Since Efron's profound paper on the bootstrap, an enormous amount of effort has been spent on the development of bootstrap, jacknife, and other resampling methods. The primary goal of these computer-intensive methods has been to provide statistical tools that work in complex situations without imposing unrealistic or unverifiable assumptions about the data generating mechanism. This book sets out to lay some of the foundations for subsampling methodology and related methods.

Here is a provocative book that examines precisely how and why mass communication has an impact upon the sexual realities of our lives. Written in response to a demand for information that cuts across many of the boundaries found in more traditional books on sexuality and mass communication, Gay People, Sex, and the Media covers a broad range of sexual identity, socialization, and mass communication issues and represents a variety of theoretical and methodological orientations. Although the chapters are diverse, they all focus on how the mass media--television, radio, films, newspapers, magazines, and recorded music--contribute significantly to the very definitions we form of ourselves and of each other. In part, this informative volume discusses and analyzes several concerns regarding minority perspectives in the context of the the study of mass media content and effects; analyzes mediated information about AIDS and highlights the responsibility of the mass media to disseminate more accurate information; addresses the relationships between mass media content (primarily television) and sexual socialization; explores issues confronted by individuals whose sexual orientations are generally perceived as falling out of the mainstream; and provides a selective bibliography of print, aural, and visual resources on gay men, lesbians, and the mass media. Unique in contrast to other books of research on human sexuality and mass communication, Gay People, Sex, and the Media gives more than a passing reference to issues concerning sexual identity and gay and lesbian concerns. Scholars and students of human sexuality, especially those who wish to explore their field from a communications perspective, will find this to be a valuable book. It is also useful to communications researchers and teachers, particularly those studying mediated communications in society, media ethics, and sex and the media. Finally, for professionals involved in creating or monitoring media content or forging public policy and community action programs in response to these issues, this volume serves as an essential sourcebook.

The hadj, or sacred journey, is the pilgrimage to Mecca that all Muslims are enjoined to make once in their lifetimes. Its purpose is to detach human beings from their homelands and, by bringing them to Mecca, temporarily reinstate the equality of all people before God. One of the world's longest-lived religious rites, the hadj has continued without break for fourteen hundred years. It is, like most things Islamic, shrouded in mystery for Westerners. In his new book, Michael Wolfe, an American-born writer and recent Muslim convert, recounts his experiences on this journey, and in the process brings readers closer to the meaning of Islam. Wolfe's book bridges the high points of the Muslim calendar, beginning in April with the annual month-long fast of Ramadan. In Morocco, he settles into daily life with a merchant family in the ancient quarter of Marrakesh. During his three-month stay, he explores the intricate traditional life of Muslim Morocco. His accounts of this time deepen our feeling for Islam, a faith that claims one-sixth of the world's population. As summer approaches, he travels north to Tangier, where he visits Western writers and Moroccan mystics. In June, he arrives in Mecca, a city closed to all but Muslims. The protean experience of the hadj, and the real Mecca, that most religious and mysterious of cities, are captured in the last half of the book. Inevitably, the buildup to the Gulf War hovers in the background - the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait is just weeks away. Yet it is the author's participation in the age-old rites of the hadj that most preoccupies his thoughts, strengthening his bond to the faith he has embraced as an outsider, developing and transforming it, makingit personal and alive.

Since Efron's profound paper on the bootstrap, an enormous amount of effort has been spent on the development of bootstrap, jacknife, and other resampling methods. The primary goal of these computer-intensive methods has been to provide statistical tools that work in complex situations without imposing unrealistic or unverifiable assumptions about the data generating mechanism. This book sets out to lay some of the foundations for subsampling methodology and related methods.

[This] substantial book...makes an important and stimulating contribution. MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY Warfare in Europe in the middle ages underwent a marked change of emphasis as urban life expanded. The concentration of wealth represented by a city was a valuable objective, and the static nature of a siege was infinitely preferable to the uncertainties of campaign. As the incidence of sieges increased, so pitched battles declined. The studies in this book, intended for specialists as well as general readers, follow the history of siege warfare, exploringthe urban milieu within which it developed, and the evolution of siege technology up to the advent of gunpowder weaponry. The logistics of specific sieges, from the Crusader kingdoms in the Near East and the Byzantine Empire as well as medieval Europe, are also considered, with evidence from literature, engineering, architecture and cliometrics. IVY CORFIS is professor in the department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Wisconsin, Madison; MICHAEL WOLFE is professor in the department of history at Penn State University, Altoona. Contributors: MICHAEL WOLFE, JAMES F. POWERS, MICHAEL TOCH, DENYS PRINGLE, ERIC McGEER, PAUL E. CHEVEDDEN, MICHAEL HARNEY, HEATHER ARDEN, WINTHROP WETHERBEE, KELLY DEVRIES, MICHAEL MALLETT, BERT S. HALL.

