The strange world of Roland Barthes: some points of criticism

SUMMARY

Against the background of Mary Wisemen, Sándor Hervey and Vincent Leitch's discussion of Roland Barthes' work, the author discusses some of the important points of criticism against Barthes as a semiologist and as a social critic. In spite of this criticism he comes to the conclusion that Barthes opens new perspectives for communication science concerning meaning and in particular meaning created in and through media such as photography.     

Hostile Media Perceptions: Partisan Assessments of Press and Public during the 1997 United Parcel Service Strike

This study investigated partisan perceptions of hostile bias in news coverage of the 1997 Teamsters Union strike against United Parcel Service (UPS), and the processes by which Teamster and UPS partisans formed impressions of public opinion regarding the strike. As predicted, both partisan groups perceived neutral news coverage as biased against their respective sides. However, perceptions of hostile media bias did not produce corresponding perceptions of hostile public opinion; instead, partisans appeared to rely on their personal opinions when estimating the opinions of others. Nonpartisan control-group subjects, however, did infer public opinion in part from their subjective assessments of news content. Findings suggest that level of involvement is crucial in predicting the effect that perceived media coverage of social issues will have on perceptions of public opinion regarding those issues.     

Absence of a market in the Dutch balancing mechanism: European rules versus specific investments

The European directives for the electricity industry prescribe the creation of a market for balancing electricity supply and demand. In this paper, we demonstrate that a market for balancing has not emerged in the Dutch electricity industry, and that, instead, the balancing transactions are governed by regulated, long-term contracts and a bidding mechanism. We explain the absence of a balancing market by using the framework of transaction cost economics, in which the efficiency of a market decreases with increasing investments in specific assets. The results of a questionnaire among the energy firms that supply balancing power in the Dutch setting show that these firms have invested in specific physical, temporal and dedicated balancing assets. The need for these specific investments to balance supply and demand does not only explain the absence of a market, but also the lack of participation by small firms in the balancing mechanism. We recommend several policies, such as stimulating technological developments for the storage of electricity and demand side management, which reduce these specific investments in balancing assets, and thereby stimulate the creation of a market and the participation of small firms.     

Civic implications of restorative justice theory: Citizen participation and criminal justice policy

Restorative justice, a normative theory and reform movement emphasizing dialogue and reconciliation between victim, offender, and community, is a widespread, if experimental, part of the practice of criminal justice in the United States. This essay argues that restorative justice draws connections between civic engagement and punishment practices that distinguish it as a normative theory of criminal justice. Advocates of restorative justice expect the growth of non-punitive attitudes and the weakening of support for incarceration to emerge from a public and lay-oriented context of adjudication. The role of lay participation in achieving social change, although prominent in restorative justice critiques of mainstream criminal justice norms and practices, has not been clearly articulated in practical terms. Significant ambiguities remain regarding the degree of lay participation, scope of authority, and the focus of restorative justice forums. The essay argues that an adequate assessment of restorative justice experiments should include an analysis of their impact on public attitudes towards crime and crime control policy and not simply on their impact on the specific victims and offenders involved. The link between less incarceration and restorative justice forums is public willingness to grant them the authority to hear and sanction offenses that would ordinarily receive incarceration. Whether and how they can influence broader public attitudes, then, is a critical test of restorative justice effectiveness.     

Determination of endogenous gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) levels in antemortem urine and blood

Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid's (GHB's) natural presence in the body has made the interpretation of its levels a challenging task for the forensic toxicologist. This study was designed to measure endogenous GHB levels in antemortem urine and blood samples. The range detected in urine was from 34 to 575 microg/dl and in blood from 17 to 151microg/dl. The results indicate that the concentration of endogenous GHB in urine and blood concur with the suggested cut-off levels at 1000 and 500 microg/dl, respectively.     

Case study of R&D efficiency in an ATP joint venture

This paper summarizes the technical accomplishments and presents selected measures of research efficiencies and early stage economic impacts of the Printed Wiring Board (PWB) Research Joint Venture Project. The project was cost-shared by the Advanced Technology Program and carried out by a group of seven companies, with participation by Sandia National Laboratories. The period considerred in this case study is from mid-1991 through mid-1996, the time during which the research was conducted. ATP’s funding of the PWB Research Joint Venture has thus far had a number of direct and indirect economic impacts. Of the direct impacts, the largest to date has been the increase in R&D efficiency. The project achieved at least a 53 percent reduction in overall research costs. The increase in research efficiency has in turn led to reduced cycle times for both new project development and new process development. Collectively, the result has meant productivity improvements for member companies and improved competitive positions in the world market.     

UNITED STATES V. MICROSOFT: DID CONSUMERS WIN?

United States v. Microsoft and the related state suit filedin 1998 appear to have concluded. In a unanimous en banc decisionissued in late June 2004, the U.S. Court of Appeals for theD.C. Circuit rejected challenges to the remedies specified ina settlement reached in late 2001 and approved by the districtcourt in November 2002. We examine the remedies imposed in theUnited States, in terms of both their relationship to the violationsfound and their impact on consumer welfare. We conclude thatthe remedies addressed the violations ultimately found by theCourt of Appeals (which were a subset of those found by theoriginal district court and an even smaller subset of the violationsalleged, both in court and in public discourse) and went beyondthem in important ways. The remedies imposed appear to havestruck a reasonable balance between protecting consumers againstthe types of actions found illegal, on the one hand, and, onthe other hand, avoiding excessive restrictions that would harmconsumers by restricting Microsoft's ability to compete in pro-competitiveways.     

Classification Typology and Assessment of Five Levels of Woman Battering

Family violence is a prevalent, dangerous, and often life-threatening social and public health problem. It is an indiscriminating crime that knows few boundaries, as recent annual estimates indicate that over 8.7 million women are battered by husbands, boyfriends, and other intimate partners [Roberts, 2002; Roberts & Roberts, 2005]. This article examines a new five-level classificatory schema or typology detailing the duration and severity of woman battering. Five hundred and one battered women completed in-depth interviews which formed the basis for a new classification typology ranging from short-term to chronic to homicidal levels. The current research on different types of battering relationships provides clinicians and forensic specialists with psychosocial indicators that can be utilized as a basis for early intervention and prevention of lethal consequences. The concept of the unknown prevalence of women abuse, or the “dark figure,” is also addressed in this article. Additionally, practical suggestions are made for implementing crisis intervention protocols.