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How does community context influence coalitions in the formation stage? a multiple case study based on the Community Coalition Action Theory

Community coalitions are rooted in complex and dynamic community systems. Despite recognition that environmental factors affect coalition behavior, few studies have examined how community context impacts coalition formation. Using the Community Coalition Action theory as an organizing framework, the current study employs multiple case study methodology to examine how five domains of community context affect coalitions in the formation stage of coalition development. Domains are history of collaboration, geography, community demographics and economic conditions, community politics and history, and community norms and values.

Data were from 8 sites that participated in an evaluation of a healthy cities and communities initiative in California. Twenty-three focus groups were conducted with coalition members, and 76 semi-structured interviews were conducted with local coordinators and coalition leaders. Cross-site analyses were conducted to identify the ways contextual domains influenced selection of the lead agency, coalition membership, staffing and leadership, and coalition processes and structures.

History of collaboration influenced all four coalition factors examined, from lead agency selection to coalition structure. Geography influenced coalition formation largely through membership and staffing, whereas the demographic and economic makeup of the community had an impact on coalition membership, staffing, and infrastructure for coalition processes. The influence of community politics, history, norms and values was most noticeable on coalition membership.

Findings contribute to an ecologic and theory-based understanding of the range of ways community context influences coalitions in their formative stage.

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Thousands of communities have formed coalitions over the past 20 years to tackle a wide range of public health and social issues through collaboration [14]. As coalitions have become commonplace in health promotion practice, the literature has grown considerably, as have the number of theories and conceptual models of coalition behavior [59]. One of these theories, the Community Coalition Action Theory (CCAT), includes a series of "practice-proven" propositions that summarize what is known empirically and what is commonly believed about how community coalitions can lead to improved health and social outcomes [10]. One of its propositions is that community context, including history of collaboration, geography, demographics, and local norms and values, influence coalition functioning and outcomes at each stage of coalition development.

This proposition is strongly supported in the wisdom literature, and to a lesser extent empirically [1113]. Given that coalitions are rooted in complex and dynamic community systems, it is intuitive that external forces within the community at least partly shape coalitions. Despite several calls for case study research on the topic, relatively few studies have attempted to systematically document how context impacts coalitions [14, 15]. Although many researchers recognize the need for theory-based research on coalitions, including contextual influences on coalitions, much of the research conducted to date lacks an underlying theoretical framework [6, 16]. The current study is one of the first theory-based studies to systematically examine how community context influences coalitions in the formation stage of development.

Coalition theories and models, including the CCAT, suggest that coalitions develop in stages [10, 17, 18]. Movement through the stages is not always linear because coalitions can cycle back to earlier stages as they take on new issues, recruit new members or update action plans. The CCAT identifies three stages: formation, maintenance and institutionalization. Formation is the first stage, and associated tasks focus on creation of a new collaborative entity or reconstitution of an existing collaborative structure into a more formal coalition. Basic tasks in the formation stage include convening a core group of coalition members, typically with a strong and shared interest in the mission of the coalition [10, 17]. This core group then mobilizes and recruits coalition members who represent a broad cross-section of the community, including professionals who work in the community, residents who represent themselves or various constituencies such as parents or neighborhoods, and individuals who both live and work in the community [19]. Identification of staff and coalition leaders also takes place in the formation stage. Staff are usually employed by the lead agency or group that convenes the coalition and may or may not also serve in a leadership capacity for the coalition. Important leadership functions that take place in the formation stage include the establishment of an organizational structure and processes that guide coalition functioning in communication, decision-making, and conflict resolution. In a study of seven asthma coalitions, Butterfoss et al. documented that the formation stage took an average of 12 months and was heavily influenced by the level of experience partner organizations had in working together in a coalition prior to the new initiative [20].

Commonly mentioned contextual factors with the potential to influence coalitions in the formation stage include geography, history of collaboration, economics, political climate, and community readiness [7, 10, 21]. These factors create the backdrop in which a coalition operates and intuitively have the potential to impact coalitions in a variety of ways. The handful of studies examining context generally describe the history of collaboration or community readiness prior to coalition formation. Butterfoss et al., for example, describe how asthma coalitions were formed out of existing collaborative relationships in order to respond to a specific funding opportunity [20]. Similarly, Nezlek and Galano found that most of the teen pregnancy prevention coalitions they observed were also formed out of pre-existing collaborative relationships [22].

Community readiness assessments have been done in a range of communities on a broad array of topics, often as a precursor to coalition development [2326]. These projects used the Community Readiness Model developed by Edwards et al., which views community readiness as topic-specific, with nine stages and six dimensions such as leadership support for prevention efforts and community climate or attitudes toward the issue [27]. Feinberg et al. explicitly examined correlations between community readiness, coalition functioning and perceived effectiveness in 21 coalitions targeting adolescent problem behavior [28]. At the coalition level, community readiness was correlated with both internal functioning and perceived effectiveness. In discussing their findings, the authors highlighted infighting as a possible explanation for how community readiness, or lack thereof, may impede a community's ability to establish an effective coalition.

Of the relatively few case studies that examined community context, each studied different dimensions of context in relation to different outcomes, so it is difficult to synthesize findings across studies. In a multiple case study of three substance abuse prevention coalitions, Reininger et al. documented how mistrust between groups negatively affected coalition formation, particularly through challenges in leadership and staffing [29]. In a multiple case study of coalition factors affecting implementation, Kegler et al. observed how community politics around tobacco control in a tobacco-producing state influenced coalition formation and implementation by limiting who joined the coalition and restricting the range of possible action strategies [30]. Based on their observations as evaluators, Wandersman and colleagues documented how historical racial tensions, geographic and political divisions, and competing prevention initiatives impacted a range of coalition variables, including structure, process, leadership and planning [15].

The purpose of this paper is to examine how community context influenced coalition formation in eight communities participating in a broad-based healthy communities initiative that required the formation of a collaborative governance structure. This is one of the only studies to purposely focus on community context and its impact on explicit coalition factors as identified in a specific theory. This study examines how history of collaboration, community politics and history, community norms and values, community demographics and economic conditions, and geography influence key CCAT constructs associated with coalition formation: lead agency selection, staffing and leadership, coalition membership, coalition process and coalition structure.

Description of the CHCC Program and Evaluation

This study is a secondary analysis of data from an evaluation of the California Healthy Cities and Communities (CHCC) Program. The original evaluation was designed to document the process of community development in 20 participating communities and assess changes that resulted from the local initiatives [31, 32]. Participating communities were selected through a competitive process and were awarded a total of $125,000 over a three-year period; three distinct cohorts participated, beginning in 1998 and ending in 2003. During the initial planning year, each community developed a broad-based and multi-sectoral governance structure or coalition, produced a shared vision, conducted an asset-based community assessment, identified a priority community improvement focus, and developed an action plan with goals, objectives and evaluation plans. The subsequent two years were spent implementing the community action plans. Nine of the 20 sites were designated as primary evaluation sites and participated in more extensive data collection activities, including two rounds of site visits and focus groups. The original evaluation was based on an evaluation framework developed using a participatory approach with local California Healthy Cities coordinators [31]. The current study was conducted as a secondary analysis and did not actively engage evaluation participants. The research protocol (#00002847) was reviewed by the Emory University Institutional Review Board and classified as exempt due to minimal risk to study participants.

Case Selection

The current study draws upon data from eight of the primary sites because more data were available from the primary sites, including three focus groups per site. These eight sites represent a range of geography, population density, lead agency and demographic characteristics (Table 1). They represent the four types of communities as classified in the larger evaluation study; two are rural regions with multiple small towns, two are municipalities within rural counties, two are municipalities within major metropolitan areas, and two are neighborhoods within major cities. The ninth primary site was another rural region and was excluded from the current analyses to allow for even distribution of cases across community types.

