Pornography Essay Example for Free

Pornography Essay The rising debate concerning pornography has stirred and separated societies in the way it promotes the concept of free speech while at the same time disregarding values and morals of a particular ideology. Such variation in the spectrum of interpretation has left the debate in a controversial and difficult position. In the end, it all boils down to the capabilities of an individual to synthesize the issue not on the perspectives of bias or subjectivity, but how objectively facts will point out to the reality. The chapter highlighted and elaborated on the important arguments and facts concerning the issue of pornography in the United States. Seeking to showcase an evolutionary framework, the author has pointed out the controversial and important issues besetting pornography. By showing the different viewpoints among varied sectors in society, the reader can have an active look of the arguments that are in place. Each part can be subdivided to the several accounts of people who justify the place of pornography in society and also its relative critics who deem it to be immoral and unjust. The first part of the argument deals with the evolution of how censorship had deemed the freedom of expressing one’s idea towards a certain field or art. A typical era or period history has seen manifestation of social control over what is considered lewd and indecent. According to (‘The First Amendment’) â€Å"over the centuries different generations have defined and redefined what is considered publicly indecent. † (p. 270) The next section of the chapter focuses on the controversial film and the characterization of Larry Flynt. The movie; The People vs. Larry Flynt, has been hounded by controversy and criticisms over its detractors. Furthering the argument, the chapter focused on several comments given by members of the media that manifest a support for the film. On the other side, the points of critics were also shown in the article so as to balance and maintain an objective course. Seeing this, Flynt and its supporters including the director and staff argue on behalf of the First Amendment and free speech and the man’s dedication over things while critics’ arguments circumvent on moral and degenerative issues it creates among women, children and American society as a whole. The next section of the chapter highlights the arguments for and against controlling the propagation of indecent materials over the internet. It can be argued that the rise of technology not only gave more accesses to children but at the same time stimulated and enhanced the industry of pornography. The article shows the failure of the Communications Decency Act to promote such efforts of control pornography in the internet. The (‘The First Amendment’) chapter states that â€Å"the court, while disagreeing about some issues in the case, unanimously concluded that reducing online communication to a safe-kids standard is unconstitutional† (p. 290). This basis is again garnered and derived from the First Amendment Rule. With this, the article again presented arguments for and against the Supreme Court ruling. It showcased the positive effects it can do to create information about certain relevant things deemed immoral and obscene by several people. On the other hand, seeking the protection of the innocent and children have catapulted critics into disagreeing to the arguments presented by the court. (‘The First Amendment’) article states that â€Å"there is no reason that the laws that govern the distribution of the other â€Å"indecent† material to children in the form of magazines and videos should not apply in the internet as well (p. 94)† Analysis After seeing and reading the arguments presented by both supporters and critics alike of pornography, several issues can be seen. First is that every argument mentioned revolves around a particular principle. For supporters it involves the issue of freedom of speech and expression. While on the other hand, the issue of values and morality surround critics’ views. Second, the idea of establishing the foundation of which side is right remains to be difficult since both arguments for and against the issue of pornography hold their equivalent ground. Looking closer on the arguments of curtailing pornography, there are indeed striking wiles concerning its total control. Craven argues that â€Å"most rational people can agree that behavior that does harm could be categorized as immoral, evil or wrong† (p. 6). Such belief is rooted on several values and ideals promoted by an individual’s affiliation. On the other hand, proponents and advocates wouldn’t care less especially if the issue of pornography raises the economic status of individuals. The profitability of the new industry especially with the consistent development of technology makes it feasible for individuals to dwell in the practice. The Ethics Religious Liberty Commission says that â€Å"pornography revenue exceeds the combined revenues of all professional, baseball, football, and basketball franchises and the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, and NBC. † (p. 1) Seeing such patronage only means one thing, people tolerate pornography. I am not saying that it should be left alone. There must be a responsible practice among members of society to actively regulate the amount of information given. This especially applies to children below 18 years of age. By doing this, children are protected from whatever information that can be obtained from these websites. In addition, monitoring mechanisms must be put in place to safeguard the interest of children. In the end, though the debate concerning pornography may reach a stalemate, each individual has the capability to ask responsibly. Yes, the principles of values, freedom, and morality are all in place. What individuals must do is to create a responsible practice of these actions. By doing so, they may have an objective approach in dealing with the said issue.

Predisposing Factors For Urinary Tract Infections

Predisposing Factors For Urinary Tract Infections The important predisposing factors for urinary infections in females are age, sex, pregnancy, sexual intercourse, menopause, use of birth control devices, catheterization, surgery, diabetes, use of calcium supplements, immunosupperession, renal transplantation and spinal cord injury. Besides, UTI is also the most frequent medical complication in patients with neurologic bladder dysfunction leading to high morbidity, poor quality of life and limited life expectancy. Moreover, severe protein malnutrition, poor fluid intake, and poor hygiene resulting in decrease immunity are also associated with urinary tract infections. A number of predisposing factors render individuals susceptible to urinary tract infections (UTIs). Any obstruction in normal urine flow or complete emptying of bladder facilitates the access of organisms to the bladder and, in turn, predisposes an individual to infection (Jackson et al., 2000). There are numerous possible structural abnormalities of urinary tract that are associated with a residual urine which increases the chances of infection and may become associated with repeated attacks of UTI. Some of these are renal calculi, tumors, and urethral stricture. All these factors cause obstruction to complete emptying of bladder (Shanson and Speller, 1999). Approximately 15% of the urinary stones diseases are infectious stones. These stones are composed of struvite and/or carbonate apatite. UTI caused by urease positive organisms is also a risk factor for the formation of infectious stones. If these infections are not treated and the stones are not removed, the kidney is damaged (B ichler et al., 2002). Some important predisposing factors for urinary tract infections are: 1. SEX An important predisposing factor for UTI is the sex of patient. It is evident from substantial research that UTIs are more common in females as compared to males (Mohsin and Siddiqui, 2010; Dielubanza and Schaeffer, 2011). Most infections in women are uncomplicated, whereas in men complicated infections predominate (Carlson and Mulley, 1985). Women are especially prone to UTIs probably because of the shortness of urethra and closeness of urethra to opening of genital and intestinal tract (Nester et al., 2004). The shorter length of the female urethra allows uropathogens easier access to the bladder. Men are less prone to get UTI, possibly because of their longer urethra and the presence of antimicrobial substances in the prostatic fluid (Schaechter et al., 1993). The relation of sex and incidence of UTI has been confirmed by the study of Laupland et al., (2007). Laupland et al., (2007) reported community onset of UTI among Canadian residents with the annual incidence of 1.75% and fem ales were at significantly increased risk as compared to males (3% vs. 0.5%, RR 5.98; 95% CI, 5.81-6.15; P 2. AGE The incidence of UTIs in women tends to increase with increasing age. Symptomatic and asymptomatic UTIs are extremely common in the elderly population. The prevalence of bacteriuria in women is about 20% between ages 65 and 75, increasing to