One Man’s Trash: Duke Riley’s Archive and the Social Construction of Garbage

In a post-industrial society, Americans have to grapple with the result of seemingly endless production: trash. The amount of trash produced every day is a rising threat to the planet and its inhabitants; every decision made for the future must also take into account waste, rubbish, and refuse that will never break down or be fully removed from our waterways. Some artists, such as contemporary artist Duke Riley, have embraced the use of trash in their art as a critique of capitalism and consumerism. One of his most notable works is the Poly S. Tyrene Memorial Maritime Museum series, a collection of scrimshaw made from discarded plastic found in local waterways. This project analyzes the connection that Riley is drawing between scrimshaw, a product of the whaling industry, with the environmental overconsumption and destruction currently present in a post-industrial American society. He also links together the labor exploitation experienced by whalers and the exploitation we experience now as influential politicians and CEOs deny the impact of pollution on our environment. Another aspect of Riley’s work that this project highlights is the concept of trash as an archive. As a material that can take hundreds of years to decompose, plastic will serve as a physical memory of the human experience for centuries. Riley takes plastic trash and frames it in the context of the fictional Poly S. Tyrene Memorial Maritime Museum, creating an archive that serves as a historical narrative of our current culture of production and consumption. This fictional museum is then legitimized by placing the works in real museum to be preserved, admired, and learned from

The Encounter

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Fallen Angel

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Juicemania: Interpreting Jay Kordich’s Health Empire as Religion

John “Jay” Kordich, an American “health reformer,” salesman, author, and celebrity, is best known for his recipe books on diet and health and his series of television infomercials. With his charismatic presentations and playful sense of humor, he captivated audiences with his demonstrations of various models of juicers and the delicious taste of his fresh juices. Kordich is part of a long line of health reformers, fasters, and practitioners of alternative medicine that has persisted in American culture for over 200 years. These advocates of alternative medicine have not only met a need for medical treatment, but also for religion in a time of increasing secularization. This project analyzes the work of Kordich as a form of secular religion and how Kordich utilizes the language and structure of religion in his advertising as a way of communicating with an audience. I investigate a variety of primary sources produced by Kordich and then apply the theoretical frameworks of religious studies to them. Kordich’s practice of juicing can be interpreted as religion due to its reliance on ritual behavior and belief. By positioning himself as an authority in a marketplace full of alternative spiritualities, Kordich opens up opportunities for himself to market his own products and promote his own life and family as the American ideal

The Nurse’s role in managing the psychological and emotional impact on women diagnosed with breast cancer

Objective: The purpose of this review is to examine the current evidence on the psychological and emotional impact on women diagnosed with Breast Cancer, and the role of nurses in alleviating such impact. Methods: A literature review was conducted and included papers published between January 2004 – January 2014. Results: Thematic analysis of the selected papers revealed three main themes: “Just want to carry on as normal”, “Family support vs support from health care professionals” and “Staffing”. Women often suffer both emotionally and psychologically following a diagnosis of Breast Cancer. While nurses play a significant role in helping women to cope with Breast Cancer, they often feel ill-equipped to do so. Conclusions: Women diagnosed with Breast Cancer suffer emotionally and psychologically, but they don’t always receive the appropriate support to enable them to cope with this burden. Additional training, funding and nursing staff skill mix may be needed to provide a patient-tailored emotional and psychological support for the affected women. This may contribute to establishing good practice and help nurses to care for those patients more holistically

End of Life, Elder Abuse, and Guardianship: An Exploration of New York’s Surrogate Decision-Making Framework

The best end of life care is always that which aligns with the wishes and values of the incapacitated person. For individuals with the capacity to execute advance directives, these documents and conversations with appointed surrogates are the clearest way to make care values known. However, the time, access, and ability to engage in advance planning is not an opportunity equally afforded.For those without advance directives and now involved in a guardianship proceeding, the party petitioning or otherwise involved in the case should consider addressing end of life decision-making directly in the guardianship hearing when major medical decision-making power may be granted. Although this is not necessary in all guardianship proceedings, older adults with progressive diagnoses that are found to lack capacity are likely to have a guardian at the end of life. The hearing may present a unique opportunity to explore end of life wishes before capacity is further impacted or diminished over time. Clarity about who the surrogate decision-maker is and any indication of the AIP’s wishes’ and values can be invaluable. When available, testimony about conversations addressing end of life care values and wishes from family members, friends, or professionals should be elicited during the guardianship proceeding. To ensure the guardian’s powers are clear, involved parties can advocate to specifically include “end of life care” in the petition and request the same language in the final guardianship order. This provides an opportunity to address this power before the court while clarifying the role and responsibilities of the parties involved. Once appointed, guardians with major medical powers must directly discuss end of life care questions with the IP. If the IP’s answer is unclear, the guardian must work diligently to discern their ward’s value system and beliefs by reaching out to family, friends, or professionals that may be able to attest to that value system. Particularly when the IP has progressive disease that impacts cognition, the earlier the guardian can have these conversations, the better. By the time these decisions must be made, the IP may no longer be able to indicate their wishes. Even in states that do not allow a guardian to make end of life decisions without a court order, genuine attempts to have these conversations must be made. Although the guardian will have to go back to court before making any decisions, these conversations and indications of wishes and values will be key information for any hearing or request to the court. Unique tools have been developed to facilitate these difficult conversations. For example, tools like Five Wishes, Prepare for Your Care, and The Conversation Project all offer clear questions and topics to address some of the complicated scenarios and care choices at end of life. These complex conversations and decisions are a vital—and often overlooked or ignored—part of the guardian’s role. Some guardians try to avoid the topic all together in an attempt to avoid this responsibility or feared liability, but this attempt to avoid making the decision is a decision in itself

The Power of Community Partnerships for Innovative Regional Solutions for Food Justice: A Food Alert Phone Application for Southcoast Massachusetts

There is evidence for a growing need for innovative solutions that a collaborative nonprofit network can facilitate. There is now interest by funders in the potential of collaborative networks. However, such networks can be difficult to create and nourish. The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth founded and facilitated a successful nonprofit network which has led to a significant, regional projects. Founded in 2009, Southcoast Serves - based in the Leduc Center for Civic Engagement -- began as a collaborative of over 40 community organizations. Starting as a leap of faith, then slowly developing connections through monthly meetings over five years, by 2014 Southcoast Serves became a set of trusted, collaborative partners, actively looking for effective regional projects. In 2015 Southcoast Serves settled on a regional, food justice campaign that has resulted in a number of projects - most recently the development of a \u27Food Finder\u27 web/phone app for the region. The \u27Food Finder\u27 project team has successfully utilized people from Southcoast Serves non-profits, the university\u27s LeDuc Center as well as students and faculty from the Charlton College of Business\u27 Management Information Systems group. This poster will present the successful development of the Southcoast Serves network of nonprofits as well as the details of the Food Alert Phone/Web application. Best practices will be highlighted to encourage others to develop their networks