Table 1 Description of Case Study Communities

Data Collection Methods

The current analysis draws most heavily from focus groups conducted with coalition members and semi-structured interviews with local coordinators and leaders. In all but one site, three focus groups were conducted with active coalition members over the course of the evaluation, two in the planning year and one at the end of the project period (23 focus groups, n = 162). The focus groups discussed major accomplishments, the community development process, and factors that facilitated and inhibited their progress. They also described their communities in terms of important or active organizations and groups, community sectors, divisions within the community, and community strengths upon which they were able to build.

A total of 76 in-depth interviews were conducted with representatives from the eight sites reported on here. Detailed interview guides were developed for each year of the three-year grant period with interviews conducted via telephone or in-person depending on the year. Interviews were conducted with the local coordinators of each coalition at four points in time. Coalition leaders, selected by the coordinators as active in and knowledgeable about the coalitions, and lead agency directors were also interviewed, both in the planning year and at the end of the project period. Coalition coordinators and lead agency directors were generally the same individuals over time; coalition leaders often differed between the planning and implementation phase interviews. A series of questions from the planning phase interview guide examined the community development process, including initial community mobilization, resident involvement and governance structures. The implementation phase interview guides focused on community capacity and community change outcomes. Analysis for the current study included all interviews from all three years; however, the majority of the findings relevant to coalition formation emerged from the first year interviews.

Data Analysis

The interviews and focus groups were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. For the current study, case study data were analyzed one case at a time; data consisted of all transcripts from the focus groups and interviews pertaining to that case. The theoretical constructs from the Community Coalition Action Theory were used as an organizing framework [10]. Contextual domains, originally derived from the literature and CCAT, were further defined after analysis of the first case. Table 2 lists the contextual domains included in this analysis, along with a brief explanation and an illustrative quote for each domain. For each contextual domain, analysts independently reviewed all of the transcripts to identify passages of text that suggested a contextual influence on the coalition. Analysts then placed these passages in a series of matrices organized by contextual variable (e.g., geography) and CCAT construct (e.g., coalition membership), thus creating an audit trail to increase the reliability of case study findings [33, 34]. The resulting series of matrices (one for each contextual feature) constituted the case records for each site. Each analyst then identified tentative themes related to each contextual factor through a series of implicit questions about relationships between the contextual factor and relevant CCAT constructs. For example, how does geography influence selection of a lead agency for coalition-based efforts, if at all? Upon identification of tentative themes for each site, the study team met to review the case study and possible themes specific to that case. This process was completed for all eight cases. For the first two cases, all three members of the study team completed the in-depth process in order to achieve a common understanding of the analytic approach. For the subsequent six cases, two analysts completed the in-depth process.

Table 2 Description of Contextual Domains

After completing the analysis of individual cases, the study team conducted a cross-case analysis by first consolidating all the findings related to each individual contextual factor [35]. For example, a single document was created to contain all the site-specific findings related to geography. Each analyst identified tentative statements, organized by CCAT construct, that accounted for the patterns across cases (observed in ≥ 2 sites) and documented supporting evidence. The analysts then met to compare statements. When statements were similar for both analysts, these were designated as a theme. When analysts identified different themes, a discussion ensued and consensus was used to designate a statement as a theme or not. The resulting cross-site patterns and themes are reported here, with examples from specific cases to illustrate selected findings.

Lead Agency Selection

The lead agency is the group that convenes the coalition in response to an opportunity, threat or mandate. Table 3 lists major contextual themes related to selection of the lead agency. Of the five contextual factors examined, history of collaboration was the most influential on the emergence of the lead agency. A strong theme was that organizations that were the lead agency in a prior related project were positioned to emerge as the lead agency for a new collaborative project. Several sites, for example, already had funding for Healthy Start initiatives. The CHCC funding appeared compatible with the missions of the lead agencies involved in Healthy Start, so they applied for CHCC funding and remained as lead agencies for the new initiative. Several other sites had recently completed community visioning or assessment projects and the lead agencies for these community-building efforts took the lead role for the CHCC project as well.

Table 3 Themes Related to Contextual Influences on Lead Agency, Leadership and Staffing Selection

Leadership and Staffing

Leadership and staffing refers to interpersonal and organizational skills shared by leaders and staff to facilitate coalition functioning. Leadership and staffing, more specifically who was selected as coalition staff and/or leader, was influenced by history of collaboration, community demographics and economic conditions, and geography (Table 3). History of collaboration affected who would be selected as staff in that individuals who had served in a staff role in past similar projects tended to remain as staff for the new initiative. Community demographics and economic characteristics also affected who was hired as program staff because staff members often needed to speak the language and/or understand the culture of the diverse groups within a geographic community. For example, one site hired Latina lay health advisors, Promotoras, to complete community assessment activities and another site hired tutors with diverse ethnic backgrounds to match those of the youth who were being served.

Geography influenced leadership and staffing most noticeably in the rural areas. Several sites noted that in rural areas with a small population, the pool of talented staff was small. A coordinator from a rural region commented that if "you'd put an ad in the paper, you won't even get anybody to apply." Another coordinator explained, "I feel like we have remained completely committed to hiring locally which is totally in line with our mission .... It's also been a challenge, in that sometimes the people that were available locally to hire didn't have the set of skills already that was needed in the position's been an on the job training kind of a process." Others commented that in rural areas, people with useful skills often commuted to nearby larger towns for better jobs and better pay.

Also related to geography, key staff or leaders who decreased their involvement for personal reasons often had a big impact on small town coalitions due to the small number of additional residents who could step in to fill the gap. One coordinator commented, "in a small community like this, a few people having something go on can really impact what's happening, like for instance [name] losing her mom and having to go away for a couple months." The study team also noted that residents had to volunteer more in rural areas because there were so few agency personnel who could take on staffing or leading a coalition as part of their professional responsibilities. A coordinator explained, "the time has been really inadequate in terms of paid time ... because there's nobody else, and I know how it functions in cities, I'm guessing there's more people to take on a piece of it as part of their job, their paid employment, and here that has not been the case."

Coalition Membership

Coalition membership was strongly influenced by contextual factors, with themes emerging for each of the five contextual domains examined. Table 4 presents major themes related to coalition membership by domain. Two themes were related to the history of collaboration between people and organizations in the community. First, the core group for a new coalition-based project was shaped by past and current network linkages within the community. Several sites used existing coalitions for the required CHCC coalition without much change in membership during the formation stage. For example, one used the board of a family resource center and others used existing broad-based health or community improvement coalitions as the grant-required coalition. Other sites built on existing collaborative structures to form the core of a new coalition, but expanded membership for the CHCC initiative through creation of a youth governance group or a committee devoted to the CHCC initiative. The second and related theme is that the composition of the core group influenced who else joined the coalition, either through affiliation with certain groups within the community or through connections the core group had with the larger community. Members from a core group often used their existing relationships, both personal and organizational, to recruit additional members. Coalition members from one of the rural regions spoke of personal connections to a dynamic coordinator: "I think [coordinator] is a key component. I can say for myself because [coordinator] is a part of this, I was willing to be a part of this. Because there's a fundamental trust that I have in her as a human being, and her genuineness, and her sincerity, and her vision." When coalitions chose to expand their membership to engage more youth or grass-roots residents, they often pulled in people who already had relationships with the organizations represented on the coalition. One coalition asked each of its members to bring someone new to the next meeting, for example.

Table 4 Themes Related to Contextual Influences on Coalition Membership

Community politics and history can both motivate and limit coalition membership from certain factions of the community. One community, in particular, was strongly divided by an incident at a local school. Because the coordinator and core group were identified with one side of the division, coalition membership during the formation stage was limited to that part of the community. When the impetus for coalition formation came from a certain faction in communities divided in one way or another, coalition membership tended to be limited to groups who shared the goals of the coalition. A second theme in this contextual domain was that past events such as natural disasters, youth violence and economic decline were viewed as motivating people to join community-building efforts. One coalition member explained why people were engaged with their local collaborative initiative: "Because of the fire, too, because of economics. I think it was a way that we all could connect. We all were affected by the fire or the economic suppression that we have in our community."

