The Family

The Family

Author: John Harriss

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13:

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At the turn of the century, most women gave birth in their own homes, often attended only by a midwife or some friends and relatives; as they reached the end of life most people died in the same home they were born in, surrounded by family. Today, vast numbers of people begin and end life in the sterilized, institutional world of hospitals and nursing homes, dying far from where they were born, their families broken by divorce, their lives extended by modern medicine. In no other century have technological and social changes altered private life so dramatically. In a lavishly illustrated, insightfully written account, The Family uncovers the intimate details of private life behind the sweeping events of the twentieth century. Ranging well beyond the Western world, this volume covers the globe, illuminating the living conditions and experiences of families in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, as well as in the formerly socialist countries of the Soviet bloc. The Family also includes explorations of the changing patterns of family life, such as relations between the sexes and attitudes toward children and the old; the nature of work (both in the home and for a wage); and broader questions of social organization and conflict. This volume, edited by John Harriss and consultant editor Charles Webster (Oxford), addresses these issues and more, showing the influence of industrialization, religion, war, migration, education, and advances in medicine on the daily realities of private life. And throughout, scores of informatively captioned photographs and detailed capsule biographies bring the images and personalities of the century to life. Behind the march of armies, the changing tides of national borders, and the boom and bust of economics lies the changing face of private experience, the small but concrete details of family, community, and work. From the effects of urbanization in Japan and Turkey to the new blueprints for society suggested by the Russian revolution, this volume shows how particular cultures have responded to the demands of the modern age, offering a new perspective on the dramatic changes of our times.


Urban Stormwater Management in the United States

Urban Stormwater Management in the United States

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2009-03-17

Total Pages: 611

ISBN-13: 0309125391

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The rapid conversion of land to urban and suburban areas has profoundly altered how water flows during and following storm events, putting higher volumes of water and more pollutants into the nation's rivers, lakes, and estuaries. These changes have degraded water quality and habitat in virtually every urban stream system. The Clean Water Act regulatory framework for addressing sewage and industrial wastes is not well suited to the more difficult problem of stormwater discharges. This book calls for an entirely new permitting structure that would put authority and accountability for stormwater discharges at the municipal level. A number of additional actions, such as conserving natural areas, reducing hard surface cover (e.g., roads and parking lots), and retrofitting urban areas with features that hold and treat stormwater, are recommended.