Nurses floating to different specialized areas Essay Example for Free

Nurses floating to different specialized areas Essay Abstract: Floating is a staffing strategy that is seen as a solution to the general problem of nursing shortage. Floating involves utilizing nurses to work in different specialized units. Floating has its advantages in that it gives nurses an opportunity for overall professional development and relieves them from additional responsibilities such as delegating and staffing. Float nurses stick to patient care. However, as they have to work in units for which they are not sufficiently educated or trained, they find themselves inadequate in providing quality patient care. Moreover, it affects their overall sense of connectedness with their patients, their peers, and their specialty department. Thus, floating of nurses is considered by many as a threat to both nurses and patients. However, more recently, it has been found that the float nurse can be trained to meet varied needs of specialized units. This is made all the more easier when the float nurse undergoes training for a cluster of closely related specialty units. Resource teams are float pools where specialty of the nurse is recognized and training is provided as per needs by the management. Introduction: Nursing shortage is one of the major issues facing the healthcare sector of the United States. This is attributed mainly due to lack of enthusiasm amongst the youngsters today for pursuing nursing as a career option and secondly due to the rising population. To counter the increasing demands of nursing, the concept of floating has been introduced in many hospitals and clinical settings. Floating is a very recent phenomenon in nursing introduced mainly due to problems such as staffing shortages and fluctuating census (Dziuba-Ellis, 2006). Nurses are in general trained to work in particular specialties. But working in different specialized units requires them to undergo cross-training. This causes stress to the nurses and they lose their efficiency and confidence of attending to critically ill patients in specialized departments. In fact, when nurses are floated to different specialized units, both the nurses and the patients suffer. While the nurses find themselves inadequately trained to work in certain specialized units, patients face the danger of negligent or faulty treatment. Suitable analysis of issues involved in floating of nurses to different specialized units shows that this is highly risky both from the viewpoint of nurses and the viewpoint of patients. This problem is particularly relevant in today’s context as the concept of having a float pool of nurses is touted as a solution to the overwhelming national problem of nursing shortage. This paper focuses on the issue of floating of nurses to various specialized units in the United States – the reasons for floating, impact of such floating on nurses, impact of floating on patients and how to adapt this concept to the situation of nursing shortage. This paper will not cover alternate solutions to nursing shortage. The floating of professional nurses to unfamiliar practice settings should be avoided as it leads to unsafe practice situations and if at all floating is found to be totally essential, it must be ensured that it is allowed only in emergency situations when an increased demand for nurses with general basic skills is expected. Literature Review: The research report titled Nursing Resource Team: An Innovative Approach to Staffing by Baumann et al (June 2005) contrasts the traditional float pools with resource teams and after detailed analysis of the case study of the Nursing Resource Team at Hamilton Health Sciences from September 2002 until June 2004, concludes that resource teams as an innovative staffing strategy creates opportunities for full-time work, and provide nurses with opportunities for professional development. According to Baumann et al, floating is not a new practice. Nursing shortages that existed between 1974 and 1979 lead to innovative staffing solutions and floating was one of them. However, floating came to be known as resource team in 1981 when the term was first used in an article to describe the creation and organization of a float pool (Baumann et al, 2005). Earlier, float pools or resource teams were used across Canada and the US to save expenditure, counter the shortage of nurses, fluctuations in patient census, acuity, volume, and care demands. Baumann et al point out that use of float pools/resource teams is often viewed as a staffing strategy – one that facilitates flexible manipulation of staff. Today, float pools are more of a recruitment and retention strategy and this is proved by a study conducted by Crimlisk (Crimlisk et al, 2002). Contrary to this finding, however, experts in Canada suggest float staff do not serve retention purposes. According to Baumann et al, the NRT approach is different from the float pool in that it recognizes nursing expertise. In the case of float pools, a nurse is regarded as a generic worked who is able to work with different patient groups and utilize many skill sets. Further, the literature indicates that float nurses may be deployed as either assistive or replacement staff. According to a study by organizational development specialist Suzanne C. Luongo, titled â€Å"Connectedness as a Motivator for Nurse Retention at the Bedside† (2004). It has been found that floating is a disruption to connectedness to patients and families, connectedness to peers and connectedness to administration of the institution. This study was based on group interviews of staff nurses who have been at the bedside for a minimum of 5 years and have received high evaluations. While the first study focused on defining the concept of floating and explaining how it is applied in the nursing context, the second study raises the warning that float nurses may not enjoy their job because the job takes away the connection that a nurse needs to develop with the patients, the peers, and to the administration. When nurses are shifted through various specialized units, they cannot follow up on patients continuously; they cannot form stable friendships among other nurses and will not form any attachment to any specialized unit (Luongo, 2004). Crimlisk et al (2002) in their study titled â€Å"New graduate RNs in a float pool: An inner-city hospital experience† focus on the view of nurse managers and nurse educators that fresh graduate RNs cannot be included in a float pool. They prefer to have experienced nurses with multiple skills. However, the authors say that new graduate RNs are highly motivated, ready-to-learn, educationally prepared and intellectually stimulated though they do not have much clinical experience. The authors present a program for training new graduate RNs to practice nursing in a float pool. It has been proved that the program resulted in a 96% retention rate Boston Medical Center Nursing Division (Crimlisk et al, 2002). Moreover, the program offered the medical surgical units a strong clinical support float nurse, nursing managers a staffing solution in times of need, and the new graduate RN a broad range of clinical experiences making them more valuable members of the healthcare team. According to Crimlisk et al, this training model can be replicated in other institutions. Thus, this study gives a positive approach to the inevitable staffing solution of having a float pool of nurses. Crimlisk concludes that fresh graduate nurses who do not have the experience needed to become a float nurse should be trained specially to become more flexible and versatile (Crimlisk et al, 2002). Thus, this study holds that floating of nurses to specialized departments does not necessarily need only experienced nurses. With training, even newly graduated RNs can handle various specialized services in nursing. The article titled Full-Time or Part-Time Work in Nursing: Preferences, Tradeoffs and choices by Jennifer Blythe et al (2005), reviews historical trends in full-time and part time work in the general workforce and among nurses in particular. The study was conducted at three teaching hospitals in Ontario with more than 400 beds and included 10 focus groups of RNs and RPNs. Fourteen additional interviews were conducted with hospital administrators who were knowledgeable about nursing work arrangements. According to this paper human resources managers in all hospitals agreed that investment in full time staff saved â€Å"costs, provided better coverage, higher commitment, lower turnover and more continuity of car and more stable relationships in nursing and multidisciplinary teams† (Blythe et al, 2005). To increase full time jobs, the paper reports that one hospital offered a float pool of full time nurses in critical care, maternal-child and medical surgical areas. This float pool was part of a training strategy to help novice nurses to progress from medical surgical settings to specialist areas with