Community norms and values also influenced coalition membership. Widely shared values in a community can help to engage individuals and organizations in a coalition that shares those values. The shared values of helping children, collaborating and creating a sense of community were all mentioned as helping to engage community members in the CHCC coalitions. One community leader explained:

.. there is a recognition in this community that it just isn't the place it used to be....People knew each other, they liked each other, they enjoyed the community, and there was a real sense of being part of the neighborhood. Then it went through this transition phase ...So that sense of community kind of went down the tubes, and it really wasn't there any more....Folks wanted it to be different, they wanted it to be the old way, they wanted to have a sense of community, and a sense of neighborhood. [...] this seemed to be a way of focusing the efforts that folks had, on something tangible that they could work on.

Not all values facilitated community engagement, however. Strong values of independence, individualism, privacy and resistance to change can limit participation from certain segments of the community. This was most evident in the rural areas where some people chose to live for the express purpose of privacy. Coalition members identified groups who were resistant to change or "old timers" as especially difficult to engage in coalition efforts.

Coalition membership was also affected by community demographics and economic conditions. Economic conditions that necessitated working long hours or multiple jobs for some community members inhibited participation from those groups. This was most often raised in reference to greater Latino involvement. Young families were also viewed as difficult to engage due to competing demands for time. While sites were fairly successful in engaging youth, participants commented on how youth posed special challenges for coalition membership due to lack of transportation to meetings and the continual need for recruitment as youth graduated from high school and left the community for college and/or jobs. One coordinator commented, "As of last year I had seven Governance Council members graduate and go on to college so I think I was left with like three or four members who were going to be seniors this year so last August I had to completely recruit new members."

Participants described that engaging people with lower education levels was difficult due to discomfort with joining a coalition for the first time and a lack of familiarity with how business is typically conducted. Cultural and language barriers in very diverse communities also created barriers that inhibited membership from certain groups, again, often Latinos who had recently immigrated. As one coordinator explained, "I think one of our biggest holes is we don't have much of a Latino presence on the Board, and that is partly because of the lack of Latinos who have that experience, or feel comfortable joining a Board."

Geography also played a significant role in determining who joined a coalition. This was most noticeable in rural areas where having a full range of community sectors represented was not always possible simply because they did not exist (e.g., media, housing, environment). As a community leader from one of the rural sites explained, "we just don't have that many organizations, it's more bringing different components of the community together."

Distance in rural areas was also mentioned as affecting membership by creating difficulties for those who lived far from the meeting locations or who had unreliable transportation to be actively involved. Although distance was a notable barrier for youth involvement (not just in rural areas), representatives from rural sites spoke of how it was relatively easy to involve youth in governance groups because there were so few other opportunities. A youth leader explained why it was easy to involve youth, "free pizza and their friends were there. It's a rural area, so there isn't that much to do."

In all types of communities, rural and urban, geographic divisions limited participation on a coalition in a variety of ways. Distinct small towns in rural regions, freeways dividing communities, gated neighborhoods within communities, and county lines were all mentioned as geographic barriers that limited participation in coalitions unless a concerted effort was made to cross these lines. One coordinator explained, "we have seven distinct neighborhoods, so we have one [member] representing each of those seven distinct neighborhoods, and there's ethnic diversity, there's economic diversity."

Coalition Processes and Structures

Coalition processes include communication, decision-making, conflict resolution, or more generally, how business is conducted within a coalition. History of collaboration and community demographics and economic conditions were the two contextual domains with the largest influence on coalition processes (Table 5). When coalitions are comprised of organizations that have collaborated in the past, current coalition processes are shaped by the way work was completed in earlier efforts. For example, one site had employed an outside facilitator to run their meetings in a past project and continued this practice in the new project. A second theme related to coalition processes was that coalitions in communities with limited economic resources sometimes had difficulty in carrying out simple tasks such as making a photocopy or reliably receiving and sending e-mail messages.

Table 5 Themes Related to Contextual Influences on Coalition Processes and Structures

Structure refers to how the coalition is organized, including work groups, leadership positions, level of formalization, bylaws and written operating procedures. Of the contextual domains examined, history of collaboration had the most noticeable impact on how coalitions were structured (Table 5). History of collaboration affected coalition structure in that coalitions often inherited existing structures, or lack thereof, when an existing group took on a new initiative. For example, in one community, the CHCC governance group was part of a broader, well-established community coalition that included a very large number of partners. This coalition's structure included several elements, such as well-defined task forces, to accommodate multiple partners and projects, including CHCC. One member stated, "I sort of look at the Coordinating Council as this hub. It's in the center and...all the sectors around it are supposed to move to make everybody move together. The Healthy Cities is just one little piece of it, but it really engaged, I think, the whole wheel to move forward..."

Community coalitions are formed within and deeply embedded in communities. Viewing communities as complex and dynamic systems, it is no surprise that coalitions are shaped by external as well as internal forces. Despite widespread acknowledgement of the importance of context, relatively few studies have attempted to document how context impacts coalitions. The current study is one of the first to systematically examine how community context influences coalition development in the formation stage.

Of the five contextual domains examined, history of collaboration influenced the broadest range of coalition factors: lead agency selection, staffing and leadership, coalition membership, and coalition processes and structure. These findings emphasize the importance of personal and organizational networks in coalition formation. Selection of the lead agency and core group, which depend in part on who has collaborated on similar projects in the past, has repercussions through the whole formation process, from staffing decisions to membership composition to how a coalition is structured. This suggests that unless a concerted effort is made to form new relationships or establish new ways of working together, future collaborative efforts will likely exhibit many characteristics of past efforts. This finding is supported by others. For example, in an analysis of the challenges faced by coalitions in a large substance abuse initiative, Kadushin et al. state, "the organizational residue of previous coalitions has a strong effect on the way contemporary coalitions play out" [36]. The strong influence of prior collaborations, and the fact that so many CHCC coalitions formed out of, or were situated within, existing collaborative relationships also raises the question of how to classify coalitions by stage. To what extent does refocusing, reconstituting membership, or formalizing loose collaborative relationships define a coalition as in the formation stage?

The geography of a community influenced the formation stage largely through coalition membership and staffing. Barriers such as distance in rural areas or interstates and gated communities in urban areas made it more difficult to obtain broad geographic representation on coalitions. In rural areas, the small population limited the number of agency professionals and residents who could be hired with the needed skill sets to staff a coalition-based effort, thus necessitating a heavier investment of volunteer time from coordinators and coalition members. Other studies have examined a few aspects of geography with respect to coalition formation and operations. Wandersman and colleagues described how geographic distance and a historical rivalry between two small towns created challenges for the establishment of a regional coalition with implications for communication, meeting schedules and coalition structure [15]. Jasuja and colleagues found that size of service region was negatively associated with "community organizational process" which was conceptualized as a series of steps from identifying a target population to evaluation of a specific program [37].

The demographic and economic makeup of a community shaped coalition formation through staffing, coalition membership and infrastructure for coalition operations. Although coordinators were typically connected to the lead agency or core group, project-specific staff were hired with the skills to work in a culturally competent way with specific demographic groups prioritized in the action plan, such as Latinos or adolescents. Economic conditions limited participation from groups who were economically disadvantaged and working two jobs. Establishing a diverse coalition membership, beyond diversity in sector representation, is widely acknowledged as difficult [14, 38]. Similar to our finding that a lack of familiarity with how coalitions operate can be a barrier to coalition membership for some demographic groups, McLeroy and colleagues discuss the hierarchical and formal nature of many coalitions as a possible obstacle [14]. Other studies have noted how historical racial tensions and distrust affected coalition formation [15, 36]. Although mentioned in a couple of the sites, it did not emerge as a consistent cross-site theme in our examination of the formation stage of coalitions.

The remaining contextual domains, community politics and history, and community norms and values, influenced coalition formation largely by facilitating or inhibiting membership from certain segments of the community. Both domains facilitated membership, for example, by serving as a catalyst for change and contributing to a shared vision or mission for a better future. Both also inhibited community participation. Politics or historical events served to divide communities, and when these divisions were deep, only one side joined the coalition, at least in the early stages of the coalitions. Other studies of context report similar findings [15, 36]. Certain values also limited participation from the groups that held them, such as individualism and privacy.

