Understanding the Roles of Context,Frequency, and Quantity of Alcohol Consumption in Child Physical Abuse: Risks for Mothers and Fathers

Alcohol use is related to child physical abuse, although little is known about gender-specific risks factors. This study examines the relationships between alcohol outlets, context-specific drinking, dose–response drinking and child physical abuse for mothers and fathers. Telephone interviews were conducted with 1973 female and 1050 male respondents in 50 California cities. Weighted negative binomial models were used to calculate the frequency of physical abuse in the past year. Drinking more often at restaurants was related to higher frequency of physical abuse for fathers, while mothers who drank more frequently at bars and parties used physical abuse more often. There were no significant dose–response drinking relationships for fathers. Drinking higher amounts at bars, parties, and restaurants was associated with less frequent physical abuse for mothers. Our findings suggest that a focus on drinking contexts may reveal heightened risk for many mothers who do not consume large amounts of alcohol.     

Psychic investment in cruelty: three parables on race and imprisoning the mentally ill

Drawing on ethnographic and activist work in New York, I analyze three contemporary cases of mentally ill people charged violent crimes. State violence against them can be characterized as a differential and differentiated set of racial and gendered practices. The case studies offer something between a parable, a field report, and a cautionary tale of the dystopian tendencies already embedded within the criminal justice system in the United States. Based on these cases, I will argue that despite recent liberal reform, scant evidence suggests any deep shift in the web of agencies that pipe people, especially the mentally ill, into prison and jail, or a shift in the cruel and humiliating practices these agencies embody. For the society to achieve what Du Bois called an abolition democracy, the affective infrastructure and psychic investment in debasing subordinated others would have to be abolished.     

Perceived and Observed Maternal Relationship Quality Predict Sexual Debut by Age 15

Early sexual behaviors during adolescence have the potential to lead to unhealthy outcomes. This study explored the association between specific dimensions of maternal relationship quality and adolescent sexual debut by age 15. We hypothesized that adolescents who have poor maternal relationships are at greater risk of early sexual debut than those who have a more supportive relationship. These hypotheses were examined using both adolescents’ perception of their maternal relationship quality and observed relationship quality. A sample of 268 adolescents (142 girls; 90% European American) were followed longitudinally from age 13 to age 15. The results indicate that adolescents with sexual debut by age 15 report significantly worse relationships with their mothers compared with other adolescents. Furthermore, behavioral observations of lower maternal support and higher observed displays of externalizing affect towards the mother also were related to early sexual debut. The significance of maternal relationship quality remained after controlling for family structure, race, and socioeconomic status. These findings suggest that mothers have a significant role in the timing of their adolescents’ sexual debut.     

Transgender Family Law

Transgender people face unique issues in parentage, custody, and divorce cases. Many transgender people are raising children or wish to do so. This article examines the main legal issues facing transgender people who become parents by giving birth or impregnating a partner, through assisted reproduction, through marriage, by raising a child, or through adoption. In the past, some courts viewed a parent's gender transition as a sufficient reason to terminate parental rights. Today, the law has shifted to provide much more security for transgender parents, though significant bias still remains, particularly in divorce and child custody cases. In addition, many states have not yet fully addressed how to determine the legal parentage of children born through assisted reproduction. I analyze the legal landscape for transgender parents and spouses and offer critical suggestions to ensure that transgender people are able to protect their families and their parental rights.     

Regent developments in Anatolia and the Caucasus

Saudi Arabia. By H. St. John Philby. London : Ernest Benn. 1955. Pp. 393 + xix. Ill. 30s.

Representative Government in South‐East Asia. By Professor Rupert Emerson. Institute of Pacific Relations. 1955. Pp. 192. Index. $3.50.

Liang Ch'i Ch'ao and the Mind of Modern China. By Joseph R. Levenson. Harvard University Press. 1953. (Harvard Historical Monographs XXVI.)

Chinese Calligraphy. An Introduction to its Æsthetic and Technique. By Chiang Yee. 2nd edition, with a Preface by Sir Herbert Read. London : Methuen. 1954. Pp. xvi +230; 6 plates and 155 text illustrations. 30s.

Western Enterprise in Far Eastern Economic Development: China and Japan. By G. C. Allen and Audrey G. Donnithorne. George Allen and Unwin, Ltd. 1954. Pp. 253.

Shanghai: Key to Modern China. By Rhoads Murphey. Harvard university Press. 1953. Distributed in U.K. by Oxford University Press. Pp. 246, and maps. 36s.

The Prospects for Communist China. By W. W. Rostov and others at the Centre for International Studies, Mass. London : Chapman and Hall. 1954. Pp. 400; inside cover maps and index.

