First published in 1994. The sociology of community is currently undergoing something of a revival, and this book has been written with the aim of contributing to this process in a number of ways. First of all, it draws attention to the burgeoning literature on sociological aspects of community life. Secondly, its bring together the various studies considered here into a more coherent whole than they possess as simply a collection of separate pieces of research.
There is no shortage of political and moral commentary on family life. Frequently the underlying theme of these commentaries is the decline of contemporary family commitment, particularly when older people's family experiences are the focus. "Family Practices in Later Life" challenges many common stereotypes about the nature of family involvement as people age. The book explores diversity and change in the family relationships older people maintain, looking at how family relationships are constructed and organised in later life. It recognises that the emerging patterns are a consequence of the choices and decisions negotiated within family networks, emphasising older people's agency in the construction of their family practices. In exploring such themes as long-term marriage, sibling ties in later life and grandparenthood, the book highlights the continued significance of family connection and solidarity in later life, while recognizing that family relationships are inevitably modified over time as people's social and material circumstances alter. "Family Practices in Later Life" will be of interest to students, researchers and academics in the fields of social policy, family studies and social gerontology. It provides a valuable contribution to the developing field of critical social gerontology as well as to an understanding of family process.
There is no shortage of political and moral commentary on family life. Frequently the underlying theme of these commentaries is the decline of contemporary family commitment, particularly when older people's family experiences are the focus. "Family Practices in Later Life" challenges many common stereotypes about the nature of family involvement as people age. The book explores diversity and change in the family relationships older people maintain, looking at how family relationships are constructed and organised in later life. It recognises that the emerging patterns are a consequence of the choices and decisions negotiated within family networks, emphasising older people's agency in the construction of their family practices. In exploring such themes as long-term marriage, sibling ties in later life and grandparenthood, the book highlights the continued significance of family connection and solidarity in later life, while recognizing that family relationships are inevitably modified over time as people's social and material circumstances alter. "Family Practices in Later Life" will be of interest to students, researchers and academics in the fields of social policy, family studies and social gerontology. It provides a valuable contribution to the developing field of critical social gerontology as well as to an understanding of family process.
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Economic forecasting involves choosing simple yet robust models to best approximate highly complex and evolving data-generating processes. This poses unique challenges for researchers in a host of practical forecasting situations, from forecasting budget deficits and assessing financial risk to predicting inflation and stock market returns. Economic Forecasting presents a comprehensive, unified approach to assessing the costs and benefits of different methods currently available to forecasters. This text approaches forecasting problems from the perspective of decision theory and estimation, and demonstrates the profound implications of this approach for how we understand variable selection, estimation, and combination methods for forecasting models, and how we evaluate the resulting forecasts. Both Bayesian and non-Bayesian methods are covered in depth, as are a range of cutting-edge techniques for producing point, interval, and density forecasts. The book features detailed presentations and empirical examples of a range of forecasting methods and shows how to generate forecasts in the presence of large-dimensional sets of predictor variables. The authors pay special attention to how estimation error, model uncertainty, and model instability affect forecasting performance. * Presents a comprehensive and integrated approach to assessing the strengths and weaknesses of different forecasting methods* Approaches forecasting from a decision theoretic and estimation perspective* Covers Bayesian modeling, including methods for generating density forecasts* Discusses model selection methods as well as forecast combinations* Covers a large range of nonlinear prediction models, including regime switching models, threshold autoregressions, and models with time-varying volatility* Features numerous empirical examples* Examines the latest advances in forecast evaluation* Essential for practitioners and students alike
Originally published in 1979, this was the first text to be concerned explicitly with the analysis of forms of kin and non-kin sociability. Its aim was to compare and contrast the different ways in which sociability was patterned in modern life at the time. Many studies had been concerned with kin relations, rather fewer had examined friendship, while none had attempted to compare these relationships. It was the author’s belief that such a comparison was necessary if both kin and non-kin relationships were to be understood more adequately. A Sociology of Friendship and Kinship thus represented a unique and valuable addition to the research literature on both these topics.The text also synthesises a wide range of material from recent empirical research into the sociology of friendship and kinship, though it emphasises that such a synthesis can only be achieved by a careful conceptual and theoretical analysis of the nature of friend and kin relationships. An interesting feature of the book is its fusion of secondary research material with new empirical data gathered by Dr Allan in a study carried out by him in the early 1970s.