shortages. However, it was found that these floating jobs appealed only to nurses with particular needs. The first study indicated that float nurses could be absorbed as assistive or replacement staff. According to the second study float nurses suffer due to lack of connectedness whereas the third study showed that float nurses could be trained to acquire new skills. But despite such training and absorption, this study takes a neutral stand that only some nurses can enjoy the experiences that come through float jobs depending on their needs. While the lack of connectedness and lack of training are cited to be discouraging factors in floating nurses, this study brings in a third angle – that of needs of nurses. Only nurses with particular needs would like floating to different specialized units. According to the study by Hugonnet et al (2004) titled â€Å"Nursing resources: a major determinant of nosocomial infection? † there is growing concern that changes in nurse workforce and hospital-restructuring interventions negatively impact on patient outcomes. The review focuses on the association between understaffing and health-care-associated infections. Previous studies have shown that overcrowding, understaffing or a misbalance between workload and resources are important determinants of nosocomial infections and cross-transmission of microorganisms. Importantly, not only the number of staff but also the level of their training affects outcomes. The evidence that cost-driven downsizing and changes in staffing patterns causes harm to patients cannot be ignored, and should not be considered as an inevitable outcome (Hugonnet et al, 2004). The fact that ‘level of training’ affects outcomes is a major finding as float nurses often suffer from inadequate skills. In this study it has been found that such inadequacy can lead to nosocomial infections and cross-transmission of microorganisms (Hugonnet, 2004). Thus it is indirectly implied that floating of nurses can lead to such infections and cross transmission of microorganisms. This study brings out a scientific drawback in the floating of nurses – one that could be detrimental physically to both nurses and the patients. This finding is further strengthened by the finding of Stone et al (2004) who point out that nursing shortage is managed by many health care facilities by expanded use of nonpermanent staff, such as float pool and agency nurses. Overwork and fatigue among these nurses have been associated with medication errors and falls, increased deaths, and spread of infection among patients and health care workers (Stone et al, 2004). Issue Analysis: RNs at many health care institutions have traditionally been required to float to other units as a solution to the issue of staffing shortage. Staffing practices, like floating, cross-training and the use of larger float pools are highly debated with focus on quality patient care and less stressful environment at work for nurses. Studies show that nurses naturally want to use the expertise theyve gained over the years on their own specialized units. But if they must work in a different area, or even if they choose to work on different units, they want the appropriate orientation to provide competent, safe care. According to Christine Kane-Urrabazo, MSN, RN, in Said another way: our obligation to float, floating is a viable solution to the issue of nursing shortage. She says that the though floating is opposed on the basis of many arguments, they are not justifiable when weighted against the consequences of not floating (Kane-Urrabazo, 2006). The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), requires all accredited organizations to ensure that â€Å"†¦all staff providing patient care and services on behalf of the organization are properly oriented to their jobs and the work environment before providing care, treatment, and services† (JCAHO, 2004, p. 5). This means, regardless of the settings, it is important for professional nurses to maintain clinical competence. According to the American Nurses Association (ANA, 2005), it is recommended that there should be a systematic plan for the cross-training of staff expected to float to ensure competence (2005). â€Å"The Psychological Stresses of Intensive Care Unit Nursing† by Hay and Oken focuses on floating in the ICU that provides complex nursing care (1972). The float nurse in the ICU is exposed to traumatic events such as death and dying, posing threats of object loss and personal failure. The nurse in the ICU needs to be familiar in handling many kinds of complex technical equipments and make correct measurements. The nurse in the ICU should be capable of making observations about her patients condition, to interpret subtle changes and use judgment to take appropriate action. Moreover, the nurse must maintain detailed records. Because of this and the nature of her tasks, temporarily floating in nurses from elsewhere when staff is short can be dangerous when the specialized unit concerned is the ICU (Hay and Oken, 1972). Kelly Herbig, RN-OCN, Rockford Memorial Hospital, Rockford, in her article titled â€Å"The highs of floating† in Nursing Spectrum says that she enjoys a lot of benefits as a float nurse. She points out that as a float nurse, she needs to focus only on patient care and need not deal with issues of staffing, delegating, and other charge-nurse responsibilities. Kelly Herbig says: â€Å"Floating to different departments and units affords me the chance to meet and work with a wide variety of staff and physicians†¦.. Talking to them about their experiences and viewpoints has helped me broaden my own views and given me a new perspective on nursing† (Herbig, 2004). Best of all she says that as a float staff, she is often viewed positively as â€Å"the help, the relief, the answer to the problem of short staffing†. On the contrary we have the case of Jackie. Badzek et al (1998) in her research article titled Administrative ethics and confidentiality privacy issues cites the case of Jackie. As a float nurse, Jackie found her work very stressful. She had to rotate between many units and patients. Each day she worked on a different unit with different co-workers. She developed few friendships or collegial relationships. She was often dispensing medications and treatments she found unfamiliar. When she attempted to ask questions, she found she approached gruff busy attending doctors and young uninformed house staff. Feeling trapped, Jackie began to divert narcotics (Badzek et al, 1998). This case highlights the plight of the float nurse without specific training and also offers a glimpse to the stress levels of an untrained float nurse. Many states have laws that indicate that it’s considered negligent or unprofessional for a nurse to offer or perform services for which she is not qualified by education, training, or experience. Therefore, accepting floating assignments for which the nurse is not qualified can jeopardize his or her career. There can be lawsuits and also disciplinary action by the state board of nursing. Disciplinary action can include license limitation, suspension, or revocation, and possibly mandatory continuing education (Gobis, 2001). In the study titled â€Å"When terror is routine: how Israeli nurses cope with multi-casualty terror†, authors Riba and Reches report on the case of Israeli nurses working in hospitals and looking after emergency care in times of terror attacks (Riba and Reches, 2002). Based on qualitative analysis of the data collected from focus group discussions involving 60 nurses and analysis of problems faced by them, the authors make a few recommendations in the context of floating. Riba and Riches recommend that post-basic courses in emergency medicine and trauma should be expanded to include emergency room logistics, stress management techniques, and debriefing strategies. Moreover, for nurses floating into emergency care from other departments, they suggest that an annual workshop should be held that includes drills for emergency care. They also suggest that the ER charge nurse should be provided training in leadership and group dynamics. Thus we find that the training that should be insisted for float nurses should be related to the specialized units for which they are chosen to work. This finding is also in accordance with the conclusion of the research report titled Nursing Resource Team: An Innovative Approach to Staffing by Baumann et al (June 2005). Indicators that can be used to measure success of these specially trained staff would be based on measuring retention in clinical settings where such trained float personnel are used. Susan Trossman, RN in her article titled â€Å"Staffing smart: A difficult proposition† says that cross-training to several units will make a nurse end up being an expert at little things and lose in-depth specialty advantage. Kim Armstrong, RNC, has worked at Tacoma General Hospital in Washington for 20 years. She agrees that cross-training gives RNs a greater range