bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Economic and Social Council
Authors: Mégret Frédéric
Published: January 2021

This chapter looks at the Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) role in promoting human rights. The ECOSOC, whose origins lie in ambitious proposals drawn up in 1939 within the League of Nations for a ‘Central Committee for Economic and Social questions’, was supposed to be the central piece of that machinery, one that would work for the purpose of achieving ‘international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character’. Yet, ECOSOC has never been as central a body in the United Nations as one might have expected it to be. In every proposal for reform, it is one of the prime candidates for significant change or even elimination. The chapter suggests that this has significantly hampered its potential contribution to human rights over the years.
The Committee on the Rights of the Child
Authors: Evans Christine
Published: January 2021

This chapter looks at the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which was created ‘for the purpose of examining the progress made by States parties in achieving the realization of the obligations undertaken in the present Convention’, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Among one of the principal tasks of the Committee is the review of State party reports. The Committee is unique among treaty bodies in that it currently reviews State party reports under three substantive treaties. Article 45 explicitly recognises the role of UNICEF and other competent bodies in the implementation of the Convention and it has resulted in a vibrant rights-based constituency for child rights across the globe. The chapter then evaluates the working methods of the Committee and analyses how these have developed.
The Committee on Enforced Disappearances
Authors: de Frouville Olivier
Published: January 2021

This chapter describes the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED). Although many states doubted that there was any justification for creating a new committee only dedicated to the issue of enforced disappearances, the first years of the Committee have proved them wrong. This is due to the mobilization of civil society and families of the disappeared, particularly in some key states parties like Mexico, who understood well not only the complementarity between the Committee and other competent mechanisms, but also its added value. This is also greatly due to the dedication and dynamism of the members of the Committee, who all tirelessly worked so that, within a few years, the Committee would be ready to act effectively in order to eliminate enforced disappearances and assist victims in their legitimate quest for truth, justice, and reparation.
The Authority Entitled to Extend an Invitation for Direct Military Assistance
Authors: De Wet Erika
Published: January 2021

This chapter determines the authority that is required to extend an invitation for direct military assistance by forces of land, air, or sea. In so doing, it departs from the well-established principle in international law that the competence to request either direct military assistance or indirect military assistance rests with the de jure government. This is the authority whose representatives are accepted in international organizations, that accredits ambassadors, can legally enter into treaties, and can legally dispose of the state’s assets and natural resources. The chapter then identifies the criteria for the recognition of the de jure government. These criteria include in particular the traditional requirement of effective control as well as that of democratic legitimacy. In the post-Cold War era the latter has gained prominence in particular within the OAS and the AU. Once an authority is recognized as the de jure government, this triggers a strong presumption of continued de jure status. The fact that the de jure government would subsequently be confronted with an insurgency, and/or be embroiled in a sustained armed conflict with opposition groups, would not in and of itself lead to a loss of its de jure status. However, the question arises as to whether the presumption of continued recognition has any relevance in situations where the incumbent regime no longer is identifiable, or where it is challenged by an authority that claims to be democratically legitimated.
Formal Requirements for Valid Consent to Direct Military Assistance
Authors: De Wet Erika
Published: January 2021

This chapter explores potential formal requirements that may affect the validity of consent to direct military assistance. Customary international law only imposes two specific, formal limitations on the legal construct of military assistance on request. The first would be that the request for or consent to military assistance must be issued (and withdrawn) by the highest officials of a state, namely, the head of state and/or government. Where these two positions are not combined within the same person and there is disagreement between them as to whether consent exists, the domestic law of the country in question may be decisive in determining who has the final say in the matter. However, such disagreement between the two highest state officials is likely to be an indication of the political fragility of the consent, which should caution against relying exclusively on consent as the legal basis for the forcible measures. The second constraint imposed by customary international law concerns the requirement that ex ante consent as expressed in pro-invasion treaty clauses must be complemented by ad hoc consent at the time of the forcible measures. Apart from these two constraints, customary international law does not seem to impose any particular formal requirements on states expressing consent to forcible measures on its territory.
Right to be Tried without Undue Delay
Authors: Clooney Amal , Webb Philippa
Published: January 2021

This chapter examines the right to be tried without undue delay. The speed of a trial is integral to its overall fairness. The longer a trial takes, the longer that the defendant, still presumed innocent, is in legal jeopardy; the longer that they may be kept in pre-trial detention; and the greater the risk that witnesses may forget details or evidence may disappear. However, despite the importance of efficiency in criminal justice, chronic delays in trials in domestic jurisdictions have been widely reported. In fact, the right to be tried without undue delay is one of the most litigated aspects of the right to a fair trial. Unlike some violations, delayed proceedings are relatively easy to prove; the question is what constitutes a delay that is ‘undue’ under international human rights law. There is no global time limit for a criminal proceeding and each case must be assessed on its facts, taking into account its complexity; the conduct of the defendant, the prosecution, and other state authorities; and—for most international bodies—the prejudice caused to the defendant by the delay.
Right to Appeal
Authors: Clooney Amal , Webb Philippa
Published: January 2021

