa. This conflict, which has lasted almost half a century, has been the subject of extensive studies and academic work in various universities around the world. This paper addresses the evolution of the Sahara conflict, its scope, its possible solutions from the Latin American perspective in order to analyze the region's perception of this conflict and the challenges it poses for the relations between Morocco and Latin America. For this purpose, the methodology used was exploratory and was based on exhaustive fieldwork, which led to a tour of almost every country in the region, from Mexico to Patagonia to the south of Argentina. The core of this work is based mainly on dozens of testimonies of political personalities, heads of state, foreign ministers, parliamentarians, academics, international experts and other relevant actors in Latin American countries.

Stenopodidean shrimps are mostly cryptic in their habitats and are typically related with coral rubble or dead coral heads, rocks and crevices, and in association with other marine invertebrate such as sponges, crinoids and corals. Here, we describe a new stenopodidean shrimp, Dubiostenopus parvus n. gen. n. sp., from the Romualdo Formation (Aptian/Albian), Araripe Sedimentary Basin. The specimen studied here was collected in the municipality of Trindade, Pernambuco State, Brazil. The specimen is the imprint of a small shrimp approximately 10 mm in length, with a robust cephalothorax, a well-developed cheliped in the third pereiopod, and a second pleura not overlapping the first. This is the first stenopodidean shrimp described from the Romualdo Formation and the first described from South America. Comparisons with other Brazilian shrimp-like fossils are made, as well as comparisons with all other fossil stenopodideans.

This study delves into the unique qualities that make Korean SF stand out and explores the shortcomings of American productions. By examining the complex themes, stunning visuals, and intricate narratives of selected Korean SF films and web series, this study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the genre’s current state. My study also highlights the need for a re-evaluation of the traditional formulaic approach to American science fiction and a renewed focus on creative storytelling and thought-provoking concepts. Therefore, through this paper I tried to critically analyze Korean Science Fiction (SF) films and web series from the last decade like Hellbound (2021), Monstrous (2022), Kingdom (2019), Train to Busan (2016), The Host (2006) to keep the study specifically contemporary and relevant, examining their superior plots and how they differ from Western SF films and Web Series. A comparative study is conducted between films and web series in South Korea and America, while trying to answer certain questions linked with the success of South Korean SF films and web series regarding their declining stage of American SF. Moreover, the analysis offers insights into gender and sexuality issues and the influence of neoliberalism in Korean SF. The importance of cultural specificity and originality in SF storytelling is also taken into consideration, adding valuable contribution to the field of SF studies. I’ve based my paper on theories like the reception theory, which allows me to analyze how the audience interprets and engages with literary and media texts which eventually leads me to study reasons behind the success of Korean SF. I’ve also considered the Narrative theory, the Genre theory along with certain generic understandings of cultural studies and postmodernism. The paper uses thematic and cultural analytical processes as its methodology for which the focus throughout, remains highly ideological and at the same time, tries to consider how a story relates to the society and culture from where it originates.

This study delves into the unique qualities that make Korean SF stand out and explores the shortcomings of American productions. By examining the complex themes, stunning visuals, and intricate narratives of selected Korean SF films and web series, this study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the genre’s current state. My study also highlights the need for a re-evaluation of the traditional formulaic approach to American science fiction and a renewed focus on creative storytelling and thought-provoking concepts. Therefore, through this paper I tried to critically analyze Korean Science Fiction (SF) films and web series from the last decade like Hellbound (2021), Monstrous (2022), Kingdom (2019), Train to Busan (2016), The Host (2006) to keep the study specifically contemporary and relevant, examining their superior plots and how they differ from Western SF films and Web Series. A comparative study is conducted between films and web series in South Korea and America, while trying to answer certain questions linked with the success of South Korean SF films and web series regarding their declining stage of American SF. Moreover, the analysis offers insights into gender and sexuality issues and the influence of neoliberalism in Korean SF. The importance of cultural specificity and originality in SF storytelling is also taken into consideration, adding valuable contribution to the field of SF studies. I’ve based my paper on theories like the reception theory, which allows me to analyze how the audience interprets and engages with literary and media texts which eventually leads me to study reasons behind the success of Korean SF. I’ve also considered the Narrative theory, the Genre theory along with certain generic understandings of cultural studies and postmodernism. The paper uses thematic and cultural analytical processes as its methodology for which the focus throughout, remains highly ideological and at the same time, tries to consider how a story relates to the society and culture from where it originates.