of skills. But, she says, It also dilutes skills. She clearly points out that floating nurses to various units and making them accept assignments for which they are educationally unprepared are putting their patients and their livelihood at risk. A nurse at the Elms College hearing illustrates this point. I was recently floated to Hematology/Oncology unit and had 8 patients. Six patients were on research protocols, each with 6 to 10 medications that I had to deliver. I didnt know any of these drugs. Many nurses do not even know their deficits (Nursing Report, 2001). In this context, it must be noted that there is a direct relationship to the skill of nurses and the number of nurses to patient outcomes (Nursing Report, 2001). All the above arguments indicate to only one clear solution. In a country that is facing nursing shortage, it would be unreasonable to say that floating should be totally banned. As numerous studies have shown, what is needed is adequate training of staff for various specialties. This argument is further stressed by Ruth Shumaker, RN, CNOR, and president of the Association of Operating Room Nurses, Inc. : The valuable nurse in the next millennium is the one who can do more who has the knowledge base to function as a specialist but also as a generalist working in multiple areas† (Trossman, 1999). Recommendations: While it is understood that float nurses need special training and education, one should remember that such skills imparted through short term programs tend to be forgotten if not used constantly. Hence they need regular scheduled workshops. Some recommendations to remember while choosing to have a float pool of nurses are (NYSNA, 2005): †¢ Nurses should not be floated to unfamiliar practice settings. †¢ If floating is deemed necessary, it should only be permitted in emergency situations that call for general nursing care. †¢ The RN should be able to self-evaluate and ask for further knowledge or training as her job needs. She should be granted the right to refuse assignments for which she is neither qualified nor trained. †¢ The charge nurse/supervisor should take the responsibility of allotting a particular float nurse to a particular specialized unit. If possible, she should assign a regular staff member of the specialized unit to guide and instruct the new float nurse. †¢ The healthcare facility should be able to perform needs assessment on a continuous process and provide inter department training as per needs. By monitoring trends in nursing indicators such as turnover, satisfaction, work-related illnesses and injury, overtime, etc. , they should also evaluate and maintain the quality of the nurse’s work life. Conclusion: Further research should be conducted as to the type of skills a float nurse is expected to perform in her various specialized units. It has been proved that resource teams that are an improvised float pool are ideal to counter the problem of nursing shortage. In resource teams, nurses work in their area of clinical expertise and preference, developing â€Å"in-depth knowledge of particular clinical populations. † Sometimes, nurses may be assigned as generalists and specialists from the float pool or resource team. It has been found that training is better possible when nurses are assigned to clinical clusters with certain patient populations. Examples of clustered units include critical care and emergency departments, adult medical-surgical, and pediatrics. However, nurses may also be sent to areas such as medical-surgical for which it is assumed only generic skills are required. The following general points should be remembered while implementing float pool nursing as a staffing strategy: Innovations should be introduced in a phased manner; it is important to have consistent leadership during the implementation phase; Orientation and interpretative sessions must be planned and roles of float nurses should be charted in detail; Evaluation should be done on a continual basis. With respect to the float pool of nurses, it must be ensured that their number is large enough so that there is no overtime. Care should be taken to ensure that clinical clusters include relatively narrow and related skill sets and areas of expertise. To make floating of nurses to different specialty units, a viable solution to the problems of nursing shortage and quality care, it is important that the top management, the nurse in charge and the float nurse all work in synchronization towards providing respect and support for development of float nurses as specialists with patient-specific expertise and experience. When individual nurses are deployed only to those areas for which they possess the requisite skills, there is mutual benefit for the nurses as well as for the patients to whom they offer their valuable services. Bibliography: American Nurses Association (2005). Utilization guide for the ANA â€Å"Principles for nurse staffing†. Silver Spring, MD: Author Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. (2004). Systems analysis. Ensure that your float staff and contracted staff are providing safe care. Joint Commission Perspectives on Patient Safety, 4(7), 5-6. New York State Nurses Association. (2005). NYSNA position statements, RN staffing effectiveness and nursing shortage. Latham, NY: Author. http://www. nysna. org/programs/nai/practice/positions/floating. htm Kane-Urrabazo, Christine (2006). Said Another Way: Our Obligation to Float. Nursing Forum. Volume 41, Issue 2, Page 95. April 2006. http://www. blackwell-synergy. com/doi/abs/10. 1111/j. 1744-6198. 2006. 00043. x Luongo et al (2004). Connectedness as a Motivator for Nurse Retention at the Bedside. July 24, 2004. Nurse Retention. http://stti. confex. com/stti/inrc15/techprogram/paper_17745. htm Hugonnet et al (2004). Nursing resources: a major determinant of nosocomial infection? Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases. 17(4):329-333, August 2004. Copyright Lippincott Williams Wilkins, Inc. http://www. co-infectiousdiseases. com/pt/re/coinfdis/abstract. 00001432-200408000-00009. htm;jsessionid=FDkbKKGyZ54nPbDSzyJwhhhBs1b8hS866nCYvc8Lxqp2qV1zHRp5! 2082300909! -949856145! 8091! -1 Crimlisk et al (2002). New graduate RNs in a float pool. An inner-city hospital experience. Journal of Nursing Administration. April 2002. 32(4):211-7. http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/entrez/query. fcgi? db=pubmedcmd=Retrievedopt=AbstractPluslist_uids=11984257itool=iconabstrquery_hl=6itool=pubmed_docsum Crimlisk et al (2002). New Graduate RNs in a Float Pool: An Inner-city Hospital Experience. Journal of Nursing Administration. 32(4):211-217, April 2002. http://www. jonajournal. com/pt/re/jona/abstract. 00005110-200204000-00010. htm;jsessionid=FDmP1gHbHHxZW8Rvmffskj9WcBrHyqH9WYdGTLq0ftDVdJyt8141! 2082300909! -949856145! 8091! -1 Dziuba-Ellis, Jennifer (2006). Float Pools and Resource Teams: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Nursing Care Quality. 21(4):352-359, October/December 2006. http://www. jncqjournal. com/pt/re/jncq/abstract. 00001786-200610000-00013. htm;jsessionid=FDmJkWq3P7J4btG4yWyy9L1CdkfnTw61myy60RB4WYG5RFRJ32wy! 2082300909! -949856145! 8091! -1 Badzek et al (1998). Administrative Ethics and Confidentiality Privacy Issues. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. December 31, 1998. Available at http://www. nursingworld. org/ojin/topic8/topic8_2. htm Stone et al (2004). Nurses working conditions: Implications for infectious disease. November 2004. Emerging Infectious Diseases 10(11), pp. 1984-1989. http://www. ahrq. gov/RESEARCH/dec04/1204RA4. htm Herbig, Kelly (2004). The Highs of Floating. Nursing Spectrum. http://nsweb. nursingspectrum. com/cfforms/GuestLecture/HighsOfFloating. cfm Gobis, Linda (2001). The Perils of Floating: When nurses are directed to work outside their areas of expertise. The American Journal of Nursing. September 2001. Volume 101, Issue 9. http://www. nursingworld. org/AJN/2001/sept/Wrights. htm Riba and Reches (2002). When terror is routine: how Israeli nurses cope with multi-casualty terror. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. Vol. #7 No. #3, Manuscript 5. Available: http://www. nursingworld. org/ojin/topic19/tpc19_5. htm Trossman, Susan (1999). Staffing smart: A difficult proposition. American Nurse. Nursing World. 1999. http://nursingworld. org/tan/99janfeb/float. htm. Nursing Report (2001). Report of the Legislative Special Commission on Nursing and Nursing Practice. May 2001. http://www. mass. gov/legis/reports/nursingreport. htm Blythe et al (2005). Full-Time or Part-Time Work in Nursing: Preferences, Tradeoffs and choices. Healthcare Quarterly Vol. 8 No. 3. 2005. Pages 69-77. www. nhsru. com/documents/Full-time%20or%20part-time%20work%20in%20nursing%202005. pdf Hay, Donald and Oken, Donald (1972). The Psychological Stresses of Intensive Care Unit Nursing. Psychosomatic Medicine. Volume 34, No. 2. March/April 1972. www. psychosomaticmedicine. org/cgi/reprint/34/2/109. pdf.

