Historically, the relationship between towns and surrounding farm families has ranged from suspicion to benign neglect. This book shows that rural America can be revived by uniting the interests of both farm and non-farm populations through value-added enterprises, especially those based on the principles of New Generation Cooperatives (NGCs). Instead of sending agricultural commodities out of the region to be processed, farmers and communities can collaborate to process the commodities locally, thereby adding value to the local rural economy.

In this edited volume, nationally recognized scholars discuss the on-going challenges to the agricultural sector such as declining farm subsidies and commodity prices, and the strategies used by rural communities to respond to economic decline. Specific attention is paid to the role of NGCs as a specific form of value-added agriculture which has helped some rural communities to prosper. The NGCs, however, extend well beyond traditional agriculture to include grocery stores, day care centers, and other businesses that have not always been profitable in small towns. The broader objective of the book is to show how increased collaboration among farm producers, small businesses, and community leaders can promote economic development in rural regions.

While becoming a parent is relatively easy, parenting is a skill that is learned and improved over a lifetime. This reference book provides a comprehensive summary of what we know about parents and parent-child relationships. Through more than 240 alphabetically arranged entries, the volume synthesizes the present state of research on parenting. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and represents an authoritative view on a particular topic. Entries are related to child activity, child outcomes, child states, parent behaviors, parental situations, external and community concerns, systemic issues, the transition to parenthood, available resources, and various persons who have shaped our knowledge of parenting. The entries draw on information from a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, education, and sociology. Each entry includes a brief bibliography, and the volume closes with a selected list of works for further reading. The word parent is most often used to refer to a biological relationship with a child. But the word parent, like mother and father, can also invoke acts of caring, nurturing, and protecting. When we say, That child needs a father, we imply that the child needs a relationship with a man capable of fathering. This emphasizes a social and emotional relationship, not merely a biological one. Parenting means assuming responsibility for the long-term care of a child. Becoming a parent is relatively easy. But parenting is a skill that is learned and improved over a lifetime. Moreover, parenting is a skill that becomes more complex in response to the demands of a changing society. Some elements of successful parenting are relatively abstract and seem to remain fairly constant across different generations. But with the rise of new social problems and the proliferation of various threats to the integrity of the nuclear family, the parenting strategies of a generation ago are not necessarily effective today. Parenting has also received growing amounts of attention from researchers, and what was once considered chiefly an art is now also recognized for being a science. Our knowledge of parenting has increased significantly in the last few decades, and new developments continue to be made daily. This reference book provides a comprehensive summary of what we know about parents and the parent-child relationship. Through more than 240 alphabetically arranged entries, the volume synthesizes the present state of research on parenting. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and provides an authoritative overview of a particular topic. Entries are related to child activity, child outcomes, child states, parent behaviors, parental situations, external and community factors, systemic concerns, the transition to parenthood, available resources, and a number of persons who have added to our knowledge of the field. The entries draw on a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, education, and sociology. Each entry closes with a brief bibliography, and the volume concludes with a selected list of works for further reading.

View the Table of Contents.
Read the Preface.

"Possibly the best title of the season."--"Books to Watch out For"

"A thrilling, imaginative, and brilliant reading of contemporary cultural politics from one of the freshest voices in the field today. Dwight McBride's graceful prose, sharp wit, and sound judgments leap from every page. His essays sparkle with abundant intelligence--and a striking personal investment--as they lead the reader through a complex array of ideas, practices, and situations without losing sight of the ultimate intellectual and political liberation at which they aim. Bravo!"
--Michael Eric Dyson, author of The Michael Eric Dyson Reader

aA fair warning from an intelligent, well-informed writera
--Alter Magazine

"McBride has emerged as one of the most eloquent public voices in both queer studies and black studies. In this wide-ranging book--written with intelligence, passion, and humor--he brings the insights of each field to the blind spots of the other. We all have something to learn from him."
--Michael Warner, Rutgers University

"McBride's heady collection is an accessible think piece, starting with its agreeable title and its pointed essay of the same name."
--"Time Out New York"

"This collection breaks new ground for contemporary cultural criticism. McBride's look at homophobia in traditional African-American studies is an emphatic but penetrating critique of the discipline, and his explication of the ghettoization of black men in gay male porn is truly original work with ramifications well outside of queer studies."
--"Publishers Weekly"

"McBride's prose is smart, on-target, and very readable. These essays are notsimply illuminating, but some of the most eye-opening commentaries on gay culture to be published in years."
--"Between the Lines"