Originally published in 1979, this was the first text to be concerned explicitly with the analysis of forms of kin and non-kin sociability. Its aim was to compare and contrast the different ways in which sociability was patterned in modern life at the time. Many studies had been concerned with kin relations, rather fewer had examined friendship, while none had attempted to compare these relationships. It was the author’s belief that such a comparison was necessary if both kin and non-kin relationships were to be understood more adequately. A Sociology of Friendship and Kinship thus represented a unique and valuable addition to the research literature on both these topics.The text also synthesises a wide range of material from recent empirical research into the sociology of friendship and kinship, though it emphasises that such a synthesis can only be achieved by a careful conceptual and theoretical analysis of the nature of friend and kin relationships. An interesting feature of the book is its fusion of secondary research material with new empirical data gathered by Dr Allan in a study carried out by him in the early 1970s.
Alan Graham's accomplishments over a botanical career that spans six decades can be measured by the approximately 250 papers and books that he has published during this time; however, equally significant are his 38 years of teaching at Kent State University and his subsequent 12 years as Research Associate at the Missouri Botanical Garden. This festschrift contains 14 papers prepared by 56 of Alan's friends and colleagues representing 15 nationalities and working in 27 institutions. The participants do not exhaust the list of people who have collaborated with Alan throughout his long and productive scientific career, or the many students who received their degree under Alan Graham, but the papers they have contributed represent those fields in which Alan has had the greatest impact through his work. Taken together, they not only advance knowledge but also demonstrate closely that the efforts of Alan Graham during the course of his career will carry on for centuries in the future as we find greater clarity and develop even more robust hypotheses of the evolution of the vegetation of the Americas.
This book is a unique and integrated account of the history of North American vegetation and paleoenvironments over the past 70 million years. It includes discussions of the modern plant communities, causal factors for environmental change, biotic response, and methodologies. The history reveals a North American vegetation that is vast, immensely complex, and dynamic.
The paleoecological history of the Americas is as complex as the region is broad: stretching from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego, the New World features some of the most extraordinary vegetation on the planet. But until now it has lacked a complete natural history. Alan Graham remedies that with "A Natural History of the New World". With plants as his scientific muse, Graham traces the evolution of ecosystems, beginning in the Late Cretaceous period (about 100 million years ago) and ending in the present, charting their responses to changes in geology and climate. By highlighting plant communities' roles in the environmental history of the Americas, Graham offers an overdue balance to natural histories that focus exclusively on animals. Plants are important in evolution's splendid drama. Not only are they conspicuous and conveniently stationary components of the Earth's ecosystems, but their extensive fossil record allows for a thorough reconstruction of the planet's paleoenvironments. What's more, plants provide oxygen, function as food and fuel, and provide habitat and shelter; in short, theirs is a history that can speak to many other areas of evolution. "A Natural History of the New World" is an ambitious and unprecedented synthesis written by one of the world's leading scholars of botany and geology.
The paleoecological history of the Americas is as complex as the region is broad: stretching from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego, the New World features some of the most extraordinary vegetation on the planet. But until now it has lacked a complete natural history. Alan Graham remedies that with "A Natural History of the New World". With plants as his scientific muse, Graham traces the evolution of ecosystems, beginning in the Late Cretaceous period (about 100 million years ago) and ending in the present, charting their responses to changes in geology and climate. By highlighting plant communities' roles in the environmental history of the Americas, Graham offers an overdue balance to natural histories that focus exclusively on animals. Plants are important in evolution's splendid drama. Not only are they conspicuous and conveniently stationary components of the Earth's ecosystems, but their extensive fossil record allows for a thorough reconstruction of the planet's paleoenvironments. What's more, plants provide oxygen, function as food and fuel, and provide habitat and shelter; in short, theirs is a history that can speak to many other areas of evolution. "A Natural History of the New World" is an ambitious and unprecedented synthesis written by one of the world's leading scholars of botany and geology.
Land bridges are the causeways of biodiversity. When they form, organisms are introduced into a new patchwork of species and habitats, forever altering the ecosystems into which they flow; and when land bridges disappear or fracture, organisms are separated into reproductively isolated populations that can evolve independently. More than this, land bridges play a role in determining global climates through changes to moisture and heat transport and are also essential factors in the development of biogeographic patterns across geographically remote regions. In this book, paleobotanist Alan Graham traces the formation and disruption of key New World land bridges and describes the biotic, climatic, and biogeographic ramifications of these land masses’ changing formations over time. Looking at five land bridges, he explores their present geographic setting and climate, modern vegetation, indigenous peoples (with special attention to their impact on past and present vegetation), and geologic history. From the great Panamanian isthmus to the boreal connections across the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans that allowed exchange of organisms between North America, Europe, and Asia, Graham’s sweeping, one-hundred-million-year history offers new insight into the forces that shaped the life and land of the New World.
