Hoodoo Medicine is a unique record of nearly lost African-American folk culture. It documents herbal medicines used for centuries, from the 1600s until recent decades, by the slaves and later their freed descendants, in the South Carolina Sea Islands. The Sea Island people, also called the Gullah, were unusually isolated from other slave groups by the creeks and marshes of the Low Country. They maintained strong African influences on their speech, social customs, and beliefs, long after other American blacks had lost this connection. Likewise, their folk medicine mixed medicines that originated in Africa with cures learned from the American Indians and European settlers. Hoodoo Medicine is a window into Gullah traditions, which in recent years have been threatened by the migration of families, the invasion of the Sea Islands by suburban developers, and the gradual death of the elder generation. More than that, it captures folk practices that lasted longer in the Sea Islands than elsewhere, but were once widespread throughout African-American communities of the South.

In recent years there have been alarming reports of rapid decreases in life expectancy in the New Independent States (former members of the Soviet Union). To help assess priorities for health policy, the Committee on Population organized two workshops?the first on adult mortality and disability, the second on adult health priorities and policies. Participants included demographers, epidemiologists, public health specialists, economists, and policymakers from the NIS countries, the United States, and Western Europe. This volume consists of selected papers presented at the workshops. They assess the reliability of data on mortality, morbidity, and disability; analyze regional patterns and trends in mortality rates and causes of death; review evidence about major determinants of adult mortality; and discuss implications for health policy. Table of Contents Front Matter Premature Death in the New Independent States: Overview Recent Trends in Life Expectancy and Causes of Death in Russia, 1970-1993 Spatial, Age, and Cause-of-Death Patterns of Mortality in Russia, 1988-1989 Issues of Data Quality in Assessing Mortality Trends and Levels in the New Independent States Mortality in the New Independent States: Patterns and Impacts Epidemiological Transitions in the Former Socialist Economies: Divergent Patterns of Mortality and Causes of Death Soviet and Russian Statistics on Alcohol Consumption and Abuse The Anti-Alcohol Campaign and Variations in Russian Mortality Mortality from Tobacco in the New Independent States Cigarette Smoking and Priorities for Tobacco Control in the New Independent States Tobacco Control Policy Strategies: Lessons from Western Developed Countries Nutritional Risk Factors in the Former Soviet Union Chronic Disease Prevention in the New Independent States: Finnish Experiences Diet Modification and Food Policy Strategies: What Works? Appendix - Workshop Agendas Index

The turn of the twentieth century was an extraordinarily difficult period for African Americans, a time of unchecked lynchings, mob attacks, and rampant Jim Crow segregation. During these bleak years, Emma Crawford, a young African American woman living in Pennsylvania, corresponded by postcard with friends and family members and collected the cards she received from all over the country. Her album-spanning from 1906 to 1910 and analyzed in Emma's Postcard Album-becomes an entry point into a deeply textured understanding of the nuances and complexities of African American lives and the survival strategies that enabled people "to make a way from no way." As snippets of lived experience, eye-catching visual images, and reflections of historical moments, the cards in the collection become sources for understanding not only African American life, but also broader American history and culture. In Emma's Postcard Album, Faith Mitchell innovatively places the contents of this postcard collection into specific historic and biographical contexts and provides a new interpretation of postcards as life writings, a much-neglected aspect of scholarship. Through these techniques, a riveting world we know far too little about is revealed, and we gain new insights into the perspectives and experience of African Americans-in their own words. Capping off these contributions, the text is a visual feast, illustrated with arresting images from the Golden Age of postcards as well as newspaper clippings and other archival material.

The 20th Century has been marked by enormous change in terms of how we define race. In large part, we have thrown out the antiquated notions of the 1800s, giving way to a more realistic, sociocultural view of the world. The United States is, perhaps more than any other industrialized country, distinguished by the size and diversity of its racial and ethnic minority populations. Current trends promise that these features will endure. Fifty years from now, there will most likely be no single majority group in the United States. How will we fare as a nation when race-based issues such as immigration, job opportunities, and affirmative action are already so contentious today? In America Becoming, leading scholars and commentators explore past and current trends among African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Native Americans in the context of a white majority. This volume presents the most up-to-date findings and analysis on racial and social dynamics, with recommendations for ongoing research. It examines compelling issues in the field of race relations, including: * Race and ethnicity in criminal justice. * Demographic and social trends for Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Native Americans. * Trends in minority-owned businesses. * Wealth, welfare, and racial stratification. * Residential segregation and the meaning of "neighborhood." * Disparities in educational test scores among races and ethnicities. * Health and development for minority children, adolescents, and adults. * Race and ethnicity in the labor market, including the role of minorities in America's military. * Immigration and the dynamics of race and ethnicity. * The changing meaning of race. * Changing racial attitudes. This collection of papers, compiled and edited by distinguished leaders in the behavioral and social sciences, represents the most current literature in the field. Volume 1 covers demographic trends, immigration, racial attitudes, and the geography of opportunity. Volume 2 deals with the criminal justice system, the labor market, welfare, and health trends. Both books will be of great interest to educators, scholars, researchers, students, social scientists, and policymakers.

