:

DE sign:
(Deconstructing in-order to find new meanings)

A blogging space about my personal interests; was made during training in Stockholm #Young Leaders Visitors Program #Ylvp08 it developed into a social bookmarking blog.

I studied #Architecture; interested in #Design #Art #Education #Urban Design #Digital-media #social-media #Inhabited-Environments #Contemporary-Cultures #experimentation #networking #sustainability & more =)


Please Enjoy, feedback recommended.

p.s. sharing is usually out of interest not Blind praise.
This is neither sacred nor political.

Showing posts with label #climatechange. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #climatechange. Show all posts

Sunday, October 4

Athens Democracy Forum 2015

Athens Democracy Forum 2015 http://athensdemocracyforum.com/ ENHANCING SOCIETY THROUGH BETTER GOVERNANCE

As the world lurches from crisis to crisis, democracy is under extreme pressure. From the rise of Islamist extremism and regimes in states that reject liberal democracy, to growing inequality and the rapid expansion of new technologies, democratic foundations are being threatened in a world where profound changes happen almost overnight. In this era of global uncertainty, these issues and more will frame the debate at the third, expanded Athens Democracy Forum (September 13-15). The event, hosted by the International New York Times and the United Nations Democracy Fund, takes place in Athens, Greece - a living showcase of democracy under extreme challenge as the nation once again goes to the polls on September 20.
Greece may be the birthplace of democracy but, in recent years, the nation has had its foundations shaken by a political, economic and social crisis that has threatened, at times, to tear Europe apart. And in other parts of the world, the Arab Spring, the Maidan protests in Ukraine, the political paralysis in the U.S. Congress, are testament to democracy under threat. 
Held to coincide with the UN International Day of Democracy, our annual forum brings together diplomats, scholars, corporate executives, politicians, thought-leaders, and journalists from around the world to discuss at the foot of the Acropolis the state of liberal democracies and the major challenges they face in the world today. 
In addition to the main conference on September 15, a rich program of affiliated events - including an international student debate at the Old Parliament; a Google Hangout featuring political activists under house arrest; and a symphonic visual concert by Rufus Wainwright at the awe-inspiring Odeon of Herodes Atticus - will also take place throughout the city.






Democracy Under Pressure

"Signs of democratic dysfunction are everywhere, from Athens to Ankara, Brussels to Brasília. In the United States, the federal government has shut down 12 times in the last 35 years. According to the political scientists Christopher Hare and Keith T. Poole, the two main American political parties are more polarized now than they have been at any time since the Civil War. Meanwhile, a Gallup tracking poll shows that trust in the presidency and in the Supreme Court stands at historic lows — while faith in Congress has plummeted so far that it is now in the single digits.
Some citizens of democracies have become so unhappy with their institutions that — according to disturbing new studies of public opinion around the world — they may be tempted to dispense with partisan politics altogether. Would it not be better to let the president make decisions without having to worry about Congress — or to entrust key decisions to unelected experts like the Federal Reserve and the Pentagon?

