Search results for ""Author Thomas Meyer""

Iran has one of the oldest town cultures in the world. It goes back more than 4,000 years. Between the Islamic conquest in the seventh century and the westernisation in the second half of the nineteenth century, the cities and towns in today’s Islamic Republic of Iran underwent repeated changes. The Persian building culture influenced architects and artists as far as Central Asia in the north and India in the east. Unlike any other oriental country, Iran shows a unique urban and architectonic development whose defining characteristics merged with other cultures over the course of time, representing an important contribution to world architecture. In his Iran Architectural Guide, the author and architect Thomas Meyer-Wieser embarks on a journey into history, showcasing nearly 300 buildings and projects in Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz. His focus is on the identity of the Iranian- Islamic architecture, which has held its own since the rise of the Safavids in 1501.

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In his controversial new book, Thomas Meyer argues that the media are transforming traditional party democracy into ‘media democracy'. Political elites submit to the mass media's formulas in the hope of salvaging some influence over their public images. The media thus colonize politics, and the politicans' self-interest turns them into accomplices. Politics and the media have formed a partnership to conduct their main business: adopting well-tested formulas from the theatre to media productions. The public begins to respond to politics as an aesthetic phenomenon, losing sight of the principles that make political action unique and sustain autonomy and democracy. Real power in the media is wielded by an iron triangle committed to the media's logic of up-to-the-minute reportage: media-savvy political elites, pollsters and media executives. Democratic politics with its slow-paced processes has traditionally relied on parties, intermediary actors and the institutions of representative government, but all have been banished to the periphery today. Meyer shows how media democracy has replaced deliberation – once the lifeblood of democratic public life – with pseudo-plebiscites. Nevertheless, deliberative procedures could regain some influence through local civic participation and a thorough reform of the communicative culture of the mass media. Meyer argues that the culture of the media should be transformed in ways that would serve democracy, enabling citizens to deepen their understanding of political realities. This powerful critique of media democracy will be of great interest to students of politics and the media and to anyone concerned with the impact of the media on public life.

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Text in German. One of the philosophical self-understanding texts of the 20th century that has so far received little attention is the fundamental debate that Jewish philosophers and theologians led after the National Socialists came to power. In newspapers, magazines and books, until the violent end of Jewish public life in Germany in 1938, there was still a passionate argument about contemporary and "true" Judaism for half a decade. Central interpretations beyond the much invoked "German-Jewish symbiosis" came mainly from the theological side. While the law-abiding Rabbi Alexander Altmann (19061987) clung to halachic Judaism as the central meaning for Jews, the young religious historian Hans-Joachim Schoeps (19091980) favored the content of Karl Barth's Christian dialectical theology. The common point of reference in these discussions was not infrequently Franz Rosenzweig (18861929), whose work had received a remarkable reception since 1933. In view of the existential threat, philosophers also participate in the controversy over the question "What is Judaism?" The essay mainly examines the polemic by Leo Strauss (18991973), whose book Philosophy and Law from 1935 had become a manifesto for contemporaries. His sharp criticism of the turning away from the sources of Judaism, as Maimonides (11381204) had canonized in his writings, resulted in a redefinition of the Enlightenment and tradition in Judaism. Among other things, the philosopher Julius Guttmann (18801950) and his student Fritz Bamberger (19021984) responded with a defense of liberal Judaism.

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The ascendancy of neo-liberalism in different parts of the world has put social democracy on the defensive. Its adherents lack a clear rationale for their policies. Yet a justification for social democracy is implicit in the United Nations Covenants on Human Rights, ratified by most of the worlds countries. The covenants commit all nations to guarantee that their citizens shall enjoy the traditional formal rights; but they likewise pledge governments to make those rights meaningful in the real world by providing social security and cultural recognition to every person. This new book provides a systematic defence of social democracy for our contemporary global age. The authors argue that the claims to legitimation implicit in democratic theory can be honored only by social democracy; libertarian democracies are defective in failing to protect their citizens adequately against social, economic, and environmental risks that only collective action can obviate. Ultimately, social democracy provides both a fairer and more stable social order. But can social democracy survive in a world characterized by pervasive processes of globalization? This book asserts that globalization need not undermine social democracy if it is harnessed by international associations and leavened by principles of cultural respect, toleration, and enlightenment. The structures of social democracy must, in short, be adapted to the exigencies of globalization, as has already occurred in countries with the most successful social-democratic practices.

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From the Arab conquest to the Arab Spring: in its capacity for architectural and social transformation and in its tension between religious tradition and modern glitter, Cairo is like no other city in the Islamic world. In this book, Swiss architect Thomas Meyer-Wieser explores the idea of the North African city that was once the heart of ancient civilisation and is now the capital of modern Egypt. As well as looking at more than 300 buildings, he takes the reader on 20 walks and excursions. • The Arab conquest: 7th to 10th centuries • Fatimid rule: 10th to 12th centuries • The Golden Age: 12th to 15th centuries • Ottoman provincial city: 16th to 18th centuries • ‘Paris on the Nile’: Cairo in the 19th century • The modern metropolis: 20th to 21st centuries