This chapter examines the right to appeal, which is a safeguard against wrongful conviction, ensuring that a defendant has at least one review of their conviction and sentence. The right to appeal is not absolute and states may place restrictions on the right, such as imposing conditions on access to courts of appeal by requiring defendants to apply for leave. The test is whether the conditions impair the very essence of the defendant’s right to appeal. Once an appeal is granted, the review by the higher tribunal does not necessarily involve the full range of guarantees that are required for a fair trial at first instance. An appeal may not always require an oral hearing, the presence of the defendant, the examination of witnesses, the presentation of new evidence, or detailed reasons for dismissal of the appeal. Among international human rights bodies, the European Court has taken a particularly narrow approach to the right to appeal, allowing for a number of exceptions to the enjoyment of the right and limiting the standard of review to points of law or the sentence only. The key issues regarding the right to appeal concern the stage of proceedings from which the defendant can appeal, the question of who can bring an appeal, and in what types of criminal cases the right must be provided.
International Negotiable Instruments
Authors: Geva Benjamin , Peari Sagi
Published: January 2021

This book marries two fields of law: negotiable instruments and choice-of-law. Bills of exchange, cheques, and promissory notes are the main classical negotiable instruments. For centuries, these have played a vital role in the smooth operation of domestic and international commerce. The rapid technological progress of payment mechanisms has embraced the traditional institution of negotiable instruments leading to their adaptation in order to meet the challenges of the frequent mobility of people, goods, and high volumes of cross-border transactions. While the principles governing negotiable instruments tend to be based on a common set of ideas, detailed rules vary from place to place, which requires knowledge of the national law that should govern an international negotiable instrument. The book offers a thorough analysis of the choice-of-law rules applicable to negotiable instruments. The internal structure of negotiable instruments law is complex, which has given rise to a popular view favouring the exclusion of negotiable instruments from the scope of general contract and property law doctrines, and their subsequent exclusion from ordinary choice-of-law analysis. The book contests this view. Indeed, the complex structure of negotiable instruments creates a significant challenge for traditional contract and property doctrines and the choice-of-law analysis applicable to them. Nevertheless, the book contends that the complex case of international negotiable instruments should be analysed through the lens of traditional contract and property choice-of-law doctrines. It concludes that choice-of-law rules in the area of international negotiable instruments need to be dramatically revised and harmonized.
A deep learning approach to quasar continuum prediction
Authors: Liu Bin , Bordoloi Rongmon
Published: January 2021

We present a novel intelligent quasar continuum neural network (iQNet), predicting the intrinsic continuum of any quasar in the rest-frame wavelength range of $1020 \, {\mathring{\rm A}}\le \lambda _{\text{rest}} \le 1600 \, {\mathring{\rm A}}$. We train this network using high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origin Spectrograph ultraviolet quasar spectra at low redshift (z ∼ 0.2) from the Hubble Spectroscopic Legacy Archive (HSLA), and apply it to predict quasar continua in different astronomical surveys. We utilize the HSLA quasar spectra that are well defined in the rest-frame wavelength range of [1020, 1600] Å with an overall median signal-to-noise ratio of at least 5. The iQNet model achieves a median absolute fractional flux error of 2.24 per cent on the training quasar spectra, and 4.17 per cent on the testing quasar spectra. We apply iQNet and predict the continua of ∼3200 Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 16 quasar spectra at higher redshift (2 < z ≤ 5) and measure the redshift evolution of mean transmitted flux (〈F〉) in the Ly α forest region. We measure a gradual evolution of 〈F〉 with redshift, which we characterize as a power-law fit to the effective optical depth of the Ly α forest. Our measurements are broadly consistent with other estimates of 〈F〉 in the literature but provide a more accurate measurement as we are directly measuring the quasar continuum where there is minimum contamination from the Ly α forest. This work proves that the deep learning iQNet model can predict the quasar continuum with high accuracy and shows the viability of such methods for quasar continuum prediction.
The impact of astrophysical dust grains on the confinement of cosmic rays
Authors: Squire Jonathan , Hopkins Philip F , Quataert Eliot , Kempski Philipp
Published: January 2021