"This is one thought-provoking book."
--" HX/HOMO XTRA"

"Dwight A. McBride writes eloquently about the issues of race and homosexuality."
--"Philadelphia Gay News"

"McBridge expends more intellectual energy justifying his dislike of the popular clothing chain than perhaps any other person on the planet."
--"Evenings Out Chronicle"

"Eloquent collection...engagingly- and, for an academic, unorthodoxly- autobiographical."
--"San Francisco Bay Time"

"McBride's volume is a provacative and wide ranging exploration of a range of issues relating to race and sexuality."--"Bay Area Reporter"

"The book's namesake essay- a scathingly detailed and systematic study of the history, advertising practices, and hiring policies that comprise the "cult of Abercrombie"- makes the collection a mindblowing must-read...timely, disconcerting, and riveting in a way that academic writing should be, but rarely is."--"Girlfriends"

"Working across cultural studies, gay and lesbian studies, and race, ethnicity, and feminist studies, McBride attempts to ponder, address, and, where possible, rescue both African American studies and queer theory from the pitfalls of ignoring each other. This project is admirable to the extent that, not unlike black feminists a decade or more ago, scholars and intellectuals of McBride's generation refuse to make choices between race and sexuality- especially when that sexuality is considered deviant."
--"GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies"

Why hate Abercrombie? In a world rife with human cruelty andoppression, why waste your scorn on a popular clothing retailer? The rationale, Dwight A. McBride argues, lies in "the banality of evil," or the quiet way discriminatory hiring practices and racist ad campaigns seep into and reflect malevolent undertones in American culture.

McBride maintains that issues of race and sexuality are often subtle and always messy, and his compelling new book does not offer simple answers. Instead, in a collection of essays about such diverse topics as biased marketing strategies, black gay media representations, the role of African American studies in higher education, gay personal ads, and pornography, he offers the evolving insights of one black gay male scholar.

As adept at analyzing affirmative action as dissecting "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," McBride employs a range of academic, journalistic, and autobiographical writing styles. Each chapter speaks a version of the truth about black gay male life, African American studies, and the black community. Original and astute, Why I Hate Abercrombie & Fitch is a powerful vision of a rapidly changing social landscape.

Praise for "Impossible Witnesses":

"A necessary and compelling work.
--Toni Morrison

"McBride teases out complexity and depth heretofore overlooked. Don't miss this important text!"
--Cornel West

"Ambitious and thought-provoking."
--The Journal of American History

Combining emerging trends in collaboration, democratization, and urbanization, this book examines the emergence of entrepreneurship and innovation as a primarily urban phenomenon, explains why urban environments are rapidly attracting global innovators across three distinct forms of "urbanpreneurship," and lights the path forward for entrepreneurs, innovators, and city governments. The world is urbanizing rapidly. Currently, 600 cities account for 60 percent of the global economy; by 2025, it is predicted that the top 100 cities will account for 35 percent of the world's economy. Emerging trends in collaboration, the sharing economy, and innovation are opening up new opportunities for entrepreneurs in urban environments-"urbanpreneurs"-to participate in everything from tech startups in cities (instead of suburban tech parks) to makers and on-demand service providers to roles in civic entrepreneurship for those interested in solving the challenges that growing cities are facing. Readers of this book will understand how the converging trends of collaboration, democratization, and urbanization are rapidly attracting global innovators to cities capable of creating the enabling environment for aspiring innovators. The book discusses how entrepreneurs can best capitalize on the opportunities in urban settings, identifies what large and small cities can do to encourage more urbanpreneurship, and concludes with a consideration of the future of entrepreneurship in urban environments. Documents how the integration of three converging trends-collaboration, democratization, and urbanization-contribute to what the author calls the "Urbanpreneur Spiral" Presents eye-opening insights and reflections on the current and future state of entrepreneurship and innovation in society Explains why today's cities are the primary source of opportunities for new entrepreneurs Pays much-needed attention to the growing role of local governments in fostering entrepreneurship and innovation

This book focuses on the crucial role that relationships play in the lives of teenagers. The authors particularly examine the ways that healthy relationships can help teenagers avoid such common risk behaviours as substance abuse, dating violence, sexual assault and unsafe sexual practices. Addressing the current lack of effective prevention programmes for teenagers, they present new strategies for encouraging healthy choices. The book first traces differences between the 'rules of relating' for boys and girls and discusses typical and atypical patterns of experimentation in teenagers. The authors identify the common link among risk behaviours: the relationship connection. In the second part of the book, they examine the principles of successful programmes used by schools and communities to cultivate healthy adolescent development. An illuminating conclusion describes the key ingredients for engaging adolescents, their parents, teachers and communities, in the effort to promote healthy, non-violent relationships among teenagers.

