Alan Butler – författare

Successfully achieves its stated aim of being an introductory text for students and newly-qualified social workers … a valuable addition to their bookshelves.' - Judy Yielder, BAAF

In the early-1980s, the ten million people of retirement age in the UK figured prominently among the disadvantaged and deprived. They were heavily over-represented in sub-standard housing and among those in most need of support from the personal social services.One form of social provision which gained rapidly in popularity in the 1960s and 1970s was sheltered housing. It was seen to combine housing with care; provided support while fostering independence; and gave scope for flexibility and experimentation in adapting schemes to local circumstances. By the late 1970s hundreds of schemes were administered, and they were occupied by half a million elderly tenants. Sheltered housing was called ‘the greatest breakthrough in the housing scene since the war’. Extravagant expectations were aroused, and sheltered housing was regarded by some as the solution to all manner of complex problems.Taking the country as a whole, however, relatively little was known about the numbers of schemes and where they were located; who owned them and how they were managed; the aims and assumptions of those who provided or advocated sheltered housing; how the schemes functioned and whether they achieved what they were set up to do; the role, experience and attitudes of wardens; what kinds of people lived in sheltered housing, their history, and how they became tenants; their assessment of the scheme; and much else.The Leeds study, on which this book is based, originally published in 1983, was the most comprehensive and detailed to have been conducted into sheltered housing. It evoked widespread interest in Britain and abroad at the time. It sought to answer some of the important questions about the growth and proliferation of sheltered housing, to evaluate sheltered housing from different points of view – including those of tenants, and to consider the scope for future development.While sheltered housing is the focal topic of the book it should be viewed in the broader context of social policy, administration, professional practice and client experience. The book describes in detail an innovatory and evolving form of social provision and, in doing so, illuminates the operation and impact of policy in action at several levels – from the policy-maker to the consumer, from the organisation of policy to its object.There was significant evidence from the study that many tenants were provided with a service which was not the one they sought, or even needed, but they were given what the agency happened to have – or made – available. Among other topics, the book examines sheltered housing as a response to, or reflection of, myths and prejudices about ageing. It discusses whether elderly people should be compelled to move from familiar surroundings late in life – and how they cope when they do move. The usefulness or otherwise of alarm systems is assessed – with conclusions that throw considerable doubt on their value or reliability. The evolution and modifications taking place in sheltered housing are reported on and the scope for future initiatives is discussed.

In the early-1980s, the ten million people of retirement age in the UK figured prominently among the disadvantaged and deprived. They were heavily over-represented in sub-standard housing and among those in most need of support from the personal social services.One form of social provision which gained rapidly in popularity in the 1960s and 1970s was sheltered housing. It was seen to combine housing with care; provided support while fostering independence; and gave scope for flexibility and experimentation in adapting schemes to local circumstances. By the late 1970s hundreds of schemes were administered, and they were occupied by half a million elderly tenants. Sheltered housing was called ‘the greatest breakthrough in the housing scene since the war’. Extravagant expectations were aroused, and sheltered housing was regarded by some as the solution to all manner of complex problems.Taking the country as a whole, however, relatively little was known about the numbers of schemes and where they were located; who owned them and how they were managed; the aims and assumptions of those who provided or advocated sheltered housing; how the schemes functioned and whether they achieved what they were set up to do; the role, experience and attitudes of wardens; what kinds of people lived in sheltered housing, their history, and how they became tenants; their assessment of the scheme; and much else.The Leeds study, on which this book is based, originally published in 1983, was the most comprehensive and detailed to have been conducted into sheltered housing. It evoked widespread interest in Britain and abroad at the time. It sought to answer some of the important questions about the growth and proliferation of sheltered housing, to evaluate sheltered housing from different points of view – including those of tenants, and to consider the scope for future development.While sheltered housing is the focal topic of the book it should be viewed in the broader context of social policy, administration, professional practice and client experience. The book describes in detail an innovatory and evolving form of social provision and, in doing so, illuminates the operation and impact of policy in action at several levels – from the policy-maker to the consumer, from the organisation of policy to its object.There was significant evidence from the study that many tenants were provided with a service which was not the one they sought, or even needed, but they were given what the agency happened to have – or made – available. Among other topics, the book examines sheltered housing as a response to, or reflection of, myths and prejudices about ageing. It discusses whether elderly people should be compelled to move from familiar surroundings late in life – and how they cope when they do move. The usefulness or otherwise of alarm systems is assessed – with conclusions that throw considerable doubt on their value or reliability. The evolution and modifications taking place in sheltered housing are reported on and the scope for future initiatives is discussed.

Originally published in 1985, Ageing: Recent Advances and Creative Responses contains a selection of the papers contributed to the British Society of Gerontology Annual Conference, held in Leeds in September 1984. The book examines some of the positive and innovative multi-disciplinary work which is going on in the field of human ageing, placing particular emphasis on issues such as: the use of leisure in later life; association and friendship; innovations in the funding of services; the political and social views of older people themselves; the importance of an adequate income and appropriate housing; the psychologist’s role in prevention and early detection of disorders, and work in the community.The book will be of value to all academics, policy makers and practitioners with an interest in human ageing and later life, the health and social difficulties encountered by this age group, and the positive responses that can be made by both the providers of services and the elderly themselves.

