scholarly journals Mini-Trials in Alberta

1995 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 194
Author(s):  
W. K. Moore

The Alberta Court of Queen's Bench has been offering the mini-trial, a specialized dispute resolution process, to litigants and the bar for the last four years. The impetus for this move was the length and time often involved in litigation. The attraction of the mini-trial is that it is a method of expediting dispute resolution and that the costs associated with it are considerably less than those for a regular trial. The author outlines the history of the mini-trial, explaining how it developed in the U.S. as a private dispute resolution mechanism. The Alberta mini-trial is essentially an expanded pre-trial procedure, and is offered by the Court at no cost to participants. There is no rigid, formal procedure to the Alberta mini-trial, and its great strength is in fact flexibility and informality. The only requirement the Court has is that the actual parties must be present for the arguments and at the end of the mini-trial, when the judge gives his or her opinion. The author outlines the key elements of the mini-trial, as they have evolved to date, including the role of the judge and the nature of the actual process. The mini-trial has been enormously successful at encouraging settlements, which have followed or resulted from the mini-trial in over 90 percent of cases. Additionally, both counsel and clients appear to be quite pleased with the process. Despite this success, however, it should be noted that the mini-trial may not be appropriate in all cases. The author describes the types of cases to which the mini-trial both is and is not well-suited. He offers a case study, of a mini-trial over which he presided. This mini-trial was successful and led to a settlement. In closing, the author provides information to interested counsel and parties as to how and when they can access the mini-trial. The article closes with a recommendation that mini-trials always be considered as an option in lawsuits.

Author(s):  
Alessandro Portelli

This article centers around the case study of Rome's House of Memory and History to understand the politics of memory and public institutions. This case study is about the organization and politics of public memory: the House of Memory and History, established by the city of Rome in 2006, in the framework of an ambitious program of cultural policy. It summarizes the history of the House's conception and founding, describes its activities and the role of oral history in them, and discusses some of the problems it faces. The idea of a House of Memory and History grew in this cultural and political context. This article traces several political events that led to the culmination of the politics of memory and its effect on public institutions. It says that the House of Memory and History can be considered a success. A discussion on a cultural future winds up this article.


Author(s):  
Ilona Bidzan-Bluma

Objective: It is estimated that twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) occurs in 10–15% of monochorionic twin pregnancies. One of the fetuses takes on the role of donor and the other of recipient. The treatment administered involves serial amnioreduction and laser photocoagulation of the communicating blood vessels. After TTTS, children may have deficiencies in psychomotor functioning, in particular in cognitive functions, expressive language, and motor skills. Few scientific reports indicate that twins after TTTS do not demonstrate significant differences in tests which measure intellectual functioning. Methods: The cognitive functioning of twins in the late childhood period was compared using the following tools: an analysis of their medical history, an interview with their parents, and neuropsychological tests allowing the evaluation of their whole profile of cognitive functions. Case Study: Cognitive functioning in the late childhood period was analyzed in a pair of 11-year-old male twins (juvenile athletes), a donor and a recipient, who had developed TTTS syndrome in the prenatal period. Results: Comparison of the cognitive functioning profile of the donor and recipient revealed that children with a history of TTTS develop normally in terms of cognitive and motor functioning in late childhood. A comparative analysis of the donor and recipient was more favorable for the recipient, who had a higher level of general intelligence, visual–motor memory, and semantic fluency. Conclusions: The fact that both the donor and the recipient chose to pursue athletics suggests that gross motor skills are their strongest suit. Playing sports as a method of rehabilitation of cognitive function of children born prematurely after TTTS could contribute to the improvement of cognitive functioning.


2018 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 2-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Wiese

Place-based activism has played a critical role in the history of urban and environmental politics in California. This article explores the continuing significance of environmental place making to grassroots politics through a case study of Friends of Rose Canyon, an environmental group in San Diego. Based in the fast-growing University City neighborhood, Friends of Rose Canyon waged a long, successful campaign between 2002 and 2018 to prevent construction of a bridge in the Rose Canyon Open Space Park in their community. Using historical and participant observer methodologies, this study reveals how twenty-first-century California urbanites claimed and created meaningful local places and mobilized effective politics around them. It illuminates the critical role of individual activists; suggests practical, replicable strategies for community mobilization; and demonstrates the significant impact of local activism at the urban and metropolitan scales.


Author(s):  
Craig Allen

The first completely researched history of U.S. Spanish-language television traces the rise of two foremost, if widely unrecognized, modern American enterprises—the Spanish-language networks Univision and Telemundo. It is a standard scholarly history constructed from archives, original interviews, reportage, and other public materials. Occasioned by the public’s wakening to a “Latinization” of the U.S., the book demonstrates that the emergence of Spanish-language television as a force in mass communication is essential to understanding the increasing role of Latinos and Latino affairs in modern American society. It argues that a combination of foreign and domestic entrepreneurs and innovators who overcame large odds resolves a significant and timely question: In an English-speaking country, how could a Spanish-speaking institution have emerged? Through exploration of significant and colorful pioneers, continuing conflicts and setbacks, landmark strides, and ongoing controversies—and with revelations that include regulatory indecision, behind-the-scenes tug-of-war, and the internationalization of U.S. mass media—the rise of a Spanish-language institution in the English-speaking U.S. is explained. Nine chapters that begin with Spanish-language television’s inception in 1961 and end 2012 chronologically narrate the endeavor’s first 50 years. Events, passages, and themes are thoroughly referenced.


