Causes, Solutions to Child Violence Presented in Xlibris Title

Columbine and Virginia Tech are names of the most infamous cases of school violence to happen in the US in the last 10 years. The occurrence of these and other incidences of school shootings have left administrators and parents concerned about school safety.

With the recent shooting of a 15-year-old boy in E.O. Green Junior High School in California by another eighth-grader, and the killing of five students by an unidentified gunman in a Northern Illinois University lecture hall, echoes of the Virginia Tech massacre and the Columbine killings resurface and, again, raises the issue of safety – and guns – in schools.

While some of the school shootings are perpetrated by adults, many are carried out by teenage students who attend the respective schools where the violence takes place. This poses the question of the moral and psychological conditions of today’s youth and other external factors that would lead them to commit acts of violence.

Psychologist and author Michael Sefton addresses these issues and more in his Xlibris published book, “The Evil that Kids Do.” Taking a clinician’s view of deviant child behavior, Sefton digs deep and exposes the underpinnings of childhood violence. He points out at the beginning of his book that today’s children experience more stress and live more complex lives than their “baby boomer” parents did, and may be one of the reasons that fuel aggression in kids.

Sefton also points out specific issues (such as divorce and abuse) and practical ones (like having mentors and parent-school partnerships) in order to present a well-rounded analysis of violent behavior in children.

The Evil that Kids Do breaks down the different stages of child development, identifies key factors that shape a child’s perceptions and belief systems, and provides specific recommendations for change. This self-published book should be on the desk of every teacher, school administrator, principal, guidance counselor and parent, if they are to be equipped to handle – and curb – child aggression.

Michael Sefton’s The Evil that Kids Do is available on the Xlibris and Amazon online bookstores.

Tips on Raising Kids Presented in Xlibris Parenting Book

An article on parenting posted at the Jamaican Gleaner News website states that the only job description parents get about raising children is that things can go wrong at anytime and parents are the only one responsible for it. Even so, the article provides some handy pointers for raising children.

Allison Anderson, chief executive officer of the Child Development Authority, named self-control, communication with children, affirmation of their worth, and prayer among the strategies parents can use in bringing up kids. Anderson put emphasis on parents setting an example of proper behavior for their children to follow.

Psychologist and counselor David Posipanka echoes similar tips and suggestions in his Xlibris published book, “The Book to Help Parents Raise Better-Behaved Kids”. With the intent of helping parents achieve their goal of raising well-behaved children, Posipanka takes a psychological and educational approach in presenting parental strategies for teaching new skills, replacing undesired behaviors with desired ones, and disciplining children through their every day and important aspects of their lives.

The Book to Help Parents Raise Better-Behaved Kids is an invaluable resource for parents of children of any age, especially families with hectic lives. This self-published book is also highly recommended for field workers, who counsel children and parents in an in-home setting.

The Book to Help Parents Raise Better-Behaved Kids is available online at the Xlibris.com bookstore.

Effects of Nicotine on Sleep, Human Behavior Analyzed in Xlibris Release

“Smoking is dangerous to your health.” This warning found in cigarette boxes is not for naught and a recent study published in the February issue of Chest suggests yet another ill effect of smoking. According to Dr. Naresh M. Punjabi and his research colleagues, smoking can cause poor sleep quality.

Punjabi, one of the authors of the study, points out that those who smoke are more likely to feel tired when awake and they spend less time in deep sleep than those who do not smoke. This can be attributed to the fact that smokers go through nicotine withdrawal each night, therefore causing sleep disturbances.

Sleep patterns between 40 smokers and 40 nonsmokers were observed and the researches noted that 22.5 percent of smokers lack restful sleep, compared with only 5 percent of nonsmokers. The study also indicated that the effects of nicotine are strongest in the early stages of sleep, decreasing when the sleep cycle progresses.

Although this study may be the most recent one to make the connection between smoking and sleep quality, previous research has already charted the influence of nicotine on sleep.

In the Xlibris book “Advances in Nicotine Research: a Century of Progress, 1900-1999”, pharmacology and toxicology professors Peter P. Rowell and Laurence A. Carr chronicle the breakthroughs made in the 1900s in understanding the actions of nicotine, the most widely used drug in the world. Everything from the initial use of nicotine as a therapeutic agent, its chemical make up, its distribution to the brain, to its metabolism and elimination from the body is taken up in this self-published book.

