Counted Out

When state voters passed the California Marriage Protection Act (Proposition 8) in 2008, it restricted the definition of marriage to a legal union between a man and a woman. The act's passage further agitated an already roiling national debate about whether American notions of family could or should expand to include, for example, same-sex marriage, unmarried cohabitation, and gay adoption. But how do Americans really define family? The first study to explore this largely overlooked question, Counted Out examines currents in public opinion to assess their policy implications and predict how Americans' definitions of family may change in the future. Counted Out broadens the scope of previous studies by moving beyond efforts to understand how Americans view their own families to examine the way Americans characterize the concept of family in general. The book reports on and analyzes the results of the authors' Constructing the Family Surveys (2003 and 2006), which asked more than 1,500 people to explain their stances on a broad range of issues, including gay marriage and adoption, single parenthood, the influence of biological and social factors in child development, religious ideology, and the legal rights of unmarried partners. Not surprisingly, the authors find that the standard bearer for public conceptions of family continues to be a married, heterosexual couple with children. More than half of Americans also consider same-sex couples with children as family, and from 2003 to 2006 the percentages of those who believe so increased significantly—up 6 percent for lesbian couples and 5 percent for gay couples. The presence of children in any living arrangement meets with a notable degree of public approval. Less than 30 percent of Americans view heterosexual cohabitating couples without children as family, while similar couples with children count as family for nearly 80 percent. Counted Out shows that for most Americans, however, the boundaries around what they define as family are becoming more malleable with time. Counted Out demonstrates that American definitions of family are becoming more expansive. Who counts as family has far-reaching implications for policy, including health insurance coverage, end-of-life decisions, estate rights, and child custody. Public opinion matters. As lawmakers consider the future of family policy, they will want to consider the evolution in American opinion represented in this groundbreaking book. A Volume in the American Sociological Association's Rose Series in Sociology

Everyone has a story to share in there own way - am I the last of the Prince Charmings? I got out of deep lack and homelessness and still am unable to find love. This is a way for me to share my story with single ladies and for those who want to be inspired to dream again to have hope again even when you are down and out. You are never to be counted out. You have work to do.

Daily, modern media documents the educational crisis society is facing. Every day over 7,000 school-age teenagers decides to become high-school dropouts. Shockingly, in America, where public education is free over 1,300,000 struggling students annually fail to complete their high school education. Education is rapidly deteriorating. Therefore, questions are asked in the media. Blame is placed on teachers, students, parents, community and economics, but solutions are few. Don't Count Me Out, contains two books within one book. Book 1 details informational secrets and strategies to help children or teenager reach their highest scholastic potential. Book 2 takes the reader from Pre-K to 12th and early college years detailing in-depth scholastic solutions to make academic success possible for those who struggle in one or all subjects areas. Within the pages are years of proven educational secrets and solutions that have transformed children and teenagers into academic winners and achievers.

A Story of Love, Desperation, and Hope During a Great Biblical Epoch Sold into slavery by her father and forsaken by the man she was supposed to marry, young Egyptian Kiya must serve a mistress who takes pleasure in her humiliation. When terrifying plagues strike Egypt, Kiya is in the middle of it all. To save her older brother and escape the bonds of slavery, Kiya flees with the Hebrews during the Great Exodus. She finds herself utterly dependent on a fearsome God she's only just beginning to learn about, and in love with a man who despises her people. With everything she's ever known swept away, will Kiya turn back toward Egypt or surrender her life and her future to Yahweh?