According to a growing share of Americans, the answer is yes. Back in 1995, the well-respected World Values Survey, which studies representative samples of citizens in almost 100 countries, asked Americans for the first time whether they approved of the idea of “having the army rule.” One in 15 agreed. Since then, that number has steadily grown, to one in six.
To be sure, that still leaves five out of six Americans who would rather not have a military coup. And of course, not every American who tells a pollster that he would rather have the army in charge would actually support a coup. But the willingness to countenance alternative forms of government, if only by a small minority, reveals a deep disillusionment with democracy, one that should concern everyone living in an advanced democracy, including those in Europe and Asia.
The generational differences are striking. When the World Values Survey asked Americans how important it was for them to live in a democracy, citizens born before World War II were the most adamant. On a scale of one to ten, 72 percent assigned living in a democracy a ten, the highest possible value. Among many of their children and grandchildren, however, democracy no longer commands the same devotion. A little over half of Americans born in the postwar boom gave maximum importance to living in a democracy. Among those born since the 1980s, less than 30 percent did.
Political scientists are well aware that poll after poll shows citizens to be more dissatisfied than in the past. Yet they resist the most straightforward conclusion: that people may be less supportive of democracy than they once were.
Ronald Inglehart and Pippa Norris, for example, argue that expectations of citizens have grown rapidly in recent decades, leading to disappointment with the performance of individual politicians and particular governments. But while government legitimacy may have taken a hit, regime legitimacy — that is to say, faith in democracy as such — is as strong as ever, they say.
Worryingly, though, questions in the World Values Survey that directly speak to regime legitimacy no longer support that optimistic interpretation. In countries from the United States to Sweden, and from the Netherlands to Japan, citizens over the last three decades have become less likely to endorse the importance of democracy; less likely to express trust in democratic institutions; and less likely to reject nondemocratic alternatives.
This raises a question that would have seemed strange, even preposterous, to us until we started to embark on our current research: Could the political system in seemingly stable democracies like the United States be less imperturbable than meets the eye?
Scholars have long believed that democracies are stable once they have, in the words of Juan J. Linz and Alfred C. Stepan, become “the only game in town.” In such “consolidated” democracies, where an alternative system of government no longer seems like a possibility, an overwhelming majority of the citizens believes that the only legitimate form of government is democratic. Mainstream political actors refrain from subverting the rules of the democratic game for partisan advantage. And political forces that seek to dismantle the main aspects of the democratic system, like an independent judiciary, are weak or nonexistent.
Until recently, all of these statements described countries like the United States. Today, it is far from obvious that they still do.
It is not just that citizens like democracy less than they once did: Respect for the rules of the democratic game is also eroding. While most Americans still have a deep emotional attachment to the Constitution, the informal norms that have kept the system stable in the past are increasingly disregarded in political practice. Parliamentary procedures long reserved for extraordinary circumstances, for example, are used with stunning regularity. It is not uncommon to threaten impeachment, or to use the filibuster to block legislation — not because the bill is especially transformative, but simply because a legislative minority disagrees with it.
The rise of parties that are critical of key aspects of liberal democracy, like freedom of the press or minority rights, is even more disconcerting. Since the early 1990s, votes for populists have soared in most major Western democracies, whether the National Front in France or the People’s Party in Denmark.
It is no foregone conclusion that such parties will one day take over the government, nor that they would dismantle liberal democracy if they did. And most citizens say they still want to live in a democracy. But the democratic consensus is more brittle than it was. Scholars who long ago concluded that postwar Western democracies have “consolidated” must reckon with the possibility that a process of what we call “democratic deconsolidation” may be underway.
In our view, there are three main explanations for this development."
>> http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/15/opinion/across-the-globe-a-growing-disillusionment-with-democracy.html

http://athensdemocracyforum.com/gallery/athens-democracy-forum-0/2014-videos/1006



















https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi-CMaS2NmYsEgpnfKNETb0DeJtXYx564




Published on Jul 20, 2015
(ITA subtitles.) After months of negotiations Greece reaches a bad agreement with Eurozone partners. What will happen now? Can Greece be a catalyst for a wider European mobilisation? With Costas Douzinas, Margarita Tsomou, Srecko Horvat, Jerome Roos. Hosts Lorenzo Marsili, artistic direction Berardo Carboni.




Uploaded on Nov 20, 2008
Introduction to Ancient Greek History (CLCV 205)

In this lecture, Professor Kagan describes the mechanics of the Delian League and its transformation into the Athenian empire. This transformation caused Athens to rival Sparta as an equal in power and prestige. He also argues that this process took place rather smoothly due to the good relations between Sparta and Athens. Professor Kagan argues that Cimon the Athenian generally played an important part in this development. Finally, Professor Kagan begins to describe the workings of Athenian democracy by comparing it with modern American democracy.

00:00 - Chapter 1. The Rise of the Athenian Empire (Cont.)
10:25 - Chapter 2. Competition for Power between Sparta and Athens
15:51 - Chapter 3. Cimon, His Popularity and Rise to Power
30:29 - Chapter 4. The Thasian Rebellion and the Eventual Removal of Cimon
42:59 - Chapter 5. A Fuller Athenian Democracy
55:12 - Chapter 6. Organization of Athenian Democracy: The Legislative
01:04:42 - Chapter 7. Organization of Athenian Democracy: The Executive

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

This course was recorded in Fall 2007.



