scholarly journals Gridlock: A Theoretical and Applied Critique Using the Family and Medical Leave Act

2001 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Nicholas A.J. Stengel

Politicians, media, and the public use the term "gridlock" to refer to the crush of competing interests in the policy process. Gridlock, however, is not a phenomenon that can be objectively identified or addressed. Rather, it is a catch-phrase used by partisans and pundits. Using other theories of political conflict and a case study of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1992, this article shows that political discourse would be better served if gridlock was not used as an analogy for perceived legislative troubles.

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 591-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Bellè ◽  
Caterina Peroni ◽  
Elisa Rapetti

The aim of this article is to furnish insights of the Italian public debate on the recognition of LGBTQ rights, which can be understood as an interesting case study of the complex relationship between (multi)secularisation processes and re/definition of citizenship models. More specifically, the article analyses two political events related to this debate that took place in Rome in June 2015. The first is the Family Day demonstration, promoted by conservative Catholic groups; the second is the LGBTQ Pride parade, promoted by various gay, lesbian and transsexual/gender associations. We analyse the official statements issued by the two organising committees of the demonstrations, adopting the framework and methods of the Critical Discourse Analysis. Above and beyond an evident political conflict between the two discourses, we try to shed light on their mutual construction on the basis of what we call ‘naturalization’ and ‘universalization’ processes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-186
Author(s):  
Shwan Adam Aivas ◽  
Mahabad Kamel Abdulla

This study is an attempt to evaluate the effects of media language misusing in comedian programs of Iraqi Kurdish televisions. To achieve this goal, the researchers have done an online survey with 145 TV viewers; as well as analyzing the thematic contents of 12 episodes of the BEZMÎ BEZM program on the KurdMax satellite channel.   Based on the research results; media language misusing in the BEZMÎ BEZM program has negative effects on viewers of this program, despite the fact that the majority of opinions agreed on the definition of this satellite as a Kurdish entertainment channel and the rates of views of its main programs "Great". However, they also agreed that this program on the KurdMax satellite channel has become a popular platform for insults, exchange of accusations, and defamation of certain personalities and groups in society, and a reason for sabotaging the Kurdish language and its methods, producing linguistic and psychological violence and highlighting gender discrimination. In addition to sabotaging the public taste of viewers, lack of respect for their needs, delinquency of adolescents, reducing the value of artistic work etiquette and educational foundations, and underestimating the family and Kurdish culture and its peculiarities. As for the topics presented in this program, the main goal is to make viewers laugh only and to achieve this; they do not hesitate to spread market language and archaic and patriarchal cultures, encourage gender differences of men and women, social and sexual taboos, defame personalities, neglect health guidelines, and violate professional media ethics. All of the above; represents the main identity of the BEZMÎ BEZM program on the KurdMax satellite channel. As a final point, this research has recommended the relevant people and bodies to subordinate such programs in order to review its content based on legal and ethical media standards, laws, and rules of the Kurdish language, along with abiding professional art principles.


2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-219
Author(s):  
Harry Derbyshire

The first major posthumous London revival of a play by Harold Pinter was Moonlight at the Donmar Warehouse in April 2011. There was a striking difference between the critical reception of this production and the way the play had been greeted on its 1993 premiere, when Moonlight – then framed as Pinter's return after fifteen fallow years and a number of increasingly controversial political interventions – prompted an extremely mixed response. In 2011, by contrast, the critical community was more or less united. This progression can be seen to illustrate more than just the benefits of hindsight, and in this article Harry Derbyshire considers responses to Moonlight in 1993 and 2011 as a means of illuminating the range of competing interests that underlie the journalistic and academic infrastructure within which the merits of cultural products are assessed. He also considers the emotional investment commentators often have in the triumphs and reversals of those they follow on the public and cultural stage. Harry Derbyshire's doctorate, on ‘Harold Pinter: Production, Reception, Reputation 1984–1999’, is from King's College London, and he currently lectures in Drama and English at the University of Greenwich. Publications include articles on Roy Williams, on human rights and verbatim theatre, and on the Reminiscence Theatre Archive of Pam Schweitzer, recently acquired by Greenwich.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Idit Kohan -Harpaz

My thesis explores the family album as an indivisible object within a museum’s collection. Family albums hold both private and public importance for their ability to share collective memories and are valuable resources for scholars and the general public. To realize the inherent value of albums, I argue that we need to treat them as singular objects. Most institutions – such as museums, libraries or archives – treat family albums merely as a group of individual images. In this thesis, I propose an alternative approach: viewing and digitizing the albums as whole objects that are inseparable, lest we distort the narrative shaped in the album. The digitization process advances three services: first, digitization increases access to the album; second, digitization often enables the public to see and understand the album as a whole, maintaining the vision that the album’s maker sought to construct; third, digitization helps preserve the albums. My thesis investigates best practices for family album digitization so that the public can see albums as whole objects. A case study will focus on the Evans family collection from the FamCam at the ROM (accession numbers: 2018.24.1-21), a family collection which comes from a Canadian family that lived in China from 1888, for nearly a 100 years. Twenty-one family albums comprise the collection. The collection portrays the lives of a Western family in China, and provides insight into a century of photography and history. My thesis discusses the methodology, tools, and specific techniques for digitization, while highlighting the complexity of family albums. Though this digitization process may differ from the typical protocols for artifacts, the uniqueness of family albums necessitates genre-specific procedures. My thesis contributes to the emerging literature on family photography in public institutions, and develops an original method for preserving and archiving them digitally.


