Controversial Items Research Articles

Notes on Nationalist Attitudes in Slavic Studies

To be effective teachers (in the classroom and in writing for our peers), we must be fully conversant with our subject matter what it is we want to teach and aware of our audience what they already know and might be interested in learning. This is easy enough with an elementary language course where the facts are set forth in authoritative handbooks, and certain items obviously must be mastered first, while others must be postponed. Even there, however, value judgements may suddenly become an issue.1 At every step we must foresee controversial items and anticipate wrangling over nuances. In the 1990s we must pay particular attention to value judgements associated with nationalist attitudes, in particular presuppositions based on complex nationalist teachings. Slavic at North American universities has been nearly synonymous with Russian. It was Russian language, literature, and history that drew in the students to pay the teachers' salaries, and it was governmental and general sociopolitical curiosity about Russia (whether officially the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union) that motivated university administrations to keep the often underattended courses going. It is no accident that the first books on Slavic in the Harvard Library came from John Quincy Adams, ambassador to Russia (1809-14), and that they were practical items (a history of Russia in French, grammars and dictionaries). It is true that such pioneers as Leo Wiener at Harvard and George R. Noyes at Berkeley regularly offered Polish language and literature, and sometimes Czech (Noyes added Serbo-Croatian) and insisted that their programs or departments be called Slavic. Their chief goal was cultural, i.e., to make Americans aware of the Slavic world as a matter of general significance. A second aim, primary for most academic well-wishers, was to train a few Americans in the languages and the history so that dealings with Slavic countries could be conducted intelligently. For most students (and professors), however, Russian was marginal and other Eastern European topics simply exotica, token offerings for a few second-generation Slavs.2

Controversial Ethical Issues in Forensic Psychiatry: A Survey

A survey was conducted of members of the Psychiatry and Behavioral Science section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) to determine their ethical concerns about controversial items. Issues were included in the survey from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and AAFS Code of Ethics. Strong support was found for those issues. Some AAPL items from a previous version of their guidelines did not receive support. Fortunately, they have been modified in a later AAPL draft, after AAPL received this survey's results. Clarification was obtained on some ambiguous items from a previous AAFS survey. The present survey showed strong support for addressing in forensic psychiatry's ethical guidelines some issues previously considered too controversial.

Changing Childbirth: Family Birth in the Hospital

ABSTRACT Changing Childbirth: Family Birth in the Hospital, by Diony Young, is a book that should be read by every person dealing with women in childbirth, especially persons responsible for planning hospital birthing rooms and free-standing birthing centers. The book is heavily researched and, wherever possible, in controversial items, Ms Young attempts to be as objective as possible. The bibliography is immense. She approaches her topic with a missionary zeal, and, although the primary aim is improvement of family birth in the hospital, the bottom line is humanization of the birth process even within the framework of modern technological advances. For this, she is to be highly commended.In the chapter Selected Obstetrical Practices, Young discusses the pros and cons of many issues provoking discussions between consumers and providers of obstetrical services. These issues include routine fetal monitoring, routine IVs, routine episiotomies, and routine enemas. While one might not agree with

A Consistent Series of National Accounts for East and West Pakistan: 1949-50 to 1969-70

The need for a consistent series of national income and related aggregates for East and West Pakistan, which are now separate countries, has been felt for a long time. Both the availability of data and the lack of willingness to make certain assumptions about the "controversial" items of income and expenditure have stood in the way of deriving such a series. Fortunately, however, the controversial items do not form a very significant part of the total and making alternative assumptions about the distribution does not change the pattern of growth of the different aggregates. The value and need for the series in the present context arises not so much for comparing the relative performance of the two economies at different points of time, but their rate of growth in the past. In this paper, we are presenting estimates of GDP at constant factor cost for East and West Pakistan from the years 1949-50 to 1969-70. From 1959-60 to 1969-70, it is also possible to present estimates of GNP at market prices and the distribution of GNP by expenditure categories, both at current and constant prices. In the first section we describe the method for obtaining GDP at constant factor cost from 1949-50 to 1969-70. In the second section, the methodology of obtaining GNP at market prices, current and constant, for 1959-60 to 1969-70 is presented. In the next section, we discuss the methodology of deriving the different national expenditure aggregates for 1959-60 to 1969-70.

AN APPRAISAL OF CHILD PSYCHIATRY IN A COMMUNITY HEALTH PROJECT: Relevance as a Function of Social Context

The past several years have witnessed nationwide changes in delivery of health services (Jahoda, 1958; Caplan, 1964; English, 1968). Child psychiatry has mqved along with other specialties from clinics, hospitals, and privaje offices into open systems of community psychiatry (Malone, 1967; Bolman, 1967). Time-honored practices often have been received as foreign or deviant in these unaccustomed settings, but services, nevertheless, are usually relevant, sometimes desperately needed (Harrison et al., 1965; Christmas, 1969). Acceptance in these circumstances depends on certain critical factors seen in social context and such controversial items as age, class, ethnicity, and race arouse dramatically different responses depending on context. Sociological theory becomes essential to understanding program development and estimating chances for success; ideas about groups are particularly helpful. Sociologists categorize groups as primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary groups are small and intimate. They focus on personal matters such as family problems and joys. People relate in primary groups on a frequent and regular basis (Cooley, 1909). Secondary groups are larger and less intimate. They also meet regularly, but focus on such functional matters as school, job, and clubs (Burgess,

Materials Selection-Chaos or Cooperation

Selection and specification of materials is an important part of the design and development process of the simplest component or the most complex system. It also is one of the most difficult and controversial items. The difficulties confronting the people involved in materials selection and specification are numerous, and can be divided into objective and subjective difficulties. The objective difficulties are the staggering and rapidly increasing number of materials available; the broad range of properties of such materials, depending on processing conditions; the numerous factors to consider in selection such as functional performance, manufacturability, availability, and cost, etc. The subjective difficulties center around the problems of information and communication--or, rather, the lack of these items. To avoid chaos that results in less-than-optimum performance, poor reliability, high cost, and further polarization of the people involved, the magnitude of the problem has to be realized. Furthermore, design engineers and materials specialists must be willing to communicate and to utilize the large number of available methods, devices, and vehicles in order to arrive at proper materials selection. This paper describes available sources of materials information, and surveys the communication vehicles between the designer and the materials specialist. It points out the responsibilities of both parties in providing proper input in the materials selection process. It also suggests some organizational approaches to provide optimum materials support for the design engineer.