Sawfly larval poisoning (SLP) is an acute hepatotoxicosis documented in livestock in Australia, Denmark and in countries of South America. It is caused by the ingestion of the larval stage of insects of the suborder Symphyta, order Hymenoptera, commonly known as "sawfly". Three species of sawfly are reportedly involved in the toxicosis. The insect involved in Australian SLP is Lophyrotoma interrupta (Pergidae), in Denmark the cause of SLP is the ingestion of the larvae Arge pullata (Argidae), and in South American countries documented outbreaks of SLP were caused by the ingestion of yet another sawfly, Perreyia flavipes (Pergidae). In all geographical areas where it occurred, SLP causes important livestock losses. In cattle, as well as in other affected species, the disease has a short clinical course and in many outbreaks affected cattle can be found dead. When observed, clinical signs include apathy, recumbence, tremors, paddling movements and death in 24-48 hours. Neurological signs such aggressiveness attributable to hepatic encephalopathy are also observed. In cases with a more protracted course icterus and photodermatitis may develop. Gross findings included ascites, petechiae and ecchymosis over serosal surfaces of thoracic and abdominal cavities, and an enlarged liver that displays accentuation of the lobular pattern and edema of the gall bladder wall. Sawfly larval body fragments and heads are consistently found in the fore stomachs and occasionally abomasum of affected cattle. Main microscopic lesions are restricted to the liver and consist of centrolobular (periacinar) to massive hepatocellular necrosis. In most lobules necrotic areas extended up to the portal triads where only a few viable hepatocytes remain. Mild to moderate lymphocyte necrosis is seen in lymphatic tissues. Cases occur in the winter months when the larval stages of the sawfly are developing. D-amino acid-containing peptides have been found to be the toxic principle in each sawfly involved in SLP. The octapeptide lophyrotomin is the major toxin in the in the larvae of Australian and Danish sawflies and is present in small amounts in the larvae of South American sawfly. The heptadecapeptide pergidin is the main toxin in the South American sawfly while small amounts of pergidin have been found in the other two species of toxic sawfly. During the winter of 2011 (July-August) four outbreaks of SLP were diagnosed in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The findings in those outbreaks are reported here and a brief review of the literature regarding SLP around the world is provided.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, New York City-based Community Relations Service (“CRS”) Regional Director Reinaldo Rivera was at a New Jersey summit on racial profiling. At 8:46 a.m., an American Airlines 767 crashed into the North Tower of New York City’s World Trade Center. Because Rivera was with the New Jersey state attorney general, he quickly learned of the attack. Rivera immediately called his staff members, who at that moment were traveling to Long Island, New York, for an unrelated case. Getting into Manhattan had already become difficult, so Rivera instructed his conciliators to remain on standby. At 9:03 a.m., another 767, United Airlines Flight 175, flew into the World Trade Center’s South Tower. September 11 initiated a new, fraught-filled era for the United States. For CRS, an agency within the United States Department of Justice, it was the beginning of a long-term immersion into conflict issues that involved discrimination and violence against those whose appearance led them to be targets of anti-terrorist hysteria or mis- placed backlash. Appropriately, in the days following 9/11, the federal government, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), concentrated on ferreting out the culprits of the heinous acts. However, the FBI discovered that Middle Eastern terrorists were responsible for the tragedies, and communities around the nation saw a surge of violence against people who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent, requiring a response to protect those who were unfairly targeted. These outbreaks began as soon as September 12. Police in Illinois stopped 300 people from marching on a Chicago-area mosque. In Gary, Indiana, a masked gunman shot twenty-one times at a Yemeni- American gas station attendant. In Texas, a mosque was hit by six bullets. On September 15, a man who had been reported by an Applebee’s waiter as saying that he wanted to “shoot some rag heads” shot a Chevron gas station owner Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh-American. The man, Frank Roque, shot through his car window, and five bullets hit Sodhi, killing him instantly. Roque drove to a home he previously owned and had sold to an Afghan-American couple and fired on it. He then shot a Lebanese-American man. According to a police report, Roque said in reference to the 9/11 tragedy, “I [cannot] take this anymore. They killed my brothers and sisters.” Former Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said, reflecting ten years later on the hate crimes that followed the attack on the World Trade Center, “The tragedy of September 11th should be remembered in the sense of making sure that we [do not] let our emotions run away in terms of trying to show our commitment and conviction about patriotism [and] loyalty.” The events created a new chapter in American race relations, one in which racial tensions and fear were higher than ever for Arabs, Muslims, South Asians, Sikhs, and others who could be targeted in anti-Islamic hysteria because of their physical appearance or dress. In 2011, a CBS–New York Times poll found that 78% agreed that Muslims, Arab-Americans, and immigrants from the Middle East are singled out unfairly by people in this country. Shortly after the September 11 attacks, this number stood at 90%. The same poll also found that one in three Americans think Muslim-Americans are more sympathetic to terrorists than other Americans. To address these misconceptions in the years following 9/11, CRS has done a significant amount of outreach, dispute resolution, and training to mitigate unfounded backlash against Arabs, Muslims, and Sikhs. Under CRS Director Freeman, the agency produced Sikh and Muslim cultural-competency trainings and two training videos: On Common Ground, which provides background on Sikhism and concerns about safety held by Sikhs in America; and The First Three to Five Seconds, which provides background on Muslims and information on their interactions with law enforcement. In 2009, President Obamas signed the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Junior Hate Crimes Prevention Act. The Act explicitly gave CRS jurisdiction to respond to and prevent hate crimes. For the first time, CRS jurisdiction expanded beyond race. Specifically, CRS was now authorized to work on issues of religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability in addition to race, color, and national origin. When I became CRS Director in 2012, following the continued incidents of unfounded violence and prejudice against those perceived as sharing heritage with Middle Eastern terrorists, I directed the agency to update the trainings and launched an initiative for regional offices to conduct these Sikh and Muslim cultural-competency trainings. In the years following 9/11, controversy has continued over racial profiling of Arab, Muslim, and Sikh individuals. Owing to the nature of the attack, one particular area of ongoing concern is access to airplane flights. Director of Transportation Mineta recalled how the racial profiling he witnessed echoed his own experience as a Japanese-American citizen: [T]here were a lot of people saying, “[We are] not [going to] let Middle Easterners or Muslims on the planes.” And I thought about my own experience [during World War II] because people [could not] make the distinction between the people who were flying the airplanes that attacked Pearl Harbor and the people who were living in Washington, Oregon, and California, who looked like the people flying the airplanes. In response to this problem, CRS trained thousands of law enforcement and Transit Security Association employees on cultural professionalism in working with Arab, Muslim, and Sikh individuals. The work of addressing the profiling and mistreatment of Arab-Americans, Muslims, and Sikhs also spiked after the 2013 bombing of the Boston Marathon. CRS conciliators again reached out to leaders throughout the country at mosques and gurdwaras to confront safety and security issues regarding houses of worship and concerns about backlash violence based on faith, nationality, and race. Since 9/11, CRS’s work on racial profiling continues to respond to increasing conflicts and tensions both within the United States and around the globe. In the wake of the 9/11 tragedy, CRS adjusted its priorities and reallocated resources in the wake of the September 11 tragedy to address the needs of targeted communities and further intercultural understanding. CRS did so by increasing the religious awareness training provided to law enforcement and other agencies, and it committed more resources to working with Muslim and Sikh faith and advocacy organizations and people. This work was not originally envisioned when the 1964 Civil Rights Act created CRS. How- ever, this new focus reflects how the model of the African-American civil rights movement has inspired other efforts to attain equality and justice for minority groups in the United States. Just as the tragedy in Selma helped lead to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the Oak Creek tragedy helped lead the FBI to update its hate crime categories. Former FBI Director James Comey articulated this idea best in his speech to the Anti-Defamation League, stating “do a better job of tracking and reporting hate crime to fully understand what is happening in our communities and how to stop it.” The Community Relations Service has evolved over time since its 1964 origins, and a substantial component has been the work in response to post 9/11 unfounded racial and religious violence.