We argue that charged dust grains could significantly impact the confinement and transport of galactic cosmic rays. For sub-GeV to ∼103 GeV cosmic rays, small-scale parallel Alfvén waves, which isotropize cosmic rays through gyro-resonant interactions, are also gyro-resonant with charged grains. If the dust is nearly stationary, as in the bulk of the interstellar medium, Alfvén waves are damped by dust. This will reduce the amplitude of Alfvén waves produced by the cosmic rays through the streaming instability, thus enhancing cosmic ray transport. In well-ionized regions, the dust damping rate is larger by a factor of ∼10 than other mechanisms that damp parallel Alfvén waves at the scales relevant for ∼GeV cosmic rays, suggesting that dust could play a key role in regulating cosmic ray transport. In astrophysical situations in which the dust moves through the gas with super-Alfvénic velocities, Alfvén waves are rendered unstable, which could directly scatter cosmic rays. This interaction has the potential to create a strong feedback mechanism where dust, driven through the gas by radiation pressure, then strongly enhances the confinement of cosmic rays, increasing their capacity to drive outflows. This mechanism may act in the circumgalactic medium around star-forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei.
Psychological distress and line-of-duty head injuries in firefighters
Authors: Strack J E , Torres V A , Pennington M L , Cardenas M N , Dupree J , Meyer E C , Dolan S , Kruse M I , Synett S J , Kimbrel N A , Gulliver S B
Published: January 2021

Background

Head injuries are common injury in the fire service; however, very little data exist on the risks this may pose to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in this high-risk population.

Aims

Our study aimed to compare levels of PTSD and depression symptoms in firefighters with a line-of-duty head injury, non-line-of-duty head injury and no head injury.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, we assessed current PTSD and depression symptoms as well as retrospective head injuries.

Results

Seventy-six per cent of the total sample reported at least one head injury in their lifetime. Depression symptoms were significantly more severe among firefighters with a line-of-duty head injury compared to those with no head injury, but not compared to those who sustained a non-line-of-duty head injury. Depression symptoms did not differ between firefighters with a non-line-of-duty head injury and those with no head injury. PTSD symptoms were significantly more severe among firefighters with a line-of-duty head injury compared to both firefighters with no head injury and those with a non-line-of-duty head injury.

Conclusions

We found that firefighters who reported at least one line-of-duty head injury had significantly higher levels of PTSD and depression symptoms than firefighters who reported no head injuries. Our findings also suggest head injuries sustained outside of fire service could have less of an impact on the firefighter’s PTSD symptom severity than head injuries that occur as a direct result of their job.
Utilitarian Commitments of Transhumanists and Their Sociopolitical Implications
Authors: Levin Susan B.
Published: January 2021

Though transhumanists proclaim a bedrock commitment to personal autonomy, this commitment is undercut by evidence in their accounts of a utilitarian obligation to enhance. Their arguments invoke parallels with existing measures taken to promote the health and welfare of the public. Thereby, they reflect a current, broader tendency to extend the scope of “public health.” Their argumentative reliance on the sphere of public health manifests transhumanists’ willingness to defend their proposals on a utilitarian basis. Further, to avoid harming children-to-be, parents may be morally obliged to provide whatever bioenhancements are available when they make procreative decisions. Transhumanists’ notion that bioenhancement could be morally required, together with their utilitarian commitments, yields a strong concern that sociopolitical requirements would flow from the implementation of their agenda so as to put liberal democracy at risk. This risk has often been underappreciated by commentators across the spectrum of positions on bioenhancement.
Teaching Music to Students with Autism
Authors: Hammel Alice M. , Hourigan Ryan M.
Published: January 2021

Teaching Music to Students with Autism is the first resource to provide a comprehensive study of the education of students with autism within the music classroom. The approach is centered in the inclusion or self-contained music classroom and is designed for music educators, music teacher educators, and all those who have an interest in the education of students with autism. The authors focus on the diagnosis of autism, advocating for students and music programs, and creating and maintaining a team-approach when working with colleagues. A significant portion of the book is focused on understanding the communication, cognition, behavior, sensory, and socialization challenges inherent in students with autism and ways to structure classroom experiences and learning opportunities for all students. A chapter of classroom snapshots (vigsnettes) written by teachers in the field of music education provides additional opportunities to transfer information to “real life” situations. Finally, the book offers a chapter of print and web resources for further study.
Understanding Cognition and Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Hammel Alice M. , Hourigan Ryan M.
Published: January 2021

One of the most unique attributes of students with autism is the distinct way they think. This chapter sheds light on the cognitive world of students with autism in the music classroom. The following topics are included: theory of mind; central coherence; executive function; joint attention (and cognition); and music cognition and students with autism.
A Post-Romantic Priest of Music
Authors: McManus Laurie
Published: January 2021