Michael Wolfe's "exemplary" (Library Journal) collection of historical writings on the Hajj, now updated with a new introduction by Reza Aslan. Since its inception in the seventh century, the pilgrimage to Mecca, or the Hajj, has been the central theme in a large body of Islamic travel literature. Beginning with the European Renaissance, it has also been the subject for a handful of adventurous writers from the West who, through conversion or connivance, managed to slip inside the walls of a city forbidden to non-Muslims. One Thousand Roads to Mecca collects significant works by observant travel writers from the East and West over the last ten centuries. The two very different literary traditions form distinct sides of a spirited conversation in which Mecca is the common destination and Islam the common subject of inquiry. Excerpted works include travel narratives by Ibn Jubayr, Ibn Battuta, J. L. Burckhardt, Richard Burton, the Begum of Bhopal, John Keene, Winifred Stegar, Muhammad Asad, Harry St. John Philby, Lady Evelyn Cobbald, Jalal Al-e Ahmad, Malcolm X, and Michael Wolfe.

Now Available in Paperback
Leading authorities discuss the past, present and future of Islam.
Islam, the least understood of the world's great religions, is balanced on a precipice between the past and the future, between fanatical fundamentalists and progressives advocating peace. Noted Islamic authority Michael Wolfe moderates 35 expert speakers, writers and leaders, including Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) and Karen Armstrong, the best-selling author of A History of God and Islam. They discuss the future of Islam, tear down false stereotypes, review the historical realities that have shaped the religion, and examine paradoxes and schisms within the faith.
At a time when every Muslim is forced to defend his faith and Americans are curious about Islam's basic tenets, this book answers many questions at the same time that it ponders both the danger and promise of the future.
Michael Wolfe is a columnist for Beliefnet and the author of books of poetry, fiction, history, and travel, including "The Hadj: An American's Pilgrimage to Mecca" and "One Thousand Roads to Mecca." A Muslim, Wolfe lives in California.
Beliefnet (www.beliefnet.com) is the leading multifaith internet site and media company for religion, spirituality, and inspiration. In 2002, Beliefnet won the Webby Award for Best Spirituality Site and was a finalist for the National Magazine Award for General Excellence Online. "Taking Back Islam" is Beliefnet's third book in partnership with Rodale.
Winner of the Wilbur Award for Best Religion Book
In the months after September 11th, American Muslims heard the familiar sounds of Islam being defined by others. On television, from the Capitol, from the pulpit, in the classroom, and worst of all, on videotapes from Osama bin Laden's cave, commentators, politicians, scholars, and wealthy terrorists were telling Muslims the "real meaning" of Islam.
Western Muslims knew something had to be done or Islam might be tarnished, even corrupted. In the past year, they have often gathered informally to discuss the past, the present, and how things ought to be. In that spirit, "Taking Back Islam" is a bold collection of voices in the vanguard of the faith. The essays in this book are the work of men and women who remain devout and utterly convinced of Islam's power to help create a just, ordered, and beautiful world--and who are also unafraid to be critical of those who would distort Islam for violent or political ends. Many of these writers are American Muslims who benefit from a commitment to democratic pluralism as well as a commitment to Islam.
"I believe in Allah and America," writes Arsalan Tariq Iftikar. "The Qur'an has a radical message of tolerance," says Kabir Helminski. "American Muslims have a special obligation," according to Ingrid Mattson. "Many Muslims suspect that Islam's 'traditional lands' have less to teach us than they claim," writes Michael Wolfe.
The unique nature and strength of these voices, fueled by a strong desire to tap the best traditions within Islam, offer hope for rescuing a faith that has been injured from within by extremists and demonized from without by Western culture and media. Winner of the Wilbur Award for Best Religion Book "This intelligent, thoughtful collection of writings from dozens of contributors is the thinking person's guide to Islam in a post-9/11 America. It is only fitting that a major world religion be represented by multiple voices. Wolfe gathers excerpts from postings to the Beliefnet Web site, as well as brief essays from established authorities such as Karen Armstrong, practitioners like Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), and new voices such as Asma Hasan and Aasma Khan . . . The book works well for both Muslim and non-Muslim readers. It is both an exploration of contemporary Islam (Has it been hijacked by extremists? Is it violent? Can Islamic states be democratic?) and a call for Muslims to reclaim their faith by mobilizing the moderate, seemingly silent, majority . . . An eye-opening survey of the minds and passions of progressive Muslims in the United States that] offers hope for greater interfaith understanding."--"Publishers Weekly"
"This intelligent, thoughtful collection of writings from dozens of contributors is the thinking person's guide to Islam in a post-9/11 America. It is only fitting that a major world religion be represented by multiple voices. Wolfe gathers excerpts from postings to the Beliefnet Web site, as well as brief essays from established authorities such as Karen Armstrong, practitioners like Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), and new voices such as Asma Hasan and Aasma Khan. Some writers describe specific organizations they have founded to foster interfaith communication and human rights. With only a few exceptions, they do not write as apologists, but willingly grapple with the complexities and paradoxes of Islam. The book works well for both Muslim and non-Muslim readers. It is both an exploration of contemporary Islam (Has it been hijacked by extremists? Is it violent? Can Islamic states be democratic?) and a call for Muslims to reclaim their faith by mobilizing the moderate, seemingly silent, majority. There are also short personal essays about various aspects of Muslim life (art, humor, conversion, pilgrimage, and more) that stand as small windows into daily practice. These American Muslims and Islamic scholars are devoted to the faith, but passionate about finding ways for Islam to divest itself of its associations with violent terrorism and sexism . . . An eye-opening survey of the minds and passions of progressive Muslims in the United States that] offers hope for greater interfaith understanding."--"Publishers Weekly"

