The orientations of molecular clouds in the outer Galaxy: Evidence for the scale of the turbulence driver ?

Supernova explosions inject a considerable amount of energy into the interstellar medium (ISM) in regions with high to moderate star formation rates. In order to assess whether the driving of turbulence by supernovae is also important in the outer Galactic disk, where the star formation rates are lower, we study the spatial distribution of molecular cloud (MC) inclinations with respect to the Galactic plane. The latter contains important information on the nature of the mechanism of energy injection into the ISM. We analyze the spatial correlations between the position angles (PAs) of a selected sample of MCs (the largest clouds in the catalogue of the outer Galaxy published by Heyer et al. 2001). Our results show that when the PAs of the clouds are all mapped to values into the [0,90]degrees interval, there is a significant degree of spatial correlation between the $PA$s on spatial scales in the range of 100-800 pc. These scales are of the order of the sizes of individual SN shells in low density environments such as those prevailing in the outer Galaxy and where the metallicity of the ambient gas is of the order of the solar value or smaller. These findings suggest that individual SN explosions, occurring in the outer regions of the Galaxy and in likewise spiral galaxies, albeit at lower rates, continue to play an important role in shaping the structure and dynamics of the ISM in those regions. The SN explosions we postulate here are likely associated with the existence of young stellar clusters in the far outer regions of the Galaxy and the UV emission and low levels of star formation observed with the GALEX satellite in the outer regions of local galaxies.Comment: Accepted to MNRAS main journal. Additional discussion and and one figure with error estimates is added. 7 pages, 7 figures. Main conclusions unchange

Several comments on the juridical prudence of the European Court for Human Rights, First European supervision of the protection of basic rights and liberties

Jak je stále znovu a znovu zdůrazňováno, systém ochrany lidských práv vytvořený Evropskou úmlu­vou o lidských právech (dále EÚLP) je ve vztahu k systémům vnitrostátní ochrany lidských práv subsidiární Evropský soud pro lidská práva (dále ESLP) nepřezkoumává zákonodárství členských států, nepo­suzuje ústavnost pravomocných rozhodnutí jejich vni­trostátních orgánů. Nemá pravomoc vnitrostátní akty rušit, vracet je k dalšímu projednání či případně iniciovat obnovu řízení před vnitrostátními soudními orgány (obecnými soudy či soudem ústavním) dotčeného státu. Zabývá se jedinou otázkou, konformitou stížností napadeného jednání státních orgánů dotčeného státu s EÚLP

Panel discussion: Two ambassadors on European Union enlargement

This is the archive of a panel discussion given by Eva Nowotny, Ambassador of Austria to the United States; Martin Palouš, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States. Listen to this lecture, which originally aired on WBUR's World of Ideas, at http://www.bu.edu/european/2009/07/05/two-ambassadors-on-european-union-enlargement>

Between Past and Future

"The list of contributors is impressive withnot a single dull chapter…; the editors are to be congratulated for making available such a stimulating and timely, if not timeless, collection" - Slavic Review "[T]his is a book that will serve many intellectual tastes and interests, and that will certainly prove thought provoking for anyone who reads it... I recommend it to anybody who wants to witness the analythical depth and span with which the meaning of 1989 can be approached." - Extremism & Democracy The tenth anniversary of the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe provides the starting point for this thought-provoking analysis. Between Past and Future reflects upon the past ten years and considers what lies ahead for the future. An international group of distinguished academics and public intellectuals, including former dissidents and active politicians, engage in a lively exchange on the antecedents, causes, contexts, meanings and legacies of the 1989 revolutions. At a crossroads between past and future, the contributors to this seminal volume address all the crucial issues -- liberal democracy and its enemies, modernity and discontent, economic reforms and their social impact, ethnicity, nationalism and religion, geopolitics, electoral systems and political power, European integration and the tragic demise of Yugoslavia. Based on the results of recent research on the ideologies behind one of the most dramatic systematic transformations in world history, and including contributions from some of the world's leading experts, Between Past and Future is an essential reference book for scholars and students of all levels, policy-makers, journalists and the general reader interested in the past and future prospects of Central & Eastern EuropeTo all those who, living in dark times, believed in freedom and made it possibl