Dealing with Low-Tech Terrorist Communications in the Hi-Tech Age: Toward a Theory of Fault-Intolerant Network Organizations

Information systems analysts have typically focused on high technology, often overlooking low-technology communications even though the core of social network load is still essentially low-tech. In this context, the paper argues that while hi-tech offers efficiency gains at the individual level, many shortcomings prevent its complete penetration at the social network level in organizations that operate in hostile environments, requiring them to prioritize fault-tolerance above efficiency. Thus, such fault-intolerant network organizations optimize hi-tech for the individual level and low-tech for the social network level. The general class of such organizations is well represented among business and government structures; however, terrorist organizations provide an especially fitting research case at this time of acute terrorist threats facing the world economy and society at large. Hence, setting aside the prevailing preoccupation with hi-tech and attempting to understand the underlying principles of the high- versus low-tech interplay, particularly as applied to these organizations, is crucial in being able to detect terrorist communications and thwart their activities. Toward this goal, this paper introduces a concept of fault-intolerant network organization (FINO) and develops an analytical framework for addressing the research question of how such organizations use technology

Populism and Democracy

Глобальний політичний ландшафт сьогодення пронизаний популізмом, вагомим свідченням чого є усеприсутність «терміну» популізм у публічних дебатах, яка посилюється його смисловою та ідеологічною неоднозначністю, оскільки охопивши широкий спектр явищ і рухів, популізм став парасолькою, під якою можуть бути розміщені усі або майже усі форми політичного дискурсу. Дискусії щодо популізму оприявнюють його амальгамний характер та розбіжності в його оцінках, що мають місце не лише у медійно-політичному, але й у науковому контексті. Цей дисонанс породжує, крім спроб концептуалізувати популізм або принаймні виявити його сутнісні риси, з якими погодилася би політично-політологічна спільнота, й інше прагнення, а саме: з’ясувати, з чим пов’язаний  нечуваний сплеск популізму в світі, на що він вказує, на нормальний розвиток суспільства демократій чи на те, що з суспільством не все гаразд, і політичний клас мусить реагувати відповідно.Підходи до розуміння популізму (Е. Лаклау, П.-А. Тагієффа, М. Кенован, К. Мадда, П. Розанваллона, І. Суреля та І. Мені тощо) класифікують його по-різному (як назагал нормальну політику, тонку ідеологію, політичний стиль, девіацію демократії), натомість щодо основних рис, притаманних популізму, згода, попри анонсовану поліфонію, можлива. Популізм характеризується спрощеним розумінням суспільства, чия єдність фундується його ідентичністю, протиставленням брудної корумпованої еліти чистому і здоровому єдиному народу, суб’єкту спільної волі, претензією на монополію володіння істиною про цю волю.Особливий інтерес становить відношення між популізмом та демократією, дослідження якого зазвичай відбуваються в межах класичної дискусії про розбудову демократії у сучасних суспільствах, де перебільшена увага до демократичної процедури супроводжується все більшим відстороненням населення від реальної участі у прийнятті політичних рішень, що і є, на думку дослідників, причиною появи і успіху популістських політичних сил, тобто, популізм є відповіддю на кризу представницької демократії. Непопулярна теза, представлена у цій розвідці, полягає в певному зміщенні акцентів, а саме: якщо популізм – це патологія, то патологічна за суттю сама демократія (в широкому сенсі слова, як установка і спосіб мислити розвиток суспільства), і популізм тому не що інше як її епіфеномен, який потребує демократії для власного існування, втілює її імперативи, але жодним чином не може на неї вплинути, спотворюючи або вдосконалюючи. Дві атрибутивні характеристики демократії (ідея свободи та ідея рівності) породжують популізм, а принципова нездійсненність демократії (як ідеальної форми) забезпечує його успіх. Тому поруч з появою демократичного мислення обов’язково з’являється мислення популістське, а багатоманіття форм втілення демократичної установки спричиняє протеїзм популізму.Present-day global political landscape is imbued with populism, a weighty evidence of which is the presence of the “term” populism in public debate, which is aggravated by its semantic and ideological ambiguity, since, embracing a wide range of phenomena and movements, populism has become a kind of umbrella under which all or almost all forms of political discourse can be placed. The debate about populism proves its amalgamous nature and the discrepancies in its evaluation, which take place not only in the media-political, but also in the scientific context. In addition to attempts to conceptualize populism, or at least to reveal its essential features with which the political and politological community would agree, this dissonance generates another desire, namely: to find out what the unbelievable surge of populism in the world is all about and whether it points to the normal development of a society of democracies or to the fact that society is not alright, and the political class must respond accordingly.Approaches to the understanding of populism (E. Laclau, P.-A. Tagieff, M. Kenovan, C. Mudde, P. Rosanvallon, I. Surel and I. Meni, etc.) classify it differently (as a general rule, as normal politics, a subtle ideology, political style, deviation of democracy), but on the basis of the main features of populism, the consent, in spite of the announced polyphony, is possible. Populism is characterized by a simplified understanding of society, the unity of which is based on its identity, the opposition of a dirty corrupt elite to a pure and healthy united people, a subject of common will, a claim to a monopoly of possession of the truth about this will.Of particular interest is the relation between populism and democracy, the study of which usually takes place within the classical debate about the development of democracy in modern societies, where the excessive attention to the democratic procedure is accompanied by an ever-increasing holding the population off the actual participation in making political decisions, which is, according to researchers, the cause of the emergence and success of populist political forces, that is, populism is the answer to the crisis of representative democracy. The unpopular thesis presented in this research consists in a certain shift of emphasis, namely: if populism is a pathology, then democracy itself (in the broad sense of the word, as the setting and the way of considering the development of society) is pathological in its essence, and that populism is nothing else as its epiphenomenon, which needs democracy for its existence, embodies its imperatives, but in no way can be influenced, distorted or perfected. Two attributive characteristics of democracy (the idea of freedom and the idea of equality) generate populism, and the fundamental impossibility of democracy (as an ideal form) ensures its success. Therefore, along with the emergence of democratic thinking there is necessarily a populist thinking, and the multitude of forms of embodiment of a democratic setting prompts proteism of populism

