President Donald Trump: A Case Study of Spectacular Power

Donald Trump's election as president certainly startled many, though not all political observers. In this article, I offer my own observation that Mr Trump's election represents a developmental progression of America's electoral system from a political process to an entertainment process. The effect of the office of the president now is to distract and entertain. I will aim to convince readers that his election as America's president is not an anomaly, but rather represents how the politics of image and representation now work as an everyday event and should be treated as part of a reality that we should now take for granted.     

“9/11 is alive and well” or how critical terrorism studies has sustained the 9/11 narrative

ABSTRACT

This article argues that despite engaging in a powerful critique of the construction of the attacks of 11 September 2001 (or “9/11”) as temporal break, critical terrorism scholars have sustained and reproduced this same construction of “9/11”. Through a systematic analysis of the research articles published in Critical Studies on Terrorism, this article illustrates how critical scholars have overall failed to extricate themselves from this dominant narrative, as they inhabit the same visual, emotional and professional landscape as those they critique. After examining how CTS has reproduced but also renegotiated this narrative, the article concludes with what Michel Foucault would describe as an “effective history” of the attacks – in this case, a personal narrative of how the attacks did not constitute a moment of personal rupture but nonetheless later became a backdrop to justify my scholarship and career. It ends with a renewal of Maya Zeyfuss’ call to forget “9/11”.     

Characterization of Algerian-Seized Hashish Over Eight Years (2011–2018). Part II: Chemical Categorization

In Algeria, large quantities of hashish are seized every year. This study aimed to investigate the total content of major cannabinoids in the illicit seized hashish in Algeria over an 8-year period (2011–2018) in order to establish the chemical profile of North African hashish. A total of 3265 hashish samples were analyzed using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography–diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) method, allowing the simultaneous quantification of both the acidic and the neutral forms of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and cannabinol (CBN). The results revealed a slight upward trend in the mean THC content, from 7.0% in 2011 to 9.4% in 2018, with an overall mean value of 8.4%. The overall means of CBD and CBN content were 3.5% and 0.8%, respectively. The number of high-potency hashish samples gradually increased to reach 6% in 2018. Two distinct hashish chemotypes were identified: the highly populated chemotype II, corresponding to the traditional medium-potency hashish ([THC + CBN]/CBD ~ 2.16), and chemotype I, containing hashish samples of relatively high THC levels and low levels of CBD (ratio ~ 4.90). Both chemotypes I and II were characterized in the ternary plot, and the proportions (THC:CBD:CBN) were about 85%:13%:2% and 60%:35%:5%, respectively.     

A Song of Policy Incongruence: The Missing Choir of Consumer Preferences in GMO‐Labeling Policy Outcomes

This article focuses on the degree of policy congruence, and by extension policy responsiveness, of U.S. federal‐ and state‐level GMO labeling laws from 2011–2016. Utilizing consumer survey data, evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates consumers prefer clear text‐based indication if food products contain genetically modified ingredients. However, the federal law adopted in 2016 mandates GMO labeling but with exceptions permitted to clear on‐package text labeling. The results of this study demonstrate that consumer preferences were not adequately represented at the federal level and were misaligned with state policy activities as captured in the aggregate outcome. State legislatures were actively proposing mandatory legislation with only a few cases of success, which did not adequately represent the wishes of the people. Given the misalignment and overall policy incongruence, the consequences of pending federal law are discussed in light of why the voices of the consumer choir were not heard by lawmakers.     

"9·11"后布什政府对"敌人"的建构

“9·11”恐怖主义袭击带来的最迫切需要是识别出美国的敌人。对敌人的建构包括两个方面,即对敌人的抽象化与非人化,对自身国家的拟人化。本文考察了布什政府在“9·11”后对其“敌人”的建构,认为其努力既有成功之处,也有失败之处。它成功地塑造了敌人“邪恶”和自身“善”的形象,但这只会是短期的成功。由于恐怖主义的性质,美国又不得不将敌人具体化、扩大化,从而导致了美国在“9·11”后建构“敌人”的长期失败。     

Analoge Anwendung des Befristungsabschlags auf alle Hauptmietzinsvereinbarungen nach § 16 Abs 1 MRG

§ 9 Abs 4 RBG 1987 l?sst (nur) die Vereinbarung eines angemessenen Hauptmietzinses, definiert durch dieselben Merkmale wie in § 16 Abs 1 MRG, zu. Die Mietzinsbildungsvorschrift des § 9 Abs 4 RBG ist trotz der nicht deutlichen Formulierung auch eine Mietzinsbeschr?nkungsvorschrift. Die erforderliche Gleichbehandlung aller ausdrücklich oder inhaltlich dem § 16 Abs 1 MRG zu unterstellenden Hauptmietzinsvereinbarungen gebietet, die in § 16 Abs 7 MRG normierte Reduktion des angemessenen Hauptmietzinses auch im Fall einer Vereinbarung nach § 9 Abs 4 RBG 1987 vorzunehmen.     

