This book addresses the breakdown of failed democratic systems in Latin America and the Caribbean. The scope of this investigation is a study of political systems of Venezuela, Colombia, and Nicaragua. The implications of the present research on democratic purgatory have real-world applications not only for the above countries but also for those political systems that are currently transitioning and/or consolidating their democracies as well.  

Computer vision is a rapidly developing and highly interdisciplinary field of computer science and engineering. An increasing number of researchers are turning their attention to the development of vision algorithms that can analyse dynamic images at real-time rates. Real-time vision is needed for automated systems to keep pace with real-world activities and thus control or respond appropriately to them. This is the first book devoted to the subject of real-time computer vision, and includes articles by some of the leading researchers in the world. The focus is on algorithms for interpreting visual input at video rates and on using the gathered information for decision-making and control. Topics covered include: shape recovery; model-based vehicle tracking; active exploration; tracking heads and eyes; controlling robot behavior; visual monitoring; controlling distributed robots. The book will be of interest to students, researchers and engineers involved in the design and programming of visually guided systems.

Constructing International Studies is a collection of writings that explores the most progressive edge of the discipline. Through diverse perspectives and issues, the book gives students a thorough understanding of how the field is developing presently. By incorporating the conceptual thinking that will frame the next generation of international studies, it provides students an understanding of the contemporary discussions and prepares them for meaningful future engagement in the field. The book opens with a foreword by Nicholas Greenwood Onuf. The first thematic section is devoted to addressing the meaning of international studies and its place in academia. Subsequent sections discuss the construction of identities in a post-modern world, constructing the notion of the "international," and deconstructing security and development. The textbook promotes a real-world global perspective through the inclusion of reflective readings from scholars who are shaping discussions on the future of the discipline. The work explores topics such as feminist international relations, international law and organizations, postcolonial agency, norms, international political economy, development, the rise of nationalism, and the role of human rights beyond liberal and republican traditions. Dynamic and interdisciplinary, the representative sampling of scholarship in Constructing International Studies is well-suited to lower-level courses with a progressive orientation. It is an ideal choice for upper-division courses dedicated to discussing current, enlivening themes in the field.

African Americans once passed as whites to escape the pains of racism. Today's neo-passing has pushed the old idea of passing in extraordinary new directions. A white author uses an Asian pen name; heterosexuals live "out" as gay; and, irony of ironies, whites try to pass as black. Mollie Godfrey and Vershawn Ashanti Young present essays that explore practices, performances, and texts of neo-passing in our supposedly postracial moment. The authors move from the postracial imagery of Angry Black White Boy and the issues of sexual orientation and race in ZZ Packer's short fiction to the politics of Dave Chappelle's skits as a black President George W. Bush. Together, the works reveal that the questions raised by neo-passing-questions about performing and contesting identity in relation to social norms-remain as relevant today as in the past. Contributors: Derek Adams, Christopher M. Brown, Martha J. Cutter, Marcia Alesan Dawkins, Michele Elam, Alisha Gaines, Jennifer Glaser, Allyson Hobbs, Brandon J. Manning, Loran Marsan, Lara Narcisi, Eden Osucha, Gayle Wald, and Deborah Elizabeth Whaley

African Americans once passed as whites to escape the pains of racism. Today's neo-passing has pushed the old idea of passing in extraordinary new directions. A white author uses an Asian pen name; heterosexuals live "out" as gay; and, irony of ironies, whites try to pass as black. Mollie Godfrey and Vershawn Ashanti Young present essays that explore practices, performances, and texts of neo-passing in our supposedly postracial moment. The authors move from the postracial imagery of Angry Black White Boy and the issues of sexual orientation and race in ZZ Packer's short fiction to the politics of Dave Chappelle's skits as a black President George W. Bush. Together, the works reveal that the questions raised by neo-passing-questions about performing and contesting identity in relation to social norms-remain as relevant today as in the past. Contributors: Derek Adams, Christopher M. Brown, Martha J. Cutter, Marcia Alesan Dawkins, Michele Elam, Alisha Gaines, Jennifer Glaser, Allyson Hobbs, Brandon J. Manning, Loran Marsan, Lara Narcisi, Eden Osucha, Gayle Wald, and Deborah Elizabeth Whaley