between 20-25% over the age of 80 years (Gray and Malone-Lee, 1995). Whereas, a significant number of infections occur in men only after the age of 50 years when prostatic hypertrophy or other urinary tract abnormalities occur. UTI in young men is unusual and requires further investigations (Shanson and Speller, 1999). The prevalence in men is 3% at age 65-70 years and about 20% at ages over 80 years (Gray and Malone-Lee, 1995). The geriatric (elderly) community is frequently affected by UTIs but these infections are usually asymptomatic. Approximately 25% of all infections in elderly are UTIs (Foxman, 2002). In a study (Buonanno and Damweber, 2006), it was documented that 50% of elderly women are affected by asymptomatic UTI. In many cases bladd er catheterization is a contributing factor and causes increasing incidence of UTIs in elderly population. In another study (Rodhe et al., 2006), it was reported that asymptomatic UTI was found in 14.8% of the overall individuals of  ³ 80 years of age. Of these, 19% were women and 5.8% were men. A woman over 80 years with urinary incontinence and needing support to walk has 50% risk of asymptomatic UTI. The majority of symptomatic urinary tract infections occur in women after the age of 50 years (Shanson and Speller, 1999). In a study (Menon et al., 1995), prevalence of symptomatic and asymptomatic UTI was evaluated in women between 57-97 years of age. It was found that symptomatic UTI occurred in 54% women and asymptomatic UTI occurred in 10% women. From these results it was concluded that asymptomatic UTI was common in elderly women while only a small percentage of women have symptomatic UTI. In another study, an increased prevalence of UTI among women aged 18-30 years was found associated with sexual intercourse and pregnancy (Cunha et al., 2007). It has been reported that complicated UTIs were found most frequent among females aged between 40-59 years, while, in other age groups, uncomplicated UTIs were most frequent. It has also been noted that the isolation frequency of E. coli gradually decreases with increasing age with both complicated and uncomplicated UTIs (Kumamoto et al., 2001). UTIs are generally asymptomatic among apparently healthy, sexually active young women. In contrast, UTIs are more complicated among elderly individuals, infants and young children. UTI in children younger than 2 years has been associated with significant morbidity and long term medical consequences (Shortliffe, 2003). Winiecka et al., (2002) evaluated the bladder instability in children with recurrent UTIs. It was found that the most common disturbance of lower urinary tract functioning in the children with recurrent UTI was instability of the dtrusor muscles which occurred more often in children with vesicoureteral reflux. The incidence of nosocomial UTIs has been found to be higher in age group of 53.6  ± 20 years than the patients in age group of 39.7  ± 22.2 years. However, all the UTIs are usually asymptomatic and develop in catheterized individuals (Parlak et al., 2007). In contrast, Vessey et al. (1987) observed that the risk of UTI decreases with age. 3. SEXUAL ACTIVITY Another predisposing factor, sexual intercourse, is also a common cause of UTIs among women because during sexual intercourse bacteria in the vaginal area could be messaged into the urethra. This problem can be avoided by urinating after sexual intercourse (Cornforth, 2002). Women who change sexual partners or have sexual intercourse more frequently may experience more frequent bladder infections (Kontiokari et al., 2003). In a study (Scholes et al., 2000), independent risk factors for recurrent UTI in young women included recent one month intercourse frequency (odds ratio (OR), 5.8; 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.1-10.6 for 4-8 episodes), 12 month spermicide use (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1-2.9), and new sex partner changing the past year (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.2-3.2). 4. USE OF BIRTH CONTROL DEVICES Several studies have shown that women who use a diaphragm are more likely to develop UTIs than women who use other forms of birth control (Strom et al., 1987). More recently, investigators have demonstrated that women whose life partners use a condom with spermicidal foam also tend to have growth of E.coli in the vagina (Jancel and Dudas, 2002). Women with UTI are 2.7 times more likely to be current user of intra-uterine contraceptive device (IUCD)/condoms (95% CI, 1.3-5.6) and 1.6 times more likely to be housewives by occupation (95% CI, 1.0-3.0) as compared to women who did not have UTI. UTI among IUCD/condom users may reflect existence of unhygienic conditions during application of procedure or spread of infection by the thread of IUCD. UTI in these women may have serious consequences of developing renal damage (Bhurt et al., 2000). 5. PREGNANCY Pregnancy also acts as a risk factor for UTI as it causes anatomic and hormonal changes which favour development of UTI (Schlembach, 2006; Marinade et al., 2009). A history of current UTI, diabetes mellitus, analgestic nephropathy, hyperuricaemia and Fanconis syndrome are predisposing factors for UTI during pregnancy (Krcmery et al., 2001). Dietary habits seem to be an important risk factor for UTI recurrence in fertile women, and dietary guidance could be a first step towards prevention (Kontiokari et al., 2003). The physiological changes associated with pregnancy are the relaxation of ureter under the effect of hormones and increase urinary output. The chemical composition of urine is also affected and results in increased urinary substances e.g. glucose and amino acids, which may facilitate bacterial growth (Sheikh et al., 2000). The pregnant women with kidney infection have a greater chance of delivering their babies prematurely with low weight (Mittal and Wing, 2005). Sometimes, it results in fetal and maternal morbidity (Lamyman et al., 2005). Recently, the relationship of maternal UTIs in pregnancy with the rate of preterm birth was evaluated (Banhidy et al., 2007). It was found that of 38,151 newborn infants, 5.7% had mothers with UTIs with pregnancy. Women with pregnancy also had somewhat shorter gestational age and a higher proportion of preterm birth. This preterm inducing effect of maternal UTI was preventable by antimicrobial therapy. In this connection, Hazir (2007) evaluated the frequency of asymptomatic UTI in pregnant women. Eleven hundred apparently healthy pregnant women were screened for significant bacteriuria. The prevalence of asymptomatic UTI was found to be 6.1%. However, asymptomatic UTI had no relationship with gestational age, parity, level of education, and body mass index. In a study (Al-Haddad, 2005) 500 pregnant women were screened for asymptomatic UTI in their first and second trimester. Out of them 8.4% were positive for cultur e. A control group of non-pregnant women was also screened for asymptomatic UTI. The control group yielded 3% positive cultures. The frequency of UTI in pregnant women was observed 30% of the women suffered from UTI. Of these infected women, 53.7% were in the age group of 15-24 years and 48.8% were in the third trimester. Primigravida had highest percent culture positivity i.e. 66.6%. The incidence was higher in less than 20 years of age group i.e. 71.42%. The incidence of prematurity was 75% and that of low birth weight was 50% in untreated patients (Lavanya and Jogalakshmi, 2002). In a study (Hanif, 2006), it was observed that out of 1000 pregnant women, 42.6% complained one or more symptoms of UTI. The urine culture of symptomatic patients showed growth in only 8.69% cases. In another study carried out by Nath et al. (1996), 542 women were screened for UTI. Out of them, 9.04% had UTI. Of these, 35% had asymptomatic while remaining 65% had symptomatic UTI. Age-wise incidence of UTI in pregnancy was observed in the age groups of 0.05 by  Ã‚ £2 test) (Khattak et al., 2006). Incidence of UTI during pregnancy among Pakistani women, was slightly low in pregnant women (28.5%) as compared to non-pregnant control subjects (30%). However, the difference was not significant. Symptomatic UTI was found in 22.4% pregnant and 20.0% non-pregnant subjects (Sheikh et al., 2000). In a study conducted in Peshawar, Pakistan (Ahmad et al., 2003) the prevalence of UTI was 29.57% in pregnant while 14% in non-pregnant control subjects. In another study performed in Pakistan, 130 muslim women of child bearing age attending the outpatients clinic were interviewed in order to determine the frequency of cystitis and its associated risk factors including personal hygiene practices. Of these, 27% of the women experienced cystitis once in the past. About 63% women reported first UTI during pregnancy. A significant relationship was observed between parity and cystitis (P During pregnancy symptomatic and asymptomatic UTI can trigger the development of serious complications affecting both the mother and the fetus. Thus, proper screening and treatment of bacteriuria is necessary to prevent complications during pregnancy. All women should be screened for bacteriuria in the first trimester. Women with a history of recurrent UTIs or urinary tract abnormalities should have repeated screening for bacteriuria during pregnancy (Macejko and Schaeffer, 2007). 