Pollsters Under Attack: 2004 Election Incivility and Its Consequences

The 2004 election was remarkable for a number of reasons, includingthe harsh, personal attacks from all parts of the politicalspectrum on a number of media pollsters. The idea of "killingthe messenger" has been around long enough for the phenomenonto have its own name, but it appears to have intensified muchmore than in the past. The article details the experiences oftwo polls and their pollsters, one national and one statewide.These attacks are part of a growing practice of trying to mitigateperceived damage by any message in the political marketplace.The article suggests that while there are positive effects fromthese developments, including heightened awareness among votersof polling methods, negative effects can damage the credibilityof specific polls and their sponsors, as well as the professionin general, including market and other public opinion research.The article ends with a call for researchers to be more openwith their methods and measures, and to strongly defend properlydone research against critics; for journalists to be more discerningin evaluating poll criticisms before publishing them; and forprofessional organizations to help the public better understandpolling, market research, and other public opinion researchand their benefits to society.     

Introduction to the special section: The role of cognitive-behavioral interventions in couple and family therapy

Marriage and family therapists' perspectives on cognitive–behavior family therapy (CBFT) have seen major changes over the years. The focus on cognitions and behaviors in treatment is now widely embraced by marriage and family therapists because of the effectiveness of the approach and its flexibility and integrative potential. This article provides an introduction to the special section and a brief history and overview of the application of CBFT to the field and some of the benefits it can provide to the growing and ever-challenging area of couples and family therapy.     

Career Planning in Spain: Do Fixed-term Contracts Delay Marriage and Parenthood?

The aim of this paper is to find an empirical connection between the striking increase in the use of fixed-term contracts in Spain and the observed delay in the age at marriage and maternity. Using the eight waves of individual information from the European Household Panel for Spain, we find that for men, the decision whether to get married is strongly negatively affected by holding unstable contracts or not working, relative to when an indefinite contract is held. However, for women, results suggest that holding fixed-term contracts is not a deterrent for the decision whether to get married. With respect to the decision of whether to enter into parenthood, results indicate that for all childless women, either with no partner, holding fixed-term contracts delays entry into motherhood relative to the holding of indefinite contracts. The discouragement effect is stronger for women with no partner, though.JEL classification: D1, J1     

Das Feuer kleiner Gruppen: Analyse der Entwicklungslogik und -dynamik eines Beratungsprozesses

The spark of small groups: An analysis of the developmental logic and dynamics of a consultancy process In the recent past large group interventions have gained increased attention in the systemic consulting literature. In contrast to this tendency, this paper focuses on the significance and effectiveness of small group interventions in business consultancy.Based on a qualitative analysis of a consultancy process, the effectiveness of small group change processes is documented here: Unlike large groups, small groups not only are far more likely to succeed in developing structures which differ from the existing organizational structures, they moreover are much more likely to develop a strong identity which helps them generate the power necessary for change. Especially in conflict situations and in situations where the pressures that are being put on an organization are increasing, small groups are more likely to maintain their identity, another crucial prerequisite for the initiation of a change process.The paper shows that consultancy systems, which differ in structure from the customer organization, are apt to serve as incubators for the development of strong groups within an organization. These small groups are able to push for organizational changes using conflicts process.     

The third dimension in social casework: Mary E. Richmond's contribution to family treatment

This article traces the development of family group treatment as conceptualized by Mary E. Richmond (1861–1928). While the main course of social work was following the new individual psychology from Europe after World War I, Richmond was paving the path for a clinical approach that was not to be realized until 30 years later.This is a revised, abbreviated version of a presentation made by the author at a doctoral seminar on the casework roots of practice delivered in 1965 at the School of Social Work, University of Southern California.     

Ethnic intermarriage in the Netherlands: confirmations and refutations of accepted insights

Previous studies on ethnic intermarriage have been done mainly in the United States and in other classical immigration countries. This article examines ethnic intermarriage among Surinamese, Dutch Antilleans, Turks, and Moroccans in the Netherlands. From a theoretical and empirical perspective, it is important to examine whether patterns observed earlier in traditional immigrant countries equally apply to the Dutch context. To obtain a sufficiently large sample, this study pools five nationally representative surveys, conducted in the period 1988–2002. In line with findings documented before, it observes that ethnic exogamy occurs more frequently among the second generation, and among those who arrived at a younger age, and who are higher educated. Equally corresponding to previous work, the study reports that ethnic intermarriage is more frequent when the group-specific sex ratio is more uneven and when the ethnic group is predominantly second generation. Contrary to findings observed elsewhere, results show that the black Surinamese and Dutch Antilleans have high intermarriage rates and that there is little evidence for status exchange in mixed marriages.     

延安时期李维汉统一战线理论研究

李维汉延安时期的统一战线理论,展现在政治、经济、军事、文化和民族政策极其广泛的领域。这一理论具有鲜明的时代特色,丰富了党的统一战线理论宝库。     

中英互译中强弱动词翻译策略探讨——以CATTIⅡ级考试题为例

中英文之间的差别决定了翻译应采取的策略,了解中英文不同的行文习惯,能更巧妙地处理词汇乃至句子的翻译。英文喜静不喜动的特点除了体现为英文较多使用名词,还表现为英文能用弱势动词就不用强势动词,而中文则相反。鉴于此,以CATTI（翻译专业资格（水平）考试）Ⅱ级考试题目为例,从强弱动词的角度探讨中英互译,希望为广大英语学习者,特别是准备参加翻译专业资格考试的学生提供可以借鉴的翻译方法。     

建设社会主义政治文明与全面建设小康社会

发展社会主义民主政治，建设社会主义政治文明，是全面建设小康社会的重要目标之一，也是中国共产党人始终不渝的奋斗目标。坚持中国共产党的领导，通过发扬党内民主到积极推动人民民主的发展，是建设小康社会的政治保证；完善人民民主，推进民主政治制度化、法律化，真正实现人民当家作主是建设社会主义政治文明的核心，是建设小康社会的力量之源，而依法治国是建设社会主义政治文明的重要标志，更是全面建设小康社会的法制保障。