53,144 research outputs found
Football's Ability to Combat Social Exclusion
Over the past few years there has been a clear shift in governmental focus on the role of sport within British society. The old maxim of âsport for sportâs sakeâ has been largely superseded by an approach emphasising the role of sport in helping to create a more inclusive social environment (Department for Culture, Media and Sport / Strategy Unit, 2002; Local Government Association, 2001). Sporting excellence is no longer enough on its own, rather sport is seen as a tool to be used in addressing the underlying factors which lead to the exclusion of certain individuals and communities. It is our contention that this political positioning and the related search for funding leads to over ambitious claims for what can be achieved. As the sport with the highest media and public following, football (soccer) is increasingly being challenged regarding its role in addressing this social agenda. In this paper we review some of the available evidence relating to the contribution of football and sport more generally. To do this we shall first examine how âsocial inclusionâ is interpreted; then, adopting a more questioning view of both football and sport, summarise what their contribution to social inclusion might realistically be. We contend that this has to mean considering a more differentiated interpretation of both sport and social inclusion
The Changing Role of the Local State in UK Leisure Provision
In the UK the public sector has had a long history of both providing leisure opportunities and also regulating and encouraging activities of other agents through legislation, enforcement and subsidy. What we seek to do in this paper is to address some of the recent shifts in public sector operation so that readers can perform a comparative analysis with recent developments in their own nation state. Our basic argument is that the experience of the last two decades has been characterised by: i. a gradual fragmentation of the âleisure projectâ ii. a growing instrumentalism in public policy which increasingly deploys leisure in order to secure wider social goals. iii. an invasive centralisation of policy and a reduction of the power of the local state. These processes are interrelated and are associated with a proliferation of more short term pragmatic policies. These in turn find expression in more centralised project funding and contracting arrangements. The shift away from traditional leisure policy and towards a contract culture was centrally driven in the UK by iconoclastic neoliberalist policies. They were the hallmark of Margaret Thatcherâs years of governance (1979-1990) .This policy direction has been continued, arguably refined and sharpened, by the three successive âNew Labourâ governments of Tony Blair (1997-2006)
Joining up policy discourses and fragmented practices: The precarious contribution of cultural projects to social inclusion?
This article outlines New Labour's policy discourse about social exclusion and the confusing challenge it poses to local cultural projects. Government now demands hard evidence to measure the impact of cultural projects on performance indicators such as education, employment, crime and health. However, community-based workers are hard pressed to collect valid and reliable data that evaluate projects against clear criteria for social inclusion. This article outlines possible criteria for social inclusion. Then, drawing on data collected from two 'Arts in Health' projects, we examine how contributions to social inclusion might have been effected. Considerable energy is required to form new alliances and health partnerships to resolve the dilemmas posed by a confused policy discourse and by fragile funding streams. © The Policy Press, 2006
Wind-tunnel free-flight investigation of a 0.15-scale model of the F-106B airplane with vortex flaps
An investigation to determine the effects of vortex flaps on the flight dynamic characteristics of the F-106B in the area of low-speed, high-angle-of-attack flight was undertaken on a 0.15-scale model of the airplane in the Langley 30- by 60-Foot Tunnel. Static force tests, dynamic forced-oscillation tests, as well as free-flight tests were conducted to obtain a data base on the flight characteristics of the F-106B airplane with vortex flaps. Vortex flap configurations tested included a full-span gothic flap, a full-span constant-chord flap, and a part-span gothic flap
A simple model of gauged lepton and baryon charges
We argue that simpler fermionic contents, responsible for the extension of
the standard model with gauged lepton and baryon charges, can be constructed by
assuming existence of so-called leptoquarks (j,k) with exotic electric charges
q_j=1/2, q_k=-1/2. Some new features in our model are that (i) as the natural
consequences of anomaly cancelation the right-handed neutrinos exist, and the
number of the observed fermion families is equal to the number of the
fundamental colors; (ii) although the lepton and baryon charges are conserved,
the neutrinos can obtain small masses through the type I seesaw mechanism in
similarity to the standard context, and the baryogenesis can be generated in
several cases. They all are natural results due to the spontaneous breaking of
these charges. Some constraints on the new physics via flavor changing and
related phenomenologies such as the stable scalar with anomalous electric
charge and interested processes at colliders are also discussed.Comment: 13 pages, revised versio
Guanxi and the organization of Chinese new year festivals in England
This article explores how Chinese diaspora communities use guanxi, a unique Chinese interpretation of personal relationships, in the organization of Chinese New Year (CNY) festivals in England. A case-study approach that incorporated mixed qualitative methods was used to investigate the interactions and interrelationships between the ethnic Chinese communities involved in the organization of CNY festivals in five English cities. The article argues that Chinese diaspora communities use their guanxi to establish collaboration at CNY festivals. However, the process of organizing CNY festivals has also exposed divisions among Chinese communities. The article proposes that guanxi has important implications for the relationships among Chinese diaspora communities in the context of CNY festivals. Although it facilitates collaboration and promotes solidarity among Chinese communities, it may also intensify competition for power. Diaspora festivals in general are a neglected area of research and this article is the first to study the organization of Chinese New Year festivals in detail
Single Z' production at CLIC based on e^- gamma collisions
We analyze the potential of CLIC based on e- gamma collisions to search for
new gauge boson. Single Z' production at e-gamma colliders in two SU(3)_C
X SU(3)_L X U(1)_N models: the minimal model and the model with right-handed
(RH) neutrinos is studied in detail. Results show that new Z' gauge bosons can
be observed at the CLIC, and the cross sections in the model with RH neutrinos
are bigger than those in the minimal one.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, To appear in JET
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