6. MENOPAUSE Postmenopausal women are also susceptible to UTI due to lack of estrogen which plays important role in pathogenesis (Hu et al., 2004). The protective effect of estrogen replacement on ascending UTI is controversial. A study was designed using an experimental model of UTI. In that study surgically menopausal mice were supplemented with estrogen and the susceptibility of UTI was evaluated after experimental E. coli infection. Surprisingly, despite the hypothesis that estrogen would protect mice from infection, estrogen treatment significantly increased the susceptibility of the mice to ascending UTI (Curran et al., 2007). In postmenopausal women, sexual activity, history of UTI, treated diabetes and urinary incontinence are associated with a high risk of UTI. However, therapeutic role of oral estrogen remains uncertain. For instance, in a study (Hu et al., 2004) which included the postmenopausal women aged between 55 and 75 years, development of UTI was noted in sexually active postmenopausal women (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.07-1.87), with a history of UTI (OR, 4.20; 95% CI, 3.25-5.43), diabetes mellitus (OR, 2.78; 95% CI, 1.78-4.35) and urinary incontinence (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.03-1.78). 7. CATHETERIZATION Another common source of infection is catheter or tube placed in the bladder (Ribby, 2006; Warde, 2010). The use of vesical catheter over 5 days is the cause of UTI. Bacteria on the outside of the catheter can climb up the device into the bladder and cause infection (Pawelczyk et al., 2002). Infection associated with an indwelling catheter is a representative type of biofilm infection occuring in the urinary tract (Evans et al., 2001). More than 90% of UTI in catheterized individuals are asymptomatic. These infections are rarely symptomatic and infrequently cause blood stream infection. (Tambyah and Maki, 2000). Catheter associated UTI accounts for 40% of all nosocomial infections and are the most common source of Gram negative bacteremia in hospitalized patients. The risk of bacteriuria is approximately 5% per day in 10-20% of hospitalized patients who receive an indwelling foley catheter. With long term catheterization, bacteriuria is inevitable (Warren et al., 1997). For example, the impact of urinary catheterization on 294 elderly (>65 years) inpatients with community acquired UTIs was studied (Kang et al., 2007). Of 294, 144 subjects had urinary catheterization. Patients with urinary catheterization were found with significantly more advanced age, female predominance, frequent admission in hospital, longer hospital stay and higher pathogen isolation after culture than subjects without urinary catheterization (P 8. DIABETES It is evident from literature that diabetic subjects are also at high risk of UTIs. For instance, in a study (Goswami et al., 2001; Litza and Brill, 2010), the prevalence of UTI in diabetic subjects were found to be higher when compared with non-diabetic subjects (9% vs. 0.78%, P= 0.05). Symptomatic and asymptomatic UTIs occur more frequently in women with diabetes mellitus than women without diabetes mellitus (Daneshgari and Mooree, 2006). Women with diabetes who requires pharmacological treatment have approximately twice as high risk of cystitis as non-diabetic women (Boyko et al., 2002) because of the changes in the immune system secondary to the high sugar concentration (Geerlings et al., 2002). However, gestational diabetes mellitus was not associated with increased risk of UTIs (Rizk et al., 2001). Although asymptomatic bacteriuria is not associated with serious health outcomes in healthy persons, further research needs to be undertaken regarding the impact of asymptomatic bact eriuria in patients with diabetes (Geerlings et al., 2002). In another study, Geerlings et al. (2000) evaluated the characteristics associated with the development of UTI among diabetic subjects. It was found that 14% women with type 1 diabetes developed a symptomatic UTI. The most important risk factor for those women was sexual intercourse during the week before entry into the study (44% without vs. 53% with sexual intercourse). A total of 23% women with type 2 diabetes developed symptomatic UTI. The most important risk factor for those women was the presence of asymptomatic UTI at baseline (25% without vs. 42% with asymptomatic UTI). The risk of symptomatic and asymptomatic UTIs among diabetic and non-diabetic postmenopausal women was studied by Boyko et al. (2005). The incidences of symptomatic UTI in diabetic and non-diabetic women were recorded as 12.2% and 6.7% respectively. Whereas, the incidence of asymptomatic UTI was 6.7% for diabetic women and 3% for non-diabetic women. It was concluded that the increased UTI risk occurred mainly in diabetic women taking insulin and women with a longer diabetic duration (> 10 years) compared with non-diabetic women. 9. BLOOD TYPES In addition to above mentioned predisposing factors, the literature has also documented that women with UTIs tend to have certain blood types (Jackson et al., 2000). The presence or absence of blood group determinants on the surface of uroepithelial cells may influence an individuals susceptibility to UTIs. (Schaeffer et al., 2001). Such as, as cited by Kinane et al. (1982), the blood groups AB or B, constitute independent risk factors in some but not all studies. Recently, Sakallioglu and Sakallioglu (2007) found the concordance of UTI with blood group A Rh positive. Infectious microorganisms interfere with specific molecules on epithelial cells. These specific molecules are antigens of the P and ABO system. Antigen structures on uroepithelial cells, for example, the glycolipids of the P antigen serves as receptors for adhesion of microorganisms. The proportion of persons with B phenotype was 23% and P1 antigen was found in 76% of patients suffering from chronic UTIs. In comparison with P1 negative individuals, P1 positive individuals has a longer disease history and more frequently suffered from symptomatic UTI as well as destructive renal changes. The Le (a) antigen and Le (b) antigen (Lewis phenotypes) were observed in 82% and 18% of the patients respectively (Ziegler et al., 2004). 10. USE OF CALCIUM SUPPLEMENTS The use of calcium supplements also increases the risk of UTI, since calcium ions significantly increase bacterial adherence to uroepithelial cells. Apicella and Sobota, (1990) demonstrated in vitro that as the concentration of calcium was increased to levels higher than normally found in the urine, there was a significant increase in bacterial adherence. It was also found that if the diet was supplemented with calcium there was an increase in the excretion of calcium in the urine and a corresponding increase in bacterial adherence when bacteria and uroepithelial cells were incubated in this urine. 11. SURGERY Any surgery on the urinary tract increases the chances of UTI. Urological complications after renal transplantation are also frequently associated with UTIs (Senger et al., 2007). UTI is also the most common bacterial infection occurring in the renal transplant recipients, particularly anatomic abnormalities of the native or transplanted kidneys and possible rejection and immunosupperession. The major risk factors for UTI in renal transplant recipients include indwelling bladder catheters, trauma to the kidney and ureter during surgery (Rubin, 1993; Wilson et al., 2005). Steroids or cytotoxic drugs, as given to renal transplant recipients, greatly increase the chances of recurrent UTIs and infections of kidney in the first few months of post-transplant (Shanson and Speller, 1999). In a study (Senger et al., 2007) it was observed that 13.3% episodes of UTI occurred in the first month to sixth month and 72% after the sixth month of transplantation. The most commonly isolated organism w as E. coli (61.3%). 12. DIET Frequent meat consumption appeared to be the predisposing factor for UTI. UTI were found significantly more common among the people consuming meat more frequently than once a week but not daily (Nayak et al., 1999). 13. AIDS CANCER Certain diseases also predispose UTIs e.g. HIV patients are susceptible to acquire UTI (Padoveze et al., 2002). Schonwald et al. (1999) performed a study to determine the relationship of UTI with AIDS. The analysis showed that patients with HIV had UTI more frequently than control (HIV negative) patients. Beside the difference in the frequency, it was also observed that Enterococci were the frequent isolates in patients with HIV disease, whereas, E. coli was most frequently isolated organism from control subjects. Cancer patients are also at high risk of UTI (Gerberding, 2002). In a study Munyis et al. (1998) determined the prevalence of UTI in children with cancer. The prevalence of UTI was 8.1% (CI = 6.1, 10.1). Out of 15, only 5 patients were symptomatic while remaining 10 were asymptomatic. E. coli and Klebsiella species were responsible for 93.4% of the infections.

