A portrait of the Israeli woman as the beloved: the woman‐soldier in the poetry of Mahmüd Darwish after the 1967 war

Understandably, the treatment of the Israeli as an individual in contemporary Arabic literature has been quite limited. A significant attempt to portray an Israeli woman has been made by the Palestinian poet, Mahmüd Darwish. Over the course of three poems, written at different points in the poet's career, Darwish introduces and develops the character Rita, capturing in each poem a different facet of the personal, human tragedy inherent in the love between an Israeli woman and a Palestinian man. The conflicts of love, national suffering, and the inconstancy of human behaviour work against any hope for a lasting relationship between Rita and the poet. Beyond the narrative of this ‘Rita trilogy’, a number of points merit critical evaluation: the novelty of a compassionate portrayal of an Israeli woman in Arabic literature, and the question of whether Rita is in fact an individual or a symbol of something greater. Texts of the poems treated are provided as appendices in both English and Arabic.     

The reliability of police employee counts: Comparing FBI and ICMA data, 1954-2008

Researchers commonly use secondary data counts of police employees from police agencies. There has been some concern with using such data, yet there have been no published systematic assessments of their reliability.

Purpose

This paper compares the reliability of annual counts of police officers and civilians from the FBI's Police Employees data to those in the International City/County Management Association's (ICMA) Municipal Year Book reported for 38 large city police agencies between 1954 and 2008.

Methods

We use bivariate correlations and visual analyses of line charts to demonstrate the reliability of these two datasets, examining in particular situations in which inaccuracies emerged.

Results

Overall, both data sets record accurate counts of police employees, but there is some evidence of reporting irregularities. These irregularities manifest themselves as either city/agency-specific or temporally-bounded reporting errors.

Conclusions

Although reporting errors are rare in these data, future researchers should consider the potential impact of reporting errors for certain years and agencies.     

Optimization of Headspace Solid‐Phase Microextraction Technique for Extraction of Volatile Smokeless Powder Compounds in Forensic Applications

Smokeless powders are low explosives and are potentially found in cases involving firearms and improvised explosive devices. Apart from inorganic compound analysis, forensic determination of organic components of these materials appears as a promising alternative, especially the chromatographic techniques. This work describes the optimization of a solid‐phase microextraction technique using an 85 μm polyacrylate fiber followed by gas chromatography‐flame ionization detection for smokeless powder. A multivariate experimental design was performed to optimize extraction‐influencing parameters. A 2⁴ factorial first‐order design revealed that sample temperature and extraction time were the major influencing parameters. Doehlert matrix design has subsequently selected 66°C and 21 min as the compromised conditions for the two predetermined parameters. This extraction technique has successfully detected the headspace compounds of smokeless powders from different ammunition types and allowed for their differentiation. The novel technique allows more rapid sample preparation for chromatographic detection of smokeless powders.     

Simultaneous Homicide–Suicide: A Case Report of Double Drowning

Homicide–suicide is a tragic phenomenon which typically does not result in a criminal charge or trial. However, correct diagnosis and classification of homicide–suicide cases are important to determine the perpetrators and dynamics of each category properly. The deaths in the homicide–suicide acts can be divided into two categories with respect to the number of involved individuals: dyadic deaths and triple or multiple deaths. These two categories can also be divided into two subgroups according to the chronology of the incidents: simultaneous deaths and consecutive deaths. Herein, a simultaneous homicide–suicide case of a father and daughter where both deaths occurred through drowning which was not found in the selected literature review and where the victim was a child is presented. The article aims to clarify the term discrepancies about multiple death cases in the literature and to discuss the pathological and psychosocial characteristics of the simultaneous dyadic death cases.     

