Who will step up to meet the challenge of the next rural crisis?
Rural practice presents important yet challenging issues for psychology, especially given uneven population distribution, high levels of need, limited availability of rural services, and ongoing migration to urban centers. It is critical that mental health professionals and first responders in rural areas become aware of recent research, training and approaches to crisis intervention, traumatology, compassion fatigue, disaster mental health, critical incident stress management, post-traumatic stress and related areas in rural environments. Critical issues facing rural areas include:
Physical issues such as land, air, and water resources, cheap food policy, chemicals and pesticides, animal rights, corruption in food marketing and distribution, and land appropriation for energy development. Quality of life issues such as rural America's declining share of national wealth, problems of hunger, education, and rural poverty among rural populations of farmers and ranchers. Direct service issues include the need to accommodate a wide variety of mental health difficulties, client privacy and boundaries, and practical challenges. Indirect service issues include the greater need for diverse professional activities, collaborative work with professionals having different orientations and beliefs, program development and evaluation, and conducting research with few mentors or peer collaborators. Professional training and development issues include lack of specialized relevant courses and placements. Personal issues include limited opportunities for recreation, culture, and lack of privacy.
Doherty's first volume in this new series "Crisis in the American Heartland" explores these and many other issues. Social Science: Disasters & Disaster Relief
For more information please visit www.RMRInstitute.org

The natural workings of the Earth often lead to immense human suffering. Is this suffering inevitable? In this book Simon Saint makes the case that it isn't. He considers two events which are typically thought of as 'natural disasters' - the 2008 Boxing Day Tsunami and the current events in Japan (March 2011) - and explains why these events, whilst having natural causes, are actually 'human-made' disasters. The acceptance that these disasters are the results of human actions is useful because it means that humans can act so as to prevent such disasters reoccurring in the future.

Beyond the Primary Commodity Trap offers an alternative paradigm for analysing African development from the current "aid and aids" narrative. Taking as its point of departure Africa's failure to extricate itself from over dependence on raw materials and its seeming inability to industrialise, it offers an analysis of the political forces that have shaped and continue to shape Africa's political economy. The book focuses particularly on the endemic poverty in the continent and how it interfaces with politics. Written with the general reader in mind, the book also examines some of the internal dynamics in Africa and how these combine with the continent's history and some other extraneous factors to explain the current conditions of economic poverty and the poverty of leadership in many parts of the continent. _________________________________________________ Uchendu Egbezor holds degrees in Law, Third World Studies, Mass Communication/Journalism as well as in International Relations. A political activist, his published books include Nigeria: Breaking the Stranglehold of the Neo-colonial Elites (1996) and Nigeria: The Search for a New Order and the Imperative of Southern Unity (1999). He has also contributed articles to many magazines and newspapers in Nigeria. He currently practises law in the UK.

Empire of Humanity explores humanitarianism's remarkable growth from its humble origins in the early nineteenth century to its current prominence in global life. In contrast to most contemporary accounts of humanitarianism that concentrate on the last two decades, Michael Barnett ties the past to the present, connecting the antislavery and missionary movements of the nineteenth century to today's peacebuilding missions, the Cold War interventions in places like Biafra and Cambodia to post Cold War humanitarian operations in regions such as the Great Lakes of Africa and the Balkans; and the creation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1863 to the emergence of the major international humanitarian organizations of the twentieth century. Based on extensive archival work, close encounters with many of today's leading international agencies, and interviews with dozens of aid workers in the field and at headquarters, Empire of Humanity provides a history that is both global and intimate.

