基督教关于创造性的观点:作为上帝的创造性

文章探讨了作为创造性(而不是"造物主")的上帝概念。尽管创造性对于人类来说是一个难解之谜,但由于它与我们的宇宙是进化的——各种新实在是在时间之中出现的——这一信念相关联,所以它似乎是一个可信的概念。作者在这里探讨了三种创造性形式:宇宙的最初形成(大爆炸理论);在进化过程中显现出来的创造性;人类文化的创造。这些都意味着我们应当把这种创造性本身看做上帝:上帝就是创造性。因而,上帝言说被赋予了一种可以用当今人们理解世界和人类的语言而辨明的所指。在这里,上帝仍然是一个难解之谜,但他在现代对世界与人类生命的理解中起着重要作用。     

Addressing substance abuse treatment needs of parents involved with the child welfare system

The goal of this paper is to synthesize available data to help guide policy and programmatic initiatives for families with substance abuse problems who are involved with the child welfare system, and identify gaps in the research base preventing further refinement of practices in this area. To date, Family Treatment Drug Court and newly developed home-based substance abuse treatment interventions appear the most effective at improving substance abuse treatment initiation and completion in child welfare populations. Research is needed to compare the efficacy of these two approaches, and examine cost and child well-being indicators in addition to substance abuse treatment and child welfare outcomes.     

The Toronto Lesbian Family Study

Twenty-seven lesbian mothers completed standardized tools chosen to assess current functioning, followed by a video-taped interview. Verbal children were also interviewed. Questions involved perceptions of the mothers' and children's experiences of being homosexual or being raised by homosexual parents, knowledge and fantasies about the donor/father, feelings regarding the role of fathers, parents' experiences of being fathered, legal issues, and development. All mothers were strongly lesbian identified and most were completely "out." All but one mother planned to or had told their children. All mothers planned to reveal donor information at an appropriate age. Many, especially parents of boys, had concerns about lack of a male role model, but none felt this would negatively affect the child's development. Mothers were open to having their child ask questions and even seek out the donor when older. Thirty-one percent of mothers reported a positive relationship with their own father, 42% a father who was present but unavailable or punitive and 27% a completely absent father for large parts of their childhood. Couples divided parenting work based on individual strengths and interests, work schedules and demands. Only two of the couples felt that one of them played a role typical of a father. An aggregate score was compiled for each mother based on the number of negative outcomes in the standardized tools. The mean number of negative outcomes for the mothers was 3.15 (SD = 1.85). Of the six women with 5 or more negative outcomes on the scales, three were single parents and one had lost her partner when her child was two months old. On the CESD, three mothers showed depression levels that were high. The Internal External scale showed 42% of mothers to have an external locus of control. Three mothers scored negatively on the Family Assessment Device. Ninety-two percent of women showed moderate to high self-esteem on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale, and the Parenting Stress Index found only 4 women showing enough stress to warrant follow-up. Mothers who reported very negative early experiences of coming out were more likely to report current depressive symptoms (p = .03). All but one child living in two-mother homes identified both mothers as part of their family. Our initial impression is that these are primarily strong families with a variety of parenting skills, stressors and philosophies.     

同性恋与艾滋病防治

通过介绍中国同性爱社区的现状,特别是艾滋病对社区的影响,强调中国传统文化对该社区的发展既有消极制约作用,又有积极包容作用,从而不同于西方;由于国情,该社区要获得平等权利,仍需较长过程.     

No Failure,Just Feedback: A Reflection on Experiential Space Assessment in an Academic Library

ABSTRACT

Graduate students at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, funded by an Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant (Experience Assessment: UX-A), were tasked with conducting two space assessment studies in the University of Tennessee Libraries. This article reflects on their experiences in conducting the study by understanding the history of academic library and library space assessment. The researchers provide an overview of their learning experience and best practices in space assessment. They also reflect on their experiences as UX-A students who had the opportunity to benefit from experiential learning and mentoring from experienced practitioners.     

Towards flexible organizations: A multidimensional design

The author considers one way by which the readiness, willingness, and ability of organizations to change themselves can be increased. Specifically, he considers how organizations can be designed to be more flexible and, therefore, more capable of being changed and changing themselves. Flexibility does not guarantee adaptability but it is essential for it.