Given current demographic trends, nearly one in five U.S. residents will be of Hispanic origin by 2025. This major demographic shift and its implications for both the United States and the growing Hispanic population make Multiple Origins, Uncertain Destinies a most timely book. This report from the National Research Council describes how Hispanics are transforming the country as they disperse geographically. It considers their roles in schools, in the labor market, in the health care system, and in U.S. politics. The book looks carefully at the diverse populations encompassed by the term "Hispanic," representing immigrants and their children and grandchildren from nearly two dozen Spanish-speaking countries. It describes the trajectory of the younger generations and established residents, and it projects long-term trends in population aging, social disparities, and social mobility that have shaped and will shape the Hispanic experience. Table of Contents Front Matter Executive Summary 1 Introduction 2 Multiple Origins, Hispanic Portrait 3 Defining Hispanicity: E Pluribus Unum or E Pluribus Plures? 4 The Challenges of Integration 5 Realms of Integration: Family, Education, Work, and Health 6 Uncertain Destinies References Appendix A Methods Appendix B Biographical Sketches of Panel Members and Staff Appendix C Contents `Hispanics and the Future of America` Index

This report addresses the question of what terrorists hold in value. This question is posed in order to assess some means and strategies for deterring, deflecting, or preventing terrorist activities. The report approaches the question on several levels, moving from the use of short-term deterrent strategies to the modification of the broader contexts and conditions conducive to terrorist activities in the long run. The report focuses on contemporary Islamic extremist terrorism but deals with generic dimensions in many instances. Table of Contents Front Matter Executive Summary Discouraging Terrorism: Some Implications of 9/11 References Appendix: Population Dynamics and Political Stability

In the United States, health among racial and ethnic minorities, as well as poor people, is significantly worse than the overall U.S. population. Health disparities are reflected by indices such as excess mortality and morbidity and shorter life expectancy. Examining the Health Disparities Research Plan of the National Institutes of Health is an assessment of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Strategic Research Plan and Budget to Reduce and Ultimately Eliminate Health Disparities. It focuses on practical solutions to remedy the state of the current health disparity crisis. The NIH has played the leading role in conducting extensive research on minority health and health disparities for more than two decades. Although additional research is critical to facilitating a better understanding of the overarching social, economic, educational, and environmental factors that predispose groups to specific diseases and conditions, there is also a great need to translate the existing and new information into best care practices. This means increasing communication with affected populations and their communities. Examining the Health Disparities Research Plan of the National Institutes of Health presents solutions to improving the health disparities nationwide and evaluates the NIH strategy plan designed to actively correct and combat the ongoing health disparities dilemma. Table of Contents Front Matter Executive Summary 1 Introduction 2 Health Disparities: Concepts, Measurements, and Understanding 3 Development and Availability of the Strategic Plan 4 Budget and Finances 5 The National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities 6 Management of the Strategic Plan and the Health Disparities Research Program References Appendix A PUBLIC LAW 106-525-NOV. 22, 2000 Appendix B Agendas of Open Meetings Appendix C List of Participants Providing Testimony or Written Commentary to the Committee Appendix D Overview of Health Disparities--Nancy E. Adler, Ph.D. Appendix E Schematic Diagram Showing Differences, Disparities, and Discrimination in Health Care Appendix F National Institutes of Health NIH Health Strategic Plan Fiscal Years 2004-2008, Volume I Appendix G Public Communications and Its Role in Reducing and Eliminating Health Disparities--Kasisomayajula Viswanath, Ph.D. Appendix H NIH Committee on Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Definitions and Application Methodology Appendix I Acronyms Appendix J Centers of Excellence Funded by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, 2005 Appendix K NCMHD Endowment Program Awardees Appendix L Summary of Recommendations Appendix M Committee and Staff Biographies Index