Employee Turnover In The Hospitality Sector In China

Employee Turnover In The Hospitality Sector In China People are one of the most significant resources for business, especially in the people-intensive and service- intensive hospitality industry (Kong and Baum, 2006). Additionally, front office plays a role of reception and marketing as well as the brain in the hotel, and it is an important factor that has impact on hotels image and reputation. An increasing number of research in China and in the world are keen on investigating human resources management about the turnover in hospitality industry (Liu,2002; Baum et al.,2006). Gustafson (2002) indicated that high employee turnover had been widely accepted and documented in the hospitality industry. The study also showed the relationship between managers perceptions and staff turnover. Moreover, Poulston (2008) found the poor training was associated with workplace problems, and improving in the training part is likely to reduce the thorny problems such as under-staffing. The result proved via questionnaires indicated that in the hospitality industry, the employers were not generally looking for hard technical skills, especially in the front line positions, but rather soft skills (Nickson et al., 2005). Such soft skills encompass attitude and it was also the essential parts affect staff aspirations about changing work all the time. In brief, turnover in hospitality is affects not only including psychological factors but also physical factors. It is clear that China has a bright future in the hospitality industry, and absolutely it is with potential to open the outside world and thus to obtain advanced international management skills as a result. China is still facing the problem of shortage of quality personnel and high staff turnover which might relate to culture of bias to the hotel jobs (Kong et al., 2006). Due to the importance of about turnover in the hospitality industry, some of the psychological and physical factors may similar be all around the world, yet in China, culture differentials also exist about the job nature in the hospitality industry. 2.2 Turnover KPMG (1991) and Timo (1999) pointed out that high staff turnover rates in the hospitality industry are largely higher than manufacturing industries in Australian labor market. Timo (1999) indicated that hospitality sector employment is always described as a mode of instability and flexible form of employment. In addition, findings in Timos survey (2005), a unit of percentage can evidence this statement: only 23.2% of employee respondents had been employed by the hotel 3-5years. It is also worth mentioned that only a little more half or 56.5% of respondents had been employed for less than two years. Similarly, about half of the manager respondents have been employed by one hotel for more or less two years. A survey conducted by Kong and Baum (2006) found that 75% respondents in front office was their first experience of working in hotel sector. Only about 30% respondents indicated that they plan to stay on their job for one to three years. This percentage largely reflects the potentia l workforce turnover in hospitality environment. Awareness about staff turnover cannot just stay on the surface, it must recognize that staff instability is not only the loss of talent, but that also would result in more costs in hotels. According to the survey by Mitchell (2001), he indicated that turnover is costly in any kind of operations. Cost here is a general concept. It concluded intangible and tangible factors. The former involved loss of experience, technical skills, relationships knowledge etc. The latter is concerned about adding money to recruitment, training, creating of candidates. Additionally, Hinkin and Tracey (2008) also published a report regarding the cost profiles associated with staff turnover in Cornell Hospitality Quarterly. They divided the turnover cost into hard costs, soft costs and opportunity costs. Meanwhile they listed five cost categories during the recruitment, selection, training and development, and performance. The authors found out that the results that the managers spent a great amount of tim e and money in recruitment and selection new staff because of the poor quality of the candidates pool and high turnover rates existing in the hotels. The front office is the first place that customers have contact with a hotel, which employees provided the first impression to the customers about the hotel service. In other words, the front office represents the hotels image and as a consequence staff in front office must know all the answers concerned in hotel to make customers happy( Kaye, Thomas, 2000,pp24-P25). Meanwhile, the clerks in hotel front office face big challenge on daily work. Working stress is one of the reasons that caused staff turnover can be found (Lo and Lamm, 2005). Pressure caused by working challenge may give rise to staffs leaving desire and foreshadowing the final turnover in the hospitality. Moreover, several physical factors have an effect on staff satisfaction about the current job. In Hinkin and Traceys (2000) work, they analyzed major causes for turnover arose, poor working environment, low wages, unreasonable management and lacking guiding for employees and poor training is also mentioned in this work. From the literature it is evident that human resource challenges found that there are many regions all around the world are confronted with the same issue about staff turnover and specifically, the problem of seasonal employment in tourist regions trouble the hotel managers a lot. Martin et al. (2006) published a research paper and summarized that the bad image of tourism hospitality industry, unfavorable working environment, few development and promotional opportunities, these are all the candidates perceptions and the most significant factors for managers to improve and in order to attract and retain the workforce. Specifically, there is an outstanding issue in the hospitality industry that the staff working in hotels is younger and younger and it has closely relationship with turnover issue. According to a New Zealand survey, almost half or 40% of the employees in hospitality sector are less than 25-years-old, the biggest group of the staff being 15-19 year (Whiteford and Nolan 2007).Working in hotel, as well as in front office, the most significant requirement for the staff is not skill levels but service attitude. Selection methods for recruitment can discern such feature, it relied 79% on application forms, 74% on curriculum vitae or/and 89% on interviews and references (60%) (Nickson, Warhurst and Dutton, 2005). A pertinent study conducted by Norris (1995) found that there are low barriers for person to enter most of the hotels, to be front-line personnel. Therefore, low barriers interests young workforce to looking for job in hospitality industry. Meanwhile, the youth staff in front offic e is one of the reasons for its workforce instability. Play and work, this notion may attract those employees to choose jobs in hotel which has low skill barriers to enter as well as opportunities to travel and exciting. (Accirrt, 1996; Chalmers and Kalb,2001) In other words, with the phenomenon of the seasonal turnover, human resource managers in the hotel cannot ignore the using of the students as a temporary labor pool (Farnsworth, 2003). There is no doubt that the close relationship among the local hospitalities and the hospitality manager schools and the tourism manager colleges, they can help provide potential workforce to the hotels. Also, the author advocates that hospitality operators should provide job related training to the students and improve their working competitive strength. Organizational commitment, missions, goals and direction Organization commitment is playing a significant role which as a factor reducing employee turnover in the hospitality industry (Kazlauskaite et al,.). According to Greenberg and Baron (2000, pp.181) definition, organization commitment is an extent to which an individual identifies and is involved with his or her organization or is unwilling to leave it. And there are three types of organizational commitment: affective commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitment (Meyer and Allen, 1991). Among these three types of commitment, affective commitment may be considered most desirable for an organization. In addition to the reduction of employee turnover, according to Schuler and Jacksons research result (1999), they found out that employee organizational commitment was also seen to be important for quality improvement and maintain the importance of such human resource practices as teamwork, appropriate feedback system. Furthermore, employee empowerment as a factor can enhanc e organizational commitment. Empowerment is a rather complex process and it is hard to definite until now, but Lovelock and Wright (1999) define empowerment in service industry as the authorization of an employee without asking for a supervisors approval to help customers to find out service problem solutions and make appropriate decisions. And with regard to the relationship between psychological empowerment and organizational commitment, Sigler and Pearson (2000) found the positive relationship between them and Janssen (2004) indicated that psychological empowerment can be viewed as a way to stimulate an individuals commitment to the organization. Basically, empirical evidence suggests that the hotels organization mission, goals and direction influence employee retention and job productivity. And the organization development direction and support had a significant impact on employee job satisfaction and overall commitment (Kim, Leong, Lee, 2005). Susskind et al.s (2000) research also indicated that perceived organizational support strongly insfluences job satisfaction and