Akadēmiskā personāla angļu valodas komunikatīvās kompetences modelis

Promocijas darba „Akadēmiskā personāla angļu valodas komunikatīvās kompetences modelis” aktualitāti nosaka nepieciešamība augstskolām nodrošināt studiju procesa internacionalizāciju, kas nav iespējams bez akadēmiskā personāla angļu valodas zināšanām un prasmēm pasniegšanai multikulturālā vidē. Darbā ir apkopotas teorētiskās atziņas un veikts empīrisks pētījums par mutvārdu akadēmisko diskursu, lekcijas žanru, komunikatīvo valodas kompetenci, izmantojot kvalitatīvas un kvantitatīvas pētniecības metodes. Darbā tiek secināts, ka spēja lasīt veiksmīgas lekcijas angļu valodā ārvalstu studentiem lielā mērā ir atkarīga no akadēmiskā personāla angļu valodas komunikatīvās valodas kompetences, kas ietver visas sešas komunikatīvās valodas kompetences sastāvdaļas, kuras apskatītas šajā promocijas darbā. Atslēgvārdi: augstākā izglītība, lekcijas žanrs, mutvārdu akadēmiskais diskurss, angļu valodas komunikatīvās kompetences modelisThe novelty of the Doctoral thesis „Communicative English Language Competency Framework for the Academic Personnel” stems from the necessity of the academic personnel to ensure the internationalisation of the study process in the academia, which is impossible without the appropriate level of English language competency and skills necessary for working in the intercultural environment. The author summarized the theoretical findings and conducted an empirical research on spoken academic discourse, genre of an academic lecture, communicative language competences, using quantitative and qualitative research methods. It was concluded that a content lecture in English targeting the intentional audience is realized successfully when all six components of the communicative English language competence, described by the author, are coherent and are activated by the academic personnel. Keywords: tertiary education, lecture genre, spoken academic discourse, communicative English language competency framewor

Ethic of Digital Communication, or New Scenarios for Having a Voice

A new type of online communication which is different from off-line one shapes a favorable environment not only for a dialogue but also for negative assessments and aggressive behavior on the part of active users. Specificity of open space communication on the Internet creates a number of moral and ethic problems and calls attention to the development of correct scenarios to interact online which will allow users to protect not only their own identity but also the identity of their communities. A multidisciplinary approach with the use of media studies’ instruments acts as a methodological basis for examining specifics of digital communication. This methodology makes it possible to reflect upon digital media in their interrelations with social, cultural and anthropological transformations, to analyze ways of communication and interests of the internet communities. Keywords: online communication, social networks, trolling, haterism, online-activism, brigadin