A Probation And Parole Criminology Essay

A Probation And Parole Criminology Essay The idea of the corrections system has been around for a while. Within this system there lies several different types of programs that do not require an offender to be placed in a prison or jail. These programs to allow the offender to remain out in the community, while being closely monitored. The earliest and most common programs are probation and parole. These two programs allow most offenders to be in their normal everyday setting, unless otherwise stated by the judge or probation or parole officer. Usually this is the sentence given to offenders who have a non-violent offense and are less likely to run away. These are the offenders who are seen to be harmful to society. Probation and parole are two of the easiest ways to help with problems within the jail such as overcrowding. Background/History Probation and parole are two of the oldest programs within the corrections system that takes care of non-violent offenders. Before the development of these programs, the offenders would be placed into the same facilities as all the other offenders. This wasnt fair to the offenders, nor was it helpful to the staff there. The actual goal of probation and parole was not to place these people into prisons or jails, but to rehabilitate them while in the care of their community. Probation John Augustus was the father of probation, although there were similar practices around 437 BC. Augustus was your average, everyday man. However, his goal with probation was behavioral reform. He believed that if the system allowed the offender to stay within the community, they would get sort of a second chance. Then, by providing support and guidance from probation officers, the officers may in fact be able to reach the goal of assisting the offender in becoming a law-abiding individual. The word probation actually is a form of the Latin word probatio which mean to test or prove. The individuals who receive probation are called probationers. They are people who have been convicted of a crime and are given this sentence instead of going to jail. Probation officers are the people who supervise them. They are usually court-appointed and must make sure that their probationer follows the rules handed down to them by the court. Parole Parole was first used in Australia and Ireland. It was seen as an award for inmates who were on their best behavior. Parole is a privilege given to an individual when are eligible to parole. This happens after the prisoner receives a minimum or maximum sentence; then they become eligible with the decision of the parole board, which decides whether or not to put them on parole after a consideration hearing. Just like probation, this is a program that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders and getting them back into the community and on the right track. Parole was first introduced in the United States by Brockway Zebulon in 1876 as a way to reduce jail overcrowding. Zebulon also saw this as way to rehabilitate offenders by encouraging them to exhibit good behavior while incarcerated. This allows offenders to be let back into their community after serving a portion of their jail time and live, but under supervision from a Parole Officer. The parole period is based on a decision made by the board of parole. If the offender violates their parole while out, they are then placed back into the prison system. Both Alexander Maconochie and Walter Crofton played important roles in the development of the parole program. Literature Review Probation Evidence of probation goes all the way back to the Middle Ages (Ditton and Ford 1994). During that time, the court systems practiced suspended sentences. The first courts in America allowed these suspended sentences, but not every court used this (Young 1976). All of this occurred before John Augustus idea of probation came about (Ditton and Ford 1994). John Augustus was a local businessman who asked judges to allow him to pay the fines for offenders who had been convicted of minor or non-violent crimes and then allow him to supervise them (Ditton and Ford 1994). After bailing these individuals out, he helped them find jobs and monitored their changes (Young 1976). When it was time for the offender to return to court, Augustus went along and provided the judge with a report on how the offender was progressing. (Ditton and Ford 1994; Young 1976) In 1978, thanks to the success of John Augustus, the first probation law was passed in Massachusetts (Ditton and Ford 1994). However, it wasnt until after Chicago established the first juvenile court that probation became a popular and useful sentencing method (Young 1976). In 1925, the National Probation Act was passed, which ultimately created a probation system for the federal government (Ditton and Ford 1994; Young 1976). By 1956, every state had some form of probation as a sentencing method (Ditton and Ford 1994; Young 1976). There are two main goals established by the probation program. The first is to protect society from additional crime by the offender (Ditton and Ford 1994). The achievement of this goal usually comes through the report of a presentence investigation that is done to determine whether or not the offender is a risk to society (Ditton and Ford 1994). If the information that comes from this report confirm that the offender is in fact not a risk to society then they are sentenced to probation. If the information confirms that the offender is a dangerous offender and may be harmful to their community, then they are usually sentenced to more harsh repercussions (Ditton and Ford 1994). The second goal is to help the offenders (Ditton and Ford 1994). This is done through supervision and management (Ditton and Ford 1994). Probation officers are there to basically watch over the probationers and make sure that they stay away from things that could cause them to reoffend. They also monitor their actions and help keep them from violation rules that have been set as a result of their probation. As far as managing goes, the probation officer is there to lead the offender in the way that they need to go in order not to offend again (Ditton and Ford 1994; Young 1976). They are there to help and ultimately provide the offender with the resources that they need. This actually includes helping them to find employment which is a requirement when on probation. If a probationer violate their probation orders they will have their probation revoked. Their violations fall under one of two types. The first is technical, which is usually defined by minor violations (Ditton and Ford 1994). The second is a re-arrest or new offense (Ditton and Ford 1994). This is serious violation of probation rules. Another offense committed by the offender shows that the individual is not likely to adhere to the probation rules and not prepared to cooperate. These individuals tend to have their probation revoked and end up back in the jail or prison facilities (Ditton and Ford 1994). Over the years, the number of probationers has fluctuated. From 1995 to 2004, the number of individuals on probation rose from 3,077,861 to 4,151,125. This is about a 0.2% change in 2004, the smallest annual growth rate since 1979. In twenty-one states, the adult probation population decreased with Washington State being the only one who saw a double digit decrease. Kentucky, Mississippi, New Mexico, and New Jersey were among the four states who saw an increase of more than 10% in probation population. Since 1990, probationers have accounted for about half the growth of the entire prison population. (Glaze and Palla 2005; Burrell 2005) As with anything, there are problems that occur with probation (Paparozzi and DeMichele 2008). When placed on probation, offenders are expected to follow the guidelines provided to them through the courts (Ditton and Ford 1994). However, we find that they dont always follow the rules and sometimes never get caught or charged. In 2004, in a certain area of Florida, 199,215 individuals were supposed to be on probation in particular month. About one of five offenders had disappeared; out of those left, close to one of four had an active violation report. Nothing was done because a judge stated that it would be hard to do something with each person that had violated their parole. Another problem with probation is that the officers experience heavy caseloads (Paparozzi and DeMichele 2008). They often have to pull overtime in order to keep up. Its hard for the officers to manage all their cases and be sure to keep up with supervising the offenders (Paparozzi and DeMichele 2008). This also tends to be an issue when it comes to parole officers. Parole The parole system goes back to the 1800s when Sir Walter Crofton introduced tickets of leave (Schuessler 1954). He used these to give to prisoners who experienced good behavior in exchange for an early release from prison. Crofton also introduced the idea of intermediate prisons (Schuessler 1954). Inmates could live and work in a supervised manner while carrying out their