Potency of delta 9-THC and other cannabinoids in cannabis in England in 2005: implications for psychoactivity and pharmacology

Gas chromatography was used to study the cannabinoid content ("potency") of illicit cannabis seized by police in England in 2004/5. Of the four hundred and fifty two samples, indoor-grown unpollinated female cannabis ("sinsemilla") was the most frequent form, followed by resin (hashish) and imported outdoor-grown herbal cannabis (marijuana). The content of the psychoactive cannabinoid delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) varied widely. The median THC content of herbal cannabis and resin was 2.1% and 3.5%, respectively. The median 13.9% THC content of sinsemilla was significantly higher than that recorded in the UK in 1996/8. In sinsemilla and imported herbal cannabis, the content of the antipsychotic cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) was extremely low. In resin, however, the average CBD content exceeded that of THC, and the relative proportions of the two cannabinoids varied widely between samples. The increases in average THC content and relative popularity of sinsemilla cannabis, combined with the absence of the anti-psychotic cannabinoid CBD, suggest that the current trends in cannabis use pose an increasing risk to those users susceptible to the harmful psychological effects associated with high doses of THC.     

Nulli res sua servit – Eigentümerservitut nicht eintragungsfähig

Unter Berücksichtigung der ma?geblichen Auslegungsgrunds?tze folgt die Unzul?ssigkeit der Eigentümerservitut bereits aus dem Gesetz. Auch wenn die in § 7 ABGB ausdrücklich angeordnete Analogie beweist, dass selbst der eindeutige Gesetzeswortlaut keine unübersteigliche Grenze juristischer Argumentation darstellt, ist es jedenfalls dann, wenn die unzweifelhafte "Ausdrucksweise" des Gesetzes in seinem w?rtlichen (n?chstliegenden) Verst?ndnis keine offenbaren Wertungswidersprüche in der Rechtsordnung provoziert, mit bestehendem Wertungskonsens innerhalb der Rechtsgemeinschaft nicht unvereinbar ist und auch der "Natur der Sache" nicht zuwiderl?uft, nicht Aufgabe der Gerichte, durch weitherzige Interpretation rechtspolitische oder wirtschaftliche Aspekte zu berücksichtigen, die den Gesetzgeber bisher (bewusst oder unbewusst) nicht veranlasst haben, Gesetzes?nderungen vorzunehmen.     

Subsumtionsautomat oder Ersatzgesetzgeber?

Der Beitrag besch?ftigt sich mit jener Rolle, die der Rechtsprechung bezüglich der Weiterentwicklung des ?sterreichischen Wohnrechts zukommt. Er zeigt ua die praktische Bedeutung auf, die der richterlichen Rechtsanwendung und Rechtsfortbildung in diesem Bereich zukommt, thematisiert die Frage, ob es in der wohnrechtlichen Rechtsprechung zu "Grenzverwischungen" zwischen Rechtsanwendung und Rechtspolitik kommt und analysiert charakteristische St?rken und Schw?chen von richterlicher Rechtsfortbildung im Wohnrecht.     

Institutional Collective Action on Drugs: Functional and Vertical Dilemmas of Unused Pharmaceuticals

The authors use the Institutional Collective Action Framework to analyze the barriers, opposition, and opportunities for residential pharmaceutical disposal programs in the United States via a case study on a series of take‐back programs pioneered in the state of Washington by local and state governments, as well as the corresponding backlash from federal agencies. While successful in some ways, these innovative solutions directly challenged the competing federal policy regimes controlled by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and, to a lesser extent, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Findings from case studies suggest that functional dilemmas created by existing institutions with entrenched regulatory regimes are a key challenge to finding efficient solutions to vertical ICA dilemmas. Conclusions, then, connect to the broader ICA research agenda, and implications for multi‐level governance issues.