2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 503-527
Author(s):  
E. JAMES WEST

This article explores the role ofEbonymagazine as a key staging ground for competing political and ideological debates over Martin Luther King Jr's legacy, and the struggle for a national holiday in his name. In doing so, it provides an important case study into the contestations between what Houston Baker has described as “black critical memory” and “black conservative nostalgia.” In response to attempts by Ronald Reagan and other politicians to reimagine King as an advocate for color-blind conservatism,Ebony’s senior editor, Lerone Bennett Jr., sought to situate King's legacy within a radical “living history” of black America. However, the magazine's broader coverage of the King holiday movement betrayed underlying tensions within its discussion of King's legacy, and fed into the magazine's role as an inadvertent frame for color-blind ideologies during the 1980s.


2004 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Reedy

Nearly 50 years after it was thought to be conquered, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) continues to cause vision disturbances and blindness among prematurely born infants. During the 1940s and early 1950s, researchers and caregivers first identified and struggled to eliminate this problem, which seemed to come from nowhere and was concentrated among the most advanced premature nurseries in the U.S. Research studies initially identified many potential causes, none of which could be proved conclusively. By the mid-1950s, oxygen was identified as the culprit, and its use was immediately restricted. The rate of blindness among premature infants decreased significantly. ROP was not cured, however. By the 1960s, it had reappeared. The history of ROP serves to remind us that, despite our best intentions, the care and treatment of premature newborns will always carry with it the possibility of iatrogenic disease. This caution is worth remembering as we work to expand the quality and quantity of clinical research.


2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Nitz ◽  
Øyvind Ihlen ◽  
Jessyna Egge ◽  
Stacy Sobolik

Abstract The U.S. Presidential election of 2004 was an exciting reprise of the 2000 election and was closely watched by numerous observers across the world. The election held significant ramifications for world issues such as the war in Iraq and the war on terror. Norwegian media in particular followed the election with great interest. The strong social and familial bond between Norwegians and Americans was a foundation for an interest in the role that social issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and religion played in the campaign. This article was an exploratory case study based on data from three major Norwegian newspapers. The article used framing theory as a tool to examine the way in which these newspapers covered the 2004 U.S. Presidential election. A key focus was the importance and influence of culture in this framing process. Results are presented and implications for the role of framing theory in international contexts are discussed.


Lumina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-96
Author(s):  
Svetlana Simakova

The goal of the present study is to demonstrate the media-aesthetic potential of infographic messages on particular cases. This can be done due to an integrated approach to the analysis of the visual content of media content. That indicates the case study method implementation as well as description and generalization. The theoretical basis of the research is represented by scientific studies of various directions. That includes the history of media and visual media culture; features of the concepts of media culture and media language, media aesthetics; infographics as a tool of media language. The empirical basis of the study is journalistic materials containing infographic content of such publications as by RIA Novosti (ria.ru), TASS (tass.ru). The examples of visual image implementation in the transmission of information — media content containing infographics — are given and analyzed. Considering media aesthetics as the formation of a sensory perception of the proposed media content, the author turns to the philosophical and aesthetic foundations of visual practices in the media and post-humanistic trends in journalism. As a result of the analysis of the theoretical and practical basis of the research, the author comes to the conclusion that today the role of the media aesthetic component of messages is most relevant. And infographics, as the connecting link of language and consciousness, is its most striking tool.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (20) ◽  
pp. 144
Author(s):  
Shaul M. Gabbay

For those who have studied the history of religious tensions in Egypt, the current rising tide of violence against Christians in the country should come as no surprise. Persecution of Christians in Egypt dates back for centuries. In recent years—particularly during the past decade—we have witnessed a greater interest in understanding the violence, not only in academia, but among the interested general population as well. This has led to an upsurge in academic writings and in media articles discussing the issue. After a thorough literature review, I have discovered that many of the pieces focus on the empirical, while often neglecting the normative. While empiricism is important for any research endeavor, this paper seeks to focus more on the narratives on the ground. As a sociologist for three decades, I have worked closely with the Egyptian Christian immigrant community in the U.S. and have regularly been called to testify in asylum courts across the U.S. regarding the issues of religious intolerance in Egypt. Over the years, I have conducted countless interviews with these individuals. As such, I have used their personal stories as a starting point for my academic inquiries. As a case study, I have selected three personal narratives to include in this analysis. All of the individuals' names have been changed in order to safeguard their identity. For this paper, I have specifically chosen individuals from different backgrounds, genders, education levels, social standings, and geographical location. In doing so, I was able to piece together a larger narrative that demonstrates how the persecution of Christians in Egypt is not limited to one group or another—it is widespread throughout Egyptian society. In the end, I was able to discover that each of the individuals suffered in different ways. However, they all suffered given one basic commonality—being Christian in Egypt.


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