This study has several limitations which should be considered when interpreting the findings reported here. First, only eight communities were included in this study. Although they were selected to represent a range of community types, our findings cannot be generalized to other communities without additional replication. Instead, they should be viewed as an initial step in building an evidence-base to help us understand the role of context in community collaborative efforts. Second, our data sources were limited to coalition members, leaders and staff. Thus, views of the community were presented through their perspectives and may be biased given their shared commitment to a broad view of health, collaboration and community improvement. Third, this was a secondary analysis of data collected for a different purpose. Participants were not asked to reflect on how community context influenced the various constructs in CCAT. The interviews and focus group guides did, however, ask about the factors that facilitated and inhibited the community development process and responses often touched on contextual features of their environments. The likely result of this approach is that context influences coalition formation in many more ways than are presented here. Also, given the sheer volume of qualitative data available for each site, only cross-site themes identified in at least two communities and agreed upon by two members of the research team are reported here. Many more contextual findings applied to only one site.

Keeping these caveats in mind, it is interesting to note the possible implications of this study for CCAT. First, our findings confirm that the five domains we examined have an impact on community coalitions. We also observed that coalition membership may be the most sensitive to community context as we documented evidence of each contextual domain influencing membership. In contrast, lead agency and coalition structure were only influenced by history of collaboration. While it is difficult and perhaps premature to develop specific hypotheses for how context influences coalitions, our study points out possible patterns that should be confirmed or expanded upon in future coalition research.

In a recent review of research in the field of community psychology, Trickett advocates the use of context as a central organizing concept [39]. This approach has particular salience for coalition research. Coalitions are notoriously difficult to study, in part because they are deeply embedded in unique communities. Case studies that can account for context provide a reasonable methodology for beginning to understand the range of ways the environment can influence coalition functioning and outcomes. As case study findings accumulate, the use of a common theoretical framework, or at least commonly accepted coalition constructs, would facilitate building an evidence-base in this important area of community practice and research.

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This study was supported, in part, by the California Endowment through a subcontract with the Public Health Institute. Funding for this study was also made possible by cooperative agreement # U48 DP 000043 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The authors would like to thank Barbara Norton, Robert Aronson and Joan Twiss for their contributions to the larger evaluation study of the California Healthy Cities and Communities Program. We would also like to thank the participants of the local healthy cities and communities projects for their many contributions to this study.

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Correspondence to Michelle C Kegler.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Authors' contributions

MK conceptualized the study, participated in data analysis, and drafted the manuscript. JR and SH helped conceptualize the study, participated in data analysis and identification of themes, and edited the entire manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Kegler, M.C., Rigler, J. & Honeycutt, S. How does community context influence coalitions in the formation stage? a multiple case study based on the Community Coalition Action Theory. BMC Public Health 10, 90 (2010).

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  • Coalition Formation
  • Community Context
  • Coalition Structure
  • Coalition Process
  • Coalition Member


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text:
Bird Seed

12 May

Soil (Photo credit: arimoore)

Jesus told a story about bird seed?

He did too. He was by the lake and so many people came that he got in a boat and told them stories while they stood on the shore.

You know, those stories with two bulls in them – those pair a bulls.

But this story wasn’t about bulls, it was about bird seed.

A farmer went out to sow his seed. Some of the seed fell along the path and the birds came and ate it up.

See, I told you it was a story about bird seed.

What do you mean, there’s more to the story?

Some of the farmer’s seed fell in rocky places without much soil. It grew quickly, but when the sun came out the plants withered because they had no root.

I don’t get it. I understand bird seed – but rock seed?

Okay, I’ll listen.

Some of the seed fell among thorns which grew up and choked the plants.

Maybe the birds could eat the thorn seeds.

I am listening.

Some of the seed fell on good soil and produced a crop – a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.

I sure hope that crop was of something I like to eat.

There’s more to the story? I’ve still got to listen?

But I was getting ready to eat.

Jesus disciples asked him what the parable meant and He told them.

Jesus said that the seed is the word of God. Those on the path hear the word, but then the devil takes the word from their hearts so they won’t believe and be saved.

You mean those birds are the devil? I thought I saw a few birds looking at me with the evil eye.

Those on the rock receive the word with joy, but since they have no root they fall away when things get hard.

It’s really rocky where I live. I wonder if that takes everybody’s joy away. It takes mine away when a little rock gets stuck in my paw.

I am too listening.

The thorns are those who hear but worries, and money, and stuff become more important to them.

Does that include food?

The seed on the good soil stands for those who hear the word, understand it, stick with it, and produce a crop.

Oh, I get it now. When the word falls on good soil, that means more food.

Come on everybody, get away from that path, and those rocks, and the thorns. You’ve got to hang out on the good soil.

Get moving. I’m waiting for the food.

Posted by on May 12, 2013 in Bongo, Dogology, humor

Tags: , , , , , , ,

25 responses to “Bird Seed

  1. marina kanavaki

    May 12, 2013 at 11:20 am

    Exactly, Bongo!!!!

    • Bongo

      May 12, 2013 at 1:56 pm

      Marina, everybody should be producing crops – don’t you think?

      • marina kanavaki

        May 12, 2013 at 2:33 pm

        I couldn’t agree more my dear Bongo!!

  2. To Shea

    May 12, 2013 at 12:05 pm

    The more food the Merrier!!!!

    • Bongo

      May 12, 2013 at 1:57 pm

      That’s what I say for sure!

    May 12, 2013 at 12:08 pm

    I love your stories and Bongos input;)

    • Bongo

      May 12, 2013 at 1:57 pm

      Thanks Max.

  4. Two French Bulldogs

    May 12, 2013 at 12:45 pm

    We like your story for sure
    Benny & Lily

    • Bongo

      May 12, 2013 at 1:57 pm

      Thanks Benny & Lily.

  5. colliesofthemeadow

    May 12, 2013 at 2:50 pm

    Ginger says just water them all and they will grow…… why is the old guy telling me about the Israelites in the desert? Why didnt they water the desert? then it wouldnt be a desert…. jeesh… put me Ginger in charge of the world and all your problems will be solved…. um… why is the old guy beating his head against the wall? Here let me help you old guy… hehehe

    • Bongo

      May 12, 2013 at 10:16 pm

      Ginger, I don’t think your dad understands your plans for world domination. If he really knew what you were up to he’d be cheering you on.

  6. Dogs N Pawz

    May 12, 2013 at 6:04 pm

    Great story! We really liked it 🙂

    • Bongo

      May 12, 2013 at 10:25 pm

      Thanks so much Dogs N Pawz.

  7. Chancy and his cats

    May 12, 2013 at 7:24 pm

    Yep, sweet Bongo the good soil is for sure the place to hang out. Another great story! Hugs and nose kisses

    • Bongo

      May 12, 2013 at 10:27 pm

      Thanks Chancy. Hugs and nose kisses back to you.

  8. eripanwkevin

    May 13, 2013 at 7:39 am

    I like this story, Bongo! It gives us lots of things we should learn!!! Thank you very much for telling it, Bongo’s person! 🙂

    • Bongo

      May 13, 2013 at 1:17 pm

      Thanks Kevin – and my person says you’re welcome.

  9. snoopys@snoopysdogblog

    May 13, 2013 at 7:50 am

    Hey Bongo,

    Did you get the food? Were you in the right place?

    Wags to all,

    Your pal Snoopy 🙂

    • Bongo

      May 13, 2013 at 1:18 pm

      Snoopy, I finally found the food – or I mean Scratchy found it.

  10. Alfie Entlebucher (@AlfieEntle)

    May 13, 2013 at 8:07 am

    Roooo pawsome story Bongo – hope you got some food in the end *waggy tail*

    • Bongo

      May 13, 2013 at 1:19 pm

      Thanks Alfie. I got into – I mean, Scratchy got into the food.