Originally published in 1985, Ageing: Recent Advances and Creative Responses contains a selection of the papers contributed to the British Society of Gerontology Annual Conference, held in Leeds in September 1984. The book examines some of the positive and innovative multi-disciplinary work which is going on in the field of human ageing, placing particular emphasis on issues such as: the use of leisure in later life; association and friendship; innovations in the funding of services; the political and social views of older people themselves; the importance of an adequate income and appropriate housing; the psychologist’s role in prevention and early detection of disorders, and work in the community.The book will be of value to all academics, policy makers and practitioners with an interest in human ageing and later life, the health and social difficulties encountered by this age group, and the positive responses that can be made by both the providers of services and the elderly themselves.

In the 15th century a new home was built for the priceless holy relics taken from Jerusalem centuries before - a building that, to the initiated, would explain everything about what had gone before and a structure that would be a recreation of the Herodian Temple on the Mount in Jerusalem. This is Rosslyn Chapel and here are its secrets.

Most leading scientists agree that the old idea that life on Earth sprang into existence thanks to some happy accident 3.7 billion years ago is provably wrong.�Top astronomers, such as Carl Sagan and the discoverer of DNA, Francis Crick, believe that life must have been deliberately planted here. And many biologists have suggested that there are large areas of our DNA that may contain a huge message for us to unlock.�Christopher Knight and Alan Butler have spent 25 years studying the issue, and now, they have published irrefutable evidence that not only was DNA seeded on our planet but that the Earth, Moon, and the asteroid Ceres were carefully manipulated to ensure that living creatures on Earth would evolve and prosper in what amounts to a gigantic incubator. In this book, they provide details of the existence of conspicuous instructions on how to unlock the communication contained within our DNA coding.�This short book will revolutionise how we think about the origin of life on Earth and our next steps of development. The evidence is overwhelming -�checkable by anyone with a basic calculator. The data provided cannot be wrong, and the consequences are world-changing. Our species has arrived at a turning point, the originator of the message has carefully timed its discovery to this precise moment -�when we have developed multiple ways of obliterating ourselves if left to our own devices.�The call is made for a multi-disciplinary team of global experts to be assembled to carry out the mission of fully unlocking and implementing the contents of this message from the beginning of time.

The authors of Civilization One return, bringing new evidence about the Moon that will shake up our world. Christopher Knight and Alan Butler realized that the ancient system of geometry they presented in their earlier, breakthrough study works as perfectly for the Moon as it does the Earth. On further investigation, they found a consistent sequence of beautiful integer numbers when looking at every major aspect of the Moon--no such pattern emerges for any other planet or moon in the solar system. In addition, Knight and Butler discovered that the Moon possesses few or no heavy metals and has no core—something that should not be possible. Their persuasive conclusion: if higher life only developed on Earth because the Moon is exactly what it is and where it is, it becomes unreasonable to cling to the idea that the Moon is a natural object. The only question that remains is, who built it?

What was the most important step in civilization? Alan Butler's answer is that it was when we began capturing wild sheep, domesticating and breeding them. Sheep were the mainstay of ancient cultures, by far the most important of the domesticated animals. Able to survive almost anywhere, over-wintering successfully, they provided not just milk, meat and skin, but warm clothing. This is why so many of the earliest gods and their myths are sheep related, from the Egyptian Ra (ram) to the later Christian Lamb of God. But sheep have not only sustained us for thousands of years. Sheep farming also underpinned the growth of European nation states, international trade and modern economies. In effect sheep built the modern world. The demands of the woollen textile industry both drove and financed the Industrial Revolution. The British Empire was founded on wool. The space needed for sheep drove millions off the land, many of whom took them to Australasia and the Americas. With over a billion sheep in the world today the humanity-sheep relationship represents the most successful example of mammalian symbiosis on the planet.The story of the sheep is the story of humanity, a surprisingly exciting and gripping tale that deserves to be told. Spanning a vast period of time, it includes some of the most famous names that have been left to us by history, and many that deserve to better recognised.

We're only just beginning to realize that Bronze Age people knew far more about astronomy and engineering than we have given them credit for. Reading like a thriller, The Goddess, the Grail and the Lodge shows what Grail Knowledge really was and is.

Starting from what was, at its time, the most important vision of the Virgin Mary ever to take place in Western Europe, The Virgin and the Pentacle gradually uncovers a virtually unknown war that has been taking place across 1,700 years. This is the story of the battle between the orthodox Catholic Church and Freemasonry, itself the most modern manifestation of a much older religious conflict between patriarchal and matriarchal views of the godhead. Erupting occasionally in violence it is strikingly seen in the opposing visions of the Virgin Mary in the 19th century, which defined the conflicting theological parameters and led to the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception in the 1850s. Underpinning Freemasonic practice is a fraternity that has been active in Europe and beyond since the 4th century. At the heart of the Craft is a very specific social, economic and religious imperative, known only to the highest aspirants. The Virgin and the Pentacle cuts through the accusations that have been showered upon Freemasonry and shows what it's true objectives have been from the start.Reading like a whodunit, it is a story of dirty tricks that have included false visions, subterfuge and even murder. The conclusions are stunning and far reaching.