Avoiding both romanticism and cynicism, Empire of Humanity explores humanitarianism's enduring themes, trends, and, most strikingly, ethical ambiguities. Humanitarianism hopes to change the world, but the world has left its mark on humanitarianism. Humanitarianism has undergone three distinct global ages imperial, postcolonial, and liberal each of which has shaped what humanitarianism can do and what it is. The world has produced not one humanitarianism, but instead varieties of humanitarianism. Furthermore, Barnett observes that the world of humanitarianism is divided between an emergency camp that wants to save lives and nothing else and an alchemist camp that wants to remove the causes of suffering. These camps offer different visions of what are the purpose and principles of humanitarianism, and, accordingly respond differently to the same global challenges and humanitarianism emergencies. Humanitarianism has developed a metropolis of global institutions of care, amounting to a global governance of humanity. This humanitarian governance, Barnett observes, is an empire of humanity: it exercises power over the very individuals it hopes to emancipate.

Although many use humanitarianism as a symbol of moral progress, Barnett provocatively argues that humanitarianism has undergone its most impressive gains after moments of radical inhumanity, when the "international community" believes that it must atone for its sins and reduce the breach between what we do and who we think we are. Humanitarianism is not only about the needs of its beneficiaries; it also is about the needs of the compassionate."

The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 exposed the severe consequences of breakdowns in emergency communications used by first responders. Failures in emergency communications resulted in numerous lost lives and exacerbated already challenging situations. These past events have increased focus on the need to enhance emergency communications to respond more effectively to future catastrophic disasters. Effective response to catastrophic disasters will require that first responders - law enforcement personnel, fire-fighters, and others first on the scene - have reliable communication systems, including supporting infrastructure, facilities and staff. This book focuses on the issues and vulnerabilities to emergency communications systems, the federal assistance available and other challenges with these efforts.

Rev. Emeka Obiezu, OSA has attained a remarkable achievement in his book. Both academics and workers in the field focusing on contemporary Africa, especially Nigeria, as well as those interested in our global reality can all find that Fr. Obiezu speaks clearly and urgently to them. I can think of only one audience who will not gladly welcome these well-researched, well-written pages--those people who now profit from an oppression that causes suffering for others. John Paul Szura, OSA, St. Augustine Center of Studies, Quezon City, Philippines What Emeka Obiezu offers with his particular type of analysis is a Christian political theology applicable to the specific situation of Nigeria, but whose implications are global as well. As I read him, Obiezu seems to be advocating for a more robust political theological action that blends the best of Christian theological views and values of compassion with a realistic approach to the actual situation in Nigeria. Marsha Hewitt, Professor of Ethics and Contemporary Theology, Trinity College, University of Toronto Towards a Politics Compassion. includes a wide range of reading in various different areas: philosophy and theology of suffering and compassion; socio-political theologies of liberation and current socio-political issues in Nigeria. It brings the areas of spirituality, political theology, and socio-moral thought into constructive and integrative dialogue. This is a significant contribution from a fine young scholar. Michael Stoeber, Professor of Spirituality and Pastoral Theology, Regis College, University of Toronto. Emeka's book, Towards a Politics of Compassion., exposes his dogged power of reasoning and down-to-earth response to duty. He typically makes a very strong case for the functionality of compassion in operative theology. Emeka's diligent analysis and illustration, makes Christ's participation in sinful humanity without being a sinner very lucid, and thus compels every reader to participate in the cause of poverty eradication in Nigeria and other lands. I am glad that it is coming to Nigeria now that we need such a powerful proposal to reinvent our nation Nigeria. Bartholomew Chidili, OSA, PhD, Professor of Religious Studies at Kaduna State University, Kaduna, Nigeria. Among other noticeable virtues of Towards a Political Compassion: Socio-political Dimensions of Christian Responses to Suffering are its simplicity of structure and clarity of focus. The case made on behalf of "politics of compassion" is done in the light of two viewpoints: (a) an explicit recognition of the inadequacy - even bankruptcy - of self-interest, ambition and force for achieving political and economic justice, and (b) it takes its stand on a Christian premise: that the "way" of Jesus is in fact the most promising 'way' for empirically healing and advancing genuine community at all levels of human and environmental relationships in Nigeria. Jack Costello, SJ, Adjunct Professor of Philosophy, Regis College, University of Toronto Emeka Xris Obiezu, OSA, an Augustinian priest, is a doctoral student of Political Theology at Regis College, University of Toronto, Canada. He has special interest in issues that relate to the socio-political dimension of the mission of the Church especially the Church's relation with international organizations.