employees commitment to their organizations. US Department of Labor (1993) on high performance work practices revealed that involving employees in decision-making, goals and the direction of an organization through participation in terms will help reduce turnover rate and produce job employee satisfaction. Furthermore, Cho et al. (2006) also reported that organizations which non-managerial employees are more likely to experience higher turnover rate comparting with which have high-performance work practice in the organization. Hotel culture and communication According to Becker and Huselid (1999), hotel culture creates competitiveness since it changes staffs working behavior by making them act consistently with the hotels desired corporate culture, thus influencing employee retention. Most of other researches indicated that there were uncovered similar findings between hotel culture and staff turnover rate and retention. For instance, according to Milman and Ricci (2004), they revealed that among the most powerful indicators to predict hourly staff retention in the hospitality industry were positive experiences with the hotels policies and with the hotels humane approach to staff. Work environment and job design In terms of the working environment and job design, most of the studies found that employees who had positive experience with regards to working hours, sense of fulfillment with their jobs and higher level of job satisfaction are more likely to stay with current employer. Although employees care lots about the monetary rewards which can be a top motivator for employee retention, having a comfortable working environment and flexible working hours were also important motivators (Wildes, 2007).The research work performed by Martin (2004), he pointed out the working situation has a quite important influence on the staffs perception and working attitudes. Accordingly, the working performance also impacted by the employees satisfaction of the working environment. Continuously improving the ethical problem in the hospitality, it will ultimately lead to the lower staff turnover and the successful retention of the talent workforce. What is more, the result that hourly employees retention was predicted by self-fulfillment and working conditions, even over monetary rewards was confirmed by empirical studies of lodging properties in Central Florida (Milman Ricci, 2004). Hires and promotions According to the searching result, numerous of the studies examine the impact of hiring and promotion activities on retention and performance (Becker Huselid, 1999; Cho, Woods, Jang, Erdem, 2006; Huselid, 1995; Milman, Hourly employee retention in small and medium attractions: the central Florida example, 2003). Based on the Pfeffer (1999) research, hotels which wishing to succeed in todays global competitive environment must make adequate HR investment and build staff who possess better skills and capabilities than their competitors. In addition, it is important that selective hiring procedures can ensure effective retention of the most qualified employees while lowering staff turnover in the long term (Huselid, 1995). Customer relationship The relationship between employees and customers is a connection that cannot be ignored. A theory about employees and customers satisfaction was tested by Heskett (1990), clients satisfaction is base on the employees satisfaction in the hotel. More precisely, employees in the hotel are the significant factor which is root for hospitality operation. Furthermore, the research study by Dienhart et al. (1992) found that there were positive relationship between customer centeredness and the staffs constructive views of job involvement, job security and satisfaction. If staff can feel that the hotel takes good cares of them, in return, they will provide a better service to customers to meet and/or exceed their expectation. They are more likely lead a higher satisfaction both staff and customers, also to better staff performance, thus making them less likely to leave (Arnett, laverie, McLane, 2002), positively influencing staff retention. Training High quality level training is one effective measure for staff retention. Several studies show that the close relationship between training activities and productivity and retention. In hotels where staff receives the proper training needed to assume greater responsibility, turnover rates are generally lower (Youndt, Snell, Dean, Lepak, 1996). And meanwhile Youndt et al. (1996) theorize that human resource practices designed to develop talented and ream-oriented workers improve staff productivity and customer satisfaction. With the same working situation for choosing, to the candidates, they prefer to apply for work at the hotel properties which have done well with the career progression image (Martin et al, 2006). Alexander and Nuchols (1994) also support a positive relationship between high quality level training and employees turnover. Moreover, work by Poulston (2008) investigated that some turnover is redeemable, meanwhile some is inevitable. In such a case, if hotel provides p roper training focus on individual development features, employees are likely to stay long, and try their best to enjoy a complex and stressed environment. Obviously, hotels with substantial training opportunities should experience lower turnover rates according to Shaw et al.s (1998) research. However, an interesting finding also by Shaw et al. (1998) included a positive relationship between training and the discharge rate. They indicated that hotels provide more training opportunities are concerned about staff skills and performance, and therefore experience a high percentage of staff terminations. Conversely, hospitalities that experience a high discharge rate initiate training activities because of lower workforce skill levels. Employee recognition, rewards and compensation The most notable among hotels retention initiatives is compensation and benefits. Numerous studies have addressed the impact of employee compensation, rewards and recognition on turnover and retention (Walsh Taylor, 2007). In terms of wages, a survey by Norris(1995) indicated that workforce in hotel are usually low paid, compared with government average wage, staff in hotel earns just about 73% of the whole industry average. Another survey conducted by Choy (1995) pointed out that hospitality employees average annual salaried have been found to be about 16.5% to 31.6 % below than the hotel industry average and government average wage. Additionally, highly competitive wage system promotes employee commitment and thus results in the attraction and retention of a superior workforce (Guthrie, 2001). And other further survey noted that staff will remain with an organization as long as it serves their self-interest to do so better than the alternatives available to them elsewhere (Shaw, J enkins, Gupta, 1998). Although several study investigated the compensation can strongly influenced the staff turnover rate, also several other research have indicated that compensation in the form of base or variable pay may not be sufficient to attract or retain staff. The most important retention predictors included intrinsic fulfillment and working conditions rather than monetary rewards were confirmed by Milman (2003). Moreover, the absence of opportunity for professional growth and development affects hotels turnover rate and retention instead of compensation and work-life balance (Walsh Taylor, 2007). Leadership and human resource management partnership Furthermore, another survey (Gustafson, 2002) found that the frequency of managers in hotel sector filling in for workers has a negative relationship with turnover. If front offices managers working side-by-side with front-line clerks, teamwork sense developed from staff so that they will recognize that they are needed. At the same time, the managers action will lead to a sense of belonging and heightened communication, and therefore they would be less likely to leave. Contrarily, poor management, conflict between manager and front-line employees are all negative for daily operation in front office. It is not only negative for customer satisfactory, but also passive for staff to set career perspective it will lead employees more likely to turnover. A survey by Tutuncu and Kozak (2007) noted that supervision within the hospitality industry can bring job dissatisfaction, and otherwise staff turnover. What is more, Chew et al. (2005) reveals that hotel with a value profile of either eli te or leadership, complemented with strategic HRM effectiveness will enhance financial performance. Instead of just focusing on single practice like staffing, the simultaneous use of multiple sophisticated human resource practices was assessed, which was identified as a link between organization-level outcomes and groups of high performance work practices (Huselid, 1995). All the prior work has consistently found that the effective of human resource management initiatives increased staff productivity and retentions. Specially, recruitment and training process, working environment, labor-management and performance appraisal, promotion and incentive compensation system that all been linked with valued firm-level outcomes (Huselid, 1995). Although the effects of human resource management practices on employee turnover and retention of organization-level is significant, many of the research in the hotel industry paid more attention to the individual-level predictors of turnover (Shaw, J enkins, Gupta, 1998). 