Land bridges are the causeways of biodiversity. When they form, organisms are introduced into a new patchwork of species and habitats, forever altering the ecosystems into which they flow; and when land bridges disappear or fracture, organisms are separated into reproductively isolated populations that can evolve independently. More than this, land bridges play a role in determining global climates through changes to moisture and heat transport and are also essential factors in the development of biogeographic patterns across geographically remote regions. In this book, paleobotanist Alan Graham traces the formation and disruption of key New World land bridges and describes the biotic, climatic, and biogeographic ramifications of these land masses’ changing formations over time. Looking at five land bridges, he explores their present geographic setting and climate, modern vegetation, indigenous peoples (with special attention to their impact on past and present vegetation), and geologic history. From the great Panamanian isthmus to the boreal connections across the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans that allowed exchange of organisms between North America, Europe, and Asia, Graham’s sweeping, one-hundred-million-year history offers new insight into the forces that shaped the life and land of the New World.
Homeless.No other word better describes our modern-day suffering. It reveals one of our deepest and most painful conditions—not having a sense of belonging. However, Alan Graham, founder of Mobile Loaves & Fishes and Community First! Village, is improving the quality of life for a large quantity of people through sharing his personal story of becoming more human through humanizing others. Graham believes the more we can give people dignity, the power of choice, and genuine community, the better we’ll be able to offer solutions that will have impact on the world at large. And while his missionary work is focused on giving a home to the physically homeless, he also wants to transform the lives of every living person by shifting the paradigm in understanding what it means to be “home.” In Welcome Homeless, Graham delves deep into what it means to be connected to God, the earth, and each other. In doing so, he shows us the home we’ve all longed for but never had.Welcome Homeless is about becoming fully human by being fully present. It is about finally connecting with the disconnected and finding our identity through knowing the true identity of others. Graham wants to engrain the human story in you so deeply that you start being who you were made to be—that you start finally being like the image from which you were made and start empathizing instead of sympathizing with the people around you. Similar to how we can become 100 percent fully human by mimicking the ultimate image, we can shape a better world by mimicking the picture of the new heaven and the new earth—a picture that has reality at the heart of it but is beyond our imagination. Alan Graham also shares his personal story, the stories of the homeless, and the stories of those whose worldviews have been shifted by the homeless. Because of his raw, humorous, and honest voice, he achieves a rare and profound universality. Houses become homes once they embody the stories of the people who have made these spaces into places of significance, meaning, and memory. Home is fundamentally a place of connection and of relationships that are life-giving and foundational. Graham invites you to make everyone feel truly at home by finally inviting those living on the fringes of society into your heart.This is why Welcome Homeless is about doing, not saying. It is about taking the ultimate and forward-thinking vision of a new heaven and new earth and literally breaking the soil so that new earth can exist here today. It is about realizing that homelessness is not fundamentally a consequence of moral and spiritual inadequacies; but rather it is often the logical and economical outcome for a large part of our population.So, what does your vision of humanity and love look like? Whatever the vision, it should look like community. People should feel more alive after they meet you. When your consciousness changes from one of self-absorption to a consciousness aware of its human desire for connection, compassion, kindness, and beauty, you will start seeing things differently—and others will start seeing you made anew as well because the absolute greatest self-help occurs when you help others
Alan Graham, recipient of numerous awards and the author of several publications, recounts the personalizing and professionalizing factors that go into making an educator in the modern social climate. With his unique perspective, he recounts happenings at an iconic place during pivotal times in the nation's history and the role these events are playing in shaping education and defining the modern American character.