Much discussion follows disasters and critical incidents about returning to normal, but "normal" is never the same again. "Return to Equilibrium," involving integrating the event, its effects, meanings and recognition it's part of one's life can build a new balance and create a new enriched life. Good or bad, experience changes us. Integrating experience into our life creates a new balance. Re-establishing balance in life integrates the event as part of one's life, constructively developing a new "normality." "Return to Equilibrium" is a goal of recovery.
Military personnel (Regular, Reserve, National Guard) are deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq for various lengths and number of tours, leaving jobs, family and college for extended periods to serve our country. While deployed, they are in harm's way 24/7. Some are severely wounded physically. Many others are wounded emotionally and behaviorally. Family members are all affected by deployments. They are supported through Family Services groups during deployment. Veterans and families receive assistance upon return into the community. Veterans organizations provide additional support. Increasing numbers of Veterans return with PTSD, anxiety, depression, somatic problems and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), directly affecting relations among spouses, children, friends, relatives and fellow employees in our communities.
Particularly disturbing is the number of suicides occurring among military personnel. Most affected is the returning veteran. Adjusting to changed lives and re-adjusting to families and community is not always smooth. How can communities better understand these adjustments, support returning veterans and become involved in re-integrating them back into communities? What resources are available? What is the role of mental health professionals? Who do they network and interact with? Do they have a role with other healthcare providers, public health, hospitals, veterans organizations, veterans administration, military support groups, etc? How can these groups strategically plan how to address and respond to needs in a combined effort? What issues need to be addressed?
November 6-8, 2008, the Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Institute held their Annual Disaster Mental Health Conference in Laramie, Wyoming. The Conference theme was: Return to Equilibrium. Two areas were addressed: Disaster Mental Health and Returning Military and Families.
Praise for "The Proceedings of the Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Conference"
..".A must have for first responders and mental health professionals. Addressing the needs of people who work in these fields is critical. The better trained they are to be emotionally equipped for disasters, the better they can help others. I think that the pages of information covered in this book will be some of the most important information needed by people in this field today."
--Page Lovitt, Reader Views
"This compilation of papers deals with people s reactions to a wide variety of disasters, including not only terror and Hurricane Katrina, but child abuse and the trauma suffered by families of service members. Taken together, the papers are fascinating. These Proceedings provide insight into the nature of the individual's response to terror and disaster. They should be interesting reading for everyone who either indirectly or directly has been affected."
--Linda Benninghoff, author of "Departures"
RM DMH Institute Press
PO Box 786
Laramie, WY 82073-0786
Phone: 307-399-4818
www.rmrinstitute.org
"Learning from the past and planning for the future"
An Imprint of Loving Healing Press www.LHPress.com

First published in 2000. Abstract: "India is prone to natural and man-made disasters. The number has been increasing every year because of the mixture of various factors such as adverse weather, population growth, urbanization, and industrialization. How the Republic of India organizes for managing significant natural and man-made disasters, its capacity for effective response, and its ability to achieve unity of effort among governmental and non-governmental organizations are the elements of analysis here. This is of interest because India is an emerging world power; it is currently the second largest country in the world in population, and by 2050 it will have surpassed China as the largest. The number of Indians affected by disaster events shows a steady upward trend. Disasters have been taking a heavy toll of human and animal lives. Floods have proven to be the most devastating type of natural disaster in India, causing the maximum number of deaths and damage to property (cyclones have taken a heavy toll of lives and caused widespread devastation). At the same time, droughts affect a large segment of population, resulting in loss of employment and migration to other regions. Earthquakes have caused a comparatively lower amount of damage, but landslides are likely to increase in frequency in the coming years because of deforestation and over development on hillsides. Conurbation and industrialization have combined to create a dangerous synergy that now presents a significant hazard to India's people. In responding to these kinds of hazards, India's disaster management officials and professional humanitarians conduct disaster planning and response generally within a paradigm of three phases: Pre-disaster; Emergency (or Disaster Impact); Post Disaster (or Recovery). There is a strong emphasis in government policy and planning to encourage mitigation, i.e., actions taken prior to the occurrence of a disaster, including preparedness and long-term risk reduction measures."