Published on Nov 28, 2014
The government of the United States borrowed ideals from democratic rule in ancient Athens, Greece.



Published on Oct 3, 2014
Athenian democracy developed around the fifth century BC in the Greek city-state (known as a polis) of Athens, comprising the city of Athens and the surrounding territory of Attica. Athens is one of the first known democracies. Other Greek cities set up democracies, most following the Athenian model, but none are as well-documented as Athens.
It was a system of direct democracy, in which participating citizens voted directly on legislation and executive bills. Participation was not open to all residents: to vote one had to be an adult, male citizen, and the number of these "varied between 30,000 and 50,000 out of a total population of around 250,000 to 300,000." At times, the opinion of voters could be strongly influenced by the political satire of the comic poets at the theatres.


This video is targeted to blind users.

Attribution:
Article text available under CC-BY-SA
Creative Commons image source in video

Thursday, October 1

She Entrepuneures 2016

Leadership Programmes ::: Swedish Institute ::: She Entrepreneurs 2016

"She Entrepreneurs is a leadership programme for young emerging women social entrepreneurs in the Middle East, North Africa and Sweden. The programme aims to give the participants innovative tools for sustainable change while seeking to create an active network of women changemakers.


She Entrepreneurs runs for one year, with participants meeting for ten days in Sweden and one week in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In between the modules, the participants work on their own initiative locally, coached by group mentors over digital platforms.
The participants are social entrepreneurs from Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Palestine, Yemen and Sweden who address social challenges and strive for positive social change through initiatives based on entrepreneurial principles. During the programme participants are provided with inspiration, knowledge and tools to develop a business idea for sustainable change that they have already started working on in their country or region. Through the programme, participants are also offered the opportunity to meet leading social and business entrepreneurs as well as become a part of an active network of women social entrepreneurs that supports personal and professional development.
The call for applications for She Entrepreneurs 2016 is currently open! The deadline for applying is 8 October 2015 at midnight (Central European Time Zone). "
She Entrepreneurs 2011 from Swedish Institute on Vimeo.


https://eng.si.se/apply-now-she-entrepreneurs-2016/

https://eng.si.se/tag/social-entrepreneurship/



https://eng.si.se/areas-of-operation/leadership-programmes-and-cultural-exchange/she-entrepreneurs/

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&es_th=1&ie=UTF-8#q=social+entrepreneurship+moocs

https://www.class-central.com/subject/entrepreneurship


7 essential MOOCs for budding social entrepreneurs


http://mashable.com/2014/12/14/moocs-social-entrepreneurs/#MPUuyoSesmqp

Starting a business to make the world a better place is a worthy and even fashionable idea. But what does creating a social enterprise really entail, and what skills should you have under your belt before you jump in?
Aspiring social entrepreneurs can find comfort and knowledge in MOOCs, or massive open online courses. Platforms such as Coursera, Udacity and Udemy feature a number of low-cost classes taught by expert faculty in socent and related fields.
From using social media for social good to HTML programming geared specifically toward entrepreneurs, here are seven MOOCs you should look into before launching a socially conscious company.

1. Social Entrepreneurship: A Crash Course

Platform: Udemy
Price: $25
This MOOC is perfect for beginners looking to dip their toes into the social enterprise space. Taught by Jessica Lax, content developer for social impact at School for Change, Social Entrepreneurship: A Crash Course covers five essential topics: hybrid organizations, earned revenue, impact capital, impact measurement and human-centered design.
You can work at your own pace through more than an hour of video content and slides.

2. Social Media for Social Change

Platform: Udemy
Price: $19
Whether or not your social enterprise idea deals directly with social media, maintaining an online presence is imperative for any business worth its salt. This course addresses key social media strategies for social change, and covers examples of successful campaigns.
The MOOC was designed specifically as a skills-building tool for social entrepreneurs "to address old issues with new tactics for increased results."