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In recent times, venture capital and private equity funds have become household names, but so far little has been written for the investors in such funds, the so-called limited partners. There is far more to the management of a portfolio of venture capital and private equity funds than usually perceived. Beyond the J Curve describes an innovative toolset for such limited partners to design and manage portfolios tailored to the dynamics of this market place, going far beyond the typical and often-simplistic recipe to 'go for top quartile funds'. Beyond the J Curve provides the answers to key questions, including: Why 'top-quartile' promises should be taken with a huge pinch of salt and what it takes to select superior fund managers? What do limited partners need to consider when designing and managing portfolios? How one can determine the funds' economic value to help addressing the questions of 'fair value' under IAS 39 and 'risk' under Basel II or Solvency II? Why is monitoring important, and how does a limited partner manage his portfolio? How the portfolio's returns can be improved through proper liquidity management and what to consider when over-committing? And, why uncertainty rather than risk is an issue and how a limited partner can address and benefit from the fast changing private equity environment? Beyond the J Curve takes the practitioner's view and offers private equity and venture capital professionals a comprehensive guide making high return targets more realistic and sustainable. This book is a must have for all parties involved in this market, as well as academic and students.

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Arms investors with powerful new tools for measuring and managing the risks associated with the various illiquid asset classes With risk-free interest rates and risk premiums at record lows, many investors are turning to illiquid assets, such as real estate, private equity, infrastructure and timber, in search of superior returns and greater portfolio diversity. But as many analysts, investors and wealth managers are discovering, such investments bring with them a unique set of risks that cannot be measured by standard asset allocation models. Written by a dream team of globally renowned experts in the field, this book provides a clear, accessible overview of illiquid fund investments, focusing on what the main risks of these asset classes are and how to measure those risks in today's regulatory environment. Provides solutions for institutional investors in need of guidance in today's regulatory environment Offers detailed descriptions of risk measurement in illiquid asset classes, illustrated with real life case studies Helps you to develop reliable risk management tools while complying with the regulations designed to contain the individual and systemic risks arising from illiquid investments Features real-life case studies that capture an array of risk management scenarios you are likely to encounter

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Ein erster thematischer Schwerpunkt des Jahrbuchs gilt der gegenseitigen Wahrnehmung von Juden und Nicht-Juden in der polnischen Ãffentlichkeit zwischen 1850 und 1950. Analysiert wird das polnisch-jÃ"dische Verhältnis anhand der jÃ"dischen literarischen Salons, des Cabarets und Kinos, der jÃ"dischen Historiographie und Holocaustliteratur sowie der jÃ"dischen Partizipation am politischen Leben der Zweiten Republik.Ein zweiter Schwerpunkt untersucht die GrÃ"nde fÃ"r die unterschiedliche Entfaltung der verwandten Traditionen des Islams und des Judentums unter den Bedingungen der Neuzeit. Im Allgemeinen Teil und den Rubriken folgen Portraits von Einzelpersönlichkeiten, ein Forschungsbericht zu den KindertagebÃ"chern von HolocaustÃ"berlebenden und ein Literaturbericht zu Polen.

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“Art and technology: a new unity” – It was with this slogan that the Bauhaus moved to Dessau in 1925. The seven years in Dessau were most productive for the designers and architects at the Bauhaus. This illustrated volume presents the Bauhaus buildings in Dessau in words and pictures and offers new perspectives on these icons of modern architecture. Walter Gropius, Hannes Meyer, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Richard Paulick, Georg Muche, Carl Fieger and Karl Friedrich Engemann: the architects at the Bauhaus in Dessau realized their designs in the industrial city between the Elbe and the Mulde rivers during the years between 1925 and 1932 ̶ and thereby created a unique ensemble of modern architecture which attracts visitors from all over the world to Dessau to this day. Since 1996 some of the Bauhaus buildings in Dessau have been regarded as key works of European Modernism and are included in the list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites. They express the revolutionary aim of the historical Bauhaus to bring about fundamental change in society through design and architecture.

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This book examines the role of the cultural factor, and patterns of its interaction with social, economic and political developments, in fostering identity-based new populisms and various forms of political authoritarianism across the globe. Comparing authoritarianism in the Asian and Western context, this book attempts to shed light on the different ways in which new political actors make use of cultural traditions or constructs in order to justify their claims to power and challenge the culture of modernity as understood in the Western world. Lastly, the book focuses on the consequence of these new challenges for multilateral cooperation at regional and global levels, asking the question: is the world going towards fragmentation and anarchy or a pluralist and innovative form of multilateral cooperation?This book will be of key interest to scholars and students of populism and authoritarianism studies, democracy, global governance and more broadly to international relations.

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It’s the size of one’s heart that matters most in this heartfelt Christmas story for young readers!Alex the Christmas tree is teased because he is the smallest fir tree in the tree nursery. He can’t hold as many ornaments, he can’t stand as tall . . . Alex isn’t sure any animal family will want him as their Christmas tree. When the families come to choose their fir tree, Alex isn’t noticed at first. But then Selma, the smallest rabbit of all, discovers him. The rabbit family takes Alex home, and they all celebrate and sing together-even Alex, the littlest Christmas tree with the biggest holiday spirit! Swiss best-selling author Thomas Meyer tells the story with humor and a big dose of Christmas spirit. Philippe Goossen’s pictures create a warm mood, and his characters win hearts-big and small.

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