This essay seeks to broadly delve into the production of creative non-fiction travel writing within the context of contemporary environmental writing, particularly, by exploring its connection to ecotourism. Travel, according to the novelist Pico Iyer, “shows us the sights and values and issues that we might ordinarily ignore; but it also, and more deeply, shows us all the parts of ourselves that might otherwise go rusty”; thus, travelling brings in both the traveller’s subjectivity and perception, which can be a means to explore certain “political urgencies” and the “life-and-death dilemmas” (“Why we travel?” 3) that we may fail to see from our comfort zone. Environmental issues such as global warming, biodiversity loss and air pollution affect people’s attitudes and choices, and travelling is not an exception. Paradoxically, in accomplishing such an endeavour, we also contribute to the increase of our carbon footprint and environmental stress. The underlying hypothesis is that these attitudinal changes along with the current global environmental crises have a significant impact within the wider field of environmental writing and have given rise to a new sub-genre called eco-travel writing. This advances the question as to the extent current environmental concerns are reflected in contemporary writing, and how ecotourism frames the production of non-fiction travel writing that reflects on these global issues. The scope will then be narrowed down to reflect on eco-travel writing in South America, particularly to works addressing the Patagonia Region. Examples will be drawn to reflect on the contemporary state-of-the-art and examine whether this genre is developing in this part of the world.