In 1991, Dr. Lorraine Monroe founded the Frederick Douglass Academy, a public school in Harlem, in the belief that caring instructors, a disciplined but creative environment, and a refusal to accept mediocrity could transform the lives of inner-city kids. Her experiment was a huge success. Today the Academy is one of the finest schools in the country, sending graduates to Ivy League colleges and registering the third highest SAT scores in New York City. The key to its success: a unique leadership method Monroe calls the "Monroe Doctrine," which she developed through decades as a teacher and principal in some of America's toughest schools. In this book Monroe tells her own remarkable story and explains her "Doctrine" through pithy, memorable rules and observations and a host of wonderful true stories. This is an inspiring read for both new and experienced educators--and for anyone who wants to succeed in the face of seemingly impossible odds.

What is 'fun' about the Hollywood version of girlhood? Through re-evaluating notions of pleasure and fun, The Aesthetic Pleasures of Girl Teen Film forms a study of Hollywood girl teen films between 2000-2010. By tracing the aesthetic connections between films such as Mean Girls (Waters, 2004), Hairspray (Shankman, 2007), and Easy A (Gluck, 2010), the book articulates the specific types of pleasure these films offer as a means to understand how Hollywood creates gendered ideas of fun. Rather than condemn these films as 'guilty pleasures' this book sets out to understand how they are designed to create experiences that feel as though they express desires, memories, or fantasies that girls supposedly share in common. Providing a practical model for a new approach to cinematic pleasures The Aesthetic Pleasures of Girl Teen Film proposes that these films offer a limited version of girlhood that feels like potential and promise but is restricted within prescribed parameters.

The last few decades has seen a prolonged debate over the nature and importance of social class as a basis for ideology, class voting and class politics. The prevailing assumption is that, in western societies, class inequalities are no longer important in determining political behaviour. In The End of Class Politics? leading scholars from the US, UK and Europe argue that the evidence on which the assumptions about the decline importance of class is based is unfounded. Instead, the book argues that the class basis of political competition has to some degree evolved, but not declined. Furthermore, the social basis of political competition and sweeping claims about the new politics of postindustrial society need to be re-examined.

Choose your favourite vehicle and LET'S GO! Join all the busy animals as they zoom around in every kind of vehicle you can imagine, vibrantly illustrated by the talented Katie Abey. Is that a cheeky monkey flying a plane? And did I see a llama riding a scooter? And there's a whole pack of animals catching that bus. All the animals are on the move in their favourite vehicles, zipping by in their own hilarious way. Travel across airports, race through city streets in fire engines and drive around building sites. Wherever you're going today ... tell us how it should be done! We Catch the Bus invites children to choose their favourite vehicles and how they like to travel over 12 spreads, packed with animals driving cars, buses, diggers, spacecraft, bikes, ships, scooters and more. With interactive speech bubbles and hilarious shout outs, this hilarious follow-up to We Wear Pants and We Eat Bananas is perfect for fans of You Choose and Just Imagine and kids who love to be on the move.

The dramatically increasing aging population of Hong Kong has elicited new risks and opportunities to facilitate a positive life for older adults. This book offers a holistic review of gerontological theories and literature, and constructs a conceptual framework of social support networks, coping and positive aging. In light of the implications of the convoy model of social support to depict an indigenous landscape of positive aging in Hong Kong, this is one of the very few empirical studies that adopts both quantitative research and qualitative research. The research consisted of a pilot study of in-depth interviews with 16 older Hong Kong Chinese and a main study surveying 393 older members of District Elderly Community Center. The results of the study indicate that family and peer support constitute the mainstay of support networks of the elderly, and that family and peer support are associated with positive aging. Moreover, the study shows that it is the depth of emotional closeness, namely, close interaction and intimacy with social partners that makes the greatest contribution to positive aging. Additionally, problem coping and emotion coping are found to mediate the relationship between social support networks and positive aging. There is potential in bringing more domestic helpers into elderly care and improving the service quality such that the goal of Aging in Place can be promoted in Hong Kong. Intended for researchers in social work, gerontology and positive psychology, it is also essential reading for graduates and social work professionals interested in this area. This book makes a valuable contribution to social gerontological research among Hong Kong older adults and the promotion of wellbeing in the elderly via the construct of positive aging in the culture of Chinese society.