3. Programming for Entrepreneurs

Platform: Udemy
Price: Free
Basic coding is a skill everyone needs to have — even schools across the world are adopting it into their curricula. Whether you're looking to build a simple website for your social enterprise or you just want a better understanding of development as it pertains to business, this is the MOOC for you.
Programming for Entrepreneurs teaches rudimentary HTML and CSS programming languages and development concepts, so you can walk away with tangible, interactive prototypes of your business idea. There are 28 lectures, with more than two hours of content.

4. How to Change the World

Platform: Coursera
Price: Free
This MOOC focuses on creative ideas from well-known entrepreneurs, writers, academics and political leaders to discuss how innovation and technology can address the world's most pressing issues. Despite the audacious title, the class hones in on specific units: Poverty and Philanthropy; Climate Change and Sustainability; Women, Education and Social Change; and Social Networks, Education and Activism.
As of this writing, the class is in the middle of its current course of study (until Dec. 29), but you can join the watchlist to see when the next session will take place.
Disclosure: How to Change the World was developed between Wesleyan University and the 92Y, in conjunction with Mashable's Social Good Summit in 2013.

5. How to Build a Startup

Platform: Udacity
Price: Free
Silicon Valley entrepreneur Steve Blank, who also teaches at Stanford, UC Berkeley and Columbia, instructs this course on the key steps needed to build a startup. The focus of the MOOC is the needs of the customer — the product, how to deliver it and how to engage your target audience.
While there may not be a specific "customer" for your social enterprise, How to Build a Startup will teach you how to identify key resources, partners, distribution channels and overall costs.
As of this writing, the class is in the middle of its current course of study (until Dec. 29), but you can join the watchlist to see when the next session will take place.

6. Social Entrepreneurship

Platform: Coursera
Price: Free (Open Track)
This MOOC comes to you courtesy of the Social Impact initiative at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. Think of it as the next step after the socent crash course listed above. Wharton's course takes a deeper dive into solution design, concept testing, performance measurement, building for scale and more.
You can choose the free "Open Track," in which assignments are based on real-world examples of social enterprises, or the "Signature Track," in which assignments will relate to the specific social enterprise you'd like to pursue.
As of this writing, the class isn't in session, but you can join the watchlist to see when it starts up again.

7. Foundations of Business Strategy

Platform: Coursera
Price: Free
Strategy is important for any entrepreneur, whether you're creating a nonprofit or for-profit company. The University of Virginia's Foundations of Business Strategy teaches strategic analysis, the impact of competitive markets and how to create value through cases discussions of specific businesses.
The final project has each student select one organization through online forums, using the skills the course has taught him and her to provide a competitive analysis.
The course just wrapped up its most recent session on Nov. 23, but you can join the watchlist to see when the next session takes place.

Tuesday, August 25

Vids on Renewable Energy

Video Collection on Renewable Energy

Published on Mar 11, 2015
Germany Trade & Invest presents its short film about Germany’s Renewable Energy Revolution, the so called Energiewende (energy transition).
Voices from science, industry, and politics outline the achievements made so far, next steps, and the opportunities the energy transition offers.
More: http://www.gtai.com/energy

Uploaded on Jan 23, 2012
Countries all over the world are leading the way towards a green economy. Unfortunately lobbying by the oil, gas, coal and nuclear industries are hindering progress. Very soon, perhaps even now depending on the cost of electricity in your area, solar technology will be more economically cost effective than traditional forms of electrical production.

Published on Apr 9, 2015
Alternative energy is any energy source that is an alternative to fossil fuel. These alternatives are intended to address concerns about such fossil fuels.
The nature of what constitutes an alternative energy source has changed considerably over time, as have controversies regarding energy use. Today, because of the variety of energy choices and differing goals of their advocates, defining some energy types as "alternative" is highly controversial.

In a general sense, alternative energy as it is currently conceived, is that which is produced or recovered without the undesirable consequences inherent in fossil fuel use, particularly high carbon dioxide emissions, an important factor in global warming.