2.3 Turnover in China According to the statistics from China National Tourism Administration Office(2008), it is shown that Chinas current tourism related staff were around 6million, while the actual the need of that are about 8 million or more. Therefore, the talent gap between the practical situation and the expectation is about 2 million. On the other hand, the loss of existing tourism practitioners was very serious. The ordinary turnover rate is 5% to 10% in the general industry, while the turnover rate is as high as 20% or more in the tourism industry, especially the higher qualification, the higher rate of brain drain. (The Yearbook of China Tourism, 2008) The increased mobility of human resources in the hotel industry was becoming increasingly prominent, the brain drain had become a primary problem troubled hotel mangers. The turnover rate in other industries was about 5% to 10%, while the appropriate turnover rate in hospitality industry was about 8%. However, China Tourism Association, Human Resource Development and Training Center did an investigation in twenty three domestic cities in thirty three of two to five stars hotels human resource department, and found that the average turnover rate was 23.95% (Wang, 2009). According to statistics, it can be seen that the hotel staff turnover rate was 3 times more than the appropriate turnover rate, and it showed a gradual upward trend. Zhang and Wu (2004) also indicated that one of the key issues of human resource challenges of Chinas hotel was the high staff turnover rates. A paper published by Zhao et al. (2006) introduced that the high turnover rate in Hospitality industry is a universal existence question which puzzles the managers a lot. The literature concluded some reasons of employees turnover: instable work, little chance for promotion, pursuit higher returns and display their values, want to obtain the respect of personality, etc. Additionally, the author Fei (2009) did an investigation on the negative influence of hotel turnover, including cost allowance, undermine the team morale, and reduce the credibility of brand, loss business information, and decline the service quality. After analyzing the reasons that leading to the staff instability in China hospitality industry, Zhao brought forward some countermeasures: improve the staff training, make plans for staff career development, and focus on communication to strengthen the emotional management, improve the hotel and cultural construction to foster people-oriented management concept. Meanwhi le Fei analyzed the potential development direction from different angles of social factors, corporate factors and individual factors to elaborate the importance of staff loyalty. Many hotel staff graduated from hotel management and have quite potential to be outstanding employees in hospitality industry, but all these outstanding staffs instability was also troubled their corporate managers a lot. Research from Zhang (2006) was focus on investigating the reasons of hotels outstanding employee turnover and introduced the ERG theory, after that he tried to solve the core issue in the hospitality industry: how to maintain the outstanding staff and pursue the hotels long-term stability and development. In this report, Zhang indicated that the outstanding employees outflow from their desire of leaving and the ERG theory used here to analyze the employees core requirement to prove that staff advantages should be discovered. Additionally, the author enumerates some positive examples to expound some recommendations for hotel and employees to establish loyalty mutually. It terms of the human resource management, dynamic management, relative to the static management, is also a research issue in China. Chen (2006) found out that in order to control the mobility of the employees and reduce the turnover and loss, the hotel should carry out the comprehensive, systematic and long-term dynamic management. Additionally, Chen advocated that investigate the hotels turnover situation, the searchers would not only investigate the external internal environment changing but also do some researches about the human resource inflow outflow and human resource flowing in the corporate at the same time. After that, Chen indicated the most important countermeasure was to establish the warning mechanism. Zhang and Wus (2004) did research about the human resources issues the hotel facing in China. It must mention that the authors analyze challenges the Chinese hotels were facing via hospitality perspectives, travel perspectives and university perspectives, and indicated the hospitality industrys expectation of education. They found that human resource challenges were playing a negative role in the development of Chinas hotel and tourism industry, the critical issue was the staff retention and human resource shortages, at the same time, the education level and the industrys expectation gap also became a thorny topic. All the organizations and the government would establish communication to enhance the graduates skills level and experiences, decrease the gap of expectation and practical operation, in order to enhance the retention rate in hotel and improve the problem of human resource shortage. According to Chinas culture, with the one-child policy, there are not enough citizens are born to supply workforce demands. In addition, the countrys relatively outdated educational system cannot lead the colleges and universities to provided outstanding human resources with types of skills in an increasingly globalized economy. One of the most important factors contributing to the high level turnover rate in hospitality industry in China is work-life balance, long hours working shift and heavy workloads instead of the technological working, especially in the front line post (Michael, 2008). The same evidence could be finding out in much of the related western hospitality and tourism industry work. Deery and Iverson (1996), Deery and Shaw (1999) and Ghiselli et al. (2001), all these research investigated the constructs like organization commitment and job satisfaction are significant elements contribute to staffs intentions to leave an organization. Additionally, work stress and pers onal attribute plays a decision role on leaving an organization (Deery M, 2008). As mentioned above, work-life balance (WLB) also is one of the influence factors that impact on the staff turnover rate in hotel (Wang and Walumbwa, 2007), while Dagger and Sweeney (2006) focus on life quality and staff turnover relationship research. 2.4 Turnover in Guangdong Province Based on the related HRM theories, such as learning organization, situational leadership, quality of working life and employee satisfaction, Chen (2007) deeply investigated the human resource management situation in one hotel in Dongguan which is a industrialized city with rapid economic growth, he got the result that no matter an international brand hotel or a local hotel, the issues of staff turnover and management brought out a series of problems in Guangdong Province. On one hand, due to the labor-intensive industry, the hospitalities have to operate with a large number of employees; On the other hand, the staffs that hard recruited were unable to retain. According to the identification of the basic turnover environment, the author analyzed the high turnover rate and the investigating the countermeasures based on the three parts: external environment, staffing department and human resource department. In Guangdong Province, many of the researchers found that training quality was a significant element on the issue of turnover in the tourism industry, especially in the hospitality industry. Dai (2005) made a hard working on doing the research about the different training approaches and quality between western countries and China, and set the Guangdongs Hotels as examples, pointed out the differences in terms of the importance of training, investment in training, training contents, training approaches and methods, and the training effectiveness and evaluation. According to Shen (2008), she also focused on investigating the important role of the training in the hospitality industry. She kept her mind on searching the hotel training effect assessment with an instance of Intercontinental Hotel in Guangdong. The author pointed out that the personnel quality would be the big issue during the management. Its meaningful influence not only present on the Human-Resource department, the whole hotel, but also on the employees themselves. One positive effect of training for the hotel, it could have a direct economic benefits, and training as an investment process on the staff. The assessment of the training can provide employees with consciousness of the hotels benefit changing based on their capacities and enhance of their senses of achievement, improved employees job satisfaction and loyalty to the hotel. According to the geographical situation in Guangdong province, its a developed area with lots of small medium enterprises as well as the hospitality industry provides a great amount of job opportunities to attract workforce from all the other provinces. It must mention that most of the workforces who live in other places go back to their hometown for the Spring Festival and its the peak period of labor-turnover (Wang, 2009). 