Book notes

THE SOCIETAL SUBJECT edited by N. Engelsted, M. Hedegaard, B. Karpatscholf, and A. Mortensen. Aarhus: Aarhus University Press, 1993. $26.00.

UNDERSTANDING PRACTICE: PERSPECTIVES ON ACTIVITY AND CONTEXT edited by S. Chaiklin and J. Lave. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993. $59.95.

THE CULTURAL‐HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF VERBAL THINKING by Peeter Tulviste (Translated by M. J. Hall; Preface by M. Cole). Commack, NY: NOVA Science Publishers, 1991. 183 pp. + notes and references. $39.00.     

The Relationship Between Sexual Minority Verbal Harassment and Utilization of Health Services: Results from Countywide Risk Assessment Survey (CRAS) 2004

In this article we examine the prevalence of and associations between sexual orientation–based verbal harassment and reported utilization of health services across levels of sexual orientation in a diverse sample of adult recipients of Los Angeles County–funded HIV-related health and social services. Thirty-two percent reported they had experienced verbal harassment, the majority (80.3%) of whom identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB). Those who reported being verbally harassed received significantly more services overall than those who were not verbally harassed, and service utilization varied by sexual orientation. These findings inform future efforts to identify and assess social discrimination in health and social service settings.     

American High School Students’ Perceptions of Determinants of Life Satisfaction

Life satisfaction can be assessed either globally or with regard to satisfaction with specific domains of life. The latter multidimensional approach presumes science has delineated with confidence the specific domains most relevant to evaluating whether the criteria for a good life have been met. This paper shares results of a qualitative study of the perceived determinants of life satisfaction among 30 high school students who were diverse in terms of mental health; 6–10 participants were classified as complete mental health, vulnerable, symptomatic but content, or troubled at two time points separated by a year. Thematic analyses of transcribed individual interviews suggested eight themes that capture the domains of life adolescents perceive influence their happiness. These themes are compared and contrasted to domains included in existing multi-dimensional measures of youth life satisfaction. The factors likely to be particularly salient to students with different levels of mental health are noted.

     

A Triumph of Hope over Experience? Modernizing Accountability: The Case of Complaints Procedures in Community Care

Complaints procedures are one component of maintaining and improving the quality of community care services. However, how effective are they in providing a means of redress for service users? This article presents the findings from four research projects, which included complaints procedures in their survey of service users’ experiences of community care provision. These findings are compared with the outcomes of similar research projects. The article concludes by evaluating the Department of Health’s consultation proposals on complaints procedures, and other policy documents, in the light of the research findings.     

他们感动了盐碱地

辽宁（营口）沿海产业基地的高速发展,离不开这片土地上每个建设者的付出.他们当中,有丁占武这样的普通工人,为了产业基地的生态环境付出辛勤汗水,也有像赵琦这样的商人,为了产业基地的商业发展绞尽脑汁,还有贾洪波这样的官员,为打造产业基地的软环境不留余力.     

朝阳民间刺绣：遗留在深山的“珍珠”

一项项民间技艺如一颗颗美丽的珍珠,散落在乡野间的每个角落,经过岁月的打磨,散发出温润的光泽.而作为非遗工作者,就是那些采撷珠宝的人,要将它们一一串联,使其绽放更为动人的夺目光彩.2013年的初夏,我和同事们来到朝阳,找寻那颗遗留在深山里的珍珠——朝阳民间刺绣.