An appropriation of ashes: transient aesthetic markers and spiritual place‐making as performances of alternative ethnic identities

In this paper I consider the material ways in which individuals overlay an imaginary, ethnicized secondspace in the form of a spiritual realm onto their state‐defined, lived firstspaces. Through the use of temporary roadside altars and shrines, I argue that this imaginary space is reified into transient aesthetic markers that subvert state‐mandated, purpose‐built structures and ethnic narratives, allowing for alternative versions of diasporic ethnic identities to be performed and consumed. Through the use of a case study of a suburban town centre in Singapore, I employ a mix of visual and sensorial observation methods and take the role of a hungry ghost during the seventh lunar month, exploring the material manifestations of ethnic imaginations.     

Building a Humane Society for Older People: Compassionate Policy Making for Integration,Participation, and Positive Ageing Within a Framework of Intergenerational Solidarity

This article explores the global challenge of population aging with a specific focus on the concepts of integration and participation of older people in society within the context of “realizing a society for all ages” as promoted by the United Nations. It is proposed that governments worldwide need to embrace new ways of thinking about population aging that include strategic initiatives for strengthening the social contract that fosters generational interdependence. The meaning of “positive aging” is explored at both the individual and social levels, with implications for quality-of-life issues involving intergenerational relationships. The point is made that while the promotion of positive aging is commendable on both philosophical and health grounds it can be problematic for those older people who for a range of legitimate reasons are unable to fulfill the notion of positive or active aging. The longevity revolution will require the emergence of a more humane society that undertakes to reconceptualize what older age means, together with exploring new ways of enhancing the citizenship status of older people through the development and promotion of innovative intergenerational relationships. A call is made for a wider engagement of the citizenry in the processes involved in the formulation and implementation of policy making.     

Book review

Review of Ttme Senes Techniques for Economists by Terence C. Mills by Thomas B. Fomby Southern Methodst Univ.. Dept. of Economics, Dallas, TX 75275     

Exploring the relationship between gold and the dollar

It has often been argued that one of the reasons for holding gold is as a hedge against currency movements. An exploratory data analysis to examine the validity of this theory can be carried out quickly and simply, using some of the wide and varied range of nonparametric techniques now incorporated into statistical software—but, as Terence Mills shows, such a superficial investigation can lead to interpretations that deeper data analysis shows to be flawed.     

Reflections on “the looking glass war” photography,espionage and the cold war

The article focuses on a syndicated newspaper photograph which was used in 1996 to illustrate an espionage story involving British and Russian diplomats. The photograph appeared on the front pages of two British newspapers. Following an exploration of the formal aspects of the photograph, the paper explores the different editorial agendas of the two newspapers. This leads to a questioning of the documentary value of the image as well as its broader historical, political and literary setting. It not only shows how the photograph alludes to the spy thriller, but the structure of article itself draws upon and aims to mimic this literary genre.     

The Secular and the Radical in Irish Associational Culture of Mid-Victorian Glasgow

It will be argued in this article that, in engaging with a diasporic network centred on the Dublin-centred National Brotherhood of St Patrick, a more public and confident Irish Catholic leadership emerged in Glasgow during the 1860s. The self-improving reading room culture that the Brotherhood was at pains to provide for also, however, proved attractive to Irish-Scots workers and gave them important formal associational experience. When the local Catholic hierarchy portrayed this as secret society nationalism in disguise, leading Irish Catholic worthies reacted by publicly associating themselves with more militant nationalists in expressions of an Irishness that was both secular and, at times, radical.     

Change and Inertia in the New York State Medicaid Personal Care Services Program: An Institutional Case Study

This study analyzes how competing logics (belief systems) of stakeholders have influenced patterns of change and inertia in the development of the New York Medicaid Personal Care Services (PCS) program. A case-study methodology was used to collect documents, statistics, and interview data from four key stakeholder groups: state and city officials, PCS agencies, a labor union, and consumer advocates covering the period 1999 to 2005. The New York PCS program is one of the oldest, largest, and most stable programs in the United States. Its early unionization of workers resulted in relatively generous wages and benefits and made New York number one nationally in PCS spending per capita. In spite of wide support from stakeholder groups, the overall number of participants has gradually declined since 1999. A consumer-directed model of personal care developed in 1995 challenged the status quo and has grown steadily. Resistance by public officials, agency providers, and union representatives to the consumer-directed model has resulted in a small program that is often targeted toward individuals labeled “difficult to serve.” Dominant stakeholders in New York have ensured a stable personal care program that has resisted change and led to program inertia.     

Coping with dating violence as a function of violence frequency and solution attribution: a structural modeling approach

This study presents a structural model of coping with dating violence. The model integrates abuse frequency and solution attribution to relate to college women's choices of coping strategies. Three hundred and twenty-four undergraduate women reported being targets of some physical abuse from a boyfriend and responded to questions regarding the abuse, their solution attribution, and their coping behaviors. Solution attribution mediated the relation between frequency of the abuse and coping. Abuse frequency had a positive effect on external solution attribution, and external solution attribution had a positive effect on the level of use of active coping, utilization of social support, denial, and acceptance.