Complexity as a paradigm has been underutilized by social work, but this cutting-edge pocket guide makes a convincing argument for its use. Every agency worker has been faced with a deluge of records, making it difficult to grasp onto structures and trends undergirding behavior. Complexity theory studies the interactions of competitive and cooperative tendencies of agents such as individuals, families, groups, or communities, making the case that there is a hidden order in things that are seemingly chaotic. Exploring their interactions involves identifying a set of simple rules that the agents follow, revealing patterns that emerge without a predetermined template. Readers will learn how to frame their research using the components found in complex systems by using their existing knowledge of research methods and applying basic mathematical concepts. Concepts such as bordering between chaos and equilibrium, diverse perspectives, diverse heuristics, robustness, and wisdom of crowds are considered and applied to social work research studies. Basic introductions on game theory, graph theory, Boolean logic, decision theory, and network science provide the necessary mathematical background for understanding interconnectedness and networking. The next part of the book is a hands-on guide to the agent-based modeling software NetLogo. By inputting initial parameters and rules, the outputted models provide valuable information for visualizing unintended consequences, including how conflict can foster cooperation and how threats to a social network can improve the network's robustness and resiliency. The result is both a user-friendly introduction to using complexity theory in a socio-environmental context and a framework that provides an overarching structure for investigating process, outcomes, and the collective behavior of groups.

Der Autor entwickelt eine Methode, die aktuelle Kundenorientierung eines Betriebes zu messen, und erarbeitet ein praxisgerechtes Kennzahleninstrument, aus dem sich konkrete Handlungsempfehlungen fur Dienstleistungsunternehmen ableiten lassen."

Die naturwissenschaftliche Orientierung der Medizin versperrt den Blick auf den gesellschaftlichen Definitionsprozess von Krankheit als Konflikt und Problem des Einzelnen. Die tiefenhermeneutisch orientierte Studie rekonstruiert den wirklichen und den symbolischen Problemtransport in die Korperlichkeit an dokumentierten Einzelfallen. Die Auswertung und Interpretation wurde von psychoanalytischen Konzepten in sozialwissenschaftlichem Horizont geleitet."(...) Was Jurgen Habermas in seiner Theorie des kommunikativen Handelns grundlagentheoretisch vorgefuhrt hat, gelingt Klaus Horn und seinen Mitarbeitern in exzellenter Weise fur eine allgemein psychoanalytisch-psychosomatische Krankheitsauffassung, ihre konkrete und stringente, theoretische wie methodologische Konzeption ist ein lebendiger Beleg fur die Energie, die Psychoanalyse als Sozialwissenschaft birgt."Psyche 5/1987"

This article uses data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau to analyze how workers' education or training relates to their job prospects and career earnings.

James Dunlap is one of four students in Northern High School's room 216; the Behavior Disorders class. The students, labeled as troublemakers, think high school is a place to be young and have fun. They soon will discover just how wrong they are. As James struggles to manage his disability, he and his peers are taken on a roller coaster ride of events all leading to a devastating end. High school should be a time of discovery and innocent but for these four students, the events in room 216 will change them for the rest of their lives.