Published on Mar 15, 2012
On March 12, 2012, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Heinrich Böll Foundation held a Congressional briefing which discussed the energy transition occurring in Germany and how that compares, specifically with regard to the solar sector, with the United States. In the international race to a low-carbon economy, Germany has raised particular interest with its quick transition from coal and nuclear energy to a renewable-energy based economy.


Uploaded on Dec 17, 2011

The statement from Malcolm Turnbull, "Solar is good for humanity" would have massive symbolic impact...

Friday, December 5

Calling Ylvp15

https://eng.si.se/areas-of-operation/leadership-programmes-and-cultural-exchange/young-leaders-visitors-programme/
The application process for YLVP 2015 is open! For more information on how to apply, please see Application procedure.
The application process for YLVP 2015 is now open! Deadline for applications is December 12, 2014.
Who can apply to YLVP?
  • Be an engaged leader within the spheres of society, culture, politics or media (for example project managers, youth leaders, journalists, bloggers, activists, youth politicians, cultural workers, civil servants, lawyers and pedagogues).
  • Work actively for democracy and human rights.
  • Be between 20-32 years old (at the time of the start of the programme).
  • Have a good working knowledge of both written and spoken English.
  • A citizen of Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Palestine*, Yemen or Sweden

How do we select our participants?

  • The relevance and quality of personal motivation and commitment, and the applicant’s answers to the YLVP application form.
  • An assessment of the CV.
  • The general qualifications of the applicant.
How to apply?
  • A completed YLVP Application Form 2015 in English,  including your contact details and the contact details of two reference persons.
  • An updated CV in English
  • A photo (not compulsory)
Important dates
  • Deadline for applications: December 12, 2014
  • Google Hangout interviews: 26 January-6 February
  • Accepted applicants will be informed by: 26 February
  • YLVP module 1 in Sweden: May 17-June 5, 2015
  • YLVP follow up in the MENA region (location to be confirmed): November 21-27, 2015
Want to check us out on social media? See Young Leaders Visitors Programme (YLVP)
To apply to Young Leaders Visitors Programme you have to:
* Palestinian ID holders, including Jerusalem ID
Please note that we will not be able to make any exceptions to the eligibility requirements.
The Swedish Institute will appoint a selection committee consisting of staff from the Swedish Institute as well as representatives from partner organisations and field experts. The applications will be evaluated according to the following selection criteria:
Out of all applicants, a number of shortlisted candidates will be called for interviews as a second step in the selection process. The interviews will be conducted through Google Hangout.
The Swedish Institute will then contact 30 selected applicants by email by February 16, 2015, and offer them a place in the Young Leaders Visitors Programme. The Swedish Institute will also compose a list of reserve candidates in case a second selection round would be needed. Reserves who have been offered a place in the Young Leaders Visitors programme will be notified by February 26, 2015. As far as possible, the Swedish Institute will ensure that there is an even distribution of candidates from the different countries.

Please note that the Young Leaders Visitors Programme is an intensive programme with a full day schedule and many evening activities. All selected participants will have to commit to participate in all activities of both module 1 and 2.
You are welcome to apply to the Young Leaders Visitors Programme 2015 starting from November 11, 2014.
Apply by filling out the YLVP Application Form 2015 and submit it through our Application portal together with your CV in English. Please note that we do not accept applications submitted by email. Deadline for applications is December 12, 2014. Only applicants who have submitted a complete application will be considered for the programme.
Please note that the reference persons should be someone who knows your work in the areas of democracy and human rights. We may contact the reference persons of the applicants who are selected for an interview. We only need the contact details of the references (name, job title, telephone number and email), i.e. no letters of recommendation. We accept references who speak English, Arabic or French.
If you have any questions regarding the application form, please contact ylvp(a)si.se.
Due to the large number of applications that we receive, we are unfortunately not able to send personal replies to all applicants. Hence, if you have not heard from us by February 26, 2015, you have not been accepted to the Young Leaders Visitors Programme. However, you are more than welcome to apply again for next year’s programme.
Want to know more about the YLVP? See About the Programme