A Dark Descent into Reality: Making the case for an objective definition of torture

The definition of torture is broken. The malleability of the term severe pain or suffering at the heart of the definition has created a situation in which the world agrees on the words but cannot agree on their meaning. The V know it when I see it nature of the discussion of torture makes it clear that the definition is largely left to the eye of the beholder. This is particularly problematic when international Law\u27s reliance on self-enforcement is considered After discussing current misconceptions about intelligence gathering and coercion that are common to all sides of the torture debate, this Article describes the reality of intelligence collection. It then reviews the wide range of competing definitions of torture: those provided by international courts, those proposed by commentators, and those implemented by governments around the world. Some proposed definitions are so broad that practically any form of interrogation would be illegal, others so narrow as to allow for a wide variety of shockingly brutal techniques. What becomes apparent, not surprisingly, is that people or governments under pressure from terrorist attacks view the definition of severe pain and suffering differently from those outside such a cauldron. Yet international Law\u27s reliance upon selffenforcement requires a good faith interpretation of malleable terms such as severe pain and suffering by those under such pressure. The inevitable result, as witnessed in the United States after 9/11],in the United Kingdom at the height of IRA violence in the early 1970s, in Germany during the German A utumn battle against the RedArmy Faction in 1977, and in Israel during its struggles against Palestinian violence, is that such a good faith interpretation is not readily forthcoming from those charged with the protection of their civilian population. The excesses that followed were generally later regretted, but such regrets do little to comfort the victims of these excesses. This Article proposes a solution. To prevent the definition of severe pain and suffering from changing between September 10 and September 12 (or more accurately from not being considered at all on September 10 to being considered in a very dark light on September 12), it recommends tying the definition to preexisting standards that are difficult to manipulate and internally self-policing

Climatic Influences of Deglacial Drainage Changes in Southern Canada at 10 to 8 ka Suggested by Pollen Evidence

Enhanced meltwater discharge from proglacial lakes Agassiz and Barlow-Ojibway at about 9.6 to 8.3 ka BP. created cold localized climates over downstream water bodies, specifically Lake Minong and Mattawa phase lakes in the Great Lakes and Goldthwait Sea in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The cooling effect of the meltwater drainage suppressed summer warming of the surface lake waters, reduced the growing season and thus altered the vegetation composition in the surrounding land areas. The vegetation responded in different ways as evidenced by five variants from the normal pollen succession.The pollen anomalies are most pronounced where the effect of increased meltwater discharge had a strong influence, such as within or along the margins of Lake Agassiz, Mattawa phase lakes, and the Goldthwait Sea, or in their lee areas, especially where these water bodies intersected ecotonal boundaries. Climatic effects were minimal or non-existent where the water surface areas were restricted such as the channelized drainage routes of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers. Diversion of Lakes Agassiz and Barlow-Ojibway drainage to Hudson Bay after about 8.4 ka BP reinstated summer warming of the surface water in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence system bringing the 9.6-8.3 ka cool period to a close.L'augmentation du débit de l'eau de fonte provenant des lacs glaciaires Agassiz et Barlow-Ojibway de 9,6 à 8 ka BP a engendré des micro-climats froids au-dessus des nappes d'eau en aval : le Lac Minong, les lacs de la phase de Mattawa, dans les Grands Lacs, et la Mer de Goidtwaith, dans le golfe du Saint-Laurent. L'effet refroidissant du drainage de l'eau de fonte a entravé le réchauffement estival de la surface des eaux lacustres, écourté la saison végétative et ainsi modifié la composition de la végétation des terres environnantes. La réponse de la végétation a été variable comme l'indiquent les cinq types de déviation (anomalies polliniques) par rapport à la succession pollinique normale. Les anomalies sont plus importantes là où l'effet de l'augmentation du débit de l'eau de fonte a été plus prononcé, notamment près des limites des nappes d'eau touchés ou de leurs zones, surtout près des écotones. L'influence climatique a été très limitée ou nulle là où les surfaces aquifères étaient réduites, comme celles des cours de l'Outaouais et du Saint-Laurent. Le détournement de l'écoulement des lacs Agassiz et Barlow-Ojibway vers la mer d'Hudson après 8,4 ka BP a rétabli le réchauffement estival des eaux de surface du réseau des Grands Lacs et du Saint-Laurent, mettant ainsi fin à la période froide qui a prévalu de 9,6 à 8 ka.Der EinfluQ des Wechsels der Schmelzwassermenge aufdas Klima im sûdlichen Kanada um 10 bis 8 ka anhand von Pollenbelegen. Verstàrktes Schmelz-wasserabflieBen von den proglazialen Seen Agassiz und Barlow-Ojibway um etwa 9.6 bis 8.3 ka v.u.Z. bewirkte ôrtlich beschrànktes kaltes Klima ùber den Wasser-flàchen stromabwàrts, und zwar Minong-See und Seen der Mattawa-Phase in den GroRen Seen, und das Goldtwaith-Meer im Golf des Sankt Lorenz. Die kùhlende Wirkung des abflieBenden Schmelzwassers verhinderte die sommerliche Erwàrmung des Oberflàchenwassers der Seen, reduzierte die Wachstumsperiode und verànderte so die Zusammensetzung der Vegetation in den umliegenden Landgebieten. Die Vegetation reagierte auf verschiedene Weisen, wie aus fùnf Varianten der normalen Pollenabfolge ersichtlich wird. Die Pollen-Abweichungen sind am deutlichsten, wo die Wirkung des verstàrkten Schmelzwasserabflusses am stârksten war, wie innerhalb oder entlang der Rander des Agassiz-Sees, der Seen der Mattawa-Phase und des Goldtwaith-Meeres, oder in ihren windgeschùtzten Gebieten, besonders wo dièse Wasserflàchen Ubergangszonengrenzen durchschneiden. Die Einwirkungen auf das Klima waren minimal oder inexistent, wo die Wasserflàchengebiete begrenzt waren, wie die kanalisierte Drânage-Route des Ottawa- und Sankt Lorenz-Stroms. Die Ableitung des Abflusses des Agassiz- und Barlow-Ojibway-Sees zur Hudson-Bay hin nach etwa 8.4 ka v.u.Z., stellte die sommerliche Erwàrmung der Ober-flàchenwasser im System der Grofîen Seen und des Sankt Lorenz wieder her und been-dete die von 9.6 bis 8.3 ka dauernde kalte Période