Haitian Immigrants and African-American Relations: Ethnic Dilemmas in a Racially-Stratified Society

This article focuses on Haitian immigrants and how they have attempted to interpret their migration experience and ascribed racial and ethnic status in the U.S. It is argued that the legal and economic positions of Haitian immigrants have not only impacted their perceptions and understanding of their living conditions in this country, but they have also compelled them to reassess their self-definition as a distinct group of individuals with their own history, culture, nationality, and racial identity. Like many other Caribbean immigrants, Haitians suffer double invisibility... as immigrants and black immigrants or double visibility as blacks in the eyes of whites and as foreigners in the eyes of native-born blacks. But, what is the cultural meaning of migration for Haitians? What consequences, both positive and negative, has migration had on Haitian values and belief systems? And, what are the implications for ethnic relations in this country? No account of Haitian life in the U.S. would be complete in the absence of a historical analysis of Haitian migration experiences, and the social and political conditions that have dictated their departure from their homeland in search of the promised land

Administrative mentoring: An investigation of practicing principals\u27 perceptions of the role mentors played in their professional development and job satisfaction

Researchers have alluded to the power of mentorship to connect the new administrator to the organization. Following the lead of business, the field of education is now recognizing mentoring as a critical component of effective leadership development. Daresh (2001) suggests there is a need for a more practical and effective approach to prepare the leaders of our schools. New administrators have little choice but to experience on-the-job training, without any formal support in place. Administrative mentoring programs are growing in attention due to the projected principal shortages, concerns about qualified candidates, and the changing role of the building level principal. This study sought to fill in a gap in the research by investigating the components of a mentoring relationship that impact new practicing principals\u27 perceptions of the role that mentors played in their professional development and job satisfaction. The mentors\u27 perspectives were examined to determine how they improved their own performance through the mentoring relationship. In addition, the study compared perceptions of first year principals with those of their mentors. Four main research questions framed this study: (a) what are the effects, if any, of the administrative mentoring program on the first-year principal; (b) do mentor/mentee relationships provide professional development; (c) are administrators who have had mentor/mentee relationships more confident in the position? and (d) what impact, if any, does a mentor/mentee relationship in formal mentoring programs have on a new administrator\u27s sense of job satisfaction? A mixed methods approach was used in this research study. The researcher used quantitative survey research augmented by qualitative interviews. The researcher paralleled the information learned in the interviews to the data from the surveys through the narrative. This study shows an increased confidence level of the new administrator in one year. The study also found that the increased confidence level of the new administrator is directly tied to increased job satisfaction. We know people are more satisfied in their work when they feel confident about the work they are doing and see results. The increased job satisfaction could lead to administrators staying in their positions longer, which has a direct impact on school districts. Not only is there an increased likelihood that a new administrator will stay in his or her position longer, but there is an increased chance the individual will stay in the profession over time. In the day of administrator shortages, increased longevity of service has a positive impact on schools and the educational leadership profession. The Wallace Foundation (2007) describes benefits to the organization from a mentoring program as promoting positive organizational climate, clarifying roles and expectations, increasing satisfaction and retention rates, and mentoring suggests commitment to employees

Ethnic Minorities and Mental Health: Ethical Concerns in Counseling Immigrants and Culturally-Diverse Groups

Between 1980 and 1990 nearly 9 million foreign-born individuals migrated to the United States. In 1993, the Immigration and Naturalization Service recorded the entry of over 900,000 immigrants and refugees. This figure is believed to be higher given the estimated 1.5 to 2.5 million people who enter this country illegally each year. Currently, ethnic minority groups make up one-fourth of the United States population. It is estimated that by the year 2000, one-third of the U.S. population will be comprised of ethnic minorities. As the population of the United States becomes increasingly diverse, considerable attention is being directed to a critical examination of the quality of services received by ethnic minority groups in areas such as education, employment, and health. With the advent of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and accompanying affirmative action policies and programs, ethnic minority groups began to demand structural changes in American society to accommodate the growth in their numbers. As researchers began to explore the impact of race, ethnicity and socioeconomic conditions on minority populations, findings started to reveal that exposure to environmental stressors such as poverty, discrimination, segregation, and immigration negatively influence the lives of ethnic minorities. It became evident that immigrants and other minority populations were at risk of developing physical as well as psychological illnesses. As we approach the 21st century, how prepared are mental health providers to service an ever-increasing, culturally-diverse minority population

Studies on the morphology and compatibility between Schistosoma hæmatobium and the Bulinus sp. complex (gastropoda: planorbidae) in Cameroon

A description is given of the morphological variation of the shell, the radula features and the copulatory organ of Bulinus sp. (2n=36) from four populations in the western Cameroon crater lakes. To assess therole of diploid snails belonging to the Bulinus natalensis/tropicus complex in the transmission of urinary schistosomiasis in Cameroon, the relation between Bulinus sp. (from four Cameroon crater lakes) and Schistosoma haematobium (from three transmission foci) were studied. Bulinus sp. in thepresent study refers to the diploid snail (2n=36) tentatively identified as Bulinus natalensis or as Bulinus tropicus in the Cameroon crater lakes. The percentage infection of snails challenged ranged from 03.33 to 06.00% for Nchout Monoun population and from 01.85 to 04.76% for Monoun Ngouondam population. No progeny from Petponoun-East and Petponoun-West were experimentally successfully infected with S. haematobium. All the 351 snails dissected were euphallic. Previous malacological surveys revealed the absence of Bulinus sp. naturally infected with human schistosomes. These results suggested that Bulinus sp. was not susceptible to infection with S. haematobium in the Cameroon Western highland crater lakes. These observations justify the absence of transmission foci (for urinary schistosomiasis) in this area