Government and Administration in Communist China. By S. B. Thomas. Institute of Pacific Relations, New York. Pp. 196.

The Wise Man from the West. By Vincent Cronin. Rupert Hart‐Davis. 1955. 300 pp. Ill. 18s.

Stalin's Russia and After. By Harrison Salisbury. London : Macmillan. 1955. Pp. 329. 21S.

The Red Carpet. By Marshall MacDuffie. Cassell and Co. Ltd. 1955. Pp. 330. Ill. Index. 18s.

Muhammad's People. A Tale by Anthology. By Eric Schroeder. The Bond Wheelwright Co., Portland, Me., U.S.A. pp. 838. $10.00.

The Economic Development of Japan. By Professor W. W. Lockwood. Princeton University Press. (London : Geoffrey Cumberledge.) Pp. 592 and Index. 63s.

The Art of Asia in the Francis Hopp Museum of Eastern Asiatic Arts in Budapest. By Tibor Horváth. Budapest. 1954. 112 plates.

Treasures of Indian Miniatures in the Bikaner Palace Collection. By Basil Gray. Bruno Cassirer, Oxford. Distributed by Faber and Faber. 1955. 12s. 6d.

A Glossary of Chinese Art and Archaeology. By S. Howard Hansford. London : The China Society. 1954. Pp. 104. 15s.

Elizabethan and Yuan: A Brief Comparison of some Conventions in Poetic Drama. By James Liu. London : The China Society. 1955. Pp. 12. 3s.

Wild Flowers of Kuwait and Bahrain. By Violet Dickson, M.B.E., F.Z.S. London : George Allen and Unwin. 1955. Pp. 143; maps. Ill. 25s.

The Waterless Moon. By Elizabeth Balneaves. Lutterworth Press. 1955. Pp. 175, with 15 plates and a map. 15s.

Take These Men. By Cyril Joly. Constable. 1955. 8”×5½”. Pp. x +357 and maps. 15s. net.

This is Kashmir. By Pearce Gervis. Cassell. 1954. Pp. 330; 2 colour plates, 24 pp. of photographs, and a map. 25s.

Man of Everest. By James Ramsay Ullman. G. G. Harrap : London, Toronto, Sydney and Wellington. 1955. Pp. 320. 8½” × 6½”. 18s.

An Innocent on Everest. By Ralph Izzard. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1954. Pp. 256. 111. Bibl. 16s.

Kanchenjunà Challenge. By Paul Bauer. London : William Kimber. 1955. Pp. 202. 12 illustrations. 9½”×6½”. 18s.

The Savage Mountain. By Charles Houston and Robert Bates. Collins. 1955. Pp. 192; 23 illustrations; maps and line drawings. 8½” x 6”. 25s.

The Narrow Smile. By Peter Mayne. John Murray. 1955. Pp. 254. 111. 18s.

September Monkey. By Induk Pahk. Victor Gollancz. 1955. Pp. 283. 15s.

My Several Worlds. By Pearl S. Buck. Methuen. 1955. Pp. 467. 21s.

Mandarin Red. By James Cameron. Michael Joseph. 1955. Pp. 287 approx. Ill. 15s.

One Man in His Time. By N. M. Borodin. Constable, London. 1955. Pp. 343. 21s.     

Argument Repertoire as a Reliable and Valid Measure of Opinion Quality: Electronic Dialogue During Campaign 2000

A new measure of opinion quality that we name "argument repertoire" (AR) is introduced and evaluated. AR refers to the relevant reasons that one has for one's own opinions and the relevant reasons that others with opposite opinions might have. The measure is shown to be reliable and to have construct validity. Those with elevated AR also were more likely to attend on-line deliberative groups during the presidential election and to contribute to those conversations. Those who participated in online deliberations tended to have higher AR scores on particular issues that were discussed. The role of AR in deliberative political groups is explored.     

Legal Title to Property May Not Always Result in Liability as an Owner under CERCLA

The meaning of “ownership” under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) is not as straightforward as most people believe. Although liability under section 107(a)(1) is imposed upon a current “owner” or operator of a facility, CERCLA provides little guidance because it defines “owner” as “any person owning” a facility. In most cases, the issue of who owns the property or a facility is readily apparent and not controversial; however, this article discusses cases in which courts have been compelled to critically examine the specific facts of the case and state law to determine whether a particular party is an “owner” for purposes of establishing liability under CERCLA.     

Variables influencing sentencing severity: Intercourt differences in Connecticut

Studies of criminal-court dispositions have traditionally aggregated courts along political and geographic boundaries. This article suggests that courts should be analyzed individually, even within the same jurisdiction, as a means of increasing the explanatory capacity of the variables involved. Further, it is contended that intercourt differences are a result of organizational influences operating within each court.