by Nicky Hager (2002)
In November 2000 - in the middle of the Royal Commission on genetic engineering - the Government learned that a shipment of GE contaminated sweet corn seeds had been planted in three regions of New Zealand. Imposing strict secrecy, Prime Minister Helen Clark took control of the issue and said that the crops must be pulled out. Then the big business lobbying began. Over the following weeks, the pulling up was replaced by a cover-up. Helen Clark's Government did a U-turn: the contaminated crops, including thousands of GE sweet corn plants, were allowed to spread their pollen and then be harvested for sale in New Zealand and overseas. The rest of the known contaminated seed batch was approved for planting. The public was not told. The Government misled the Royal Commission members about the incident to stop it influencing their findings. It is a story about the anti-democratic influence of big business, political expediency, abuse of power, manipulation of the news media and misleading a Royal Commission. Above all, it is about a serious breach of trust by the very people who had been saying 'trust us' over genetic engineering in New Zealand.
Connie Paige
An in-depth examination of the "Right to Life" movement analyzes its strengths, weaknesses, political bases, and strategies, identifies its dominant leaders, ideologues, and financial backers, and assesses its political power.
Owen Worth, Phoebe Moore
The semi-periphery, in the form of a state or a production zone within the middle tiers of world production was traditionally regarded as a mediator between the advanced and the 'underdeveloped' parts of the world and was often marked by instability and as a potential revolutionary agent. Work and production continue to divide the rich and the poor, but the actual methods and possibility for the anti-systemic change of globalizing capitalism is revisited in this book. Contributors to this volume speak to one another across chapters to ask what exactly the relevance of the semi-periphery will be. Will it be a transformative entity or not, in the context of the emergence of 'globalization' and specific 'world orders' as forms of explanations within World Politics? This collection re-examines and re-assesses the role of the semi-periphery in world politics and argues that the processes of globalization have led us to widen our understanding of the semi-periphery, through a range of case studies as well as theoretical chapters.
Henry Petroski
This book explores the nature of engineering and technology through case studies of familiar objects, from paper clips and aluminum cans to airplanes and modern high-rise buildings. These real-world artifacts (some of which I have written about before) are approached here from a perspective designed to illuminate different facets of the engineering enterprise -- design, analysis, failure, economics, aesthetics, communications, politics, and quality control, to name but a few. The case studies also touch on a variety of engineering fields, including aeronautical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, manufacturing, mechanical, and structural engineering. - Preface.
L. Fargo Wells, Karin B. Dulat
Exporting from Start to Finance points the way to doors of opportunity opened by NAFTA and GATT. It prepares exporters to take advantage of political shifts in Eastern Europe and Russia, the opening up of China, changes in the European Union and the MERCOSUR trade bloc in Latin America, and many other global issues that have created exploitable opportunities. And it serves as a valuable reference to the completely restructured export support programs - covering both financing and marketing - that are available from the public and private sectors. Readers will find necessary information on the International Chamber of Commerce's completely revamped rules and practices on letters of credit and electronic data interchange (EDI) developments. The Harmonized Description and Coding System for exports and imports is thoroughly explained, with an explanation of its impact on market research and international trade statistics. Especially welcome is this book's extensive coverage of current sources of government help, including financing, from the Export-Import Bank to the International Trade Administration of the Department of Commerce to AID, SBA, OPIC, and other government agencies, all of which have undergone major changes.