Prophecy isn’t all balderdash. I make this prophecy that the Sun will rise tomorrow morning in New York City! I also make this prophecy that New York City will experience at least one thunderstorm between May and September 2011. Further, I’ll make another prophecy that there will be at least one murder in New York City in the month of June, 2011. But, if I make a prediction that aliens will invade New York City in 2011; some New Yorkers will experience the Biblical Rapture in 2011; or that planetary alignments suggest that 90% of couples living in Manhattan will divorce in 2011, well you’d call that balderdash. So, what’s the dividing line between making balderdash prophecy and making sensible predictions?

Scientifically Near Certain: Nothing is absolutely certain except death and taxes, thus the use of the word ‘near’. However, in this case, scientifically ‘near’ certain means 99.99999% certain. Examples of this sort of prophecy are the times of the rising and setting of the Sun, the Moon, the planets and stars; the rise and fall of the tides (time of high and low tides); lunar and solar eclipses decades in advance; and other predictable events of this nature in an ordered and clockwork Universe. There is no kudos or pats on the back given for soothsaying in this category.

Scientifically Predictable (Statistically Probable): Not everything is predictable with near absolute certainty, even in science. Some patterns are a bit too chaotic to yield to absolutes. The classic case is the weather. I’ve known predictions of a 100% chance of rain when not a drop fell! However, that’s very rare. Still, it tends to be a chance of thunderstorms, or this or that. That applies to earthquake predictions and similar events. Science can predict with 100% certainty that you’re going to kick-the-bucket. However, the exact moment in nearly all cases is uncertain. There is no kudos or pats on the back given for soothsaying in this category either. Read the rest of this entry »

When consumers, politicians, educators, practitioners, journalists and others in public settings are seeking answers to social problems within our community, they find them through studies including social work research. These studies benefit the public because they examine preventative methods for dealing with ongoing problems and issues in areas such as health care concerns, substance abuse, discrimination and the economy., It also studies the effectiveness of different types of organizations. An example of a study can be the risk factors associated with poverty and mental health. Another study could be about single parenting and school grades.

Three major organizations known for conducting various studies include ANSWER, SSWR, and IASWR. These three associations are very integrated with one another and network widely via conferences. Information is shared with many government agencies.

Communities, cities and nations rely upon these types of study results and surveys The acquired information can be channeled into figuring out school strategies, social service programs that are needed and ways to benefit those in difficult situations. Schools need to know how financial issues, abuse and parental homework support influences the way that children process information and relate to other students. Other setting that benefit from the research includes after care programs, hospitals and programs for at risk kids. Many innovative programs were born out of the deficiencies that were revealed in the studies. Read the rest of this entry »

“Language shapes thoughts and emotions, determining one’s perception of reality.” Benjamin Whorf

From the day that the United States won its independence, intellectual Americans have attempted to define the new identity. When we speak about American social identity these elements and names come to the mind:

Religion

Language

Democracy

Pragmatism

Nationalism

Melting pot, apple pie, hollowing and…

I chose language which I think is very key factor in developing social identity in every culture.
Regarding the topic these kinds of questions come to the mind.

What is social identity? What is role of language in social identity development? So first of all we shall define identity and language.

“Identity is an umbrella term used throughout the social sciences to describe an individual’s comprehension of him or herself as a discrete, separate entity. The notion of social identity is defined as the way that individuals label themselves as members of particular groups (e.g., nation, social class, subculture, ethnicity, gender, etc.)”. Social identity is some thing like personality and individual identity.

“A language is a system of visual, auditory, or tactile symbols of communication and the rules used to manipulate them.” It is a means of communication between people. Language is not only a vehicle for the expression of thoughts, perceptions, feelings and emotions, and values features of a community; it also represents a basic expression of social identity. Language is an important element which influences cultural and intellectual aspects of human life. Not only language creates several communications among people but also it makes bilateral relation between different groups and societies. Events and realities are expressed by words and sentences. Politicians assert their abilities and their policies through language and words. Nowadays, since the role of media became very crucial we can learn about importance of language. So we can say individual’s ideology, religious concepts and literature are indebted to the language and actually all of them shape social identity of a nation. Read the rest of this entry »