This chapter introduces the concept of the priest of music as it relates to Brahms reception through 1874, the year of La Mara’s substantial biography of the composer. I argue that the concept, fundamentally an early Romantic art-religious creation, was superimposed uncomfortably onto Brahms’s first mature style in the early 1860s. Brahms’s study of counterpoint, recognized by critics as a turn from his earlier Romantic subjective style, inspired narratives of self-improvement and discipline. These narratives combined the ethical implications of counterpoint retained from its original associations with sacred repertoire with the success of the German Requiem (1868) to create the image of an ascetic priest devoted to pure music. As seen in La Mara’s biography of Brahms, critics could modify the outdated Romantic notion of priest to suit Brahms’s post-1850s biographical context and musical style.
Priestesses of Art
Authors: McManus Laurie
Published: January 2021

This chapter delves into the largely unexplored intersections of gender stereotypes and art-religious rhetoric in music criticism. It introduces case studies on the priestesses of art—and champions of Brahms’s compositions—Clara Schumann and Amalie Joachim, showing how for these performers, repertoire selection and performativity influenced the creation of motherly priestesses. In the context of nineteenth-century discourses on gender and sex roles, intensified by the nascent women’s rights movement, we encounter a paradox of the pure style: Priestesses were invested with a kind of natural sensual authority that was suited only to women as primordial life-givers. This analysis establishes a more nuanced gendered context for understanding the priestly rhetoric and its criticism.
Politics
Authors: Chollet Derek
Published: January 2021

This chapter focuses on the politics of foreign policy. It recounts the bitter, and ultimately crippling, political brawls that Eisenhower, Bush, and Obama fought over their foreign policies. The chapter dives into Eisenhower’s battle with “America First” nationalists and his disagreements over national security with Senators Robert A. Taft and Joseph McCarthy. It discusses some of the forces undergirding Bush’s humiliating defeat after only one term in office, including the wounds inflicted by a resurgent “America First” movement and populist leaders such as Pat Buchanan and Ross Perot. The chapter documents the political turbulence of the Obama years, including his defining struggle against those who ridiculed his foreign policies as weak and defeatist. Finally, the chapter charts the role of Taft, McCarthy, Buchanan, and Perot in shaping the combustible politics of foreign policy in the 2010s and today.
Farm Income in India
Authors: Narayanamoorthy A.
Published: January 2021

The Green Revolution resulted in spectacular advancements in Indian agriculture. Having achieved food security for its citizens, the country has now become a net exporter of different agricultural commodities. But sadly, this does not reflect the real state of the Indian agricultural sector. In truth, our farmers are plagued by crop failures, poor income, and indebtedness. Such is their misery that they are of late driven to commit suicide. In this book, the author identifies poor returns from crop cultivation as the root cause of farmers’ problems. Using vast temporal and spatial data, the author explores further and attempts to address some very pertinent questions facing Indian agriculture today: What is the current trend in farm income? Are the returns from irrigated crops better than un-irrigated crops? Does increased productivity guarantee increased income? Has the agricultural price policy benefitted farmers? To what extent does rural infrastructure development help in increasing farm income? Has the rural employment guarantee scheme affected farm profitability? The answers will help us determine if we can double farm income by 2022–3, a target set by the present union government.
Introduction
Authors: Narayanamoorthy A.
Published: January 2021

This chapter delineates the various issues and myths concerning farm income in India in an emphatic manner. Indian agriculture has made rapid progress after the introduction of the Green Revolution in terms of production and productivity of crops. But, this development seems to have not made any big impact on the income of farmers. Owing to poor remuneration from crop cultivation that lead to increased indebtedness, widespread suicides of farmers have been reported in different parts of the country. Unfortunately, comprehensive analysis covering all the pertinent issues of farm income is not available in India. Besides flagging the pertinent issues on farm income, this chapter provides a brief overview of all the chapters included in this volume.
Biogeography of the Oceans
Authors: Halsband Claudia , Ahyong Shane T. , Brandt Angelika , Kosobokova Ksenia , Ward Peter , Goodall-Copestake Will P. , Macpherson Enrique
Published: January 2021

This chapter summarizes global patterns and mechanisms of both ecological and historical crustacean biogeography resulting in the contemporary species distributions described over the past decades. In the pelagic realm, hydrographic features such as ocean currents, physical depth profiles, and latitudinal temperature gradients are major structuring elements, as well as selection pressure exerted by the environment and species interactions, which have resulted in speciation over evolutionary time. Benthic crustacean distributions are additionally constrained longitudinally by continental barriers and submarine features such as ridges and seamounts. The main biogeographic patterns of both benthic and pelagic crustaceans are described for all ocean basins and the polar regions, of which the Indian Ocean is the least well studied. The Copepoda and Decapoda are generally represented with the highest number of described species, followed by Amphipoda and Isopoda. Life cycles with pelagic larvae (e.g., decapods and stomatopods) increase dispersal and enable wide distributions, while a lack of dispersive larvae promotes endemism in benthic forms (e.g., amphipods). Restricted regions with high species richness and endemism, such as the “coral triangle” (the Indo-Australian Archipelago), the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean, represent important biodiversity hotspots. Endemics are also suitable markers for past earth history events. Only a few studies cover the biogeography of crustacean taxa in all of the world’s oceans, but a few exceptions exist for decapods, amphipods, and isopods. Although the world’s oceans have been reasonably well studied for crustacean distribution and diversity, species complexes and cryptic species lacking morphological diagnostic features leave us with a large number of unconsolidated taxa. Emerging molecular tools may be able to assist with refinement of nomenclature and hence increase the resolution of crustacean biogeography in the future.
Terrestrial Environments
Authors: Sfenthourakis Spyros , Myers Alan A. , Taiti Stefano , Lowry James K.
Published: January 2021