  11. angelswhisper2011

    May 14, 2013 at 1:11 pm

    Bongo, we loved the story and your interpretation of it… 😀

    • Bongo

      May 14, 2013 at 1:44 pm

      Thanks Little Binky and Angels Whisper.

  12. Misty Shores Chesapeakes

    May 20, 2013 at 3:53 pm

    Good message 🙂

    • Bongo

      May 20, 2013 at 4:11 pm

      Thanks Misty Shores.

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text:
Biker Block

17 Oct

Bongo looking down the trail at mountain bikersHmmm. What’s going on here? My trail seems to be blocked.

And just when I was getting ready to head home.

After a nice, long walk I was so looking forward to a nap.

And now my trail is blocked. How am I going to get home?

What’s going on there, anyway?

Mountain bikers on the trail

It looks like mountain bikers, which is strange.

Mountain bikers don’t stay in one place. They’re always moving.

Why are they hanging around blocking my trail?

Are they doing it to me on purpose?

Did they say to themselves, “Here comes Bongo. Let’s block the trail?”

Mountain bikers stopped on the trail

Now I think I see what they’re doing. They’re trying to get that guy behind the tree to take a picture of them.

That’s even worse. Blocking a trail just so someone can take your picture.

Who wants pictures of themselves anyway?

I only like pictures taken of me when I get paid in treats.

Bongo with a mischievous grin and bikers in the distance

I’ll give those guys a treat if they keep blocking the trail.

But it’s not going to be the kind of treat I get when my picture is taken.

Posted by on October 17, 2013 in Bongo, dogs, humor

Tags: , , , , ,

22 responses to “Biker Block

  1. marina kanavaki

    October 17, 2013 at 11:20 am

    Sounds like cameras are becoming a bit of a nuisance aren’t they?!!!!
    Well, I don’t think you’d have wanted to go there Bongo…looks dangerous! 🙂

    • Bongo

      October 17, 2013 at 12:09 pm

      Marina, I just can’t figure out what people see in all those cameras – well, unless it’s for taking pictures for my blog. I don’t know what else anyone would want pictures for.

  2. agatapokutycka

    October 17, 2013 at 11:37 am

    you should tell them off… how dare they ride on your trail … bad bikers!

    • Bongo

      October 17, 2013 at 12:10 pm

      Agata, what’s even worse it my person is always making me get out of the way when bikers come riding by. You’d think I should have the right of way on my own trails.

  3. farfetchedfriends

    October 17, 2013 at 12:17 pm

    LOL at “I’ll give those guys a treat if they keep blocking the trail.” Heheheheeh.

    • Bongo

      October 17, 2013 at 9:38 pm

      Those guys are lucky they moved before I got there.

  4. philosophermouseofthehedge

    October 17, 2013 at 12:42 pm

    Maybe some of those alien plants have grabbed their ankles and won’t let them leave? GIve them some assist with a friendly encouraging bark?

    • Bongo

      October 17, 2013 at 9:39 pm

      Karen, I did see a few viney looking things when I got to that spot. Maybe they had to peddle their bikes really hard to get away.

  5. Viciously Sweet

    October 17, 2013 at 12:47 pm

    Don’t they know you got places to sniff?!?!

    • Bongo

      October 17, 2013 at 9:40 pm

      Viciously Sweet, I’m so glad you understand. Now I’ve just got to explain it to those bikers.

  6. Genevieve Petrillo

    October 17, 2013 at 1:46 pm

    B., you look like a sly dude in that last picture. What’s cooking in that brain of yours?

    Love and licks,

    • Bongo

      October 17, 2013 at 9:40 pm

      Cupcake, I’m just figuring out what kind of treat to give those bikers. But after I give it to them, I’m blaming Scratchy.

  7. Sun

    October 17, 2013 at 3:48 pm

    Ooo, Bongo, just give them the “evil eye” stare like the one you are practicing in that last photo – that may give them an early Halloween scare and they may never be back again. 🙂

    • Bongo

      October 17, 2013 at 9:42 pm

      Great idea Sun. If they know it’s my trails they’ll never be back after I give them that stare.

  8. dianeskitchentable

    October 17, 2013 at 4:20 pm

    I’ll come help you move them along Bongo. I think I gotta leave town for a bit cause I may have squeezed by Diane when she went to check on how the kitchen tiles were coming and there may have been a patch of wet cement and I might have stepped, possibly I slid through the wet cement and then perhaps there was confusion and some cement footprints got all over the house.

    • Bongo

      October 17, 2013 at 9:43 pm

      Lola, come on over. I’ll protect you. When I stop laughing, that is.

  9. misswhiplash

    October 18, 2013 at 3:32 am

    They are all gathered together in a bush!
    What do you call a bush of bikers? A big prickle ! Ha. Ha!!!!!!!!!

    • Bongo

      October 18, 2013 at 7:13 pm

      Patrecia, I might have to do something about that.

  10. eripanwkevin

    October 18, 2013 at 6:39 am

    Oh no! They should ask your permission if they couild take pictures on your trail, Bongo. Probably you might be on those pictures with the bikers! Of course you would look the best! 🙂

    • Bongo

      October 18, 2013 at 7:14 pm

      Kevin, I guess it wouldn’t really be a good picture of my trails without me in it. Maybe I should let them know that.

  11. colliesofthemeadow

    October 27, 2013 at 11:02 am

    We laughed out loud at the last comment and the look on your face…. yes, give them a real treat that will stay with them for a while on those tires.. muwahahahaha
    -the naughty collies

    • Bongo

      October 28, 2013 at 9:49 pm

      Collies, if they’d stayed any longer that’s what I would have done. That’ll teach them to block my trails.

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text:
Silent House by Orhan Pamuk

Orhan Pamuk’s seventh novel to be published in the English-speaking world, Silent House, is in fact the author’s second novel, first published in Turkish in 1983. It is a wonder that this translation has taken so long to emerge in the English language given Mr.Pamuk’s immense popularity throughout the Anglophonic world. Not that I’m complaining, it’s just that I enjoy his work so consistently it makes me a little impatient for more. Perhaps some Turkish lessons are in order.

Set at the height of the tensions which came about as a result of the armed Left/Right conflicts of the 1970’s, and just prior to the military coup of 1980, Pamuk’s novel gives us an oblique view of these events from multiple perspectives featuring six narrators.

The novel opens from the perspective of Fatma, an aged widow living the life of a recluse. She is embittered by her life experiences which she obsessively recalls with self-masochistic relish. Fatma has been destroyed by an unsuitable marriage to an eccentric alcoholic Doctor, the premature demise of her son, and her own guilt. As her story progresses we learn more about her past and marriage to Dr.Selahattin, a man whose political activities result in him and his wife being exiled from Istanbul and forced to move to a house in the backwater of Gebze where she still  resides.

As we watch the marriage unfold we observe Selahattin’s increasing obsession with Western enlightenment thinking. His preoccupation takes physical form in an overly ambitious ‘encyclopaedia of everything’ which he spends his every free moment compulsively composing. It is his belief that when this hulking tome is published its contents will ‘awaken the East from its slumber’. Deprived of patients due to the fear he creates in the surrounding village with his strident atheism, Selahattin spends his days writing, drinking and ‘educating’ his wife who does not share his enthusiasm for ‘Western’ values. Forced to pawn all she owns in order to keep them afloat financially, Fatma is repaid for this with infidelity.

Approaching the end of her life in Gebze, a place which has undergone so much development Fatma no longer recognises it, she lies in her bed stewing over her past and awaiting a visit from her grandchildren, with only her servant, the dwarf named Recep, whom she both depends upon and despises, for company.

The put upon Recep, who is a result of Selahatin’s infidelity, is Fatma’s only real connection to the world and the source of much of her feelings of shame and guilt, the reasons for which are revealed over the course of the novel. Recep is a simple and kind man who suffers from an existential loneliness. He is uncomplaining and tolerates Fatma’s persistent abuse with resignation. He watches the lives of those around him and the mistakes they make without judgement, and is the unacknowledged backbone of his employer’s family. Unnoticed to Fatma and her dysfunctional grandchildren he labours away in the background without asking for or expecting thanks. He is kind to all including his violent nephew Hasan who has fallen in with right-wing nationalists.