prison sentence (Schuessler 1954). As for the United States, Brockway Zebulon introduced the idea of the first parole system (Schuessler 1954). Zebulon used the help of volunteer community members to monitor the behavior of the inmates who were released. He wasnt focused on the help of police officers, as he believed they had enough on their plate. As time went on, he used the help of volunteer members who were concerned with the well-being of the individual. By the 1900s this idea had spread and become popular in every state except Virginia, Mississippi, and Florida. (Schuessler 1954; Dressler 1951; Abadinsky 1982) The parole board was established in 1902 (Schuessler 1954). This took the parolees out from under the control of the officers in prisons and allowed the parole board to define the rules and regulations for them (Abadinsky 1982). The board was made of three members; the deputy warden would sit in as the chair person (Abadinsky 1982). Prisoners would come before the board as their behavior was analyzed and the board would determine whether the convict deserved a parole (Schuessler 1954). The parole board established to manage paroles based on the convicts behavior (Virginia General Assembly 1992). However they also had to observe the convicts criminal history, prior supervision opportunities in the community, behavior in the prison during their jail time, and the convicts plans after being released (Abadinsky 1982). During this time, parole officers were introduced into the system. Their job was to monitor parolees once they are released from prison (Virginia General Assembly 1992). In 1910, inmates who were in any US prison received an automatic and equal chance to parole. No parole would be sentenced until the attorney general approves it. For prisoners who were sentenced to a life sentence would be able to go up for parole after 15 years. As a result of all of this, each prison had to hire a parole officer who would supervise the convict and help the parolees get a job. (Schuessler 1954; Dressler 1951; Abadinsky 1982) Within the time of being paroled, just like with probation, the parolee must abide by a set of rules (Schuessler 1954). The must meet with their parole officer at meetings established by the office. The must adhere to all other rules and regulations of being on parole. In the case of any new arrests, the parolee must report this to their parole officer (Schuessler 1954). If the parolee moves, they must make the parole officer aware. This also goes for any change in employment. During this time the officer cannot have any control substances in their possession nor be in the possession of a firearm (Schuessler 1954). Its also recommended that the parolee refrain from associating with individuals that may cause them to reoffend or could possibly get them in trouble in any way (Schuessler 1954). The number of individuals on parole went from 679,421 in 1995 to 765,355 in 2004. Therefore, the Nations parole population grew about 2.7%. This is a huge difference compared to the small growth of probation. A total of about ten states had double-digit increases in their parole population and as few as nine states saw decreases in their parole population. (Glaze and Palla 2005; Burrell 2005) There are numerous problems with the parole system (Paparozzi and DeMichele 2008; DeMichele and Payne 2007). One being the amount of caseload being given to parole officers (Schuessler 1954). The system seems to have a shortage of parole officers leading the ones that there are to have more cases, making it hard for them to keep control of what they have (Paparozzi and DeMichele 2008; DeMichele and Payne 2007). Another problem is the fact that if the individual is a reoffender, the chances of them reoffending is greater than those of a first-time offender (Schuessler 1954). This is true because the US has seen a high rate in recidivism over time. There is not much that can be done due to the lack of personnel. Probation and Parole Officers Basically, probation and parole officers serve the same duties. They are supposed to supervise and manage the offenders. This allows them to be case workers as well as law enforcers because they have to make sure the offenders dont break any laws. Some will argue that supervision is the most important aspect of the job. (DeMichele and Payne 2007) Probation and parole officer have several duties they must attend to. They conduct home visits, perform curfew checks and verify with the employer of the offender is actually employed. They also help the offender get into treatment facilities if they need it. Thats just a few of the duties that these officers accomplish. (Dressler 1951; Schuessler 1954) In order to became a probation or parole officer you must go through specialized training at a Peace Officer Standards and Training facility. Once this training is completed, they become POST certified peace officers. These officers must take part in quarterly training classes in a variety of areas concerning their job. Difference between probation and parole Most people think that probation and parole are the same thing. The have the same goal as to rehabilitate offenders, but they play two different roles. Probation is basically an extension to the offenders sentence, while parole is a reward given to prisoners for good behavior (Dressler 1951). Parole lessens the amount of time the individuals serves in prison (Dressler 1951). Probation is a sentence handed directly to the offender from the judge, but a parole board is in charge of the decision to grant an offender with parole (Dressler 1951). When it comes to parole, the judge has no say, the decision is left up to the parole board in the prison facility (Dressler 1951; Abadinsky 1982). Parolees are eligible for parole after they have served the minimum prison sentence that has been handed down to them (Abadinsky 1982). The board at this point determines whether or not the individual receives parole (Dressler 1951). As far as probation goes, this is based on the judges decision after determining the seriousness of the crime and whether or not the individual is likely to reoffend within the probationary period (Dressler 1951). Society on Probation and Parole Those within the community have mixed reactions about these programs. Most feel as if it is a good thing to try and rehabilitate these offenders. However, they are unsure how they feel about this individuals having contact within the community. They feel as if these individuals have already offended, that there is not much to keep them from offending again. As far as offenders are concerned, those who serve jail time are able sort of network within the prison walls. They develop these relationships with other prisoners that lead them back where they began. These relationships allow them to establish other relationships out in the community with other criminals or deviant individuals. This is not the case all the time, but for a majority of the time, this is the case. Some members of society realize this and begin to worry what could come of these relationships and networks that have been made. When an offender is released back into society, they have to learn how to control what happens as a result of being labeled. As an offender enters the prison system, they become labeled as an offender. This label then makes it hard for them to find employment, as well as make changes that lead and keep them on the right path. There are individuals who are willing to help these offenders, but most fear their past. This is when the help of the parole or probation officer comes into play. Its their job to help these individual get jobs or get into rehab or even continue with their education. More than likely, if an offender reoffends, its because they are unable to establish a place in society that keeps them busy. Idle hands are the devils workshop which means anyone who has free time to waste is more likely to offend than someone who is constantly doing something. Conclusion The jobs of being a probation or parole officer is not easy. On a day to day basis they have to deal with keeping track and supervising individual, as well as possibly receiving more individuals. Their job is already hard enough with making sure their probationers and parolees are following the rules, but when you have multiple things tend to get tricky. These officers are underappreciated. They are also often taken advantage of. These people come into these positions to help people. Thats why they choose this career, to try and make a difference in ones life. These two programs are very useful within our correction system. They provide for means of rehabilitation just as their founders wished they would. They also save tax payers a great deal of money. Prison overcrowding cause the tax payers of America to have to fork over more money to support the funding of prison and jail facilities. With probation and parole programs having been founded, we are able to save money and alleviate the crowding in these correctional facilities. Although they are not all fail proof, they do help.