Developing country governments and the development aid community are acutely aware of the need to find more effective ways to improve basic living conditions for the poor, as traditional approaches of delivering public support have not always led to the results intended. Results-based financing (RBF) instruments, which tie the disbursement of public funding to the achievement of pre-agreed results, are now recognized as one important piece of the aid delivery puzzle. The aim of these instruments is to enhance the effectiveness of public funding. 'Output-Based Aid: Lessons Learned and Best Practices' provides a practical understanding of the experience with output-based aid (OBA), a results-based instrument that is being used to deliver basic infrastructure and social services to the poor, including through public-private partnerships. OBA has been used in the World Bank Group since 2002, including more recently through the Global Partnership on Output-Based Aid, which has a mandate to design and test OBA approaches. The authors of this book analyze nearly 200 OBA projects in water and sanitation, energy, health, roads, telecommunications, and education. The piloting phase of OBA has in general been a success and OBA has demonstrated clear advantages over traditional approaches in terms of efficiently targeting subsidies and mobilizing the private sector to serve poor households that would otherwise go without an improved service. OBA has also demonstrated that monitoring for results is possible if appropriate systems are put in place. As the first comprehensive review of OBA in eight years, this book will be an essential reference for infrastructure and social services sector experts and OBA practitioners around the world including staff of international financial institutions, public and private service providers, and NGOs as well as for donors and governments who are interested in piloting or scaling up and mainstreaming OBA approaches. As the first comprehensive review of OBA in eight years, this book will be an essential reference for infrastructure and social services sector experts and OBA practitioners around the world, including staff of international financial institutions, public and private service providers, and NGOs; and for donors and governments who are interested in piloting or scaling-up and mainstreaming OBA approaches."

Peace For Your Home offers a fresh eyes approach for emergency preparedness and offers a guide you can follow along with as you begin or continue in your efforts to live a more stress-free life. By preparing you will be less stressed about the future. The book covers where to start, identifying your needs, meal planning, food substitutions, and provides many miscellaneous tips to help prepare spiritually, mentally, and physically for emergencies.

As millions continue to face a future of food poverty, lessons can be learned by considering how farmer cooperatives succeeded in improving India's food security. "Operation Flood," which revitalized the Indian dairy industry between 1970 and 1996, was the world's largest development program, however critics accused it of luring India to neocolonial dependence on European surpluses. Eventually the perils of reliance on food aid were managed by proper pricing policies that both benefited rural farming families and wiped out urban "milk famines." In 2008 the World Bank hailed the program's success and now promotes similar schemes in Africa. A detailed understanding of India's White Revolution is therefore imperative in the context of its future use in the developing world.

Chief Dewey Whetsell is a thirty-four year veteran with the forty-member Cordova (Alaska) Volunteer Fire Department providing structural, marine fire protection, underwater rescue/recovery, and Search and Rescue operations. He is a recipient of Alaska's highest fire service award. Chief Whetsell is past-president of the Alaska Fire Chiefs association and certified Level IV instructor. He authored the 160-hour Senior Fire Officer's Course covering NFPA-1021, among numerous other courses. At the invitation of the Alaska Departmetn of Emergency Services, Chief Whetsell represented the City of Cordova during the 1989 Exxon-Valdex oil spill and eventually was responsible for impementation of the Incident Command System in spill response plans by major oil companies shipping oil in Alaska waters.