Standards for galvanomagnetic devices

A summary is given of existing and “in-process” standards for galvanomagnetic devices. Controversial items in the IEC standard for Hall effect devices, 47(Secretariat)196, May 1965, are reviewed, and note is made of USA and Japanese comments on this document. Items in the USA Document, 47(USA), September 1965, commenting on 47(Secretariat)196, are reviewed, and particular emphasis is given to items relating to linearity error, particularly as a per cent of reading, to residual voltages, and to sensitivity indices. A summary of items in an “in-process” document for “Standard Definitions and Terminology for Magnetoresistive Devices,” is given. The concept of compatibility between definitions for flux and temperature sensitive resistors (i.e. magnetoresistors, thermistors and photoresistors) is introduced. Some overlapping areas of application are noted. The linear input-output characteristics obtainable from a device which has a square law characteristic are noted and appropriate definitions for both characteristics are introduced. Copies of four documents dealing with standard terminology and definitions for Hall effect devices are included as appendices.

New Concept in High School Design Uses Electric Heating and Air Conditioning

The purpose of this paper is to point out the economies possible in designing new school buildings. In order to further these points, two schools in the Kansas City area are used as examples. The paper also shows how a new tool-Computer Environmental Analysis-can help not only in economic analysis but in design. Other sometimes controversial items such as electric water heating, fresh air, electric service, and distribution are also mentioned.

The Role of the Rules Committee in Arranging the Program of the U.S. House of Representatives

NE OF THE REQUIREMENTS of a legislature is an internal system of authority which establishes procedures for analyzing problems, raising issues, deliberating, and finally making decisions.1 In the United States House of Representatives a variety of parliamentary forms are available for arranging the legislative program. These include the five calendars, special legislative days, unanimous consent agreements, motions to suspend the Rules, and special orders or special rules. These formal procedures are employed chiefly by the majority leader and the Speaker after consultation with the minority leader, important committee chairmen, and the Committee on Rules. This article describes the role of the Rules Committee in selecting bills and resolutions for consideration by the House. Approximately nine-tenths of the business of the House is relatively noncontroversial and this portion of the work is considered by expeditious procedures, such as the Consent or Private calendars, or on special legislative days, including District of Columbia Day. The other one-tenth of the House's program numbering approximately one hundred bills and resolutions each session is controversial enough to be debated for three or more pages each in the Congressional Record (approximately 30 minutes). Among these are the big issues which Congress must resolve, the conflicts which gain public attention, and usually receive the greatest space or time in the mass communication media. More than half of these controversial items will be handled under special resolutions from the Committee on Rules. Thus, the Rules Committee participates in scheduling some of the most vital matters before the House.

Organization of Central American States

On August 13, 1955, delegates from the five members of the Organization of Central American States (OCAS)—Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica—convened at Antigua, Guatemala, for the first formal meeting of the organization, which had been “founded in 1951. According to the press, the first formal meeting had been postponed a number of times: until 1954, because Guatemala had withdrawn in protest against the anticommunist point of view of the other members, and after Guatemala had rejoined in 1954, because of tension between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The most important and controversial item on the agenda of the conference, according to reports, was the election of a Secretary General; on August 24, after lengthy debate, the foreign ministers of the five member states chose by acclamation Jose Guillermo Trabanino, Foreign Minister for Ell Salvador. His election was reported to have been a diplomatic victory for Nicaragua against Costa Rica, since before the conference it had been generally supposed that, under the terms of an unofficial agreement reached by the five foreign ministers in April 1955, the post would go to a Costa Rican. The El Salvadorian nomineehad been approved to break the deadlock which developed as it became apparent in the course of the conference that Nicaragua would vote against any candidate proposed by Costa Rica. Other action taken by the conference included the following: 1) it requested the Secretary General to initiate conversations with the Superior Central American University Council, to coordinate activities in the field of higher education in the region; 2) it authorized the creation of a council of culture and education as a specialized agency widiin the organization;) it authorized its central office to study and formulate a project to be presented at the next ordinary conference, toward a Central American customs union; and 4) it created a commission of jurists to study the codification of Central American legislation, initiate studies on the possibility of unifying juridic principles and establishing cooperation with the corresponding organs of the United Nations and the Organization of American States.

Clinical Cardiology.

The editor has attempted to present aspects of cardiology not ordinarily covered in the textbooks of heart disease. The special problems related to the heart in the fields of pediatrics, anesthesiology, obstetrics, and psychiatry have been assigned to collaborators. The usual subject matter such as electrocardiography, roentgenography, and diagnosis and treatment of disorders commonly classified as cardiac is also included. As is often noted when there are many contributors, the chapters are not uniformly good. The editor states in the preface that controversial items are purposely included. If such were the intention, all sides of a controversial problem should have been presented. For instance, the chapter on treatment of congestive heart failure is written by Schemm, who presents mainly his own theory of edema formation and method of treatment, even though it is not accepted by cardiologists generally. Two excellent chapters deserve special mention: one on cardiac surgery by Bailey,