Hasan is disenfranchised from mainstream society due to poverty and is embittered by this. Unable to settle into work or study he spends his days wandering the streets aimlessly in search of distraction and indulging in pathetic power fantasies. As he watches Gebze develop into a seaside resort he feels a mixture of attraction and repulsion. Embittered by what he feels to be his exclusion from society he creates a sense of empowerment by aligning himself with the extreme right. In doing so he is able to demonise the progress around him as immoral, using religion and tradition in a reactionary fashion to decry those he feels have excluded him. Pamuk’s portrayal of this angry young man is a highly perceptive study of the kind of disenfranchised outcast who through his own sense of injured self-aggrandisation, may be coerced into committing extreme actions by those who would seek to profit from it.

Fatma’s visiting grandchildren are Faruk, Metin and Nilgun. The portly and melancholic Faruk is wallowing in the failure of his marriage and perhaps more importantly his loss of faith in history. A depressive and drinker like his father and grandfather he mooches around various archives seeking inspiration for an undefined history book. His only confidante is his younger sister Netin, a student of left leaning ideologies, who indulges his melancholy nature whilst trying to gently prod him towards becoming an engaged historian again. Their brother Metin is a money obsessed would be social-climber, who wants to get to America at all costs. He covetously eyes his grandmother’s property which has become a valuable piece of real estate due to the development of Gebze

Featuring Pamuk’s usual themes; the intersection of East and West, romantic obsession, memory, regret, and cars,the story weaves together the strands of the characters lives, revealing their pasts and presents which will collide in one tragic moment.Occasionally the execution of the writing doesn’t quite match the ambition of the structure. It is hard to tell if this is the fault of Pamuk or the books translator Robert Finn. This is a minor complaint though and does not seriously mar enjoyment of the novel. I found Silent House to be an enjoyable, informative novel and an interesting insight into the progression of a writer.


text:
Lionel Asbo by Martin Amis

ISBN: 978-0-224-09621-8

When is a satire not a satire? The answer to that question is apparently when the author changes his mind. Lionel Asbo, the latest novel by Martin Amis is/was a satire of British tabloid culture and how it lionises the great unwashed, elevating them to the heights of celebrity. The novel has been badly received by critics, being almost universally panned. The main points of criticism focused on Amis’ seeming inability to understand what constitutes satire.

Throughout the book there is a fatal ambiguity between what Amis is supposedly satirising and how much of the detail he presents is an attempt at verisimilitude. This flaw has killed many an attempted satire before, and Lionel Asbo seems destined for the same fate.

But wait! This isn’t satire you see. It’s a ‘modern fairy tale’, whatever that is. It says so on the back of the book. This dodgy defence has been mustered by Amis repeatedly in defence of his defective latest novel. The problem is describing the book in terms of a genre you or one your marketing people have contrived at a meeting just won’t do. To be of a genre, a novel must contain identifiable features which make it so. A fairy tale by its definition demands a supernatural element, the clue residing in the reference to ‘fairy’ in the genres title, a detail which I am sure that Amis a professional writer is aware of. The novels conventions in terms of representation and style are more akin to the genre of satire than that of the fairy tale. Call me old-fashioned but I’ll judge a books genre by my own criteria which I have developed over my lifetime of reading rather than follow the prescriptions of a books back cover.

The story, in so far as there is one, revolves around the eponymous Mr.Asbo a living embodiment of all that’s wrong with Britain today. “Is he a banker or Tory politician?” I hear you ask. No, I ‘m afraid, Mr.Asbo is a member of the underclass. That Amis, a writer existing in tumultuous times of unprecedented global financial strife and chaos, caused by short-sighted politicians in cahoots with the rapacious pirates of the financial industry, set his sights on the underclass as a target for his ire is baffling to say the least.

The novel is set in fictional Diston, an urban wonderland of cartoon violence populated by grotesques who make Dickensian ne’er do wells look like shrinking violets. Describing Diston, Amis tells us, “On an international chart for life expectancy, Diston would appear between Benin and Djibouti…And that wasn’t all. On an international chart for fertility rates, Diston would appear between Malawi and Yemen (six children per couple-or per single mother).” By comparing Diston to these yucky foreign lands Amis conveys the uncivilised nature of the place. This charming piece of domestic imperialism via comparison, conjured up images of Amis’ research for the novel, which seems to have comprised of him slapping on a pith helmet and khakis, buying a six-pack of special brew, and sipping it tentatively in front of a boxed set of Shameless whilst taking notes, in his no doubt capacious and well-appointed house.

The pantomimic protagonist Asbo is a loutish figure at odds with society. He blunders from violent incident to violent incident, wilfully refusing to learn or grow as a character. Asbo is the son of Grace Pepperdine, their different surnames explained by Lionel’s decision to legally change his to Asbo in a typical display of his antisocial stubbornness and pride. Grace, a single mother, has multiple children sired by many fathers from various cultural backgrounds, because as Martin Amis would probably tell you this is what those kinds of people do.

As a member of the underclass she also has no problem in ignoring the universal taboo that prevails in every culture currently in existence, namely incest. You see Grace is improbably having sex with schoolboy Desmond, the son of her deceased daughter, and another product of one of those shocking multi-cultural couplings. This will prove to be a problem for Desmond if Asbo, a man who doesn’t take kindly to his mother having a sex life with anyone, never mind relatives, finds out. Desmond, through whom we witness most of Asbo’s brutish behaviour, is the character the reader is supposed to empathise with. In the absence of his Father and due to the premature death of his mother, Desmond has looked to Asbo as an unlikely father figure.

Despite his willing role in the incest with his grandmother we can tell Desmond is a good guy because he reads books. This clumsy indicator of the characters innate morality reminded me of the fusty ideas about the link between morality and education which held sway in Victorian times, an era that Amis would no doubt feel more at home in than our present one. As the novel progresses the years pass, Des goes to university, Asbo goes to prison, Grace gets dementia, Des gets a boring girlfriend called Dawn, Asbo gets out of prison, Des gets a job and has a kid with Dawn, Asbo goes to prison etc… During one of his many prison stays Asbo wins the lottery. The media find out. Asbo becomes a celebrity with predictable outcomes.

He acquires a glamour model girlfriend Threnody who’s pin up rival is called Danube. Geddit? Danube a river!!! Like…Jordan! This is pretty much the level the humour and satire aspires to throughout the novel. I could continue to summarise the plot for you but don’t see much point given anyone could guess it with equal accuracy, if told to imagine the most pedestrian formulaic scenarios possible involving an underclass lottery winner.

The biggest problem with the book is that it almost reads like it was written by another author satirising Amis’ perception of the underclass, in which case it would be a roaring success. Unfortunately the book is written by Amis, and as such he must be taken to task for defecating in the public’s collective unconscious. At this point you may be thinking that critical response has been a little harsh and begin to feel sorry for the writer, who has toiled away thanklessly to present his work to the only to be savaged by a hostile press.

While such compassion is useful especially when dealing with delicate emerging talents, please remember that we are talking about Martin Amis here. When a writer of his vast experience unloads such a clunker it cannot really be attributed to a misunderstanding of how literature works. The only real explanation one can ascertain is laziness. Amis seems to have lost his hunger and sits complacently on his laurels churning out sub-par copy, feeling that his half-hearted efforts are good enough. The only circumstances I could recommend this novel to be read under would be as an exercise in literary rubbernecking, where you can with morbid fascination observe the corpse of mangled literary ambition wrapped around the dense lamp-post of complacency.