Among crustaceans, only Amphipoda, Isopoda, and Decapoda have invaded truly terrestrial environments, but only two groups show full adaptations to live on land: the family Talitridae among the Amphipoda and the suborder Oniscidea among the Isopoda. The Talitridae occur primarily in forest leaf litter, but a number of other habitats, including caves, are recorded. Talitrids are important ecological contributors to the litter fauna, often occurring in high densities. Their adaptations to a terrestrial way of life include the retention of the mitten-shaped second gnathopods, a neotenic condition among males; the first article of antenna 2 greatly enlarged and fixed to the side of the head; and enlarged gills and pleopods often reduced, sometimes to vestigial stumps. Talitrids have a skewed world distribution being at their most diverse in New Zealand, Tasmania, and Japan/Taiwan. They occur in the Caribbean and Central America but are absent from South and North America except as introduced taxa. Their distribution is largely a result of tectonic activity during the past 150 million years and of extinctions during the Tertiary due to increasing aridity of the climate. The Oniscidea (terrestrial isopods) are the only crustaceans that have managed to adapt to almost all habitat types on land and have become the most species-rich suborder of Isopoda. Although monophyly of the Oniscidea is generally accepted, current taxonomy, based almost entirely on morphological characters, needs extensive revision. Terrestrial isopods present a number of unique adaptations to life on land, some of which result from what can be considered as pre-adaptations of ancestral marine isopods, such as egg development in a marsupium, being dorso-ventrally oblate and having a pleopodal respiration. Other crucial adaptations of Oniscidea include the water-conducting system, the structure of their cuticle, and the “covered” type of pleopodal lungs, all of which are responses to the acute problem of desiccation. They are also among the most speciose taxa in caves, some species have even returned to an aquatic life, and a few species have evolved social behavior. Oniscidea are increasingly being used in biogeographical, phylogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary research and can become model organisms for a broad range of biological studies.
A Most Peculiar Book
Authors: Swenson Kristin
Published: January 2021

The Bible, we are constantly reminded, is the bestselling book of all time. It is read with intense devotion by hundreds of millions of people, stands as authoritative text for Judaism and Christianity, and informs and affects the politics and lives of the religious and nonreligious around the world. But how well do we really know it? The Bible is so familiar, so ubiquitous that we take our knowledge of it for granted. Yet in some cases, the Bible we think we know is a pale imitation of the real thing. This book addresses the dirty little secret of biblical studies—that the Bible is a weird book, by modern standards. A collection of ancient stories, poetry, and more written by multiple authors, held together by the tenuous string of tradition, the Bible often undermines our modern assumptions. It is full of surprises and contradictions, unexplained impossibilities, terrifying supernatural creatures, and heroes doing horrible deeds. In total, it offers neither a systematic theology nor a singular worldview. Still, there is a tendency to reduce the complexities of the Bible to aphorisms, bumper stickers, and slogans. But what exactly does it mean to be “unclean”? Who really killed Goliath? Does Jesus condemn nonbelievers to Hell? What does it mean “to believe,” in the first place? Rather than dismiss the Bible as an outlandish or irrelevant relic of antiquity, this book leans into the messiness full throttle, guiding readers through a Bible that will to many feel brand new.
But in the Original . . .
Authors: Swenson Kristin
Published: January 2021

This chapter tackles the issue of why there is no such thing as an “original” Bible. When it comes to the Bible, “going back to the original” usually means referring to the ancient Hebrew and Greek texts, since those are, respectively, the languages of the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible and of the New Testament, from which our translations come. However, there is simply no single Bible that old or that otherwise stands as “The One” that gave rise to them all. Our earliest versions come from hundreds of years after the Bible's (both Jewish and Christian versions) contents were finalized. There is no authoritative ur-text that can be consulted for the final word. But while there is no such thing as an original Bible, the facts of the Bible's development, the admission that we have fragments of copies sometimes with competing claims or inscrutable passages, invites us to reconsider the most basic ways to read it.
Angels, Demons, and a Talking Ass
Authors: Swenson Kristin
Published: January 2021