Imagined Communities: Constructing Collective Identities in Medieval Europe offers a series of studies focusing on the problems of conceptualisation of social group identities, including national, royal, aristocratic, regional, urban, religious, and gendered communities. The geographical focus of the case studies presented in this volume range from Wales and Scotland, to Hungary and Ruthenia, while both narrative and other types of evidence, such as legal texts, are drawn upon. What emerges is how the characteristics and aspirations of communities are exemplified and legitimised through the presentation of the past and an imagined picture of present. By means of its multiple perspectives, this volume offers significant insight into the medieval dynamics of collective mentality and group consciousness. Contributors are Daniel Bagi, Mariusz Bartnicki, Zbigniew Dalewski, Georg Jostkleigrewe, Bartosz Klusek, Pawel Kras, Wojciech Michalski, Martin Nodl, Andrzej Pleszczynski, Euryn Rhys Roberts, Stanislaw Rosik, Joanna Sobiesiak, Karol Szejgiec, Michal Tomaszek, Tomasz Tarczynski, Przemyslaw Tyszka, Tatiana Vilkul, and Przemyslaw Wiszewski.

Designed for both academic and lay audiences, this book identifies the characteristics of ritual and, via multiple examples, details how ritual works on the human body and brain to produce its often profound effects. These include enhancing courage, effecting healing, and generating group cohesion by enacting cultural-or individual-beliefs and values. It also shows what happens when ritual fails.

Based on extensive research, recent events, and numerous first-person accounts, this revealing book illuminates both the challenges and triumphs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth, and offers effective strategies for combating LGBT marginalization in our nation's schools and communities. Safe Spaces: Making Schools and Communities Welcoming to LGBT Youth is the first book to offer a comprehensive view of the complex lives of LGBT youth of all ages, from kindergarten through college. Drawing on a wealth of research collected from first-person accounts of students, family, educators, and community members, the authors not only chronicle the struggles of LGBT youth but also describe models of inclusive school and community environments. The authors address the breadth of experiences of LGBT youth-in and out of the classroom, at home and in the community, and in personal interactions with allies and antagonists. They also reveal how these young people, their friends and families, teachers, and dedicated allies stem the tide of LGBT exclusion. Most important, Safe Spaces offers action steps for readers who want to make their own homes, schools, and communities safe and welcoming spaces for LGBT youth. More than 80 real-life narratives, drawn from the stories of 100 people, including students, family members, educators, and community leaders A "Queerossary" of dozens of key terms, including multiple definitions for terms with specific meanings within the LGBT community A bibliography of academic, policy, and news materials related to LGBT issues More than 50 action steps readers can use to create safe spaces for LGBT youth Reflection Points provide questions and statements that offer readers an opportunity to reflect upon the ways a particular topic or issue relates to their lives An appendix listing LGBT resources

This book examines how the shifts in the early 19th century in New York City affected children in particular. Indeed, one could argue that within this context, that "children" and "childhood" came into being. In order to explore this, the skeletal remains of the children buried at the small, local, yet politically radical Spring Street Presbyterian Church are detailed. Population level analyses are combined with individual biological profiles from sorted burials and individual stories combed from burial records and archival data. What emerges are life histories of children-of infants, toddlers, younger children, older children, and adolescents-during this time of transition in New York City. When combined with historical data, these life histories, for instance, tell us about what it was like to grow up in this changing time in New York City

The common wisdom that business contributions to the common good are counterproductive in the new competitive global marketplace does not hold up to empirical research. In fact, doing good is good for business, and a majority of businesses do provide some form of community support, which Besser discovered in her exhaustive survey of the Iowa business community. Business owners and managers often act out of a sense of community spirit and a certain obligation to better the common good. While the increasingly globalized economy has encouraged a number of large corporations to become freewheelers, the vast majority of companies are firmly rooted in place and look at their locales with more than just a utilitarian eye.

Extensive interviews with Iowa business owners, managers, and business and community leaders are combined with findings from prior studies of corporate citizenship, and the evidence clearly indicates that the majority of businesses provide some form of community support. Most owners feel they should do more than just make a profit, so they often seek ways to give back to their communities, a move that is usually nurtured within the business community itself. However, corporate altruism carries risks. Many business owners have unwittingly offended customers and clients by their acts of civic spirit. Besser concludes her book by addressing the potential threats to business social responsibility posed by globalization and recommends steps to enhance socially responsible capitalism. Anybody interested in the complex interaction of businesses and the communities they reside in will enjoy reading this positive revisitation of the mutually supportive relationship between trade and polity.