Detection of x-rays from galaxy groups associated with the gravitationally lensed systems PG 1115+080 and B1422+231

Gravitational lenses that produce multiple images of background quasars can be an invaluable cosmological tool. Deriving cosmological parameters, however, requires modeling the potential of the lens itself. It has been estimated that up to a quarter of lensing galaxies are associated with a group or cluster which perturbs the gravitational potential. Detection of X-ray emission from the group or cluster can be used to better model the lens. We report on the first detection in X-rays of the group associated with the lensing system PG 1115+080 and the first X-ray image of the group associated with the system B1422+231. We find a temperature and rest-frame luminosity of 0.8 +/- 0.1 keV and 7 +/- 2 x 10^{42} ergs/s for PG 1115+080 and 1.0 +infty/-0.3 keV and 8 +/- 3 x 10^{42} ergs/s for B1422+231. We compare the spatial and spectral characteristics of the X-ray emission to the properties of the group galaxies, to lens models, and to the general properties of groups at lower redshift.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 17 pages, 5 figures. Minor changes to tex

Three photometric methods tested on ground-based data of Q 2237+0305

The Einstein Cross, Q~2237+0305, has been photometrically observed in four bands on two successive nights at NOT (La Palma, Spain) in October 1995. Three independent algorithms have been used to analyse the data: an automatic image decomposition technique, a CLEAN algorithm and the new MCS deconvolution code. The photometric and astrometric results obtained with the three methods are presented. No photometric variations were found in the four quasar images. Comparison of the photometry from the three techniques shows that both systematic and random errors affect each method. When the seeing is worse than 1.0", the errors from the automatic image decomposition technique and the Clean algorithm tend to be large (0.04-0.1 magnitudes) while the deconvolution code still gives accurate results (1{sigma} error below 0.04) even for frames with seeing as bad as 1.7". Reddening is observed in the quasar images and is found to be compatible with either extinction from the lensing galaxy or colour dependent microlensing. The photometric accuracy depends on the light distribution used to model the lensing galaxy. In particular, using a numerical galaxy model, as done with the MCS algorithm, makes the method less seeing dependent. Another advantage of using a numerical model is that eventual non-homogeneous structures in the galaxy can be modeled. Finally, we propose an observational strategy for a future photometric monitoring of the Einstein Cross.Comment: 9 pages, accepted for publication in A&

Property Frames

Property law confronts circumstances where owners\u27 excessive perceptions of their ownership rights impose social costs, frustrate policy goals, and hamper the very institutions meant to support private property. Groundbreaking research in cognitive framing suggests an answer to the question of how to selectively attenuate (or strengthen) ownership perceptions. In a novel application of this research, we contend that property law may “set frames” for individual owners. Specifically, we hypothesize that framing property as bundles of rights and forewarning of limitations weakens perceptions of ownership and decreases resistance to subsequent restrictions. We conducted experiments to evaluate these claims and found that both bundle-of-rights/discrete-asset framing and forewarning framing affect perceptions of ownership, rights infringement, valuation, and satisfaction. Our study shows that “layering” both of these conditions (bundle framing and forewarning) have a stronger, synergistic impact than the sum of each effect alone. The potential applications of this research to property theory are numerous. Legislators, judges, and regulatory agencies craft legal measures that respond to, or even capitalize on, strong, preexisting frames of citizen-owners. These institutional players also endeavor to limit spillovers and other social harms by reframing property as a limited set of use rights in areas of law including pollution rights, intellectual property, and common interest communities

OVI, NV and CIV in the Galactic Halo: II. Velocity-Resolved Observations with Hubble and FUSE

We present a survey of NV and OVI (and where available CIV) in the Galactic halo, using data from the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) along 34 sightlines. These ions are usually produced in nonequilibrium processes such as shocks, evaporative interfaces, or rapidly cooling gas, and thus trace the dynamics of the interstellar medium. Searching for global trends in integrated and velocity-resolved column density ratios, we find large variations in most measures, with some evidence for a systematic trend of higher ionization (lower NV/OVI column density ratio) at larger positive line-of-sight velocities. The slopes of log[N(NV)/N(OVI)] per unit velocity range from -0.015 to +0.005, with a mean of -0.0032+/-0.0022(r)+/-0.0014(sys) dex/(km/s). We compare this dataset with models of velocity-resolved high-ion signatures of several common physical structures. The dispersion of the ratios, OVI/NV/CIV, supports the growing belief that no single model can account for hot halo gas, and in fact some models predict much stronger trends than are observed. It is important to understand the signatures of different physical structures to interpret specific lines of sight and future global surveys.Comment: ApJ in press 43 pages, 22 fig