21世纪初的美国和拉美关系

从第二次世界大战到20世纪70年代,美国和拉美国家的关系可以归结为美国的“霸权主义推论”。也就是说,美国有权在整个西半球坚持政治、思想、外交和经济的“一致性”,但却不用“附庸”这个字眼。为了确保亲美的政党和领袖掌控整个拉丁美洲和加勒比地区,美国采取一切必要手段,包括海军陆战队和第82空降师的军事实力威慑,中央情报局的秘密干预,陆军武官的建议咨询,美国国际开发署的对外援助和不时的强加于人,糖产品配额、关税优惠等其他方式的经济渗透,国务院的积极外交,对政党的资金援助和建议咨询,美国新闻署的公共宣传和信息传播等。那段时…     

Diagnosis of early human myocardial ischemic damage with electron probe microanalysis

We determined the Na/K x-ray intensity ratio in frozen sections of myocardial tissues obtained at autopsy from patients who died from various causes, using electron probe analysis. We have been able to distinguish between the ischemically injured and normal cells. The method is simple, fast, and dependable even when the duration of ischemia is only 30 minutes.     

Decentralization in Tanzania: Design and Application in Planning Decisions

Every state copes with the question of which level of government should bear responsibility for social services such as health care and education. Tanzania is no exception. The current government infrastructure of Tanzania is based on the principle of Decentralization by Devolution (DbyD) and can be seen as a reaction to previous structures based on centralized de-concentration. This article reviews the decentralization as designed in the DbyD policy and its application in planning decisions by assessing the involvement of local communities in decision making, based on a case study in two primary facilities. The conclusion is that even though policy states a strong decentralized government, in reality central preferences dominate the decision-making. Wishes expressed in local plans are ignored in the planning procedure. The article identifies the factors that contribute to this central influence and concludes with reviewing the value of decentralization policy in Tanzania and other developing countries.     

Fiscal Distress in Local Authorities in Israel: the Convened Committee as a Method and a Solution

This study addresses fiscal distress in local authorities in Israel and around the world, and provides an in-depth analysis of the city of Bnei Brak from 1994 to 2003. When the city of Bnei Brak grappled unsuccessfully with fiscal distress, the Ministry of the Interior appointed a Convened Committee (CC; Va'adah Kruah) to handle the crisis. This study explores the methods and solution used by the government to extricate the authority from bankruptcy, while examining the sources and repercussions of this decision. The findings show that the CC solution was borne of necessity, due to the gravity of the financial crisis and the fact that the government had no other way of bailing out the city. However, the situation in Bnei Brak did not improve even after the CC was appointed, which challenges the very efficacy of the solution. This forms the basis for a discussion of the complexities of resolving the fiscal distress of localities in Israel.