Crises Happen... Will You Be Ready?
Crises affect people on many different levels, including psychological well-being. The 2004/2009 tsunamis, hurricanes Rita and Katrina, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are among events continuing to affect millions of lives daily. Potential events like Avian and Swine Flu pandemics, global warming/climate change and threats of spreading unrest in the Middle East are concerns weighing heavily on all. Planning and coordination are important components of responses to crises, disasters, and critical incidents.
Resilience, recovery from crises, community preparation, learning from past experience, and strategically planning for future events are all activities involving education, training and time of first responders, behavioral health professionals, chaplains and others.
Additional response variables include cultural knowledge and sensitivity. We need to respond appropriately within a culture not our own, whether locally, nationally, or internationally. The purpose of a behavioral health plan is to ensure efficient, coordinated and effective responses to behavioral health needs of affected populations during times of disasters and other critical incidents.
Readers of this book will:
Learn how the community and individuals respond to recover from disasters. Identify activities in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters. Perform strategic planning and explain how it is helpful in mitigating and responding to disasters, critical incidents and other crises. Understand the mental health services provided to people affected by disasters, critical incidents and other crises. Identify and explain how disaster mental health professionals are affected by responding to disasters, critical incidents and other crises. Understand the stages of disaster recovery and how resilience affects each stage. Learn the signs and symptoms of disaster induced stress and emotional trauma and how resilience mitigates outcomes. Discover the meaning of "Return to Equilibrium" and explain its role in the recovery process following a disaster or critical incident.
Praise for "From Crisis to Recovery"
"Mr. Doherty has produced an invaluable reference volume for everyone involved in disaster response/disaster preparedness field. It is a must for your library His attention to detail, breadth of scope, depth of knowledge and readable writing style, reflect the work of an eminent scholar in his field and one who has paid his dues on the frontlines. It represents the ultimate A to Z 'How to Do It' manual in this difficult, complicated field. From the sensitive discussion of clinical issues to the organizational planning details, the clarity and thoroughness of this volume are outstanding. This book should be required reading for everyone involved in this critical field."
--John G. Jones, Ph.D. ABPP ATR-BC Licensed Psychologist
Learn more about the Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Institute at www.RMRinstitute.org
MED003010 Medical: Allied Health Services - Emergency Medical Services
SOC040000 Social Science: Disasters & Disaster Relief
PSY022040 Psychology: Psychopathology - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

The history of debt relief goes back several decades. It reveals that a country s accumulation of unsustainable debt stems from such factors as deficiencies in macroeconomic management, adverse terms-of-trade shocks, and poor governance. Debt-relief initiatives have provided debt-burdened countries with the opportunity for a fresh start, but whether the benefits of debt relief can be preserved depends on transformations in a country s policies and institutions. In 1996, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative was launched as the first comprehensive, multilateral, debt-relief framework for low-income countries. In 2005, the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative was established, which increased the level of debt relief provided to HIPCs. As of early 2009, assistance through these two initiatives had been committed to 35 countries and amounted to US$117 billion in nominal terms, or half of the 2007 GDP of these countries. 'Debt Relief and Beyond' assesses the implications of debt relief for low-income countries and how its benefits can be preserved and used to fight poverty. The chapter authors bring unique operational experience to their examination of debt relief, debt sustainability, and debt management. Several key questions are addressed, including, what consequences does debt relief have for poverty-reducing expenditures, growth, and access to finance? Can debt relief guarantee debt sustainability? How can debt management at all levels of government be improved? What lessons can be learned from countries that have experienced debt restructuring? Finally, this book provides sound empirical evidence using current econometric techniques."