This chapter examines the Bible’s divine world. Along with different varieties of angels and demons there are medically prophylactic snakes, a talking ass, a curse-wielding box (the Ark), supernatural rocks, giant fish, and more that are discussed in this chapter. The chapter asserts that even angels defy easy categorization in the Bible; for example, they can be human or divine depending on the context. Their counterparts too—demons and even “Satan”—the chapter shows mean different things in different parts of the Bible.
And General Befuddlements
Authors: Swenson Kristin
Published: January 2021

This chapter discusses some of the oddities in biblical texts that continue to befuddle even scholars. Reasons include the vagaries of transmission and how far removed the modern reader—as well as the modern scholar—is from the cultural, historical, and linguistic contexts in which the Bible was written. Some of these puzzling texts may assume familiarity with customs or stories well known to the authors but lost to us now; others may be cases of stories missing significant parts; in still other cases, one might simply want to know more than the texts reveal. This chapter investigates the Bible’s range of translation possibilities, its literary context and forms, its historical contexts, and particular theological assumptions at work, including the fact that all the texts were collected and presented by believers, not disinterested reporters. The chapter then reveals that some possibilities for interpretation and understanding are stronger than others. Furthermore, even in those cases where the Bible's oddities defy experts, the possibilities for understanding, interpretation, and even application are not without limit.
Ten Commandments for Reading the Bible
Authors: Swenson Kristin
Published: January 2021

This chapter provides some advice for how to approach the Bible. It first discusses some general dos and don'ts of biblical literacy before providing ten commandments on how to read or use the Bible. First, is to recognize that the Bible does not equate to God and to beware of making the Bible itself an object of worship. The chapter urges readers to be mindful of the Bible's translations and its logical gaps and not to dismiss the wisdom and knowledge of previous Bible scholars. It argues that the Bible should not be used to harm others or to presume to issue divine judgment on others. And it warns against carelessly and simplistically interpreting the Bible, or taking biblical texts out of context. The final commandment is to take the Bible seriously without being blind to its more uncomfortable and unsavory aspects.
The Cinema of Francesco Rosi
Authors: Marrone Gaetana
Published: January 2021

Francesco Rosi’s work, which includes an impressive number of individually celebrated films, occupies a unique place in postwar Italian, indeed postwar world, cinema. Over the years, Rosi has offered films that trace an intricate path between the real and the fictive, the factual and the imagined. His films show an extraordinarily consistent formal balance while representing historical events as social emblems that examine, shape, and reflect the national self. They rely on a labyrinthine narrative structure, in which the sense of an enigma replaces the unidirectional path leading ineluctably to a designated end and solution. The truth itself, so fragmented and confused, may never be discovered. Rosi’s logical investigations are conducted by an omniscient eye and translated into a cinematic approach that embraces the details of material reality with the panoramic perspective of a dispassionate observer. This study addresses Rosi’s films as mosaics fashioned out of “clips” collected from the various stages of production, most specifically from the director’s own archival materials. It examines Rosi’s creative use of film as document (and as spectacle). This is, inevitably then, a study of the specific cinematic techniques that characterize Rosi’s work and that visually, compositionally, express his vision of history and the elusive “truth” of past and present social and political realities.
Operatic Microhistory
Authors: Marrone Gaetana
Published: January 2021

Il momento della verità (The Moment of Truth, 1965), a thematic departure from earlier films, is a bold experiment in shooting “freely” without a script. The film, informed by a keen sense of class consciousness and Rosi's penchant for location shooting, centers on the career of a matador, Miguel Mateo “Miguelín,” a peon who leaves the country for the city to escape poverty. Visually, Rosi’s searing exposure of the corruption and exploitation rampant in contemporary Spain is achieved through the use of a long 300mm lens. Sacrificial rituals also lie at the heart of Carmen (Bizet’s Carmen, 1984), Rosi's only experiment in opera adaptation. Also shot in Andalusia and featuring actual soldiers, gypsies, and locals, Carmen counterposes realistic settings to staged theatricality.
City of Memory
Authors: Marrone Gaetana
Published: January 2021

Since he had left Naples in the winter of 1946–1947 Rosi had never felt tempted to return but somehow always looked for creative projects which would lead him back. In 1992, he films Diario napoletano (Neapolitan Diary), an intimate narrative documenting a personal and collective journey. In 2003, Eduardo De Filippo’s art, deeply rooted in human suffering rather than the virtuosity of the stagecraft, persuaded Rosi to direct Napoli milionaria! at the San Carlo Theatre for the Compagnia di Teatro Luca De Filippo. Rosi’s vision of historical continuity between cinema and the theater is embodied in a city where poverty favors corruption, crime, and an insatiable longing for power. For Rosi, Eduardo's play is an appeal for action aimed at recapturing the fundamental values of life: love, honesty, solidarity. Three years later he staged Le voci di dentro and in 2008 Filumena Marturano.
“The Sword of the Lord”
Authors: Byrd James P.
Published: January 2021