The events and aftermath of September 11, 2001, profoundly changed the course of history of the nation. They also brought the phenomenon known as terrorism to the forefront of the nation's consciousness. As it became thus focused, the limits of scientific understanding of terrorism and the capacity to develop policies to deal with it became even more evident. The objective of this report is to bring behavioral and social science perspectives to bear on the nature, determinants, and domestic responses to contemporary terrorism as a way of making theoretical and practical knowledge more adequate to the task. It also identifies areas of research priorities for the behavioral and social sciences. Table of Contents Front Matter Executive Summary 1. Clearing the Conceptual Air 2. Origins and Contexts of Terrorism 3. Responses to Terrorism in the United States 4. Recommendations for Research References Appendix A: Dimensions of Terrorism: Actors, Actions, Consequences Appendix B: Committee on Science and Technology for Countering Terrorism

The 20th Century has been marked by enormous change in terms of how we define race. In large part, we have thrown out the antiquated notions of the 1800s, giving way to a more realistic, sociocultural view of the world. The United States is, perhaps more than any other industrialized country, distinguished by the size and diversity of its racial and ethnic minority populations. Current trends promise that these features will endure. Fifty years from now, there will most likely be no single majority group in the United States. How will we fare as a nation when race-based issues such as immigration, job opportunities, and affirmative action are already so contentious today? In America Becoming, leading scholars and commentators explore past and current trends among African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Native Americans in the context of a white majority. This volume presents the most up-to-date findings and analysis on racial and social dynamics, with recommendations for ongoing research. It examines compelling issues in the field of race relations, including: Race and ethnicity in criminal justice. Demographic and social trends for Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Native Americans. Trends in minority-owned businesses. Wealth, welfare, and racial stratification. Residential segregation and the meaning of "neighborhood." Disparities in educational test scores among races and ethnicities. Health and development for minority children, adolescents, and adults. Race and ethnicity in the labor market, including the role of minorities in America's military. Immigration and the dynamics of race and ethnicity. The changing meaning of race. Changing racial attitudes. This collection of papers, compiled and edited by distinguished leaders in the behavioral and social sciences, represents the most current literature in the field. Volume 1 covers demographic trends, immigration, racial attitudes, and the geography of opportunity. Volume 2 deals with the criminal justice system, the labor market, welfare, and health trends. Both books will be of great interest to educators, scholars, researchers, students, social scientists, and policymakers. Table of Contents Front Matter 1. Introduction 2. An Overview of Trends in Social and Economic Well-Being, by Race 3. An Overview of Racial and Ethnic Demographic Trends 4. Hispanics in a Multicultural Society: A New American Dilemma? 5. Trends Among American Indians in the United States 6. Political Trends and Electoral Issues of the Asian Pacific American Population 7. Contemporary Immigration and Dynamics of Race and Ethnicity 8. The Changing Meaning of Race 9. Racial Attitudes and Relations at the Close of the Twentieth Century 10. Racial Trends and Scapegoating: Bringing in a Comparative Focus 11. Affirmative Action: Legislative History, Jhudicial Interpretations, Public Consensus 12. Test Score Trends Along Racial Lines, 1971 to 1996: Popular Culture and Community Academic Standards 13. Residential Segregation and Neighborhood Conditions in U.S. Metropolitan Areas 14. Geography and Apportunity Appendix A: Acronyms Appendix B: Agenda: Research Conference on Racial Trends in the United States Appendix C: Biographical Sketches Index

Hispanics and the Future of America presents details of the complex story of a population that varies in many dimensions, including national origin, immigration status, and generation. The papers in this volume draw on a wide variety of data sources to describe the contours of this population, from the perspectives of history, demography, geography, education, family, employment, economic well-being, health, and political engagement. They provide a rich source of information for researchers, policy makers, and others who want to better understand the fast-growing and diverse population that we call a /Hispanic.a The current period is a critical one for getting a better understanding of how Hispanics are being shaped by the U.S. experience. This will, in turn, affect the United States and the contours of the Hispanic future remain uncertain. The uncertainties include such issues as whether Hispanics, especially immigrants, improve their educational attainment and fluency in English and thereby improve their economic position; whether growing numbers of foreign-born Hispanics become citizens and achieve empowerment at the ballot box and through elected office; whether impending health problems are successfully averted; and whether Hispanicsa (TM) geographic dispersal accelerates their spatial and social integration. The papers in this volume provide invaluable information to explore these issues.