How do leaders deal with the lemons of difficult circumstances and make lemonade? Lemonade is a user-friendly guide to the key qualities that can help leaders and their teams to bounce back from change and challenge. Included are a self-assessment of your own resilience at work, stories of leaders just like you who have triumphed in difficult times, and practical exercises and activities that you can put to work for you. REVIEWS: "One is never so weak as when those they follow have lost a vision of hope and lead only despair with despair. Lemonade is a great, practical guide to help leaders and managers build their constituencies, sustain resilience and to always lead toward vs. against. It is full of compelling stories and simple tools to help us all make the best of the challenges we face at work and in our lives." Curt W. Coffman Co-Author of First, Break All the Rules and Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch "What leaders need are tools that are clear, simple, and actionable. This book is full of practical exercises that really work." --Marc Effron, author, One Page Talent Management "In order to succeed, today's business leaders must prevail in the face of an unprecedented pace of change. Lemonade offers a straightforward, practical guide to help leaders to meet any challenge and come out on top - I highly recommend this book." --Mark A. Horney, PhD, Director EMBA Career Management, Columbia Business School AUTHORS: Alan Graham, Ph.D. is the Director of ACP Consultants. As an executive coach, Alan works with leaders at all levels to develop their unique strengths and personal resilience. He specializes in ADD/ADHD in kids and adults, and helps high performance ADD executives to focus and excel. Dr. Graham works with the American Psychological Association to deliver the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards and enjoys helping organizations to become happier, healthier places to work. Kevin Cuthbert is the President and Chief Collaboration Officer of Karlin Sloan & Company. In his twenty-plus years in business, he has served on international boards, and has created and led worldwide Human Resources functions. He has served as a consultant and coach to large global organizations, and contributed to the bestselling business book, First Break All the Rules. He works with organizations to energize and involve their work forces, to build the leadership pipeline, and to empower leaders to excel. Karlin Sloan is the CEO and founder of Karlin Sloan & Company, a leadership development consultancy devoted to helping leaders to be the change they wish to see in the world. She has helped organizations worldwide to develop clearer, more effective communication, enhanced teamwork, and powerful leadership in times of growth and change. She is the author of the acclaimed business book Smarter, Faster, Better, which has been translated into Thai and Russian, and Unfear: Facing Change in an Era of Uncertainty.
If thinking out of 'the box' is important to you then you'll love reading this! No ordinary book, it's designed to make your mind expand. See below: 1. Preface 2. Is There A Non-Religious After-life? 3. Is 'The Past' Still Actually In Existence? 4. Human Life and its ability to shape (consciously) existence. 5. The Indestructible Mind? 6. My Journey So Far 7. The Higgs Boson 8. The Bible's Version of Creation 9. What Is A Soul? 10.Is The New Testament Inerrant? 11.Space-Bag Theory Bibliography Addendum
'This book should prove to be an important addition to the relatively few publications that exist on statistical thinking. It very nicely encourages the reader to take an active learning approach through simultaneously promoting pedagogy with knowledge and skills enhancement in statistics. Understanding what the subject is for and what it can do are crucial in statistical education - by getting the reader to think statistically Mr Graham has provided us with a very readable book that helps to dispel the poor reputation that statistics has acquired over many years' - Professor Neville Davies, Director, Royal Statistical Society Centre for Statistical Education, Nottingham Trent University Statistics is a key area of the school mathematics curriculum where maths and the real world meet. Although potentially a subject where teaching can be motivating and relevant to everyday concerns, it is often seen as boring and involving largely mechanical calculations. This book will enable teachers and others interested in statistical thinking to become excited and inspired by the big ideas of statistics and, in turn, teach them enthusiastically learners. Designed to heighten awareness of statistical ideas, the book explores key themes within statistics using ideas developed by the influential team at The Open University's Centre for Mathematics Education. Themes include: · Measurement · Variation · Randomness · Uncertainty Arranged in an accessible task-based format, this is an essential text for all secondary maths teachers and students of maths education. It is a comprehensive book that will illuminate and inspire interest in the subject, based on innovative use of ICT, engaging narrative, firm research and good practice. Developing Thinking in Statistics is a set book on the Open University Course ME626 Developing Statistical Thinking, part of the Graduate Diploma in Mathematics Education.
'This book should prove to be an important addition to the relatively few publications that exist on statistical thinking. It very nicely encourages the reader to take an active learning approach through simultaneously promoting pedagogy with knowledge and skills enhancement in statistics. Understanding what the subject is for and what it can do are crucial in statistical education - by getting the reader to think statistically Mr Graham has provided us with a very readable book that helps to dispel the poor reputation that statistics has acquired over many years' - Professor Neville Davies, Director, Royal Statistical Society Centre for Statistical Education, Nottingham Trent University Statistics is a key area of the school mathematics curriculum where maths and the real world meet. Although potentially a subject where teaching can be motivating and relevant to everyday concerns, it is often seen as boring and involving largely mechanical calculations. This book will enable teachers and others interested in statistical thinking to become excited and inspired by the big ideas of statistics and, in turn, teach them enthusiastically learners. Designed to heighten awareness of statistical ideas, the book explores key themes within statistics using ideas developed by the influential team at The Open University's Centre for Mathematics Education. Themes include: · Measurement · Variation · Randomness · Uncertainty Arranged in an accessible task-based format, this is an essential text for all secondary maths teachers and students of maths education. It is a comprehensive book that will illuminate and inspire interest in the subject, based on innovative use of ICT, engaging narrative, firm research and good practice. Developing Thinking in Statistics is a set book on the Open University Course ME626 Developing Statistical Thinking, part of the Graduate Diploma in Mathematics Education.