Motivating soldiers to kill in the Civil War was more difficult than inspiring them to die for the cause. Killing, Drew Gilpin Faust wrote, “required the more significant departure from soldiers’ understandings of themselves as human beings and . . . as Christians.” Killing was a problem for many soldiers—violence seemed prohibited by the Bible, especially the New Testament’s Sermon on the Mount, but also the Old Testament command, “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13). In response, Americans turned to other passages in the Bible to inspire soldiers to kill, a concern never more urgent than after the bloodbath at Antietam. Soon after that battle, Lincoln announced his Emancipation Proclamation, which gave some northerners a righteous motivation to fight. It was now a war for freedom. In wrestling with these interrelated concerns—the motivation to kill and the battle for emancipation—Americans struggled with the scriptures in the second half of 1862.
Intimacy through Time and Space in Fieldwork Interviews
Authors: Perrino Sabina
Published: January 2021

Chapter 5 continues to engage with theory, meta-methodology, and methodology through a novel synthesis of work on scalarity, intimacy, stancetaking, chronotopicity, kinship, and narrative. After defining intimacy as “. . . an emergent feeling of closeness in combination with significant levels of vulnerability, trust, and/or shared identities that can very across time and space” (Perrino & Pritzker, 2019), it goes on to provide the reader with a discursive and procedural view of what intimacy, vulnerability, and trust look like. In doing so, this chapter provides a discursive picture to terms that have often been associated with the notion of rapport while demonstrating that close attention to the discursive features of anthropological interviews not only provides unique insights into the co-construction of different types of rapport but also offers further evidence that challenges the notion that one needs to establish rapport before engaging in interviews. More specifically, Perrino explores how the co-construction of intimacy becomes a central aspect of researcher/collaborator’s rapport in anthropological fieldwork settings. She shows how intimate relations are processual phenomena of interaction in speech participants’ oral narratives as they unfold in interview settings in two field sites: Senegal (West Africa) and Northern Italy. In doing so, she highlights how kinship chronotopes are also discursively appropriated and co-constructed as part of both her and her consultants’ ongoing efforts to inhabit particular participant roles (i.e., to engage in role alignment).
Framework for Understanding and Treating Mental Health Problems
Authors: Painter Kirstin , Scannapieco Maria
Published: January 2021

This chapter focuses on five important components when working with children with mental health problems and their families. The ecological systems model recognizes the dynamic two-way relationship between the systems that affect the youth’s environment and the youth’s responses to those effects and the factors that may facilitate or impede the child’s environmental adaptation. Systems of care is a service delivery method where youth and their families are seen as capable and equal to the professionals in the treatment decision-making process. Evidence-based practices and programs are interventions and programs that incorporate strongly supported evidence-based practices while also encouraging the combination of individual skills and uniqueness. Cultural humility is a multiperspective approach to working with diverse populations, one based on the understanding of the importance of diverse cultures, beliefs, values, and morals. Finally, engagement and strengths-based practices encourage an exhaustive examination of many factors that may prevent effective engagement between the social worker and his or her clients.
Depressive Disorders
Authors: Painter Kirstin , Scannapieco Maria
Published: January 2021

Chapter 5 provides an overview of the causes and prevalence of depression in children and adolescents, followed by a discussion of brain research and genetic susceptibility of depressive disorders. A description of the signs and symptoms and the diagnostic criteria for depressive disorders and issues specific to children and adolescents is presented. Suicide rates in young people in the United States continue to rise. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among youth aged 10–14 and the second leading cause of death among those 15–24 years old. An overview of risk and protective factors for suicide, warning signs, and information on intervening with suicidal youth is presented. Eating disorders are addressed in this chapter due to the high co-occurrence of eating disorders with depression, suicide, and the serious health complications that accompany them. The chapter ends with real-life case studies followed by questions for consideration or class discussion.
Anxiety Disorders
Authors: Painter Kirstin , Scannapieco Maria
Published: January 2021

Chapter 7 addresses anxiety disorders, one of the most common mental health problems experienced by children and adolescents. The difference between the normal anxiety everyone experiences and problematic anxiety that significantly interferes with a youth’s daily functioning is discussed. The causes of anxiety, current research on the brain, and the development of anxiety disorders is presented. The symptom criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) used to diagnose anxiety disorders in children and adolescents are described. Posttraumatic stress disorder, even though it is no longer included in the same chapter in the DSM as anxiety disorders, is also addressed. Common scales and inventories used for assessing the symptoms of anxiety are included, along with links to obtain these tools or learn more about them. The chapter ends with four real-life case studies followed by questions for consideration or class discussion.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Authors: Painter Kirstin , Scannapieco Maria
Published: January 2021