2.5 Conclusion and research question After searching the literature with the issue of turnover in hospitality industry, and according to comparing among those researches, several similar points about the situation and reasons on the turnover can be found between Chinas hospitality industry and other countries. Although Chinas hospitality is developing with many thorny problems including staff turnover accompanied by Chinese culture. In this paper, the author aim to find out the following questions, and analyze the relationship among all the influenced factors. Accordingly, the author proposes a mode of managerial turnover cognitions set up by Carbery R. et al (Figure 1) with the purpose of helping identify the four sets of variables and define the hypotheses. The figure showed above, which identified the variables as possible of the hospitality turnover, involve Career Issues, Job Issues, Organizational Commitment and Covariates and so on. Based on the variables listed above, they can be classified into Demographic variables, Human capital variables, and Psychological variables according to this paper specific investigation of the staff turnover in the front office in hospitality. Demographic variables Age, gender and marital status are all demographic variables that influence the hospitality industry front offices staff turnover. There was a phenomenon that the a great amount of staff in front office were youth employees, almost accounts for 40% of the staff were less than 25 years old (Whiteford and Nolan 2007). And in China, in particular the loss of tourism management students of the phenomenon was particularly serious (Dou, 2009). In the research conducted by Hellman (1997), indicated that older staff was more likely represent a lower degree of mobility due to the concerned about the formal and informal benefits associated with age in the work place. On the contrary, it is important to think about whats the main reason for the highest turnover rate of the youth staff. As a result, it is hypothesized that: H1: Younger employees represent higher turnover. Human capital variables Specifically, in hotel front office, education level, working experience and salary level are related human capital variables that impact the employees turnover. Finding from human capital theory would suggest that staff with relatively higher education levels could more cognitive about their career development road relatively and could not change their current job straight away. Wong et al. (1999) found that individuals with relatively higher education levels are better informed of the external labor market and they are relatively good at comparing cons and pros with the current positions. As a result, it is hypothesized that: H2: Employees with higher levels of education attainment represent lower turnover. Psychological variables Thomas (2000) and Lamme(2005) indicated respectively working as a front line employee especially working in the front office, was a stressful job and full of challenge. Hinkin (2000) stressed the influenced factors about turnover were various, concludi

Who Controls the Private Sphere in an Archaic Greek Society :: Women Power Greek Greece Essays

Who Controls the Private Sphere in an Archaic Greek Society Abstract: Texts, such as Oeconomicus, reveal that while men in Archaic Greek society had authority over their wives, they were too confident of their control, and once they taught women how to act and behave they granted women authority over the household or private sphere. This segregation of the public and private spheres allowed women control not only over the private sphere, but also some control over her own life. Did women in Archaic Greek society have control over their lives? Today, many would argue that women did not have control, but rather their fathers and husbands controlled them. However, when looking closely at Greek texts, such as Xenophon’s Oeconomicus, one discovers that husbands were so confident of their control that once women were taught how to manage the household they granted women complete authority over the decisions made in the private sphere. Although men still had authority over women, the segregation of public and private spheres gave wives some control over their lives. Initially, when a girl was married, her husband had complete control over her life. A man’s bride was usually a very young girl who was considered an empty vessel because she had no knowledge about how to behave or manage a household. During a conversation in Oeconomicus between Socrates and Kritoboulos, Socrates asked, "Did you marry her when she was a very young girl and had seen and heard as little as possible" (16)? Since girls did not come to a man’s household with any knowledge it was the husband’s job to only fill her vessel with the knowledge that he wanted her to know. In this way, men believed that they had control over their wives’ lives. Although men felt that they had control over their wives’ lives, it seems unlikely that women came to their husbands without any knowledge about how to manage the household. No matter how sheltered a girl was raised she still must have picked up skills from her mother. Therefore, it is safe to assume that girls were deceiving their husbands about the skills they knew and were simply putting on an act of naivete so their husbands believed they were in control.

Alices Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass and What Al

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There: For Adults Only! Â   "'Curiouser and curiouser!'cried Alice" (Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland 9). At the time she was speaking of the fact that her body seemed to be growing to immense proportions before her very eyes; however, she could instead have been speaking about the entire nature of Lewis Carroll's classic works Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. At first glance, the novels seem easy enough to understand. They are simple children's stories filled with fantastical language and wonderful worlds. They follow the basic genre of nearly all children's work, they are written in simple and clear language, feature a young hero and an amazing, unbelievable cast of characters, are set in places of mystery and illusion, and seem far too nonsensical and unusual for adults to enjoy. Even their author, Lewis Carroll, believed them to be children's stories. Yet Carroll and generations of parents and children have been wrong. While these stories ma y seem typical children's fare, they are distinctly different. Their symbolism, content, and message make the Alice books uniquely intended for adults. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson was born in 1832 in Victorian England. He was a mathematics professor, but he had a very peculiar dual identity. "Most of the time he was C. L. Dodgson, the shy, stammering mathematics professor, but on occasion he became Lewis Carroll, the dynamic fantasist and parodist" (Matuz 105). He began his career in writing by publishing typical and uninspiring tracts about mathematics and politics, but after an inspirational boat ride with three young girls, he began the... ...dventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. The Sewanee Review XXXV (1927): 393-398. Hudson, Derek. "Lewis Carroll." British Writers 5 (1982): 265-266. Leach, Elsie. "'Alice in Wonderland' in Perspective." 1964. New York: Vanguard Press, Inc., 1971. Masslich, George. "A Book within a Book." The English Journal X (1921): 122. Matuz, Roger, ed. Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Detroit: Gale Research, Inc., 1991. Priestley, J. B. "A Note on Humpty Dumpty." I for One. London: John Lane, 1923. 194. Spacks, Patricia Meyer. "Logic and Language in 'Through the Looking-Glass.'" 1961. New York: Vanguard Press, Inc., 1971. Wilson, Edmund. "C. L. Dodgson: The Poet Logician." 1932. New York: Vanguard Press, Inc., 1971. Woolf, Virginia. "Lewis Carroll." The Moment and Other Essays. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1948. 83. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass and What Al Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There: For Adults Only! Â   "'Curiouser and curiouser!'cried Alice" (Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland 9). At the time she was speaking of the fact that her body seemed to be growing to immense proportions before her very eyes; however, she could instead have been speaking about the entire nature of Lewis Carroll's classic works Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. At first glance, the novels seem easy enough to understand. They are simple children's stories filled with fantastical language and wonderful worlds. They follow the basic genre of nearly all children's work, they are written in simple and clear language, feature a young hero and an amazing, unbelievable cast of characters, are set in places of mystery and illusion, and seem far too nonsensical and unusual for adults to enjoy. Even their author, Lewis Carroll, believed them to be children's stories. Yet Carroll and generations of parents and children have been wrong. While these stories ma y seem typical children's fare, they are distinctly different. Their symbolism, content, and message make the Alice books uniquely intended for adults. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson was born in 1832 in Victorian England. He was a mathematics professor, but he had a very peculiar dual identity. "Most of the time he was C. L. Dodgson, the shy, stammering mathematics professor, but on occasion he became Lewis Carroll, the dynamic fantasist and parodist" (Matuz 105). He began his career in writing by publishing typical and uninspiring tracts about mathematics and politics, but after an inspirational boat ride with three young girls, he began the... ...dventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. The Sewanee Review XXXV (1927): 393-398. Hudson, Derek. "Lewis Carroll." British Writers 5 (1982): 265-266. Leach, Elsie. "'Alice in Wonderland' in Perspective." 1964. New York: Vanguard Press, Inc., 1971. Masslich, George. "A Book within a Book." The English Journal X (1921): 122. Matuz, Roger, ed. Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Detroit: Gale Research, Inc., 1991. Priestley, J. B. "A Note on Humpty Dumpty." I for One. London: John Lane, 1923. 194. Spacks, Patricia Meyer. "Logic and Language in 'Through the Looking-Glass.'" 1961. New York: Vanguard Press, Inc., 1971. Wilson, Edmund. "C. L. Dodgson: The Poet Logician." 1932. New York: Vanguard Press, Inc., 1971. Woolf, Virginia. "Lewis Carroll." The Moment and Other Essays. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1948. 83.