This chapter explores how, following their respective moves to South Michigan Avenue, the offices of the Chicago Defender and Johnson Publishing Company became key sites in the urban geography of Black America. As community centers, art galleries, meeting spaces, and tourist hotspots, these buildings welcomed all manner of people, ranging from local schoolchildren to African heads of state. In doing so, they expanded the goal of Defender founder Robert Abbott for his publication’s offices to become “the meeting place of all the people.”

The Chaco is an international biome, connecting four countries: Paraguay (230,000 km2), Bolivia (90,000 km2), Argentina (520,000 km2), and Brazil (Mato Grosso do Sul state (MS), with around 9,000 km2 and in the middle of South America. Brazilian Chaco is restricted to Porto Murtinho region, MS. The daisies (Asteraceae) with near 24,000 species worldwide is characterized by herbs and shrubs that coevolved with several taxa of endophagous insects: dipterans Agromyzidae, Ceciidomyidae and Tephritidae; Coleoptera (Apionidae), Hemiptera (Miridae), Lepidoptera (Blastobasidae, Gelechiidae, Pterophoridae, Pyralidae, and Tortricidae) and the parasitoids of this endophagous insects, which found in the daisies’s flower heads ideal conditions for food, breeding site and shelter. The Neotropical florivorous flies are the Agromyzinae (Agromyzidae), and Tephritinae (Tephritidae), which in their larval stage feed on Asteraceae inflorescences. To report the species of florivore flies, their host plants and parasitoids in flower heads of Asteraceae from the Brazilian Chaco, we sampled inflorescences of 25 species (± 500 flower heads/species) that were kept in containers to the emergence of the florivorous flies or their parasitoids sampled in the three phytophysiognomies. The adult insects after 48 hours of their emergence were fixed in 80% ethanol for later identification. A total 25 species of Asteraceae were evaluated in the Brazilian Chaco, being collected 17,000 flower heads. Nine tribes of two Asteraceae subfamilies were sampled, from which 15 species of florivorous flies were recovered. We found 5 genera with 9 of Tephritinae (Tephritidae), 6 species of Melanagromyza (Agromyzinae, Agromyzidae), and 104 parasitoids (Hymenoptera) of the florivorous flies.