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Книга: Palfreyman David «Understanding Mass Higher Education»

Understanding Mass Higher Education

Серия: "-"

In recent years most western democracies have experienced a shift from elite to mass higher education, with the United States leading the way. This text compares the experience of this very important social change within different nation states. Whilst recognising the critical global economic forces that appear to explain the international nature of the change, it sees the issues as rooted within different national traditions. There is a particular focus upon the discourse of access, especially the political discourse. The book addresses questions such as: - How has expansion been explained? - Has expansion been generated by state intervention or by a combination of economic and social forces? - What are the forms of political intervention?- What points of agreement and conflict are generated within the wider society by expanding access? Leading academic experts explore the ways in which different systems of higher education have accommodated mass access, constructing comparative pictures and comparative interpretations and lessons in an accessible and informative style. This book should be critical reading for students in education, sociology and politics, as well as policy-makers and academics.

Издательство: "Taylor and Francis" (2019)

Купить за 4436 руб в My-shop

См. также в других словарях:

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Page images

To dwell whole ages in thy sight,

And feel thy vital rays.
2. This Gabriel knows, and sings thy name

With rapture on his tongue;
Moses, the saint, enjoys the same.

And heav'n repeats the song.
3. While the bright nation sounds thy praise,

From each eternal hill,
Sweet odours of exhaling grace

The happy region fill.
4. Thy love a sea without a shore

Spreads life and joy abroad ;
O'tis a heav'n worth dying for,

To see a smiling God.
5. Sweet was the journey to the sky,

The wond'rous Prophet try'd : 6 Climb up the mount," said God, “and die :">,

The Prophet climb'd and dy'd. 6. Shew me thy face, and I'll away

From all inferior things ;
Speak, Lord, and here I quit my clay,
And stretch my airy wings.

YE mapuching saints; whose streaming tears

Hymn 424. c. M. Comfort for pious parents who have been bereaved of

their children. Isaiah lvi. 4, 5. 1. Ε E

Flow o'er
Say not in transports of depair,

That all your hopes are fled.
2. While cleaving to that darling dust

In fond distress je lie,
Rise and with joy and rev'rence view

A heav'nly parent nigh.
3. Though your young branches torn away,

Like wither'd trunks ye stand,

With fairer verdure shall ye bloom,

Touch'd by th' Almighty's hand. 4." I'll give the mourner," saith the Lord,

"In my own house a place ; “ No names of daughters and of sons

“Could yield so high a grace. 5. « Transient and vain is ev'ry hope

“ A rising race can give : « In endless honour and delight

“ My children all shall live.'' 6. We welcome, Lord, those rising tears,

Thro' which thy face we see, And bless those wounds, which thro' our hearts

Prepare a way for thee.

Hymn 425. P. M.
1. VITAL spark of heavenly flame,

Quit, О quit this mortal frame,
Trembling, hoping, ling'ring, flying,
O the pain, the bliss of dying!
Cease, fond nature cease, thy strife,

And let me languish into life.
2. Hark! they whisper angels say,

Sister spirit, come away ;
What is this absorbs me quite?
Steals my senses, shuts my sight,
-Drowns my spirit, draws my breath,

Tell me, my soul, can this be death? 3. The world recedes, it disappears,

Heaven opens on my eyes, my ears
With sounds seraphic ring,
Lend, lend your wings, I mount, I fly.
O grave, where is thy victory!

death, where is thy sting!

Hymn 426. c. M. i. How

long shall death, the tyrant, reign,

triumph o'er the just; While the rich blood of martyrs slain

Lies mingled with the dust?
2. Lo! I behold the scatter'd shades,

The dawn of heav'n appears ;
The sweet, immortal morning spreads

Its blushes round the spheres. 3. I see the Lord of glory come,

And flaming guards around;
The skies divide to make him room,

The trumpet shakes the ground. 4. I hear the voice, “ Ye dead arise !"

And lo the graves obey:
And waking saints with joyful eyes

Salute th' expected day.
5. They leave the dust, and on the wing

Rise to the midway-air,
In shining garments meet their King,

And bow before him there.
6. O may our humble spirits stand

Among them cloth'd in white !
The meanest place at his right hand

Is infinite delight.

Hymn 427. L. M.
O, I'll repine at death no more,

But with a cheerful voice
To the cold dungeon of the grave

These dying, with'ring limbs of mine. 2. Let worms devour my wasting flesh,

And crumble all my bones to dust,

My God shall raise my

At the revival of the just.
3. Break, sacred morning, thro' the skies,

Bring that delightful, awful day!
Cut short the hours, dear Lord, and come;
Thy ling'ring wheels how long they stay!

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Hymn 428. c. M.
Hope of heaven by the resurrection of Christ.

1 Pet. 1. 3, 4, 5.
1. LESS'D be the everlasting God,

The father of our Lord:
Be his abounding mercy prais'd,

His majesty ador'd.
2. When from the dead he rais'd his son,

And calld him to the sky,
He gave our souls a lively hope

That they should never die.
3. What tho' our many sins require

Our flesh to see the dust,
Yet as the Lord our Saviour rose,

So all his followers must..
4. There's an inheritance divine

Refer'd against that day ; 'Tis uncorrupted, undefild,

And cannot fade away.

Hymn 429, s. M. 1. A -?

ND must

This well-wrought frame decay? And must these active limbs of mine

Lie mould'ring in the clay? 2. Corruption, earth, and worms

Shall but refine this flesh,

'Till thy triumphant Spirit comes

To put it on afresh.
3. God, my Redeemer lives,

And ever from the skies
Looks down, and watches all my dust,

'Till he shall bid it rise.
4. Array'd in glorious grace

Shall these vile bodies shine,
Ind ev'ry shape, and ev'ry face

Be heav'nly and divine.
5. These lively hopes we owe,

Lord, to thy dying love;
O may we bless thy grace below,

And sing thy grace above.
3. Saviour, accept the praise

Of these our humble songs,
"Till tunes of nobler sounds we raise

With our immortal tongues.

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Hymn 430. C. M. 1. ING to the Lord, ye heav'nly hosts,

And thou, O earth, adore :
Let death and hell, thro' all their coasts,

Stand trembling at his pow'r.
%. His sounding chariot shakes the sky,

He makes the clouds his throne ;
There all his stores of lightning lie,

'Till vengeance darts them down.
3. His nostrils breathe out fiery streams,

And from his awful tongue
A sov'reign voice divides the fames,
And thunder roars along.

« PreviousContinue »


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UWI BOOKSHOP » Faculty of Humanities and Education » Library Studies » LS0124 » INTRODUCTION TO CATALOGING & CLASSIFICATION
Model: LS0124
Price: $16,020.00JMD
Out of stock
This product was added to our catalog on Monday 12 September, 2011.
In the latest edition of this classic work, Arlene Taylor once again offers a complete, up-to-date, and practical guide to the world of cataloging and classification. Since the publication of the ninth and ninth-revised editions (2000 and 2004), changes have occurred in almost all areas of the organization of information in general, as well as in cataloging and classification. The 10th edition incorporates the 2002 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, Second Edition (AACR2), MARC 21, the 22nd edition of Dewey Decimal Classification, current schedules of the LC Classifications, the latest Library of Congress Subject Headings, and the 18th edition of the Sears List of Subject Headings. In addition, Taylor addresses such vital issues as FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records), FAST (Faceted Application of Subject Terminology), and the Semantic Web. The bibliography and glossary have also been substantially reworked. In fact, only the appendix, which covers arrangement dilemmas and filing rules, remains unchanged.


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Find your perfect home right here!

Open House. Open House on Saturday, March 10, 2018 1:00PM - 3:00PM

Please visit our Open House at 302 Nicklaus DR in Warman.
Open House on Saturday, March 10, 2018 1:00PM - 3:00PM
Ready for your family! This beautiful 1277 square foot fully finished bi-level was originally featured in the Parade Of Homes. Located in The Legends, directly across the street for the park, the corner yard with lane access is fully landscaped with underground sprinklers, large deck, fence and mulched beds. Inside you find a grand entry leading up to a beautifully laid out living area with hardwood floors and extra windows thanks to the corner-lot location. Natural light spills into the spacious dining room and into the gorgeous dark maple kitchen complete with roomy pantry, stainless steel appliances and eat-up island. The central vac system extends the kitchen so you can sweep directly. Garden doors lead off the dining room to the large deck overlooking the beautifully manicured backyard. The main floor is also home to three large bedrooms, mastersuite with walk-in closet and super functional 3 piece bathroom and another 4 piece bathroom for the family. The home keeps getting better as you head downstairs. Architectural display nook in the front foyer leads down to a huge fully finished basement. The massive L-shaped family room is big enough to accommodate an entertainment area, work-out space and playroom. The stone wall feature creates a warm and elegant place to relax. A large bedroom with walk-in closet is next to a spa like bathroom complete with stone counters and jetted tub with chromotherapy lights. The laundry room and under-the-stairs storage spaces are both finished with ceramic tile floors. This house is roomy, well laid out and quality built. Just move in!