Juveniles and Crime

Juveniles and Crimes Brandi Haney CJS/200 Sean Wallace March 3, 2013 Juveniles and Crimes Information Juveniles commit a lot of crimes and much of it is because of influences and or surrounded lifestyles. Majority of the crimes committed by juveniles are violent crimes but the main ones involve drug abuse and simple assault. Juveniles account for 17 percent of all arrest according to the FBI and 15 percent of those arrest were due to violent crimes. ( Juvenile Crime, 2001 2003)Overall the crimes rates have decreased, but the females who were under 18 and minorities had higher crime rats than men did and they were the contributing factor to the majority of the arrest. In 2001 there was an increase in drug abuse violations. Increase of violations would mean an increase arrest rate and also no decrease in the crime rate. It would only add to it. The all time high for simple assault was in 2001 and females made up 28 percent of all juvenile arrest. Males were only 8 percent of the overal l juvenile arrest.The juvenile arrest that happened involved primarily white youth. The y accounted many Hispanics as white youth as well. JUVENILE AND ADULTS COURTS Juveniles Court Juveniles courts vary majorly from adults courts. Juveniles process is as listed; detention hearing then fact finding hearing, after that they have the petition and respondent and next they have the adjudication and finally the involved/ delinquent. The juveniles usually and generally will not get a jury. Their court hearings are closed off to the public for the convenience of their privacy and mainly due to their age.Bails are generally not allowed nor set for juveniles/minors. For minors to get out of jail before their entire process is over they must prove to the judge that they are not a flight risk and that they are not a danger or threat to society and their community. When juveniles commit smaller mes a lot of the time they are punished worse than an adult would be for the exact same crime/offense . When a juvenile is punished by probation they are usually put on probation for a longer period than an adult would be.The stipulations to their probation would be a longer list as well. For example they would have to follow a curfew and they would have to respect their parents, and keep their grades up, attend one or more extra curricular activity, and they would have to possibly attend counseling. If they were to break these stipulations than they would have to report to their judge once again and possibly have their probation sentence lengthened or they would get what they call a probation violation and have to just serve their length of a sentence.For many of the cases on minors and juveniles being found delinquent and serving your time with no breaks it a lot of the time is better for them because while their sentence may be long their sentence is only until the are approximately in their twenties and as an adult they would serve a life sentence for some things and â€Å"plea s† may have been even worse. There are time when a juvenile may be tried as an adult. The circumstances would be a felony drug offense, sex crimes, murders, and attempted murders. Between the ages 13 and 17 you can be and have the potential to be tried as an adult and serve an adult term.DELIQUENCY AND STATUS OFFENSES Delinquency is a minor crime committed by the youth (young people). This definition is directed towards the young people but this does not mean that an adult can not be caught or punished for the same crime that a minor will be in trouble for. A status offense is an action prohibited to a specific class of people and mostly is applied to crimes omitted by minors. VARIABLES THAT CORRELATE TO JUVENILE CRIMES While there are many things that correlate to juveniles committing crimes there is in my opinion still no excuses. One thing that correlates to the crimes is child maltreatment.When they child is not taken care of they tend to veer off and find other means of l iving and making ends meet. Another variable is alcoholism and drug use. A parent or parents is a child’s biggest role model and so are their siblings and any other older siblings. If a child grows up always seeing nothing but alcohol around the house and their family getting high off of pills and smoking than they are naturally going to take that lifestyle in and think that it is normal and okay and they will think that everyone else around them lives the same lifestyle.Bullying has in my world been a major variable. Whens someone is bullied they think that they need to find their own happy place and they claim that committing crimes does that for them. For example when a person gets in a fight or steals something and all the attention is turned on them, that is the highlight of their lives because everyone always bullied them. Single or no parent homes is probably one of the biggest variables. Like I mentioned before a parent or parents are a child’s biggest role mod els. A child’s mind is like a sponge and they always play the game of monkey see monkey do.This will never go away even when they are all grown up and moved out. I was a child that was in a single family home and there was nothing I would of ever wanted more than a multi parent home. I needed both of them for different reasons and I never had the choice, which led me in to depression and lack in schooling. There are a few more variables too and they are poverty, gang membership, idolizing criminals, trauma, school dropouts, and truancy. RECOMMENDATION I have many recommendations but the one I want to start with is â€Å"stop letting the juveniles get away with breaks and shorter punishments†.Now that I am all grown up I know that I hated to be punished but in all reality the longer I was punished the more I replayed why I was punished and told myself not to do it anymore. We need consistency. They need to make sure they stick to exactly what they say they are going to do to the child. We need to have better structured probation officers and counselors. Many of them do not care about the well being of the child they are just there to get paid and â€Å"claim† they helped the child. REFRENCES Google. com Studymode. com My step mother a criminal rehabilitator counselor

Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms While Countering Terrorism Essay

1. Reaffirms that States must ensure any measure taken to combat terrorism, complies with their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law not limited to, A. Torture, punishment and any other methods in which the condition of prisoners is worsened, B. Abuse of women and the use of child soldiers in order to create more man power; 2. Expresses serious concern at the occurrence of violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as of international refugee and humanitarian law, committed in the context of countering terrorism. 3. Also reaffirms the obligation of States, in accordance with article 4 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to C. Respect certain rights as non-derogatory in any circumstances, recalls, in regard to all other Covenant rights, D. That any measures derogating from the provisions of the Covenant must be in accordance with that article in all cases, E. Underlines the exceptional and temporary nature of any such derogations, and in this regard calls upon States to raise awareness about the importance of these obligations among national authorities involved in combating terrorism; 4. Urges States, while countering terrorism: F. To fully comply with their obligations under international law, i. In particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law, ii. With regard to the absolute prohibition of torture and cruelty, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment; G. To take all steps necessary to ensure that persons deprived of liberty, regardless of the place of arrest or detention, benefit from the guarantees to which they are entitled under international law, including the review of the detention and other fundamental judicial guarantees; H. To treat all prisoners in all places of detention in accordance with international law, including international human rights and humanitarian law; I. To protect all human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights, bearing in mind that certain counter-terrorism measures may have an impact on the benefits of these rights; J. To ensure that laws criminalizing acts of terrorism are accessible, formulated with precision, non-discriminatory, non-retroactive and in accordance with international law, including human rights law; K. To shape, review and implement of all counter-terrorism measures in accordance with the principles of gender equality and non-discrimination; 5. Welcomes the entry into force of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, L. The implementation of which will make a significant contribution in support of the rule of law in countering terrorism, M. Including by prohibiting places of secret detention, N. Encourages all States that have not yet done so to consider signing, ratifying or acceding to the Convention; 6. Calls upon the United Nations entities involved in supporting counter-terrorism efforts to continue to facilitate the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as due process and the rule of law, while countering terrorism; 7. Urges States, while ensuring full compliance with their international obligations, to ensure the rule of law and to include adequate human rights guarantees in their national procedures for the listing of individuals and entities with a view to combating terrorism; 8. Calls upon States and other relevant actors, as appropriate, to continue to implement the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which, inter alia, reaffirms respect for human rights for all and the rule of law as the fundamental basis of the fight against terrorism; 9. Calls upon international, regional and sub-regional organizations to strengthen information-sharing, coordination and cooperation in promoting the protection of human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law while countering terrorism; 10. Urges relevant United Nations bodies and entities and international, regional and sub-regional organizations, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, within its mandate related to the prevention and suppression of terrorism, to step up their efforts to provide, upon request, technical assistance for building the capacity of Member States in the development and implementation of programs of assistance and support for victims of terrorism in accordance with relevant national legislation; 11. Encourages relevant United Nations bodies and entities and international, regional and sub-regional organizations, O. In particular those participating in the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, which provide technical assistance, upon request, consistent with their mandates, related to the prevention and suppression of terrorism, P. To step up their efforts to ensure respect for international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law, as well as the rule of law, as an element of technical assistance, including the adoption and implementation of legislative and other measures by States; 12. Hopes to be actively engaged in this matter.