Author(s):  
Tom W. Underwood ◽  
Jo Angouri

Abstract This paper explores disagreement practice in political discourse, specifically in the under explored public inquiry communicative event and more specifically in the select-committee hearing. We revisit earlier work on theorising disagreement to expand our understanding of its contextual nature, particularly in relation to the making of ideology. Public inquiries combine the characteristics of professional meetings with characteristics of political discourse. They are typified by hybridised and ambiguous role expectations which participants negotiate in and through (potentially competing) practices in doing the ideological work demanded by the policy process. In this context, disagreement emerges as expected and key to the performance of the interactants’ situated and explicit/semi-permanent roles as professional politicians. By applying Critical Interactional Sociolinguistic analysis within a wider frame of audience design, we demonstrate the importance of the ideological role of disagreement to the policy process. We argue that further attention needs to be given to the policy talk in meso-level political events, such as the public inquiry, which connect the ideological (macro) political domains of human activity with the (micro) here and now of talk. We close the paper with directions for further research.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sarah Mokhtar

<p>It is said that one in five adults will be affected by some form of mental disorder every year, and nearly half the population (45%) will experience a mental disorder at some stage in their life (SaneAustralia, 2004).  This research poses the question: ‘How can design elicit empathy in siblings of voices hearers? Testing and using a designed device to simulate dynamic Auditory Hallucinations or ‘Voices’ in order for family members to experience an in-depth understanding of their own reaction to hearing ‘voices’. With multiple studies affirming that families are crucial to recovery, this thesis research targets families to provide an education on how to positively perpetuate the recovery of a loved one suffering from hearing voices.  Empathy is the driving concept of this research, challenging the ability of a designed devices ability to elicit empathy. Through the design of a wearable technology scarf and smart phone App (both entitled Empathear) created to emulate ‘voices’, this thesis has developed and tested, a product-service system that provides family members a simulated voice hearing experience which can be undertaken in the family home and out in the general public. These voices adapt to the wearer’s environment, becoming louder, softer, more intense or relaxed. Using Empathear outside of the home is very important to this research as it allows family members to see what it is like to speak to members of the public with the distraction of voices.  This research identified four common themes expressed by those interviewed: - Distraction and Concentration - Personal Adaption into a Progressional Experience - Empathy and Appreciation - Positivity for the Future  Empathear fills a gap in the market, helping families to take control, becoming their own instigators of positive change. From a case study of user testing of the chosen design output – the Empathear App, it was found that this research was successful in achieving improved empathetic concern, with all sibling participants acknowledging a change in empathy towards their loved one. This generated a motivation, especially in younger participants, to improve the future of their loved one akin to Daniel C. Batson’s Altruism (Chapter 5.1 Types of Empathy).  This research worked to avoid personal distress in participants by allowing them the option to turn the App off at any stage, giving participants free range on how they wanted to orchestrate their personal voices experience. Empathear has given premise to understanding that distinguishing the illness from our loved one can be achieved through understanding our own reaction to voices. Participants were given an experience of how their personality could be tested by this adversity, allowing them to recognize the reasons behind their loved ones day to day actions and reactions.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 170
Author(s):  
Roman Yavich ◽  
Nitza Davidovitch

The purpose of this study is to investigate the attitudes of three influential groups toward homework: parents, teachers and the public. Specifically, attitudes toward reducing and eliminating homework, as well as creating alternatives to conventional homework, are examined. The first hypothesis is that the attitude of teachers and parents toward homework is positive, whereas that of the public is negative, in line with the Israeli Ministry of Education that suggests changing homework policies. Another hypothesis is that there is a correlation between the seniority of teachers and their attitudes toward homework&mdash;the greater the seniority, the more negative the attitude. Finally, the effect of various background variables of teachers (class grade and subject area: sciences or humanities) and parents (age of parents, number of children in the family and child birth-order) on their attitudes toward homework is examined. The first research hypothesis was confirmed&mdash;most teachers and parents are supportive of homework, whereas the public is the least supportive. In addition, the public is the most supportive of changing homework policies, parents are less supportive, and teachers are the least supportive. No correlation was found between the seniority of teachers and their attitudes toward homework. Finally, background variables have no effect on attitudes toward homework. According to these findings, the public is not yet ready to completely forgo homework, which has been so widely used and accepted. The desire to change the traditional homework policy exists, but the concept that homework is essential remains.


2001 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-80
Author(s):  
Alfred P. Montero

AbstractComparative examples of “good government” at the subnational level may underanalyze the “public goods” problem facing politicians. Delegating authority and resources to policymaking agencies is possible when political conflict is low. The benefits can be maintained only if public agencies establish ties of “horizontal embeddedness” with industrial clients. This case study of innovative industrial policymaking in Minas Gerais, which is compared with one from Rio de Janeiro, finds that horizontal, interagency ties were critical to policy success. The contrast leads to an examination of the mineiro system's efficacy in promoting externalities, attracting foreign investment, and planning infrastructure in the state's automotive industry.


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