Statistical Evaluation of Alternative Light Sources for Bloodstain Photography

Bloodstain photography is important in forensic applications, especially for bloodstain pattern analysis. This study compares the enhancement effect of bloodstain photography using three different types of light source: fluorescent white light, near‐ultraviolet (UV) light‐emitting diode (LED) light, and 410 nm LED light. Randomized complete block designs were implemented to identify the lighting that would statistically produce the best enhancement results for bloodstains on different types of surfaces. Bloodstain samples were prepared on white cotton, brown carpet, tar road, and wood. These samples were photographed in darkroom conditions using a Canon EOS 50D digital SLR camera, with Canon EFS 60 mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens. Two‐way analysis of variance and Fisher's least significant difference test were used to analyze the contrast of the images. The statistical analysis showed that 410 nm light is the best among the tested lights for enhancing bloodstains on the tested surfaces, where the contrast of bloodstain to background was the highest.     

Information Freedom in the Contemporary Indonesia： Regulations and Its Dynamics on Public Sphere

The ＂reform order＂ is belief and generates a lot of regulations and laws. Among these are laws that guarantee the public in obtaining information. It is a sign that the society and the people of Indonesia have changed and entered a century of information society. The information freedom contained in openness also requires the support of public sphere. By Habermas＇s concept of the public sphere and its structural transformation in his early writings, it is noted how he takes up similar themes in his recent 1990s work within the context of a structural transformation of his own work in his linguistic turn. At the stake is delineating a concept of the public sphere which facilitates maximum public participation and debate over the key issues of the current conjuncture and which consequently promotes the cause of participatory democracy. From the studies conducted by reading the texts of mass media and primary literature sources that also direct observations, it is likely to find new public management model for bridging the transition after the political change in authoritarian Indonesia associated with public access to the freedom of public information transparent to strengthening citizenship.     

Contactless Visualization of Latent Fingerprints on Nonporous Curved Surfaces of Circular Cross Section

Nondestructive techniques for gathering evidence are important in the field of forensics. Due to the geometry of the substrates, nondestructive visualization of fingermarks on curved surfaces remains challenging. A novel contactless technique was developed for visualizing and recording fingermark patterns on nonporous curved surfaces of circular cross section. The technique utilizes a plane mirror to transmit rays from a light source to illuminate the area of interest for fingermark visualization. The fingermark acquisition system consists of a digital single‐lens reflex (SLR) camera, a plane mirror, and a white light source. Mathematical equations are used to calculate the mirror size. Experiments were performed on various curved surfaces to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of the technique. Spectral Image Validation and Verification (SIVV) was used to analyze the captured images. The results of this study indicate that the technique described here is able to reveal fingermark patterns on curved surfaces of circular cross section.     

Federal Employees’ Job Satisfaction: Does Transformational Leadership Matter? The Case of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Morale among U.S. federal employees has increased but remains low compared to the private sector and in certain agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which has experienced scandal and management challenges, including a crisis of leadership. Using data from the 2015 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, this article examines the influence of transformational leadership (TFL) on job satisfaction/commitment among VA employees. Regression analysis reveals a positive association between satisfaction/commitment and each of the four TFL dimensions, controlling for the other dimensions and sociodemographic characteristics. Employees who perceive leaders as fostering creativity, empowerment, trust/respect, and clear goals/expectations are more satisfied/committed.     

Feminist voices in Saudi folk tales: analysis of three folk tales retold by Abdulkareem al-Juhayman

This article explores whether Saudi Arabian society has propagated feminism through folk tales. Unregulated by societal standards, folk tales are an alternative structure. Since folk tales are children's entertainment and passed along orally, they are not as regulated as written literature. Academic feminists have brought folk tales to light, but this field is relatively unexplored. Female narrators mostly told such folk tales to young and/or female audiences. Additionally, folk tales have highlighted certain social issues; Saudi tales are no exception. This work studies the seeds of feminism in Saudi folk tales with strong female protagonists. This article uses feminist content analysis and focuses on three folk tales from the Arabian Peninsula, first assessing their effectiveness as vehicles of complex ideas by assessing children's reactions to them. Next, the study analyzes instances of patriarchal dominance, gender and sex concepts, and feminist coding.