A scientific text as implying information about metacognitive capacities of its author

The scientific text content is considered in the paper as objectification of the results of cognitive processes and mechanisms guided by metacognition, the "traces" of metacognitive skills can be found in the meaning of certain lexical units and/or inferred by analysing certain syntactic structures in the text. It is argued that a scientific text composition itself can also be considered as created due to metacognitive capacities and language cognitio

Networking Imagery As a Means of Communication in Social Media

During the last decade, new media have become aggregators of visual content which translates socio-cultural meanings, practices of vision and techniques of watching and communication styles in real-time. Nowadays it is possible to analyze a multitude of universes existing on the Internet, diverse in their content, with unique voices and their particular ways of visual self-presentation on a cyber space. With the development  of social media, visual practices replace “networking talks”, and these practices fix polyphony, polystylism, and the fragmented nature of modern times, while at the same time being the expression of collective and individual needs. Visual users’ content has acquired a new status: it has turned from a means of representing and documenting events into a means of “pure communicating” with the help of which information is shortened and simplified, and interaction is constructed in line with social expectations and norms. In general, it indicates the ongoing cultural transformations associated with the transition from representational system of culture to presentational online culture. Keywords: online communication, social networks, visuality, media studie

АКТУАЛЬНІ ПРОБЛЕМИ МЕТОДИКИ АУДИТОРНИХ І ПОЗААУДИТОРНИХ ЗАНЯТЬ ІЗ РОЗВИТКУ УКРАЇНСЬКОГО ПРОФЕСІЙНОГО МОВЛЕННЯ СТУДЕНТІВ-НЕФІЛОЛОГІВ (THE CURRENT PROBLEMS OF PRACTICAL CLASSES’ TECHNIQUES AND EXTRACURRICULAR CLASSES ON THE UKRAINIAN PROFESSIONAL SPEECH OF THE STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT PHILOLOGISTS)

У статті досліджено актуальні проблеми методики аудиторних і позааудиторних занять із формування українського професійного мовлення майбутніх фахівців нефілологічного профілю. Окреслено пріоритетні напрями розвитку українськомовної освіти. Визначено перспективи лінгводидактичних досліджень українськомовного професійно орієнтованого спрямування. (This article explores the current problems of practical techniques and extracurricular classes on professional speech of Ukrainian specialists of future non-philological profile. Outlined priority areas of Ukrainian-education. Prospects linguodidactic research professional Ukrainian-oriented direction.

Narrative Transformations of Alexander Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin“ in Transcultural Digital Sphere

This paper analyses the strategies of narrative interpretations of the classical literature in Russian and English fanfiction. The essay draws upon the fanfiction based on Alexander Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin. To clarify and classify the algorithms of transformation of Russian classical “novel in verse” we use the theory of modèle actantiel by A.J. Greimas. English-speaking fic-writers more often than Russian-speaking readers use the two-actantial model instead of the four-actantial one as in the original meta-story: they interpret Pushkin’s texts using the mass-culture implementations of sentimental or gothic novel genres. Perceiving the novel as a conventional text, Russian-speaking fic-writers radically rework the plot and the style of the original source: e.g. they combine the narrative axes of desire and struggle in the original source, following the “children’s anecdote” model typical for Russian folklore. By transferring the classical novel to the digital environment, the narrative features of Pushkin’s novel as a text, which are immanent to an experiment with any national artistic and reading tradition, become especially vivid.This paper analyses the strategies of narrative interpretations of the classical literature in Russian and English fanfiction. The essay draws upon the fanfiction based on Alexander Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin. To clarify and classify the algorithms of transformation of Russian classical “novel in verse” we use the theory of modèle actantiel by A.J. Greimas. English-speaking fic-writers more often than Russian-speaking readers use the two-actantial model instead of the four-actantial one as in the original meta-story: they interpret Pushkin’s texts using the mass-culture implementations of sentimental or gothic novel genres. Perceiving the novel as a conventional text, Russian-speaking fic-writers radically rework the plot and the style of the original source: e.g. they combine the narrative axes of desire and struggle in the original source, following the “children’s anecdote” model typical for Russian folklore. By transferring the classical novel to the digital environment, the narrative features of Pushkin’s novel as a text, which are immanent to an experiment with any national artistic and reading tradition, become especially vivid