According to futurist Faith Popcorn, it's a "dream as old as America itself: give me a piece of land to call my own, a little town where everyone knows my name." But that dream is getting harder to realize. Many farmers are declaring bankruptcy. Jobs are scarce. Health care and social services may be hours away from those who need them. In this issue, we explore these issues and their impact on rural families.
"We have the idea that if a thing can be done, then it ought to be done," British author J.B. Priestly once wrote. "We don't stop to think of the possible consequences of its use." Priestly could have been writing about advances in medical technology, which have consequences that are often miraculous - and sometimes disturbing. In this issue, we explore some of these technologies and their impact of family.
According to the old adage, there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes. But while a good accountant might shelter us from taxes, we must all eventually face death. In this issue, we explore the experience of death and the grief of survivors. Among the topics: death as a normative family experience, compassionate end-of-life care, finding meaning in death, and ambiguous loss in the wake of recent terrorist attacks.
In this issue, we explore various stresses - including poverty, war and immigration, chronic illness and disability - experienced by families and children. We also explore ways of coping and programs that help foster resilience.
According to a 1999 poll, nine in 10 Americans say that computers have made life better and seven in 10 say that the Internet has made life better. Yet according to the same poll, 56 percent of Americans say that computers have led people to spend less time with their families and friends. In this issue of NCFR Report, we explore how the proliferation of electronic media is changing family life.