Chapter 9 begins with prevalence estimates for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and impulsivity are addressed, followed by descriptions of how these symptoms present in children and adolescents. An overview of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria for diagnosing ADHD is presented. The chapter includes a discussion of the causes of ADHD and current research, with a focus on possible linkages between ADHD and biological, genetic, environmental, and nutritional causes and current brain research. Diagnosing youth using DSM criteria along with differentiating ADHD and other disorders is discussed. Common assessment tools used to screen for symptoms of ADHD are presented. Chapter 9 ends with two real-life case studies and questions for class discussion.
Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Authors: Painter Kirstin , Scannapieco Maria
Published: January 2021

There are many treatments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Each person with ADHD has different needs; there is no one treatment that fits all. Treatment can take the form of behavior therapy, family therapy, social skills training, parent skills training, psychotherapy, and medication. Education and supportive therapies are helpful for a family dealing with a child with ADHD. This chapter starts with a discussion of commonly prescribed psychotropic medications for ADHD and addresses the side effects and concerns that exist in prescribing them to children and adolescents. Evidence-based and promising practices are described, along with examples of the techniques used and session agendas. The end of the chapter returns to the case studies presented in Chapter 9, describes the real-life outcomes, and presents questions for discussion.
Substance Abuse Co-Occurrence with Mental Health Issues
Authors: Painter Kirstin , Scannapieco Maria
Published: January 2021

Substance abuse, including the use of alcohol and other drugs, is one of the most prevalent disorders among adolescents and young adults, co-occurring with many other psychiatric and mental health disorders. Some use of alcohol and drugs can be expected during adolescence; however, it is necessary to use screening tools to differentiate between misuse of drugs and alcohol and substance abuse. Some brief and comprehensive screening instruments are mentioned in this chapter for future reference. General indicators of substance abuse disorders such as physical and emotional symptoms, family issues, and social problems are explored, and the chapter discusses some of the most commonly abused drugs. Emphasis is put on incorporating treatments of substance abuse with treatments of mental illness for a more comprehensive intervention strategy for people with co-occurring disorders.
Going, Going, Gone
Authors: Bookman Marc
Published: January 2021

This chapter explores the diminishing use of the death penalty in the United States in the modern era. During the early 1800s, executions were practically celebrations, with merchants selling souvenirs and alcohol to thousands of onlookers. Such spectacles, which often included cursing at the widow and tearing down the scaffold and cutting the rope, prompted states to require private hangings. By the middle of the century, a majority had determined that executions were bringing out the worst in its citizenry. Despite excessive costs, bad lawyering, discrimination, procedural mistakes, and horrifyingly botched killings, execution in the United States persists—for now. Although 60% of the states and the federal government continue to maintain the policy, only a small percentage of states are actively pursuing executions.
On Capital Punishment
Authors: Winfield Richard Dien
Published: January 2021

This chapter offers a philosophical discussion of capital punishment from the Western tradition, invoking arguments made by Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, and Hegel. Many have questioned the legitimacy of capital punishment in a legal system that fails to provide every legal subject with equal treatment. Whereas we can suspend imprisonment if justice has been miscarried, execution deprives its victim of any remedy in this life. This chapter challenges three grounds offered in the Western philosophical tradition for supporting capital punishment: (a) only a death sentence can save our community from incorrigibly evil perpetrators, as well as save them from themselves, (b) people who commit crimes are outlaws in the radical sense of the term, placing themselves outside the legal order as enemies of the state, which must defend itself by making war upon them, and (c) the only penalty appropriate for the crime of murder is capital punishment.
A Public Health Case for the Abolition of the Death Penalty
Authors: Beck Elizabeth , Adcock Cynthia F. , Bantimba Allison
Published: January 2021

This chapter argues that the collateral consequences of the death penalty have implications for human rights. The authors base their argument on the fact that trauma is a public health issue, and the death penalty is a trauma-organized system that gives rise to many secondary victims. A primary goal of public health is to intervene on a vector (i.e., the death penalty) that causes a health effect (i.e., trauma-related symptoms) in such a way that the identified vector is prevented or controlled and the adverse health effect is diminished or nullified. In terms of collateral consequences, this chapter addresses secondary victims, beginning with family members of the defendant and victim, members of the execution team, witnesses of the execution, and capital jurors. This chapter concludes with an exploration of U.S. and international laws that, if considered through a public health lens, lend additional support for death penalty abolition.