Paralysis in Dubliners

Paralysis in Dubliners Joyce in his letter to Grant Richards said, I chose Dublin for the scene because that city seemed to me the centre of paralysis. The first thing that one has to engage with is, why Joyce felt that Dublin was the centre of paralysis. What were his reasons for thinking and feeling that Dublin was suffering from this paralytic state? It is important not to overlook some of the main issues that Dublin was facing at the time Joyce wrote Dubliners. Joyce wrote this book during the Irish Literary renaissance. One of the main reasons for this renaissance was for the Irish to show that they could be independent from Britain. Joyce wrote Dubliners at a time when Ireland was under the British rule, the Irish were governed and had no independence. The novel, Dubliners was a way to show the people of Dublin what they seemed to be missing, they were not aware of this paralytic state they had fallen into. Throughout the book most of the main characters in the stories has an epiphany; this was Joyce s way of helping the people of Dublin become aware of this state they had fallen into and help them snap out of this paralysis. This was one of the main reasons Joyce wrote about Dublin and the paralytic state. The people of Dublin according to Joyce were not able to move forward, they were being hindered from making progress. Joyce was trying to show them that if they did not make a change and move on then they will forever remain in this paralytic state with no future. This idea is reinforced by Joyce himself, when he was writing the letters to Richards; he mentions that his intention is not only to write a satire about Ireland but to liberate his country. Joyce also emphasised the point that the people of Ireland need to have a good look at themselves in order to see that they are stuck in this paralytic state. Joyce believed that Dubliners would be that foundation which will make the Irish public see their inadequacies. (Paul Delany, Joyces Political Development and the Aestheti c of Dubliners.) The essay will engage with this theme of paralysis in Joyces Dubliners. It will not only engage with the theme of paralysis but also some of the other underlying themes as well; the themes of religion and family. The theme of paralysis is clear throughout Dubliners, this feeling of paralysis is felt by all the characters in each of the stories. This idea and theme of paralysis in Dublin and Ireland can be seen as Joyces personal view of the city when he lived there, or it can be Joyces view of the other people living in Dublin from the outside. This essay will look at two stories from Dubliners, The Sisters and Eveline. It will engage with the stories and look at how each of the two stories tie in with the theme of paralysis. This essay will discuss how the main protagonists paralysis links back to the main issue at the heart of Dublin. All of Joyces characters have the instinct to bring a change in their lives, to move above and beyond this paralytic state they hav e been stuck in. Each of the stories hints at paralysis, the theme of paralysis is evident from the very start in The Sisters. Each story has aspects of paralysis some subtle and some are in plain black and white. For instance in The Sisters, the reader is made aware of the paralysis from the very first page in the story; Every night as I gazed up at the window I said softly the word paralysis. (Joyce, J. Dubliners, p1). One can clearly see that Joyce wastes little time in introducing the theme of paralysis; by doing this it leaves no doubt in the readers mind that this is Joyces intention. The very first line of the story is written in capital letters, this shows that Joyce is getting straight to the point. THERE WAS NO HOPE for him this time:, (Joyce, J. Dubliners, p1). This very first line sets the scene for the rest of the story, Joyce begins with this line to show that there may have previously been hope for Father Flynn; but now it is too late now there is no hope for him. In baseball a third s trike means that the batter is out; he has no more chances. This same principle can also be related to Father Flynn and the Catholic Church. It can also be seen as Joyces way of telling the readers that the Church has no hope there is nothing that can be done, it is too late and that the people of Dublin need to wake up and see that they are living in a vicious circle. This circle that they are living in cant be undone unless they strike out and make a change for themselves. In this first story The Sisters, a boy who lives with his aunt and uncle starts to assess his relationship with a priest, Father Flynn. After having his third stroke Father Flynn is left paralysed. The boy walks past the priests house to see if two candles have been lit, which would signify that the priest had died. One night when the boy comes down for supper he hears of the news that Father Flynn has passed away through Old Cotter who is a family friend. Whilst the boy who remains nameless throughout the story is eating his supper he observes the conversation his uncle and Old Cotter are having. Old Cotter speaks of the reservations which he had about the priest, there was something queer, something uncanny about him (Joyce, J. Dubliners p.1). Old Cotter questions the relationship between the boy and the priest, I wouldnt like children of mine, to have too much to say to a man like that. (Joyce, J. Dubliners p.2). The same night the boy has a dream in which he sees the old priest confessing. The boy later has a moment in which he has an epiphany, he feels that the priests death has freed him, I felt even annoyed at discovering in myself a sensation of freedom as if I had been freed from something by his death. (Joyce, J. Dubliners p.3). In this story it is easy to see the theme of religion along the theme of paralysis. It can also be said that the boy in the story represents Ireland and Father Flynn is a representation of the Catholic Church. The boy can be seen as being paralysed becaus e of the control and influence Father Flynn had over him. He was subservient to the priest, the boy mentions how we would run small errands for the priest, I who emptied the packet into his black snuff-box.(Joyce, J. Dubliners p.3). The main reason Joyce seemed to be attacking the church was mainly because Joyce felt that the church had too much control over the people of Dublin and Ireland in general. This point is backed by the fact that the boy feels free once the priest passes away. He no longer feels trapped and paralysed. So, why did Joyce feel that the church was one of the reasons for the paralysis of the Irish people? Religion was a really important part of Ireland at the time Joyce wrote Dubliners; this was also the time that Ireland was trying to break away from the British rule. Joyce felt that the affiliation between Ireland and the Church hindered the possibility of Ireland becoming free from Britain. Joyce is quoted as saying that, The soul of the country is weakened by centuries of useless struggle and broken treaties, and individual initiative is paralysed by the influence and admonitions of the church. (Paul Delany, Joyces Political Development and the Aesthetic of Dubliners.p257). Here it is c lear to see that Joyce feels that the people of Ireland are being held back by the church, not only Ireland as a whole but each individual person living in Ireland. These people are being shackled by the Church, these individuals are being hindered by the Church to achieve great things and reach their true potential. This point is supported by the boys paralysis in the story, the boy feels a sense of freedom once Father Flynn dies. The boy has an epiphany he sees that he is no longer paralysed by the priest. Joyces motive for this story was so that all the readers would also have an epiphany and would see, that much like the boy in the story they are also shackled and paralysed by the state and predominantly the Church. Joyce uses the boy in the story to symbolise the future generations of Ireland; the boys and girls who could lead Ireland to great things. It is clear to see that the boy is paralysed by the priest. How is the priest paralysing the boy? The boy is paralysed through the teachings of Father Flynn. The readers are made aware that the boy and Father Flynn spent considerable amount of time together, The old chap taught him a great deal. Joyce is showing the readers that the boy is paralysed by the teachings of the priest; albeit he is learning much but this is paralysing him from living his childhood. By spending a great deal of time together the boy is being moulded in a way that the Church wants him to live and behave; the boy is losing his own free-will. What does Father Flynns death in the story signify? As mentioned before, Father Flynn can be seen as a personification of the entire Catholic Church; his death enables the boy to feel free, to become free. This is Joyces way of telling the people of Dublin that they can also become free, but they have to sever their relationship with the Church. The second story this essay will engage with is, Eveline. This story can be seen as the one which is the most direct when it comes to engaging with the theme of paralysis. In this story the main protagonist, Eveline can be said to be one of the very few characters in the novel who actually comes the closest to breaking free from her paralysis. The story is about a girl called Eveline, living at home with her father. Eveline has a lover named Frank, she had the chance to start afresh with him by leaving the city. Throughout the story Eveline is fighting with the idea of whether to leave or to stay. Like most of the other characters Eveline also has an epiphany, she finally decides to go with Frank, this brings a great deal of joy to her; knowing she can start a new life with someone she loves to leave the hard punishing life behind. This all changes once she has to act on her decision, when the moment comes to board the ship with Frank she freezes. Evelines paralytic state is best des cribed by the final few sentences in the story. The sentence, She set her white face to him, passive, like a helpless animal. (Joyce, J. Dubliners p.26). This line epitomises the state of paralysis perfectly, Eveline becomes so paralysed that she loses the ability to even show emotions. To some extent she can be seen to go into a robotic state were she is unaware of anything going on around her. If Eveline decided to go with Frank this would have been the biggest decision she has made in her whole life; why does she decide to go what is keeping her from going, what is paralysing Eveline? Is it simply the prospect of change is scaring her? Scared of what may happen if she chooses to make a