With an increasing global demand for natural resources and the predominance of neoliberalism in Latin America, there has been a growing presence of foreign companies, mainly from North America and Europe, who have engaged in energy production and extractivist industries such as building hydroelectric dams, mining, logging, and petroleum extraction. State officials, the private sector and other supporters of these projects have argued that these initiatives foster national and local development, create employment and enhance social living conditions, especially in impoverished communities, as well as contribute to creating clean, alternative and renewable sources of energy (in the case of dams). Yet, many indigenous communities, human rights organizations, and opponents claim that these industries do not produce development, and instead are responsible for causing communal divisions, environmental degradation, human rights violations, and militarization. In Cotzal, the arrival of these megaprojects in Guatemala has been referred to as the new or fourth invasion, with three previous invasions consisted of Spanish Colonization, the creation of plantations at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century, and the Guatemalan Civil War (1960-1996). My dissertation presents a historical account of these Four Invasions with an emphasis on a conflict surrounding the construction of a hydroelectric dam in Cotzal. In addition, it examines the recent creation of Ixil-Maya based organizations and movements in the Ixil Region, which are striving to recover tichajil (el buen vivir/the good life) to challenge global western capitalistic forms of development, and achieve and/or reaffirm various intersecting forms of autonomy (political, educational and cultural). My research project argues that the arrival of extractivist industries is a continuation of a colonial logic of extraction based on genocidal racist institutions. In return, these extractivist enterprises in every historical invasion is met by Ixil resistance manifested in multiple forms involving open revolts, everyday forms of resistance, the use of the legal system, among others.

A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. Based on more than a decade of ethnographic research, The Fourth Invasion examines an Ixil Maya community's movement against the construction of one of the largest hydroelectric plants in Guatemala. The arrival of the Palo Viejo hydroelectric plant (built by the Italian corporation Enel Green Power) to the municipality of Cotzal highlighted the ongoing violence inflicted on Ixils by outsiders and the Guatemalan state. Locals referred to the building of the hydroelectric plant as the "new invasion" or "fourth invasion" for its similarity to preceding invasions: Spanish colonization, the creation of the plantation economy, and the state-led genocide during the Guatemalan armed conflict. Through a historical account of cyclical waves of invasions and resistance in Cotzal during the four invasions, Giovanni Batz argues that extractivist industries are a continuation of a colonial logic of extraction based on the displacement and destruction of Indigenous Peoples' territories and values that has existed since the arrival of the Spanish in 1524. The current movements in Cotzal, rooted in a long history of resistance, counter dominant narratives of Indigenous Peoples that often portray them as "conquered."

Psychopathology has offered possible answers to why, from time to time, people in large quantities "see" strange things in the sky which manage to evade trained scientific observers, or conform to what is known about the behavior of falling or flying bodies. And mass hysteria is by no means a product of the present century. But -- what if these human foibles were deliberately being exploited? "You say, Corelli, that you saw three -- er, Martian -- ships. Can you describe them?" Clayton asked. Corelli blinked as he felt the weight of his colleagues' eyes boring into him. "I didn't say they were "Martian," sir -- only that they seemed to be unearthly. And they were not the conventional saucer-shaped things -- they "acted" like saucers skimming across the water. That's what made me think they were genuine. And they didn't seem to be going fast enough so that I'd expect to hear a roar like a jet-plane. "It struck me that this might not be the way they fly, naturally, but the way they might fly if the pilots were having trouble adjusting the controls to a heavier atmosphere than they were used to." Clayton frowned. This boy was definitely going to be a problem.

Ten-year-old fairy-godmother-in-training Willow secretly uses magic to deal with a rogue garden gnome who interferes with the plants in her science project, but when her project is chosen to advance, she finds even greater problems at the state level of competition.

The invasions of Guatemala -- Pedro de Alvarado's letters to Hernando Cortes, 1524 -- Other Spanish accounts -- Nahua accounts -- Maya accounts

“TRANSMISSION is riveting, unexpected, and firmly rooted in strong psychological profiles backed with thriller and sci-fi elements: what more could readers wish for? (Just the quick publication of Book Two, Arrival.)” --Midwest Book Review From #1 worldwide bestselling fantasy author Morgan Rice comes book #3 in a long-anticipated science fiction series. With planet Earth destroyed, what will become of 13 year old Kevin and Chloe in the mother ship? Will the aliens enslave them? What do they want? Is there any hope of escape? And will Kevin and Chloe ever return to Earth again? “Action-packed …. Rice’s writing is solid and the premise intriguing.” –Publishers Weekly, re A Quest of Heroes “A superior fantasy… A recommended winner for any who enjoy epic fantasy writing fueled by powerful, believable young adult protagonists.” –Midwest Book Review, re Rise of the Dragons “An action packed fantasy sure to please fans of Morgan Rice’s previous novels, along with fans of works such as THE INHERITANCE CYCLE by Christopher Paolini…. Fans of Young Adult Fiction will devour this latest work by Rice and beg for more.” –The Wanderer, A Literary Journal (regarding Rise of the Dragons) Book #4 in the series is also now available! Also available are Morgan Rice’s many series in the fantasy genre, including A QUEST OF HEROES (BOOK #1 IN THE SORCERER’S RING), a free download with over 1,300 five star reviews!

June 2019: The minutes tick away toward six pm. As commuters stream out of central London a truck idles by the pavement in Whitehall, its cargo bay packed with powerful explosives. Chaos is about to begin. The face of Europe is about to change, moulded by a series of events that will have global repercussions far into the future.

Matt Sinkage, a reporter in the Fifties, is sure aliens are taking over people's bodies and our society. Others aren't so sure... Mixes humor and an involving suspenseful yarn.