Advances in Nicotine Research also follows the progression of the research on nicotine from the mid-1900s and onward, presenting significant discoveries about the drug and its effects on neurotransmitters in the brain. Rowell and Carr then address the way nicotine influences cognitive and non-cognitive behavior such as sleep, learning, muscle activity and self-administration.

Finally, Rowell and Carr conclude their research by categorizing the advances made in understanding the contribution of nicotine to tobacco use and cigarette smoking – further painting a not so lovely image of how this drug affects human behavior.

More on the interesting and informative Advances in Nicotine Research can be found at the Amazon and Xlibris online bookstores.

Author Offers an Insider’s View of Professional Football in Xlibris Title

The outcome of last Sunday’s National Football League championship game – where the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots – will go down in history not only as the most-watched football event but also as one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history.

The Giants’ 17-14 victory over the Patriots has become a major point of discussion between avid football fans, sports commentators, the media and even politicians. It has also made the Giants bigger heroes in their hometown, New York, where they have been given a rare tickertape victory parade.

While the results of Super Bowl XLII may have surprised many in the sports industry, former quarterback and football official Fred Wyant may have anticipated the coming of last Sunday’s upset – or some such surprises in the NFL.

The Xlibris book, “Offsides! – Fred Wyant's Provocative Look Inside the National Football League“, presents Wyant as a reliable insider who knows the ins and outs of professional football. Author Rene A. Henry leans heavily on Wyant’s 19-year experience as an official in the NFL as he takes a deeper look into the world and culture of the National Football League.

Henry compiles his interviews of several football players, coaches and officials to reinforce Wyant’s comments on the issues and situations that make up the wide range scenarios in the NFL. Among the points raised in this self-published book are the existence of role models in professional football, the importance of instant replay, the reliability of sports announcers, and the credibility of NFL officials.

Offsides! is laden with funny anecdotes, details of the responsibilities of football officials and descriptions of the more than 1,500 decisions each member of the crew faces in every game. This is also a great read for NFL aficionados who want to get deeper into the world of pro football – and perhaps get a heads up on yet another possible upset in the Super Bowl.

Offsides! is a self-published release authored by Rene A. Henry, and is available on Amazon.com and on the Xlibris online bookstore.

Xlibris Title Explains the Intricacies of Suicide

Recent information from Army internal briefing papers indicated that there has been an increase in suicide rates among United States soldiers. Data showed that in 2007 as many as 121 Army soldiers have committed suicide, which is 20 percent higher from the previous year.

The suicide rate is said to be the highest in 30 years since records began. Of the 121 deaths that happened in the past year, 34 occurred while the soldiers were in deployment in Iraq. Army officials also said that there was an increase of attempted suicides and self-harm: from 500 in 2002 to 2,100 in 2007.

Psychiatry consultant to the army surgeon general Colonel Elspeth Ritchie enumerated personal relationships, legal and financial problems and the stress of their jobs have been main factors in soldiers' suicides.

While the army is yet to make these findings final, the occurrence of suicide in the armed forces – or anywhere else for that matter – is a something that needs a thorough assessment and understanding. This is where Federico Sanchez and his Xlibris published book “Suicide Explained: A Neuropsychological Approach” comes in.

As the title suggests, Suicide Explained explains the intricacies of suicide, giving readers a clear idea of the magnitude of the problem. Sanchez goes directly to the important aspect by reviewing current psychiatric terminology and the diagnostic tools concerning mental disorders. The author presents the most accepted current theories and models of suicide to provide help for professionals who deal with mental disorders in general and suicide in particular.

Sanchez gives a few words of advice on various therapies and the rationality of their approaches and cautions against their limitations. Suicide Explained closes with important suggestions on how to lessen suicide rates, particularly among the young – and in this case, soldiers in the US Army.

This self-published release is an invaluable read for survivors of suicide who want to understand why it happens, and it is helpful for anyone suffering mental disorders. Suicide Explained is available at the Amazon and Xlibris online bookstores.