change in her life? By deciding not to go, Eveline remains paralysed by her old life, she has the chance to break the shackles of the city and to begin a new life. Is she simply just scared to leave, scared of change? It is possible to simply think that she is scared of change but there is also the other underlying theme in this story, which is family. Evelines refusal to make a change can be seen as the result of her feeling the need, feeling the responsibility of taking care of her father. She made a promise to her dying mother to take care of her siblings and her father, to keep the family together. Her duty to her father supersedes her longing for a new life. Eveline is paralysed by her family, city, environment; she is also paralysed by the potential guilt she would feel is she did decide to leave her family. She is paralysed by her surroundings, even when she believes in herself to bring about change she still remains paralysed. This is exactly what Joyce was trying to show the readers, the people of Ireland. Joyce was trying to show them that they will forever remain stuck with their paralysis until they actually make a change. Simply wanting to make a change is not enough, Joyce feels that they need to act upon their dreams and aspirations for a better life. At the en d of the story Eveline is depicted to the readers as a, helpless animal. This shows the reader that Eveline has been stripped of her human emotions, the paralysis has sapped her of all human capabilities. Joyce further highlights Evelines miserable existence and paralysis by giving her a means of escape in the story but then taking that away from her. She is given a chance of escaping but Joyce in his style of scrupulous meanness decides to show the readers that she is not able to leave even when she is given the chance to do so. (Delany, P. Joyces Political Development and the Aesthetic of Dubliners). To conclude, the main aim of this essay was to engage and discuss the theme of paralysis including the themes of religion and family; to see how Joyce engages with these themes in the two stories and what was his reasons and aims for doing this were. Joyce achieves his aim of showing the Dubliners that they are paralysed; he does this by showing the paralysis of Dublin through fictional characters but with a great deal of realism; he chooses to do this in order to show the severity of the paralysis.

Case #1- Toyota :: essays research papers

Toyota Revs up U.S. Sales Threats: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Japanese market is getting more competitive and Toyota is loosing sales to Nissan and Honda. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chevrolet and Ford are selling better in the U.S. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The â€Å"Toyota takeover† is not assured. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Japanese manufactures gaining a foothold in the US market. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American companies are working to update the styling of their cars. Opportunities: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Exploiting the U.S. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Attaining more local managers in order to Americanize. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Import taxes and current risk are reduced by manufacturing 2/3 of the cars U.S. and keeping revenues and expenses in U.S. dollars. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Spending salaries on 123,000 American employees at their facilities. Strengths: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Understanding the US consumer needs and wants. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Toyota will likely pass Ford’s sales in the near future. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Known for their effectiveness in long-term planning. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not as dependant on Japan anymore. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Utilizing American designers to compete effectively in the U.S. market. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The American competitors have been slow to respond to Toyota’s threat. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The development of a car powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a company, Toyota is beginning to set better long-term goals. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Getting accepted as an â€Å"American Brand† Weaknesses: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the beginning, Toyota had a very conservative approach to goals. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Failure to recognize a market opportunity to introduce a full-size truck. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Slowing economies in Southeastern Asian countries. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Loosing money in Japanese market. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Traditionalists inside Toyota do not like where the company is headed and want to stick to old ways. Ford 2 Toyota uses a multi-domestic strategy in their U.S. auto division. The company is international and caters to each country’s needs in which they do business. For example, in the U.S., Toyota has hired designers and managers in order to gain a better understanding of what Americans want. The cars Americans are buying today were manufactured here in the U.S. Thus, Toyota has kept their headquarters in Japan but is catering to consumers using different products and marketing strategies throughout the world while not treating the globe as a whole. This decision was based on information from the book as well as class lectures on chapter 8. According to the textbook, it seems quite possible for Toyota to achieve their corporate goals.

Beer Pong for Dummies :: Research Papers

Beer Pong for Dummies Throughout the many years, college students have engaged in many activities to either entertain themselves or pass endless time. These activities have ranged from sports, either intramural or varsity, to various clubs and organizations devoted to students personal interests. While these have sparked interest and lasted a long time, none has exceeded the expectations of the wonderful game of beer pong. As I began to think about ways on approaching this topic I became very excited, but realized that all my information could not be displayed all at the same time. So I decided to take things easy and introduce the topic on a level where everyone can relate to it. My search began the night I received this assignment. I went to the search engine we all know and use so well, Yahoo, and began my search from there. When I typed in the words beer pong into the search box, I received almost two hundred thousand related links. I became even more pleased with this result, knowing that there was so much to tell. Eventually I came across a catching site, known as the National Beer Pong League. There is something of this nature that exists? I wondered so I clicked. Since my exploration I began to find out interesting information about the National Beer Pong League. According to a question and answer section with the founder of the site and group, the league has been around for about a good fifteen years, but just recently they have started to get some recognition. By means of recognition I mean, the government has acknowledged their league and their website has been up and running for the past three years, summer of 2001. The league overall was created by a student attending the prestigious Duke University. In an interview with the founder he states that he started playing and gaining an interest in beer pong â€Å"about Jr. or Sr. year of high school†. Can you believe that he was pre-gamming it before he even stepped on a college campus? That goes to show he started to develop his skills to demonstrate to others. As the founder created this site, the founders name is Jason; his intent was to inform people of the game and also to get a larger fan base than it had already. This site has recognized various ways of playing beer pong, and also he has included a total of fifteen colleges who have been recognized for their school way of playing beer pong, now that’s what I call some good school spirit. Beer Pong for Dummies :: Research Papers Beer Pong for Dummies Throughout the many years, college students have engaged in many activities to either entertain themselves or pass endless time. These activities have ranged from sports, either intramural or varsity, to various clubs and organizations devoted to students personal interests. While these have sparked interest and lasted a long time, none has exceeded the expectations of the wonderful game of beer pong. As I began to think about ways on approaching this topic I became very excited, but realized that all my information could not be displayed all at the same time. So I decided to take things easy and introduce the topic on a level where everyone can relate to it. My search began the night I received this assignment. I went to the search engine we all know and use so well, Yahoo, and began my search from there. When I typed in the words beer pong into the search box, I received almost two hundred thousand related links. I became even more pleased with this result, knowing that there was so much to tell. Eventually I came across a catching site, known as the National Beer Pong League. There is something of this nature that exists? I wondered so I clicked. Since my exploration I began to find out interesting information about the National Beer Pong League. According to a question and answer section with the founder of the site and group, the league has been around for about a good fifteen years, but just recently they have started to get some recognition. By means of recognition I mean, the government has acknowledged their league and their website has been up and running for the past three years, summer of 2001. The league overall was created by a student attending the prestigious Duke University. In an interview with the founder he states that he started playing and gaining an interest in beer pong â€Å"about Jr. or Sr. year of high school†. Can you believe that he was pre-gamming it before he even stepped on a college campus? That goes to show he started to develop his skills to demonstrate to others. As the founder created this site, the founders name is Jason; his intent was to inform people of the game and also to get a larger fan base than it had already. This site has recognized various ways of playing beer pong, and also he has included a total of fifteen colleges who have been recognized for their school way of playing beer pong, now that’s what I call some good school spirit.