Dependent Communities investigates the political situations in contemporary Cambodia and East Timor, where powerful international donors intervened following deadly civil conflicts. This comparative analysis critiques international policies that focus on rebuilding state institutions to accommodate the global market. In addition, it explores the dilemmas of politicians in Cambodia and East Timor who struggle to satisfy both wealthy foreign benefactors and constituents at home-groups whose interests frequently conflict. Hughes argues that the policies of Western aid organizations tend to stifle active political engagement by the citizens of countries that have been torn apart by war. The neoliberal ideology promulgated by United Nations administrations and other international NGOs advocates state sovereignty, but in fact "sovereignty" is too flimsy a foundation for effective modern democratic politics. The result is an oppressive peace that tends to rob survivors and former resistance fighters of their agency and aspirations for genuine postwar independence. In her study of these two cases, Hughes demonstrates that the clientelist strategies of Hun Sen, Cambodia's postwar leader, have created a shadow network of elites and their followers that has been comparatively effective in serving the country's villages, even though so often coercive and corrupt. East Timor's postwar leaders, on the other hand, have alienated voters by attempting to follow the guidelines of the donors closely and ignoring the immediate needs and voices of the people. Dependent Communities offers a searing analysis of contemporary international aid strategies based on the author's years of fieldwork in Cambodia and East Timor.

A well-trained tracking dog can be the deciding factor that determines success in both criminal investigations and search-and-rescue operations. When the stakes are high, demanding the highest level of performance from your K9, you need training methods relied upon by police forces and SAR teams around the world. Dr. Resi Gerritsen and Ruud Haak show you how to train your dog in clean-scent tracking, a proven method that trains dogs to follow a particular scent on a track, while ignoring cross-tracks and other odors. In K9 Professional Tracking, you'll learn how to train a clean-scent tracking dog you can count on. You'll also learn to fully understand what your K9 is and is not capable of in the field. With the right knowledge and techniques, you'll be able to train tracking dogs to the highest professional standards.

Safety nets are noncontributory transfer programs targeted to the poor or vulnerable. They play important roles in social policy. Safety nets redistribute income, thereby immediately reducing poverty and inequality; they enable households to invest in the human capital of their children and in the livelihoods of their earners; they help households manage risk, both ex ante and ex post; and they allow governments to implement macroeconomic or sectoral reforms that support efficiency and growth. To be effective, safety nets must not only be well intended, but also well designed and well implemented. A good safety net system and its programs are tailored to country circumstances, adequate in their coverage and generosity, equitable, cost-effective, incentive compatible, and sustainable. Good safety nets are also dynamic and change over time as the economy changes or as management problems are solved and new standards are set. Drawing on a wealth of research, policy, and operational documents from both academia and the World Bank s work in over 100 countries, For Protection and Promotion provides pragmatic and informed guidance on how to design and implement safety nets, including useful information on how to define eligibility and select beneficiaries, set and pay benefits, and monitor and evaluate programs and systems. The book synthesizes the literature to date and enriches it with new examples on various program options cash transfers (conditional and unconditional), in-kind transfers, price subsidies, fee waivers, and public works. It concludes with a comprehensive diagnostic for fitting safety net systems and programs to specific circumstances."

Dependent Communities investigates the political situations in contemporary Cambodia and East Timor, where powerful international donors intervened following deadly civil conflicts. This comparative analysis critiques international policies that focus on rebuilding state institutions to accommodate the global market. In addition, it explores the dilemmas of politicians in Cambodia and East Timor who struggle to satisfy both wealthy foreign benefactors and constituents at home-groups whose interests frequently conflict. Hughes argues that the policies of Western aid organizations tend to stifle active political engagement by the citizens of countries that have been torn apart by war. The neoliberal ideology promulgated by United Nations administrations and other international NGOs advocates state sovereignty, but in fact "sovereignty" is too flimsy a foundation for effective modern democratic politics. The result is an oppressive peace that tends to rob survivors and former resistance fighters of their agency and aspirations for genuine postwar independence. In her study of these two cases, Hughes demonstrates that the clientelist strategies of Hun Sen, Cambodia's postwar leader, have created a shadow network of elites and their followers that has been comparatively effective in serving the country's villages, even though so often coercive and corrupt. East Timor's postwar leaders, on the other hand, have alienated voters by attempting to follow the guidelines of the donors closely and ignoring the immediate needs and voices of the people. Dependent Communities offers a searing analysis of contemporary international aid strategies based on the author's years of fieldwork in Cambodia and East Timor.