Book your free, no pressure consultation today!


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The wedding

Your wedding requires a lot of planning and preparation. My job is to make you feel at ease, laugh, and enjoy your big day while producing photos that you will cherish.

After more than 10 years shooting weddings, I've learned how to curate a wedding experience that feels authentic to you. So you can look back on your images years from now and remember how you felt.

4-8 weeks later, your images will be delivered in a beautiful online gallery, separated by category and available to share with family and friends. Soon after your gallery is delivered, you will receive your album design (if you ordered an album!) and you can begin the customization process.

Photo delivery

Once we're about 6 weeks out from your big day, we’ll start creating a custom timeline to ensure that everything runs efficiently and smoothly. That way you can relax on your wedding day knowing that we've set aside time for the most important moments.

When you're ready, I'll send you a custom online booking proposal where you can review your package and pay your $800 retainer to make everything officially official! At that point, I'll throw a TON of info your way with vendor referrals, engagement tips - I'll share all my secrets!

The process starts by filling out the contact form with some initial details about your wedding. You'll receive a detailed pricing guide, and we can set up a time to chat if you have any questions.

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An all-inclusive wedding day experience. 10 hours of coverage, two photographers, full wedding gallery, 12x12 leather heirloom album, 2 parent albums, engagement and bridal/boudoir sessions - the works!

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Friday, May 7, 2021
Home Business U.S. manufacturing sector slows in April amid supply challenges

U.S. manufacturing sector slows in April amid supply challenges

FILE PHOTO: A worker pours hot metal at the Kirsh Foundry in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, U.S., April 12, 2018. REUTERS/Timothy Aeppel

May 3, 2021

By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. manufacturing activity grew at a slower pace in April, likely constrained by shortages of inputs amid pent-up demand unleashed by rising vaccinations and massive fiscal stimulus.

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said on Monday its index of national factory activity fell to a reading of 60.7 last month after surging to 64.7 in March, which was the highest level since December 1983.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion in manufacturing, which accounts for 11.9% of the U.S. economy. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index edging up to 65 in April.

The White House’s massive $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package and the expansion of the COVID-19 vaccination program to all adult Americans has led to a boom in demand. But the pent-up demand is pushing against supply constraints as the pandemic, now in its second year, has disrupted labor supply, leading to shortages that are boosting prices of inputs.

That has been most evident in the automobile industry, where a global semiconductor chip shortage has forced cuts in production. Ford Motor Co said last week the scarcity of chips slashed production in half in its second quarter.

Technology companies are also feeling the heat. Apple warned last week that the chip shortage could dent iPads and Mac sales by several billion dollars.

Demand for goods like motor vehicles and electronics has surged during the pandemic as Americans shunned public transportation and millions worked from home and took classes remotely. Robust consumer spending helped to lift gross domestic product growth at a 6.4% annualized rate in the first quarter.

Most economists expect double-digit GDP growth this quarter, which would position the economy to achieve growth of at least 7%, which would be the fastest since 1984. The economy contracted 3.5% in 2020, its worst performance in 74 years.

The ISM survey’s measure of prices paid by manufacturers rose last month to the highest reading since July 2008.

The survey’s forward-looking new orders sub-index dropped to 64.3 after racing to 68.0 in March, which was the highest reading since January 2004.

Backlogs of uncompleted work increased last month as did export orders. Manufacturers started drawing down on inventories last month to meet demand. Business warehouses are almost bare, which should keep manufacturers busy and scrambling for resources for a while.

The survey’s manufacturing employment gauge fell to 55.1 after shooting up to 59.6 in March, which was the highest reading since February 2018. The index was well below the 61.5 forecast in a poll of economists, with the slowdown in hiring probably due to a scarcity of workers. Companies across many industries are struggling to find workers, even as employment is 8.4 million jobs below its peak in February 2020.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell last week acknowledged the worker shortage saying “one big factor would be schools aren’t open yet, so there’s still people who are at home taking care of their children, and would like to be back in the workforce, but can’t be yet.”

The worker shortage could hurt expectations for another month of blockbuster job growth in April. According to an early Reuters survey of economists, nonfarm payrolls likely increased by 950,000 jobs last month after rising by 916,000 in March.

The government is due to publish April’s employment report on Friday.

(Reporting By Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

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Friday, May 7, 2021
Home Tech Infinix Hot 10S India Launch Set for Next Week

Infinix Hot 10S India Launch Set for Next Week

Infinix Hot 10S will be launched in India in the second week of May. The smartphone, along with a NFC version, has already been launched in the Indonesian market. It comes equipped with a MediaTek Helio G85 SoC, a triple camera setup which is highlighted by a 48-megapixel primary camera, and features a 90Hz refresh rate display. Meanwhile, Infinix will launch the Note 10 Pro in Pakistan on May 13, which is essentially the second week of the month.

In a press release, Infinix said it will be launching the Infinix Hot 10S in India next week. As mentioned, the phone has already been launched in Indonesia in four colour options.

Infinix Hot 10S specifications

If the specifications of the India variant of the Infinix Hot 10S remain the same as the Indonesia variant, we know it runs on Android 11, and features a 6.82-inch HD+ (720×1,640 pixels) IPS display with 90Hz screen refresh rate. Under the hood, the smartphone has the MediaTek Helio G85 SoC, paired with up to 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, which can be expandable using a microSD card (up to 512GB). There is a rear fingerprint sensor and the phone also supports Face Unlock.

The Infinix Hot 10S gets a triple rear camera with a 48-megapixel main camera, a 2-megapixel secondary sensor, and an AI lens. At the front, there is an 8-megapixel snapper for video calls and selfies. The handset packs a 6,000mAh battery. Connectivity options on the phone include Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth, 3.5mm jack, FM radio, Micro-USB port, and more.

Infinix Note 10 Pro Pakistan launch

Meanwhile, the company has announced that it will launch the Infinix Note 10 Pro in Pakistan on May 13. The smartphone will be available for pre-orders in the country on May 16, and will go on sale on May 18. A report claimed that the smartphone may have a 6.9-inch 90Hz screen, a MediaTek Helio G95 chipset, 8GB of RAM, and 5,000mAh battery. In the optics department, the main rear camera could have a 64-megapixel primary sensor, and there could be a 16-megapixel front snapper.

Is Mi 11X the best phone under Rs. 35,000? We discussed this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Later (starting at 23:50), we jump over to the Marvel series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Share and Celebrate Stories This May!

Joan Didion said, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” It is an inherently human quality, to look for narrative structure in a chaotic world. In fact, it is believed by most historians and psychologists that storytelling is one of the many things that define and bind our humanity. In stories we create comfort, purport patterns in the randomness that is reality. And while story is a means of survival, it is also a source of community and infinite joy.

This May, Bridges of Peace and Hope will celebrate and share stories! Your stories, stories from students, stories from teachers, and stories of world will promote unity and underscore the unique perspectives that make our world wonderful.

Your perspective is powerful. No matter who you are, you have a story to share that matters and can make a difference. Trying to find your story?Finish this sentence: “I come from -” In your answer, explore your life before this moment, the world before your life, try to think of where you are now and how that came to be. Who made it possible? What made it special? Don’t forget to share your story with us on social media using #astoryisabridge!

“Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark. Begin at the beginning…Make some light.” -Kate DiCamillo

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