Influences on Belizean Youths

Influences on Belizean Youths As we the year passes by it is less common to see any youth showing how proud they are of their culture by dressing and practicing the aspects that their culture represents. It is more common to see the influences that other countries have brought into our country and which have caused a cultural erasure especially in the lives of us the young one. However, society tends to see these changes and take in mind as it doesn’t affect our origins and from where we initiated. Presently today it is very rare to see any youth dressing according to their culture, listening to cultural music and eating cultural food that once used to be the delicacy and cuisine of Belize. For the way of dressing of the youths in Belize, there is more skinny jeans and miniskirts than garifuna headbands and maya mipils. The clothing used here in our country has been influenced by the clothing weared in the United States or other foreign countries. It is visible anywhere because the only ones wearing cultural dressings are the elderly who live in villages but rarely anyone living in towns and in the city. At school you can see that every youth will be dressing fashion according to other societies of the foreign. Now a day’s young girls and boys only speak about Emporio Armani and E- hardy. At stores you can see that there are only important clothing brands on sale of which the designers are foreign and very famous. Music plays an important role for a young adult because that is the way they identify themselves. In this generation most youngsters will listen to hip-hop, rap, regeaton, rock, reage, etc. but for sure never any Rancheras. The closest cultural music found in our country is Punta. Closest I say because today Punta has been mixed with foreign music in order to form Punta rock. The present artists in our country would be Supa-G, Gilhary 7 and Youth Connection Band, which all of them base their music in Punta. Also the influence of music can be seen in our same Belizean arists. Those who participate in Duets and K-TV Latino would only perform foreign songs and never any cultural presentation. It is sadly that our most famous artist, Andy Palacio, who stuck to his culture and sang in Garifuna his Punta songs, has passed away. Will there be any other who would want to follow Andy’s example? Even the food here in Belize has changed as the years passes by. The influences in Belizean diets comes from England, the US and Mexico especially for the youths. At school you can see that students prefer to buy food that is not Belizean such as enchiladas and quesadillas. The most common Belizean cousin that has not lost popularity in our country is the rice and beans although some still prefer Chinese burger or fry chicken. It is true that foreign cousins have a delicious flavor and are very appetizing but so is the food prepared that once our elderly used to cook for us, being 100% Belizean. Belize is a very beautiful home land for us Belizeans and we should appreciate such heritage given to us by our ethnic groups. It is very clear that our culture is being left behind and that the influences of other countries are impacting our youths. The way they dress, the music they listen to and the food they eat all can be seen that there is foreign influence. Belizean youth must not forget that they form part of an ethnic group and that they represent the future of Belize so if they forget their origins so will Belizean history.

Home School vs Public School Essay

Home school and public school is a debated subject. Parents are disputing whether home school education or a public school education is more beneficial for their child. An education that fits the needs of a child is important; that’s why there are things to be considered when choosing an educational path for a child. Certainly in a public school setting a parent should take note that their children is in a better learning environment to have and gain social diversity. Whereas in a homeschool setting they won’t have that face-to face interaction with other children of different cultures and races. Exposing a child to diversity at an early age helps to shape them into more accepting people, and they would be less likely to shy away from new things. Exposure to different cultures and religions is different in a home school setting. The child doesn’t get to shake the other persons hand or speak to them to know that they sound a little different and things like that spark their curiosity to ask questions and find out more about the differences and why. The only socialization the child receives is that pertaining to extracurricular activities after their home school cessation such as karate or soccer. Getting a grip on social diversity at an early age can help a child to create new ideas and change that can be beneficial to society and the world. Assuredly another thing to consider is the horrible truth about negative peer pressure and how it is more present in public school than in home school. This is one of the main reasons parents decide that home school is better for their child and it’s understandable. However, peer pressure won’t just fade into the background. It’s talked about in the newspaper and as well as on television, how children succumb to the peer pressure and in the end takes their own life and sometimes the lives of others. Although parents choose to home school their child, it doesn’t make the threat go away or remove it. If a parent is deciding that a home school education is better for their child because of peer pressure then, they should also be aware that they are sheltering the child from the harsh reality of the world. It won’t benefit the child is he/she is sheltered from it and never explained what it is or what it even sounds like. That child will grow up and get out in the world and doesn’t understand why some people aren’t very nice or single them out of the crowd. A parent should take the time to understand for themselves what peer pressure is, what the cause is, and how to deal with it. The parents should also take the time to teach their child how to avoid it. Once a parent has enough knowledge on peer pressure, they can explain it to the child and give them a understanding so they are not left in the dark no matter what educational path is chosen. Although there are many pros and cons about home school and public school, one of the biggest benefits of home schooling is the student/ teacher ratio. The teacher has more time for each individual student, therefore meaning they have time for increasing their learning. Its easier to create a focused learning environment without distractions and interruptions. In public schools, there are at least 20 to 30 students to one teacher, therefore, those distractions and interruptions are present. This makes it difficult for the child to focus and gain the knowledge needed to have success in the world. Unquestionably within a home school setting, a child can receive a customized education. Some children struggle with math or reading. Some kids have giftedness in science or history. No matter what their struggle or giftedness may be, home schooling permits the child and the parent to customize the education to maximize learning, get past and strengthen and weaknesses, and provide focus for those things that the child has a special interest in. The way that homeschool is placed is beneficial to a child that has needs concerning an education. For example, a child that has trouble focusing because they feel bored. A curriculum centered on a favorite subject would help. In public school, the curriculum is set and there really is no changing that fact. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it could teach a child that sometimes you don’t always get a choice and that’s okay. In conclusion many parents want the best educational path for their child. Whether that be in a homeschool setting where they can choose the child’s curriculum or in a public school setting where the child will have more of a chance to be socially diverse. No matter which option of an education is chosen, the parent will realize that all things must be considered when deciding on a good and healthy education for their child.