Touching Spirit Bear - Mini Report 2

I decided to research the medical effects of Cole sitting in the pond, and if it really helps.

I found that there is a whole field dedicated to dealing with different water temperatures and their effect on the human body. It is called Hydrotherapy. (1) It deals with the benefits of different temperature water and how it can be used treat many illnesses, some being arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and partial paralysis. Cole, in the book, uses the pond as a place to relax, and I found that the effects of cool water seems to support what occurred. When you enter cool water the body undergoes a process, that process being; the initial shock of the cool water (but upon repeated immersions the body gets used to this), then the body quickly begins to react. The feeling of cool is replaced with warmth and a feeling of exhilaration as the pulse quickens; the respiration becomes easy. However, if subjected to the water too long, the water starts to feel cold again, and then the body starts to go downhill. Cole, seems to have experienced the body reaction to the cold water, but would leave the pond before the onset of cold began. However, in the book it mentioned that Cole's joint pains would disappear after the pond, but that relief is said to occur after immersion in warm water.

Works Cited

"Effects of Cold Water." Chest of Books. 5 June 2008. 8 July 2008 .

"Hydrotherapy." Wikipedia. 7 July 2008. Wikimedia. 8 July 2008 .

"Responses in Subjects Immersed in Cold Water." Journal of Applied Physiology. 8 July 2008 .

Touching Spirit Bear - Mini Report 1

The Circle of Justice really got me thinking... Is there really such a thing? So I went online and did a quick Google Search, apparently only taking .01452 seconds to complete. As it turns out, there really is such a thing!
The system works by the offender pleading guilty, and accepts to be given a sentence by a circle of community members. If the circle accepts the case, the offender and the circle agree upon a sentence. Then a trained facilitator meets with the victim, offender, and some others to talk about the circle process. A group of interested community members gets together and discusses the best sentencing. The offender then carries out his sentence with occasional meetings by the circle to determine his process. (**1)
I think that it is really cool that this does exists, I find that, in certain circumstances, this is a much better method of dealing with “offenders” then just shipping them off to a tax supported jail. This way they can show that they really are sorry, and not just sitting in jail brooding how they will get revenge. The book Touching Spirit Bear really comes close to portraying the circle justice correctly, there are some small deviations here and there, but overall it is a great job by Mikaelsen.


Works Cited
(1) "Article About Circle of Justice." 6 Apr. 1999. Minneapolis Star Tribune. 1 July 2008 .
Lilles, Heino. "Circle Sentancing." Internation Institution for Restorative Practices. 9 Aug. 2002. 1 July 2008 .
"Touching Spirt Bear & Circle Justice." National Tribal Justice Resource Center. 23 Oct. 2002. 1 July 2008 .